Blogs by Year

What flower has a face, is edible, blooms in both spring and fall and comes in the widest range of colors? If you guest pansies, you are right! Pansies are one of the best ways to add color to those 6 months of cooler Hampton Roads weather that we experience from October thru March. These tough, vibrant flowers come in all the colors of the rainbow ~ including red, purple, blue, bronze, pink, black, yellow, white, lavender, orange, apricot and mahogany. Pansies are easy to grow, are hardy and provide a burst of cool weather color. Pansies can be used in a variety of ways.

Perk up your fall porch or table with a pumpkin packed with blooms. Instead of putting a candle in a jack-o-lantern, hollow out a pumpkin and use cool weather plants for a festive look that is sure to impress every guest. We recommend soaking your cut pumpkin in a quick bath of bleach before placing plants in. This will prolong the pumpkin once it's been cut. Poke a few holes in a tin can or small container and place inside your cut pumpkin. Add your plants, some soil and a little sprinkle of fertilizer. Try pansies, ornamental cabbage and kale, mums, or hardy succulents.

Make a BIG impact with small gardens. Mini gardening possibilities are endless and it's so fun adding accessories to jazz them up for the holidays. There are so many ways to garden small including terrariums, glass orbs, fairy gardens, dish gardens, succulent gardens and even hanging string gardens. Also, try re-purposing items from your home such as jars, drawers, and old dishes. Get creative and get miniature!

by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, VirginiaI’ve always wanted an October Glory maple tree for its red fall color. Finally, several years ago, I got one and I couldn’t be happier. About this time of year, its vivid red foliage warms me on cool October days.

Healthy soil equals healthy plants, and what happens below the soil line really does make a difference! When you build and maintain fertile soil, you are laying the groundwork for thriving plants that can develop quickly, resist pests and diseases, and give way to thriving, beautiful plants. Here are five ingredients our experts recommend to help ensure your planting success:McDonald Soil Builder

There's a good reason camellias have been a part of the southern landscape for more than 200 years - simply put, they're just amazing.

Lucky for us gardeners, planting isn't just a spring activity. Your gardening season doesn't have to be over in the fall. Pansies are a great way to extend your blooms into cold weather.

What flower has a face, is edible, blooms in both spring & fall and comes in the widest range of colors of any garden annual? If you guest pansies, you are right. Yes, October = pansies here in Hampton Roads! These beloved blooms are one of the best ways to add color to your landscape during those six months of cool weather, from October through March. These vibrant, colorful flowers come in all the shades of the rainbow and then some including red, purple, blue, bronze, pink, black, yellow, white, lavender, orange, apricot and mahogany.

by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, VirginiaBulbs are too often afterthoughts in the garden. It’s wrong thinking, something I’ve been guilty of, too. For years, I ignored bulbs. Then, I became the energized owner of a woodsy garden where I envisioned a river of daffodils blooming in early spring.

Get fired up this fall with Autumn Embers Encore azaleas! Well known for being hardy and low-maintenance, these reblooming azaleas add vivid, multi-seasonal color unlike any other azalea. This dense, rounded shrub features an abundance of semi-double, fiery, orange-red flowers that are produced in spring and fall and sporadically throughout the summer. Autumn Embers reaches a height of three feet by three and half feet wide and is ideal planted in garden beds and borders, foundation plantings, large containers or as a focal point in the garden.