VPM
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VPM
Discover popular houseplant varieties and learn about their care. Visit a garden featuring unique herbs and discuss their uses beyond the kitchen.
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Tim Wright/VPMExplore state and national champion trees at Richmond’s historic Maymont park. Tour Dragon Run on the Middle Peninsula to learn about bald cypress and the old growth forest network. -
PhotoJuthamat - stock.adobe.com/376424661Is your soil ready for your plants? This is a great question and most of us might just look at the soil to say yes — it looks loamy and has that black, rich color, or no — it looks like red Virginia clay to me! There is so much more to soil than meets the eye, and I want to introduce the best way to know more about what is in your dirt: the soil test.
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I garden with deer, where more than a dozen think my gardens are their personal restaurant to browse through. I have gardened with deer for many years, and through research backed by expensive trial and error on my part, I now only buy plants with specific traits.
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As gardeners, during the winter months we start missing our time in the garden. We spend so much time in our gardens during the warm season, that when we are forced to slow down due to frozen ground or uncomfortable cold, we can start feeling depressed and eager to get back to playing in the soil.
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A common question fellow gardeners ask me is about what my favorite plants are. While I have a few favorites, I really do like almost all plants so trying to choose just a few is difficult.
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I have always enjoyed going into my backyard and harvesting veggies for a meal, but I find it even more exciting during winter. I often continue growing into the winter by protecting my fall garden beds that get the most sunlight during winter.
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When I sit in my sunniest room, flipping through the various catalogs stacked at my feet, I know I need to be very careful with the plant choices I make. My years of experience have taught me that these choices will have an impact on my garden — and on my time — until the end of the season.
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Dr. Robyn Puffenbarger/At my house, bird watching and bird feeding is a year-round activity. To make the birds safe in your space, think about adding ‘cover’ so they can approach.
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January is the coldest month of the year for most of the US and many gardeners manage through the month’s 31 days by hibernating inside with garden catalogs at their fingertips. However, just because it is cold outside doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to do in the garden.
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It’s that time of year that’s full of family and friend gatherings; it can be very stressful and overwhelming. During this time, it’s so important to take time to just breathe.
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Usual questions running through the mind of the procrastinator gardener are: Where did the time go? Is it too late to plant? Can I prune now? The good news is that it’s not too late for most of these tasks. -
Tour a garden in Rappahannock County designed to restore and preserve the natural ecosystem. Visit a business in Northern Virginia committed to creating sustainable landscapes using local ecotypes.
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With the fall colors peaking and falling the annual chore of dealing with the carpet of leaves looms in the minds of many homeowners. Leaves are regarded as a nuisance rather than valued for the many benefits they provide.
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Fall is the perfect time to plant, seed and relocate perennials. As the weather cools, the soil retains more moisture, therefore there’s less heat stress on the plants so they can acclimate better to their new location.
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The project takes donated firearms and converts them into garden tools.
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Meet a group in Loudoun organizing homeowner associations to remove and replace invasive plants. Then visit the Appomattox River to learn about riparian buffer repair and wildlife habitat restoration.
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The Department of Conservation and Recreation has identified plant species that cause ecological and economic harm in the Virginia. These plants have shown demonstrable evidence of threatening forests, native grasslands, wetlands or waterways. The species are grouped by their invasive impact. Plants with higher invasiveness alter ecosystems, displace native plant communities, spread in new areas quickly and are more difficult to control.
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With the soil still warm, October is an excellent time to add compost, vermicompost and other organic matter to the gardens.
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As the days inevitably get shorter in fall, often the heat breaks and rain is part of the forecast. Fall is often the best time of year to plant trees and…
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Meet farmers committed to environmental stewardship. Visit a family farm in Sedalia sustainably producing fruits, vegetables and eggs. Learn about a Richmond farmer’s mission to reconnect the community to food with regenerative growing practices.
