Author: Elizabeth McCoy

Flowers as Tribute / Memorial Day

 by Michele Jett Garrard, Master Gardener, Class of 2022

Memorial Day and the Red Poppy

Memorial Day is more than just another Federal Holiday. This is the day we set aside to honor all who have lost their lives while protecting and fighting for our country. Since 1868, when it was originally called Decoration Day (officially becoming Memorial Day in 1938) this was the time for our nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Each year flowers and wreaths are placed in front of veterans’ headstones in ceremonies across our Nation.  Magnificent...

Carbon Garden / Edible Plants / Fragrant Plants / Garden Design / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Holiday Plants / Native Trees / Summer / Sustainable Gardening / Tree Care / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

The Regal Southern Magnolia

  The sweet fragrance of Magnolia flowers on a warm breeze announces summer in Virginia.  But that wasn’t the case 400 years ago, before European colonists began exploring for interesting tree species, transplanting them to new areas, and exporting them back to Europe.  The original native range of Magnolia grandiflora is only from the Carolinas south to Florida and westwards towards Texas along the Gulf Coast.  Our iconic Southern Magnolia trees aren’t indigenous in this region, but they have since...

Carbon Garden / climate change / Evergreen Perennials / Evergreen Shrubs / Ferns / Flowering Shrubs / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Larval Host Plants / Native Plants / Native Trees / Ornamental Shrubs / Sustainable Gardening / Water Wise / Weather / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Sustainable Gardening in the Shade

  When you’re planning a new garden, do you look for a sunny spot or for a bit of shade?  That used to be an easy decision.  We all know that plants need good light to grow well.  Gardening books used to advise anyone planting a small vegetable garden or flower bed to watch how the sun moves across the sky and how the shadows fall across their yard to select a good sunny spot to break ground.  Traditional gardeners...

mountain laurel in bloom

Evergreen Shrubs / Flowering Shrubs / Garden Design / Heirloom plants / Native Trees / Ornamental Shrubs / Poisonous Plants / Spring / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Mountain Laurel, A Native Shrub to Love

  I love finding mountain laurel growing in large, lovely masses in the wild.  Its creamy pink flowers glow softly in the forest.  Wild mountain laurel, Kalmia latifolia, sometimes grows along the undeveloped banks of creeks and rivers in Eastern Virginia.  It grows as an understory shrub in our oak, beach and pine forests. These evergreen shrubs, almost small trees, simply blend into the fabric of the woods through much of the year before bursting into bloom, suddenly elegant and...

Container Gardens / Edible Plants / Food Forest / Fragrant Plants / Garden Design / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Herbs / Propagation / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Landscaping With Herbs Part III: Annual, Biennial and Tender Perennial Herbs

Benefits of Garden Herbs Herbs attract hummingbirds and butterflies like few other plants.  It is worth planting a few herbs whether you plan to harvest and cook with them or not because they are tough, easy to grow, and beautiful.  They come with side benefits; their essential oils not only offer fragrance and flavor, but they also deter grazers.  If you have watched deer chew your roses and impatiens like deer candy, know that your herbs will survive their curiosity. ...

Carbon Garden / Citizen Science / Climate Change / Evergreen Perennials / Ferns / Garden Design / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Native Plants / Restoration / Soil Conservation / Sustainable Gardening / Wildlife Gardening / Winter Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Christmas Ferns: A Small Step Towards Climate Solutions

  A Very Personal Challenge As more and more of us feel the effects of chaotic weather patterns and climate change on our own communities and families, we know that waiting for governments and corporations to ‘solve’ the problem is no longer enough.  We each explore ways that we can make a personal, positive difference in this very personal circumstance.  Whether we worry about heat or storms, flooding or high winds, we understand that communities around the planet are also...

Beneficial Insects / Container Gardens / Fragrant Plants / Garden Design / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Herbs / Invasive Plants / Perennial Care / Permaculture / Sustainable Gardening / Tender Perennials / Vegetable Gardening / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Landscaping With Herbs Part II:  Deciduous Perennial Herbs

What is an Herb? Why is mint an herb, but clover isn’t?  Have you ever given it much thought?  Botanically, any plant with a soft stem, that dies back in winter, is ‘herbaceous.’  Were you give a stack of a dozen cards, each with the name and picture of a plant, could you sort them into ‘herbs’ and ‘not herbs’? If asked, most of us could probably name at least five herbs.  Those used in cooking, like basil and thyme...

Popular Plant Sale Returns on May 11, 2024

Plant Sale / Spring

 by Marion Guthrie, Master Gardener, Class of 2019

Popular Plant Sale Returns on May 11, 2024

Williamsburg, VA—James City County Williamsburg Master Gardener Association (JCCWMGA) invites you to our plant sale on Saturday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Williamsburg Botanical Garden (WBG) located within Freedom Park at 5537 Centerville Road. This sale runs only on Saturday, May 11, rain or shine. Admission to the WBG and parking in Freedom Park is free. The sale offers a wide selection of annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, trees, and shrubs. Much of the plant stock...

Compost / Garden Design

 by Deborah Bussert, Master Gardener, Class of 2016

Using Cardboard to Build Healthy Soil

I recently read an article about using cardboard to build healthy soil and help mitigate climate change. In healthy soil, gardeners and small-scale farmers can sequester as much as two tons of carbon per acre, which could significantly reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. According to Dr. Rattan Lal of Ohio State University, “a mere 2% increase in the carbon content of the planet’s soils could offset 100% of all greenhouse gas emissions going into the atmosphere.” As we know,...

Beneficial Insects / Container Gardens / Evergreen Perennials / Evergreen Shrubs / Food Forest / Fragrant Plants / Garden Design / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Herbs / Sustainable Gardening / Therapeutic Gardening / Wildlife Gardening / Winter Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Landscaping with Herbs in Williamsburg

  Once upon a time, I found herb gardening a topic of mystique and mystery.  Maybe it was the herb gardening books I found, with their illustrations of medieval knot gardens, and the cute little pots of culinary herbs grown on the wide, sunny windowsill of someone’s gourmet kitchen.  Or maybe it was learning that many herbs prefer a Mediterranean climate with dry, rocky soil and lots of sunshine.  How could I replicate that in Virginia? It may have been...