I never intended to create the Lantana stand. Never in my wildest gardening dream did I expect it to get this huge. There were no warning labels to prepare me for what it has become. And it all began so innocently… In the beginning, there were only a lonely tea rose and a few New Guinnea impatiens, I. hawkeri, growing in the neat round bed in the center of our new front yard. We bought the house in...
“… despite its bad reputation, Phragmites provides many benefits that are generally unknown and unappreciated. After studying salt marsh ecology and the impacts of stressors, including invasive plants, for many years, I have concluded that removing this invasive species wherever it is found – especially along vulnerable coastlines – is a very expensive and often foolish procedure.” Dr. Judith Weis, Professor Emerita in Biological Sciences Rutgers University Historically, Phragmites Are Part an Important Part of the Ecosystem Our...
Our featured article, “Protecting our Waterways and Wetlands,” is written by Sean Seid of the James City County Stormwater and Resource Protection Division in partnership with the James City County Williamsburg Master Gardener Association. This preface is by Elizabeth McCoy, Master Gardener, Tree Steward, and JCCWMG Website Contributor. It has been my pleasure to know and work with Michael Woolson, Senior Watershed Planner with James City County’s Office of Stormwater and Resource Protection (SRP), since late 2017 when he and...
Every tiny seed holds a bit of life, stored efficiently enough that it can spring into growth in some future time when conditions permit. The saying goes that every acorn holds the potential for a future forest of oaks. Although that acorn will grow into only a single tree, each tree can produce millions of acorns during its lifespan. A ripened seed, the DNA for a new plant, contains stored proteins, carbohydrates and minerals in its cotyledon, and a...
A friend showed me a video she had taken in her backyard of hummingbirds swarming around one of her feeders. She loves hummingbirds and works hard to attract and care for them. She plants containers filled with flowers she knows they like, and maintains multiple feeders kept stocked with sugar water. She told me that she has several tiny feeders on stakes that she places among the flowers in her containers. There were so many tiny birds flying about...
Autumn is like a second spring in our coastal Virginia climate. We will enjoy another 90-100 frost-free days from August 1 until the end of our active growing season in early November. Even then, there is still plenty to enjoy in our gardens and plenty to do during the colder months. We can plant seeds, plugs, and bulbs in August that will continue producing flowers, root crops, herbs, and leafy greens in the months ahead. With so much time...
Enthusiastic gardeners begin planning, planting, and preparing for the season to come at the first hint of spring. Some of us may still be planting daffodils in December or January and watch for the first snowdrops to appear as the last bulbs go into the ground. There is very little break during winter. We are always watching the progress of our gardens and exploring sustainable gardening practices. And our hearts remain filled with hope for the seasons to come....
Maybe it will rain, and maybe it won’t. It has been unusually dry in our area for the past several months. Some of the little starts I planted with high hopes in March and April have been struggling to take hold. I need to water large areas of our garden several times a week, as though it were July already. And regular irrigation just isn’t an option for many gardeners. We are relatively fortunate in coastal Virginia because we...
The Historic Red, White and Blue Red, White and Blue is the iconic color scheme of an American summer. These colors each have deep meanings and various interpretations. American revolutionaries adopted these colors for our colonial flags beginning in 1776. Yet red, white and blue were also the colors of the British flag, and the British Red Ensign Flag, a field of red with a Union Jack in the upper left corner, which flew over Colonial and British ships from...
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...