Water may be a blessing or a curse. Gardeners usually want abundant rain to nurture their plantings and generally have a back-up irrigation plan for dry spells. Providing the right amount of water for each plant is one of the keys to a gardener’s success. Working With the Water Cycle Just as leaves absorb carbon from the air, so roots absorb water from the soil. The water, and any chemicals or elements dissolved in it, may be stored in...
Recognizing and identifying trees can be a great pleasure. Knowing trees well enough to understand how they fit into the local ecosystem, and how they can be used, allows us to look around at the trees in our community with even greater appreciation. But there are so many trees! How can you learn to identify them without carrying around a heavy field guide? This was our quandary as my novice Tree Steward colleagues and I began a project to...
In late autumn, the Williamsburg area woods light up with evergreen holly trees as the hardwoods lose their leaves. It is their time to sparkle in the winter sunshine. Their broad, prickly leaves are waxy on top, reflecting what light reaches them through the forest canopy. Unobtrusive throughout the summer, hollies are among the few forest trees, along with wax myrtle, pines, cedars, and magnolias, which remain bright green and covered in leaves throughout the year. Holly King Legends...
Cardinals nest in a large evergreen shrub beside my kitchen window. Though the shrub, Ligustrum, is frowned upon by many contemporary gardeners as invasive, the birds don’t know that. They delight in its abundant berries and the insects that visit year-round. We delight in watching the birds come and go, even as they peer in the windows at us. We amuse one another. Cardinals, titmice and other birds also perch in the crape myrtle tree a little further out...
A sadly spindly ‘mystery tree’ grows on a steep slope in our back fern garden. I first noticed it six or seven years ago. Its top was broken off in a winter snowstorm a while ago, and its odd growth pattern, plain looking leaves and immature bark left me clueless about its identify. My best guess was that perhaps it was a paw paw tree, since the leaves are similar, and we have a stand of those nearby. But...
The Osage orange (Maclura, pomifera), a member of the mulberry family (Moraceae), has proved to be both useful and ornamental in its rich history. It was identified by an American geologist, of Scottish descent, named William Maclure (1763-1840), a successful merchant, who later in life distinguished himself as a geologist and cartographer. This native American tree was originally found in the dust bowl states, Oklahoma and Texas, as well as the northern tip of Louisiana, but has since become naturalized...
Have you ever noticed how the strawberries you pick yourself on a warm May afternoon taste much better than the huge red berries you buy at the grocery store? Everyone who has grown their own tomatoes, lettuce, or apples knows how much better homegrown food can taste. You still need to be selective about what seeds you buy because some varieties of carrots and squash taste better than others, and some prove more resistant to disease. Putting in a...
At the intersection of myth, fantasy, and living reality stands a towering oak tree, covered in plump acorns. More than 400 species of oaks grow across temperate and tropical regions of North America, Europe and Asia, with 90 species here in the United States and another 160 species growing in Mexico. China has 100 different types of oak. Types of Oaks All oaks, members of the Fagaceae family along with beech and chestnut trees, produce acorns. Some, like our...
Using Natives – For most of us, once we have learned the value of native plants versus non-native or even invasive plants, we cannot afford to rip out everything we have and start over. If you can, just skip to the links at the bottom of the page to learn what you need and where to buy plants! The rest of us need to develop more of a long-term plan, replacing or adding a few plants at a time. You...
What do you consider when choosing plants for your home and yard? We all have a checklist of criteria in the back of our minds. Our criteria are very personal to our own needs and situation. You may not purchase and plant as many plants as I do each year, but I’m sure that you enjoy the choosing and the planting just as much. We gardeners have been encouraged to plant more native plants for quite a...