Written by Patsy McGrady, Master Gardener, Class of 2010 Q. Why should I get a soil test and how do I get one? A. Gardening without a soil test is like cooking without a recipe. Sometimes the results are good, and other times, not so good. A soil test identifies the pH of the soil and states whether the soil needs to have lime added. The report provides the level of various nutrients in the soil, such as phosphorus, potash,...
Trees enrich our lives in countless ways. Yet we may not pay them much attention, until they are gone. A Million Trees in a Single Day Pioneers in the Nebraska Territory missed the trees they left behind back East. They needed trees for shade from the summer sun, for windbreaks to hold the soil, for fuel and for building materials. They needed trees so much, that Nebraska’s Board of Agriculture planned the first American Arbor Day celebration on April...
Seed bombs, also known as earth balls or seed balls, have roots in classical Egyptian agricultural practices. The method may have been widespread in the ancient world as an efficient way to sow large amounts of seed quickly, with minimal tools, especially after floods and other disruptions. Available sources indicate that some Native Americans used this method for sowing seeds. It is an effective way to sow seeds in areas with little rain. A seed bomb is made with clay...
The bright flash of a butterfly’s wing brings instant joy. My mind clears for a moment of rapt attention to see what sort of butterfly it is. Where is it flying? Where is it feeding? Will it stay in our yard? Whatever had been churning through my mind evaporates in that moment of pure beauty. Birdsong in the morning gently pulls me back from dreams, and we hear birds chattering and calling throughout the day, flying from shrub to tree. ...
Mosses are wild, native plants, and find spots to grow where conditions support them. They reproduce sexually with tiny spores that blow on the wind. They need consistent moisture to transform from a spore to a small plant, but they do it without any interference from the gardener. One way to develop a moss garden is to provide favorable conditions and let the mosses colonize on their own terms. This may take several years, even with consistent efforts to keep...
A fern table needs mosses to serve as mulch, holding the planting medium in place. Moss Garden Resources Find links to some excellent books, informative websites, and good sources for moss listed below: Hamilton, Helen. Ferns and Mosses of Virginia’s Coastal Plain. 2017. Martin, Annie. The Magical World of Moss Gardening. 2015. Nordström, Ulrica. Moss: From Forest to Garden: A Guide to the Hidden World of Moss. 2018 Smith, Richard R. New Methods in Moss Gardening: How to Grow...
What blooms through the snow in your yard? Many older homes in our neighborhood have established clumps of evergreen hellebores blooming from January through April or May. Suddenly, there are delicate pink and white petals emerging in the depths of winter. I asked a new friend about them soon after we moved to Williamsburg, and she generously gave me trays full of seedling plants when she thinned hers that spring. What a wonderful gift! The plants she gave to me...
The swiftest way to find yourself in a rollicking argument with someone you may otherwise count as a friend, is to disagree with them over whether a plant is useful in the garden, or is a noxious, invasive weed. This drama can erupt among those of us passionate about our gardens and the plants we grow. We all know just enough to know we’re right, but these arguments over plants can hinge on nuance and circumstance. Do you know...
Is it possible to fall in love with a genus of plant? Absolutely. Some flowers appeal to us so persistently that we respond to them in ways that don’t quite make sense. Their pull on our imagination, our affections, and yes, our resources, defies reason. Across horticultural history you’ll find characters who left their home continents behind to collect favorite plants. You’ll find those who quit their day jobs to breed and grow them full-time. And you will find smitten...
Q. Why are mushrooms in my yard? How can I get rid of them? A. Mushrooms tend to pop up in the fall due to shady, cool, and moist conditions and the availability of organic material in the lawn. The mushroom is the fruit of an underground feeding network (mycelium) of fungal threads (hyphae). Fungi feed on decomposing plant material and make that material accessible to the grass growing in the yard. Mushrooms do not damage the lawn and can...