Category: Winter Gardening

Citizen Science / Conservation / Evergreen trees / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Sustainable Gardening / Trees in Winter / Wildlife Gardening / Winter / Winter Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Celebrate the Winter Solstice by Honoring Our Earth

The Shortest Day of the Year On Saturday, December 21, 2024, indigenous people and others who practice nature based spiritual paths celebrate the Winter Solstice.  Winter Solstice has been observed as a holy day for millennia, since before humans kept records, because it marks the shortest day of the year and the return of the sun to warm the Earth for the growing season ahead.  Historians have found that ancient stone circles, pyramids, and other prehistoric stone constructions are oriented...

Beneficial Insects / Bulb Gardening / Carbon Garden / Conservation / Container Gardens / Garden Design / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Geophytes / Heirloom plants / Poisonous Plants / Soil Conservation / Spring / Wildlife Gardening / Winter Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Why Bother With Bulbs?

  Bins of papery brown bulbs appear in every garden center and big box store right after the back-to-school displays disappear for another autumn.  I love to study the photos of bright spring flowers on the bins, bags, and boxes of bulbs. They invite the ultimate impulse purchase.  “Where to plant them?” you may wonder.  No matter, you’ll find a spot. As trees turn gold and scarlet, we feel the chill in the air, and know that the long summer...

Beneficial Insects / Carbon Garden / climate change / Conservation / Evergreen Shrubs / Evergreen trees / Flowering Shrubs / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Phenology / Pollinators / Sustainable Gardening / Trees / USDA Hardiness Zone Map / Wildlife Gardening / Winter Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Updated 2023 Plant Hardiness Map

  The United States Department of Agriculture released an updated Plant Hardiness Zone map on November 15 that reflects changes for about half of the country.  This updated map, the first since 2012, is based on the average coldest winter temperature, on the coldest night of the year, for each region of the country.  The trend shown on this map paints an accurate picture of how many parts of our country are warming.  The USDA cautions, however, that the data...

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 / 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...

Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Geophytes / Heirloom plants / Sustainable Gardening / Weather / Winter Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Early Spring Gardening- Achieving More with Less

  February is the perfect time of year for frugal gardeners to get a head start on the coming season.  Winter’s garden magazines and catalogs offer a preview of new cultivars hitting the market.  We weigh the merits of melons, tomatoes, Zinnias and Dahlias, working the mental puzzle of what might fit where.  Online marketers become our best garden ‘pen pals’ with daily email temptations. You have probably also noticed how much nursery prices have increased in recent years.  I...