Category: Soil Conservation

Beneficial Insects / Birds / Carbon Garden / climate change / Climate Change / Conservation / Edible Plants / Flowering Shrubs / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Invasive Plants / Larval Host Plants / Nuisance Plants / Ornamental Shrubs / Resource Protection / Soil Conservation / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

A History of Our War With Plants

  “I use only native plants, native to the planet Earth.  I am using indigenous plants; they are indigenous to this part of the universe.” Bill Mollison, Founder and Director of The Permaculture Institute     In the Beginning… Let’s begin with the obvious:  we live within an ever-changing ecosystem.  Europeans came to North America more than four centuries ago, cutting trees, planting fields, building homes and roads.  Native Americans also cut trees, built homes, planted fields, hunted, and lived...

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...

Birds / Carbon Garden / climate change / Climate Change / Conservation / Evergreen Shrubs / Evergreen trees / Fragrant Plants / Garden Design / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Larval Host Plants / Native Plants / Native Trees / Resource Protection / Soil Conservation / Tree Identification / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Myrica Is Mostly for the Birds

  A Mystery and A Memory We found several large evergreen shrubs in our new yard that we couldn’t immediately identify, when we moved here over a decade ago.  We could pick out the boxwood and Camellias, but we were especially curious about the very tall, open shrubs that the birds loved the most.  It was August, and tiny bluish gray drupes were ripening along this shrub’s woody stems.  Its leaves were fragrant.  Birds gathered in its dense and twiggy...

Carbon Garden / Compost / Conservation / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Resource Protection / Soil Conservation / Weeds / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle: Coffee Grounds

  Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium and More That pile of wet grounds left from your fresh pot of coffee contains nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Does that list of ingredients sound familiar? You may recognize this nutrient list from the last bag of fertilizer you read. Brewed coffee grounds, the dried and ground remains of the coffee bean, which is a seed, can be repurposed to enrich compost and improve soils. Grounds may contain up to 10% nitrogen, intended...

Conservation / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Larval Host Plants / Native Trees / Soil Conservation / Tree Care / Tree Identification / Trees / Trees in Winter / Wildlife Gardening / Winter

 by Elizabeth McCoy

The Beauty and Promise of Trees in Winter

  There is a special beauty in the form and structure of a bare tree after it has dropped its annual crop of leaves.  Like the beauty of a classical statue, one can see the truth of its bones.  Leaves, for all of their movement and color, veil the beauty of branches and buds. Looking at a bare tree is a study in pure potential.     All of the tree’s life  draws inwards to the wood and roots as...

Birds / Carbon Garden / Citizen Science / climate change / Climate Change / Conservation / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Invasive Plants / Native Plants / Nuisance Plants / Resource Protection / Shoreline Erosion / Soil Conservation

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Phragmites in Local Wetlands- Updated

  “… 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...

Beneficial Insects / Bulb Gardening / Compost / Evergreen Shrubs / Flowering Shrubs / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Lepidoptera / Native Plants / Soil Conservation / Sustainable Gardening / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Late Summer in the Garden: To Do, To Do Less, and What to Avoid

  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...

Bulb Gardening / climate change / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Geophytes / Native Plants / Native Trees / Perennial Care / Soil Conservation / Sustainable Gardening / Water Wise / Watering / Weather / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Making a Resilient Drought-Tolerant Garden Part II: Techniques and Strategies

  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....

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...

Citizen Science / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Shoreline Erosion / Soil Conservation / Sustainable Gardening / Water Wise

 by Robyn Woolsey, Urban Conservationist with The Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District

Understanding Soil Testing and Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District Services

Soil Testing and Analysis When we begin cultivating a new garden area, or want to improve our lawn, it is wise to begin with a soil test.  Virginia Cooperative Extension labs analyze soil tests, for a small fee, and will send a comprehensive report to the individual who submitted the sample.  There is a lot of useful information in the report once we know what to look for and how to use the data. When you receive your soil sample...