Category: Watering

Help Wanted / Invasive Plants / Native Plants / Native Trees / Nuisance Plants / Ornamental Shrubs / Soil Conservation / Summer Color Plants / Tree Identification / Trees / Vegetable Gardening / Watering

 by Wayne Koenig

Master Gardeners’ Homeowner Outreach Programs 2025

Transform Your Garden with Expert Advice from Certified Master Gardeners Do you dream of a flourishing garden but aren’t sure where to start? Or perhaps you’ve run into some gardening issues that need expert intervention. The James City County Williamsburg Master Gardener Association has just what you need! We offer free, environmentally sound, research-based recommendations for your home’s trees, lawn, landscape, and water-saving practices. Our teams of 2-3 certified Extension Master Gardeners are ready to visit your home, discuss your...

Beneficial Insects / Birds / Bulb Gardening / Carbon Garden / climate change / Compost / Conservation / Deer / Evergreen Perennials / Evergreen Shrubs / Evergreen trees / Ferns / Flowering Shrubs / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Larval Host Plants / Ornamental Shrubs / Perennial Care / Phenology / Trees in Winter / Watering / Wildlife Gardening / Winter

 by Elizabeth McCoy

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

  We can consider winter as the ‘weekend’ of the gardening year, both the last month and the first months of the year when we can enjoy a much-needed rest from the regular routine.  A period of rest and renewal restores energy to both the garden and the gardener.  It allows us time for reflection on the successes and challenges of seasons past and an opportunity to plan and prepare for the seasons to come. If winter is the weekend,...

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....

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

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Making a Resilient Drought-Tolerant Garden Part I: Right Plant, Right Place

  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...

Container Gardens / Heirloom plants / Holiday Plants / Tales from the Help Desk / Tropical Houseplants / Watering

 by Patsy McGrady

Tales From the Help Desk : Christmas Cactus

Q.  How do I care for a Christmas cactus so that it blooms well for Christmas? A.  Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera x buckleyi, is native to tropical rain forests.  It should be planted in a soil mix that is high in organic material but drains well.  It likes to be root bound, so don’t feel you have to keep putting it in a larger pot each year. Keep the soil moist from spring through summer but let the soil dry out...

Community Gardening / Fall / Sustainable Gardening / Teaching Garden / Water Wise / Watering

 by Elvin & Kay Clapp

The JCC Community Wellness Fair

The Water Wise Team was busy preparing and hosting a tour of our Water Wise garden at the JCC Human Services Center (5249 Olde Towne Rd.) for the JCC Community Wellness Fair on September 10, 2022. The Fair was a great success with approximately 300 people visiting our Water Wise garden. Master Gardeners Kay Clapp and Linda Neilson had 57 adult visits to the JCCW Master Gardener booth and delighted over 35 children in a garden lesson on butterflies. Project...

Community Gardening / Fall / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Teaching Garden / Vegetable Gardening / Watering

 by Pam Arnold, Master Gardener, Class of 22018

Blayton’s Garden – Growing Knowledge Starts Here

Click here to Watch the Video! 11 years and Going Strong The student garden at J. B. Blayton Elementary School on Jolly Pond Road in Williamsburg is 11 years old and going strong. The garden was started by a pair of teachers and parents who were interested in creating a special outdoor space where students could learn about all types of plants and pollinators. The PTA supplied funds to construct a pavilion for shade and to serve as an outdoor...

Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Native Plants / Water Wise / Watering

 by Elvin & Kay Clapp

Water-Wise Demonstration Project

The Water-Wise Demonstration Project is located in front of the Human Services Center (HSC) at 5249 Olde Towne Road (shown here). About 10,500 people walk through this garden each year. They are generally families, often bilingual, seeking social services and affordable health services. Our water-wise garden provides a peaceful setting for them, showcasing a variety of drought-tolerant perennial plants in a low-maintenance, low-water setting. This year we’re reaching out in English and Spanish by posting what is blooming on a...

a rain gauge in a yard

Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Rain Gauge / Water Wise / Watering

 by Elizabeth Myers

How Much Water Does My Garden Need?

The Hot Dry Dog Days of Summer – It may seem, in the summer, like it is never raining enough and your lawn and garden need water daily.  Before you drag hoses and sprinklers all over the yard, it’s important to know how much or how little water has fallen from the sky or been collected from your supplemental watering efforts.  Installing a rain gauge is a quick and simple way to find out. It’s an easy way to measure the...

Beneficial Insects / Birds / Flowering Shrubs / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Lepidoptera / Pollinators / Sustainable Gardening / Watering

 by dfbanks@earthlink.net

Water-Wisely, Choose Drought Resistant, Pollinator-Friendly, Plants

Planting and maintaining lovely gardens, while restricting the use of water, is made possible by using a few watering techniques and a choice of plants. The VCE created a brochure, in 2004 entitled Creating a Water-Wise Landscape and twenty years later it still contains some great advice.