Tagged: perennials

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...

Container Gardens / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Permaculture / Tender Perennials / Winter

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Weather Alert: Winter Cold

The Williamsburg area has recently been rezoned by the USDA to a slightly warmer Zone 8a. But temperatures can still get down to 5°F or -15 °C, although we don’t typically see temperatures much below the 20s. So as we pull out our gloves and coats, here are some simple things we can do even now to prepare for when extreme cold weather is in the forecast. Tips for Protecting Plants Potted shrubs and perennials hardy to Zone 6 or...

Evergreen Perennials / Ferns / Garden Design / Native Plants / Sustainable Gardening / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Evergreen Ferns Brighten Winter Gardens

  Autumn color and falling leaves turn a gardener’s thoughts to the winter months ahead.  While we’re still buying flats of bright pansies, pots of chrysanthemums and a pumpkin or two, let’s take the opportunity to also seek out evergreen ferns at local garden centers and online nurseries.  Evergreen ferns brighten the winter landscape as the ‘main event’ in winter container plantings, as ground cover under trees, and in borders and foundation plantings.     There are at least four...

Edible Plants / Food Forest / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Invasive Plants / Larval Host Plants / Native Plants / Water Wise / Weeds / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

What is a Weed?

A family of rabbits gathers each evening at dusk to nibble their way through the clover and creeping Charlie that populate our front ‘lawn.’  They prefer to nibble plants that we don’t cultivate and won’t miss.  A motley mix of volunteer species, interspersed with a few grasses, grow in the open space between the patio and hedge.  While we call it a ‘bee lawn,’ others might say our lawn is infested with weeds. What is a Weed? Any plant growing...

Beneficial Insects / Evergreen Perennials / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Invasive Plants / Native Plants / Sustainable Gardening / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Top Picks for Living Ground Covers (Part 3)

  How do you deal with a patch of bare ground in your yard?  That is the existential challenge of gardening, isn’t it?  The first, most logical choice for many is to plant a lawn.  We see lawns everywhere in our neighborhoods and public spaces.  Grasses may be the default ground cover for many people. But a grassy lawn gets expensive.  It costs time to maintain.  It requires ongoing investments in grass seed, fertilizers and other chemicals to feed it...

Container Gardens / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Native Plants / Perennial Care / Poisonous Plants / Summer Color Plants / Sustainable Gardening / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Top Plant Picks for Summer Color: Foliage (Part 2)

Colorful and enticing plants fill every table and rack at garden centers in May.  Even the most experienced gardener may feel a little overwhelmed with so many interesting choices. Annual or perennial?  How big will this get? Will deer and bunnies eat it?  How long will it last?  Sun or shade?  Will it grow in a pot?  Will it stand the heat?  How much care will it require?  And most importantly, will it go the distance and survive all season?...

A hummingbird moth feeds on Lantana 'Chapel Hill Yellow'

Carbon Garden / Garden Design / Garden Maintenance / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Heirloom plants / Perennial Care / Summer Color Plants / Tender Perennials / Wildlife Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Top Plant Picks for Summer Color: Flowers (Part 1)

Colorful flowers and enticing plants fill every table and rack at garden centers right now.  Even the most experienced gardener may feel a little overwhelmed with so many beautiful choices. Annual or perennial?  How big will this get? Will deer and bunnies eat it?  How long will it bloom?  Sun or shade?  Will it grow in a pot?  Will it stand the heat?  How much care will it require? And most importantly, will it go the distance and survive all...

Crafting With Plants / Gardening on the Wild Side: Working in Harmony with Nature / Permaculture / Propagation / Soil Conservation / Sustainable Gardening

 by Elizabeth McCoy

Resourceful Gardening with Seed Bombs

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...