2 days ago

Further proof, Joanne Flaherty Perry!Positive Effects of Gardening on Mental HealthAnyone who has picked up a trowel and turned over some soil knows that gardening can be good for your mental and physical health. A new paper published by Texas A&M researcher Dr. Charles Hall details all the positive benefits to be had from gardening. From reducing stress and decreasing depression to increasing your self esteem, gardening can make your life better, while also benefiting the ecosystems around you. Read more about his research in the article below! ~kgmArticle: bit.ly/3a0E31o ... See MoreSee Less

1 day ago

(Terasa) Stokes aster (Stokesia laevis) is a low maintenance native plant that is a source of nectar for pollinating insects such as butterflies and bees. It is named to honor the English physician and botanist Jonathan Stokes who became well known for his work using foxglove (digitalis) to treat heart failure. ... See MoreSee Less

1 day ago

Have you been looking at your landscaping beds & wondering what you could do to make them look fuller, add more blooms, and create a professional layered look? This webinar from Virginia Cooperative Extension - Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia can help! This informative talk covers sustainable landscape principles, adding plant layers under trees, refreshing foundation plantings and more. One great recommendation is to add "keystone" perennial species from the goldenrod, aster, and sunflower families which are important to support wildlife.View the session here: mgnv.org/mg-virtual-classroom/sl-class-video/well-layered-landscape-2022/Image text: Learn to get a professional landscaping look- Layer low-growing plants with taller plants - Use foundation plants- Choose plants with staggered bloom times- Reduce lawn (if you want to!) & build wide bedsAnd choose plants to support pollinators & wildlife- For example plants in the genrea symphyotrichum, helianthus, and solidago ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

Here is your “wow, I didn’t know that!” Moment for today!🧐Have you ever lifted up a rock and found lots of little "rollie-pollies" living in the moist, dark soil underneath? Those humble pill bugs may be one of the most interesting creatures in your garden!Pill bugs (also called rollie-pollies) and their relative sow bugs (which do not curl up) are more closely related to shrimp and crayfish than insects. They are the only crustaceans that have adapted to living their entire life on land. Sowbugs and pillbugs are scavengers and feed mainly on decaying organic matter and are important to the regeneration of healthy soils. Pill bugs are able to process heavy metals, such as cadmium, removing them from tainted soil. They are very important decomposers in contaminated soils that many other species cannot tolerate. They rarely damage garden plants.The next time you lift a rock and see pill bugs, know that they are garden friends doing important work to help keep our soil healthy! ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago

Now that is one pretty rain garden!Did you know that pollutants carried by rainwater runoff account for 70% of all water pollution (according to US EPA estimates)? Rain gardens can slow down runoff long enough to filter it before it moves on. The plants, soil, and the microorganisms in a rain garden's soil act as a filter to clean or break down pollutants. A rain garden is a natural or man-made planted shallow depression that temporarily holds runoff from impervious areas until it evaporates, is absorbed by the plants, or infiltrates into the ground. Think “puddle with plants.” The runoff can then flow out of the rain garden into another a grass swale, a buffer, or into a nearby storm drain, stream, stormwater pond, or other body of water. It can infiltrate into the soil, evaporate back into the atmosphere, or the plants can absorb and use it. Water is meant to be held temporarily (two to four days), so it is filtered and gone before the next rainfall and so mosquitos don’t breed. Sediment is filtered when it is trapped by the plants and settles to the bottom of the garden.To learn more about rain gardens: www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-13/SPES-13.pdfThe Virginia Department of Forestry also has a technical guide to rain gardens here: dof.virginia.gov/urban-community-forestry/urban-forestry-homeowner-assistance/rain-gardens/And here is a separate publication with plant recommendations: www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-043/426-043.htmlPictured: Rain garden in the High Point neighborhood in Seattle, WA, retain stormwater runoff, which can help reduce peak flooding. Photo credit: US EPA Clarion Associates ... See MoreSee Less