Into the Garden Week 5

Plant of the Week

The state tree of Missouri, North Carolina, and Virginia, the native dogwood is mighty popular. Its beautiful white and pink flowers are a springtime staple in Virginia. The flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) is bred to sit in the full sun, but it also makes wonderful understory. Plant them at the edge of your woods and marvel at your blooming treeline. 

Guests

This week, I chatted with Historic Garden Chairwomen Michele Hayes Silver and Robin Cherry about the Historic Garden Week Tour. All ticket proceeds support the Garden Club’s many important missions, including funding three conservation studies fellowships and the restoration of 39 historic sites. I’m so happy and humbled to be sharing my Albemarle garden alongside two gorgeous Charlottesville and Rivanna gardens. If you buy a ticket, you will be treated to a collection of showstopper specimen trees, including an enormous American elm, a redwood, a dove tree, and a backyard that houses over 22 varieties of Japanese maples. For those of us who haven’t seen a dove tree in bloom, the flowers “look like white silk handkerchiefs blowing in the wind.” 

https://www.vagardenweek.org/

Playlist 

  • Now is as good a time as any to get mulching! 

  • Avoid mulching trees and certain perennials like German irises and peonies. 

  • There’s no need to mulch everywhere. Let your leaf litter be—it’s great for insects.

To Listen

Up Next

  • Tune in for my talk with horticulturist Kelly D. Norris about his latest book New Naturalism.

Into the Garden Week 4

Plant of the Week

I’m sorry (not sorry) to say I fell off the native plant wagon with my Edgeworthia chrysantha, the Chinese paperbush plant. This guy is known for his winter flowers, fragrant clusters of lemon-yellow and white umbrils. Join me and brighten your home with fresh Edgeworthia cuttings—it’ll be our little secret. 

Guest

This week, Richmond-based botanical artist Anne Blackwell Thompson joined me on the pod. There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to botanical art. Anne describes her car as a “botanical crime scene,” complete with ladders, machetes, and scalpels. Anne’s art is a labor of love. Some pieces are composed of over 300 parts, and plant material can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 9 months to dry properly. When collecting specimens, she focuses on the shapes and curves of a single leaf or flower, selecting only the very best. As Anne says, Mother Nature drives the bus and we’re just along for the ride.

https://www.quirkgallery.com/main-gallery-charlottesville

https://www.blackwellbotanicals.com/

https://awaytogarden.com/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/edgeworthia-chrysantha/

Playlist

Temperatures are on the rise and it’s time to get you into the garden.

●  Before putting them outside for the night, acclimate your potted plants with several sun/air baths.

●  Remove your annual winter weeds, like dead nettle, yellow rocket, chickweed, and hoary bittercress. I know they’re cute, but remember: off with their heads!

●  Prune anything and everything. If it doesn’t make you happy—cut it out!  

To Listen

●  Margaret Roach’s A Way To Garden

●  BBC’s Gardeners’ Question Time

Up Next

Join me for my talk with Historic Garden Chairwomen Michele Hayes Silver and Robin Cherry.

Into the Garden Week 3

Plant of the Week

To me, the daffodil (Narcissus) signals springtime’s arrival. With 40 to 200 different species in the genus and over 32,000 cultivars, there’s a lot (almost too much) to know about daffodils. Because daffodils are toxic to animals, their blooms are safe from critters and deer. They come in an array of sunset colors like yellow, orange, pink, peach, and white, and their sunny springtime disposition makes everyone smile. 

Guest

This week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Marie Callahan and Janette Martin, Piedmont Master Gardeners and coordinators of the Virtual Spring Lecture Series. The Piedmont Master Gardener Association is a community of volunteer educators who provide guidance for people in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, helping gardeners to enact sustainable practices. The annual lecture series is a wonderful resource for all local gardeners. Returning after a 2020 Covid-related hiatus, Marie and Janette have prepared a fascinating series. Talk tomatoes with Ira Wallace, conservation landscaping with Carol Heiser, climate change and pests with Mike Raupp, and backyard birds with Robyn Puffenbarger. 

https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/

https://www.nathancolberg.com/

Playlist 

  • I’m opening my garden to the Historic Garden Week Tour on April 18th. Come say hi! 

  • Prune, prune, prune. Dead, diseased, damaged, in your way? Begone! 

To Listen

  • Into the Wild by local musician Nathan Colberg. 

Up Next:

  • Next week, I will be joined by botanical artist Anne Blackwell Thompson.

test