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Peggy shared a photo of the forest floor from her hike.
(Photo: Peggy Singlemann)
While I pen this note I am enjoying time in the mountains of Virginia where, even while hiking the trails, I am taking lessons from the natural world around me. While hiking I cannot help mentally naming the plants I pass along the trails. I spy the layers of the forest: the canopy, understory, and forest floor. I mentally note some plants have bloomed and some are blooming, while others will bloom later in the season. Take a note from nature and please walk your landscape to review what s blooming when. If you have a gap, visit your local nursery or garden center during that time of year to purchase flowering plants that will create a continuously blooming landscape. If you choose a Virginia native plant, then the pollinators and birds will benefit, too. Remember to keep working toward a landscape with a green mass of 70% native and yes, that includes the trees.
Explore gardening education for the next generation. Learn about a college program pioneering indoor growing techniques. Then visit an educational farm with the mission of improving the health of children through hands-on activities.
Spring blossoms have been on full display and are making way for summer blooms.
(Photo by Victor Camilo)
Spring has unfolded slowly this year, greening the world in such a way we appreciated the horticulture marvels of each passing day. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching seeds germinate with the promise of a summer garden, all the while marveling at the extended spring bloom season due to the sustained cool weather. When sowing seeds, it is best to stagger the sowing of zucchini, beans, carrots, beets, and corn at weekly intervals. Doing so extends the harvest, making managing the ripened produce much easier. June is also the month to plant pumpkins, gourds, and southern peas for harvest in the fall. Believe it or not, June is also the best time to plan the fall garden since many fall crops need to be sown in July. Amazing how time flies!
Image: VPM
Host Peggy Singlemann talks to Michael Lott at Crow’s Nest Natural Area Preserve about the unique biodiversity preserved there and learns more about the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Natural Heritage Program.
Co-Host Keith Nevison visits Boxerwood Nature Center and Woodland Garden to explore the representative ecosystems on display, and learn about their educational mission.
Virginia Home Grown set to show some examples of invasive plants threatening our ecosystem and give tips on how to remove them.
Invasive plants presented by Kevin Heffernan:
Autumn olive / Elaeagnus umbellata