TREE: Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip-Poplar)
Tried and True Native Plants of the Mid-Atlantic Click on images for larger views and captions. Common throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region, Tuliptree is aptly named from the shape of its flowers and …
MG in the Garden
Protecting Young Trees from Periodical Cicadas
The cicadas are coming!
Brood X, also called the “Great Eastern Brood,” will emerge in DC, DE, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, and WV in 2021. Beginning as early as late April and continuing into June, adults will emerge at sunset from their underground locations where they spend most of their lives 1 to 8 feet below the surface as nymphs feeding on sap of tree roots.
Climate Change and Its Effect on Gardening
Climate-Conscious Gardening To quote David W. Wolfe, Professor of Plant & Soil Ecology at Cornell University, “We are in the unfortunate situation of being the first generation of gardeners, ever, …
The Glossary Project and “Word of the Week”
To back up and bolster the wealth of original content provided on our Web site, Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia (MGNV) has begun building a glossary of horticultural and botanical terms...As we undertake this effort, we plan to share our work in progress through a new feature on our site, a weekly posting to be called “Word of the Week” (WoW) that offers new word explorations in manageable, and, we hope, at least sometimes entertaining bites – with photographs to illustrate the terms and concepts.
The Lure of the Lawn
"My decision to remove most of the turf grass from my yard germinated over many years and after learning about the state of the nation’s lands and waters. What’s the connection? Our love affair with our lawns – with a thick green carpet of grass, free of weeds – comes at a steep cost to the environment."
Plant This, Not That: Replacing Nandina
Great suggestions for native plants that will replace invasive Nandina domestica (Heavenly bamboo).
High-Rise Gardening: Nine Native Perennials to Brighten Your Balcony
Long-blooming annuals have traditionally been preferred for balcony gardens, but native perennials work just as well for those who are able to devote more time and attention to the maintenance of a garden. Perennials have an advantage over annuals in that they will last from year to year. Choosing plants with attractive foliage is essential, since flowering periods for natives are not as lengthy as those for non-native summer annuals.
MGNV Gardeners Help Create the Plant Hope Garden
There’s a beautiful and peaceful new garden space at Arlington’s Courthouse Square thanks to a collaboration between volunteers from the Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia, the Arlington group of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, and Arlington County Parks and Recreation.
Q & A – Ask the Extension Agent!
Stumped by something in your garden? Ask the Extension Agent
❧ Scale on Japanese plum prostrate yews
❧ Pruning citrus
Five Yards and a Demonstration Garden: Part II
The Glencarlyn Library Garden Coordinators Talk About Their Personal Spaces and Public Collaboration
Learn about the transformations in the gardens of Alyssa Ford Morel and Paul Nuhn and how all five gardeners' aesthetics have informed the development of the Glencarlyn Library Community Garden.
Five Yards and a Demonstration Garden: Part I
The Glencarlyn Library Garden Coordinators Talk About Their Personal Spaces and Public Collaboration
Learn about the transformations in the gardens of Judy Funderburk, Elaine Mills and Wendy Mills
BEE-havior: Bee Bottoms & Turtleheads
Pollinator Week 2020: BEE-havior: Bee Bottoms & Turtleheads
This video requires no introduction!
Small Trees Make Big Canopies
Our Free Tree project stems from concerns that our region’s tree canopy is shrinking fast as our largest trees fall victim to age, redevelopment, poor pruning practices around power lines, prolonged periods of drought, and record-high flash rainfalls. Many people seek to replant, but the instinct to plant a larger tree can lead to disappointing results, since larger nursery trees need extensive root trimming to be portable enough to sell, and their new owners often fail to give them enough water in their first year to survive.
Northern Virginia Bird Parents Face Caterpillar Shortages
Parents often feed their chicks even after they fledge, similar to what some human parents experience these days with their Millennial fledges. And while local parents have recently been confronting scarce supplies of paper products and frozen pizzas, these poor bird parents will tell you they’ve been suffering caterpillar shortages in this urban area for years.
Garden Musings: Listen
Enjoy the first in a new series of short form thoughts on gardening and gardeners. If you have something to say in 300 words or less, poem or prose, send it to us at [email protected]
Five Things to Know About Shakespeare and Plants
Every year Shakespeare gardens throughout the country and world plan special events around April 23 to honor William Shakespeare on his birthday. Until 2020. This year most gardens are closed to the public temporarily during the coronavirus pandemic.
But anyone can have a Shakespeare garden at home. Just plant some of the many herbs and flowers Shakespeare mentions in his works.
“Spring Cleaning” in the Garden
“Spring Cleaning” in the Garden
Spring cleaning is not just for rugs and rooms. Planting beds need attention early in March. Many weed seeds will have already germinated on warm winter days.
Rosemary & Lavender
Here in the midst of winter we invite you to learn more about rosemary and lavender – their backgrounds, growth habits, and needs; their culinary, fragrance, and medicinal uses. Both herbs are ingredients for food or drink served as “tastes” at our annual AutumnFest celebration in mid-September.
Invasive Plants in Northern Virginia: Mile-a-Minute Weed
Invasive Plants in Northern Virginia: Mile-a-Minute
Persicaria perfoliata (mile-a-minute) is a noxious weed present throughout the Mid-Atlantic and is of serious concern in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Invasive Plants in Northern Virginia: Garlic Mustard
Invasive Plants in Northern Virginia: Garlic Mustard
One of the most troublesome invasive plants in Arlington County, Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) is an herb of European and Asian origin that was likely introduced by settlers for food or medicinal purposes.
Keeping Honeybees
🐝🐝🐝Are you interested in bee keeping? There are a variety of reasons that folks find themselves interested in bees: some want to save them, some want to increase their fruit and vegetable pollination, others want to produce honey.
In the Winter Garden, 2019 Edition
Our gardens may lay mostly dormant in this season, but still there are some herbaceous and woody plants with color, form, and texture that can both surprise and delight in the winter landscape.
‘Tis the time of the year . . .
Judy Funderburk looks back at the year in the Glencarlyn Library Community Garden
REGIONAL GARDENS: Winter Garden Light Shows
Holiday lights make winter gardens glow - learn about four regional gardens with holiday light shows.