In gardening, timing is everything. Whether getting your vegetable seeds or starts in the ground at the proper time, feeding your lawn and garden when needed, and spraying or treating for insects before an infestation ruins your fruit or flowers—the success of your endeavors hinges largely on doing things at the right time. As you wrap up planting your vegetable garden for summer and begin to focus on maintaining your [...]
No matter how many times you’ve experienced it, there is something always thrilling about spring. Whether it’s the longer days, new life bursting from once-barren flowerbeds, or the smell of blooming lilacs, spring stirs the hearts of young and old, gardeners or not. As you take advantage of sunny, brisk early spring days, here are some suggestions to start a new season of gardening on the right foot. First, early [...]
As Thanksgiving approaches, outdoor gardening takes a backseat to indoor activities. And with good reason—short days and cold, wet weather test the mettle of even the hardiest of us webbed-foot Washingtonian gardeners. Although our winters are more mild than many areas of the country, windstorms from the northeast are particularly damaging not so much for the cold they bring as for the drying effect of the wind, which can leave [...]
I don’t mean to be a complainer, but is it too much to ask for just something about 2020 to be normal? After the coolest start to summer since 2002, we’ve finally turned a corner into a good stretch of sunny, warm weather. But with so much cool, damp weather to start the season, some aspects of gardening have proven challenging and may require extra attention on your part. As [...]
In the last two months, as the world has adjusted to the reality of COVID-19, more people than ever before have taken up gardening. Deemed essential businesses in most states, nurseries and garden stores are open to sell vegetable seeds and starts, flowers--and hope. Gardening is a hobby that relieves stress and gives you reason to get outside, so if you’re new to the hobby, welcome! This month, I’d [...]
Rudyard Kipling once wrote, “Gardens are not made by singing ‘Oh, how beautiful,’ and sitting in the shade.” To be fair, this hobby we call gardening can be downright hard work sometimes, but what joy to see a garden flourish and know that you played some small part in refining its beauty. With spring officially here, it's time to enjoy working the soil once again. As you start gardening [...]
With dusk creeping into the four o’clock hour, regular morning frosts, and maple trees shedding the last of their autumn brilliance, we can be sure of one thing: late autumn is upon us. As you put your garden to bed for winter, here are a few items you’ll want to check off your list this month. First, let me suggest that before you do any final raking of leaves [...]
By nearly every measure, summer has arrived. Never mind that June has felt cooler and more spring-like than May--kids out of school and over 16 hours of daylight can only mean that summer is here! As you wrap up your spring checklist of filling planters and beds with colorful flowers, it’s time to shift into summer maintenance mode. Here are a few tips to ensure a thriving lawn and [...]
At last, flowering trees and spring bulbs are in bloom, lawns have reawakened, and new life is bursting forth everywhere—spring is here! Amidst April showers, this month is an exciting time to spend outside in the yard, tending to your lawn and garden and discovering exciting new plants to replace those killed or damaged by winter’s cold and desiccating winds. First, April is the perfect time to apply preemergent weed [...]
Although it’s the shortest month of the year, this February just as well could have been the longest, with seemingly endless wind, snow and bitter cold putting a hard stop to most outdoor activities. Now, with spring weather here, it’s time to get on with early spring tasks around the yard and enjoy some fresh air and the warmth of sunshine on your face. First, if you haven’t already, [...]
