May is finally here, and it is a perfect month to get outside and do some gardening. Before I get into the tasks for May, just be aware of watering. April was relatively dry. We are entering May under abnormally dry conditions. Thank goodness the last week of April cooled down and delivered us some rain. But we need more. Our plants are growing and leafing out and need water. We have had better seasons in past years, and we have experienced worse. We just have to deal with what Mother Nature gives us and learn to adjust our gardening habits to care for our plants.

As of April 28th, our soil temperature is 60 degrees. This soil temperature makes planting in May ideal.

HERE ARE SOME HELPFUL GARDENING CHORES AND THOUGHTS FOR MAY

• With May – it is now safe to plant summer annuals and vegetables.
• Birds have 5 basic needs: food, water, shelter from hot and cold weather, nesting sites, and protection from predators. Supply these and you will have many more birds around your home.
• Grass clippings can be used as mulch in flower beds and vegetable gardens if allowed to dry well before use. Never use clippings from a lawn that has been treated with a herbicide!!
• Pinch flowering annuals when 4 to 6 inches high to promote bushy growth such as zinnias, petunias, and salvia.
• Water your vegetable garden in the morning so plants have time to dry before the cool of the evening.
• Memorial Day is Monday, May 25. We can always plant red, white, and blue flowers and display our American flag to honor all our service men and women.

IT’S MAY SO BE SURE TO PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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So, what is El Niño? El Niño is part of a larger climate cycle known as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which occurs when sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean rise above average. They typically occur every two to seven years. The most recent one was in 2023. Its effects on our weather depend heavily on how the pattern evolves over time.

What does this mean for Virginia? An El Niño could bring wetter periods this summer, as well as longer dry stretches. Personally, I have been in the plant business all my life, starting as a little kid learning to garden with my grandparents. Bottom line: “It is what it is”. We learn to adjust to whatever Mother Nature gives us.

But, with this said, we need to be ready. We need to be water-wise when watering. Here, at the end of April, we are dry. We need to water infrequently, deeply, and thoroughly. By doing so, this will encourage rooting and greater tolerance to dry spells. We need to use correct watering techniques. Water early in the day in order to reduce evaporation loss. Water less often for longer length of time to encourage deep root growth. Don’t be a gutter flooder. I would suggest turning off your lawn sprinkler system. Or, at least, use it very early in the morning. And, be sure your irrigation system is in proper working condition. Because of the dryness we are experiencing in April our fescue lawns are starting to look like summer already.

Let’s hope and pray for the best.

WE CAN STILL CONTINUE TO “PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS” – JUST BE MINDFUL OF OUR PLANTS NEED FOR WATER

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FUN FACTS ABOUT HUMMINGBIRDS

• FUN FACT #1: Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backward. When the hummingbirds do arrive, they will be seeking nectar. Yes, we can put out hummingbird feeders to support them. And, remember, use clear nectar. The red-dyed nectar has been proven to be harmful. My advice is to plant flowers for support — especially NATIVE PLANTS. Speaking of native, did you know…
• FUN FACT #2: There are over 350 known hummingbird species, and the Red-throated Hummingbird is considered native to the Eastern United States. The Red-Throated Hummingbird flies here from Central America & Mexico. While here in the Eastern United States, the female will nest, lay eggs, and hatch another generation of hummingbirds, thus making them native to our region.
• FUN FACT #3: Hummingbirds will fly non-stop from Central America/Mexico across the Gulf of Mexico to come to Virginia. It takes them 15 to 22 hours of continuous flight. Hummingbirds are creatures of habit. They remember every feeder that they have visited. And, they visit certain native flowering perennials each year. On a daily basis a hummingbird will visit approximately 1,000 flowers each day. The more native perennials we have in our garden the more hummingbirds we could attract. Last year I had hummingbirds coming to my Bee Balm (Monarda), my Cat Mint (Nepeta), and my Cardinal Flowers (Lobelia). All are up and ready to support hummingbirds.
• FUN FACT #4: Most female hummingbirds will live to be 7 to 9 years old. The male hummingbird lives on average five years. In addition to have native perennials planted I will also give support to hummingbirds with flowering annuals. Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red. So, red petunias, red diplodemia, zinnias, fuchsias are popular to hummingbirds. But, they will fly to other color flowers.
• FUN FACT #5: As of 2021, there were an estimated 34 – 36 million ruby-throated hummingbirds over Eastern United States.

To show our support we need to plant more native flowering plants and a lot more flowering annuals. And then sit back and enjoy watching these hummingbirds flutter around you gardens.

FOR METHIS IS THE ULTIMATE “PLANTING A LITTLE HAPPINESS”

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Last week, I wrote a blog post about going from garden to table, focusing on growing your own vegetables and herbs and using them at the table, freshly picked. Today’s blog on edible landscaping takes this idea of home gardening a little more in-depth on the concept of growing your own fruit, vegetables, and herbs.

So, what exactly is edible landscaping? Simply put, edible landscaping replaces common ornamental plants with plants that are edible. With edible landscaping, you are now growing shrubs and trees in your landscape that not only flower but also produce fruit you can pick and bring inside to eat.

I think what may be driving edible landscaping to become more popular nowadays is our current economy. People are struggling to make ends meet and finding themselves living from paycheck to paycheck. If you can grow some of your own food, then this becomes a cost savings. Another strong driving force for edible landscaping is a desire to be more organic and natural in your food. And, finally, homeowners are starting to realize that you don’t need to live on a farm to grow fruits and vegetables. Backyards and front yards are starting to be transformed into growing fruits and vegetables. If you think about it, it only makes since. Why not have your flowering shrubs and trees be fruit bearing in the landscape around the house.

Are you ready to give it a try this spring? If so, come see us and we will help you make the right choices and give you the advice needed to be a successful fruit and vegetable grower. Here are just a couple basic tips that you need to keep in mind in making your plant selection:

1. Look at your area. Think about what you would like to grow. Do you have the needed space and sunlight?
2. Lear the growing dimensions of your selected plants.
3. Soil preparation is key to success. For instance, to be successful in growing blueberries you need an acidic soil with a pH around 5.0 to 5.5. So, not everything is the same. You need to do your homework with learning the needs of your plants that you want to try to grow. And, to be successful.
4. Be aware that some fruits need a partner. For instance, apple trees are not self-fertile. It takes two different apple trees to cross pollinate one another to produce fruit.
5. Once you have made your selection of plants you need to be patient. It can take a couple years or more before yielding any fruit.

We pride ourselves with our selection of fruit trees and small fruits. When you are ready then come see us. We would be honored to have the opportunity to help you with this edible landscaping trend.

HAPPY GARDENING & PLANT A LITTLE – NO, A LOT – OF HAPPINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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So, what exactly does GARDEN-TO-TABLE mean? Garden-to-table is the practice of growing your own food and bringing it inside to use in recipes. I love this concept, and more and more people are recognizing its advantages as well.

I’ve been practicing garden-to-table for quite some time. I had a small garden patch at my previous house where I grew assorted vegetables and herbs right off my back door. Now, at my current house, I grow vegetables and herbs in containers that I have sitting around my front door and my back patio. My point in sharing this information with you is that you don’t need to have a traditional garden to enjoy growing fresh vegetables and herbs.

Besides growing your own vegetables and herbs and knowing how you grew them, you are also saving money from the grocery store, where we are all experiencing rising costs.

WHEN TO START PLANTING VEGETABLES

A person over the weekend asked me a very intelligent question. He wanted to know when you can start growing vegetables. Here we are in early April. And now is a good time to grow the Cole crop vegetables. Cole crop vegetables are mostly the leafy type vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, collards, kale, broccoli, etc. These vegetables are available and can be planted now. Cole crop vegetables need the cooler soil temperatures. I plant my Cole crop vegetables now into containers. Once our soil temperature reaches into the sixties and we are past the threat of frost (toward the end of April), then you can plant the fruiting type vegetables and herbs such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, basil, etc.

I just did a soil temperature test. Our soil is recording a temperature of 58 degrees. It have risen 3 degrees over this past week. We are getting close to the time where you can plant summer vegetables. My advice with planting tomatoes, basil, peppers, etc. is to wait until the end of this month. We just had two cold nights this week. Yes, our extended forecast has us warming up next week. I am hopeful. But, we still have the potential of having more cold nights. Just be careful and watch our local weather forecast.

For me personally, I find a lot of gratification in sharing my GARDEN TO TABLE vegetables with family and friends.

SOME HELPFUL TIPS BEFORE STARTING YOUR GARDEN-TO-TABLE ROUTINE

• Have a plan as to what you want to grow. Learn about spacing. Learn about what vegetables and herbs can be considered companion plants.
• Know your soil. Have you done a soil test to see what nutrients you may need to work on for best results.
• Understand that most vegetables require a lot of direct sunlight – usually a minimum of 6 hours.

Have a good time with your GARDEN TO TABLE gardening

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BELOW ARE SOME GARDENING TIPS AND CHORES FOR APRIL

Just to let you know, I did a soil temperature test, and we are sitting at 55 degrees as of April 1st. This soil temperature is important to know because, even though the calendar says April, it is still too early to plant some things until our soil temperature is warmer. Keep in mind that our average last frost date for our area is around the 20th of April. A couple of years ago, we had a frost on May 4th. Let’s hope for the best and that we have our last frost earlier than the 20th of April.

• I would suggest delaying moving tropical houseplants outdoors until closer to May. These tropical plants are best with temperatures no lower than 50 degrees.
• If you are considering growing your own vegetables, herbs, or fruit this spring, then keep in mind that all these plants require a minimum of 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight in order to grow well.
• If you have not done so already. Many of our evergreen shrubs – hollies, azaleas, hydrangeas, and others need to be fed now – especially after the cold winter they experienced this year. They need help as they begin to grow and put out new leaves.
• The month of April is one of the best months’ of the year for planting perennials.
• As for pruning – many of our evergreen shrubs look terrible – with dried leaves. My Carissa Hollies look awful right now. But, I am waiting to see new growth first before doing any pruning.

WE HAVE SOME NATIONAL GARDENING ACTIVITIES THIS MONTH

• APRIL 14 – NATIONAL GARDENING DAY – A day of encouragement to get outside and do some planting
• APRIL 22 – EARTH DAY – Consider planting more of our native plants.
• APRIL 24 – NATIONAL ARBOR DAY – The theme this year is “TREES ARE OUR FRIENDS”. Trees make us happy, healthy, and relaxed.

ENJOY APRIL & PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS

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Camellias have been a popular flowering evergreen shrub in this area for decades. They can be a little confusing because of the different species and the thousands of different cultivars. But, with this blog, I am going to concentrate on the two most popular forms of camellias. These two forms are the Camellia japonica and the Camellia sasanqua. Here is the biggest difference between these two types of camellias. Camellia japonica is a spring-blooming camellia. Camellia sasanqua is a late fall / winter-blooming camellia.

Both varieties have flowers that range in color from white to red and pink, as well as variegated. The flower forms can be single, semi-double, peony, or formal double.

Similarities Between Spring and Fall Camellias

• Both are evergreen shrubs that grow to be 6’ to 12’ in height and width. Growth is somewhat slow.
• Both are hardy in our Zone 7 area.
• Both like to be planted in a little shade. However, the sasanqua is more tolerant of more sun than the japonica varieties.
• Both require a rich, well-draining, acidic soil
• Both want to be given a good, quality fertilizer once finished blooming

Differences Between Spring and Fall Camellias

• Prune fall-blooming sasanqua in very early spring. Flower buds will start forming in late spring.
• Prune spring-blooming japonica once it is finished blooming.

Popular Spring-Blooming Camellias

1. Greenboro Red
2. White by the Gate
3. April Tryst
4. Pink Perfection
5. Nuccio’s Gem

Popular Fall-Blooming Camellias

1. Yuletide
2. Bonanza
3. Hana Jiman
4. Cleopatra
5. Setsugekka

We carry all these varieties plus more. In the spring we do concentrate having more japonica varieties. And, in the fall we concentrate to carry more of the fall blooming varieties. But, in either case, be sure to come see us and let us help you in finding that perfect camellia for you.

IT’S SPRING SO LET’S PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I can’t stress this point enough. Give your brain a break. Leave your technology gadgets inside and go outside and walk around your gardens. Listen to nature: the birds, the bees humming, the wind blowing through the trees. Get some good Vitamin D from the sun. Appreciate nature and everything it offers us.

This spring, let us all do more to support nature, our birds, our bees, and our wildlife. I am totally convinced that without them, we could not exist.

Have you heard of the word BIODIVERSITY? Biodiversity is all about connecting with nature. It is about the newfound appreciation for Earth’s precious resources and for nature. What I see trending in horticulture is people wanting to cut back on high-maintenance gardening that requires a lot of watering, fertilizing, and way too many chemicals.

I have been in the horticultural business for a long time. One of the strongest gardening trends of the past few years is people wanting to plant more native plants. Here we are in 2026 and I sense this wonderful gardening trend becoming more and more popular. Shoppers come into our garden center and will ask about native plants. They have either talked to a friend or relative or watched a show on tv about all the benefits of planting more native plants.

We pride ourselves with our enormous selection of native plants – perennials, shrubs, and trees that we have to offer this spring. In addition to having native plants, customers are becoming more conscientious and more knowledgeable about alternative fertilizers and chemicals. Organic products are becoming more popular. I love this trend and I don’t see if coming to an end.

My challenge to you is just to start thinking on how you can start becoming more connected with nature with your gardens and landscape. Plant more flowering perennials and annuals this spring that are beneficial to bees, butterflies, and birds. And let yourself enjoy your creation knowing that you are beginning to connect with nature and doing your part to protect our environment. The, let this “bug” get to you and start thinking of all the ways that you can re-connect with nature and start using less water, fertilizers, and chemicals in your landscape.

PLANT A LITTLE PEACE AND HAPPINESS THIS SPRING!!!!!!!!!!

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Everyone knows about mulch. Not everyone is familiar with the product called PREEN. Preen is a great weed preventer. It keeps weed seed from germinating. Mulch also helps to keep weed seeds from germinating. This is why we use Preen and Mulch as a one-two punch to control weed growth. This combination will help reduce or eliminate the need to spray weed-control products in the future. To me, the combination of Preen and mulch is very eco-friendly for our environment. Our bees and other beneficial insects will thank you for not using liquid weed spray later this spring.

Here are the simple steps involved in applying PREEN and MULCH to your existing garden beds:

• Pull any actively growing weeds ( and, we do have some now ).
• Sprinkle PREEN evenly on your garden beds.
• Water the product into the soil
• Add 1” to 2” of new, fresh mulch on top of the PREEN.

How simple is this!!! Now you are ready to sit back and enjoy a weed free garden.

AND, TO ADD TO YOUR DELIGHT

Our very popular

MULCH MADNESS SALE

(Thursday, March 12, 2026 thru Wednesday, March 18, 2026)

Our 3 cu. ft. bag SHREDDED HARDWOOD MULCH

COME AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS INCREDIBLE SALE, HAVE FUN ( AND A GOOD WORKOUT ) IN YOUR GARDENS AND, THEN, GO INSIDE, SIT IN YOUR FAVORITE CHAIR AND WATCH SOME MARCH MADNESS BASKETBALL GAMES.

LIFE IS GOOD !!!!!!!!!!!

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This year has been a long, cold winter. Like many of you, I could not wait for March to arrive. March means that hibernation is finally over, and we can spend more time outside. March 8 is “spring forward,” which will give us more daylight hours in the evening to stay outside and work in our gardens and landscapes.

Just as in meteorology, the green industry considers the beginning of March the start of spring, even though spring is not officially here until March 20th.

HERE ARE SOME GARDENING THOUGHTS AND CHORES FOR MARCH

• Now is a good time to trim down your ornamental grasses, including liriope monkey grass. I applaud you for leaving them as is through the winter. This is a sign that you are connecting with nature.
• SOIL TESTING: If not done so already, I strongly suggest you do a soil test on your gardens and landscape. This complete soil analysis will tell you everything about your soil and what you may need, if anything, to adjust now (i.e. pH, lack of vital nutrients, etc.).
• MULCHING: March is a good month to add a fresh coating of mulch around your landscape beds. Remember the golden rule – MULCH OUT / NOT UP.
• PRUNING – IF NEEDED: Hollies, boxwoods, Ligustrum, junipers. And more can be pruned in March.
• CRABGRASS: Now that our soil is warming up it is the time to apply a CRABGRASS PRE-EMERGENT . If you see forsythia in bloom then this is the indicator to put down crabgrass control. Remember – crabgrass is an annual weed that laid seed last year before it died. Pre-emergent will help keep this seed from germinating.
• March is a good month to plant your cole crop vegetables such as lettuce, cabbage, spinach, arugula, collards, and more. These leafy vegetables like the cooler soil that March provides.
• With our longer sunlight hours and warmer temperatures our houseplants are becoming more active. Now is a good time to give all your tropical houseplants a feeding. Keep your houseplants inside until sometime in April when we are past the time of frost.

“THE GLORY OF GARDENING: HANDS IN THE DIRT, HEAD IN THE SUN, HEART WITH NATURE”

HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE and remember to PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS!!!!!!!!

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