Chesknok Red, a purple-striped hardneck garlic Today, April 19, is National Garlic Day. Typically we think of garlic in the fall but it makes sense since you can pre-order garlic now from the specialty garlic companies. Plus you need to designate your garlic space in your garden now (i.e., leave space) as you plan your garden for the 2024 season. Growing your own garlic is easy and the cloves are tastier than what you purchase in a grocery store. Typically, garlic is planted in October in the Washington DC metro area. There are about 200 garlic names so it may be hard to choose. In this area ..read more

The Master Gardener program is a great way to learn more about gardening, meet new friends, and get involved in civic projects.  Conducted throughout the United States, the program usually is managed on a county level through state/county extension agents. Usually the fee is the cost of the manual and there is a commitment to volunteer in the community. Interested gardeners receive training from horticulturists and experts in the field. In return, they assist the community by staffing plant clinic booths, answering phones, teaching, gardening in community areas, helping youth or ..read more

Mint in a strawberry jar Growing herbs in a strawberry jar is easy — the trick is to plant herbs with similar light requirements. For full sun, try rosemary, sage, basil, thyme, oregano, or lavender. For shade, try chives, lemon balm, or parsley. Or alternatively, just one herb such as mint, which should be grown in a container instead of in the ground. It is not necessary, but some gardeners like to insert a one- or two-inch diameter PVC pipe with holes drilled lengthwise to make watering easier. The pipe length should be one to two inches higher than the jar. Purchase small herbs and a bag ..read more

chives coming back in early March Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) are a great addition to the garden, any garden, does not matter what is growing already, add chives. These perennial herbs are landscape edibles, they come back year after year, and can be tucked in between shrubs and flowers. In my Virginia garden, my plants have already come back in March and I can’t wait to cut the leaves for scrambled eggs, chive butter, and mashed potatoes. edible chive flower To keep up with my family’s demand for fresh chives, I have several plants. After I cut the leaves back on one, I leave that plant ..read more

Gardeners like to start seeds indoors to get a jump start on warm season plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and melons. They also start seeds indoors to be able to grow plants that have a longer growing season than the season in which they live. Before you begin to sow seeds indoors, read these sixteen seed starting tips to have as much success as possible. If you haven’t ordered your seeds yet, here is a list of seed companies. ONE: The sunlight through your windows will not provide enough light. Use fluorescent tubes from hardware stores or purchase special grow lights but make sure their hei ..read more

Virginia bluebell season is around the corner so plan now to see carpets of this ephemeral wildflower here in Virginia. Although mid-April has been the peak time in the past, it may come earlier since we had such a mild winter. Here are a few places in Northern Virginia to view colonies of bluebells; some places are already reporting blossoms now in March. Bluebells (Mertensia virginica) are synonymous with early spring. Their blue trumpet-shaped flowers bloom above the green foliage in deciduous woodlands before the trees leaf out. These perennials emerge early in the year, bloom for a few we ..read more

Spring has many woodland bloomers: bluebells, dutchman’s breeches, bloodroot, yellow trout lily, trilliums, and columbine to name a few. Of these, columbine (Aquilegia spp.) can adapt to live successfully in your own garden. Columbine plants are low growing perennials noted for downward faced flowers with long, thin spurs that reflex back. These shade tolerant plants are often found in moist, woody areas. In the mid-Atlantic region we either see the native species, Eastern red columbine, or cultivars of the common columbine. Eastern red columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) has red and yellow flowe ..read more

Basil plants for sale in March in Northern Virginia When planting in the spring, you want to know two things. The first is which of your plants/seeds are cool season versus warm season. Cool season plants can take a little cold nip while warm season plants have to be planted after the danger of frost has passed and the night temperatures are constantly in the mid-fifties. Now, while it is cool and there is a high chance of frost, we can direct sow cool season plants such as spinach, lettuce, cilantro, kale, etc.  If we get a light frost at night they would not be affected. However, if I ..read more

Panorama Red Beebalm, photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co./rareseeds.com Last year I wrote an article about new herb introductions. This year, I have decided to make this a tradition. Every year, I will write a short article about new herbs I have seen from reading more than 25 seed/plant catalogs (print or online). For this article, I am focusing on a narrow definition of herbs. Many plants could be considered herbs, including edible flowers. Herbs are plants that are of use to humans, either for culinary, medicinal, aromatherapy, cosmetic, and even coloring (dyes). Also, “new” c ..read more

I have long admired Amsonia, especially when grown en masse. These perennial herbaceous plants bloom small blue “stars” in the spring, provide wispy green foliage in the summer, and turn a solid gold or orange color in the fall. Most are native and there are several cultivars and hybrids. Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware just published a report on their 10-year amsonia trial of 20 different types of plants, including one non-native for comparison. The 16-page report is available for download here. Also known as “bluestars,” these perennials look like two to three-feet shrubs in the summer. They are ..read more