I moved here about four years ago from Cincinnati, a nice mid-sized city with good shopping, including some really nice garden centers.  For the most part, those garden centers had really good selections of very healthy plants at prices higher than the big box stores.  You shopped the garden centers because that’s where you could find plants that were a little out of the ordinary, and that’s where you could get your gardening questions answered.  Plus, they were merchandised so beautifully that they were a great source of inspiration.  There were some garden centers I would make a point of visiting in the spring because being there fed my soul.

A lot of people don’t realize that most garden centers don’t grow their own plants, and the fact that most don’t was my paradigm when I moved here.  I wrote about Crow’s Nest Greenhouses on Saturday; I first heard about them from the retired horticulture professor we purchased our house from, but didn’t actually visit until the spring following our move.

That spring, we had laid claim to the garden already cleared by the previous owner and had planted a lot of veggies I had started from seed.  I was over at one of the big box stores purchasing some seed and decided to go ahead and pick up a flat of marigolds for insect control.  I was reasoning that they were “just marigolds”, nothing special, and I didn’t want to pay the premium price at a garden center.  Back in Cincinnati, they would have been about 30% more expensive – better plants, mind you, but more expensive.

So, I got a big surprise when I then went to my first visit to Crow’s Nest and saw marigolds that were twice as big as those I bought for almost exactly the same price per plant.  “How does he afford to do that?” I asked, and found out he grew his own plants.

We are really lucky to live in an area where you can find garden centers growing their own plants.  The concept is a dying one across the country as the little guys succumb to the competition of the big box stores.  Now, nothing against those stores. Sometimes you come across a good plant that you can’t find anywhere else.  But, I do believe in buying locally when I can, and if I end up getting a bigger plant for the same money, the choice is a no-brainer.

So, keep the names of your favorites coming in, whether they grow their own plants or just source them locally or regionally.  I’d love to know about them!

Speaking of which, a reader from Salem, Sonny Campbell, emailed me about one of his favorites in Salem, Riverside Nursery.  He said the owner sells mostly plants they grow themselves and that they carry 70-80 varieties of heirloom tomatoes.  Sounds like a place to check out!

The locavore  movement has taken off with  foodies in recent years as folks balance their love of good eating with a  desire to be environmentally conscious. Have you ever considered that  the benefits of buying local extend beyond the tomato to the tomato  transplant?

Many garden centers actually grow very few of the  plants they sell, but instead purchase their plants from specialty  nurseries that do the growing. Plants may come from across the country  or, in this area, may come from local growers.

Read full article.

Learn more about Crow’s Nest Greenhouse.

The planting is almost finished in my vegetable garden – yes, those tomatoes are now planted!  Just a few more seeds to plant, plus some sweet potato slips that are rooting in my kitchen, and that’s it, except for some more winter squash seeds that I need to start to replace the ones that died this week in the cold.  I’ll also plant some pumpkins in a few weeks so they are ready closer to Halloween.  Now, I need to get the beds mulched.

My perennial herbs have grown like crazy the last couple of weeks.  I’ve got a lemon balm shrub growing right now!

I decided to grow all my tomatoes on the trellis this year. (See the blog posting from last year on this.) They take up a lot less room this way, and it’s easier to just feed the vines through the netting instead of having to tie them to a stake.  Pruning is easier too.

The peas are up but only about 4 inches tall.  My broccoli and cabbage are doing fine, but they are growing slowly too.  The lettuce is doing great – we had our first salad a couple of nights ago.  I just noticed that there’s enough asparagus to pick for a meal too; that’ll be number four, so far.  I doubt I’ll get much more.  The tree falling on top of it last year does seem to have killed off a bunch of it.

I was outside this morning working in the garden and it was hot!  I’m hoping we get some kind of spring and don’t move straight into summer, but, at this point, I’m just happy to see the cold weather gone and to get to some real gardening!

Photo courtesy sammydavisdog/Flickr

The “Hens in Your Household” talk on backyard chickens was rescheduled and will be held today, May 15.  This is one of the Hahn Horticulture free garden walks and talks in the Lunchtime Learning series.

Dr. Holly Scoggins will talk about what’s involved in caring for back-yard chickens. She has more than 10 years of chicken experience, including the Good, the Bad, and the Gross.

The talk will be held from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Meet at the Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion at Virginia Tech. No registration required. Parking passes are available at the Pavilion for Visitors only.  F/S must park in designated F/S spaces.

Also, on May 15: the Roanoke Master Gardeners are doing another free workshop on Soil Preparation, Companion Planting and Spacing.  It runs 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Campbell Ave. Community Garden at RAM House.  This is a garden-side, hands-on talk with Master Gardeners available to advise and answer questions .

No, I hadn’t planted my tomatoes yet.  I took a look at that weather forecast for the past two nights and did not succumb to the temptation of planting.  So, my tomato seedlings, which had been sitting outdoors hardening off, spent the last two nights indoors and are now perfectly healthy, I’m happy to report.  They go in the ground later today or tomorrow at the latest!

After a l-o-o-o-n-g search for the row covers, which are never where I think they are supposed to be, I finally found one and got my peppers, tomatillos and basil covered, which I had planted, after a bout of planting fever.  Not sure why I managed to stop planting after the peppers and before the tomatoes, but it probably has something to do with the heirloom varieties I’ve never tried before and can’t wait to taste.  Strong motivator to be sensible! So, the peppers, tomatillos and basil also look fine, except for one basil plant that has a few black spots.

It looks like the only thing I might have lost – and the jury is still out on this – are my winter squash seedlings.  But, those germinate so easily that I can start some more, so I’m not too worried about that.  Other than that, everything else looks fine.

How did your gardens fare?

The photo, by the way, is of my neighbor’s gorgeous poppies, which cared not what the weird weather was doing, and went ahead and bloomed right on schedule.

Photo courtesy The Greenery Nursery/Flickr

There are a slew of plant sales today, May 11, 2013, including the Master Gardener Sales I mentioned in my last post.

Historic Smithfield is holding a sale today from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg.  (1000 Smithfield Plantation Rd.) They will have a selection of plants from the Smithfield colonial garden and gardeners for sale, as well as a wide variety of healthy, locally grown herbs, vegetables, perennials and hanging baskets from Crow’s Nest Greenhouses.  Contact (540) 231-3947 for more information.

The Blue Ridge Wildflower Society is holding a wildflower sale today, too, at the Virginia Western Community College Arboretum in Roanoke (3094 Colonial Ave.), from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  This sale usually includes about 30 or more species of wildflowers, including trilliums, phlox, bleeding heart, spiderwort, jack-in-the-pulpit, and native fern.  Besides being more beneficial to wildlife than non-native species, many wildflowers have evolved to grow in shady areas, to be more resilient to insect damage and to be more tolerant of drought and poor soil.  Contact (540) 774-2279 for more information.

The Boones Mill Garden Club will also hold a plant sale today at the Rocky Mount Farmers Market (345 Donald Ave.) from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Perennials, fruit, herbs, shrubs and more will be for sale.  Contact (540) 334-1603 for more information.

Speaking of farmers markets, most local farmers markets have transplants for sale now, so there’s another opportunity to purchase plants.  Farmers markets can be an excellent source of harder to find varieties, including many heirloom tomatoes.

Now if the weather would just cooperate to grow those tomatoes!  Have you seen the weather forecast for tomorrow night?

Photo courtesy www.geography.org.uk

This coming Thursday is one of Hahn Horticulture’s garden seminars, and this topic is one that is near and dear to my heart. 

Thomas Rainer, described as a landscape architect by profession and a gardener by obsession is presenting The New Native Cottage Garden: Update the Classic Cottage Garden with Bold, Contemporary Designs!  

Take a fresh look at the cottage garden, a traditionally British form that can be easily adapted for American gardens using American plants. The charming jumble of perennials and shrubs can be a truly sustainable and beautiful model for small gardens. American gardeners can have all the advantages of a cottage garden–the romantic appeal, the low maintenance, and the colorful charm of it all–with a wildlife friendly native mix. Thomas will share tips for designing a contemporary cottage garden, including his picks of native plants best suited for cottage gardens. 

Thomas has worked on projects such as the U.S. Capitol grounds, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, and The New York Botanical Garden, but is happiest puttering in his small garden in Washington, D.C. You can find more about Thomas at his award-winning blog, Grounded Design. 

Thomas thinks you should use more natives, plant in humongous masses, and loosen up that landscape, for crying out loud. 

The seminar will be held this Thursday, May 9 from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) Auditorium, at the corner of Duck Pond and Washington Street.  

The cost is $10 for Friends of the Garden, or $15 for the general public. Call Stephanie at 540-231-5970 to register by phone or email vtgarden@vt.edu.

Photo courtesy commons.wikimedia.org

Here is a fun event for those of us who love beautiful gardens and beautiful art.

The Hahn Horticulture Garden is sponsoring an Art in the Garden Reception today, Sunday, May 5, from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. highlighting the current art exhibit, as well as past exhibits.

You can meet the artists  and see examples of their work, while enjoying music by harpist Camilla Harris.  Light refreshments will also be served, while you enjoy a walk around the inspiring Hahn Horticulture Garden.

The artists in attendance will be those whose work has been displayed over the past year.  You can view this work, plus preview upcoming exhibits.

This event is in the Peggy Lee Hahn Pavilion at Virginia Tech.  It’s free and open to the public. No parking permit is required on weekends.

Click here for the event flyer.

The Art in the Garden committee displays works from local artists that range from textile art to photography, and change every few months. Many of the works are available for purchase, with the artists generously donating a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Garden.

Visitors are welcome to view the displays in the Pavilion from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,  Monday through Friday.  You may want to call ahead to confirm there’s not a private event in the Pavilion that day. On weekdays, be sure to pick up a Visitor’s Permit from Parking Services or the VT Visitor’s Center. Faculty and staff can only park in F/S spaces (limited).

Currently on display is ”NATURESCAPES”, a series of quilts by Linda M. Fiedler. View more about the artwork on display.

Every plant has its own   light, space and water  requirements. Supply the m in the right amount and your garden will be  successful.

Of the   three  , providing the right amount of  water requires the most effort from  a gardener  . Particularly when  it  comes to vegetables, rainfall is often not sufficient to grow healthy  plants.

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