Blog
January 2026
Pursuing a Dream
For the past 15 years I have been writing blogs and newsletters about gardening in Virginia. I have loved sharing what I know about being a home gardener after operating Christie’s Fine Gardening for 30 years.
I have […]
For more than a century America’s the US Forest Service and the majority of conservationists have embraced the idea that conservation is about the planting of trees to help reduce the amount of carbon in the air. In the Biden administration alone, there was a program to plant 1 billion trees in the US.
This past month was a testimony to perfect weather creating brilliant leaf color in the fall. What if you could take those big tree favorites in a smaller more columnar version? Hybridizing a plant is when you cross pollinate different parent trees to combine desirable traits in characteristics like tree size or disease resistance. Hybridizing is such a huge practice among nurseries that smaller trees are easier to come by.
In this time of financial insecurity, there are options to get the walkway or patio you want with some labor and minimal expense for the materials. Crusher run is a compactable, mixed sized crushed stone product that includes stone dust making it a stable and durable base for driveways, patios and walkways. It provides excellent drainage and prevents settling. It comes in gray, bluish gray, blue green, tan, brown, red and even purple.
One of the toughest tasks for me each fall was changing out pots from summer annuals, that die when cold weather comes, to hardy plants with color. Most of us prefer to plant now for container plants that will last til the last freeze date in April. This is a challenge for you, the gardener, and your pocketbook.