Grass Seed Selection
Grass Seed Selection

There are many choices of seed on the market. You have old standbys such as Kentucky 31 (KY-31) and Kentucky Bluegrass. There are many selections of the so called tall turf type fescues as well as Bermuda grass, Zoysia, and lots of rye grasses. How do we decide which is the right one for us to plant? In my opinion,…

Planting Dogwoods
Planting Dogwoods

The loss of a newly planted dogwood can usually be traced to one of two problems, improper planting or improper watering. Improper planting means the tree was planted too deep or that dirt or mulch was piled up around the trunk. Let’s look at how to plant first. Dogwoods are shallow rooted trees and it would be difficult to plant…

Planting Azaleas
Planting Azaleas

An azalea purist doesn’t plant an azalea. They loosen the soil, take the plant out of the pot, loosen the root ball, and then gradually work the plant into the soil.  This assures that the plant is planted very shallow which is ideal for an azalea. Most of us, however, do dig a hole when we plant. The secret is…

Fertilizer Guide For Central Virginia
Fertilizer Guide For Central Virginia

            All fertilizer labels must have three bold numbers.  The first number designates the amount of nitrogen (N), the second number designates the amount of phosphate (P2O5), and the third number is the amount of potash (K2O).  These three numbers represent the primary nutrients (nitrogen (N) – phosphorous (P) – potassium (K).             This label, known as the fertilizer grade, is a national standard.…