Have You Had Enough Petrichor This Past Week?

Rainfall through a window

By the way, PETRICHOR is defined as “THE SMELL OF EARTH AFTER RAIN”. To a gardener, rain is generally a welcome blessing.  Rainfall and plants are usually a match made in heaven.  We sure have had our share of rainfall, and petrichor,  this past week in the Richmond area.  Going into this latest rainfall, we were about … Read more

Hanging Basket Care

Hanging baskets on a stoop

Over the past month, The Great Big Greenhouse and Meadows Farms Nursery have sold thousands of hanging baskets.  Blooming hanging baskets are a staple for adding color to decks, patios, porches, and balconies.  Although they are an instant way to add color to our outdoor space, they do require a bit of care to stay … Read more

Growing Pumpkins

Pumpkins laid out for sale

I’ve had several customers this week asking about growing pumpkins—and when to plant for a Halloween harvest.  So here’s some information about pumpkins… Pumpkins are members of the cucurbit family—that means they are related to squash, cucumbers, and melons. They were a food crop cultivated by Native Americans long before the European settlers ever arrived.  … Read more

Got Shade?

Living with a forty foot tall maple in the front yard, a huge redbud on one side and an entire hill of oaks and maples behind, I’ve become (out of necessity) a fan of shade tolerant flowers.  I thought I’d share with you some of my favorites—annuals, perennials, bulbs. Lily-of-the-Valley (Convallaria majalis):  Dainty nodding bells will … Read more

Grow Your Own Strawberry Patch

A basket of strawberries in the middle of a strawberry patch

Yes, it is Strawberry season—the plants are now available for you to start your own strawberry patch.  So how do we do that? Strawberries are perennials so choose a permanent sunny place where they can stay.   Strawberry plants come in little bundles of “crowns”.  A crown is the growing point of the plant with … Read more

Gardening Things To Do In March

Gardening tools laid out in a display

March is the month that we, gardeners, have been looking forward to.  For some of us, it has been a long, boring winter.  March means that hibernation is finally over and we can spend more time outside. Just like with meteorology, the green industry looks at the first of March as the beginning of spring … Read more

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