Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia
Over 40 Years of Growing Gardens and Gardeners
Arlington Regional Master Naturalists joined Extension Master Gardeners and community volunteers on July 17th in an ongoing effort to revitalize the pollinator garden next to the Jerome “Buddie” Ford Nature Center in Alexandria.
The houseplant I always recommend to beginners is Philodendron hederaceum (heartleaf philodendron). The No. 1 reason I recommend heartleaf philodendron to beginners is because it is extremely forgiving and thrives in a variety of conditions. Simply put, you probably won’t kill a heartleaf philodendron while you learn the ins and outs of caring for houseplants.
In preceding posts in this series, we have considered gardening approaches that can reduce homeowners’ carbon footprints and presented adaptive techniques to assist in dealing with the challenges posed by climate change. Another area of concern is making informed choices about the plants we choose for our gardens
Enjoy another entry in our series of short form thoughts on gardening and gardeners.
If you have something to say in 300 words or less, poem or prose, send it to us at socialmedia@mgnv.org.
Mosquitoes are a perennial summer pest, and the temptation to resort to commercial spraying to deal with this scourge can be strong. A key consideration to keep in mind is that all insecticides used to target adult mosquitoes are nonselective and will kill all insects that come in contact with the chemicals, including pollinators and other beneficial insects. Learn better techniques for controlling mosquitoes.
Worried about cicada damage? Learn more about coping with "flagging" and the right way to prune post cicada damage.
