Gardening

No matter what you’re buying, every penny counts. And dividing newly purchased daylilies, hostas, tall bearded irises and ferns can save you $50 or more.

So you received beautiful plants for the holidays now how do you make them last into the new year?

Boxwood trees are great foundation plants and also can be used for privacy screening, but they are susceptible to winter storm damage, said horticulturalist Mark Viette.

Even when temperatures are dropping, many outdoor items can be used to create fresh floral arrangements inside your home during the fall and winter.

In the winter when perennials are sleeping, there is still a lot of enjoyment to be found in the garden.

Now that it’s officially spring, gardeners who started their own transplants from seed over the winter are thinking about putting them in the ground.

Cut flowers can brighten up your day—and your home. If you received fresh flowers this holiday season and want to keep them fresher longer, a little extra attention can go a long way.

Most Virginians take the winter off from gardening, but cold months are a great time to test your soil, said Chris Mullins, a Virginia Cooperative Extension greenhouse specialist at Virginia State University.

Lilacs in bloom are a lush, purple highlight on a home landscape, but if your lilac bush didn’t bloom this year, horticulturalist Mark Viette of Viette Nurseries in Augusta County has a solution.

Jennifer Gagnon, Virginia Forest Landowner Education program coordinator, said fresh-cut Christmas trees can be recycled or repurposed into natural products, wildlife habitat or feeding areas to attract wildlife.