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Five Great Reasons to Garden with Natives
Gardening enthusiasts everywhere are gearing up for spring with renewed passion and anticipation. There are garden beds to expand, turf...
Apr 33 min read
298
Early spring blooms for the garden
Our woodlands and meadows are about to awaken and burst into a vibrant display of spring ephemerals, the transient native beauties we...
Mar 63 min read
414
Clean Water and Native Plants
If your property contains a stream, pond, or any sort of wetland, whether its flow is permanent or intermittent in nature, this article...
Feb 83 min read
334
Community associations and environmental leadership
Community associations are familiar local institutions. They serve residents by enacting and enforcing community rules, managing any...
Jan 112 min read
579
Let Dead Plant Material Lie
Our splendid native plants are going dormant for the winter and leaving behind their seed heads and dead stalks as a reminder of growing...
Dec 3, 20243 min read
430
Protect The Wildlife You Attract
Market demand for native plants in our region has clearly risen in the past ten years. This is a very positive trend, fueled by an...
Nov 8, 20243 min read
441
“Keystone” Plants for Fall Gardens
It’s fall, and most healthy plants are looking rather spent as they go dormant for the winter. But some natives are happily blooming away...
Oct 5, 20244 min read
477
Native vines for hummingbirds and beauty
Native vines can be terrific additions to your landscape. The most popular one, Coral Honeysuckle, is a hummingbird magnet! Unlike the...
Aug 30, 20243 min read
660
Supporting your garden through heat and drought
We all know the climate is getting hotter. The week of July 22 included the world’s two hottest days in recorded history. At the same...
Jul 25, 20243 min read
845
Good hedges make good neighbors
Dense plantings between properties are a valuable amenity, so much so that they are mandated for many building projects. A mixed hedge...
Jun 22, 20242 min read
974
Shrink the lawn
If you grew up in suburbia, a pristine lawn was a welcome herald of spring. Everyone enjoys the smell of freshly mowed grass and the look...
May 18, 20243 min read
1,111
Create a mini meadow
When they aren’t being bulldozed over, the natural state of most meadows in Northern Virginia is to gradually revert to forest, but that...
Apr 8, 20243 min read
1,144
Build a mini bird sanctuary
The best sanctuaries for birds are undisturbed expanses of forests and meadows. Anyone can see that those are rapidly disappearing in...
Mar 17, 20242 min read
967
The Magic of Winter Trees: Making a Deeper Connection
Winter is a lovely time to get to know your trees better. Many folks spend some of the colder days of January and February planning their...
Jan 27, 20242 min read
122
Help Trees Thrive: Tear Up Some Turf
By Elaine Kolish, Fairfax County Tree Commission It’s fairly common in residential neighborhoods to see trees surrounded by grass or by...
Dec 26, 20233 min read
406
Controlling English Ivy Saves Trees and Combats Climate Change
English Ivy is everywhere, in our neighborhoods, along our roads, and in our parks. It climbs over fences, covers sheds, and carpets...
Nov 18, 20233 min read
366
Fall cleanup in two easy steps
Here is an executive summary of eco-friendly yard maintenance recommendations for fall. 1. Watch the pretty leaves flutter down...
Oct 12, 20233 min read
1,190
Biodiversity starts at home - plant native plants!
Fall is for planting. When choosing what to plant, why not factor in the ecosystem while you are at it? Preserving biodiversity may sound...
Sep 14, 20232 min read
583
The corporate world embraces native plants
Most corporate properties have pretty “standard” landscaping, meaning the plants do very little if anything to support the local...
Aug 10, 20232 min read
471
Tree-of-Heaven is not heavenly!
In summer many folks travel to the Shenandoah Valley and beyond for recreational opportunities. Driving in any direction from Northern...
Jul 22, 20232 min read
446
Inviting fireflies to your yard
When fireflies start their early summer dance, will they pick your yard for their display? Like most insects (and like most vertebrate...
Jun 10, 20232 min read
1,973
Front yard landscaping, reimagined
Originality has not been what springs to mind when looking at most front yards, but now people are starting to tweak the conventions by...
May 6, 20232 min read
1,901
Help save our native trees!
It isn’t easy being a Flowering Dogwood, White Oak, or other native tree in Northern Virginia. There are many threats to trees in an...
May 3, 20232 min read
247
Shopping for the birds
Warm weather has many of us headed to the garden center, where lovely blooms await. Did you know that those shopping trips can double as...
Apr 7, 20232 min read
571
Beauty is not in the eye of the beholder!
Recently our social media feeds have been full of beautiful photos of flowering plants that signal spring is on the way, much to the joy...
Mar 24, 20232 min read
254
Want birds and butterflies? Plant native shrubs!
When it comes to the curb appeal of our houses and other buildings, the difference between starkly naked and softly clothed is the...
Mar 12, 20233 min read
2,358
Five myths about trees
It’s no myth that trees hold a special place in our collective psyche. Trees play a prominent role in myths, often symbolizing life and...
Feb 12, 20232 min read
226
Save a Sapling: Pull Invasives
By Laura Handley One of the most satisfying moments of invasive plant management comes when you pull the last vine off a struggling...
Jan 8, 20233 min read
383
Solar panels vs. trees - how to choose?
Residents who are interested in installing solar panels often face a dilemma. Which is better for the environment, solar panels or shade...
Dec 17, 20223 min read
329
Managing larger properties for birds, butterflies, and people
The outdoor space on larger properties in Northern Virginia, whether residential or commercial, is typically divided into formal...
Nov 15, 20222 min read
74
Keeping our wooded areas beautiful
If your community owns some wooded common land, or if you yourself own a wooded property, you may have noticed that the woods around here...
Oct 25, 20222 min read
88
Plant NOVA Trees – One Year On
September marks the first anniversary of the launch of Plant NOVA Trees, a regionwide effort by over a hundred local organizations and...
Sep 23, 20224 min read
171
Welcoming visitors with native plant landscaping
The big signs that welcome visitors to neighborhoods are usually framed by conventional ornamental shrubs, grasses, and annual flowers....
Aug 26, 20222 min read
704
Be nice to your trees
On a recent day, driving out of the sun into a wooded community resulted in a temperature drop from 91 to 86 degrees. We all try to stay...
Jul 28, 20222 min read
153
Free trees for communities
As community associations around Northern Virginia ramp up their native tree planting efforts, they are looking around to find ways to...
Jun 17, 20222 min read
1,027
Native groundcovers and trees: the perfect pairing!
Native groundcovers are becoming increasingly popular, for good reason: even if they have minimal time for gardening, people want to use...
May 10, 20222 min read
1,535
Do you have room for a shade tree?
If your yard sits in the blazing sun in the summer, it may have already occurred to you that a native shade tree would benefit you...
Apr 11, 20222 min read
289
Millions of Trees at Risk in Northern Virginia? Introducing Tree Rescuers!
Northern Virginia’s oldest and best-loved trees are in danger, and the threat is in plain sight – and yet there are few who can see it....
Mar 3, 20222 min read
413
Easy plant combinations for your yard
Are you ready to brighten up your yard but not to spend hours researching plant choices? You may be a candidate for a native plant...
Feb 8, 20222 min read
495
Landscaping with nature
In the winter, as you drive across the American Legion Bridge or across many of our creeks, you may be startled to see large numbers of...
Jan 8, 20223 min read
1,014
Party time on the disc golf course
We don’t usually associate the native plant movement or a tree campaign with sports, but players at the Giles Run Disc Golf Course see it...
Dec 9, 20212 min read
525
Alexandria neighbors bring trees to their community
Trees plant themselves and replace themselves – except in our lawns. Many Northern Virginia neighborhoods that are graced by magnificent...
Nov 15, 20213 min read
160
Celebrate Fall Color!
As Northern Virginia continues to celebrate trees to mark the start of the five year regional native tree campaign, autumn colors move to...
Oct 14, 20213 min read
128
Arlington National Cemetery Treasures its Trees
Arlington National Cemetery is a place to honor, remember, and explore. The beauty of the grounds and the comfort of its visitors is...
Sep 10, 20213 min read
119
Fewer inputs to your landscape, more butterflies and birds
As more and more people buy native plants to beautify their yards, control stormwater and attract birds and butterflies, they are...
Aug 13, 20213 min read
3,061
Mini Grants to Beautify Neighborhood Entrances with Native Plants
This spring, Audubon at Home partnered with Plant NOVA Natives to invite homeowners’ and civic associations to apply for funds to...
Jul 2, 20212 min read
1,284
Planting for the Picky Eaters
Many insects are picky eaters, only able to eat the plants with which they evolved, meaning the plants that are native to their region....
Jun 21, 20212 min read
747
Native plant sales are booming
Interest in using native plants in our yards has been growing over the past decade, gradually at first, and suddenly exponentially. It...
May 15, 20212 min read
1,489
Beat the summer heat with a native plant shade garden
They say shade gardens are the gardens of the future, since it will be too hot to spend much time in the sun. That’s pretty much the case...
Apr 12, 20212 min read
1,368
Native grasses for our yards
When we think of grass in our yards, the image that arises is likely to be that of turf grass. But there are many other places for...
Feb 10, 20212 min read
2,485
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