Fourjtowers, when the Mid Atlantic Gardening forum was subdivided a number of years ago some of the forums died. Too bad because the MAG forum was quite busy until NJ, PA, NY & VA got their own forums.

And if that wasn't bad enough, many folks jumped ship and went to other gardening sites when iVillage took the reins....what...3 years ago??

Too bad:)

Only if we let it be!
Come on, Virginia gardeners, show some interest!
There are great things going on around Tidewater, Richmond, Western part of the state.
Let's talk about 'em...
Linda

This may seem odd but I think part of the problem is alphabetical. I'll have to admit that in looking at forums I usually jump in before I get down the page to Va. I promise to make a better effort.

Maybe a plant swap would liven it up

A lot of the forums here are dead. (Some are very active!) I keep checking, hoping to see something new, even posting a new topic now and then, but very few people respond. It's a great place to share ideas and brag or complain as the case may be. So it's a shame more people don't take advantage of it. Maybe this post will get something good going on.

One thing that suppresses response on forums is posting a question and never replying to the people who try (however imperfectly) supply an answer. No one likes to be ignored.

The forums that are active tend to have a small core of people who try to keep up with the posted threads and offer encouragement to people who post.

Devahethr you might be right about a swap. I think usually a community develops first and the swaps are organized afterward, maybe it could work the other way around....

Linda, how did you get interested in Brugs?

ooooo! YAY! PEOPLE! I've been checking here about once a week for a while now, hoping for some like-minded VA gardeners. I'm pretty far west, in Winchester, though. So the MAG swap is way too far away for me, but most things that happen over near the beach are also a long way off. But where are y'all all from? Anyone find that microclimates in VA make a huge difference in zones in your gardens? Just starting mine and I'm trying to make sure I keep that in mind since here near the mountains it can be anything from 6a to 7a.

I'm in Vienna, west of DC. We were just in Winchester last week and toured Abram's Delight and the Glen Burnie Gardens. We missed the pleached allee in its glory--next year we'll have to go earlier. I love Winchester. You are so lucky to live there!

Well I just logged on, not a regular yet on the garden forums because except for a small area in front of the house where the soil has been turned over, I don't have soil to garden with yet. I'm at the try to find some guys to help create a perimeter by bringing in a backhoe and compost stage. Hopefully over the summer that will happen. I live in Charlottesville, used to live in Reston. We had great nurseries there, and the ones here are quite poor in comparison.

I used to spend hours here (multiple gardenweb forums) looking up plants and answers, and even "however imperfectly" posting a reply. Three years of drought and declining ability became discouraging, plus for over a year I spent more time on valvereplacement.com.

Maybe the rain will refresh the gardeners' spirits as well as the gardens.

Tight, if you're in Charlottesville, try going up the road to Afton, VA. There's a place up there called Edible Landscapes that has great veggie variety. Its a little out of the way, but well worth the trip just to see their gardens.

The nurseries in Ch'ville may be smaller than some, but I've not been unhappy with them. I found a sourwood and a franklinia at Southern States, and enjoy Ivy Corner and Eltzroth & Thompson. I agree about taking the trip to Edible Landscaping; it's worth it if you're interested in a potager type garden. I always enjoyed taking a trip up to Lazy SS, but they're just doing mail order now, and Sherando Roses, but he's retiring in June.

i've been a member for just over a year and kept getting distracted before i found a local forum :-)

i live in strasburg, va about 25 miles south of winchester....i love it & my family loves it....moved approx 1 1/2 ago

we are on 10 acres in an 1840s farm house, so i have plenty of areas to practice gardening :-)

With ten acres you can grow anything you want to. That must be wonderful! I'm at the stage now that anything I acquire has to bump something else out. Can I come and plant things in your garden?

I've always wanted a Franklinia too, maryann and I'd have room for one if larlienda adopts one of my Japanese maples.

I have to agree that Edible Landscaping makes for a nice outing. I was there April 5 and tho they have gotten very pricey, I really enjoy visiting the nursery. The town of Afton is very scenic. Well, the whole area is very scenic. Stasburg too, love that town!

Oh, I'm in Maryland just over the river from Harper's Ferry WV and Lovettsville, Va.

Rian, I'm right near you (relatively speaking), since I'm in Herndon. I have my own computer now, so I'll be back on the forums more often.

Kesflower, yes, microclimates make an enormous difference here in NoVA, and I'd guess it's even more critical for you closer to the mountains. It's warmed up some overall since I moved here, but when we arrived, it was obvious from the previous owner's surviving plantings that my back yard (the thick end of a quarter acre) ranged from a 6b to a solid 8. I had glads, dahlias and cannas wintering in the gravel drip bed next to the south side of the house, but no way were they going to make it out in the open!
I've taken advantage of the microclimates since then for a fig tree that fruits well, a Mediterranean area against that south wall (rosemary, lavender and the little bulbs which don't mind a stony soil and bloom in what I think of as the middle of winter), and more northerly plants on the east side of the house and away from the building under tall trees.

How are you dealing with yours? If you are still in the finding-out stage, I suggest you see what you can spot as 'indicator plants', the way I knew that the summer bulbs wintering over tagged my south wall as an 8.

Robin

I might have to plant my own indicator plants, that's a great idea. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how I look at work), this yard is a blank slate. Just grass, 5 daylilies, 3 hostas, a rose of sharon, a dogwood and 2 large maple trees. That's it, no foundation plantings, no garden beds, nada. So I'm starting from basically scratch, planting what I like. I love glads, so perhaps I'll be planting those to see what survives.

Robin, since you're a neighbor, maybe we can get together for tea. This spring I bought a tea camellia (sinensis) from Camellia Forest. I'm planning to grow it slap up against a west facing brick wall, which is the warmest place I have available. On the other hand counting your tea leaves before they are harvested probably insures the worst possible luck.

I am in King George, about 20 miles east of Fredericksburg. Yesterday I planted Caladiums that were started indoors. I have more bulbs to go in later. Today it is chilly! Hope my babies will be ok. I have a new home so the yard needs much. I have about 6 Hostas on a wing and prayer. I have some Coleus seedlings but not sure if they should be potted or planted in the ground. It was the assorted pack so I have no idea what will turn out. As seedlings they all look the same. Looking for suggestions.

Oh I'm so happy to find souls here :) 2nd year into gardening and loving every minute of it.

Hi All,

I am new to this forum -- I live on an acre in Manassas, VA. I am hoping to learn something from you. I have dabbled in gardening all my life but am certainly not an expert. Now that I am retired, I have decided to landscape around the front of my house. Funny thing, I always thought I lived in zone 7 but the map on here says it is zone 6!! Do any of you live close in Prince William County?

wools

Hello, Everyone!

I'm one of the ones who have been out more than in, on this forum. Can't blame iVillage, I'm just lazy about posting.

I garden in the Annandale area, with a second place wsw of Winchester. (Hi, Kesflower - Hi, Larlienda)

I've been gardening most of my life, with a couple years off for post-adolescent rebellion, if one doesn't count the pots on the patio. And, yes, the last years of drought have taken my attitude to something lower than the bottom of a dried well. As I mentioned to someone last year, rainbarrels are very handy, but only if you get some rain.

In slightly damper years, I do vegs, a few annuals for the front beds and some perennials. BTW, Nikki hydrangea has made it through the droughts AND bloomed. Gotta admire a plant with that much determination. However, I still can't get delphiniums to overwinter.

Well, I'm SO glad to see you folks aren't dead, just dreaming. So how about trying to answer my question about pining pine trees? I'll entertain any suggestions, silly or sensible.

I have to say I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself today. Having lived on this property in the Shenandoah Valley for the past 12 years, I have FINALLY got round to collecting soil to get it tested. Not only that, but I actually found the official boxes that a landscaper gave me to put the soil in ten years ago. Can I file or what!

I am impressed that you got your Nikki hydrangea to bloom, Meldy. My alkaline soil insists on turning whatever meager blooms I get pink, despite additions of Hollytone and aluminum sulfate, not to mention slavishly watering the minute it droops. I have three hydrangeas, which I acquired when I was foolishly feeling nostalgic for the dusty centerpieces of British front gardens where I grew up. I forgot, of course, that London Valley soil is lighter, more acidic and the climate is temperate. Just a wee difference.

Well, enough chat. It's time to write a surly letter to the makers of Hyponex potting soil and get my money back. That stuff is RUBBISH! When it rains, the water sits on the impermeable surface, and when it's dry, it turns into concrete. Don't they actually try growing something in it before they put it on the market? Oh, sorry, I'm ranting. Time to sign off.

Vegetatively yours, Virginia in Virginia

Hooray! So glad to hear from you. I live in an apartment in Staunton. Can garden in containers only, so I seldom look in this forum. But - just learning about other nearby nurseries is a delight. Anyone else here have limited space for gardening?

Hello Songbird!

I'm just down the road from you, and my, is it HOT! Gardening in containers is really tough in this weather. They seem either to dry out instantly, or, if I water them copiously, to sit sullenly soggy and sulk (don't you love the alliteration!). I think the key to containers is make sure they are big, so the swing from soaking to dried out is not so rapid, and also, if you have a bit of shade in the hottest hours (1pm to 4pm), place them there.

Meldy - back to you and your hydrangeas: how are they doing in this heat? Even when the soil is moist, they (at least mine) droop in the sun. I don't want to drown them, so I am cautious when adding more water. Short of arranging awnings above them from about 10am to 4pm, I cannot figure out how to help them. Actually, I'm getting a bit fed up with them. Not even my container plants are as demanding as them. It's worse than having pets. I have one on the north-east side of the house (wilts in the morning despite a drip hose every other day), one on the south side of the house with afternoon shade (wilts a bit and gets no regular help, barring my mad dashes outside with the hose when I see the wilting) and one on the west side (wilts in the afternoon despite a soaker hose every other day). I'm beginning to think that they would all do better if they lived in the shade, but I'm not sure if they'd bloom at all then.

One good aspect of this heat wave: our above-ground pool heated up to 90º yesterday and we had friends over to watch the Belmont (indoors in the ac) on a big screen, followed by leisurely dipping in the pool. I live for these pool temperatures. I just wish the air could be a little cooler. At least the grass has stopped growing.

So glad the weather cooled down! My poor freshly planted veggies barely had enough time to get over their shock before the heat went to 100 last week. I've also got quite a few containers, mostly with herbs (that seems to be the only way I can keep mint and lemon balm from taking over). I like to use big wooden crates (like craft crates from Michaels) and line them with plastic or with weed fabric, punch some holes in the bottom, fill them with dirt and plant away. The wood sides don't get as hot (and therefore don't dry out as fast) as clay or plastic or ceramic pots. I love keeping some containers around b/c its so nice to be able to move them around and make impromptu little planting arrangements on our super shady deck when we have friends over.

virginiald ~ the hydrangeas do droop in the heat. Fair enough, so do I. They are in half-shade and look fine except when the sun is beating down on them in midday.

Not sure that hydrangea can be drowned, lol. Okay, to be serious, poke the ground before watering anymore, if your finger comes out wet, wait a couple more days. Anyway, if you've got the H's in front where it's hard to ignore them, how about planting something tall in their bed, to the south and west. Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed)? Or clematis? I have a dwarf clematis which grows through a small H, and they both seem happy. Nikki is in about 80% shade, much too near some oaks, and gets only a couple of hours of west sun. So he (she?) is shorter than potential, but otherwise does okay... as I said, blooming even during the drought.

kesflower ~ I can't bring myself to consider mid-90's as being noticeably cooler! But we keep having afternoon/evening T-storms, and I have an awful lot of seeds that haven't even gotten into the gardens yet.

This year may go on record as having the latest-ever first green bean. I pulled the last package of Fortex out of the freezer yesterday. It was dated July 5th. This year's Fortex haven't been planted yet. Sigh.

Hello ev1,
I'm from a very small place called Grundy..I've dabbled in gardening several years and I love it..Still learning :~)
Hey songbird! My neice goes to VSDB there in Staunton.

I was thrilled to find this thread even though no one has posted here in a while. I'm from a tiny place called Troutdale. I live on top of a mountain and absolutely love to garden. All the online sites and catalogs say I'm zone 6 but I think I am more like zone 5.
I just took my mom to Darlington, MD and we passed through Winchester and Harpers Ferry. I absolutely love Harpers Ferry, it has such an old, classy town feel to it.
We've lived at this house for 3 years now and the gardens and lawn are still in the new or planning stages. This used to be heavily wooded and the ground is so hard! It's been pretty dry this year and hot so far this summer I haven't done much planting lately. I hate dragging the hose around for hours in the evening to water everything. I am trying to get some pictures taken and posted because I would love any ideas that any of you fellow virginians may have for my gardens.

I am in Va Bch. Lovin' the weather here. It's Nov and people are still wearing shorts. I grew up in Woodbridge then at 14 moved to Front Royal. I'm sure the people from Strasburg and Winchester know where that is. Lived there for 'bout 10 years then came to the beach. I still have petunia's and zinnia's blooming. Even some roses.

Anyone in Williamsburg????

Anyone out there????

Some of us wander by occasionally. I see that you are interested in hydrangeas. I only have one. It is a PG Hydrangea that was given to me by a neighbor. She lives in a Sears house and when she bought it she acquired some early photographs of pieces of the house coming in to the Vienna train station and being loaded onto a wagon. An early garden plan shows her PG Hydrangea labeled "the popcorn tree."

Her tree was enormous. The arching branches made an outdoor garden room. Cleaning up the neglected garden, she found two seedlings and gave one of them to me. It turns out that this kind of self propagation is rare for PG Hydrangeas, so I feel lucky to have it. What is your favorite hydrangea?

probably Ayesha-also called popcorn-my grangparents have a 70-100 year old peegee also in a tree form probably 30 feet tall...

Sorry I took so long to get back. I looked up Ayesha--very nice! The description said it is fragrant. This is not something I normally associate with hydrangeas and I'll have to admit I'm partial to flowers with a scent. Viburnum, daphne, deciduous azaleas--if I lived in Williamsburg, I'd try a gardenia.

yes gardenia is a favorite here. I have yet to detect any scent on Ayesha. also like Big Daddy but it does not always bloom for me.