URBAN FARMING in DOWNTOWN LYNCHBURG, VA

On a beautiful March day, Marcia, Shelly, Janet and I ventured to Lynchburg, Virginia to visit an urban farm--Lynchburg Grows. A fun two-hour drive from Richmond with bluebird skies, provided us time to catch up, chat about gardening and rejoice that spring weather has finally arrived. Lynchburg Grows is a 6.5 acre organic urban farm located on the site on one of the U.S.'s largest rose growers from the 1920's until the 1990's when the operation was abandoned. Above is the office where you can purchase vegetables...today I purchased swiss chard that I can't wait to eat!
There are historic greenhouses that cover 2 acres of the 6.5 acres where they grow vegetables and roses to sell in the community and also to donate to the local food pantry. Since 2004, more than 2,400 community volunteers contributed over 25,000 hours to clear out dead rose plants and install growing systems for vegetables in the 40,000 sq. feet of greenhouses. Lynchburg Grows was formed as a not-for-profit corporation in 2003. Its mission became to help all disadvantaged persons enjoy the healthy benefit of gardening and have access to such spaces. It partners with numerous local organizations to demonstrate the importance of sustainable, local agriculture and healthy living."

Derek, who works for Lynchburg Grows, was not only very friendly, but extremely knowledgable about every facet of what goes on in the garden from growing organically to selling the produce through their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). He answered every question we had including the bred of chickens and the value of worm castings in compost. We had many questions about his "windrows" created for easy turning of the leaf and manure compost that they make and sell.

I hope that you enjoy taking a photo journey through the "Farm" and see the wonderful gifts of nature that we experienced and learned about today.

Final stop was at the fabulous Ivy Nursery just West of Charlottesville--variegated boxwood, sweet smelling Pieris, gorgeous orchids nestled in exquisite urns, and organic gardening supplies. The most fabulous colors in flowers, pots and accessories of all kinds.

This is gardening and friendship at its best!

Get out and Garden! Katherine :)

EDIBLE LANDSCAPES

Do you know what an edible landscape is? In short, your garden/landscape will taste as good as it looks! Here in Virginia, we have a wonderful nursery, Edible Landscapes, in Afton, Virginia which specializes in fruit & nut trees, berries, fruits, vegetables that can be grown in Virginia. Do you love kiwi? Did you know that it can be grown in Zone 7 (Richmond) on an arbor or pergola? You will need a male and a female plant and a strong pergola on which to grow the kiwi vine.

Above is a photo of my own edible landscape. Would you ever know that mixed in with Shasta Daisies, gardenias, pentas, salvia and pineapple sage are bush green beans, lettuces, bell peppers, squash and tomatoes. We have, as well, a number of herbs--parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, Greek oregano and basil. How delightful and nutritious to walk right outside my backdoor and have my evening meal at my fingertips. Organic, zero food miles, and scrumptous....from garden to table in less than a half hour!

In April, I will be attending a three day workshop in Asheville, NC by John Jeavons on biointensive gardening...getting the most vegetable production out of the smallest space in your garden. Stay tuned for continuing education on this. Do you need help with your own garden and want beautiful flowers as well as delicious vegetables? If yes, please give us a call. Bloomin'
Gardens, Inc. would love to help you!

For more information nationally, Rosalind Creasy is the long time guru of Edible Landscaping. I heard her speak at a small seminar in Sacramento a few months ago. Inspiring, healthy, sustainable!

Get out and Garden! Katherine :)

psssttt....after gardening on a hot day, there's our outdoor cedar shingled shower next to the garden and back door. (see photo above) Have you ever thought of having an outdoor shower?

SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER

With all of the snowstorms we have had in the Richmond, Virginia area this winter, it's difficult not to think about spring--the season when hope springs eternal! To whet your appetite, I'm featuring a hardscape project from two years ago that was started in January with the before pictures and the after pictures were taken in May. So here we are "before" in late January. There had previously been an old concrete pad for a patio that was cracked and too small. A brick wall at one end really "fenced in" the area.





It was a great team effort that produced a beautiful and enjoyable outside space! First, we had to design it. Bloomin' Gardens, Inc. considered the type of usage, homeowner's budget, type of gardening, low maintenance for the hardscaping and the plant care.

Then we contracted with Classic Hardscapes to demo the existing patio and build a new one including seating wall. We chose Hanover Pavers for the patio pavers. These man-made concrete pavers are 6x6 and 6x9 in size and a 50/50 mix of the colors Gettysburg Gray and South Mountain Sand. The seating wall is called "Garden Wall" in a mix of several colors that Classic Hardscapes had on hand. This allowed us to have the most natural-looking wall possible.

After Classic Hardscapes did a incredible job of installing the patio, we had Illuminations Landscape Lighting do their magic. They are true artists that use the smallest number of low voltage lighting fixtures to achieve the same light intensity of a beautiful harvest moon.

With that accomplished, we also had a gorgeous cedar shake, outdoor shower built by Bob Windsor General Contractors and his talented craftsmen. The homeowners are real outdoorsy people and when coming in from kayaking or hiking or gardening can leave all that dirt outside while having a refreshing hot shower outdoors. Inside the private shower, a bench, towel hooks and all of the amenities make it easy. Located just outside the backdoor means easy access to inside the house.

Then it was time to decorate this wonderful space. Wrought iron chairs made by Meadowcraft and repurposed teak table and chairs by Laneventure complete the look. A huge and wonderful 9 ft umbrella from Tuesday Morning keeps the sun and rain off of diners. The umbrella is adjustable making it easy to block those hot rays any time of the day. New cushions were made from high density, but soft foam rubber and covered in a black check. Large down pillows cushion the chair backs. A lovely arbor built by Swift Creek Garden Furniture has several climbers planted on it--"Golden Rain" Rose, moon flower vine, and clematis.

Last but not least, it was planting time. Plants purchased from and delivered by Glen Allen Nursery were planted by the homeowner after compost, screened topsoil and sand were tilled into the beds. Tucked amongst the ornamental shrubs and perennials were herbs and veggies such as bush green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuces, basil, parsley, rosemary, blueberries and strawberries....a true urban, edible garden!

In eight months, this project went from concept to completion and just in time for a fun rehearsal dinner for the homeowner's son and new daughter-in-law. Yes, it can be done and we would love to make this happen for you too!

I hope to see you soon!

Get out and Garden! Katherine :)

HARDSCAPING AND A GREAT DESIGN TIED IT ALL TOGETHER!

In mid September, I was called by a new client who needed a rush job at their home in Middlesex County, Virginia on the Middle Peninsula. Seems that their house addition/renovation project by wonderful builder, Randy Randolph , was finally coming to an end and they needed a hardscaping design to tie together the old with the new and make the front entrance inviting. More pressing was the fact that a wedding was happening there in Mid October... so the rush was on.

After meeting with my lovely new clients, they indicated that they were open to whatever I designed. Initially they had thoughts of just a side walk going from the garage parking to the front door. I felt like the site needed more of a "statement" and suggested that we create a "courtyard" effect at the entrance. In addition to a statement, there were a number of entries to the house and side yard and they needed to be "tied together". A single walkway would have looked confusing and not really done the job. They loved the courtyard idea, so we moved forward to the design and selecting the product for the hardscaping. There were suggestions of concrete pavers, blue stone, brick.

Since we were already dealing with a number of products used on the house--ipe, brick, green painted wood siding, we wanted to choose something that would compliment the existing without "fighting" with it. In the end, Williams Landscaping did a fabulous job of installing a bluestone terrace with circular brick inserts in a herringbone pattern. Not only was it top notch in quality, but they did it on very short notice. I designed the terrace with the circle inserts to brick up the massive area and make it feel cozier.

The next stage was installing the plant material which was also done by Williams Landscaping. We will have photos of that at a later date.

We love winters for planning and installing hardscaping projects. If you are staying at home more this year, why not have a new terrace designed and installed for enjoying your "outside" home?

Get out and Garden! :) Katherine

GARDENING IN CONTAINERS

On Saturday, I taught a container planting class at Greenpoint Nursery, Lively, Virginia on the Northern Neck (804.462.0220). With the good help of Bonnie Williams and all of her wonderful employees and friends, we helped about 20 attendees create and plant their containers. Greenpoint always has a fabulous selection of beautiful perennials, annuals, trees and shrubs and this made it easier for the participants to make their selection.

Some quick tips that were given include:

. When making plant choices, think of different textures, different heights and pleasing color combinations (we included a color wheel with our handouts)

. Always use large (18 inches in diameter or larger) containers and vary the shape and sizes

. Put rocks or broken pot pieces in the bottom of the container and use good, new potting soil

. Fertilize with a time release fertilizer (like Osmocote)

. Choose plants that have similar cultural requirements for easy care

. Remember that a lot of veggies can be grown in containers

. EXPERIMENT, HAVE FUN, BE FEARLESS!

The weather that day was perfect as it was overcast and in the 60's. No hot sun to burn those newly planted annuals as they travelled back home from the nursery. Bonnie gratefully provided a nursery employee for every two attendees so that planting could go smoothly. I walked around helping make plant selections and we filled those containers to the brim. A suggestion was made to purchase container books, such as one from Garden Gate Magazine and copy their ideas. (Note: It's OK to copy!)

This container was planted by me for a client and includes caladiums, scaevola (fan flower) and "Blackie" sweet potato vine. It is located where it only gets early morning sun and shade the rest of the day. What a great way to great your visitors at the front door!

At the end, we had a group of very happy ladies who carted their gorgeous containers home to be enjoyed for the summer! There were lots of requests for another container workshop in the late summer, so stay tuned for Fall Container Planting!


With a fun morning behind me, I sat down and had a delicious lunch made by one of Bonnie's friends. The veggie wrap was accompanied by these beautiful and scrumptous cookies!

The Month of May is a great time to plant your containers. What will you be planting in yours this spring?

Get outside and Garden! :) Katherine

THE K(C)ATHERINE'S HIKE IN VIRGINIA

Just before Mother's Day weekend, lovely daughter Catherine and I spent two days in the Shenandoah National Park hiking, searching for wildflowers, laughing and just plain enjoying the great outdoors. We stayed in a restored log cabin near Vesuvius, Virginia at The Sugar Tree Inn where we enjoyed building a log fire in the beautiful stone fireplace and eating a delicous breakfast in the main lodge before heading out on day two.It had been raining for nearly 10 days up until just hours before our hike began at Crabtree Falls. The falls were breathtaking and the roar of them was so great you could hardly hear someone speaking. The trailhead is located just a few miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway south of Afton Mountain. Catherine, having just moved back from California, was marveling all over again over our very tall and graceful hardwood trees...and with their new bright green leaves, they were beauties!

This is "landscaping" at its best............Mother Nature's original and beautiful design....both plant and child!

Where have you planned to hike this year? How about combining a day of hiking in White Oak Canyon with the Graves Blue Grass Festival in Madison County, Virginia? It will be the weekend of May 28-30. The best of the outdoors--hiking and then listening to wonderful bluegrass music while surrounded by the dramatic Blue Ridge Mountains!

Get outside and Garden :) Katherine

MECHANICAL MAINTENANCE DAY

Today, before working in the garden, it was time to change the oil in the lawnmower and install a new filter. Never having done this before, but wanting to be more economical and do it myself, I turned to the mower manual.
Then off to see my good friends at Pleasants Hardware, where they directed me to the correct oil, filter and new bolts for the mower handle. Back home and in no time, it was all done and ready for mowing the lawn. Now will need to take the old oil from the mower to the recycling at the county landfill.

Back in the garden I started on thinning the lettuce seedlings and eat them for lunch---yummy! Also, planted bush green bean seeds, tomato and pepper plants, bush cuke seeds. The strawberry plants are now covered with fine black netting to keep (hopefully) the critters out. Mid afternoon, with the temps rising into the 90's, had me thinking about walking down to the river and jumping in.

Last thing to do before quitting time, the hummingbird feeder was cleaned out, hung and with new food awaits the birds.

Next week will plant all of my summer annuals which will be mixed in the beds with the vegetables and Carefree roses. Have you planned on what veggies you will grow this year?

Get outside and garden....... Katherine :)