Columns
Thugs and potential thugs
Just like people, plants manage to slip into our country uninvited; they hitchhike in packing materials or grain, ... Read more
Author: Dr. Cynthia Wood - Page 7 | The Farmville Herald
Columns
Gazing into my crystal ball: gardening trends for 2018
A New Year and a new opportunity for gardening. What more could anyone want. January is when the ... Read more
Columns
In my father’s time
There is renewed interest in using natural, native materials for holiday decorations. It’s part of the nativist movement ... Read more
Columns
Bringing in the sheaves: Part II
By late fall, the pace of life on the farm had slowed to an almost leisurely pace. Sure, ... Read more
Columns
Heresy in the garden
Full disclosure upfront: this column is about disagreeing with conventional wisdom and the politically correct. It’s full on ... Read more
Columns
A new trend: Houseplants as pets
According to conventional wisdom and some research, having a pet generally makes people calmer and healthier. Pets encourage ... Read more
Columns
Bringing in the sheaves
When I was a kid, late summer/early fall meant harvest time — black eyed peas, purple hulls, the ... Read more
Columns
Pokeweed is an amazing plant
It’s been immortalized in song, grown at Kew Gardens as an exotic, used to make ink, eaten as ... Read more
Columns
Meet the cleomes
Have you met the cleomes? They’re old, favorite garden plants that are enjoying renewed interest. The heirloom “Rose ... Read more
Church & Community
The Schuyler Quarry Gardens
Some people retire and are quite content to do nothing. Others are constantly looking for new projects and ... Read more
Columns
Embracing creativity and diversity
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and very thoughtful young woman who wanted to have the ... Read more
Columns
Quite a find — the scarlet cup
Several months ago, a friend went for her regular morning walk. As usual, she took photos of snails, ... Read more
Columns
It’s important to eat your greens
I might have gotten carried away when I planted the early spring garden this year. I always plant lettuce, ... Read more
Lifestyles
The deer-resistant garden
I own a farm in Lunenburg County that my husband and I have decided to turn into a weekend ... Read more
Lifestyles
Squawroot: An unusual parasite
When you mention the Natural Bridge, most people don’t think of hiking trails, but there are three at ... Read more
Columns
Design in the vegetable garden
Many years ago, when I was a kid, growing vegetables was serious business. We had row after row ... Read more
Columns
Black cohosh — 2017 Wildflower of the Year
As soon as the new year begins, I’m always anxious to learn what the Virginia Native Plant Society’s ... Read more
Columns
Lessons from great gardeners
Have you ever wondered how many gardens we humans have made since the beginning of civilization? We’ve grown ... Read more
Columns
Help! My Azaleas have yellow leaves
Several weeks ago, a friend emailed me a question about his azaleas. They’ve been planted in the same ... Read more
Columns
Butterfly weed: 2017 Perennial of the Year
You probably know it as that bright patch of orange you see when you’re driving along back roads ... Read more
Columns
Trends in garden design
It might be cold and dreary at times, but it’s never too cold or dreary to think about ... Read more
Columns
Annual ramble in the woods
My family has a long-standing tradition of taking leisurely walks in the woods during the week between Christmas ... Read more
Columns
Apples part of culinary heritage
When I was a little kid growing up on a local farm, we had a very scraggly looking, ... Read more
Columns
Ironweed: The pollinators’ friend
You probably saw it growing along the back roads in late summer/early fall. With its tall, dark red ... Read more
Columns
Time to tuck your garden to sleep?
For years, we gardeners were told we should spend the last glorious days of fall cleaning up our ... Read more
Columns
The classic Virginia garden
If you grew up in Virginia, chances are gardening is just an inherent part of who you are. ... Read more
Columns
Honeyvine milkweed: a native with mixed reviews
I often hear people describe all native plants as good and all non-native species as invasive or bad, ... Read more