Dr. Cynthia Wood, Author at Farmville - Page 7 of 9

Columns

Thugs and potential thugs

Just like people, plants manage to slip into our country uninvited; they hitchhike in packing materials or grain, for example. Some are well behaved and ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, January 25, 2018 9:13 am

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 horticultural prognosticators reveal what they think we’ll ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, January 18, 2018 12:10 pm

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 that’s so prevalent in gardening. Think fresh, ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, December 7, 2017 8:49 am

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, daily chores still had to be done, ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, November 30, 2017 9:56 am

Columns

Heresy in the garden

Full disclosure upfront: this column is about disagreeing with conventional wisdom and the politically correct. It’s full on heresy. Not that many years ago, gardening ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, November 9, 2017 8:00 am

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 people to exercise and to think about ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, October 19, 2017 8:57 am

Columns

Bringing in the sheaves

When I was a kid, late summer/early fall meant harvest time — black eyed peas, purple hulls, the last of the tomatoes, sweet potatoes, butter ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, September 14, 2017 9:07 am

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 an early spring green and is a ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, September 7, 2017 9:32 am

Columns

Meet the cleomes

Have you met the cleomes? They’re old, favorite garden plants that are enjoying renewed interest. The heirloom “Rose Queen” cleome originated in the West Indies ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, August 17, 2017 9:22 am

Church & Community

The Schuyler Quarry Gardens

Some people retire and are quite content to do nothing. Others are constantly looking for new projects and challenges. Imagine deciding to abandon city living ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, August 10, 2017 9:23 am

Columns

Embracing creativity and diversity

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and very thoughtful young woman who wanted to have the perfect early summer wedding. You know the ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, July 6, 2017 8:44 am

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, interesting clouds and whatever else struck her ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, June 8, 2017 8:12 am

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, chard and kale, but this year I ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, June 1, 2017 7:44 am

Lifestyles

The deer-resistant garden

I own a farm in Lunenburg County that my husband and I have decided to turn into a weekend bolt hole and eventually a retirement home. ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, May 11, 2017 7:55 am

Lifestyles

Squawroot: An unusual parasite

When you mention the Natural Bridge, most people don’t think of hiking trails, but there are three at the relatively new Natural Bridge State Park. ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, May 4, 2017 9:44 am

Columns

Design in the vegetable garden

Many years ago, when I was a kid, growing vegetables was serious business. We had row after row of melons in a location some distance ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, April 20, 2017 9:46 am

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 wildflower of the year will be. The ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, March 2, 2017 9:28 am

Columns

Lessons from great gardeners

Have you ever wondered how many gardens we humans have made since the beginning of civilization? We’ve grown grains and other crops for food; herbs ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, February 16, 2017 12:05 pm

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 location for many years and have always ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, February 9, 2017 12:01 pm

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 in our area in mid-summer. If you’ve ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, January 5, 2017 7:23 am

Columns

Trends in garden design

It might be cold and dreary at times, but it’s never too cold or dreary to think about what to do in the garden once ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, December 22, 2016 8:54 am

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 and New Year’s. It’s a great way ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, December 8, 2016 11:51 am

Columns

Apples part of culinary heritage

When I was a little kid growing up on a local farm, we had a very scraggly looking, old apple tree that was much loved ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, November 17, 2016 9:41 am

Columns

Ironweed: The pollinators’ friend

You probably saw it growing along the back roads in late summer/early fall. With its tall, dark red stems and clusters of small purplish-red flowers, ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, November 10, 2016 8:46 am

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 yards. Remove dead foliage; deadhead spent flowers; ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, October 27, 2016 7:00 am

Columns

The classic Virginia garden

If you grew up in Virginia, chances are gardening is just an inherent part of who you are. You know what I mean — you ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, September 8, 2016 6:35 am

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, and I become concerned. Life just isn’t ... Read more

by Dr. Cynthia Wood, Thursday, September 1, 2016 5:46 am

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