Garden Blogs

Being stuck at home sucks. When you find yourself unable to get out and do everyday things like going to work, the movies and even out to dinner, things can be a little bleak and very boring. The perfect solution – get out in your garden!

Gardening has been proven to relieve stress, boost your mood, and boost your immune system. Given recent events, this is a perfect time for garden work. Here are some garden projects to get you out of your house and into your garden.

Eating organic vegetables doesn’t have to be expensive! You’ve been trying to eat more organically grown vegetables, both to help the environment and to lessen the amount of pesticides you and your family consumes. But take one look at your grocery receipt and you know that buying organic can cost a lot. Luckily, you have an option – grow your own organic vegetable garden!

The benefits of mulching your garden are so numerous that most gardeners would agree that mulch becomes a necessity in every garden.

Gardens come in many different shapes and sizes. Flower gardens add aesthetic appeal, ranging from simple to elaborate. Vegetable gardens are regaining popularity with increasing food prices, and poor food quality. One thing that is common in all gardens, whether flowering or vegetable, they can all benefit from mulching.

Planning your vegetable garden is easier than it sounds, and saves you time and money when planting your garden. One thing to keep in mind is that vegetables grow in different conditions and seasons, which means it’s important to plant your veggies at the proper time!

Vegetable gardening is a very rewarding (and tasty) experience, even for a beginner! The idea of starting from scratch and building your first vegetable plot can be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. We’ll show you how to start your vegetable garden from the ground up, and soon you’ll be on your way to fresh vegetables grown in your very own garden!

The goal to indoor seed starting is to have seedlings ready to go outside by the time the weather is favorable. This means that timing is everything. You will need to plant your seedlings early enough for them to germinate and start growing before you can transplant them outside.

To start, take a look at the seed packet. Usually on the back, the packet will tell you when you need to plant your seeds. Look for something similar to “Plant inside 6 to 8 weeks before last frost.” Keep your eye out for seeds that say “Direct Sow”, meaning these plants should be planted directly into your arden. These seeds require less labor and mature faster than transplanted crops.

Click here for information on choosing the right seeds for your garden.

In 2007, the US Senate dedicated one week in June as National Pollinator Week. This effort raised awareness of the declining pollinator populations and helped to educate people internationally about the importance of pollinators in the ecosystem.

Americans have a lawn addiction.

Drive through a typical U.S. suburb, and you’ll see dozens of lush, manicured, weed-less yards, watered by clicking sprinklers. The fixation has spread across the nation — estimates suggest that between 30 and 40 million acres of U.S. land are devoted to turfgrass, and we spend roughly $40 billion annually on seed, sod and the chemicals we need to care for them.

Whether you already have a perfect yard or you’re trying to get one, you’ll probably have to invest in lawn products. Vibrant green grass doesn’t weed itself, so we douse it with herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers.

In fact, we apply 90 million pounds of fertilizer and around 80 million pounds of pesticides on our lawns every year, which is about ten times the amount spread over farmland. Because we use so much of them, conventional pesticides and fertilizers impact more than our yards — they affect both our health and our ecosystem.

We’ve gathered the details on how — and why — you should care about the type of lawn products you apply to your lawn, along with some tips on how to make the switch from conventional to organic supplies.

When it’s time for some perennials to go dormant it’s time for others to come out in all their glory, and now is the time for fall perennials to shine. Make sure you incorporate a seasonal interest in your yard, blending bloom times so you will have continuous color and appeal throughout the seasons with little effort.

Whether you need foliage or flower, have sun or shade, dry soil or clay; there is a plant for you.  Fall perennials massed together make a statement by adding a border or interspersing splashes of color to keep your yard alive with color as it transitions into cooler weather.

After months of work, you finally have the backyard of your dreams. Maybe you’ve paved a new patio and set out chairs perfect for relaxing in, or maybe you’ve landscaped an immaculate garden and draped glowing string lights from trees.

There are a few tips and tricks to keep mulch looking fresh and vibrant, regardless of weather conditions. In this post, we’ll show you how to care for mulch year-round, so your garden will withstand cold winter days and be ready to bloom in the spring.

Warmer seasons we most associate with gardens and gardening, but fall and winter are just as crucial to making your garden beautiful. Check out our tips for prepping your garden for a successful fall.

In our plastic-taxed world today we need to find a way to shrink our man-made footprint! At Patuxent Nursery, this has been on our minds for several years. We have been working towards a biodegradable pot that can be planted in the ground and will break down in the soil leaving the soil in better condition.

Keeping potted plants alive is a learned skill, and there is no reason you can’t learn to do it, too. To help you out and get you started on your plant-care journey, we’ve put together this tutorial on everything you need to know about how to take care of potted plants. By the time we’re finished here, you’ll be ready to put these skills into practice. So grab your gardening gloves and potting soil and let’s get started.

Looking to add annuals to your garden this year? Use these tips on how to plant annuals to find the best ways to make your annuals thrive.

Keep your lawn green all summer long with these tips for maintaining healthy grass that can stand up to summer weather.

It is that time of year again and one of the most common questions we get is how much mulch do I need? We have the answer – learn more!

During the colder weather here in Maryland, birds have to find their own food. Berries, seeds, and habitats in protected tree limbs are not as plentiful as they are during the warmer summer months. But, there’s an easy solution to this problem: planting trees and shrubs for birds to get sustenance from throughout the cooler weather.

We’ve always been told to plant in spring and fall but warmer temperatures are still a good time to add interest to your landscaping beds. It only takes a little extra attention and a few simple techniques to help new summer plantings thrive.

When we walk outside into our yard it is always nice to have a little privacy.  But not everyone likes the expense or the look of traditional fencing. Over the years, we have had countless customers looking for creative ways to add privacy to their yards with trees and shrubs. Trees and shrubs create a natural barrier that not only looks beautiful, it is also functional. Here are some of our tried and true tips for adding screens to your yard with fast growing privacy trees and shrubs:

Nothing announces the coming of spring quite like a freshly mulched yard. However, mulch isn’t just for aesthetics; it is also very beneficial to your plants and soils. Here are just 6 reasons you should mulch this spring:

What is the number one question we are being asked right now? It’s without a doubt, “How do we get our roses ready for winter?”

Even though it’s the end of Summer and the daytime temperatures are still 80+, fall and cooler weather are approaching. As the temperatures start to decrease and the days start to get shorter, it’s time to start thinking about what to color your containers, patio, and gardens with.

A soaker hose is a wonderful tool and much easier to use than you might think. Here are 7 easy steps to install a soaker hose.

Last week, we kicked off our National Perennial Month blog series to feature our favorite perennials all month long. We kicked off the series with sun-loving perennials. This week we’re showing off some of our favorite shade lovers.

If you’re worried about mosquitoes ruining your backyard parties this summer, now is the time to think about preventing them from moving in in the first place. This year especially, mosquitoes are predicted to be out in full force and with the threat of Zika Virus and other mosquito-borne diseases, there is certainly a reason to be concerned.

The first line of defense is clearly by covering exposed skin and using a DEET spray. However, for those of you interested in treating your yard and preventing the little buggers from breeding further – we have a few solutions that will help keep the mosquitoes at bay throughout the summer.

Have you ever noticed some browning spots on your lawn? Or maybe some mushrooms have been popping up. Chances are you have a lawn fungus and you don’t even know it. The conditions around Maryland have been ripe for lawn fungus, so now is the time to treat and prevent against lawn fungus.

Springtime in Maryland can be unpredictable! This year we’ve seen everything from warm, picture-perfect days to typical rainy days to downright cold and snowy days. It’s the middle of April and we are still getting frost. This kind of weather takes its toll on your garden and your plants. Even if you cover your plants with frost cloth and protect them with mulch, temperature swings like this can be too much for some plants to handle.

If you have frost-bitten plants in your garden all hope is not lost. There are things you can do to help your plants recover. If you see brown, drooping foliage, it’s dead. But, and this is important but, if the plant has a woody stem, the stem and the root system could still be in good shape. The plant can recover and produce new foliage once the dead stuff is trimmed away.

It might still be winter but now is the perfect time to start thinking about getting a seasonal clean-up for your yard. Not sure if your yard needs a spring clean-up? Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of a seasonal clean-up.

Spring is known for gardening but did you know that fall is a great time to plant? Here are 7 reasons why you should consider fall planting:

1. Its cooler out, which is great for both plants and gardeners. Gardeners can take advantage of milder temperatures and enjoy fall planting without the sweat and oppressive heat of spring or summer. Ideally your fall planting should be done by early November, about 6 weeks before hard frost. And for the plants, cooler temperatures are ideal for root development because the ground and soil is still warm which will allow roots to grow until the ground freezes.