Garden Blogs

Once the cool, crisp evening air arrives in autumn and pumpkin spice cycles back to the market, porch flower planters become a staple of every household. The relentless heat of summer made it difficult to give your container plantings enough water to make up for the constant scorch of the summer sun. Thankfully, the autumn sun is much more forgiving and your container garden can reemerge with a plethora of foliage, fruit, and blooms.

I’ll let you in on a little gardening secret… plants grow. Shocking, right? Eventually, your houseplants will outgrow the beautiful containers you put them in and need some more room to stretch their legs. Repotting will boost your plant’s vigor and promote the development of a healthy root system. However, it is important to know when and how to properly replant a houseplant in order to effectively encourage plant growth.

Although spring is famous for being the time to garden, fall can be equally as beneficial. You just need to know what to plant and how to prepare your fall garden.

Anyone with a green thumb will tell you that pest issues are inevitable. Here are some tips to help you identify some common pests in your garden. Keep a close eye on your garden so you can catch and combat these pests before they do some real damage.
While there are chemical insecticides on the market, and available at Patuxent Nursery, that can control and kill intruders, there are organic and preventative measures that can be taken.

Where do you retreat to get away from life’s stresses? A reading nook, your kitchen, maybe your own art studio. Why not turn your backyard into a beckoning oasis for you to spend time with family, friends and even alone? Build your own backyard retreat.

Throughout history, gardening has been a staple activity that people have flocked to during times of great stress. Whether suggested for someone who’s retired and bored at home or someone who is struggling with their health, more and more scientists are confirming what avid gardeners already knew – that gardening is a great way to keep your body, and mind, healthy. Here are 6 ways we believe prove the health benefits of gardening.

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.