Gardening & Horticulture

Aug 15th, 2022

Horticulturist — Day in the Life

When strolling through the Garden, visitors admire the gorgeous blooms and the vibrant foliage, but have you ever wondered how the Garden always looks so well-maintained? Some people may not […]

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Jun 17th, 2022

The Versatility of Snake Plants

Snake plants, sometimes called “mother-law’s-tongue,” are fascinating plants that thrive easily both indoors and out. Also, they make quite an impression! This summer, Senior Horticulturist Dean Dietrich planted a cultivar […]

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Mar 3rd, 2022

Houseplants

Becoming a plant parent is trendy, fun and has numerous health advantages to boot. Caring for houseplants has been shown to reduce stress levels and have a soothing effect. They […]

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Feb 20th, 2022

Orchid Love: Phalaenopsis & More

LeAnne Wingo works a full-time job, is a wife and is a mother to a busy 11-year-old boy.  Still, she somehow also finds time to cultivate and grow orchids in […]

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Feb 17th, 2022

All About Orchids & The Orchid Show

This year, we are thrilled to welcome the Orchid Show and Sale to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden for the first time. If you are in love with orchids or any […]

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Jan 19th, 2022

Bonsai: The Art of Doing

It was a cold, January morning, and I was on the way to visit Gardens Unlimited, a bonsai tree nursery in Ladysmith, VA. The purpose of this trip was to […]

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Oct 6th, 2021

Saving the Glen Stream

A few years ago some generous donors gave Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden seed funding to save a stream. This unassuming stream, the Glen, cuts its way across Parking Lots B […]

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Sep 13th, 2021

Plant Seeds: A Seed Library

Right before the pandemic, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden started a Seed Library.  It’s a place where you can “check out” and “borrow” seeds just like you would a book at […]

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Sep 1st, 2021

Volunteers Making a Difference Gardening

“The Garden would be a jungle without them,” says Senior Horticulturist Elizabeth Fogel, the gratitude in her voice infused with respect and relief.  “Or overrun with weeds, for sure. They’re […]

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Jul 30th, 2021

Plants Safe for Cats

I’ve spent endless time standing in the plant aisles at my local hardware store searching for plants safe for cats. When owning a cat, finding plants that are non-toxic to […]

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Jun 17th, 2021

Planting for Pollinators

Something serendipitous happens when a bee or a beetle, a bird, a bat or a butterfly rummages through the bright bloom of a flower in search of food. Lured by […]

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Jun 15th, 2021

Native Bees, Bumble Bees & Honey Bees

Bees, bees, bees! Recently there’s been a lot of talk about saving the honeybees. Many articles explain the importance of honey bees as pollinators, and their declining numbers due to […]

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Apr 30th, 2021

Frog Blog: Frogs in the Conservatory

Have you ever walked through the Conservatory and heard melodic chirping or deep croaks that sounded like the grunts of a monkey? You might be surprised to know that those […]

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Apr 28th, 2021

Elizabeth Fogel: Designing for Tomorrow

Senior Horticulturist Elizabeth Fogel studied the latest theories for sustainable and regenerative landscapes by visiting 10 eco-focused botanical gardens over the past two years. Her cross-country travel and hands-on research […]

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Apr 25th, 2021

Building Biodiversity

Landscaping in Layers Nature loves a layer. She cements courses of sediment into solid stone. She laminates an annual succession of circles into living trees. She layers an onion in […]

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Apr 19th, 2021

English Ivy: A “Dirty Dozen” Plant

Have you ever looked along a highway and observed all the trees covered in vegetation from trunk to branches? It was most likely English ivy (Hedera helix), the final of […]

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Apr 9th, 2021

Feed the Birds with Native Plants

Whether you enjoy bird watching or you like to feed the birds, native plants are a great way to attract them to your yard! Should We Use Bird Feeders? So […]

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Apr 7th, 2021

Save a Monarch, Plant Milkweed

Milkweed might need some rebranding. It’s unfortunate that “weed” is part of its name when this plant does so much good.  Asclepias is the botanical name for a genus of […]

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Apr 5th, 2021

Elaeagnus: A “Dirty Dozen” Plant

For this week’s Dirty Dozen plant, we have a triple threat: autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) and thorny olive (Elaeagnus pungens). All three Elaeagnus species are invasive, […]

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