Good to Know
Use living screens to create a private backyard garden
Want to create a private backyard oasis? Try using plants as natural barriers.
Blending seamlessly into the landscape, plants can block out unwanted eyes while offering curb appeal and environmental benefits like noise reduction, erosion control and habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
“Most people, when they want some type of screening, they want something that is evergreen,” explained Laurie Fox, who has a doctorate in horticulture and is a research associate at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Virginia Beach.
Evergreens, like the versatile American holly and the fast-growing green giant arborvitae, provide year-round screening while being low maintenance, hardy and suitable for many landscapes.
Little Gem magnolias add drama with large glossy leaves and white flowers, and do well in full sun and well-draining soil. The Japanese Pittosporum shrub also is known for its fragrant flowers and dense branches that provide shelter for nesting birds. The bayberry—or wax myrtle—is a native, semi-evergreen shrub with waxy silver-gray berries that add interest.
While evergreens are popular, homeowners also can “interplant deciduous trees if you’re not too concerned about privacy during the winter,” suggested Ed Olsen, a Virginia Cooperative Extension horticulture agent in Henrico County.
Watch this video: Horticulturalist Mark Viette offers suggestions on privacy plantings in this clip from Real Virginia.
Creating a mixed plant screen by incorporating deciduous trees like dogwoods, redbuds and oakleaf hydrangeas creates a more natural, layered-canopy look that blurs the edges of the property. A mixed screen also “can give your planting better resiliency when faced with environmental factors such as drought, excessive rains and cold,” Olsen noted.
As with any landscaping endeavor, consider how much room is available, the plant’s growth needs—both vertically and horizontally—mature size, and the site conditions, including moisture, drainage and light.
It’s important to think about maintenance as well. Planting trees and shrubs can minimize lawn care, but some require pruning and tidying if they drop leaves, cones, fruits or berries. A formal hedge will require frequent shearing, where as a more natural or informal planting will not, Fox noted.
“There’s a plant out there for every situation,” Fox said. Virginia Cooperative Extension, botanical gardens and nurseries can advise home gardeners on hardiness zones, mature size, growth rate and habit, pest problems, cultivars and more.
Growing herbs in your own kitchen keeps freshness within reach
Freshly cut herbs are a flavorful addition to many recipes. Grocery stores carry potted culinary herbs in the produce section.
“You can buy a plant from a local store and maintain it in your kitchen,” said Chris Mullins, a Virginia Cooperative Extension fruit and vegetable specialist. “The best way to use the plant is to snip from the top, and follow the care instructions on the packaging.”
Potted herbs will keep in their original packaging for two to three weeks, he added, and should be kept on a saucer and watered from the bottom.
“To keep the plant growing year-round, transplant it to a larger pot,” Mullins said. “The plant will use up all the available nutrients in the (original) soil, so it needs to be transplanted.”
Cut too much? Basil can be pureed and frozen in ice cube trays. Grind hot peppers with salt and a splash of white vinegar, then bottle the mixture to use as a hot sauce. Thyme, rosemary and sage can be dried and then sprinkled on dishes all year long.
Simple Summer Squash
Use fresh herbs to add lots of flavor to this summertime side dish.
See Recipe
Lavender herb farm cultivates soul-soothing scents
A trip to Oregon in 2008 sparked Bonnie Swanson's interest in lavender. She was enchanted by the fragrant fields and rippling rows of purple flowers.
The following year, Swanson planted her first 200 lavender shrubs on the 10-acre property she owns with her husband, Ken.
“Lavender is a beautiful herb. It’s very sensory. People react so positively, and that’s a joy in itself,” said Swanson, who owns what is now Evergreen Lavender Farm in Appomattox County.
At the farm shop—housed in a 1925 Norfolk and Western Railroad caboose—Swanson sells homemade lotions, balms, soaps, eye pillows and lavender wreaths. But her success began with some trial and error.
“It's a challenge due to Virginia’s clay soil composition and humidity, which lavender doesn’t like,” she explained. “The only thing we have that lavender does like is lots of sunshine.”
An unusually wet season can cause the arid-loving herb to develop fungal issues, so she doctors the soil with lime, gravel, compost and shredded leaves to increase drainage and “give it its best shot” in Virginia’s climate.
With lush gardens thriving in the prepared soil, Swanson welcomes visitors to pick their own lavender during the June to July harvest season. And while her customers enjoy the fragrant plant for its relaxing scent and aromatherapy, Swanson favors its culinary applications.
“It pairs well with citrus,” she said. “If you’re making an orange icing or something like that, you can add some lavender buds.”
Steeping it in water like tea, Swanson infuses lavender in lemonades, iced teas and mixed drinks. She uses a coffee grinder to make a fine powder that’s sprinkled into recipes for lemon pound cake, ham fried rice, chicken salad and ice cream.
And whether she’s giving farm tours or hosting workshops, Swanson said she enjoys sharing her love for lavender and teaching others about its many uses and benefits.