Relax this year: Try planting a drought-tolerant garden
With heat waves, periods of little rain and generally unpredictable weather patterns, Virginia plants are at the mercy of Mother Nature—especially during the summer. For the gardener, this means spending a lot of time watering.
This spring, plant a beautiful garden that requires less effort on your part. Try adding drought-tolerant plants to your landscape.
There are several low-maintenance, flowering annuals and perennials ideal for the time-conscious gardener, noted Chris Mullins, a Virginia Cooperative Extension horticulturalist. “Things like portulaca, a succulent-looking plant that has a really pretty flower. It’s low-growing and can be a good ground cover.”
Another is the rudbeckia, or black-eyed Susan, a hardy, daisy-like plant found in many gardens, and the wild columbine, or eastern red columbine, a plant with red and yellow tubular, bell-shaped flowers. There’s also lantana with its butterfly-attracting flowers and sedum, another flowering succulent that can grow in just about any landscape.
“Then there are two with fragrances: sage and lavender,” Mullins added.
“There are different types of sage, and Mexican sage has a nice aroma and flowers. Those can be what you consider drought-tolerant and don’t need as much water as some.”
Watch this video: Horticulturalist Mark Viette offers additional tips on dry-weather gardening.
Ornamental grasses also make a nice addition and will add drama to your low-maintenance garden. By nature, grasses are more drought-tolerant because they use a type of photosynthesis that allows them to hold onto water and use it more efficiently.
Zebra grass, with its clusters of dappled blades, can add height and interest to a garden or landscape. Little bluestem grass is known for its tight, spiky blueish stems that change to an orangy-rust in the fall and can add color throughout the seasons. Pampas grass, on the other hand, can add drama with its silvery white, plume-like flowers.
The idea of creating a drought-tolerant, and therefore low-maintenance, landscape with beautiful plants makes sense, Mullins pointed out, because drought happens more often than not.
Versatile Chesapeake blue crab delivers sweet flavor and more
It's crab-eating season at last! Typically harvested between mid-March and late November, Chesapeake blue crabs are famous for their sweet, delicate flavor and tender meat—perfect for dips, bisques, chowders and salads. But formed into cakes and sauteed in butter is one of the most popular ways to enjoy this Virginia delicacy.
Sprinkled with capers and drizzled with lemon, crabcakes jazz up a weeknight family dinner. Or add a glass of sparkling wine or a bright, aromatic sauvignon blanc to turn them into the perfect romantic dinner for two. And, last night’s leftovers sandwiched in a brioche bun with lettuce, slivered onion and fresh tomato will transform an everyday lunch into a delicious treat.
Blue crab doesn't just taste great. It is a good source of high-quality protein too, with each 3-ounce portion providing more than 17 grams. Blue crab also is a source of vitamin B12 and minerals. And, did we mention it’s delicious?
Chesapeake Blue Crabcakes
Enjoy this recipe for traditional crabcakes.
See Recipe
The benefits of therapeutic horseback riding go beyond the ring.
LaRue Sprouse-Dowd, executive director of Heartland Horse Heroes in Buckingham County, said she has seen firsthand how it helps students develop life skills and cope with challenges.
“We have one student who has gene deletion and was completely in a wheelchair three to four years ago when he started riding,” Sprouse-Dowd reflected. “Now he’s got ankle braces and walks a lot.”
She noted the horse’s rocking motion mimics walking and can build a rider’s core muscles and balance, which helps people transition to walking.
Therapeutic riding is designed to positively impact the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of individuals—particularly those with special needs. It has wide applications and can benefit many by building a sense of independence and confidence and providing new developmental opportunities.
It also helps people with verbalization and communication, Sprouse-Dowd added.
“We had a student who did not talk in school, and she came out here and would ask me all sorts of questions,” Sprouse-Dowd said. “She just opened up and wanted to know all about her pony.”
Therapeutic riding builds empathy and understanding by teaching students about horse care and how horses think.
Carol Branscome, executive director of Hoofbeats Therapeutic Riding Center in Lexington, said cultivating an emotional bond is paramount, because it can help with mental illnesses like depression.
“People who come here are oftentimes very cut off from others, and the horses act like a bridge for those people,” said Branscome. “If you can learn to trust the horse, and you feel good when you’re grooming the horse … that’s enough to heal.”
Julie Hollingsworth made that connection with her horse, Spirit. She learned to ride at Hoofbeats several years ago to feel closer to her oldest daughter, who had been a rider before she died from a rare form of cancer.
“I did it not only for her, but I’m doing it for myself, too, because it has begun to fill a hole in me,” Hollingsworth said. “Spirit has begun to fill that hole. The kind of love I received from my daughter, I share it with him.”