January, notably cold and dreary, is the time to curl up somewhere warm with a pile of notes, drawings, and seed catalogues, dreaming of gardens to come. It can feel a little lonesome for a gardener when you are waiting for spring thaw – until you hear about an upcoming seed exchange.

By Horticulturalist Chantal Ludder 

Peak leaf season is upon us and the Garden is ablaze in fall foliage. 

By Deputy Director, Museum Operations and Director of Gardens Perry Mathewes

But have you ever wondered why the leaves change color? Why are some trees red, others orange and yet others are yellow? Let’s talk.

Norway maple leaf (yellow) and Japanese maple leaf (red).

Autumn is upon us, Halloween is around the bend, and all is well in the gardens. Probably. Maybe. Perhaps you are the sort of person who is content to enjoy the colorful leaves and nothing more sinister than a cup of spiced cider.

By Horticulturist Chantal Ludder 

Or, perhaps, you’ve caught a bit of the Halloween mischief, and want to hear some stories about the most dreadful and ghastly plants growing in the MSV gardens. Come with me.

by MSV Horticulturist Chantal Ludder

“Come buy, come buy!” As much as I would like to do a pastiche of Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market, I promise to refrain. But quite soon you are going to see a line of MSV gardeners trotting diligently back and forth from up the hill to bring hundreds and hundreds of plants down to the museum patio. What plants are we selling? Why, anything you could want, of course. All plants labeled, all plants priced.

by MSV Director of Gardens Perry Mathewes

Sign up for the Morning Garden Walk!

Register HERE

by MSV Director of Gardens Perry Mathewes

Get the Plant List
 

The annual MSV Heritage Plant Sale is just around the corner (May 18–19) and we are busy getting ready. Here are few of my favorites that will be available for purchase at the sale—all fantastic plants well suited for northern Shenandoah Valley landscapes.

In cold, snowy, icy January it is fun to dream about the spring and summer garden. Plant and seed companies know this and flood your mailbox with catalogs full of mouth-watering photos featuring gorgeous flowers and vegetables to entice you to buy their products. Well, I’m not going to do that … mail you a catalog, that is. Instead, I am going to share some alluring photos of a few great plants and simply tell you about the seeds for sale in our museum store.

A little planning—and a little weeding—can yield a colorful garden full of flowers and renew your enthusiasm for gardening during those hot dog days of summer.