If you’ve never grown an herb garden, we urge you to try it.
There’s nothing quite like the wonderful aroma of lavender in potpourri. Or the delicious taste of spaghetti sauce seasoned with homegrown basil and oregano.
If you’re new to growing herbs, Merrifield Garden Center is a great place to begin. You can browse through our huge selection of these easy-to-grow plants and choose the ones you enjoy the most in your kitchen. And we’re always available and eager to help answer all your
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Fresh Herbs Will Make
You A Better Cook
Homegrown herbs can make a big difference in your cooking. Just ask Merrifield Chef Lilienne Conklin.
“I’m always looking for ways to add complexity to my dishes without adding fat or calories,” says Chef Lilienne. “Fresh herbs are a perfect way to do it.”
In container gardens outside the kitchen door of her Northern Virginia home, Chef Lilienne grows an assortment of culinary herbs: basil (traditional and
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| Good Dirt: David Yost Blogs His Gardening Adventures |
 Don't Delay in
Amending the Clay
During one of our spring gardening seminars, I was discussing the topic of soil preparation and the importance of amending dense, compacted clay with compost to create a healthy soil and a thriving garden.
Someone mentioned that it’s difficult to dig into the ground because the clay is so hard. They wondered if you could just apply some gypsum to soften up the clay.
Unfortunately, that won’t help. It requires hard work. You soften up clay soil with a pick ax, a shovel and a strong back. Then you mix in compost to restore the soil biology and improve its structure.
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Gardening tips and recommendations are intended for use in the Washington Metropolitan Region
(USDA Hardiness Zones 6a-7a). Recommendations and schedules may vary in other locations. Always
read and follow label directions when applying pesticides.
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Eight Tips to Growing Herbs
If you’ve never grown an herb garden, we urge you to try it.
There’s nothing quite like the wonderful aroma of lavender in potpourri. Or the delicious taste of spaghetti sauce seasoned with homegrown basil and oregano.
If you’re new to growing herbs, Merrifield Garden Center is a great place to begin. You can browse through our huge selection of these easy-to-grow plants and choose the ones you enjoy the most in your kitchen. And we’re always available and eager to help answer all your questions.
Here are eight tips to successful herb gardening:
1.) Most herbs thrive in six hours or more of sun per day. An exception is basil, which prefers a little shade.
2.) Because herbs are a harvestable crop where you want to grow as much as possible, fertile soil and drainage are very important. If you’re planting herbs in the ground, add VoleBloc or PermaTill to the soil to improve drainage and, if necessary, add lime to adjust the soil pH. If you’re planting them in containers, use Merrifield Potting Mix.
3.) For most herbs, fertilizer should be used sparingly. One application of Plant-tone in the spring should be sufficient. There are some exceptions, such as basil, which should be fertilized about once every four to six weeks with Neptune’s Harvest.
4.) When planting herbs in containers, be sure to mix herbs with similar sun and soil requirements. For instance, rosemary, thyme and lavender all prefer to be kept slightly dry, while parsley, basil and Vietnamese coriander need consistent moisture.
5.) One of most popular herbs is basil, which comes in many different flavors, sizes, shapes and textures. Genovese sweet basil is the classic flavor for pesto and other Italian dishes. Thai basil is spicy. And lemon or lime basil add their own distinct flavor to your dishes. A popular, newer variety is boxwood basil. It looks adorable - like a miniature boxwood - and its tiny leaves pack a strong scent. Pinch basil often throughout the year to remove flowers and keep the plants full.
6.) Mint and its close relatives (lemon balm, horehound, catnip) should be planted in their own container. Mint is a hardy, perennial plant that can spread rapidly through the entire garden. Because it travels by way of an underground stem, it’s best used in a container. Mint should be kept moist and pinched frequently to remove flowers and to keep the plants full and bushy.
7.) Cilantro grows best when temperatures range between 50 and 70 degrees. When the temperature begins to warm up, cilantro starts to bloom and will no longer produce flavorful leaves. This makes it a good choice for early spring and fall gardens, but it’s not well suited for summer conditions. It’ll go to flower and the seeds can be harvested as coriander.
8.) To enjoy homegrown basil throughout the year, Merrifield Plant Specialist Steve Gable likes to put basil leaves in a blender with a little water. Then he divides the mixture into an empty ice cube tray and freezes it. That way, he can pull out individual servings of basil whenever he needs it.
Herbs look great in the garden, too. Some herbs, such as lavender and bee balm, feature colorful flowers, but most other herbs create interest with their gorgeous, aromatic foliage.
Growing herbs will provide years of enjoyment as you learn about the plants, explore different recipes and share the results with friends and family at the dinner table.
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Fresh Herbs Will Make You A Better Cook
Homegrown herbs can make a big difference in your cooking. Just ask Merrifield Chef Lilienne Conklin.
“I’m always looking for ways to add complexity to my dishes without adding fat or calories,” says Chef Lilienne. “Fresh herbs are a perfect way to do it.”
In container gardens outside the kitchen door of her Northern Virginia home, Chef Lilienne grows an assortment of culinary herbs: basil (traditional and boxwood), oregano (spicy and Greek), thyme, parsley, mint and rosemary.
Homeground herbs are packed with intense flavor. So Chef Lilienne likes to incorporate them into her recipes whenever she can. Herbs are great to use as garnish, too.
“When people eat out at upscale restaurants, they usually wonder why the food tastes so much better than at home,” Chef Lilienne says. “Great chefs go the extra mile to add complexity, flavor and freshness to their dishes. Fresh ingredients and herbs can take a dish from simple to spectacular.”
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| Good Dirt: David Yost Blogs His Gardening Adventures |
Don't Delay in Amending the Clay
During one of our spring gardening seminars, I was discussing the topic of soil preparation and the importance of amending dense, compacted clay with compost to create a healthy soil and a thriving garden.
Someone mentioned that it’s difficult to dig into the ground because the clay is so hard. They wondered if you could just apply some gypsum to soften up the clay.
Unfortunately, that won’t help. It requires hard work. You soften up clay soil with a pick ax, a shovel and a strong back. Then you mix in compost to restore the soil biology and improve its structure.
The room of over 50 people fell silent for a moment. And it hit me – I suddenly realized we never talk about gardening as work. It’s fun, relaxing and rewarding – but not work.
There’s a small, but very important part of gardening that is work. It takes time, effort and money – and short cuts usually aren’t successful. So if you don’t have the time to invest in your garden or you’re not able, let the Merrifield Garden Center Landscape Department help you out. We have the staff, expertise, equipment and experience to create the garden of your dreams. Or if you prefer to do the work yourself, we can guide you through the process from design to planting to caring for your plants.
I moved into my current home in fall of 2004, and began working on the landscape the following summer. The first and most important part of any landscaping project is making sure that you have good soil and drainage. This is the heavy labor part of landscaping, but I feel that drainage and soil must be addressed or everything else will be a waste of time and effort. In my case, this required the removal of all the existing, overgrown plants. I spent time double digging the soil, picking out rocks and debris, and mixing in plenty of compost. I installed a dry stream bed. Working a little at a time, the end product was a mulched bed with a few pansies.
Knowing that my neighbors may be concerned to see the new guy move in, destroy the landscape and leave a pile of mulch, I make a point to visit with everyone and let them know what I was doing. Most of them didn’t understand why I would be working so hard to create a garden bed that didn’t have any plants.
That was then. Now gardening is easy. This spring it only took about 30 minutes to replace the pansies with impatiens, freshen up the mulch and water everything in. The neighbors tell me how lucky I am to have good soil and how hard and rocky their ground is. I thank them and silently think to myself, it’s not luck … it’s the result of hard work. Or another way of saying it is the harder I work, the luckier I get.
Applying yourself to a gardening project is an opportunity to get a bit of exercise, express your creativity and spend some time outdoors. You get immediate gratification for your efforts. Nothing else comes close.
When I first started working on a landscape crew and making career plans, my employer was fond of saying “it’s a hard life, but a good life.” All these years later, I can say he was right. So when it’s time to go out and work in the garden, take pride in your accomplishments and enjoy the good life!
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Holiday Color: Spruce up your Memorial Day picnic with beautiful color from Merrifield Garden Center's enormous selection of annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees. Hanging baskets and container gardens add spectacular color throughout the growing season. We'll be open Memorial Day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
 Hummingbirds: With the attraction of blooming plants, hummingbird activity is picking up throughout our area. To encourage these delicate beauties to stay in your garden, we suggest you put up a hummingbird feeder. Remember to change the nectar in your feeder twice a week to keep it fresh. Columbine, bee balm, fuchsia and kniphofia are a few of the many plants that attract hummingbirds.
Bulbs: The flowers of spring bulbs have faded, leaving behind their foliage to rejuvenate the bulbs for next year. Avoid the temptation to cut back the leaves until they’ve begun to yellow and fade. Now is a good time to fertilize with Merrifield Flowering Plant Food to encourage beautiful blossoms next spring.
Perennials: Summer blooming perennials can be pruned now to keep them dense and compact. Trimming about 1/3 of the growth off the plants, such as sedum 'Autumn Joy', Joe-pye weed and chrysanthemums, will prevent these and other top heavy plants from falling over when they bloom in late summer.
Lawns: May through early June is an ideal time to fertilize your lawn to keep it green and healthy this summer. We suggest using Merrifield Select Lawn Food. To protect your lawn from grubs, apply Bayer Advanced Season Long Grub Control. This product, which utilizes newer chemistry with less environmental impact than some other grub control products, must be applied now before the eggs begin to hatch later this summer. Control weeds in your lawn with Weed Beater or Speed Zone. If you seeded your lawn this spring, you must wait until the new grass has germinated and been mowed at least three times before applying. Always follow label instructions.
Plant A Tree: Add trees for shade and privacy. You’re also helping to improve and protect our environment. During our sizzling summers, trees help shade and cool our homes. During the winter, trees help protect us from frigid winds, reducing energy costs. Trees help remove carbon monoxide, a primary contributor to global warming.
Houseplants: Once the threat of frost has passed, you can move houseplants outside for the summer. Gradually introduce them to more direct sunlight to prevent the leaves from getting burned. Your plants will dry out more quickly outside, so be sure to check the soil frequently and water accordingly.
Pests: Watch for bagworms on arborvitae, leyland cypress and other needled evergreens. Bagworms hatch and become active in late May through June, and cover themselves with a silk cocoon and leaves as they consume the needles off trees. If you find bagworms, treat with Captain Jack's Deadbug Brew.
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