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Beat Mosquitoes in the Garden
Mosquitoes don’t have to ruin time outdoors. A few simple garden habits can dramatically reduce these unwelcome pests. Encourage natural predators, trim dense vegetation, and choose mosquito-repelling plants for patios and gathering spaces. Learn more tricks you can use to reduce mosquitos in your yard.
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Cosmos: A Big Universe of Color
Few annuals deliver as much color for so little work as cosmos. These easy-to-grow flowers thrive in full sun, tolerate poor soil and summer heat, and bloom from summer until frost. Available in a range of colors and sizes, cosmos attract pollinators while adding a cottage-garden charm. Deadheading keeps the floral show going for months.
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Tough Plants with All The Drama
Few plants make a bolder statement than yuccas. With striking sword-like leaves and sculptural forms, these drought-tolerant natives bring year-round structure and texture to the landscape. Yuccas thrive in sunny, well-drained sites with minimal care. Learn how bring these showy flower spikes to your garden.
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Seeing Spots?
Leaf spots may be your plants’ way of waving a warning flag. Common in your vegetable garden as well as on ornamentals, shade trees and vegetables, leaf spot diseases flourish in damp, humid conditions. Learn the pillars of prevention with a few simple steps to keep foliage looking fresh and healthy all season long.
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Beyond Bark: Functional Options for Mulch
Garden mulches generally fall into three categories: organic mulches, inorganic mulches, and living mulches or cover crops. Each offers different benefits, from conserving moisture and suppressing weeds to improving soil health. Learn the right types for your garden to help plants thrive and reduce garden maintenance.
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Push the Easy Button in Shade
Ferns bring texture, color, and graceful form to shady gardens with remarkably little care. Many varieties tolerate Northern Virginia’s clay soils, resist deer and rabbits, and are largely free of insect and disease problems. Learn more about these woodland favorites and learn how to help them flourish in your garden with little more than nature’s help.
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Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments. USDA and USDA-funded programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or retaliating for prior civil rights activity (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. |