Tag: gardening
Supervisors set fines for invasive bamboo
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance March 22 by a 10-0 vote prohibiting property owners from allowing running bamboo to spread to adjacent yards. The supervisors approved one major change from the draft ordinance: They reduced the maximum yearly penalty from $3,000 to $2,000. Some members of the board, however, questioned whether … Continued
Annual seedling sale starts March 1
Every year, the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District sells a collection of bare-root native seedlings. This year’s sale starts March 1 at 10 a.m. The 2022 seedling sale features shrubs and small trees that attract bees and produce colorful flowers and fruits.Seedlings packages must be purchased in advance online. The Tree-Mendous Flowers package … Continued
Board considers curbing bamboo
Bamboo might be beloved by pandas, but it’s an invasive species that spreads aggressively and creates a nuisance for homeowners. The Board of Supervisors agreed on Jan. 25 to consider an ordinance to require property owners to contain running bamboo and set civil penalties for the failure to do so. The board will consider adoption … Continued
Fairfax County to phase out gas-powered leaf blowers
Gas-powered leaf blowers [Quiet Clean NOVA] The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved a measure to phase out the county’s use of gas-powered leaf blowers. The measure also calls for updating Fairfax County’s procurement process to incentivize electric leaf blowers by landscape contractors working for the county.
A spotted lanternfly, a dangerous invasive, spotted in Annandale
An adult spotted lanternfly. [Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture] If you see a spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect that has made its way to Virginia, the Fairfax County government wants you to kill it immediately. A “hitchhiker” adult spotted lanternfly was recently found in a shipment of produce at a grocery store in Annandale. There have … Continued
An open house at the White Gardens reveals how much work a resident curator would have to take on
The foyer in the White House. Potential resident curators and curious neighbors got a chance to look inside the house at the Margaret White Gardens at an open house on Aug. 7. The Park Authority is seeking a resident curator to fix up the house. The curator would pay for the needed repairs and maintenance … Continued
Margaret White wouldn’t have wanted a ‘resident curator’ for the park that bears her name, her son says
The flowering plants at the White Gardens are being overtaken by invasives. The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking a “resident curator” to live in and restore the house at the Margaret White Gardens, but that’s not what Margaret would have wanted, says her son Doug White. “She didn’t care whether the house was torn … Continued
Sheep offer a quieter, natural alternative to lawn mowing
Sunflower (left) and her daughters Sunday and Zirafa took care of Beverley Rivera’s lawn. Cousin Rudy was part of the lamb crew, too. [Beverley Rivera] Lawn mowing usually doesn’t draw a crowd – except when the “mowing” is done by sheep. Curious neighbors flocked to the home of Beverley Rivera in North Springfield last week … Continued
Park Authority seeks ‘resident curator’ to restore the house at the Margaret White Gardens
The house at the Margaret White Gardens. The Fairfax County Park Authority is seeking a “resident curator” to live in and rehabilitate the house at the Margaret White Gardens in the Falls Church area of Mason District. There will be a public information meeting on the Resident Curator Program for the house July 27 at … Continued
More details emerge on future Annandale Civic Space
Community residents got a chance to explore the plans for the future Annandale Civic Space at a virtual meeting June 29. The new park will be at 7200 Columbia Pike between the ACCA Child Development Center and the Annandale Volunteer Fire Department.
Master gardeners grow food at Green Spring for the needy
The Master Gardeners at Green Spring Gardens. The Green Spring Gardens Extension Master Gardeners are hoping to donate 2,000 pounds of produce they are growing in the Edible Garden at Green Spring Gardens. Last summer, in the middle of the COVID pandemic, the Master Gardeners donated 1,000 pounds to food pantries operated by the Annandale … Continued
Explore a Park: Pine Ridge Park displaced a small Black community
The Bo White Community Gardens This article is part of our series on parks in the Annandale/Mason District area. The last piece in this series explored Toll House Park. The 42.7-acre Pine Ridge Park in Annandale features several ball fields, community gardens, a trail through the woods, a cemetery, and a fascinating history. The site … Continued
Watch the Green Grow program encourages residents to protect the watershed
A native garden in Annandale. Fairfax County residents who take actions to protect the watershed – by not using toxic chemicals on their lawn or replacing invasives with native plants, for example – can chart their efforts on an interactive map. The map is part of the Park Authority’s Watch the Green Grow program, which … Continued
Fairfax County supervisors to consider banning plastic bags for yard waste
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is holding a hearing Feb. 23, 4 p.m., on a proposed ordinance to ban the use of plastic bags for yard waste collections. The proposed change is aimed at reducing the amount of plastic that ends up in streams and soil, contaminating the environment.
Flowers for your vase: Go local
Elegance Formula Sweet Pea Mix from Johnny’s Seeds catalog. By Marie Reinsdorf Spring is on the way, and Culpeper County flower grower Bob Wollam is starting his sweet peas in a hoop house. They go in now to beat the heat but must be undercover where the soil won’t freeze. Sweet peas have a heavenly … Continued