Resources by David Close
Title | Available As | Summary | Date | ID | Author |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gardening & Your Health, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome | Gardening with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) can be very difficult, especially when a long day of shoveling, raking, or weed pulling leaves you with a painful or “tingling” hand or wrist. These aches and pains are often caused in part by improper techniques or tools used in gardening. |
Jun 1, 2017 | 426-060 (HORT-245NP) | ||
Backyard Wildlife Habitats | Oct 28, 2020 | 426-070 (SPES-247P) | |||
Patriotic Gardens: How to Plant a Red, White and Blue Garden | Jul 9, 2020 | 426-210 (HORT-185) | |||
America's Anniversary Garden: A Statewide Corridor and Entrance Enhancement Program | Jul 9, 2020 | 426-211 (HORT-186P) | |||
Seed For The Garden | Apr 8, 2022 | 426-316 (SPES-392P) | |||
Fertilizing the Vegetable Garden | The amount of fertilizer to apply to a garden depends
on the natural fertility of the soil, the amount of
organic matter present, the type of fertilizer used, and
the crop being grown. The best way to determine
fertilizer needs is to have the soil tested. Soil testing is
available through your local Extension agent, through
private labs, and with soil test kits which can be
purchased from garden shops and catalogs. |
Jan 14, 2021 | 426-323 (SPES-295P) | ||
Leafy Green Vegetables | Lettuce, a cool-season vegetable crop, is one of the easiest to grow. Lettuce withstands light frost; however, sunlight and high summer temperatures usually cause seedstalk formation (bolting) and bitter flavor. Slow-bolting or
heat-resistant varieties are available and are recommended
for extending the lettuce-growing season. |
Mar 16, 2015 | 426-408 (SPES-253P) | ||
Sprouting Seeds for Food | Apr 6, 2022 | 426-419 (SPES-394P) | |||
The Art of Bonsai | Oct 7, 2020 | 426-601 (SPES-246P) | |||
Selecting Landscape Plants: Rare and Unusual Trees | There are many tree species that can be successfully
grown in Virginia, but are rarely seen in our landscapes.
Although not ordinarily recommended or readily available,
these trees may be useful to carry out a specific landscape
theme, to substitute for an exotic type which is not locally
adapted, or may be prized for unusual form, flowers, fruits,
bark, or foliage. |
May 19, 2021 | 426-604 (SPES-320P) | ||
Selecting Landscape Plants: Flowering Trees | May 19, 2021 | 426-611 (SPES-321P) | |||
The Value of Landscaping | Landscaping is an integral part of our culture and plays an essential role in the quality of our environment, affecting our economic well-being and our physical and psychological health. If we are to keep our communities strong and prosperous, we must take responsibility for our environment. Environmental responsibility is a step beyond awareness, developed only through experience. Through our gardens and landscapes, we acquire a personal awareness and responsibility for the environment while we relieve the tensions and frustrations of everyday life. |
Nov 17, 2016 | 426-721 (HORT-234) | ||
Reducing Erosion and Runoff | Soil erosion occurs when soil particles are carried off by water or wind and
deposited somewhere else such as into a stream or at the bottom of a bay. Often soil
particles are carried by runoff, water that does not soak into the ground, but flows
over the surface and runs to another area – such as into stormdrains, streams, or
lakes. |
Jun 1, 2017 | 426-722(HORT-242NP) | ||
Home Landscape Practices to Protect Water Quality | In Virginia, we rely on reservoir systems, wells, and other sources for our freshwater.
In recent years, our previously plentiful clean water supplies have been threatened
not only by overuse, but also by contamination. Pollutants are carried down with water
soaking through the soil to the water table. Runoff (water that does not soak into the
ground) flows over the surface, often taking soil and polluting chemicals with it into
lakes and streams. |
Jul 7, 2017 | 426-723 (HORT-246NP) | ||
Mulching for a Healthy Landscape | Soil erosion occurs when soil particles are carried off by water or wind and
deposited somewhere else such as into a stream or at the bottom of a bay. Often soil
particles are carried by runoff, water that does not soak into the ground, but flows
over the surface and runs to another area – such as into stormdrains, streams, or
lakes. |
Jun 1, 2017 | 426-724 (HORT-241NP) | ||
Fertilizing Landscape Trees and Shrubs | Maintenance programs should be developed for trees and shrubs in both residential and commercial landscapes. A good maintenance program includes monitoring and controlling insect and disease problems, suppressing weed competition, and making timely applications of water, mulch, and fertilizer. Tree and shrub fertilization is especially important in urban and suburban areas of Virginia where soils have been altered due to construction. These urban soils tend to be heavily compacted, poorly aerated, poorly drained, and low in organic matter. Even where soils have not been affected, fertilization may be needed as part of a maintenance program to increase plant vigor or to improve root or top growth. |
Jul 12, 2021 | 430-018 (HORT-120P) | ||
Trees for Problem Landscape Sites -- Air Pollution | Aug 10, 2020 | 430-022 (HORT-123P) | |||
24 Ways to Kill a Tree | Few residential trees die of “old age.” Mechanical damage and improper tree care kill more trees than any insects or diseases. Avoid making the tree-damaging mistakes shown in the diagram below. Few of these items alone would kill a tree, but multiple problems will certainly stress, and could eventually kill, a tree. |
Mar 9, 2021 | 430-210 (SPES-307P) | ||
Pruning Crapemyrtles | Apr 19, 2022 | 430-451 (SPES-387P) | |||
For the Birds, Butterflies & Hummingbirds: Creating Inviting Habitats | May 13, 2020 | HORT-59NP (HORT-74NP) | |||
Emerald Ash Borer | The emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) is a
wood-boring beetle native to eastern Asia and is now considered
the most destructive forest pest ever seen in
North America. Since its discovery in Michigan in 2002, it
has killed tens of millions of native ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in
the United States and Canada. This destruction has already cost
municipalities, property owners, and businesses tens of millions
of dollars in damages. |
May 10, 2020 | HORT-69NP |