Do you have a question about options for your garden? Curious about how quickly a particular shrub will grow? Not sure about which decorative grass will grow best in our classic Northern Virginia clay?

Have no fear – help is near! Just submit your questions below and let Christy’s years of award winning landscaping and horticultural experience work for you!

Small Ornamental Annuals

Brian in Alexandria asked, “I am looking for some types of small ornamental annuals. I have a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Can you suggest some options?”

Any type of Impatiens would work. They come in colors of pink, purple, yellow, white, oranges and reds. Also Torenia, which are mostly shades of purple, Caladiums which are speckled greens, reds, pinks and white. There is also Begonia’s that are the green leaf variety which come in pinks, reds and whites. There are several others and the best thing to do is come to the garden center in mid April when they arrive.

Hope this helps!

Del Ray Lawn and Bush Tips

Joe in Del Ray asked “My wife and I moved to Del Ray last summer and were too busy putting the inside of the house together that we didn’t do anything for the outside. Starting with the basics, what is the best type of grass to grow in this neighborhood? How often should we water the lawn? The previous owner left us two rose bushes. What’s the best way to care for them?”

The most common grass that is grown in this area is tall fescue. It’s adaptable to sun and shade and holds up well during a drought. However, if you have a very sunny location, I would also recommend overseeding with Kentucky Blue grass seed. It will develop a much thicker and greener lawn and is perennial. Perennial means that if it dries out during a drought, it will go dormant and turn brown, but will come back again with watering and fertilizing. If fescue dries out, it will die. Therefore it’s a good idea to mix the two. During the summer you should water every day for 10-15 minutes and keep your mower set to it’s highest point so you don’t strip the grass. Keeping it a little taller shades the root system. Right now is also a good time to put down a pre-emergent weed killer. We sell a product called “Concern” that is also organic.

As far as the roses, it depends on what type they are in order to answer your question. Whether they are shrub, climbers, or hybrid tea for example. If they look very leggy, it’s probably a good idea to give them a hair cut and fertilize with a slow release fertilizer.

Happy gardening in Del Ray!