Ask a Master Gardener

Question: What do I need to know to identify insects in my garden? Learning to identify and manage insect populations… Read More »Home Garden Insect Identification

Question: How do I build a backyard habitat? Congratulations on wanting to build a backyard habitat! You can transform just… Read More »Building a Backyard Habitat

Question: Should I prune trees in my yard? How and when? You are right to think about pruning before you… Read More »The How & When of Pruning Trees

Question: Should I prune shrubs in my yard? How and when? Thanks for your question! It’s important to think about… Read More »The How & When of Pruning Shrubs

Question: What are the best shrubs to select for Central Virginia? When and how should I plant them? These are… Read More »Shrub Selection for Central Virginia

Question: What should I do to clean up my garden in the fall? It is always good to plan ahead… Read More »Fall Garden Cleanup

Question: How do I identify plants in my neighborhood and on hikes? Where do I start? Good question! You don’t… Read More »Plant Identification Skills

Question: Why is milkweed important to the monarch butterflies? What is the best milkweed to plant and when and how… Read More »The Importance of Milkweed to Monarchs

Question: Is leatherleaf mahonia invasive? Yes! Because of its adaptability to many sites this evergreen shrub, also known as Beale’s… Read More »Invasive Mahonia

Question: I heard on TV that the Japanese maple tree is considered an “invasive” plant. I have one of these… Read More »Japanese Maple: Invasive or Not?