Home is more than four walls and roof. Home is a door opening to you, your family, your pets, your lifestyle, your neighborhood, your community, your city. It’s all encompassing on so many levels.
Celebrating National Camp Month in Virginia
Celebrating National Camping Month
I’m a glamper. I’m not embarrassed. I like being able to use a bathroom with a door and avoid spiders in my hair, but I do love the fresh air and beautiful outdoor terrain of our lovely Virginia. Whether you are looking for a mountain climb or the serenity of a babbling brook, I’ve got you and your pets covered.
Check out these cool finds:
Yertastiic
It’s not necessarily roughing it, but you can enjoy a getaway weekend at Why be Square?! Blue Ridge Yurt in Floyd, VA near Claytor Lake State Park, Fairy Stone State Park. You and up to 8 guests can enjoy Biking, Hiking, and watching Wildlife.
Farm Animal Fun
Love animals and a working farm? Then Historic Hobby Farm is the place for you! 125 acres with three tent sites and 1 lodging site, this place will have you cuddling goats and eating fresh eggs on site!
Let’s Commune
This 20 acre horse farm in Afton, VA will make you breathe in and breathe out with relaxation. Galleywinter Farm boasts a multitude of terrain including Forest and Mountainous areas. We ride at sunset!
Camping on the Bay
Blackwater Creek has 10 tent/RV sites for your coastal pleasure. Enjoy Biking, Boating, Fishing, Hiking, Paddling, Swimming, Wildlife watching while taking in breathtaking sunsets.
Through the Woods and Down the Creek
I have personally stayed at The Meadows at Chigger Creek and have nothing but good things to say about it. There are two sites to choose from with friendly hosts and a creek full of fish. A great place to “rough it” for the first time.
For more great campsites in Virginia, visit HipCamp and start your adventure today!
A Rose is a Rose is a Rose
It’s #NationalRoseMonth and cultivating the notable English Rose in Virginia is idea for adorning your home inside and out. Here are some tips…
A Rose is A Rose...
It’s #NationalRoseMonth and we are celebrating these gorgeously, fragrant blooms with some tips.
“No matter where I roam, I will return to my English rose. For no bonds can ever tempt me from she.”
It is the month of the most famously romantic flora—The Rose. I’ve always looked at roses like engagement rings, they are pretty, but they don’t tickle my fancy say, like sapphires and peonies. However, roses hold a significant part of my memory banks and when I think of them, I think of my mother. She used to plant them when I was growing up and was so proud of them. Of course my mom can cultivate pretty much any plant on Earth, unlike my horticulture impaired self.
Over the last year, I’ve been ordering fresh cut flowers and I have been loving these decorative blooms. Some have even made lovely dried flower arrangements around the house. I particularly love the multi-toned hybrids. The rose that gets the best growth in Central Virginia is the—cue “Candle in the Wind”—The English Rose!
So, roses have genealogy as deep as our own and people take cultivating them as seriously as their breeding of Labradoodles. You’d think our roses came from Sir Elton’s home country, but actually they come from 18th century China. Now, for all of us rose dummies, the Kingpin of English roses, is cultivar David Austin. This man combined a special hybrid of old and new world roses. He’s so good at it, he created the most expensive selling rose, Juliet, selling it for $15.8 million. Shoo wee, that’s an expensive bloom sir! These gorgeous blossoms make any bridal bouquet stunning.
Are you ready to adorn your home in these fragrant and fairly easy to grow flora? Here are some tips on how to successfully do so:
Make sure it’s sunny! Roses love the sun so make sure where you plant them, they get the majority of the day basking in it.
They grow on bushes/shrubs so make sure you space them out accordingly. For the best effect, plant them about 40-45” apart. It will give it a more standout look.
It isn’t necessary, but to get best results make sure you compost and fertilize the soil to enrich it and to feed your blooms. Roses tend to grow in most soils, but for ultimate success prep your rose garden and keep the soil moist.
Soak them entirely before planting them and plant them quickly. Don’t let the bulb dry out.
Because we live in a more moderate climate here in Virginia, plant the base at ground level.
Keep them watered well during the first planting. After the first year, you can be a little more lax about the watering, taking it back to about every other day.
Remember to trim! You can prune your bushes to dictate how big you want them, but also remember to trim the blooms to make more room for others!
Decorate. Get those vases ready and showcase your girls!
Ask your local nursery for more detailed tips. Get growing!
Don’t forget to schedule your visit to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens for some prime Rose viewings.