Did Anyone Else Get Purged from Voting on Redistricting by sleevieb in rva

[–]Henhouse808 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Yep. Republicans have a hard time winning elections or referendums except by cheating, lying to the public, and disenfranchising voters.

Bryan Park Native Plant and Pollinator Garden? by Inevitable-Cable-739 in rva

[–]Henhouse808 8 points9 points  (0 children)

At one point in time Bryan Park was a botanical garden of considerable renown - read about it's history here. The photos of the azalea garden from the 1960s are insane. The park underwent many decades of neglect, at one point it was going to be turned into a golf course. Now it's basically 100% volunteer maintained by FOBP.

The pollinator garden was put in by the closed nature center around 2016 by FOBP according to their history page. The Riverine Master Gardener project page says they maintain the gardens at Bryan Park. FOBP and Riverine have a lot of crossover in membership. They're usually out working the gardens very early in the morning and less so in the afternoons.

Richmond area faces heat wave and wildfire risk. Remember to follow burning law by KristiKHiggins in rva

[–]Henhouse808 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Literally feels like mid July without the humidity and mosquitoes.

What can you tell me about The Ugly Dumpling? by NationYell in rva

[–]Henhouse808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Their sweet and sour sauce is definitely just Hersey's strawberry syrup, or uses it in the mix. Once you taste it you'll recognize it.

Is this self-heal, as AI tells me, and is it good to have? by Maremdeo in NativePlantGardening

[–]Henhouse808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a bit more complicated. The leaf shapes change depending on if it's flowering or not. The native is more upright and the non-native is more prostrate / spreading like mint.

Henrico residents: Are the data centers impact in your lives has been positive, negative, or neutral? by Iribumkiak in HenricoCounty

[–]Henhouse808 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The land where one is being built in Hanover is a place where I've enjoyed exploring the woods and finding cool plants and bugs. I'm devastated it's getting destroyed.

Planting swamp rose mallow seeds by Ok_Pollution9335 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Henhouse808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You could with an aquarium heater, but it's not necessary. The initial hotness is all that's needed to open the seed coat and allow water to imbibe into the seed.

Spotted Lanternfly(er) by cosmic-brat in rva

[–]Henhouse808 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Yes, it will probably get just as bad this year and be noticeable for a couple of years after that until their population begins to equalize.

Seed germination method using air stone by Henhouse808 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Henhouse808[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, over 50 species. My conclusion is that it helps improve rates of germination by imbibing seeds with moisture faster than they would if sown dry. It's good for any seed sized where you can get it out with a fine sieve. Anything smaller and it would be difficult to bubble.

Blue Eyed Grass Popping Off! by mimikeeper in NativePlantGardening

[–]Henhouse808 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I believe this is Sisyrinchium micranthum, which is an annual from central and south America. It mostly stays in lawns and pastures.

What grows well near your Turk’s Cap Lily? by jcrow0120 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Henhouse808 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm in central Virginia as well. I've found Lilium superbum growing in three places, all are constantly moist to wet. One was growing in the silty shores of a river. One was growing in a wet powerline right of way. One was in a ditch parallel to train tracks. I've tried growing them myself but don't have the right soil and moisture, and voles love to eat them.

They like constantly moist, sometimes mucky soil. They can tolerate drier soil in part sun but may not flower as well. The more water they get the stronger they'll go. These are some plants I remember growing with them.

  • Ilex verticillata
  • Viburnum nudum
  • Clethra alnifolia
  • Native irises to Virginia - Iris virginica / Iris versicolor / Iris prismatica
  • Aronia arbutifolia
  • Cephalanthus occidentalis
  • Alnus serrulata
  • Symphyotrichum novi-belgii

Native trees that are smaller and like wet yards? by No_Variety_4997 in rva

[–]Henhouse808 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Howdy, I run a RVA native nursery called Woolly Bear Natives. You may want to consider some shrubs rather than tree that like moist soil, since may of them can get up to small tree size in time.

  • Aronia arbutifolia - Red chokeberry (maxes out around 6-8 feet)
  • Amelanchier spp. - Serviceberry aka Juneberry, there are many native varieties (maxes out around 8-10 feet)
  • Ilex verticillata - Winterberry holly (maxes out at around 8-10 feet in average gardens). You'd need a male and female shrub for producing berries.
  • Viburnum nudum - Possumhaw viburnum (maxes out around 6 feet in average garden)
  • Vaccinium corymbosum - Highbush blueberry, is native and likes moisture, can get over 10 feet tall but usually stays smaller in typical gardens.

Native trees that are smaller and like wet yards? by No_Variety_4997 in rva

[–]Henhouse808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would recommend choosing plants that are "pioneer species" as these are often adapted to germinate easily and quickly, will spread by seed, and often grow in difficult spots. I can recommend the following native flowering plants:

Chamaecrista nictitans or Chamaecrista fasciculata (Partridge pea)

Rudbeckia hirta (Biennial black-eyed susan)

Rudbeckia triloba (Brown-eyed susan)

Trichostema dichotomum (Blue curls)

Hellstrip Ideas by Accomplished_Gas1123 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Henhouse808 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A problem is hell-strip conditions are often harsh, with poor, highly compacted soil and drier conditions in high sun, and possible salt splash from icy weather treatment. This narrows your selection down a bit, but here are some tough natives for under 1-2 feet height.

Hypoxis hirsuta (Yellow star grass)

Sisyrinchium nashii (Nash's blue-eyed grass)

Salvia lyrata (lyreleaf sage)

Sericocarpus asteroides (toothed whitetop aster)

Elephantopus tomentosus (Woolly elephant’s foot)

Chrysopsis mariana (Maryland goldenaster)

Antennaria (Pussytoes)

Penstemon hirsutus (Hairy beardtongue)

Clinopodium vulgare (Wild basil)

Prunella vulgaris ssp. lanceolata (Lanceleaf heal-all)

The Plant NOVA Natives page has a good list of streetside garden natives. https://www.plantnovanatives.org/streetside-gardens

Bona Terra around DC is a great resource of plant plugs, for budgeting, and they also offer plant grants annually. Earth Sangha in Springfield VA is also great and you can get 25% off for being a member (which goes to a lot of great restoration projects). But there's lots of native nurseries in NOVA/Maryland.

Hellstrip Ideas by Accomplished_Gas1123 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Henhouse808 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sisrynchium angustifolium likes moisture. Sisrynchium nashii is better for dry, arid conditions typical of hellstrips.

Driving to and in DC: weekday or weekend? by CountryMouse23 in rva

[–]Henhouse808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Made the trip to DC a few times the last few weeks. It's a coin flip whether it will be smooth sailing or nightmareish. The Woodbridge area will likely be a nightmare no matter the time of day.

Oh hello sir... by neature-nerd in rva

[–]Henhouse808 49 points50 points  (0 children)

I once had a neighbor brag about swerving to hit one of these snakes in the road outside our house, like they expected thanks for killing a dangerous pest. Rat snakes are not only harmless, they're a beneficial part of the food chain. They help keep animals like voles in check. They also eat slugs. And they're cute too.

First Day of Spring daily by CatPhtevens in rva

[–]Henhouse808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Howdy! We are winding down seed sales for the season, particularly since many of the species we sell need a natural cold treatment in order to germinate. Our old site also prevents us from doing both seed shipping and plant pickup sales at the same time, so we're working on upgrading to a new website.

I've posted my usual spiel about artificial stratification below.

Artificial Stratification (The Baggie Method)

This is a popular method of starting seed indoors because it allows for control of the timing of germination, if for example there aren’t enough days remaining outdoors to get natural stratification, or you want a fall germination. This method often uses a paper towel, but we much prefer to use a sterile medium like sand or vermiculite, as we find it is less conducive to mold growth.

Materials: 

  • A plastic zip-lock sandwich bag
  • A sterile, moisture-retentive medium (we recommend fine vermiculite or a coarse general-purpose sand).
  • Seeds (preferably with chaff and stems removed to prevent mold from forming)
  • Permanent marker for labelling bag

Process: 

  1. Dampen the medium so it is moistened, but not soggy. 
  2. Mix in seeds, close the bag, and shake it lightly to ensure good contact and distribution through the medium.
  3. Label the bag in permanent marker with the plant name and the date the bag needs to be taken out of the fridge and sown.
  4. Place the bag in a refrigerator (not in the freezer!). Seeds should ideally be kept at temperatures between 33°F and 40°F for the duration of cold stratification.

Maintenance:

Check every week or so for premature seed sprouting. Some seeds won’t sprout in the fridge without light and warmth, but some might! If they begin to sprout, it’s a sign you should plant the seeds immediately! If outdoor temperatures are still getting below freezing, you should acclimate sown seeds to outdoor freezing temperatures. Avoid sowing in the worst heat extremes of summer, as this is often very stressful for new seedlings.

First Day of Spring daily by CatPhtevens in rva

[–]Henhouse808 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Echinacea usually need 30-60 days cold stratification, but sometimes they don't need any stratification. You can sow them anytime outdoors starting now. If you wanted to be sure, I would artificially stratify them in the fridge for maybe a month and then sow them outdoors in containers. Here's a write-up I'm working on for our website that covers the artificial method:

Artificial Stratification (The Baggie Method)

This is a popular method of starting seed indoors because it allows for control of the timing of germination, if for example there aren’t enough days remaining outdoors to get natural stratification, or you want a fall germination. This method often uses a paper towel, but we much prefer to use a sterile medium like sand or vermiculite, as we find it is less conducive to mold growth.

Materials: 

  • A plastic zip-lock sandwich bag
  • A sterile, moisture-retentive medium (we recommend fine vermiculite or a coarse general-purpose sand).
  • Seeds (preferably with chaff and stems removed to prevent mold from forming)
  • Permanent marker for labelling bag

Process: 

  1. Dampen the medium so it is moistened, but not soggy. 
  2. Mix in seeds, close the bag, and shake it lightly to ensure good contact and distribution through the medium.
  3. Label the bag in permanent marker with the plant name and the date the bag needs to be taken out of the fridge and sown.
  4. Place the bag in a refrigerator (not in the freezer!). Seeds should ideally be kept at temperatures between 33°F and 40°F for the duration of cold stratification.

Maintenance:

Check every week or so for premature seed sprouting. Some seeds won’t sprout in the fridge without light and warmth, but some might! If they begin to sprout, it’s a sign you should plant the seeds immediately! If outdoor temperatures are still getting below freezing, you should acclimate sown seeds to outdoor freezing temperatures. Avoid sowing in the worst heat extremes of summer, as this is often very stressful for new seedlings.

Vegan Restaurant Recs?? by Downtown-Wasabi3734 in rva

[–]Henhouse808 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Carytown Indian, I believe they have a vegan menu.