House + Garden

Beyond the Blues: Vibrant Blue Flowers That Thrive in Virginia

Capturing the sea & sky in Virginia landscapes. KEY: N: Native A: Annual E: Ephemeral 🦋: Pollinator ☼: Partial Sun P: Perennial S: Shrub V: Vine 🔆: Full sun ⚘: Cut flower Tp: Tender perennial B: Bulb 🪴: Container ☀: Shade Baptisia: Though this tough perennial is not native, it’s irresistible to bumblebees, in particular, […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Virginia Orchid Grower Blooms at Chelsea

When Art Chadwick headed for London in May, he couldn’t have imagined he’d return home with both a prestigious medal and a royal encounter. His Powhatan-based Chadwick & Son Orchids made history as the only American exhibitor at Chelsea Flower Show, winning a coveted Silver-Gilt Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society. Going toe-to-toe with the […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Professional Organizers Are Central Virginia’s New Best Friend

When it comes to keeping a clean house, sometimes clutter is the biggest challenge. Enter professional organizers, people who have a unique knack for cutting through the clutter and creating a more streamlined living space. Certified businesses like Cut the Clutter RVA (CutTheClutterRVA.com) and Abundance Organizing (AbundanceOrganizing.com) in Richmond and Utterly Organized (UtterlyOrganizedVa.com) in Charlottesville […]

by Erica Jackson Curran

Plant Parenthood Made Easy with Virginia’s Lichen or Knot

While you may not find a lot of lichen for sale at Lichen or Knot Plant Co., you will find some gorgeous houseplants ranging from succulents and monsteras to philodendrons and bonsais. Unlike a big box store, its Floyd and Staunton locations are staffed with experts eager to set you up for success as a […]

by Erica Jackson Curran

Shining a Spotlight on Local Flora

The 2-acre educational garden at Roanoke’s Virginia Western Community College welcomes its newest addition: the Sunny Meadow Native Garden. The carefully curated space, transformed from a former conifer patch, showcases Southwest Virginia’s native plant species. After extensive research and planning, students, staff, and volunteers brought the vision to life in spring 2024, creating a vibrant […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Books For Serious (and Aspiring) Gardeners

The Land is Full, by Nelson Byrd Woltz. The Monacelli Press, 2024 The latest book by Nelson Byrd Woltz (NBW), the renowned landscape architecture firm in Charlottesville, is a celebration of parks and public gardens whose designs reflect the land’s histories. From Houston’s 1,500-acre Memorial Park to Brooklyn’s Naval Yard meadows, NBW crafts spaces that […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Williamsburg Archaeologists Uncover Secret Garden

In Colonial America, a grand garden was the ultimate status symbol—the 18th century equivalent of a Lamborghini. So when archaeologists at Colonial Williamsburg uncovered John Custis IV’s property, they struck horticultural gold: the remains of a football field-sized garden alongside his Jacobean manor house. Custis, a tobacco magnate and Martha Washington’s first father-in-law, went all […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Memorial Garden at River Farm Honors Longtime AHS Volunteer

The backyard garden of longtime American Horticultural Society volunteer Clara Plein is the inspiration for a posthumously named garden at the AHS headquarters at River Farm in Alexandria. Dedicated last summer, the Clara B. Plein Memorial Garden showcases combinations of native plants and cultivars based on how well they support the property’s natural ecosystems—from providing […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Alexandria Home Brings “Viewing Garden” Trend to Virginia

So many elements conspire to make an outdoor space successful—how it’s organized, how it’s used, how it functions over time, how it works as part of a larger composition. And then there’s the beauty factor—the eye candy in the form of plants and details—that paint a pleasing picture. In the case of a particular garden […]

by Kendra Taylor

Must-Have Gardening Gadgets & Gear for Spring

As gardens spring back to life, having the right stuff makes all the difference. We’ve curated this season’s most innovative and reliable garden essentials—from boots and blooms to balms and bags. Tame prickly beasts with these Felco 705 Rose Gloves—your armor against vicious roses. Their leather-suede construction and adjustable nylon cuff shield against even the […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Valerie Darden Invites Us Into Her Home

Ashland is quintessential small-town America, what with its historic downtown, cozy local businesses, bike routes, and friendly neighbors. So what better place to call home for someone whose life in Virginia has been somewhat charmed, like decorator Valerie Darden? Since moving to Virginia from New Jersey in 2007, Darden’s life has been full. She married […]

by Charlotte Safavi

Crab Point: Home & Landscaping on the Rappahannock River

Landscape plans are always works in progress. Expected outcomes can be confounded by weather, soil, wildlife, even changing goals. That’s why it’s helpful to take a long view—just as Susan and Michael Tempest are doing with Crab Point, their property at the tip of a high-profile White Stone peninsula. Working with father-and-son team Ken and […]

by Paula Peters Chambers

Peggy Singlemann is Horticulture Royalty

Peggy Singlemann and I sit at her kitchen table on a cold, snow-covered January morning, sipping Lady Grey tea and enjoying a fresh loaf of her sour cream coffee cake, made from a recipe handed down to her through a family friend. When Peggy was 10, she entered it in a church baking contest—and won […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Flower-Forward Things To Do in Virginia This Spring

From flower festivals and farms to Historic Garden Week, Virginia bursts with spring blossoms and inspiration. The possibilities for fun are endless, but here are some of our faves. U-Pick flower farms are the places to be for spring. Load up on beautiful blooms—from tulips and cosmos to daffodils, peonies, and more—at these micro-farms all […]

by Madeline Mayhood

2025 Trends Include Purple and Dopamine Décor

Design trends this year include bold statements in color—from using kaleidoscopic palettes to incorporating mood-boosting décor. The color purple is making a splash, with color king Benjamin Moore naming Cinnamon Slate its 2025 Color of the Year. This sophisticated blend of heathery plum and velvety brown is similar to Farrow & Ball’s Brinjal, its own […]

by Madeline Mayhood

Why Virginia Is the True Daffodil Capital of America

“With each daffodil, nature writes a love letter to the world, promising the beauty of fresh starts.” – Emily Dickinson Virginia’s love affair with daffodils isn’t just about pretty flowers—it’s a tale of survival, innovation, and pure American grit. While the state may be known as the “Mother of Presidents” and home to blue crabs, […]

by Catriona Tudor Erler

Daffodil-Centric Events Around Virginia This Spring

Virginia Daffodil Society Show Saturday–Sunday, March 22–23 From backyard gardeners to master growers, daffodils of every shape and size steal this annual show. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, 1800 Lakeside Ave., Richmond. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., VDSDaffShow@gmail.com for more info. Garden Club of Virginia Daffodil Day Wednesday, March 26 At one of the largest displays of daffodils […]

by Catriona Tudor Erler

A Richmond Architect For The Ages

It’s an unassuming sketch that begins with a single square, a squiggle of a hand-drawing. Page after page, the square has been added onto, enlarged and articulated into bolder iterations, until a fully formed vision for a new structure emerges. “There’s a sequence over a week,” McCullar says. “The big ideas come very fast.” It’s taken […]

by J. Michael Welton

Virginia Influencer Julia Price’s DIY Journey in Staunton

Stroll up to Julia Price’s Staunton home, and you’ll see an unassuming, American, foursquare farmhouse. But its lipstick-red door is the harbinger of a home that brings glamour and lighthearted frivolity to a practical Southern silhouette—a theme that could also be said to describe its owner. Price, a former antique shop owner turned DIY-renovator and […]

by Heather Bien

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Events

July 8, 2025

Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace

Carlyle House Historic Park

July 8, 2025

Waitress at Virginia Repertory Theatre

Virginia Repertory Theatre

July 9, 2025

June – July @ Art Works!

Art Works

New Innovative Virginia Tea Rooms to Try

Around the world, as both a beverage and a pastime, tea is steeped in history and ritual. From the casual to the ceremonial, tea is a throughline for many cultures, and now, it’s enjoying a renewed interest from beverage pros who are drawn to tea’s unique flavor characteristics, health benefits, and cultural connections. Recently, two […]

by Stephanie Ganz

The U.S. DOE Labeled These Virginia Schools Outstanding

Eight Virginia schools received the National Blue Ribbon 2024 award for their high performances. The Exemplary High Performing Schools are Spring Hill Elementary in McLean, Green Run Collegiate in Virginia Beach, Bethel Manor Elementary in Hampton, and St. Andrew the Apostle School in Clifton. The Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are Central Academy Middle […]

by Gabriela de Camargo Gonçalves

Virginia’s Top 10 Summer Festivals and Events 2025

STAUNTON – Festival of Concerts June 26–Aug. 2: The stunning strums and resounding chords of classical music echo through Staunton’s mountain landscape as Heifetz International Music Institute students from around the world take the stage, with new concerts every day. HeifetzInstitute.org GLOUCESTER – Food Truck Frenzy July 13: Virginia’s most mouthwatering food trucks descend on […]

by Hope Cartwright

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Beyond the Blues: Vibrant Blue Flowers That Thrive in Virginia

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Waitress at Virginia Repertory Theatre

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New Innovative Virginia Tea Rooms to Try

The U.S. DOE Labeled These Virginia Schools Outstanding

Virginia’s Top 10 Summer Festivals and Events 2025

House + Garden

Beyond the Blues: Vibrant Blue Flowers That Thrive in Virginia

Current Issue

Events

Yoga on the Magnolia Terrace

Waitress at Virginia Repertory Theatre

June – July @ Art Works!

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Most Popular

New Innovative Virginia Tea Rooms to Try

The U.S. DOE Labeled These Virginia Schools Outstanding

Virginia’s Top 10 Summer Festivals and Events 2025

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weekly newsletter: VL Today

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