Ok! So I found a few SW VA folks (I guess I should have looked around first) Let's get this place rollin' a little.

gingerbreadgirl: Galax eh? Named after a beautiful flower. My mother was born and raised in Dugspur . . . not too gar away. My cottage is not far away either in Allisonia, Va.

gypsysunrise: Not familiar with Richlands. Tell me more about it.

meg_va: Roanoke . . . I have an uncle and a cousin in Salem. Go through there all the time.

suze62: Grundy. Shared a dorm hall at Va Tech with a Grundy native. Pleased to meet you.

garden_junkie_carrie: Most of my relatives hail from Grayson County. I am a Haga.

Pleased to meet you all and look forward to sharing gardening stories, tips, etc.

I lived in Pulaski county 28 years ( Fairlawn)and I think you are the first person who came to retire. It is a beautiful area but growing up now. I lived across the Powderplant road from a large cattle form. Big shopping center with a Wal-mart Superstore there now. New River is great fishing, especially the area in Grayson County, where they had planned to the build a hydoelectric dam that fell through. I also spent 4 years in the Northern Neck (Warsaw) so I am vaguely familiar with King George.

Yes, Fairlawn is becoming very popular. It is a conveniently accessable to Dublin, Radford and Blacksburg/Christiansburg areas. We have definitely traveled some of the same country.

Pulaski (the town) is having economic troubles. Like many areas of the state, the blue collar indiustries (furniture/textiles, etc) have dissappeared. It's a pretty good place to retire to though. I love the climate and the scenery. I like growing cool season crops and the mountains are very accomodating in that regard.

I live in Bland County, which neighbors Pulaski. The girls have a good-sized potager and we might turn my garden into one as well. I laughed at them when they put it in, but it HAS done well and IS nice to look at.

We have a small, family-owned commercial greenhouse business so get in touch with us when you get moved. I will supply a secondary email address here if you like but the rules say I cannot mention the name of the business.

Regards,

Tom in VA

tom_va

I think I was pretty close to you a couple of weeks ago. My wife and I made a day trip to Dismal Falls in Giles County. I now see that Bland is just a few miles East down Rt 42. Dismal Falls was great. The Rt 42 corridor from White Gate to Mechanicsburg was beautiful. After I retire, I will look you up.

Correction: few miles WEST down Rt 42

Rt. 42 is the main road east/west in the county. We live on the west end. The drive all the way through is beautiful and taking the back roads is a great way to see even more. If you enjoy driving this way, pick up a copy of a Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer for VA. I think they now have them for all the states and it shows every back road, forest trail, creek, etc. They are a wonderful thing to carry in your vehicle. The distance scale is HUGE, with the Virginia map covering ~ 60 pages. You can get them at WalMart or through Amazon. We keep a copy in each truck.

Looking forward to meeting you; you can email me at:

effna@yahoo.com

Regards,

Tom

Blacksburg here. I lived in Bland on 42 for a while. Have a son in Pulaski...know about where everything is...have lived in this area most all of my life! So you are moving here and I am moving past you next yr across the Chesapeake Bay!! So you will be looking for plants here and I have been trading for plants that will grow there.
Love my flowers but also love horseback riding. Beautiful scenery.
Nice to meet you!
Deb

Here is a link that might be useful: GardenWeb

Hi Hellbender!

Welcome to the neighborhood :) If you visit Salem on a regular basis, we're sure to cross paths eventually. My husband and I are scuba instructors for a dive shop in Salem, and I teach group exercise classes at the Salem YMCA.

If your passions include fishing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and gardening, you are moving to the right place!!

Meg :)

meg_va,

Don't I know it! I have an uncle in Salem who retired from GE. I will probably be frequenting Salem more soon as I am arranging knee surgery for my father there at Gayle.

SW VA is the best. I retitre in 6 months and hardly wait to get down there on more of a full-time basis.

It's frustrating being in between as it makes gardening difficult . . . . but muy time will come.

Hey! I'm from Richlands va too! I'm moving in less then 2 weeks and starting with a clean state.

I'll post some pics before and after!

Hi Hellbender,

This is a lil late, but still, welcome to beautiful Southwestern Virginia!! I know you will love it here. I do. I moved here from Wyoming a few years ago, and this place still amazes me!

Richlands is a small town in Tazewell county. It's about 1/2 hour from Bluefield VA/WV, and about an hour from Bristol VA/TN. I actually live just outside of Richlands, in an even smaller, rural area.. I live in between Raven and Swords Creek. And, if you are not familiar with Richlands, I know you won't be familiar with Raven or Swords Creek!! lol

Anyway, I do hope you have a safe and easy move/transiton to your new home. =)

~Sasha

Here is a link that might be useful: PhotoBlog

Hi GrayWritingDog! Another Richlands gardener, huh? Where are you moving to?

Good to see someone else on here from this area. =)

Here is a link that might be useful: PhotoBlog

Gypsysunrise. Better late than never! Tazewell County (like many in SW VA is very beautiful. I know you enjoy it there. My wife and I are planning a day trip to Burke's Garden sometime soon.

Sasha,

I have a daughter that lives on Swords crk & another one that lives on Horton Ridge.
I work @ Richlands Home Care..I'm from Grundy even smaller:~) Anyway thought I would say hello:)

Hey folks! Can you guess where I live??

Tell me, did I screw up by not bringing in all those beautiful plants I have outside? It feels pretty cool here this morning.

Do we have an expected frost date? Has it already passed??

Look forward to hearing from all you neighbors - just last night I was at Lowes and Walmart looking for an end of season bargain. Got some trees and a rose! Yay! But I was telling my child that it is a shame we don't have real nurseries around here that maintain a good stock all year round of garden needs. Here as soon as the box stores can display all their artificial Christmas trees and decorations the garden goodies are gone.

I look forward to visiting with you all. I recently moved back after many many years and have an old house to put back together along with a yard that became unbelievably overgrown. Also I am trying to master growing a garden on my own. That is a challenge, so I am hoping next summer will produce more.

Tazebell,

My guess is Tazewell???

Hey Suze - right on! Funny thing - I just sent you an email!

So what are we going to talk about? It was very cold here overnight - any hints on keeping all these plants I bought on sale alive until I decide where to plant them?

Hey!!! Froze here last night!!! Blacksburg, VA. Used to teach HS in Bluefield, WV. I am moving across the Cheaspeake Bay, maybe next year, and bought a lot of plants/shrubs/etc. from the "crash and burn" racks at Lowes and Walmart this year to transplant in the spring. Our house over there doesn't have a single flower, shrub, or tree around it. Just dirty sand!
All of the small shrubs I purchased, I sank into our garden. Dug holes and set them in pot and all. That way they would not freeze and they would also be easier to lift to replant in the spring.
I am trying to finish up my plant trading for this year...most will be gone anyway after the two frosts we have had the last two nights.
Anyway...welcome!!
deb

Here is a link that might be useful: DavesGarden

Yes - it got cold here last night didn't it? Now my tomato plants are gone, but I didn't think it would happen last night! I picked a lot of green tomatoes today so what do you think? Should I wrap them in newspaper? Put them on the windowsill? Fry them up tomorrow in grease and cornmeal?

Deb - I was right there with you at the Crash and Burn racks this past week. You wouldn't believe how many plants I bought. I found Beauty Berry, which is not commonly seen. Did you catch the little extra 25 % off sale at Lowe's? (I am math challenged, so when the manager said on top of the 25 % off he would give you another 25%- foolish me though half off when it really was something like 35% but that didn't stop me grabbing a car load.) I might try heeling them in, don't know yet. I am a little jealous of your impending move to the coast of Virginia - hey, I am jealous that you live in Blacksburg!

I have some question about winter storage for lots of shrubs and perennials, if anyone has the time. Thinking about keeping them against the best side of the house (south, southwest) which has a rock stair way and handrail that I could fashion some sort of greenhouse thing with plastic over the top. I also have a back stairway (exterior) that has been enclosed so I am wondering if I sit all these pots on the steps, would that protect them from the winter weather? Cold air would be the culprit as the elements are kept out courtesy a roof and side walls.

Thanks for the input!! I have been away awhile, so I am trying to restore the gardens that are here as well as do some big time improvement. Well, not that big time (no pool) but have to do some serious planning to block the road out front. Also I have grape vines I need help with, and also brambles - blackberries and raspberries, that I need to find out what to do with them now.

Hello,

We do not recommend anyone trying to keep plants in pots through the winter in our area unless you REALLY have a VERY protected area. Even perennials will freeze because the cold goes in "all around the pot", easily killing the plant-roots whereas, if they're in the ground, the roots are protected.

We do keep ours in pots, but they'er in a cold frame where we can supply a minimal amount of heat if it turns real cold. We're in Bland, so the temps are similar to your's.

Regards,

Tom

Tom - what can you tell me about grapevines? Do I need to do anything right now? Or wait until spring and do some pruning to get it going strong? It's been in the ground here for at least 15 years, and that sprout came from my grandmother's vine which was ages old, so I want to get it healthy.

For everybody- what should we be doing now? Any news of interest, gardening-wise?

I bought a ton of bulbs (daffys and tulips)- any hints? I have a hard yard to plant them in. Also I still hold to the dream that ranunculus will grow and bloom for me, just as it did once for me in Texas.

Thanks.

Hey, there isn't really anything to do right now w/ the vines. If they've been established for that long, you just need to REALLY CUT THEM BACK in the early spring. Normally, you'll just want to leave 1 or 2 buds on each branch...remember that grapes only develop on the current year's growth so you can really chop 'em off. You should easily be able to tell the new growth branches.

Give 'em a little shot of fertilizer if you want although we've never done that to our's and they've been there as long as I can remember (and I'm 56).

Regards,

Tom

tom =thanks. This vine is large where it comes out of the ground, and then grows up the "T" and out the clothes line. I cut it back some this spring, although I was afraid to chop off much from it. New growth sprouted, and even a cluster or two of grapes appeared, but then the green leaves shriveled and died. I don't know if it was because it was the end of its growing season or perhaps it got too dry. Maybe even a bug? So next spring I wait for the buds and whack away? It's made it through many years of absolute neglect so hopefully it will rebound!!

What about the brambles - blackberries and raspberries? Do I need to cut them back now? I would like them a little more "manicured".

Do you have any hints for planting bulbs? I am not going to be able to dig 6" deep holes for all these bulbs I went crazy and bought, so I thought about getting an attachment for the drill. I researched that "Awesome Auger" that is sold on TV and found it is laughable and quite possibly some kind of rip-off involved with your credit card, so I won't be ordering that but I couldn't even find an auger bit in the hardware stores. Anyway, I understand planting them in groups, but I have to work around some existing bulbs so I don't want to disturb them.

One other thing - will purple fountain grass survive here? I bought a couple (great sale) but then did some reading that leads me to believe it should be considered an annual. Any thoughts before I take the time to plant it?

Thanks.

We come over to Tazewell pretty often, especially in the spring; we get our dirt from the Farm Bureau and sometimes supply them with plants. If you live in town and would like, Helen and I would be glad to stop by your place and show you what to do w/ your grapvine in the spring--I'm sure we'll be making several trips unless they've gone crazy w/ their dirt prices! If your vine is really large, you might need to re-train it. Email me at:

effna@yahoo.com

...if you're interested and I'll get our phone number, etc to you. Make sure you make note in the subject line so I don't junk the email.

Here are several links on brambles:

http://www.ext.vt.edu/news/periodicals/commhort/pulledarticles/2005-09/offseason.html

http://www.wvu.edu/~Agexten/hortcult/fruits/brambles.htm

http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/hort/g06000.htm

They do make some augers that work pretty well w/ a cordless drill. We have several large flowerbeds and sometimes plant a ton of bulbs but we normally use a thing that looks like a miniture maddock; I think I've seen something like that at Sears in Bluefield. Of course our beds are fairly "soft" too. You'll need to come see the beds and visit the greenhouses!

I am guessing that the fountain grass will not survive the winter although I got conflicting info on the zones, depending on whether or not it was a dwarf variety. I'll try and think to ask Helen when she comes in and see what she says----she knows a ton more about this than I......

Regards,

Tom

Hey Neighbors!! Y'all cold enough? Anything to report, garden wise? I have to buy an electric heater to put on the sunroom/breezeway to keep all those blooming plants I moved inside from freezing! Not to mention me. I am hoping the temps improve next week so I can finish getting the bulbs in the ground (using the one-two of a wrecking bar and a mattock to dig the holes)and the rest of my "crash and burn" purchases heeled in. I don't like cold weather.

Question for the Richlands folks - did you hear anything about a Christmas Tree farm out of NC bringing a crew of illegals in to harvest property a mile from Crab Orchard? For the life of me I can't figure out what they were doing unless it involved logging. Shame that it looks like there was no economic benefit to this area - out of state workers brought in by out of state company to take the product out of state. I can't say if the property owner is even local. Shame they couldn't hire 55 locals to do the job. Okay, I am off my soapbox,but seriously, if anybody has a clue what "greenery" they were loading, let me know.

There used to be [and probably still is] a very large tree business in NC but a lot of what they buy are the "tips" of the trees; these go to make the "chains" or "garlands" or "ropes" or whatever they're called. We have sold tips in the past. In fact, I have heard that some of the places will lease whole farms, plant them in trees, harvest the tips a few times, and then the trees belong to the landowner when the trees are too big to tip.

As far as the workers being illegal, I don't know, but I have heard that one of the largest populations of Hispanics in the state is in the Galax/Hillsville area but again, that is rumor although a quick search at Galax showed 11.1%. I do know that there used to be crews come around here to cut tobacco.

Regards,

Tom

Tom - that makes some sense. It was Furches, (IIRC) out of NC, and they said the property they were harvesting was here. I haven't driven in either direction of the museum to see where they possibly could have been working, but that's really interesting about the tip thing. I suppose it's not too early to cut evergreens for decorative use? Bet they use some anti-dessicant spray?

I really would like to see more economic benefits for this area though.

So, this weekend looks like it will be warmer and I might get my behind outside planting those daffys and tulips! Wish me luck.

If you run out of things to do this week, Helen and I will probably be doing some combination of the following:

painting the barns/sheds

building fence

planting about 325 blueberry bushes

Come on down! LOL

Wakey Wakey!!!

Where's all my Southwest Virginia fellow gardeners!!!

What is first on the "to-do" list???

I SAID WAKEY WAKEY!

You know damn good and well that nobody sleeps this time of year :-)

We've got the small greenhouse crammed full and ALL the tables in the big one are loaded, mainly w/ over 600 baskets that need to be hung up before we can start filling more flats--starting on some of the veggies now, mainly peppers. We got busy planting and now have to catch up on putting the hangers on the baskets but I don't lack many now.

Got 2000 strawberry plants coming by the end of the month so there is another little planting job. We've decided to start a pick your own to go along w/ the blueberries.

Had a slight disaster in the big g/h when four large tables that were hooked together crashed [loaded w/ plants, of course] so we lost a few hours rebuilding them. They are NOT hooked together now :-)

We've gone 3 times [I think> to your neck of the woods for bales of dirt. Picked up 30 on a Friday and went back for 30 more on the following Monday. The guys at the FB couldn't believe we'd gone through that many so fast but it was even more than that counting what we had on hand.

So, as you can see, at least "I" am awake. The other 2 houses will fill up quickly enough.

Hope you can make it over sometime.

Best,

Tom

Hello from Clintwood, VA. I'm located WAY down in the SW part. The county I live in, Dickenson, borders Kentucky. Check out the link below to see some scenery from my neck of the woods.

Here is a link that might be useful: My photo galleries

Hey Ralph! Glad to have you here. Your photos are beautiful! What is going on in your garden "way down" in Dickenson County? Think we might just get some snow tomorrow?

Hi Suze! I just seen your message, sorry for the delay. I hadn't been on here in some time. I live really close to Horton Ridge - do you know where Maple Gap is?

Anyway, hello.. Stay in touch! =)

We had snow here yesterday!

When you coming over tazebell?