Biography
Kathy Van Mullekom has gardened all her life. Her fondest childhood memories are sitting under a grape arbor, helping her grandmother shell ...
Tour historical Cloverdale Garden during NASA's open house
September 13, 2012
Meagan and Mitchell Turner helped restore the Cloverdale Garden at NASA.
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Sunshine Daydream makes debut in Rose Parade
December 28, 2011
The sun will surely shine on the Rose Parade Monday, Jan. 2, in Pasadena, Calif., thanks to the Sunshine Daydream rose, the 2012 All-America Rose Selections award winner.
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Smaller trees add beauty and diversity to your yard
October 19, 2011
Big trees sometimes bring big problems, especially after major storms.
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Williamsburg garden featured in Better Homes and Gardens magazine
August 19, 2010
When Linda and Joe Hertzler bought their Williamsburg home six years ago, the property needed tons of TLC.
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Tropical plants keep their cool during summer scorcher
August 12, 2010
•See more plants that like it hot.
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Mountain mint a native wildflower seen throughout Virginia
July 29, 2010
Mountain mint is a native wildflower you see growing throughout Virginia during summer.
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Water fountain adds a splash of coolness to your yard
July 21, 2010
A sweltering summer calls for something cool and refreshing in your yard.
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Festival spotlights the beauty of flowering crape myrtles
July 15, 2010
You know it's summer in Hampton Roads when the crape myrtles bloom.
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Petunias are reliable bloomers in the summer garden
July 8, 2010
The pink petunias your grandmother planted are not the same petunias that you now find at garden centers.
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Old is new again when you recycle it with pretty plants
June 23, 2010
Green in your garden is about more than flowers, fruits and foliage.
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Miss Huff still the reliable perennial lantana
June 16, 2010
I apologize if I led you down the wrong garden path last year, telling you that Chapel Hill lantana is reliably cold hardy in our Zone 7 area.
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Vegetable gardens readymade, ready to grow
June 10, 2010
Shane Emmett believes vegetable gardens should be as attractive and easy as they are nutritional and healthy, and he's launched a venture to prove his case.
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Coreopsis a must-have plant for any butterfly garden
June 3, 2010
Tickseed, also called coreopsis, is a mainstay in my butterfly garden.
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Discover small yard ideas during Hilton Village's Pink Flamingo Garden Tour
May 20, 2010
Aparna and Gautam Shah moved into their home in the Hilton area of Newport News eight years ago. At first, they spent all their time making changes inside.
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Garden in Hampton Roads with coneflowers and other butterfly-attracting perennials
May 6, 2010
Yum, yum. Mac 'n' Cheese and Tomato Soup, the names for coneflowers, make you think of good things to eat.
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Gardening in Hampton Roads: Composting with worms will make your plants healthier
April 15, 2010
Earthworms may soon have their own Facebook fan page if local worm worshippers have their way.
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Zen garden adds peace and tranquility to a York County home.
April 1, 2010
Alex and Libbey Oliver recently added a little peace of mind — and quiet — to their yard in upper York County.
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Kathy Van Mullekom: Monrovia's new Sunshine Blue blueberry makes a perfect plant for any garden in Hampton Roads
March 17, 2010
A Daily Press photographer and I toured the elegantly expanded Anderson's Home and Garden Showplace this week and there's one plant there everyone should have in their yard.
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Kathy Van Mullekom: Lawns in Hampton Roads need special attention this spring
March 11, 2010
Last weekend, husband Ken and I mowed our now-brown Bermuda lawn short, short, short, so new green growth can easily emerge in a few weeks.
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Outdoor Show at McDonald Garden Center teaches you all about gardening in Hampton Roads
March 3, 2010
You can have soil that's poor and difficult to drain.
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Gardening in Hampton Roads: Prune plants for the right reason
February 25, 2010
By now, husband Ken and I have usually finished our annual pruning chores.
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Gardening in Hampton Roads: The disliked sweetgum tree is actually a good tree to grow
February 17, 2010
Sweetgum, a tree most people dislike because the spiny fruits drop and hurt your feet when you walk on them, is a valuable food source for songbirds and squirrels that eat the plant's seeds.
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It's time for an early spring - and the Great Backyard Bird Count
February 11, 2010
Even though he studies biology and lives on campus at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Nick Flanders often visits his mother's home in Newport News where he maintains bird feeders filled with sunflower, mixed and thistle seeds and suet.
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There are lots of ups and downs to gardening in Hampton Roads
February 3, 2010
When gardening experts say Hampton Roads is in a transition zone, they aren't kidding.
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Force bloom some spring shrubs for indoor beauty
January 27, 2010
This year, I tried doing what I've written about but never personally done — force branches of flowering shrubs into early bloom indoors.
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Give houseplants some winter care and they'll clean the air in your house
January 21, 2010
When winter keeps you housebound, surround yourself with a few houseplants for an indoor garden. The plants help clean the stuffy, stale air that your heating system pumps out and they give you something pleasant to focus on.
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Native American beech easy tree to recognize in winter
January 14, 2010
American beech is one of the easiest trees to recognize in winter, according to Helen Hamilton, president of the John Clayton Chapter, Virginia Native Plant Society.
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Every garden view is a pleasant sight to see
January 7, 2010
There's something soothing about sweeping.
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Dream about what you garden will look, feel, taste, sound and smell like
December 31, 2009
For the next few cold weeks, think …
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Poolside garden creates backyard paradise
July 15, 2009
When Jim and Dee Meadows returned from their 20th wedding anniversary to Hawaii several years ago, they brought back the beginnings of a perfect poolside garden.
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Watering gadget keeps plant foliage dry, healthy
January 20, 2002
Jane Akers of James City County says she would never have left her tomatoes outdoors in November if she knew she could grow them in containers indoors like Dan Sherry does.
