We’ve been composting at my house for close to two years. One corner of the kitchen is reserved for old coffee cans where food scraps await their trip to the backyard compost bin. Grass clippings and fallen leaves go in there, too

I cannot live without coffee and chocolate. Therefore, I cannot live without pollinators.

This week is National Pollinator Week, and Facebook is full of beautiful, up-close photos of our pollinating friends at work. I look at them while enjoying my morning coffee (and contemplating chocolate for breakfast).

Chelone, (it rhymes with phony and baloney) is a native member of the figwort family. It is more commonly known as turtlehead. It's not hard to figure out how it got its common name; those blooms shaped like turtleheads are so adorable that even someone who is not a fan of turtles can?t resist them. They remind me of kids running around in the rain with their tongues sticking out to catch the droplets. Chelone was a nymph in Greek mythology that offended the gods by not attending the wedding of Zeus to Hera. To punish her, they turned her into a turtle

The Teaching Garden at the Benedictine Monastery in Bristow, Va., is maintained by Master Gardeners of Prince William County. In this garden, Master Gardeners grow fresh produce for the Plant a Row for the Hungry project. It is also where they teach others how to grow vegetables, practice low-maintenance gardening techniques and demonstrate plants that grow well locally.

Warning: Bloodroot can be extremely toxic, even fatal.

I'm not going to discuss the medical uses for bloodroot. There is plenty of information on the web (and from professional herbalists, which I certainly am not) explaining its benefits and dangers. Just let me say do your research very well. Also, consider pets and children before planting it in your landscape. As beautiful as this plant is, it is not worth risking loved ones? health or possibly even lives.

My favorite shrub is oakleaf hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia (querci- oak, and folia - leaf). This native plant ranges from Tennessee to Florida and west to the Mississippi River. In Virginia, we are a bit north of its native range but it grows very well here. It grows naturally in forests, along streams and on forested hillsides.

For most people, gardening is an at-home activity, a hobby for the weekend or a way to unwind after a day spent sitting behind a desk.

But for several employees with the Virginia Department of Health, the joys of gardening are part of the daily work routine. They participate in a program called Plaza Planter Adopt-a-Box at their department?s headquarters ? the Madison Building in downtown Richmond.

Many of you may already know that adding rich compost to your home garden can greatly increase the health and yield of your herbs and vegetables. But by recycling some of your own household scraps into compost, you can significantly reduce the amount of waste you produce. Not only do you decrease the volume of your garbage, but you can also cut down on the pollution created by landfills.

The Central Virginia Nursery & Landscape Association is spearheading a "Fall is for Planting" campaign in and around Richmond, Va., to emphasize the benefits and advantages of planting in the fall. Every independent garden center and nursery in the metro Richmond area has agreed to promote this campaign. "Fall is for Planting" banners (pictured here) are proudly being displayed all across town.

I'm not ashamed to admit I haven't thrown away a single plastic pot from this year's spring planting. Right now, my porch is a sort of plastic pot graveyard, where old pots have found (seemingly) eternal resting places over in a far corner.