Home Horticulture
The cultivation of fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamentals dates back thousands of years. More than 5,000 years ago, Egyptian gardeners overcame challenges as they combined art and scientific principles in the design of their formal gardens, which provided shade, shelter, food and water to meet survival needs. Here in the Ridge and Valley, Warren County Virginia residents also face numerous challenges in home horticulture, and your local Extension office is here to help!
Whether you need help testing your soil, identifying insect pests; weeds; fungal and bacterial plant diseases, growing a healthy garden or finding information about water quality, please feel free to utilize the many services offered by Virginia Cooperative Extension. The topic links and publications link below are useful guides for several topics in home horticulture that should answer many of your questions. Also included, are links to instructions and diagnostic forms for soil testing and plant/pathogen identification.
Gardening and General Resources
- Gardening and the Environment
- Garden insect pests
- Garden weeds
- Native plants
- Native Trees Handbook (PDF)
- Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners
- USDA Plants Database
- Virginia Cooperative Extension Programs and Resources
General Pesticide Resources
Pest Management Guides
Virginia Cooperative Extension Diagnostic Forms and Reports
- All about soil sampling
- Soil sampling instructions
- Soil sample test report (PDF)
- Virginia Tech weed identification guide
Water Quality
Wildlife Management
For diagnostic forms on insects, plant identification and disease, feel free to visit our office. Virginia Cooperative Extension provides research-based information to you in a number of ways.