A Tweet for the Birds – All Bird Seed 25% off!

Our Blog

From plant care tips to seasonal inspiration, our blog is packed with expert advice, creative ideas, and practical solutions to help your garden thrive year-round.

Plants

Don’t Make These 7 Mistakes if You’re Container Gardening

Container gardening is one of the most flexible and rewarding ways to grow plants, but even the simplest pots can lead to frustration if you’re not careful!...

Edible

How to Start a Vegetable Garden: A Beginner’s Guide

There’s nothing quite like snipping fresh herbs from your backyard or picking a ripe tomato you grew yourself. Starting a vegetable garden might feel overwhelming at first, but it’s easier...

Plants

Gifts That Grow: Our Top Picks for the Gardening Mom

Mother’s Day is the perfect time to celebrate the moms who’ve nurtured us with love, wisdom, and a little bit of dirt under their fingernails....

Outdoor

How to Prepare your Landscape for the Summer Months Ahead

Make a Plan: Summer is a great time for fast growth in trees, shrubs, and especially perennials. One way to ensure they have everything they need to take off, is...

Plants

Top 10 Shrubs That Shine in Spring

Now that it’s April (and almost May!), now is the moment when some of our favorite spring blooming shrubs begin to show off their best features....

Seasons

5 Must-Have Annuals for a Stunning April Garden

April is when gardens start to wake up and what better way to celebrate than with bold, beautiful blooms? Annuals are your go to for instant color and nonstop flower...

Plants

Our Favorite Trees and Shrubs for Fall Color

If you want to make the most of this magical season, consider adding trees and shrubs that will enhance your garden with their stunning fall color!...

Plants

Our Top 5 Pumpkins In Stock Now

Pumpkin season is here, and we are absolutely bursting with pumpkins of all shapes, sizes, and colors! To help kick off the fall festivities, we're sharing our top five favorite...

Plants

Mum Magic: How to Create the Enchantment of Fall in Containers & Garden Beds

Chrysanthemums, or "mums", are a beloved fall flower known for their vibrant colors and diverse bloom shapes. With their ability to thrive in cooler temperatures and bring bold hues to...

Plants

Our Top Panicle Hydrangeas: Must-Have Varieties for Your Summer Garden

Known for their large, cone shaped flower clusters, panicle hydrangeas are not only stunning but also incredibly versatile shrubs. Whether you're looking to create a statement piece in your landscape...

Plants

Coneflower Focus: Bringing Bold Color to Your Summer Garden

When it comes to adding a pop of color to your summer garden, few plants can match the charm and vibrancy of coneflowers....

Plants

The Plant-lympics: Celebrating Summer’s Top Bloomers

Welcome to the Plant lympics! Today, we're celebrating the our top bloomers of the 2024 summer season. Join us as we dive into why they’ve claimed their spots on the...

Houseplants

INDOOR BLOOMS: The Best Houseplants to Enjoy This Winter

Find yourself pining for ny spring days full of your favorite blooming flowers? The best medicine for any gardener and flower lover is to surround yourself with colorful blooms indoors....

Houseplants

Fall for Orchids

Orchids are among the most spectacular of all flowering plants! Available in a myriad of colors, shapes and sizes there is an orchid for everyone....

Houseplants

Bringing the Indoors Out

GARDEN TAINMENT: The new outdoor trend we love! Outdoor living spaces continue to take center stage as more and more people are ready to move the festivity outdoors....

Houseplants

Orchids Need TLC

Orchids need TLC, but a little goes a long way! by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, Virginia There it was in all...

Houseplants

The Indoor Garden

Our Top Houseplant Picks for 2015 With the Christmas decorations coming down, you will definitely want to look at these houseplants to fill in the voids that the Christmas decor...

Houseplants

Succulents…Who Knew?

CREATIVE WAYS TO USE SUCCULENTS What plant is easy to grow, hard to kill, and can be planted just about anywhere? These plants may possibly be one of the most...

Edible

“Cœur de Framboise,” or “Raspberry Heart.”

Cuisine de Jardin with Chef Manu “Cœur de Framboise,” or “Raspberry Heart.” Cuisine de Jardin with Chef Manu “Cœur de Framboise,” or “Raspberry Heart.” Cuisine de Jardin with Chef Manu...

Edible

Berrylicious Blueberry Crumb Cake

Berrylicious Blueberry Crumb Cake July is National th Berrylicious Blueberry Crumb Cake Fresh from the Oven Blueberry Crumb Cake by Chef Menu McDonald Garden Center, Family Grown, Hand Picked Blueberries...

Edible

CUISINE DU JARDIN with Chef Manu – Summertime Kale Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Summertime Kale Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Crisp kale, ripe fruit, crunchy vegetables and a pungent dressing Featured Recipe Exclusively for McDonald Garden Center Summertime Kale Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette Crisp...

Edible

Six Tips for Blueberry Success

By Eddie Anderson, Owner Thinking about growing backyard blueberries? Stick to these six simple tips and with proper care, these sweet treats will reward you for years to come!...

Edible

Cusine de Jardin with Chef Manu – Pumpkin Butter Pie

A delectably delicious twist on a classic, Chef Manu’s pumpkin butter pie is like a marriage of pumpkin pie and pumpkin tart with a sweetly cool, vanilla finish....

Edible

Turn up the Grill with BBQ Rosemary!

It's official, grilling season has begun. Get prepared for your outdoor cooking and entertaining by adding Barbeque Rosemary to your landscape....

Gardening Care

Feed Them & They Will Come, Annual & Perennial Milkweed

Arch butterfly has long been an ambassador of nature in the garden and a symbol of summertime. Generations of schoolchildren have archs in classrooms, watching in awe as caterpillars transform...

Gardening Care

Preventing a Deer Buffet

Lavender Forsythia Viburnum Spirea Ah, deer. Gentle, majestic woodland royalty. Or hosta eating road hazards, depending on your point of view....

Gardening Care

Expert Tips on Drainage

By Jeff Willett, Landscape Designer Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. An old saying for sure, but if you have a home one thing you don’t want...

Gardening Care

Mulch to Talk About

Selecting the Right Mulch There is no one, universal mulch for everything. There are pros and cons to every mulching material....

Gardening Care

Solutions for Moles & Voles

Moles can be frustrating, especially when you go to mow your lawn for the first time this spring and realize they have taken hold over the ths....

Gardening Care

Fall is Prime Time for Lawn Care

Fall is Prime Time for Lawn Care by Kathy Van Mullekom It’s that time of the year , your cool season fescue lawn looks tired and worn....

Seasons

Our Valentine’s Top Five Picks

Anthuriums Orchids McDonald Garden Center Gift Card Simple Souther T Shirts & More Bouquet Series Foaming Soaps Valentine's Day sneaks up on us every year, but no worries we have...

Seasons

Dress Up Your Holiday Table

Dress up your holiday table with a centerpiece using everyday houseplants. Thanksgiving is right around the corner and you may be looking for ways to dress up the table....

Seasons

Beauty in Small Spaces with the October Magic Bride Camellia

October Magic Bride Camellia October Magic Inspiration Camellia Want elegant, full blooms but don’t have a lot of room left in your landscape?...

Seasons

Holiday Lookbook 2016

Step into a magical Christmas wonderland at the McDonald Christmas Shoppe, where every corner is packed with new treasures and collectible wonders....

Seasons

Winter is for Planning & Plotting

By Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener & gardening writer living in York County, Virginia February can be one of the most important ths of the year , the time...

Seasons

New Year’s Resolutions for Me & My Garden

By Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, Virginia The start of a new year means the beginnings of better intentions , in my...

Outdoor

10 Reasons You Should Be Growing Grapes in Your Backyard

Ever daydreamed of picking huge clusters warmed, juicy grapes from your own backyard vines? Here are ten solid reasons to add these highly productive and also decorative vines to your...

Outdoor

Landscaping Tips & To-Do’s

By Diane Smith, McDonald Garden Center Landscape Designer With warmer weather and longer days finally upon us, many of us are thinking of ways to get our yards in tip...

Outdoor

A Drought-Tolerant Yard

Enjoy the beauty of a drought tolerant yard and gardens. by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, Virginia When husband Ken and I...

Outdoor

Landscaping by the Locals

The design of your landscape is just as important as the architecture of your home. Our landscape team will work with you to develop a vision that blends your aesthetic...

Outdoor

The Winter Landscape

CELEBRATE A NEW SEASON WITH WINTER FAVORITES. While the days may be shorter and colder, that doesn't have to mean the end of a beautiful landscape....

Outdoor

The Benefits of Landscaping

Any way you slice it there are many benefits to landscaping and plants. The design of your landscape is just as important as the architecture of your home and landscaping...

Wildlife

Backyard Bird-Watching

Bird watching is one of America's fastest growing hobbies, and creating a backyard habitat is a convenient way to enjoy these fine ends....

Wildlife

The Tweet on Birds

Winter is for the birds... Now's the best time to sit back and enjoy the birds. Here's some fun bird facts and answers to all your burning bird questions: How...

Wildlife

Summer Butterflies

By Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, Virginia Each summer, I chuckle when neighbors ends ask why caterpillars are eating their parsley, dill...

Wildlife

BEE-Friendly Blooms

National Honey Bee Day is coming urday, August 15th. Let’s herald these hard working pollinators and support local beekeepers! You’ve probably heard 'the buzz' about the massive decline of bees...

Wildlife

Never Forget to Fill Your Hummingbird Feeder

By Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, Virginia Have you ever had a hummingbird come pecking on your window?...

Wildlife

The Pollinator Garden

Help Mother Nature open up pollinator hotel in your yard. by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, Virginia My backyard perennial garden is...

Get This Look!

DO IT YOURSELF HOLIDAY WREATH Give your entryway a makeover this season with these Christmas door decorating ideas. Festive and colorful, wreaths are the perfect way to welcome holiday guests...

Get This Look!

DO IT YOURSELF NATURE PUMPKINS Adorn your pumpkins with a little bit of nature. Take a walk outside and find autumn inspiration nearly everywhere....

Get This Look!

DO IT YOURSELF PUMPKIN FLOWER ARRANGEMENT Who would have guessed it? The pumpkin shell isn’t just for peter, peter pumpkin eaters’ wife....

Decorating You’ll Fall For

EASY FALL CURB APPEAL We LOVE fall and everything that comes with it! Apple picking, pumpkin patches, outdoor gatherings with family ends, cooler temps, and of course… decorating!...

Make a Scarecrow ~ A Local Tradition!

Our annual Make a Scarecrow event began more than 20 years ago to provide Hampton Roads residents a family fun event while raising funds for the Children’s Hospital of the...

Get this look!

DO IT YOURSELF SUCCULENT JAR What plant is easy to grow, hard to kill and can be planted anywhere? You are probably familiar with one of the most famous succulent...

It seems we can’t find what you’re looking for.

Laxmi Jayaraj (Lux)

Jul 2025

McDonald Garden Center feels like a second home. Plants are always healthy and well cared for. Staff are warm, patient, and generous with their wisdom.

K. F.

Feb 2025

Had a great time at Plantopia HousePlant Adoption Day. Plants are top notch, great selection. Staff are awesome, friendly and knowledgeable, and give great tips.

John Vaquerano

Jan 2023

Marissa and Erin treated us like long lost nursery mates. I got great advice, and will definitely be back. I highly recommend this place.

Elizabeth Cannon

Jun 2025

Associate helped me pick the right planter, fertilized him, and topped with decorative rocks. All for an incredibly reasonable price and caring smiles.

Sebastian Mot

Jan 2020

This place is MASSIVE and has anything you could ever want. The succulent selection is huge, and the staff is very helpful.

Joyce Drakeford

Jan 2019

So knowledgeable. Friendly service each and every time. Find the perfect plant for every spot in your yard. Been a customer for years.