AMHERST, CAMPBELL and LYNCHBURG Al Thompson	The Hill City Master Gardener Board approved a donation of $100 a year for the next five years to be paid to the Virginia Tech Endowment Fund to support the cost for a State Coordinator.  The 2005 Master Gardener training class graduated nineteen interns April 21st.   Festival of Gardening (FOG) was held the first Saturday in May.  It is the largest annual fund raiser for the Hill City Unit and the proceeds support our school and community projects.
BRUNSWICK, LUNENBURG, MECKLENBURG & NOTTAWAY (South Central Master Gardeners) Nancy Drewry	During the months of March, April and May, the Brunswick Ext. Office with the help of some of our master gardeners and some current interns co-ordinated a gardening program for some of Meherrin-Powellton Elem. students.  Proceeds from a grant from International Paper were used for materials and supplies.  This program consisted of several 8'x16' raised beds for cold crop veg. gardens.  The 45 students worked with soil, seed, renewable resources and planted gardens and a few trees.  The highlights of the program will be to harvest the produce before school ends and a tour of International Paper in Franklin, VA.
CHARLOTTESVILLE AND ALBERMARLE COUNTY (Piedmont Master Gardeners) Jacki Vawter	The Piedmont Master Gardeners of Charlottesville and Albemarle County have opened their Help Desk for the season and just completed six evenings of a Spring Garden Lecture Series for the community.  Total attendance was 450 for lecture series.  The PMG second annual plant sale will be held Saturday, May 7.  Membership is at 223.  Monthly membership meetings are planned for all of 2005.  PMG is currently researching the idea of creating a 501(c) 3 and would appreciate hearing from other groups who have accomplished this.
CHESAPEAKE Pinky Derieux	We sponsored a bulb giveaway in February at the Chesapeake Arboretum with bulbs donated by W. R. Vanderschoot, Inc. We asked for donations for the bulbs and received a total of $615, which we shared with the Arboretum. The Arboretum also received 27 signups for annual memberships. On April 12, we graduated 29 interns. Annual plant sale is scheduled for April 29 and 30. May 6 is the date for our Regional Advanced Training. Chesapeake MGs will participate in the Chesapeake Jubilee May 19 thru 22 with an agricultural display and plant doctor table. The Steering Committee has approved a $100 donation to the Endowment Fund.
CHESTERFIELD Dawn Lerch	Chesterfield Master Gardeners presented an advance training symposium Horticultural Horizons…Looking Down the Garden Path on April 21^st at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA. It was well attended by MG’s from throughout the State. The gardening industry does treasure the Master Gardener program as over 50 donations were provided for door prizes, as well as many items for the complimentary ‘goody’ bags. Thank you to all who attended and provided for this successful symposium.
FAIRFAX George Graine	MG Training. Ten training sessions for day and evening MGs were completed in March. Our Extension Agent taught an additional class for all MGs. This class emphasized how we were expected to deal with the SOD/Phytophthora ramorum problem. Ready-Set-Grow. 46 MGs supported 84-4^th grade classes as compared to 39 MGs and 78 classes in 2004. Both Fairfax and Green Spring work in this program. As a result of feedback/evaluations by MGs and teachers, several improvements are planned for 2006, e.g., more training sessions for MGs. Annual Class Reception. On April 6, Dr. David Carr, Curator at Blandy Farm (Virginia Arboretum) was the guest speaker. His topic was “Floral Diversity: Tales of Betrayal, Deceit, Incest, and Occasionally True Love.” Plant Clinics. Approximately 330 plant clinics have been scheduled for May thru the end of September at 8 farmers markets, 7 libraries, and various special events. Additionally, a horticulture help line in the extension office will operate 3 hrs/day M-F commencing April 1 to the end of October. After October the help line will operate on a more limited basis. Speakers Bureau. A help session on how to improve presentation techniques will take place on April 14. MGs in this program will be available to speak to community groups, homeowner associations, and garden clubs on a variety of topics.
FAUQUIER Jim Scibek	Spring activities are multiplying for Master Gardeners in Fauquier. We wound up our successful winter lecture series in Bealeton, and our spring lecture series in Warrenton begins in early April with a talk by Master Gardeners Kaye Cooper and Jeannie Heflin on "Growing Vegetables for Healthy Gourmet Eating." The series continues in May with a presentation on "Gardens and Garden Photography" by Laura Stephens of the Northern Virginia Audubon Society, and winds up in June with a talk by Master Gardener Maryanne Sparks on "Dealing with Spring Landscape Pests." Master Gardener Brian Martin will also give a separate talk at the Warrenton Library on Choosing Landscape Plants on May 11. Our new MG class of 24 interns has begun helping with our activities, and one individual has already completed her 50 hours of service! But with our "Ready, Set, Grow!," Phone Hot Lines, Farmers Market plant clinic, Rady Park arboretum, and demonstration garden at #18 Schoolhouse projects all getting underway, plenty of projects need their helping hands. We're also planning to participate in Prince William County's "Spring Fling" on April 23. Saturday, April 16 will bring our Spring Plant Swap meeting at Rady Park, and we will use our new brochures to tour the arboretum.
FLUVANNA Pat Platt	As spring blossoms pop out everywhere, we are happy to be outdoors again with several projects – planting at both the Childrens’ Garden at Central Elementary and the water garden at the Middle School and preparing the Heritage Garden site at Pleasant Grove. At the county AG Day, we helped each county 4^th grader and their teachers plant tomato and zinnia seeds in mini-greenhouses to take home along with instructions in how to care for and transplant them. Final preparations are underway for our annual Flowers, Flowers, Flowers seminar and plant sale on April 30^th.Our Horticultural Help Desk phone line is up and running for this growing season. Check out our website at www.FluvannaMG.org to read more about what we’re up to.
GOOCHLAND-POWHATAN Alexandria Haselman/ Chuck Miller	Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardeners are busy with the final preparation details of our Spring Garden Fest at the West Campus of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, 9 am - 3 pm on April 30.  There are 4 class sessions with 17 different classes available, several repeated a second time.  There is a session for children 6-12 led by the 4-H.  Also, there will be educational displays, composting demonstration, vendor booths, and food service.  We hope that this will become an annual event.  Other activities are well underway.  Our Trainees, for the first time, had a mandatory 3 hours service at both Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens and Maymont to help repay them for the use of their staff in our training program.  All 20 Trainees completed that service as well as their training course and are accepted as Interns.  Our Green 'N Clean Program has begun to analyze clients' yards (soil samples, instruction, fertilizer and plant recommendations) and presentations are scheduled in April for Powhatan and Goochland to explain the service.  We have also begun our Educational Outreach at Southern States in Goochland and Dirty Hand's Nursery in Powhatan to help clients with gardening problems.  We have selected a site for the Dec. 10 VMGA meeting to be hosted by our unit.  We plan a dedication of the Helen Pearson Sensory Garden on May 14.  (Helen is a VMGA member and long time supporter of our unit.)  This garden was planned by us and partially constructed by a Boy Scout as part of his Eagle Award requirements.
HANOVER Cheri Haggerty	Since February the Hanover Master Gardeners have been gearing up for the busy spring season. Some of our activities include: ¨ Another aggressive Plant Clinic schedule. We have already had 6 and have 9 scheduled for April ¨ Staffing the Garden Carts at Lewis Ginter ¨ We have set up a committee to assist the MG Coordinator in day to day activities, taking these responsibilities back from the association. ¨ We now have 225 active MGs after a December deletion for inactivity. ¨ According to the VCE office, hours reported for 2004 are up 15%. We again have an enthusiastic class of Interns. What makes this so exciting is the fact that they all work during the day yet are eager to volunteer
NELSON Maudie Ratliff	We recently conducted a small fruit sale at Oak Ridge Estate with MGs giving seminars on site preparation and growing instructions. Our major intent was to distribute information and encourage people to grow more small fruits. Sunday, May 1 is our annual pre-Mothers' Day plant sale near Rockfish Community Center. This is our major money making project and is a great way for the community to secure a variety of plants at a reasonable cost. All plants are grown by MGs or are dug from their gardens. This sale is held in conjunction with other plant venders.  Nelson County MGs are on line now at www.nelsonmastergardeners.org. Currently our site has information about MG projects, a calendar of events, published newspaper articles and continuing education events as well as links to numerous other horticultural sites.
NEW RIVER VALLEY Bill Gottert	The classes with the Hahn Hort Garden finished on March 26 with Brent Heath (Brent and Becky's Bulbs) giving a morning class on Pest Resistant Bulbs and then spending the afternoon doing container plantings with bulbs.  We have finished up the interviews for our new Master Gardener Coordinator.  Our plant clinic schedule is set for the spring.
NORFOLK Don Snipes	Twenty Norfolk Master Gardener Trainees became MG Interns April 7th. Our spring plant sale will be at the Stockley Gardens Art Festival, May 14-15. A spring bus tour to J. C. Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, NC and the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill, NC will leave and return on April 22nd. The VA. Master Gardener license plate bill has been passed by the General Assembly and is awaiting the Governor's signature. It will become law July 1, 2005.
NORTHERN NECK Ginny Estell	Our plant clinics began on Saturday April 2nd at the Irvington Farmers’ Market (the first Saturday of the month) and will continue at the Heathsville Farmers’ Market on April 16 (the 3^rd Saturday of the month). Each month we will have a different theme on an appropriate horticultural topic as well as be available to answer any horticultural related questions. On April 21 and 22 we will be presenting a day long program to all third grade classes in Northumberland and Lancaster Elementary Schools on Shoreline Ecology. We will end the day with an Arbor Day celebration during which we will we will give each student and teacher a tree to take home and plant as well as assisting the students in planting a tree on the school grounds. On May 13 and 14 the Master Gardeners will participate in the “Just Gardens” tour to benefit The Haven - a shelter and services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in the Northern Neck. In addition to being docents in all of the gardens, three of our Master Gardener’s gardens will be included in the tour.
PRINCE GEORGE Cheryl Sebera	On April 13 at Farm Day, Master Gardeners will teach 2^nd graders about tomatoes, giving each class a plant to take care of. Annual Plant Sale is set for May 7. This is in conjunction with Heritage Gardens. A Jr. Master Gardener program is being implemented. Greater Tomato Contest is underway, getting information to the public and lining up businesses. Information about the Grass Roots Program is hitting the newspapers soon. We have 23 interns eager and ready to volunteer.
ROANOKE Kathryn Debnar	Roanoke Unit has 85 active members and interns. There is a very busy schedule for educational clinics on the calendar.  One of our members has been nominated for the Spirit of America Award, along with our local 4H Team.  Our unit has fully funded four scholarships to this summer's 4H camp event, as we have in the past.  We have also set aside $1000 for Master Gardener College scholarships for current members.  Our unit was happy to host David Close at our April general membership meeting, and present him with a check for $100 for the Endowment Fund.  We look forward to a productive spring and summer, as do all Master Gardeners.
ROCKBRIDGE AREA Ted Jenks	Graduation for our new class of 19 very promising trainees was held on Tuesday, April 5, at Boxerwood gardens in Lexington, VA. Antique roses and a doctor's medicinal garden, the backyard sanctuary of a poet and a private garden will be three stops on our spring bus jaunt over the mountains to Lynchburg on April 26th. Our ninth annual Plant Sale & Clinic will take place on Saturday, May 14, from 8:30 to noon at Waddell Elementary School in Lexington, VA – rain or shine.
VIRGINIA BEACH Liz Maurer	There were 5 city employees and 24 citizens in our intern graduating class. VBMGs helped prepare trees for the Virginia Dare Tree Sale and assisted with the sale. The MGs and Tree Stewards participated in Arbor Day at Mt. Trashmore. We will assist with the Regional Green Thumb Series for the public which will be held Tuesday nights from 5/10 to 6/28 at Va. Wesleyan College. Our Spring Plant Sale is scheduled for Saturday, May 14 from 9am to 5pm at the Farmer’s Market. Ready, Set, Grow is underway in the schools. In May, training sessions will be held in preparation for Bugs, Birds and Blooms - a VBMG children’s camp scheduled for the weeks of 6/20 and 7/18 at the Farmer’s Market. 2^nd Grade students guided by VBMGs will tour the HRAREC Display Gardens during the week of 5/16. VBMG Plant Doctors and garden tour guides will participate at the July meeting of the Va Butterfly Society at HRAREC
WISE COUNTY (Sourhwest Master Gardeners) Barbara Hayes	Sharon Daniels, along with MG's Cecile Dingus, Patsy Stephens, and Barbara Hayes demonstrated air layering at our public library on March 22nd.  The public is invited to watch as the plants progress. On April 14 we graduated 10 new Master Gardener Interns.  They have had to work hard as 4 classes had to be postponed due to snow. We are still helping with the Estonoa Wetlands project.  They are planting trees and shrubs over the next few weeks.  The goal is for all to be done before the end of April.