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AMHERST, CAMPBELL and
LYNCHBURG (Hill City MGA) Al Thompson |
Thomas Jefferson’s
Tomatoe Faire was held August 6, at The Aviary at Miller Park,
Lynchburg, VA. Hosted by the Hill
City Master Gardener Association and the Lynchburg Council of Garden Clubs, Inc.,
and supported by Virginia Corporative Extension. Money from the sale of
tomato sandwiches will be used to support our HCMG programs. website - www. HCMGA. com |
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CHESAPEAKE Pinky Derieux
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Chesapeake's PAR
Program has donated 3,000 pounds of vegetables and fruit to the Harvest
Assembly of God Church for residents in need. The local newspaper ran two
articles featuring the PAR Program complete with pictures as well as an
article highlighting Chesapeake's winning the Youth Education Award from VMGA
at MG College Brag Night. Have started a year
round Propagation Program where classes are offered in propagating
trees and shrubs for future projects.
Created a Power
Point class for CMGs to
become proficient in Power Point presentations. Our Scholarship Committee
will feature a Fall Plant Faire at TCC on October 15 and the proceeds
will be used to broaden our scholarship program. website - http://www.chesapeake.va.us/services/depart/agricul/master-gard.html |
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CHESTERFIELD Dawn Lerch |
The ‘Grass Roots’ program has been a huge success this year with 317 clients signing up for a MG to give an on site consultation of their turf. The visit includes measurement of turf area, soil test and a booklet, compiled by the Chesterfield Ext. Office, of VA Tech turf maintenance information. The ‘Grass Roots’ program helps define the new Chesterfield County Extension brochure, “Don’t Feed the Lake” – or in fact any waterway – by Best Management Practices in your own backyard. MG’s have also helped instruct Public Seminars on Lawn Care, Composting, Shrubs and Woody Ornamentals, and Shade Gardening. For more details check the website: www.chesterfield.gov/extension. To keep our MG’s on the cutting edge advance training is continually offered, with the latest topic a Weed ID Field Trip. And recently many MG’s attended the 4-H Jamestown summer camp where they had fun instructing some of the workshops. We are looking forward to the Class of 2006 which has 26 applicants so far. |
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FAIRFAX George Graine
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and 30 plant
clinic questions at our booth. Story in Washington Post/Fairfax section (Aug 4)
about the Fairfax MG program. It
featured our laboratory facility, locations of plant clinics
throughout the county, and an overall explanation of the program and history
of MGs/Extension in VA. Washington Times/Metropolitan section (Jun 22) featured the Fairfax Representative to VMGA in a primarily shade gardening article including photos. Also interviewed for the article were Adria Bordas(Fairfax Ext. Agt.), Monica Lear (Arlington Ext. Agt.), Robert DeFeo (Horticulturist, National Park Service), Robert Pritchard (Gardener Supervisor, U.S. Botanic Garden), Audrie Whitney (Past President, Landscape Design Council), and Diane Berndt (MG, Fairfax Unit). To date 67 people have applied for 2006 MG training that
will start in January. |
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FLUVANNA Pat Platt |
Our summer meetings have been held in members’ gardens where we picnic, discuss business and dig up plants to share as well as a tomato tasting in August. The Horticultural Help Desk has been in full swing – helping our county residents with their gardening problems. The archeological dig at the Haden House in
Pleasant Grove County Park is now complete.
As soon as the final report is done, we can begin working the garden
plot and planting the heritage kitchen garden. We will hold a hypertufa workshop to make these interesting planters to sell at the Fluvanna Old Farm Day. website - www.fluvannamg.org |
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FREDERICKSBURG, STAFFORD, SPOTSYLVANIA, KING
GEORGE, CAROLINE (Central
Rappahannock) - Don Saunders |
There were more than 100 attendees at our July First Saturday in the Garden at Ferry Farm, the boyhood home of George Washington. Visitors learned about using herbs in their cooking. On Aug 6th, First Saturday was hosted by
Belmont, the estate of the artist Gari Melcher. More than 250 visitors
learned about cutting gardens and flower arranging. As usual the
Butterfly garden was a big hit. Our cookbook can be ordered by contacting Ann Gorrell at anngorrell@cs.com |
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GOOCHLAND/ POWHATAN Alexandria Haselman |
We also said goodbye to our extension agent Robert Harper, who has been an invaluable resource and supporter of our group. The Amelia Public Library is another project in the works. We continue to sponsor our Green 'N' Clean program serving the local community and man the phones at the Extension Office. Alice Smith and her committee are putting out articles on invasive species and our members manned the information booths at Hertzler's Farm Show. website - www.gpmga.org
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HALIFAX (Southside VA) Bill McCaleb |
During the past two months we have been busy providing public educational programs. Twice in June we offered a pruning workshop at the South Boston YMCA, demonstrating proper shrub and hedge maintenance methods along with fruit tree maintenance pruning. We had speakers at two
different functions in the county speaking on soil and water quality and
protection as well as water gardening and “Bulbs for Spring Beauty”. During July three Master Gardeners attended the Halifax Junior 4-H Camp at Smith Mountain Lake and taught classes. Two were involved in the “Miracle Growers” and one of our MGs helped teach “Healthy Food for Good Nutrition. We are also providing a “Help Desk” at the South Boston
Farmer’s Market again this year.
We are also working on our Educational Booth presentation at
the 97th Halifax County Fair in October. |
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HANOVER Cheri Haggerty |
Staffed a booth at the Tomato Festival with a hands on
project for youth…Chia Pets created from the dreaded "gumball".
Over 300 contacts. Sponsored a Daylily Workshop and Tour with
40 attendees. Started our Land Steward Training with more than 10
MGs. Very intense but getting rave reviews! |
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NELSON Maudie Ratliff |
The Horticulture Help Desk in the Extension Office is a busy place as we work to identify and provide information about plants, shrubs, diseases, pests, etc. It is a great learning experience for anyone assisting there. At the Farmers' Market in Nellyford, MGs have a VA Extension Service table set up each Sat. where people can receive information and assistance and be referred to the Horticulture Help Desk for additional help when needed. Also we have fielded many questions through our Early
American Humpback Rock Garden, a new project for us, located on the Blue
Ridge Parkway. We also have timely articles that appear regularly in the
Nelson County Times. |
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NEW RIVER VALLEY Bill Gottert |
We now have 24 projects that we are working
on. They cover the areas from youth to nursing homes.
Working with our new Hort agent, Barry Robibson, and our new
coordinator, Wendy Silverman, on IPM, and pesticide safety and education. Also looking to add a "Butterfly Garden"
to the Community garden. |
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NORFOLK - Don Snipes |
Norfolk is working on its new web site which should be operational by the next newsletter and linked to the VMGA site. Also we have added one new work project: a youth garden in the Ocean View area supervised by NMGV. We are hosting Advanced Regional Training for
all master gardeners in the area at Norfolk Botanical Garden Friday, 21
October 2006. Master Gardener license plate applications number
in the low 50's. We need 350 by end of the year. Please send your forms
to Tom Bolt as soon as possible. |
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NORTHERN NECK Jinny Estell |
We are in the process of expanding the garden at Lancaster Primary School. The garden was originally designed to be used with 3rd grade children participating in an after school enrichment program - SUMS. At the suggestion of the school administration and with the support of the teachers we will expand the garden so that it may be used to enhance learning experiences for all the children in the school from pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade. Of course, we will continue using the garden for the after school SUMS program. We are revising and up-dating our “Gardening in the Northern Neck” publication. We hope to produce a product that will be particularly helpful to newcomers to the Northern Neck with basic horticultural information specific to our area as well as an emphasis on environmental and shoreline protection. We have received at $900.00 grant from the Northern Neck Chapter of the Virginia Garden Club, distributed over 3 years, to be used for plans, markers and a brochure describing the plantings in the teaching garden at George Washington’s Birth Place in Westmoreland County. |
ROCKBRIDGE AREA
Ted Jenks |
Once again RAMGA and the Rockbridge Regional Fair sponsored
the ever-popular Horticulture Show. RAMGA’s own Jane Comstock won the
Award of Merit for best perennial or biennial. On August 27th the Master Gardeners’ will have
a booth at the Rockbridge Community Festival providing an important public
relations opportunity to present good horticultural practices and
advertise the Master Gardener Program. As the new additions to Natural Bridge Elementary
have consumed the former garden area, a new garden will be created this
fall. |
VIRGINIA BEACH
Liz Maurer |
Ready, Set Grow youth education committee finished up the spring semester by breaking all previous records! They introduced over 1,800 first and second graders to horticultural concepts. In June they also ran a week of Bugs, Birds and Blooms Camp, always great fun for the day campers at the Farmer’s Market. VBMGs will host the September 10th VMGA Fall Education Meeting at the Hampton Roads AREC. The week after, we will hold our 6th Annual Community Gardening Festival also at the AREC on September 17th. VBMGs will also help with Farm Days and Harvest Fair youth activities at the Farmer’s Market in October. We're looking forward to hosting the October 8th VMGA meeting. website - www.vbmg.org |
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YORK COUNTY
Jackie Lohr |
Our Peninsula
Tree Stewards are putting the final touches on the Jamestown 4-H Camp
plant inventory for their 400th anniversary wetland’s
boardwalk. We are also developing a brochure for the Charles Brown Park
wetlands for the same reason. Our Jr. Master
Gardeners have planted a small billboard-like flag garden along
the street at the learning garden to tests types of plants they might like to
use next year when they showcase the flag. Some of us will
be attending the water steward training this month. In the meantime we are soldiering on with lawn
clinics, safety town (the poisonous plant class), phone duty, 4-H
Camp support for York County students and Hort therapy. |