June 2007 Unit Reports
ALBERMARLE COUNTY, and CHARLOTTESVILLE (Piedmont MGs) Jacki Vawter	Our membership is 130+ this year. Our two major fund raising efforts of the year have taken place. We held the annual Spring Garden Lecture Series in March with presenters Barry Glick, Joe Murray, Marion Lobstein, and Kenneth Lawless. On May 5, our fourth annual plant sale was held. In other news, we have received our 501(c) 3 status from the federal government. We have begun a demonstration garden in cooperation with Monticello Associates. Our revised website is worthy of your time. Check it out at www.piedmontmastergardeners.org.
ARLINGTON, ALEXANDRIA (MGs of Northern Virginia) Vivian Ballard	Our five demonstration gardens are up and running, and the plant clinics at the three Farmers' Markets have begun their season too.  Our spring public education programs included 3 on lawn care, 2 on composting and a hands-on pruning workshop.  Continuing education for our master gardeners was an advanced classroom presentation on woodies identification in April followed by a workshop at the National Arboretum in May.  Our annual fundraiser, the plant sale at Green Springs on May 19, was a success.  website: www.mgnv.org
BEDFORD Patty Gamache	Bedford MG's have just completed an Anniversary Garden with the Thaxton Elementary School children.  Starting this fall, the students (grades 1-6) will be working on the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Project.  An Environmental garden that will be produced by the students.  4th thru 6th graders (award winning students)  will be the "needs team" teaching along with Bedford MG's a chemical free garden.  Gardens will be put in phases such as design, establishment, etc. involving each grade. This is proving to be a rewarding experience for all Bedford MG's and Thaxton Elementary School.
CARROLL, GRAYSON and city of GALAX (MGs of the Blue Ridge) Charlie Whittle	Programs/Projects: Heirloom vegetable garden at Matthews Historic Farm, public event July10. Final layout of the memorial garden at Southwest Virginia Training Center completed. Other projects include Grayson Highlands SP, Blue Ridge Music Center, America’s Anniversary Gardens in Hillsville & Galax.
CHESTERFIELD Lynn Foote	The Grass Roots program has closed for this year and is currently accepting applications for next year. This year 349 applications were accepted and processed. The pilot “Gardening for New Residents” has accepted 37 clients with a maximum of 50. There are 10 teams of 2 that have been trained and after completing the pilot will give feedback on the program for any revisions that need to be made. Starbucks is sponsoring Composting Clinics at their Bellgrade store. There will be 5 clinics with 2 Master Gardeners. The MG’s have been invited to the Chesterfield Berry Farm Days to represent VCE at 5 different festivals this summer. It will be set up like a plant clinic but will also provide information on the crop in celebration that week, such as, tomato, cantaloupe, sweet corn, green peppers. Fall public seminars which are held in all the libraries, are now being scheduled. They will include such topics as: Rain gardens, gardening in boggy areas Woody Ornamental Selection and Care Grow a Greener lawn 5 dates Gardening for Birds and Butterflies Composting Pruning Shrubs Pruning Small trees Leaf Management WWW.Chesterfield.gov/extension
FAIRFAX - Green Spring Unit Joan Richards	Green Spring Master Gardeners (MGs) helped out at the April and May garden markets culminating at the May 19 Garden Market where more than 40 vendors brought plants for sale to the public. MG volunteers worked at an information tent each Saturday providing help with garden questions. MGs staff information tents at three area Farmers’ Markets once a month as well as working Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Fairfax County VCE Master Gardener Help Desk. Farmers’ Markets are held May through October while the VCE Help Desk is a year round project. Following 10 hours of training in March, MGs are now conducting tours of some of the 22 demonstration gardens at Green Spring Gardens Park under a program called Garden Stroll and Tea which is open to the public every other Thursday from 1 to 3. A forty-five minute tour led by a Master Gardener is followed by an authentic English Tea in the 1777 historic manor house. During the spring and earlier this month, Master Gardeners taught the sessions of the Basic Gardening Series, spoke to garden clubs and formed several committees to work on outlines as well as presentations on popular topics for delivery to garden clubs or homeowners associations. A “high tech” group is working on Power Point presentations while the “low tech” group is working on display/demonstration boards, covering sought-after topics. Other MGs work at the reference library at the Green Spring Horticulture Center and assist with Children’s Garden programs.
FAIRFAX - Merrifield George Graine	The April Fairfax Unit Report noted commencement of a new program on gardening classes at senior centers. This pilot program has now drawn to a successful conclusion. A detailed report on the program was prepared by Susan Renna, Fairfax County Master Gardener Coordinator. Contact her by e-mail for an electronic copy of this excellent report including plans for the future (susan.renna@fairfaxcounty.gov). www.fairfaxmastergardeners.org
FLUVANNA Pat Platt	Our plant sale was a big success with a lovely selection of unusual things to try growing. The Horticultural Help Desk at the weekly Farmers’ Market and at the extension office has had many inquiries to challenge our members. The garden at the Senior Center is a weekly activity and plans are already underway for several fall projects. But, meanwhile, we will enjoy our summer meetings in the gardens of several of our members with a picnic lunch after the July meeting. www.fluvannamg.org
FREDERICKSBURG, STAFFORD, SPOTSYLVANIA, KING GEORGE, and CAROLINE COUNTY (Central Rappahannock) Kay Kimmell	Master Gardeners worked at the Fredericksburg Earth Day event at Alum Springs Park; The Arbor Day events at the Marshall Center, Spotsylvania; Spotsylvania Community Resource events; and at library plant clinic booths in all four counties. King George County introduced The Caledon Wildlife Area to the First Saturdays in the Garden Program series 2007. Spotsylvania master gardeners facilitated the “ Meaningful Day” public schools field trip for 4^th Graders to historic Oakley Farm’s outdoor classrooms featuring Extension Agents from planning Area 16, Adam Downing from Madison County, the Virginia Departments of Forestry, Game and Inland Fisheries, and the Tri-County City Soil and Water Conservation District. This program is presented in the Fall and also in the Spring to include all of the 4^th Graders in the county during the same school year. The children are introduced to the agricultural products and resources of Virginia. The event promotes conservation training and the enjoyment of natural resources in Virginia. Linda Chaney, Master Gardener and President of the Fredericksburg Area Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society, organized a group of volunteers for the second annual plant restoration project at Lake Anna. Guy Mussey lead Tree and Plant I.D. walkabouts on the beautiful campus of The University of Mary Washington in the Spring. Contact Guy at the Stafford VCE gmussey@vt.edu for your name to be placed on the notification list for the next University of Mary Washington Tree and Plant I.D. series opportunity. Ann Gorrell, herbalist, and Anita Tuttle, botanist, coached gardeners at the Kenmore Plantation’s First Saturdays in the Garden program for June. www.mgacra.org
GOOCHLAND, POWHATAN Chuck Miller	Our Third Annual (and best ever) Spring Garden Fest was held at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College on April 28 with over 240 attendees.  We continue with the Plant Clinics held at Dirty hands Garden Center in Powhatan and Southern States in Goochland as well as continued maintenance and upgrades to the demonstration gardens at Hidden Rock Park in Goochland and sensory garden and nature trail at Fighting Creek park in Powhatan.  Coming in July will be Camp Gooch in Goochland for 6-12 year olds at the YMCA.  And in Powhatan, Nature Quest, an educational partnership with 4-H will continue monthly into the fall.  Continued attention to the Historical Garden, a collaboration with the Powhatan Historical Society, recreates plants grown in the 18th century. And our last meeting was really a picnic at Hidden Rock Park.  Great food and companionship was topped off by many rousing games of Plingo (plant bingo).  Finally, we are making plans to be at the Powhatan County Fair and the VMGA booth at the State Fair, both in Sept.  web site: www.gpmga.org
JAMES CITY COUNTY / WILLIAMSBURG Ann DeForest and Anne Odle	Thanks to Kari Abbot, Youth Environmental Program, for entering the brag board display at MG College at VA Tech, and winning the category of Children and Youth. June's "Taking Root" Farm Tour, in New Kent County to 4 diverse farm businesses. where visitors met the farm families and learned about agriculture in our community was a big success.  Featured farms were Dream Catchers at the Cori Sikich Therapeutic Riding Center, Forestry Products & Woodlot Mgt., Squirrel Hollow Goat Farm, and Allen's Vegetable Farm. Our annual plant sale netted $4,086 in profit due in part to partnering with the John Clayton Native Plant Society and its plant sale. Aug. 18th 8-4, the VA Tech Turf Team will hold Turf Love program for the community at JCC Community Center, Longhill Rd.  $12 includes lunch/materials/3 sessions/discussion areas.  Website - www.jccwmg.org.
LOUDOUN Dave Hellums	The President’s Volunteer Service Award was presented to 24 Loudoun County Master Gardener Volunteers in March 2007. The ceremony took place at Rust Sanctuary in Leesburg, Virginia. This program recognizes individuals, families and groups that have achieved a certain standard, measured by the number of hours served over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime. Awards were handed out in three categories, the Bronze Level which reflected volunteers who had logged between 100-249 hours, the Silver Level which reflected volunteers who had logged between 250-499 hours, and the Gold Level which reflected volunteers who had logged 500 hours or more. Additional information can be found at www.presidentialserviceawards.org. Twenty-seven students completed the Master Gardner training program and began serving as Interns the last week or March 2007. Website – www.loudouncountymastergardeners.org.
NELSON Kathryn Skinner, Patricia Bailey, Shirley Wilson	The May Garden Problems and Solutions tour for the public proved to be very successful.  Three gardens of different types were on display as MGs conducted visits for 30 people to these varied sites.  The challenges of shade, sun and rocky soil were presented. Nellysford Farmers' Market where members staff the help desk every Sat. May through Sept.   Questions range from bugs, to die back to the most appropriate plants for the area. Humpback Farm National Park Service Site on the Blue Ridge Parkway has MG demonstration gardens.  Chaired by Bunyan Fortune, the garden has corn, string beans, squash, tobacco, onions, potatoes and rhubarb as well as a kitchen and a medicinal herb garden.  Bunyan and other MGs have an opportunity to talk with people from all over the world about horticulture in 19th c. VA. The Horticultural Therapy project with the Lovingston Senior Center has been very successful in engaging seniors in growing flowers and tomatoes.  When they aren't growing they are involved in wreath-making and other horticultural related projects.  The Wintergreen Nature Foundation Project saw members relocate trillium last fall to an area that was away from construction.  The spring blooms proved the success of this move. The Nelson County Festival, June 23-24, is another opportunity to answer horticultural questions from the large number of people who come to visit the livestock exhibits, wine tasting and music venues.
NORFOLK Don Snipes	Norfolk Master Gardener Volunteers participated in planting red, white and blue plants in pots decorating some downtown streets for Sail Virginia, which is a part of the annual Harborfest activities. Our spring plant sale at the Stockley Gardens Arts Festival was a success. The Green Thumb Lecture Series, sponsored by MGVs from Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach recently ended.  This was the first year that the Norfolk Botanical Garden was a co-host of the series.  Hopefully we will be able to continue this arrangement in future years. website - www.nmgv.org
NORTHUMBERLAND, LANCASTER, RICHMOND, WESTMORELAND and ESSEX (Northern Neck) Jenny Estell	On June 5^th students and parents were invited to an open house at our final SUMS session in the Lancaster Primary School ABC garden. The children conducted a tour of the garden for a parent or Master Gardener. After refreshments made from plants in the garden, the children gathered bouquets of flowers to take home. More teachers are beginning to use the garden, and several took their classes out to the garden to relax after SOLs. Our shoreline teaching garden at the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum is thriving. 40-50 additional plants and grasses were added last month. After visitors tour the museum, they are encouraged to visit the garden to observe plants that are beautiful to look at, prevent erosion, and withstand salt water intrusion. On August 11^th we will be offering a program on lawns and alternatives to lawns – Beautiful Yard, Healthy Bay – Lawn care for Northern Neck Homeowners. Anne Olsen, one of our Master Gardeners, and Matt Lewis, our agent, will teach homeowners how to have an attractive yard while reducing pollution and run-off into our creeks, rivers, and the bay. website - www.nnmg.org
ROANOKE, BOTETOURT, CRAIG and city of ROANOKE Kathryn Debnar	The Roanoke Master Gardeners have completed a very successful plant sale and a new fundraiser event....SPRING TEA.   While we are busy getting ready for MG College, we also look forward to presenting a second public Fall Educational event.  In the full glory of the summer season, relax and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
VIRGINIA BEACH Paul Campbell	Virginia Beach Master Gardeners participated in HistoryFest on the Virginia Beach Boardwalk celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the Jamestown Landing. Displays were available outlining the History of the Virginia Beach area. Arbor Day was celebrated at the Lynnhaven House in Virginia Beach, Master Gardeners and Tree Stewards were present and assisted in the event. The Mayor and other City officials presented awards to the winning school for their participation and activities in support of Arbor Day. The Virginia Beach Master Gardeners held a very successful Plant Sale at the Farmer’s Market the day before Mother’s Day. All plants were propagated, grown and sold by Master Gardeners. Orientation classes were conducted in preparation for a new Master Gardener Class in September. Additionally, tours of the Hampton Roads Agriculture Research Extension Center as well as Francis Land House were provided to individuals wishing to participate in the new class. website - www.vbmg.org