VMGA Unit Reports August 2008
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Northeast District
The Chesterfield County MGs have
had a busy summer. They completed 316 Grass Roots clients with 475 soil
samples. The New Resident’s Program has accepted 35 applications. The Urban
Tree Specialist MGs have made 4 site visits and there was a great article in
the Richmond Times Dispatch about the program.
The final Rain Barrel
workshops were completed on July 16 and MGs assisted with the preparation and
instruction. The interviews for the MG class of 2009 will take place at the end
of August.
The fall seminar series began
on August 12 and there will be 14 talks scheduled through September 18 and 116
people have registered for seminars. There will be scheduling for fall plant
clinics at garden centers soon. There have been many requests for speakers at
garden clubs and other organizations.
The MGs continue to man the
phone lines on a daily basis. The MG table at the Chesterfield County Fair will
be manned all day and October 1st and 4th the State Fair
will have Chesterfield MGs on duty. The Chesterfield MGs will be involved in
horticulture education with the residents of the Angus Road Habitat for
Humanity neighborhood. Also, several MGs
will help in the spring with the Women’s Diversion Center to plant and plan a
vegetable garden.
Come visit us at:
www.chesterfield.gov/extension
Hanover:
In additional to the
well received, compost and vermicomposting demo, the Landcare Stewards have plans
for a “firewise house” demonstration State Fair. Master Gardener Units with
Landcare Stewards are encouraged to Volunteer.
The State Fair will be staffed with Master Gardener’s from many units
across the state. This year, we are
adding a DNA Lab to our presentation in addition to the Insect cage, pruning
and mulching demos.
Master Gardeners and
interns participated in the Hanover Tomato Festival and reported 442 contacts,
one third of these contacts were youth.
Hanover Master
Gardeners will be volunteering during the Lewis Ginter Plant sale (September
19, 20th) and The Green Industry Garden Festival, September 20 at
the Science Museum. There will be speakers from Tech as well as Richard
Nunnally and Andre Viette. HMGA has
reserved a booth which will feature a plant clinic.
Fall home Gardening Classes are being
scheduled for home owners on consecutive Saturday’s during October.
Gloucester
The lazy hazy days of
summer are upon us but that has not hindered the pace of our continued
contributions to the Gloucester community.
In May Gloucester opened a Farmers Market and
we have set up a booth to answer questions and assist customers. Eco-Expo in June was a huge success serving
over 500 students.
A field trip and lunch in July gave us a
chance to just sit back and enjoy each other’s company in a different venue.
The upcoming Plant Extravaganza and
participation in the Gloucester, State and Guinea Fairs will help usher us into
cooler temperatures and beautiful fall colors.
Happy gardening – look forward to seeing you in October/December.
James City / Williamsburg
Master Gardeners Leanne Dubois, the Extension
Agent who worked with Master Gardeners, left us on July 21. She has accepted a
job with the Virginia Department of Agriculture as the Manager of Marketing for
Specialty Crops and Direct Marketing. We wish her the best but are very sorry
to see her go.
Our Water Quality/Conservation Seminar in May was well
received.
Super Turf Saturday will be August 16, 2008, from 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M. at Lafayette
High School.
Kari Abbot and her team of MG'S received the Natural Resources/Environmental
Education award by the National Association of Extension 4-H Agents. www.jccwmg.org
On September 20, 2008 the Newport News Master Gardeners will present
the half-day event Go Green - $ave Green at the Virginia Living Museum from
8:45am – 12:00 noon followed by a one hour demonstration and hands-on activity
period. The program is designed to offer
homeowners Earth friendly landscaping, lawn care and water use techniques that
are money saving and practical. The
event is in conjunction with the VLM’s Fall Native Plant Sale.
The mission of the event is twofold.
First, it is designed to expand the number of citizens engaged in
healthy landscape practices. Second, it
is to provide additional educational opportunities to those in our community
who already use gardening techniques that are environmentally sound. The program is free of charge and open to the
public. 8:45 -1:30.
Speakers and their topics include:
*Laurie Fox, Horticulture Associate of the Virginia Tech
Hampton Roads AREC, on “Sustainable Landscaping” and “Buffer Zone Landscaping”.
*Lisa Ziegler, The Gardener’s Workshop, on “Fall Planting
for Spring Blooms”.
*Bill Garlette, Newport
News Master Gardener, on “It’s Alive – Soil, Composting, Bugs and Weeds” and
“Fall Lawn Preparation”.
*Peggy Fox, Newport
News Master Gardener, on “Rain Gardens”.
*Libby Carmines,
Newport News Master Gardener on “Rain Barrels”.
Northern Neck:
The Northern Neck
Master Gardeners had considerable success in holding rain barrel workshops
for the citizens in this part of Virginia. These hands-on workshops
demonstrated an economical way to collect rain water for the homeowner's use on
their gardens or house plants. (Typically, our local well water
here has a high sodium content which adversely affects plant growth.)
Empty, heavy gauge plastic barrels were obtained from a N.C. pickle processor
at a nominal cost. We cleaned them up, drilled holes, and then offered a
hands-on demonstration on how to install a brass spigot, an
overflow spout, and mosquito screening. A local hardware store
"packaged" the necessary parts in zip-loc bags for our use.
Northern Neck
Master Gardeners acted as hosts at the annual "Just Gardens"
charity event. Several of the gardens on the tour are owned and
lovingly tended by our Master Gardeners. Donations amounting
to $11,700 were raised for the local battered women's shelter this year.
Over 30% of our
Master Gardeners came out one evening to the Northumberland Courthouse where
the County Board of Supervisors were holding hearings on budget cuts. We
were there to support our VCE Agent's rebuttal to their proposed cuts,
especially for the part-time employee in the VCE office. Our show of
support was instrumental in the Supervisors' restoration of salary money for
Margie Beane, a Master Gardener and WEB master for NNMG.
Virginia
Beach
The
Virginia Beach MGs will be assisting at the All America’s Horticulture Field
Day at the Hampton Roads AREC on September 9 and 10.
The
VBMG will be hosting their 9th Annual Community Gardening Festival
on September 13th from 9 to 3 at the Hampton Roads AREC, located on Diamond
Springs Road in Virginia Beach. This Festival will include speakers, societies,
exhibits, etc., is free and open to the general public.
Northern District
Central
Rappahannock Area
The First Saturday programs continued in July at the Fredericksburg
library with "Keeping your garden alive and thriving in the heat of summer
and throughout the year." In August the program was held at Belmont
with guided tours of the butterfly garden, grassy meadows and woodland
paths given by the staff, Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists.
Our August Master Gardener
general meeting featured Shelly Arthur, a landscape designer from Richmond and
a member of the Association of Progressional Landscape Designers, speaking on
healing gardens.
The new Master Gardener training class will begin September 16.
Central
VA Master Gardeners (Louisa)
The Central VA Master
Gardeners will be participating in the Second Annual Heritage Harvest Festival
held on September 6th at Monticello’s Tufton Farms. This is a family
event which includes special workshops for the kids. Everyone will have an opportunity to see the
presenters’: Carl Linnaeus, the Father of Taxonomy, Samuel Hilles, Dr. Arthur
Tucker, Co -Authors of “The Big Book of Herbs” and garden guru Felder Rushing
will present workshops on “Slow Gardening” an herbs. For more information go to the festival
website www.HeritageHarvest Festival.com the events are free, the workshops will have
a small fee.
Master Gardeners participated in the Louisa
Country Agricultural Fair as judges, building sitters and educators, giving out
much gardening advice and publications.
Plant Clinics continue every Saturday from April through October at the
library and local farmers market.
Green Spring Master
Gardeners (MGs) have continued to work at information tables at three Farmers’
Markets each week, set up displays at libraries on topical garden issues and
lead tours of the demonstration gardens at Green Spring Gardens.
A series of four basic gardening classes in September and October will be taught by MGs: September 12th Ornamental Grasses, September 26th Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects, October 10th Native Plants in the Landscape and October 26th Selecting and Maintaining Garden Tools.
The new class for
interns will begin in early September and will conclude prior to
Thanksgiving. Classes meet Tuesday and
Thursday afternoons from 1 to 4.
All Green Spring MGs
and interns will meet Tuesday, August 12th. In addition to socializing with fellow MGs,
opportunity will be provided to discuss items of interest and new projects and
programs.
Finally, Saturday,
September 27, Green Spring Gardens is hosting a Fall Festival. Master Gardeners will staff a table from 9 to
3 with a display on planting trees and shrubs.
They also will be giving a demonstration on planting two shrubs at 11:30
AM and at 2 PM.
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/gsgpntative
Loudoun
County Unit Report
LCMGs are busy selling bulbs for our fall bulb sale.
We continue with our Lunch & Learns in the Demo Garden on Tuesdays at noon.
We have started "Saturday Morning in
the Garden." We offer educational talks, garden tours and activities
in the Children's Garden.
Our unit is organizing to help at the
Loudoun County Fair July 28 to August 2, the Lucketts Fair August 22-24
and the Bluemont Fair September 19-22.
Our volunteers continue with gardening clinics at Leesburg Farmer's
Market, Purcellville Farmer's market and Lowe's at Dulles Crossing Plaza.
loudouncountymastergardeners.org
The WTMG installed a new slate of officers
in June. They are enthusiastic and ready
to go. Our unit is hard at work on the
Junior Master Gardeners Day Camp as well as planning for exhibits and a plant
clinic to be held at the Isle of Wight County Fair in September. We will be hosting the Regional Training in
Smithfield on October 25.
All five members who
attended Master Gardener College came back enthused and anxious to share what
they had learned. We will be utilizing their knowledge to train others.
Our School Programs
in five of Lynchburg’s City’s Schools have settled down to us just watering and
weeding through the summer. Our School
programs will pick back up in September.
The Master Gardeners are keeping busy this summer at several community
centers throughout the city.
We continue to staff
the phone in the office to assist our Extension Agent Don Davis with
horticulture questions. We also staff a
booth at the Community Center every Saturday morning.
Website –
www.hcmga.com
DMGs assisted with "Butterfly Thyme" June
7th at the Danville Community Market
To benefit the Danville Butterfly Station. Vendors sold herbs, plants and garden related
products.
On July 7th DMGs gathered at Baleau Park in
Danville for the annual MG picnic.
Brag Boards from MG College were displayed and
everyone enjoyed hearing details of MG College from our attendees.
On August 4th at 7:00 at the regular monthly
meeting of the DMGA, Brenda Sutton from Reidsville, NC will present a program
on growing shitake mushrooms. The
Public is invited.
Norfolk Water Stewards are
beginning a rain garden project at the Virginia Zoological Park in
Norfolk. It will probably take a week to complete and it will eliminate
the water runoff problem with the fountain area at the zoo. Other
projects are pending for the Water Stewards. Don Snipes
www.nmgv.org
Rockbridge Area
VMGA’s annual June picnic was held on Thursday, June 26, and included
election of new officers: Barbara Thomas, president; Nancy Smith, vice
president; Tracy Smith-Oliver, treasurer; Penny Wilson, secretary; and David
Mims, VMGA representative. On May 10 our
annual plant sale and clinic took place and, once again, was very successful
with 2000 plants sold, and earning over $5000 for our organization. Once again
RAMGA and the Rockbridge Regional Fair sponsored the ever-popular Horticulture
Show. RAMGA’s own Barbara Thomas won the
Award of Merit for best perennial in the show.
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