New Announcements

1. MEET THE NEW DIRECTOR OF VIRGINIA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION – Wednesday, January 25, 2023 from 2:00 – 3:00 PM

• Dr. Mike Gutter joined Virginia Cooperative Extension on November 1, 2022 as the new director and associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. With the understanding that Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) brings science-backed information to everyone they can reach within the commonwealth, Dr. Gutter wants VCE to continue to ask “How can we help?” Join us on January 25th to hear Dr. Gutter discusses his vision for Virginia Cooperative Extension to become the go-to partner for community-engaged work, technology transfer, workforce development, rural community social issues and much more. Register for this Zoom session at: https://aimsbbis.vt.edu/meetvcedirector 

2. Indoor Plant Clinic – Saturday Feb 4, 2023 – Bowman Library, Frederick County

• The Northern Shenandoah Valley Ext Master Gardeners will have a clinic on Saturday Feb. 4 at Bowman Library. There will be speakers on plant propagation and a kids table. The MGs will have free house plants that you can pot up and take home. Information will be available on what kind of plants are appropriate for the indoors and how to maintain them when you take them home. The event is free and no registration is required.

3. Seed Swap Date Change – Saturday February 4, 2023 – Louisa Baptist Church, 305 East Main Street, Louisa, VA

• The Louisa Extension Master gardeners have a date Change for their Seed Swap. The date is now February 4, 2023 with an inclement weather date of February 11, 2023.

4. Save the Date! Green Spring Extension Master Gardeners 2023 EcoSavvy Symposium, “Feel-Good EcoSavvy Gardening: Good for You, Good for Our World” – March 4, 2023 – Live Zoom Event

• The VCE Green Spring Extension Master Gardeners invite you to their 19th annual EcoSavvy Symposium, “Feel-Good EcoSavvy Gardening: Good for You, Good for Our World” on Saturday, March 4th, 2023 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM via live Zoom streaming. Come spend two hours with us learning from Kathleen Wellington, LPC, Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional, how gardening affects your physical, mental and spiritual health and from Laurie Fox, PhD, how to apply sustainable gardening techniques using plants to reclaim contaminated soil and groundwater. Registration opens on January 31. Call 703-642-5173 to register or register online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes. The registration code is: “GRF.K8L9 (virtual)”. Cost is $25 for Fairfax County residents and $27 for out of county residents.

5. Indoor Plant Clinic – February 4, 2023 – Bowman Library, Frederick County

• The NSVMGA EMGs will have a free Indoor Plant Clinic. We will have 3 speakers and topics include Plant Propagation, Topiary and Orchid care. Speakers start at 11 am and continue every 45 minutes. Attendees will be able to plant a division, rooting or cutting from house plants and take them home. www.nsvmga.org/events 

6. Register Now for the Green Spring EcoSavvy Symposium – March 4, 2023 – Live Zoom Event

• The 19th Annual EcoSavvy Symposium, Feel-Good EcoSavvy Gardening, Good for you, good for our world. Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM – Live Zoom Event. The Green Spring Extension Master Gardeners invite you to join them for two fascinating presentations exploring the healing power of gardening upon our physical, mental and health and the restorative power of sustainable gardening upon all of us and our world. Kathleen Wellington, LPC, Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional will introduce us to the cultural and scientific history of how gardening affects your physical, mental and spiritual health. Laurie Fox, PhD, Horticulture Associate, Virginia Tech then will illustrate sustainable gardening techniques using plants to reclaim contaminated soil and groundwater. Presented by: VCE Green Spring Master Gardeners. Registration 703-642-5173 or online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/parktakes. Cost: $25 in county/$27 out of county. Code: GRF.K8L9 (virtual)

7. Gardening in the Valley Symposium – March 11, 2023 – Shenandoah University, Winchester

• Save the date for the Gardening in the Valley Symposium. The symposium will be held at Shenandoah University, Henkel Hall. Check our website for more information. Topics this year include, The Ecology of the Garden, The Journey from the Vineyard to the Tasting Room, Intentional Garden Design, The Best Flowers for the Best Life and Fungi of Appalachia and Home-Grown Mushrooms. Cost will be $65 per person and proceeds go to our NSVMGA Memorial Scholarship Fund. www.nsvmga.org/events/symposium www.nsvmga.org/events/symposium 

8. International Master Gardener Conference 2023 – June 18-22, 2023

• Registration is open for the 2023 International Master Gardener Conference in Kansas this June. Early registration of $397 runs through March 1. It includes 5 keynote speaker presentations, 8 rounds of concurrent sessions, a trade show and 6 meals. If you enjoyed our 2021 virtual conference in Virginia, you’re sure to love the opportunities that are available during this in person conference! Learn more at www.imgc2023.com. 

Old January Announcements

9.             Seed Exchange at Blandy Farm – January 28, 2023 – Virginia State Arboretum, Clarke County

• Annual Northern Shenandoah Valley VCE Master Gardeners will have their annual free seed exchange at Blandy Farm in Clarke County on Saturday, Jan. 28.  It is free admission and free parking at Blandy to get your choice of flower, vegetable, shrub and tree seeds.  The doors will open at 2. There will be a book and magazine swap.  Bring your extra seeds to share. Please check the Blandy website to make sure you are not bringing any invasive seeds. MG website is nsvmga.org for more information and the Seed Exchange flier is attached.

10.          Central Rappahannock Area Extension Master Gardeners’ 7th Annual Seed Swap – January 28, 2023, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm – Rowser Building, 1739 Richmond Hwy., Stafford VA. 

• Save your seeds and the date for our 7th Annual Seed Swap! Bring your packaged and labeled seeds and any garden related items you want to trade (such as books, magazines, pots, tools, plants and cuttings). Don’t have seeds to swap? Come anyway! There will be speakers, children’s activities, a trade table for garden items, free seeds and more. Garden Talks: “Quick Fixes for Disturbed Soils.”  Pat Reilly will offer dos and don’ts to help you achieve optimal soil health while minimizing weeds and seeing your landscapes thrive! And “Winter Sowing: Make Growing Seedling Fun and Easy.” Lisa Waddell will demonstrate a method of starting seeds outdoors in the winter thus eliminating the use of grow lights and trays. Visit https://www.mgacra.org/ for additional information.

11.          NSVMGA Seed Exchange at Blandy – Saturday Jan 28, 2023 – State Arboretum at Blandy, Clarke County

• The Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners will have their annual seed exchange at the State Arboretum at Blandy Farm in Clarke County. Doors will open at 10 and the event runs until 2 pm.

 

Old February Announcements

13.          Louisa EMG Seed Swap – Feb 4, 2023 – Louisa Baptist Church, 305 East Main Street Louisa, VA 23093 

• Chase Away Those Winter Blues by Collecting Seeds and Starting Plans for Your Spring Garden! Please join the Louisa Extension Master Gardeners for their First Seed Swap to be held at the Louisa Baptist Church, 305 E. Main Street Louisa, VA 23093. The  free Seed Swap will be held on Saturday, January 28, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Educational gardening demonstrations, literature and information will be available.  Basket raffles and door prizes will be awarded at the event. 
  Please join us to beat those Winter Blues! Read more here.

14.          IMGC 2023 Search for Excellence Open – Deadline February 6, 2023

• Submissions for the International Master Gardener Search for Excellence are open now! Virginia EMGs are encouraged to submit. Deadline is February 6. https://imgc2023.com/awards-submissions-2/

15.          Shade Gardening – February 6, 2023, 7-8 pm – Zoom program

• VIRGINIA BEACH MASTER GARDENERS PRESENT GARDENING TALKS: Join us on Monday, February 6, 2023, at 7 pm via ZOOM for a Gardening Talks presentation on: Shade Gardening:  Presented by Stacie McGraw, VCE Virginia Beach Master Gardener, Explore the differences between full and part shade gardens, as well as dry and moist shade.  Plant selection for each will be discussed, along with how to sneak in spring color and year-round interest.  We’ll also look at the adaptations that allow shade plants to thrive in low light conditions: Gardening Talks is presented via Zoom and is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.  No registration is required.   Gardening Talks are one hour. Go to VBMG.org  and click on the Zoom link!  Check out upcoming Gardening Talks for 2023 as you explore our website!

16.          5th Annual Prince William Native Plant Symposium – Saturday, February 11, 2023 – Verizon Auditorium George Mason University

 

Old March Announcements

16.          In Your Own Backyard: 2023 Gardening in the Northern Neck seminar – Saturday, March 25, 2023 – White Stone, VA

• The Northern Neck Master Gardeners (NNMG) have announced the date and theme for the 2023 Gardening in the Northern Neck seminar (GNN). The theme of the 2023 seminar is “In Your Own Backyard.” Gardening in the Northern Neck will be held on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at the White Stone Church of the Nazarene, 57 Whisk Drive in White Stone. This will be the 29th Gardening in the Northern Neck Seminar. Speakers will be Heather Holm, a biologist, pollinator conservationist, and award-winning author; Barbara Pleasant, an avid gardener and award winning author; and Edward Olsen, Virginia Cooperative Extension Horticulture agent for Henrico County. The fee for the seminar is $50. Lunches will be available for an additional fee. Additional information is available at nnmg.org/gnn/. Registration forms will be available on February 1, 2023, at www.nnmg.org/gnn.

 

Old April Announcements

17.          MGACRA Spring Symposium “Flower Power: From Roots to Blooms” – April 1, 2023 — Gari Melchers Home & Studio, 224 Washington St., Falmouth, Virginia, 22405. 

• The Master Gardener Association of the Central Rappahannock Area invite you to join us for our 11th Annual Spring Symposium “Flower Power – From Roots to Blooms” . Spend the day with us learning how to grow beautiful flowers in your garden. We have three guest speakers: back by popular demand – Bryce Lane presenting two sessions “Understanding Garden Soils” and “Accenting Your Landscape With Color”, Stacy Chapman “Westwind Flowers – From our Field to Your Vase”, and Nancy Berlin “Container Gardening With Northern Virginia Natives.” All attendees will be able to explore the gardens at the Belmont Estate, spend time in their outstanding museum gift store, and visit with fellow Master Gardeners. Tickets are $80.00 which includes a full day of thought-provoking lectures focusing on purposeful gardening and includes morning coffee/tea & light breakfast, a delicious buffet lunch, and afternoon cookies. Registration is now open. You can register online at https://www.mgacra.org/2023-spring-symposium.html 

Old Announcements

18.          Save the Date! MG College 2023

• Save the date for Master Gardener College 2023! MG College will take place on Virginia Tech’s campus in Blacksburg from June 8 – 11. Tree Steward training will begin the day before on June 7th. More information about sessions, tours, and speakers will be announced through our Master Gardener College In Season in the coming months. We look forward to seeing many of you in June!