New Announcements
1. Please send us info on your plant sales! Submit them as biweekly items or send them directly to Devon dvj@vt.edu:
2. 2025 Extension Master Gardener College Save the Date: June 10-15 in Blacksburg!
· Brag boards: We plan to display paper poster brag boards (rather than the digital versions). Our current plan is that we will have poster easels to display flat posters (not tri-folds or other accessories)
3. Webinar Series
· Feb 18, 2025 – Turfgrass Management and Disease Prevention with Elisabeth Kitchin: This session will cover essential practices for maintaining turfgrass lawns, including proper mowing, irrigation, and fertilization. It will also explore strategies for preventing, identifying, and managing common turfgrass diseases, with practical advice for achieving healthy, resilient lawns Register for the Feb 18 webinar here
· March 11, 1:00 pm | Sustainable Vegetable Production with Ashley Jernigan: This session will cover management practices that affect the soil biological processes necessary for sustainable crop production, with a focus on nutrient management and soil disturbance. It will also explore soil biological communities, their role in plant growth, and how you can assess soil biological health. Register for the March 11 webinar here
· April 7, 2:00 pm | Horticultural Therapy & Therapeutic Horticulture: Definitions & Examples of Practice with Leah Diehl: Leah Diehl, Director of Therapeutic Horticulture at Wilmot Botanical Gardens and Lecturer in the Environmental Horticulture Department at the University of Florida will discuss horticultural therapy. Register for the April 7 webinar here
· All webinars are recorded and posted in the webinar archive
4. 14th Annual Gardening Symposium: Plant Nurture Grow – Loudoun County Extension Master Gardeners – Saturday, March 22, 2025 – Academies of Loudoun, 42075 Loudoun Academy Drive, Leesburg, VA 20175 Join the Loudoun County Master Gardeners for our 14th Annual Gardening Symposium: Plant-Nurture-Grow on Saturday, March 22, 2025 from 9 am to 3 pm
5. Native Plant Communities, Big and Small – Virtual: Thursday, March 20, 6:00-8:30pm – Zoom – Join VMGA for their Spring Educational Event: Native Plant Communities, Big and Small! VMGA Spring 2025 Continuing Education: From the multi-acre meadow creation/restoration to the quintessential English cottage garden, Maddie Bright and Brett Harris will elaborate on the science and practical aspects of native plant ecology as it relates to native plant meadows.
· Speakers:
i. Maddie Bright is the Executive Director at Earth Sangha where she has worked full-time on native plant conservation since 2011. Bright has worked closely with ecologists, botanists, and park managers across the Northern Virginia region on plant conservation and ecological restoration projects over the years. She regularly teaches for Arlington Regional and Fairfax Master Naturalist Chapters.
ii.Bert Harris, Ph.D. is the Co-Director of The Clifton Institute, a nature center and research station on 900 acres in Warrenton. Harris researches and develops actionable ecological restoration for landowners, with an emphasis on native plant and animal communities. PhD, University of Adelaide Australia. Adj. Professor at American University and George Mason University.
6. GPMGA Winter Webinar: State Agencies for VA Gardeners – March 5 – Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardeners Association would like to announce our 2025 Winter Webinar to be held on March 5, 2025 from 9:30-noon. This year, the focus is on learning more about the valuable information that our VA State Agencies provide for gardeners and how we may support the work they do. Our speakers are Kevin Heffernan from the VA Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Stephen Living from the VA Department of Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR). You can find more information and the registration link on the attached flier.