New Announcements
1. 2025 Extension Master Gardener College Save the Date: June 10-15 in Blacksburg!
2. Continuing Education Survey: Take this quick survey to give us some information about your Continuing Education needs: EMG CE Survey
3. Allium leafminer – Participate in a citizen science project to monitor the spread of this new pest of alliums!
4. State EMG Office CE Webinar Series
· 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
5. Northern Neck Master Gardeners 31st annual Gardening in the Northern Neck Seminar – March 29, 2025 – Church of the Nazarene, 57 Whisk Dr., White Stone, VA 22578 – More info on the Norhtern Neck event in the flyer here
· Mark the date, note the location, and get ready for it: the Northern Neck Master Gardener’s 31st annual Gardening in the Northern Neck Seminar (GNN) 2025 returns to White Stone Church of the Nazarene on March 29, 2025! Come for the camaraderie with fellow gardeners, come for the legendary homemade goodies at the hospitality table, come for the information from fantastic speakers, and lastly, the Marketplace with stunning yard art selected just for the event!
This year’s theme, “Gardeners: Caretakers of the Environment” will entice with information on fabulous plants that make a huge impact and emphasize the importance of creating a garden that encourages biodiversity.
The three renowned speakers are: Dan Benarcik, of Chanticleer Garden, who will share with us the 25 plants that he could not garden without; Alyssa Morel-Ford will teach us how to welcome fireflies and other wonderful guests to our gardens; and Peggy Singlemann, host of the television series Virginia Home Grown, will present “Connecting the Garden to our Environment.”
Michelle Kramer, Northern Neck Master Gardener president, states she is excited by the outstanding speaker lineup and about the NNMGs taking part in the Marketplace by offering both plants and yard art for the first time.The funds GNN raises will be given out to local students for 4-H and college scholarships. New this year is the Diane Kean scholarship in honor of a beloved Northern Neck Master Gardener who we lost in 2024.
The seminar fee is $50. Lunches will be available for an additional fee. Registration forms will be available February 1 at www.nnmg.org
6. Winter Webinar: Connections with VA State Agencies – DWR and DCR – March 5, 9:30am – More info on the Goochland-Powhatan webinar in flyer here
· Topic: Connections with VA State Agencies – DWR and DCR Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardeners Association would like to invite you to join 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 and services 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 on the attached flier. Registration link: https://virginiatech.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9CkuF_stRdGTvq0Ty0pBEA#/registration
7. Suffolk EMG Plant Sale at the Earth & Arts Festival – April 26, 2025 – Historic Downtown Suffolk – Suffolk’s EMG plant sale is again part of the Suffolk Earth & Arts Festival. Volunteers will have an assortment of native perennials & shrubs, ready-to-plant vegetables, fruits, and herbs, and a variety of other perennials, annuals, and trees to add to your garden at reasonable prices. A free native tree giveaway is planned, along with an Ask a Master Gardener booth and recycled garden tools sale. Proceeds support VCE MG programming in the City of Suffolk.
8. Plant Communities Large and Small – March 20, 2025 6-8:30pm – VMGA Spring 2025 Continuing Education – More info on the VMGA CE webinar here
· Speakers:
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.
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.
So, whether a landowner has acreage that they want to restore with a native plant meadow, or a small plot in their yard, Bright and Harris will give you, the Master Gardener, the science and practical knowledge needed to teach the gardening public in your area.
Register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJ6nC6CmI6r8ite4ddjHyDuCyoBhgAMuOoOjJX-GR-78cWIQ/viewform You will be sent a Zoom link the week of the
9. GPMGA 18th Annual Spring Garden Fest – April 26, 2025 – Reynolds Community College 1851 Dickinson Rd, Goochland, VA
· The 18th Annual Goochland Powhatan Master Gardener Associations Spring Garden Fest will be held 8am-3pm April 26, 2025 at Reynolds Community College, 1851 Dickinson Rd, Goochland, VA 23063. This is a free, family friendly event that is a celebration of all things related to gardening. For a small registration fee you can sign up for 3 of the 12 classes being offered on topics including invasive and native plants, year-round color in the landscape, attracting birds and pollinators, deterring pests and disease, gardening in the shade, and organic vegetable gardening. If you like to learn by doing you can take advantage of hands-on workshops on building a rain barrel, propagating plants, and solving problems with Orchids (bring yours). Online registration and a complete list of these educational opportunities is available at
https://www.gpmga.org/spring-garden-fest
Old March Events
10. 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