Upcoming Events
Piedmont Master Gardeners
Spring Lecture Series
Thursdays: March 5, 12, 19, 26
7:00 p.m.
Albemarle County Office Building, 5th Street Extended, just off I-64*
March 5, Tim McCoy, “Pesticides and Pollinators: What Gardeners Should Know”
March 12, Doug Tallamy, “Nature’s Best Hope: Creating a Vibrant Ecosystem in the Home Landscape”
(*Please note the different location for this lecture which will be Lane Auditorium in the Albemarle County Office Building at 401 McIntire Road.)
March 19, Keith Nevison, “Year-round Vegetable Gardening”
March 26, Robyn Puffenbarger, “Robins to Raptors: Observing Birds in Our Backyards”
Admission is $8 for each lecture and may be paid at the door or online in advance at piedmontmastergardeners.org/events (when online payment is set up for this event). For more information, visit piedmontmastergardeners.org/events or call (434) 872-4581.
Blue Ridge PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management)
Invasive Plant Workshops
Friday, March 6
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Blandy Experimental Farm
400 Blandy Farm Ln, Boyce, VA 22620
Thursday, March 19
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Rockfish Valley Community Center
190 Rockfish School Ln, Afton, VA 22920
Wednesday, March 25
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Ivy Creek Natural Area
1780 Earlysville Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22903
These seasonal workshops will enable you to learn how to confidently identify and manage invasive plants, using best seasonal practices for each invasive. Treatments include herbicides plus manual and mechanical control methods. There will also be an opportunity to identify plants, so bring samples of your mystery plants for identification. Each session includes classroom and outdoor instruction (weather permitting) and discussion. The Blue Ridge PRISM is a project of the Shenandoah National Park Trust, which is a 501c3 nonprofit and the fiscal sponsor of the Blue Ridge PRISM. The $25 workshop fee covers the cost of materials and space rental. For more information and to register go to PRISM.
McIntire Botanical Garden’s 3rd Annual Ian Robertson Legacy Lectureship
“Reclaiming the City: A Focus on Human Centered Design,” Mikyoung Kim
Sunday, March 8
Farmington Country Club
1625 Country Club Cir, Charlottesville, VA 22901
Shop at a market of local vendors and hear from MBG’s lead designer, Mikyoung Kim, whose work around the world focuses on the healing properties of public landscapes. Kim and her team, including Waterstreet Studio, have recently won the prestigious American Society of Landscape Architects’ Honor Award for our Garden design!
Lecture fee is $55. Proceeds support the design of the Garden. Seating is limited, so we encourage you to reserve your place now. See link for full schedule of events and to register.
Virginia Native Plant Society Jefferson Chapter Meeting and Presentation
“Native American Plant Use” with Steve Pullinger
Wednesday, March 11
7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Ivy Creek Natural Area
1780 Earlysville Rd., Charlottesville 22903
Steve Pullinger brings his experience as a Master Naturalist, avid organic gardener, beekeeper, and homesteader for over 20 years producing roughly 80% of their food. He will discuss how Native Americans used plants in their daily living and how we could similarly use them today. He will discuss local flora and the role each plays, edible plants, and medicinal plants. In addition, he will briefly touch on basic survival needs and supplies. Attendance is free. For more information please see this link.
Virginia Master Naturalists and Montpelier
Montpelier’s Nature Exploration: Magnificent Trees of Montpelier
Saturday, March 14
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
11350 Constitution Highway
Montpelier Station, VA 22957
This walking tour is led by Virginia Master Naturalists in cooperation with Montpelier. We will visit many old giant trees around the property and learn how to determine the height and width of these specimens. $10/person. Please register here.
Virginia Native Plant Society State Workshop
“Earth’s Climate: Present, Past, & Future”
Saturday, March 14
Earl Dickinson Building, Piedmont Virginia Community College
444 College Drive, Charlottesville Virginia 22902
For a schedule of events and to register: https://vnps.org/events/vnps-annual-workshop-2020/
Sierra Club Program
“The Serpent in the Garden: Friend or Foe?” with Larry Mendoza
Sunday, March 15
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
McIntire Room, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library
201 E. Market St., Charlottesville VA 22902
How do I tell the difference between a venomous snake and a non-venomous snake? What do I do if I get bit? Do black snakes keep venomous snakes at bay? Can we co-exist with our slithery friends? Larry Mendoza with the Virginia Herpetological Society will be answering these and other questions about these fascinating creatures and their connection to people. This talk will cover the natural history, identification, distribution, physiology/anatomy, and other interesting facts about these fascinating and highly evolved animals that have been around since the days of the dinosaurs. In addition, Larry will be bringing some of his slithery friends for the audience to meet and interact with. For more information, please see this link.
Shenandoah Valley Plant Symposium
“A Gardener’s Palette”
Friday, March 20
8:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Best Western Inn and Conference Center
109 Apple Tree Lane, Waynesboro, VA 22980
Go to this link for a full listing of conference speakers and topics, and to register.
Piedmont Master Gardeners Garden Basics Class
“Grow Your Own Vegetables”
Saturday, March 21
2:00 – 4:00 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Growing vegetables is easy! Learn how to prepare, plant and tend your vegetable garden. COST: FREE, BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. HOW TO REGISTER: Send your name and name of class to info@piedmontmastergardeners.org
Virginia Native Plant Society Jefferson Chapter
Monthly Plant Walk
Saturday, March 21
9:00-11:00 a.m.
Ivy Creek Natural Area
1780 Earlysville Rd., Charlottesville VA 22903
Led by VNPS members, these walks are offered jointly with Ivy Creek the third Saturday of the month from March-November. Meet at Ivy Creek Natural Area Kiosk. The walks are free and all are welcome. For more information, please see this link.
UPCOMING EVENTS IN APRIL
Virginia Native Plant Society Jefferson Chapter Meeting and Presentation
“Shale Barrens” with Tim Williams
Wednesday, April 8
7:30 – 9:00 p.m.
Education Building at Ivy Creek Natural Area
1780 Earlysville Road, Charlottesville 22903
Much of Virginia west of the Shenandoah Valley is composed of Devonian age shale. Where the shale slopes face south, the daytime temperatures can exceed 120˚F and moisture is exceedingly rare. These slopes are mostly barren of plant life and are given the name of Shale Barrens. Even so, about 30 species of plants occur mainly or exclusively on these barren slopes. Their closest relatives live in the deserts of Utah and the American Southwest.
Well-known local botanist Tim Williams will discuss the plants that live in the shale barrens. They range from asters to clementis, pinks, umbels, mints, clover, wall flowers, evening primrose, and even ferns and club moss. There is no fee; for more information please see this link.
Piedmont Master Gardeners Garden Basics Class
“Gardening with Annuals”
Saturday, April 18
2:00 pm – 4:00 p.m.
Trinity Episcopal Church
1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Learn how to plant and maintain popular and unusual annual flowers to add color and variety to your garden. COST: FREE, BUT REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED.
HOW TO REGISTER: Send your name and name of class to info@piedmontmastergardeners.org
Pharsalia Farm and Event Space
Workshops starting April 16
233 Pharsalia Road, Tyro, VA 22976
An historical farm built in 1814 at the foot of dePriest Mountain in Nelson County, Pharsalia offers one-day plant growing workshops. Starting in mid April and continuing through the summer, workshops offer a variety of topics:
- Growing and Using Culinary Herbs
- Dahlias and Heirloom Mums for a Colorful Fall
- Early Spring Flowers at Their Best
- A Passion for Peonies
- An Extravagant Profusion of Peonies
- The Bounty of Spring Flowers
- Gloriously Captivating Hydrangeas for Cutting
Registration ranges from $85-175, and includes a catered lunch. For more information and registration, go to https://www.pharsaliaevents.
Blue Ridge PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Managment)
“Encouraging and Planting Natives Following Removal of Invasives”
Wednesday, April 22
12:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Northside Library
705 Rio Road West, Charlottesville, 22901
You have worked hard (and are still at it) to remove invasives and you want to encourage native plants to return. How do you do this? Will they come back on their own? If you need to plant natives, which ones should you choose? Experts will help you with all these questions and more. This workshop is FREE, but registration is required. Please register here.
Virginia Native Plant Society Jefferson Chapter
Annual Plant Sale
Sunday, April 26
All day
Ivy Creek Natural Area – Barn
1780 Earlysville Rd., Charlottesville, 22903
For more information, visit this link
UPCOMING EVENTS IN MAY
Piedmont Master Gardeners and Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards
2020 Annual Plant Sale
Saturday, May 2
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
On the lawn at the Shops at Stonefield
The Piedmont Master Gardeners Association and the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards will again host their annual plant and tree sale on the lawn at the Shops at Stonefield. To be held rain or shine, the sale will offer more than 5,000 plants, including annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, houseplants, shrubs and trees. Among them will be a large selection of native plants and other plants that support pollinators. In addition, a variety of “green elephants” will be available, including pots, garden décor, tools and more. During the sale, Master Gardeners will staff a Horticulture Help Desk and will provide ten-minute tutorials on “Planting and Caring for Tomatoes” (10:30 a.m.), “Why Plant Natives?” (11:30 a.m.) and “Deer-Resistant Plants” (noon). Please join us on May 2nd from 10 am to 2 pm out on the lawn at the Shops at Stonefield.
40th Spring Wildflower Symposium at the Nature Foundation at Wintergreen
Friday-Sunday, May 15 – 17
For more information as the event draws closer, check https://www.twnf.org/nature-events/
Did you have the plant sale in May? I thought it may have been rescheduled due to the Covid virus restrictions.