PIEDMONT MASTER GARDENER GARDEN BASICS CLASSES ON ZOOM
Fall Classes
Saturdays, 2:00 – 3:30 PM
 October 17
“Bring in the Birds!” with Leigh Surdukowski.
Go beyond the feeder and make your yard a paradise for birds. Fill out a registration form by October 12.
November 21
“Water-Wise Gardening” with Deborah Harriman.
Become a steward of the environment by managing water efficiently in your landscape. Fill out a registration form by November 16.
Classes are FREE but registration is required. To register, fill out the appropriate registration forms above by the deadline indicated for each class.
2021 EXTENSION MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER TRAINING VIA ZOOM
Hosted by Virginia Cooperative Extension – Rapidan River Extension
For residents of counties: Charlottesville/Albemarle, Culpeper, Greene, Madison, Orange, and Fluvanna
Master Gardeners are volunteer educators, in partnership with Virginia Cooperative Extension, dedicated to working through community outreach education and promoting science-based, environmentally sound horticulture practices and sustainable landscape management.
Please join one of our upcoming orientation sessions on Zoom:
October 8, 6:00 – 7:00 PM
October 15, 6:00 – 7:00 PM
October 22, 6:00 – 7:00 PM
TO REGISTER AND RECEIVE A ZOOM LINK, contact VCE Culpeper County at 540-727-3435 or CAMILLA@VT.EDU
For More Info and Details on Applying
Albemarle/Charlottesville residents:
https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/volunteer/become-a-master-gardener
or bbthierwechter@gmail.com
For additional Albemarle/Charlottesville
orientation sessions, contact bbthierwechter@gmail.com
Fluvanna County residents: https://www.fluvannamg.org/
or sue.tepper2@gmail.com
Culpeper, Greene, Madison, and Orange Residents: https://www.rapidanrivermastergardener.org/
or camilla@vt.edu
See this flyer for further information.
BLUE RIDGE PRISM
Partnership for Invasive Species Management
TREATING INVASIVE PLANTS, FALL WORKSHOPS VIA ZOOM
(Cost is $10 per person)
Wednesday, October 7 (1:00 – 4:00 pm) – REGISTER HERE
Thursday, October 22 (1:00 – 4:00 pm) – REGISTER HERE
BLUE RIDGE PRISM QUARTERLY MEETING VIA ZOOM
FREE AND OPEN TO ALL
Wednesday, October 21
1:00 – 4:00 PM
Registration is required. See this link to register.
Rod Walker will update on PRISM initiatives, achievements, and goals. This update will be followed by two presentations.
Forest Health Update – Katlin Dewitt (Forest Health Specialist) from Virginia Department of Forestry will share information on the state of Virginia forests and recent invasives work. She will discuss forest health pests and how to identify and control them, as well as work involving goats for invasive control.
Spotted Lanternfly – Mark Sutphin (Horticulture Extension Agent with Virginia Coooperative Extension in Frederick County) will discuss the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF). This is a new invasive insect pest that first arrived to Virginia in 2018. Currently, the only known population in Virginia exists in Winchester, as well as the counties of Frederick and Clarke. It has the potential to threaten agricultural crops, forests, and home landscapes throughout Virginia. Learn how to ID, report sightings, and slow the spread of this terrible new pest. Also learn to combat this pest by eliminating SLF’s favorite host tree, the equally invasive Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima).
MONTICELLO’S FALL PLANT AND NURSERY SALE
David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center
931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, VA 22902
Saturday, October 17, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Sunday, October 18, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Fall is the perfect time for planting and the Monticello nursery will have a wide range of plants available for sale. Join us at the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center for three exclusive and physically-distanced plant sales. The Monticello nursery will have a variety of discounted perennials. Our knowledgeable nursery staff will be on hand to answer your gardening questions. Registration is required and space is limited. Registered guests will be allotted one forty-five minute reserved time to shop and purchase plants. Credit card sales only! Go to this link to register for your time.
MONTICELLO’S VIRTUAL HERITAGE HARVEST FESTIVAL
The Heritage Harvest Festival will offer 5 classes this year online, on a variety of topics. The first class is October 6, and the last class is December 5. See this link for a description of topics, dates, and times, and to register. Each class is $25, or you can register for all 5 for a package fee of $100. Ticket holders will receive class instructions and a list of any supplies, ingredients or materials required for the event. Please register early to allow adequate time to secure these items, as they are essential to the class experience.
HEARTFLAME GARDEN OPEN DAYS
Saturday, October 17
Sunday, October 18
1:00 – 6:00 PM
Heartflame Garden is a private garden located at 650 Sandy Bottom Road near Elkton, Virginia and adjacent to Shenandoah National Park. It is a lovely three-season display garden with about two acres of cultivated gardens and another four acres of rolling hills and streams to explore. The garden is open by appointment, and also offers “open” days when an appointment is not required. These mid-October open days will hopefully show the garden in fall-color splendor! Check this link for more information, including contact information.
IVY CREEK NATURAL AREA SELF-GUIDED OR VIRTUAL WALK
Co-sponsored by Jefferson Chapter Virginia Native Plant Society
and Ivy Creek Natural Area
First available for download on or about October 17
Take a virtual fall walk focusing on trees with Phil Stokes. He will seek out many of the 50+ species that naturally occur at Ivy Creek and explain the distinguishing characteristics that help identify them. With nuts and fruits present, identification is made much easier. See this link for more information on how to enjoy either a self-guided walk on-site at Ivy Natural Creek, or through a guided virtual tour. A list of native plants to be highlighted on the walk will also be available around October 17.
VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY POTOWMACK CHAPTER
“Native Plants and Birds” with Dr. Peter Marra via ZOOM
Thursday, October 8
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
VIRGINIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY JEFFERSON CHAPTER
“Ecological Gardening” with Dr. Debbie Delaney via ZOOM
Wednesday, October 14
7:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Dr. Debbie Delaney will join us in October for her talk on ecological gardening via Zoom Video Conference. See this link for more information.
Please email jeffvnps@gmail.com for Zoom access information.
Debbie Delaney is an associate professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where studies various aspects of pollinator health and productivity. She has over 20 years of experience working with native pollinators and honey bees. Her research program has four main focal areas: 1) genetic identity and diversity of US honey bees 2) temporal stability of pollinator populations and 3) best management solutions for creating sustainable managed pollinator populations 4) pollinator nutrition and forage mapping. Dr. Delaney works closely with Doug Tallamy at the University of Delaware.
This event includes three different sessions relating to native plants. Author Cole Burrell will be speaking during the middle session that begins at 1:00 PM. Addressing the topics of native plants and ecology, he will address the question “Can a Garden have Everything?” There will also be a session on Herbs for Healthy Living, and a Farm-to-Table Cooking Demonstration. These other two sessions are at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM, but only the 1:00 session will count toward CE hours for Piedmont Master Gardeners.
Registration opens soon; the cost is $10 per session, or $25 for all three sessions. See this link for information and to register.
JAMES MADISON’S MONTPELIER PRESENTS
Virtual Youth Nature Series: “Colors of Nature”
Saturday, October 17
10:00 AM
Virtually join Montpelier’s Horticulture team and the Virginia Master Naturalists as we explore how and why leaves change colors. We will demonstrate how to make a collage of different leaf shapes in a rainbow of colors. Register here now and we’ll send you a link to participate. You’ll also get a link to the recorded tour afterward, so if you can’t watch at the scheduled time, you won’t miss out! Member, free; nonmember, $10.
THE NATURE FOUNDATION AT WINTERGREEN
Hike with a Foundation Naturalist
Join a Foundation Naturalist for an interpretive hike and explore Wintergreen’s natural environment! These hikes are rated moderate to strenuous. Meet at Trillium House parking lot. Registration and payment due before event. Due to COVID- 19, we are following the state’s restrictions. See this link for information about the different types of hikes available, and to register.
The Nature Foundation at Wintergreen Greenhouse
Native wildflowers and shrubs are available for sale by appointment at the greenhouse on Thursdays & Fridays from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. There are about 1,500 mature native shrubs in 3-5 gallon pots in our inventory. Shrubs are grown from 2” cuttings of local ecotypes. There is also a good selection of local ecotype wildflowers. If you are interested in something specific, please contact Doug Coleman, director@twnf.org in advance; orders will be accepted at this email as well. For more information and a list of available plants, see this link. Customers will be given a date and time to pick up their plants at the greenhouse.
Presenters:
Eligio GarcĂa Serrano – Coordinator, Fondo Monarca
Eduardo RendĂłn Salinas – Subdirector of Terrestrial Ecosystems, WWF MĂ©xico
Colleagues in Mexico will share the work being done to protect and conserve monarchs and their overwintering sites within the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR). Register here and you will receive additional details about participating in the webinar on the confirmation page after registering. Links and instructions for participating will be sent out the week prior to the webinar.
EXTENSION MASTER GARDENER WEBINAR SERIES VIA ZOOM
“URBAN AGRICULTURE”
Thursday, October 15
10:00 AMÂ
Join Dr. Leonard Githinji from Virginia State University as he talks about urban agriculture, why it’s important, and where it intersects with volunteerism. Registration is required. Register here for your Zoom link.
NDAL – NEW DIRECTIONS IN THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE
Founded in 1990 by Larry Weaner
An Educational Series Dedicated to the Art and Science of Natural Landscape Design
See this link for information on upcoming VIRTUAL educational programs dedicated to ecological landscape design. Developed for both professional landscape designers and nonprofessionals, and varying in length from 90-minute short courses to multiple days, these programs focus on innovative theory, practical application, and an expansive vision of “Natural Design.”
VIRGINIA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION VIDEO LIBRARY
VCE offers a variety of video on topics geared to both beginner and more advanced gardeners. Examples of topics include:
Fall Cover Crops and Soil
Firewise Landscaping
Pressure Canning
Cedar Apple Rust
Common Diseases in the Home Garden
For these and many more videos that address specific topics or those of more general interest, see this link.