Suggestions & Messages:
April 2024: Dee Walsh has a variety of flower seeds to share, including coneflower, zinnia, rudbeckia, and many more – just contact her if you’re interested.
3/6/24: Dottie McFalls mentioned this “quarry garden” south of town – maybe a potential future program? For info, see: https://quarrygardensatschuyler.org/
2/18/24: A link to the latest (Winter) PRISM newsletter….
2/14/24: Here is a list of announcements from the Council of Garden Clubs as of 2/5/24 – lots of interesting opportunities and ideas!
1/27/24: As a follow-up to Dr. Timko’s lecture about Communication between Plants, this video might be interesting!
1/20/24: Here’s the latest edition of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont’s newsletter. Lots of good info!
8/28/23: Recommended by Fran Dickerson – the Ivy Creek Newsletter.
And here is a link to their very full calendar of events!
8/1/23: Recommended by Fran Dickerson – https://www.homegrownnationalpark.org/
Ongoing: From https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/
Garden Basics: A Year in the Life of a Vegetable Garden–A Gardener’s Path
Trinity Episcopal Church 1118 Preston Avenue, CharlottesvilleFree Program – Growing a veggie garden can be enchanting, fulfilling, and, at times, a bit frustrating. This year-long journey through the life of a veggie garden and gardener—from selecting seeds through reaping the rewards of your efforts—will help you avoid getting overwhelmed…
Spring Lecture: Nate Miller on “Simply Sustainable Landscapes”
The Center at Belvedere 540 Belvedere Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA, United StatesFree Program – Registration will open soon – Join us at The Center at Belvedere to hear landscape designer and educator Nate Miller, co-author of “Simply Sustainable Landscapes: Designing with Edible and Native Plants for the Southeast.” He will explain how to use a design theory he calls…
Garden Basics: Native Plants for Shade
Trinity Episcopal Church 1118 Preston Avenue, CharlottesvilleAdding native plants to your shady yard is both ecological and beautiful. Learn how to: layer your landscape, identify types of shade, and determine which plants work in each situation. We will cover trees, shrubs, and perennials so you can…
Piedmont Master Gardeners’ Spring Plant Sale
Albemarle Square Shopping Center Albemarle Square, Charlottesville, VA, United StatesThe Piedmont Master Gardeners’ annual Spring Plant Sale will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Albemarle Square Shopping Center in Charlottesville. The sale will offer thousands of annuals, perennials, vegetables, fruit-bearing plants, herbs and…
4/23/23; Janet Parker shared an article (shared with her by Piedmont Master Gardener Mike Callahan) about “Nurturing Nature in Your Yard” – an interesting read!
4/18/23: From Sue Gosnell – PBS TV (WCVE-TV Channel 23) has gardening shows on Saturday mornings, including ‘Growing a Greener World’, focusing on vegetable gardening and related endeavors; Peggy Singelman’ show ‘Virginia Home Grown‘…she is part of the Maymont Garden crew in Richmond; also J. Schwanke’s ‘Life in Bloom“, and lastly, the ‘P. Allen Smith‘ show where a large variety of garden subjects are covered. These shows can be seen real-time starting at 7 a.m. most Saturdays, and/or can be streamed anytime on the PBS website.
3/23/23: Patti Booth recently recommended a blog article about “Dividing Perennials in Springtime”. You can find a copy of the article here!
9/15/22: Karen Dosier recently recommended a couple of plants, including “Hummelo“. She described it this way: “It’s totally different from the light colored fuzzy stachys we know as Lamb’s Ears. It still has purple spikes of flowers, but is a mounding perennial and is deer and rabbit resistant!” The other plant recommended was a coneflower called Mellow Yellows. It “mellows” to more cream as it matures. Both sound like welcome additions to any garden! – Dee Walsh
Information from Previous BMGC Programs:
March 2024: Presented by Sara Kunkle – Dahlia Deep Dive.
February 2024: Presented by Virginia Gardner – Winter Seed Sowing Program and suggestion to listen to this related podcast by Joe Gardener (Joe Lamp’l).
September 2023: The Power Point presentation on “Why Landscaping with Native Plants Matters” is available on the Gardening Blog in the Members-Only section (at the request of the presenter.)
An extensive Resource List for Native Plants (and much more) can be found here.
Also available is list of “Keystone Plants” – Native plants every local gardener should consider.
April 2023: A Visit to The Gardens at Waterperry Farm
March 2023: PowerPoint Presentation from the 3/13/23 Seed Saving Lecture
Click HERE for lecture outline/notes.
February 2023: An overview of Sue Erhardt’s very detailed and informative lecture on the rich farming and family history of what is now the Ivy Creek Natural Area is available on their website at https://ivycreekfoundation.org/cultural-history and https://ivycreekfoundation.org/the-barn
January 2023: Slides from the “Pruning Basics” Lecture by Jeff Kunkle are available here!
Service Providers/Nurseries/Garden Centers & Retailers
(In alphabetical order, but with no particular endorsement –
additional suggestions welcome!! Just email them to deewalsh@embarqmail.com)
Blue Ridge Farmer’s Co-op (Formerly Southern States)
Chris Crawford Landscaping and Tree Maintenance
(205) 784-7157 or via Facebook (search “@chriscrawfordinc”)
The Corner Store
Classes and Educational Offerings: https://www.cornerstoregarden.com/new-events
Eltzroth & Thompson Greenhouses
Fifth Season Gardening Company
Fitzgerald’s Apple Orchard
728 Harper’s Creek Lane, Tyro, VA 22976 (Nelson Co.)
434-277-8248
Apple varieties include Red and Golden Delicious, Gala, Rome, Stayman, Granny Smith and York. Open Monday – Saturday during apple season. 8:00 AM – noon and 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
High Country Gardens (Online Shop & Blog)
Hottinger Greenhouses (Louisa)
Hummingbird Hill Natives (Nursery)
Ivy Corner Gardens and Gift Shop
Landscape Supply (“Deer Scram” is recommended as an excellent deer repellent.)
Milmont Greenhouses (Waynesboro)
Sharondale Mushroom Farm (Keswick)
TopSide Brush Control (Tree Removal, Understory Clearing)
(540) 241-8657, Cple Moore
Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) Tree Nurseries
Waynesboro Landscape and Garden Center
Organizations and Resource Links
USDA Hardiness/Growing Zones Updated in 2023
Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards
Botanical Garden of the Piedmont
Newsletters: July 2023
Piedmont Native Plants – Reference Book
Download (Free) // Hard Copy for Sale
Plant Virginia Natives (Many reference links available)
Common Native Trees of Virginia – VDOF Reference Manual
Virginia Natives – Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Buck Mountain Garden Club PO Box 683, Earlysville, VA 22936
Meets at 12:30 on the 2nd Monday of each month (Sept through June)
Deese Hall, Buck Mountain Episcopal Church – All Welcome!
https://www.thecharlottesvillegardenclub.com/
https://www.albemarlegardenclub.com/
https://therivannagardenclub.org/site/
PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management)
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/ – National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC)
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/us/virginia – NISIC Virginia Invasives
Problem Species in Our Area:
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/oriental-bittersweet
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/japanese-stiltgrass
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/plants/tree-heaven
https://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/terrestrial/invertebrates/spotted-lanternfly
American Horticultural Society
List of Deer-Resistant Plants/Rutgers University
Stilt-Grass Management (August is Prime Time) / PRISM
Virginia Cooperative Extension (Virginia Tech)
Relationship Between Ailanthus (Tree of Heaven) & Spotted Lanternfly
Dealing Effectively With Ticks
Permethrin 0.52% Protective Bands
Shade Perennial Suggestions from “All About Gardening”.com
Piedmont Native Plants from DCR May 2023