Suggestions & Messages:
July 2024: We donate regularly to the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont, and here’s your chance to check it out in person with a Garden Tour! (Full newsletter linked below, btw.) “July 27 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am Tours will bring you up to date on all happenings and plans for our exciting public garden. Tours Last approximately 45 minutes and will be limited to 16 people, be sure to RSVP to reserve your space. The Garden is located at 950 Melbourne Road. Parking is available along Melbourne Road. The site tends to be wet so sturdy, waterproof shoes are recommended. RSVP email at rsvp@piedmontgarden.org ”
July 2024: Last year, Joy Matthews recommended this event, and now it’s coming up, this Fall! Check it out – A Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) exhibition on “Fine Arts and Flowers” to be held Oct 23–27, 2024. Fine Arts & Flowers 2024 will be a spectacular museum-wide exhibition of floral designs inspired by works of art in VMFA’s permanent collection. For more information, visit: https://mailchi.mp/vmfa/weekly-email-1321453?e=db1f2b3255
5/25/24: Virginia Gardner shared this link/article about “The Chelsea Chop” technique for improving flowering plant production. Check it out!
Ongoing: A link to the latest (Spring) PRISM newsletter.…
3/6/24: Dottie McFalls mentioned this “quarry garden” south of town – maybe a potential future program? For info, see: https://quarrygardensatschuyler.org/
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!
Ongoing: Here’s the latest edition of the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont’s newsletter – and their most recent “News From The Garden (May 2024)” and their Calendar of Events.
Lots of good info!
Ongoing: Recommended by Fran Dickerson – the Ivy Creek Newsletter.
And here is a link to their very full calendar of events!
Ongoing: Hummingbird Hill is a season Natives-Only Nursery in Free Union. Here is their June-July Newsletter.
8/1/23: Recommended by Fran Dickerson – https://www.homegrownnationalpark.org/
Ongoing: From https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/events/
PMG Speakers Bureau: Saving Darker Skies August 6 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Light pollution is making nights almost 10 percent brighter every year. The disappearing darkness not only limits our view of the stars but also has serious implications for the health of all living things. Biological processes have evolved with our planet’s rhythm of night and day. Lighting up the night disrupts this predictable cycle. In addition, excessive outdoor lighting is disorienting and often fatal for migrating birds, nocturnal flying insects, and baby sea turtles.
The good news is that light pollution is fixable. Join Master Gardener Christine Hirsh-Putnam and Monticello Curator of Plants Peggy Cornett to learn more about the impact of light pollution and the many ways we can mitigate it.
This in-person program is hosted by the Piedmont Master Gardeners and The Center at Belvedere and is free and open to all. Registration will open soon (posted 7/6/24; take a look at their website to register!)
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!
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)
Shenandoah Garden Spot (Elkton/Culpeper)
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