Native Ground Covers for Sun and Shade
September 25, 2020 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am
TO: Arlington/Alexandria Community Organizations
FROM: Publicity@mgnv.org, Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia(Alexandria/Arlington)
SUBJ: September 2020 Public Education Programs
NEW! VCE-MGNV Virtual Classroom public education events for September 2020 are online and open to all. RSVP online at https://mgnv.org/events/ to receive the link to participate. Click on the event titles to RSVP for each event. If you can't join us for a live online presentation, video recordings of the sessions will be posted to https://mgnv.org/reading-room/master-gardener-virtual-classroom/.
Friday, September 4, 10:00 – 11:30 am, ONLINE
Plant Propagation
If you have had a garden for more than 5 years, chances are your plants need thinning, dividing, or splitting.Propagation techniques will not only give you more plants to sell, plant or give away, these practices are great for rejuvenating your plants and your soil at the same time. Kirsten Conrad, the Agricultural Natural Resource Extension Agent for Arlington County and City of Alexandria, will discuss some easy plant propagation techniques like division, layering, and cuttings for use with both houseplants and common outdoor garden plantings. Free. RSVP at https://mgnv.org/events/ to receive link to participate.
Friday, September 11, 10:00 – 11:30 am,ONLINE
Roots, Fruits, Nuts, and Leaves: The Glories of Fall Foraging
Fall is a wonderful time of year for foraging. Pawpaws, ginkgo nuts, sassafras and more can be found in our urban surroundings by foraging in the wild (and not so wild) areas. Speakers are Extension Master Gardeners Rebecca Halbe and Jane Longan and longtime gardener and educator Puwen Lee. Free. RSVP at https://mgnv.org/events/ to receive link to participate.
Sunday, September 13, 1:00 – 3:00 pm, Glencarlyn Branch Library Community Garden, 300 S. Kensington St., Arlington 22204
Glencarlyn Library Community Garden Autumn Fest
The traditional Glencarlyn Library Community Garden Autumn Fest goes (mostly) virtual!
On September 13, view three short educational videos on gardening and Autumn fest traditions by going to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC11Fnc3rfFGAq5HpT4NYOOg?view_as=subcriberor https://mgnv.org.
Also, available for PREORDER and PICKUP:
Native plants from Hill House Farm and Nursery in Castleton VA.
Go to www.www.hillhousentiveplants.comfor a full list of available plants.
Email hillhousenativeplants@gmail.com to preorder by Wednesday, September 9.
Pick up plants between 1:00-3:00 pm in the Library parking lot.
Honey and Compost Tea from the beekeepers at HiveHive. Get 1 lb. containers of honey at $10 each.Flavors include: Alfalfa, Blueberry Blossom, Raspberry Blossom, Raw Wildflower,and Buckwheat. They also have raw local honey at $15 a pound. Place orders for freshly brewed 1-gallon jugs of compost tea by Friday, September 11 at 12 noon, by emailing sequentialsoils@gmail.com
Perfect Partners T-shirts— Glencarlyn Library Garden will have specially designed T-shirts celebrating the partnership of butterflies and moths and their host plants. Email alyssa.morel@mgnv.org for designs, colors, and sizes and to preorder, or purchase at the Library September 13, 1:00 – 3:00 pm
Masks must be worn at the Library site when picking up merchandise! Email glencarlynlibrarygarden@gmail.com for more information.
Friday, September 18, 10:00 – 11:30 am,ONLINE
Native Trees for the Urban Home Landscape
Trees on private residential properties comprise a significant proportion of the urban forest canopy cover for a city or county. The environmental benefits to the community of a healthy well-distributed urban tree canopy depend in no small part upon the efforts of thousands of homeowners to care for mature trees and plant new ones in their own yards. Extension Master Gardener Amy Crumpton will discuss best practices for caring for trees, how to assess your site’s conditions for new tree plantings, and how to select from the many native tree species that thrive in our area. Free. RSVP at https://mgnv.org/events/ to receive link to participate.
Friday, September 25, 10:00 – 11:30 am,ONLINE
Native Ground Covers for Sun and Shade
A variety of native plant species, including perennials, ferns, grasses, and even some woody plants, can function as ground covers in multiple landscape situations. Learn which native species may serve as excellent replacements for overused and invasive traditional ground covers such as English ivy, liriope, periwinkle, and creeping euonymus, while providing much-need food and habitat for our local pollinators and birds. Extension Master Gardener Elaine Mills, a creative force behind the resource Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic, will share her experience growing most of these plants in her own garden and at the Glencarlyn Library Community Garden,a Virginia Cooperative Extension Demonstration Garden in Arlington, Virginia,where she serves as a co-coordinator. Free. RSVP at https://mgnv.org/events/ to receive link to participate.
Note to All:
OPERATING! – The Extension Master Gardener Help Desk is still answerin emails! We welcome your garden-related questions, including those related to plant and insect identification. Please include photos to assist us with identification. The Help Desk is open weekdays from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (noon).Contact us at mgarlalex@gmail.com.
Also check out the resources on our website, mgnv.org. You’ll find Gardening Basics for Arlington & Alexandria, VA listing our hardiness zone and frost dates, a list of problem plants and better alternatives, and an extensive compilation of Tried and True Native Plants for the Mid-Atlantic Area, complete with great color pictures and descriptions. Our schedule of gardening programs is posted on this website, so be sure to check it often!
OPEN! – Demonstration Gardens! Designed and maintained by Extension Master Gardeners to model techniques and plants best for our area, the following gardens are open for visiting. Information kiosks have plant lists and other cultural tips. Information in parentheses indicates when Extension Master Gardeners may be working in the gardens and be available to answer questions. Pleas