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| | Check out the Garden Library for a great new article, written by Gretchen Stark, Master Gardener! | http://fairfaxmastergardeners.org/knwldgb/default.aspx | 3/1/2012 | | |
At their annual winter meeting, the All-America Selections (AAS) Board of Directors met and approved another trial entry as an exclusive AAS Winner for 2012. The new winner is the ‘Jams ‘N Jellies Blackberry’ vinca:
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The Beautiful Gardens Plant Introduction Program is proud to announce the release of its first new plant, the VT Spirit daylily. VT Spirit is named for Virginia Tech and is a wonderful representation of the school colors of maroon and orange. It is hardy in all Virginia growing zones and boasts a longer than average bloom season for daylilies. This plant was bred by Virginia Tech graduate Linda Pinkham and donated to the Beautiful Gardens program for evaluation and introduction. The VT Spirit daylily is available from Brent & Becky’s Bulbs in Gloucester, VA and can be purchased on line or through their catalog.
| | 2/29/2012 | | | Walters Gardens, Inc. is incredibly honored to receive one of the most prestigious awards given for perennials in the US, the Perennial Plant of the Year Award, for its introduction, Brunnera m. 'Jack Frost' PP13859. 'Jack Frost' had been a runner up in the 2010 contest. This year, 431 perennials were nominated by PPA members for the Perennial Plant of the Year. From this list, just four varieties were chosen as the final nominees and of those four, PPA members voted 'Jack Frost' in as the #1 Perennial in the country. We agree! It is certainly one of the very best perennials introduced by our company in our 65 year history. | | 12/30/2011 | | |
All-America Selections is pleased to feature the following 2012 AAS Winners. Following a trial period where these new, never-before-sold varieties are "Tested Nationally and Proven Locally®" the AAS judges have submitted their evaluations and selected only the best performers as AAS Winners. These varieties are available for immediate sale and distribution. Commercial growers and retailers should contact their favorite seed supplier and request AAS Winner tags from tag and label suppliers. Home gardeners will find seeds and plants available in time for their 2012 gardening season.
| Read the article | 12/31/2011 |  | |
A new and serious disease on boxwood has been identified in Virginia. The attached alert gives background details, a description of symptoms and information on look-alike diseases.
Please see the attached document. | | 1/31/2012 | | |
SILVER SPRING, MD - The Montgomery County Department of Parks and the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group wish to remind county residents that it is peak time for deer-auto collisions in the county. Deer breeding season runs from mid-October to January with a peak of activity the first three weeks of November. During this time deer are more active than usual and less wary of their surroundings, posing a greater than normal danger on the roads.
The time change from daylight savings to standard time moves the peak of the evening commute into the hours of dusk, a time when deer are especially active and can be difficult to see. Throughout the 1990s, the number of auto collisions involving deer rose dramatically as both deer and human populations increased in the county. Since the year 2000, the number of accidents has leveled off, but still remains high. Montgomery County Police reported 1,930 deer-auto collisions last year. Not all accidents are reported.
Driving in Deer Country Tips
• Most importantly, drive the speed limit.
• At night reduce speeds below the limit, especially during precipitation or fog. As you drive, scan roadsides for the eye shine of deer.
• Keep in mind deer are most active at dawn and dusk.
• Watch for deer where roads pass through wooded or rural areas.
• Deer crossing signs indicate where heavily used deer trails cross roadways. Slow down and watch for the eye-shine of deer near the road edges.
• Be especially cautious during seasons of high deer activity including October to January - during the breeding season, and May and June - when yearlings are seeking new territories.
• Deer usually travel in groups. If you see a deer cross the road, slow down and use caution; more are likely to follow.
What should I do if I suddenly see a deer in front of the car?
• The most important thing to remember is to maintain control of your car.
• Apply the brakes in a controlled manner.
• Deer are quick and agile animals; it is more likely that they will leap out of your path than that you will be able to brake and steer around them.
• Don’t skid out of control, leave the road, or worst of all, swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid the deer—this is when the most serious injuries occur.
• Think ahead. When drivers see a deer crossing sign, think about what to do if a deer suddenly jumped into the road, mentally practice keeping a cool head and reacting In a controlled fashion. Drivers who anticipate and practice these skills may be more likely to react appropriately. | | 12/31/2011 | | | A quarantine is hereby established to restrict the movement of certain articles capable of transporting Thousand Cankers Disease unless such articles comply with the conditions specified herein.
The following areas in Virginia are quarantined for Thousand Cankers Disease:
1. The entire counties of: Chesterfield Goochland Hanover Henrico Powhatan
2. The entire city of: Colonial Heights Richmond | See details | | | | | | 11/30/2011 | | | The storm winds are strong; rains are heavy and prolonged. Crack, CRACK, CRASH. Is that your maple tree or the neighbor's ash? A huge branch or the whole tree uprooted?
Is your homeowner's insurance paid up? You've been meaning to call arborist for an evaluation. Is it too late now?
You look out your window. Breathe a sigh of relief. The ash next door has blown down, missing your car. But your neighbor's porch isn't so lucky.
As news of hurricane Irene threatened, homeowners worried about trees falling, branches breaking, people injured, homes damaged. How can we tell if a tree healthy or not? Are there signs we can look for?
YES, says Jason Lubar, ISA Board Certified Master Arborist at the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. Tree health is two-pronged -- biological and structural. Biological refers to cellular activities like photosynthesis, respiration, and growth. Structural refers to the tree's frame.
You can spot signs of a tree in trouble, Lubar explains. If you see any of the problems below, have an arborist come and evaluate the tree's health. Ask the arborist about the potential hazard of large branches dropping or the tree toppling in a storm.
The property owner's first step is to eyeball the tree overall for biological clues, Lubar advises. Look at the leaves: their color and size. Browning and dying leaves indicate something's wrong. Yellow leaves (chlorosis, or lack of chloropyll) could be due to any of an array of nutrient or root problems. Leaves smaller than normal can also signal a tree under stress.
Look at the base of the tree. Are there tree-rooting fungi growing out of the trunk or roots? Don't worry about mushrooms, says Lubar. It's fungi that look like white to brown to lacquer-red shelves that spell trouble. Ephemeral shelf conches (shelf fungi) appear in summer and fall. Woody fungi on the trunk resembles a thick horizontal dinner plate or different-sized plates atop each other. Fleshy fungi, usually found on the roots, can be the size of a large cabbage head, Lubar explains.
Structural signs of possible tree failure include lots of deadwood in the canopy -- large dead branches in the tree that could fall on someone or damage property.
Also, look for crown dieback. Dead ends of branches can indicate a health issue, Lubar advises. It's natural, though, for small dead twigs and branches to drop, he adds.
Cavities -- holes in the trunk -- can create structural weakness. An open cavity at the tree base forming a hole that you can push a stick or an arm into is serious, Lubar says. Less so are squirrel holes and animal holes or decay where a branch has been pruned or dropped off.
Many of us saw trees that Hurricane Irene uprooted. The photo shows a toppled black oak whose root plate split and pushed up the sidewalk. Lubar explains that structural roots at the tree's base support the tree. Healthy, woody, tapering structural roots hold the tree upright. Be aware of them; don't damage them, he urges. "Cutting them when putting in a walkway or pipes could destabilize the root plate." | | 10/31/2011 | | | As Hurricane Irene passes, if you find yourself faced with tree &/or forest damage, Missouri has a good compilation of information you may find helpful: http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G6867 Lastly, don’t be a chainsaw statistic… to escape personal injury from the storm only to be injured by improper use of a chainsaw. If you use a chainsaw, be safe! | | 9/17/2011 | | | Last August the disease was found for the first time in the eastern United States in Knox County, Tennessee. In June 2011 suspect black walnut trees were found in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Today the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) confirmed the presence of this disease in Chesterfield and Henrico Counties. This disease is lethal to black walnut. A quarantine prohibiting the movement of walnut trees, logs, stumps, mulch, etc. out of Chesterfield and Henrico Counties and the city of Richmond was enacted as of July 21 by VDACS. The quarantine is attached.
Please read the attached Disease Alert to familiarize yourselves with this disease. Take special note of sampling recommendations, including the size limits for samples sent to the Plant Disease Clinic. We will keep you informed of any new developments about this disease.
Best regards,
Mary Ann Hansen and Elizabeth Bush | | 9/30/2011 | | |
Located in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, this workshop will be held on Saturday, September 24, 2011, from8 AM to3 PM at the Rockingham County Administration Center, 20 East Gay St, Harrisonburg, VA, 22802.
See attached registration form and program details. | | 9/24/2011 | | |
Late blight was confirmed yesterday on tomato plants that were submitted to the Plant Disease Clinic from Albemarle County, Virginia. Previously, on 6/28/11, late blight was confirmed on potato on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and growers in the Eastern Shore, Northern Neck and Tidewater region of Virginia were advised to begin preventative sprays for late blight at that time. See attachment for details | | 8/31/2011 | | | VirginiaBeach Convention Center Jan. 20-22
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The 2012 Virginia Flower & Garden Expo returns to the Virginia Beach Convention Center Jan. 20-22, in the Commonwealth’s most comprehensive event of its type. Produced by the Virginia Horticultural Foundation, the Expo promotes horticultural education and experience for everyone from professionals to the weekend enthusiast.
This year’s theme is “Creating The BeautifulTomorrow.”
Show Director Dr. Laurie Fox says, “We’re very excited about ourshow returning to early in the calendar year.The timing is ideal as that’s when mostpeople begin planning their landscapes and thinking of their flowergardens. More than a hundred vendors, exhibitors and displayers provide guests countless ideas and productsthey can use to help create the beautiful tomorrow of their own.
“It’s the one time each year when Hampton Roads residents can get information on virtually every aspect related to flowers and gardening, at asingle climate-controlled location.Experts and knowledgeable professionals will be there to discuss plants,plans, products and practices,” Fox adds.
Anyone wishing to be a vendor, exhibitor, sponsor or volunteer during the 2012 Virginia Flower & Garden Expo should contact Laurie Fox at 757.284.6139 before Oct. 1, 2011.
For additional information, please go online towww.vafgs.org. | | 9/23/2011 | | | Ask for Laura. Cell phone: 703-887-2999 Home phone 703-64-9712
$25 per hour | | 7/30/2011 | | | | Watch the video | 9/30/2011 | | | A quick SAVE THE DATE for an opening reception on Friday, June 10 from 5-7pm at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna, VA. The show will feature the 17 winners of the 2011 Washington Gardener Magazine Garden Photo Contest. The reception is open to the public and you are encouraged to bring along family and friends. The photo show will then run from June 11-August 9 at Meadowlark. | | 7/31/2011 | | |
All-America Rose Selections (AARS) has selected Sunshine Daydream as its 2012 AARS Winner. The light-yellow flower color of this grandiflora rose finishes as a cream yellow, providing a great contrast to the dark green and glossy foliage. Blooming continuously from spring to early frost, Sunshine Daydream also exhibits excellent disease resistance. It was also the first garden rose to win under no-spray conditions. Sunshine Daydream was hybridized by Meilland International and is introduced by Conard-Pyle/Star Rose
| | 7/30/2011 | | |
This report (see attachment) prepared by a seventh grader which is at once inspiring and interesting......
I live in a bustling suburb of Northern Virginia. Almost everyday my mom and I pass a house that has multiple dead hedge bushes out front. These bushes are quite close to the road, so I asked myself a question, "What if the exhaust was killing the plants?" I decided to do an experiment. My question was "Does exhaust affect hedge bushes? And if so, of three common hedge bushes, which would fare the best in high exhaust conditions?" | | 7/30/2011 | | |
Mark your calendars for September 23rd as we head to the west coast to visit the beautiful gardens of Portland, Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver. For ten days we'll see some of the finest gardens in the region--a region that is known as the best place to grow plants in North America.
We fly from Washington Dulles Airport to Portland. Then we fly to Vancouver, travel by coach and boat to Victoria, and then sail by boat to Seattle before our return to Dulles.
The dates are September 23 - October 2, 2011, and the cost per person is $3,150 (double occupancy). We will be seeing beautiful gardens, extraordinary cities, and natural scenery that will take your breath away.
This trip is sponsored by the Department of Horticulture and
Continuing and Professional Education at Virginia Tech.
| See details | 7/15/2011 | | | Time to start sorting and picking out your best 2010 garden shots. The entry period is January 1-22, 2011.
Note that eligible entries must have been taken in the 2010 calendar year in a garden setting within 150-mile radius of Washington, DC.
We have four major entry categories:
~ Garden Views (landscape scenes)
~ Garden Vignettes (groupings of plants in beds or containers, unusual color or texture combinations, garden focal points, and still scenes)
~ Small Wonders (flower or plant part close-ups)
~ Garden Creatures (any living creature in a garden setting)
A little tip: we have far more entries in these last two categories than in the first two. Meaning, your odds of winning are far higher in the Views and Vignettes categories.
Remember that garden photos need not all be taken during the first week of May nor should they all be tight close-ups of a red rose. Look for the unusual and for beauty in the off-season too. Our judges give equal wait to the following criteria when evaluating the entries: technical merit, composition, impact, and creativity.
Anyone can enter: professional or amateur, adult or student, local area gardener or visiting DC tourist.
See this PDF for full contest details:
| See contest details | 1/22/2011 | | | The Department of Horticulture is pleased to announce our Garden Tours for 2011! We will feature two wonderful trips: the first is to Italy in May and in July we visit the gardens of Scotland. This will be the 5th time we've taken groups to Italy. The tour begins on the Bay of Naples for Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri and the Amalfi Coast. We then move north to Rome, Florence, Siena, Venice and end up in the northern lake district on Lake Maggiore and Lake Como. We will see the best of Italian gardens as well as beautiful scenic countryside and extraodinary Italian cities. The cost is $4450 (double occupany) and the dates are May 25 to June 8, 2011. Check out our website for more information: http://www.mcduff.hort.vt.edu/studyabroad.html Our trip to Scotland departs on July 12 and returns on July 25, 2011. The cost is $4350 (double occupancy). We begin in Glasgow, proceed to the southwest coast of Scotland, on to the Scottish Highlands around Oben and Inverness, drive along the coast near Aberdeen and end up for our last 4 nights in Edinburgh. Along the way we see the best gardens and scenery that Scotland has to offer. This is our second trip to Scotland and should be the finest. For more information, please look at our website: http://www.mcduff.hort.vt.edu/studyabroad.html | See details | 3/31/2011 | | | Amsonia hubrichtii named 2011 PPA Plant of the Year
Arkansas blue star—Amsonia hubrichtii—has won the hearts of Perennial Plant Association members, who voted it the 2011 PPA Perennial Plant of the Year. Four plants each year are nominated, and in order to qualify for PPA recognition, each must be suitable for a wide range of climate types; low maintenance; easily propagated; and exhibit multiple seasonal interest. Amsonia fits the bill with small, blue, star-shaped flowers in late spring to early summer and bright green, fern-like foliage that turns golden yellow in fall. Recent past winners include Baptisia australis (2010), Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’ (2009), Geranium ‘Rozanne’ (2008) and Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ (2007). | Read more | 1/20/2011 | | | This list will be used to share information and updates about the upcoming conference - Color it Green in a Wild & Wonderful Way - hosted by the WVU Extension Service and W.Va. Master Gardener Association, to be held October 11-14, 2011 in Charleston, West Virginia. More information about the conference can be found online ( http://wvu.edu/imgc2011/). You can expect to receive updates from this mailing list periodically, with more updates published as the event draws closer. This is an announcements-only list and so any replies will be directed to the person publishing the announcement, rather than the entire mailing list. If you know of other Master Gardeners who would like to receive updates about the 2011 conference, please forward this notice and encourage them to sign-up to receive updates online: ( http://imgc.ext.wvu.edu/). Become a fan of the 2011 IMGC on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/2011-International-Master-Gardener-Conference/140793089301653) and connect with other gardening enthusiasts interested in the conference. Follow the conference on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/IMGC2011) and tweet about the conference using the hashtag #IMGC to notify others interested in the IMGC channel. | | 1/8/2011 | | | All-America Selections (AAS) is pleased to announce the first seven of the 2011 AAS Winners. Following a trial period where these new, never-before-sold varieties are "Tested Nationally and Proven Locally" the AAS judges have submitted their evaluations and selected only the best performers as AAS Winners. With this announcement, these varieties are available for immediate sale and distribution so home gardeners will find seeds and plants available in time for their 2011 seed ordering and gardening season. For a complete list of trial ground locations, please see the AAS website.
We expect additional AAS Winners to be announced in late January so stay tuned for more great garden performing plants! | AAS website | 12/31/2010 | | |
Dirr’s Tree and Shrub Finder, a new iPhone app based on Dr. Michael Dirr’s Manual of Woody Landscape Plants, will be introduced at the Sweet Melissa Fashion Show on January 9 during the National Green Centre in St. Louis. Released by Timber Press, the app offers the latest and most reliable information on woody landscape plants; it features more than 9,400 plants; 72 search criteria; 7,600 hi-res color photos and more than 1,120 line drawings. | Read more | 1/28/2011 | | | Ohio State University’s popular PlantFacts web site has merged several digital collections to become an international knowledge bank and multimedia learning center. On the site, the search engine accesses more than 260,000 pages of information from every land-grant university in the U.S. and several government institutions across Canada. It also includes academic information about college degree programs, requirements, scholarships, career opportunities, research projects, and online courses. PlantFacts’ images page—previously the Plant Dictionary—provides a searchable database of images of ornamental plants, turf, plant diseases and insects. A collection of 200 short how-to videos ranges from tips on basic landscaping to lessons on deadheading roses. More than 800 FAQs are addressed, and an illustrated glossary is included. | Read more | 1/28/2011 | | | Please see the attached report. | | 11/30/2010 | | | Question: I read a story in my local newspaper about a house that burned down and the garden mulch was listed as a possible cause. Is mulch really a fire hazard?!
Answer: Mulch is flammable and once it catches fire, that fire can be very persistent. If the mulch is touching the side of a building, the fire can easily spread to the building. Mulch fires are most likely in dry, hot weather. The Virginia Department of Forestry also cites “non-smoking” public buildings as at higher risk; if people discard cigarette butts in the mulch before entering the building, that mulch may ignite.
Some kinds of mulch are more combustible than others. In a study by The Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute, cocoa hulls never ignited while rubber mulch showed flames in less than a minute. The researchers noted that with most mulches, fire smoldered under the surface of the mulch for some time before flames appeared. Shredded mulch ignited quicker than chunky mulch. The researchers cited cocoa shells, medium pine bark nuggets and hardwood barks as the safest choices, especially in sites frequented by smokers.
Here are tips from the Virginia Department of Forestry for reducing the potential for a fire in mulch:
Be aware of this danger.
Provide a minimum of an 18-inch clearance between landscaping mulch beds and combustible building materials. Ensure proper clearance to electric devices, such as decorative lights, by following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Recognize when it gets hot and has been dry for an extended time, which enables these fires to start more readily.
If you smoke, use the provided receptacles to discard your smoking material and matches.
If you see anything smoking in a landscaped bed, put it out if you can and report it to someone inside the building. If the burning material is not thoroughly wet or removed, it may re-ignite.
Grounds maintenance crews should be aware of the conditions that are favorable for mulch fires and increase surveillance of mulch beds in the afternoon when fires are more likely to occur.
Provide proper receptacles for smoking materials at all entrances to public buildings and in designated smoking areas. Do not use mulch in or near these areas.
Keep landscaping mulch beds moist if possible.
If you live in an area susceptible to wild fires, you might also consider using gravel mulch instead of wood mulch and planting fire-resistant plants. Mulch can also spontaneously combust, but this generally happens when the mulch is stored in a large pile (10 to 20 feet deep). As the mulch goes through its natural decompostition process, it releases heat. In a large pile, enough heat can build up to ignite without an outside source of flame. | | 10/2/2010 | | |
On August 5, 2010, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture announced the occurrence of thousand cankers disease in black walnut trees (Juglans nigra) in Knox County, Tennessee. Although this lethal disease has been present in western states for at least a decade, it had not previously been reported in the native range of the black walnut east of the Mississippi River. The presence of this devastating disease in the eastern part of Tennessee poses a great risk to black walnut trees in Virginia. Virginians should be on the lookout for this disease in black walnut trees.
See attachment for details. | | 9/30/2010 | | |
The Early Detection and Rapid Response (EDRR) program is a volunteer-based program that is working towards identifying new populations of invasive species in Fairfax County parks so they can be eradicated before they cause ecological damage. Become a Volunteer Survey Leader and lead other volunteers on systematically surveying parks and reporting new potentially damaging populations of invasive species. This is a great chance to work outdoors and meet other people interested in nature. Volunteers must be able to walk off trail and identify native and non-native species. If you would like to help out on a survey or more information on the program please contact me at Erin.Stockschlaeder@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703 324 8750. You can also check out the EDRR schedule of events at http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/resources/IMA/IMA-calendar.htm . Training Dates: August 18th from 5-7 p.m. Huntley Meadows Park. September 15th form 3-5 p.m. Ellanor C Lawrence Park. October 20th from 3-5 p.m. in meeting room at Huntley Meadows Nature Center. Please RSVP if you would like to attend as space is limited. | | | | |
A very thought provoking study indeed. The “ first do no harm” statement should be taken to heart and is of course what the title of the replanting guide Greg Zell and Rod Simmons worked on. I still hear constant pushing for biological controls thinking this is so much better than chemical, cultural, or other control methods, but this is not often the case. A few examples we can add that some folks maybe familiar with:
- Releasing Praying Mantids. Not only are the ones commercially available usually the larger Chinese Mantis who then eat our native smaller Carolina Mantis (which is now fairly rare around urban settings perhaps due to this), but this rarely has the desired effect anyways. You can’t make them eat just pest species (they are just as likely to hide in a flower head and eat pollinators as well as other native beneficial, smaller species) but they also eat each other so they are never at a high enough population density to actually control pest numbers.
- Asian Ladybugs. The species was released with all sorts of promises like the mantids of controlling a myriad of pest insects. The problem is that they also eat the native ladybugs (some say they are responsible for the near extirpation of the New York state insect which was the 9-spotted Ladybug and the most common ladybug in the East before the introduction of the exotic). They will also eat other soft bodied, non-target insect species which may then become rare also. Having said that, they are often released in large numbers but they disperse rapidly (especially if no prep is made for them before hand) and so spread all over but may not remain in numbers to control pests anyways. No to mention they often form aggregations in our houses in winter and can be quite stinky under those conditions.
- Tachnid flies. Certain species were introduced to control gypsy moths. Problem is that they find many moth species potential hosts including most of our giant silkworm moths and butterfly caterpillars. Same can be said for the fungi introduced for these reasons and also wiping out large numbers of Lepidoptera.
With so many problems with invasive exotic species ACCIDENTALLY introduced, we should really be careful with what we intentionally introduce. The path to hell is paved with good intentions. I often use an example of thinking of nature as a puzzle, with different pieces fitting together and how we should follow Aldo Leopold’s first rule of intelligent tinkering: don’t lose any of the pieces. I also always mention that when you add an extra piece to an existing nature puzzle, it upsets the picture. A piece may fit perfectly well where it came from and evolved, but can have dire consequences when we try and make it fit into another nature puzzle. I like solving puzzles but don’t want the added complications of extra and missing pieces. | Read the publication | 8/31/2010 | | |
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) and the Virginia Pesticide Control Board invite farmers, pesticide dealers, pest control firms, homeowners and golf courses to participate in the 2010 pesticide disposal program, which collects unwanted, outdated, or banned pesticides and disposes of them in a safe manner. VDACS, through its Office of Pesticide Services (OPS), provides this service at no cost to participants in the designated localities. The program is funded through pesticide product registration fees collected by OPS. Since its inception, Virginia’s Pesticide Disposal Program has collected and destroyed over 1.5 million pounds of outdated and unwanted pesticides, completely eliminating the environmental threat they could have posed.
This year, the disposal program takes place in the following localities: the counties of Arlington, Caroline, Essex, Fairfax, Gloucester, King & Queen, King George, King William, Lancaster, Loudoun, Mathews, Middlesex, Northumberland, Prince William, Richmond, Spotsylvania, Stafford, and Westmoreland, and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, and Manassas Park.
For Loudoun and Prince William Counties and the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park the disposal will be held on September 14, 2010, from 9am – 1pm at the Evergreen Volunteer Fire Department, 3510 James Madison Hwy., Haymarket, VA 20169-1932.
For Counties of Fairfax, Arlington, and the Cities of Falls Church, Alexandria and Fairfax, the disposal will be held on September 15, 2010 from 9am – 1pm at the Merrifield Garden Center-Fair Oaks, 12101 Lee Hwy., Fairfax, VA 22030
Participants must transport their unwanted pesticides to central collection sites located within the service area. If participants cannot safely containerize the unwanted pesticides for transport, the disposal contractor will make arrangements to do that for them. Only unwanted pesticides will be accepted. Pesticide contaminated material (for example, pesticide contaminated fertilizer) will not be accepted as part of the disposal program. In addition, the program does NOT accept motor oil, paint, fuel, fertilizer or other chemicals.
Participants should complete a pesticide disposal registration form ahead of time and return the completed form to VDACS, PO Box 1163, Richmond Virginia 23218. The form is available at: http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/pesticides/disposal.shtml or by contacting the Pesticide Disposal Program at 804.786.3798.
For more information you may also contact the Agriculture Extension Agent in your locality:
Fairfax: Adria Bordas (703) 324-5369
Loudoun County: Corey Childs & Debbie Dillion (703) 777-0373
Prince William: Paige Thacker (703) 792-6285 | Pesticide disposal registration form | 9/16/2010 | | |
The 4th annual Heritage Harvest Festival, hosted by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation in partnership with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange,and the Central Virginia Master Gardeners is a fun, family-oriented, educational event promoting gardening, sustainable living, local food and the preservation of heritage plants. The 2010 Heritage Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday, September 11 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the West Lawn of Monticello in Charlottesville.
At the heart of the Heritage Harvest Festival are over 40 educational programs, lectures, cooking demonstrations, and food tastings that include the ever popular Tomato Tasting. To kick off the event, Rosalind Creasy, founder of the edible landscape movement, will host a Preview lecture and local foods buffet dinner on Friday, September 10 at the Monticello Visitor Center. For more information on the Festival, visit www.heritageharvestfestival.com or call 434-984-981 for tickets. | see details | 9/12/2010 | | |
Ixodes scapularis
IDENTIFICATION — Not all garden pests are found on plants. Some are actually on the gardener! Unfortunately, this pest is hard to spot. The black-legged tick (or deer tick), the main culprit in infecting humans with Lyme disease, is tiny. Brick-red adult females are about 3/25 in. long, and the black males are a little smaller. After feeding, females can be two to three times that size. During the immature nymph stage, they’re only about the size of the head of a pin and translucent with a gray tinge. This is the phase during which they’re most likely to attach to humans or pets and transmit disease.
Only 1 to 5 percent of black-legged ticks carry Lyme disease, most commonly in Canada and the northern United States.
CONTROL — The best control for black-legged ticks is to avoid them. They’re found in wooded areas or tall grass, so stay on paths and keep your lawn mowed. Keep pets in mowed areas, as they can bring ticks indoors or be infected with Lyme disease themselves. Mowing grass short raises the temperature and lowers humidity at ground level, which causes ticks to dehydrate and die.
Wearing long-sleeved, light-colored shirts and long pants helps keep ticks away and also makes it easier to see any that might have made it onto you. Tuck your pants into your socks to keep the little critters from crawling up your legs. Repellents with deet also keep ticks at bay.
After coming indoors from brushy areas, check for ticks, especially in your hair and around your waist and inner thighs. They need to be attached for a couple of hours to transmit disease, so removing them promptly is important. It’s best to use tweezers. Grasp the tick’s head and body and pull carefully.
For more information on Lyme disease, go to the American Lyme Disease Foundation Web site at www.aldf.com or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/lyme/. | for more informtion.. | 9/15/2010 | | |
Come see the art of the Flora!
At Blandy Experimental Farm, through August
Native plants take center stage in a new exhibition of illustrations from the upcoming Flora of Virginia. The Art of our Plants: Illustrating the Flora of Virginia will be open through August at the State Arboretum of Virginia at the University of Virginia’s Blandy Experimental Farm, in Boyce. A grand opening of the exhibition will be held Sunday, July 11, from 1 to 4 p.m. Admission is free. | | 8/31/2010 | | | The tender geraniums (Pelargonium) contain a compound that paralyzes Japanese beetles when they eat the flowers - they can recover within 24 hours, but before then they are usually devoured by predators; now scientists have isolated the compound and patented it for use as a beetle control.
- The Avant Gardener June 2010 | | 7/15/2010 | | |
Saturday, April 17, 2 p.m.
Arlington Central Library, 1015 N. Quincy St., Arlington Va.
Film produced by local filmmaker Cintia Cabib. The documentary explores the vital role of seven community gardens in Washington, D.C., not only as sources of fresh, nutritious food, but as outdoor classrooms, places of healing, centers of social interaction, and oases of beauty and calm in inner-city neighborhoods. The screening will be followed by a Q-and-A with Cabib.
The Arlington Career Center's student-built "Little Green House" mobile exhibit, made of recycled and environmentally friendly materials, will be on display outside Central Library during this event.
Call 703-228-6321 for more information. | | 4/18/2010 | | | Phytophthora ramorum (P. ramorum) was recently confirmed from bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) seedlings at a commercial greenhouse in eastern Pennsylvania. P. ramorum is the causal agent for the disease referred to as Sudden Oak Death (SOD), ramorum leaf blight or ramorum dieback and has a broad range of hosts, including hardwoods (e.g., coast live oak), softwoods (e.g., Douglas-fir), and landscape plants (e.g., camellia and rhododendron). More than 100 plant species and cultivars representing more than 70 genera are susceptible to P. ramorum. Some may succumb to the disease, whereas others facilitate the spread of the fungus. In addition to potentially serious environmental impacts, this organism threatens commercial timber production and the nursery industry. The presence of P. ramorum in the U.S. has already resulted in restrictions in foreign and domestic trade. It is important to understand that P. ramorum has been detected on assorted nursery stock on several occasions in Pennsylvania and other eastern states since 2004 after originally being found in California in 1995. To date, swift action by state and federal personnel against infected plants has prevented the disease from escaping to become established in natural areas in the East. Unlike previous discoveries, the pathway of introduction for this latest Pennsylvania discovery is, as yet, undetermined. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry (PDA-BPI), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine unit (USDA-APHIS-PPQ), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, Division of Forest Pest Management remain vigilant in their P. ramorum surveying efforts. In response to any confirmed detection, PDA, BPI and USDA-APHIS-PPQ establishes mitigation protocols to prevent the pathogen’s movement and conducts investigations to trace potentially infected materials.
Citizens, who may have planted bay laurel, are encouraged to carefully inspect their plants for wilted or spotted leaves, browning foliage or twig dieback. If suspicious plants are found, samples should be taken to a county extension office or the Agriculture department for testing. | | 4/30/2010 | | | | | 4/7/2010 | | |
HELP IN THE GARDEN, a personal gardening service business, is currently looking to fill part-time positions for the upcoming season. We are starting our fourth year in Loudoun County and looking to expand into Fairfax County.
Very flexible hours -- make your own schedule! Pay is $18.00 per hour. (See attachment.) Please call Sharon Lynch 540-454-9500 for an interview or more information. | See details | 3/31/2010 | | | Bird "feeder"
Put peanut butter in cleaned-out egg shells. Makes a nice little cup in the snow and birds love it, especially the wrens since they don't seem to like black oiled sunflower seeds.
George Graine
Fairfax Representative,
Virginia Master Gardener Association
P.S. Branches that are iced over should be left to melt when the sun comes out. To remove snow from heavily laden branches, use a broom and gently shake with an UPWARD motion. I know this does not seem to be the natural thing to do; however, a downward motion tends to break branches. THINK SPRING! | | 2/28/2010 | | | Conservation begins at home! Mark your calendars to join Audubon at Home Ambassadors launching our new program to promote "Wildlife Sanctuaries" in backyards, schoolyards, HOAs, churches and elsewhere, throughout northern Virginia. You are invited to meet on Sunday, Feb. 7, 1-3:30pm or on Tuesday, Feb. 9, 6:30-9pm.
These meetings are for anyone interested in ASNV's new wildlife sanctuary certification project, with an emphasis on training folks to be ambassadors for the program. The purpose is to provide orientation and preliminary training to prospective outreach volunteers, or to those simply interested in eco-savvy landscaping and property management. Meetings will take place at the Packard Center , 4022 Hummer Road , Annandale 22003 . There will be a PowerPoint review of the Audubon at Home program with staff naturalist, Cliff Fairweather, and a discussion of our native wildlife and habitats with Huntley Meadows park manager, Kevin Munroe. We will be introducing promotional pamphlets, the application form for property owners, and the attractive outdoor "Wildlife Sanctuary" sign that certified properties may post to show support for habitat restoration. We'll talk about how to have your property certified as a Wildlife Sanctuary and how to become an ambassador for the program. | See program details | 2/15/2010 | | | 10-20 Media announces the 2010 'New Year' release of the GardenPilot iPhone App. This initial release of the searchable garden app features over 14,000 illustrated plant information pages to assist the researching gardener in plant selection and local retail sourcing. | | 2/15/2010 | | | Open to the public. Presented in Culpeper by the Four-County Master Gardeners (Culpeper, Madison, Orange, and Rappahannock). Professor Robert McDuffie and Dr. Alex Niemiera of Virginia Tech will discuss the "Top Ten Worst Landscape Design Ideas," "Woody Plants You Can't Live Without," "Tough Plants for Tough Times," and "Gardens of England and Wales." $30 for active Master Gardeners, $35 general public. Registration deadline February 27. See attached brochure for more information and registration form. | | 2/28/2010 | | | Perennial Plant Association named Amsonia hubrichtii (Arkansas amsonia, Arkansas blue star) as its 2011 Perennial Plant of the Year. Native to the Ouachita Mountains in central Arkansas, this bushy plant produces light blue star-shaped flowers and fine, feathery ¾-inch long foliage. It blooms during April and May. The flower color lightens in warmer temperatures.
Univ. of Ga. horticulture professor Allan Armitage said the plant makes an outstanding display, particularly in the fall when the leaves turn a golden yellow color. This low maintenance, full sun plant is hardy to USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9.
Baptisia australis (false blue indigo) is the 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year. | See plant photo | 1/31/2010 | | | This message is from the President of VMGA.
Those of you who were at the VMGA Board Meeting on Saturday heard the news about the passing of Bud Gregory after a terrific fight with a reoccurrence of melanoma. He was loved and admired by all who knew him. Among his accomplishments were his involvement with the Beautiful Gardens plant introduction program started in 2003, introducing a multiple bloom lily to the plant world and known for sharing many of his plants with master gardeners. He and his wife, Fran were the unit reps for Northern Shenandoah Valley MGA (Clarke, Frederick, Page, Warren, and Shenandoah counties). We will miss him. | | 1/15/2010 | | | There is a myth about American Mistletoe, the green-berried parasitic plant often hung in doorways during the holiday season to elicit kisses from those standing beneath it. Reputed to be the "kiss of death," it is said to be so poisonous that humans can be killed if they ingest the leaves or berries. This myth has been endlessly repeated throughout the years, reappearing every December in countless holiday safety reports on television and in print.
Is it true? Is American Mistletoe (Phoradendron species), a holiday killer? Two physicians and researchers from Pittsburgh decided to find out. Dr. Edward P. Krenzelok (Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh) and Dr. Terry Jacobson (Carnegie Mellon University) examined data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers and found 1,754 reports of mistletoe exposure over a seven-year span. Curiously, not only had no one died of mistletoe poisoning, in the overwhelming majority of the cases (approximately 90 percent), the patient experienced no effects at all. Those patients who did have effects suffered only minor discomfort. Treatment at a poison control center or at home made no discernible difference in patients' recovery or outcome.
Most mistletoe ingestion is reported in children, often those under two, who finding a couple of berries or leaves that have dropped to the floor will put them in their mouths. Drs. Krenzelok and Jacobson found that such exposure was not dangerous, and that the children could be observed and treated for poisoning symptoms, such as nausea or diarrhea, at home. They suggest that parents call their local poison control center and follow the advice given. The study did not indicate whether ingestion of large quantities of mistletoe might be more toxic, nor did it address the degree of exposure that might be toxic in pets (who might be inclined to eat a larger quantity than a child).
Causing at most only minor discomfort, American Mistletoe does not seem to have earned its reputation as the "kiss of death." Its European cousin, Viscum album, sometimes used in herbal remedies, is more toxic, but is not sold commercially in North America and is thus rarely encountered. | See details | 1/15/2010 | | | Get ready for the buzz about Baptisia australis—the Perennial Plant Association's (PPA) 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year. Garden writers across the nation will likely be extolling the virtues of this versatile perennial in coming months. B. australis is also known by the common names blue false indigo, wild indigo and baptisia. B. australis is an excellent plant to anchor the back of the border. It is also valuable for cottage gardens and native plant gardens, and native areas of prairies or meadows. It is best as a specimen or planted in small groups. Read more at GardenCenterMagazine.com. | See details | 1/20/2010 | | | The poinsettia is the most widely tested consumer plant on the market today, proving the myth about the popular holiday plant to be false:
Scientific research from The Ohio State University has proved the poinsettia to be non-toxic to both humans and pets. All parts of the plant were tested, including the leaves and sap.
According to POISINDEX, the national information center for poison control centers, a child would have to ingest 500-600 leaves in order to exceed the experimental doses that found no toxicity.
A study by Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University found that out of 22,793 reported poinsettia exposures there was essentially no toxicity significance of any kind. The study used national data collected by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that keeping this plant out of the reach of pets to avoid stomach upset is a good idea, however pet owners need not fear the poinsettia and banish it from their homes for fear of a fatal exposure. The American Veterinary Medicine Association of America (AVMA), agrees. | | 12/30/2009 | | | Gaillardia F1 ‘Mesa Yellow’ AAS Flower Award Winner
‘Mesa Yellow’ is the first hybrid blanket flower with a controlled plant habit and prolific flowering. The 3-inch daisy like flowers and globe shaped seed heads offer a superior presentation of color which continues throughout the summer.
Snapdragon F1 ‘Twinny Peach’ AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner
Who took the snap out of Snapdragon? ‘Twinny Peach’ the AAS Winner, is a snapdragon without the snap. Why? Because it is a double or butterfly flower form that does not have the jaws or joints to snap.
Viola F1 ‘Endurio Sky Blue Martien’ AAS 2010 Cool Season Award Winner
A burst of clear blue greets gardeners with ‘Endurio Sky Blue Martien.’ This unique spreading/mounding viola may look delicate, but delivers tough-as-nails performance in the garden.
Zinnia ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ AAS Bedding Plant Award Winner
A stunning combination of new and old describes ‘Zahara Starlight Rose.’ Zinnias are old-fashioned flowers but these rose and white flowers are a new bicolor for this sun loving class of annuals. | See details | 1/15/2010 | | | VIRGINIA ISSUES INVASIVE PLANT QUARANTINE IN FOUR LOCALITIES
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) today announced a temporary quarantine restricting the movement of Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) and articles known to be infested with any life stages of this plant into, within or from the counties of Accomack and Northampton on the Eastern Shore and the cities of Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
“Now is the time to take action to limit the spread of this highly invasive plant," said VDACS Commissioner Todd P. Haymore. “Beach Vitex, a deciduous, woody vine native to the Pacific Rim, grows rapidly along dunes and shorelines causing damage to these areas by crowding out native plants and threatening the habitats of various animals, including the endangered loggerhead sea turtle. Although sometimes used as an ornamental plant by property owners who are not aware of its invasive nature, Beach Vitex has been planted in the mid-Atlantic area for the purpose of stabilizing dunes. However, it is less effective than native grasses in controlling dune erosion. In fact, several native grasses are now considered superior for dune stabilization plantings.”
The purpose of this quarantine, which goes into effect October 26, 2009, is to help prevent the spread of Beach Vitex by prohibiting its artificial movement and the movement of those articles that are capable of transporting it. The quarantine restricts the movement of any life stage of the plant, including roots, stems and seeds and any article known to be infested with this plant, such as sand, soil or mulch known to contain Beach Vitex in any life stage.
The first confirmed finding of Beach Vitex in Virginia occurred in 2008. Since then, it has been detected in several sites in the Commonwealth. It has the potential to spread to other areas through artificial movement by individuals or through natural movement. Seeds and stems could be carried by water currents to uninfested coastal areas. The plant can reproduce easily from seeds and even the smallest pieces of broken stem.
The temporary quarantine, which will become permanent upon approval by the Board of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is designed to reduce the artificial spread of Beach Vitex to areas that currently are not infested. Without this quarantine, this invasive plant and articles infested with it would be allowed to move freely throughout the regulated areas, spreading the pest’s presence.
“I urge concerned citizens as well as affected landowners not to attempt eradication or control measures for this invasive plant on their own,” said Commissioner Haymore. “Instead, citizens should contact the VDACS Office of Plant and Pest Services or their local Virginia Tech Extension Office to report the presence of Beach Vitex.”
For more information on Beach Vitex, citizens should contact their city or county agricultural Extension agent, listed in the local government section of your telephone directory under Virginia Cooperative Extension Service (VCE), or visit VCE's Web site at www.ext.vt.edu/offices . They may also call VDACS’ Office of Plant and Pest Services in Richmond at 804.786.3515 or in Franklin at 757.562.6637. More information is available at www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/beachvitex.shtml , the Web site of the United States Department of Agriculture, National Invasive Species Information Center. | | 12/30/2009 | | | Beginning March 1, 2010, Shenandoah National Park will institute an Outside Firewood Ban in an attempt to slow the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer. The Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is a destructive invasive exotic beetle that feeds on ash trees. As of 2009, the EAB is responsible for the deaths of
tens of millions of ash trees throughout the Midwest and in some eastern states. Currently, the closest documented EAB infestation is in Fairfax County, Virginia, only 55 miles east of Shenandoah’s northern boundary. Foresters across the state are working to control the spread of this devastating insect through quarantines, bans, and public education.
The EAB is often spread by the movement of infested firewood. Over the last several years, EAB infested firewood has been found at campgrounds, hunting camps, NASCAR events, rest stops, and picnic areas throughout the Midwest and Eastern U.S. The park’s campgrounds and picnic areas are the most
likely areas for EAB introduction into Shenandoah National Park. Because of the seriousness of a potential infestation, park managers are implementing the firewood ban effective March 1, 2010. The regulation will require that visitors not bring any firewood (or wood scraps) into the park. Visitors
may gather dead and downed firewood in the park or purchase wood at Park Camp Stores. The park’s vendor’s sources have been approved and are being monitored for EAB. Additionally, visit ors are encouraged to use charcoal for cooking fires.
White ash trees, comprising approximately 4% of the park’s overall forest, are found in 16 forest communities that together cover 65% of the park’s acreage. Given what is known about EAB infestations, an outbreak in Shenandoah National Park could lead to a total loss of white ash in the park and surrounding areas. Shenandoah’s managers want to avoid the same widespread devastation to the ash population that the woolly adelgid has wrought on the Eastern Hemlock. | | 12/15/2009 | | |
This is a series of webinars that will offer people the opportunity to learn a lot of great information about EAB without incurring excessive costs and time expenditures related to actual travel. All of the webinars are free, although registration is required to access them. There are names and contact information on the page should you have questions about the University. | Schedule and registration | 2/28/2010 | | | Todd P. Haymore, Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), announced survey results today that indicate infestations of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) appear to be confined to Northern Virginia. Only 14 of more than 3,000 traps were positive for EAB. All of these were located in Arlington and Fairfax Counties, areas already known to have EAB.
"While we did see indications of continued EAB activity in Northern Virginia," said Commissioner Haymore, "we did not trap any borers in other parts of the state. It is possible that the insect has spread to other areas, however, so in all likelihood, we will survey the state again in 2010." | Se more information | 11/30/2009 | | | Perennials, shrubs and trees can be pricey. They are valuable investments in our properties, our future, and the environment. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society helps make our choices wiser through its annual Gold Medal Program. A panel of horticulture experts selects winners that exhibit outstanding horticultural and aesthetic appeal and are available to the home gardener.
Joe Ziccardi Jr., coordinator of the PHS Gold Medal Program, announced the 2010 winners this July. The complete listing of plants with profiles and sources is at www.goldmedalplants.com. The 2010 Gold Medal winners are Clethra alnifolia 'Compacta' (dwarf summersweet), Ilex 'Red Beauty' (Red Beauty holly), Illicium floridanum 'Halley's Comet' (Florida anise), Juniperus conferta 'Silver Mist' (shore juniper), and Styrax japonicus 'Sohuksan' (Emerald Pagoda snowbell). | See details | 12/15/2009 | | | The Fairfax County Police Department is launching its
seasonal public awareness effort to remind motorists to be on the lookout for deer as they travel the roadways this fall. Studies show that nearly one in every 136 Virginia drivers will be involved in a deer-related crash over the next 12 months. In Fairfax County, 45 percent of all deer collisions are recorded in October and November.
During deer breeding season, October through December,
adult deer are highly mobile. Deer are especially active pre-dawn to mid-morning and dusk to early evening. These periods of deer activity correspond with traveling commuters, as well as students en route to and from school.
Fairfax County Police Department Wildlife Biologist Victoria
Monroe, urges motorists, as well as pedestrians and bicyclists, to use caution and to be vigilant in their search for deer. "Where you see one deer, there are bound to be many more, as they typically travel in herds," Monroe said. "Watch for eye shine along the roadsides; immediately slow if you spot a deer. If a deer is frozen in place on the road, reduce speed and flash your headlights." | for further information | 11/30/2009 | | |
The summer issue of In Season is now available online. | See the Summer Issue of In Season | 11/30/2009 | | | Note: This tip is from Horticulture Magazine
Keeping Clippers Clean
August 25, 2009
My tip is a necessity for your gardening bucket/tool box.
I save the sprayer nozzle from empty bottles of cleaning solutions, such as glass cleaner. I rinse them and exchange them with the lid on a full bottle of rubbing alcohol.
Armed with this handy inexpensive disinfectant spray when cutting and trimming, I spray my pruner with the alcohol between tender plants to disinfect it. Since I started using this handy tool I haven’t spread disease like mildew, etc, from one plant to another.
The alcohol also helps to disinfect an accidental cut finger right in the garden. Honestly, who stops gardening to go in and wash with soap and water every time you cut or jab your finger & open the skin. For me that would only happen when I was finished gardening; which is when the sun goes down. | | 11/25/2009 | | | Friday, October 16th
Emmanuel Lutheran Church
Sanctuary
2589 Chain Bridge Road, Vienna
703-938-2119
2:45 – Refreshments
3:00 – Program
Our educational outreach event is open to the public and local high school students, free of charge. What a wonderful opportunity to ask friends to join Ayr Hill Garden Club for Dr. Jeffrey Kirwan’s Remarkable Trees of Virginia Project. The program seeks to engage a new generation of Virginians with recognizing, enjoying and protecting our Commonwealth’s most significant trees. Along with Nancy Ross Hugo and fine-art photographer Robert Llewellyn, the team has documented over 1,000 trees that were nominated by citizens and will be celebrated in a fine art book distributed by University of Virginia Press. | | 10/16/2009 | | | When: Tuesday, September 15th at 7 p.m.
Where: Green Spring Gardens
The Fairfax County Park Authority will hold three public meetings for stakeholders, Friend's groups and the public at-large on the proposed Fiscal Year 2011 budget reductions. Attendees will hear how the Park Authority is funded, discuss proposals for dealing with budget reductions and have the opportunity to voice concerns and suggest proposals to manage these reductions.
Your presence at this meeting is very important. If you care about the future of Fairfax County Parks like Green Spring Gardens, Riverbend, Scott's Run, Huntley Meadows Park, Hidden Pond, etc., please show up and support funding for parks. Please let the people who manage not only county parks but also recreation centers and golf courses know that you care about parks. | | 9/16/2009 | | | WASHINGTON – The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) has won Nickelodeon’s Parents’ Picks Award as Washington, D.C.’s Best Tourist Spot, garnering more votes than several other area attractions. According to voters who went online from May 5 to July 15 to cast their ballots, the USBG is “the one place that every out-of-towner just has to see.”
“We are incredibly proud that the U.S. Botanic Garden was selected as Nickelodeon’s Parents’ Pick for Best Tourist Spot in Washington,” said Acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers, AIA, LEED AP. “Visitors can’t help but feel closer to nature while walking through the Conservatory and the National Garden. I hope many more families will take the time to explore the U.S. Botanic Garden and enjoy all that it has to offer.”
“We’ve long aspired to be a family-friendly destination for out-of-towners as well as a familiar sanctuary for our local community,” said Holly Shimizu, Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden. “It’s wonderful to know that people — and especially parents — from Washington and around the world helped us win this national award.” | | 9/30/2009 | | | The Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, DC is seeking a qualified candidate for a 100% permanent position as Embassy Gardener beginning immediately.
To Apply:
Please send your resume, a letter of interest and salary expectations no later than September 1 in electronic format (Word document, PDF file) to: wasjob@eda.admin.ch Please write into the subject line, “Embassy Gardener” to ensure timely processing of your application. Please do not contact the Embassy. Only those who are chosen for an interview will be contacted. | | 9/30/2009 | | | Join students from across the country to learn more about the field of horticultural therapy by enrolling in Introduction to Horticultural Therapy this fall. At the non-profit, Horticultural Therapy Institute (HTI), our mission is to provide education and training in HT to those new to, or experienced with, the practice of using gardening and plants to improve the lives of others. Our faculty is dedicated to teaching best practices with passion, and our past students form a community of learners that become horticultural therapy practitioners in a variety of settings. Take one class, or the full certificate program and see how our curriculum can meet your needs. The class will be offered at the Hospice & Palliative Care of Greensboro, NC, Oct. 15-18, 2009. Remaining certificate classes will be held in North Carolina. The certificate program offers ten semester credits of HT coursework from Colorado State University. For full class descriptions, schedules and enrollment forms go to our web site at www.htinstitute.org or call 303-388-0500. | Enroll here.. | 9/5/2009 | | | David Austin’s rose ‘Graham Thomas’ is the World’s Favorite Rose, according to the rose aficionados in the 41 member countries that make up the World Federation of Rose Societies. | | 9/15/2009 | | | More than $6,000 in Prizes to be Awarded in McLean for the Best Tomatoes.
NatureSweet® Tomatoes are vine-nurtured and hand-picked for homegrown taste. How do yours measure up? The Seventh Annual NatureSweet Best Homegrown Tomato Challenge is coming to Virginia this year to find out! The event will be held at the Giant® store at 1454 Chain Bridge Road in McLean on Saturday, August 15. Gardeners are invited to bring in their best tomatoes in both the small and large tomato categories for a chance to be one of two $2500 winners! Two runners-up in each category will each receive Giant gift cards valued at $250. | more information and registration... | 8/31/2009 | | | Since 1953, the American Horticultural Society’s Great American Gardeners Awards program has recognized individuals and institutions that have made significant contributions to horticulture across America. Nominations for the 2009 Great American Gardeners Awards are now being accepted until September 30, 2009.
In 2010, twelve separate Great American Gardeners Awards will be presented, including the prestigious Liberty Hyde Bailey Award for significant contributions to the horticultural fields of teaching, research, writing, plant exploration, administration, art, business, and leadership. Other awards will acknowledge outstanding achievements in garden communication, commercial horticulture, landscape design, floral design, urban beautification, and youth gardening. | more information.. | 9/30/2009 | | |
As many of you probably know, late blight on tomato and potato is in the news. Late blight caused the Irish Potato Famine back in the 1840’s. The destructive potential of this disease, only realized when environmental conditions are optimal, is well documented. It is expected that you will be receiving a number of inquiries from concerned growers about late blight due to the increased news coverage. Therefore, we wanted to tell you what we do know about the current situation and give you some pointers on diagnosis and more detailed information about preventative fungicide sprays and what to do if you do suspect late blight on tomato or potato.
See attachment for details. | | 8/31/2009 | | | ‘Endurio Sky Blue Martien' viola has been selected as an All-America Selections Cool Season Award winner. Bred by Syngenta Flowers, the plant has a spreading mounding habit that reaches 6 in. tall and 10-12 in. wide. It produces delicate ¾-in. single sky-blue flowers. In mild southern regions, it flowers throughout the winter. In northern temperate climates, it provides 2-season color, flowering well after 1st frost when planted in fall and again in spring after snow has melted and the soil has warmed. It can also be planted in early spring and will flower well into summer. | See picture | 8/30/2009 | | | Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is a serious plant disease that affects tomato and potato around the world. It can be responsible for major garden and crop loss. This disease has been identified in tomatoes being sold in home garden centers in New Jersey and other northeastern states. If you or your friends, family or neighbors purchased tomato plants from “big box” stores, your plants may be infected with this disease. Please read our gardener alert (first item under What’s New) on the Jersey Tomato page. | Gardener Alert | 8/31/2009 | | | The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) intends to establish a temporary quarantine of the movement of regulated articles in the lower Peninsula and the greater Tidewater areas of Southeastern Virginia to areas outside the quarantined locations for the purpose of preventing the artificial spread of the Imported Fire Ant to uninfested areas of the state.
Counties affected by the temporary quarantine: James City and York
Cities affected by the temporary quarantine: Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, and Williamsburg
The quarantine will be enacted on or about June 24. Movement of articles capable of transporting Imported Fire Ants out of the quatantine area will be restricted unless the regulated articles have been inspected or if a compliance agreement is in place.
Regulated articles include - but are not limited to - SOD, nursery stock, and soil.
| | 8/30/2009 | | |
Eco-Lawn, a seed mix developed by Wildflower Farms features wide adaptability, high draught tolerance, and good performance in full sun to considerable shade – and it can be mown or left alone for a natural flowing carpet effect. The Avant Gardener, July 2009 | | 7/30/2009 | | | The leaves of beautyberry shrubs (callicarpa) contain two compounds which repel mosquitoes as effectively as DEET, and now the USDA Natural Products Utilization Research Unit in Oxford MS has found that these extracts will also repel ticks and even fire ants for one to several hours. The Avant Gardener, July 2009 | | 7/30/2009 | | | Join Meadowlark Botanical Garden’s Visitor Center staff as a volunteer and assist those coming to enjoy the gardens. Duties include the following: welcome visitors; register program participants; process gift shop sales; direct phone calls as needed; refer visitors to garden areas of greatest seasonal interest. Training provided. For information, contact Danielle Beres, 703-255-3631, ext. 4, at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna. | | 7/30/2009 | | | The U.S. National Arboretum has teamed up with the green industry to feature plants new to American horticulture in an exhibit that opens today at the facility operated by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Washington, D.C. Located at the arboretum's Visitors Center and the surrounding Introduction Garden, the “Living Gardens Catalog” puts a twist on the traditional plant catalogs gardeners often receive in the mail. Informational posters that resemble catalog pages for each of the featured plants are set up in the lobby. Visitors can then view these plants, some of which are being displayed in public for the first time, in the garden outside. The exhibit features a variety of plants, from bedding annuals and perennial plants to shrubs and trees.
The exibit is open from June through October. | more information | 10/30/2009 | | | Great way to get experience working in public gardens. Part-time seasonal gardener position available (up to 20 hours/ week; no benefits). Duties include gardening, propagation, and curatorial tasks. Gardening tasks in the following gardens: Virginia Native Plant Garden, Roses and Companions, Concentric Garden, Vista Garden, Mixed Border, Spring House Overlook, and Entrance Garden. Occasional weekend work required. Call 703-642-5173 for information. | | 6/30/2009 | | | A revised USDA Hardiness Zone map will be released this year, Scientific American reported. Horticulturalists and experts who have helped with the revision expect the new map to extend plants' northern ranges and clearly show the extent of gradual warming over the past few decades. USDA commissioned the revised map after a flap in 2003, when the American Horticultural Society released a draft update based on 16 years of temperature data. USDA had funded the project but rejected the update, which was configured differently and showed significant warming over the 1990 version, with many parts of the nation shifted into warmer climate zones | See more.. | 5/15/2009 | | | Crown gall, caused by the bacterial pathogen Agrobacterium tumefaciens, is a disease known to infect woody ornamentals and tree fruits. Jan Byrne with Mich. St. Univ. Diagnostic Services said growers of herbaceous perennials, especially those propagated by cuttings, should be aware of the disease and its symptoms. Infected plants produce an abnormally large number of cells that form the gall. Galls can appear on the roots, stems and foliage and range from pea-size to more than 1 ft. in diameter. The bacterium enters plants through wounds, often those made by cultural practices such as grafting, pruning or cutting propagation. Larger galls may destroy plant vascular tissue causing dieback or death. With time gall tissue breaks down, releasing the bacterium back into the soil or onto other host material. Good sanitation is an important component of control. There are several control products that contain a strain of Agrobacterium that is antagonistic toward the gall causing pathogen. Product efficacy varies with the type of plant material being treated. These products are meant to protect healthy plants and do not eradicate current infections. Copper-based fungicides can be used to help limit spread, but do not eradicate current infections. | See details | 5/5/2009 | | |
Some of you may be experiencing an unusually high number of calls coming from constituents about their observation of what appears to be significant die-offs of perching birds, particularly those common to bird feeding stations (e.g., finches). This situation is more likely to be occurring in the western and southwestern parts of the state, but may show up anywhere in the Commonwealth. In most cases, this is part of an on-going outbreak of salmonellosis that has been spreading throughout the mid-Atlantic region.
This is a disease that occurs naturally in the environment, but occasionally spikes to higher than normal levels. We seem to have entered into one of those periods this year. However, at the same time, there also has been evidence of salmonella contamination arising from or spread through contaminated bird seed (see additional links off the same one provided above) and there may be a recall underway in your area. Clients should be encouraged to check the name brand(s) of seed they may be providing at their feeding stations to determine whether it may be involved in a recall. If so, they should stop distributing any of the contaminated seed, cleanse all feeders, and use only “clean” seed. I’m attaching a useful pamphlet that describes proper sanitary care around feeders for your use.
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, in conjunction with the National Wildlife Health Center of the U.S. Geologic Survey, is monitoring the presence and spread of this outbreak. If you have reports of significant die-offs of small songbirds, please forward information about the location and/or from whom you received that information to Justin Folks ( justin.folks@dgif.virginia.gov) so that they can do the necessary follow-up on tracking each incident. | See Details | 4/30/2009 | | | Pesticide phytotoxicity on plants can often be distinguished from pest problems by the pattern and timing of symptom development. Univ. of Mass. ext. floriculture specialist Tina Smith said the damage may not appear for several days, pesticide damage symptoms often occur all at once and have a regular distribution on the crop. Pathogen-caused symptoms usually develop over an extended period of time in random or grouped patterns. Pesticide phytotoxicity can appear as different symptoms, including leaf speckling, cupping and twisting and other leaf distortions or plant death. Pesticide damage can be prevented by applying pesticides during the cooler parts of the day. Early morning treatments allow foliage to dry before temperatures reach 85°F-90°F. Take special precautions when using oils. Treat when conditions allow the oil to dry quickly. Other suggestions to prevent pesticide damage: add surfactants only when recommended on the pesticide label; never apply insecticides with a sprayer that was previously used to apply herbicides; don't apply pesticides to plants that are under moisture stress; avoid using more than 1 emulsifiable concentrate in a tank mix; don't apply pesticides with fertilizers unless the label states otherwise; never use broadleaved weed killers and brush killers around the greenhouse; and follow label directions exactly. | Read more.. | 4/25/2009 | | | For the first time in 20 years, All-America Rose Selections has named a single winner for 2010: Easy Does It, a floribunda hybridized by Harkness New Roses of England and introduced by Weeks Roses of Wasco, Calif. The double-ruffled flowers of Easy Does It feature mango orange, peach pink and ripe apricot hues. It has a moderately fruity fragrance. The rose is disease-resistant and easy to maintain. | See details | 4/20/2009 | | | Flower Award Winner: ‘Mesa Yellow’ gaillardia (blanket flower).
‘Mesa Yellow’ quickly fills in containers, making it adaptable to 4-inch and larger containers. It offers a branching, mounding habit with horizontal vigor and continuous blooming. It is naturally drought tolerant, and the flowers can be cut and used for summer bouquets. If left on the plant, they attract butterflies. It is hardy to Zone 5.
Bedding Plant Award Winners: ‘Twinny Peach’ dwarf snapdragon and ‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ zinnia.
‘Twinny Peach’ is a unique dwarf snapdragon with a double or butterfly flower form. The name ‘Twinny’ refers to twins or doubles, a reminder of the double flower form. Flowers are peach, yellow or light orange, blending together for a novel presentation. Gardeners can expect spikes of pastel colors throughout the growing season.
‘Zahara Starlight Rose’ is the first zinnia with rose and white bicolor blooms produced on disease-resistant plants. The branching plants are resistant to leaf spot and mildew. The single rose and white, 2-inch blooms are stunning and encourage impulse sales. It provides continuous flower color with minimal care. | Read more | 4/15/2009 | | |
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Hosta of the Year is Earth Angel for 2009, as designated by American Hosta Growers Association. Selected by Shady Oaks Nursery in 2002, this sport of Blue Angel is one of the largest variegated hostas that you’ll find. It produced large near-white flowers in June and July. It will take shade or part sun and makes an impressive specimen plant in any hosta-growing area of the country. | | See details | 4/15/2009 | | |
Join Meadowlark Botanical Garden’s horticulture staff as a volunteer and learn from the pros how to cultivate and maintain a wide variety of plants. Volunteers receive a free annual pass to the gardens, invitations to special events, and camaraderie with like-minded people. For more information, call Doris Rodriguez, chief horticulturist, at 703-242-9425. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna. | | 4/15/2009 | | | Saturdays, April 4, 11, 18, 25, May 2 and 9
9am-1pm. Local growers provide you with shrubs, native plants and wildflowers, ornamental grasses and unusual perennials and annuals. Friends of Green Spring (FROGS) receive 10% off in the Garden Gate Plant Shop. The Green Spring Master Gardeners available at each Garden Market. Plant shopping and free gardening information – what a great way to spend a Saturday morning! | | 5/9/2009 | | |
Early bird registration for Horticultural Horizons ends in 2 weeks – register before March 1 and pay the same price as our 2007 AND 2005 seminars! A great value for a day of training and admission to Ginter. Registration increases to $45 after March 1. | See event details | 3/2/2009 | | | A horticultural association in Virginia has created a new plant introduction program for 2009 called Beautiful Gardens, complete with promotional materials for independent retailers. The introductions are all tested across the varied climatic zones throughout Virginia to ensure customers are successful with the plants they buy. The program, created by the Virginia Nurserymen’s Association Horticulture Research Foundation Inc., is available to independent retailers in Virginia and was made possible through partial funding from a local grant. The group established 1-acre test sites in Glade Spring, Halifax County and Blacksburg, as well as at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, to test the plants.
The plants in the program so far include the following:
- Cercis chinensis ‘Don Egolf,’
- Chinese Redbud
- Helleborus x hybridus Pine Knot Strains, Lenten Rose
- Agapanthus x ‘Monmid’ Midknight Blue, Lily of the Nile
- Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Snowflake,’ Oakleaf Hydrangea
- Ilex x ‘Virginia,’ Holly
- Thuja x ‘Steeplechase,’ Arborvitae
- Buxus x ‘Green Velvet,’ Boxwood
- Stokesia laevis ‘Peachie’s Pick,’ Stokes’ Aster
- Musa basjoo, Hardy Banana
More plants are expected to be released in 2010, and Beautiful Gardens is presently soliciting nominations for its 2011 distribution | Find out more.. | 3/30/2009 | | |
Join in a big celebration of natural history milestones featuring exhibits, activities, and a brief program as we mark Darwin’s 200th birthday. Event includes live music, birthday cake, and special call-in visitors. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna, on Sunday, February 22, 2 to 4 p.m. Cost is $3 for children (12 and under), $5 for all others. For reservations and information, call 703-255-3631. | see details | 2/23/2009 | | | Excerpted with permission. This information is from an article written by George Graine for The Virginia Gardener.
Selecting de-icing salt can be confusing. De-icing products are used to provide safety, to eliminate damage to plant material, and to prevent damage to sidewalks and driveways. Below is a list of various de-icing ingredients and the qualities of each. Keep in mind that the products noted are melting agents, and you should not think of them as traction material. To minimize damage, use less salt and mix in abrasives such as sand, cinders, or ash.
Magnesium chloride is a member of the most recent generation of de-icing salts. If used as recommended, it should not harm plants and is effective to -13 degrees. You also can use this product in much smaller quantities than other de-icing products.
Sodium chloride (a.k.a. rock salt) has been around forever and will work fast at temperatures down to 18 degrees F. It is the least costly de-icer, but it also is the most damaging to plants because it retards plant growth. It is also harsh on new concrete.
Potassium chloride (muriate of potash) is fine to use around plants, but it is toxic to aquatic life. Thus, consider the possibility of runoff into a pond or stream. The product is effective down to 25 degree F.
Calcium chloride, another old product, acts fast and effectively down to 5 degrees F. It can damage plants and is also harsh on new concrete.
Urea is a nitrogen fertilizer, but it will work as a de-icer even if the temperature goes down to -25 degrees F. Any runoff of urea that moves into a planting bed or turf endangers those plants, since it stimulates untimely growth.
| Impact of ice melters on water quality | 3/5/2009 | | |
This sale is...for the birds!
Trees and shrubs provide seeds or berries, shelter and nesting sites for birds. The seedling selections in this year's package were chosen with our feathered friends in mind. They will attract songbirds to your backyard and help sustain them year-round.
12 bare-root seedlings for
$17.95 | See plant images and the order form | 2/28/2009 | | | Perennial Plant Assoc. has named Baptisia australis (false blue indigo) as its 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year. This low-maintenance plant has an upright, spreading habit and reaches 3-5 feet tall and 6 feet wide. Native to the Eastern U.S., it produces thick stems with gray-green, ovate leaves and racemes of indigo-blue lupinelike, 1-inch flowers. Dark-brown seed pods are produced in fall. The plant can be used in borders or in the landscape as a specimen plant.. It’s hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 3-9. | see details | 2/15/2009 | | | Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola' - Variegated Japanese Forest Grass
One of the most popular, beautiful and elegant of all grasses - not to mention that it's one of those few that are shade- loving, a slow, steady creeper that's never invasive. Growth habit is arching. Its graceful and brilliant yellow leaves have green stripes and a tawny-pink fall color, as an added bonus. This wonderful cascading foliage is gorgeous around water features, by pathways, and under trees, and is extremely useful in mixed containers. The shock of color this beauty lends to a shady location is unsurpassed, and it would be difficult to find a garden that couldn't be improved by its classic and sophisticated nature. The only possible improvement would be if it were evergreen. Cut the foliage down to the ground in late winter or early spring.
Full to part shade. Zones 5-9 - Height 12-18" | See image | 1/30/2009 | | |
Mealybugs are common garden and houseplant pests. These cottony white bugs attach themselves to leaves and stems and suck plant juices. Their damage can cause leaves to drop and the sticky honeydew they secrete to drip on carpets and floors.
While there are many organic and conventional pesticides to control mealybugs, here’s a simple solution that doesn’t require any spraying at all. Researchers at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania found that chilling plants infected with mealybugs to 36 degrees F for 2 days reduced the infestation for up to two months, but didn’t harm the plants. This treatment was effective only on plants that can take the cold temperatures, such as gardenias, citrus, and fuchsias. | Read more | 12/31/2008 | | |
Each year the GreatPlants program highlights new or overlooked trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials and ornamental grasses that show superior qualities for Nebraska landscapes. The Tree of the Year: Corneliancherry dogwood (Cornus mas); Conifer of the Year: Serbian spruce (Picea omorika); Shrub of the Year: Creeping mahonia or creeping barberry (Mahonia repens); Perennial of the Year: Arkansas bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii); and the Grass of the Year: Shenandoah switchgrass (Panicum ‘Shenandoah’). | Read more | 1/15/2009 | | | Int’l. Flower Bulb Center in Hillegom, Netherlands, has launched the Bulbs in the Landscape Web site to provide landscapers in the U.S. and Canada info about the use of flower bulbs. Divided into 7 sections, the site provides info on common uses and applications including as part of flower mixes, seasonal bulbs, as well as specifics on planning, planting and maintenance. A section with downloadable charts provides details on perennializing bulbs by climate zone, bulb/perennial companion plantings, names of flower bulbs and more. Most info is presented in both metric and American units of measure. | Read more.. | 1/15/2009 | | | Spring Meadow’s Oso Easy Paprika was recently awarded the gold medal for Best Groundcover Rose at the Rose Hills International Rose Trials. The trials are held at the Pageant of Roses Garden at Rose Hills Memorial Park outside of Los Angeles. Roses were evaluated in a parklike setting for health, vigor, growth habit and foliage and flower beauty. Paprika was awarded the highest score for roses in the shrub/groundcover category. | See Picture | 1/10/2009 | | | This often overlooked fall gardening chore can lead to water disasters!
Now that the weather has turned colder and nighttime temperatures are dipping into the 20's, it's time to disconnect and reel in your hoses for the winter. Many of us have had the unfortunate experience of busted hose connectors or, worse yet, broken water faucets because we forgot to disconnect our hoses from an outside faucet or spigot.
- Take a walk around the house and gardens and locate all your hoses, connectors, and sprinklers.
- Carefully drain all the water from your hoses BEFORE you roll them up for the winter.
- Tie your hoses with some twine to keep them coiled neatly.
- Store your hoses in the garage or basement for the winter.
- Covering the open ends of your hoses will keep ants, spiders, and other unwanted pests from making a home in your hoses over the winter. If you don't do this, be sure to flush your hoses with plenty of water before hooking them up to your sprinklers in the spring!
- Clean your sprinklers and any hose connectors and store these in the garage or basement for the winter.
| | 12/31/2008 | | | European alpine clematis (Clematis alpina) features twining foliage that can reach up to 6 feet tall and nodding, bell-shaped flowers. Now there’s a new selection from Holland that boasts attractive golden leaves. Stolwijk Gold clematis (C.alpina ‘Stolwijk Gold’) has the same vigorous growth habit as other alpine clematis, but has golden foliage that contrasts well with its blue spring flowers. The foliage changes to chartreuse later in summer. Stolwijk Gold is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 7 and the gold foliage color is most vivid if the plant is grown in full sun. Plant it in well drained, fertile soil and provide a strong trellis for this vigorous grower. | See details | 12/31/2008 | | | American Rhododendron Society has named 27 rhododendrons as annual winners for 2009. Winners are selected for 4 categories in each of 7 geographical regions, as well as 1 tropical winner. The lists are developed by local chapters which record plants that have done exceedingly well in members’ gardens over a number of years. | See details | 12/10/2008 |
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