Master Gardener – Search
Searching: aster
If you don't see the answer you're looking for, try submitting your question.
Master Gardener Classes
-
Date Posted: Wed, Jun 10 - 1:28 am
- how do i sign up for classes to be a master gardener?
- Hello! Thank you so much for your interest in taking Master Gardener classes. Class information should be available later this summer with applications opening in September. Please e-mail rvamastergardeners@gmail.com to get added to our wait list to receive information once it is available.
Question
Answer
"Suckering" trees
-
Date Posted: Wed, Jun 10 - 1:26 am
- Hi - we have a couple of trees that look to have “suckers” of varying lengths (an example shown below). Would an arborist be able to assist with removing these growths safely and helping to minimize future growths?
- Thank you for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners, and for including a very helpful photo! The growth you’re seeing are called “suckers” or epicormic shoots. In your case, these are vigorous shoots coming from the lower trunk. While the leaf shape looks consistent with the rest of the tree, the green color (compared to the purple canopy above) suggests this growth may be coming from the rootstock rather than the grafted top. You are correct to want to remove these, as they can take energy away from the upper canopy and, over time, may outcompete the desired growth if left unmanaged. If you are comfortable with pruning, many homeowners find they can remove these themselves keeping a few things in mind. First, be sure to prune each shoot back as close to the trunk as possible (don’t leave stubs). Stubs will create more suckers. Always use clean, sharp pruners. It is best to remove the suckers while they are still relatively longer. For larger or very dense growth like you have, an arborist can certainly help, but it’s not strictly necessary if you’re comfortable pruning. To help reduce future suckering: 1. Continue removing shoots promptly when they appear 2. Avoid heavy pruning of the upper canopy, which can stimulate more growth 3. Keep the tree healthy with proper watering and mulch (but avoid piling mulch against the trunk) From what I can tell from your photo, this appears to be a purple-leaf redbud, which is often grafted onto a standard green-leaf redbud rootstock. The rootstock naturally produces green leaves and tends to grow more vigorously, which seems to be what you’re seeing here. More broadly, trees often produce suckers in response to stress or disruption. Common triggers include heavy pruning or canopy loss, damage to roots or trunk (from lawn equipment, construction, etc.), environmental stress, such as drought or poor soil conditions, planting issues (like being planted too deeply or having mulch piled against the trunk), and natural growth habit of certain species or rootstocks If these shoots continue to return aggressively, it may just be the nature of the rootstock, but it can also be worth checking for any underlying stress factors.
Question
Answer
Renting a Raised bed
-
Date Posted: Tue, Jun 02 - 12:09 am
- Any available raised beds that I can reserve.
- Hi! Thanks so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners! While we enjoy getting the opportunity to work with some of the amazing community gardens in the city, we are not directly connected to them. I am going to direct you to this city website: https://www.rva.gov/parks-recreation/community-gardens where you can find contact information for Nate who oversees the gardens as well as a link to contact gardens directly to check on availability for a raised bed. We are fortunate to have many active gardens around the city and we hope you will be able to connect with one!
Question
Answer
I would like to become a Master Gardener. How do I go about that?
-
Date Posted: Mon, May 11 - 9:08 pm
- I would like to become a Master Gardener. How do I go about that?
- Good afternoon and thank you for your question! The Master Gardener program is run by the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE), and they provide the training and certification to become an Extension Master Gardener. To become certified, you must enroll in a class with the local Extension Office of the VCE. The requirement is to complete the 50 hours of training and then complete 50 hours of volunteer service to become certified. To remain active, you must complete 20 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of Continuing Education each year. You can contact the VCE office in Richmond at 804.786.4150 and speak to either Twandra Lomax or Jane Henderson. One of them can tell you when the next class will be. At this time, the City of Richmond Extension office of the VCE is coordinating with one of the local county Extension offices (Chesterfield or Henrico) to provide the training for our City of Richmond Extension. Once you are certified, you will then become active in the City of Richmond Master Gardener program. Thank you for your interest! Please reach out if you have any other questions about the program and we will be happy to help.
Question
Answer
Figs, mint, strawberries and cilantro
-
Date Posted: Wed, May 06 - 2:08 am
- Hello, I purchased a small fig tree in a plant sale. However, I read after purchase that they can be really aggressive here in VA and choke other plants/roots extend so far that they can damage walls and foundation. I wanted to check if I should put it in a container or plant it as planned in an area that gets east and south Sun. If planted in the ground, how far should it be from structures? Is there an extra way to control its root growth ( pruning in the winter for example )? The same question for strawberries and herbs like sweat mint and cilantro. I read that they could spread and take over the garden and that a flower bed won’t keep them contained. Would they be better planted in a raised garden bed?
- It sounds like you had a great day at the plant sale and have several great questions! Starting with figs ... This is a really great resource about growing figs put out by the Virginia Cooperative Extension office and I believe it answers all of your questions: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/pubs_ext_vt_edu/en/SPES/spes-760.html If you are interested in doing a soil test before planting, there are typically soil tests available from the local libraries. Also, if you'd like to see some examples of mature figs, including one that was recently pruned, you can visit Humphrey Calder Community garden at the corner of Thompson and Patterson. The pruning was done by the city to ease maintenance around the tree and protect the fence. Strawberries and mint are both eager growers and like to spread and can be challenging to control when planted in the ground. Personally, I always plant mint in a large grow bag. It is very happy there, comes back year after year, and is well contained. Strawberries can also be grown in containers easily, or you could make a small raised bed for them. There is another example of this at Humphrey calder - you will find a bed near the center opening area that is mostly strawberries, but the gardener grows other things in the middle of the strawberries, like tomatoes. The Piedmont Master Gardeners have a great resource about growing strawberries: https://www.piedmontmastergardeners.org/article/strawberry-basics-for-the-home-garden/ Cilantro is not something I have ever had to worry about taking over. It is very temperature sensitive and bolts easily as the weather warms. The cilantro I've been growing this spring has already bolted (gone to flower and forming seeds). I would recommend finding a shady spot for your cilantro, and if planting in a pot helps you get it in a shady spot, then that work perfectly fine. This is a great resource for growing cilantro in Virginia: https://gardenclub.org/blog/cilantro-cool-season-culinary-herb Good luck with your new plants! Have fun!
Question
Answer
Master Gardener Training
-
Date Posted: Thu, Apr 30 - 9:35 pm
- I just recently learned about the Master Gardener program and would love more information on when training is available! Thanks!
- Thank you so much for your interest in the Master Gardener Program! Applications for the program typically open in September and the training program begins in the new year and runs through March/April. Trainees are required to complete 50 hours of classroom time and 50 hours of volunteer time during their first year. Ongoing yearly commitments as a Master Gardener are 8 hours of continuing education and 20 hours of volunteer time. If you are interested in being added to our wait list so that you can receive information about applications as soon as they are available, please email us at rvamastergardeners@gmail.com
Question
Answer
Home Consults
-
Date Posted: Fri, Apr 24 - 11:57 am
- Hi! I have a friend in Williamsburg who has been helped by the Williamsburg Master Gardeners Landscape Love committee. Just wondering if anything like that exists with your group on Richmond. I need some guidance in person for a small yard. Thanks, Anne. (804)908-4742
- Hello and thank you for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners! We do offer home consults as our volunteers have the capacity to do so. If you are interested in connecting with us about this possibility, please email us at rvamastergardeners@gmail.com and answer the following questions: 1. What neighborhood do you live? You are welcome to share your address if you are comfortable doing so. We ask about this because we will try to connect you with a Master Gardener that lives nearby. 2. What is your current gardening knowledge and/or experience? 3. What is your goal for your yard? Once we have this information, we will send a request out to our team to see if anyone has the availability to connect with you. We are a small group of Master Gardeners and we enjoy working with neighbors in the city who are eager to learn more about gardening at home. I'm hopeful we'll be able to make a connection for you!
Question
Answer
Garden Season Kick off
-
Date Posted: Fri, Apr 24 - 11:50 am
- We have an informal gardening group at work that volunteers to take care of planters around the state office building in Richmond where we work. We are holding a gardening season kickoff in May and wanted to know if there is a master gardener who can come talk about growing vegetables and flowers in what are essentially raised bed planters or talk about gardening in raised beds in general? Thanks.
- Hi and thank you so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners! We enjoy opportunities like this to help small groups get inspired and excited about gardening! I will send you a follow up e-mail to get a few more details from you, and then I can reach out to our group to see if we have a volunteer available to help! Will be in touch!
Question
Answer
Options for climbing roses
-
Date Posted: Fri, Apr 24 - 11:47 am
- Hi there, my husband and I are hoping to plant climbing roses in front of our home and would love advice on what an appropriate trellis or other support might look like. We have vinyl siding that runs vertically (see picture, left side) and are somewhat stumped on a solution.
- Thanks so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners! Climbing roses can be a beautiful addition to a home, and you’ve got several good options to consider with your vinyl siding. There are a few approaches you could take depending on the look you’re going for and how much you want to attach to the house. One option is to install a freestanding trellis or arbor positioned a few inches out from the wall. This gives the roses a sturdy structure to climb while keeping everything independent from the siding which is often the simplest and lowest-risk choice. If you’d prefer a more integrated look, you can attach a trellis directly to the wall and train the rose onto it. With vinyl siding, you’ll want to be thoughtful about how it’s mounted to avoid damage and make sure you are using proper anchors into studs (rather than just the siding) is key. Another creative option is to use vinyl siding clips or outdoor-rated command hooks paired with wire or heavy-duty twine to create a grid system for the rose to climb. This can work well if you’d rather not drill into the siding. If you go this route, plan to run the wires across the full width you want the rose to fill from the start, and be sure to choose clips or hooks that are rated to handle the mature weight of a fully grown climbing rose, which can be substantial. No matter which method you choose, keep in mind that climbing roses don’t naturally cling on their own and they’ll need to be gently tied and trained as they grow. Soft plant ties or garden twine work well for this. Best of luck with this project! It will be beautiful as it fills in.
Question
Answer
Pruning Camillias
-
Date Posted: Wed, Apr 08 - 11:33 pm
- Good morning. My Camellia trees that are very mature just finished blooming. I would like to do a hard cut back to about 2 feet tall to reshape. With them blooming so late in the season may I do that now? The trees are greater than 20 years old and very healthy. Their shape is just gotten off over the years.
- Thank you for reaching out to the master gardeners! You are actually in the perfect window to prune since your camellias have just finished blooming. Camellias, even mature ones like yours, are generally very tolerant of hard pruning, so cutting them back to around 2 feet (a rejuvenation prune) is acceptable, especially since they are healthy and well established. That said, you should expect to lose blooms for next season because you’ll be removing developing buds, and the plants may look a bit sparse or uneven at first as they push out new growth over the next one to two growing seasons. When pruning, try to make cuts just above a leaf node or lateral branch, and after pruning, support recovery with consistent watering and mulch rather than heavy fertilization right away. If you’d prefer a more gradual approach, you could also reduce the size over two years by removing a portion of the older wood each season. Overall, your camellias should respond well, it will just be a bit of a reset before they fill back in beautifully. This is a great general resource about pruning put out by the Virginia Extension office: https://www.cmgv.org/images/References/Pruning%20Calendar%202019.pdf