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VCU Garden Beds
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Date Posted: Mon, Mar 30 - 2:36 pm
- I am trying to revive 8 garden beds in the courtyard of my campus dorm. The soil is currently dense w/ roots from the nearby mature trees, which have basically invaded the beds! I am unsure what we should do with the roots :( Do we cut them? Additionally, there is a little sapling that is groing magestically in the center of one of the beds.... I do not want to kill it, as it proves itself to be resilient. I am unsure what kind of tree it is, but I assume it grew form one of the seeds of the trees above. How can I excave and transport the sapling to someone/somewhere it can thrive? I do not have photos on this device, but I would love to share pictures in an email thread once you get back to me :) With much thanks in advance, Emma Toggia
- Thanks so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners. What a wonderful project for your campus space! It sounds like you’re already putting a lot of care into bringing those beds back to life! What you’re seeing with the roots is very common when garden beds are located near mature trees. Those trees naturally extend their root systems into nearby soil to access water and nutrients. Regarding the roots, you can cut smaller invading roots (pencil-size or smaller) when preparing the beds but you should avoid cutting large structural roots, as this can stress or damage the tree. And unfortunately, even with cutting, roots will likely return over time, so it may help to add a layer of fresh compost and topsoil to improve growing conditions. When deciding what to plant here, we'd recommend choosing shade-tolerant, root-competitive plants like ferns and hellebores About the sapling: It’s great that you’d like to preserve it! You can attempt to transplant it, especially if it’s still relatively young. The best time to transplant is early spring or fall, but you can try now if you’re careful and keep it well-watered afterward. Dig a wide circle around the sapling to capture as much of the root system as possible (roots are often wider than you expect) Gently lift it, keeping as much soil around the roots as you can. There are some trees that have a very long tap root that can be nearly impossible to get out once they reach even a small size. If you find this to be the case with this tree, it may not be possible to save the tree and move it. However, if you are able to get the root ball out of the ground relatively intact, replant it promptly in a new location (or container), water deeply, and keep it consistently moist while it establishes. Do keep in mind that volunteer saplings often come from nearby trees and may grow quite large—so choosing an appropriate long-term location is important. If you have additional questions or want to share photos, you can reach us at rvamastergardeners@gmail.com. Best of luck with your garden beds, this sounds like such a meaningful project for your community!
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Tulips
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Date Posted: Mon, Mar 30 - 2:28 pm
- I know tulips are difficult but what kinds are most likely to be perennial in Richmond? I read species, emperor and Darwin? Is that right? What about Darwin hybrid? Tks!
- Thanks so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners! There are so many beautiful tulips in bloom around the city right now. I can definitely relate to wanting to plant some of your own! You’re on the right track with your research. In general, species tulips are the most likely to behave as perennials in our Richmond climate. Among hybrids, Fosteriana (Emperor) tulips and Darwin Hybrid tulips tend to perform best, although Darwin hybrids typically return for a few years rather than long-term. Usually, bulb packaging will list the tulip type and blooming details, which can be helpful when selecting varieties. Also keep in mind that water and soil needs may vary depending on whether you’re planting in the ground or in containers (containers tend to dry out more quickly). For best results, be sure to deadhead spent blooms so the plant doesn’t put energy into seed production, and allow the foliage to yellow and die back naturally so the bulbs can store energy for future blooms.
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VCU Gardening Project
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Date Posted: Fri, Mar 13 - 8:05 pm
- VCU Child Development Center is building raised beds for a new gardening project. We are planning to focus our curriculum around gardening throughout May. Is there a master gardener who could assist us by advising our Gardening Committee, or educating our students and teachers?
- Hello! Thank you so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners. I will put this request out to our unit to see who may be available to connect and will follow up via email.
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Home Consult
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Date Posted: Thu, Mar 12 - 11:19 am
- I do not know where to start to grow a natural habitat/garden on my side yard. The space is about 4ft by 30ft. The strip is bordered by the driveway on one side and holly bushes on the other side. The area gets afternoon sun. We have unsuccessfully tried growing grass. then, we had the area prepared by a landscaper who cleared the plot and added a few ferns and flox. While it looked great initially, the plot was taken over by some kind of grass/weed that it impossible to get rid of. I have decided to make this a space with natural plantings. I see lots of resources online to refer to, but don't know where to start. Can you help? I live in Henrico County VA.
- Thank you so much for reaching out to the Master Gardeners! Master Gardener units are often able to help with home consults. Because this is the Richmond unit of Master Gardeners, are efforts are focused within the city limits. There is a very active unit of Master Gardeners in Henrico County that should be able to help you. You can find more information about them and their home consultations here: https://www.henricomg.org/homeowner-consultations/ Best of luck to you!!
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Master Gardener Presentation
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Date Posted: Thu, Feb 19 - 1:19 am
- Hello! I am a member of the Goochland County Garden Club and am in charge of booking our speakers/presenters for next year’s club season. We’d love to see if someone from the Richmond master gardeners might want to come to a meeting and do a presentation on a topic of their choice. I believe a couple of years ago we had someone from the Goochland Powhatan Master Gardeners do a presentation on bokashi composting, which was so interesting! Presentations last about an hour, followed by lunch. Our meetings take place on the 3rd Tuesday of every month between the months of September 2026 - May 2027, from 11am - 1pm. Location is TBD but will be in Goochland County. We are able to provide $200 for a presenter. Thank you for your consideration!
- Thank you so much for reaching out to us about this opportunity! We do have some volunteers in our unit that enjoy giving presentations. We do, however, focus our volunteer efforts in the City of Richmond. I will follow up with you via e-mail to see how we can best help you get connected with a Master Gardener for this opportunity.
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Community Garden consult
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Date Posted: Thu, Feb 19 - 1:17 am
- Our community garden (Uptown Community Garden) needs to refresh/redesign our herb garden. The herb garden is open to all who visit to snip & enjoy. Is there a master gardener or trainee that could help us?
- Thanks so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners! I love that your herb garden is available for all who visit to share and enjoy! What a special part to your community garden. We will reach out to our unit to see if we have anyone available to help with this project and we will follow up via e-mail.
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Community Garden consult
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Date Posted: Thu, Feb 19 - 1:09 am
- Our community garden (Uptown Community Garden) needs to refresh/redesign our herb garden. The herb garden is open to all who visit to snip & enjoy. Is there a master gardener or trainee that could help us?
- Thanks so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners! I love that your herb garden is available for all who visit to share and enjoy! What a special part to your community garden. We will reach out to our unit to see if we have anyone available to help with this project and we will follow up via e-mail.
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Zoom Gardening Workshop
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Date Posted: Mon, Feb 02 - 10:47 pm
- Hi, I'm a program manager for Forward Foundation, an organization which helps single working parents who are experiencing financial hardship because of a catastrophic event. We offer virtual workshops once a month, and I would love to provide a virtual gardening workshop for these single working parents. Many of these parents enjoy plants and working in the yard. Is it possible one of your Master Gardeners would be interested in this opportunity? Thank you for considering supporting our community. I look forward to hearing from you. Our website is the following: www.forwardfoundationva.org
- Thank you so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners. Your organization sounds like it offers so much support! I will send this opportunity out to our group to see if we have the capacity for this opportunity at this time. I will follow up via email. Thank you!
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Support for after school program
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Date Posted: Mon, Feb 02 - 10:37 pm
- I am a volunteer at Peter Paul Development Center in Church Hill. PPDC serves as an after school education program for student from public housing. I developed a 1,000 sf educational garden at PPDC. The garden program needs volunteers to help provide weekly maintenance and educational programing. It is great fun to expose the students to new vegetables and fruits, help them care for the plants, etc. Are there Master Gardeners who could help support the garden program?
- Thank you so much for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners. Our group focuses on educational programming and I will reach out to our members to see if we have the capacity to add on a new project at this time. I will follow up with you via e-mail. Thanks again for thinking of us!
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Planting under a Magnolia
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Date Posted: Wed, Jan 14 - 1:33 am
- I have a magnolia tree in the front yard and underneath it it's mostly dirt. I don't really want to plant grass there but I wondered if you might suggest something that I could plant under the tree so it's not so muddy. My grandchildren get very muddy after a rain. I took a picture so you can kind of see what it looks like. It has a little bit of morning Sun but mostly shady during the day. Thanks for your help. I
- Thanks for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners with this question! This is a very common situation under magnolias, so you’re not alone—and you’re smart to avoid trying to force grass there. Magnolia trees have shallow, wide-spreading roots and create dense shade, which makes it hard for turfgrass to survive. We are always gravitating towards native options anyways. A favorite of mine for a situation like this is a sedge. Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica) is one of the BEST grass-like alternatives for shade. It looks neat, stays low, and is much tougher than turfgrass. (https://vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=1242&search=Search) Some other native ground cover options you could consider are: Green-and-gold (Chrysogonum virginianum) Semi-evergreen, spreads slowly, cheerful yellow flowers in spring https://vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=1776&search=Search Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) Excellent for shade, soft leaves, great soil cover https://vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=2009&search=Search https://vnps.org/wildflowers-of-the-year-2/2010-wild-ginger-asarum-canadense/ Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera) Handles partial shade, beautiful spring blooms https://vaplantatlas.org/index.php?do=plant&plant=3156 A couple important things to keep in mind before planting anything under a magnolia: Avoid digging deeply (to protect roots) and do not pile soil or mulch against the trunk. You could consider covering some of the space with mulch - just be sure not to pile it against the trunk! Good luck!!