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Fall garden planting
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Date Posted: Tue, Sep 06 - 9:28 pm
- Hello! I just moved to RVA and Id like to plant a small flower garden in front of my house. The area receives sun most of the day. What plants could I plant that would adjust to being planted in September? Thank you so much! Taylor
- Hello Taylor! You've got two really good things going for you-sun and fall planting. Fall is a great time to plant here, though you may want to wait until it cools down just a little bit. This will give you some time to mull over your design. Your plant palette is pretty much wide open. Richmond is on the border of the piedmont and coastal plain regions, so you can use plants that are native to either of those areas. To get you started I have a few plant suggestions. They are: yellow coreopsis (tickseed), some purple echinacea (purple coneflower), liatris (liatris spicata)-also purple, orange butterfly weed (asclepias tuberosa) not butterfly bush, one of the native low-growing phloxes-divaricata or stolonifera, maybe some little bluestem grass (schizachyrium scoparium) for a different texture, for some height-oxeye (heliopsis helianthoides) and some shrubby st. john's wort (hypericum prolificum) for its lovely pollen-laded flowers and attractive foliage. One of the best approaches is to find a nursery you like that sells native flowers and see what is for sale at the nursery as the months pass. Ask the staff for information, they love sharing their knowledge! I also suggest reading up on what is, and why plant, a native plant. This is a really useful website--https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58e25c41e6f2e17ea4cb7766/t/5ed00bfcb208c2251311ebc6/1590692887078/Native+Plants+for+Virginia%27s+Capital+Region+Guide+for+download.pdf. Check out the information for the capital region on this website when gardening in Richmond but remember you may be able to use some plants for the coastal plain as well. Before starting your garden it's a good idea to get your soil tested to find out if it's lacking in any nutrients. You can find out about cost and how to gather a good sample by calling to speak with a VCE-MG at our Chesterfield Master Gardener Help Desk weekdays during regular business hours, March through October or call (804) 751-4401 to speak with the Master Gardener on call. Also, the local branch libraries have MG help desks. Check your local branch for the day and time and speak to an MG. They are there to help! Best of luck with your new garden!
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Soil testing
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Date Posted: Mon, Jul 25 - 8:59 pm
- Do you all provide soil testing? And if so how do I sign up? Best, Katie
- Hello Katie, We absolutely do provide soil testing. The master gardeners that provide Help Desk duties at the branch libraries all have soil sample kits for purchase. Call the branch nearest you and find out the Help Desk dates and times. The kit will describe exactly how to sample your soil and what the fees are. You can find the form to fill out here-- https://www.soiltest.vt.edu/content/dam/soiltest_vt_edu/PDF/SSIS-452-125.pdf, if you want a preview and a bit more information. Good luck with the testing and happy gardening!
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Becoming a Master Gardener
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Date Posted: Thu, Jul 14 - 7:47 pm
- How do I go about becoming a master gardener?
- Hello there, So glad you are interested in providing this service to the community!! I've copied 3 paragraphs from the VCE website for Master Gardeners. The link for more information is at the end. From the VCE Website: Become a Virginia Extension Master Gardener! 1) Join a dedicated team of more than 5,000 volunteers who work in communities throughout Virginia to promote research-based horticulture. Extension Master Gardeners (EMGs) provide vital public education related to creating and managing home landscapes, vegetable gardening, turf management, and more! 2) To become an Extension Master Gardener, you will receive 50 hours (minimum) of training and complete 50 hours (minimum) of volunteer service. Exact hour requirements vary by county. To remain an active Extension Master Gardener, you must complete 20 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of continuing education each year. 3) Training classes and volunteer groups are handled locally by each Virginia county Extension office. Contact your local Extension office for information on your next upcoming local training. https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/master-gardener/Become-a-Master-Gardener.html - Currently there is no formal training in Richmond City due to a vacancy in Extension Agents. However, Chesterfield continues to have training and they are graciously filling the void in Richmond's training services. You can contact them at vce@chesterfield.gov to find out when they will be holding the next training session. - Most of the area libraries have an EMG on site at some point each month. Check in with your local library for the exact schedule and have a chat with an EMG! If you're at the Main Branch check out the new seed catalog. - Thank you for your inquiry. Best of luck with your training!
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Master Gardener Program inquiry
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Date Posted: Fri, Jun 17 - 1:54 am
- I would like to reach Don Moore as I’m contemplating becoming a master gardener and also come from a medical background. Thank you
- Hello! This is Don Moore. Feel free to reach me at dcmooreus@yahoo.com. I’d be happy to answer your questions about becoming a Master Gardener. Thanks for reaching out!
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Native Plants
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Date Posted: Mon, Apr 25 - 4:23 pm
- I’m interested in filling a mulched area in my yard in the city with native plants. Do you have any recommendations for layout and where to buy? I was hoping for a rain garden but it’s not enough space. It’s about 10 feet by 3 feet.
- Hello there! What a timely question. Master Gardeners are exploring this very subject on May 7th at the park at the Main Library between 1-4. There will be a presentation on invasive plants by the JRPS Invasive Plant Task Force followed by Master Gardeners presenting on native plants with plenty of time for questions and answers. Without knowing the orientation, amount of sun, and soil conditions, etc., it's difficult to make a suggestion for your planting. However, I would recommend making as many layers as possible-shade, understory, shrubs, perennials and groundcovers. I know it's not a large area but you would be surprised how many plants can inhabit a space that size. You could omit the shade tree perhaps and plant an understory or two-one at each end of the space. Then infill with a mix of shrubs and perennials and finally underplant with a groundcover or two. This diverse mix will be very attractive to many species of birds, mammals, insects, etc. Please come with your questions and curiosity on May 7th!!
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Compost
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Date Posted: Fri, Mar 18 - 8:48 pm
- Hello, I tried container gardening last year for the first time and really loved it. I’m looking to try again this year. I’ve collected a lot of free pots over the year, and have a good amount of space outside for them, but I am low income and can’t afford to buy more than a few bags of potting soil. Do you know of any cheap or free soil or compost give away programs in richmond? I can’t compost myself here because I live in a apartment that is susceptible to roaches.
- Hello there, So glad to hear you're planting in containers. It's amazing how well that can work. While there is no public resource for free or cheap compost (hopefully someday....) I reached out to the other Master Gardeners and a couple of them are happy to share some of their own. If you email me at jrreilly2323@gmail.com, I can send you the contact information for the individuals that have compost to share. Please let me know if you have any further questions.
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Becoming a Master Gardener
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Date Posted: Tue, Mar 08 - 9:14 pm
- Hi, I want to become a Master Gardener! What are the deadlines to apply and how does that process look like? Thanks!
- Hello there, So nice to hear you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener! The program is part of the Virginia Cooperative Extension and has offices in most counties in Virginia. Unfortunately, Richmond City does not currently have an extension agent to provide the training you are interested in. However, there are operational training programs in 3 nearby counties. Below are the 3 county offices and the contact phone numbers: Henrico (804) 501-5160, Chesterfield (804) 768-7576, Hanover (804) 752-4310. The basic components of the program are completing the training, completing the required hours for volunteering and education as an intern, and continuing to volunteer in your community annually. There are many opportunities for volunteering and providing education through community outreach. Please review the website: https://ext.vt.edu/lawn-garden/master-gardener/Become-a-Master-Gardener.html. It's full of information you'll find useful. Best of luck with your plans. We look forward to working with you!.
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Testing
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Date Posted: Thu, Nov 04 - 7:44 pm
- Just testing to see what I get when I submit a question!
- Hello there!!!! This is what you get when you test. When you ask a real question, you get A LOT more. Thanks for checking in! Janice btw, I have no idea who submitted this testing question, but I have some idea.
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Master Gardener Demo Gardens
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Date Posted: Thu, Sep 30 - 2:42 pm
- Hi, Does RVA have any demo gardens like MGNV has in Arlington and Alexandra? Is there anyway to volunteer? Thank you, sue
- Good morning! Unfortunately, the Richmond Master Gardener Program does not have any demo gardens. I am aware of demo gardens in other parts of the state, as well as some in other states, but at this time we do not operate one here in Richmond. That's not to say we won't develop one in the future! We have had discussions in our Master Gardener group, but as this time no specific plans are in the works. As far as volunteering, are you currently a Master Gardener? If you are, you can contact any of the local Virginia Cooperative Extension offices (Richmond City's VCE number is 804.786.4150; or you could contact the VCE programs in Chesterfield, Henrico, or Hanover) to find out about volunteer opportunities available to Master Gardeners. If you are not a trained Master Gardener, you may want to reach out to one of the public gardens in Richmond (i.e. Maymont, or Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden) who have organized volunteer programs for individuals who are passionate about gardening. Thanks again for your question, Sue, and good luck!
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Fall Planting
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Date Posted: Thu, Sep 23 - 6:46 pm
- We are looking for advice on planning for the front of the house as we just took out a bunch of old bushes. I saw where Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico have a master gardener that comes to your house. Is there anyone who can help us out in Richmond? Thanks, Andrea
- Good afternoon, and thanks for your question! At this time, we are not providing onsite garden consultations due to the pandemic, but I would be happy to provide some advice over the phone. We can talk about your space size where you'd like to do your planting, direction orientation (i.e. north facing, or other), plant type preferences, and other details that would help me provide some recommendations and advice on planting. If you'd like to take this approach, feel free to email me at dcmoorerva@gmail.com and I'll respond and we can set a time to discuss over the phone. Thanks again for your question, and I hope to hear from you!