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Pruning Rosemary
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Date Posted: Tue, Mar 03 - 11:11 am
- I moved into a house with an overgrown Rosemary bush. I love it but I think it needs some help. How would you prune it without killing it. I'm afraid if I trim it too far back it might die. I have no idea how old it is.
- Thank you for your question — what a gift to inherit a mature rosemary plant! Established rosemary can live for many years, but it does tend to become woody and overgrown over time. The most important thing to know is that rosemary does not reliably regrow from old, bare wood. If you cut back into thick, leafless stems, those sections often will not resprout. For that reason, pruning should be done conservatively and gradually. The best time to prune rosemary in Virginia is in early spring after the risk of hard frost has passed, or lightly after it finishes flowering. Begin by removing any clearly dead wood — you can gently scratch the bark with your fingernail to check for green tissue underneath, which indicates the stem is still alive. When shaping the plant, avoid cutting back into bare woody stems. Instead, always leave at least an inch or two of green growth on the stem. It’s safest to remove no more than about one-third of the plant at a time, especially if it is quite overgrown. If significant reduction is needed, spreading the pruning out over one or two growing seasons will reduce stress on the plant. When making cuts, trim just above a set of green leaves to encourage branching and fuller growth. If most of the plant consists of woody stems with growth only at the tips, you may be limited to light shaping rather than a dramatic cutback. In that case, you might consider taking a few soft cuttings in spring to start a new plant as a backup. Good luck! I love having fresh rosemary to pick from in the backyard! I hope you will be able to enjoy this plant for many years to come.
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Arborvitae Decline
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Date Posted: Thu, Feb 26 - 12:58 pm
- We have 2 arborvitae bushes/trees in our front yard. in Goochland County. One has died; the other is dying. They are about 25 years old. Perhaps they have just lived out their lives; but if there is something else it might be helpful to know before we replace them. We are only planting native plants now, so that might help the situation. If you have any thoughts, I would love it. Thanks so much in advance for all that you do for our community.
- Thank you so much for reaching out — and for your commitment to planting natives! That makes such a positive difference for our local ecosystem. Arborvitae can live quite a long time, often 40–150 years depending on the species and growing conditions, so 25 years would not typically be considered old age. When we see one arborvitae turn completely brown and another beginning to decline, it usually points to an environmental or site-related issue rather than natural lifespan. Is this a change that you have just been seeing recently? My first thought goes to the winter weather that we have had - both with all of the ice that we had sticking around forever in January and more recently all of the rain saturating our soils. Arborvitae do not tolerate prolonged saturated soils very well. When soils stay waterlogged, roots are deprived of oxygen and can begin to decline or develop root rot. The extended ice cover would have kept soils cold and saturated longer, further stressing the root system and delaying recovery. Evergreen foliage continues to lose moisture in winter, so if roots are compromised, browning can occur fairly quickly. It's typically not one single environmental factor that can lead to decline but several factors in combination: Wet soil weakens roots, ice delays recovery, a sudden warm spell increases transpiration, the plant cannot move water efficiently. That combination can lead to rapid browning. Spider Mites are also a possibility for the damage but seem much less likely to me. When spider mites are present, the foliage typically turns brown or dusty prior to becoming completely brown and you tend to see gradual thinning, rather than sudden death. It's also a little early to be seeing spider mites, but you could try shaking a branch over a piece of white paper to see if you see anything mite-like coming off. Given the wet winter and prolonged ice we've experienced, root stress from saturated soils is the most likely cause of the decline, particularly if one plant has browned uniformly and rapidly without visible insect evidence. While spider mites (and bagworms) can affect arborvitae, their damage patterns and seasonal timing do not match up with your description. Unfortunately, the one arborvitae that is completely brown is unlikely to recover, as they do not regenerate from old wood. The second tree may continue to decline if root damage has occurred. If you are looking for native replacement options, a couple of suggestions to consider are Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and American Holly (Ilex opaca). Good luck! The arborvitae beautifully framed your porch and I know it must be disappointing to lose them!
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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!!
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Home Consultation question
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Date Posted: Thu, Jan 08 - 2:24 am
- (I live outside Rochester, NY.) My son and daughter-in-law have purchased a home with a very neglected yard. First time gardeners, they have no idea what anything is or how to care for what they have. I am looking to hire someone to show them what everything is and how to care for the landscape. Can you help me find someone? Many thanks.
- Hi! Thank you for reaching out to the Richmond Master Gardeners. I'll follow up by e-mail to get a few more details from you and see how we can best support you and your son and daughter-in-law.
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Garden consult
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Date Posted: Tue, Jan 06 - 2:09 am
- Hi, I’m a nurse practitioner at the VA hospital in Richmond - in the hospice unit. I’m working with my son on his Eagle Scout project to beautify the outdoor hospice garden. Looking for some assistance with planning this space. Thank you for any assistance! My number will s 941-323-5574
- Thank you so much for reaching out to the Master Gardeners for help with this special project. I've sent you an email to get a bit more information about what type of garden you are hoping to plant, and will use that information to connect you with a Master Gardener volunteer.