The Germinator Blog

The Cold Weather is Good for Something

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 23:26:10 GMT

Looking through my shelves a few weeks ago, I saw American Canopy Trees, Forests and the Making of a Nation by Eric Rutkow. I remembered purchasing the book a couple of years ago when a fellow NMG thought I might enjoy it because of my participation in the Significant Tree Project. A bookmark, fifty pages in, told me that I had never finished reading the book.

It is a fantastic read about the history of trees and what they meant to this country from the time English settlers arrived through the 21st Century. It seemed appropriate to read it this year as we will be celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the nation. Its 350 pages introduces us to men who saw the trees as business opportunities and others who saw their ecological value. You learn how trees helped win wars and how other trees were wiped out by disease and insects.

Whenever I am around very large very old trees I think of all of the things they have witnessed on their time on earth. If only they could talk, I think. Author Eric Rutkow speaks not only for the trees in this book but also for past giants of the forestry industry, presidents who created our national parks, and environmentalists who fought for that to happen.

If you find yourself at loose ends during this cold winter, or you like reading historical nonfiction, I highly recommend this book.

Bolting Brassicas in Winter: A Hidden Benefit for Pollinators

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 23:01:08 GMT

Starting brassicas and other cold weather crops in the fall are great fun to keep the harvesting season going after the summer bounties. There’s an even more important role these crops can play for our pollinators. We planted an array of turnips, beets, radishes, lettuce, Yod Fah (Broccoli Rabe), and Tiny Bok Choy in our vegetable bed. Some did great and others had different plans. Our brassicas - minus the brussels sprouts - decided to bolt, and rather than pull them up, we left them for our pollinators. Here’s why:

What is “bolting?”

Brassicas—such as kale, cabbage, broccoli, and mustard—are widely grown for their edible leaves and stems. Under certain conditions, these plants “bolt,” meaning they transition from vegetative growth to the formation of flower stalks and blooms which are rich in nectar and pollen. While bolting is often considered undesirable for crop production, it can provide significant ecological benefits, particularly for pollinators during winter and early spring.

Why does “bolting” occur?

Bolting occurs when brassicas experience stress or respond to environmental cues such as:

• Temperature fluctuations: cold followed by warmth (which Virginia is having more and more of on top of extremely low rain amounts)

• Day length changes

• Nutrient imbalances

Pollinator Challenges in Winter

• Scarcity of floral resources: During winter, most native plants are dormant, leaving pollinators with limited food sources.

• Energy demands: Bees and other insects require nectar and pollen for survival and colony maintenance, even in cooler months.

• Early emergence: Some pollinators, like honeybees and certain solitary bees, become active on warm winter days and need to forage.

Benefits of Bolting Brassicas

• Extended forage availability: Brassica flowers provide nectar and pollen when few other plants bloom. They also support early-season pollinators and overwintering bees.

• Diverse pollinator support: Pollinator diversity attracts honeybees, bumblebees, hoverflies, and other beneficial insects. It also enhances biodiversity in agricultural and garden ecosystems.

• Bridge between seasons: Flowers act as a “bridge” resource between winter scarcity and spring abundance. They also reduce stress on pollinator populations during critical periods.

Practical Considerations

• Leave some plants to bolt intentionally in garden beds or field margins. They also act as a hint of color when the landscape looks mostly empty.

• Avoid pesticide use during flowering to protect visiting insects.

• Combine bolting brassicas with other winter-blooming species for a continuous nectar supply. Mahonia, Witch Hazels, Daphnes and Winter Aconites are all great plants to have for winter color and nectar.

Conclusion

While bolting brassicas may seem like a crop failure, they can be a strategic ecological choice. By providing vital forage during winter, these flowers help sustain pollinator populations, which in turn support healthy ecosystems and future crop yields. Give it a try; last year we left our kale and brussels sprouts to bolt and yes, while it led to the infamous cabbage whites laying their eggs (which their caterpillars are fantastic to put in bird feeders), we saw so many different types of early pollinators feeding off the flowers.

Creative Ways to Connect With Your Garden in the New Year

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:51:16 GMT

Mindful art-making snacks for busy lives

For many of us, life moves fast. Between work, caregiving, weather, and energy levels, spending long stretches digging in the dirt isn’t always realistic. Yet the desire to stay connected to our gardens—to plants, seasons, and the more-than-human world—remains.

This is where mindful art-making snacks come in: small, accessible creative practices that don’t require much time, space, or preparation. These quick activities create moments of spaciousness—ways to be with your garden rather than work on it.

Whether you garden in containers, tend houseplants, or simply notice what grows along your daily walks, these practices invite connection, curiosity, and care.

This blog post is inspired by artists and educators working at the intersection of nature, mindfulness, and creative practice.

Shadow Tracing: Drawing With Light and Time

On a bright sunny day—or even during the few luminous hours of winter—shadows offer endlessly changing images of the natural world. All you need is paper, a pencil, and light.

As you begin to notice shadows, you’ll discover silhouettes everywhere: leaves against the ground, stems on a wall, branches stretched across a path. Shadows are always in motion, making this practice an exploration of impermanence, presence, and composition.

This activity can also be done indoors—perfect for container gardeners, houseplant lovers, or cold-weather avoiders. Experiment with lamps, flashlights, or even candles to create dramatic effects.

How to begin:

● Gather your supplies in a sunny spot with visible plant shadows—on the ground, pavement, or a nearby wall.

● Place your paper beneath the shadow and rotate it until the placement feels right. Artists often call this moment of choosing a study in composition.

● Quickly trace the outline of the shadow before it shifts. Notice both positive shapes (the shadow itself) and negative shapes (the space around it).

● (Optional) Design and adorn your drawing. Add color, pattern, collage, or texture to the positive and negative spaces. There’s no wrong way to continue.

Flower Pressing: Preserving a Moment in Bloom

The first time you grow a flower that truly stops you—dahlias were that flower for me—it can feel meaningful to preserve it.

Flower pressing is a slow, simple way to honor a bloom and extend your connection to the growing season.

Classic slow method:

● Start with fresh, dry flowers. Gently pat off any dew or moisture.

● Layer flowers between parchment or blotting paper, leaving space between blooms.

● Sandwich the layers between heavy books or under a weighted stack.

● Let dry for 2–4 weeks in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Change the paper every few days—especially during the first week—to prevent browning or mold.

Pro tips:

● For thicker flowers (like roses or dahlias), gently deconstruct the bloom for better results.

● If patience is in short supply, quicker methods—such as pressing with a warm iron—can also work.

Pressed flowers can later become collage material, journal elements, or keepsakes tucked into winter notebooks.

Urban Botanical Art: A Daily Devotion to What Grows Nearby

Another way to connect creatively with your garden—especially in winter—is through urban botanical art .

This practice begins with collecting small finds during walks through your garden, neighborhood, or nearby green spaces: a fallen leaf, a twisted twig, a piece of bark, a seed pod. Carry a small container and follow the impulse to gather respectfully.

These humble objects can become ephemera for daily devotion—small arrangements, temporary displays, or creative prompts that keep your senses engaged with the living world.

A beautiful example of this practice is The Dog Walk Diary by Margot Guralnick

https://www.dogwalkdiary.com/

Consider limiting digital distractions while collecting—try airplane mode, or use instant photography so images emerge slowly and tangibly. Let the focus stay on noticing.

Other gentle extensions of this practice include creating nature mandalas (arranging found items in circular or repeating patterns on the ground) or building small found-object sculptures that are meant to be temporary and returned to the land.

Writing and Drawing from Nature’s Perspective

Your collected objects can become invitations for reflection:

● Free-write about your walk. What did you notice—sounds, textures, smells, sensations, feelings?

● Write in the voice of your object.

● Describe the world from the perspective of an ant, a butterfly, or the soil beneath your feet.

● Imagine what your object felt while it was alive or connected to its plant.

Then, spend time slow-drawing your object.

Set a timer for 2–5 minutes and try an attention-focused contour drawing practice. Keep most of your attention on the object rather than the page, allowing your hand to move continuously without erasing. The goal isn’t accuracy, but staying connected to the experience of drawing.

Some people prefer very little visual reference to the page, while others check in occasionally to re-orient. There’s no correct way—follow what feels accessible and supportive.

Let lines overlap, repeat, or wander. Try making several drawings of the same object on one page, noticing how each version changes.

Afterward, bring your drawings to life with watercolor, ink, or even soil-based pigments to keep the work literally connected to dirt.

This practice can be adapted using touch, memory, or imagination, depending on how you best experience your subject.

Texture Rubbings and Nature Printing

Texture rubbings are a simple way to explore tactile sensation. Place paper over a textured surface—bark, stone, leaves—and rub with a crayon or pencil to reveal patterns through value.

These rubbings can:

● Be cut into squares and assembled into a garden texture collage

● Become pages in a garden journal

● Document seasonal changes in plants and surfaces

Leaves, flowers, and other natural ephemera also make wonderful printing tools. Apply paint or ink and press them onto paper to create monoprints. You can also glue collected items onto cardboard to create a textured printing plate.

Pro tip: Use the back of a wooden spoon as a brayer to hand-burnish your prints, transferring ink through steady pressure.

All of these practices are invitations, not prescriptions—adapt them in ways that honor your body, senses, and access needs.

Looking Ahead: Planting for Future Making

The new year can also be a time for future crafting. Consider planting a dye garden—flowers and plants that can later become pigments for watercolor, fabric dye, or mixed-media work. Even the act of planning these plantings can be a creative ritual.

Winter Inspiration

If you’re looking for further inspiration:

● Amy Maricle , Mindful Art Studio

https://mindfulartstudio.com/

● Andy Goldsworthy – collaborative, ephemeral work with nature

(Rivers and Tides documentary)

● Nils-Udo – environmental artist

● Joanna Musiał- Janicka –inspired practices (Mindfulness by the Tree)

Meet Carol Albright

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 03:18:21 GMT

Carol was born and raised on her family-owned dairy farm in the East-Central region of Wisconsin. Her family migrated here in 1848 from The Netherlands and after a long journey, they settled in the Fox River Valley, WI. She attended St. Francis Catholic Grade school where her grandparents were the caretakers of the grounds and buildings. As a young girl she would help them with cleaning the classrooms on Friday after school was out. Carol went on to attend Kaukauna High School followed by Fox Valley Technical College where she earned a nursing degree. After raising her children and the passing of her husband, Carol went back to college to receive an additional nursing degree and worked in the field until her retirement in 2020.

After downsizing from her family home on 5 acres in the Fredericksburg area, Carol relocated to Norfolk to live near, love and support her two youngest sons who are currently working on advanced degrees in the Norfolk area.

Carol worked for ten years in various fields of nursing and twenty-two years in K-12 education. Her late husband served twenty years in the military which caused them to move frequently. During the early years she worked as a nurse in hospitals, skilled-care nursing settings, home health, primary care and geriatrics. On one assignment she worked supporting the weight management program for active duty Airmen. After her children were born, she transitioned into education and home-educated her children for twenty-two years. She is retired now and enjoying her hobbies and traveling to see her family.

Carol has always enjoyed digging in the dirt and planting, and as a member of a farming family, also was exposed to hard outdoor work. She was looking for a way to invest in her new community and was drawn to the friendly gardening environment. She also had a desire to learn more about gardening and improve her understanding of horticulture.

Carol found the classes informative and very well-organized. She particularly liked the “commercials” where she learned about the various projects and saw the friendships and enthusiasm of the current NMG.

In order to attain her required fifty hours, she participated in the Significant Tree Program, the Giving Garden as well as the Spring and Fall plant sales. She also reviewed the membership meeting videos. She plans to continue working with the Giving Garden and the plant sales. She also plans to visit projects that she hasn’t tried out yet, especially the projects involving vegetable gardening.

She likes to spend her spare time bicycling, kayaking and exploring the outdoors. She enjoys cooking, reading and most of all traveling to visit her kids and grandkids.

Carol is the mother of six adult kids. She has six, soon to be seven, grandchildren ranging in age from 5 to 14 years old. She is also the dog mom to a sweet Teddy Bear dog named Walter who keeps her on her toes for sure.

When you see Carol, please be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Bringing the Garden Indoors This Winter with Microgreens

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 01:31:30 GMT

As the colder months settle in and our outdoor gardens take their seasonal rest, microgreens offer a wonderful way to bring fresh growth and color back into our homes. These tiny, nutrient-rich plants are simple to grow, require very little space, and provide a satisfying burst of life during the winter season. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or someone new to growing food, microgreens offer an easy and joyful way to experiment with indoor gardening. This is also a great project to do with kids and grandkids, giving them a hands-on introduction to growing food. I hope this information helps you as you experiment with microgreen production.

Microgreen Growing Steps

• Fill Your Tray

Add 1 inch of soil and pat it down gently—this removes air pockets, so seeds sit evenly and absorb water well.

Sprinkle them evenly and press lightly so they touch the soil—this helps them wake up and begin germination.

• Add a Pinch of Cinnamon

Cinnamon helps protect seeds from mold, fungus, and bacteria while they sprout.

• Water Gently Every Day

Mist the soil so it's damp, not soaked. Consistent moisture helps seedlings grow strong.

• Keep Covered for Two Days, Then Find Sun

For the first two days, keep the tray in the dark with a lid. When uncovered, sprouts may appear yellow—this is normal and they will green quickly in sunlight.

• Watch Them Grow!

Sprouts appear in 2–4 days and grow quickly with daily care.

• Harvest Time!

When 2–3 inches tall, cut above the soil. Rinse and enjoy. Store extras in a paper towel–lined container for 3–5 days.

Why Microgreens Are the Perfect Indoor Garden for Cooler Months

Grow Well Indoors and Fit Anywhere

Microgreens thrive in sunny windows and small spaces—ideal for winter.

Very Fast Growing

Harvest-ready in 7–14 days, offering quick gardening satisfaction.

M inimal Supp lies Needed

A tray, soil, seeds, and water are all you need.

Easy to Care For

Daily misting and light make microgreens perfect for beginners, kids, and seniors.

Highly Nutritious and Adds Fresh Flavor

Microgreens contain 4–40× more nutrients than mature vegetables and add brightness to soups, salads, bowls, and sandwiches.

Supports Winter Nutrition

A reliable source of fresh greens during colder months.

Affordable and Cost-Effective

A single packet of seeds produces multiple trays. Most vegetable seeds can be grown as microgreens.

Clean and Pest-free Growing

Indoor growing avoids soil pests and harsh winter conditions.

Best Seeds for Microgreens

• Broccoli, kale, cabbage, collards

• Radish

• Peas

• Sunflowers

• Arugula and mustard greens

• Beet and Swiss chard

• Herbs: basil, cilantro, parsley, dill

• Lettuce varieties

• Lentils

Seeds to Avoid for Microgreens

Some seeds should not be grown as microgreens because they contain natural toxins that are unsafe when eaten raw.

• Nightshades : tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato—seedlings contain toxic alkaloids.

Kidney, black, lima, and fava beans—contain phytohemagglutinin, a toxin that can cause digestive upset when raw.

• Rhubarb —sprouts and leaves contain oxalic acid.

Rhubarb sprouts and leaves oxalic acid

• Ornamental or treated seeds —may contain chemical coatings not meant for consumption.

Sources & Further Reading

• Penn State Extension – Growing Microgreens at Home

• USDA Agricultural Research Service – Microgreen Nutrition Data

• FDA Food Safety – Raw Bean Toxicity (Phytohemagglutinin)

• University of Maryland Extension – Microgreen Production Guide

Meet Cynthia Kurlas

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 02:27:56 GMT

Cynthia was born in Detroit, Michigan, but due to her father’s job, lived in Louisiana, New Jersey, Indiana, and Ohio. She settled in Norfolk in August, 2023 based on family vacations in Virginia, and the fact that her parents lived in Virginia Beach for thirty-five years.

Cynthia graduated from the University of Cincinnati, College of Engineering, Cincinnati, Ohio. Most of her adult life was spent in the Cincinnati area, Jacksonville, Florida, and Paducah, Kentucky.

Cynthia is a retired Chemical Engineer who worked as Senior Process Engineer in Manufacturing and Research Design and Development in various industries (Vistacon Contact Lenses, Hilton Davis Copy Dyes and Pigments, Drackett household chemicals, Sabic plastics, and Uranium hexafluoride conversion).

She enjoys growing flowers and vegetables and likes designing landscaping around her home, discovering what works and what doesn’t. She enjoys sharing her love for gardening with others and participating in fixer-upper landscaping.

The classes reminded her of being in college where she enjoyed applying the information rather than simply appreciating the science behind it. She enjoyed working with her classmates, meeting other master gardeners and experts in the field, and learning about the Master Gardener projects.

To attain her required fifty hours she worked at Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Dune Garden, ECO garden, the spring plant sale, Propagation Palooza, and the Poplar Hall Park ERT event. Going forward she will continue volunteering at Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, the ECO garden and other events that look interesting to her.

Cynthia enjoys volunteering at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and helping with her church’s vegetable garden. She is active with a woman’s social group that has card games, seasonal parties, and events, such as going to the planetarium, a lavender field, and the Dismal Swamp. She would like to get back to day hiking.

Cynthia is a first-time cat mama with two rescues, Yahtzee (brown/gray male tabby) and Feta (female gray/diluted-tortie shorthair).

When you see Cynthia, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Pervaneh Child

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 15:59:09 GMT

Pervaneh was born in Oban in the West Highlands of Scotland. Her family lived in a small village called Port Appin about twenty miles north on the shores of Loch Linnhe. She shares that from the middle of the loch on a clear day, you can see the top of Ben Nevis.

She went to a local school until age ten. During those years she enjoyed riding her bike, being a Brownie, and Gaelic singing. She was then sent to England to attend boarding schools with her elder brothers and cousins. Pervaneh remembers that the boarding schools were extremely old fashioned in the 1980s and she felt she might have missed some opportunities during that time.

She has a degree in psychology but was not happy in that field, so she decided to pursue a career in law. She had fun being a litigation solicitor in London but this became incompatible with motherhood. For the past ten years she has worked for Citizens Advice, a UK information charity set up post WW2 to ensure no one is disadvantaged due to lack of information or access to it, and to lobby for social justice.

Pervaneh is in Norfolk with her husband, Tim, who is a lawyer in the British Army and here with NATO. Since his family is from Norfolk, England, they feel right at home!

During the first month in our city, Pervaneh’s husband met a Norfolk Master Gardener who told him that the program was the best thing he had done in years. Pervaneh signed up for the classes immediately as she was missing her own small garden in the UK where she raised vegetables, raspberries, and tomatoes. In the September online information session, a comment was made that she lived close to the Fred Heutte Center and there she met Monica who was very generous with her time and expertise. She attended as many trial sessions as she could. She believes the program is fabulous and a golden opportunity for her to learn more about the unique area of Norfolk, which she calls the Venice of America!

Pervaneh was “taken aback” when she saw the size of the textbook! The first chapter on botany seemed full of words with which she was not familiar. But she enjoyed attending the classes and felt the course was well structured. She enjoyed meeting all the people who were invested in the successful completion of the course, including her mentor. She liked the way classes were held at different locations because this provided an opportunity for her to get to know the city.

Because she lives close to Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary and the Heutte Native Pollinator Garden, much of her required fifty hours were spent at those locations. She also participated in “beautification days” for the Elizabeth River Trail, Urban Ag, Zoo Cart, Significant Tree Project, and the Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden. She plans to continue working on these projects where she can admire the handiwork she has helped with and see how a gardened space can transform the experience of the city and people living there.

Pervaneh enjoys tennis and traveling and she’s thinking that bonsai gardening might be fun.

Her family consists of her husband, three children, and an “outdoorsy” cat who is currently living with her mother in the UK.

When you see Pervaneh, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the NMGA.

Tomato Trials Part 1

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 18:02:29 GMT

2025 VCE Home Vegetable Variety Trials: Tomatoes—Celebrity Plus vs. Jolene, Part 1

I had the opportunity to sign up for the VCE “Home Vegetable Variety Trials” in February of this year. My garden already had a lot of different plants, so I opted to try the tomato trials as they included two varieties that I hadn’t planned on growing: Celebrity Plus and Jolene. Both are determinate, which means the plants grow to a certain, smaller mature size, and then stop growing, versus indeterminate tomato plants, which grow, and grow more, and keep on growing, up to nine-foot vines!

Part 1 covers from Feb to July 4th. (Look for a future post detailing the next few months’ progress.)

What you get from VCE for the trials:

• Seeds sent in lovely pre-labelled packages. I received seven seeds of each variety.

• A lovely, printed questionnaire to track the germination and seed transplant dates, to track which seeds had better results,

to track the first harvest, etc.

I personally loved having a paper copy to keep specific notes on. Then in September, they will email a finalized questionnaire to complete and send notes back electronically. If you’re new to gardening, you’ll soon find out you’ll need a book, journal, Post-it notes, or some sort of note taking system. Most seasoned gardeners have a system which was usually spurred on by “what the heck happened” gardening moments. All seven of each variety’s seeds were planted on March 25th in trays, using potting soil; germination started on April 1st with five Jolenes and one Celebrity Plus.

May 8th progress: Tomatoes were getting established and were watched over by Michael Jamm, an expert gardener. And, yes, all the other rows are other tomatoes that I am growing (Purple Calabash, Genovese, Sun Gold, Sweet Million, Red Chefs Choice, and Orange Chefs Choice) for a grand total of twenty-three tomato plants. (In the top right corner are Edamame plants.)

We did lose two Jolenes. We made a choice to put straw/hay in our strawberry bed and used some as mulch between the rows of tomatoes. Words of wisdom: there’s a reason the stuff at the garden centers, that is wrapped in plastic, is more expensive than a bale of hay from Home Depot: the bale had seed heads in it!!! There was grass sprouting everywhere!!!!

June 13th: Tomato boom started. We fertilized with liquid tomato feed every three weeks, starting June 13th. Jolenes were producing more tomatoes and flowers but there was still an obvious size difference between the two varieties.

June 29th: We had our first harvest from Jolene. Everything looked nice at first and then we saw the blossom end rot. We never had any issues with tomato varieties before an d had a soil test done. The recommendation was to add lime to the soil, which was done at the time of planting, since we didn’t have six months for it to absorb. We also added chicken manure to up the calcium. As our other tomatoes came along, no other tomatoes had this issue beyond the first or second tomato from the plants.

To be continued...

Meet Catherine Baj-Lindsey

Tue, 22 Jul 2025 10:32:59 GMT

Catherine “Cat” was born and grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia, PA. She shared that “every time I go home, I still get a cheesesteak!”

Cat received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from universities in the Philadelphia area, but received her doctorate in Miami, FL. She considers Miami a very fun city and very multi-cultural.

She moved here because her husband was from Norfolk and they both love the beach. Her family had a beach home on Long Beach Island, NJ. Cat and her husband settled on Willoughby Spit and now she has a whole “beach family” here. She says that her back deck is a barbecue hub!

Cat retired as a senior director from AstraZeneca in December 2023. She loved her work and supervised a dedicated group of professionals from many countries and cultures. She is currently an adjunct associate professor at UMGC. In addition, she has an antique space on the Eastern Shore.

Cat always wanted to be a Master Gardener, but due to her work responsibilities, she knew she had to wait for retirement. She has always gardened, growing both vegetables and flowers. Her father was a gardener, and long before Doug Tallamy’s seminal book, her father dug up his suburban lawn to grow plants and vegetables, much to the chagrin of the neighborhood! She also wanted to be more involved in her new community and home.

Cat loved the classes – the content, the instructors, the camaraderie of the class, and the food. She thought graduation was very special and believes that everyone is very welcoming at the various activities.

To complete her internship, she volunteered at several Community Outreach events at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens, Pretlow Library, the Zoo, and the Navy Exchange. She also worked at the Fred Heutte Native Plant and Pollinator Garden and helped to plant the mermaid garden at Pretlow Library. She has also taken the classes to become a docent at the Norfolk Botanical Garden Butterfly House. She plans to continue participating in these projects, but also to continue to be open to new experiences. She would like to serve on a committee.

When Cat isn’t involved in Norfolk Master Gardener projects, she has “many hobbies and so little time!” She experiments with hypertufa. She likes the fiber arts and has a spinning wheel and a marudai for kumihimo. Cat loves photography of plants and wildlife, and she crafts and “repurposes” for her antique space.

Cat especially loves raising her Queen of the Night in the night-blooming cereus family, and the Queen has produced several blooms this year. She likes to select a few things each year that she has never grown before. This year it is seeds from the African Diaspora from Sista Seeds, and another Norfolk Master Gardener gave her lotus seeds, which are thriving!

Cat lives with her husband, Keith. She visits her 90-year-old mother in Pennsylvania often. When in PA, they visit old friends and keep their membership at the beautiful Longwood Gardens.

When you see Cat, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Gardening on the Cheap

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 01:03:44 GMT

I recently had the opportunity to give a tour of my garden to a lovely guest. As we strolled through the beds, I found myself talking about all the things that I obtained for free, or at very little cost. It occurred to me that some of the ideas might be useful to others who would like to garden "on the cheap." I have several ways to get the most bang for my buck for both plant material and garden "art."

I am going to start with the plants, because they are my first love, and endless source of joy. The very first tip is to become a Norfolk Master Gardener (NMG), because you join a community of generous plant nuts who invite you to tour their gorgeous gardens, and invariably provide you with the loveliest parting gifts. My own garden is full of the examples of treasured favorites that were gifted to me by other Master Gardeners. My next suggestion is to volunteer to help your neighbors do their yard work. This fosters a bit of goodwill, and some free plants if your neighbors happen to be digging and dividing something you find interesting. Though a bit of caution on taking pass-along plants: they are sometimes vigorous little growers, and in the blink of an eye, you may find yourself, instead, as the giver of plants. Another way I have garnered plants for my yard is to ALWAYS talk plants EVERYWHERE I go. I talk about gardening as I walk through the neighborhood, at parties, and even in the line at the grocery store. You just never know who has something to share, like a perennial you have never seen before, or an envelope full of seeds that will color up your yard next spring. Speaking of seeds...even if you are not offered free ones, the investment in a seed packet or two at a big box store is a minimal expense. Yes, the seed thing requires a bit of patience (especially for perennials), but the "beauty on a budget" appeal is undeniable. In November I deploy seeds such as Poppies ( Papaver ), Larkspur ( Delphinium ), and Bachelor Buttons ( Centaurea cyanus ). In the spring they come to life and provide landing pads for my early pollinator guests. As spring blooms fade, I replace them with Cosmos ( Cosmos bipinnatus ) and Zinnia ( Zinnia elegans ) seedlings that I start indoors during March. Many of these annuals self-sow in the garden, and I harvest seeds from my plants in fall, so the investment in seeds has greatly reduced over the years. Shopping the many plant sales of local organizations such as Master Gardeners, Virginia Native Plant Society, and the Butterfly Society of Virginia have afforded me the opportunity to get many plants at a fraction of big box store prices. If you do shop the big box stores, the best time is at the end of the gardening season. They often have rolling racks of bedraggled looking perennial specimens that are way past their prime, but offered at deeply discounted prices. The only warning here is to check the foliage for insect pests, and tip them out of the pot to ensure the root system is still healthy.

For the times when my garden is not blooming, or to add an architectural backdrop for my little bloomers, the following are a few tips for "art" on the cheap. Shopping the curb is by far my favorite way to decorate the garden. When my neighbors catch me picking through their trash, I just smile and say "just seeing what I can keep out of the landfill." This makes the self-serving activity seem almost noble. Treasures from the trash currently on display in my garden include a weathered rocker, a metal framed mirror, some decorative pavers, and ornamental concrete pieces. Even if I am not sure how I will eventually use an item that catches my eye, I drag it home and store it in the shed (yes, I have hoarding tendencies) until I have time to do an internet search for inspiration. Some ingenious ideas arise when you search the words “up-cycle,” “ reuse,” or “repurpose” in front of a found treasure. Moving things outside that are no longer good enough for the house is another one of my favorite ways to decorate the garden. I have a rusty chandelier, piles of chipped dishes, and an old light globe with jewelry from the flea market glued on to it, all adding a little sparkle to my garden. The final cheap art idea is to apply a little sweat equity to the broken things that life supplies in abundance. Before putting the poor shattered pieces in the trash, consider gathering them for a future creation. I have a wind chime in my yard that is comprised of an upside-down metal pot from my neighbor's trash (my husband drilled holes around the rim), and all the noisy bits of every wind chime I ever owned that were blown apart one blustery day. My next door neighbor says this creation can be heard through closed windows. Also adorning my garden paths are steppingstones made with a bag of concrete, broken pieces of jewelry, and bits of colorful glass pressed into rusty cake pans from my kitchen.

The water feature in my yard is the combination of all my thriftiest habits. The supporting bricks and slate shelf were harvested from the curbside, and the reclaimed rocks that decorate it were once in the yard of an NMG friend. I tapped the genius of another NMG friend for the plumbing and design recommendations, and she directed me to purchase a cheap concrete mixing tub to house the entire creation. The water flows from a rock my father gave me, one that he drilled himself and was once part of his pond. All of the plants surrounding my water feature were divisions of plants from friends, family, and neighbors.

When I hear someone say that gardening is an expensive hobby, I always reply "Ah, but it does not have to be." Just collect broken, discarded, unwanted items, and apply some imagination (or internet knowledge), then paint, glue, and plant. You can use all the money you save to visit a botanical garden somewhere, for some additional inspiration!

Barking Up Norfolk's Favorite Tree

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 11:40:04 GMT

I have a love/hate relationship with the crape myrtles that dominate our Norfolk streetscapes.

Love factor #1 : I am fascinated by crape myrtles’ bark-stripping show going on right now. Naturally peeling bark reveals swirls of cinnamon and tan-colored wood on trunks. Exfoliation seems early and excessive this year, which made me wonder if the bark shedding was triggered by our July weather, just like people shed extra layers in 90-degree weather.

Apparently not, according to Dr. Gary R. Bachman of the Mississippi State University Extension Service. In an article, he calls crape myrtle bark exfoliation a natural process “accented in years when we’ve had excessive amounts of rain, as the outer bark expands in response to increased water uptake.”

The National Weather Service reports a wetter than normal May and June for Norfolk. That may account for our current situation on my Larchmont street. Crape myrtles there look like a giant vegetable peeler has sliced away outer layers leaving piles of bark peelings.

While it is tempting for people to pull bark from crape myrtles, Bachman warns against this. “You actually can harm the tree by exposing the inner bark before it’s physiologically hardened off,” he explains.

Love factor #2 : When it is steamy hot outside, Norfolk’s 40,000+ crape myrtles put on a pink, fuchsia, red, and white show along neighborhood streets.

We can thank the late Fred Heutte for that display. The city’s first director of Parks and Forestry (from 1937 to 1969) adored crape myrtles. During his city tenure, along with getting Norfolk Botanical Garden started, Heutte went door to door encouraging residents to plant crape myrtles. His efforts started on Ballentine Boulevard, and by 1952 the city was gaining 1,000 new crape myrtle trees every year, according to a Norfolk Currents article entitled “Holy Crape” written by Hank Morrison, who has a master’s degree in urban and environmental planning.

Love factor #3 : I like crape myrtles best in winter after blossoms and leaves drop, revealing gnarly trunk shapes. Bare crape myrtles look like wooden sculptures -- each one different from the other depending on how they grew.

Now the hate factor : Cascading crape myrtle blossoms from the two trees growing in front of my home make our extra car parked underneath look like a pink parade float each summer. In autumn, falling crape myrtle berries and leaves assault our parked car and stain its finish.

I recently clamped on a windshield cover meant to prevent winter ice. For now, its job is to stop crape myrtle petals from slipping into the crevice between the front windshield and the hood. Its next job is guarding the car engine from falling berries and leaves. After that, the car will get a good washing to revive its finish just in time for the cover to prevent winter frost.

So for now, enjoy the blossoms, marvel at the bark shed and the colors it reveals, and watch where you park. An invasion of crape myrtle petals, berries or leaves in your car engine could mean extra business for your auto mechanic.

Meet Bill Clendenin

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 20:57:06 GMT

Bill was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up 150 miles southwest of Chicago, along the Mississippi River. He graduated from Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois in 1973 with a degree in Business Administration. A sojourn to Arkansas and Florida occupied the next 32 years, before moving to Norfolk.

He retired in 2015 from his position as project manager for the City of Norfolk. He served as the City’s Americans with Disabilities Coordinator and administered the City’s ADA funding. His job included, among other things, administering industrial hygiene and abatement contracts.

Bill led volunteers at the Primeplus Senior Center garden during COVID. He coordinated Master Gardeners, Navy, and Rotary volunteers in planting and maintaining a pollinator and cut flower garden, with an eye toward native plants. This experience sparked his interest in becoming a Norfolk Master Gardener.

He thought the classes were very informative and were presented at a basic and easy-to-understand level.

To achieve his fifty-hour requirement, Bill worked at the Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Dig & Divide for the Plant Sale, the Significant Tree Project, the Fred Huette Pollinator and Native Plant Garden, Urban Ag home visits, the Elizabeth River Project Shoreline Restoration, seed packaging, and attended a Communications Committee meeting.

He is working with Primeplus Senior Centers to build a new Pollinator and Native Plant garden at the Titustown Community Center on Diven Street. It will feature trellises, a gazebo which will double as an outdoor classroom, and a large rain barrel to promote water conservation.

When Bill isn’t working on Norfolk Master Gardener projects, he serves on the Norfolk Commission for Persons with Disabilities, participates with the Rotary Club of Norfolk, and enjoys kayaking.

Bill has three brothers, one in San Pacho, Nayarite, Mexico; one in Punta Gorda, Florida; and one in Cary, North Carolina. His stepdaughter lives in Virginia Beach.

When you see Bill, be sure to give him a shout out and welcome him to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Beth Neville

Thu, 10 Jul 2025 11:34:58 GMT

Beth is a Norfolk native but, as a child, moved with her family to Nova Scotia where her family originated. She returned to Norfolk where she graduated from ODU with a B.S. in Information Technology and Accounting, then passed the CPA exam. Her CPA license is in inactive status to pursue other interests in retirement.

Beth worked as Director of Financial Systems for the Port of Virginia and was responsible for managing the port’s financial systems. She retired in January, 2025, after 20 years of service. Before working for the port, she held several accounting positions, including treasury supervisor for HQ/Hechinger/Builders Square and staff accountant for the Navy Lodge program at the Navy Exchange.

Gardening has always been a part of Beth’s life. Growing up in rural Nova Scotia, everyone had a vegetable garden. Weeding the garden was a daily chore. Her father believed in living off the land as much as possible. Her grandmother was a member of the garden club and won ribbons for her plants. As an adult, Beth continues to garden and finds “digging in the dirt” very relaxing.

Beth was impressed with how organized the classes were and the knowledge and education background of the guest speakers. The classes were very informative and the training team made it fun. She also enjoyed meeting and interacting with her classmates. Beth would like to thank Blanch Wise for taking time out of her day to volunteer as her mentor and new friend.

To meet her fifty-hour requirement, Beth enjoyed working at the Children’s Garden at Ocean View, Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Hermitage Museum and Gardens, and the Dune Garden. As a certified Master Gardener, she plans to continue participating in those projects. She notes that “there is always something to do at Weyanoke!”

Beth likes to hike and kayak but she believes any outdoor activity is fun. She is looking forward to traveling more next year when Chris, her husband of 24 years, retires.

Beth has been married for 24 years to her husband, Chris, who plans to retire in 2026. Her son is a Chief Warrant Officer 04 in the US Coast Guard and has two beautiful girls, ages 10 and 7. She spends all her vacation time chasing her son around the country to spend time with her grandkids. Her daughter has a career in Norfolk and also has two beautiful girls, ages 16 and 9. She is very involved with her daughters’ kids helping with homework, taking them on vacations, but mostly chauffeuring them to activities.

When you see Beth, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Keith Redman

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 12:27:41 GMT

Keith is originally from a small, unincorporated village called Yorkfield located eleven miles west of Chicago. Keith describes his birthplace as “so small that the only person in Chicago that has ever heard of it is his oldest brother, because he moved there!” Originally the town was eight blocks long by two blocks wide. The western part of the village, where he grew up, was four blocks long by two blocks wide until annexation into Elmhurst.

Keith went to elementary, junior high and high school in Elmhurst, the “big city of 55,000.” After school he joined the U.S. Navy and spent a lot of his enlistment in San Diego. He retired in Norfolk in 1994 as a non-destructive testing (NDT) of metals inspector.

Following his retirement, Keith worked for the Johnathan Corporation in downtown Norfolk, and after the corporation’s closure, he became employed with NORSHIPCO (now BAE Systems, Norfolk Ship Repair) until he retired in early 2021.

Keith wanted to become a Master Gardener to learn more about proper gardening methods as he believed he often gave his neighbors misinformation.

He thought the classes were “great.” He was particularly impressed with the training team and their innate ability to overcome obstacles at a moment’s notice (e.g. snow, ice, and traffic, etc).

To attain his fifty hours, Keith worked at the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, the Zoo Garden and the East Ocean View Children’s Garden. He wanted to get to all the NMG projects but it became difficult due to time constraints. Now that he is certified, he plans to continue with these projects as well as help with community involvement projects. Keith has completed his training at the Norfolk Botanical Garden, and looks forward to volunteering at the Butterfly House.

Keith is the Sergeant-at-Arms at the American Legion, Second District of Virginia, Post 37. The organization provides a monthly food pantry for the community and maintains a lifetime commitment to our greater than 81,000 POWs and MIAs, to get their status for them, their families and friends.

Keith’s family consists of his wife, six children (located in four states), one grandson, a Cavachon puppy and two pet rabbits that provide pellets for the Red Wigglers to eat in his compost. Each year one of the rabbits acts as the Easter Bunny for the egg hunt at the American Legion post. They are bashful but love attention.

When you see Keith, be sure to give him a shout out and welcome him to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

My Wait and See 'em Garden

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 00:42:01 GMT

I first heard a plant described as a “Wait and See ‘em” when I was an NMG Intern at Weyanoke tasked with weeding an area. Many of the weeds targeted were recognizable, though some plants that I considered weeds at my home (e.g., Virginia Creeper) were not weeds in a Native Plant Garden. As a newbie at Weyanoke I enthusiastically pulled out what I knew I should, but I always called on the more seasoned NMGs to identify the plants I was unsure about pulling out. The last thing I wanted to do as an intern was to rip out valuable native plants! There were very rare occasions when very young plants couldn’t be identified by anyone, and Donna Van Keuren would label them “Wait and See ‘ems.” In other words, “leave those plants until they get large enough for us to recognize.”

At home I have always let plants grow large enough for me to identify before deciding whether they were keepers or not. Whether they’ve migrated from neighbors’ gardens, or the seeds are deposited by wildlife and strong breezes, I have plants that I don’t recognize when they first emerge. Various areas of my property have plants that I did not put where they are currently growing.

I live in a 75-year-old house with a 75-year-old patio consisting of 14 three-foot square concrete blocks. Originally there was mortar between those blocks but, like my 70-year-old body, things aren’t exactly like they used to be. Weeds seem to flourish in the narrow bit of soil that accumulates there, like it does in the cracks of a sidewalk. I normally weed whack the patio when I see something emerging but this one area caused me to have a Wait and See ‘em moment.

And I’m glad I did! Can there be a more ideal garden than one that you don’t have to prepare the soil for, plant seeds in, water, or even weed? For now, my Wait and See ‘em Patio Pollinator Garden has two species of plants ( Gaillardia pulchella Indian Blanket and Rudbeckia Black-eyed Susan) and is frequented by bees and butterflies. Hopefully as these flowers go to seed, they will spread to other areas of my patio. It gives a little color and life to what had become the storage area for water hoses and bins for trash and recyclables.

We all will probably experience emerging plants now that the weather is warming and the rains have become more frequent. I suggest you embrace the Wait and See ‘em attitude of gardening. You may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Bluebonnets Star in Texas Road Show

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 00:21:45 GMT

Last spring an 8-year-old boy eager for his group’s Hermitage Museum garden tour made a beeline for me -- a Norfolk Master Gardener docent.

“Ma’am, please show me the bluebonnets,” he said excitedly.

“I wish I could, but you need to go to Texas to see them,” I replied.

“Texas! That’s where I’m from,” the boy said with a grin.

“Me, too,” I said as I steered him toward flowers flourishing at the Hermitage.

That encounter made me dream of enjoying Texas bluebonnets. I was born in Houston and lived in East Texas until I was 15. I hadn’t seen a bluebonnet since moving out of state decades ago.

When a college friend suggested a 2025 sorority rendezvous in the Texas Hill Country, I signed on. She researched peak bluebonnet time and rented a ranch for seven friends outside Fredericksburg in the heart of bluebonnet country. This adventure led me to spend two weeks this April driving around the Hill Country, Dallas, Austin and East Texas seeing family, friends and bluebonnets.

Although Texans blame recent droughts for what they consider a less-than-stellar bluebonnet blooming year, bluebonnets looked good to me. I delighted in spotting hazy blue patches near roadways, in fields and flower beds. Along highways, bluebonnets often had colorful companions -- Indian paintbrush, red clover and Indian blanket.

Natural beauty flourishes in Texas thanks in part to the late Lady Bird Johnson, the Texas-born United States First Lady. The Highway Beautification Act of 1965 is known as Lady Bird’s Bill after the First Lady advocated planting wildflowers along U.S. roadways and eliminating billboards and other roadside eyesores.

Mrs. Johnson believed supporting native plants creates ecological richness, beauty and biodiversity. This led to the 1982 founding of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin. It promotes sustainable gardening, research, plant conservation, and education.

Cornell Botanic Gardens’ research shows that blue is the rarest flower color. Texans have long boasted that their vivid spring bluebonnets are special. In 1901, the Lone Star state claimed the bluebonnet as its state flower.

In 1932, the Texas Highway Department hired a landscape architect to preserve bluebonnets and other native plants and encourage them to grow along roads. The department cultivates more than 5,000 native species and scatters 30,000 pounds of wildflower seeds each year. The Governor of Texas’ official website calls blooming bluebonnets the “universal sign that spring has sprung.”

Bluebonnets are legumes in the Lupinus family and bloom from March to May. Six species thrive in Texas and produce clusters of fragrant, pea-like blue flowers topped by a white tip similar to a pioneer woman’s bonnet. Bluebonnets are annuals that reseed themselves or grow from scattered seeds. Texans love to cultivate bluebonnets in their home and business gardens.

Bluebonnets are big business in Texas. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center releases an annual bluebonnet bloom prediction much like happens with cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. The Texas B&B Association promotes the spring Bluebonnet Adventure Trail with ideas for best viewing locations and where to stay and dine. Shops tempt visitors with displays of bluebonnet soap, candles, seeds and artwork. And, Texas-based Buc-ees stores feature a bluebonnet gift section in their mega-sized gas station markets.

During my visit to Fredericksburg’s Wildseed Farms, the country’s largest working wildflower farm, I bought a pack of bluebonnet seeds. Since the Texas bluebonnet belt lies in planting Zone 8 I hope my seeds will be happy in Norfolk’s Zone 8B. I have enough seeds to share with the Hermitage in hopes they can grow there and thrill Texas visitors.

To help bluebonnet seeds germinate, the wildflower farm recommends scarifying seeds to crack their coating. Methods include nicking seeds with a knife, scraping them with sandpaper or freezing them overnight before dousing them with boiling water and letting them soak. Seeds should be planted in September or early October in well-drained soil.

I have the recommended bluebonnet planting date on my calendar.

Wish me luck!

P.S. I drove around Texas for 14 days. Only once did I spot trash on a road -- a single plastic bag. Maybe seeing all those wildflowers makes Texans hang on to their trash until they properly dispose of it. Or maybe that long ago anti-litter campaign -- Don’t Mess With Texas -- still resonates.

Helpful links:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin:

https://www.wildflower.org/

Travel Texas Wildflower Guide:

https://www.traveltexas.com/cities-and-regions/prairies-lakes/wildflower-views/

Texas B&B Association Bluebonnet Trail Planner:

https://greatstaysoftexas.com/blog/discover-the-magic-of-texas-bluebonnets/

Wildseed Farms:

https://wildseedfarms.com/

Bartram’s Garden: USA’s Oldest Botanical Garden

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 21:48:54 GMT

In 1787, Gen. George Washington likely was stressed from presiding over the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. For a respite, he rode to Bartram’s Garden, which is hailed today as the United States’ oldest surviving botanical garden.

Library of Congress documents reveal that Washington was intrigued by the garden on the outskirts of Philadelphia. It was started by John Bartram, a Quaker plant collector named by King George III in 1765 as “His Majesty’s Botanist for North America.”

In 1728, Bartram purchased a 102-acre farm along the Schuylkill River and transformed it into a botanical garden that is now a National Historic Landmark. Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus called Bartram “the greatest natural botanist in the world.” Bartram and his sons are credited with introducing more than 200 varieties of plants to American science. They propagated more than 4,000 plant varieties and built their first greenhouse in 1760.

After Bartram died in 1777 at age 78, his sons William and John Bartram Jr. took over the family business and hosted Washington’s visit along with other constitutional convention delegates.

In his June 10, 1787 diary entry, Washington described riding “to see the Botanical garden of Mr Bartram; Tho stored with many curious plts. Shrubs & trees, many of which are exotics was not laid off with much taste, nor was it large.”

Despite being underwhelmed by Bartram’s Garden, in 1792 Washington ordered hundreds of Bartram plants for his Mount Vernon home. James Madison and Thomas Jefferson also were Bartram customers. Washington’s order included rhododendrons, hypericums, magnolias and viburnums. The list of 106 plant varieties he bought gave their botanical names, number of plants ordered, and the plants’ projected height at maturity. See Washington’s plant list here : https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-10-02-0109

Unlike Washington, my sister-in-law and I were impressed with Bartram’s Garden in southwest Philadelphia. It is only a 15-minute drive from the heart of the city where I traveled for the Philadelphia Flower Show.

In contrast to the glitz and crowds at the flower show, Bartram’s Garden was peaceful on a chilly day with just a few visitors and only spring ephemerals blooming -- delicate snowdrops, tiny winter aconite flowers, and daffodils. Hellebores were days from opening their buds. Deciduous trees were bare, which made it easy to admire their shapely limbs.

Among the garden’s claim to fame is its 240-year-old Ginkgo biloba tree -- the oldest documented ginkgo tree in North America. The garden also is celebrated for its Franklin trees ( Franklinia alatamah ). Bartram and his sons discovered a small grove of these trees with fragrant white flowers in 1765 while camping by Georgia’s Altamaha River. They collected seeds and named the species for their friend Benjamin Franklin. The last known Franklin tree in the wild was spotted in 1803. The Bartrams are credited with saving this flowering tree from extinction, and any Franklin trees that exist today originated from Bartram’s Garden seeds.

Three generations of Bartrams, including granddaughter Ann Bartram Carr, operated the garden and a seed shipping business. The family used its connections around the globe to buy, grow, and sell plants. They traveled throughout North America collecting plants and seeds to cultivate. In 1850, Bartram heirs needed money and sold their garden to a wealthy landowner. In 1891, the City of Philadelphia took over the grounds with the John Bartram Association organized in 1893 to preserve the property. This dual arrangement exists today.

Today’s garden is nearly 50 acres and includes the Bartram family’s stone house built between 1728 and 1731. I am amazed this urban oasis survived since it is bordered by a former public housing community and a defunct chemical storage facility.

The Bartram property features an arboretum with labeled trees, rose garden, wildflower meadow, wilderness garden, kitchen garden, and Native American medicinal garden. It is home to the two-acre Sankofa Community Farm where students, neighbors, and volunteers cultivate and harvest crops. The farm includes a community orchard and 60-bed community garden.

The property features a mile-long boardwalk for walking or biking along the Schuylkill River plus a dock for launching kayaks and fishing. Free boating and fishing programs are offered in warmer months.

The visitor center’s gift shop continues a 300-year tradition by selling packages of seeds from Bartram plants. I came home with Love-in-a-Mist and Rose Mallow seeds.

If you enjoy gardens and history, visit Bartram’s Garden next time you are in Philadelphia. I look forward to returning when the garden, and especially the Franklin trees, are in full bloom. Since Franklin trees put on a flowery show from mid-summer into fall when leaves turn fiery red, surely I can get there during prime time.

Plan your visit:

Bartram’s Garden is located at 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard in Philadelphia. Admission is free. The garden is open daily for pedestrian access from 7 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.

The visitor center is open Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in winter and more days during warmer months. Restrooms are open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is a parking lot on site.

Learn more : https://www.bartramsgarden.org/

Chesapeake Arboretum: A Nearby Jewel

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 23:15:06 GMT

Winter is my favorite time to visit arboretums. The reason? With a scarcity of leaves growing on deciduous trees, it is easy to see nature’s sculptures. On a chilly but sunny winter day with no snow it is a pleasure to bundle up, be outside, and observe the curves and angles of mature tree limbs.

Virginia is home to 18 official arboretums, including three in our region:

• Norfolk Botanical Garden with its 175 acres.

• Tidewater Arboretum in Virginia Beach with its 5 acres at Virginia Tech’s Agricultural Research and Extension Center.

• Chesapeake Arboretum in Chesapeake with its 51 acres.

I have visited the botanical garden and AREC arboretum many times, but recently enjoyed my first visit to the Chesapeake Arboretum, which was only a 30-minute drive from my home.

Virginia’s Department of Conservation & Recreation classifies the Chesapeake Arboretum as a Virginia Treasure. Admission is free with plenty of parking across from the trail head. The 3.5 miles of flat trails lead you through a mature hardwood forest with tall native trees. The arboretum started in 1996 and is part of both the Virginia Birding and Wildlife Trail and the American Camellia Trail.

The arboretum’s well-maintained paths meander past streams, around the three-acre Lake Hughes and by the Caleb Williamson Farmhouse, which dates to the 1780s. The trail features 11 wooden foot bridges, a gazebo, and picnic area with port-a-johns. Although it is near residential homes, the arboretum feels like a remote oasis.

Among the arboretum’s highlights is Camellia Cove with 50 different camellia varieties and nearly 200 plants. The camellia garden is maintained by Chesapeake Master Gardeners whose website includes a guide to the camellia varieties planted there: https://www.cmgv.org/images/2022_New_Site/Camellia_list.for.map.pdf

Trees in the arboretum are marked with helpful signs that slow down walkers like me who like to read signs. Besides giving the common and botanical names of trees, small red signs list attributes. The tulip poplar, for example, is identified as Liriodendron tulipifera . Its sign says it is a “recommended forest tree and large shade tree” with “attractive leaves and flowers.”

Big signs point out trails and help identify your location along the intersecting paths. Other signs highlight camellia varieties and explain that the arboretum’s creeks flow into the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River and on to the Chesapeake Bay. Several signs point out places scheduled for removal of invasive English ivy.

I hope you will visit Chesapeake’s 51-acre nature haven next time you want a woodsy walk. You will enjoy the trek.

If you go:

The Chesapeake Arboretum is open daily from sunrise to sunset and is dog friendly as long as dogs are leashed. Admission and parking are free.

The arboretum is at 624 Oak Grove Road, Chesapeake, 23320 (off South Battlefield Boulevard).

Trails are natural with some exposed tree roots so they aren’t stroller or wheelchair accessible.

Here is a link to the Chesapeake Arboretum trail map: https://www.cityofchesapeake.net/DocumentCenter/View/2345/Arboretum-Trail-Map-PNG?bidId=

A Year of Hunting Invasives

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 01:36:40 GMT

As 2024 draws to a close, I am struck by how Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners’ year-long invasive species theme inspired me. Like my childhood detective heroine Nancy Drew, I searched for clues to plants and animals that don’t belong in the 757.

First, I accused the passionflower vine I bought two years ago of being invasive since in spring and summer it migrates far beyond its trellis. But, no, this vigorous climbing plant with its showy purple flowers and little green fruit is native to Virginia, according to the Virginia Native Plant Society. This exotic-looking beauty with its big frilly flowers is a host plant for variegated fritillary and zebra longwing butterflies.

To be classified as invasive, offenders have to originate far from southeastern Virginia and disrupt our environment, economy or human health. So, the native passionflower vine is staying in my yard but with maintenance to keep it in its place. Note to self : Next time plant passionflower in a container like I did mountain mint.

In October, I was convinced Asian jumping worms had invaded my black cloth grow bag. I was digging deep in the bag for sweet potatoes when wiggling, electric blue creatures jumped to the surface. They scared me and then quickly burrowed into the soil. I immediately thought of Dr. Linda Blum’s talk we had at our September Norfolk Master Gardener meeting about invasive Asian jumping worms. Dr. Blum is a University of Virginia professor, Piedmont Master Gardener and worm expert.

After chatting with Dr. Blum and Ed Olsen, VCE’s master gardener specialist, I unstressed. Most likely my lively wigglers were Common Five-lined Skinks, who are native to our region. Their young offspring flash bright blue tails as they rapidly hide.

Although these lively lizards had vacated my grow bag by the next day, I hope they remain nearby since skinks devour large quantities of mosquitoes.

On a November walk through First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, I was surprised to see Spanish moss dripping from trees. Surely this gray curly plant I associate with Savannah and New Orleans doesn’t belong here.

Nope. This epiphyte that thrives in humid climates is native to Virginia Beach where it happily swings from tall live oak and cypress trees. Virginia Beach and Northampton County on the Eastern Shore are as far north as this plant grows in the United States, according to the Virginia Plant Atlas.

Spanish moss, which is neither Spanish nor a moss, is a flowering Bromeliad that was valued centuries ago by native Americans for bedding, building materials and other practical uses. It is often called graybeard, long moss, air plant, old man’s beard, and grandfather’s whiskers. Spanish moss needs no soil since it nabs nutrients from air, dust and rainwater without harming the trees it drapes.

Looking over the lengthy list of plants on the official Virginia invasive Species list ( https://www.invasivespeciesva.org/ ) I spied two invaders flourishing in my yard – nandina and English Ivy. To make amends I dug out three poisonous nandina bushes this year and planted native beautyberry and azaleas in their place.

Maybe 2025 will be the year I replace the English ivy covering the verge in front of my home. Time will tell.

Want to learn more about invasives while earning 30 minutes of continuing education credit? Check out this video Virginia Cooperative Extension recommends all master gardeners watch. It is called “Uninvited: The Spread of Invasive Species”, and here is a link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKh8Lc31rm8

My Green Thumbs Got Greener

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 20:28:38 GMT

Thanks Norfolk Master Gardeners for taking my green thumbs to the next level.

I enrolled in this course with the hopes of gaining some scientific knowledge and hands-on skills to better garden at my home and at my preschool program. Norfolk Master Gardeners did not fail – they exceeded any and everything I had imagined.

I had heard a lot about the newly acquired information, but certainly not to this extent. I have gardened for many years prior to taking the course – at my home and with the students at the Academy, but not with the zeal and confidence I now possess. Again, thanks NMG.

From pollenating flowers to invasive plants, from rain barrels to compost bins, from square foot gardens to raised flower beds, nowadays, my conversations are more about “garden talk”. Check out what these new green thumbs have started thus far.

We’ve added 2 square foot gardens at the Academy. We planted and harvested vegetables, mainly cucumbers and peppers and we also planted and harvested sweet potatoes for the first time. This fall, we harvested those sweet potatoes and for the first time, planted kale and collards. At home, it’s the beginning of garden heaven for me. I’ve added 2 square foot gardens, several raised beds and a few grow bags – all have been very successful. I also have a rain barrel and a tabletop compost bin (not fond of the bin though!) And for the first time ever, I planted a tree!

So again, Norfolk Master Gardeners, thanks for an awesome program. I love the results! They say, “unless there are pics, it didn’t happen.” So, check them out!

At the Academy

At Home

Meet Renee Merchant

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 14:05:05 GMT

Renee is originally from Franklin, Kentucky. Her family lived on a farm growing tobacco, soybeans, corn and hay.

The U.S. Navy brought Renee to Norfolk where she attended Old Dominion University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. She worked several years as a nurse. Renee attained her Master’s Degree in Exercise Science from ODU and completed classes to become a dietitian at Norfolk State University.

Renee is currently working as a dietitian in private practice. She sees patients via telehealth and works with individuals on creating healthy lifestyles.

Renee wanted to become a Master Gardener because she was interested in learning more about gardening, native plants and pollinators. She believed the Master Gardening Program was an opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded people and she had a desire to feel more connected to her community.

Renee’s favorite classes were at the Hermitage. She felt that in addition to learning, there was a hands-on component.

To attain her required fifty hours, Renee worked at the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden and several community outreach programs.

Going forward, the square foot garden will forever be her favorite activity, but she plans to participate in community outreach programs. She is also interested and hopes to volunteer at the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary.

Renee’s favorite activities when she is not gardening are running, cycling, reading, painting with watercolors, playing with her dogs, and spending time with her husband.

Renee is married and her dogs, Lucas and Tavish, make up the family unit.

When you see Renee, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Julia Broughton

Thu, 21 Nov 2024 13:57:45 GMT

Julia grew up in Reading, Pennsylvania, but relocated to Wisconsin for college.

She moved to Norfolk to complete her Master’s degree at Old Dominion University (ODU). She studied Applied Linguistics and became an English Language Acquisition teacher for the Virginia Beach Adult Learning Center. Julia and her husband left the area briefly to work for a year and a half in the Philippines, after which they returned to Norfolk.

Julia left teaching to allow more flexibility while raising her children and keeping up with their schedules. Instead of teaching in a school, she organizes and teaches English classes for Global Student Friendship, a non-profit organization that helps international students at ODU.

Gardening and horticulture have always been interests for Julia. Becoming a Master Gardener was a chance to increase her knowledge of gardening, and to find more ways to get involved in the community.

Julia was impressed with the quality of the class presentations and the knowledge of the instructors as well as their enthusiasm for their fields of interest. She believes the classes gave her a comprehensive overview of topics.

To attain her required fifty hours, Julia worked at the Potager Garden, East Ocean View Children’s Garden, Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary, Significant Tree Project, Elizabeth River Trail Beautification, Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden, Fall Plant Sale, Zoo Garden and Zoo Cart.

Going forward, Julia plans to regularly continue at the Potager Garden, and she is hopng to add more days at the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden. She is also interested in spending more time at Weyanoke.

When Julia isn’t participating in Master Gardener projects, she enjoys playing the piano, visiting museums, visiting friends, and finding new coffee shops.

Julia is married and has three daughters who are in elementary and middle school. Their little white terrier, Watson, completes the family unit.

When you see Julia, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Debbie Baker

Sat, 02 Nov 2024 00:49:26 GMT

Debbie was born and grew up in California. Before moving to Norfolk she lived in Las Vegas, South Carolina and Tennessee. Because her son was in the U.S. Navy stationed in Norfolk, Debbie and her husband, Gary, moved here in 2011.

Although Debbie is officially retired from her job as bookkeeper/payroll clerk, she currently works for her son’s company from home one day a week.

Debbie met Vickie Reid while walking their dogs and Vickie shared that she was a Master Gardener. She encouraged Debbie to join the Class of 2024. Debbie laughed at the suggestion. Although she loves growing vegetables she didn’t believe she could become a Master Gardener.

Upon joining and attending her first class she asked herself what in the world had she gotten herself into. Although it was a lot of information to digest, she is very proud of herself for completing the classes and learning so much.

To attain her required fifty hours, Debbie worked at the Fred Heutte Center in both the pollinator garden and the square-foot garden. She also worked at the East Ocean View Children’s Garden, the Potager Garden and Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden, the plant sale and the seed project. Debbie attended the Virginia State Fair where the Norfolk Master Gardeners share information with attendees about gardening.

Now that she has completed her training, she plans to participate in as many projects as possible, hoping to try all of the projects at least once.

Debbie likes to tend to her garden at home, read, sew and visit with friends. She volunteers at her church and at Christian concerts. She is working on a scrapbook about her mission trip to Kenya with Project Lucas, where she helped them plant a garden.

Debbie and her husband have been married for 34 years and have one son and three granddaughters. Her cat rounds out the family unit.

When you see Debbie, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Virginia Creeper: Ireland’s Beloved Climber

Fri, 18 Oct 2024 17:11:41 GMT

Westport, Ireland house photos from 2013 and 2024 show the progression of Virginia Creeper, which now surrounds the doorway.

“What is that growing on your house?” one of my travel companions asked the owner of a Westport, Ireland home last month.

“It’s Virginia Creeper,” he replied to the delight of the curious visitors who hailed from Virginia where the 34-mile Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail traverses Southwest Virginia.

As I photographed the house, a feeling of déjà vu hit me. Scrolling through thousands of Iphone images, I found a photo of the same vine-covered house I took in October 2013 on my first trip to Ireland. The leaves were less pervasive then but still made this two-story house near downtown Westport a showstopper. Also in my photo archive were vine-covered buildings I photographed in 2013 in Dublin and Galway.

Last month at my Westport hotel, I admired the botanical prints lining the hallways. Front and center on my floor was a drawing of a five-finger leaf labeled “Virginia Creeper.”

The leaf-covered buildings and hotel drawing made me ponder why our commonwealth’s namesake plant is popular in Ireland. I also wondered whether Irish environmentalists consider it invasive.

Ireland’s National Biodiversity Data Centre classifies Virginia Creeper ( Parthenocissus quinquefolia ) as an invasive species “of medium impact”. It notes that this five-leaflet, deciduous climber originated in North America and is widely sold in Ireland as a garden plant.

The Royal Horticultural Society encourages gardeners to restrict Virginia Creeper from spreading beyond dwellings so it can’t run rampant in the wild. It suggests planting a less-vigorous climbing alternative such as Parthenocissus henryana , which also has crimson foliage in the fall.

A 2023 Irish Times article entitled “Is It Time We Feared the Creeper?” reported that Virginia Creeper is treasured in Ireland “for the beguiling vibrancy of its autumn colour.”

In late September to mid-October, the vine’s green foliage blazes into bright red and orange illuminating exterior walls like an exquisite tapestry. Although Virginia Creeper’s vivid autumn display typically fades after a few weeks, the Irish Times noted that “any building this rampant climber clothes is immediately imbued with class and distinction.”

The downside reported in the article is that Virginia Creeper can expand aggressively, smother other plants and be difficult to eradicate. Despite the drawbacks, Irish homeowners seem to love Virginia Creeper. Its tendrils readily adorn walls of historic homes throughout the country as well as newer dwellings. Both city and country homes often are swathed in Virginia Creeper.

Virginia Creeper vines can easily reach 49 feet high (growing up to 20 feet in a single year) while also spreading outward to cover walls without needing a trellis or damaging structures. The vines produce small greenish flowers in spring and blue-black berries in early summer. Pruning during summer is recommended to keep plants from overtaking windows, gutters and roofs.

A 2022 article in the Irish Farmers Journal said if a house “tends to look a bit bare, even one creeper or climber, well chosen, can make a great difference in softening its appearance and making it look more homely and lived-in…. even houses built in recent years can look better with some creepers on the wall.”

Since I have only seen Virginia Creeper in Ireland in its fall glory, I would enjoy a trip to study it in another time of year. Spring growing season would be perfect!

2013 photos show Virginia Creeper on a Galway college building and a Dublin apartment building.

Composting Tidbits

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 12:19:16 GMT

Looking for a new way to bring in the New Year while improving our environment and having fun? Try composting; it’s relatively easy, will add nutrients to your gardens, both flowers and vegetables, and will decrease the amount of waste that you put into your trash. If this interests you, here’s a brief outline to get you started.

Compost is composed of three ingredients:

• Green Materials: grass clippings, coffee grounds, vegetable and fruit scraps, tea and coffee grounds, and weeds.

• Brown Materials: leaves, uncoated paper, coffee filters, straw or hay

• Water & Oxygen

These materials are mixed together and over time turn into a rich organic resource for use in your garden.

For the home gardener, the easiest way to become a composter is through the use of a garden tumbler like the one pictured below.

We have also included some other types of compost bins that could be used at home, depending on your needs and available space.

Meet Amy White

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 10:22:55 GMT

Amy was born in the Philippines. Her father was in the U.S. Navy and her family moved all over the country and the world, but retired in Virginia Beach. Amy graduated from Kellam High School and then Radford University with a degree in nursing. After her husband graduated from Virginia Tech, they moved to Minnesota so he could teach Chemistry in a small university setting.

During the forty years they lived in Minnesota they visited Virginia Beach often and their goal was to retire here. When Amy’s daughter and son-in-law moved to Virginia Beach in 2016 with all the grandchildren, it set their retirement plans in stone! They purchased a home in Southeast Norfolk which reminded them of their country home in Minnesota. The property is on wetlands and there are no houses behind them. The icing on the cake is that it is one mile from her daughter’s home in Kempsville.

Amy retired in June, 2023, after forty years as an Intensive Care Registered Nurse. Her passion was working in the Intensive Care Unit and she was fortunate to work in a large medically advanced hospital. She witnessed many changes during her career and even persevered through the pandemic.

Amy learned gardening from her grandmother, mostly about planting perennials around their Minnesota home. She wanted to become a Master Gardener for years but decided to wait until she retired and moved to a new environment.

Amy loved the Master Gardener classes. She appreciated the variety of classes, speakers and field trips that gave her an opportunity to experience many different sites around Norfolk and Virginia Beach.

To attain her required fifty hours, Amy participated at the Native Dune Garden, the Zoo Garden, the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary, and the Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden. In addition, she was especially drawn to, and will continue to participate in the Significant Tree Project. She looks forward to learning about and visiting the remainder of NMG projects.

When she is not working on NMG projects, Amy likes spending time with her family. Her son lives in Denver. Amy and her husband like to travel, especially when it involves being around family and friends. She enjoys scrapbooking and golfing; however, she has not golfed since moving to this area and is looking for some golf buddies so she can get back out on the golf course.

When you see Amy be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Jon Glass

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 16:29:41 GMT

Jon was born and grew up in Sanford, NC, a small city in the Piedmont region and self-proclaimed “Brick Capital of the USA.” During its heyday in the 1950s and ‘60s Sanford’s brick industry produced about 10% of bricks made in the U.S. from its clay- and shale-rich soils.

Jon earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill.

Before moving to Norfolk in the summer of 1994, Jon and his wife, Elizabeth, lived in Manteo, NC, where he worked as a general assignment reporter in the Nags Head bureau of The Virginian-Pilot. They left the Outer Banks for Hampton Roads after the Pilot offered Jon a reporting job in Norfolk.

For the last 15 years of his career, Jon worked in the corporate communications department at Norfolk Southern, retiring from the railroad in the fall of 2022.

Approaching retirement, he was looking for meaningful ways to volunteer and give back to the community while continuing to learn and grow as a person. The Master Gardening Program seemed a good fit because its mission contributes to the well-being of our city’s neighborhoods and is based on science-based research. In addition, growing up, he helped his parents (not always voluntarily) plant, weed, and harvest their summer vegetable garden. As an adult, Jon never planted gardens of his own, so becoming a Master Gardener is a way to get back to his roots.

Jon thoroughly enjoyed attending the Master Gardening classes. He was particularly impressed with the strong lineup of guest speakers. Other highlights included field trips to the Hermitage, where the class received hands-on pruning training, and to ODU, where they learned about the importance of urban tree canopy.

To attain his initial fifty hours, Jon participated in several shoreline resiliency projects, including at the Hermitage. He also volunteered for multiple gardening sessions at the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary, P.B. Young Elementary, and the Elizabeth River Trail.

As a certified Master Gardener, Jon is interested in projects that advance shoreline resiliency and promote biodiversity, such as pollinator and native plant gardens. He hopes to expand into the realm of square-foot gardening, especially as a way to address food insecurity in the community.

As a member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Jon plays guitar in the Gospel Lights band, performing old-time gospel favorites and contemporary Christian music. He also enjoys reading and keeping up with the news, walking for exercise and pleasure, grilling on his back deck, and taking trips back to the Outer Banks.

Jon and his wife, who runs a PR and marketing business, have two adult daughters. The empty nesters now share their home with a sweet old cat they call Mr. Whiskers, who adopted them after showing up in their neighborhood about 12 years ago.

Jon is proud to be a part of the Norfolk Master Gardener program and is looking forward to many productive and rewarding years “playing in the dirt” to help make Norfolk a better place to live, work and play.

When you see Jon, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome him to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Things That “Bug” Me

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 01:00:10 GMT

I have been gardening in Virginia since 1985, and I love every type of flower you can imagine. My yard is chock full of hundreds of plants that were gifted to me by friends and family, purchased at garden centers and Norfolk Master Gardener plant sales, and carted home from the side of the road.

Lately though, it is not the blooms that beckon me to the garden, but rather all the critters that buzz and flutter amongst them. I can easily identify everything I have lovingly planted over the years, but even the shortest visit to the garden turns up an insect, or spider that I do not recognize. The foray into the flower beds is generally followed by at least 30 minutes’ worth of research on the computer to identify the tiny visitor that I just discovered, using a photo from my phone as a reference. I love to share these photos with my family and friends, but the pictures invariably elicit a loud “EEEEEW, YUCK!” If you ask me what "bugs" me, it is not the creepers and crawlers in the garden, but the lack of appreciation for their beauty and diversity by human beings. I am not suggesting that we must love every mosquito that tries to suck the life blood out of us but taking a few minutes to look beyond the blossoms never fails to provide you a chance to learn something new about the garden's inhabitants, and subsequently helps you to resist the urge to reach for a pesticide. After all, it is we humans who are invading their homes as they work to prepare dinner, raise their babies, take a nap, or just enjoy the sunshine. Below are a few of the wondrous critters I have discovered in my garden. As you look through them I hope you are inspired to join me in saying “bugs don't bug me!”

Meet Tony Bender

Sat, 31 Aug 2024 13:47:55 GMT

Tony was born and raised in Huntington, Long Island. He went to school at Huntington High School and then the University of Buffalo where he graduated with a degree in Geology.

Tony moved to Norfolk for his work. Although Tony is not working at the moment, he is waiting for the right opportunity. He has been working in Direct Marketing such as supporting infomercials and the related distribution of products in retail channels.

Tony’s sister is a Master Gardener in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. His father was a Master Gardener and Curator of the New Hanover County, Virginia Arboretum. Since they seemed to enjoy their experiences, he applied and was accepted into the Class of 2024. Tony enjoyed the classes, especially the way the presentations and the related field trips were organized.

In order to attain his required fifty hours, Tony volunteered at the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary, with the Significant Tree program, at the Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden, and for the plant sale. He is training in the Norfolk Botanical Garden greenhouse, and is hoping to get involved with the Norfolk Master Gardener greenhouse. He is also interested and hopes to volunteer in the resilience programs.

When he is not participating in NMG activities, Tony likes to work in his yard and to walk the dog. He also enjoys maintaining his North American Native Pitcher Plant (and other carnivorous plants) collection.

Tony shares his home with his Olde English Bulldogge named Kranepool!

When you see Tony, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome him to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Scott Shephard

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 00:46:23 GMT

Scott was born in Newport, Rhode Island and lived in various places until settling in Maryland at age seven where he stayed through college. The Navy brought Scott and his wife to Virginia Beach in 1978. They moved to Norfolk in 2000 to be closer to work. Scott shares that he wishes they had moved to Norfolk sooner!

Scott went to school in Maryland near Fort Meade and met his wife Monica during his senior year in high school. He went to the Naval Academy while Monica went to the University of Maryland, and they were married there three days after graduation.

Scott retired from the Navy and then retired from the Civil Service four years ago, working for the Department of Defense.

Scott always enjoyed gardening, albeit on a small scale. He and his wife did all the landscaping work at their home so he knew some of the basics. Four years ago Scott and Monica took over the Fred Heutte Center in the middle of Ghent Square. The center contains five separate garden areas covering nearly two acres, so Scott felt that he needed to know more about gardening. Plus, Monica became a Master Gardener in the class of 2022 so the pressure was on for him to join a class.

Scott thought the classes were great. They exposed him to a great deal of information that he had no chance of remembering at first blush, but gave him the references to find everything when needed. He has enjoyed meeting many of the Norfolk Master Gardeners, and building relationships with classmates.

The great majority of Scott’s fifty hours were spent at the Fred Heutte Center, working closely with Monica and Vickie Reid at the Native Plant and Pollinator Garden, and he will continue to work on getting those gardens up to speed. He also enjoyed working at the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary and will continue participating in that project. Scott plans to start visiting other projects, and since he is a huge Lepidoptera fan, is particularly looking forward to working in the Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden.

Scott and Monica work at the Fred Heutte Center almost every morning, as there is a large formal garden, quite a lot of planting and irrigation work to do, and additional work in the Pollinator Garden (beyond the scheduled volunteer days). The afternoons are reserved for pickleball, to which he has become totally addicted.

Scott and Monica have two adorable cats which Scott shares “has them well trained!”

When you see Scott, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome him to the NMGV.

4 Pennsylvania Gardens Delight Visitors

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 17:43:44 GMT

My quest to visit public gardens when I travel recently found me wandering through gardens in central and western Pennsylvania. Thanks to Bulb & Bloom, the 110-page Pennsylvania Tourism booklet that highlights gardens, I enjoyed these delightful places:

Hershey Gardens in Hershey
H.O. Smith Botanic Garden at Penn State in State College
Pittsburgh Botanic Garden outside Pittsburgh
Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Garden in Pittsburgh

My Norfolk Botanical Garden membership card gave free entry to Hershey Gardens and the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. The Smith Garden at Penn State is free for everyone. Only the Phipps Conservatory & Botanical Garden required a paid ticket.

Here are highlights of the gardens I visited.

Hershey Gardens dates to 1937 when Milton Hershey, founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company, wished for “a nice garden of roses” for his community to enjoy. He got it, and so much more. Today 3,000 rose bushes flourish in a garden that has mushroomed from 3 ½ to 23 acres. It showcases 12 themed gardens, including an arboretum where giant weeping trees -- spruce, blue atlas cedar and birch -- fascinated me.

The jewel of the garden is the year-round, indoor Butterfly Atrium with more than 300 varieties of butterflies and moths from North America, Africa, Asia and Central America. The pollinators wing it among 200 tropical plants including a dozen orchid varieties, a cacao tree whose pods are used in chocolate and a plumeria tree whose blossoms are often in Hawaiian leis. Be sure to splurge on the $1 butterfly guide since it will help you identify exotic pollinators.

Genius idea : Hershey Gardens loans visitors silver shade umbrellas so they can enjoy the outdoors even on a scorching hot day.

The H.O. Smith Botanic Garden in State College opened in 2009 and is nestled in the 370-acre Arboretum at Penn State, which dates to 1914. The botanic garden has 10 acres of themed gardens and another 14 acres of meadows and paths. My favorite spots were the Childhood’s Gate Children’s Garden and the three-acre Pollinator and Bird Garden.

The Childhood’s Gate Garden displays plants that thrive in Pennsylvania and replicates the commonwealth’s terrain with a man-made limestone cave, hills and a wading stream.

At the Pollinator and Bird Garden, rocking chairs in a shady overlook by a marsh invite visitors to linger. Volunteers equip guests with binoculars and record on a whiteboard the varieties of birds they spot -- 18 on the morning I was there.

Bonus : The garden entrance is adjacent to the Palmer Museum of Art, one of Pennsylvania’s largest art museums. The free museum, which opened in its new location in June, shares a parking lot with the garden. It features both permanent and traveling exhibits, including an art nouveau show coming next year from our own Chrysler Museum of Art.

The Smith Botanic Garden’s children’s area engages young gardeners.

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden , which opened in 2015 outside Pittsburgh, is one of Pennsylvania’s newest public gardens. With 460 acres, it is among the 10 largest botanical gardens in the United States. It sits on reclaimed land that was strip mined for coal and then abandoned leaving behind polluted water, deep ravines, and little plant life.

The Horticultural Society of Pennsylvania worked for 25 years to transform this scarred wasteland into a plant-filled oasis. On-site water filtration systems and 16,000 tree seedlings helped the garden win the Pennsylvania Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.

Seven distinct gardens invite guests to wander along shady paths. My favorites included the Woodland Gardens, including the Asian Woodland circling a pond reclaimed from a mining pit. In the Alleghany Plateau Woodland I checked out “newspapers” stashed in mailboxes by significant trees. Each edition of The Tree Times highlighted the specific tree and significant events happening when it first sprouted.

Don’t miss out : Across the road from the garden’s main entrance are a nature play area, a restored 1795 log cabin, pioneer garden and an apple orchard.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh dates to 1893 when industrialist Henry W. Phipps built and donated to the city a Victorian-style glasshouse in Schenley Park. His goal was to create “a source of instruction as well as pleasure to the people.”

The spectacular 14-room conservatory has undergone major restoration and expansions but retains its original character. This year the Phipps was among five winners of the National Medal for Museum and Library Services. It was honored for advancing green-building practices, sustainable gardening, environmental awareness, and climate action.

With 23 different gardens, the Phipps overflows with plants adapted to specific environments. It is hard to pick a favorite among the various rooms dedicated to orchids, palms, bonsai gardens, ferns, fruits and spices, desert plants and more. Springing from the plants are fanciful creations by Dale Chihuly and other glass artists. The Phipps always has special exhibits -- currently ones featuring whimsical sea creatures and Hawaiian plants.

You could spend all day wandering indoors at the conservatory. But don’t forget the outdoors. The Phipps’ 1.6 acres of walking paths pass by herb, medicinal, perennial, native and other specialty gardens. If that isn’t enough, the conservatory is in the 456-acre Schenley Park, which has numerous trails to explore.

Tips for visiting : Buying Phipps tickets in advance online is recommended to save you time. Limited street parking is available but can be challenging to find so go early or head to garages listed on the Phipps website.

Here are links to help you plan your Pennsylvania garden adventure :

For garden ideas in the Keystone state, visit the digital version of Bulb & Bloom at

https://www.visitpa.com/experience/bulbandbloom . Pick up a print copy at Pennsylvania welcome centers or at the first garden you visit.

https://www.hersheygardens.org/

https://arboretum.psu.edu/gardens/h-o-smith-botanic-gardens/

https://pittsburghbotanicgarden.org/

https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/

The Importance of Plant Biodiversity

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 17:43:40 GMT

Plant biodiversity is crucial for maintaining healthy ecosystems. Diverse plant species contribute to essential ecological processes, such as soil formation, nutrient cycling, and water purification (Cardinale et al., 2012). For example, different plant species have unique root structures and nutrient needs, which help maintain soil health and prevent erosion. A diverse array of plants also supports a wider variety of pollinators, insects, and other wildlife, creating a balanced and resilient ecosystem (Tilman et al., 2014). As I observed in urban gardens and forests, areas with high plant diversity were more vibrant and robust, with a noticeable abundance of beneficial insects and birds.

The economic importance of plant biodiversity cannot be overstated. A significant portion of the world's food supply depends on diverse plant species, including crops and their wild relatives (Fowler & Hodgkin, 2004). These wild relatives are crucial for breeding programs aimed at improving crop resilience and yield. Moreover, many medicinal compounds are derived from plants, and ongoing exploration of plant biodiversity holds potential for discovering new pharmaceuticals (TEEB, 2010). The economic impact extends to tourism as well, with biodiversity-rich areas attracting ecotourists and supporting local economies.

Plants are deeply intertwined with cultural traditions and practices worldwide. Sacred groves, for instance, often host a rich diversity of plant species and are conserved for their cultural significance (Berkes, 2012). Furthermore, the aesthetic value of diverse plant life enhances human well-being and inspires artistic expression. Botanical gardens and nature reserves, where people can appreciate a variety of plant species, provide spaces for relaxation and education (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005).

Conserving plant biodiversity is essential for sustainable development. Biodiversity loss threatens ecosystem services and human well-being, highlighting the need for conservation efforts (Cardinale et al., 2012). Strategies for preserving plant biodiversity include establishing protected areas, practicing sustainable agriculture, and integrating biodiversity into urban planning. Sustainable practices ensure that the benefits of biodiversity are available for future generations, aligning with global sustainability goals (UN, 2015).

Plant biodiversity is vital for ecological stability, economic prosperity, and cultural heritage. By understanding and promoting the importance of plant biodiversity, we can take proactive measures to protect and sustainably manage this essential resource.

References

Berkes, F. (2012). Sacred ecology. Routledge.

Cardinale, B. J., Duffy, J. E., Gonzalez, A., Hooper, D. U., Perrings, C., Venail, P., ... & Naeem, S. (2012). Biodiversity loss and its impact on humanity. Nature , 486(7401), 59-67.

Fowler, C., & Hodgkin, T. (2004). Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture: Assessing global availability . Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 29(1), 143-179.

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. (2005). Ecosystems and human well-being: Biodiversity synthesis . World Resources Institute.

TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity). (2010). The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Ecological and Economic Foundations. Earthscan .

Tilman, D., Isbell, F., & Cowles, J. M. (2014). Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics , 45, 471-493.

UN (United Nations). (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development . United Nations General Assembly.

Free Fertilizer – Frugal Gardening Tips

Sun, 14 Jul 2024 21:29:39 GMT

This has been one of my favorite and most controversial gardening tips that I’ve been sharing with people for over a decade. Any time I talk about this tip I get reactions from curiosity to disgust, to nervous jokes. Before I get into the story of how I first learned about it I ask you to do one thing for me: keep an open mind.

In the summer of 2008, I met a farmer at a local farmer’s market in Kansas City, MO. His produce was always amazing. He claimed to use no chemical fertilizers and no pesticides in his garden. After a year getting produce from him, I started asking how he did it. He would smile and tell me it was a secret and the next time I saw him we would repeat this cycle. It was 2011 when he finally gave in to my request, but first, he made me promise never to reveal his identity. I agreed and as soon as he told me I went home and researched the topic. At the time there was less information on the topic than there is now but there was some and I was amazed by what I found.

What is this wonderful, free, easily accessible fertilizer? Human urine. This is where I lose a lot of people, but I want to point out something to everyone. Gardeners trying to avoid chemical fertilizers often use blood meal. Blood meal is the reclaimed blood from animals, often times cattle and pigs. You can find soil amendments like crab meal, fishmeal, bone meal, feather meal, etc. – all bioproducts of animal processing. We use composted bird, cattle, rabbit, and bat manure. The main ick factor is that it comes from humans and not something else. This requires a paradigm shift in how we view resources and where they come from. As an aside: the above-mentioned farmer collected the urine from his whole family and aged it, (aging discussed later on), so he had enough for his farm.

What are some safety concerns to the use of urine? Your own urine used on your own plants has little to no concern at all. You can’t really catch anything from yourself. A study by the University of Michigan discovered that aging urine destroyed almost all antibiotic-resistant bacteria (Moore, 2020). The aging process from weeks to months further makes the urine safe from bacteria.

What about its effectiveness? Research done comparing urine to commercial fertilizers when growing beans showed that beans fertilized with commercial fertilizers produced slightly better than with urine but the yield when using urine was still much higher than when no applications were applied (Ranasinghe, et al, 2016). A study done with pumpkins showed that commercial fertilizer produced larger fruits, but urine-fed pumpkins had smaller but higher production of fruits (Pradhan, 2010). In research with amaranth, they found that the production was equal to commercial fertilizer (AdeOluwa, et al, n.d.). In all these studies the tested nutrient quality was found to be equal. They also tested for pathogens. The urine-fed vs. commercial-fed showed no differences in pathogens in the environments. Soil tests were done and higher microbial content was found in some of the soil tests where urine was used. It has also been successfully used for beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cabbage (Grunbaum, 2010).

But how do we use this renewable resource? Urine by itself is too strong and must be diluted. There are a lot of ratios that can be found all over the internet and in research. The general consensus is that it should be diluted with water to a 1:10 ratio (Pleasant, 2022). That is, one part urine to ten parts water. This will keep from burning your plants. Of course, more sensitive plants need less, and more hungry plants could use more.

Maybe feeding your plants this way is still just a little too ick for you, but you still want to recycle these nutrients. Urine can be added to your brown organic matter, like leaves, cardboard, etc., to help speed up composting and add vital nutrients (Perrone, 2009). It’s also been found that adding urine to your compost can speed up the process of creating that rich beautiful compost we all so desperately need (Writer, 2012).

The average person produces 2 liters of urine a day (Urine 24-hour volume: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, n.d). That’s 2 liters of potential fertilizer going down the drain. There is also the utilization of fresh water to dispose of it in our toilets. There is also the energy and resources used at wastewater treatment plants. All this could easily be diverted.

Human urine has also helped the lives of women. In Niger, a large-scale experiment was done with Oga (urine rebranded) and very poor farmland. In Niger if women farmers can even get land to farm on it’s often the poorest quality (Koumoundouros, 2022). This article A Large-Scale Experiment Used Human Pee to Fertilize Crops. Here's What Happened tells the tale of the women who farmed those poor lands and the positive results from using urine. I greatly encourage everyone to read it.

This is not a topic for everyone, and I respect that. But we live in a world where the expense of everything continues to rise. A world where so many people go without nutritious produce to feed themselves and their families. A world where commercial fertilizers do harm to our soil microbial health (Schiffman, 2017). Human urine may be one more stepping stone in the solutions to solve these problems.

References:

Moore, N. (2020, January 22). Urine fertilizer: “Aging” effectively protects against transfer of antibiotic resistance. University of Michigan News.

https://news.umich.edu/urine-fertilizer-aging-effectively-protects-against-transfer-of-antibiotic-resistance/

Ranasinghe, E. S. S., Karunarathne, C. L. S. M., & Beneragama, B. G. G. (2016). Human Urine as a Low Cost and Effective Nitrogen Fertilizer for

Bean Production. Procedia Food Science, 6, 279–282.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profoo.2016.02.055

AdeOluwa OO, Cofie O. Urine as an alternative fertilizer in agriculture: Effects in amaranths (Amaranthus caudatus) production. Renewable

Agriculture and Food Systems. 2012;27(4):287-294.

https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170511000512

Pradhan, S. K. (2010, January 1). Fertilizer value of urine in pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima L.) cultivation. Fertilizer Value of Urine in Pumpkin

(Cucurbita Maxima L.) Cultivation.

https://orgprints.org/id/eprint/16884/

Grunbaum, M. (2010, July 23). Gee Whiz: Human Urine Is Shown to Be an Effective Agricultural Fertilizer. Scientific American.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/human-urine-is-an-effective-fertilizer/

Pleasant, B. (2022, December 15). Pee-Cycling for Gardeners. GrowVeg.

https://www.growveg.com/guides/pee-cycling-for-gardeners/

Perrone, J. (2009, November 13). To pee or not to pee. The Guardian.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2009/nov/13/composting-urine

Writer, S. (2012, December 1). Urinating on compost pile actually speeds up process. Akron Beacon Journal.

https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/lifestyle/home-garden/2012/12/01/urinating-on-compost-pile-actually/10323184007/

Koumoundouros, T. (2022, June 23). A Large-Scale Experiment Used Human Pee to Fertilize Crops. Here’s What Happened : ScienceAlert.

ScienceAlert.

https://www.sciencealert.com/researchers-tested-large-scale-use-of-human-pee-as-fertilizer-and-here-s-what-happened

Schiffman, R. (2017, May 3). Why It’s Time to Stop Punishing Our Soils with Fertilizers. Yale E360.

https://e360.yale.edu/features/why-its-time-to-stop-punishing-our-soils-with-fertilizers-and-chemicals

Urine 24-hour volume: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Medline Pluse. Retrieved July 12, 2024, from

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003425.htm#:~:text=The%20normal%20range%20for%2024,vary%20slightly%20among%20different%20laboratories .

Meet Farideh Goldin

Fri, 12 Jul 2024 20:51:18 GMT

Farideh was born and grew up in Iran. She came to Portsmouth, VA in 1975 to improve her English. Farideh studied at Pahlavi University in Shiraz, Iran, and transferred to ODU for her senior year and earned a BA in English. She went back to ODU for graduate degrees in Humanities with emphasis on World Literature and Women’s Studies, and later Creative Writing. She also has a graduate degree in journalism from Georgetown University.

Farideh has worn many hats in the business world. She sold imported leather goods in New Orleans and later sold jewelry at Adlers in New Orleans. She did accounts payable for her husband’s office for awhile before being hired to teach at TCC and later ODU.

Farideh enjoys challenging herself and becoming a master gardener fulfilled that desire. She took the class because it was completely out of her comfort zone, having studied mathematics in high school in Iran. She never had a course in biology or entomology or horticulture. Nevertheless, she loved every single class and found them fascinating!

She has had a vegetable garden since she was 8 or 9 years old, and even now with only a second-floor deck, she plants vegetables in pots.

To obtain her fifty hours Farideh worked in many vegetable gardens such as the Zoo Garden, Potager Garden, the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden. She also enjoyed working at the Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden and the Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary. She is eager to try other projects. Going forward she plans to participate in all the vegetable gardens as well as adding new activities.

When Farideh is not involved in master gardener projects she plays pickleball and mahjong. She likes to hike and write and has a food blog: foodmemory.net .

Farideh has three daughters and four grandchildren with a fifth on the way. She loves taking care of her grandchildren.

When you see Farideh, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the NMGV.

Maximizing Compost: Bokashi

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 17:28:45 GMT

In any search for information about healthy soil, whether through an internet search, a horticultural magazine, landscaping and gardening books, or talks on the topic, you will frequently encounter the topic of compost. Compost is amazing for our soil and plants, offering numerous benefits: it improves soil structure, reduces erosion, sequesters carbon, introduces beneficial organisms to our yards, and helps retain moisture and nutrients (Composting at Home, 2013). As someone who maintains vegetable gardens, flower beds, and planted trees and shrubs, I’m always in need of compost.

In my quest for more compost and my tendency to obsessively read about related topics, I discovered a form of composting that not only meets my needs but also significantly reduces my family's food waste. Allow me to introduce you to bokashi composting.

What is Bokashi Composting?

There is some debate about the age of bokashi composting, with similar ancient techniques documented in India, Korea, and Japan (Holmes, 2021). The modern resurgence of bokashi composting is attributed to Dr. Teruo Higa, a Japanese researcher who conducted significant work on the process in the 1980s (Holmes, 2021). Since then, there has been a surge of research and information on bokashi composting.

Bokashi composting is an anaerobic process used to break down kitchen scraps (Vanderlinden, 2008). Unlike traditional composting, bokashi can handle all types of kitchen waste. In my experience, I've used bokashi bins for forgotten leftovers containing meat, pasta, vegetables, vegetable scraps, fruit scraps, stale bread, and even bones after making broth. How is this possible?

The Bokashi Process

The initial step of bokashi composting doesn’t create compost in the traditional sense. Instead, everything is "pickled." It’s fascinating to see. However, contrary to some claims, bokashi bins do emit an odor. While I find it tolerable, my family prefers I open the buckets outside.

The primary challenge with bokashi composting is that it requires more steps than traditional composting. Here’s a simplified overview:

Collect and Layer : Place your kitchen scraps in the bokashi bucket, sprinkling bokashi bran (containing essential microbes) over each layer. The bran is crucial, and there are many varieties available for purchase online.

Seal and Rest : Seal the bucket and let it fill over time. Once full, let it rest for three or more weeks.

Drain : Regularly drain the liquid produced during the process using the spigot on the bucket. While some claim this liquid can be used as a fertilizer if diluted, there's little research to support this. I pour it into my compost bin.

Post-Rest Options : After the resting period, you have several options for using the bokashi "pre-compost."

Using Bokashi Pre-Compost

Mix with Traditional Compost: My preferred method is to mix the bokashi pre-compost into my existing compost bin. This reactivates slow compost and helps me stay organized with minimal extra work.

Direct Burying: Burying the pre-compost directly in an unused garden space is another effective method. It breaks down within two to three weeks, but you can’t plant anything in the area until it's fully decomposed. I found that plants struggled or died if planted too soon. Additionally, raccoons may dig up the fermented scraps.

Soil Farming: This method involves mixing the bokashi pre-compost with garden soil in a bucket or tote and letting it break down. I find this method labor-intensive and inconvenient due to the need to empty the bucket later.

The Science Behind Bokashi

According to the dissertation “Analysis of the Nutrient Composition, Efficacy, and Sustainability of Bokashi Fertilizers” by Nisreen Abo-Sido, bokashi composting offers several benefits. When added to various crops, including tomatoes, peppers, and many tree crops, it increased yields (Abo-Sido, 2018). In cornfields, it increased beneficial microbes and aided the breakdown of organic matter in the soil. Bokashi also provided variable levels of nitrogen and phosphorus that were already bioavailable.

Conclusion

There are many bokashi kits available, and after engaging with various online communities, I’ve found that no single kit is superior to others. For me, reducing food waste and enhancing my composting efforts make bokashi composting worth the extra steps. However, be cautious when researching this topic, as there is a lot of misinformation to sift through.

By incorporating bokashi composting into your routine, you can improve your soil, reduce waste, and enjoy a more sustainable gardening practice.

References :

Composting At Home. (2013, April 17). US EPA. https://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home

Holmes, M. (2021, January 14). What Is Bokashi Composting? Treehugger .

https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-bokashi-compo HYPERLINK "https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-bokashi-composting-5088917"s HYPERLINK "https://www.treehugger.com/what-is-bokashi-composting-5088917"ting-5088917

Vanderlinden, C. (2008, December 1). What You Need to Know About Bokashi Composting. The Spruce.

https://www.thespruce.com/basics-of-bokashi-composting-2539742

Abo-Sido, N. (2018). Analysis of the nutrient composition, efficacy, and sustainability of bokashi fertilizers. Wellesley College Digital Repository.

https://repository.wellesley.edu/object/ir787?utm_source=repository.wellesley.edu/thesiscollection/513 HYPERLINK "https://repository.wellesley.edu/object/ir787?utm_source=repository.wellesley.edu/thesiscollection/513&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages"& HYPERLINK "https://repository.wellesley.edu/object/ir787?utm_source=repository.wellesley.edu/thesiscollection/513&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages"utm_medium=PDF HYPERLINK "https://repository.wellesley.edu/object/ir787?utm_source=repository.wellesley.edu/thesiscollection/513&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages"& HYPERLINK "https://repository.wellesley.edu/object/ir787?utm_source=repository.wellesley.edu/thesiscollection/513&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages"utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

Benefits With a Bite

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 17:28:43 GMT

It's that time of year when I wander through the garden, lifting leaves and pulling back plants to inspect them. I observe the fruits setting, the various bees and wasps visiting, and I look out for pest insects and predatory friends. One specific garden friend I make sure not to touch is the wheel bug ( Arilus cristatus ).

Wheel bugs are a welcome guest in gardens, flower beds, and around your property. These wonderful insects are known as generalist predators (Johnson, 2022), meaning they hunt a wide variety of other organisms. This diverse diet makes them valuable in our yards. They consume caterpillars, beetles, sawfly larvae, aphids, stink bugs, and many others. They also prey on the invasive brown marmorated stink bug ( Halyomorpha halys ). Although they occasionally eat bees and wasps, they primarily consume more pests than beneficial insects.

While wheel bugs are beneficial, you should handle them with care. Although I have never been bitten, I have spoken to many people who have. They describe the initial bite as similar to a bee or wasp sting, but the worst part is a terrible burning sensation that can last for hours or even into the next day.

When wheel bugs first emerge, they have red abdomens. This coloration fades with later molts, making them harder to spot until they reach adulthood when they turn gray-brown. The characteristic wheel on their thorax does not appear until their final molt into adulthood (Johnson, 2022).

How do we attract these little predators? The key is providing their food sources. Garden plants are often attacked by various invertebrates that wheel bugs will feast on. Another method is to plant species that attract their prey. For instance, wheel bugs enjoy hunting caterpillars, so planting sacrificial plants in the brassica family to attract cabbage moths can be effective. Milkweed is another great option as it often attracts oleander aphids ( Aphis nerii ) (Clement, 2023). I personally find many wheel bug nymphs on my various milkweeds.

At the end of the day, while you enjoy your outdoor plants, take a moment to appreciate these wonderful insects and the important roles they play in your garden.

References:

Johnson, K. (2022, October 7). Wheel bugs: Good bugs with a painful bite. Illinois Extension.

https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2022-10-07-wheel-bugs-good-bugs-painful-bite#:~:text=They%20can%20commonly%20be%20found,invasive%20brown%20marmorated%20stink%20bug .

Clement, D. (2023, March 10). Orange Aphids on Milkweed. University of Maryland Extension.

https://extension.umd.edu/resource/orange-aphids-milkweed/

Photo References:

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, June 3). Arilus cristatus .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arilus_cristatus#/media/File:Wheel Bug Nymph - Grant Peier - Arilus cristatus - Wikipedia

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, June 3). Arilus cristatus .

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arilus_cristatus#/media/File:Wheel_Bug_on_pool_skimmer_(NW_Arkansas,_July_2012).png

Meet Lee Ann Haney

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 14:04:45 GMT

Lee Ann was born and raised in Crystal Lake, Il., a suburb northwest of Chicago. When she left for college she moved on from her hometown and eventually settled in Virginia Beach for 27 years. She and her husband moved in 2023 to West Ghent, Norfolk, to an urban area condo that balances out their North Carolina mountain home environment.

Lee Ann’s education includes a Liberal Arts degree from St. Leo’s as well as specified Information Technology certifications. In April 2023, she retired from a software company as their Customer Support and Account Management Director, supporting the medical education community’s online education delivery and reporting needs.

Lee Ann has loved gardening since childhood, and joined the Norfolk Master Gardeners to learn more about how to exercise her passion. She has always enjoyed educating, so the prospect of getting outside with some skill behind her love for plants coupled with opportunities for educating others, seemed like the perfect fit.

The master gardener classes far exceeded her expectations. She couldn’t wait to get up and get to class and felt like the season flew by. She especially appreciated the incredibly talented teachers that were brought in to instruct. And she was impressed by how many additional continuing educational opportunities were opened to the class.

Lee Ann volunteered for ten different projects as she worked towards her fifty-hour requirement. She enjoyed everything from planting in verges for the city, to helping with the St. Patrick’s Li’l Sprouts afterschool gardening program, to planting and pulling invasives in the Weyanoke Bird Sanctuary. So far, she is especially drawn to the native pollinator gardens and opportunities that allow her to interact with the public. However, she plans to continue trying as many other opportunities as she can, keeping an open mind until it’s clear where she best fits in.

In addition to gardening, other hobbies include collecting art, doing botanical plate printing, and knitting. Additionally, Lee Ann and her husband, Mike, live in North Carolina for part of the year, tending a mountain home environment that includes a blackberry and raspberry farmette and growing a number of pollinators.

Lee Ann and Mike have eight adult children and five grandchildren. They also enjoy sharing their homes with Rosie and Escher, their dog and cat, who keep them from getting too selfish in their retirement.

When you see Lee Ann, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the NMGV.

Kayaking Through Dragon Run

Wed, 29 May 2024 22:24:16 GMT

I jumped on an opportunity offered by the Virginia Native Plant Society to take a three hour guided paddle through Dragon Run on May 15. At one time Dragon Run was determined to be second in ecological significance out of 232 areas studied in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Our short paddle only included a very small portion of the 40 mile bald cypress/tupelo swamp that lies about 80 miles north of Norfolk near West Point, VA.

We didn’t get to see much of the fauna that calls Dragon Run home on this trip. There were butterflies and dragonflies but I can see them in the marsh behind my home. What I don’t see or experience at home are Prothonotary Warblers that seemed as curious about us as we were about them and the numerous beaver dams, some that we passed by and some that we had to paddle over. There were no mosquitos as we paddled. Our guides theorized that the abundance of dragonflies, birds and fish in the area keep the mosquito population low.

Of course during the entire three hours we were surrounded on both sides by water loving plants. The most interesting to me was the areas of Hottonia inflata (American Featherfoil). Like an iceberg, part of the plant is submerged and some extends above the surface of the water. In this flowing stream it is dependent on beaver dams to provide it with the environment it needs to survive: stable shallow pools and stable water levels. It is also thought that beavers help distribute the seeds when they build their dams.

The banks of Dragon Run were full of blooming Itea virginica (Virginia Sweetspire), a plant that is familiar to gardeners in our area. Another shoreline plant that we saw was Pleopeltis polypodioides (Resurrection Fern). This fern attaches itself to the bark of large trees. This is an air plant (epiphyte), collecting nutrients from the water and nutrients on the bark of the tree and from the air. A plant that I originally thought might be Spanish Moss was actually Usnea lichens (Old Man’s Beard). Smaller but similar in appearance, it seemed to be attached to many of the branches that hung out over the water.

Persicaria glabra (Dense-flowered smartweed) was another plant that we saw along our paddle. Through the years parts of the plant have been thought to have many medicinal purposes. It is similar to Zanthoxylem clava-herculis (Toothache Tree) in that chewing the leaves causes numbness in the mouth. It has been used by some to treat hemorrhoids. Nuphar advena (Spatterdock) stood out among the aquatic plants we saw because of its bright yellow blooms and broad green leaves.

A sharp eyed guide spotted wild rose wasp gall on the bank and cut it off for us to have a better look. The odd bright red spiked balls are caused by the wasp larvae feeding on the plant stimulating excess growth of the plant tissue. It doesn’t harm the plant and it is definitely eye-catching.

I’m hoping to take more trips through Dragon Run to experience the plants in different seasons. If you own a kayak I recommend you paddle there!

Wasps: Your Yard, Garden, and Landscape Friend

Wed, 29 May 2024 22:24:13 GMT

“It is not going to hurt you. They are friends.” This is a phrase I use often when discussing

wasps, and it is usually met with horrified looks. People frequently share stories about wasps

being aggressive or about times they were stung. I patiently listen, often commenting that when I

have been stung, it was usually my fault. Then, I will share a few teaching moments from my

life.

My Experience with Wasps

I owned a house in Kansas City, MO, with an amazing walkout basement where I stored all my

gardening supplies. Shortly after purchasing the house, a small red paper wasp nest began to be

built in the upper corner of the basement doorway. I left it alone, and the nest grew. Initially, the

wasps scattered and flew around whenever I opened the door. I would wait for them to calm

down before passing through. Over time, their behavior changed; they went from flaring their

wings at me to completely ignoring my presence by the end of the summer. I left the nest each

year, and never once was I stung. Eventually, with each passing generation, they stopped

showing any aggression towards me and even helped eliminate garden pests, a benefit I

will discuss later.

When I moved back to Oklahoma, I lived in a duplex with a bay window facing the street.

Shortly after moving in, a yellow jacket began building a nest against the window. I enjoyed

watching the nest and observing the larvae hatch and grow. My neighbor, who had children, was

understandably concerned since yellow jackets are more aggressive. We discussed it and turned

it into a teaching moment for my neighbor, their children, and eventually all the children on the

street. Soon, curious children and adults were visiting to watch the nest grow and observe the

larvae inside. We all learned about the benefits of these wasps and how they ignored us. It was

a wonderful, educational experience for the neighborhood. In winter, I removed the nest to

prevent next year’s queen from returning to the same spot.

The Benefits of Wasps in Your Garden

In Kansas City, I left the wasps for a particularly important reason. I had a large garden, and with

any garden come pests. Many wasp species hunt pest insects to feed their larvae. With the red

paper wasp nest thriving in my basement doorway, my garden no longer had caterpillars

munching away at it, and many other pests disappeared as well.

In Oklahoma, I used the yellow jacket nest as a teaching tool. It was a way to show children and

their parents that people can live in harmony with even aggressive species of wasps. I was able to

demonstrate to two generations the stages of growth of this amazing invertebrate. It became a

fun, educational interaction with my neighborhood.

The Role of Wasps in Nature

Most wasps are solitary and private, typically attracted to specific prey. Social wasps, those that

live in colonies, are generalists and hunt a wide variety of insects and pests to feed their

larvae. Both types are beneficial to have in your yard.

Wasps are excellent hunters in our gardens. Some wasp species cannot sting humans but are

parasitic towards pest organisms. These parasitic wasps lay their eggs on other invertebrates.

Their larvae hatch and consume the pest organism, effectively removing pests from our valued

plants.

Wasps also serve another crucial function in nature: they are pollinators. Most adult wasps

consume nectar and pollen. While they do not have the hairs that bees do, they still inadvertently

move pollen from flower to flower as they forage (Dickerson, 2020). If you pay attention to your

flowers, you might see wasps flitting about with bees, butterflies, and moths. Many plant species

rely on specific wasp species for pollination (Brock, 2016).

Wasps in the Food Chain

An often-overlooked role of wasps is their importance in the food chain. Many bird species

consume them, as do other invertebrates such as robber flies, and some small

mammals. By poisoning these useful insects, you may inadvertently put other creatures in

danger (Lowe, 2011).

Conclusion

Wasps may have a bad reputation, but they are beneficial friends in our yards, gardens, and

landscapes. They help control pest populations, pollinate plants, and play a vital role in the

ecosystem. By understanding and respecting these fascinating insects, we can learn to coexist

with them and appreciate their contributions to our environment.

References

Brock, R. (2016, July 12). In defense of wasps: Why squashing them comes with a sting in the tale. The Conversation.

https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-wasps-why-squashing-them-

comes-with-a-sting-in-the-tale-60729

Dickerson, L. (2020, September 8). Wasps are pollinators too. OSU Extension Service.

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/pollinators/wasps-are-pollinators-

too#:~:text=Even%20though%20they%20don’t,quite%20impactful%20to%20our%20ecosystem

Lowe, C. (2011, March 12). Things that eat wasps & bees. Sciencing.

https://sciencing.com/what-eats-cockroaches-12542563.html

Fungus Gnats Not a Home’s Best Friend

Sat, 25 May 2024 16:36:31 GMT

Talking to my family they would quickly tell you that I have always loved plants. All plants. I would ask about any and every plant I could. Like most plant people I have always had houseplants. If you have houseplants it is more likely than not that you have dealt with or deal with the tiny little squatters known as fungus gnats.

The adult fungus gnat is harmless to people. They may annoy you greatly as they buzz around your face while you sit near your favorite houseplant but they cannot bite you. The adults also are harmless to your plants. It is their tiny little larvae that is the problem.

These small larvae like to consume terrestrial algae in the growth medium, fungus, and your plants’ roots (Cransaw, Cloyd, 2015). The damage they do to your roots can lead to weakened and unhealthy plants. A simple way to determine if you have fungus gnats and not just fruit flies is to place a slice of raw potato on your soil. After a day lift it. They are attracted to the slice of potato and will gather under it.

I am pretty anti-pesticide in most cases. That includes my houseplants. A great method for evicting these little creatures is allowing your soil to dry out (Cransaw, Cloyd, 2015). In the least allow the top one to two inches to dry. This will inhibit the eggs from hatching. It will also make the soil less appealing for the adult female fungus gnats in which to lay her eggs.

Another method is yellow sticky traps to catch the adults (Cransaw, Cloyd, 2015). Personally, these kinds of traps will not work around my house. I have a curious semi-long-haired cat and removing a sticky trap from her fur would be painful for all parties involved. So instead, I bought a few more houseplants, because there is always space for one more houseplant.

The houseplants I am talking about are Sundews ( Drosera spp ). These small plants form sticky little pads on them that the fungus gnat adults land on. They also catch any fruit flies, flies, and mosquitoes that happen to venture into the house and land on them. The care for them is pretty simple but they must be watered with either distilled water or rainwater (Aloi, 2020). Tap water has too many dissolved minerals in it and they will die. Their growing medium needs to be kept damp but not waterlogged, and that is all you need to know how to care for them. They help break the adult cycle and there is a new and interesting houseplant around.

Another non-pesticide method to control them is the predatory nematode Steinernema feltiae (Cransaw, Cloyd, 2015). These nematodes will hunt down and consume the fungus gnat larvae. The larvae die within three to four days of being infested by the nematode, helping break the cycle in your home.

Whatever method you choose may your houseplants be healthy and your face free of annoying gnats.

References:

Cransaw, W. S., & Cloyd, R. A. (2015, July 27). Fungus Gnats as Houseplant and Indoor Pests - 5.584 . Extension.

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/fungus-gnats-as-houseplant-and-indoor-pests-5-584/

Aloi, P. (2020, November 16). How to Grow Sundew Plants. The Spruce .

https://www.thespruce.com/growing-sundew-plants-5082980

Maximizing Production: Intercropping

Fri, 24 May 2024 12:15:20 GMT

When I lived in Kansas City, MO, I owned over an acre of property in an urban environment, but much of my property was wooded. This reduced my available gardening space significantly. Yet, depending on the year, I was still able to grow a third to a half of my own produce on the usable land I had. I employed multiple techniques to increase my food production, but one major one I utilized was intercropping.

Intercropping isn’t a new concept. Many indigenous cultures around the world have used intercropping for centuries and still do (Gitari, 2021). Here in the United States, the most commonly known form of intercropping is the Three Sisters (Ngapa, et al., 2021). If you are unfamiliar with this type of planting, it involves planting corn, beans, and squash together in the same plot of land. The Three Sisters is one of many forms of intercropping methods.

Now, before I get too far into this, I want to make a distinction between two terms: companion planting vs. intercropping. These terms can be used interchangeably but often have different meanings. I will not be using the term "companion planting" to reference anything in this article. Intercropping involves growing foods together in the same space, while companion planting is often used to ward off pests. There is a lot of misinformation about both topics. I am going to focus only on intercropping.

When intercropping, some combinations just don’t perform well together, and sometimes soil quality is an important factor. Here is an example of both. Researchers recently worked with NASA to test intercropping techniques to see if they would work with Martian soil (Gonçalves, Wamelink, Putten, Evers, 2024). They used three soil types: one simulating soil on Mars, and the other two simulating Earth soil, one being potting soil and the other beach sand. They used three crops: peas, carrots, and dwarf tomatoes. What these scientists found was that in Martian soil, the tomatoes did really well, but the carrots and peas did not. In the sand, however, the tomatoes and peas thrived together. The carrots did not perform well in any of the intercropping and fared poorly in the Martian soil even when planted in a monocrop setting. All of these plantings were done in pots in a greenhouse, showing that even if you have only a small patio, you can grow your legumes and tomatoes together, doubling your yield.

As previously mentioned, the choice of crops is crucial. It has been found that beans and corn improve the yield of both crops, but beans and wheat had a negative impact on the beans (Maitra et al., 2021). Other factors can also improve intercropping. Corn, when planted with sweet potatoes, had a much lower yield, but when combined with fertilizer, it had a higher yield than if they were mono-cropped (Katuromunda, 2021).

There are many factors that play out in intercropping, but what crops can we plant in our own yards? As previously stated, tomatoes and legumes are a great option. Personally, I plant corn and beans in plots in my yard and have wonderful results. Another great option is eggplant and garlic (Want et al., 2015). Okra, like many other things listed here, can also be intercropped with legumes and see an increase in yield (Choudhuri, Jana, 2016). In a fascinating study done on okra and sweet potatoes, there were mixed results, all either positive or neutral. Several okra varieties were planted with several sweet potato varieties. Depending on the varieties and how they were combined, the okra produced more or produced the same, and the sweet potatoes were either the same as monocropping or produced larger sweet potatoes (Njoku et al., 2007). In any case, this makes okra and sweet potatoes great to plant together.

There are many more crops that you can combine and grow together. This type of farming allows us to grow a lot more food in our smaller coastal yards. Using this technique also helps bring more nutrition to our homes, families, and friends.

References:

Gitari, H. (2021, February 22). Intercropping. Harun Gitari .

https://encyclopedia.pub/entry/7471#:~:text=Early%20civilizations%20evidenced%20the%20use,cereals%20like%20wheat%20and%20barley .

Ngapo, T. M., Bilodeau, P., Arcand, Y., Charles, M. T., Diederichsen, A., Germain, I., Liu, Q., MacKinnon, S., Messiga, A. J., Mondor, M., Villeneuve, S.,

Ziadi, N., & Gariépy, S. (2021). Historical Indigenous Food Preparation Using Produce of the Three Sisters Intercropping System. Foods ( Basel, Switzerland ), 10(3), 524.

https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10030524

Gonçalves, R., Wamelink, G. W. W., Putten, P. van der, & Evers, J. B. (2024). Intercropping on Mars: A promising system to optimise fresh food

production in future martian colonies. PLOS ONE , 19(5).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0302149

Maitra, S., Hossain, A., Brestic, M., Skalicky, M., Ondrisik, P., Gitari, H., Brahmachari, K., Shankar, T., Bhadra, P., Palai, J. B., Jena, J., Bhattacharya, U.,

Duvvada, S. K., Lalichetti, S., & Sairam, M. (2021). Intercropping—A Low Input Agricultural Strategy for Food and Environmental Security. Agronomy , 11(2).

https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11020343

Katuromunda, S. (2021). Growth and Yield Response of Improved Sweet Potato Cultivars to Intercropping with Hybrid Maize and Inorganic

Fertilizers. Journal of Plant Sciences, 9 (6).

https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jps.20210906.13

Wang, M., Wu, C., Cheng, Z., & Meng, H. (2015). Frontiers. Frontiers in Plant Science, 6 .

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00262

Choudhuri, P., & Jana, J. C. (2016). Intercropping in Okra for Sustainable Vegetable Production. International Journal of Bio-Resource and Stress

Management, 7 (Aug, 4), 837–840.

Njoku, S., Muoneke, C., Okpara, D., & Agbo, F. (2007). Effect of intercropping varieties of sweet potato and okra in an ultisol of southeastern

Nigeria. African Journal of Biotechnology, 6 (14).

Maximizing Savings with Free Mulch – Frugal Gardening Tips

Thu, 16 May 2024 13:51:54 GMT

Embarking on a journey into vegetable gardening not only promises the joy of nurturing plants but also the reward of supplementing our diets with fresh, healthy produce. Gardening has been hailed for its myriad health benefits (Thompson, 2018), yet the financial aspect can pose a challenge. From acquiring plants or seeds to investing in mulch, soil amendments, and fertilizers, the expenses can add up. In this series of my frugal gardening series, we delve into practical ways to save money without compromising the health of your garden.

Mulch plays a crucial role in maintaining the vitality of your vegetable garden, even extending to raised beds. Apart from its aesthetic appeal, mulch serves several purposes. It aids in water conservation, reducing the frequency of watering sessions, which is particularly advantageous for moisture-loving plants like tomatoes. Moreover, organic mulches contribute to soil enrichment as they decompose, releasing essential nutrients (Mannino, Richter, Welsh, Cotner, n.d) and fostering a hospitable environment for beneficial organisms. By moderating soil temperature and suppressing weed growth, mulch ensures optimal conditions for plant growth. However, mulching multiple beds can strain your budget.

An economical approach to acquiring mulch involves capitalizing on the abundance of natural resources during fall and winter. Fallen leaves, often discarded as waste, present a valuable source of mulch. These fallen leaves are placed at the roadside by so many of our neighbors. By collecting and storing these leaves, you can build a stockpile to spread over your garden beds. Allowing the leaves to decompose gradually enhances soil fertility and attracts beneficial microbes and fungi (Heckman, Kluchinski, Derr, 1998). However, it's important to note that nutrient release from leaves may take a year or longer, and during this period, nitrogen may be temporarily locked up (Heckman, Kluchinski, Derr, 1998). Supplementing with fertilizer can offset this nutrient depletion.

In regions abundant with pine needles, such as our beautiful area, they serve as an alternative mulching material. Pine straw mulch decomposes slowly, contributing to long-term soil enrichment while also regulating soil temperature and suppressing weeds (Sing, Maggard, Barlow, Rkush, 2021). Pine straw does not raise the acidity of your soil.

Lawn clippings, often overlooked, present another cost-effective mulching option. However, it's crucial to ensure that the clippings are free from herbicides. Lawn clippings should be applied dry and no more than one to two inches (Bauer, Weisenhorn, Mugass, Pedersen, 2018).

Used coffee grounds, available for free from local coffee shops or through programs like Starbucks' Grounds for Gardens, offer an additional mulching resource. When applying coffee grounds as a mulch only a couple of inches should be applied and they should be covered with another mulch such as leaves or pine straw (Pokorny, 2023).

Personally, I utilize a combination of these mulching methods throughout the year. Layering coffee grounds, leaves, and pine straw during fall and winter facilitates gradual decomposition and soil enrichment by spring. Additionally, I incorporate lawn clippings throughout the summer on top of the existing mulch. At the end of the summer, I add compost from my various compost bins on top of the beds. However, it's important to note that initially, there may be a decrease in garden yields when adopting layered mulching practices in the first year. This is due to the nitrogen being locked up by all the carbon-rich material. This can be mitigated by supplementing it with organic fertilizers and soil amendments to replenish the nitrogen. This will be less of a problem in following years.

In conclusion, maximizing savings with mulch not only reduces gardening expenses but also promotes soil health and sustainable gardening practices. By harnessing readily available resources and implementing diverse mulching strategies, you can cultivate a thriving vegetable garden without breaking the bank. Stay tuned for future articles on free organic fertilizers and soil amendments to further enhance your gardening experience.

Thompson, R. (2018). Gardening for health: a regular dose of gardening. Clinical Medicine (London, England), 18(3), 201–205.

https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmedicine.18-3-201

Mannino, V., Richter, R., Welsh, D., & Cotner, S. (n.d.). Don’t Bag It - Leaf Management Plan - Earth-Kind® Landscaping Earth-Kind® Landscaping. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Retrieved May 10, 2024, from

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/landscape/leaf-management-plan/#:~:text=As%20organic%20mulches%20decompose%2C%20they,shred%20and%20collect%20the%20leaves .

Heckman, J., Kluchinski, D., & Derr, D. (1998, November 1). Plant Nutrients in Municipal Leaves (Rutgers NJAES). Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.php?pid=FS824

Singh, Z., Maggard, A., Barlow, R., & Kush, J. (2021). A Comparison of the Attributes of Pine Straw from Southern Pine Species1. Journal of Environmental Horticulture, 39(3), 115–122.

https://doi.org/10.24266/0738-2898-39.3.115

Bauer, S., Weisenhorn, J., Mugass, B., & Pedersen, B. (2018). What to do with lawn clippings. UMN Extension.

https://extension.umn.edu/lawn-care/what-do-lawn-clippings#:~:text=Grass%20clippings%20are%20a%20good,getting%20down%20into%20the%20soil .

Pokorny, K. (2023, June 23). Used appropriately, coffee grounds improve soil and kill slugs. Life at OSU.

https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/used-appropriately-coffee-grounds-improve-soil-and-kill-slugs#:~:text=Coffee%20grounds%20are%20best%20at,can%20be%20thrown%20in%2C%20too .

Maximizing Your Harvest: Frugal Gardening Tips

Thu, 16 May 2024 13:34:15 GMT

Growing fruits and vegetables in our own yards is a fulfilling pursuit, but space constraints often limit our yield. How can we make the most of what we have? One effective strategy is to utilize secondary parts of plants we already enjoy growing and consuming.

Take, for example, the greens from pepper plants, one of my favorite secondary vegetables. While not commonly consumed, these greens are entirely edible after cooking, making for an excellent spinach substitute. Best harvested in late fall before frost sets in, they can be stored in the fridge for a few days. Experiment with different cooking methods to find your favorite.

Beyond pepper plants, a variety of other vegetables offer edible secondary parts. Snap beans, lima beans, beets, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cucumber, kohlrabi, peas, sweet potatoes, radishes, and squash all have edible greens (Stephens, 2005). While some may be unfamiliar, it's worth giving them a try to discover your preferences. I have eaten many of these and found them to be very enjoyable.

Squash blossoms, in particular, are a delicacy. When squash plants produce an abundance of male flowers, these blooms can be harvested, stuffed, and fried for a delicious treat. Whether filled with herbed cream cheese or wild rice, they are a gourmet addition to any meal.

Okra is another versatile plant with multiple edible parts. While the immature pods are commonly enjoyed, the leaves and flowers are also edible, either cooked or raw. Furthermore, mature okra pods can yield seeds, which can be ground into flour or pressed for oil (Anwar, Qadir, Ahmad, 2020). Okra flour boasts high protein and fat content (Ofori, Tortoe, & Agbenorhevi, 2020), adding nutritional value to your dishes.

For a comprehensive list of secondary edibles from garden vegetables, refer to the Texas Cooperative Extension website . Remember, when trying new foods, start small to avoid any adverse reactions. Begin with a tiny portion, assess your liking, and observe your body's response before consuming larger quantities. Happy harvesting, and enjoy the abundance your garden provides!

Stephens, M. J. (2005, May). Secondary Edible Parts of Vegetables. Texas Cooperative Extension.

https://aggie-hort.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/hortupdate_archives/2005/may05/SecVeget.html

Hartsell, M. (n.d.). Garden Talk. Duke Gardens. Retrieved May 7, 2024, from

https://gardens.duke.edu/garden-talk

062623#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20both%20the%20flower,tastes%20similar%20to%20an%20asparagus

Ofori, J., Tortoe, C., & Agbenorhevi, J. K. (2020). Physicochemical and functional properties of dried okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) seed flour. Food Science & Nutrition, 8(8), 4291–4296.

https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.1725

Anwar, F., Qadir, R., & Ahmad, N. (2020). Cold pressed okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) seed oil. ScienceDirect.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978012818188100027X

Blackwater Ecological Preserve

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 21:02:39 GMT

In late March I joined ten other lucky passengers on a Norfolk Botanical Garden field trip to ODU’s 319-acre Blackwater Ecological Preserve in Isle of Wight County, VA. Union Camp donated this land to ODU in 1985 through The Nature Conservancy. This Preserve is part of the 1000-acre Zuni Pine Barrens State Natural Area. The ecosystem here is unique to Virginia and represents the northernmost remnant of what once was 93 million acres spread across the southeast. Our driver was Theresa Augustin, NBG VP of Education. Our host was Preserve Manager Nicholas (Nick) Flanders. Both studied under Professor Lytton Musselman, who was the first Manager of the Preserve.

Longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris ) is the keystone species here. I am accustomed to seeing Longleafs early in their life cycle when they look like a clump of grass. Nick pointed out the youngest seedlings that looked more like a blade of grass than the clumps I am familiar with. Longleafs have the largest cones of all pines, they are the tallest, with the densest wood, and live the longest of any pines in our region. Interestingly, their bark is fireproof after three years.

Unfortunately, some of these same characteristics made them desirable in the shipbuilding industry when this country was colonized. Deforestation resulted, allowing faster-growing trees to move into the Longleaf Pine ecosystem. Another problem for Longleaf Pines was feral hogs. Explorers left hogs here so there would be meat available when they returned. Later studies, comparing fenced areas versus unfenced areas, found over 6,000 Longleaf Pine seedlings per acre in the fenced area versus only 8 per acre where hogs were present! That’s perhaps one reason that nearby Smithfield, VA became known as the “Ham Capital of the World.''

Fire suppression also caused a decline in the Longleaf Pine population. Fires helped clear out competing species. By putting out fires as soon as possible the early lumbermen were actually harming the trees they most depended on. Today at the Preserve they have prescribed fires every couple of years to clear undergrowth and give the Longleafs a better opportunity to repopulate and compete.

Some of the other native plants that we saw at the Preserve were Inkberry Holly ( Ilex glabra ), Pixie-moss ( Pyxidanthera barbulata ), Sheep Laurel ( Kalmia angustifolia ), Southern Twayblade ( Listera australis = Neottia bifolia ), and Trailing Arbutus ( Epigaea repens ).

We were fortunate to see large areas of Pixie-moss in bloom when we were there! It is not a moss but a very low-growing ground cover that thrives in the same sandy soil the Longleaf Pines thrive in. It too benefits from fires that burn off competing plants. The Sheep Laurel is a highly toxic plant that also recovers quickly from fires in the Preserve. Being deer-resistant also allows it to flourish here. The Southern Twayblade is a two leafed dainty orchid that we would never have found without Nick. There were only two small specimens in a low-lying bog in the Preserve and they were in bloom! The Trailing Arbutus was blooming up on a ridge beside the Blackwater River. Having been told that the plant has a great aroma we were all down on our hands and knees sniffing this low grower. I resisted taking a photo that would have made us appear that we were grazing on fragile native plants.

If you ever see a guided tour of the Blackwater Ecological Preserve offered I highly recommend that you visit this rare ecosystem that is less than an hour away.

Icelandic Tomato Farm Provides an Oz Experience

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 21:22:03 GMT

“In Iceland be sure to visit the tomato farm.”

That travel tip from Norfolk Master Gardener Jill Lewis puzzled me as I packed wool hats, waterproof boots and a heavy parka with a fake fur hood. The goal for my winter trip was seeing the Northern Lights. I was happy Iceland’s daytime attractions included waterfalls, volcanic mountains, glaciers, fjords, lagoons, geysers and beaches. But tomatoes?

Yes, Jill was right!

The Fridheimar Farm with its tomato-filled greenhouses was a trip highlight surpassed only by experiencing the Northern Lights and Iceland’s rugged, natural beauty. In a country with only 2% forest, during eight treeless days of travel I saw only occasional juniper trees and barren poplars planted as windbreaks. Grasslands were winter brown, and nothing bloomed outdoors in sub-freezing temperatures. Until visiting the greenhouse, the only green I saw was the spectacular Northern Lights.

Taking a break at Fridheimar Farm after touring waterfalls and geysers made me feel like Dorothy in Oz. Outside, the world was gray with snow blanketing the ground. Inside, vertical rows of cherry tomatoes bombarded my eyes as 1,200 bees imported from Holland buzzed around doing pollinator duties. Pots of green basil and pink geraniums rounded out the riot of color. In the 78-degree heat, I rapidly shed my coat, scarf, hat, fleece jacket and gloves.

Fridheimar Farm is in the southern part of Iceland just off the popular Golden Circle route and about an hour’s drive from Reykjavik, the country’s capital. The farm dates to 1946 but had only two derelict greenhouses in 1995 when agronomist Knutur Armann and his wife, Helena Hermundrdottir, a horticulturist, bought it. The couple met in college with a dream of owning their own farm. Fridheimar translates to “world peace.”

Today, the farm boasts nine glass greenhouses with 30,000 tomato plants producing a ton of hydroponic tomatoes a day sold only in Iceland. Four varieties of tomatoes are grown without pesticides, picked daily and trucked to Icelandic groceries and restaurants. The farm provides 39% of the country’s tomato crop.

Cucumbers, lettuce, basil and other herbs are also grown on site. The farm owners breed Icelandic horses in stables adjacent to the greenhouses. From one employee in 1995 the staff has grown to 70, including the owners’ five children.

In 2008, the farm began welcoming tourists from around the globe. Visitors now exceed 180,000 people a year -- a number equal to nearly half the population of Iceland. In addition to the greenhouse, tourists come to pet winter-hardy Icelandic horses and see them race around a track using their five gaits.

In 2012, the farm added a restaurant to an original greenhouse. Guests enjoy dining in the midst of giant tomato plants and also learn about the tomato operation. The tomato-centric menu features tomato soup served with crusty bread, tomato beer, salads, pasta with homemade tomato sauce, and tomato ice cream.

Two natural assets make Iceland perfect for greenhouse farming:

• Readily available geothermal heat provided by the country’s 200 volcanoes.

• An abundance of pure spring water for irrigation.

At the farm, a bore hole 656 feet away provides an unending supply of 203-degree water for geothermal heat. Spring water pure enough for drinking is pumped to tomato vines through hoses. Carbon dioxide from natural steam is trucked to the farm to help improve photosynthesis. Weather stations on greenhouse roofs connect to computers and make it easy to adjust the internal environment

Tomato vines grow vertically and climb 10 feet high. Geothermal power makes it economical to keep greenhouse lights burning 17 hours a day in winter when sunlight is scarce. Each bee pollinates up to 2,000 tomato flowers a day, and bee colonies are replaced every six to eight weeks.

Iceland’s first greenhouses date to 1924. Today there are 60 greenhouse farmers growing most of the produce consumed in their country. Besides tomatoes, popular crops are lettuce, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, strawberries and mushrooms. Some farmers even grow bananas. Potato farmers don’t use greenhouses but take advantage of pockets of geothermal heat that naturally warm the ground and extend the growing season.

True confession : I have never liked tomatoes. But, after sampling Fridheimer’s freshly picked cherry tomatoes and sipping a mug of hot tomato soup, I changed my mind.

Should the Norfolk Master Gardeners’ greenhouse team want to take a field trip to study Iceland’s greenhouses, count me in!

For more information and reservations visit https://fridheimar.is/en/tourist-services/ .

Meet Dianne Kinnison

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 18:20:05 GMT

Dianne was born and grew up in Norfolk and lived here 53 years. She moved to Suffolk for thirteen years and moved back to Norfolk in 2018. Dianne and both of her children graduated from Granby High School. She moved back to Norfolk when her husband passed away so she could be closer to her family.

Dianne retired from Virginia Beach Public Schools after 39 years.

She wanted to become a master gardener because she built a new house and wanted to create gardens of her choice. She researched and read how to create the massive Best Management Practices (BMPs) in her front yard to comply with the city’s requirement to handle stormwater runoff. She wanted to learn what, where and why she was planting things.

In order to earn her fifty required hours she consistently worked with the Demonstration Dune Gardens. She also worked with some of the outreach projects and resiliency groups, as well as Ask a Master Gardener.

Now that she is certified she will continue working with the Dune Gardens and community outreach.

When Dianne is not volunteering with Master Gardener projects she will be working in her yard or her son’s yard. She landscaped her front and half of her side yard; this year she’s designing and beginning the landscape in the back yard.

Dianne has two children (Nate and Jackie) and is blessed with 8 grandchildren ranging in age from 2-16, six boys and two girls.

When you see Dianne, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardener Volunteers.

Beautiful But ‘Evil’ Bloomers Invade Virginia

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 21:47:59 GMT

“What are these trees that bloom in late winter?”

A long-time friend posted that question to Facebook in early March along with a photo. His image showed glorious trees flaunting white, showy blossoms as they surrounded his neighborhood lake.

This innocent query generated nearly 100 responses that give me hope about invasive plant knowledge. It should gain momentum with Virginia Cooperative Extension’s 2024 focus on invasive species.

A few hopeful Facebook commenters guessed these early bloomers were native serviceberry or wild plum trees. But, most responders identified them correctly as invasive Bradford or Callery pear trees. They called them “evil,” “nasty,” “smelly” and “bad for the environment.”

This negative response made me wonder about these showy bloomers that once were the darlings of landscapers. I assume these are the trees I see daily along Norfolk’s North Colley Avenue where rows of white-blossomed trees awkwardly straddle power lines thanks to creative pruning.

The Virginia Department of Forestry website calls Callery pears “one of the worst invasive plant species in the entire Southeast.”

The Virginia Invasive Species website says the pear trees, which originated in East Asia:

Are displacing native species as they rapidly expand outside of cultivation.
Alter soil, which suppresses other plant species.
Form thorns that can puncture tires and shoes.
Produce fruit that attracts birds, which then scatter the seeds.
Are difficult to control or remove once established.
Have weak limbs prone to snapping in high winds or other weather events.

The Virginia Invasive Species website encourages people to report Callery pear trees so they can be mapped; https://www.invasivespeciesva.org/map-your-invader .

The Virginia Department of Forestry introduced a 2024 program to replace Virginia landowners’ Callery pears with free native trees. Pre-registration was required for the Charlottesville event on April 20. Since the program sold out quickly, let’s hope it will be repeated. Here is a link to learn about the 2024 tree replacement program: https://dof.virginia.gov/forest-management-health/forest-health/financial-assistance-program/callery-pear-exchange-program/ .

On a recent Amtrak trip from Washington, D.C. I entertained myself by watching what I dubbed the Tour de Invasives . I boarded the train shortly after National Invasive Species Awareness Week ended on March 3.

All along the 223-mile route to Norfolk, white Callery pear trees whizzed by my window. A few shapely pear trees proudly bloomed in homeowner’s yards where they had been planted. But, most grew in untamed woods along the railroad right-of-way.

Pear trees often flourished near English ivy, which strangled tall trees. Stands of giant bamboo also made a showing now and then. By the time the train reached Richmond, I had lost count of all the invasives.

The last two Callery pear trees bid me adieu by waving in the wind right before we pulled into Norfolk’s Harbor Park Amtrak station. The Tour de Invasives may have ended but my interest in them was piqued. This was a wake-up call about the critical importance of raising awareness in our community and sharing information about native replacements to help combat these invasive species.

#inVAsives

Meet Anne Curtis

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 00:22:20 GMT

Anne is a Norfolk native. She graduated from Maury High School and then went to William & Mary where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree.

She started out as a health/physical education teacher but spent most of her career teaching math. She retired from Norfolk Collegiate after 42 years.

Anne’s mother was an avid gardener as well as her maternal grandmother. Her great-great-grandmother was one of the first women to own a greenhouse. Anne has always loved plants and gardening and this was one reason she pursued the Master Gardener Training Program. She wanted to learn more about plants, shrubs, trees, and to be able to help family members, neighbors and people in the community when they had questions. She will always be appreciative of Kim Stewart for all their many gardening talks and her constant encouragement to sign up for the Master Gardeners program.

She loved the classes, especially the hands-on activities. She feels that the entire program taught her so much about the many aspects of gardening and has encouraged her to learn more. The master gardeners that she has met are unique individuals, and so knowledgeable and a joy to be around.

To attain her fifty hours Anne worked on the Plant Sale, in the Butterfly House and Potager Garden at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

Now that she has received her certification she plans to continue working with the plant sale and be more involved at the Potager Garden. She is interested in the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden as well as the Native Plant and Pollinator Garden. She would also like to train and learn about the greenhouse so that she will be able to help once that project is up and running. Anne still plans to work in the Butterfly House at the Norfolk Botanical Garden and continue to be involved in more community outreach activities.

Anne works two part-time jobs, one as a math tutor and the other as a standardized patient for EVMS.

When she is not participating in Norfolk Master Gardener activities she enjoys volunteering, attending church, working in the yard, working out/yoga/walking but most of all spending time with her family and friends.

Anne’s family consists of three children, a son and daughter-in-law, a 10-month old grandson with two more grandchildren on the way. She also has two cockapoos, Sam and Teddy.

When you see Anne be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

NMG's at ERP!

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 17:44:13 GMT

Many Norfolk Master Gardeners know that the Elizabeth River Project has been much in the news lately. They’ve moved into their new headquarters on Colley Ave, the Ryan Resilience Lab, an amazing building designed with the latest green technologies. There are solar panels, a rain garden, cisterns that capture rainwater to reuse in the toilets, pavers in the parking lot that allow water to filter underground – even the carpeting is made from fishnets recycled from the ocean. The accessible walkway that leads into the building doubles as a floating dock that rises with flooding.

The ERP also made headlines recently for signing the first “rolling conservation easement” that will cause the new building to be demolished when sea level rise eventually swamps the site on Knitting Mill Creek.

On the evening of January 27 the ERP staff opened up the Ryan Resilience Lab to celebrate the many volunteers that work with them to reverse pollution in the Elizabeth River. They do a lot of education through the Learning Barge, Paradise Creek Nature Park in Portsmouth, and Princess Elizabeth, played by storyteller Robin Dunbar. They also do critical work with local businesses, governments, students, and community members to restore the health of the river. So when they let us know that Norfolk Master Gardeners have been named their “Club Volunteers of the Year,” some of the NMGs who have joined in their many projects came out for the event.

They announced that our organization had contributed 190 volunteer hours in 2023, and presented a goody bag that included a $50 Visa card for the NMGA treasury. And they had door prizes – Kay Egan won a bottle of champagne, which she gladly accepted as our new President.

Ribbon cutting for the Ryan Resilience Lab will happen in April, but free tours are offered on several upcoming dates if you’d like to check it out for yourself; sign up at Sneak Peek Ryan Resilience Lab Tours | Humanitix. We hope to organize an in-person Membership Meeting someday soon in their large River Room, which can hold up to 100 people. Stay tuned for more opportunities to work with ERP and community partners on living shorelines or planting activities coming to a river site near you!

An Argument to Save Your Own Seeds

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:03:45 GMT

I have been obsessed with plants since I could articulate full sentences. Throughout my life, I have also sought out many sources of knowledge and experiences. On top of all that I’ve done more experiments with plants than I can remember. This includes trying to sprout almost every seed available to me. Due to this, I’ve heard my whole life “You shouldn’t sprout seeds from (insert plant name here) because it won’t be the same.” My response was always “And what’s wrong with that?”

Humans are often funny creatures. We find something we like, and we don’t want it to change. With food diversity this is problematic. I’ll provide a quote from the article Edible Extinction: Why We Need to Revive Global Food Diversity: “In the United States, at the beginning of the 20th century, farmers grew thousands of different locally adapted varieties of corn. By the early 1970s a small number of hybrids dominated, and all were later found to be susceptible to a disease called leaf blight.” (Saladino, 2022) The entire article has multiple examples but this one is relevant to our own country. How did all those varieties occur? By people saving seeds from plants that they enjoyed and did best for them. But there are problems with this in our modern world and it started in 1980.

Supreme Court case Diamond v. Chakrabarty (1980) paved the way for the patenting of organisms. This allowed for the Supreme Court case Bowman v. Monsanto Company (2013) which prohibits farmers from saving seeds from patented seeds. Admittedly, this paragraph discourages saving your own seeds. Sadly, I have one more paragraph of doom and gloom.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, we have lost 75% of our agrobiodiversity since 1900 (FAO 2004). This push towards a monoculture is already leading to so many problems. So how can seed saving help with this?

Start by using non-patented plant varieties. Then learn how to save your seeds. Tomatoes, peppers, okra, eggplant, amaranth, squash, and so many others are easy. Just let your fruits and vegetables ripen, then save your seeds after cleaning them if needed. For things like cucumber the seeds need to be fermented, or if you’re lazy like me I just let the ripe cucumbers rot and ferment then wash off all the pulp. There is so much research and help out there on how to save seeds that is literally at your fingertips. Now you’ve learned to save your seeds. How can you help with diversity?

One way is to create your own hybrids. Plant several varieties of something and when they are flowering get out there with a tiny paintbrush and cross-pollinate those flowers. Now, you’ll have to wait and see. Save those seeds and plant them next year and see what you and nature have provided. Maybe the changes are small, maybe they are huge, but you’ll never know until you try.

Another method is simply selection. Maybe you have one plant that produces better food. Well, save seed from it. Diseases are rampant among plants in our gardens but you may see a plant that isn’t affected or is resistant. Save seeds from them. If you get an unusually shaped fruit or vegetable and you like it, save seeds and see if you can grow more.

Are either of the methods mentioned above fast? No. Can they be enjoyable and fulfilling? Yes, very much so. With each set of saved seeds, you tap into something that humans have been doing for 12,000 years or more. You are sharing in cultural practices that span time and the continents. Each tiny step you take is a small step towards diversity.

If you go down this route there is one more thing I encourage. That is to gift and share your varieties. Share seeds with your friends, your communities, and your neighbors. Encourage those that you share with to save seeds. I’ll end this with a recent anecdote from my life. I am working on a corn variety that will hopefully grow well in smaller plots in urban and suburban areas. I selected a few varieties and then a friend who grew up in the same town as I shared another variety with me that I added to my plantings. I’m still in the very early stages of this but as I was setting kernels aside to save for my planting this year, I set some aside for him as well. I mailed him a package and he contacted me. I sent him enough seeds that not only is he going to plant them, but he is sharing them with other friends of his who plan on mixing them in with their plantings. I believe that this should be a culture where seeds are concerned. I hope I’ve convinced you too.

References

Bowman v. Monsanto. (n.d.). Oyez. Retrieved January 26, 2024, from https://www.oyez.org/cases/2012/11-796

Diamond v. Chakrabarty, 447 U.S. 303 (1980). (n.d.). Justia Law. Retrieved January 26, 2024, from https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/447/303/

Saladino, D. (2022, March 1). Edible Extinction: Why We Need to Revive Global Food Diversity. Yale E360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/a-look-inside-the-global-movement-to-revive-food-diversity

FAO (2004) What is Agrobiodiversity? (n.d.). Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations. Retrieved January 26, 2024, from https://www.fao.org/3/y5609e/y5609e02.htm

Meet Susan Cianfaglione

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 20:59:38 GMT

Susan was born and grew up in Lake County, Ohio. She attended high school at Villa Angela Academy in Cleveland, and Mentor High School in Mentor, Ohio.

She was the second of six children and all work in family gardens and family businesses. Her youngest sister raises chickens, beef and bees. She sells vegetables, honey and eggs at a farm market. Her 97-year-old father lives on the historic 150-acre family farm and still grows plants from seeds in his greenhouse.

Susan’s post-secondary education was received at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Kent State University, Kent, Ohio; and George Washington University, Washington, DC.

She lived and worked in Michigan for more than thirty years in public education and Adjunct Instructor at Albion College, and was also a marketing and retail business owner.

Susan came to Norfolk in 2005 when she accepted a position with the Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services as a Certified Vocational Evaluator, and retired in 2018.

When asked what made her want to become a Master Gardener, Susan said she has always loved growing vegetables, flowers and herbs. This led her to take a Botany class in college. She wanted to learn more about fertilizers, pesticides and grass seed. She is currently working at Taylor’s Do it Center and it was there that she met Tom West and Kim Stewart who encouraged her to join the Norfolk Master Gardener Class of 2023.

Susan felt that the MG classes were “top-notch”! She particularly enjoyed the presentation on herbs. She likes to grow and cook with herbs.

Susan worked on a variety of projects to attain her fifty hours including the Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, Dig and Divides for the Plant Sale, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership work, and served on the Hospitality Committee.

Now that she has attained her certification she plans to continue working at the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary and the Eco Garden.

When she isn’t working on MG projects Susan enjoys cooking, music and sewing costumes for theater productions.

Susan has two daughters, Jennifer and Lesley, and one grandson named Cory. She shares her home with her 7-year-old AKC Shetland Sheepdog, Cody.

When you see Susan, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Charlotte Keogh

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 18:50:44 GMT

Charlotte was born in Chicago, Illinois but when she was three months old her family moved to Alabama where she grew up. She came to Norfolk when she was transferred here by the U. S. Coast Guard.

Charlotte graduated from the University of Alaska with a degree in Accounting.

Charlotte retired from the U. S. Coast Guard after more than 32 years. She worked as a Marine Casualty Investigator and Inspector and International Port Security Assessor and trainer.

Charlotte loves being outdoors and has an interest in being self-sufficient and this piqued her interest in becoming a master gardener. Charlotte enjoyed the classes. She especially liked the different places that the class visited.

Charlotte worked on a variety of projects to attain her fifty hours including the Zoo Cart, Native Plant and Pollinator Garden at Fred Heutte Center, the Brock Cancer Center, and the garden at Ingleside Elementary School. She also worked at the Plant Sale, Tree Adoption and seed packaging.

Now that she has attained her certification she plans to continue working at the projects she participated in as an intern.

Charlotte has three children: Megan (Michael), Melissa and Patrick (Jordan) and two fabulous granddaughters, Violet and Verity. She also has a 7-year-old rescue dog named Toby.

When Charlotte isn’t doing Master Gardener activities she enjoys golf, woodworking, camping and motorcycling.

When you see Charlotte, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

The President's Post

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 22:16:54 GMT

Thank Yous, Congratulations and Happy Holidays

This is the eighth and final of a series of quarterly posts from your current President about the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

My term as President of the NMGA is at the end, and as it is the holiday season I would like to say a few Thank Yous and Congratulations. First, thank you so much for the honor and privilege to serve as your president, and for your confidence in me and support. These last two years have been a great journey for me, lots of fun and very interesting. One of the goals of the leader of any organization is to leave the organization in a little bit better place than when you started, and I think that goal has been accomplished, acknowledging of course that the bar was pretty low as we were just emerging from Covid. We do have Anna Thurmond to thank for getting us through those very difficult two years.

This position requires a lot of help, so I want to thank the Steering Committee members from the last two years (Kim Swecker, Mitch Swecker, Barb Wilson, Joey Rothgery, Susan Dudley, Paulette Crawford, Peter Hatchard, Jackie Haywood, Kathryn Bush and Kim Stewart, as well as our departed friends Maggie Brown and Vicki Trexler) for their dedicated help and support. I also want to thank all the Project Leads and Committee Chairs who make our organization go, they do an outstanding job. Special thanks to Donna Van Keuren, Kate Melhuish and Anna Thurmond (our past three Presidents) for their support and wise advice. I also want to give a big shout out to Kate Melhuish for stepping into the role as our defacto agent when our Agent Chris Epes left in June 2022 (we still have no agent – 1.5 years without one!!!!). What could have been disastrous has turned out just fine thanks to Kate. The fact that we turned out much better than just ok is also a reflection of what a great group we are – folks who believe in our mission and want to make our community a better place. So please keep up the great work that all of you do for our wonderful association. We do make a positive difference in our community, and that is an extraordinary and powerful thing.

Here are other folks to whom we all should say Thank You and Congratulations:

First, to the 2023 winners of the Keystone Award for their exceptional dedication, service, and leadership in our association: Donna Van Keuren and Barb Wilson.

Second, to the wonderful classes of 2022 and 2023, who have added to and made our Master Gardener Program stronger. All but four from the Class of 2023 have already completed their hours requirements and are now Master Gardeners.

Third, to those Master Gardeners who accumulated 250 hours by the end of 2022: Ginny Alberts, Karen Barrett, Susan Bohache, Susan Boice, Judy Davis, Nancy DelVecchio, Deborah Freeman, Sally Hartman, Lucia Herndon, Dottie McKenzie, Cathy Owen, Ben Potts, Vickie Reid, and Mitch Swecker.

Fourth, to those Master Gardeners who accumulated 500 hours by the end of 2022: Jim Affeldt, Ann Miller, Chris Schweitzer, Kim Stewart, and Kim Swecker.

Fifth, to those Master Gardeners who accumulated 1000 hours by the end of 2022: Michael Cole, Olena Peterson, and Lorraine Schreiber.

Sixth, to those Master Gardeners who accumulated 4000 hours by the end of 2022: Joey Rothgery, Donna Van Keuren and Paul Ziegler.

Seventh, to those Master Gardeners who accumulated 7000 hours by the end of 2022: Barb Wilson and Kate Melhuish.

Eighth, to the Master Gardener who accumulated 8000 hours by the end of 2022: Debora Mosher.

Ninth, to those Master Gardeners who received the inaugural 10 year Longevity Award (they have been Master Gardeners for at least 10 years): Gayle Donovan, Gayle Greene, Karen Wilson, Kay Egan, Kedron Jenkins, Tom Kent, Donna Van Keuren, Martha Holmes, Cecil Smithson, Paulette Crawford, Cathee Giagnacovo, Jackie Haywood, Victor Howard, Al King, Joey Rothgery, and Paul Ziegler.

Tenth, to those Master Gardeners who received the inaugural 15 year Longevity Award: Bill Gerhardt, Kate Melhuish, Marcia Oubre, Cathy Peyton, Linda Ahlgrim, Anne Calcagni, Michelle Fuller, Ginger Mayer, Susan Dudley, Peg Fitzgerald, Joanne Tocce, Barb Wilson, Susan Burnett, Harriette Frost, Betrice Hovey, Debora Mosher, and Blanch Wise.

Eleventh, to those Master Gardeners who received the inaugural 20 year Longevity Award: Tim Mansfield and Karen Owens.

Twelfth, to the Master Gardener who received the inaugural 25 year Longevity Award: Maria Parker.

Thirteenth (lucky number and perhaps most impressively) to the Master Gardener who received the inaugural 30 year Longevity Award: Gill Gillespie.

CONGRATULATIONS, THANK YOU ALL, AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

Step Back in Time at the Elizabethan Gardens

Sat, 18 Nov 2023 20:33:04 GMT

Next time you are on the Outer Banks, take a beach break and head to the 10.5-acre Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island in Manteo, N.C. Or, hop in the car and make it a day trip. It is only a two-hour drive from Norfolk during the low-traffic off season. I hope these images taken during a late October visit will inspire you to visit.

Elizabethan Gardens along the Roanoke Sound have something blooming all year -- from early spring crocuses to winter camellias. There are 500 varieties of plants, including native water and live oaks, hydrangeas, and historic herbs described in Shakespeare’s plays.

On the day I meandered down garden pathways, Cloudless Sulphur butterflies fluttered around red penta flowers. Beautyberry bushes were in their full purple glory. Spanish moss dangled over wooded pathways carpeted with moss. Lace cap hydrangeas and Encore azaleas held onto their last blossoms while camellia buds started to open.

The peaceful gardens would make Queen Elizabeth I, who ruled England from 1588 to 1603, feel welcome. Dwarf hedges enclose specialized areas filled with herbs or colorful flowers. Sixteenth-century-style buildings, including one with a thatch roof, and numerous marble statues and fountains hark back to the Elizabethan Era.

In 1951, the Garden Club of Norfolk hired New York landscape architects to design an Elizabethan pleasure garden on wooded land owned by the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. This is where Queen Elizabeth I sent British explorers to colonize the New World in 1585. By 1590, all 110+ colonists had disappeared leaving only the word “Croatan” carved on a tree. Their settlement is forever known as the Lost Colony.

Garden construction began on June 2, 1953, the day Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of England. Opening in 1960, the gardens’ dedication came on the 373rd birthday of Virginia Dare, the first child born in our country to English parents.

Today, Elizabethan Gardens is an official North Carolina Birding Trail site. A visitor’s map marks 23 special areas to visit. An audio guide accessed through your cell phone is available. Permanent signs give tidbits about plants, birds and insects and explain herbs’ connections to Shakespeare’s plays. Whimsical donor signs make you smile.

A fun feature for kids of all ages is the Enchanted Garden Trail that includes plaques and audio recordings celebrating the dozen fairies highlighted on a special map. Garden lore says the fairies settled in the garden after escaping from a treasure chest on a sunken pirate ship. Children who find all 12 fairies can pluck a free treasure from the gift shop’s pirate chest.

Elizabethan Gardens highlights include :

15-foot tall iron entry gates that once hung at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C.
An ancient live oak believed to have been on site in 1585 when the first settlers lived here and disappeared.
A nine-foot bronze statue of Queen Elizabeth I -– the world’s largest work honoring the queen.
The Great Lawn encircled by many of the garden’s 125 camellia varieties.
The Sunken Garden with its crape myrtles and geometric gardens of seasonal flowers.
The Virginia Dare marble statue carved in 1859 by a female artist. It endured two years on the ocean floor after a shipwreck before being nestled underneath a huge live oak.
Overlook Terrace where soothing Roanoke Sound waves make you wonder if settlers once admired the same view.
The Colony Walk lined with plants adapted to thrive in hot, dry and salty conditions.
The Queen’s Rose Garden planted in 1976 to honor Queen Elizabeth II, who sent a Grandiflora rose from her Windsor Castle garden to be planted there.
A greenhouse and plant sale area with a variety of plants you can buy in addition to gift shop items.

Bonus : The adjacent Fort Raleigh National Historic Site is free for you to tour. And, it is only a seven-minute drive to Manteo’s charming downtown with free parking and restaurants to enjoy.

If you go : Elizabethan Gardens are at the north end of Roanoke Island at 1411 National Park Drive, Manteo, N.C. The garden is open daily except for Thanksgiving Day, December 24 and 25, and all of January.

Tickets can be purchased on site and cost $12 for adults, $8 for ages 6 to 17, and $4 for children ages 3 to 5. Admission is free for children 2 and under. Dogs can enter for $3 with no charge for service dogs.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from February through November and in December from 9 am. to 4 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

WinterLights garden tour tickets are available in mid-November through December and have special prices and evening hours for the lighted garden walk.

For more information, visit elizabethangardens.org or call 252-473-3234.

Heartfelt donor signs like these two are fun to read.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 21:17:58 GMT

“In our short time on this planet, we have trimmed, trained, and reshuffled

the Tree Of Life at a breakneck Speed”

Shane Campbell-Staton

American Evolutionary Biologist

As fall approaches we would like to suggest that we re-evaluate how our actions affect the future of our planet and consider steps we can take to provide a fruitful environment for our children and grandchildren.

REDUCE WASTE

The most effective way to reduce waste is to not create it. Examples of waste reduction

include avoiding single-use products, buying products in recyclable plastic containers,

and buying only what you need.

REUSE

Reuse is taking an item and either using it again for its original purpose or finding a

creative way to salvage it for another purpose. Reusing items helps save more energy

and natural resources than recycling.

Examples include using single-sided printed paper for scratch pads, using cloth

napkins, rechargeable batteries, and bringing reusable shopping bags to the store.

RECYCLE

Recycling waste involves taking an item and changing it, often through a manufacturing process, so it can be used to create new materials and items.

Recycling is also a great way to prevent pollution, reduce energy use, and reduce

greenhouse gas emissions caused by harvesting new raw materials. There are several

ways you can recycle.

Buy products made from recycled materials. Buy products that can be recycled or are

packaged in recyclable materials. Recyclable materials include many kinds of glass,

paper, cardboard, metal, plastic, tires, batteries, and electronics.

Composting your food and yard waste helps save our environment. Compost is a natural fertilizer that can be used to feed your flowers and vegetable garden and improve the soil around trees and shrubs.

Originally written for the Eco-Judaism Committee of Ohef Sholom Temple for Tu Bishvat. This holiday, the celebration of the New Year of Trees, marks the turning point from the bitterness of winter to the hint of spring.

Fall Plant Sale 2023

Fri, 03 Nov 2023 13:43:56 GMT

The 2023 Fall Plant Sale was very close to being canceled. The local weather forecast rain for the late morning and Siri on my iPhone said very nicely that the rain would start at 10am – just in time to open the virtual doors! Bugfest had canceled the day before the event due to many of their participants coming from out of town. Arbor Day was still on so in my mind we had to persevere! We had close to 1000 plants to sell and didn’t have a rain date. Both Kim Stewart and I longed for clear driveways and a backyard that didn’t look like a garden center! I channeled my inner Oregonian and confirmed that this show would go on!

The Fall Sale is unique in that we have one day to set up, sell and break down. Unlike the spring sale, all setup has to happen in a few hours prior to opening. Tables arrive first and are set up quickly to get ready for the plants. We also had a center display of scarecrows, hay bales, pumpkins and more to set the mood for fall. They were delivered to the site along with the tables. Next, the plants were loaded onto trailers and delivered to the park. Some of the team filled their cars with plants from the site farthest from the park so that the most plants that needed to be transported by trailer had the shortest trip on sale day.

The plant sale is a project made up of various committees. I am so grateful for the hard work and team spirit from all of our leads. Let me introduce you to the folks that made this successful even in the horrendous conditions. But first, I need to thank Connie Kellam for getting me ready for this sale – solo! And that includes everything down to weather – Remember the Spring Sale of 2022!

Fall Plant Sale Committees

Carts - Ben Potts – Ben got plants to cars so efficiently that we never had a backup. Backups are the kiss of death for sales. No one likes to wait in line and even less so in the rain. Believe it or not we had some crowds even though the weather was awful and Ben kept it moving!

Plant transportation - Dan Haworth – Dan and his fellow trailer owner, Charlotte Keogh made moving the plants (~ 1000 of them) from Kim Stewart’s and my house happen seamlessly. Also, thanks to all those who loaded their cars the night before the event keeping our trips to a minimum.

Volunteer Coordinator - Ginny Alberts – Ginny kept us rested, hydrated and fed AND she also policed the exit – yes people tried to leave with full carts w/o paying. They had no idea Ginny was watching!

Sign Up Genius - Ginny Alberts – This tool gave us a good perspective of staffing for the Sale and where we need to focus efforts to recruit additional help. Chris Huber helped initially but his new job kept him behind the scenes for much of the fall planning.

Scarecrows - Pam Brangan – Our scarecrows were AWESOME. Pam went to a scarecrow class and led a fun group through the process. There are some good pictures on our Plant Sale web page if you haven’t seen them yet ( nmgv.org/plant-sale ). Also Barb Wilson posted many of them on our Facebook page ( facebook.com/norfolkmasters )!

Clothesline Signs for Plants - Nancy DelVecchio – Nancy and her team did an awesome job and a HUGE amount of work and research making signs for our clothesline concept. The weather kept us from installing it for this fall sale BUT Nancy is chomping at the bit to unveil it next spring. You are going to be blown away when you see this at our Spring Plant Sale 2024!

Design Layout and Setup/Breakdown - Jim Affeldt – Jim just makes it happen! Somehow we got ~1000 plants from trailers and cars to their correct spots. He and his team went from a pile of tables, straw bales, scarecrows, pumpkins, and plants to the most incredible setup I’ve seen! And yes, he stays on site until the last tent is loaded and the site looks as good as it did before we arrived!

Tables and cashier - Mitch Swecker – Mitch worked hard not only keeping track of tables and running the cashier booth BUT he took up my slack when I was ill and kept the 400+ plants healthy at our home when I couldn’t. He has the plant sale checkout down to a science! Mitch said the cashiers worked seamlessly without him when he was moving plants around. I can’t thank him enough.

Team Everywhere – This wasn’t an official team but the sale wouldn’t have been as successful without it. These three were EVERYWHERE and took charge whenever needed. Thank you to “The Hahn Sisters” (Helen Hahn and Kym Hahn Talley) and to Sheila Tjeder our House Plant Designer extraordinaire! It is often the behind-the-scenes people who quietly make a team cohesive. These folks were the glue for the Fall Sale. Thank you for all that you did to keep us moving along!

All Things Plants - Kim Stewart (aka Kim1). – Kim1 managed everything that grew for this sale. She was an inspiration to her team and is the reason we had as many beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees as we did. She made us ALL better gardeners! I can’t thank her enough for the tireless work she put in – she did take a day or two off because she had a MAJOR blocked artery and had to be hospitalized! But she was back at it in a couple of days. She made this sale a huge success and I was so fortunate to have her as the Plant Committee (All Things Plants) Lead!

Special thanks to the Communications Committee led by Jill Lewis. Jill helped us devise a winning campaign that involved expert timing on social media posts and honing the message on the flyers to distribute to local businesses. Jill and her committee created buzz all over Norfolk and the internet. Barb Wilson made sure we were EVERYWHERE on the internet. Barb manages the Norfolk Master Gardener's social media sites (Facebook and Instagram). If you hadn’t heard about the plant sale, chances are you were living under a big rock!

And now thank you to all of the Norfolk Master Gardeners who donated plants and signed up to support our Fall Sale! Everyone pitched in and worked incredibly hard through horrendous weather conditions. We had the most successful Fall Sale ever thanks to everyone who showed up and dug in! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Mark you r calendars for our Spring Sale at the Hermitage – April 11 and 12, 2024!

New Paragraph

Another Way for Residents to Retain Their Rain

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 11:14:32 GMT

Late September found Norfolk Master Gardeners working with other volunteers in support of Margaret Epes with the city’s Office of Resilience. Last May, we helped to install a demonstration site of native plants at a highly visible intersection in Chesterfield Heights, a neighborhood bordering the Elizabeth River where many curbside verges have been replaced by 18-inch-deep bioswales. For all you future Water Stewards, a bioswale is simply a channel created to transport stormwater runoff from streets – in this case, the thickly-planted shallow ditch also captures litter and pollutants, keeping them out of the waterway.

The recent Chesterfield Heights bioretention planting day was round two for this bioswale. It shows how stormwater runoff can be managed using attractive native plants and serves as a demonstration site for the whole community. The first two photos show the original planting, which we helped install last May. That section was unfortunately mowed by the contractors who are supposed to maintain these bioswales. Most of the plants survived, and even managed to bloom!

In the new areas we planted Carex stricta (sedge), Asclepius incarnata (swamp milkweed - including some monarch caterpillars), Muhlenbergia capillaris (pink muhly grass), and Amsonia (blue star).

The Work in Progress sign says it all. Partnering with the civic league should offer educational opportunities in the near future, so look for more on what’s happening in Chesterfield Heights and in the nearby vicinity.

My Week at 4-H Camp

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 19:06:26 GMT

Well, it was really only three days, but still…

An important part of Virginia Cooperative Extension is the 4-H Youth Development Education program. And a very important part of the 4-H program is summer camp. Virginia supports six 4-H educational centers throughout the state, each serving a separate geographic region for camping and other educational and recreational opportunities, and each is accredited by the American Camp Association. Airfield 4-H Educational Conference Center in Wakefield serves the southeast region, which includes Norfolk.

The week-long 4-H Junior Camp is for ages 9-13. Campers get to choose three classes to take, which each meet for 50 minutes on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. A variety of classes is offered, such as canoeing, kayaking, archery, arts and crafts, performing arts, and yoga. Class offerings change depending on the interests of the staff and volunteers.

Since the NMG Association provided three scholarships for Norfolk youth to attend 4-H camp this year, we thought it would be appropriate to participate by offering a garden-themed class. I met with Aaron Martin, the Norfolk 4-H agent, in May to plan such a class for the campers. We came up with Seeds and Trees and Bees, Oh My! The plan was to spend the first day learning about seeds and dissecting a lima bean seed; the second day would focus on pollinators and bees, with the campers learning about various insect feeding methods and making seed bombs; and the third day would be all about trees, with a tree leaves scavenger hunt. Aaron did most of the class preparation for the Seeds and Bees, while I took on the trees. Aaron scheduled the class for the 11:00 a.m. slot so that I had time to drive the 60 miles from Norfolk without having to leave too early.

All did not go as planned, which is normal for camp. Only two campers signed up for our class, so we combined forces with the forestry class. Our Tuesday class became a forestry class, with a walk in the woods on the nature trail. The class was taught by one of the staff members, a college student named Tweety (all camp staff members receive special camp names). Will Redfern joined us for the Tuesday class. Our task was to pick up a fairly large leaf from the ground that we would extract chlorophyll from, which we would then use to make a chlorophyll picture. We stopped several times on the trail to close our eyes and listen to and smell nature. We saw a baby frog on this trail – about the size of a thumbnail.

We brought our leaves back to the classroom and ground them up in small jars. Tweety added alcohol to our jars of ground-up leaves and we left them to marinate overnight. The next day we dipped coffee filters into the jars. As the coffee filter absorbs the alcohol the chlorophyll pigments separate out and leave a pattern on the filter.

Wednesday’s class was led by Aaron. He valiantly combined his original plans for seeds and bees into one class. He had soaked lima beans overnight so we could split them open with our fingernails and see the seed coat, the cotyledon, and the embryonic stem and root. Then we made seed balls. After the seed balls we moved on to talking about insects and the different ways they feed – sucking, chewing, and sponging. The campers got to try to eat using these different methods. To mimic chewing insects, they used their two index fingers to grasp M&Ms and put them into their mouths. To mimic sucking insects, they had to put a straw in a juice box and suck the juice out while their hands were behind their backs. Since we were running out of class time, Aaron demonstrated the sponging method by using a damp kitchen sponge dipped in sugar. He handed out party blowers to the campers to show them how a butterfly’s probiscis works. He also had honey in a honeycomb for them to try. Most of the campers liked the honey but not the wax.

Thursday’s class was all about trees. A couple of weeks before camp week Joey Rothgery accompanied me to Airfield to scope out the trees that we would use for the tree leaves scavenger hunt. We walked along a lovely trail beside Airfield Lake and found trees with alternate leaves, opposite leaves, toothed margin leaves, lobed margin leaves, entire margin leaves, simple leaves, compound leaves, and needle-like leaves. If you have participated in the Significant Tree program orientation this will sound familiar. The day before the tree class I went back to the tree trail and placed a bright pink tag with a letter on each of the identified trees. On class day I followed Ziggy’s advice and brought in samples of the various types of leaves to show the campers. We talked about the benefits of trees, and then went out to do our scavenger hunt. After the scavenger hunt, we went back into the classroom to discuss what we found, and to use a dichotomous key to identify one of the sample leaves. And that was the end of my camp experience, except for one last visit to the tree trail to remove the bright pink tags.

But it may not be the end of Norfolk Master Gardener participation in 4-H camp. The program director, Joey Patterson, was excited to have our participation this year and hopes to have us again next year. He talked to Will about putting in a pollinator garden, and he is planning on bringing in some honeybee hives next year. He also wants to do more with their forestry program. So we may be going to camp again next summer.

For those of you who are wondering what the 4 Hs are, they are spelled out in the 4-H pledge:

I pledge

My Head to clearer thinking

My Heart to greater loyalty

My Hands to larger service and

My Health to better living

For my club, my community, my country, and my world.

Norfolk Master Gardeners at the Virginia State Fair 2023

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 19:04:12 GMT

Monday, September 25 was a lovely day for the Norfolk Master Gardener contingent to staff the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners booth at the Virginia State Fair in Doswell, Virginia. The booth and activities were provided by and set up by the Hanover VCE Master Gardeners and the VMGA State Fair Committee. Master Gardeners from across the state participate on different days during the Fair.

Our Norfolk Master Gardener group was nine strong under the fearless well-organized leadership of Blanch Wise. Our team of NMGs included: Harriette Frost, Dan Haworth, Beatrice Hovey, Deborah McGowan, Vickie Reid, Monica Shephard, Laure Ferguson and me. We were assigned different tasks, one which included working in shifts with Jimmy Johnson, the State Fair Horticultural Tent Supervisor.

More than 550 visitors to the Fair stopped by to explore our creative interactive MG display in the horticultural tent. Young and old were intrigued with this year’s theme: Good bug or bad bug – how can you tell the difference?

Folks discovered the characteristics that determine whether each is beneficial to our environment or harmful and needs to be contained. Interested visitors also were offered information on ways to create habitats supporting good bugs, which help pest control and pollinate our farms and gardens.

The central feature of our booth was six flip-door activities, each representing one of the following six insects: three beneficial (wheel assassin bug, firefly, blue mud dauber) and three harmful (spongy moth, spotted lanternfly, emerald ash borer).

Useful display materials, activities, teaching aids, and lesson plans were available with QR code downloads as well as handouts. Of course, many soil sample test kits were distributed.

The State Fair has something for everyone with its usual food vendors, education and performing tents, colorful rides, horticultural contests, displays, activities, and the perennial favorite—pig races! And we are sure the contributions of VCE Master Gardeners from across the state benefit many!

The President's Post

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 20:50:33 GMT

Demonstrating Impact: The 2023 U.P.L.I.F.T. Award

This is the seventh in a series of quarterly posts from your current President about the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

As you know, as Extension Master Gardeners we are volunteer educators whose mission is to provide horticultural advice and education to Norfolk residents. Our goal is to change people’s practices in gardening and environmental stewardship, making our city a better place. We do this as volunteers who give back to our community. I firmly believe we make a significant impact in Norfolk through our wonderful projects and have been telling folks that for the last two years, but I often get asked how do we know that?

On Saturday, September 16 at the Neighborhood Expo held at Northside Park, the Norfolk Master Gardeners received an U.P.L.I.F.T award from the City of Norfolk. U.P.L.I.F.T stands for Unity, Public Service, Leadership, Innovation, Friendship and Teamwork. It is a civic accolade that can be awarded to an individual or group making a meaningful impact or a positive difference in their community and thus helps make Norfolk a better place to live. This is the fourth year U.P.L.I.F.T. awards have been given out, and the first time Norfolk Master Gardeners have been recognized as a group.

Although there’s only one plaque, shown above, the award is intended to recognize the role of each individual NMG in fulfilling our mission. Along with this small trophy, we received a note from the mayor, the Hon. Kenny Alexander. It reads in part: “As Mayor of Norfolk, it is with much pride that I recognize each of you for making a difference in your community and commend you on being a recipient of the 2023 U.P.L.I.F.T Award. This is an honor for which you should be proud. It is your selfless service and willingness to engage and uplift your neighbors that makes Norfolk the best place to live, play and raise a family…Congratulations on receiving the 2023 U.P.L.I.F.T. Award and thank you for all that you do to make a positive impact on our community…”

This is a wonderful award for us because it shows the City publicly credits the impact of Norfolk Master Gardeners in our community. Congratulations to all of YOU for making a difference! Let’s keep up the great work!

Meet Caleb Malcom

Wed, 27 Sep 2023 10:11:56 GMT

Caleb was born in Oklahoma City, OK and grew up in Newcastle, OK, just southwest of Oklahoma City. Caleb moved to Kansas City, MO for eight years and then moved back to Oklahoma where he met his spouse. After a few years in Moore, OK, Caleb and his family lived semi-nomadically for a few years but then decided it was time to stop traveling. Everyone in the family contributed what they wanted in a new location and all agreed that it had to be coastal. Caleb spent a couple weeks looking at coastal cities and Hampton Roads seemed to fit the majority of their criteria. They moved to Norfolk in February 2020 and two weeks later the world closed down due to the pandemic.

Caleb attended the University of Oklahoma and is currently attending Arizona State University online working on a degree in Conservation and Ecology. After graduating he plans to move on to attain a Masters in Plant Ecology.

When asked what made him want to become a Master Gardener, Caleb answered that his spouse says it’s because he always needs too much to do! But Caleb has known about Master Gardeners since he was a small child. His paternal grandfather was a Master Gardener in Oklahoma City. What drew him to the Norfolk Master Gardeners was the diverse projects throughout the city. Caleb has volunteered for conservation efforts in any city in which he has lived.

Caleb joined the Class of 2023. He has been studying plants, horticulture, botany, conservation as well as other sciences from the time he was old enough to pick a plant or catch an animal and say, “What’s this?” His life has been full of plant enthusiasts and experts. His insatiable need for more information has always driven him to never stop learning. He has taught classes that range from plant identification to gardening to foraging. He thought the MG classes were packed full of useful information and he especially enjoyed the classes that were held outside.

To attain his fifty hours, Caleb worked a lot of different projects. These included Urban Ag, the Dune Garden, Weyanoke, community outreach projects, the Elizabeth River Project and their living shorelines, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership, the spring plant sale and has written articles for the Germinator Blog. He plans to help with the fall plant sale and tree adoption. He will continue to work on a diverse array of projects that fit his availability schedule.

When Caleb isn’t focusing on MG projects, he is a “research junky” by nature; always reading about the latest research on anything he can get his eyes on. He works in his garden and landscaping projects in his yard, cycling, paddle boarding, hiking, and camping. In addition, he is a plant breeder. He is currently working on several plant breeding projects including a multipurpose corn variety that will be able to grow in small plots so people can have corn that can be used for fresh eating or grinding into cornmeal in urban environments. He is working on his own pole bean variety and an okra variety that can be grown in smaller spaces. Another project is adapting a rare bittermelon variety to the Coastal Virginia climate and he’s excited that it is starting to yield a good amount. He is adapting a rare pink flowered buckwheat variety to the Coastal Virginia climate and he is a collector of house plants. In addition to all of this, Caleb and his spouse make sure to schedule date days or nights that lead them to exploring new restaurants and places around the area. They have been doing this for seven years.

Caleb’s family includes his spouse, three teenage children, an older dog, a middle-aged cat, and they are surrounded by over 100 house plants!

When you see Caleb, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome him to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Linda Weiss

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 18:54:04 GMT

Linda was born in Richmond, but moved to Norfolk when she was 5 years old, so she considers herself a native of Hampton Roads.

Linda attended ODU for undergraduate and graduate degrees in Clinical Laboratory Science. She holds credentials as a Specialist in Public Health and Medical Microbiology. Linda was Senior Director of the Quality Control Laboratory and retired from LifeNet Health in March of 2020, as a Quality and Compliance Manager. She thinks it is quite ironic that a Microbiologist would retire at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic!

Linda has been interested in gardening for many years, first with perennials and later with vegetable gardening. She wanted to become a Master Gardener, but couldn’t complete the program until retirement. She believes becoming a Master Gardener is an excellent way to give back to the community that has given her many opportunities and a wonderful life in Norfolk.

Linda thought the information in the classes was exceptional. She believed that the training team was dedicated to ensuring success for the Class of 2023. She very quickly felt that she was becoming part of a special group of people.

To complete her 50 hours Linda participated in the plant sale, Resilience, Weyanoke, Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, Potager Garden at NBG, the Zoo Garden and the East Ocean View Children’s Garden. She also enjoys supporting her mentor, who leads the Brock Cancer Center Garden Therapy Group. Going forward she plans to continue participating in these projects as well as joining the Speakers Bureau. She is already scheduled to team with another NMG to give a talk on Composting in January, 2024.

Linda has many interests including cooking, reading, various fitness activities and travel, both domestic and abroad.

She has been married 33 years to her husband, Paul. She has three sisters, a nephew and several nieces, all close by. She will be welcoming a new great-niece in December. Linda and her husband love cats and hope to adopt several after a break for travel.

When you see Linda, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

The President's Post

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 10:44:26 GMT

Our Fabulous Projects and Committees

The Many Faces

Will Redfern

For the last few months, I have made a concerted effort to participate in as many of our projects and committees as possible. I have missed a few (on the project side, Butterfly House, and the single event ones like the Arbor Day Tree Adoption, and State Fair, and on the committee side I have missed a lot more – the Hospitality, Development and ART Committees, and the short-lived Green Thumb and Audit Committees), most of which I hope to attend in the next few months. While they have different functions, our projects and committees are the vehicles through which our Association operates; if you want to get something done, it is most likely going to be through these channels. I would recommend that all of us try to do this every few years so that we understand the broader range of volunteer activities our Association offers, and also because you will never know if you are missing out on something you might really like. To summarize my visiting experience, I will simply say that I am amazed by the array of projects we offer and the impact on the community they make, and also by the variety of committees that enable us to function smoothly as an organization.

On the projects side, as I mentioned in a previous post, I think of these as the beating heart of our association, as they are the means through which we do most of the work that our mission requires. The first thing that strikes me about the projects is the excellent leadership. Our project leaders know what they are doing, and the folks on the team know and respect their leadership. I also like how the project leaders respond to suggestions of their team, the interaction and comradery among the group. The second thing that strikes me is the enthusiastic work of the people on the various teams; the range of experience varies of course, but everyone makes a contribution. Moreover, the learning never stops, no matter how experienced you are.

On the committee side, as noted above, our committees are designed to ensure our Association functions well and to support our projects. The leadership here is generally seasoned, and if it is not, there are plenty of team members who offer that. A great example here is the Steering Committee; I am the nominal leader, but am only in my sixth year, and I constantly seek advice and suggestions from more seasoned folks on the SC. Contrast that with the Membership Committee led by Donna Van Keuren, a former Association president from the Class of 2011 who has loads of experience, and of course, she has a team also loaded with years of experience.

A final, and perhaps most important observation, is the high level of commitment all of our projects and committees share. As Virginia Extension Master Gardeners, our project folks are committed to educating our community, whether through a demonstration vegetable or native plant/pollinator garden in a public space, the projects that grow food to donate, or the projects that educate face to face. It is also clear that we are making an impact in changing peoples’ practices in gardening and in environmental stewardship. This is our mission, and the fact is we do make Norfolk a better place to live. So check out a new project once in a while and see other ways you can make an impact on our community. I also love the commitment of all those folks serving on committees who are determined to help our Association operate smoothly. Their important and multi-faceted work directly enables the success of our projects. Serving our Association through committee work is cool too, so please think about it.

Meet Mary Johnson

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 12:30:24 GMT

Mary was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania but grew up in the Midwest. She attended Indiana State University. Mary retired in July of 2022 from Navy Exchange Service Command.

When asked what made her want to become a Master Gardener, she stated that she was looking for something productive to do during retirement. She was already an active gardener, so she thought it was a good fit for her and she joined the Class of 2023.

Mary was hugely impressed with the classes and learned more than she expected. She believed the instructors were not only highly educated and professional, but fun.

To attain her 50 hours, Mary worked with Gill at the Zoo Garden and the East Ocean View Children’s Garden. She also worked at the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden.

She plans to continue participating with the Urban Agriculture Program as well as doing as many projects as she can with Gill. She is impressed with Gill’s wealth of information!

When Mary isn’t participating in NMG activities she is busy as a Honeybee Keeper. She is a Yoga practitioner and meditation instructor and plays pickleball.

Mary is married to her wonderful husband and she has one daughter and two step-daughters. In addition, she has a loving cat named Luna.

When you see Mary, please introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Joanne Vigenski

Tue, 01 Aug 2023 23:10:03 GMT

Joanne is a Norfolk native and except for a few years in San Francisco and Denver, she has spent
most of her life in Norfolk close to family. Her brief time in Denver was significant because her
first child was born there and she started her career in healthcare as a Nursing Assistant.

Joanne is a graduate of Norfolk General School of Practical Nursing and Tidewater Community
College for Associates Applied Science in Nursing. She retired in 2020 from Sentara Norfolk
General Hospital after 42 years in the Burn and Trauma Step-Down and ICU, and as an
Integrated Care Manager in the Heart Hospital.

Joanne’s husband worked as a Landscaping Supervisor for the City of Norfolk and later owned
his own landscaping and tree service. When he passed in 2020 she wanted to learn how to take
care of her property. Her father-in-law is a Virginia Beach Master Gardener so she is familiar
with the MG programs. Joanne also thinks it’s important to grow your own food, if you are able
and have the space, for health and economic reasons.

Joanne joined the Norfolk Master Gardener Class of 2023. She was impressed with the classes.
She believes the staff was dedicated to presenting current and pertinent information through a
variety of modalities including learned speakers and hands-on opportunities. Food and fun being
integrated throughout the program was a surprising bonus and was not expected.

To attain her fifty hours, Joanne worked in several vegetable gardens: the Giving Garden, Fred
Heutte Square Foot Garden and the Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden. Time spent in
these gardens with experienced MGs has provided her with invaluable information. She also
participated in Microgreens presentations and one event at the Sentara Brock Cancer Center.
She thought the spring plant sale was fun and is looking forward to the fall sale. She is hoping to
be able to donate some plants.

Now that she has been certified she plans to take a little hiatus to get her garden in better shape.
She has been getting some nice zucchini, tomatoes and red potatoes. She is happy to be able to
grow “stuff.” She plans to check out the East Ocean View Children’s Garden and Weyanoke.
She enjoys the monthly talks at the Pretlow Library.

When Joanne is not participating in MG projects, she is active in her church. She is on the
cleaning and host team and is in a group that cooks for a homeless shelter once a month. They
are discussing the possibility of starting a kitchen garden at her church. She spends a lot of time
with her Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Rufus. They walk a mile twice a day. She crochets
baby hats for a hospital nursery and goes to the Ocean View Senior Center for exercise and line
dancing.

Her family has a UK vacation planned and will be visiting gardens in London, Wales, Scotland
and Ireland.

She was married to her husband for 48 years and her family consists of two daughters, one son
and one granddaughter, Stella. Her granddaughter recently deployed to Iraq with the Army
National Guard for a year and returned to continue her education at ODU and work as a
Paramedic and Volunteer Firefighter. She is pursuing a career in medicine with her dream job of
being a trauma surgeon. Joanne has two siblings, their families, some cousins and her 90+ year
old parents, all close by. She is thankful to have new friends with the MGs and is looking
forward to gardening therapy.

When you see Joanne, please introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension
Master Gardeners.

Meet Rhonda Frank

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 11:06:06 GMT

Rhonda was born in Brooklyn, NY and attended college at S.U.N.Y. at Buffalo. She then moved to Memphis, TN for graduate school. Rhonda moved to Norfolk forty years ago and attended William & Mary for her advanced graduate degree in Counseling. She retired in June, 2022 after a very rewarding career as a licensed psychotherapist, working primarily with children and families.

Rhonda wanted to take the master gardener classes for many years and promised herself she would join when she retired and she kept that promise. She has always loved growing things and visiting gardens on any of her travels and realizes the tremendous benefit that gardening provides for us physically, emotionally and environmentally. She believes the classes were exceptionally well planned and informative. She especially enjoyed the site visits and the tree walk at ODU.

To attain her fifty hours, Rhonda worked at Weyanoke, the Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden, the Ernie Morgan Eco Garden, Dune Garden, Sentara Garden Therapy Program, and the Significant Tree Program. She plans to continue volunteering at these projects and also include some of the community garden projects. She wants to learn much more about growing food for herself and helping others do the same.

Rhonda is married with four children and five grandchildren who live a few hours from Norfolk and she sees them often.

When she is not digging in the dirt, she enjoys a daily practice of Yoga and other fitness activities along with cooking and traveling.

Rhonda is impressed with the NMG program in their mission to educate and promote the importance of gardening in our community in such an inclusive and enjoyable way and with so many delightful people.

When you see Rhonda, please introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Take care of your Soil and It will take care of You.

Fri, 21 Jul 2023 16:26:07 GMT

My grandmother often told me that if you take care of your soil, it will take care of you and your plants. I grew up in rural central Oklahoma. The summers are hot, dry, and humid. The soil is hard-packed clay. The storms are violent there and the winters are icy. With all that adversity, between my grandmother and great-grandmother (her mother lived at the other end of the acreage), we had acres of beautiful trees and gorgeous flowers. Now, her techniques were sometimes unorthodox and could be single-minded at times but gave wonderful and gorgeous results.

On many hot summer days my grandmother and great-grandmother would walk me through their flower beds and teach me about all the plants, even the weeds, insects, and the soil that would support those plants. Both never threw away weeds. They would carefully, and tediously, clip off seed heads and put them in a trash bag. Then the bodies of the weeds would be worked into the soil, or if there was enough of it, would be piled into thick layers of mulch. Cuttings and prunings of plants would get cut into smaller pieces and they would also be worked into the soil or applied as mulch, as long as they weren’t diseased. Amusingly, when I lived in Kansas City, MO I would do similar things with my garden and flower beds, much to the horror of my girlfriend at the time who would come over to my house to visit. I would tell her that it would help with soil health. Research, especially in the last decade, has begun to support what my grandmother taught me.

What is soil health? (1) It can be defined as how well it regulates water from precipitation and run off, how well it supports animal and plant life, how well it filters and breaks down pollutants, nutrient cycling, and the stability and structure of the soil. Precipitation can be rain, snow, and even the irrigation used in lawns and gardens and poor water retention can lead to increased flooding. The microbes and minerals in the soil can slow, stop, and break down some pollutants. Nutrient cycling is the process where carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other nutrients are stored and used in the soil. A great historic example of what happens when we lose soil stability is the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.

Okay, soil health is important. How do we go about taking care of it and improving it? The first step is using a soil test kit. Here in Norfolk, you can pick them up at some of the libraries, your local Master Gardeners, and your local Virginia Cooperative Extension. A routine soil test will tell you the plant-available nutrients. Those nutrients include P, K, Ca, Mg, Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, B, plus soil pH and estimated CEC. (2) These are all very important and depending on what you intend to grow you’ll need to balance these in different ways. There are also tests for soluble salts and organic matter, which are both important to our soil’s health.

Now you’ll get your results from your soil test, and they will give you recommendations on how to improve it. One addition that helps a lot of soils is increasing organic matter.(3) Working in more organic matter can help with crusting and dispersion problems, it can improve water retention, erosion, and can aid in improving soil biology. But how do we get that increased organic matter into our soils? Grass cippings and leaves are a great free amendment to our soils. I collect bags of leaves in the fall that my neighbors put out on the curbsides. Now there is a risk of potential chemicals on these leaves so be mindful of your neighbors. I thankfully live in a neighborhood that uses very few herbicides and pesticides. Your own grass clippings from your yard make wonderful soil amendments as well. Other items include straw, pine straw, pine fines, wood chips, composted manure, compost, mushroom compost, and even used coffee grounds can be worked into soil as a way to increase your organic matter.(4,5)

Cover cropping is a great way to protect and even improve our precious soil. Planting cover crops can even be done in small backyard garden plots as well. Cover crops help manage the soil by preventing erosion, increasing soil diversity, and when we cut them down, act as a green mulch to enrich our soils. This practice also reduces pests and disease outbreaks. Cover crops include grasses, forbes, and legumes. Some examples of these include annual ryes, oats, radishes, turnips, amaranth, and legumes like hairy vetch, clovers, peas, and so many other options. (6,7,8)

Planting more diversity also helps improve our soil quality. It’s pretty obvious that planting monocultures leads to disease outbreaks. Planting the same crop in the same plot every year also increases the chances of pests and diseases in our gardens, but these monocultures and planting of the same crop affect our soil quality as well. Planting the same thing year after year depletes the soil of certain nutrients. They also only exude from their roots one set of carbon-rich compounds. Soil microbes consume those carbon compounds. Research shows that the more plant diversity in an area, the more diverse compounds put into the soil, thus giving us a greater diversity to our soil microbes that help our plants.(9) Soil microbes and other organisms living in soil are often overlooked in the roles that they take on to care for our plants. But there are so many things in our soil we need to examine that helps us build our soil health.

Insects and worms help to shred up and even break down some of the organic matter. This allows the soil microbes and fungi to break it down further and release nutrients in a way that plants can use them. Beneficial nematodes also come in and eat decaying plant matter and harmful things to our plants, adding more nutrients to our soil. Insects and worms digging and burrowing in the soil allows for air to move through it as well. All these organisms help our soil stay healthy, which then helps our plants. We can attract all these things by giving them the organic matter they need and by not using pesticides which will also harm them.(10) More research has shown that fungi also plays a huge role in soil and plant health.

It is estimated that 90% of plants form beneficial relationships with fungi.(11) It’s been shown that fungi act as transport systems to deliver nutrients to the plant's roots. In exchange for these “gifts,” the plants give the fungi much-needed carbohydrates.(12) The soil fungi have mycorrhizal filaments. These filaments also produce organic compounds that help hold soil together and help the soil to be more porous.(13) These fungi can also help suppress harmful soil pathogens, and help plants endure stressors like drought. These fungi also help our trees and shrubs.(14)

All these organisms in our soil must be fed. They can be fed by incorporating organic matter into the soil and protecting the soil from soil erosion. They also need to be protected from chemicals. Using pesticides harms these beneficial elements of our soil. We should be mindful of all these things as we venture out into our yards, gardens, and communities to manage our plots and plants. We should always remember: if you take care of your soil, it will take care of you.

References

1 Soil Health | Natural Resources Conservation Service (usda.gov)

2 Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab | Virginia Tech Soil Testing Lab | Virginia Tech (vt.edu)
3 Step 3 – How can I improve soil health? | VRO | Agriculture Victoria
4 Organic Matter and Soil Amendments | University of Maryland Extension (umd.edu)
5 Used appropriately, coffee grounds improve soil and kill slugs | OSU Extension Service
(oregonstate.edu)
6 Cover Crops and Crop Rotation | USDA
7 Cover Crops Benefit Both Commercial Farmers and Urban Gardeners | Farmers.gov
8 Cover Crops | Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program (ucdavis.edu)
9 Soil Health - Solution Center for Nutrient Management (ucanr.edu)
10 Living soil, healthy garden | UMN Extension
11 june-21-beneficial-fungi.pdf (okstate.edu)
12 june-21-beneficial-fungi.pdf (okstate.edu)
13 Mushrooms can mean healthy soil | OSU Extension Service (oregonstate.edu)
14 Beneficial Fungi and Tree Health | UNL Water

Monday Morning Monarch Magnificence

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 10:31:23 GMT

Many of you have visited and volunteered at Norfolk Botanical Garden’s Butterfly House. This is the most visited location in the garden during the summer. On a recent morning, I was among a few Norfolk Master Gardeners working in the Butterfly House. It is well worth a visit this

season to take in its refurbished entrances, enhanced signage, updated education station, lush plantings and host plants, and too many beautiful caterpillars, butterflies and moths to count.

This blistery hot morning, there were surprisingly many visitors and many with children. Even if they may have been on their way to the Children’s splash pad to cool off, they were eager, interested, and fully enchanted by all of nature’s activities inside the Butterfly House. One

barely understandable preschooler stopped me, pointing excitedly “Look at the chrysalis!” And indeed, not only was the chrysalis chamber host to dozens of chrysalides, but two Monarchs had just emerged and were hanging in wait for their wings to dry. The visitors of all ages

seemed interested, well-informed, and eager to see and learn more. They were thrilled as they witnessed a third Monarch emerging.

As we know, Monarch butterflies go through four stages during one life cycle and through four generations in one year. While we are familiar with the four stages of the monarch butterfly life cycle -- the egg, the larva (caterpillar), the pupa (chrysalis), and the adult butterfly -- it is a rare delight to be able to see and teach visitors about all four stages simultaneously!

The Butterfly House still has many open shifts for the rest of this summer. I encourage interested MGs who have become NBG volunteers and have received Butterfly House training to sign up and go be inspired! The visitor experience is significantly enriched by the presence of enthusiastic knowledgeable MG volunteers. As Taylor Lyons the Volunteer Coordinator says “Our guests leave here with wonderful memories of what they learned in the Butterfly House and that can't happen without you!”

Monday morning the sharing of knowledge, inspiring education connecting to nature, was on display. I am grateful that we have Virginia’s largest botanical garden in our backyard and that MGs have an enduring partnership there.

Learn more here about the over 50 types of butterflies likely to be seen in the Tidewater area, many of them in the butterfly house. https://norfolkbotanicalgarden.org/butterflies-in-the-garden/

Meet Karen Cheney

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:37:59 GMT

Karen was born in Norfolk, daughter of a career Sailor and full-time homemaker. She spent a good part of her childhood here and the city has always felt like home. After living and working in Miami for over 40 years she relocated here last year to be closer to her daughter. The experience of being stranded away from family during the pandemic inspired the move.

Karen earned her BA degree at Longwood College and a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) from Florida International University in Miami, FL. She is a registered landscape architect in the State of Florida and retired from the Miami-Dade County Parks Department in 2015. She worked part-time in the private sector an additional four years as a consultant to the Florida Department of Transportation before the pandemic occurred, which made “really retiring” very attractive.

Karen first met a group of Master Gardeners who were working at the Potager Garden and was drawn to the program by their enthusiasm and warmth. While walking by the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, she met a second group and knew she had found a life-long interest and a community.

Karen joined the Class of 2023 and greatly enjoyed meeting at the various locations around the city. In addition to the interesting venues, she thought the course content was excellent.

To attain her fifty hours, Karen participated at the Dune Garden, Weyanoke, Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, Potager Garden, Significant Tree Program, Ernie Morgan EcoGarden and Urban Agriculture. She plans to take the Tree Steward training in the future, but first she may have to focus on completing CEU hours to renew her landscape architecture license in November. When Karen isn’t involved in Master Gardener activities she enjoys pampering her houseplants, reading, watercolor painting, visiting museums and public gardens and participating in a variety of physical fitness endeavors. Karen has a daughter in Chesapeake who is an educator who taught first grade for over 30 years. She also has two adult grandchildren who have flown the nest (and wishes they lived closer).

When you see Karen, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Meet Shaira Bailey

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:37:53 GMT

Shaira was born in Tampa, FL and lived in various Florida cities. While in middle school she spent a couple years in the Netherlands where most of her mother’s family lives. She moved to Norfolk with her husband in 2021 for his new professor position at ODU.

Shaira attended the University of North Florida in Jacksonville majoring in Accounting, and successfully sat for the CPA exam after graduation. She currently works as a self-employed CPA and is also the Horticultural Assistant at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens.

Shaira has had an active interest in plants for many years and this is what sparked her interest in becoming a Master Gardener. She loves food: cooking it, eating it, reading about it and growing it. She started growing vegetables about twenty years ago and has continued to grow them ever since. She particularly likes growing hot peppers, especially Scotch Bonnets. She also became interested in houseplants about five years ago and now has a great collection. Her favorite houseplants are of the Hoya and Rhaphidophora genus. Some of her current gems are her Hoya Australis Lisa and Rhaphidophora Decursiva.

Shaira was impressed with the hybrid option for classes and felt it was very conducive to the amazing diversity present in the Class of 2022. There were folks from all walks of life; a mix of ethnicities/cultures, ages, religions, education, family and career statuses. She highly recommends using the hybrid model for classes in the future. She has made many new friends and has learned a lot from them.

Shaira worked on a variety of projects to attain her fifty hours including the Significant Tree Program, the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden and served on the Finance Committee. She plans to continue working on upcoming events and the Finance Committee. She recently completed a big project for the Finance Committee to compile five years of financial statements to use for our nonprofit status. Thank you Shaira!

Shaira is married to her husband, Gregory, and their “children” are fur babies. They have two dogs, Maia, an eight-year-old lab/pit mix, and Gimli, a sweet, goofy year-and-a-half-old Spinone Italiano (named after the Lord of the Rings character). Their “children” seem to have an affinity for her container veggie garden, especially tomatoes.

When Shaira isn’t doing Master Gardener activities she loves cooking, hiking, and traveling both abroad and domestically. She collects cookbooks and is always cooking something new out of them. She has hiked many parts of the Appalachian Trail, down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, countless state parks in Florida, and an assortment of miscellaneous trails in the Southwest. Shaira and her husband were married in Ireland, and some of her favorite travels include trips to Nicaragua, Bolivia, Prague, Albuquerque and Boston. Working in the gardens at the Hermitage is a huge part of her life at this time.

When you see Shaira, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to Norfolk Extension Master Gardeners.

Williamsburg Botanical Garden: A Haven for Habitats

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 23:50:28 GMT

The small but mighty Williamsburg Botanical Garden is worth a visit next time you conquer tunnel traffic and drive to the Peninsula.

Within the garden’s fenced two acres are 800 species of plants in 18 habitats. James City County Master Gardeners and other volunteers maintain the habitats, which include a wetlands garden, a wildflower meadow, Monarch waystation, and a green roof garden. Plants are meticulously labeled – even poison ivy – and signs at each habitat highlight plants that thrive in it.

Large, green habitat signs feature plant photos and names, key details, QR codes for more information, and Did You Know statements. In the Heirloom Garden, for example, the DYK tidbit says: “Lily of the Valley can be forced in just 3 to 4 weeks for much-needed middle-of-the-winter fragrance.”

The Williamsburg garden is full of ideas for a variety of soil, moisture and light situations gardeners deal with at home. It also includes labeled compost bins, a raised-bed therapy garden, and a fairy garden.

Among the intriguing habitats are the:

Native Grasses area that showcases tall grasses that enhance landscapes and give winter interest as their leaves and seed heads fade. Grasses include Purple Muhly Grass, Switchgrass and Ponytail Grass.
Calcareous Ravine where Zig Zag Goldenrod, American Bellflower and Yellow Lady’s Slippers grow. Adjacent to the above-ground ravine created by volunteers is a berm where plants like Alternate-leaf Dogwood and Rue Anemone flourish.

Fernery in Young Pine Woods with 15 species of native ferns rescued from a Williamsburg construction site. The ferns thrive in a garden section cleared of all vegetation and topsoil about 20 years ago. Loblolly pines that sprung up in this barren spot now shade ferns that flourish in coastal Virginia.

Volunteers started the Williamsburg Botanical Garden in 2001. The 501(c)3 nonprofit is part of the 600-acre Freedom Park Arboretum, which includes one of the country’s first Free Black Settlements. The arboretum has trails for hiking and biking with some pathways wheelchair accessible.

In 2022, the Arboretum and Garden achieved Level I accreditation from The ArbNet Arboretum Accreditation Program and The Morton Arboretum. There are more than 150 documented woody species on the property – many of them indigenous to James City County.

Know-before-you-go details:

The garden is open daily from 7 a.m. to dusk. Admission is free.
It is in James City County, but has an official address of 5547 Centerville Road, Williamsburg. On your GPS, search for Freedom Park so you are guided to the correct parking lot and entrance for the botanical garden.
Learn more: https://williamsburgbotanicalgarden.org/visit-the-botanical-garden/ .

Meet Tensaie Fesshaye

Sat, 08 Jul 2023 15:32:10 GMT

Tensaie was born in Texas but moved to Virginia when he was four years old and grew up in Virginia Beach. He started college at Virginia Commonwealth University but transferred to Old Dominion University and graduated with a degree in Biology and a minor in Environmental Sciences. While attending ODU, he interned at the Orchid House on campus under former Norfolk Botanical Garden curator, Marcus Jones. After graduation Tensaie was hired at NBG where he manages certain gardens and teaches classes. He currently oversees the Rose Garden. Tensaie moved to Norfolk to be closer to his work.

Tensaie was looking for ways to get more experience in gardening and learn about different aspects of horticulture, leading him to become a Norfolk Master Gardener in 2019. Since completing the MG program he feels more confident in volunteering as he works with professionals that have various specialties in horticulture. His favorite part of the classes was the variety of speakers.

Tensaie worked on various projects to attain his fifty hours: Ask a Master Gardener, Plant Sale, Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, Crape Myrtle Pruning, Arbor Day Tree Giveaway, Legacy Grove, Germinator Blog, Jam'n Jamz, and potting plants at the city nursery.

Currently Tensaie serves on the Communications Committee and he particularly enjoys working at some of the larger events such as plant sales. He writes a featured column “This Month In The Garden” for our public-reaching newsletter, Let’s Grow Together.

When Tensaie isn’t working at NBG or on MG activities, he likes to bike and visit parks and gardens. One of his favorites is the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond.

His family consists of his parents and two sisters, one older and one younger.

Michigan Gardens Wow Visitors

Sat, 24 Jun 2023 21:36:53 GMT

On road trips, I Google “gardens near me” to see what pops up. During a recent 12-day drive around Michigan, the main itinerary for my husband, Ron, and me focused on museums devoted to antique cars, art, history, Motown music, and vintage airplanes. Craft breweries also made the initial agenda as we plotted our route around the Michigan mitten.

But, thanks to Google’s “near me” feature, we found public gardens flourishing in Zones 5a to 6b where winters can dip to -15 degrees. Even my history-beer-and-antique-vehicle-loving travel companion was impressed with the Wolverine State’s glorious flora. And, we got to experience spring blooms long after ours finished.

In early June, we discovered:

In Ann Arbor , North America’s largest heirloom peony garden where 10,000 flowers were in full bloom.
In Grand Rapids , one of the world’s top horticulture and sculpture gardens where art and nature intertwine.
In Traverse City , a 26-acre healing garden on the farm at a former mental hospital that once treated 3,000 patients at a time.
On Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, a secret garden on the grounds of the Grand Hotel built in 1887. In addition, 400 lilac varieties were in their full pink and purple glory everywhere on the island during the 75th annual Lilac Festival, which ran from June 9-18.

I hope these details and photos entice you to put a Michigan trip on your wish list. This state proved as interesting and beautiful as former colleagues who grew up there boasted. I highly recommend an early June visit when spring blooms are at their peak. Here are my favorite gardens:

The W.E. Upjohn Peony Garden in Nichols Arboretum is on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. This 101-year-old garden boasts 27 peony beds with 800 plants – the largest heirloom peony collection in North America. The founder of the Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company donated the original collection of peonies to his alma mater in 1922.

10,000 peony blossoms captivate visitors

The 350 peony varieties were cultivated in the 19th and early 20th centuries and typically bloom from mid-May through mid-June. The 10,000 blossoms range from white and delicate yellows and pinks to vivid magenta. Many varieties are no longer commercially available.

There is no charge to visit the garden at 1610 Washington Height. It is a scenic place for photos, a picnic or a hike on adjacent wooded trails. With limited street parking, the paid parking garage around the corner by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital is a handy option.

Learn more: https://mbgna.umich.edu/nichols-arboretum/nichols-arboretum-gardens-collections/peony-garden/

The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has 158 acres in Grand Rapids. It opened in 1995 after 13 years of planning by the West Michigan Horticultural Society and is ranked 45th in the world among the most visited art museums. It is named for the late founder of a grocery chain based in Grand Rapids.

More than 200 thought-provoking sculptures dot the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

The gardens feature 200 sculptures that complement and contrast with surrounding plants. Artists include Auguste Rodin, Henry Moore and Alexander Calder. Sculptures are both inside a conservatory and throughout the grounds.

Taking a tram tour orients you before walking shady garden paths. Specialty gardens include a 1930s Michigan farm garden and a Japanese garden. Located at 1000 E. Beltline Avenue, the gardens are open daily and have ample free parking. Admission costs $20.

Bonus : Admission is free to card-carrying Norfolk Botanical Garden members thanks to a reciprocal membership. The tram costs $6 and runs every half hour.

Learn more: https://www.meijergardens.org/

The Botanic Garden at Historic Barns Park in Traverse City opened in 2009 as a healing garden showcasing plants native to Northwest Michigan. It is on the site of the large farm that supplied food for the huge Traverse City State Hospital from 1885 to 1989.

The garden echoes the belief of the mental hospital’s founding director that “beauty is therapy.” It includes a labyrinth bordered by young ginkgo trees; a Native American medicine wheel planted with cedar, sage, sweetgrass and tobacco; a serene Asian garden; a pollinator garden; a fire-resistant plant garden, and a wooded fairy trail dotted with tiny habitats.

The garden is open every day but Sunday. Admission is free, and garden docents offer complimentary golf cart tours.

Bonus : In addition to a well-stocked gift shop, the garden has a Little Free Library stocked with gardening and nature books.

Learn more: https://thebotanicgarden.org/

All of Mackinac Island was a garden in early June thanks to the thousands of lilac bushes in peak bloom everywhere I looked. Cars are banned so the sweet fragrance masked that of the 600 horses working to haul people and supplies around the island.

The 400 varieties of Mackinac lilacs are not native to the island but thrive there. They date to at least 1861 when writer Henry David Thoreau extolled their wonders in his journal.

Looking beyond the lilacs, the Grand Hotel’s Secret Garden debuted in 2018 and is tucked in a cedar grove below the venerable hotel. Thanks to social media postings, the Secret Garden is getting well known. Its June display included 2,000 tulips, 42,000 grape hyacinths, 7,000 daffodils and 300 alliums.

Above the Secret Garden, the Grand Hotel has 2,500 red geraniums nestled in 660 planter boxes along what is considered the world’s largest porch. There are other delightful gardens to explore on the hotel grounds and at other historic island hotels.

Admission to all gardens is free after you pay for a ferry ride to the island from either Mackinaw City or St. Ignace. You also may want to pay for bike rentals and carriage rides to help you maneuver around the island.

Try to spend one or two nights to enjoy the island after the thousands of day-trippers leave. Lovely bed and breakfasts and independent hotels with their gorgeous gardens await you.

Learn more: https://www.mackinacisland.org/mackinac-island-lilac-festival/

https://www.veranda.com/outdoor-garden/a43030247/grand-hotel-gardens-mackinac-island/

https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/where-to-see-gardens-flowers-on-mackinac-island/

The Tasters

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:03:14 GMT

Those arriving early for Master Gardener College at Virginia Tech have the option of taking part in some interesting excursions to learn more about various aspects of horticulture happening around Blacksburg. Some are on campus, like tours of the labs or greenhouses, and some are farther afield. This year, eight MGs opted for a wine tour and tasting at Beliveau Farm Winery, as one of the pre-College choices. I was one of them.

Beliveau is one hundred sixty-five acres, with thirteen acres currently in vineyard cultivation. It is 12 miles outside of Blacksburg. All wines made at Beliveau are from the grapes grown on the property.

Our tasting guide, Asia, described the grapes of each of the one-ounce pours, as well as the barrels in which they were aged. Wines included Pristine, a Chardonnay/Riesling grape blend; Crazy Professor, a port-style white; Sweet Surrender, with Concord grapes; and Fireside Chat, with Cabernet franc grapes. A couple of bottles of the latter made their way back to Blacksburg to be shared in the evenings.

Our tastings included 2 types of pizza, soft pretzels with mustard and cheese, and a charcuterie board, so we could clear our palates in between the servings of eight different wine samples. This also helped Beliveau Farms Winery owners, Joyce and Yvan Beliveau, have an annual Lavender Festival that takes place this year on the weekends of June 24-25, and July 1-2. Lavender products share space in the gift shop with wines and wine memorabilia.

The winery also hosts “Friday nights at the Farm” with live music. The site also features a Bed and Breakfast, a wedding venue, as well as a gluten-free brewery.

Beliveau Farm Winery is a beautiful setting, and the hospitality was exceptional. After our tasting, guides Macie and Asia led us from the tasting room up the hill to the newest addition to the property, not yet open, so we could view the panorama of the farm, including the main vineyard. The view was a slice of heaven.

This was a most educational, enjoyable afternoon.

Photos courtesy of Barbara Nesbitt, Virginia Beach Master Gardener.

Meet Chris Cook

Thu, 22 Jun 2023 11:03:12 GMT

Chris grew up a couple blocks from the ocean in Spring Lake, New Jersey. He moved to Norfolk from Austin, Texas in late 1988 for his work.

He graduated from the University of Kentucky.

Chris retired in 2022 and although he has done a number of things in his lifetime, for the past twelve years he was a funeral director. He has found that of all the things he has done in the past, “Retirement is the best job ever!” When asked what made Chris want to become a master gardener, he said he wanted to join the group for many years but due to work demands, it was not possible. He started gardening with his parents, planting daffodil bulbs when he was five years old. By the early seventies, his parents had a National Wildlife Habitat sign proudly mounted on a cedar tree that his dad rescued in the early sixties from a local fire. Chris has always loved gardens, and has always had plants in his life. When he retired, joining the Norfolk Master Gardeners was his first priority and he was thrilled to join the Class of 2023.

Chris was impressed with the vast range of knowledge the leadership team presented throughout the course. He believes the entire team did a fantastic job of keeping the class on track, introducing new information, ideas and perspectives.

To attain his fifty hours Chris worked on a variety of MG projects including the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, the Significant Tree Program, Resilience, the Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden and home/helpline visits with Urban Ag. He is looking forward to volunteering at the Butterfly House this summer.

Chris likes to interact with people. The Potager Garden and Urban Ag present many opportunities in that regard, but he plans on trying other MG projects as well.

When asked what his other interests are in addition to gardening, he credits his parents for instilling the belief that he should “Learn something new each day. There is so much to know, and so little time to discover it.” Because of that he has always had a broad range of interests in the biological and natural sciences, music and cooking.

Chris and his wife Paula are “empty nesters.” Their daughter graduated from UVA and lives in Richmond.

When you see Chris, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome him to Norfolk Master Gardeners.

Meet Kenyon Vandervelde

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 14:17:06 GMT

Kenyon was born at a naval hospital in Washington State and has lived in various places during her life including Rota, Spain. She served her country in the United States Air Force. She moved to Norfolk because the Mid-Atlantic area is the only area of the U.S. she has not lived.

Kenyon has a Bachelor’s Degree from Texas A&M University in Criminal Justice and is semi-retired from her painting business at this time.

Kenyon has a dream to open an aquaponics farm and she thought a good way to learn about plants and maintaining a garden would be to join the master gardener’s program. She found the Norfolk Master Gardener’s program to be far more than she expected and believes it is an amazing opportunity to be involved with the community, make new friends and increase skills and knowledge in many different areas.

As a member of the Class of 2022, more than half of the class sessions were conducted on Zoom. She would have preferred in-person classes, but considering the concerns with COVID, she felt the training was a great experience and she learned a lot. She felt that the instructors were knowledgeable and inspiring people.

To attain her fifty hours Kenyon worked primarily at the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden and the Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden. She plans to volunteer at many of the projects before deciding where she will focus her time in the future.

Kenyon has been a prepper for almost ten years. She has a ham radio license and practices food storage, alternative medicine and edible plants.

Kenyon has a brother, two nieces, and other extended family scattered across the country. She lives with her two cats, “Butterfield” and “Artemus.”

When you see Kenyon, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her as a Norfolk Extension Master Gardener.

The Multi-tool of Plants

Tue, 23 May 2023 21:54:51 GMT

Do you need a plant that can serve many functions? One that can act as a cover crop. A plant that can stabilize your soil. How about something that can provide you with food? Oh wait – also something that doesn’t need a lot of care and is great for pollinators? Well, I have the perfect ‘multi-tool’ plant for you: the humble buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum ).

I personally just started my buckwheat journey in 2022 and was very pleased with the whole experience. I had read about its benefits many times but over the years continually saw too many shines and forgot to give it a try. Now as is the case when I go hunting for plants to grow and experiment with, I like unique varieties. I don’t recommend doing this unless you are willing to deal with a lot of frustration until you figure out your new unique varieties. I may like to punish myself. I found a red flowering variety from Japan and decided that was the one I was going to grow. A note on this: I was only able to get a limited quantity of these seeds, but your common white flowered variety will do absolutely wonderfully and will more likely perform better.

Last year I planted it in an area of my yard that is very sandy but still gets a lot of weeds. That area is adjacent to some of my garden space. My hopes were to suppress some of the weeds. I didn’t order very many seeds, because it was difficult to get, and just in case the whole experiment failed I didn’t want to waste a lot of money. Besides, I was really hoping to give my friendly neighborhood pollinators a little boost.

Buckwheat is vigorous and will quickly mature and begin to flower. Typically the flowers are white. There are a few varieties that come in pink and red but trying to get a lot of those seeds is very difficult. I recommend if you have a large area to plant, go with the white variety or have patience and play the long game, saving seeds each season until you have enough. Once it flowers it immediately begins to attract pollinators of many kinds. I sat next to my little patch and watched honey bees and many itty bitty native bees flitting from flower to flower. It will also attract other beneficial insects to your yard that will hunt some of the baddies munching on your precious plants. My plants flowered throughout the whole season and seeded irregularly , but were seeding within 50 days of germination.

When the seeds are ripe and ready they are hard, brown, and diamond-shaped. The red and pink varieties typically have a lower yield than the common white variety. These seeds are super easy to store. Pick them. Let them dry for a day or two and then store them in an airtight container. You can grind these seeds to mix with flour, or cook and eat like oatmeal. I noticed as I tended my garden that my bird friends were enjoying some of the seeds as well.

I personally had a lot of delight while collecting seeds to save for this year's planting. I would reach into the patch and collect the small seeds and frequently our tiny gentle native bees would land all over my arms to rest for a spell. After a small rest for their tiny bodies they would go back to their foraging. I may have giggled a few times and startled my insect friends into buzzing excitedly around the flowers. If that’s not your thing then maybe give your plants a gentle shake first before you collect your seeds.

Image source: https://ucanr.edu/blogs/MBMG/blogfiles/43139_original.png

Now I love items that can serve multiple purposes and buckwheat certainly fits that bill. Another widely eaten part of buckwheat is the greens. Buckwheat can be grown as a microgreen crop as well. You might find buckwheat microgreens in a smoothie shop. The succulent-feeling leaves are a healthy addition to cooked greens, soups, smoothies, and even freshly eaten in your salads. Now some people do have food allergies to buckwheat. Like any potential food allergy, be careful. Buckwheat seeds or greens should be eaten in moderation. Consuming too much of the greens can lead to phototoxicity, also known as hypersensitivity to sunlight. But I personally enjoyed their flavor in the many things I tried them in.

If you go out to admire your buckwheat and all of its pollinators in the heat of the day you will find it wilted and flopped over. Don’t be alarmed! Buckwheat is a drama llama. Definitely don’t do what I did and rush for the hose to give it a good soak. Buckwheat needs very little water. It prefers a good once-a-week watering and then allowing the soil to dry out.

There is a belief that buckwheat has deep roots. This has been shown to be inaccurate. It does have dense, shallow, and fibrous roots. These roots help to stabilize the soil and they also help to mine and fix phosphorus and potassium to the soil. Plant a legume like crimson clover ( Trifolium incarnatum ) with them and you get your nitrogen as well.

You can also use buckwheat as a green manure. You might be wondering, “What is green manure?” Green manure are plants specifically grown to plow back into the soil to build soil structure and add nutrients to the soil. If you are going to use buckwheat as a green manure, it is recommended you cut or mow it down before it starts flowering. Then either leave it on top or work it into the top few inches of your soil. It is also recommended that you grow it with some kind of legume like the crimson clover.

One final note about our wonderful buckwheat. It is not frost tolerant at all. The slightest frost will kill it. This is a good option for use as a green manure and allows the frost to kill the plant for you.

I hope as you are considering ways to take care of your garden, your soil, and your important pollinators you’ll consider this extremely useful plant.

References:

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-419/426-419.html

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/ENTO/ENTO-52/ENTO-325.pdf

https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/covercrop/buckwheat

https://www.canr.msu.edu/uploads/234/78912/buckwheat.pdf

https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/buckwheat-makes-good-summer-cover-crop-gardens

https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/publications/buckwheat-production

https://extension.umn.edu/how-manage-soil-and-nutrients-home-gardens/cover-crops-and-green-manures#buckwheat-and-rapeseed-827611

https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g4163

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7180145/#:~:text=The%20symptoms%20of%20buckwheat%20allergy,and%20anaphylaxis%20

Pickleworms?

Sat, 20 May 2023 19:25:14 GMT

In 2023 I joined the ranks of the Norfolk Master Gardeners. Now, I’m no stranger to answering plant questions of all kinds. It’s been a lifelong passion. A week does not go by where my phone or email isn’t being hit with a plant or insect question from a friend or family member somewhere in the world. I always enjoy answering the question and if it’s not something, I know, I love hunting down the answer. So I was happy to volunteer at the information table at the spring plant sale at the Hermitage. I was able to help with many curiosities and anxieties but then came the question of the pickleworm.

Pickleworm? I had never heard of such a thing before. Comical images of pickle shaped worms danced through my head. I had to know more. What did it look like? What was it eating? And, of course, I'm sorry I didn’t know much about this pest but I knew I soon would. The lady with questions about pickleworms told me each year they ravaged her cucumbers. Cucumbers you say? I must know more about these pesky creatures. And VCE is one of several Extension websites with informative material, Pickleworm (vt.edu)

The pickleworm ( Diaphania nitidalis ), sometimes pickle worm, is a rather lovely night flying moth species (lovely until it’s in your garden that is). This interesting little creature is actually native to tropical areas of the Americas but does overwinter in southern Florida and southern Texas. They then spread out throughout North America and are a pest to the cucurbits family ranging from Florida, to Canada, and west to Oklahoma and the rest of the Great Plains. They seem to have an affinity for squashes, watermelons, and cantaloupes as well. I’ll admit I groaned at this, “Oh no, another pest to squash!”

So what do they do? The adult female lays her eggs on the fruiting bodies or the plants of cucurbits. Sometimes even on the flowers. She can lay 300 to 400 eggs in her life. These tiny eggs will hatch in approximately 4 days. The larva hatches then greedily begins to chow down on whatever it is on. They will also bore into the fruits that we so desperately want for ourselves. These tiny green little larvae will even eat the flowers of our beloved plants. Now these little larvae go through five different instars. The total process takes 14 days before it turns into a pupa. In its pupa stage it likes to wrap up in dead leaf litter. Pupation lasts 8 to 9 days and then a new adult emerges into the world.

Okay wonderful. Another insect that loves our squash and cucumbers. But what do I do about it? Well there are some predators that will munch on them. It seems Ground Beetles (Calosoma and Harpalus) like to eat them. As well as Soldier beetles ( Chauliognathus pennsylvanicus ) have been seen predating them. A handful of parasitoids may also aid you in the fight against the pickleworm they include but may not be limited to Apanteles sp ., Hypomicrogaster diaphaniae , Pristomerus spinator , Casinaria infesta , Temelucha sp . (both Ichneumonidae). So creating safe environments for these predators just may help in the battle against the pickleworm. But all of these wonderful predators do not show a great result in keeping the pickleworm at bay. So what are some other options we have?

What about insecticides? Due to the high importance of pollinators to cucurbit production, insecticides are not generally recommended. Personally I try to avoid insecticides in general. The application of insecticides that kill these hungry little larva has the potential of killing off the bees that are so important to giving us the delicious foods we hope for each season. It is suggested that if you use an insecticide that you use one with a low residual activity.

Nematodes might also be our friends in the battle against pickleworms. Steinernema carpocapsae is a nematode that helps with pickleworms on our squash. It is mentioned that it may not help in pickleworm infestations on cucumbers due to the smaller flowers. Further research may be needed to be done on the topic of pickleworms and nematodes.

Another method of prevention are screens and row covers. The pickleworm moth is a night flying moth so covering your plants at night and then removing them in the morning may just be the trick in saving your plants. This will allow our wonderful pollinators to get to them in the daytime and keep those eggs off our plants in the midnight hours.

There are also some squash varieties resistant to them, but I could not find any cucumber, watermelon, or cantaloupe varieties that are resistant to them. Maybe cucumbers will have varieties of those that are resistant to them. The squash varieties include Butternut 23, Summer Crookneck, Early Prolific Straightneck and Early Yellow Summer Crookneck.

Planting the crops earlier in the year may be another option for some gardeners. This will allow the gardener to pick some of the delicious crop before the invading pickleworm moth arrives in the night. Maybe combining row covers at night will get you a lot more?

Then there is something I have been told my whole life about growing vegetables. Sometimes we just have to accept that nature does what it will. We harvest what we can and enjoy that harvest. Then we appreciate, even in our frustrations, the amazement of such creatures. Hopefully your battles against pickleworms are fruitful.

References:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN321

https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W206.pdf

Century Plant

Thu, 18 May 2023 18:28:19 GMT

There’s a horticultural phenomenon taking place in Ghent, that you’re going to want to see for yourselves, so strap on your walking shoes, jump on your bike, or start your engines and head over to 623 Baldwin Avenue to catch the extraordinary sight of a century plant in bloom.

The plant is located in the front garden bed of a private residence, but luckily for us all, it is easily viewed from the street and sidewalk in front of the house.

Century plant is a North American native ( Agave americana ) that blooms – not every hundred years as its name suggests, but unpredictably once in 10-25 years – so observing it in person is a first for me. What makes it amazing is the flower stalk, which emerges from the succulent rosette below to a mind-boggling height of 15-30 feet tall or more! Up until a few days ago it looked like nothing so much as a gigantic asparagus spear, but it has now grown taller still and horizontal branches have sprouted near its top. Greenish-yellow flowers (each 3-4” long) are beginning to bloom in panicles on these branches.

We can expect the flowers of the century plant bloom to stay alive for about a month before they start to wither and die. Once the bloom fades and the reproductive cycle is finished, the century plant itself dies, but vegetative offsets at its base should be left behind to propagate a new generation. And then in another 10-25 years, it will all happen again.

The last two photos are from NC State, to illustrate what we might expect as this plant continues to blossom; and more of a close-up of the flowers.

Meet Jane Walsh

Thu, 18 May 2023 11:18:49 GMT

Jane grew up in Northern New Jersey. Having joined the Navy to see the world, she was a bit dismayed that her first duty station was in Lakehurst, NJ. Eventually, because of her love for Romance languages (she taught Latin and Spanish in New Jersey, Virginia, and Texas before and after her 18 years in the USN), she was stationed in Portugal at the NATO Headquarters near Lisbon. Thanks to the Navy, she earned a Masters’ degree in National Security Affairs at Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, where she met her husband, Stephen. They have one son, Danny, born in the old Portsmouth Naval Hospital during Hurricane Gloria.

As a child, Jane remembers the smell of roses and spearmint, and the faces on the pansies in her Nonna’s garden. Her father carried on the gardening tradition at their home, growing Jersey tomatoes (best in the world), and other vegetables. Years later, ending up in Virginia, she was thrilled to see the size of the pansies, and to learn that they survive the winter! She has lived in West Ghent, Larchmont, and finally East Ghent for more than 20 years. She misses the extremely fruitful peach tree and roses in the first home, and the tulip magnolia on Monterey Avenue (that the subsequent owners cut down!) At her current home, she has learned to appreciate the southern sun.

Being a dog lover, Jane often took long walks with her mutts, Blondie, then Betty (RIP Feb. 2023). Blondie loved the water fountain at “The Fred,” and Betty recommended the smells around Maury High. One day, there was a lady tending to the larkspurs at the Fred Heutte Center who was a Master Gardener. She later asked Bob Kelly how to apply for training and was accepted into the class of 2015. For her first 50 hours, she worked on Li’l Sprouts, Ask A Master Gardener, the Hermitage, Zoo Horticultural Cart, and the spring plant sale. Since then, she still enjoys the same activities, joined the Speakers’ Bureau, does resilience projects and more. She loves to whack phragmites.

When she is not working on MG projects, Jane loves to write deep thoughts. She works in her garden, sees a movie about every week, takes the train to New York as often as possible to see plays and independent films. In Norfolk she loves the Chrysler and Barry Art museums, the Virginia Symphony, and the Naro Expanded Cinema. At home she watches Jeopardy and aces the Latin and Myth questions. Lately she’s into Korean TV. She is also studying Italian! She loves to photograph flowers, outdoor art, architecture, decaying buildings, and NYC subway mosaics. She likes racquetball and snow sports, plays Words with Friends, both kinds of Mahjongg, and wishes most of all she could be around horses.

When you see Jane, you can ask her about any movies worth seeing, and invite her to different MG activities you enjoy.

Bridge Over Water Troubles

Mon, 15 May 2023 19:58:42 GMT

It seems like every day there is another story on the news about sea level rise, and water invading the places where humans want to live. In my mind I used to think the water control story was someone else's issue, and that better minds than mine would be the ones to take on that problem. Little did I know, when I bought my house in 2002, I would be on the front lines of a water invasion.

My husband and I moved into our new abode blissfully unaware of what would soon be a big headache. It was not even a big nor'easter like we get here in Norfolk from time to time. My hopes of carving out a slice of heaven complete with all my favorite flowers, were washed away in a single storm.

I started to do some reading about things like French drains, rain gardens, and dry creek beds, but did not take immediate action. During discussions with my neighbors, I learned there used to be a drainage ditch across the back of the property. The city dumped in construction debris, and then covered it over, so the water has no place to go. I thought to myself that I could have used that info prior to purchasing the house. After watching the rains come down a few times, flooding seemed to start in the back corner behind the garage. My thought was that if I could keep it back there, maybe I could salvage the rest of the yard. The final straw was the drizzly day we came home from work to see a pair of Mallard ducks paddling across the backyard.

After all the yakkety-yak and a ton of reading, I decided to dig a trench and fill it with rocks, using pretty ones on top that would give the appearance of a dry creek bed. I sprinkled the ground with flour to mark the area where I wanted to dig, and my husband measured and estimated the amount of rock, gravel, and landscape fabric we would need. I started digging at 6:00 am on that fine Saturday and finished around sunset. The next day we lined the trench with landscape fabric and added the rock my husband bought the prior day. The end result is a trench that holds back the water if we get less than 3" of rain in a single shot. It is enough to allow me to successfully plant a garden, to which I can invite my friends.

We found a bridge that helps to sell the idea that it is a creek bed instead of just a water retention ditch

When we get more than 3" of rain the water still has its wicked way with my yard, but my plants seem to survive that rare occurrence. If my back was a little younger, I would love to increase the length of the trench, winding it throughout the garden. Maybe the next family that lives here will consider it after their first nor'easter. I consider the project a success, but I do miss those ducks!

The President's Post

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 12:39:01 GMT

The Four-Legged Stool of the Norfolk Master Gardeners

This is the fifth in a series of quarterly posts from your current President about the Norfolk Master Gardeners

There has been so much going on with Norfolk Master Gardeners in the past two weeks that I am reminded that we do not work only in the April-November period. Moreover, for the last few years I have been describing our wonderful 20 some projects as the beating heart of the Norfolk Master Gardener organization. I think that metaphor still holds because our projects remain our raison d’etre, but an analysis of both how we actually spend our time and how we functionally operate makes me think that a better metaphor for our organization as a whole is a four-legged stool. Let me explain using 2022 data.

The first leg of the stool is all our projects except the Plant Sale. These projects generally run from around the beginning of April to the first half of November. These are our direct efforts to educate the public about horticulture and to green up Norfolk – our mission in condensed form, as it were, the very reason we exist. In 2022 the vast majority of our work hours were spent – as they should be - on these projects alone, far more than any other category described below. Enough said.

To be able to do these projects we need to have money, and that is the second leg of the stool, the Plant Sale Project. We have other income sources, but the plant sales are the main ones. We know how well the plant sales did last year in raising money for us, but what you may not know is that the total work hours for this project in 2022 significantly exceeded every other single project or committee with one exception noted below. Interestingly, this leg of the stool does much of its work when the other projects have finished – in the first few months of the year (the fall plant sale of course, does not fit this timing, but has significantly fewer work hours than the spring plant sale). Of course, as I hinted above, we have also just finished with another record-breaking plant sale – congrats to the Plant Sale Team!

Every volunteer organization needs people, and that is where the third leg of our stool, the Intern Training Team, comes in. This Standing Committee – it is not a project – recruits and trains new VCE Master Gardeners and thus provides the lifeblood (or seed corn, as a friend has said) of our organization. In 2022 the Intern Training Committee’s total work hours were just shy of the Plant Sale Project hours, again significantly more than any other single project or committee. Interestingly, like the Plant Sale Project, the Intern Training Committee does most of its work in the period from mid-November until mid-April. Also like the Plant Sale Project, the Intern Training Committee has just finished its work with another great class that will serve us well in the future. Congratulations!

The last leg of the stool is made up of the various other committees that functionally serve to keep our organization running smoothly. Without these committees and their members who work so hard in support, we would be unable to operate. In 2022 the combined hours for these committees was roughly equivalent to those of our largest single project other than the Plant Sale. These committees are headlined by the Steering Committee, which as its name suggests functions as the organizing brain of our organization. These committees work year-round, of course.

So, there are the four legs. In addition to comparing the recorded hours, note the overall calendar timing: the Training Committee and the Plant Sale Project are mostly in what is our off-season, with the large majority of the project hours in our “busy season” from early April thru early November, and the committee hours providing year-round support. When our greenhouse is up and running, we can add a fifth leg to what is already a very steady stool.

2022 Virginia State Fair

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 13:02:36 GMT

Last September 26 ^th was an exciting Monday as a group of NMGs set off for the State Fair in Doswell, VA to staff the VCE booth. Our team was organized by Blanch Wise and the members included Vickie Reid, Dan Haworth, Linda Smith, Deborah McGowan, Harriette Frost and me. The booth is always organized by the Virginia Master Gardener Association and different MG units from around the Commonwealth sign up to staff it for part or all of one day to cover the 10-day event. The booth’s theme for 2022 was “Decomposers” and the mission was to educate the public on how these organisms break down dead and decaying matter. Our table had several displays to help us with our task. We had a steady flow of visitors and ended up with 614 contacts. We even had two special guests! The Secretary of Agriculture, Matthew Lohr, came up to me and introduced himself. He thanked us for sharing our knowledge with so many people. He went on to share that the Governor, Glenn Youngkin, was in the area and he thought Mr. Youngkin might stop by to visit us also. Later in the afternoon, he arrived with a large group of well-wishers, staff and the press.

The NMGA-Team did a fabulous job and made us look like the professionals that we are! We were able to enjoy the super food, the pig races, and all the excitement of the Fair atmosphere while having a great time. Sincere thanks, TEAM!! And thanks to Vickie for the pics! Stay tuned for information on State Fair 2023.

A Carnivorous Paradise

Sat, 08 Apr 2023 17:57:39 GMT

I always thought Venus flytraps were exotic plants that hailed from Africa or South America.

Then on April Fool’s Day I visited Wilmington, N.C. with members of the Hampton Roads Brewing & Tasting Society. The beer club’s president encouraged our entourage to take a break from craft breweries to enjoy one of her favorite spots -- the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden.

Until my April 1 morning garden exploration, I assumed the garden’s namesake introduced these exotic beauties to North Carolina. Wrong!

Wilmington is ground zero for Venus flytraps, which are native to this coastal city and thrive within a 75- to 100-mile radius. Flytraps do not grow wild in any other part of the world and are federally listed as an at-risk species.

North and South Carolina’s semi-tropical bogs are perfect for growing carnivorous perennials like flytraps, sundews and pitcher plants. All attract and devour insects that provide them nitrogen typically missing from sandy soil that tops a layer of peat.

Stanley was a Wilmington native who studied horticulture at North Carolina State University. His German-immigrant grandmother grew and sold Venus flytraps and pitcher plants to people headed to a nearby cemetery. Her resourcefulness led the Rehder family to start a successful wholesale floral business. Stanley’s carnivorous plant collection and lobbying efforts helped preserve native plants and their habitats and led to his nickname, “The Flytrap Man.”

Worried about how land development, plant poaching and other factors threatened flytraps, Stanley persuaded owners of boggy land in Wilmington to let him grow carnivorous plants. He spent at least 20 years planting and nurturing the 3/4-acre plot. In 2012, six months before Stanley passed away at age 90, the Coastal Land Trust, City of Wilmington and land owners made the carnivorous plant garden official and named it for Stanley.

Today the Rehder Garden has official signs, a parking lot, pavers and a footbridge that help visitors view carnivorous plants without harming them. The garden in the Piney Ridge Nature Preserve is nestled among long-leaf pines and magnolias and is next to an elementary school and a church. Admission is free.

Helpful signs along garden paths give visitors tidbits about carnivorous plants and their habitat. Example: Venus flytraps can go without eating for 1-2 months, and they can also capture and digest frogs.

During my April Fool’s Day visit, yellow pitcher plants were easy to spot since they were tall and waving in the wind. My friend pointed out newly emerging flytraps, sundews and purple pitcher plants. I quickly learned to spot them while staying on the path to avoid stepping on the tiny plants.

Don’t even think about snatching a flytrap. Stealing one from a public spot like this Wilmington garden is a Class H felony that could get the thief up to 25 months in prison.

My Saturday in Wilmington started with a peaceful stroll in the Rehder garden, which must be glorious when plants are bigger and blooming. My day ended at Flytrap Brewing in the city’s arts district where flytraps, sundews and pitcher plants grow in terrariums. Adorning the beer garden is metal flytrap sculpture the size of the man-eating plant in the Little Shop of Horrors film. At the brewery you can raise a glass to Stanley Rehder by ordering a special ale -- Rehder’s Red. For Earth Day this year, the brewery plans a workshop for guests to turn repurposed plastic and paint into Venus flytrap art.

Two years ago, I bought a small Venus flytrap at Aldi. It was part of a pre-Halloween spooky plant sale. My flytrap only lived a few months. Now that I know more about these carnivorous plants and have seen them thrive in the brewery, I hope to try growing the plant Charles Darwin called in his 1875 book Insectivorous Plants “one of the most wonderful in the world.”

If you go to Wilmington:

The Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden is in the Piney Ridge Nature Preserve at 3800 Canterbury Road in Wilmington. It is open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. https://coastallandtrust.org/lands/rehdergarden/

Flytrap Brewing is at 319 Walnut Street in Wilmington. It opens on weekdays at 3 p.m. , at noon on Saturdays and 1 p.m. on Sundays. It stays open until 10 p.m. most evenings. https://www.flytrapbrewing.com/

Read more about Stanley Rehder and his passion for flytraps:

https://ncwildflower.org/flytrap-man/

https://www.starnewsonline.com/story/news/2012/10/01/flytrap-man-stanley-rehder-dies/30925389007/

Flower Power in Philadelphia

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 18:26:20 GMT

Attending the Philadelphia Flower Show topped my wish list for years. This March, I finally got to experience it on opening weekend. I had such a great time I hope to become a regular attendee like Norfolk Master Gardener Robin Franklin, who grew up in Philadelphia and loves this show.

Started in 1829 by the Philadelphia Horticultural Society, this is the oldest and largest horticultural event in the country. The Philadelphia Flower Show also is billed as the world’s largest indoor flower show.

The 2023 flower show ran daily at the huge Pennsylvania Convention Center from March 4-12. The show helps create a healthier Philadelphia by providing funds for tree planting, neighborhood greening, community gardens, job training, public garden maintenance, and connecting people with horticulture.

After two pandemical years of being scaled back and held outdoors, the show was in its full glory in the sprawling convention center right in the heart of Philly next to the Reading Terminal Market.

This year’s theme, The Garden Electric, surrounded visitors with creative floral designs, sweet smells and a riot of colorful lights. Visitors began their journey through Florastruck – an immersive garden with changing light colors and towering arrangements designed to stun and amaze.

Past the dramatic entry, people spread out a bit making the opening weekend crowd manageable. This year’s show drew as many as 300,000 visitors from around the globe over nine days.

Some folks opted for big exhibits of up to 2,900 square feet created by professional landscapers, designers and florists. Walking through these displays made you want to hop on a swing in a summer garden, savor a fanciful candy shop or dance in the disco. All of these delightful exhibits showcased gorgeous flowers and plants.

Equally interesting were small but delightful displays of pressed flower art, container gardens, ikebana, vintage gardening tools, and prize-winning themed exhibits. The show also featured a butterfly house, horticulture demonstrations, live music, crafting stations, and a children’s play area.

The more than 100 vendors outdid themselves with attractive displays. I was tempted to buy a coconut leaf broom and a big digging tool to haul them home on the train along with container gardens, vases and a bag of peony bulbs.

If you didn’t get to the 2023 show, enjoy these images and, plan to attend next show in early March of 2024. Dates will be announced later this year.

Random tips to help with planning:

Buying show tickets months ahead will save you money. Tickets were as low as $38.50 in October 2022 and rose to nearly $45 by show time.

Tickets are not for specific days or times so you can use them any day. To avoid crowds, consider going after the opening weekend and on a weekday or later in the day. On some days the show is open until 8 p.m. There also are special tickets for early entrance and after-hours events.

Taking Amtrak from Norfolk is a great way to get to Philly. Buying my train ticket three months ahead cost only $54 round trip. Last-minute tickets would have set me back around $250. The seven-hour train trip is relaxing — especially in the quiet car. And, yes, you can haul a broom and random odd things home with you.

Amtrak takes you from Norfolk to Philadelphia’s William H. Gray III 30th street station – a beautiful 1933 neoclassical station. At the station, hop on a local SEPTA train to your lodging or the show. It is only two stops from the 30 ^th Street Station to the Jefferson Station where you directly enter the convention center for the show.

If you don’t have a Philadelphia metro card, you may get to ride to the show for free on SEPTA trains by showing at attendant your advance flower show ticket. That is what happened to me so I assume that is the norm.

If you drive to Philly, you can reserve a nearby parking spot in advance online through the flower show website.

For lodging, the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown hotel is attached to the convention center, and there are 14,000 hotel rooms within walking distance. But, local train lines make it easy to stay farther away and quickly ride to the show. Maybe you are lucky like me and have relatives who live outside the city and let you stay for free.

If you plan to meet a friend at the show, remember there are three entrances to the huge convention center so be specific about where to rendezvous.

Robin Franklin, who also attended the 2023 show, says the key to enjoying it is “to allow plenty of time and take time to relax. I enjoy it best when I’m exploring by myself. That way I can linger where I want without making someone else wait on me.”

Everyone at the show seemed to be taking cellphone photos, including me. But, I found it pleasant to put my phone away and look with my eyes. This gave a different perspective and imprinted favorite displays on my brain and in my dreams.

There are food vendors inside the convention center, but a great option is to take a break, get your hand stamped and head to the adjacent Reading Terminal Market to eat. The market opened in 1893 and is the place for a cheesesteak, hoagie, pretzel, cannoli or other Philly specialty that will fortify you for seeing the rest of the show.

Learn about the show: https://phsonline.org/the-flower-show

Ten things I learned from the Beekeeper’s Introductory Course

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 13:10:25 GMT

Hello Master Gardener friends!

I was not planning to be a beekeeper when I decided to take the Introduction to Beekeeping Class presented by the Southeast Virginia Beekeeping Guild. My idea was to get an understanding of what it takes to keep bees alive and happy in their environment and get bee information in general. My questions have been answered and I discovered that there’s a thriving beekeeping community in the Southeast Virginia area. Your neighbor might have a beehive in his backyard without your even knowing it! Here are some of the highlights of what I learned from the course:

1. Honeybees are very closely related to wasps. Wasps are generally regarded as carnivorous in the insect community. However, at some point during the evolutionary path, Honeybees began to diverge. Honeybees renounced their carnivorous ways to seek a kinder, gentler source of protein in the way of pollen. In the wasp family, you can tell a carnivore by the absence of hairs on its body. If it has hairs, that means it’s a pollen seeker.

2. Bears love honey, but the main thing they’re after from the hives is actually the bee larvae, which is a favorite high protein source. Bees can’t penetrate the bear's fur but they can sting its nose and ears. After a bear is finished with his meal he’ll just run away and shake the bees off his face thinking it was totally worth it. Bears are a worry for beekeepers in several areas of Southeast Virginia, including Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, and hive protection includes electric fences.

3. Africanized bees are a concern in North America because they are extremely aggressive. They have not evolved to survive harsh winters so they can’t migrate north past a certain point, but they are found in many parts of the south. Africanized bees have also mingled with the more docile European Honeybee population to create hybrids. If a beekeeper has concerns about his hive, he can send a bee sample in for genetic testing. It’s also possible for a domestic or wild hive with no genetic link to Africanized bees to be extremely aggressive. The remedy in either case is extermination of the entire hive to stop it from passing genetics on to other hives in the area.

4. Bees have a keen sense of smell. They can smell pollen, nectar and pheromones from miles away! They can smell their kin, other hives, foes and beeswax. And yes, they really can smell your fear!

5. A smoker is a tool used by beekeepers to create and fan smoke all over the immediate area of the beehive. This smoking method is used to keep bees docile while a beekeeper is working with a hive. It works by blocking the bee’s ability to smell pheromones being emitted by the other bees signaling to the hive of danger.

6. It can’t be overstated how important pheromones are to a bee’s ability to communicate with other hive members and carry out most tasks vital to the survival of the hive. This knowledge has helped beekeepers figure out how to manipulate bee behavior. Keepers can even use pheromone spray to coax a swarm into a hive bucket.

7. There are several diseases, parasites and predators that attack bees and their hives. Hive beetles and mites are probably the most common but some less common include a fungus called Ascosphaera Apis, which attacks the bee larvae in the hive. In the past beekeepers used chemicals and pesticides to resolve problems but these toxic chemicals can end up in the honey and beeswax if mismanaged. In recent years experts are working on integrated pest management techniques to cut down on use of pesticides which should sound familiar to Master Gardeners. Some examples of IPM include freezing some honeycomb frames to kill mites.

8. Southeast Virginia Beekeepers Guild has had a strong influence in local policy in the area. A few years ago, Chesapeake council members planned to make beekeeping illegal in the county. The guild stepped in and explained to the council the reasons this action would both be harmful and unnecessary. The council took the guild’s advice. Phew!

9. The guild has a mentor program where a new beekeeper is paired with another more experienced beekeeper. The mentor gives you support and guidance on how to manage your hive which is really important because it’s easy to kill off your bees, especially early in the process of cultivating a hive.

10. The Southeast Virginia Beekeepers Guild is a great resource for all your bee questions or problems. Their website https://www.beekeepersguild.org/ has a contact page to call or email several members of the guild. They can answer your questions and send you to the right person for any help. If you have a bee swarm in your yard they might take the swarm off your hands for free. If you need local raw honey, they have a contact list for that as well.

It was only an introductory course, but I learned a lot more than I was expecting. And I’ve even moved the question as to whether I might keep bees to the “maybe” category when it used to be “probably not.” If you see this course offered again, sign up! You’ll be glad you did.

Photos credits: Penn State University

“Let’s Grow Together” – Exciting News Coming to the Air!

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 16:01:09 GMT

Pretlow Library reached out to Norfolk Master Gardeners recently with a pretty cool proposal. They revamped their facilities after the pandemic and opened up a great new “maker space.” This collaborative workspace includes a sound booth for recording many different kinds of ventures. Pretlow offered us the chance to create a gardening podcast series using their equipment and we thought this was a great opportunity to explore gardening in a conversational way and air varied and diverse voices.

Tying in with our newsletter for the gardening public, our podcast series will also be titled “Let’s Grow Together.” The podcasts will cover a wide range of gardening news and issues in the coastal Virginia region. Topics will vary widely from promoting Norfolk Master Gardener events – including classes and plant sales, city events like tree giveaways, personal stories of gardening interest, ongoing projects, how-to talks, when-to talks, what-not-to-do talks… the list is endless.

Everyone has something they can add to the discussion and most talks will be about 20-30 minutes long. The podcast format is very forgiving and is a friendly environment. I encourage all Norfolk MGs to think about an interview topic they are passionate/knowledgeable about or that sparks joy. These podcasts are meant to share thoughts and ideas from all our members as well as from outside groups.

If you are not comfortable talking to a crowd, or your mind goes blank when queried about a topic, or you think you don’t have anything important to say, think again. Everyone will know ahead of time the questions that will be asked and points of discussion. There will be some spontaneous talk but most will be planned, and the best part is that it’s all being recorded and can be re-recorded or edited for continuity and coherence in the final product.

This project is in its infancy and surely will have some bumps in the road but I’ve found that the best meadows of solitude are often only found by way of a bumpy road.

The first guinea pig, er interviewee, will be our very own NMGA president, Will Redfern on what it means to be a Norfolk Master Gardener. Subsequent talks will cover things like what to do during the winter, the upcoming plant sale, and some of our neighboring garden groups.

Please jump in and suggest your own unique perspective on any gardening subject. We would love to hear from every one of you.

Podcast Host Chris Schweitzer can be reached at chris016@gmail.com or 703-408-5257.

Meet Jessica Wang

Thu, 19 Jan 2023 01:31:54 GMT

Jessica grew up and went to school in Alexandria, Virginia, but due to her husband’s military career moved to Norfolk not once, but twice. Jessica attended high school in Alexandria and attended Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA where she majored in International Relations and minored in Russian Language and Literature. She attended graduate school at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where she earned a Master’s degree in Russian and East European Studies.

Jessica has always loved gardening, but because her family moved frequently, she has been unable to establish a garden until they returned to Norfolk and bought a house. She believes being out in the garden saved her mental health during the pandemic. She learned about the Norfolk Master Gardener program when she started volunteering at Norfolk Botanical Garden. She was immediately interested and anxiously applied for the 2022 program.

Jessica shared that the class logistics while under some restrictions due to COVID were handled excellently. She has two small children who became ill, and without the Zoom option, she may not have been able to complete the program. She believes the virtual option also was helpful to others in her class who may not have been able to participate fully without the use of Zoom.

Jessica participated in a number of projects to attain her fifty hours including Jam’n Jamz, Arbor Day, Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership, Maritime Sand Dune Forest, East Ocean View Children’s Garden, and Ask a Master Gardener table at NBG. Her favorite activities were the Jam’n Jamz and Arbor Day tree adoption events because of the opportunity to speak to many community residents and help them choose a tree that would be suitable for their location. After raising butterflies at home with her sons, volunteering at the Butterfly House was also fun.

Now that Jessica has received her certification she wants to continue working with the Lafayette Wetlands Partnership because she has become interested in learning more about flood mitigation measures that can be developed and implemented using “green infrastructure” techniques. She would also like to spend more time at the East Ocean View Children’s Garden.

When Jessica isn’t doing Norfolk Master Gardener projects, she enjoys working in her own yard/garden with her two children, sewing, reading and wishing her family lived in the UK again. To satisfy her interest in the UK she likes to watch the Great British Bake Off and Escape to the Country.

When you see Jessica, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardener Volunteers.

Meet Susan Schrader

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 19:54:18 GMT

Susan was born to a Navy family in San Diego, California, but her family moved to Jacksonville, Florida when she was an infant. When her father left the Navy, they moved to Atlanta, Georgia where she grew up.

Susan attended North Georgia College (now a university) and she finished at University of Georgia (go Dogs). She had the opportunity to attend Semester at Sea while in school and was fortunate to visit South America, Africa and Europe.

While traveling to New York to visit family, Susan thought Virginia was a pretty state. Atlanta was getting too big, so lucky for us, she decided to move to Virginia.

Susan loves nature and the outdoors and wanted to become more knowledgeable. She enjoys working with others enhancing the community. Her class was impacted by COVID in that some sessions were conducted online. She believes the instructors handled both the online and in- person classes in an excellent manner.

Susan attained most of her initial fifty hours at Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary and Li’l Sprouts, but the Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden and the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden helped her get over the finish line. She helped at the Zoo Garden once, planted some grasses at the Hermitage and learned about trees with the Significant Tree Program at Cedar Grove Cemetery.

Her favorite projects are Li’l Sprouts and the Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary. Weyanoke reminds her of working with her family on a plot of land at Lake Lanier in Flowery Branch, Georgia.

Susan has a kitty named Sophie. When she’s not working with the Norfolk Master Gardeners she likes to travel. She would like to be a better photographer and take up tennis again. She enjoys spending time with her niece and nephew and their children in Maine.

When you see Susan, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the NMGA.

The President’s Post

Sat, 14 Jan 2023 19:45:00 GMT

2022 Was a Great Year for the Norfolk Master Gardeners

This is the fourth in a series of quarterly posts from your current President about the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

2022 was a terrific year for the Norfolk Master Gardeners, and it is all thanks to your hard work!

We finished the year with a total of over 21,000 hours! This is well above over the roughly 18,000+ hours that we accrued in the pre-Covid years of 2018 and 2019, not to mention the just under 14,000 hours from 2021. As far as I can tell, this may be our highest hours number ever, and I think this is a reflection of several factors: our emergence from COVID, a great resurgence in enthusiasm and energy after a couple of frightening years, and lastly our increased numbers.

Our numbers at the end of 2022 were approximately 135 Master Gardeners and 6 Interns, or about 140 active members, plus about a dozen Lifetime and Emeritus Master Gardeners. Again, these are the highest numbers since the end of 2017, which had 104 Master Gardeners and 17 Emeritus, though 2018 was not too far behind with 117 Master Gardeners and 19 Interns. From what I can gather, our 2022 active membership numbers are as high as we have ever had!

In 2022, virtually all of our approximately 25 projects were up and running full on, giving our members plenty of volunteer options to choose from. Our committees were likewise running full steam. And, as you can tell from the hours discussion above, you responded! All of our projects and committees had a great year. We were even able to organize a Greenhouse Project team, and while we were disappointed that we could not get the greenhouse up and running, we are ready to go whenever the green light is given.

Two other elements buttressed our success last year. First, we had record plant sale numbers, which will give us some much-needed financial flexibility in the next couple of years. Second, we brought in a terrific training class of 22 enthusiastic members.

We did much of this without an Agent in place, though we do have a highly committed Master Gardener Coordinator with Kate Melhuish. We also say thank you to Joey Rothgery, who served as our Second Vice President/Project Coordinator for eight outstanding years.

For those who missed the holiday luncheon, as part of celebrating 2022 we recognized those members who have been Norfolk Master Gardeners for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and finally 30 (looking at you, Gill Gillespie!) years. We also noted members who have received recognition from groups outside our association. In addition, we introduced the new Keystone Award thanks to the inspiration of the Membership Committee, which has been looking at ways to recognize and celebrate our members. The Keystone Award recognizes those who have been literal keystones of our association, with a minimum of 10 years of service as a Norfolk Master Gardener (there are several other criteria). Three members received this award: Tom West, Debora Mosher, and Gill Gillespie, who have given so much to our organization over the years. Many thanks to Tom, Debora and Gill for all that you have done!

Congratulations and thank you to all Norfolk Master Gardeners for your hard work, energy and enthusiasm in making 2022 one of our best years ever. Let’s keep up the excellent work in 2023!

A Stroll Through Denver Botanic Garden

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 20:17:18 GMT

Two of my 2022 goals were to travel more and to explore gardens in the various places I landed.

I got to ten states and one Central American country this year and spent time in eight special gardens along the way. My new year’s resolution is to visit more far-flung gardens in 2023.

One horticultural highlight was visiting the Denver Botanic Garden. It boasts North America’s largest collection of plants from cold temperate climates – hardy plants we can appreciate even at sea level in our winter season.

It was late one September afternoon when I spent a few hours roaming the 24-acre garden established in 1951. The Denver garden is nestled along dense residential streets in the Cheesman Park neighborhood. Platted in 1868, Cheesman Park is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the Mile High City, which is nicknamed for Denver’s 5,280-foot altitude.

Colorful foliage and flowers catch the eye throughout the gardens

The botanic garden is neighbors with turreted Victorian mansions, high-rise apartments and the 80-acre Cheeseman Park. Both the garden and park rest on a former cemetery whose bodies were relocated in 1890s – except for the few that were missed and have surprised workers during construction projects.

Denver Botanic Garden is dedicated to plants that thrive in its semi-arid, high desert climate. But, it also features the 11,000-square-foot Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory where more than 2,300 species from other parts of the globe thrive.

Colorful outdoor gardens showcase plants from alpine regions, the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains and arid climates. Numerous signs explain the significance of everything from bees to plants tucked under tree canopies. With 1.25 million visitors in 2021, Denver Botanic Garden claims to be among the most-visited gardens in the United States.

Clever, informative signage is displayed throughout the garden

My favorite sections were the peaceful Asian gardens. The Shofu-en Japanese Garden features 130 wind-swept pines transplanted from Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and a lagoon where water lilies and lotuses bloom. The garden’s name in Japanese means Garden of Pine and Wind.

This beautiful Moon Gate frames the view to the Asian gardens, where the lagoon is part of an extensive waterway system that features more than 1,000 aquatic plants

The Bill Hosokawa Bonsai Pavilion and Tea House honors the late editor of The Denver Post Sunday magazine with dozens of meticulously groomed bonsai plants, a waterfall, and a tea house. Hosokawa, bonsai admirer, was born in Seattle in 1915 to Japanese-immigrant parents and was sent with his wife and infant son to live in a horse stall at an internment camp during World War II. He had a long career in journalism, fought racism, and wrote 11 books on the history of Japanese Americans before his death in 2007. Hosokawa’s bronze sculpture watches over the tranquil garden created in 2012.

A bronze bust of Bill Hosokawa welcomes visitors to the bonsai pavilion with an exhibit of dozens of bonsai plants

Enjoy these images from the Denver Botanic Garden and go for a stroll when you are in the Mile High City. On my next trip out west, I hope to drive 30 miles from Denver to Littleton and tour the 700-acre Chatfield Farms, which Denver Botanic Garden manages in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This native plant refuge is also a working farm with buildings dating to the 1800s.

If you go: Denver Botanic Garden is in east-central Denver at 1007 York Street. It opens at 9 a.m. and closes from 2:30 to 7 p.m. depending on the season. There is easy access by city bus and free parking in the garden’s garage with additional street parking. Admission is $15 for adults, $11.50 for seniors, military and veterans, and $11 for children and students. Learn more: https://www.botanicgardens.org/

Chatfield Farms, the garden’s affiliate, is at 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Rd, in Littleton. It is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a parking lot but no public transportation from Denver. Admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, military, veterans and students. Learn more: https://www.botanicgardens.org/chatfield-farms

Nurturing Students’ Love of Gardening

Fri, 16 Dec 2022 13:36:29 GMT

What a joy it was to see Blair Middle School students enthused about gardening.

Led by Kate Melhuish, Chris Schweitzer and I volunteered with her at a Norfolk Master Gardener microgreens make-and-take table at Blair’s Family Fun Science Night on November 30.

Blair science teachers debuted Science Night in January 2020 only to have it go on hiatus for nearly three years due to pandemic restrictions. They resurrected the event in late 2022 to enthusiastic support from students in sixth through eighth grades and their parents. They came to school at night to put scientific principles to the test at booths making everything from colorful, gooey slime to microgreen gardens.

Science teacher Allison Hazzard discovered our microgreens activity during the pandemic, at an open-air NMG event at Five Points. She contacted Kate and was delighted to learn that Norfolk Master Gardeners would join area organizations such as the Elizabeth River Project and Nauticus in demonstrating the fun side of science.

Kate’s lush trays of week-old arugula, turnip and radish microgreens impressed the 40 people who swarmed our table during the hour-long event. Visitors created individual mini-gardens in recycled yogurt cups poked with holes for drainage. They added soilless seed-starting potting mix, sprinkled cinnamon on top to help keep fungus at bay, and added a generous helping of mustard seeds before misting them with water and taping on a lid.

Several students were surprised to learn that the mustard they associate with hot dogs comes from a plant.

We sent participants home with directions for checking their mustard seeds and keeping them moist. I can only imagine how happy one sixth-grade boy was when sprouts appeared a few days later. His mother told us how much he wanted a garden. But, the family’s frequent military moves had prevented him from planting a garden and watching it grow.

Blair’s Science Night was my first foray into planting nutrient-dense microgreens. Tending to my little yogurt-cup garden and seeing mustard greens thrive made me smile. They looked so pretty sitting in my kitchen window that I hated to eat them. But, I did toss them into salads and use them to perk up stir-fry dishes. Now I see yogurt cups, egg cartons and berry boxes as the perfect containers for growing a variety of greens at home to brighten up the winter.

One week after Blair’s science night, one teacher shared a photo of her healthy microgreen garden on our NMG Facebook page. I hope all the Blair students who visited our table had the same success and continue gardening.

Looking Back

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 16:24:41 GMT

It’s early December and most MG projects are finished for the year so it’s a good time to reflect on my rookie season in the Norfolk Master Gardener Community.

Hopefully the Class of 2022 will be the last class affected by COVID. We began meeting via Zoom only, went to having a choice between Zoom and in-person meetings and finished with mandatory in-person meetings when it came time for our project presentations. Viewing that first Zoom class reminded me of the beginning of the old “Brady Bunch” television show: boxes full of smiling faces but not really being able to ascertain personalities. I looked forward to and attended all of the in-person training sessions when they became available, meeting both my classmates and the seasoned Master Gardeners who led the training. Those “perennials” were knowledgeable and they made it clear that they wanted all of us to succeed. My classmates were and are incredibly diverse, incredibly fun to be around and incredibly supportive of one another.

I was told that fifty volunteer hours is what I needed to graduate from NMG Intern to NMG Volunteer. With much enthusiasm I decided to dip my toe into every volunteer opportunity I could when we were able to start earning hours. After I made it around to many of the different projects I picked out some favorites and tried to volunteer only three days a week. Then I began receiving Joey’s e-blasts for one-time special projects. Fifty hours came quickly but instead of raising my arms at the finish line to celebrate my accomplishment I continued the journey through the summer and fall. I love being outdoors! Master Gardener projects gave me the opportunity to spend time outdoors while meeting new friends, reconnecting with old friends, enjoying the passion that the project leaders have for their projects and exploring areas of the city that were unfamiliar to me.

Just a few of the ways Ben stayed busy as a Norfolk Master Gardener

And I learned so much as I volunteered around the city. With the Significant Tree folks I learned that, no matter how dense the tree canopy you are under, a 15 minute downpour will soak you to the skin. At the Zoo Garden I learned that when an adult male lion roars at you from 6 feet away it causes your whole body to vibrate (it also causes you to jump backward faster than you thought possible). The shoreline work projects, whether it was phragmites removal in Riverfront or planting native marsh grasses with the Elizabeth River Project, taught me to expect muddy shoes and wet feet. At Weyanoke I learned that walking backward carrying one end of a 12-foot, 75-pound log over vine-covered ground is a sure way to find yourself soon lying on that vine-covered ground with the end of the log laying on your chest. With the Potager crew I learned that although we Americans and Brits share a common language the same word can have two completely different meanings (since blogs are to be G-rated I won’t go into detail). I also learned that it is very hard to get rid of a gopher! The Ernie Morgan Center project taught me that advertising a post-project brunch is a sure way to get me to volunteer. A very earnest 1 ^st grader in the Li’l Sprouts program at St. Patrick’s taught me that if you swallow a loose tooth while eating you can write the Tooth Fairy a note and you will still get money for it. I learned that, like the Norfolk Naval Shipyard not actually being in Norfolk, the City of Norfolk’s Tree Farm is not in Norfolk. The NMG Plant sales taught me that garden cart retrieval is great exercise and wearing comfortable shoes is a must.

Oh and I also learned about all sorts of gardening: From prepping the soil to plant seeds barely larger than the head of a pin to measuring massive old oaks with trunks so large that it would take three people holding hands to complete a circle around it. What a great experience this first year has been!

I’m really glad that I hate being outdoors in cold weather (unless I’m hiking or walking at a fast pace). I’ve only done one project in the last three weeks and probably won’t do any more this calendar year. If the weather was more to my liking and there were no projects on the schedule, I’d be suffering from NMGPDD (Norfolk Master Gardener Project Deficit Disorder)!

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year!

Plant Sale Wrap-Up 2022

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 01:09:57 GMT

The Plant Sale Committee met Friday, November 4 for a potluck dinner and wrap-up discussion. Mitch brought oysters to roast on the grill and wine and shared dishes were enjoyed by all. The discussion centered on the changes we made from last spring’s sale to this fall and how much more streamlined we were. We discussed further changes for next spring. The members of the committee have become a close-knit group and enjoy working together.

The President's Post

Fri, 04 Nov 2022 00:00:10 GMT

Shout Out to the Membership Committee

This is the third in a series of quarterly posts from your current President about the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

I want to give a big shout out to our Membership Committee.

The Membership Committee is charged with coordinating recruiting and retention efforts, establishing volunteer recognition opportunities for NMGA members, staying in touch with members who are ill, and contacting those who have not been active. The Committee is chaired by Donna Van Keuren and Kate Melhuish, and its members include Jim Affeldt, Susan Dudley, Kay Egan, Sally Kellam, Kim Stewart, Anna Thurmond, and Barb Wilson.

Until recently, perhaps the most visible feature of this committee has been Donna’s congratulations and Slightly Wilted report at our monthly membership meetings. If you are one of the unfortunate ones to suffer a significant illness or loss you may have also received a card from the Committee. In 2020 – during the first year of COVID – the Committee began to initiate wellness telephone calls or emails to our members.

This year the Committee has expanded its work significantly. First, the wellness checks are now much more organized – each Committee member has a list of 15-20 people they reach out to every once in a while. So if you have not received a phone call recently stay tuned. The Committee also began celebrating our members’ birth months with a celebratory eblast that also features flower lore. We’ve enjoyed sharing these colorful slides with birthday congrats at our membership meetings too.

The Committee has also launched the Open Gardens concept that we just held for the first time on October 29. The idea is to create more opportunities for us to get to know each other, and what better way to do this than to showcase our gardens to other members.

Photographs are courtesy of Gayle Donovan

We can visit and also learn from each other. The Committee had a trial run of this in August, and our first official one on October 29 went very well (thank you to all who took part). Look for more Open Garden Days to be held next spring.

The Committee continues to develop new ideas for our membership, and I am very excited about what comes next. Please let Donna know if anyone has ideas about how we can make our members feel more included, appreciated, and valued.

Thank you, Membership Committee!

The (Slightly More) Definitive Word on Pawpaw Trees

Sun, 30 Oct 2022 23:13:13 GMT

After the pawpaw question was raised at our last membership meeting, I did some online research into the propagation of the pawpaw tree. The pawpaw, Asimina trilobas, is an understory tree native to the eastern United States and parts of Canada, growing best in hardiness zones 5 to 8, so we are on the southern edge of its preferred geographic area.

Much of the research on pawpaws is being done in the Midwest, with a major research effort at Kentucky State University through their Cooperative Extension program. Their pawpaw planting guide starts with a disclaimer, “Very little scientific research has been done on Pawpaw. The advice given here is based partly on research and partly on the experiences of many Pawpaw growers.” Most of the information I found online from Kentucky State University is from the early 2000s.

So, do you really need to plant two pawpaw trees to produce fruit? According to the Kentucky State University experts, you need to plant two trees for cross-pollination, from two different cultivars or seedlings. The pawpaw flower cannot be self-pollinated because the stigma ripens before the pollen. The botanical term for this is protogynous (from the Greek roots for first and woman). By the time the pollen is shed, there is no place for it to go. Also, pawpaw trees usually require pollen from a genetically different tree to be fertilized—they are self-incompatible. If the trees that are being planted are from grafts, they will not be genetically different. If they are from seedlings, they most likely will be different. Pawpaw trees may produce many suckers, forming clusters of cloned trees with poor fruit production.

Pawpaw flowers are small and reddish brown or maroon, appearing in early spring, before the trees leaf out, and have a slightly rotten smell to attract the beetles and flies that are their primary pollinators. At one time it was recommended to hang roadkill in pawpaw trees to attract these pollinators. Most of the recent articles I have read recommend hand pollination rather than roadkill to ensure good fruit set.

Pawpaw trees have few natural pests. The zebra swallowtail caterpillar, Protographium marcellus , can be considered a pest since it feeds on the young leaves, but, as the Kentucky State University report says, “the adult butterfly is of such great beauty that this should be thought more a blessing than a curse.”

So, how many pawpaw trees do you really need in order to produce fruit? You need two genetically different trees, except sometimes one is sufficient and sometimes two is not sufficient. Ongoing research is working to develop improved cultivars with greater fruit productivity and to increase genetic diversity. In the meantime, find a friend with a pawpaw tree and practice hand pollination. Or just sit back and enjoy the beautiful zebra swallowtails that come to your tree.

Read more about the pawpaw and its usefulness as a fruit tree and a butterfly host plant at Pawpaws And The Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly - Virginia Native Plant Society (vnps.org)

Meet Christina Ohlrogge

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 09:57:52 GMT

Christina had known our Speakers Bureau co-leader Kate Melhuish for a number of years and attended many monthly Good Gardening lectures at Pretlow Library. Finally in 2021, after taking the online Master Class series, she felt ready to take the “real” NMG training class in 2022 with the necessary commitment of her time slowly shifting from other community volunteer engagements to the environment and education through gardening.

Christina lived in Germany for many years before she moved to Norfolk in 2008 when her husband Ingo took a position in the history department at ODU. The family bought a house in Suburban Acres with a “green garden” including several native and non-native plants, like Christina’s four beloved river birches. Over the years she started to convert the lawn area more and more into a natural habitat for pollinators. She still strives to learn about natives and the best implementation into a suburban garden in zone 8A.

Christina enjoys her time at the Potager Garden, Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary, Ernie Morgan Center Eco Garden and the Significant Tree Program, and likes to keep up with those as well as venturing into community outreach and education programs.

Christina has degrees in Museum Studies and Interior Design and has a lifelong interest in architecture and landscape design. She enjoys her yearly summer trips to visit family in Germany taking advantage of the culture and food opportunities on both sides of the Atlantic.

Christina has a daughter and son-in-law up in Winchester with a baby grandson, as well as a son who’s now a junior at Granby High School.

When you see Christina, be sure to give her a shout out and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

Meet Beth Henderson

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 20:58:01 GMT

Beth Henderson was born in New Bedford, MA and as a child her family moved around a lot. Beth attended Brooklyn College and the University of California. Before moving to Norfolk she lived in Los Angeles, CA. She retired in 2020 and decided that due to the pandemic and a desire to be closer to loved ones, Beth moved to Norfolk to be near her youngest child and his family.

Beth wanted to become a Norfolk Master Gardener to “help save the planet, one person at a time!” She felt that the classes offered were excellent and that the instructors were great.

Beth participated in several projects to attain her fifty hours: the Zoo Garden, the Potager Garden, Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary, the plant sale and several community outreach programs.

Being new to the area and issues with the pandemic, she has not been able to investigate the area very much but she does like museums and the Chrysler Museum is a favorite. She thinks Norfolk Botanical Garden is beautiful and the rivers and beaches are amazing.

Her family consists of two sons and three grandchildren, as well as two red eye slider turtles that she has been caring for about 25 years.

When Beth is not participating in Norfolk Master Gardener activities she likes to cook, bake, sew, bead, dance, exercise and travel as much as possible.

When you see Beth, be sure to give her a shout out and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

The Mystery of the Plastic Volunteer

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 19:10:30 GMT

Gardeners worldwide are used to volunteers emerging from the ground. Most are the unwanted kind because for some reason the plants we don’t want in our gardens tend to be more robust than the plants we desire. Sometimes the volunteers are good plants and we can care for them where they sprout, or we can move them to a more desirable location. And then there is my volunteer: a dirt encrusted rectangular piece of plastic.

On Wednesday August 24th I was clearing a path behind the porta potty at Weyanoke Bird and Wildflower Sanctuary. When I pried a long thick root from the path my volunteer popped up with it. I wiped it off the best I could, only to discover that it was a Virginia Driver’s License. It was folded in half with one side being the license portion and the other side holding the photo. The license was embossed but illegible because of the dirt and the photo had disintegrated. I knew the license must have some age to it so I carried it home to see if I could clean it enough to read it. The mystery begins!

Working with an old toothbrush and a water hose I revealed that a 16-year-old Norfolk girl had received this license on 4/14/1972. The license expired 3/31/1976 so this license ended up in those Norfolk woods somewhere in those four years, over 2½ miles from the home where the girl lived. The woods belonged to Norfolk & Western Railway at the time. The Audubon Society was not gifted the land until 1979. So, for between 46 and 50 years that license had been in those woods before I found it!

When I got my license at age 16 it was my most prized possession. How did this girl get separated from hers license? Why was it there? Did she lose it? Was it taken from her? Was she in the woods because she wanted to be or was she a victim? Having watched too many CSI television shows over the years I began to wonder if I had uncovered a crime scene. I emailed my fellow NMG Weyanoke volunteers about my find. I gave them her name, her date of birth and her address (her SSN was also on the license!) hoping that perhaps one of them knew her or would want to help me find her. Would it even be possible to find the owner of a driver’s license that had been missing for 50 years? Is she still alive?

Karen Wilson jumped at the challenge. Through real estate records Karen learned the father’s name and she was able to find his 2008 obituary. At that point the mystery deepened. The name listed on the license was not listed as a predeceased or as a surviving child! Karen found a couple of phone numbers that she followed up and both were dead ends. I tried to find the mystery girl, who would now be a 66-year- old woman, on Facebook and Google without any luck. The father’s obituary said that he was a lifelong member of Larchmont UMC. Karen asked a friend, who is also a member of the church, if he knew the family and he did not. We assumed that the girl attended Maury High School and probably graduated in 1974. I searched some on-line Maury alumni pages without any luck. I made plans to post a notice on the Nextdoor App and for a drive to Doumar’s which has a bookcase full of local high school and college yearbooks.

I decided to try to contact one of the daughters listed in the 2008 obituary. She was a Norfolk resident in 2008 and if I could find her we might be able to clear up the mystery of her missing sister and the license. I found her via Google and she is a Norfolk real estate agent. I wrote her a note introducing myself, telling her of my mysterious find and asking if she knew the girl on the license. SHE was the girl on the license!!! She was astounded that I found her license that had been missing for 50 years!! I was relieved that she was alive and well. We exchanged a few more emails and made plans to meet for lunch.

On September 8th Karen and I met Betsy and her husband for lunch where we heard her side of the story. She had been at a boyfriend’s house on Spotswood Avenue when her car was broken into and her purse was stolen. She remembered being really mad and that she and her boyfriend searched around what was then known as Blue Bird Park for the missing purse. Her family never used her given name, the one on the license, always calling her by a nickname. That’s why neither the first or last name on the license was listed in the obituary.

License returned to its owner, mystery solved and a happy ending! But wait; if her whole purse was taken why wasn’t it with the license that I found? Hmmm? Time for a shovel and/or a metal detector? When I signed up for the Norfolk Master Gardener classes I expected to learn a lot about gardening. I didn’t expect to learn how to be a crime solving detective!

Maury High School Garden

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 19:34:21 GMT

The Maury High School Garden was created ten years ago to provide students with an opportunity to learn basic gardening practices and how to develop a wildlife habitat for butterflies and native bees. The garden is several interconnected projects and demonstrations located in the portion of the student parking lot that was used for drivers’ education and now stores some of the school buses. These garden projects range from square-foot gardening using discarded tires, spring and summer vegetables in raised beds, fruit trees, a chicken coop with six egg-laying hens, and a small apiary consisting of several beehives. Produce and eggs from the garden are donated to the students, staff of Maury High, and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.

Neal George is the Maury High teacher who guides the dedicated band of 20 to 30 students who help build, maintain, and improve the gardens. In June 2022 Neal was invited to speak to the Ghent Neighborhood League about how the neighborhood could help the school rebuild after several acts of vandalism which occurred during and after the COVID shutdown. After that informative presentation, I decided to help organize a joint Ghent Neighborhood League and Norfolk Master Gardener event to get the Maury garden up and running for the new year while teaching members of the neighborhood and students about basic gardening techniques. At the same time, the Neighborhood League requested donations of used gardening tools for the students.

In late August, a group of ten Norfolk Master Gardeners and seven students and neighborhood volunteers met to remove diseased plants from the vegetable beds, clear out the brush and weeds from the pollinator gardens, and prune the overgrown fruit tree located in one corner of the parking lot. Several Norfolk Master Gardeners were also residents of the local neighborhood. In addition to basic instruction on how to recognize squash borers and tomato worms provided by Jane Walsh, Susan Dudley and others, Monica Shephard demonstrated how to espalier a fruit tree, Will Redfern and I led volunteers in brush and weed removal and my team also rebuilt a stone border around the pollinator garden. After the event, Neal George expressed his sincere appreciation for the great work that was accomplished and for the large number of new and used tools that were donated.

Given the success of this initial event, plans are being made to conduct more events like this during the 2022-2023 school year. The intent is to provide the Maury High student gardeners with instruction on how to properly establish and maintain vegetable and pollinator gardens, how to care for fruit trees, and to familiarize the neighbors of Maury High School with the operation and maintenance of an urban chicken farm and apiary.

Planting Seeds for New Master Gardeners

Tue, 06 Sep 2022 00:04:40 GMT

Who inspired you to become a Norfolk Master Gardener?

Maybe it was a neighbor like Alice Hinsch (’15). In 2018, she spotted Kim Swecker pulling out privet in the yard of her new Colonial Place home. Alice introduced herself and while chatting with Kim introduced the idea of her becoming a Master Gardener. Since then, three Sweckers have become NMGs – Kim (’19), her son, Andrew (’19), and her husband, Mitch (’20).

Your gardening muse may have been a relative or long-time friend. Or, perhaps serendipitous encounters motivated you to apply for a training class as they did for Kim, Jammica Boone (’22), and me.

My random moment happened in 2019 when my husband, Ron, and I came to Maker’s Craft Brewery on the wrong night to meet his returned Peace Corps volunteer group. With no friends to visit with, we wandered over to watch two NMGs teach plant propagation. They invited us to join them and guided us through the basics of dabbing root hormone on jade leaves and planting them. In addition to talking about proper propagation, the friendly women asked if we were interested in becoming Master Gardeners.

We were happy to go home with new plants and knowledge. Turns out, I also went home with the idea of becoming a Master Gardener. Thanks to the volunteers getting my contact information, months later I received details about applying for the 2020 training class, which I did.

Note: If you were one of the plant-propagating NMGs at the brewery, please let me know so I can thank you.

Four random encounters inspired Jammica Boone to take the 2022 training class. She first heard of NMGs years ago from Keep Norfolk Beautiful staff members. They were praising Debora Mosher (’08) for leading the team that maintains the garden surrounding their office where Jammica volunteers.

Around 2017, Jammica met Paul “Ziggy” Ziegler (’13) and another NMG while pruning crape myrtles near Norfolk State University. Jammica works for EnviroPerks so “hands-on environmental volunteering was a good way for me to get more involved in my community,” she says.

Until the pruning event, “I had never held a pair of pruners ”Jammica recalls. “But, the men made me feel comfortable, taught me to prune and were so kind and cool.” They asked Jammica if she had thought of becoming a Master Gardener, and that question planted the seed in her head.

Note: Jammica would like to know the name of the other NMG who taught her about crape myrtle pruning so she can thank him.

Jammica’s third encounter was with Kim Swecker (’19) at a pollinator planting event in Colonial Place last year. Kim talked about Master Gardeners and encouraged Jammica to apply for the training class.

Jammica’s fourth encounter happened at the fall 2021 tree giveaway and plant sale at Lafayette Park, Jammica met Karen Wilson (’10), who was packing up leftover plants at the end of the event.

“This lady gave me a beautiful succulent in a wine glass to take home,” Jammica recalls. She also talked about Master Gardeners. By then, Jammica had applied for the 2022 class. Karen’s kindness reinforced her decision. When mentors were assigned to 2022 trainees, Jammica was paired with Karen and “instantly knew I had met her before and that she had given me the succulent on my window sill.”

Look around and you may spot potential candidates for future training classes. As ambassadors for NMG, we have the opportunity to help others understand what we do. And, you never know when a random encounter will inspire someone to apply for a training class.

Information sessions for the 2023 training class will be held via Zoom on September 20 and 21, and online training class applications will be available afterwards. They are due October 15. Here is signup information to share:

Tuesday, September 20, 2022 at 2 p.m. https://bit.ly/Sept20session

Wednesday, September 21, 2022 at 7 p.m. https://bit.ly/Sept21session

Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Gardens

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 21:33:32 GMT

I traveled to Oak Park, Illinois recently to see the world’s largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings – 25 of them. These early 20 ^th -century wonders are fascinating. And so are the Wright-inspired gardens and plant-filled urns that go with them.

Wright (1867-1959) grew up in the prairies of southwestern Wisconsin. His appreciation for fields of wheat and wildflowers influenced the 1,000 structures he designed during his seven-decade career.

Oak Park is where Wright made his early mark on architecture between 1889 and 1909. His stone, wood and brick buildings harmonize with their environment. Yellow walls mimic prairie grass colors, and stained-glass windows feature stylized tulips and hollyhocks as they frame the plants growing outside.

Wright moved to Chicago in 1887 at age 20 to start his architecture career. Jarred by the growing city, he found solace 10 miles away in rural Oak Park. He designed his first house there on a former plant nursery site and moved his family into it in 1889. Wright valued the property’s oak, tulip, hawthorn, and ginkgo trees and positioned his wood-shingled home to blend in with the landscape along newly paved Forest Avenue. In 1898, he added an office next door for his growing firm – incorporating a willow tree into the passageway that connected it to his home.

Today, several trees from Wright’s era flourish on the property – most notably huge ginkgo and hawthorn trees. Wright’s giant concrete urns burst with heliotrope, sweet potato vines, red fountain grass, and bacopa. Restored gardens around his home include snowball bushes, viburnum, and lilacs.

Guided tours take you through Wright’s former home and studio plus the nearby Unity Temple he designed. On self-guided walking tours an audio device highlights the exteriors of eight nearby Wright-designed homes nestled among ornate Victorian houses not designed by Wright. His homes look modern today and often feature built-in urns and window boxes cascading with plants.

There is a horticultural treat three blocks away from Wright’s home and studio – Austin Gardens. This 3.65-acre oasis boasts 285 trees and outdoor art on land donated by the Austin family in 1947 to become a permanent park. A Frank Lloyd Wright bust perches on a rock outside this woodland habitat planted in 1970. Benches and winding paths beckon visitors to admire the beauty of Joe Pye weed and shade-loving plants.

Throughout Oak Park, giant Wright-inspired urns along city streets showcase a riot of colorful plants. The city also is home to the Oak Park Conservatory built in 1929 to showcase exotic plants residents brought home from their travels. Concerned citizens saved the glass conservatory from the wrecking ball a few decades ago. It was renovated and boasts 3,000 plants in its Mediterranean, tropical and desert rooms and outdoors in two display gardens.

If you go:

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust offers paid tours of Wright’s home and studio and Unity Temple. Walking tours include audio devices for walking tours of nearby homes Wright designed that are privately owned. https://flwright.org/tours/oak-park

Austin Gardens is open daily from dawn to 10 p.m. and is free. https://pdop.org/parks-facilities/location/austin-gardens/

Oak Park Conservatory is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free. https://pdop.org/oakparkconservatory/

Meet Monica Shephard - Class of 2022

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 19:42:06 GMT

Monica was born in Bossier City, Louisiana and as part of an Air Force family, she moved frequently. In addition to Louisiana, she has lived in Puerto Rico, Ohio, North Carolina, Washington, Maryland, the DC area and Virginia. Her husband was in the Navy and they moved to Virginia when he was assigned to Naval Air Station, Oceana. They moved to Norfolk in 1999.

Monica has a BS in Civil Engineering and an MS in Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. She continued her education taking classes in contract law, finance, leadership, environmental sciences, management, cultures and more. She worked for the Department of Defense in many different career fields and retired in 2019.

Monica’s mother is a Master Gardener in Florida and her sister is a Master Gardener in Maryland. Her dad grew up on a farm in Georgia. Every place her family lived her father would rent a piece of land and plant a garden. She believes there is nothing better than biting into a tomato or pepper that has been warmed by the afternoon sun, or eating a freshly dug potato. For fifty years her mother won rave reviews for her garden and flowers. Monica’s maternal grandfather grew up in a farming community in Germany. He immigrated to the United States and kept a vegetable garden, a flower garden and an orchard his entire life. Monica states, “having a garden and being in the soil is as essential as breathing in my universe and is part of my DNA.” Studying and becoming a Master Gardener has been a desire for a long time.

Monica felt that the techniques used in the training classes to address COVID were brilliant. Suffering from a severe hearing impairment, she felt that the closed captioning in Zoom was a miracle. As Monica’s hearing has worsened, she has felt isolated and doubted that she could complete the training component. She even used the Zoom transcription when she was in the classroom. Monica thanks the entire technical team!

To attain her fifty hours Monica worked at the Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden, Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, Ernie Morgan Eco Garden, Crape Myrtle pruning, and several Community Outreach events. Her mentor, Mimi Rosenthal, suggested that she try as many projects as possible and she believes it was great advice.

Monica plans to continue working on a variety of projects which helps her with her personal project: rejuvenating the formal garden, pollinator garden, arboretum and water garden at the Fred Heutte Center. Monica and her husband, Scott, started that work in June of 2021 and continue to work on it almost every day. They were recently named to the board of the Friends of Fred Heutte Foundation. They want to continue to work in the beautification of South Hampton Roads and the preservation of the environment. In the past, many educational and horticultural programs have been sponsored by the Foundation to teach the art of growing and loving herbs and other plants. She believes there is a nexus between Master Gardener programs and the Foundation’s mission.

Monica and Scott have three handsome nephews and have strong relationships with them. They also have strong relationships with neighborhood children. Monica shares that it was a highlight when one of the children introduced her to friends as “My Monica.”

When Monica isn’t gardening in her home garden or FHC, she loves needlepoint, crewel embroidery, cross stitch, knitting, pickleball, making marbled eggs with polymer clay, and thinking about gardening. She and Scott have traveled extensively and hope to be able to travel again. They have two lovely rescue cats, Tabei (tawny ginger with golden eyes) that has been trained to harness and lead, and she says it is a “hoot” to watch Tabei walk Scott. Her other cat, Maeve (tortie with olive green eyes) is a chimera and is also starting to show interest in going outside. Monica is wondering if Maeve will accept a harness and lead, too. Both cats are two years old.

When you see Monica, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome Monica to Norfolk Master Gardeners.

“Open Gardens” Proposal

Mon, 01 Aug 2022 18:51:25 GMT

On a recent very hot Saturday morning, several Norfolk Master Gardeners in the Ghent and Ghent Square neighborhoods had an opportunity to open our gardens to a group of about a dozen Elizabeth River Trail cyclists — led by our own Jim Affeldt — who regularly organizes walking and biking tours like this one, in neighborhoods adjacent to the ERT.

This tour started with the Fred Heutte Center square-foot vegetable garden, and then proceeded to the nearby gardens of NMG members Anne Odell, Jean Harris and Steve Gunn, Marilyn Gowen, and Kindra Greene, and ending with mine.

In spite of the heat, it was fun to show and tell these visitors a little about what I’ve done and why I’ve done it in my tiny urban backyard. The other hosts felt the same way!

Meanwhile, building on Jim’s model, the Membership Committee has proposed organizing some similar opportunities for us to get to know each other in a new way: through a series of “open garden” mornings. We think it would be fun, educational, and would give us all a chance to swap ideas and learn about and appreciate each other’s diverse gardening interests.

How it might work: 6 to 10 NMGs who garden near some central area (Larchmont, Wards Corner, Azalea Gardens, etc) would agree to open their gates for fellow MGs to stop in during a specified time slot — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for example. We’d provide a list with addresses of the hosts, and everybody would be invited to visit as many of the open gardens as they like, in any order, by car, bike, or even on foot during that time.

If you think you’d like to participate in this “open garden” activity either as a host or a visitor (or both!) — and “for fun,” not for work or education hours — drop me a quick email at susdudley@gmail.com so that the Committee can gauge interest level and possibly get something like this organized.

We hope you’ll like the idea as much as we do!

Susan has kept a record of some of the challenges her garden has posed, along with some of the steps she’s taken to overcome or work around them. Not a requirement, but it worked out as an informative takeaway for the folks who stopped by. See the chart below - she can provide the template for this document on request.

The President's Post

Fri, 15 Jul 2022 20:58:47 GMT

A Big Second Quarter for the Norfolk Master Gardeners. This is the second in a series of quarterly posts from your current President about the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

The second quarter was a doozy for the Norfolk Master Gardeners!

First, we had a spectacular spring plant sale at the Hermitage in late March/early April. There were lots of Master Gardeners helping, there was a great turnout from the community, and we actually ran out of plants to sell. Best of all, we brought in record sales that will help finance our programs. Kudos to the Plant Sale Team and Co-Leads Connie Kellam and Susan Dudley, great job!

Next, our excellent Intern Training Class of 2022 graduated in mid-April. All 22 trainees who started the class completed the training and graduated, and many of them have already become Master Gardeners. It was evident by the end of the training class (which started on Zoom and then went hybrid about halfway through) that the Class of 2022 had the potential to be excellent Master Gardeners, with great energy and enthusiasm, a thirst for knowledge, and a commitment to serving the community. So far they have not disappointed. Welcome Class of 2022!

Third, our second Masterclass series for Norfolk Home Gardeners finished up, also in mid-April. This year we had 78 participants for the ten online sessions, a great number. This type of educational outreach falls squarely within our mission and is just outstanding work.

These two classes – the intensive Intern Training Class for incoming Master Gardeners and the other for the public, happened concurrently and occupied the time, energy and talents of a lot of our folks. Congratulations to all who were involved for making those run so smoothly.

Fourth, all of our projects are up running at full speed as of this spring, including a restart of the Zoo Cart project. This annual spring awakening is noteworthy in itself, but especially after the COVID shutdown. Congrats to all for your demonstrable commitment to making Norfolk a better place. We do, however, need to temper our exuberance with the precaution that COVID is still out there and we still need to take the necessary precautions.

Fifth, we have, for the first time, created a Development Committee as prescribed by our bylaws. Its main function is to coordinate plants sales and other fundraising activities, and it has started with a bang with several plant giveaways that have raised some money via contributions but more importantly given us some visibility in the community. Thanks to Anna Thurmond and Susan Dudley for leading this committee.

Lastly, we finished the quarter on a note of change as our Agent Chris Epes announced his last day was July 5. While he is the only Agent I have experienced as a Norfolk Master Gardener, I thought he did a terrific job for us, a sentiment shared by many of our more seasoned perennials. I know Kate Melhuish will do a great job for us as Master Gardener Coordinator as we await the next Agent. I am reminded every single day of the commitment all of us share in volunteering and improving our community, and hence I firmly believe that our organization will remain strong and together in the face of whatever changes are in store.

Our next big project is the construction and management of the greenhouse, which is a wonderful opportunity for us. We really need your help on this so please respond to Joey’s email if you would like to participate.

Philly’s Claim to Gardening Fame

Tue, 12 Jul 2022 18:00:25 GMT

Philadelphia is famous for the Liberty Bell, cheesesteaks, Rocky, the Philadelphia Flower Show, brotherly love, and fanatical sports fans.

But, did you know it also is renowned as America’s Garden Capital?

I just learned this factoid in June despite my hundreds of visits with Philadelphia area in-laws. I am thrilled that 38 gardens within 30 miles of the city are open to the public – more than half of them free to visit.

In 1989, these gardens united as the Philadelphia Area Gardens. Their joint marketing campaign now draws more than 2 million annual visitors. In 2013, the American Public Gardens Association designated the region as America’s Garden Capital for its horticultural history and number of gardens. That designation led to the 2019 debut of the America’s Garden Capital passport at the Philadelphia Flower Show.

Over the decades, I have visited Longwood Gardens and a few other gardens near Philadelphia. But, I did not realize the scope of the region’s horticulture scene until picking up a pocket-sized green passport this spring. I discovered this free booklet at the 35-acre Chanticleer garden in Wayne.

Norfolk Master Gardener Robin Franklin grew up in Philadelphia in a horticulture-loving family that lived near Morris Arboretum at the University of Pennsylvania. So, she has long known her home region boasts “so many amazing gardens it is hard not to stumble upon them. You could spend a month touring all of them.”

For visitors like me, the passport simplifies garden touring. It highlights each garden on a page that lists its size, admission details, key features, and physical and web addresses and also includes a color photo. The passport opens with a map of gardens, which are indexed by location -- Brandywine Valley, Bucks County, Main Line and Delaware County, Montgomery County, New Jersey, and Philadelphia. In the back are blank squares to stamp and date garden visits.

The oldest garden is Bartram’s Garden, founded in 1728 by Quaker botanist John Bartram, a pioneer in collecting native plants and importing ornamentals. This 45-acre Philadelphia botanical garden and public park along the Schuylkill River is a National Historic Landmark. It is the oldest botanical garden in the United State and contains the oldest living ginkgo tree in North America – one planted in 1785.

In June, my family and I picked two Main Line passport gardens to explore -- Chanticleer in Wayne and Appleford in Villanova. Chanticleer, which Robin calls her favorite Philly area garden, started as a family estate in 1913 and opened to the public in 1993. It bills itself as a 35-acre pleasure garden with numerous microclimates ranging from an arid gravel garden to Asian woods, a pond garden and a meadow of wheat accented by red poppies and blue bachelor buttons. Handy plant lists in each specialty garden inspire visitors to gain ideas for enhancing their home gardens.

Appleford, which was part of a land grant from William Penn in the 1600s, has 24 acres and opened to the public in 1973. Its hallmarks are a boxwood maze, rose garden, arboretum and water-loving plants surrounding a pond and stream.

I can’t wait to hop on a northbound Amtrak train or drive up Route 13 to see more Philly area gardens, fill out my passport and, of course, visit my in-laws.

Learn more : Visit http://americasgardencapital.org to check out all 38 of the Philadelphia area gardens and download a digital passport. This website includes links for specialized tours such as to see Asian gardens, children’s gardens, arboretums or botanical gardens.

Meet Benjamin Potts - Class of 2022

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 17:38:22 GMT

Ben is a Norfolk native graduating from Granby High School and earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Old Dominion University. After college Ben worked at a filling station (in the days when you didn’t have to pump your own gas), worked in the construction industry building homes and worked in a Methodist orphanage in Naples, Italy for three months while waiting for a career opportunity. In other words, Ben had a typical work history in the late 1970s for someone who had a degree in Philosophy.

His career began at a 100-year-old Norfolk wholesale hardware company where he worked for 28 years until the business closed. The last twelve years of his career was spent as manager of four small local retail hardware stores.

Ben has been a long-time member of the Norfolk Botanical Garden and has taken many of the horticulture classes that were offered. He heard about the Norfolk Master Gardener program through instructors/employees and they sparked his interest in becoming a Norfolk MG.

Due to the pandemic, some of the 2022 class members preferred meeting via Zoom while others felt comfortable meeting in person. The instructors successfully created a hybrid class offering both options, except for project presentations and graduation which were in person. Ben believes the instructors had a hard job but he couldn’t ask for a better group of people to coordinate the classes.

To attain his fifty hours, Ben worked at a variety of projects including the Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden, the East Ocean View Children’s Garden, the Zoo Garden, Ernie Morgan Center Eco Garden, Weyanoke Bird and Wildlife Sanctuary, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership/Celebrating Resilience and the plant sale at the Hermitage. Since attaining his fifty hours, he has added the Significant Tree Program, the Native Dune Plant Demonstration Garden, wrote an article for the Germinator Blog and the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden. His favorites though are Weyanoke because of all the wildlife it supports and the Potager Garden because it is part of the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Ben’s focus for his future NMG work will focus on native plants because they are important to the survival of many species, increasing the tree canopy in the city, and increasing the number of living shorelines.

When Ben isn’t gardening, he likes bicycling and hiking. He would like to travel more and return to his Tai-Chi classes.

Ben was fortunate to have been born into a loving and supportive family, but as he has gone through life he has become part of other families: a church family, a scholastic family, his coworker family, a cycling family, a running club family, a Tai-Chi family, a hiking family, and now his NMG family.

Ben has hinted that he cycled from Oregon to Yorktown, VA in l976. It would be interesting to hear that story and hopefully Ben will share his adventure with us at some time in the future.

When you see Ben, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome him to NMGA.

Crape Myrtle Pruning Brings Joy

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 09:54:14 GMT

Roy Gregory got a happy surprise on his 87 ^th birthday on June 16 – learning that in two days volunteers would prune crape myrtles in his Larchmont neighborhood.

Norfolk Master Gardener Judy Davis, a neighbor from three blocks away Roy did not know, delivered the good news that NMGs and the Larchmont-Edgewater Civic League were joining forces for the pruning.

Roy has lived in his Larchmont home since 1935 and worried about overgrown crape myrtles on city property but wasn’t sure how to help the unruly trees. Pointing across the street, he noted “crape myrtle suckers at least eight feet high.”

Judy and I helped recruit neighborhood volunteers for the June 18 pruning event in various ways, including delivering flyers Judy created to homes along streets that Crape Myrtle Pruning Project Leaders Paulette Crawford and Ginger Farrell identified as needing attention.

“Roy was so thrilled and came right over to tell me about the pruning,” said Roy’s neighbor Liz Paiste, who had heard about the event online through the civic league electronic newsletter and nextdoor.com. “For Roy, who does not use the Internet, it was like learning that Christmas was coming,” Liz said.

Roy was only four months old when he moved into the white clapboard Colonial Williamsburg-style house his father built. He recalls six crape myrtles getting planted in the 1940s on the verge around his home.

In three hours on a sunny Saturday, 14 Norfolk Master Gardeners and 16 neighborhood volunteers pruned 164 trees on the east side of Larchmont, including those along Roy’s property. Steven Traylor, city forester, taught safety techniques and loaned pruning tools, yellow vests and safety goggles. He also brought a city crew to promptly gather tree cuttings. Master Gardeners taught proper techniques as they led small teams of volunteers to prune along streets mapped by Paulette and Ginger.

Pruning volunteers like K.T. Vick, who has two young two crape myrtles in front of his home, liked the “sense of community and learning how to keep our neighborhood’s precious crape myrtles in good shape.”

Mike Crockett, civic league vice president, said he is “so glad I participated.” He enjoyed learning to prune while chatting with neighbors “I’d never met before who only live a block or two away.” He appreciated “random people walking past thanking us for making things look better.” Crockett hopes the civic league and NMG can team up again to beautify another part of the neighborhood. Its 2,300-plus homes are bordered by thousands of crape myrtles.

NMG intern Ellis Jones, a Larchmont resident whose 2022 class project focused on crape myrtles, continues to make his neighborhood look better. He and another newly trained pruning volunteer have taught several neighbors proper techniques. They recently worked as a team to prune 14 overgrown crape myrtles on their block.

These before and after photos of the same tree show the enormous improvement their work made. The neighbors trimmed and bundled all those cuttings, ready for city yard waste pickup.

Meet Judy Davis - Class of 2022

Thu, 30 Jun 2022 00:14:54 GMT

Judy is originally from upstate New York and grew up in New York and Pennsylvania. Her husband is a retired naval officer so they moved in and out of Norfolk during his career and decided to make Norfolk their home after his retirement. Judy retired in 2020 after 40 years in education (20 at the college level and the last 15 years at Norfolk Collegiate as a teacher and curriculum director).

Judy’s mother and grandparents were avid gardeners, so she grew up gardening. Judy and her husband continued that tradition through their many Navy moves, gardening in containers or raised beds in a variety of apartments, houses and military housing. Judy wanted to become a master gardener to learn more about the science of horticulture and to combine her interest in gardening with her love of teaching and volunteer work.

Judy’s favorite part of the classes was the deep knowledge that all of the lecturers were able to share with the class. She felt that she gained so much knowledge every week and yet she felt there was so much more to learn. Judy thought the teaching team was extraordinary, smoothly transitioning from Zoom to hybrid and finally to in-person due to the pandemic. She thought they did a good job of building community among the class members and for that reason the class has remained in touch with each other via Facebook and monthly get-togethers.

To attain her fifty hours Judy began working at the Potager Garden and helping with the Li’l Sprouts garden at St. Patrick Catholic School. She joined the group at the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, helped with the plant sale, the Hermitage Earth Day celebration and the Zoo’s Party for the Planet. She also participated in several Urban Ag projects, crape myrtle pruning events and the Dune Garden.

After completing her intern hours Judy has continued to be a part of the regular work group at the Potager Garden, Li’l Sprouts, Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, crape myrtle pruning and the Dune Garden. She especially enjoys growing vegetables and working with children, but is also learning from projects like the Dune Garden, which was a totally new experience for her as a gardener.

Judy’s family includes her husband, two grown sons and daughters-in-law, three young granddaughters and a grandson due in August. They have an adorable grand-dog, Moxie, who is a Boston Terrier.

When Judy isn’t gardening, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling and playing Mah Jongg.

When you meet Judy, please be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardener Association.

Jewels in the Heart of New York

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 08:44:39 GMT

Clanging jackhammers and honking cars assaulted my ears during a recent New York City trip. But after walking up five steps and into Greenacre Park, I hear only the rush of a 25-foot waterfall and babbling of a manmade brook. Even the jackhammer noise next door vanishes.

Smaller than a tennis court, this plant-filled park on East 51 ^st Street is home to 12 honey locust trees plus Japanese maples, star magnolias and a Japanese umbrella pine. Planters of blooming azaleas, pansies and hydrangea invite walkers to enter what a sign calls a “private park for public enjoyment.”

This spring’s Advanced Master Gardener Regional Training focused on parks and inspired me to look beyond museums and explore the city’s green spaces. Central Park is fabulous, but so are small parks scattered around the city. My favorite garden jewels are Greenacre Park in Midtown and Jefferson Market Garden in Greenwich Village.

During eight days in Manhattan, I failed to keep a brisk New York pace while my friend and I walked 12 miles daily between subway rides. As we roamed from Harlem to the Lower East Side, green spaces beckoned me to pause and admire greenery thriving in a city estimated to be 90% concrete.

Greenacre Park – sandwiched in East Midtown between a synagogue and an apartment building – was across from my hotel. It was funded by Abby Rockefeller Mauze’s Greenacre Foundation and designed by Hideo Sasaki, former chair of Harvard’s Department of Landscape Architecture. The park, which replaced a store and garage, opened in 1971 with evergreen and seasonal flowers that fulfill Mauze’s wish for a place to “find moments of serenity in a busy world.” The pocket park has won numerous awards, is on the National Register of Historic Places and is maintained by Greenacre Foundation staff.

Three miles south in Greenwich Village, Jefferson Market Garden blooms in a triangle between 6th Avenue, Greenwich Avenue and West 10 ^th Street. A farm market gave way in the 1930s to the 11-story Women’s House of Detention whose inmates included actress Mae West.

After the prison was demolished in 1971, residents lobbied for the 0.4-acre spot to become a community garden. They were victorious, and in 1975 the first flowers bloomed in a park designed by landscape architect Pamela Berdan. The city owns the land, but volunteers maintain the garden and its greenhouse. They emphasize organic practices and perennial plants.

Bird houses dangle from star magnolias, dogwoods and weeping birch trees while flowers embrace a circular path dotted with benches. Something is always in bloom -- from witch hazel and snow drops in the winter to azaleas and roses in the spring, and wildflowers in the summer. Bird watchers have spotted more than 40 varieties, including downy woodpeckers and black-and-white warblers. A koi pond and fountain help birds stay hydrated.

Jefferson Market Garden’s mission is “to provide stewardship for a beautiful garden where the community and visitors can enjoy tranquil surroundings in our hectic urban environment.”

Greenacre Park at 217 E. 51 ^st Street is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April through December. https://greenacrepark.org

Jefferson Market Garden at 10 Greenwich Avenue is open from 10 am. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday from April through October. https://www.jeffersonmarketgarden.org

Here is a list of gardens to discover when you visit New York City: https://blog.gardenuity.com/a-guide-to-the-secret-gardens-of-nyc/

Shemitah Garden Year

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 16:48:02 GMT

At the beginning of this Sabbatical year questions emerged about how to observe Shemitah in the Eco Judaism gardens at Ohef Sholom Temple.

A Sabbatical or Shemitah Year is the final year of the seven-year agricultural cycle prescribed in the Old Testament. During this year the soil is allowed time to rest. No new planting is supposed to be done. These are some of the questions that we wondered about:

Do we allow the garden to go wild or do limited care of them?

What will happen when the soil is left alone?

How will Eco Judaism use the time?

In answer to the first question, we decided that we would not plant new plants although we will transplant plants that are in the wrong place. We will have the soil tested and put down compost to improve it. We will harvest the food that had been planted. We will not leave the garden to go wild and allow weeds to reseed.

So far, we have observed both expected and unexpected changes. First the nonedible (poisonous when eaten) Sweet Peas, Lathyrus odoratus, from last year surprised us by self-seeding or volunteering. Besides their fragrant and lovely blossoms, Sweet Peas are nitrogen fixers. Most living things need nitrogen to live. There is an abundance of nitrogen in the air, but most living things are unable to use it in that form. Plants get their nitrogen through the soil. We get nitrogen from eating plants. That means that nitrogen must get into the soil to be used by the plants and then by us. Some plants such as those in the legume genus, like beans, peanuts, peas, alfalfa, and clover are nitrogen fixers. This means that these plants provide shelter, in the form of root nodules for the nitrogen-producing bacteria that are in the soil to live in. Some of these nitrogen-fixing plants are intentionally planted by farmers to enrich their soil. These plants are plowed under leaving the roots and stored nitrogen in the soil.

We had a few turnips, kale, and bok choi that bolted (bloomed) and had bright yellow blossoms. Those were removed after the pollinators finished enjoying their nectar. We harvested and shared the horseradish with religious school students in time for Passover. Some weeds, especially chickweed, (Stellaria media) which is edible, henbit (Lamium amplexicaule), pig weed (Amaranthus retroflexus), annual blue grass (Poa annua), hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta) and common wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), both are edible, have come up. Bittercress and wood sorrel spread their seeds through ballistic dispersal or by catapulting them out. We are keeping the weeds in control through mulching, hoeing and hand weeding.

We are currently focused on soil improvement, workshops, education, and planning. We are also working on plant supports, trimming and pruning, replanting the horseradish for next year in containers, and growing sunflowers in containers.

This may be a Shemitah year but there is still a lot to do since a garden always needs attention and always has a new surprise for us when we visit.

Editorial Note: Jackie is the Eco Judaism Co-chair at Ohef Sholom Temple.

Meet C.C. Reid – Class of 2020

Sat, 04 Jun 2022 22:23:26 GMT

C.C.’s family are Norfolk natives, however, she was born in Detroit and returned to Norfolk as an infant.

Meet Susan Bohache – Class of 2022

Sat, 04 Jun 2022 22:22:56 GMT

Susan and her husband relocated to Norfolk from Virginia Beach sixteen years ago and now reside in a small condo overlooking a finger of Colley Bay. They garden on their deck and love being Norfolkians.

Meet Vickie Reid–Class of 2022

Fri, 27 May 2022 09:34:20 GMT

When Vickie Reid attained the designation of Norfolk Master Gardener, she was able to check an item off her bucket list! Vickie has an aunt who is a Master Gardener and she enjoys discussing plants with her. It’s something she has wanted to do for a long time, but waited for retirement to do it.

Vickie is originally from Mishawaka, Indiana and attended Mishawaka High School. After high school she attended Purdue University before marrying her husband in 1985. Her husband was serving in the United States Navy and that is what brought Vickie to Norfolk.

As a member of the Class of 2022, classes started via Zoom, but Vickie was thrilled when they were able to attend classes in person and she was able to meet her classmates. Vickie describes her classmates as a diverse and knowledgeable “bunch,” and she has learned a lot from them.

Vickie volunteered for a variety of projects to attain her fifty hours and she is having a hard time deciding her favorites. She worked at the Maritime Sand Dune Forest, the Fred Heutte Square Foot Garden, the plant sale at the Hermitage, the Children’s Garden at East Ocean View, the Native Dune Demonstration Garden, the Ernie Morgan Eco Garden, the Zoo Garden, Weyanoke, Ask a Master Gardener and attended several set-up meetings for the Norfolk Botanical Garden Interpreter Program. She feels she is still learning and she volunteers for as many projects as she can fit in her schedule. Vickie is most interested in restoring our green spaces to promote a healthier planet for all living things.

Vickie lives with her husband who keeps all her tools in great repair and her Shih-tzu that likes to lay in the shade and watch her work. Her two daughters visit her garden when they get a break from their busy lives for photography and inspiration. When Vickie isn’t gardening, she likes quilting and scrapbooking.

When you see Vickie, be sure to introduce yourself and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardener Association.

Not Just The P

Tue, 17 May 2022 21:55:01 GMT

As I walked through my yard today to see what the incessant wind and rain had wrought,

I realized how similar people and plants really are. Both people and plants thrive when they are cared for. When either do not receive proper care neither can develop to their fullest potential. Some plants are bullies in the garden; some people are bullies whether it be on social media or in real life. (Social media is not real life!) Some people are considered high maintenance; so are some plants. Some plants appear where you don’t want them. All of us, in school or at our job, have had classmates or coworkers who we could have done without.

As I examined my Eastern Red Columbine I thought of all the times I had seen it in bloom at Weyanoke; beautiful, dangling, and dainty. Today, for the first time, I bent down and flipped the flower upside down to reveal a completely different look! Sometimes we form our opinion of people from our first impression, never bothering to really get to know them. It’s important to learn about both people and plants to achieve the best results in our relationships and in our gardens.

When I looked at my 7-foot-tall Inkberry Holly I noticed tiny white flowers. It was the first time I had noticed flowers on it since I planted it six years ago. For the most part it is a nondescript native shrub. There are people in our lives that are quiet and shy. It’s worth getting to know these people and seeing what they have to bring to a friendship. Plants do not have to be showy to be of value; neither do people.

So the similarity of people and plants is not just the first letter of each word. Not only do we coexist but we are codependent. We need to garden like our lives depend on it!

Administrative Professionals Day - 2022

Wed, 04 May 2022 17:31:58 GMT

April 27 at the VCE office started off as a day like many others, with the occasional Norfolk Master Gardener dropping in to make copies of handouts or to pick up a sign or tablecloth. So our own Unit Administrative Professional (frequently referred to as UAP) LaShaunda Enoch seemed to think nothing of it when several NMGs converged on the office in late morning. LaShaunda was recently back from a week-long VCE training session in Harrisonburg, where she learned about “Everything!” but mostly the ins and outs of VCE financial reporting.

On this day, Will Redfern kept her busy pushing out multiple printouts for the upcoming Believe in Learning educational outreach events organized with the City of Norfolk. (Stay tuned for more on Norfolk Master Gardener participation in these shortly after Believe in Learning Week, May 7-14.) Barb Wilson arrived at the office loaded down with an assortment of items to drop off. Among those was a vase of cheerful Gerbera Daisies that she and Kim Swecker managed to smuggle past LaShaunda’s desk.

At last, all was ready. Turns out that a delegation from the Steering Committee was on hand to present LaShaunda with the floral tribute as well as a gift card to Panera and a card signed on behalf of all the Norfolk Master Gardeners. Thank you, LaShaunda, for all you do to support NMGs and our many projects!

Guatemalan Garden

Tue, 12 Apr 2022 17:57:44 GMT

I recently spent eight glorious days living in a garden in Guatemala – land of eternal spring.

This garden paradise near San Marcos la Laguna surrounds the home of author Joyce Maynard, who taught the memoir writing workshop I attended.

I was among 10 women writers living at Joyce’s home and spending our days in her garden improving our writing. Being a professional writer and admiring Joyce’s work for decades, I vowed to attend one of the workshops she has hosted for 20 years at Casa de Joyce.

Gardeners, Miguel and Mateo, kept busy watering, pruning and training vines into hearts and other shapes. Rainy season runs from May to October and brings daily deluges and what Joyce describes as an incredible greening of the garden.

Growing in the garden’s volcanic soil are giant versions of familiar house plants -- ficus, philodendrons and crotons. Interspersed in this riot of color are exotic plants like the blue jade vine. Much of Casa de Joyce’s garden is shady. But in a sunny spot near the lake, kale, herbs, oranges and other crops flourish and made their appearance at our meals.

Enjoy the photos below!

If you need a moment of Zen, check out the garden video:

Video and original music by Xiren Wang

The President's Post

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 23:59:04 GMT

The Communications Committee

This is the first in a series of quarterly posts from your current President about the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

Many of you may not know that the Norfolk Master Gardener Association has a committee called the Communications Committee. The mission of the Communications Committee is still evolving, but nevertheless crucial. Basically, it is charged with promoting our work and our mission to the public in a way that complements our operational side, which consists of our many projects. In short, its role is to advertise and publicize what we do, to communicate to the public, and present our best face to all. This committee also takes care of internal communications to our own members, e.g. our terrific Germinator Blog.

For example, one of the key members is Michael Cole, our website administrator from my own infamous Class of 2018. Talk about our best face forward, Michael makes sure the website is exactly that. Another member is Kim Swecker (Class of 2019), our current vice-president, who manages our monthly “ Let’s Grow Together ” newsletter. We’ve been sending out this short monthly newsletter for Norfolk residents since August of last year and now have a database of over 1000 active emails. Great outreach. Let’s Grow Together has a This Month in the Garden feature written by Tensaie Fesshaye (Class of 2019); for his articles, Tensaie draws on his wealth of knowledge from his work as a Horticulturalist for Norfolk Botanical Garden. Another member is Barb Wilson (Class of 2007), who in addition to her many Master Gardener roles, also updates our Facebook and Instagram page.

The Communications Committee is chaired by Jill Lewis (Class of 2017), who somehow manages to keep it all going, for there can be sharp differences of opinion and vigorous but healthy debate over how to approach the various issues presented. Other members of the committee include Kate Melhuish (Class of 2004), Kay Egan (Class of 2011), Joey Rothgery (Class of 2013), Eileen Ballance (Class of 2015), Anna Thurmond (Class of 2017), Kathryn Bush (also an Infamous Class of 2018 alum), and Chris Schweitzer (Class of 2020). There is also an editorial sub-committee to review work before it is published. Overall, the committee’s members represent a great blend of long-time Master Gardeners with lots of knowledge about our organization and newer members with a different take.

Practically speaking, the committee is very important in a number of ways and can be especially useful to project leaders who need to get the word out to the public about various activities. When we wanted to recruit for both the 2022 Training Class and the 2022 Masterclasses for Norfolk Home Gardeners, the committee was a big help in devising a plan of attack: drafting press releases and flyers, and then pushing the word out through Next Door, city officials, civic league leaders, social media, and other avenues. Another example: when we started the Urban Agriculture Team last year, one of the critical things we needed (and still need) is to publicize this great program and all its possible benefits. The committee helped put together the flyer, helped with drafting some critical emails, put the word out on our website, social media and monthly newsletter, and continues to help organize the advertising campaign.

The work of the Communications Committee is critical to how we function as an organization. Please join me in recognizing and applauding the good work they do!

Partnerships are the Best!

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 17:53:31 GMT

The Potager Garden has been a vital component of the Norfolk Botanical Garden for several years.

It remains a great avenue for the public to learn about growing their own vegetables, potatoes, herbs, and other food sources in their own backyard. This area of the garden wouldn’t be as lively and fresh without the help of our Norfolk Master Gardeners! They not only help grow and maintain a beautiful kitchen garden but provide an excellent interpretive service to the public about which foods they have growing at the moment and how the public can grow them at home as an excellent source of sustainable living. We also have NMGs helping our Horticulture team in various locations around the garden, at the Butterfly House, and now there’s renewed interest in the Garden Interpreter project. For this, Master Gardeners would be stationed at various sections of the gardens, usually on weekends, where they can engage with the public and provide information pertaining to that part of the garden.

Norfolk Master Gardeners contributed over 930 volunteer hours to NBG in 2021. All of us at the Norfolk Botanical Garden thank the Norfolk Master Gardeners for their service, and we hope to continue our great relationship for many years to come.

Norfolk Master Gardeners at NBG's Volunteer Appreciation Banquet on February 23, where food, fellowship and flowers were the order of the day. Shown are Chris Schweitzer, Kate Melhuish, Marcia Oubre, Cathleen Owen, Larry Passwaters, Peter Hatchard, and Chris Kroll – just a few of the NMGs who contributed their time and talents in 2021.

Spring Beauty

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 12:43:16 GMT

Claytonia virginica

“Look, it is finally here!” This exclamation comes from Norfolk Master Gardeners when first observing a noticeably quiet flower, Spring Beauty, which announces that spring is finally here. The plant is difficult to find, because it is nestled between the decaying leaves and twigs and is only 6 – 16 inches high.

The flowers are showy and delicate, forming inside clumps of long, linear smooth dark green leaves that appear like grass. Nestled inside the opposite pair of leaves is a star-like flower that has five light pink petals with dark pink veins. The name is the most appropriate: Spring Beauty. Since it disappears in the early summer the plant is called an ephemeral that will quickly bloom and seed before the canopy of trees overhead leaf out. The dark leaves continue to grow after blooming, then “poof” they are gone for another year.

Spring Beauty grows by underground corms that have a sweet, chestnut-like flavor which Native Americans and colonists used for food. Many early emerging insects also find food in the form of nectar and pollen. The Andrenid bee, Andrena erigeniae , is a specialist pollinator of Spring Beauty. Other well-known insects that visit this plant include honeybees, bumble bees, little carpenter bees and of course small flies. The fruits are small pods that mature after flowering and will self sow.

Now a little history. Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist who formalized the binomial nomenclature. This is the modern two-name system of naming organisms. John Clayton (1686-1773) lived and worked in Gloucester County Virginia and was one of the earliest collectors of native Virginia plants. His work was published in the first Flora Virginica . Due to his work in the New World, Linnaeus designated the scientific name of Spring Beauty, Claytonia virginica , in his honor.

Meet Connie Kellam

Sun, 27 Feb 2022 20:11:14 GMT

Connie is a Project Leader for the Norfolk Master Gardener Plant Sale and Spring Festival.

Her passion: Growing flowers and teaching others about the joys of gardening – especially her grandchildren.

Her background: Connie grew up in Norfolk. As a child, Connie admired her two grandmothers’ love of gardens – one a dig-in-the-dirt gardener and the other who would dress up in the morning with hat and gloves to cut flowers and arrange them.

Connie, who graduated from St. Andrews University in Laurenberg, NC, has taught 10 ^th grade English and helped run Ware Insurance, her family’s business. She is the mother of four adult children and grandmother of 10.

After living in Virginia Beach for 40 years, Connie and her husband, Edwin, moved to Norfolk’s Lochhaven neighborhood 10 years ago. In addition to being an active Master Gardener, Connie is president of the Garden Club of Norfolk, arranges flowers for Church of The Good Shepherd, and is a member of the Lochhaven Garden Club.

Why she became a Master Gardener in 2018: Connie was a Virginia Beach Master Gardener 20 years earlier. She took the Norfolk Master Gardener course to learn more about horticulture and get engaged in her hometown. “I have learned you can never know it all when it comes to gardening,” she says.

Her Master Gardener involvement: Connie is a Project Leader for the March 31-April 1 Norfolk Master Gardener Plant Sale and Spring Festival at the Hermitage Museum & Gardens. She has worked with previous Norfolk Master Gardener plant sales, is a Hermitage garden docent, and has been on the Significant Tree team.

Connie’s home garden: Flowers make Connie happy, and she “wants to see flowers everywhere.” Something blooms in her garden 12 months out of the year. “I am constantly buying and trying new plants and moving them around. I can never pass up a plant,” Connie says.

Meet Will Redfern

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 17:09:12 GMT

New president Will Redfern and former president Anna Thurmond

His passion : Making a difference and improving our community – primarily through education.

His background : Will grew up in Norfolk and is a second-generation Norfolk Master Gardener. His mother, Anne Redfern, who passed away in 2020 was in the first NMG class in 1988.

Will graduated from the University of North Carolina, earned a law degree from the University of Virginia and a doctorate in Southeast Asian studies from the University of Michigan. He worked in New York City and Singapore before teaching in Michigan and at several Virginia colleges. He moved back to Norfolk in 2014 to help care for older relatives.

Why he became a Master Gardener in 2018 : Will says he “understood it was a great way togive back to the community and do something good for the environment by greening up Norfolk and educating the public in an environmentally sound way.”

His Master Gardener involvement : In addition to having served as NMG’s first vice president, Will worked on the 2020 training committee and co-led 2021’s new online master class series. He volunteers at the Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden, the Native Dune Garden at East Beach, and the Virginia Zoo Garden. He has filmed at least 15 episodes in the Gardening with Gill video series where veteran gardener Gill Gillespie shares tips for successful vegetable gardening.

Will has earned his Advanced Water Steward certification and volunteers with waterways programs. He recently helped reformulate NMG’s Urban Agriculture Program to help Norfolk residents improve their vegetable gardens.

Goals for NMG : “I would like to see us do more resilience-related work and do more with vegetable production to help with food insecurity.”

Will’s home garden : He focuses on growing vegetables but also is working to grow more pollinator and native plants and to cultivate a shade garden.

Holiday Luncheon Recap

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:43:07 GMT

A few words about some great work: as President for 2020 and 2021, I was confronted with some unusual situations. It became apparent early on that everything was going to be done differently, and many times I wondered if we would be able to accomplish much as Master Gardeners in the traditional way.

Needless to say, we all adapted and continued with our goals. A few individuals found creative ways to keep our goal of educating the public, and others worked tirelessly to keep us up to date on changes and ways of staying connected as a group. It was important to recognize those members who played a huge role in keeping us successful.

For those who did not attend the December luncheon, I have included the presented awards.

MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Our way of meeting and conducting business came to a screeching halt due to the pandemic.

When changes happen to our usual way of doing things, some people have a hard time coming up with a solution and then making that solution work.

Thankfully that is not the case with this Master Gardener. With a whole load of responsibilities to deal with on her plate routinely, this volunteer found a solution and then taught us how to use it successfully. We called upon her time and time again to solve problems, schedule more and more meetings, have rehearsals, edits, closed captioning, and on and on, the list goes. She met every request with a smile and a positive attitude. Knowing how to make a video or submit an application with pictures for an award, this person was always available and said, “I’ll take care of it, no worries.” A volunteer with this dedication and can-do attitude is truly worthy of this award.

It is an honor and privilege to present the MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD FOR 2021 TO …………… JOEY ROTHGERY

Anna Thurmond, Joey Rothgery and Chris Epes

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD – BARB WILSON

This person is the backbone and glue of this organization. She answers our questions and keeps us on track. She is always willing to help us when we fear stepping into something new. Better Impact required a lot of work to get the system ready to use. Please be as kind to her as she has been to us...Hours for 2021 were to have been entered by January 5 ^th of this year.

Barb Wilson, we are so lucky to have you as our Secretary, and we proudly recognize you for your outstanding service to NMG.

Anna Thurmond, Chris Epes and Barb Wilson

OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD – KATE MELHUISH AND WILL REDFERN

When times were bleak, and we couldn’t have a training class or plant sale, and we all wondered if the pandemic was going to wipe us out financially, these two individuals on the Training Committee came up with a brilliant and successful idea, “Master Classes for public education.” It was an instant success, with 320 signing up for the series. Now the hard work had to be done: Getting speakers, zoom rehearsals, arranging and rearranging schedules, edits, all of which consumed many hours. Master Classes were months of hard work and dedication for Kate and Will to pull all of this together. This endeavor generated $7,429 on Eventbrite. We have them to thank for keeping us going financially during a very uncertain time.

Kate and Will, we are so grateful for your outstanding service to NMG.

Will Redfern, Chris Epes and Kate Melhuish

HIGHLIGHTS OF SPECIFIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS: CHUCK GIBSON EMERITUS STATUS

Advanced MG Water Steward - Stormwater management project at Knitting Mill Creek community garden which resulted in a rain garden. Lafayette Wetlands Partnership Sharing Shed, where Norfolk residents can check out tools and materials to use in wetlands restoration projects. Chuck also led the bird count activity for Bio-Blitz for the years 2016-2019 Hermitage. Co-lead for the Docent Program. He enjoyed teaching children and adults about how human activity affects water quality. He taught square foot gardening at the Hermitage for spring and summer campers. As a photographer, he used his skills to capture close up photos of flowers which he submitted to the Germinator. Contributed his photos monthly to Gardener’s Eye feature of the newsletter. In summary, we recognize Chuck for his continuing significant contributions to the positive environmental impact for Norfolk.

Chuck Gibson and Chris Epes

You can also see a list of Milestone Award recipients in Joey’s email of January 12!

Meet Emogene Johnson Vaughn - Class of 2020

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 22:07:13 GMT

Emogene is a native Virginian from the Northern Neck area. She came to Norfolk to attend college at Norfolk State University. Emogene received her Masters’ degree from the University of Tennessee and her doctorate from the University of Maryland. Emogene returned to Norfolk to teach at her alma mater and retired after 40+ years. Experiencing her new freedom, she finally had time to add new adventures to her life which included world and domestic traveling and master gardener training.

Emogene grew up in a rural farming community and always enjoyed the outdoors and nature. She worked on the farms of her grandfathers and she has always enjoyed planting and caring for flowers, hobbies of her mother and both grandmothers. Her childhood experiences continued to linger in her desire to be outdoors, to observe nature, and to learn more about gardening…this was what sparked her interest in becoming a Master Gardener.

The coronavirus lockdown came just two weeks before the completion of the master gardening classes. With a positive willingness to shift in learning style and the greater use of technology, lectures and project presentations via Zoom, and the electronic submission of the final exam, the completion of classroom training became possible with a high degree of quality and efficiency. However, the virus severely halted and slowed down the completion of intern hours. The latter part of 2021 allowed more progress for participating in approved master gardening internship projects.

To attain her internship hours, Emogene participated in a variety of activities ranging from educational Zoom presentations on different topics to tree identification and garden preparation, planting, and harvesting. These activities primarily centered around the Significant Tree Program and the square foot garden at the Fred Heutte Center. As a certified Master Gardener, she has planned to continue focusing on these projects as well as exploring other activities to broaden her experiences and knowledge.

Emogene comes from a blended family of 10 siblings. She has two children, two grandchildren and looks forward to welcoming her third grandchild in April.

When you see Emogene, please give her a shout-out and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardener organization.

Meet John Evelyn

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 00:04:52 GMT

How I Met an English Master Gardener from the 1600’s

“Hey Mom, I think you should take this online course.” Our son works in the Gardens at Agecroft Hall in Richmond, VA. Agecroft is a Tudor manor house shipped in pieces from England and reconstructed along the James River in the 1920’s. The online course was Oxford University’s overview of five centuries of English garden history, offering a background to the various gardens at Agecroft.

Agecroft Knot Garden

The course was described as using a VLE or Virtual Learning Environment which, in my technical innocence, I had hoped might include a set of goggles. But on further examination, the course rather relied on two large textbooks, various garden websites, and other reference sources. Our class would be assigned a tutor (very British!) who would summarize topics, guide our reading, and welcome posting discussions for the 10 weeks. We were encouraged to visit the gardens we studied. (Oh, how I wish!) Being somewhat housebound, I eagerly enrolled for my imaginary transatlantic flight!

Although this was a survey of English gardens, I discovered several connections with our own country. After all, in the 17 ^th century we began as England’s colony! The early formal style of English garden is of course apparent in the maze and parterres at the Governor’s Palace in Williamsburg:

Over time, the increasing appreciation of nature led to more informal and naturalistic garden designs.

After the disruptions of our war for independence and our later civil war, more direct influences from England reappear in the 19 ^th century. Public parks for urban workers, Victorian floral patterns in suburban gardens, and the Arts and Crafts movement uniting house and garden were all reflected in the many regional variations in the United States.

But on to introducing my English MG friend, John Evelyn (1620 – 1706), writer, tree conservationist, and passionate gardener. He lived in a politically turbulent time and recorded both the Plague and the Great Fire of London in his famous Diary. These are crises that we can identify with today.

For over forty years he maintained his family’s 100-acre property as a sort of experimental research station and celebrated garden visitor attraction. Although nothing remains of Sayes Court above ground today, in the 17 ^th century, it included miles of hedges and avenues, forests both evergreen and deciduous, and orchards of some 300 fruit trees. There were walled gardens of flowers and medicinal herbs, a laboratory and nursery, as well as a kitchen garden. Evelyn was the first garden author to write a book about salads, Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets , promoting healthy eating with 73 choices of salad ingredients.

Evelyn has been called England’s first environmentalist. Fumifugium , written in 1661, warned of the dangers of London’s “Aer and Smoak” from coal fires. He also advocated the mass planting of trees, shrubs, and herbs to improve a city’s air quality. His interest in trees was combined with community concerns, much like the work of our Tree Stewards today.

As one of the founders of the Royal Society, the world’s oldest national scientific institution, Evelyn wrote their first publication, Sylva or a Discourse of Forest Trees , in 1664.

This is his most important and far-reaching work, a clear call for woodland conservation, for the preservation and replenishment of forests. I think it is also a call for all of us to plant trees, to look beyond our own lifetime. The pages are full of information on each tree, its history and cultivation, with practical advice led by the example of the author’s years of work at Sayes Court. The prime of place was given to the mighty oak. (Note Doug Tallamy’s recent book on The Nature of Oaks for a contemporary U.S. connection.)

Evelyn made revisions to the work for the rest of his life, even adding information on trees from the American colonies to the 4 ^th edition (1706). He saw trees not just for their economic investment but for their beauty and variety, a shared resource which must be carefully guarded. His great love for trees was always apparent. In 2014 an updated and illustrated version, The New Sylva , was published, highlighting the ecological importance of trees for our century.

It was fun to take a college course with our son, and I assure you I was a diligent student, setting a good example! Since our online course topic began in 1650, I met Evelyn right away. His interests and character stayed with me for the duration, and therefore, I strongly believe that John Evelyn would be a valuable member of the NMGA today!

Becoming a Water Steward

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 23:25:21 GMT

What exactly is a Water Steward?

We could not give you a formal definition of one even after attaining Water Steward status this past June. We just think of it as a Master Gardener who, with the help of extra training, focuses on plants or projects that have to do with the water, especially the salt/brackish water that surrounds our fine city. Likewise, our reasons for becoming a Water Steward largely had to do both with how water defines our city as well as the inevitable sea level rise to which we have to adapt.

The most recent WS planting had volunteers install over 2000 plugs of spartina

and other salt-tolerant species along the seawall in front of The Hague School.

With so many plants, volunteers are needed for several days

and the compacted, rubble-strewn soil makes for hard work.

As a result, a day before Master Gardener College began for most of the participants in September 2019, the two of us, along with Robin Franklin and Tara Honey, found ourselves at The Main in downtown Norfolk, seated with other Water Steward wannabes from around the state, yet another thick binder of training materials in front of each of us. We hardly knew each other that first day, (except Robin and Tara were friends from their Class of 2016 days). Of course, that changed quickly, as we powered through about 30 hours of advanced Water Steward training offered alongside the keynote and breakout sessions at that year’s Master Gardener College, the first requirement of becoming a Water Steward. It was a very interesting four days, with technical and programmatic training organized by Frank and Pat Reilly of the Central Rappahannock unit. Where better to have Water Steward training than in our own city that is surrounded by water? We all learned a lot, and of course the training, which included a few site visits, confirmed lots of things we already knew or had picked up along the way.

The second and final step to becoming a Water Steward is to complete a 30-hour project. We were instructed to work with the City of Norfolk to come up with a project, something involving Water Steward issues that would benefit the city or support particular local needs. Naturally, we chose Justin Shafer as our point man at the city. His official title in the norfolk.gov staff directory is Water Quality Project Manager for the Division of Environmental Storm Water Management. If you don’t know Justin, he seems to be in the forefront of every major resilience or other water-related project in town. Justin suggested several sites we could consider, involving either plantings to help with erosion control or experimental plantings that may guide future plantings. We chose several related activities: an experimental planting along the Hague at South Mowbray Arch in front of the Hague School (near the Chrysler Museum), another planting at the same site to help with erosion and to compare to the first, and a planting of wildflowers and seeds (one group using compost, one not using compost) along the banks of Greenway Park on Llewellyn Avenue that would act as a buffer planting and also beautify the area. We were all ready to begin in late March 2020 when the COVID shutdown occurred.

As with everyone, COVID threw a huge monkey wrench into our project because we were supposed to finish it by the end of September 2020, within one year after our training. COVID of course caused multiple problems: – not only was it potentially risky being near other people, but also COVID caused backups in the supply of plants and other materials. Luckily, Chris Epes granted us another year reprieve.

We managed to get the first planting done in late October 2020, staying six feet away from each other and wearing masks. The ground at the Hague site was so compacted that we were forced to use a battery powered drill with an auger bit that Drew happened to have in his tool arsenal; we could not have even started the planting without that drill. The second and the third plantings were almost back-to-back in early May 2021, luckily after each of us were vaccinated. For the second planting we were graciously assisted by kids from the nearby Hague School and Ghent Montessori School as well as some other volunteers (and of course Drew’s famous battery drill with auger tip!). We completed the first and the third plantings with just the four of us NMG Water Steward Interns; it would have taken us an extra day or two to finish the second planting if we did not have the volunteer help.

Drew head down over the electric drill

Scott Mackey, a regular volunteer at

the Hermitage wetlands, consults with Will during a break from pickax work

to break up the soil

There were some other smaller glitches as well. Perhaps the most annoying was discovering that a city work crew had mowed our first planting in October 2020, a week after we put it in. Since when does the city mow that horrible, desolate stretch of rubble-infested ground along the Hague that has gradually eroded away? The answer, of course, is whenever something grows there! Coordinating the schedules of four people – sometimes five including Justin – also proved more difficult than we anticipated. We were all busy even during the Spring of this year. The plants also came in late this Spring, and we could not get them in the ground until early May. The weather was unkind as well; it did not rain until the very end of May, forcing our plantings to go almost three weeks with little water.

Despite COVID and its complications, we completed our project, and this past June officially became Water Stewards, nearly 21 months after the training in September 2019. It has been one crazy ride. Now all we have to do to maintain our Water Steward qualification is an annual 15 hours of WS work and five hours of WS-related continuing education, above the usual hours of a Master Gardener. We intend to milk Justin for lots of these work hours! We understand that all of the Steward certifications (land, tree, and water) have the same hours requirements: 30 of training, a 30-hour project/internship, and then, after certification, an additional 15 hours of work and five hours of continuing education annually.

We highly recommend doing the Water Steward training and urge more NMGs to try it. In a city that is largely defined by water and threatened by sea level rise, we feel that Water Steward training, volunteering, and educating the public is critical. Plus, it is fun and very different from the usual Master Gardener work. And we can’t imagine that the next team of Water Steward interns will have as many obstacles as we did in completing the certification.

Meet Peter Hatchard

Sun, 10 Oct 2021 17:40:58 GMT

A Norfolk Master Gardener since 2018

His passion: The Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden

Why the Potager Garden is special: This thoughtfully designed “kitchen garden” is an ornamental food and flower garden. It is a demonstration garden whose beds are laid out in a French style design behind a white wooden fence with walkways winding through the garden. The garden yields a variety of seasonal vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. Produce is donated to the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia & the Eastern Shore.

What he does there: Peter leads a team of about 10 Master Gardeners for several hours on most Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 9:30 a.m. Looking six weeks ahead, Peter and his teamwork with botanical garden staff to design the garden and select plants for the spring, summer and fall growing seasons. They try to include unusual varieties of peas, kale and other crops not typically found in grocery stores. Volunteers plant, maintain and harvest crops while educating visitors about the wonders of the potager garden. They have had as many as 100 visitors in a day and encourage them to create their own gardens and to explore the Norfolk Master Gardener website.

His previous life: Peter grew up in Hastings, England and moved to Norfolk with NATO. He is a retired commander with the British Royal Navy and a retired NATO administrator who looks forward to gaining his United States citizenship next year.

Why he likes being a Master Gardener: Peter became a Master Gardener before retiring in 2018. He liked gardening since he was a toddler and wanted to learn about horticulture. He thought being a Master Gardener would be a great way to spend his free time. At the Potager Garden, his “joy comes from interacting with visitors.” One highlight was the guest who told Peter that the 30 minutes spent with Master Gardeners in the Potager Garden was the best part of visiting the botanical garden.

Stay tuned for Peter’s presentation to Norfolk Master Gardeners at the November Membership Meeting.

Botanical Bike Tour on the ERT

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 21:08:15 GMT

The Elizabeth River Trail, or ERT, runs 10.5 miles along the urban waterfront on Norfolk’s west side, from Harbor Park Stadium up to Norfolk International Terminals.

As a trainee, Jim Affeldt adopted a highly ambitious class project, outlining a Botanical Tour of the ERT. Actually, this is not as daunting as it sounds, because Jim tackles the trail in reasonably small chunks. He’s developed a series of fun tours lasting no more than an hour or two, and leads one of these Botanical Tours almost every month. Some are on foot and some are by bike. When I recently saw a Facebook ad for Bike Tour of Larchmont starting off from the Larchmont Library, that seemed like a good reason to pump up the tires on my old Schwinn and sign up.

Several familiar faces joined the participants on a temperate Sunday afternoon. Sally Hartman, Lucia Herndon and Chris Schweitzer, all classmates of Jim’s, turned up at the Library. No spandex in sight (thank goodness!). The tour set off at a reasonable pace and we rolled through neighborhood streets to the home of Karen Wilson ’10, where her beautiful backyard oasis set the tone for some very special stops.

Besides unique home gardens, Jim stopped the group at the tall redwood tree on Magnolia Avenue, a Sequoiadendron outlier on a thoroughfare better known for towering Grandifloras that date back to 1844. Crossing Hampton Blvd – blessedly traffic-free – we visited the stunning parterre garden belonging to Trisha Rawls, and the waterfront property of landscape architect Ann Stokes. The last stop was at my house, for more details on butterfly host plants than most people care to know.

The Botanical Tour series is a very effective partnership among VCE and Norfolk Master Gardeners, and the ERT. To view more information and register for a future tour yourself, visit https://events.elizabethrivertrail.org/botanicaltours . Jim will make you feel right at home on the trail.

Neighborhood Expo

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 16:10:00 GMT

It was a great day in the neighborhood, the Neighborhood Expo that is.

Saturday, September 11 was a beautiful day at Lakewood Park. A crew of Norfolk Master Gardeners were back with our city partners that we hadn’t seen in person since BC – Before Covid. (We did see some of them in a little box on the computer screen during those long months.) Saturday’s event was sponsored by Neighborhood Engagement and featured a lot of great exhibitors – city offices, Norfolk Fire-Rescue, Girl Scouts, the Food Bank, and many others. Several civic leagues were represented.

Our info table displayed flyers for all our upcoming events, gardening brochures, and a spotlight on our Urban Agriculture Team. Will Redfern touched base with all the civic leagues and hopes he generated some interest in ways we could help them with urban gardening.

Much to our delight, we talked with quite a few Norfolk residents who were interested in having someone from the Urban Ag Team coach them at their homes for better personal gardening success. Our email contact list grew substantially with many residents signing up to hear more from our organization. We got leads from a neighborhood park for our help in designing a pollinator garden and from a recreation center needing guidance to refresh the garden there.

And of course, we brought along our most famous draw for the public – Monarch and Black Swallowtail caterpillars and chrysalises. We even had a Monarch emerge while we were there. Our visitors included exuberant youngsters fascinated by the caterpillars and chrysalises, but also numerous adults who wanted to learn about how to attract and care for the lepidoptera.

We were provided a table, chairs and food vouchers and enjoyed a delicious lunch from the Pollards food truck. Thanks, Will, Anna, and Kay for staffing the table and Jeff and Donna for helping with the break down. We had 72 contacts and lots of good interaction with Norfolk residents. This event was a fantastic networking opportunity for MGs. Hopefully we generated some interest for all our upcoming events and projects.

Lastly, congratulations to Anne Odell, U.P.L.I.F.T. Award Winner for her volunteer work around the city.

So You Think You Want a Greenhouse?

Sun, 12 Sep 2021 17:46:34 GMT

At approximately 4 p.m. on August 23 we were notified of a 25’ X 30’ greenhouse donation from PORTCO Inc in Portsmouth, a non-profit organization committed to helping individuals with disabilities!

Great! Fabulous! Just what we always wanted! Wait! What? It must be TAKEN DOWN by August 30. Wait! What? Chris Epes is out of town!!!

Joey eblasted the membership looking for some eager Norfolk Master Gardener to take the lead. Not only did we get one, but we got two Greenhouse Heroes – Bob Kelly and Mitch Swecker.

They scoped it out, decided it was doable, formulated a plan, and were raring to go. Joey sent out a second eblast looking for “able bodied” individuals who could help! We came up with 10 people, who, over the course of 5 days disassembled the greenhouse, packed it up, loaded it in the truck, and unloaded it at a temporary location. (See the Slideshow at the end of the blog for a peek at all the Greenhouse Guys and Girls!)

Bob, Mitch, and Larry did some preliminary work on Thursday, disconnecting the heating unit, blower fans, fan vents, fans, and the huge front door section.

Pole sections were marked, disassembled, and staged. Then the heater was lowered using winches and Mitch’s truck with Mitch, Ziggy, and Will monitoring this job and Bob operating Mitch’s truck. Scary. It came down a little cock-eyed, but all was well. Tops of the poles were unhooked, lowered, labeled two times, and staged. These poles were angled and awkward! Screws were collected and labeled along with every other piece that was disassembled. Also scary was watching Mitch manhandle the concrete saw. After a few cuts, a pow wow determined that it would be best to cut the poles at the base because the concrete holding the poles reached to China.

On Monday, we unloaded the truck at Terra Firma, its temporary home. Thanks, Dan Haworth, for his help on Monday. At approximately 11:00 a.m. on August 30 with a few extra cuts and bruises, the job was done! Or maybe that should be half done.

We took lots of pictures! Check them out here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/tnshQ7ryqdbNSFCR8 . We did this to determine strategic location of the important parts and in the hopes that it will help put Humpty Dumpty back together again. We have an inventory – hope that works when the time comes.

When I asked Bob why he took this on he said, “It filled a pressing need, and I had no idea how much work it would be.” He’d also like to be involved in the rebuild. SCORE!!!! Mitch said, “I initially offered my pickup truck to transport the greenhouse without having seen the size and scope of it.” Quite the understatement! We are certainly glad that they took this on. Upon initial review of the article Bob gave the “real nitty gritty leadership and planning” credit to Mitch and Kim;” the rest of us just followed orders.” Kim says she was just the watermelon person (and it really hit the spot on those hot days)!

Thanks to the behind-the-scenes efforts of Joey Rothgery for those two short-fused eblasts to get the ball rolling and rally the troops and LaShaunda Enoch (standing by and making room for deliveries to the VCE Office). Super huge thanks to the Greenhouse Heroes – Mitch Swecker and Bob Kelly and to all the Greenhouse Guys and Girls who helped over the course of those five days: Larry Passwaters, Ziggy Ziegler, Will Redfern, Kim Swecker, Kay Egan, Susan Dudley, Donna and Jeff Van Keuren, Anna Thurmond, and me, oh and Chris Epes on that Monday for the unload and Dan too. Great camaraderie and teamwork! A great group to work with! We are going to pat ourselves on the back for a long time to come! It’s just amazing how guys with their trucks and tools turned out to be Greenhouse Project Masterminds!!

Do you have a place in YOUR backyard for this greenhouse? Chris is in discussions with City Forester Steve Traylor in the hopes that we can find a permanent location sooner rather than later. And Chris said, “Kudos to all; amazing effort!” And that’s a whole new story for the Germinator Blog.

Greenhouse Heroes Slideshow

Meet Debora Mosher

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 19:53:26 GMT

A Norfolk Master Gardener since 2008

Her passion : Weyanoke Bird & Wildflower Sanctuary in West Ghent at the end of Armistead Bridge Road.

Why Weyanoke is special : It was designated in 1988 as a sanctuary. It is considered the largest native plant sanctuary in Norfolk and has both woodland and meadow gardens. Thanks to Master Gardeners, it has gained 20 new varieties of native plants in recent years. More than 20 varieties of birds have been spotted in the sanctuary, which is right beside the Elizabeth River Trail and is open to the public on weekends.

What she does there : Debora leads a team of Master Gardeners and other volunteers on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at 9 a.m. They help maintain the 7 ½ acre sanctuary, establish native plants, and keep invasive plants from taking over the paths. She also has helped with reading and art programs in the sanctuary for children and adults.

Her previous life : Debora was an oceanography and astronomy teacher at Cox High School in Virginia Beach. She retired in 2007 and soon started studying to become a Master Gardener.

Why she likes being a Master Gardener : She says it keeps her young. Debora has served as president of the Norfolk Master Gardener Association. She has helped lead the Intern Training committee and improve the native plant gardens at the Ernie Morgan Environmental Action Center. Debora also is part of the crape myrtle pruning team and many other Master Gardener projects.

Crape Myrtle Pruning with ODU Freshman

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 00:25:36 GMT

On August 26 ^th , Norfolk Master Gardeners again served to partner with ODU for its Freshman Service Experience day.

The Freshman Service Experience (FSE) is designed to give new students at Old Dominion University the chance to move in early, then on their first full day as a Monarch they contribute to the Hampton Roads community doing a service project with other students and an upperclassman leader.

This year there were only five ODU participants, along with a large group of NMGs. We introduced ourselves and learned a bit about the girls – all from Virginia localities. Then we split up on the nearby streets, armed with loppers, pruning saws, eye protection, and highly florescent yellow vests.

Crystal, a new ODU student from Suffolk, helped tackle this troublesome set of trees.

On 46 ^th St. we encountered “a tree” sprouting a wide variety of different foliage. There were indeed a few sprigs of crape myrtle peeking out…along with suckers from pecan, water oak, and mulberry, to name just what we recognized. After some cleanup, it turned into a little stand of trees, with the brush cleared from the roadway. Ginny Alberts also carefully clipped the ivy that was growing up each trunk.

On 45 ^th St. the going was easier, with several small crape myrtle trees that must receive a little regular TLC from the property owner. There were two larger crape myrtles though that had been badly pruned over time. There were a lot of sprouts growing from stumpy spots all up these tree trunks. The trunks were black with sooty mold, a product of honeydew, and there was plenty of crape myrtle bark scale – small white scale insects that show up clearly against the unnaturally dark bark.

We did what we could, nipping off the suckers along the bottom and the brushy growths higher up, as high as we could reach. In doing so, we found Nature fighting back: there was ladybug larvae in various stages all over the lower reaches of both trees!

After two hours of hard work in the heat, the crape myrtle crews reported a total of 50 trees that had been pruned! Great work, from the largest to the smallest helpers.

Chamberbitter

Thu, 19 Aug 2021 21:01:01 GMT

Every year as I work in gardens, I determine what I like to call, “The Weed of the Year.”

There seems to be at least one yearly weed that stands out because of its ability to thrive or be an aggravation. Early this spring, I thought that this year’s weed would be the native Purple Everlasting or cudweed ( Gamochaeta purpurea ), but then the nonnative and prolific Chamberbitter or Little Mimosa ( Phyllanthus urinaria) appeared and grew happily in many gardens, especially the African Garden at the Virginia Zoo.

Two horrible plants vying for this year’s Worst Weed status:

Purple Everlasting Chamberbitter.

It is recommended that weeding should be done before the weeds can develop seeds and can reseed themselves or spread. This plant must be removed almost immediately because as some people say it is “born pregnant.” As a tiny plant the Chamberbitter develops a pinnate leaf structure. It very quickly grows small white blooms that form seeds along the rachis (the stem that runs through the center of the leaves). When the many seeds turn brown, they drop off and can grow. This annual plant tolerates shade making it easy to miss among low growing plants. It also has a good root system.

How this plant, a native of Asia, got here is a mystery. It may have come in compost, mulch, or with the soil. As my children used to say, “It’s nice to share.” In this case given a choice my response would have been, “No thanks.”

Its cousin, the Mimosa tree, is an invasive tree that can be seen in many local places with its umbrella shape and pink fluffy blossoms. A native plant, the Partridge Pea ( Chamaecrista fasciculata ) has similar leaves and grows to a similar size and can be confused with Chamberbitter. Partridge Pea has an easily noticeable bright yellow blossom and is a good pollinator plant. All these plants can be considered sensitive plants because of their response to touch and some to changes in the light. In both cases the leaves fold together. They are members of the legume or pea family.

What makes a plant a weed? One definition is that “it is a plant out of place.” Webster defines them as “a plant that is not valued where it is growing and is usually of vigorous growth.” These definitions both describe the Chamberbitter’s characteristics well, especially the vigorous growth.

Partridge Pea – a native lookalike to Chamberbitter but so much better! Its large yellow flowers mature in summer and continue through the early fall to attract bees and butterflies.

Meet Linda Smith – Class of 2020

Sun, 15 Aug 2021 15:57:37 GMT

Although Linda is not a Norfolk native, she has lived here periodically since 1987 with a couple of moves internationally and to Washington, D.C. Linda is a graduate of the College of William and Mary.

Linda’s career was spent in education and human services organizations. She managed military family support programs in Hampton Roads, but then managed a worldwide contract with over 600 service providers globally. She had two self-imposed international “sabbaticals,” first living and working with Peace Corps in Morocco and later working in Emergency Preparedness at the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan. In both of these developing countries, innovative agriculture and sustainable water use practices were critical and present in everyday life.

Linda has always surrounded herself with houseplants and has been interested in community gardens, but her interest in becoming a Master Gardener was sparked when her father became a Master Gardener in Richmond.

Having been a part of the Class of 2020 which was greatly affected by COVID-19, she believes that the Training Committee did a brilliant job of adapting and pressing forward in spite of the difficult circumstances. She appreciates that the Training Committee consistently communicated with the students and provided the educational presentations via Zoom to keep the class on point. She feels the major impact was the inability to work on many of the projects due to closing down. She has continued to avail herself of the Zoom opportunities for meetings and continuing education.

Linda worked primarily at the Butterfly House and Potager Garden to attain her fifty hours for Master Gardener status, as well as the two Open Norfolk pop-up booth events last fall. She plans to continue working with the Potager Garden and Urban Agriculture, but will expand to other projects as time allows.

When Linda isn’t participating in Master Gardener activities, she is busy cycling, gardening, doing yoga, facilitating a book club, finding creative inspiration, community volunteering and traveling to visit family.

Linda’s family consists of her husband and cycling companion, Bob, her daughter, son-in-law and “tremendous” five-year-old granddaughter, who live in Richmond, and her son who lives in Atlanta.

When you see Linda, please give a shout out to her and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardener organization.

A Walk in the Woods at Landis Arboretum

Sat, 07 Aug 2021 16:45:05 GMT

During a trip to central New York State this past May, I discovered Landis Arboretum – a beautiful 548 acre preserve in the little village of Esperance (population 345!) overlooking the Schoharie Valley, not far from Albany.

The Arboretum was established in 1951 by Fred Lape, and is named in honor of his friend George Landis. The mission of Landis Arboretum is to

foster an appreciation of trees and other plants and their importance in the environment, which it accomplishes through its many educational programs and other activities, such as an annual plant sale and a 5K race. It is also a favorite spot for birders and wildlife watchers, and is on the New York State Bluebird Trail (the eastern bluebird is the state bird of New York).

I especially enjoyed the Ed Miller Native Plant Trail, which includes a collection of almost every woody plant native to New York State. The plants are grouped by family and by habitat, which makes it easier to see the differences among the various species. Each grouping includes information about the species along with identification tips, and a link to an audio clip describing the species.

Landis Arboretum is renowned for its oak collection, which includes 12 of the 14 species considered native to New York State. If you are familiar with Doug Tallamy’s work, you know that he considers the oak to be one of the most important species in our environment, as it is host to over 500 caterpillar species. Landis Arboretum was named the official collector of oaks of the northeast by the American Public Gardens Association. In 2007 the Arboretum was one of the founding members of the North American Plant Collections Consortium Multi-institutional Quercus Collection, a program of the American Public Gardens Association. The Arboretum has some two dozen large oaks that are more than 250 years old.

It is one of only three arboreta in the northeast where old-growth forests are found, and actually contains two separate old-growth forests, covering some 30 acres. Old-growth forests, also known as primary forests, provide wildlife habitat and species diversity, and are important resources for nutrient cycling and carbon storage. The definition of an old growth forest can be somewhat fuzzy, as there is no general consensus on a definition. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines it as “a naturally regenerated forest of native species, where there are no clearly visible indications of human activities and the ecological processes are not significantly disturbed.” Traditional activities of indigenous and local communities can also be included as part of old-growth forests. The old-growth forests at Landis are part of the historic homelands of Mohican, Mohawk, and Iroquois peoples.

Canopies of old-growth forests tend to have horizontal gaps created by dead trees. These gaps are important to the development of the forest as they allow sunlight to reach the understory trees. The dominant trees in the old-growth forests here are red and white oaks, American beech, sugar maple, hemlock, yellow birch, and black birch. The oldest trees in these forests are eastern hemlocks, at about 200 – 300 years old, and oaks, at about 250 – 300 years old.

References

Ancient Trail and Woodland Trail—George Landis Arboretum https://www.oldgrowthforest.net/ny-ancient-forest-trail-and-woodland-trail-george-landis-arboretum

Conserving Oaks in North American Plant Collections: A collaborative Approach by Emily Griswold, UC Davis Arboretum, Davis, CA 2009, in International Oak Journal No. 20, pp 35 – 42. https://docplayer.net/209872176-Conserving-oaks-in-north-american-plant-collections-a-collaborative-approach.html

The Death and Rebirth of our Great Oak by Fred Breglia, Director of Landis Arboretum, October 8, 2016, Landis Newsletter https://thelandisnewsletter.weebly.com/whole-article/from-the-directors-desk-the-death-and-rebirth-of-our-great-oak

Esperance Arboretum Faces Historic Loss, by Edward Munger, Jr. February 6, 2012, in The Daily Gazette, Schenectady, NY https://dailygazette.com/2012/02/06/0206arboretum/

Follow Up: Storm-battered Great Oak still stands tall, by Paul Grondahl. Times Union, Albany, NY, February 1, 2014 https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Follow-Up-Storm-battered-Great-Oak-still-stands-5196811.php

George Landis Arboretum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Landis_Arboretum

George Landis Arboretum, in MuseumsUSA, 2011 https://www.museumsusa.org/museums/info/3661

George Landis Arboretum: Who We Are, by Fred Breglia, Director of Landis Arboretum, in Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy Newsletter, 2015 https://mohawkhudson.org/george-landis-arboretum/

The Great Oak of the Landis Arboretum, by Fred Lape, former director of Landis Arboretum, International Oaks, No. 11, pp 11 – 13, 2000, reprinted from Landis Arboretum Newsletter, Spring 1982. https://www.internationaloaksociety.org/sites/default/files//files/IO/IOS%20Journal%20%2311/International%20Oaks%2011%20-%20p.11-13%20-%20The%20Great%20Oak%20of%20the%20Landis%20Arboretum.pdf

Landis Arboretum in Capital Region Living https://www.albany.com/capitalregionliving/2006/07/landis-arboretum/

The Landis Arboretum Website http://www.landisarboretum.org/

New Findings About Old-Growth Forests https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/science-update-4.pdf

Old-growth Forest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old-growth_forest

Touring the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Fri, 16 Jul 2021 01:08:04 GMT

Skagit County, Washington (pronounced Skajit), is located 60 miles north of Seattle and 60 miles south of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival celebrated its 38 ^th year in 2021. The festival was cancelled last year and scaled down this year, but the tulips continued to bloom. The two main gardens, Roozengarde and Tulip Town, each has nearly 1000 acres in the county. It’s not all dedicated to tulips, but each garden contains over five acres of tulip fields in the display gardens. They claim to be the largest seller of tulip and daffodil bulbs in the world!

The Tulip Festival is normally a month-long event which features not only tulips but food, crafts, local events, and everything garden. Many events were not held during this year’s truncated festival. There was, however, a farm drive, which included local dairies, vineyards, restaurants, bakeries, and some farm stands (April in this part of Washington is like early March in Virginia). While the towns, La Conner, Anacortes and Mount Vernon are small tourist towns with a few streets of commercial activity, much of the rest of the county is very rural and picturesque.

The mail order site, tulips.com, sells over a hundred varieties of tulip, daffodil, hyacinth, and narcissus bulbs, all locally grown. Bulbs are ordered in spring and summer for fall delivery and planting. The catalog features beautiful pictures of spring in the Skagit Valley. Interestingly, the fields are replanted every year, so you will never see the same display from year to year.

Of course, the best part for us was sharing this experience with my daughter Lydia, son-in-law John, and my first grandchild, Mia, who is very patient with grown-up activities. I’d be happy to share my catalog or official brochure or lots of pictures of Mia!

My Stump Garden

Tue, 13 Jul 2021 08:07:59 GMT

My husband took down a tree about the same time I started a new garden that unfortunately kept getting mowed and walked on. So I rolled the logs over to edge the borders of my garden and my husband dubbed it My Stump Garden!

I added the bricks, birdhouses, bench, pots, and flamingoes to finish the look. My husband hates it! I keep telling him to wait until next summer!

Tips to Stay Cool as a Cucumber

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 12:28:20 GMT

This fun read about cucumbers was contributed by former Norfolk Master Gardener Don Vtipil, from the Class of 2011.

Be advised that these ‘facts’ are not vetted through the .edu process, but this site from the University of Missouri does provide some interesting and entertaining info: https://ipm.missouri.edu/meg/2014/3/Cucumber-A-Brief-History/

This is just one sample from the Missouri site: Fresh extracts from cucumbers have recently been shown to have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Don’s article and the Missouri article are fun, informative, and well worth the read; so stay cool as a cucumber and enjoy the following.

Don Vtipil writes:

I have four great cucumber plants growing in my garden, now.

Just picked the first one!

Hope it works on my cellulite and hangovers!

FACTS OF THE DAY ...Cucumbers... I didn't know this... and to think all these years I've only been making salads with the cucumbers...

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror; it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes; the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath; the phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your taps, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean. Not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing. Also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Another Incredible Edible for Your Garden

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 22:23:07 GMT

Acca sellowiana : Pineapple Guava

"Acca sellowiana" by tillandsiausneoides is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

In the past year gardening has seen a major increase in popularity. As more people begin to garden, certain plants have seen more interest from the public. One group that has seen an increase is perennial plants that produce edible fruits, especially trees and shrubs. With a variety of fruiting trees, shrubs, and perennials that can thrive in the Tidewater area, I would like to talk about a lesser-known fruiting shrub, the Pineapple Guava. Native to South America, Pineapple Guava, Acca sellowiana (previously Feijoa sellowiana) is an evergreen shrub that produces small edible fruit. Primarily used as an ornamental shrub for its flowers and form, this plant has been found to produce fruit successfully in the Tidewater climate.

Pineapple Guava is an evergreen shrub that was brought from South America as an ornamental plant. It soon gained a niche in the south for its versatility in the landscape. Originally found in tropical climates, this plant made its way to more temperate zones. It can be pruned like a decorative shrub, used as a hedge, or potted. The leaves are glossy green with a silvery underside. Flowers have light pink petals with white edges and a deep red center and later produce egg sized/shaped fruit.

Leaves, fruit, and flowers

Acca sellowiana Leaves

Underside of Leaf

Acca sellowiana Fruit

Acca sellowiana Flower

Pineapple Guava is a slow growing shrub. Plants require little pruning but tolerate it well. It is hardy in zones 8-10, salt tolerant, and grows in soils with good drainage ranging from sand to clay and dry to moderate moisture. Prefers full sun but can tolerate part shade. Growth can reach 10-15ft. height and spread in tropical climates and is condensed to 5-6 ft. in more temperate zones. Moderate water and full sun are recommended for best flowering and fruiting. The shrub itself has no major pest issues but critters are known to snag some fruit for themselves and fruit litter can be another issue.

The fruit of the pineapple guava is one of its most underrated features. Fruits have a sweet/tangy flavor and are eaten as a dessert. The fruit is usually sliced in half to scoop out the edible pulp. Flowering occurs in spring-summer and development of fruit usually occurs summer, fall or winter, both of which depend on the climate. In warmer climates flowers and fruit develop earlier. In the Tidewater area flowering usually occurs May to June with fruit appearing in the fall or winter. Once ripe the fruit will easily fall off the plant. The most common harvest method is to lay out a tarp and shake the branches over it to gather (Note that the fruit bruises easily). The fruit should be eaten or stored in the fridge immediately after harvesting. Flowers can also be eaten and are known to have a light sugary taste similar to marshmallows. Frost and heat stress may disrupt some production and cause early fruit drop. For fruit production it is best to select a self-pollinating cultivar.

Edible Fruit Pulp

As gardening becomes more popular, people are looking for beautiful, unique, and interesting plants. With this rise in interest, less appreciated plants are coming into the limelight. Fruit trees and shrubs have always experienced more attention from the public and are likely to see a rise. If you’re looking for a niche fruit tree that doubles as a lovely ornamental plant, consider the Pineapple Guava.

References

Acca sellowiana . (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ces.ncsu.edu/

Acca sellowiana . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/

Putting on the 2021 Master Classes for Norfolk Gardeners

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 17:27:40 GMT

When the 2021 Intern Training Team met by Zoom for the first time in July 2020 to begin its planning, the COVID crisis made it immediately obvious that an in-person-class for early 2021 was out of the question.

You remember what the world was like back then, in full pandemic mode, there were just too many unknowns to have an in-person class. "How about having a training class by Zoom?" someone asked. The overwhelming response was “No way!” because that would completely leave out the camaraderie, the socializing, the group bonding that comes with an in-person class and is a critical part of our intern training. And how would they navigate the 50-hour volunteer requirement, which was already problematic for the 2020 class? Then Chris Epes piped in, "You could skip a training class next year. Could you try offering a shorter series for the gardening public instead?” "Hmmmm, are we allowed to do that?" mused the Team. Yes we were, and thus was born the Master Classes for Norfolk Gardeners, a public education series for home gardeners of Norfolk.

For the next few months, the Team plotted and fretted over how to pull this off. We wrestled over big questions such as: which basic classes to offer? Who should the speakers be? When do we hold the series? How do we register everyone and send them emails? What medium do we use for the class? How do we publicize the class? How much do we charge and how do we get paid? How many people would register for the series, is there demand for something like this, and is it really worth the effort? There were a million other questions as well. We basically started from scratch, and it took a great team effort to work through all of these questions.

The Team figured it out slowly, and bit-by-bit the series took shape. Finalizing the topics, speakers and the schedule was critical, as it gave us a framework to work around and fill in the details, and also allowed us to publicize the event (thanks to the Communications Committee for a great effort). As to the all-important question of how many people would actually take the course, enrollment gradually gained momentum. We ended up with 285 paying registrants and 33 non-paying registrants (employees of the city), about two-thirds of whom were Norfolk residents and most of the other one-third Tidewater denizens.

The high number of registrants really surprised us and did two things simultaneously: First, it told us that clearly there was great demand for this kind of horticultural training/education, that we had tapped into something that was needed; and second it severely ratcheted up the pressure on us to provide a polished product.

In January we started the first of our rehearsals. Fortunately, all the speakers were generous with their time and talents, and each one did at least one pre-presentation run through with us. These rehearsals were critical to the success of the series, as they helped get the speaker and us on the same page as far as content, delivery, production, and mutuality of purpose. It was not just the speakers who practiced; we practiced every introduction multiple times, including when the core rehearsal team met each Monday to fine tune expectations for the next day’s presentation.

February 9 was opening night. As would become customary, the team logged on at 6:30 to make sure everything was in place, and this night in particular the nervousness was palpable. Will opened exactly at 7:00, peering into the dark, blank screen of his computer, a thousand thoughts streaming madly through his head: Was the Zoom technology working right, could people see and hear him, had he unmuted, was he talking too loud or too fast, had he combed his COVID hair properly, did his master gardener shirt show well? We had decided in advance to mute and turn the video off for all participants to save bandwidth. That meant no audience to see or hear, which was really weird, rather like jumping off a high dive blindfolded. To make matters more stressful, a few slides into the opening, the PowerPoint Kate painstakingly assembled to go with the introductory narrative simply would not advance. Arrrrggg, the first major glitch in the third minute of the first night -- would this happen every week? Thankfully, we were redeemed by a great presentation by Theresa Augustin of the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Later, Joey was able to work her magic with the recording so that the slides presented properly.

In short order the smoothness of the production increased dramatically, and there were fewer hiccups as we gained experience. By the fourth class we were on a nice roll, ‘in the zone’ as basketball players say. It also helped that by mid-March we had finished the last of our

rehearsals, so we were no longer meeting three times a week: on Monday to prep, Tuesday for the live presentation, and Thursday for a run-through before the following week.

Of course, little fires continued to pop up, but we were able to deal with them. For example, we were not prepared for the sheer number of questions in the chat box. Oh, those questions! Most weeks they seemed to come thick and fast, and the speaker could not get to everyone. Thankfully, Kate’s years of practice with the Helpline meant she could guide the team’s research to fully answer each question, though this did require another “chat box” Zoom meeting and more hours to investigate and email the answers.

We were very pleased with the overall results. According to the evaluation polls after each class, the speakers and the material were very well received. The end-of-series survey indicated that 60 participants were willing to participate in our long-term impact study, and another 55 individuals signed up for details on the 2022 Intern Training class. And we received lots of nice compliments from participants, passed along in various ways.

Putting on something new like this requires an excellent and experienced team, and we were blessed with that. Team members included Maggie Brown, Kathryn Bush, Michael Cole, Susan Dudley, Ginger Farrell, Jill Lewis, Debora Mosher, Anna Thurmond, Vicki Trexler, Donna Van Keuren, and Blanch Wise. Special shout-outs to Joey Rothgery, who before our eyes blossomed as a true Zoom Master; Kay Egan, who gently but firmly managed the chat box discussion; and Barb Wilson, who followed up on every detail. Lastly, thanks to Chris Epes for the excellent idea in the first place, his continued support, and the wonderful help in the chat box. Great Team! Super shout-out to our fabulous speakers: Theresa Augustin, Daniel Haworth, Pete Peterman, Laurie Fox, Paul “Ziggy” Ziegler, Mimi Rosenthal, Gill Gillespie, Kate Melhuish, Debora Mosher, Blanch Wise, and Chris Epes.

Of all the lessons we learned, perhaps the biggest is that there is a demand for this sort of horticultural education for home gardeners, particularly at night (for those who work in the day) and also accessible without leaving the comfort of home (Zoom or similar). Was this year a COVID bump? Of course, but if we can reach our original optimistic estimate of 50-100 Norfolk residents by offering a similar series, this fits exactly within our educational mission.

So, as to the question of will we do it again next year? YES. While the plan is to resume Intern training – and in 2022 we may have a bumper crop of candidates – we want to continue to respond to the hunger for horticultural education for home gardeners. This has been a long-time goal for Chris Epes as our VCE Agent. With a bit of juggling, Norfolk Master Gardeners can do it. Coming up soon, you’ll be invited to step up as a volunteer educator. The Intern Training Team will be reinvigorated for its original purpose, to recruit and train new Norfolk Master Gardeners. The Master Classes will move to the Speakers Bureau category, with some new classes added by popular request. Please think about how you can contribute to one of these programs.

We look forward to working with you!

So You Want To Be A Butterfly House Volunteer

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 20:05:35 GMT

The Norfolk Botanical Garden (NBG) Butterfly House (BH) opens June 18 and will remain open daily from 10AM-7PM until the end of September.

Volunteer shifts are posted on the Volunteer Hub calendar in 2-hour blocks starting at 9:45AM. The last shift is 4:45PM. The calendar is on the NBG website and signing up for shifts is done online.

If you are a new volunteer, access to the Volunteer Hub will be created after you have notified Diana Kellam by email at volunteer@nbgs.org that you have viewed training videos parts 1 and 2 and are a new BH volunteer.

Part 1:
https://youtu.be/c-30hnN6LfQ
Part 2:
https://youtu.be/Ece7PQ4aV78

Returning volunteers also need to notify her that you have completed viewing the videos. Your ability to use the calendar to sign up for shifts remains intact. Diana will use the emails to send out a brief quiz that every volunteer is being asked to complete and return before their first shift.

Being a BH docent can be a wonderful volunteer experience. Visitors young and old are delighted to be there and ready to soak up everything you can tell them and show them.

Here are some tips from experienced volunteers to make your time in the BH a rewarding one for you:

1. Arrive 15-20 minutes before your shift begins so that you have time to look around and see what’s new. Check out the red ribbon trail. Be familiar with the nectar and host plants and find the books there to help you.

2. Be sure to bring a filled reusable water bottle. Know where the restrooms are.

3. Wear a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Do not wear bug repellent.

4. A fanny pack will help keep your keys and phone handy. Lock your valuables in your car.

5. Be familiar with the tram schedule and ride it to and from the BH.

6. Wear a SMILE. Initiate interactions and show visitors the things they may not see by themselves (like eggs and caterpillars) YOU can make the difference in their experience.

7. Let the children teach you something. You’ll be amazed at what they know.

8. If you are on a shift with an experienced docent watch them interact with the guests and listen. Everyone did this for the first time and felt as unsure and nervous as you might.

9. Wear your Master Gardener badge and lanyard and don’t forget to count those contacts!

10. Ask questions. Get to know the Butterfly Society volunteers.

11. HAVE FUN. A guest once said she felt like she was walking inside Mary Poppins’ head. Take that magical walk yourself.

Master Gardener Lagniappe

Sat, 29 May 2021 20:20:43 GMT

I have many pleasant memories from growing up in Norfolk.

One I remember clearly was riding past the home of Stanley Walker, on a point of land across from Lake Taylor Hospital. Those who have resided in Norfolk for some time will remember Stanley Clay Walker as an influential politician who represented this area from 1971 until 2000. He became president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate from 1988 and 2000. He died in 2001.

As for me, every week Mother and I would take the long ride down Kempsville Road for my piano lessons. I remember being fascinated with his house. Well, the house was ok (as viewed from the car), but, the property was wonderful! It was over an acre with many trees, flowering bushes, bulbs, and flowers everywhere. Near the dock on Lake Taylor, I remember millions of cat tails.

Fast forward to me as a Master Gardener: recently a Facebook request came in from a Navy/Marine family. They had rented their house out for the past eight years while away on various service assignments. Now back home again, they found the grounds were a mess. They specifically asked for help returning the camellias and azaleas to their previous glory.

Mimi Rosenthal is the resident NMG camellia expert and as luck would have it, she asked me to accompany her on the home visit. Imagine my thrill when I realized we were visiting Stanley Walker’s property! After all these years, I found it is still glorious.

The tree canopy on the grounds contains mimosas, sycamores, mulberries, loblolly pines, cedars, and oh the oaks! There are live oaks, water oaks, pin oaks and the largest willow oak I have ever seen. The camellias and azaleas are old and fairly healthy with forsythias and hollies along the driveway. There is a nice buffer filled with grasses between the lawn and the water. We walked the perimeter of the property two times just trying to see everything that was there and still I’m sure we missed a lot.

Ultimately we recommended that they start by removing the invasive plants which have flourished during their absence – the English ivy, wild grape vine, poison ivy, greenbrier and honeysuckle. There is a lot of Wisteria along Kempsville Road, but the family loves it, so it is staying for now. Other invasives to be tackled include ligustrum, privet and mimosa.

Join Me on the Elizabeth River Trail

Fri, 28 May 2021 09:54:44 GMT

Norfolk’s Elizabeth River Trail, also known as the ERT, is a 10.5 mile walkable and bikeable trail that connects many of the city’s waterfront neighborhoods, parks and historical sites.

The ERT has been one of the most popular local venues for activity during this past 15-month period of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 400,000 uses have been documented in the last year. The ERT is considered a significant asset for the city of Norfolk and for businesses and housing located along the paved path. My class project was to research and develop a botanical guide to the ERT which could be used for various groups interested in learning about plants, wetlands and a little history about the parks and waterfront areas. Considerable support has been provided from the ERT Director, Cheryl White, and Assistant Director, Dita Beard, during the development of the guide.

I have led nine tours (three walking and six biking) for the ERT. Most tours are advertised to the public through posts on ERT’s Website and Facebook page, with Norfolk Master Gardeners as FB co-host. As more people learn about this wonderful asset, the future of ERT botanical talks is expected to expand. These talks combine educational opportunities, fun, fresh air and exercise.

One of my earliest talks was to the Harborfront Garden Club at Plum Point Park. We gathered under the Hackberry Tree with a beautiful view of the downtown waterfront and then walked a short distance to the Managed Meadow located in the popular Chelsea district.

Chris Epes has approved NMG participation for these events. I am in the process of developing this as an official NMG project. In the meantime, I really could use some help to generate and lead tours. The ERT has asked me to lead either a walk and talk or bike and talk once a month through the spring. This will likely continue throughout the remainder of the year. Reservations have been limited to 15 people to keep the numbers low for social distancing and for audibility of my talks. Typical attendance has been between eight and ten, with a total of 82 direct contacts so far. Most of these talks have been in the Pagoda Garden, Plum Point Park, Chelsea and Weyanoke sections of the trail. I did one bike tour from the Hermitage to Larchmont last year. Future talks will likely include Old Dominion University, significant trees along the trail, wetland restorations, seasonal blooms, pollinators, and expanded tours in the Larchmont, Lochhaven, Ghent and West Ghent neighborhoods that are located along the trail.

My preparation activities normally include an initial planning outing when I take photos of plants and trees along the route, preparation of a tour outline, research on plants, a written handout with plant names (both scientific and common), administration time working with the ERT, and actual time (1-1 ½ hours) for the tour. I keep a binder with all of the materials used for each talk. This information can be re-used on future talks which will reduce the amount of time spent on each one.

The feedback from previous participants has been very positive. I am hopeful that more NMG participation will further enhance this educational opportunity for our city’s residents and guests! Please contact me at 757-646-1236 or via email at jaffvt@aol.com if you are interested in helping with this fun and rewarding activity.

Native Dune Garden

Tue, 04 May 2021 20:45:34 GMT

For those who love the beach and also love gardening, heaven and earth meet in the Dune.

The Dune is the magical place where plants grow in the sand, that is, those select few plants that love the wind and thrive in the salt air. Marsh elder, with its succulent leaves, is one of those salt tolerant plants. On a pleasant spring Tuesday morning, the "Dunies," those Norfolk Master Gardeners who tend the Dune Garden at 27th Bay Street in Norfolk, were cutting back the elder in a bit of spring cleaning to make room for new growth. Like the elder, the four gardeners were soaking up the gentle rays of the spring sunshine and inhaling the salt air. They may also have been daydreaming about the lunch they planned at the Surf Rider after the work was done.

The Dunies - Then and Now

Work days in the Dune are also a time to greet Bay visitors and show them around the garden if they are interested in learning how the plants not only beautify the area, but also help to hold the sand in place and slow down erosion. The foursome had already greeted two different groups of beach goers, but kept an eye out for others as they trimmed and stuffed deadwood and weeds into trash bags. Bending, cutting, and trying not to disturb the sand, one glanced up at an approaching visitor and did a quick double take. Yes, indeed; the visitor was a welcome sight for the Dunies as it was none other than Master Gardener Emeritus Tom Bolt.

In 2008 it was Tom who envisioned the Dune Garden. This original Dunie coordinated with East Beach Company and the City of Norfolk to establish the Dune Garden to be maintained by the Norfolk Master Gardeners. Tom came to check on his project and those to whom it has been entrusted and to pass on pictures taken in 2010. We had such a fun reunion and laughed in sharing the pictures from the early days of the dune. More current photos are included to show the progress we have made. It was a perfect day in the dune -- as much as we love the gaillardia, sunflowers, elder and others -- it is really about the people.

Thanks for your vision, Tom Bolt. We trust the garden is doing you proud!

The Dunies

Take a minute to enjoy our image slider below of the progression of the Dune Garden

Let's Talk Tomatoes

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 17:27:49 GMT

NMGA President Anna Dalton manages the Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden in the Colonial Place neighborhood.

On May 15 ^th , she will give a short talk about tomatoes focusing on the different varieties and how best to plant them – basically the who, what, when, where, how and even why one would choose certain varieties for their own garden.

Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden has several Master Gardeners with plots at the site. This year we have installed a small demonstration garden featuring All American Selections (AAS) plants grown from seed, nurtured under our grow lights and slowly hardened off in our two compact greenhouses. We have also been busy growing a nice variety of native pollinator plants, AAS flowers and vegetables, heirloom tomatoes and herbs.

You will receive a free plant if you pre-register by emailing knittingmillva@icloud.com . We will verify your registration by emailing you a list of the plants we will be giving away.

Please take a little time to stroll through the site and observe the various gardening techniques. Our garden plots are as unique and varied as our gardeners. Make sure you take a look at our demonstration garden and see if you can spot the trees and shrubs that have QR codes for you to scan and learn!

Let’s Talk About Tomatoes

May 15,2021

10:00 am -12:00 pm

Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden

Corner of Mayflower and Georgia Streets in Colonial Place (right behind Fellini’s Italian Restaurant)

New Trees in Town

Thu, 25 Feb 2021 00:25:17 GMT

We have a new street tree on the Redgate Avenue side of Ohef Sholom Temple, outside the Sanctuary. This tree along with several others was planted in the Stockley Gardens area last November by Norfolk City Forester Steve Traylor, the Ghent Neighborhood League, and Norfolk Master Gardeners.

The new addition is an Ostrya virginiana which is also called Hophornbeam or Ironwood and is a native tree. One of the common names, Hophornbeam, comes from the shape of the fruit which resembles the hops that are used to make beer. The name Ironwood evolved because of the hardness of the tree’s wood. The wood is suitable for tool handles.

This tree is a member of the birch family. It is a slow growing understory tree that can get to be as tall as 30 feet. The species can live in sun or partial sun. It has both male and female blossoms. Female blossoms are not very noticeable, but the catkins or male blossoms hang down in long clusters in the early spring.

This deciduous tree has oblong-shaped leaves which turn yellow-gold before they drop in the fall, revealing the tree’s structure and bark. The leaf edge is finely serrated. The bark starts out smooth but becomes rough with age.

The City of Norfolk has committed to increasing the tree coverage by giving away, replacing, and adding new trees. They are also trying to create more diversity to the tree canopy, which currently is dominated by oak trees. Our temple has committed to be an environmentally conscious congregation. This new tree is good for the environment, is part of repairing the world, and will help the city reach its goal. If you are interested in planting trees and do not know how, there is a short demonstration with Steve Traylor on the https://youtu.be/DWl90V0yLxY

There is no better time than NOW to plant a tree for future generations.

Meet Susan Boice – Class of 2020

Fri, 19 Feb 2021 15:07:17 GMT

Susan grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley on a dairy farm.

She moved to Arlington, Virginia when she was in her twenties to live with a friend and experience “the world.” She worked as a clerical civilian with the Navy where she met her husband who was on active duty. He was eventually transferred to Norfolk, and they have lived in Norfolk for 22 years.

Susan has an Associate degree in Liberal Arts from New York State, a Bachelor’s degree in nursing from George Mason University and a Master’s degree in nursing (Nurse Practitioner) from Old Dominion University.

Susan’s interest in becoming a Master Gardener was sparked by her interest in flower gardening. She experimented with her first garden while living in Arlington. She enjoys the outdoors and is interested in volunteering some of her time since she has retired. Meeting new people with similar interests and learning is very appealing to her. As a farmer’s daughter, she has developed an appreciation for the great outdoors and working hard.

To attain her fifty hours, Susan worked at Weyanoke Sanctuary, Ernie Morgan Center, Jam’n Jamz tree giveaway, Arbor Day, Giving Garden, Zoo Garden, the Square Foot Garden at the Fred Heutte Center and the Lafayette Wetlands Partnership.

Susan believes the Education Committee did the best they could to continue the classes when the pandemic occurred. She said the hardest part was not knowing when and what they would be doing next. Learning how to use Zoom for presentations was a good experience and she thought the drive-through graduation was fun.

Susan’s main interests in continuing her Master Gardener journey are working at Weyanoke Sanctuary, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership and volunteering at Norfolk Botanical Garden.

Susan and her husband have been married for 32 years. They have two border collies who love to travel with them when they camp. When Susan is not volunteering with Norfolk Master Gardeners she likes reading, learning, yoga, crafts, hiking and camping in their 21 foot travel trailer.

When you see Susan be sure to give a shout out to her and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardeners.

Is Glitter Good To Eat?

Fri, 29 Jan 2021 14:18:01 GMT

Is Glitter Good to Eat?

Many products that we need are prewrapped in plastic, eliminating our choices as to packaging. Others are not and allow us the opportunity to make better environmental choices. Glitter is one of those choices. We probably all love the sparkle and shine that it adds to product design, cards, objects, craft projects, and celebrations, but what are the long-term effects of glitter?

Glitter is a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) plastic, similar to what is also used in many plastic drink bottles. Glitter is made from tiny pieces of the PET plastic that are colored. A lot of it ends up on the ground and eventually in the oceans and lakes. Wastewater treatment plants are not capable of removing these small pieces (especially as they break down further in the water). Most of the tiny pieces along with plastic microbeads end up in sludge that sinks to the bottom during the water purification process or remains in the water after cleaning. This sludge is applied to farm fields for fertilizer. The small pieces of plastic are washed back into the streams, lakes, rivers, and oceans. Other pieces that littered the ground are washed by the rain back into the water system.

Why does this matter? It matters because the sea animals that clean the water like oysters and certain fish ingest the glitter. It can block their digestive system and cause them to starve to death. It also matters because we end up eating these tiny pieces when we ingest these animals or their predators and consume them in drinking water.

There is a way to help with this problem. By choosing not to buy things that have glitter or not using glitter we can each help in our own way to improve our precious earth’s environment.

You may already know about the controversy of BPA-containing plastics. Bisphenol A (BPA), glitter and other plastics are not part of a healthy diet and may negatively affect our endocrine system. Research is ongoing, but you can read more from the University of Central Florida at https://www.ucf.edu/news/all-that-glitters-could-be-unhealthy/

Do you have suggestions to share on ways to help earth? Help us to build a collection of ideas for being good stewards of the earth. Send me your suggestions at jackiewoh2@yahoo.com .

And we have a winner!

Wed, 06 Jan 2021 23:16:55 GMT

We needed a pretty big pot to hold all the slips of paper identifying those who registered for Master Classes for Norfolk Gardeners before midnight on December 31. January 2, a warm sunny day, was perfect for Eggleston Associate James Fobbs to stir the pot really well before drawing Jenifer Wylie’s name. Congratulations, Jenifer! She won the Early Bird registration prize – a $50 gift card for Eggleston Garden Center!

Garden Meditation

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 13:24:38 GMT

Reflecting on this year of COVID-19, made me remember this lovely writing which has been used by my family at the Thanksgiving table each year. Our tradition is to pass this around, each person reading a part and ending with a toast to the bounty for which we are grateful.

Let us give thanks for a bounty of people.

For children who are our second planting, and though they grow like weeds and the

wind too soon blows them away, may they forgive us our cultivation and fondly remember

where their roots are.

Let us give thanks:

For generous friends…with hearts…and smiles as bright as their blossoms;

For feisty friends, as tart as apples;

For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us that we’ve had them;

For crotchety friends, sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of

corn, and the others, as plain as potatoes and so good for you;

For funny friends, who are as silly as Brussels sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem

artichokes;

And serious friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as

persistent as parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini and who, like parsnips,

can be counted on to see you through the winter;

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time, and young friends coming

on as fast as radishes;

For loving friends, who wind around us like tendrils and hold us, despite our blights,

wilts and witherings;

And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past that have been harvested, but

who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter.

For all these we give thanks.

Max Coots

2020 Holiday “Gala”

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 22:21:30 GMT

In a year of pandemic, social distancing, masks and virtual meetings, the annual holiday party was canceled, but the Norfolk Master Gardeners could not be deterred from having holiday festivities of some kind!

On December 8, 2020 a “Holiday Chat” was held via Zoom for all members and interns.

With Anna Thurmond serving as Master of Ceremonies, the group was welcomed and entertained with a piano solo, “Deck the Halls,” by Martha Holmes.

A Garden Trivia game proved to be quite challenging and Kay Egan and Chris Epes tied with 14 out of 15 correct answers. Although they were offered a tie-breaker question, Chris acquiesced to Kay and she was awarded a tray of delicious cookies prepared by Jill Lewis.

Cookie exchanges have been popular for decades, but a new idea was born when the group enjoyed a “virtual cookie exchange.” Connie Kellam, Sally Hartman, Jill Lewis, Alice Hinsch and Eileen Ballance shared favorite cookie ideas and showed their finished products on camera.

Bill Gerhardt entertained everyone with his original “Master Gardener-ing During COVID” poem.

Since the “Ugly Sweater” contest of previous years didn’t compute to a Zoom screen, participants were asked to wear creative headgear. Michael Cole highlighted everyone who met the challenge, but chose Bill Gerhardt as the most festively-minded participant. Bill was awarded a $25 gift certificate for the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

To close the festivities, Jim Affeldt serenaded us with his piano solo, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

There were many smiles and happy faces observed during the 2020 Holiday Chat, and lots of comments were shared about family traditions. It may not have been as ful-“filling” as a great lunch, but it was fun and served as a creative alternative to our usual in-person get-together. Everyone closed by wishing other participants a very happy holiday season and best wishes for a great new year.

NMGA Holiday Poem

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 16:53:05 GMT

Greetings from Bill in his 2020 award-winning Holiday Headgear.

He gets a lot of use out of that bike helmet! When not biking or gardening, he can sometimes be found penning a clever ode to Norfolk Master Gardeners. Read on for Bill’s latest, as read at our Holiday Chat on Zoom!

By the shores of the Chesapeake Bay

are some people, so they say,

All advocates of horticulture with knowledge from Extension,

Helping the community with gardening apprehension.

Willing to educate their community peers,

Many have volunteered for numerous years.

Led by a steering committee, so wise

They negotiated a year of Covid surprise.

With Anna and Chris at the gardening helm,

They managed us well in the garden realm.

A new class in session, the plant sale was looming,

Projects in motion, with flowers just blooming.

Adjustments were needed to continue our vocation,

Without causing alarm or too much stagnation.

Chris gave the guidance that we should all follow,

Social distancing and Zoom were tough pills to swallow.

Will was flustered by speakers to schedule,

It all seemed to work and be quite effectual.

Barb was on task with her secretarial powers,

But how were we going to earn all our hours?

Treasurer Susan was ready with her finance tale,

And a bank balance sufficient for a missed Spring plant sale.

Program leaders were challenged, with how to prepare,

For contactless-contacts with whom they could share.

Some were creative, and videos they made,

While others in dormancy, there they have stayed.

Zoom meetings used throughout the year

Most overcame their technology fear.

With computers and cameras, online we all met,

For technical assistance, we all are in debt.

We learned about messages, muting and peeping,

Through video we saw and caught some sleeping.

Even online was the Master Gardener College,

Available for all, to increase their knowledge.

To our class of 2020, we would like to say,

We don’t normally do things quite this same way.

How to graduate a class with a covid convolution,

A graduation parade was our solution.

This year for you has been quite chaotic,

Please stick around and don’t go psychotic.

A look to the future, we all should take,

Covid precautions, we’ll continue to make.

With masks in our wardrobe and social distancing

The impacts on our programs, will be persisting.

With conditions continuing, as quite obstructive,

We’ll need your creativity, to be productive.

Anticipate shortages with restaurants closing,

People will look to their gardens for growing.

Fruits and vegetables, they can raise at their home,

Soils still need testing and good garden loam.

Collections of seeds, that we can contribute,

the challenge remains, of how to distribute.

Questions will arise, and requests for advice,

Our Master Gardener help line, to be a device.

The importance of Foodbanks is not hard to gleen,

The role of Community Gardens is easily seen.

Winter is upon us, our gardens going to sleep,

Into a new year we all will soon leap.

But now is the time to try to make jolly,

And talk of this year’s gardening folly.

So here is wishing you beautiful spring flowers,

And make sure you post your gardening hours.

What Are Those Bugs On My Crape Myrtle?

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 12:05:10 GMT

This article originally appeared in the Ghent Neighborhood League newsletter, November 2020.

Have you noticed a lot of white “bumps” on the branches and in the crotches of your crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) or the crape myrtles in the verge in front of your home? Or have you noticed white “cotton like” bumps crawling on your trees? These are most likely crape myrtle bark scale (CMBS) insects. Often the limbs and trunk of the tree also are covered by a black sooty mold, which is the result of the scale insects sucking the sap from your tree and the mold growing on the sugars contained in the tree sap. Crape myrtles suffer aesthetic damage and may eventually die because of these CMBS infestations. Even if CMBS do not kill the plants, there likely may be a reduction in plant vigor, number of flowers, and flower cluster size. Infested plants typically leaf out later than healthy plants.

CMBS is not native to the United States and was probably introduced from China around 2004. It has been spreading across the South and South East of the

United States since then. Although it recently arrived in Norfolk, Steven Traylor, the City Arborist, recently noted that CMBS is extensively present throughout Norfolk. Although Norfolk City budgetary constraints prevent the city from having a plant health care (PHC) program to do remediating treatments, the Bureau of Parks and Urban Forestry does issue permits for PHC treatment work to be done at private cost of citizens if they are interested. A good discussion of CMBS and treatment options can be found in the Clemson Cooperative Information Center factsheet is located at https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/crapemyrtle-bark-scale/ .

Chris Epes is the City of Norfolk’s Associate Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Agent for Agriculture and Natural Resources. When talking to me about CMBS, Chris made the following points:

CMBS tends to extensively infest those crape myrtles that are already under stress. The reason you frequently see them in high numbers on verge trees is because they have little pervious space around the roots and are subjected to higher than normal heat from the surrounding pavement. You may also see them in large quantities on trees that get topped or “crape-murdered” annually, trees that are planted in too much shade, or trees that simply don’t get enough water wherever they may be located. So, for this reason, Chris always suggests to first attempt to use “cultural” controls to improve the health of the tree. Doing this successfully should result in a crape myrtle that tolerates a small infestation, as most of the healthy trees in Norfolk do.

Cultural controls include making sure that your tree is planted in a full-sun location, making sure the soil is moist, well-draining, not overly compacted and contains a reasonable amount of organic matter. It also means making sure the tree is getting watered periodically through the hot, dry parts of the summer. It means to prune the tree only to remove the dead branches and branches that are crossing and touching and never under any circumstance top or “crape-murder” the tree. De-suckering would be an acceptable pruning measure for a crape myrtle, as sucker growth, especially profuse sucker growth, is fundamentally a stress response. It means that for some reason the tree is under duress. Might that be because of CMBS? Sure, but it could also because of other environmental factors. Identifying and fixing the problem/problems will be helpful in both reducing future suckering and future pest infestation.

VCE discourages use of chemical applications for this problem, although it is legal to do so in Virginia. The only effective chemical control involves using a concentrated neonicotinoid pesticide that must be mixed with water per the label instructions and poured over the root zone around the base of the tree. The tree will then absorb the insecticide via the roots and translocate it throughout the canopy. Given the lag between application and complete translocation, there may be a few weeks to a month before you begin to see much control, and that would be based on weather/rainfall which would dictate the degree to which the tree is translocating fluids. In addition, much of Norfolk is so close to the water table that the likelihood of contaminating the groundwater is high. Similarly, although there does not appear to be a consensus among researchers, neonicotinoid pesticides inside the flower parts and pollen may be harmful to pollinators that graze the flowers. Accordingly, most researchers tend to err on the side of caution and recommend that use of these chemicals be limited.

Chris also stressed, “If cultural controls are not effective, I recommend simply replacing the tree with something more suited to the space, otherwise you’ll be locked into either a perpetual infestation and the ultimate demise of the tree, or having to do chemical applications annually. This is going to be far more expensive, far more potentially dangerous to the applicator and far more potentially dangerous to the environment in the long run than simply replacing the tree with something that is ultimately healthy, happy and unfettered in the space.”

Finally, if you do decide to go the chemical treatment route, have an expert treat the tree for you. Don’t try to “do it on your own”, as misuse of the chemical treatment products can have a detrimental effect on you, your pets, and the environment. Do not forget to get a permit from the Bureau of Parks and Urban Forestry before spraying any city trees. A permit application can be downloaded from https://www.norfolk.gov/DocumentCenter/View/917/Tree-Street-Application?bidId= and can be submitted via email to the address treepermits@norfolk.gov . Check the box for “Spray/treat” and indicate “crape myrtle bark scale” as the purpose for which the permit is requested.

Fun fact: The common name for Lagerstroemia indica can be spelled either crepe myrtle or crape myrtle. Crape myrtle is the oldest known spelling and is generally preferred by botanists. The traditional Southern spelling is crepe myrtle. However, across the rest of the US it is more commonly spelled crape myrtle. Choose your poison, technically either is correct.

Meet Sally Hartman – Class of 2020

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 21:45:45 GMT

Sally Hartman grew up in Texas and Arkansas but ended up in Norfolk when Sally and her husband, Ron, chose Norfolk in 1985 as a great place to live, work and raise a family.

Sally earned a degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas. She then studied Japanese culture at Kansai Gaidai University in Japan. Later she earned public relations accreditation and certficates in nonprofit management and crisis communications. She is currently a freelance professional specializing in writing, editing and communications strategy.

Sally retired in June as Vice President for Communications at the Hampton Roads Community Foundation which is our region’s largest grant and scholarship provider.

Sally admires beautiful gardens but didn’t embrace the art of gardening due to lack of training. She joined the Norfolk Master Gardener program so that she could learn about gardening. It worked! She now knows a lot more about horticulture and enjoys participating in gardening.

When the coronavirus caused classes to go virtual Sally missed her classmates, the perennial Master Gardeners and all the fantastic dinners that volunteers prepared for the students in their after-work classes. However, she feels that going online allowed the class to continue learning and forced them to successfully adapt their presentations to an online format. Although Sally feels it worked for her, she missed having an in-person pruning class. Hopefully she will have an opportunity to participate in one when we are able to meet in person again.

Sally earned most of her hours volunteering at the Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden. She also helped the Communications Committee create a communication plan for the 2021 online gardening classes. Other projects included the Eco Garden at Ernie Morgan Center, Flower & Garden Expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, Weyanoke Wildlife Sanctuary and crape myrtle pruning.

She will continue volunteering at the Butterfly House and she is in training to become a docent at the Hermitage Museum and Gardens. When things open up again she would like to work with projects for children.

Sally’s family circle includes her husband, Ron, and their son, Luke, who lives and works in Salt Lake City. Completing the family unit is her rescue dog, Lucy, who is a Lab mix.

When Sally has free time she likes yoga, pickleball, swimming, golfing, biking, reading, writing or quilting. She also enjoys walking her dog, and if we weren’t in a pandemic she would be finding somewhere interesting to travel.

Be sure to introduce yourself to Sally when you see her and welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardener volunteers.

The Hackberry Tree

Thu, 12 Nov 2020 23:20:45 GMT

Norfolk Master Gardeners have been busy planting trees from the city’s recent Arbor Day Tree give-away at Weyanoke Wildlife Sanctuary. The Arbor Day tree species were Sweet Bay Magnolia, Bald Cypress, River Birch, Persimmon, and Long Leaf Pines. These native trees were three years old and will grow up to 10 – 14 feet within the next five years. As natives, they support many species of birds and butterflies. The one tree that was not included, even though it is a native, was the Common Hackberry.

These photos show hackberry bark, leaves and fruit

Hackberry, or Celtis occidentalis, is easy to grow, tolerates a wide variety of conditions in an urban area, and has small orange fruits (called a drupe) which are a good source of food for winter birds. In fact, the Arbor Day Foundation calls the hackberry “one tough tree.” There is always a “however.” However, in Weyanoke Sanctuary there are hundreds (probably thousands) of hackberry seedlings as well as larger trees. If these saplings grew, the Sanctuary would be called hackberry heaven, as they would crowd out other species. To keep this from happening, NMGs will remove the seedlings to ensure a more diverse woodland.

You can always tell a hackberry, even in winter, by identification of its bark. The key feature is its warty surface that develops early and increases in size and number as it ages. The fruit of the hackberry is popular with winter birds, especially the cedar waxwing, mockingbird, and robin. The tree also attracts many butterfly species and is host plant for the caterpillars of the American Snout, Hackberry Emperor, Mourning Cloak, Tawny Emperor, Question Mark and Comma butterflies.

P.B. Young Elementary: A Flourishing School Garden

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 00:24:00 GMT

The weeds have been conquered, the pollinator garden is just about put to rest for the season, and the cool-season crop of collards is big, beautiful, and ready for a bountiful harvest.

Some students already attend classes in person at the school. This last Thursday was a Dinner Day –parents and caregivers received meals when they came to collect the children at 3:30pm. And as a result of the efforts of Jim Gwathmey and some NMGs, the adults could also take home some fresh-picked collard greens.

It’s too early for collards, you say? They need a touch of frost to be sweet? Yes, if served the traditional Southern way… But Jim suggests sampling this recipe for Brazilian Collards ; just collards, olive oil & lots of garlic (note how the collards are cut). He and his wife were regulars at a Brazilian restaurant and highly recommend this version.

To learn more, check out this info sheet NC State, Collard Greens , which has all you ever wanted to know about collards – including some other very tasty-looking recipes.

Jim says the garden will miss Sophia Fowler and her husband George, who watered faithfully on Mondays. The Fowlers are on their way to Arkansas, where we hope Sophia will find a new crop of Extension Master Gardener friends.

Meet Jim Affeldt – Class of 2020

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 16:06:21 GMT

Jim is a native of Portsmouth, VA, but only lived there briefly before his family moved to Winston-Salem, NC where he lived until his college years.

Jim graduated from Virginia Tech in 1982 with a degree in Architecture. He was privileged to be able to study in Europe during the summer of his fourth year. Jim’s first permanent job brought him to the Tidewater area after college. He worked for two local architectural firms for about ten years prior to getting a job with the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in Norfolk. He retired from his civil service senior architect position in December of 2019. Jim feels that he had a full and rewarding career with specialties including Family Housing, Sustainable Design and management of large overseas design projects in places such as Rota, Spain; Vicenza and Sigonella, Italy; Djibouti, Africa; Keflavik, Iceland and Lossiemouth, Scotland.

Jim has always enjoyed gardening, planting and harvesting home-grown vegetables and at one time considered pursuing a career in landscape architecture but decided on the field of architecture. He is now adjusting to being retired and this gives him an opportunity to connect with his earlier interest.

Even though the Class of 2020 met with unusual circumstances, he feels that they had already received most of the benefits of in-person teaching before classes continued on Zoom. He enjoyed learning from other classmates with the Zoom presentations and felt that everyone did a fantastic job.

Jim jumped right into volunteering toward his fifty-hour assignment by helping to set up the Virginia Flower and Garden Expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. He also volunteered at the Weyanoke Wildlife Sanctuary which he enjoyed because it is almost in his back yard. He is hoping in the future birds and wildlife will visit his yard. He has already seen turtles, snakes, skinks, a groundhog, foxes, birds and butterflies in the short time he has been living in West Ghent. Most of his remaining hours were earned at the Butterfly House at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

Jim will continue to volunteer at the Butterfly House and Weyanoke Wildlife Sanctuary but he is interested in pursuing many other approved projects such as the plant sale at the Stockley Gardens Art Festival, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership and the Significant Tree Program.

Jim lives with his partner, Larry, and a 12-year-old spoiled Maltese, Sophie. He feels fortunate that both his parents are still living in their mid-90s in a retirement community in Winston-Salem, NC.

When Jim is not volunteering with the Norfolk Master Gardeners he enjoys traveling, visiting museums and working out at the YMCA. He also enjoys bike riding, volunteering at church, walking his dog, home improvement projects, meeting new neighbors, reading and watching movies on Netflix. Welcome, Jim, to the Norfolk Master Gardeners! Be sure to introduce yourself to Jim when you see him.

Meet Lucia Herndon – Class of 2020

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 22:11:11 GMT

Lucia Herndon believes that the Class of 2020 will be one for the history books, but nevertheless she survived and is very honored to receive the designation of Norfolk Master Gardener.

Becoming a Master Gardener has been a goal for Lucia for many years, since she has several friends who have achieved the designation and she has admired them for what they do for the community.

Lucia grew up in Montana and graduated from Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana. Her love for nature and “digging in the dirt” can be attributed to time spent with her dad who taught her respect, work ethic, fishing, gardening, giving back, the importance of education and constantly learning new things. From a very young age she would be seen with her dad planting flowers and vegetable gardens. Last year she lost her dad three days before his 102nd birthday. Her Master Gardener presentation was on tomatoes in loving memory of him.

The Navy brought Lucia to Norfolk. She currently works at Portsmouth Naval Hospital where she is a case manager. Next year she plans to retire after 31 years which includes active duty, reserve and civil service. She considers her upcoming retirement “bittersweet,” but is looking forward to learning more and volunteering with the Master Gardener projects.

To complete her fifty volunteer hours she participated at the Weyanoke Sanctuary, the Butterfly House at Norfolk Botanical Garden, the Eco Garden at the Ernie Morgan Center, Lafayette Wetlands Partnership and the Square Foot Garden at the Fred Heutte Center.

When Lucia is not working or volunteering with the Master Gardeners, she likes crafts, exercising, reading and getting together with friends.

Lucia believes the classes were a great learning experience for her and she wishes to thank everyone who made it possible for the Class of 2020 to be successful, especially with the restrictions that were in place.

When you see Lucia please be sure to welcome her to the Norfolk Master Gardeners!

Exciting News About Hours and VMS

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 16:03:30 GMT

Okay, yes, I have your attention. It is fall and the year is winding down!

Sadly, thirty-five of you wonderful Norfolk Master Gardeners haven’t entered any hours this year! Of course, you should enter all your hours even though no Work hours are required for 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions. Remember though that your annual eight Continuing Education/Training hours are still required. In addition to those thirty-five NMGs with no entries, several of you are short on Training hours at this moment in time.

Kathleen Reed, the EMG State Coordinator, recently broke the news that this coming January 1, Virginia Cooperative Extension is moving to a new online reporting system, Better Impact, and away from VMS. I am anticipating that VMS will be totally shut down as the migration begins. What does that mean for you? Bottom line, this year you need to get your hours entered by December 15. It is imperative that you search NOW for your calendars, those little bitty slips of paper at the bottom of your purse, and through all those papers on your desk and get to entering!!! If you realize you are coming up short NOW, I am happy to help find those training lectures that can help you complete the training hours requirement. Between December 15 and December 31, I will be compiling your totals for Milestone Award submissions.

Once you have finished entering your hours, let me know. If I enter hours for you, I must have your hours in my hand by December 15, either via email, USPS, or drive by drop off at my house.

We don’t know if your hours will transfer to the Better Impact system, so I recommend that you use the “Create Excel” option in VMS and save your hours for your personal records. I would strongly recommend that you create this document and either save the file or print it; your choice!

I don’t have much information about the new system other than training will be provided; schedule for that has not been set. Our Reenrollment Process will be delayed until the new system is in place. The good news is that once that happens this will be an online process. As more information is provided, I will let you all know.

You can reach me at alwbpw@cox.net or 583-4796 .

P.B. Young Elementary: A Proud School Garden

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 22:49:53 GMT

Just before the 2019-20 school year began, Sophia Fowler and Anna Thurmond delivered a new project proposal to the Steering Committee and to Chris Epes.

Their plan was very detailed. Trinity Presbyterian Church had originally supplied tools and materials for a school garden at P.B. Young Sr. Elementary, a Pre-K to Grade 2 school in the Young Terrace neighborhood. Jim Gwathmey, a retired telecommunications engineer, was working with the schoolchildren and reached out to Norfolk Master Gardeners about creating a curriculum and activities for the second graders. Sophia and Anna developed an ambitious plan to build the students’ understanding of the natural world and their environment, while building their skills in math, science and art.

The food grown at the garden goes to the families of the students and school staff. When the pandemic shut everything down in mid-March of this year, the school garden and MG s activities also stopped. Jim received permission to tend the raised beds growing vegetables and did some weeding. By September, even though VCE had lifted restrictions enough to allow this NMG program to resume, the children weren’t back in school. Still, there’s a lot of necessary preparation and ongoing garden work to be done in anticipation of their return. Sure, there are weeds to deal with, along with an amazing crop of volunteer zinnias that fill the school’s backyard and garden area with color.

Currently, NMGs meet at P.B. Young Elementary on Thursday mornings at 10am for about 90 minutes. Contact Anna ( annadalton610@cox.net or 757-285-0374 ) for more details about the program and plans for when in-person learning resumes.

Bringing Up Babies

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 21:37:05 GMT

About ten years ago I was on one of my walks and this time I was on the campus of Old Dominion University after the kids had left for summer break. Everything was pretty much closed down. However, to my delight the Orchid Conservatory was open. It was staffed by one student and the young man invited me in for a tour. I found out that orchids are more prevalent than believed, that we actually have orchids that grow here in Virginia.

After the inside guided tour we went outside. The student pointed out some of the plants that were growing, an assortment of berries and flowers that were for pollinators. There was one straggly bush that I didn’t recognize. It was about four feet tall and mostly bare. He told me it was milkweed. It’s the only plant food for the Monarch butterfly and because of deforestation it’s becoming more difficult for the Monarchs to survive. He didn’t give stats, just that information. I love Monarchs; you know, San Juan Capistrano. I was determined that milkweed would be a part of my gardening scheme. You have to understand that ten years ago my yard was a big mess. When I bought the property, I knew it would take hard work to get it to what my imagination saw. I kid you not, there was pine straw six feet high all along the back fence. By the time I cleared it out I had three basketballs, a football and one soccer ball. All during that time of shaping the yard into what I wanted, I was always on the hunt for milkweed.

About four years ago I found milkweed at a pop-up garden shop. I grabbed one that was in an eight-inch pot and about eight inches high, went home and planted it in the ground. It looked okay but I worried that it wouldn’t live so I went back and purchased another plant. That first winter was pretty tough and I tried not to think much about the milkweed. Spring came and so did the milkweed. I had a viable food source for the Monarchs but they didn’t come. The next year the milkweed didn’t disappoint me but the Monarchs still didn’t come. Last year there were swallowtails all over the parsley and fennel, but no Monarchs on the milkweed. September came and guess who showed up! Finally. They seemed to just pop up out of nowhere all at once and they sure enjoyed the milkweed. Their poop was testament that they were indeed eating machines. There were so many. A few days later the population had diminished and I thought something was eating them up. I ran to the garden shop and purchased a pop-up plant protector and staked it down. By this time there were only four caterpillars left. These four did survive to pupate and emerge. Releasing them was one of my proudest moments. I can do this. I can help increase the Monarch population.

Last year I released my first Monarchs. I also started saving the milkweed seeds and giving them to anyone who wanted to do the same. This year I planted more milkweed but this time I planted it in earthpots. I wanted to have enough milkweed for anyone and everyone who asked for some. It’s a good thing I did. This summer was extremely hot. I worried about the Monarchs coming and had forgotten how late they came the year before. Well, they came. It was already September and I was ready. I had acquired a mesh butterfly cage, floral tubes and a pot trellis with small branches tied onto it. When the caterpillars were large enough for me to see, I cut the stems they were on and put each stem in a floral tube filled with water. This was put into the cage with the trellis. Some of my grandchildren were here for part of the summer. They loved watching those caterpillars. My grandson would squat and watch for long periods of time. Sometimes his forehead would get furrows. He’d tell me who the bullies were because they crawled over the others and yes, he did give them all names.

Unfortunately, the grandchildren had to leave for home before the caterpillars started pupating. A few of the neighborhood kids also came by to watch with the same awe, just staring into the cage and tilting their heads from side to side. No words were necessary. I continued to collect the caterpillars from the plants and put them into the cage and then one day I saw the first chrysalis of many to come. It was the right shape and right color, that pretty, pale green, that I remembered from the year before. They were on their way. Even when I thought there would be no more a few more appeared and I brought them into my setup.

Toward the end of September there was magic in the air. Some of the chrysalises had turned really dark. One morning I went out to check on my babies and lo and behold the Monarchs had arrived. I got out my phone and texted the neighbors, then settled back to watch before releasing them. I was joined by some of the children who watched as I let the Monarchs flutter onto my finger and take them out, then let them walk onto the kids’ hands. There were smiles, oohs and ahhs, and the “let me do this.” This will be a great story for them to tell others about the time they held a magnificent Monarch in their hand. All in all, twenty-two Monarchs were released.

I’m feeling pretty good right now, thinking about all the research I did on these creatures. Can you believe that Monarchs are tagged with a little sticker on their wing, so that their migration patterns and population can be monitored? As I mentioned in the beginning, I can do something. I don’t want this world to be sans Monarchs. What will I tell the grandchildren? I may have to get another cage. Maybe even two.

Meet Cathleen Owen – Class of 2020

Thu, 17 Sep 2020 12:25:29 GMT

In spite of the challenges the Class of 2020 encountered, Cathy Owen pursued and completed all requirements including her fifty hours in August 2020.

Cathy was born and grew up in Ohio where her family had a huge garden and raised vegetables for the family table. One unique thing about gardening in Ohio compared to Virginia are the stones. Cathy’s father began the garden each year by rototilling the area and the next chore was to throw the stones out of the garden plot before anything could be planted.

Employed by the Department of Defense, Cathy lived mostly in Maryland, served two stints overseas and in 2019 was assigned to the Coast Guard Station at Dam Neck in Virginia Beach. While in Maryland she did some gardening, but when she moved to Virginia she wanted to get more involved in horticulture and this is what led her to pursue the Norfolk Master Gardener Class of 2020, the first year that classes were offered in the evening.

To complete her fifty volunteer hours she participated at the Weyanoke Sanctuary, the Butterfly House and Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden, and the Square Foot Garden at the Fred Heutte Center. She was fascinated by the 4 x 4 frames and the large amount of vegetables that could be raised in such a small area. Of particular interest was the container potato project demonstrated at the Potager Garden, and this is something she plans to try at home.

During the COVID-19 restrictions, she has been tele-working and this allowed her to participate in some daytime projects, but she will be back at the workplace soon. She plans to continue volunteering at the Butterfly House and Potager Garden on weekends, as well as other evening and weekend activities that are offered so that she can accrue the needed hours in the future. She is also interested in participating in wetland projects when they are offered.

Cathy particularly likes being outdoors, and when she is not working or participating as an NMG her hobbies include running, kayaking, hiking and biking. She has three grown sons who all live out of the area.

Cathy is appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of the Class of 2020 and felt that the teaching staff did a great job of creating the needed opportunities to complete the class. She didn’t know what to expect when everything went virtual, but found it worked.

Be sure to give a shout out to Cathy when you see her and let her know how happy we are to have her in the NMGV organization.

Drive Through Graduation

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 20:07:30 GMT

And Now for Something Completely Different!

The Norfolk Master Gardener Class of 2020 is already a unique class, and the long-awaited conclusion of their hard work and patience has been consistent with their entire journey.

The Class of 2020 is the first class to have instruction in the evening, the first class to be treated to elaborate dinners, and the first class to be interrupted by a worldwide pandemic. The class of 2020 is also the first class to participate in a drive through graduation ceremony, rather than our usual celebration of congratulatory hugs and handshakes, flowers, and lots of food.

Some members of the Training Committee were initially reluctant to hold an evening class, but our Agent Chris Epes was confident that evening instruction would bring in new students unable to attend our usual daytime classes. Chris was right (big surprise), and 24 students enrolled, about half of them holding jobs during the day. All faithfully attended the evening classes, although there were some drooping eyelids at times, especially among the members of the Training Committee! A routine was established, and the class ran along smoothly until total derailment on March 12, 2020. With the class almost completed, everyone was sent home to “shelter in place.”

The Training Committee began planning for remote learning to allow the students to complete their remaining requirements, and to present their projects. Meanwhile, all Norfolk Master Gardeners followed guidelines from Virginia Cooperative Extension and our state and local leaders. We continue to follow these guidelines.

On September 1, 2020 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, 22 members of the Norfolk Master Gardener Class of 2020 drove through the grassy parking area at the Royster Presbyterian Church on Newport Avenue, receiving their certificates and badges among wildly cheering, masked and socially distanced Perennials. This was completely different, and completely wonderful! Only two of the new Interns needed to have their graduation items delivered to them. All 24 of our original 24 class members made it through the in-person classes, the remote learning and project presentations and final exam. Four have already earned sufficient hours to attain active VCE Master Gardener status.

We couldn’t be more proud of all of this year’s graduates, and look forward to working with them and getting to know them better as restrictions lift, and we can safely meet and work together again. Congratulations to all on a job well done. This was a colorful graduation in more ways than one!

Class of 2020 - Update

Fri, 04 Sep 2020 18:16:29 GMT

This was the year of the pandemic, a year like we have never known (and hope to never know again).

On March 12, exactly 2 weeks before graduation, classes were suspended due to COVID 19. We still had two classes remaining, project presentations, exams, and graduation. We were sure we would pick back up in a couple of months or less but that was NOT to be. Our Class of 2020 stayed resilient, flexible, and willing to do whatever was needed to complete the class.

Exams were emailed to the trainees with an answer sheet; answer sheets were returned to the Exam Coordinator for grading, then answer sheets were returned to the individuals with an explanation of questions missed. All passed.

For the final 3 classes - Herbaceous Plants Parts 1 and 2 were presented via Zoom for trainees to watch live or after the fact via video link. The Pruning session was pre-recorded and watched via video link.

The Training Committee agreed to attempt project presentations over Zoom. Some trainees were ready and willing to jump onto this platform. Others were coached and rehearsed and came through with flying colors. Trainees zoomed in to watch classmates present their projects, offering support and congratulations! We love that Master Gardener camaraderie.

Our overall class evaluation was completed electronically! Our new Unit Administrative Assistant created that outside-the-box innovation.

During the shut-down period, MG activities were limited to our food producing projects – Fred Heutte Center Square Foot Garden and the Potager Garden at NBG. Several trainees continued to participate and earn hours following social distancing and face covering guidance. Some also took part in strictly voluntary activities (but necessary), such as upkeep at Weyanoke Wildlife Sanctuary, working with native plants. As the VCE and local guidelines eased, that and other MG programs are gradually being reinstated, with both trainees and perennial NMGs taking part if and as they feel safe enough to do so.

With social distancing required as well as limiting numbers of people in one place, graduation presented another dilemma. In the end, we celebrated with a “Drive Thru” graduation which took place at Royster Presbyterian Church on September 1. Each trainee (now intern) received a reusable goodie bag containing their Intern Badge and certificate, graduation program, Native Plants for Southeast Virginia, and a Keep Norfolk Beautiful face mask.

Class of 2020 – thank you, thank you, thank you for all your efforts during your Training Class. The committee was forced to think differently and do things that we would never dreamed of doing! We are so glad to have you in our Norfolk Master Gardener family. Congratulations to Dusti Johnson-Brinker, Chris Kroll, Cathleen Owen, and Chris Schweitzer who totally skipped the Internship by completing their hours before graduation – a first!

Thanks to the entire Training Committee for thinking creatively to make all this happen for our new Interns! You can now exhale!

Due to the uncertainty of COVID 19, there are no plans for a Class of 2021, but we do have something new and different under development for 2021 – stay tuned!

New Native Plant Nursery

Sun, 23 Aug 2020 14:08:40 GMT

I was walking home on Colley Ave after getting my haircut.

Passing by the old neighborhood plant and landscaping establishment Colley Gardens, I saw an open gate and lots of plant material. My head spun around faster than my dog’s when I say SQUIRREL!

I met the new owner, Nicole Knudson as she was setting up her new storefront and preparing to open to the public. It is such a welcome addition to the neighborhood after both Gardens in a Flowerpot and Colley Gardens recently closed their doors.

Nicole has a degree in Biology, 15 years of experience in botany and horticulture and is a former Norfolk Master Gardener. She is active in the Lafayette Wetlands Partnership as a Co-leader with John Stewart for the Granby Willow Wood Park Shoreline Restoration Project. She also served two seasons as a botany field assistant for the DCR (Department of Conservation and Recreation) Virginia Natural Heritage Program compiling the Virginia Rare (Native) Plant Inventory. She brings firsthand knowledge of the optimal growing environment for our natives and offers customers guidance on which plants are appropriate to their specific site.

Nicole has lived in Norfolk for the past 25 years and her large home garden in the Norview neighborhood began overflowing with native plants. She and her husband recently bought seven acres on the Eastern Shore with roughly five acres previously cleared from the prior owner’s agricultural food crop. This purchase provided the space needed to create a native plant farm for her second act in life. She originally planned to sell her inventory at home shows and possibly provide them to wholesale nurseries. Then a little bird (Kate M) told her that there was retail space available in Norfolk. It was the perfect site for Lady Fern’s Native Plants – a new and much needed addition to the small number of plant venues in our area dedicated to providing quality and reasonably priced plants for all of our pollinators.

In the spirit of conservation whenever possible, plants are watered using the 3-4 large tanks of the store’s rain water catchment system. There are plans to add more tanks and install a solar array to power a pump for all irrigation. The whole system will be behind plexiglass - a great way to provoke questions and provide an opportunity to educate.

New Paragraph

It’s Showtime! The 2019 Historian Report – The Year in Pictures is here

Wed, 19 Aug 2020 13:19:24 GMT

It is finally finished! As your Historian I prepare two documents each year for the historical record. One is a written report and the other is a PowerPoint slide show providing pictures of our many activities each year. The 2019 slide show is now available on our NMGA website. The written report is scheduled to be presented to the Steering Committee at our September meeting.

The 2019 slide show is rather long – 326 slides! So, grab your favorite beverage and sit down for a trip down memory lane. For 2019 I have tried to capture as many of our projects and community outreach activities as possible. I would like to thank everyone for submitting pictures of their projects to be included in this pictorial historical record.

Since COVID-19 has seriously hampered our 2020 project activities and NMGA group gatherings, I would like to ask each of you to please take a few pictures of yourself and what you’ve been up to in your own garden. Don’t be shy. Be creative and have fun. If you can, please include a short caption to explain what’s in the picture if it might not be obvious to everyone. And, if you are getting together with fellow Master Gardeners, wearing masks and social distancing observed of course, please take some photos to capture those events too.

I realize there are some projects that are active, and more will be operating with restrictions. I hope each of the Project Leaders will send some pictures of their activities for the 2020 Historian report. It is a different world now, but we are still out there making a difference and helping our community in creative ways we would not ever have imagined a year ago. I continue to be inspired by all the different opportunities that we have discovered to continue our mission to educate the community. Let’s not miss an opportunity to record this as part of our history.

Please let me know your thoughts about the slide show. If something is missing that you would like to see, please share. Your feedback is appreciated.

In the meantime, make some popcorn and kick back for half an hour – it’s showtime!

Meet Tom Bolt – VCE’s Newest Emeritus Master Gardener

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 20:21:05 GMT

Congratulations to Tom Bolt, Class of 1999, who was awarded Emeritus status in recognition of his extensive work over 21 years as a Norfolk Extension Master Gardener.

Tom was born in Anderson, SC and attended the University of South Carolina. Tom worked with the South Carolina Highway Department before serving our country for five years as a United States Marine. He worked for Norfolk Southern Railroad for thirty-five years in Sales, Marketing and Executive positions. During the Carter Administration he served four years at the Pentagon, first as Assistant to the Secretary of Navy (Feb 1977 - Jul 1979) and then as Assistant to Deputy Secretary of Defense (Aug 1979 - Feb 1982). He retired from Norfolk Southern RR as Assistant Vice President, Marketing, in 1995.

Tom was finishing up his second term as Junior Warden at his church and was in his third year serving as a Docent at the Chrysler Museum and he was looking for a new activity. He was a newly-blossomed Master Gardener when the NMGA sent out a request for someone to take over the newsletter. This was just the challenge he needed so he responded and put together a team, publishing their first issue as the Nov-Dec 1999 Germinator. Thus began Tom’s 21-year journey with Extension Master Gardeners.

Tom has participated in many of the NEMG projects, having accumulated an astonishing 11,332 hours, and retired from the Norfolk MG unit on March 1, 2020. Highlighting his leadership in our organization is the list of his most important roles: NMGA Steering Committee Chairman (Jan 2010 – Dec 2011; VMGA President (Jun 2013 - Jun 2015), and Norfolk MG Coordinator (Mar 2015 – Sep 2019).

Among Tom’s other accomplishments, he has been a regular and frequent participant on the Speakers Bureau circuit, delivering educational presentations on a variety of horticultural topics. He also served as Publicity/Communications co-chair and as webmaster of www.nmgv.org from its inception until 2019. He recognized early on the value of the Volunteer Management System (VMS) for data collection and communications sharing, and volunteered Norfolk as one of the earliest VCE-MG units to transition to this new program in 2013.

Tom has a special interest in water conservation since he lives on the water. He was instrumental in launching Norfolk’s Advanced MG Water Steward program, taking part in the very first Water Steward training class at MG College in 2007 and again in 2011. As WS Program chairman, he mentored the earliest Norfolk MG Water Steward interns through their projects: three rain gardens installed at the Virginia Zoo, and two rain gardens at sites along Colley Avenue (Fellini’s/Knitting Mill Creek Community Garden and another at 47th Street). In a departure from area flooding, Tom also led the establishment of the Native Dune Demonstration Garden in East Beach. With each project, Tom guided the individual program leaders in networking with City authorities to get the needed permits, tools, plants, and community volunteers.

During Tom’s tenure he has worked closely with a number of Extension Agents. When he started, the Agent was Dawn Alleman, but after she left, he participated on the Interview and Hiring Teams for Lynnette Swanson, Eric Stormer, Andrea Tomlin and Chris Epes.

Working beyond our own unit, Tom helped advance the continuing education of Master Gardeners statewide as a member of the MG College Advisory Team for many years, helping to ensure a fulfilling program of speakers and events, food and administrative services for attendees at Virginia Tech every June through 2018. He is a Lifetime member of the VMGA, and was our unit VMGA rep for the years 2012 – 2016. Even in “retirement,” Tom continues his service and was publicly recognized at the June 2020 VGMA meeting as their Communications lynchpin.

Tom’s special interest is gardening, but he is also known as “Mr. Fix-it.” One of his extracurricular activities has been to play Santa Claus at Battered Women’s shelters, several schools and he has played Saint Nicholas at church.

Tom’s family circle consists of his wife, Suzanne, one son, two daughters, three grandsons and one granddaughter.

We thank Tom for his unselfish and superb service to the VCE-MG program, especially to the Norfolk MG unit, and wish him and his family the very best of everything in his retirement.

Meet Dusti Johnson-Brinker

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 13:42:25 GMT

Dusti Johnson-Brinker became the first 2020 graduate to complete her class obligations including her fifty hours, while working full time and also having to dance around the coronavirus and lockdowns.

Dusti grew up in Southern New Jersey and moved to the Hampton Roads area to attend college. She liked it here so much that she never left, residing in Portsmouth for two decades but now residing in Ocean View with her husband.

Dusti is entering her 27th year with Portsmouth Public Schools. Her career began as a teacher of at-risk youth, later becoming an elementary school principal for several years. After successfully attaining state accreditation for her school, she now serves as Coordinator of School Improvement and Professional Development for the district.

While serving as a principal, she wrote and won a grant from Whole Foods to build a school garden. The Portsmouth Master Gardeners assisted her in building and maintaining the garden, and provided lessons for the students.

Dusti has been a vegetarian for more than thirty years and enjoys the freshest vegetables. She also enjoys the beauty of flowers in her back yard and is an avid environmentalist. When she moved to Norfolk she started attending the monthly Norfolk Master Gardener talks at Mary Pretlow Library. She was invited and attended an information session about becoming an NMG and since classes were offered for the first time in the evening, she was able to enroll in the Class of 2020.

To attain her fifty hours, Dusti has enjoyed working at the Weyanoke Wildlife Sanctuary, Ernie Morgan Center and the Potager Garden at Norfolk Botanical Garden, but most of her time has been dedicated to the Community Garden at the Fred Heutte Center where she has enjoyed planting and harvesting food for the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia. She also participated in the Engage Norfolk event and the Jam N’ Jamz tree giveaway.

The Class of 2020 encountered challenges unlike any other class in Norfolk Master Gardener history. Classes were suspended in mid-March due to the coronavirus and plans to resume in-person classes never transpired. Dusti appreciated the calls to each student asking their opinions, weighing the CDC advice, on how to proceed with the classes in order to complete the curriculum. She felt that our Project Coordinator did a great job of helping everyone become comfortable using Zoom so that sessions could be completed online.

When Dusti isn’t working or participating in an NMG project, she likes to travel with her husband and to visit family. They love to dance and play golf. Dusti’s personal pastimes are gardening, creating vegetarian recipes and spending time at the beach.

Please give a shout out to Dusti when you see her, and welcome her as a new Norfolk Master Gardener.

Dusti in action at Ernie Morgan Center & Fred Heutte Center

Master Gardener College Team Member Thoughts

Wed, 29 Jul 2020 22:38:27 GMT

Let me start by saying I worked hard on my first 50 volunteer hours to complete my internship and attend Master Gardener College in June 2017.

It was wonderful, and I was hooked. After attending again in Blacksburg the following year, and of course right here at home last September, I jumped at the opportunity to join the Master Gardener College Advisory Team (MGCAT) and International Master Gardener Conference (IMGC) committee. As a latecomer to the MGCAT, I attended only one in-person meeting in February of this year.

Normally, the MGCAT meets in Charlottesville as a more central location for its members, who hail from units located all over Virginia. For obvious reasons, the remaining MGCAT meetings were completed by Zoom and teleconference. The two committees responsible for speakers and technology were able to bring their work to fruition, as Master Gardener College (MGC) took place on Zoom and through the Canvas online learning platform on June 25-28, 2020. Each day featured a keynote speaker and a selection of additional lectures designed to focus on specific interests. However, the hospitality, tours and entertainment committees were forced to table their work until 2022. As you all know, IMGC 2021 is slated for September a year from now in Norfolk. As a result, Virginia MGC will not return in any form until 2022.

Here are some facts about the 2020 program you may have received from other sources, but this is a summary: 91.3% of attendees were from Virginia. The remaining 9.7% were from DC, NC, WV, PA, MD, MA, FL, GA, MO, OH, IN, KY, TN, TX, NM, CA, and OR. Kathleen Reed, State Master Gardener Coordinator publicized the event in Extension newsletters, which resulted in the additional attendees.

64% of the attendees were signed up for their first MGC. 35% had attended a Virginia MGC before and 1% had attended a similar program in another state.

Thursday was the biggest day for live attendees, with 973 listening to the keynote speaker and 804 attending concurrent sessions. Sunday was the lowest, with 690 and 735. The average attendance was 785 for keynote speakers.

The keynote speaker receiving the highest satisfaction score was Barbara Pleasant’s presentation, “Innovative Home Composting” on Saturday, followed closely by Dr. Shawn Dash, “The Mixed Blessing of Garden Insects.” Most popular concurrent sessions were” Birds in Your Virginia Landscape,” “Planting to Preserve,” “Warm Season Lawns” and “Living with the Wild Stuff.”

Survey responders were split in preferring an online program vice a traditional in-person MGC. Understandably, the cost and distance prevent some from attending MGC in Blacksburg. The reasonable cost of this program and the variety of sessions appealed to many responders. In addition, the ability to view additional concurrent sessions is attractive.

At the end of the wrap-up meeting that took place in early July – right before Kathleen and then Dave took their well-earned vacations - Dave Close, Master Gardener Specialist, was asked about a return to traditional MGC. He emphasized that he was aware that the camaraderie of the in-person session was missing as well as the ability to network and share ideas. The collegiality of the on-campus program cannot be replicated online, but at the same time, the success of this program cannot be ignored. My understanding is that MGC 2022 will again be held in Blacksburg, but future programs may include an online portion, an alternate city for MGC or alternate means of presentation in future years. I, for one, will definitely be heading to Blacksburg in 2022 and my car holds six more!

A Tale of Two Trees

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 15:43:00 GMT

I just wanted to share with you some advice I got from Chris Epes.

A tale of two trees - Beautyberry and Crape Myrtle...both suffering from crape myrtle bark scale (CMBS). Chris advised me to dispose of the crape myrtle and perhaps in doing so my beautyberry might survive. Well, I did just that and not only did the beautyberry recover but is actually thriving! A great example of why natives are so important! - - - - - - -

And now a word from our HelpLine (yes, this is still a viable way to respond to the gardening concerns of Norfolk residents with great resources from regional Extension services): According to Clemson, several other common landscape plants are susceptible to CMBS infestation. These include pomegranate, persimmon, edible fig, boxwood, American beautyberry (hello!), cleyera, privet, and raspberries. Now is the time to inspect these plants closely for the CMBS, especially if crape myrtles are planted nearby. https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/crapemyrtle-bark-scale/ You can also check out a very informative factsheet from NC State: https://currituck.ces.ncsu.edu/2019/03/pest-alert-crape-myrtle-bark-scale/

Both these references tell you all is not lost even if you do find an infestation on your crape myrtle. There are cultural and chemical controls available. But if you DO find CMBS, please report it! Easy to do that right here, http://stopcmbs.com/report/ .

Milestone Award Recipients

Sat, 18 Jul 2020 00:20:46 GMT

Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work!!

250 hours – Drew Avery, Jonathan Bennett, Karen Brent, Kathryn Bush, Jeanie Carlson, Cindy Creede, Barbara Dozier, Sue Gates, Marilyn Gowen, Peter Hatchard, Connie Kellam, Will Redfern, Kim Stewart

500 hours – Michael Cole, Gayle Donovan, Ginger Farrell, Robin Franklin, Martha Holmes, Jill Lewis, Chris Reynolds, Mary Shaffer, Anna Thurmond

1000 hours – Eileen Ballance, Sophia Fowler, Cathy Peyton

2000 hours – Joey Rothgery

3000 hours – Bill Gerhardt, Betrice Hovey, Donna Van Keuren, Paul Ziegler

5000 hours – Barbara Wilson

6000 hours – Tom West

It is unusual for brand new Master Gardeners to receive a Milestone Award their first year, but we did have three members from the Class of 2019 who accomplished just that: Drew Avery, Jonathan Bennett and Kim Stewart. Special congrats to them!

We hope to have your certificates and pins soon! Presentation still to be determined!

How to Order LogoWear

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 19:46:00 GMT

With summer coming on strong and hopes of getting back together in the gardens, now is a great time to stock up on your NMG swag! Here’s how:

- Go to the Member Information section of the NMG website. Under NMG LogoWear you’ll find a dropdown menu with order forms , spec sheets , and colors & prices . There are many items in stock (especially hats/polo shirts) so we can make arrangements for quick delivery following payment.

- Submit a request using the google form OR you can download a pdf form , fill that out and send as an attachment to denisegruccio@gmail.com .

We’ll let you know if that item is in stock or if it has to be ordered. All merchandise requires advance payment, which we can arrange outside of meeting times.

We currently have plenty of green sun hats! The #920 model has sunflaps. Other #920 colors are coffee cream or stone (very similar - stone is just a slightly lighter shade). We also have #921 sunhats in white or beige. The #921 sun hats are lighter weight with no sunflaps.

One of our “team” polo (L500) colors is Tropical Pink. For short sleeve tee shirts with similar colors you can go with Gildan’s (#2000) Heliconia Pink or Hanes (#5180) Wow Pink.

An alternate “team” color for the L500 polo is Turquoise. Please note - this color is lighter on the L420 all-cotton polo. Choose carefully!

For short sleeve tee shirts with similar colors you can go with Gildan’s (#2000) Sapphire or Hanes (#5180) Teal/Blue Bell Breeze. Unfortunately, the long sleeve tee shirts do not come in the same colors as these short sleeve tees. So if you’re looking for team colors in the long sleeves, we recommend going with Gildan #5400L Heliconia or Forest Green, or Hanes #5186 Christmas Coral, Blue Horizon or Forest Green. Keep in mind that the Hanes Beefy tee sizes run big!

Of course you can wear any color you want! Check out the Spec Sheets for a full list of colors and sizes.

We’ll be placing a new order for logowear by the end of July so it's time to start shopping!

Growing a Love of Gardening

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 00:38:11 GMT

After moving back home to Norfolk in 2011, it became clear that I needed to get involved in an activity that would enable me to meet interesting people.

Prime Plus was hosting a Health Fair in the fall of 2012 and there was an “Ask A Master Gardener” booth, where I met Tom Bolt, submitted my application, and was interviewed by Blanch Wise and Betrice Hovey for the Class of 2013.

I knew nothing about gardening but realized that becoming knowledgeable and interacting with others with gardening expertise was a good plan. Because I don’t like to get dirty, it took almost three years for me to finally decide to plant something. Once my NMG buddies recovered from the shock of my announcement, everyone pitched in to help me.

I decided on a nectar garden. Lorraine Schreiber gave me plants from her garden along with regular coaching. I put my first plants in the ground in the spring of 2016 and today it’s a beautiful space that attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.

Once I caught the gardening fever, the next year I started garden bed #2. The focus was still on perennials and if they had flowers, great! I went with coneflowers, verbena, liriope, hostas, coral bells and some colorful annuals. Creeping Jenny ground cover added a lovely way to minimize weeds.

Debora Mosher and Donna Van Keuren, my mentor, stopped by recently to see the garden in person and suggested that I share my journey from zero gardening skills to planting and maintaining healthy, beautiful gardens. Since COVID-19, I’ve started two more beds. Gardening has been very therapeutic; I’m so glad that it has become a regular part of my life. Thanks, Norfolk Master Gardeners!!!

Community Gardens: Are They Worth the Work?

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 00:08:47 GMT

Community Gardens are hot topics in urban areas these days, but our city hasn’t caught the “bug.” Norfolk could use more Community Gardens to help those who live in food deserts where fresh fruits and vegetables are not readily available. While food production is essential, Community Gardens can do more than provide food for those in need; it can also be a place where relationships of all kinds grow right along with the plants.

Around six years ago, I moved to Norfolk from Virginia Beach. The density of the city was very unnerving for me. Narrow streets with so many cars parked on both sides were my first obstacle followed closely behind living in houses so near each other. It seemed too rigid and claustrophobic. I thought my next move might be to the “funny farm” if I couldn’t find a way to cope with these troubling issues. Fortunately for me, the solution to my anxiety was just a few blocks away.

I rented a space at the nearby Community Garden, and suddenly my anxiety level decreased. Walking to the garden became my daily walk and digging, planting, and mowing all became tasks that brought me back to my childhood in rural North Carolina, where there is lots of space and many people who garden. This little space, located behind a restaurant, and between two neighborhood streets, became my place to relax and reflect. I could talk to the people who walked through on their daily exercise of walking or running. So many of these people would comment: this garden is so beautiful, keep up the excellent work.

It is also rewarding to see parents bringing their children in to view the butterflies and all the different fruits and vegetables. Photographers love to come in and take pictures of the flowers, bees, spiders, and earthworms that are so plentiful in the garden. Sometimes I arrive to see someone doing yoga. ODU students meet some of their class requirements by volunteering in the garden. A young nurse likes to volunteer and learn about plants by volunteering. She loves the quiet of the garden to relieve the stress of her job. I could go on to give you more examples, but my greatest joy is seeing my little neighbor, who is three, walk to the garden with his Mom to ask if he can pick some peas. The exciting thing is that this little boy, Oliver, won’t eat the peas from the supermarket, but he loves Anna’s peas from the garden. He loves to walk to the garden with Mom to check on the peas, and he is looking forward to picking blueberries and figs. Oliver's interest in the garden gives me so much joy. It makes Oliver’s mother happy too. So, are Community Gardens worth the work? Yes, there is no doubt in my mind – how about you?

The Blog of Papillon

Sat, 06 Jun 2020 11:28:23 GMT

Part 3 - Herbs and Flowers

Let me first acknowledge that I know there are a lot of NMGs with an interest in butterflies, so I’m counting on getting great suggestions from everyone. I also know that nothing I say here is new in terms of flowers or butterflies. Everything can be found on the internet these days and I’m certainly relying on it to look up lists of flowers.

This blog entry is nothing more than my journey and thought process, with the hope to provide a little entertainment.

My primary focus on selecting the flowers and herbs for the garden is to attract butterflies (duh) and provide food for the caterpillars as they grew, but I also hope to attract other pollinators including bees and hummingbirds. In addition, I want to provide a variety of color and vertical layers throughout the garden and include open space for at least one bench that could be placed for reading and quiet contemplation.

My inspiration comes from the artist van Gogh - the soil as canvas and flowers as pigments. When I was young, I looked on his painting, Wheatfield with Crows, and have never been able to forget the impression it left on me (ha! - see what I did there?). The flowers can splash brush strokes across the garden.

For the past two weeks I’ve been working on the circular south garden. I removed a large bush from the middle of the garden that overpowered and took away from the simple beauty of the multiple rose bushes. Then I dug a trench around the garden and put in a vertical brick barrier to help keep the spread of clover to a minimum.

From the start there were a few flowers I knew I wanted in the garden like Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) and Native Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), plus some herbs to support caterpillars like fennel and dill. I also wanted milkweed. But beyond these I needed research.

To start my list of flowers I picked up a couple of butterfly books: One is the Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America and another was a recommendation from one of the MG perennials from class. She turned me on to The Life Cycles of Butterflies by Judy Burris & Wayne Richards. Then I went to the internet for lists and pictures from many different resources.

The following is a gallery of flowers. Not all will be planted in the first phase and some may never get planted, but it is a way to view and organize my thoughts.

I recently watched a PBS video on butterflies titled: Sex, Lies, and Butterflies that gave me a little different perspective on some of these amazing insects. If you have the time I suggest watching it at https://www.pbs.org/video/sex-lies-and-butterflies-xayv7a/

I hope if anyone has suggestions or advice that you will contact me and help with ideas. In my next post I will give a layout of the proposed garden and any progress, along with some additional thoughts for plantings.

Growing Lavender in Central Virginia

Thu, 28 May 2020 22:45:29 GMT

This article was originally printed in The Garden Shed, a community newsletter by Piedmont Master Gardeners, and is posted here with permission of the author. Much of this information also applies to our area in Hampton Roads.

The Garden Shed editor’s note: Our guest author Eileen DeCamp fell in love with lavender on a trip to Provence and has been growing it in Albemarle County since 2008. She took a course on growing lavender, and as her expertise grew, she became involved with other lavender growers, and joined the newly-formed United States Lavender Association in 2013.

Lavender is a beautiful addition to any garden, and there are over 450 lavender varieties and cultivars for the gardener to choose from! Lavender belongs to the Lamiaceae, or mint family, and comes in many sizes, foliage colors and flower colors. All lavenders are great for pollinators and are just a beautiful addition to your garden.

The two most popular types are Lavandula augustifolia — commonly called English lavender or just plain “lavender” – and Lavandula x Intermedia , commonly known as “lavandin.” The lavandins are a hybrid cross of the English species and the spike or Portuguese lavender ( L. latifolia ). Although the lavenders and lavandins are similar, the lavenders have a sweeter aroma and the lavandins are a bit more camphorous. It is just a scent preference. You have probably seen a third type — Lavandula stoechas — with its cylindrical flower heads topped with leaf-like bracts that look like butterfly wings. You will have to prune this type all summer to get continual flowering, and it is not hardy in our zone 7.

Lavenders are native to southern Europe, where the soil is rocky and lean. Those of you who have been on vacation in the Mediterranean know that it is dry with lots of sunshine. Here in Central Virginia — with clay soil, wet springs and summers and lots of humidity — growing lavender can be a challenge, but it can be done with a little planning and preparation of your selected site.

How to Grow Lavender in central Virginia

If you are thinking of planting lavender in your garden, step one is to test your soil. Lavender likes a neutral pH of 6.5 to 7.5, so you may need to add lime to our acidic local soil. When you submit your soil for testing, be sure to indicate that lavender is what you intend to plant. Then the soil test results from Virginia Tech’s Soil Test Lab will tell you exactly how much lime to add. If you are planting lavender with other plants, try to choose plants that have the same requirements.

Well-drained soil is key to success with lavender. Lavender does NOT like wet feet, and without proper drainage, it will develop root rot. If you have clay soil, you will need to amend with organic matter, preferably compost. Remember, lavenders grow well in rocky, sandy, dry soils, so your clay may benefit from the addition of small stones or gravel. You can also plant your lavender on mounds or on a slope, which will help with drainage. If you are planting a row of lavender, make sure you have enough room around each plant for air circulation, which is especially important in our area due to the humidity. You also want a site that receives 6-8 hours of full sun. Lavender doesn’t need much fertilizer. Once lavender is established, you could use a low-nitrogen fertilizer to establish stronger roots. Do not mulch your lavender with regular wood mulch because that will hold in moisture, which can cause root rot. You can mulch with pea gravel or white rock, which will reflect the sun under the plant to dry out any water from heavy rains.

After the lavender has bloomed, which is usually anywhere from the end of May to mid-July, you will want to prune it to keep it from becoming woody or leggy. This also helps protect the lavender in the winter from breaking open from heavy snowfall. I usually prune my lavender in early September so it has time to recover before the cold sets in. I usually cut it back by 1/3.

Which varieties to plant?

I recommend a few varieties that have been very successful in my gardens. The first is the cultivar Grosso ( Lavenula x Intermedia ‘Grosso’), a lavandin which becomes quite large, 32-36 inches in height, with stems of 20-24 inches. Grosso has a gorgeous dark purple color. If you have the room in your garden, this is a great one to try.

The cultivar ‘Hidcote’ ( Lavandula angustifolia ) is a good one to try in a smaller space. Its stems are shorter — about 6-8 inches, the plant height is 12-20 inches, and the flowers are a lovely dark blue color. This is an excellent lavender to try in recipes or lavender lemonade.

If you would like to try a pink lavender, then ‘Melissa’ is an excellent choice. It is also used in culinary dishes, and its stem length is 8-10 inches and the plant height is 30 inches.

If you have a really small area, then try ‘Wee One’ ( Lavandula angustifolia ‘Wee One’), a dwarf variety which only gets 10 inches tall and has short blue flower spikes.

I must also mention a new cultivar that is getting rave reviews — Lavandula x Intermedia ‘Phenomenal’ — a lavandin which reportedly stands up to our humidity and weather conditions better than others.

If you would like to learn more about lavender, I would recommend The Lavender Lover’s Handbook by Sarah Berringer Bader. This excellent resource features 100 varieties with information on growing, harvesting, cooking, and crafting. The photos are lovely and accompanied by helpful information on each variety. I know from experience that it can be challenging to grow a Mediterranean plant like lavender in Central Virginia, but with a little work and care, you can do it!

SOURCES:

The Lavender Lover’s Handbook: The 100 Most Beautiful and Fragrant Varieties for Growing, Crafting, and Cooking (Bader, 2012).

Lavandula x Intermedia ‘Grosso,’ http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a393

Lavandula angustifolia ‘Hidcote’ https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=q830

Lavandula x intermedia ‘Phenomenal’ https://extension.psu.edu/programs/master-gardener/counties/allegheny/additional-resources/plant-sale/lavandula-x-intermedia-phenomenal-phenomenal

“Lavender: History, Taxonomy, and Production,” North Carolina State Extension, https://newcropsorganics.ces.ncsu.edu/herb/lavender

Class of 2020

Thu, 28 May 2020 20:56:49 GMT

Our Class of 2020 consists of a diverse and entertaining group of individuals. They were traversing happily through the classroom instruction experience with two weeks to go! We have had great classes and speakers and great food – actual dinners, thanks to Mary Shaffer and willing helpers. On March 10 we had a great class at Norfolk Botanical Garden and on March 12 classes were suspended. Say what???

Early in the pandemic there were work opportunities at Weyanoke and the Eco Garden but then that came to a halt as well. A few of the trainees continue working on our food-producing projects at Fred Heutte Center and just last week at the NBG Potager Garden as that reopened for volunteers.

The Training Committee has done their best to keep the class engaged. Exams, a few make-up assignments, and most recently Zoom class presentations. Zoom??? We never heard of Zoom until all this happened. Our class is resilient, and many have jumped at the chance to clear this hurdle and have done their presentations via Zoom. Great job to those trainees! So far 14 have completed their project delivery and there are a few more in the pipeline!

We are all anxious to get back to doing our MG thing but when that will happen remains to be seen. Graduation?? Hopefully, that will happen sooner rather than later. Patience is a virtue! In the meantime enjoy this official Class of 2020 photograph! Thanks for hanging in there with us! Stay safe!

Meet the Sweckers

Thu, 28 May 2020 20:33:56 GMT

A Norfolk Master Gardener Family.

At the April 2020 Membership Meeting, Andrew Swecker (Class of 2019) was recognized as our newest Norfolk Master Gardener. He joins his mother, Kim, also Class of 2019, and his dad, Mitch, Class of 2020. Mitch is working on completion of the program which is currently stalled due to COVID-19.

Kim is a Norfolk native. Mitch hails from a U.S. Navy family and was born in Madrid, Spain. Mitch’s dad received an assignment to Norfolk and Mitch attended high school and Old Dominion University in Norfolk. Kim and Mitch met while they were working at the Omni hotel (now Sheraton). Mitch enlisted in the U. S. Navy after college where he became a helicopter pilot stationed in San Diego, California. Kim graduated from the University of California, and became a physicist for SPAWAR - a DoD/ Navy Laboratory in San Diego. Andrew was born while Kim and Mitch were on assignment to San Diego. After making their home in California for twenty-five years, they retired to Oregon and tried their hands at farming. While living in Oregon Kim worked as marketing and website person for a women-owned and operated winery. Their retirement to Oregon began to take its toll due to the weather and the workload, and after twelve years they decided to move back to Norfolk to be near family.

Andrew and Kim have been avid gardeners for years; mostly self-taught and primarily with respect to the West Coast. They entered the Norfolk Master Gardener program as a means to meet people with similar interests. They like the people and learning opportunities that serve to keep them on their toes. They want to stay active and involved in the community.

To attain their fifty hours, Kim and Andrew were busy volunteering at several Norfolk MG projects: Weyanoke Wildlife Sanctuary, the Zoo Garden, the Square Foot Garden at the Fred Heutte Center, Li’l Sprouts at St. Patrick School, PB Young Elementary School, Stockley Gardens Plant Sale, Flower and Garden Expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, Jam’n Jamz, and the Significant Tree Program. They plan to focus on Weyanoke, PB Young Elementary School and the Significant Tree Program as they continue their endeavors as NMGs.

Mitch has participated in the Flower and Garden Expo at the Virginia Beach Convention Center and Jamn’ Jamz. A highlight for both Kim and Mitch was their participation in the Night of Philosophy and Ideas held at the Slover Library in January of 2020. Along with other NMGVs, they were instrumental in teaching attendees how to grow microgreens in a make and take activity.

Mitch plans to check out other local MG projects to find his niche as he continues the Class of 2020 program.

When the family is not participating as NMGs, they spend time restoring a very old house in Colonial Place. Kim likes yoga, cycling and working in her yard. Mitch and Andrew enjoy disc golf and fitness activities. The whole family loves to travel. Andrew enjoys hiking, Japanese gardens, and working on his rock garden.

In addition to Kim, Mitch and Andrew, the family unit includes two red merle Australian Shepherds named Bear and Newman, a dachshund named Mimi and their kitty named Mr. Cat.

When you see the Swecker family be sure to introduce yourselves and let them know how happy and proud we are to have them as part of the Norfolk Master Gardener program.

From Master Gardener Talk to Master Gardener Walk

Wed, 20 May 2020 14:41:43 GMT

Have you ever attended a Master Gardener Talk? A little over a year ago, I began attending the Good Gardening series at the Pretlow Library, on the fourth Wednesday of each month and found them very interesting. One particular session in April 2019, was on the topic of Square Foot Gardening, led by Tom West and Paul Ziegler (aka Ziggy). Thankfully, my husband attended that session with me and we both got excited about the possibility of having a productive vegetable garden in our tiny backyard. As a result, we utilized our space, built raised beds around our fence, and were blessed to have a harvest. By dint of last year’s success, we not only continued our garden for ourselves again this year, but sent their informative handout to our sons, who live in Nashville and Philadelphia, with small yards and encouraged them to try the same. They too are now hopeful to have a “real” and bountiful garden.

While that garden talk impacted me to try square foot gardening, I found all of the garden talks I attended informative and motivational:

-From Kate Melhuish’s Mighty Micro-greens, I still grow micro-greens.

-From Bob Kelly’s Water Wise Gardening, I purchased and installed soaker hoses and rain barrels.

-From Donna Van Keuren’s African Violets, I am still attempting to propagate a violet.

Barb Wilson is the regular friendly greeter as you check in for each talk, and she invited me to attend a NMG information session. I went through the amazing class and am currently a trainee, working on my volunteer hours. You can imagine my delight as I learned I could volunteer at the Fred Heutte Center Garden, where Tom and Ziggy practice what they preach!

The Fred Heutte Center Garden, where square foot gardening is at its best, sits in Ghent Square, and features a variety of vegetables and herbs. Sometimes neighbors from the community come over and ask questions as well ask for advice. Tom, Ziggy and fellow NMG (Kate W. & Kim S.) have been gardening there for several years and donate the harvested produce to the Southeastern Foodbank of Virginia, at an average of 1,500 pounds per year. What a wonderful service; especially now, during the current COVID-19 challenges! Last year in particular, they donated 2,056 pounds of produce! Currently planted are potatoes, beans, tomatoes, peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, rutabaga, lettuce, cucumbers, onions, garlic, and swiss chard. Chives, fennel, rosemary, and lemon balm also prosper within the garden. It truly is amazing the bounty of produce that can be grown in a small area!

Square foot gardening enables you to grow in 20% of the space of a conventional row garden. It also saves weeding and harvesting time, money and water. (I wish I knew of this technique back when as a principal, we used a grant to establish a school garden.) If you are interested in creating your own square foot garden, you can get a copy of Tom & Ziggy’s handouts here , and if you’ve never seen the wonderful Fred Heutte Center Garden, come check it out!

Welcome Ashlyn Dorsey

Tue, 12 May 2020 21:32:10 GMT

Unit Administrative Assistant

We want to give a warm welcome to Ashlyn Dorsey, the new UAA for our Norfolk Office of Virginia Cooperative Extension. She picked a fine time to join us but we can already see some of her great work: In addition to all the preliminary required training (from home) she has been busy updating the VCE Norfolk website and creating a VCE Norfolk Facebook page.

Ashlyn is originally from Wood County, WV and completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at West Virginia University. She has been living in the Hampton Roads area since 2018.

After graduation, Ashlyn worked in college Admissions for two years. She has always held a passion for community support and outreach and thought Virginia Cooperative Extension would be a perfect fit. Starting a new job in the midst of a global pandemic has not been an easy task, however. Many online trainings and Zoom meetings have aided in her adjustment to VCE, but she is eager to get to work in the office so she can start getting “exposed” to some of us Master Gardeners!

Ashlyn lives in Isle of Wight County with her husband, Chris, and Labradoodle, Truman. In her free time, she loves to cook, bake, sew, and tend to their personal (and modest) vegetable garden and houseplants. She is so excited for the many volunteer opportunities to come!

The Blog of Papillon

Tue, 12 May 2020 10:25:08 GMT

Part 2 - Design and Planning

I reside in a Co-op with 12 units and 12+ individuals, all with different opinions and levels of participation. As is often the case, a few will take on responsibilities, most will help, and for some reason, one or two will cause problems. Over the years some residents have semi-maintained our gardens, but for a long while no one has done much to keep anything flowering in good condition. As I mentioned, the most I ever did was to set out tomato and jalapeño plants along with some herbs, mostly Thai basil, parsley, and oregano – parsley for the caterpillars and the others for me. Last year I planted a couple Coral Honeysuckle, a Bee Balm, and some Coneflower but with no real plan in place. Only one Coral Honeysuckle has survived. I also put out a hummingbird feeder that saw many more visitors than I thought would show up. It has been one of those mini-successes that give moments of pure joy.

There is a faction in the Co-op that wishes to erect a pergola in our enclosed back yard, but I am ambivalent. Since we are responsible for all of our finances and budgeting I have opposed the expense of installing a platform and pergola structure. This last winter I proposed a compromise: if the Co-op was willing to fund my project I was willing to design and build a butterfly garden that would surround the someday-pergola. Thus, my project was born.

As you can see from the photos, there is a lot of space to fill. My plan was to remove the circular ‘garden’ on the right of Fig. 1 (the south side of the yard) and then expand the rectangular ‘garden’ that contains the Red Maple.

The pergola platform would be to the north-northeast of the garden closer to the central sidewalk that splits the yard, and the perimeter of the new butterfly garden would border to the south of the Red Maple and extend north of the garden to within a couple feet of the sidewalk(s). The lawn on the other side of the central sidewalk (to the east) would remain the same.

Update: I have recently decided, rather than remove the circular garden, I would repurpose it. I am thinking of removing the existing roses and replanting them in a row along the west edge of the new garden, digging out the perimeter, and placing bricks vertically around the circular garden where the top of the bricks would be flush with ground level, and then seeding with clover.

The first step in the design process was to measure the yard space available. I borrowed a measuring wheel from the VCE office and ran the tape. The yard itself is about 1,934 sq. ft. and the area of the planned garden is about 983 sq. ft. That will allow lots of space for different herbs and flowering plants.

My biggest challenge is to remove the existing turf. It is a St. Augustine turf and a real pain to dig up by hand, especially 983 sq. ft. of it. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to do this. If anyone has suggestions or resources please let me know.

In my next post, I’ll list the herbs and flowers I’d like to plant with the basic layout of the garden.

The Blog of Papillon

Thu, 07 May 2020 11:33:50 GMT

Part 1 - Introduction to Norfolk Master Gardeners

This is the first of what I hope are many submissions to this blog site. I’ve named this The Blog of Papillon. It will be an ongoing blog of my efforts to ‘build’ a butterfly garden.

A friend told me he was reading the book Papillon by Henri Charrière. Papillon is French for butterfly and refers to the tattoo and nickname that Charrière had and the book tells the story of his incarceration by the French penal system in French Guiana in 1933. This past spring I read the book myself and seriously thought about getting a butterfly tattoo. I’m not sure I’ll ever follow through on this.

A couple years ago I started to volunteer at Norfolk Botanical Garden in the Butterfly House. I have limited knowledge of the butterfly, although I’m learning more every day and can now identify a couple different species other than the Monarch and Black Swallowtail. I can sit and watch these flying gossamer wisps of color for hours while I meditate on the meaning of life.

I have a background in science and took classes – long ago – in botany and biology so the study of plants and insects is not completely foreign to me. Gardening, on the other hand, is. My gardening experience consists of setting out tomato and jalapeño plants and hoping they take care of themselves. For a while, this worked reasonably well – well enough for someone who knew nothing about gardening. But this past year was a disaster. Nothing grew.

Since I recently retired and am constantly trying to find things to occupy my time, my neighbor, a Norfolk Master Gardener (NMG) of many years, suggested I join the group. It intrigued me for two reasons: the first and most obvious was to learn to garden, but the second was to connect with smart and like-minded Norfolkians. I have not been disappointed on either count. I’ve already learned a great deal – and forgotten a fair bit too – since it’s all new to me. It has also given me ways to keep busy and to embrace one of the things that have always been part of my life... to keep learning new things.

I have a number of goals for becoming a NMG: one is to grow orchids; another, as part of the speakers bureau, is to teach and share; and then I just enjoy getting my hands dirty, and; of course I want to expand on my knowledge of butterflies and other beneficial insects. I hope to get to know the stories of other NMGs and to share the knowledge learned during this project. Enough of the background. Watch this space for the next installment of my journey in building a butterfly garden.

Mailing a letter? Use American Garden Stamps

Fri, 01 May 2020 16:11:25 GMT

Norfolk Botanical Garden is one of ten American gardens honored in a new series of stamps from the US Postal Service.

The stamps, which will be available on May 13, can be ordered online or should be available at local post offices. (Pro tip: Online ordering is easier.) The stamps are forever stamps, which cost 55 cents each and a sheet costs $11.00. That includes two of each garden.

Norfolk is in good company, since many famous public gardens are included on the stamps; Biltmore, Winterthur, Brooklyn and Chicago botanic gardens are among those featured. “It’s pretty exciting for Norfolk,” said Michael P. Desplaines, president and CEO of the garden told the Pilot last year. “It’s pretty rare and hard to get on a stamp.”

The Norfolk stamp is based on a photo of the bicentennial rose garden.

It will be hard to buy them individually, except online through commercial services that mark up the price. Some 50 million stamps will be printed, according to the USPS.

See the stamps and order online at the link below. You will need to create an account to order them, but that same account can be used to hold your mail when you are on vacation or get the daily preview of your mail.

https://store.usps.com/store/product/buy-stamps/american-gardens-S_572704

How do I miss “Gardens in a Flowerpot”?

Sat, 18 Apr 2020 12:21:07 GMT

This is just one of the ways

There are many times during the past year that I have missed having access to my favorite garden shop. This is “Way 253” that I miss “Gardens in a Flowerpot.”

Every year I plant some white clover seed in the bare spots in my lawn and encourage the return of previously planted clover. My neighbor is a beekeeper, and her bees and other pollinators enjoy the clover in the lawn. My source for white clover seed had been Gardens in a Flowerpot, but this year I resorted to ordering seed online.

The five pounds of clover seed I ordered arrived promptly, and I was surprised to see how large the seeds were. White clover seed is very fine, and mixing it with sand before broadcasting is recommended.

The real surprise came a few weeks ago when the clover bloomed – the flowers are red! Instead of White Clover, Trifolium repens, I have Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnatum. Crimson Clover grows to over 12” before blooming, and this should create an interesting look for my front lawn.

I just hope that the bees enjoy it!

Zooming Along Master Gardener Style

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 11:20:10 GMT

On April 15, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. our monthly Master Gardener Association meeting took place as scheduled, if not in the way any of us would have ever imagined.

It is now the time of social distancing, a recent term we have learned and a lifestyle we have all put into practice. So, instead of our traditional gathering at the Norfolk Botanical Garden or the Zoo or any of the other public places we have enjoyed in the past, this month our meeting took place on Zoom. That’s right, Zoom, another term which may be new to many of us. Zoom has become a new way to bring people together online in a video conferencing platform.

Initially, I was actually uncertain how this would work with a large group of people. To my delight it turned out to be a very successful method of meeting. It has been hard for all of us to be isolated from our Master Gardener buddies, even though many of us talk on the phone and text regularly. We miss each other’s companionship and our project events, and we miss the opportunities to work with the community. While our own gardens undoubtedly benefit from the extra time we now have to spend pulling weeds and pruning, we still need the interaction with our fellow Master Gardeners.

Today’s Zoom meeting allowed us this opportunity. This morning fifty-nine Master Gardeners joined by Chris Epes met together in our first NMGA on-line meeting. Complete with an agenda and meeting minutes provided beforehand and financial reports displayed during the meeting, we conducted business as usual, if in a somewhat unusual environment. Change is not always easy. And certainly there will be more challenges ahead. But this new method of video conferencing allowed us to see each other’s happy faces and find out what is going on.

I am providing pictures of today’s meeting attendees, as they were displayed on my laptop screen. For those of you who were unable to join this morning’s meeting, I missed seeing you and hope you are all staying safe and doing well. And I hope it will not be very long before we are able to meet again in person. But for now I say “let’s keep Zooming!”.

Zoom Happy Hour for all!

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:12:20 GMT

Our first happy hour went so well that we have scheduled our second Zoom happy hour for Monday April 20 at 5:30.

Join your fellow master gardeners in sharing your plans for spring and summer gardens, asking questions and just having some relaxing conversation.

The event will last about an hour and it's easy to participate. It is easiest on a computer or laptop, but any device is fine. It is a BYOB event! :)

If you want to get an email reminder on the day of the event email me at stevegunn2020@gmail.com . I will send the link to the event and answer any questions you may have. Otherwise, here is the link to the event. Click it Monday at 5:30.

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/72329823992?pwd=dU1RdS9ocnBsM2RzRHZubnU2NDV4UT09

Let's Get Creative!

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 09:40:07 GMT

What do webinars, exercise, and painting have in common?

For the last two weeks I have been exercising on the treadmill while watching VCE Webinars. Guess what? I love it!!! It's a great way to earn CE training hours and focus on your health by walking. I've even used the Webinar Spiders Commonly Found in Houses as an incentive to participate in my daily Marco Polo Sumi-e Creatives group. This is a social media App which my painting class participates in daily.

For my painting, I used rice paper with a background of a faint watercolor splash. Then I painted a harmless Comb-footed spider. I experimented with 00 Mack pin striping sword brush to paint the segmented spider legs.

Let's get creative while we are home. Have fun while you learn!

Memories of a Garden and its Master Gardeners

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 00:26:56 GMT

As most of us over the age of 40 realize, memory is a tricky thing.

Sometimes we forget entirely, sometimes we forget just little bits here and there, or sometimes our memory is subconsciously altered or enhanced. Probably everyone knows the tale of a policeman who the day after a bank robbery interviewed five witnesses and received five completely different descriptions of the robber. In my case, however, I am living in a memory that is beautiful, vibrant, colorful and ever-changing. To paraphrase today’s vernacular, I am living the dream.

I grew up next to my grandmother, the original master gardener of our family who created the most wonderful garden playground a child could have. A small sampling of the delights includes daffodils, candytuft, azaleas and dogwoods in the spring, an over-story of massive pine trees and other tall trees such as magnolia, oak, and mulberry, day lilies and hydrangeas in the summer, a beautiful array of fall color, then red and white and peppermint camellias in the winter, all framed by gorgeous boxwoods. There was color for every season. In addition, there was of course a vegetable garden, a space large enough for kids to play games on, a large magnolia tree that served as the neighborhood tree fort, and a zillion places for hide-and-go-seek. A wonderful new plant could be found around each bend of the many pathways that seemed to crisscross the Yard, as we called it.

My grandmother, who had been working the Yard for decades before I was around, was not a master gardener certified by a land grant school, but rather someone who literally was a master of gardening. To this day, I don’t know from where she learned it all. She loved working in the Yard, and she did it practically every day of her life, her tiny ninety-pound frame invariably topped by a massively wide hat that seemed destined to swallow her up whole but somehow never did. Amazingly, she gardened in a very natural and sustainable way, years before it became popular, by using plants that suited the space, never throwing anything away, and shying away from formality. More amazingly, she was legally blind the last 25 years of her life, but still knew where every plant was and what every plant was. She was also very generous with her plants; throughout my adult life, I have met people who tell me they have a plant from the Yard (including our own Gayle Donovan, thank you!). When I was little, every year in December she cut and made large piles of green branches splashed with red for friends to come pick up and take home for holiday decoration. Without realizing it, I learned – fleetingly - many of the basic things one does in a garden. Naturally, I was completely spoiled by having such a wonderland at my disposal.

My grandmother trained the next generation of family master gardeners for the Yard. First was my aunt, who helped and then took over when my grandmother died and continued to maintain it for many years, also continuing with my grandmother’s principles. After retiring from her job, my aunt could also typically be found working in the Yard, improving on spots here and there with her little dog(s) in the wheelbarrow keeping her company. She especially loved the veggie garden. Then there was my mother, who learned so much she was able to develop her own wildflower shade garden in a section of the Yard. Mom also became a Norfolk Master Gardener – Class of 1988 and now an Emerita member. The last of this second generation trained by my grandmother is my sister, who became so enamored of horticulture and plant life that she completed a master’s degree in landscape architecture. She does magnificent flower arrangements, better than anyone I have seen. She has worked in the Yard for most of her life and has encyclopedic knowledge of plants generally and more specifically every plant in the Yard, knowledge that I depend on to my detriment. She is perhaps the embodiment of my grandmother’s gardening philosophy, combining it with modern science.

Now I live in my grandmother’s house and am the third generation (both biologically and educationally) of family gardeners to work in the Yard, alongside my sister. I unknowingly learned from my grandmother first, then aunt, mother and sister, and I also have formal training as a Norfolk Master Gardener, but I am far inferior to them as a gardener. I have been working in the Yard for five years now, and every season it reveals something new and exciting to me as my horticultural universe expands. ‘I didn’t know that was there,’ I say to my sister, who as the fountain of Yard knowledge reminds me that ‘Gram put that there.’ Working in the Yard is interesting and enjoyable for me, and makes me think of the family gardeners who worked there before me, especially my grandmother. ‘Why did they put this plant in that place,’ I wonder, ‘if I put this plant here would they like it? …. Better not prune that boxwood too much!’ Working in the Yard also brings back powerful memories of childhood and growing up. Sometimes I look out the window and see – or imagine? - my grandmother kneeling by the flower bed working on her candytufts, or my aunt working in the veggie garden, or my mother in the wildflower garden, or my sister trimming the azaleas. My memory of the Yard and its master gardeners comes to life, the past and the present mixing joyfully and comfortably. I am reminded of the Louis Armstrong classic:

“I see trees of green,

red roses too,

I see them bloom,

for me and you,

and I think to myself,

what a wonderful world.”

Ready to Zoom into your Garden?

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 19:23:26 GMT

Spring is in the air even if stay-at-home orders rule the day.

And, all of us have something we’re excited to share about our plans for spring or summer gardens. Now is your chance to do it!

On Tuesday April 7 at 5:30, I will host a Happy Hour for master gardeners on Zoom. We’ll get on and share what we are most excited about for our spring gardens, new plans and more. And yes, it is ok if you just want to listen in.

This is not an official Master Gardener’s event, but I hope it is an enjoyable respite in tough times.

For those not familiar with Zoom, it will allow us all to videoconference easily and without a lot of hassle. It works best on a laptop or PC that is equipped with a camera/microphone (most are nowadays). All you do on a PC is click on the link below and follow directions.

You can also use a smartphone, but will need to download the “Zoom Cloud meetings” app in advance. Depending on participation, a phone might be harder to use.

I’m sure it won’t be totally perfect the first time, but should be fun anyway!

I would appreciate it if you send me an email if you know you are coming, stevegunn2020@gmail.com . That will also let me send you the link directly next Tuesday.

You can get to the meeting by clicking on the link below at 5:30 Tuesday.

Steve Gunn is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Master Gardeners Happy Hour

me: Apr 7, 2020 05:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/181574944

Meeting ID: 181 574 944

Tallamy’s New Book a Must Read

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 18:10:26 GMT

On February 23, Prince William County Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, Butterfly Society, and many other organizations co-sponsored a talk and book signing with University of Delaware professor, Dr. Doug Tallamy.

Over 300 interested nature lovers attended the sold-out event in Manassas. With my husband in tow for his first gardening talk, we drove the three hours to Manassas and were fortunate enough to get our books signed early.

Most of us have seen the documentary, “Hometown Habitat,” in which Dr. Tallamy provides the narration that strings together the urban and rural stories of how humans can work with nature to save our planet. Dr. Tallamy’s new book, Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard builds on the stories portrayed in the film as well as in Dr. Tallamy’s two previous books.

As interesting and enlightening as the material is, those of you who have heard him speak know that Dr. Tallamy is a dynamic speaker. He is not what you would expect of an entomology lecturer. He is an engaging, entertaining speaker who keeps his audience involved with exceptional photographs, interesting graphs, and an occasional quick time list to illustrate his points.

The forty-five-minute talk ran through the key concepts that Tallamy makes in his books, most importantly that “whether we like nature or not, none of us will be able to live for long in a world without it.” What made the presentation so engaging were the stories that are woven throughout: how monarchs and bees returned to New York City’s famous High Line, about the 103 species of birds in a small yard near the mostly bumper to bumper Kennedy Expressway in Chicago and an easy list of what each of us can do to make a difference.

The new book is much like the presentation. Nature’s Best Hope is, above all, inspirational.

Gardeners and nature lovers alike can relate to Tallamy’s call to expand the use of native plants and dig up our lawns.

In the book, he writes that “conservation is not beyond the reach of the individual,” in fact, individuals acting in concert will do much more than government policies or laws could ever do.

I strongly encourage you to read Nature’s Best Hope and go out of your way, if you can, to hear Dr. Tallamy speak. It was worth every minute of the six hours on the road!

Meet Tensaie Fesshaye Class of 2019

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 18:10:23 GMT

Tensaie received his certificate at the February 2020 Membership Meeting, thus becoming Norfolk’s newest Master Gardener.

Tensaie was born in Port Arthur, Texas, but when he was very young his family moved to Virginia Beach where he grew up. He attended Old Dominion University and received his degree in Biology. After graduation he accepted a seasonal position at Norfolk Botanical Garden while looking for full-time employment. During this time he was offered and accepted full-time employment as a Horticultural Assistant.

Tensaie heard about the Norfolk Master Gardener Program and the extra seats that were offered to Horticultural Assistants. Seeing an opportunity to learn more about horticulture, he accepted the offer and joined the 2019 Master Gardener Class. He believes that his work as a Norfolk Master Gardener will help him determine what career paths he would like to pursue in the future.

To attain his 50 hours, Tensaie volunteered in a variety of projects including Info Tables at Village Days and Taylor’s Do-It Center, setting up for the plant sale, Arbor Day (both preparing plants at the farm and distribution at the October event), Crape Myrtle Pruning, Jam’n Jamz, Legacy Grove Plantings and writing for the Germinator. He has joined the Communications Team and plans to research and write articles for the Germinator Blog.

Tensaie’s family circle includes his Mom, Dad, two sisters and the family dog, a Lhasa Apso named Vinney. When he is not working at the Norfolk Botanical Garden or participating in Norfolk Master Gardener projects, he gardens at home and maintains a collection of container plants, mostly succulents and trees. This year he plans to try his hand at growing container vegetables.

Be sure to introduce yourself to Tensaie when you see him, and welcome him to the Norfolk Master Gardener Volunteers.

A Light in the Darkness

Sun, 22 Mar 2020 15:43:48 GMT

Surprise!!! On this first day of spring amid the uncertainty of the past week, a Black Swallowtail (male) emerges from a winter sleep.

Just some backstory of this butterfly’s travels. As a very small caterpillar, he emerged last summer from an egg on a fennel plant belonging to Kathryn Bush. But as Kathryn was traveling and traveling and traveling during that time, Kay Egan volunteered to babysit Kathryn’s habitat. As she continued to feed Kathryn’s butterflies, of course more eggs came in with the fennel. Kay continued babysitting and when we needed props for our Engage Norfolk info table in February Kay offered up this habitat full of wintering over chrysalises. I borrowed the habitat and have had it ever since. Engage Norfolk attendees were impressed of course. AND THEN the big emerge this week and I realized I didn’t have much in my yard right now for the Black Swallowtails, so I took it to Donna Van Keuren for release of our single butterfly and continued watchfulness of the other chrysalises.

Tiny caterpillars will emerge from eggs right on cue, but the cats will be slower to go through their life cycle.

This new butterfly will nectar on something, maybe a dandelion (yes, we love dandelions). And it will find a mate, or not; had it been a girl, she would find some parsley or dill to lay her eggs on – there is some in people’s gardens. And sadly a butterfly will die if temps go below 50 degrees but that’s nature. This butterfly is the first generation of 2020.

The great thing about raising butterflies is you get to see the big wide world of how nature works, on a very small scale and up close. ��

All that said, it does take a village doesn’t it? Whether it is watching over a single butterfly or checking in with family and friends and keeping an eye on your neighbors! Yes you can, even if from a distance!

What about you? Do you have a story to share during our Master Gardener hiatus? Pictures of your garden? What you are doing during this social distancing period. The Germinator Blog would love to publish your story.

stewardship

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 21:23:33 GMT

stewardship

NOUN

the job of supervising or taking care of something, such as … property.

"responsible stewardship of our public lands" ·

Over the last 12 years, the Living Shoreline on both the east and west sides of the Hermitage property have undergone extensive restoration, much of it with help from volunteers including Norfolk Master Gardeners. A concept that MG Water Stewards have taken to heart is that true stewardship requires both monitoring and maintenance of our wetlands, shorelines, and waterways. In that spirit, several of our Water Stewards turned out at the Hermitage for the first of monthly planned shoreline cleanups with Phil Riske, Curator of Gardens + Grounds.

On a sunny Monday in early March, our job was to collect storm debris and so help maintain the health of that shoreline. We were joined by Phil's assistant, Kayla Hanse, who studies horticulture at TCC, and two of his regular garden volunteers, Scott and Michelle. In under three hours, we were able to traverse the entire Hermitage shoreline and collected bags of plastic bottles, straws and other trash, along with piles of salt-treated lumber. All that material was loaded onto Phil's golf cart trailer and deposited outside the Hermitage gates for collection by the city.

Phil was especially glad to have Drew Avery on site. If you know Drew, from the Class of '19, you know he's not happy unless his feet are in the water. Drew donned his waders early on and worked twice as hard as the rest of us. We did have Chuck Gibson, Kate Melhuish, Debora Mosher, Bea Hovey, and Will Redfern who all squelched through their share of mud – and came out with the same number of shoes as going in.

Happy that the heavy lifting is over for today: Chuck, Kate, Phil Riske and Kayla Hanse of the Hermitage staff with Bea peeking out between them, Will, Drew, along with community volunteers Scott and Michelle. Debora ducked out a few minutes early!

Watch the calendar for details about future dates – this is low-tide work, even if you wear Wellies.

Trees Versus Shrubs

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 22:47:55 GMT

The Tree Stewards recently led one of the training sessions for the Class of 2020 on our favorite horticultural subject: Trees!

Paul Ziegler, Kate Whitlock, Joey Rothgery and I covered as much as possible, but I would encourage all Master Gardeners to learn more about trees and other woody plants. I highly recommend a few books: The Tree & Shrub Expert by Dr. D.G. Hessayon, which delves into trees and shrubs, plus hedges, and other woodies like ground covers and vines. Another is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Invasive Plants: Weeds of the Global Garden. This book includes not only woody plants, but also grasses, annuals, perennials, and aquatic plants. And Michael Dirr's Manual of Woody Landscape Plants is a must have for anyone interested in trees. I am a "thrift store junkie" and almost all my books have come from one of these many local sources. I have found two of Dirr's books CHEAP – both in good condition – and gifted one to an NMG friend. For those who may not be so familiar with these plants, trees and shrubs are both perennials. A shrub bears multiple woody stems at the base. A mature shrub may be only a few inches high or as tall as 20 feet. Its height depends on the variety and whether or not it is pruned. Resources say Sweet Betsy or Sweet Shrub (Calycanthus floridus) grows to 9 feet. Mine is now over 15 feet tall because it has not been pruned. A formal hedge can consist of shrubs or trees in a continuous line which loses the individuality of each plant. An informal hedge preserves the natural outlines of the woody plants that are being used. Creating a monoculture (all the plants are of the same variety) can become a problem because if one becomes diseased all may be lost. Remember those red tipped photinias that were all the rage for many years, and the fungus that attacked them?

A tree preferably has one trunk at its base and one leader. If you make a peace sign with two fingers and stick out your thumb at the same time, you have a good indicator of what is right and wrong when pruning a tree. The V is an indicator that one should be the leader. You must decide which one to prune and which to keep or they will be competing. A tree can be 2 feet to over 100 feet, depending on the variety.

Also classified as woody plants are vines that may be grown on trellises, walls, fences, gazebos, poles, wires, or as ground covers. They can also be used to create privacy or to hide unsightly views or to screen out loud noises.

When planting woody plants consider this proverb, “plant it too low; it won't grow; plant too high; it will die.” In my part of the presentation to the trainees on “Benefits of Trees,” I wanted to add this example of trees bringing a community together: I had new neighbors on both sides of my house, which is on a busy street with a curve where wrecks occur pretty often. I was recuperating from foot surgery and had never met either of the neighbors. One night as I sat in our media room on the computer I heard what sounded like a utility pole being hit. My husband disagreed; he had seen flashes when the electrical wires across the street were pulled down and thought it was a lightning strike. What really happened was a car hit the curb of the next-door house on the corner facing south. The car crashed into our yard and took out a Crape Myrtle by its roots, a section of our fence, and part of a lilac bush. Larry and I had planted the tree shortly after buying our home in 2001. It had been uprooted during Hurricane Isabel and split. We had replanted the tree – it was a beautiful watermelon color and had grown quite large. The car also hit a telephone pole that divides our drive with the driveway of the house to the north of us, splitting it in half. It damaged a car in that yard and flipped over, finally stopping at a pine tree two doors north of us. The driver had had a medical emergency and had just gotten off work at the shipyard. His car roof was flattened and the firemen had to take him out through a back window. That wreck is how I met neighbors on both sides of me and another neighbor from the block south of us. As a Tree Steward, I am not worried about replacing a tree in that bare spot in my yard. I know that a Crape Myrtle does not belong here and that there will still be a root that will sprout up another new tree. (I know someone who flips houses. He used a truck to pull out a line of Crape Myrtles from around his father-in-law’s home. Those trees have all grown back.)

Trainees Engage in Engage Norfolk 2020

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 00:40:24 GMT

Cathleen Owen, Dusti Johnson-Brinker and Kate Melhuish are ready to 'Engage Norfolk'

The 4th annual Engage Norfolk Civic Fair was held on Sunday, February 9th in a fun and informative setting. Hundreds of city residents gathered at Norview High School to meet representatives of local civic organizations delivering a unified invitation to “Get Involved.” Residents circulated among more than 100 information tables, where they could sign up for volunteer projects, meet local elected officials, and learn of free city resources.

To no surprise, Norfolk Master Gardeners (NMGs) were a part of this wonderful initiative! Barb and Kate secured a prime location and really came prepared! It was impressive how well they represented the Master Gardener program on just one table. Our theme was “Gardening for Pollinators,” and there was plenty to display even at this time of year: flowering hellebores and herbs, a bee house, and would you believe... lots of black swallowtail chrysalides!!! along with an informative card to illustrate the butterfly’s lifecycle and what will emerge later this spring. Wow, was that an attraction!

Dusti Johnson-Brinker and Cathleen Owen

Harriette Frost and Debora Mosher

Kids and adults of all ages stopped by to either view the chrysalides, obtain some literature, or ask some questions. We were able to engage and converse with well over 100 folks. We distributed literature on upcoming garden talks, as well as on plants that attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Some conversations led to our distribution of soil test kits, but ALL left with the perfect gift: pollinator-friendly seeds, impressed into biodegradable butterfly or flower paper shapes.

Kate Melhuish, Anna Thurmond, Sue Gates, Barb Wilson and Debora Mosher with Congressman Bobby Scott

Kate Melhuish, Cathleen Owen, Dusti Johnson-Brinker and Anna Thurmond with Norfolk Mayor Kenneth Alexander

As trainees, we were both impressed with how fun and informative, yet simple the team of Master Gardeners made this outreach experience, for us and for the public. As first-time visitors ourselves, we were humbled with the support of the perennial NMGs and the passion of the entire crowd. All hosts and visitors gathered on a Sunday afternoon to execute a sole mission: Join together to enrich our community, for what we can’t do alone, we can do together.

Who Knew?

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 19:32:26 GMT

Gardeners have long known that the Hellebore is a workhorse in the winter garden.

This hardy plant blooms brightly in shady spots that would be bare during the chilly winter months. It also provides much-needed nectar and pollen for honey bees that are out foraging on warmish winter days. But who knew that hellebores are beautiful long-lived cut flowers? Anna Thurmond, Norfolk Master Gardener Association President, Colonial Place resident and member of the Garden Club of Colonial Place and Riverview knew. Thank you, Anna, for sharing that great tip and this beautiful picture of your Hellebore arrangement!

Best Class EVER

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 23:37:58 GMT

I’m competitive, I admit it, but I believe I was part of the best Norfolk Master Gardener class ever.

What prompted this admission was a visit with the current training class. I was there to listen to Gill and his insights into vegetable gardening. I think I could listen to him forever and work at the East Ocean View Children’s Garden and still never come close to implementing his wide experience and practical insights. I’ve learned more by doing (potting, digging, weeding, planting, watering, harvesting) but the lectures stimulated my curiosity enough to ask the how’s, the when’s and whys. I ask better questions out in the garden.

At the visit, I observed the current and beautifully diverse Class of 2020. They were in their seats, with their materials before them, listening intently to the lecture, causing me to remember my own experience just last year.

Our class leaders were so welcoming, hoping that we would find what they had earlier discovered about being a Norfolk Master Gardener. Our training class leader’s enthusiasm was contagious, and don’t you know, after a couple of weeks, many of us started to look around to see who was next to or near us.

Our class included a nurse, librarian, dental hygienist, physicist, educators, Norfolk Botanical Garden employees, federal government workers, and others; most were recently retired from years of doing something else. We were eager to do something else and our Master Gardener training was just the right thing at the right time for us to pursue.

First, our training lectures and lecturers were excellent. They were the very best at combining scientific underpinnings with practical and inciteful applications. Most of these instructors are fellow Master Gardeners. There was never a doubt that we were receiving the very best of horticultural best practices.

We learned from the beginning the mission of Virginia Cooperative Extension, its history and educative opportunities.

We had field trips. How cool was that!

We learned about the numerous Norfolk Master Gardener projects with our weekly project advertisements. In each instance we were invited to come out and check them out. It was not to just settle on one thing but try out the numerous opportunities the calendar afforded.

If the field trips weren’t cool enough, we did something every week that was even better. We ate. No one can claim that they lost weight in a Norfolk Master Gardener training class. If you went away hungry, it was of your own doing.

We took tests that were never turned in except for the final. It wasn’t that we had learned and memorized the curriculum, but we did learn how to use the resources that were available.

Several of us even met to talk about the final exam in the comfort of a class member's home at East Beach.

Projects? Yeah, we had projects. But the variety was rich, interesting, and practical. In each instance, I thought, “Yeah, I can try that.”

As my ride back home ended, I thought to myself, “It was a great winter and early spring of learning.” What our training leaders hoped for came true: we were more knowledgeable about where to go for help and supportive of the mission of Norfolk Master Gardeners. More importantly, we became friends.

So, you can see what I mean when I say, “Mine was the best Master Gardener class ever.”

* I chose to not provide names because what happens in class stays in class - to protect the not so innocent.

Oh What a Night – an Evening of Philosophy, Ideas and Microgreens!

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 13:54:45 GMT

On Saturday, January 25th the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, Old Dominion University, and the Slover Library Foundation presented an all-night marathon event of ideas, philosophy, music, art and much more. Norfolk Master Gardeners were part of the much more.

The NMG team of Kate Melhuish, Mike and Sue DiStefano, and Mitch and Kim Swecker presented a workshop and make-and-take activity to share their knowledge of a nutrition and flavor powerhouse – Mighty Microgreens. The workshop was the perfect platform to demonstrate basic tenets of the NMG program:

Educating the public about good gardening practices
Teaching the public principles of growing their own healthy food
Passing knowledge from “perennial” Master Gardeners to “tender perennials” and current class members to the general public – basically, give someone a tomato and he enjoys it for one meal; teach that person to garden and he can grow all kinds of healthy food!

The premise of the workshop was simple and elegant – all you need to grow super nutritious food is a couple of yogurt cups, damp seed starter, a generous sprinkle of cinnamon (this is the fairy dust that helps keep fungus at bay), seeds, water and a sunny window! The commitment and passion of each of our members was contagious. At first, event attendees approached the table with a tentative curiosity not quite sure if they wanted to participate. The whole concept of microgreens was new to many and the idea of spending the rest of the evening with dirt under their fingernails made some hesitate. By the end of the evening our team’s enthusiasm prevailed and visitors were all in - elbow deep in seed starter, eager and hopeful that their first attempt in gardening would be a success. We sent them home armed with a mini greenhouse prepped and ready to go with all the tools and information they needed to successfully grow delicious and super nutritious microgreens even if they lived in an apartment with no garden.

The event was a big success. Hopefully our group will participate again next year and pass the baton to another team of fresh perennials and new class members. This was such a good opportunity to pass knowledge from team member to team member. Make sure you take advantage of these opportunities when they come up. There is no better way to hone your skills than working with those who have come before you.

Holiday Party 2019

Thu, 06 Feb 2020 01:19:28 GMT

December 18, 2019 found sixty-five Norfolk Master Gardener Volunteers gathered at Hits at the Park for the annual Holiday Party. Participants arrived wearing festive clothing and bearing gifts, favorite desserts and smiles!

The event began with a short business meeting and a big thank you to the outgoing officers for 2019 and introductions of the 2020 Steering Committee. Following the business meeting Chef Steve and his crew served up a delicious buffet of beef pot roast, Rotisserie chicken, cheese manicotti, vegetables and salad. The dessert table was full of decadent treats. Norfolk MGs certainly enjoy sharing their talents, whether gardening or baking!

The Creative Sweater Contest was judged by Agent Chris Epes and Ginger Farrell, Class of ’17. The first prize of a $50 gift certificate to the Norfolk Botanical Garden was awarded to Bill Gerhardt ’04, and second prize of amaryllis and paperwhite bulbs went to Ginny Alberts ’19. Thanks to all who participated in the contest!

We collected money for the Food Bank of Southeastern Virginia, and there was an exchange of gifts. We also played a game similar to musical chairs. Each table was given a Santa hat. When the music started each table passed the hat around the table until the music stopped. The person who ended up holding the hat when the music stopped won the table centerpiece.

Although all the desserts were worthy of Blue Ribbons, one caught the attention of several guests and Marilyn Gowen has agreed to share her recipe which follows. Marilyn suggested reading through the instructions before beginning.

Bread & Butter Pudding (4 servings)

3 Tablespoons raisins Pinch salt

1/3 cup warm water 3 eggs

1 cup plus 3 Tablespoons whipping cream 9 Tablespoons sugar

1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon milk 3 small croissants, cut into ½ inch wide slices

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise 2 Tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted

(I use 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste) 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

(For a 9x12 pan, use 4 large croissants and increase remaining ingredients by 1.5)

Combine raisins and water in bowl. Let stand 30 minutes. Drain well.

Bring cream, milk, vanilla bean and salt to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Beat eggs and 9 Tablespoons sugar in medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the cream mixture. Remove vanilla bean, scrape seeds from bean into cream mixture and stir well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly brush croissant slices with melted butter. Arrange in 6 cup soufflé dish. Sprinkle with raisins. Strain custard over croissant slices. Gently press slices down to absorb liquid. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar. Set dish in large baking pan. Add enough hot water to large pan to come 1” up the sides of pudding dish. Bake until tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Spoon pudding onto plates. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tablespoon powdered sugar. Serve hot.

*A delicious dessert from Le Restaurant in the Regent Melbourne Hotel.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 14:21:18 GMT

Do you wonder what goes on behind the scenes of The Germinator Blog?

So, you may have seen some of our Blog articles, but how does it work? How does it get there?

First, we need YOU to get it there. We need you to write an article: maybe something research-based on your favorite flower, shrub, tree, bug. Maybe some garden site you visited or a review of an environmental movie or book. You write the article (using WORD (.docx, .odt format), attach the file to an email and send it to germinator@nmgv.org . If you don’t have WORD just submit it in the text of an email, attach any pictures, and the Germinator Bloginator will make it happen.

Due to the magic of our webmaster, Michael Cole, ’18 (whose alternate is Kathryn Bush ’18), your email shoots out to the editors on the Communications Committee. Your article is reviewed for the usual correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation as well as, resource info. The reviewers then send it on to the Bloginator - Michael Cole or his protégé, Kim Swecker ’19.

Michael (or Kim) will post your article and, if you’re a Germinator blog subscriber, you’ll get notice of the blog post right that minute or sometimes at a scheduled release time/date. The Bloginator will figure that out depending on how frequently our Master Gardeners write and submit items for posting.

We are excited and hope you will be too, but we need you to make it happen! Subscribing to the blog is almost as important as writing for it. The Germinator Blog can allow timely and interesting news to go out to all Norfolk Master Gardeners, but only if you do subscribe. Be sure to visit https://www.norfolkmastergardeners.org , then click on The Germinator Blog at the top of the screen. To receive updates from the new blog, scroll down to subscribe.

Barb Wilson ‘07

Ginkgo biloba: The Maidenhair Tree

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 20:15:30 GMT

Trees have always been a major part of horticulture, gardening, and landscaping. As more suburbs, urban parks, gardens, and cities seek to expand their tree canopies, I would like to talk about one of my favorite trees Ginkgo biloba , the Maidenhair Tree. Originally from China, this tree is one of the oldest species and is used in a variety of plantings. The main draw of Ginkgo biloba are the unique leaves, the fall color, and its versatility in the landscape.

Ginkgo biloba is an ancient tree with leaf fossils dating back 270 million years (Ginkgo: Ginkgo biloba n.d). Native to southeast China, this tree has been found to live up to 3,000 years. It was brought to the United States in the 1700’s after being rediscovered in China in 1691 (Ginkgo: Ginkgo biloba n.d). The genus name Ginkgo is derived from the misrendering of the Japanese words gin (silver) and kyo (apricot) (Ginkgo n.d). The common name, the Maidenhair Tree, is derived from the leaves looking similar to the leaflets of the Maidenhair Fern (Gingko n.d).

Ginkgo biloba Leaf fossils On Display

The Maidenhair Tree is mostly known for its unique leaves which are lobed, fan shaped, rich green, and turn brilliant yellow in the fall. The height and spread of trees can greatly vary depending on cultivars. Mature heights across the entire species range from 25-100 ft. Mature canopy spreads range from 25-40 ft. The shape of the tree canopies and trunk sizes also vary by cultivar. When selecting a tree choosing the right cultivar is important.

Ginkgo biloba in Fall

Ginkgo biloba Leaf

Ginkgo trees are one of the most versatile for your landscape. They prefer full sun but can survive in part shade (need at least 4 hours of sun). Hardy in USDA zones 3-8, these trees are compatible with almost any soil: clay, sand, silt, loam, wet, dry, or medium. They grow best in sandy, moist, well drained soils and also tolerate acidic, alkaline, and compacted soils. Ginkgo trees can tolerate air pollution, salt conditions, and heat. There are no serious pest issues. They adapt well to urban environments. Issues with the Ginkgo tree include slow growth, insignificant blooms, and female trees producing fruit that is known to have a noxious smell. Most nurseries only sell male trees, but always confirm the trees you purchase are male.

Ginkgo biloba Uses

Apartment Planting Street Planting

Woodland Planting Bonsai

As urban tree canopies continue to expand, the demand for interesting and reliable trees is increasing. Ginkgo biloba has proven to be one of the trees that meets this demand. With its unique leaves, fall color, and adaptability it has become a popular tree to plant where stress is high. If you are searching for an interesting tree that can grow in harsh conditions, consider Gingko biloba , the Maidenhair Tree.

References

Gingko. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.arborday.org/

Ginkgo: Ginkgo biloba . (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/

This Project was Totally For the Birds

Sat, 11 Jan 2020 20:35:21 GMT

If you haven’t had a chance to participate in a project at the New E3 School , start looking for an opportunity - now. This was my first occasion, and little did I know the delightful experience awaiting.

The building itself just hollers “Come On In” to kids of all ages (including big kids like me). It is a relatively new structure with a high ceiling in the central corridor, and classrooms lining either side. Classrooms have tall windows, allowing for wonderful splashes of light on the cheerfully painted spaces, which are further decorated with children’s artwork. Just entering the building, buzzing with activity and the air of holiday celebration, was uplifting.

The activity . “Assist Children (toddler – age 5) building Birdfeeder Wreaths.” New E3 School. December 7, 2019.

Sophia Fowler, Class of ’17, led an enthusiastic team of “big kids” (aka NMGs) throughout the morning as we helped a gentle stream of very small children find seats at the pint-sized worktable. One or both parents, who also seemed to enjoy participating, accompanied the littlest ones.

The children chose the base color (red, gold or silver) for their wreaths from small stacks of metallic pipe cleaners. We next demonstrated how to string the pipe cleaner with bird food from one of two large bowls of Cheerios (dry, of course). Then, we showed how to convert a straight string of “beads” into a wreath. Once satisfied with their work, they topped the wreaths off with a sweet red bow. The kids had fun with this project, albeit in different ways: some were very serious – even meticulous - about the construction, others were satisfied with just a few Cheerios on the wreath, and one very clever little boy, who must have realized it was time for a snack, decided to eat his wreath! (Birds: beware the competition.)

A side note: two delightful Chrysler Museum docents shared one side of the schoolroom with us – and were all prepared to discuss art and read stories to other children; unfortunately, they lacked attendees. No matter - when they saw how much fun we were having, they laid down their books and joined in the wreath making!

The school staff provided the supplies, carefully laid out for easy assembly. Michelle Fuller gets a high five for recommending the activity, as does Sophia for rounding up the helpers. Diane Fleming kept a close eye on the number of “contacts” and took charge of recording. Other participating elves included Olena Peterson and Dan Haworth.