Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia
Promoting environmentally sound gardening practices for over 35 years!
Join Extension Master Gardener Elaine Mills to learn details on the characteristics and attributes of 20 native trees and suggestions on their uses in the home landscape. General information on planting, care, and helpful resources will be provided.
Join Extension Master Gardener Elaine Mills to learn some techniques for introducing diverse layers of vegetation in a variety of garden contexts, from reestablishing forest edges and planting around trees to refreshing foundation plantings, creating perennial beds, and rethinking front yard designs.
This list of plants resistant to deer was compiled based on research from 10 different resources. Ferns, grasses, and sedges are generally avoided by deer. They are also often warded off by plants with thorns, and prickly or scented leaves.
cents can be difficult to describe in words and people may have personal preferences, so it is best to test your experience with various plants before adding them to your landscape. Visit our demonstration gardens to find plants with the fragrances that are most appealing to you.
This list of plants resistant to deer was compiled based on research from 10 different resources. Ferns, grasses, and sedges are generally avoided by deer. They are also often warded off by plants with thorns, and prickly or scented leaves. Deer overpopulation, habit, and age also determine what deer eat. Under the right circumstances, deer will eat almost anything if they are hungry enough and their preferred foods are scarce.
Extension Master Gardener Elaine Mills discusses over 40 plants native to the Mid-Atlantic region, including perennials, ground covers, vines, shrubs, and trees that offer important support for local wildlife as well as beauty to the fall landscape.
Birds are some of the most visible and charming visitors to our gardens. Are you interested in being a better host to them? This talk will provide practical cultural tips and plant suggestions to invite them in and help your feathered guests feel at home.
What happened to your beautiful spring garden? Summer got you and your garden down? Plants drooping, insect attack, aggressive weeds and is that a fungus? Join Extension Master Gardener Beth Buffington for tips on what you can do right now and what you can plan to do to make sure your summer garden thrives in the future.
n this class, Extension Master Gardener Elaine Mills describes the factors that lead to dry conditions in a garden and the adaptations plants have made to do well in hot, exposed sites, tolerate rain shortages, or survive in dry shade. She introduces native trees, shrubs, perennials, ground covers, grasses, and sedges that have been found to thrive in these conditions, explain the benefits they provide to wildlife, and offers tips for growing and maintaining them.
Learn about factors that lead to wet conditions in a garden and the adaptations plants have made to do well in moist sites, tolerate intermittent flooding, or grow in standing water. Elaine Mills introduces native trees, shrubs, perennials, ferns, grasses, and rushes that have been found to thrive in these conditions, explain the benefits they provide to wildlife, and offer tips for growing and maintaining them.
Sustainable landscaping builds on the unique conditions of your yard to create a healthier and more ecologically friendly outdoor space. Sounds great, but how do you get started? Extension Master Gardener Amy Crumpton discusses how the principles of sustainability, together with an understanding of conservation techniques and ecological gardening methods, can inform your landscape design decisions and provide achievable structure to the management of your yard.
"My decision to remove most of the turf grass from my yard germinated over many years and after learning about the state of the nation’s lands and waters. What’s the connection? Our love affair with our lawns – with a thick green carpet of grass, free of weeds – comes at a steep cost to the environment."
In Part I of this article, posted last week, we presented alternatives to some traditional foundation shrubs that are considered invasive in Arlington County and the City of Alexandria. In Part II, we consider alternatives to other overused non-native shrubs.
Our Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Region offers many attractive substitute shrubs to traditional foundation non-natives that can add beauty and diversity to the landscape while providing nectar, pollen, and fruit for the insect and animal species with which they have evolved. Read on to learn about the ornamental qualities and wildlife support offered by native alternatives for these popular alien shrubs.
