Five Things You May Not Know About . . . Virginia’s official pollinator
You may have heard Virginia now has an official state pollinator - the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). How, you ask, did the EUROPEAN honey bee get the designation?
May 18, 2024 Green Spring Gardens Big Plant Sale
Join us tomorrow! RAIN OR SHINE! 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Meet and support MGNV Extension Master Gardeners as we join many other vendors at the Green Spring Gardens Big Plant Sale. We have beautiful and unusual plants, including many Virginia natives, to fill your spring gardening needs. Extension Master Gardeners will be on hand to help with plant selection, answer your questions and offer gardening advice. This is an important fundraiser for MGNV!
Native Plant Species & Cultivars
Part of the learning curve of growing native plants is understanding that some are available as “straight species” and others as cultivars. Straight species have evolved with the local wildlife, and they will be recognized as excellent sources of food. Cultivars, however, have been produced through breeding for ornamental traits, principally with human preferences in mind.
GROUND COVER: Podophyllum peltatum (Mayapple)
Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic
This native ground cover, common throughout the Mid-Atlantic, carpets the floor of mixed deciduous forests. Like its Latin epithet, single, vegetative leaves are peltate (umbrella-like). In mid-spring, paired leaves may hide showy but sparse white flowers. Fully ripened fruits, mayapples, are used for preserves.
Farmers Markets! Plant Clinics!
May brings the opening of area farmers markets and MGNV Plant Clinics throughout Arlington and Alexandria.
Check out locations and hours here: https://mgnv.org/resources/farmers-markets/
Growing Under Cover
All vegetable gardeners deal with pests. Fortunately, there are cultural and preventative controls to discourage pests, such as planting flowers to attract beneficial insects. Growing Under Cover: Techniques for a More Productive, Weather-Resistant, Pest-Free Vegetable Garden by Niki Jabbour is a guide to another tool—physical barriers or garden covers, including row covers, mini hoop tunnels, and cold frames that protect plants from insects, deer, rabbits, and birds.