By Fern Campbell Piedmont Master Gardener Fallen leaves are a gift from Mother Nature to our yards and gardens. In addition to providing many other benefits, such as creating shade, sequestering carbon, filtering air pollution, and giving food and shelter to wildlife,...
The Piedmont Master Gardeners Association provides science-based gardening information to the community of Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville.
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Upcoming PMG Events
Gardening Basics: Indoor Gardening
You Don’t Need a Green Thumb!
Saturday, January 18, 2025
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville
Gardening Basics: Tool Talk
The Right Tools for the Right Tasks
Saturday, February 22, 2025
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville
Gardening Basics: Pollinators
For Four Seasons
Saturday, March 15, 2025
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville
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A Lifetime of Learning
Timely Topics
The Spotted Lanternfly Is Here. What Should We Do?
The spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect from Asia, has been working its way toward our area since 2014, when it began taking its toll on vineyards, orchards and home landscapes in southeast Pennsylvania. In Virginia, it was first detected in the Winchester area—at...
It’s Time to Celebrate Our Pollinators
In Virginia and nationwide, June 17-23 is Pollinator Week, a time to celebrate the essential role that pollinators play in supporting natural plant communities and in providing much of the food on our tables. You can celebrate locally by visiting the pollinator...
Ask a Master Gardener
Protecting and Preserving Topsoil During New Home Construction
Question: I’ve contracted to have a new home built and groundbreaking starts soon. What measures should be taken prior to and during construction to preserve and protect the topsoil and native plants on my site? By Carla Throckmorton, Piedmont Master Gardener Intern...
Eradicating Bamboo
Question: How can I eradicate my golden bamboo patch? By Camille Keely, Piedmont Master Gardener Intern Golden bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea), also known as fishpole or running bamboo, is one of the most common types of non-native bamboo in Virginia. Originating in...
Growing Grass in the Shade
By Bev Tavener, Piedmont Master Gardener Intern Question: My lawn area is generally pretty lush, but under my big oak, the grass is not growing well. I have fertilized the area with no improvement. What should I try doing? The Challenge Growing and maintaining grass...
Help Combat Food Insecurity
Our program helps you put your garden’s extra bounty
to good use by sharing it with these local food banks and food pantries.
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Alert: Invasive Plants, Insects, and Diseases
Vascular Streak Dieback: Threat to Redbuds and Dogwoods
You may wonder why you haven’t seen many flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida) or Eastern Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) in local nurseries lately. This is likely due to concern about Vascular Streak Dieback, a fungal infection attacking these and other trees.
Spotted Lanternfly
A potentially very serious pest of grapes, peaches, hops and a variety of other crops, the spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, was detected in Albemarle County, Virginia, in July 2021. As of June 15th, 2022, Albemarle County has been placed in a Spotted Lanternfly Quarantine.
