Except where noted, all events and meetings are open to the public. Some lectures and events will be offered via YouTube or ZOOM technology. Zoom meetings/presentations will require registration prior to start date. The Free Lance Star and MGACRA Facebook page will also be used to post/advertise all activities. All gardening, insect, plant disease, and horticultural related questions can be called into our VCE office: 540-658-8000. The office serves the four-county area and Fredericksburg. Additional resources are available at: ext.vt.edu where subjects of interest can be searched. *****************************************************************************************************************
Annual and Special Events: 1 April 2023, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 a.m. – Gardening Symposium “Flower Power from Roots to Blooms”
Registration now open! Registration closes 24 Mar 2023
Gari Melcher Home & Studio, 224 Washington St, Fredericksburg
Click on the MGACRA Home Page for on-line registration and more information
18 April 2023, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Historic Garden Week Tour – Fredericksburg/King George
Proceeds from the tour are used for restoration and preservation of historic public gardens in Virginia, and to provide student fellowships in landscape architecture
22 April 2023, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Earth Day Come join us! It's at Old Mill Park, 2201 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg. Scroll down to see more information.
MGACRA Volunteer Opportunities: Historic Garden Tour: Very successful today! Thank you to all who helped set-up, take-down, and volunteered!
RAAI Sale: The RAAI Sale starts soon, will run through the majority of April, and there are still several volunteer shifts to be filled! Volunteers do need to have the attached forms signed and returned to me in order to volunteer for this project. Once Lisa Ellis receives your forms she will update your status in Better Impact. You’ll be able to see the schedule in Better Impact under the Opportunities tab by clicking on Opportunities Calendar. Contact Lisa Ellis if you have any questions about the forms or signing up. Please contact coordinator Judy Little if you have any questions about the Sale! Jal22407@comcast.net.
Earth Day, Saturday, April 22nd at the Old Mill Park, 2201 Caroline Street, Fredericksburg. In case of rain, the alternate date is Saturday, April 29. But it never rains on Earth Day, does it! Volunteer Shifts:
You can stay and help all day, 10:00-4:00, or you can select one or two time slots:
First Shift: 10:00 – 12:00
Second Shift 12:00 – 2:00
Third Shift 2:00 – 4:00
POC/Sign-Up: Please send an email to Jonathan Stevens, jibstevens71@gmail.comto sign-up.
Stafford Earth Day, April 19 at Patawomeck: This is a new event that is being hosted by Stafford Parks and Rec, and we’re all pretty excited about it over here at the Rowser Building. School groups of 4th graders from all public schools in Stafford County will be attending this free event. Contact Lisa Ellis at lisae22@vt.edu to volunteer. RRR Board: We are also looking for an artsy crafty volunteer (or two) to put together a Reduce, Reuse, Recycle trifold display board for us. You can work on it here at the office, or take a board home and work on it there. Please let me know if you’re interested!
Cedell Brooks Native Demonstration Garden: Coordinator Alvin Calhoun welcomes volunteers to join him at the Cedell Brooks Park Native Garden in King George VA. Please contact Alvin if you have any questions about the native garden and the 2023 schedule. Alvin can be reached at aac.a4@gmail.com.
Native Garden at Widewater State Park: Coordinator Beth Daily welcomes all volunteers to join her at Widewater State Park in Stafford VA. Reach out to Beth with any questions about the garden and the 2023 schedule. Beth can be reached at elizabethdaly@juno.com.
Belmont Nature Trail: MG Jody Wilken is the Grounds Coordinator at Belmont, and she is looking for some volunteers to work on the Nature Trail giving educational walking tours to visitors. The trail is located in King George VA. Though you would be volunteering as an MG, Belmont has its own internal volunteer process which includes a background screening (paid for by Belmont). Please contact Jody (jwilken@umw.edu) to get started in 2023!
Chatham Historical Gardens: The gardens are open year-round to the public and volunteers. Please contact Carol if you have any questions at cahyland@cox.net. Master Gardeners, did you know that you can earn volunteer hours every Wednesday, year-round, from 8am-1pm by joining project Coordinator Carol Hyland in the beautiful Chatham Historical Gardens? Interested? You can sign up in Better Impact (click on the Opportunities tab, go to the Opportunities Calendar, and click on whatever Wednesday works for you!), or you can just turn up with your pruners. Chatham Manor is located in Stafford County. ******************************************************************************************************
Boxwood Pruning Workshop: Coordinator Laurie Clarkston has put together a fantastic and long-term project for restoring Boxwoods in the Historic Confederate Cemetery in Fredericksburg – which is still used as a burial site by several of the area churches. The Boxwood training workshop is ongoing for Master Gardeners/trainees. We meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays mostly in the afternoon. Hoping to change this to morning sessions soon. If you are interested, please contact Laure with any questions and to get on the email list of weekly updates. A weekly schedule is posted and sometimes the times and days can change to due schedules. Contact Laurie by email: garadh56@gmail.com, or by calling or texting @ 540-846-5357.
SAVE THE DATE- April 20, 10am-12pm, Smart Green Lawns Training: This is a lab Lisa Ellis is conducting for the Class of 2023, and I will be inviting all EMG’s interested in volunteering for our Smart Green Lawns program to attend. The indoor portion of the lab will be held in the gym here at the Rowser,
Continuing Education Opportunities: Orchids Video: The video of MGACRA’s March 15 Educational Program on Orchids, presented by Orchid expert Joe Mathis, is now available to view on the MGACRA website. Mgacra.org Viewing this program WILL COUNT as Continuing Education hours. Soil Sample Video: The Extension Office has prepared a short video on how to take a good soil sample! The video is now up on YouTube and will be posted on our website. You can also click on the link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J93LtWMTs0 Watching the video WILL COUNT towards your Continuing Education hours.
Need to more CE hours? The links to all available 2021-2022 presentations and lectures are located on the MGACRA website Home Page. Contact Lisa Ellis atlisae22@vt.edu for more information.