Photo courtesy sammydavisdog/Flickr

The “Hens in Your Household” talk on backyard chickens was rescheduled and will be held today, May 15.  This is one of the Hahn Horticulture free garden walks and talks in the Lunchtime Learning series.

Dr. Holly Scoggins will talk about what’s involved in caring for back-yard chickens. She has more than 10 years of chicken experience, including the Good, the Bad, and the Gross.

The talk will be held from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Meet at the Peggy Lee Hahn Garden Pavilion at Virginia Tech. No registration required. Parking passes are available at the Pavilion for Visitors only.  F/S must park in designated F/S spaces.

Also, on May 15: the Roanoke Master Gardeners are doing another free workshop on Soil Preparation, Companion Planting and Spacing.  It runs 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Campbell Ave. Community Garden at RAM House.  This is a garden-side, hands-on talk with Master Gardeners available to advise and answer questions .

Photo courtesy The Greenery Nursery/Flickr

There are a slew of plant sales today, May 11, 2013, including the Master Gardener Sales I mentioned in my last post.

Historic Smithfield is holding a sale today from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg.  (1000 Smithfield Plantation Rd.) They will have a selection of plants from the Smithfield colonial garden and gardeners for sale, as well as a wide variety of healthy, locally grown herbs, vegetables, perennials and hanging baskets from Crow’s Nest Greenhouses.  Contact (540) 231-3947 for more information.

The Blue Ridge Wildflower Society is holding a wildflower sale today, too, at the Virginia Western Community College Arboretum in Roanoke (3094 Colonial Ave.), from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  This sale usually includes about 30 or more species of wildflowers, including trilliums, phlox, bleeding heart, spiderwort, jack-in-the-pulpit, and native fern.  Besides being more beneficial to wildlife than non-native species, many wildflowers have evolved to grow in shady areas, to be more resilient to insect damage and to be more tolerant of drought and poor soil.  Contact (540) 774-2279 for more information.

The Boones Mill Garden Club will also hold a plant sale today at the Rocky Mount Farmers Market (345 Donald Ave.) from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.  Perennials, fruit, herbs, shrubs and more will be for sale.  Contact (540) 334-1603 for more information.

Speaking of farmers markets, most local farmers markets have transplants for sale now, so there’s another opportunity to purchase plants.  Farmers markets can be an excellent source of harder to find varieties, including many heirloom tomatoes.

Now if the weather would just cooperate to grow those tomatoes!  Have you seen the weather forecast for tomorrow night?

Photo courtesy Ethan Oringel/Flickr

Master Gardeners will be on hand to advise and answer questions about soil preparation, cool season crops, and more. 

This hands-on workshop will be held garden side at the Frank Roupas Community Garden and is suitable for both beginners and seasoned gardeners.  There will be an emphasis on organic and waterwise gardening. 

The Frank Roupas Community Garden is located on 14^th St. off Bullitt Ave. SE. in Roanoke.

This workshop is free and runs 9:30-10:30 a.m.  In the event of rain, the event is cancelled.

For those interested in companion planting, they will be hosting a free workshop on this topic on June 1 9:30-10:30 at the Hurt Park Community Garden.

Virginia Tech Horticulture student Katie Elliott cares for the hanging baskets she has grown for the Hort Club Plant Sale, April 25 -27. Photo: Holly Scoggins.

Here’s an annual event I highly recommend.  Starting tomorrow, the Virginia Tech Department of Horticulture is sponsoring their fabulous Hort Club Plant Sale.  There are four days of events for those of us who love gardening.

Tomorrow, Wednesday,April 24, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., they are having a Sneak Peek of the sale. See what the students have been growing, as well as other wonderful perennials, trees and shrubs brought in from top-notch Virginia nursery growers for the sale. This is a preview only; no sales and no holds will be allowed on Wednesday.

The Plant Sale itself runs Thursday – Saturday, April 25-27, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day. The sale is held at the greenhouse and Hahn Garden complex on the VT campus (Washington St.).  Choose from annuals, perennials, hanging baskets, trees, shrubs, and more.  Proceeds support student scholarships and programs. For more info on the sale, you can e-mail the students at plantsale@vt.edu.

They are also running Gardening MicroTalks on Friday, April 26, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Meet in front of the Garden Pavilion, or inside if raining. Talks are free and start at the top of the hour and run 15 minutes.  Learn how to plant properly, how to make more plants, how to start a paver patio, how to create beautiful mixed containers, and more. Talks are given by horticulture faculty, staff, and students.  You can get the full schedule at www.hort.vt.edu/hhg or email springfling@vt.edu.

On Saturday, April 27, you can take a tour of three private gardens, open from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.  The tour costs $6 and gets you admission to three of the most beautiful, inspiring spring gardens in Blacksburg. Tickets are on sale only at the Hort Club Plant Sale.  This garden tour is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library (sponsors of the annual Friendly Garden Tour in Blacksburg) to help benefit their youth outreach programs.  Featured gardens are all within 3 miles of downtown Blacksburg; you’ll get a map when you buy your ticket.

Here’s what I’ve been told about the featured gardens:

The Niemiera Garden is composed of an eclectic set of woody and herbaceous species that offer year-round beauty.  The garden has been designed to create “rooms” that offer various views and focal points.  Garden components include a water garden, antique Afghanistan garden entryway, statuary, and unusual tree and shrub species – many of which are simply spectacular in the spring.

The Steeves Garden was recently featured in Horticulture magazine. The owner has created a large, multi-room garden overflowing with unusual spring flowering trees, shrubs, and perennials. Paths lead beneath vine-covered arbors and past beds full of mature peonies, ferns, Asian jack-in-the-pulpit and hosta, co-mingled with ephemerals such as bleeding heart, bloodroot, woodland poppy, and much more.

The Dorsey Garden is billed as a spring-time wonderland.  This woodland garden at the end of a quiet street is awash with daffodils and blooming redbuds every spring. The lovely craftsman style house is a perfect centerpiece for this serene naturalized setting.

Photo courtesy Pamla J. Eisenberg

Catawba Landcare is sponsoring a free wildflower tour this Saturday, April 20 from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at the Blake Preserve.  The tour will feature spring wildflowers and beautiful waterfalls along the sparkling Mill Creek.  Bring a bag lunch and sturdy shoes.  The walking is flat with a few rocky spots.  Watch for signs along Catawba Road, Rt. 785.  Email Butch Kelly at butch2410@msn.com or call 384-7429 for further information.  Catawba Landcare is a group of residents and landowners in the Catawba Valley dedicated to the care of the land and community.  Learn more.

Also, Saturday, April 20 from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., the Salem Museum and Virginia Cooperative Extension have partnered together to offer a fun, delicious and educational day of herbs. Enjoy cooking demonstrations and tastings, herb gardening workshops, quality herb plants for purchase, or plant your own herb pot. Roanoke Valley Master Food Volunteers and Master Gardeners will provide the demonstrations, seminars and workshops.  The $5 admission fee also admits you to all of the workshops.  Lunch is also available.  You can pre-register for classes at 540-389-6760.  View more information and the calendar of events.  The Salem Museum is located at 801 E. Main St. in Salem.

Photo courtesy d-olwen-dee/Flickr

The Roanoke Community Garden Association (RCGA) has their next meeting tonight, March 28, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Main Library in downtown Roanoke, in the downstairs auditorium.  RCGA meets the 4^th Thursday of the month.

If you live in the Roanoke area and are interested in a plot in the community garden, contact Mark Powell, Director of RCGA for more information.  Gardens are located in SE and SW Roanoke neighborhoods.  The addresses of the existing gardens are listed on RCGA’s website, along with garden rules and registration forms.

Plot dues for 2013 are $15 and $20, depending on location.  No one will be excluded from the RCGA due to lack of funds.

RCGA’s mission is to promote, educate, and provide information about organic gardening principles, diet, nutrition, and food security that sustains the Roanoke region through the creation of community gardens.

Mark’s contact information is at mark@roanokecommunitygarden.org or 540-904-3122.

Photo courtesy David Pippin

This Saturday, March 23 from 10:00-11:30 a.m., David Pippin, a floral designer based in Richmond, will be holding a Faux Garden Baskets floral design workshop at the Peggy Lee Pavilion at Hahn Horticulture Garden.Celebrate spring by learning how to create a faux garden basket arrangement filled with fresh flowers and foliage. The arrangement will look like a basket, but it’s not a basket.   The handle will be made from garden branches and tied at the top.  The container will be covered with green sheet moss and tied with raffia.

All materials will be provided.  Participants should bring their own floral clippers.

The cost of the workshop is $35 for Friends of the Garden, or $45 for the general public.  Pre-registration is required, and attendance is limited to 25. Call Stephanie at 540-231-5970 to register by phone or email vtgarden@vt.edu.

Learn more.

Tomorrow, Thursday, March 21, the Roanoke Community Garden Association will be presenting a workshop on organic gardening methods.  This is a presentation by the Virginia Cooperative Extension in Roanoke.  Come learn how to grow food organically.

The free presentation will be held at the Main Roanoke City Library, 706 S. Jefferson Street from 6:00-7:00 pm.

Roanoke Community Garden Association (RCGA) is a non-profit organization operating since 2007. Currently it is operating Frank Roupas Community Garden in SE Roanoke, Hurt Park Community Garden and Campbell Ave. Community Garden in SW Roanoke.  Learn more about RCGA on their website.

Photo courtesy Bill Tyne/Flickr

I came across this plant sale online and thought I’d share.  The Urbiculture Foundation is having a plant sale.  You can purchase either a bulk share, or individual plants of edible landscape plants for you yard.

This looks like an economical way to plant an edible landscape, with plants that will easily integrate into your yard. Over the years, most of these plants will increase in yield and spread.  They say that these plants will produce fruit for 10 or more years, if cared for appropriately. Strawberry and raspberry will also expand into the size bed you prepare for them, so be prepared for spreading.  If you can’t use a full share on your own, you could “share” a share with a friend. Or you can buy individual plants.

Each full share contains:

• 30 Asparagus Roots
• 80 Strawberry Plants
• 6 Raspberry Plants
• 6 Blueberry Plants (multi variety)
• 4-6 Fruit Trees (multi variety)

They estimate that each share would cost over $450 if you were to buy potted plants at retail nurseries. They provide a discount by purchasing bare-root plants in bulk from reputable wholesale nurseries.  Therefore, you can’t customize shares and no partial shares are available.

The only caveat is that this sale ends tomorrow!  They also make the following disclaimer: Due to the non-profit nature of this endeavor and the rapidly-depleted inventories of wholesale nurseries, we reserve the right to make substitutions or refunds of our choosing. Possible substitutions or additions include grape vines and cold-hardy kiwi vines.

You can learn more about this sale here.