Register now for a free class on ROOTS in HARMONY to be offered via Zoom on Friday, April 10, 10:00-11:00 a.m. Master Gardeners will show how pairing pollinator plants with culinary herbs and vegetables can create a vibrant, edible landscape.
Register: virginiatech.zoom.us...
#mastergardener #mgnv

TREE: Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree, Old Man’s Beard) #MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Showy spring flowers and summer fruit for song birds makes this an appealing, native addition to the landscape. Be aware though, fruit and foliage also appeal to deer! The Virginia Native Plant Society named #WhiteFringetree as 1997 Wildflower of the Year.

TREE: Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree, Old Man’s Beard)

#MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Showy spring flowers and summer fruit for song birds makes this an appealing, native addition to the landscape. Be aware though, fruit and foliage also appeal to deer!…

Bird-Friendly Gardening #birds #gardening #mgnv #book review Bird Friendly Gardening: Guidance and Projects for Supporting Birds in your Landscape by Jen McGuinness is a handy guide for anyone interested in learning more about what they can do in their outdoor living space to support wild birds. The most effective way to provide food is planting native plants that attract the insects on which birds feed. Native plants also provide other food sources such as seeds, fruit, and nectar, as well as spaces for birds to nest or hide from predators.  

Bird-Friendly Gardening

#birds #gardening #mgnv #book review Bird Friendly Gardening: Guidance and Projects for Supporting Birds in your Landscape by Jen McGuinness is a handy guide for anyone interested in learning more about what they can do in their outdoor living space to support wild birds.…

SHRUB: Viburnum prunifolium (Black Haw) #MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic The upright oval crown common in the young plants of this elegant shrub often becomes, with age, irregular with drooping lower branches. Creamy white flowers give way to pink berry-like fruits, edible when ripened to deep blue-black.

SHRUB: Viburnum prunifolium (Black Haw)

#MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic The upright oval crown common in the young plants of this elegant shrub often becomes, with age, irregular with drooping lower branches. Creamy white flowers give way to pink berry-like…

Restoring Nature Action 4: Choose Plants to Support Insects, Birds, and Other Wildlife #mgnv #mastergardener #pollinators Action 4 of our Restoring Nature  series calls for choosing plants to provide pollen, nectar, and other food sources for insects, birds, and other wildlife.

Restoring Nature Action 4: Choose Plants to Support Insects, Birds, and Other Wildlife

#mgnv #mastergardener #pollinators Action 4 of our Restoring Nature  series calls for choosing plants to provide pollen, nectar, and other food sources for insects, birds, and other wildlife.

March is  the Time to Start Seeds Indoors #mgnv #seedstarting #vegetablegardening If you like to be able to choose exactly the vegetables you want to eat and grow in your garden, March is the time to start your seeds indoors. 

March is  the Time to Start Seeds Indoors

#mgnv #seedstarting #vegetablegardening If you like to be able to choose exactly the vegetables you want to eat and grow in your garden, March is the time to start your seeds indoors. 

Word Quiz of the Week #MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary Is the first flower to bloom on a cyme at the top or the bottom of the main axis?

Word Quiz of the Week

#MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary Is the first flower to bloom on a cyme at the top or the bottom of the main axis?

GROUND COVER: Chrysogonum virginianum (Green-and-Gold) #MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic This low, spreading ground cover forms a star-studded mat of velvety foliage that is as attractive at the front of a formal border as it is in a naturalistic setting. In the Mid-Atlantic Region, it is mostly found in Virginia.

GROUND COVER: Chrysogonum virginianum (Green-and-Gold)

#MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic This low, spreading ground cover forms a star-studded mat of velvety foliage that is as attractive at the front of a formal border as it is in a naturalistic setting. In the…

Join the Glencarlyn Library Spring Celebration & Plant Sale! #MGNV #MasterGardeners #plantsale Come celebrate Spring in the Glencarlyn Library Community Garden! Saturday, April 18, 2026  10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Rain or Shine)

Join the Glencarlyn Library Spring Celebration & Plant Sale!

#MGNV #MasterGardeners #plantsale Come celebrate Spring in the Glencarlyn Library Community Garden! Saturday, April 18, 2026  10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Rain or Shine)

Urban Agriculture Events and Resources: March & April 2026 #mgnv #urbanagriculture #vegetablegardening #gardentalks Find out about upcoming classes on combination gardening and the top 10 vegetables to plant, March & April Between the Rows Vegetable Gardening tips, FOUA's Plot Against Hunger Spring Kickoff, and Wednesday Library Garden Talks.

Urban Agriculture Events and Resources: March & April 2026

#mgnv #urbanagriculture #vegetablegardening #gardentalks Find out about upcoming classes on combination gardening and the top 10 vegetables to plant, March & April Between the Rows Vegetable Gardening tips, FOUA's Plot Against Hunger…

Word Quiz of the Week #MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary What type of inflorescence is a composite flower?

Word Quiz of the Week

#MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary What type of inflorescence is a composite flower?

PERENNIAL: Geranium maculatum (Wild or Spotted Geranium) #MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Native in much of eastern North America, this lovely, adaptable wildflower’s alternative common name, Cranesbill, refers to its distinctive fruit, which resembles the bill of a crane. The Virginia Native Plant Society honored #WildGeranium as Wildflower of the Year in 2020.

PERENNIAL: Geranium maculatum (Wild or Spotted Geranium)

#MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Native in much of eastern North America, this lovely, adaptable wildflower’s alternative common name, Cranesbill, refers to its distinctive fruit, which resembles the bill of…

Word Quiz of the Week #MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary Dichogamy is a cross-pollination strategy where a flower’s stamens—male reproductive organs—and stigmas—female reproductive organs—mature at different times to prevent self-pollination. In protogyny, flowers are functionally female first and male second. What is the term for the process in reverse—when stamens mature before stigmas?

Word Quiz of the Week

#MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary Dichogamy is a cross-pollination strategy where a flower’s stamens—male reproductive organs—and stigmas—female reproductive organs—mature at different times to prevent self-pollination. In protogyny, flowers are functionally female first and…

GROUND COVER: Asarum canadense (Common or Canadian Wild Ginger) #MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Native to eastern North American* deciduous forests, #WildGinger naturalizes to create a lush ground cover with velvety, heart-shaped leaves. Historically used as a flavor substitute for culinary ginger, consumption today is ill-advised. The Virginia Native Plant Society selected Wild Ginger as Wildflower of the Year for 2010.

GROUND COVER: Asarum canadense (Common or Canadian Wild Ginger)

#MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Native to eastern North American* deciduous forests, #WildGinger naturalizes to create a lush ground cover with velvety, heart-shaped leaves. Historically used as a…

Word Quiz of the Week #MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary What are the underground stems from which roots and shoots grow?

Word Quiz of the Week

#MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary What are the underground stems from which roots and shoots grow?

GROUND COVER: Silene caroliniana (Wild Pink) #MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic This charming wildflower’s rose-pink blooms, somewhat resembling phlox, bring bright color to the spring garden, and its foliage is semi-evergreen in winter. It is native to dry forests, barrens, and outcrops in most of the Mid-Atlantic where it tolerates a range of soils.

GROUND COVER: Silene caroliniana (Wild Pink)

#MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic This charming wildflower’s rose-pink blooms, somewhat resembling phlox, bring bright color to the spring garden, and its foliage is semi-evergreen in winter. It is native to dry forests,…

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Restoring Nature Action 3: Identify and Add Keystone Plants

#mgnv #mastergardener #keystoneplants Action 3 in our Restoring Nature series emphasizes…

mgnv.org/restoring-nature/restori...

Word Quiz of the Week #MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary One of the common names of native ground cover Silene caroliniana is Sticky Catchfly; do you know why?

Word Quiz of the Week

#MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary One of the common names of native ground cover Silene caroliniana is Sticky Catchfly; do you know why?

Planning for the Red, White, and Blue: Part 2 Discover the flowers, which have colored the landscape red, white, and blue in the #MGNV demonstration and other gardens on or around #July4, that you can plant to create your own patriotic garden to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Planning for the Red, White, and Blue: Part 2

Discover the flowers, which have colored the landscape red, white, and blue in the #MGNV demonstration and other gardens on or around #July4, that you can plant to create your own patriotic garden to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration…

TREE: Betula lenta (Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch) #MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic #SweetBirch shows off in fall with golden-yellow color—among the best of the birches—and in winter with the sheen of its young bark. Its fragrant foliage and twigs were historically a source of wintergreen flavoring. It is native to NoVA.

TREE: Betula lenta (Sweet or Black or Cherry Birch)

#MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic #SweetBirch shows off in fall with golden-yellow color—among the best of the birches—and in winter with the sheen of its young bark. Its fragrant foliage and twigs were…

Keystone Plants for the Home Landscape, Part 2: Herbaceous Plants #mgnv #keystoneplants Keystone plants are native plants that play an especially large role in assuring the survival of other species in the ecosystem. While trees, shrubs, and vines in the woody keystone genera generally provide the greatest benefit, there are 21 herbaceous genera recommended by Doug Tallamy for the home landscape.

Keystone Plants for the Home Landscape, Part 2: Herbaceous Plants

#mgnv #keystoneplants Keystone plants are native plants that play an especially large role in assuring the survival of other species in the ecosystem. While trees, shrubs, and vines in the woody keystone genera generally provide the…

BARK QUIZ: As this tree gets older, the gray bark on its trunk becomes rough and scaly. The bark on its branches is slightly rough and thorny.
Learn the tree’s identity in this afternoon’s 4:00 p.m. post.
#mastergardener #mgnv #bark #barkquiz

Word Quiz of the Week #MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary What are the spots, raised bumps, or stripy scarifications often visible on the stems of trees like pawpaw, birch, and cherry?

Word Quiz of the Week

#MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary What are the spots, raised bumps, or stripy scarifications often visible on the stems of trees like pawpaw, birch, and cherry?

Urban Agriculture Events and Resources: February & March 2026 #mgnv #urbanagriculture #vegetablegardening #climatechange This month's Urban Agriculture Events and Resources post lists upcoming classes on vegetable gardenig for beginners & pruning fig trees, as well as info about FOUA's Plot Against Hunger Spring Kickoff and Ecoaction Arlington's webinar on Climate Action in Arlington.

Urban Agriculture Events and Resources: February & March 2026

#mgnv #urbanagriculture #vegetablegardening #climatechange This month's Urban Agriculture Events and Resources post lists upcoming classes on vegetable gardenig for beginners & pruning fig trees, as well as info about FOUA's Plot…

GROUND COVER: Packera aurea (Golden or Heartleaf Ragwort) #MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic The golden flowers of this native, once classified as Senecio aureus, bloom for about three weeks in spring. After they fade, evergreen basal foliage serves as a pretty ground cover. This wildflower grows throughout much of the eastern United States and Canada.

GROUND COVER: Packera aurea (Golden or Heartleaf Ragwort)

#MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic The golden flowers of this native, once classified as Senecio aureus, bloom for about three weeks in spring. After they fade, evergreen basal foliage serves as a pretty…

Keystone Plants for the Home Landscape, Part 1: Woody Plants #mgnv #keystoneplants Keystone plants are native plants that play an especially large role in assuring the survival of other species in the ecosystem. In this article, Elaine Mills discusses the keystone plants that are the most appropriate for the home landscape.

Keystone Plants for the Home Landscape, Part 1: Woody Plants

#mgnv #keystoneplants Keystone plants are native plants that play an especially large role in assuring the survival of other species in the ecosystem. In this article, Elaine Mills discusses the keystone plants that are the most…

Word Quiz of the Week #MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary Packera aurea (golden ragwort) has two distinctive forms of pinnate leaves. Its basal evergreen leaves have pinnate venation. What is the term that describes its pinnately-lobed stem leaves?

Word Quiz of the Week

#MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary Packera aurea (golden ragwort) has two distinctive forms of pinnate leaves. Its basal evergreen leaves have pinnate venation. What is the term that describes its pinnately-lobed stem leaves?

SHRUB: Clethra alnifolia (Sweet Pepperbush, Summersweet) #MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Summer sweet and spicy is the pleasant fragrance of this pollinator magnet that naturalizes readily in shady, damp places and coastal landscapes. The Virginia Native Plant Society honored #SweetPepperbush as Wildflower of the Year in 2015. It is not native to NoVA.

SHRUB: Clethra alnifolia (Sweet Pepperbush, Summersweet)

#MGNV Tried and True #NativePlant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic Summer sweet and spicy is the pleasant fragrance of this pollinator magnet that naturalizes readily in shady, damp places and coastal landscapes. The Virginia Native Plant…

Native Plants Then and Now #NativeAmericans #NativePlants #TriedAndTrue #Colonial #mgnv Master gardeners enthusiastically sing the praises of native plants. For Native Americans, there was no question of the value of the native flora and fauna that thrived here.

Native Plants Then and Now

#NativeAmericans #NativePlants #TriedAndTrue #Colonial #mgnv Master gardeners enthusiastically sing the praises of native plants. For Native Americans, there was no question of the value of the native flora and fauna that thrived here.

Word Quiz of the Week #MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary In botanical terms, what does the word persistent mean?

Word Quiz of the Week

#MasterGardener #MGNV #Glossary In botanical terms, what does the word persistent mean?