Saving Seeds from Your Garden—at Gordon Avenue Library
2024-11-18 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Join us to learn about the benefits of saving your own seeds and to receive great tips on how to harvest, process, and save seeds from your garden.
Our workshop will cover:
• Plant pollination
• Cross-pollination issues and preserving variety integrity
• Seed processing and storage
• Special needs of some seeds
• Seed viability testing.
We will also suggest plants that are good candidates for seed saving.
Registration is encouraged. Please sign up here.

PMG Speakers Bureau: Permaculture
2024-12-03 18:30 - 19:30
Permaculture: What is it? Learn about this fascinating approach to land use that can be applied whether designing a small garden plot or embarking on a large agricultural undertaking. Permaculture works in concert with your ecosystem by allowing design, soil, plants, and water to work harmoniously. Learn about analyzing the elements of your outdoor space to create a beautiful and sustainable environment. Nature leads us to the answers.
The in-person program is hosted by the Piedmont Master Gardeners and The Center at Belvedere and is open to all. Register here for this free event.

PMG Speakers Bureau: When, Where, and How to Prune
2025-02-04 18:30 - 19:30
Pruning landscape trees, especially when young, will set them on a path to a long, healthy life. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 4, the Center at Belvedere will host a free presentation by the Piedmont Master Gardeners on “When, Where, and How to Prune.” It will cover:

the basics of structural pruning,
when to prune various species,
where and how to make proper cuts,
the right tools and how to use them, and
how to stay safe while pruning.

The Center at Belvedere is at 540 Belvedere Blvd. in Charlottesville. To register, visit https://thecentercville.org/calendar/event/134614/3.

How Your Garden and Others Can Help Address Food Insecurity
2025-06-03 18:00 - 19:00 | The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Aleen Carey of Cultivate Charlottesville
Food insecurity and food access are serious problems for many people in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Community gardens—land cultivated by a group of people individually or collectively—can help. Join Aleen Carey (Executive Director, Cultivate Charlottesville) and leaders of Piedmont Master Gardeners community garden projects to learn about the scope of food insecurity in our area, some of the efforts to address it, and simple things you can do in your own garden to help. Our other speakers will include Edward Brooks, community engagement program manager for the B.F. Yancey School Community Center in Porters-Esmont, and Ann Majewski, a Master Gardener and a volunteer with the Bread & Roses ministry of Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville.
Edward Brooks (second from right) with (from left) Master Gardeners Kim Tate, Barbara Templeton, Judy Brochu-Blake, Jennifer Schnarre and John Bruner in the B.F. Yancey School community garden
Register for this free event here.

Strategies for Environmentally Friendly Lawn Substitutes
2025-08-05 18:00 - 19:30 | The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Maintaining a lawn can be labor intensive and environmentally challenging—but what are the alternatives? Piedmont Master Gardener Janette Martin will present options for reducing your lawn and making it more environmentally friendly, such as replacing some lawn with clover, ground covers, and wildlife-friendly native plant beds. She will also suggest solutions for problem spots like shade and slopes and will provide an overview of today’s best management practices for a sustainable lawn.
Janette Martin has lived in the Charlottesville area for more than 26 years and has worked as a journalist and teacher, most recently at the University of Virginia. As a Piedmont Master Gardener volunteer, she has taken part in the Healthy Virginia Lawns program, among other projects.
Register here to attend this program.

What Makes a Species Invasive?
2025-10-07 18:00 - 19:30 | The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Invasive species like tree-of-heaven, Japanese stiltgrass, autumn olive, and oriental bittersweet create serious problems in ecosystems. Plant invaders contribute to the decline of native flora and fauna; decrease soil, water, and air quality; and have detrimental economic impacts and adverse effects on human health. Soil scientist and Master Gardener Linda Blum will describe why some plants become invasive and the factors that contribute to their spread. Registration for this free program will be available here beginning September 16.

Seed Saving Class at Gordon Avenue Library
2025-10-22 18:00 - 20:00 | Gordon Avenue Library, 1500 Gordon Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, 22903
Join us at Gordon Avenue Library to learn how to harvest, process, and replant seeds from ornamentals, native plants, and vegetables you enjoy. The class will cover:
• The benefits of saving your own seeds
• How plants are pollinated
• Cross-pollination issues and preserving variety integrity
• Plants that are good candidates for seed saving
• Seed processing and storage
• Special needs of some seeds
• Seed viability testing
The class is free and open to all. Register here to take part.

PMG Speakers Bureau: Adapting Your Garden to a Changing Climate
2025-12-02 17:30 - 18:30 | The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Unpredictable temperatures, new pests, flooding and drought, windy and stormy weather—how is the gardener to cope? By adopting sustainable practices, opting for wise plant choices and landscaping strategies, and continuing to stay on top of the latest research, gardeners can prepare themselves to confront unpredictable changes in climate. Join Master Gardeners Fern Campbell and Christine Platt as they share steps you can take to keep your garden in good shape.
This program is free and open to all. Register here to take part.

Tree Basics—Hedgerows: History, Benefits & How to Plant Them
2026-01-19 19:00 - 20:00 | https://charlottesvilleareatreestewards.org/event/tree-basics-hedgerows-history-benefits-how-to-plant-them/
The Piedmont Master Gardeners and the Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards will jointly offer a free, online presentation by Claire Denton-Spalding on the history of hedgerows and their benefits for native plants and animals. Denton-Spalding, who is both an Extension Master Gardener and a Tree Steward, will also share best practices for planting a hedgerow in the Piedmont region of Virginia. Hedgerows are living fences made of trees and shrubs that support biodiverse populations of birds, mammals, and insects. Originally popularized in the United Kingdom, this technique for growing a living boundary can be put into practice in Central Virginia.
Register here to receive a link to the program.

Weeds in the Garden: PMG Speakers Bureau at The Center at Belvedere
2026-02-03 17:30 - 18:45 | The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA, United States
The plants we DO NOT want are among a gardener’s biggest challenges. Piedmont Master Gardeners will help you win the “weed war” with advice and help on the following topics:
• Understanding weed biology and life cycle
• Identifying your weeds
• Practices and strategies for weed management
• Choosing tools to get the job done
• Preventing weeds.
Ample time will be provided for Q&A about specific weed problems; audience members are encouraged to bring questions about their own challenges.
This program is free and open to all. Please register here to take part.

No-Till Gardening: An Easier Way to Grow
2026-06-02 17:30 - 18:30 | The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Boulevard, Charlottesville, VA, United States
No-till gardening (also known as no-dig gardening) is built on four key principles:

soil armor (keeping soil covered),
minimizing disturbance,
plant diversity, and
maintaining living roots.

By prioritizing soil biology over mechanical turning, this efficient approach reduces labor, decreases the need for weeding and watering, builds long-term fertility, and creates a more resilient garden ecosystem, capturing carbon in the soil rather than releasing it as CO2. Join Master Gardener Fern Campbell as she describes the principles and benefits of no-till gardening and how you can apply them to your own garden and landscapes.
This event is free and open to all. Please register HERE to take part.
