Piedmont Master Gardeners

Weeds in the Garden: PMG Speakers Bureau at The Center at Belvedere
2026-02-03 17:30 - 18:45 (America/New_York) | 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.

2026 Spring Lecture — Shannon Currey on “Soft Landings: Add Life Under Trees”
2026-04-07 16:30 - 19:00
On April 7 at The Center at Belvedere, gardening educator Shannon Currey will share her knowledge and expertise about the importance of native plants in creating ecologically sound landscapes. Join us at 4:30 p.m. for an open house in The Center’s Rose and Pollinator Demonstration Gardens followed by her presentation at 5:30 p.m.
You will discover how to replace mulch and grass under your trees with the native plant habitats that butterflies, moths, and other beneficial insects need to complete life cycles that started in the trees above. In addition, you will learn about native perennials that provide beauty and ecological benefits even if you’re gardening in deer territory.
Free and open to all. Please register HERE to take part.

Shannon Currey is Director of Education and Outreach at Izel Native Plants and is passionate about exploring native flora and advocating for their use in managed landscapes. In her articles for national publications and in her presentations to professional organizations and public gardens, she highlights the significance of native plants in promoting biodiversity and ecological health. Highly respected in the plant industry, she is a member of the North Carolina Plant Conservation Program Scientific Committee and has received the Libby Wilder Award from the North Carolina Nursery & Landscape Association.

No-Till Gardening: An Easier Way to Grow
2026-06-02 17:30 - 18:30
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.
