Piedmont Master Gardeners

Strategies for Environmentally Friendly Lawn Substitutes
2025-08-05 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | 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.

Garden Talks at the Albemarle County Fair
2025-08-02 11:00 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Parkway, Charlottesville, VA, 22902, United States
On Saturday, August 2, Piedmont Master Gardeners will give short talks on “Late Summer in the Vegetable Garden” at the Albemarle County Fair, held at James Monroe’s Highland. These 15- to 30-minute talks will take place in the Highland garden.

11 a.m. Weeds in the Home Vegetable Garden, by Tonya Moon
1 p.m. Pests in the Vegetable Garden, Integrated Pest Management for Vegetable Gardens, Squash Bug in Virginia Home Gardens, by Linda Blum
3 p.m. Common Diseases of Tomatoes in the Vegetable Garden, by Linda Blum
5 p.m. Planting the Vegetable Garden for Fall: Garlic, Shallots, Greens, and Cabbage, Plus Seed-Saving Tips, by Fern Campbell
Fair admission is $5.

Albemarle County Fair's Agriculture and Home Arts Contests
2025-07-30 12:00 - 2025-08-02 21:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Gardeners, fruit growers, brewers, bakers, beekeepers, wine makers, artists, photographers, and crafters are invited to enter the agriculture and home arts contests for this year’s Albemarle County Fair, July 31 to August 2 at James Monroe’s Highland. Visit https://albemarlecountyfair.com/ to find contest categories and instructions and to register for the contests online.
The Piedmont Master Gardeners, in partnership with Albemarle/Charlottesville 4-H Youth Development and other volunteers, will accept entries from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 30, at the Agriculture and Home Arts Barn at Highland. Ribbon winners will be selected the next day and will be on display throughout the fair, which runs from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 31, and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, August 1, and Saturday, August 2.
Entry submissions are free; fair admission is $5. Email ACFhortandarts@gmail.com for more information or assistance with registration. The fair will also showcase locally raised livestock and will offer live music, food trucks and other attractions.

Garden Basics: Resilient Gardening
2025-07-19 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, United States
How do we adapt our gardens to handle a changing world and more extreme weather? Learn how to meet the challenges of unpredictability in your garden and weather extremes such as drought, excessive rain, and unseasonably high or low temperatures.
Space is limited. Registration opens May 10 and closes at 5 p.m. July 18, 2025, or when the class is full. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Garden Basics: Growing Tomatoes with Confidence
2025-06-21 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Flavorful, vine-ripened tomatoes are often the main reason many of us plant a vegetable garden. This session will provide practical advice on the basics of tomato growing success, including:

Choosing tomato varieties
Planting guidelines
Caring for tomato plants
Dealing with tomato diseases and pests
Harvesting and storing tomatoes.

Space is limited. Registration opens April 11 and closes at 5 p.m. June 20, 2025, or when the class is full. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville.

"Through The Garden Gate" Returns with Free Pollinator Week Garden Tours
2025-06-21 09:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | VA
The Piedmont Master Gardeners’ Through the Garden Gate program returns this summer with intermittent “pop-up” garden tours emphasizing sustainability, based on the Eight Essential Elements of Conservation Landscaping developed by the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council. Gardens on the tours will serve as outdoor classrooms, educating the public on how best management practices help preserve our region’s native plants, habitats and wildlife, all critical elements in protecting biodiversity and our watershed.
For the first round of tours, the Piedmont Master Gardeners are pleased to join the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener state office and the Governor of Virginia in recognizing National Pollinator Week, June 16-22, and the critical role pollinators play in our gardens, ecosystems and food production. The free tours will feature three pollinator and conservation landscaping demonstration gardens on Saturday, June 21, from 9 a.m. to noon. Tours will occur at the following sites approximately every hour on the hour, starting at 9 a.m.:

The Rose and Pollinator Gardens at The Center at Belvedere, 540 Belvedere Blvd. (off East Rio Road). Tours will focus on how to care for roses organically and how to grow native plants for pollinators in the landscape and in containers for small spaces, such as a balcony or patio. Visitors will learn pollinator-friendly practices that will help them design their own gardens to support pollinators and other wildlife.
The Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital Demonstration Garden, 500 Martha Jefferson Dr., adjacent to the amphitheater near the Sentara Martha Jefferson Cancer Center. Visitors will learn to identify and care for mostly native pollinator plants that thrive in hot, sunny conditions, in an area that was backfilled with compacted red clay soil. They will also learn about how the garden has evolved over the years and about plantings for blooms in at least three seasons.
The Bread & Roses Gardens at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Ave. These demonstration gardens highlight sustainable agriculture in an urban setting, using principles based on conservation landscaping and organic gardening, both in the vegetable gardens and in the native habitat landscape plantings. The area abounds with native and edible plants that have been carefully selected to provide food, shelter, and habitat for native insects and pollinators, including birds, while also providing healthy food for the community. This approach helps maintain habitat biodiversity and promotes pollination of food crops in the garden.

The tours will also demonstrate how sustainability extends to waste management. For example, rainwater is collected for use in the gardens. Compost bins are used to convert organic garden waste into valuable soil amendments, reducing the need for synthetic fertilizers. In addition, a vermicomposting system uses earthworms to break down organic matter into “compost tea.” This nutrient-rich tea enhances the quality of the compost and improves the health of the soil.
Over the years, the Piedmont Master Gardeners have partnered with The Center at Belvedere, Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital and the Bread & Roses ministry at Trinity Church to help develop and/or maintain these educational demonstration gardens.

“Turn Your Garbage to Gold,” an Outdoor Workshop on Composting
2025-06-14 10:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, United States
At 10 a.m. Saturday, June 14, the Piedmont Master Gardeners will present “Turn Your Garbage to Gold,” the next in a series of free outdoor workshops on composting. It will be held at the compost demonstration site in the Bread & Roses Gardens at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville.
The workshop will showcase a range of techniques for turning household waste such as food scraps, yard trimmings, uncoated paper, cardboard, and wood waste into the ideal soil amendment for the yard and garden. It will also show how all households, large and small, can keep compostable waste out of landfills. When added to a landfill, food scraps decompose anaerobically (without oxygen) and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. When composted, food scraps contribute to healthy soil and plants and to cleaner water and air.
Space is limited. Register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration closes at 5 p.m. June 13, or when the class is full.

How Your Garden and Others Can Help Address Food Insecurity
2025-06-03 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | 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.

Plant Swap at James Monroe’s Highland
2025-05-18 10:00 - 12:00 UTC | James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Parkway, Charlottesville, VA, 22902, United States
From 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, May 18, James Monroe’s Highland and the Piedmont Master Gardeners will host a plant swap at the historic estate. Swappers can exchange pest-free plants for a variety of other plants for summer gardens. Leftover seeds and non-native, non-invasive plants, including vegetables, also can be swapped. In addition, visitors are welcome to swap pots and garden implements. While supplies last, there will be extra plants available for swappers to take home. A Help Desk staffed by Master Gardeners will provide tips on native alternatives to non-native plants and will show how to identify and remove invasive plants from home landscapes. James Monroe’s Highland is at 2050 James Monroe Parkway in Charlottesville.

Garden Basics: Invasive Species—Not All Plants Are Created Equal
2025-05-17 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, United States
All too often, unsuspecting homeowners come home from a local nursery with an invasive species. Sadly, invasives wreak havoc on our ecosystems, denying birds and other native fauna the nutrition necessary to sustain them. Come learn why a Butterfly Bush is comparable to giving an 18-year-old junk food before running a marathon. You will learn how to recognize and eradicate the top 10 invasive species in the Piedmont region, with a particular focus on invasives still sold in retail nurseries. And you will come away with a list of native species to plant in their place.
Space is limited. Registration opens March 8 and closes at 5 p.m. May 16, 2025, or when the class is full. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville.
Photo: Designed by Freepik

Spring Plant Sale
2025-05-03 10:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Our Spring Plant Sale will once again offer thousands of annuals, perennials, vegetables, fruit-bearing plants, trees, shrubs, herbs and houseplants, including a large assortment of native plants. In addition, shoppers can purchase gently used garden implements, yard décor, and other “Green Elephants.” The sale will also feature a Help Desk for answering gardening questions and an array of displays and information tables. Cash and credit cards will be accepted. All proceeds support the many free and low-cost programs the Piedmont Master Gardeners offer to the community.

Garden Basics: Foodscaping—The Edible Landscape
2025-04-26 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | VA
In this Garden Basics session, learn how you can turn your landscape into a sustainable, perennial, ecologically healthy space that provides food. We will focus on how to grow edible crops without ripping out flowers and shrubs to convert the beds into a vegetable garden. Ornamentals, fruits, vegetables, and herbs can co-exist and thrive in the same space.
Space is limited. Registration opens Feb. 15 and closes at 5 p.m. April 25, 2025, or when the class is full. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville.
Photo: Designed by Freepik

Free Spring Lecture: 'Horticultural Futurism,' featuring Thomas Rainer, a leading voice in ecological landscape design
2025-04-08 18:30 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Landscape architect Thomas Rainer, a leading authority in ecological landscape design, will deliver PMG’s 2025 Spring Lecture, “Horticultural Futurism: Designing a Plant-Centric Future.” The 6:30 p.m. lecture will be preceded by a public open house beginning at 5:30 p.m. in The Center at Belvedere’s Rose and Pollinator Demonstration Gardens.
As climate change and mass extinctions reshape our environment, traditional horticulture falls short—too carbon-intensive, too resource-heavy, too high-maintenance, according to Rainer. In this visionary session, you will discover how to create thriving plant systems that mimic nature’s aesthetics and resilience, transforming wild inspirations into sophisticated, biodiverse landscapes.
Rainer is a principal of the Arlington-based firm Phyto Studio and has produced signature designs at landmark locations such as the U.S. Capitol grounds, Toronto Botanical Garden, and The New York Botanical Garden. He also has designed more than 125 residential gardens stretching from Maine to Florida, merging ecology with horticulture to create dynamic, high-impact landscapes.
With his colleague Claudia West he co-authored Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes, published by Timber Press. It lays out design principles that combine both the wild and the cultivated to create resilient plant communities that will thrive and provide vital ecological services in urban and suburban environments.
Drawing on his firm’s cutting-edge public and botanical garden projects, Rainer will redefine for us how we design, install, and sustain plant systems.
To register for this free program, visit https://thecentercville.org/calendar/rsvp/136614.

At James Monroe's Highland: Prepping and Planning Your Vegetable Garden
2025-03-30 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Join the Piedmont Master Gardeners at James Monroe’s Highland for a spring gardening workshop on “Prepping and Planning Your Vegetable Garden.” Participants will learn the basics of garden planning, including soil testing and seed starting, then apply these skills with a hands-on project in Highland’s exhibition garden.
This event is free and open to all, but space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration closes at 5 p.m. March 29 or when the workshop is full.

Garden Basics: Pollinators for Four Seasons
2025-03-15 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Pollinators such as butterflies, bees, and birds are responsible for much of the food we eat. Unfortunately, their populations are declining because of habitat loss and dwindling food supplies. The good news is that you can support pollinators and enjoy them year-round by learning how to provide food and shelter in your garden space—whether your garden area is large or limited to a patio or balcony.
Space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration will close at 5 p.m. March 14 or when the class is full. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville.
RSVP here

Outdoor Composting Workshop—Turn Your Garbage to Gold
2025-03-08 10:00 - 12:00 UTC | Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Join us to learn how to compost your food waste, yard trimmings, paper, cardboard, and wood waste into nature’s preferred food. The outdoor workshop will be taught by Piedmont Master Gardeners and the Bread and Roses Garden Team at the Trinity Church Compost Demonstration Site, 1118 Preston Ave., Charlottesville. The workshop will move indoors if there is inclement weather.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, in a single year the U.S. generates 292.4 million tons of solid waste that ends up in municipal landfills. More than 50 percent of this waste is compostable, with food scraps alone accounting for over 21 percent. When added to a landfill, food scraps decompose anaerobically (without oxygen) and release methane—a potent greenhouse gas—into the atmosphere. But when composted, food scraps contribute to healthy soil, healthy plants, healthy air, healthy water.
The workshop is free and open to all, but space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration will close at 5 p.m. March 7 or when the class is full.

Garden Basics: Tool Talk—The Right Tools for the Right Gardening Tasks
2025-02-22 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Choosing the best tool for your gardening chores will save time, energy, and your back. We will demonstrate the safe use of basic tools so that all your garden tasks go smoothly. Power tools will not be discussed in this program.
Space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration will close at 5 p.m. February 21 or when the class is full.
Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville.
RSVP here

RESCHEDULED AT NEW TIME AND PLACE Garden Basics: Indoor Gardening—You Don’t Need a Green Thumb!
2025-02-15 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Learn how to beautify your surroundings with indoor plants. Our class will focus on
• plant selection,
• repotting,
• containers,
• environmental factors, and
• ways to maximize the use of greenery in your home.
We will set you on the path to long-term success as an indoor gardener.
PLEASE NOTE: This rescheduled session will be held in the Barn at James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe Parkway, Charlottesville.
The class is full.
Photo: Designed by Freepik

PMG Speakers Bureau: When, Where, and How to Prune
2025-02-04 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | VA
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.

Garden Basics: Indoor Gardening—You Don’t Need a Green Thumb!
2025-01-18 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Avenue, Charlottesville, VA, United States
Indoor gardening has been “growing” in popularity over the last several years. Join us to learn how to grow plants indoors to beautify your surroundings. By taking into account environmental factors, you will be well on your way to long-term “plant parent” success. We will focus on plant selection, repotting, containers, and ways to maximize your use of greenery indoors.
Space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration will close at 5 p.m. January 17 or when the class is full. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church in Charlottesville.
RSVP HERE

PMG Speakers Bureau: Permaculture
2024-12-03 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | VA
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.

Saving Seeds from Your Garden—at Gordon Avenue Library
2024-11-18 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York) | VA
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.

Garden Basics: Nature’s Cornucopia of Holiday Plants and Decorations
2024-11-16 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Welcome the winter holiday season with this festive workshop.

Learn how to select, showcase, and maintain plants such as amaryllis, paperwhites, and Christmas cactus.
Discover possibilities for decorating with materials collected in the yard or on the trail.
Get inspired with examples using a variety of fragrant greens, cones, berries, dried flowers, and seed pods.

You will create a simple take-home decoration. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church.

Space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration closes at 5 p.m. November 15, 2024, or when the class is full.

Garden Basics: Fall Tasks in the Perennial Garden
2024-10-19 14:00 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | VA
Take a trip to the demonstration garden at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital to learn how to prepare your garden for winter. We will cover:

how and when to cut back plants,
fall mulching and soil amendments,
dividing and planting bulbs, and
fall transplanting.

You will go home with a flowering perennial to transplant into your own garden. Garden Basics is a partnership with the Bread and Roses ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church.
Space is limited. Please register below to reserve your place in the class. Registration closes at 5 p.m. October 18, 2024, or when the class is full.

Planting for Fall and Winter Interest--POSTPONED to October 8
2024-10-08 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | VA
Part of our regular series at The Center at Belvedere, this program was originally scheduled for Tuesday, October 1. It has been rescheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 8.
Join us that evening to discover how to give your garden four-season interest, whether with the plants themselves or with bird or human activity. Simple steps such as skipping fall cleanup and adding a few plants that benefit wildlife will go a long way toward creating a winter garden that will grab your attention with its chaotic beauty.
