Welcome to
Suffolk Extension Master Gardeners
We Exist to Serve You
The Suffolk Extension Master Gardeners (Suffolk EMGs) are proud residents of the City of Suffolk, VA who volunteer their time and expertise, to provide FREE horticultural resources for the residents of the City of Suffolk. Resources concerning tree care, native plants, flower gardening, vegetable gardening, pest and disease identification and management are just a few of the topics we can assist you with! We also maintain gardens all over the City of Suffolk where we conduct educational programs, guided tours, and other events.
Ask a Master Gardener
Getting help is easy! Suffolk EMGs can be found at our office, on Facebook, by phone, email, and at various Suffolk farmers markets. Take advantage of our Ask a Master Gardener program, where you can contact us from the comfort of your own home! To submit a question, email us at SuffolkMG@gmail.com or call us at 757-514-4335. When emailing, attach pictures of the plant, pest, or problem and provide a detailed description. This will allow us to serve you. A Suffolk EMG volunteer will respond in a timely manner. Beginning in 2024, volunteers will be providing monthly office hours. Stop by our Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) classroom and obtain research-based assistance with your gardening questions and concerns.
Spotted Lanterfly Information
Pest Alert: Spotted Lanternfly Identification
and Reporting in Virginia
FREE Workshops
Plant Propagation
10/26/24 Register Here
Suffolk Master Gardeners
Working on your yard and grass? Here are some green ideas and insight!
#gardeningtips #greenthumb #gardeninspiration #SustainableGardening #backyardgardening #gardenlife #organicgardening #gardenlovers #mastergardener #suffolkvapAre you a fan of @Virginia Tech Football? At Lane Stadium's Worsham Field, we grow a type of Bermudagrass called Latitude 36 and overseed it with a blend of 3 types of perennial rye for winter color. As the Bermudagrass goes dormant (around now), the rye gives the field that green color!
Latitude 36 is a top-notch choice for a sports field in a transition zone like Virginia.
Image text:
Woah look at that grass!
What's growing on Virginia Tech's Worsham Field and how do they keep it looking nice?
Type of grass (with image of short green grass)
Majority of the field is a Bermudagrass cultivar called Latitude 36.
Developed by Oklahoma state.
Cold-tolerant and extremely dense.
A top-notch choice for a transition zone golf or sports surface.
For winter color: Overseeded with a blend of three types of perennial rye from Mountain View Seeds. ... See MoreSee Less
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Did you realize that 70% of water pollution is carried by rainwater runoff?! 😲
Think about installing a rain garden in your yard that can help slow down the runoff and lessen the impact it makes.
To learn more hop on over here:
www.facebook.com/VCEMasterGardenerProgram/posts/pfbid0VMuqCAVeDFGetmix9usqC5paBof7mXouxMucNu59DgZ...Did you know that pollutants carried by rainwater runoff account for 70% of all water pollution (according to US EPA estimates)?
Rain gardens can slow down runoff long enough to filter it before it moves on. The plants, soil, and the microorganisms in a rain garden's soil act as a filter to clean or break down pollutants. In a properly designed rain garden, WATER WILL NOT STAND long enough for mosquitos to breed.
A rain garden is a natural or man-made planted shallow depression that temporarily holds runoff from impervious areas until it evaporates, is absorbed by the plants, or infiltrates into the ground. Think “puddle with plants.”
The runoff can then flow out of the rain garden into another a grass swale, a buffer, or into a nearby storm drain, stream, stormwater pond, or other body of water. It can infiltrate into the soil, evaporate back into the atmosphere, or the plants can absorb and use it. Water is meant to be held temporarily (two to four days), so it is filtered and gone before the next rainfall and so mosquitos don’t breed. Sediment is filtered when it is trapped by the plants and settles to the bottom of the garden.
This picture was taken in Washington State. Many of the plants pictured are not recommended for Virginia. For a list of suitable rain garden plants for VA: www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-043/426-043.html
The Virginia Department of Forestry also has a technical guide to rain gardens here: dof.virginia.gov/urban-community-forestry/urban-forestry-homeowner-assistance/rain-gardens/
Pictured: Rain garden in the High Point neighborhood in Seattle, WA, retain stormwater runoff, which can help reduce peak flooding.
Photo credit: US EPA Clarion Associates ... See MoreSee Less
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Added plants this fall and still have pots sitting around? We'll take them! Join us at Keep Suffolk Beautiful's Recycling Drive in one week at 800 Carolina Road. We'll clean them up and reuse them for our plant sale. Reusing pots keeps them out of the landfill and helps us keep our prices low!
Plant sale proceeds support YOU through Virginia Cooperative Extension-City of Suffolk's horticultural programming. Sales pay for school programs, demonstration gardens, pollinator day, and more! We'll be there Saturday 9 - noon to answer your gardening questions, share information about our program, and take your pots in good condition. Hope to see you then!
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GOT POTS?
We can use them!
Most useful are round gallon sized and quarter 4" - 6" square in good condition. We'll clean and reuse and our plant sale. ... See MoreSee Less
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It would be nice if this were created as an event so we could get reminders.
Are you wanting a bush with some beautiful fall color for your garden?
Although burning bush is still for sale in many commercial nurseries, this invasive plant can escape from cultivation and grow in a variety of habitats (forests, fields, and coastal scrubland) where it displaces many native woody and herbaceous plant species.
Burning bushes aren't the only option for vibrant fall color! Here are a few wonderful options for replacements of the burning bush:
Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa). It grows 4- to 6-feet tall, has white flowers in mid-spring followed by bird-friendly black fruit in mid-summer, and turns crimson in fall.
Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), whose fruit is a human “superfood.” This species likes acid soil and sets the best berries with two varieties to cross-pollinate. It grows 4- to 10-feet tall and has white spring flowers and a fiery red fall show. (And yes, you can eat the fruit as long as you practice good hygiene in the bed where they're planted and apply only fertilizers/pesticides labeled for use on edibles.)
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), which has lacy yellow spring flowers and red berries in late summer that are especially nutritious for birds. Deer don’t like Spicebush, so it’s a great choice if you have deer issues. Spicebush grows from 6- to 15-feet tall and is good in shade. It is dioecious, meaning plants are either male or female, so you’ll want a group for good pollination, or convince your neighbors to plant Spicebush, too.
Read more: ... See MoreSee Less
Plant This, Not That: Replacing Burning Bush
mgnv.org
For years I thought Burning Bush (Euonymus alatus) wasn’t a big problem, at least not around Northern Virginia. I wasn’t spotting it in wild areas like I was seeing other plants on Arlington’s i...0 CommentsComment on Facebook