York – Poquoson Office 100 County Drive PO Box 532 Yorktown, 23690-0532 757/890-4940 E-mail: [email protected] www.yorkcounty.gov/vce http://offices.ext.vt.edu/york

January 2017 The Green Thumb Vol.18 Issue #1 A Newsletter of Extension Horticultural Activities and Events For York – Poquoson Extension Volunteers Merrilyn Dodson Editor

Future Calendar Events February 3 Pruning Clinics – True Value in Grafton, Taylor Do-It Center in Poquoson, & Ken Matthews – dates TBD February 17 – 20 Great Backyard Bird Count (www.BirdCount.org)

March 4 Twenty-third Annual Horticultural Extravaganza at Poquoson HS March 14 – March 30 Healthy Virginia Lawn Spring visits (join the team, contact Pete Peterman) March 24 8 am – 4 pm 6th Annual Shenandoah Valley Plant Symposium, A Gardener’s Palette (http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event;jsessionid=30DA91FCB2ECF055BE9DA46A7013CDE5.worker_registrant?llr=nzdak9dab&oeidk=a07ed9 gywu8a2512d6b)) April 4 Evening MG monthly meeting at St. Luke’s UMC

May 6 8 am – noon MG Spring Plant Sale at York Learning Garden

July 8 MG Pot-Luck Picnic Luncheon at Poquoson Learning Garden

August 21 – September 7 Healthy Virginia Lawn Fall visits

Master Gardener Mission Statement Our mission, as trained volunteers in partnership with the York – Poquoson, Virginia Cooperative Extension Agent, is to provide horticultural educational opportunities to the public through research-based horticultural programs and activities to enhance our environment, lives and community.

For additions/corrections to the Calendar of Events contact Merrilyn Dodson (872-0824, [email protected]) or Yvonne Hurst (890-4940, [email protected]). The deadline for news for The Green Thumb is ALWAYS the 15th of the month. Contact Information: York – Poquoson MGs. If you have changes to your email, phone #, or address, please notify Yvonne Hurst. We want to keep all communication channels open.

Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Interim Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State University, Petersburg.

If you are a person with a disability and desire assistance or accommodation, please notify Megan Tierney York-Poquoson Extension Agent at 757 890-4940 during business hours of 8:15 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. TDD number is (800) 828-1120.

GREETINGS FROM Megan

Ground Water Recharge Coming to Virginia Sanitation District (HRSD) is working towards a new process to recharge our local aquifer. The Potomac aquifer is our hidden source for underground drinking water and is used by industries to create products like soda, beer, paper, and many other products in our region. The aquifer system is the deepest in Virginia and spans across the majority of the Atlantic Coastal Plain from Georgia to New Jersey. With the amount of withdrawals increasing with population and demand from industries, we are now facing a water dilemma. The pressurized aquifers buoyancy actually helps keep our coastal land above sea level. Recently the amount of discharge, or use, has increased so much that precipitation in the form of rain is not able to infiltrate or soak back down into the aquifer to recharge it and maintain stasis. This has been scientifically connected to the land subsidence (sinking) in Norfolk and other areas of our coast. The lack of pressure from the fresh water has also allowed the pressure of the brackish water from the bay to filter into shallow wells causing drinking water issues for many well users. What would happen if we stopped using this water resource today? Unfortunately, the aquifer is so deep and has so much clay and bedrock surrounding it that it would still take thousands of years to return to its original form. This factor is a larger issue than even sea level rise in increasing local flooding. This not only threatens people living in our area but also the longevity of keeping the military bases and other businesses that maintain the economy in our area. Hampton Roads has been named the second most vulnerable area to recurrent flooding only to be overshadowed by New Orleans. HRSD has come up with an innovative solution that they are going to pilot named Sustainable Water Initiative for Tomorrow (SWIFT). The program has the goal of taking highly treated wastewater that would have been discharged into our local waterways and adding another treatment layer to purify it back to drinking water standard and then re-injecting it into the aquifer through wells. The water will have to be refined to match existing pH levels in the aquifer system. This process will help target the three major issues by reducing the rate of land subsidence, creating a sustainable source for groundwater recharge, and to protect our groundwater from contamination by salt water intrusion. Megan Tierney, VCE, ANR Agent Environmental Horticulture, [email protected]

Additional information: http://swiftva.com/swift-press-release/

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Master Gardener Coordinator’s Corner This is my last entry in the Master Gardener Coordinator’s Corner for the York/Poquoson Master Gardeners. As my last official duty for the year I have sent the request for next year’s meeting dates to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. I will also put the meeting dates on the VMS calendar. The York/Poquoson Master Gardener meeting requested dates are as follows (normally the second Tuesday of each month): January 10 February 14♥ March 14 April 4 (6:30 – 8:30 pm) May 9 June 13 Saturday July 8 (11:00 am – 1:00 pm a picnic at the Poquoson Learning Garden) September 12 October 10 November 14 December 5 (6:30 – 8:30 pm) Most meetings will continue to be the second Tuesday of the month at 9:30 a.m., though three meetings will be in the evening or on the weekend as noted. This is so our new interns who were in the virtual class and may still work can attend some of the meetings. Bethany Beck will officially take over as the York/Poquoson Master Gardener Coordinator in January and I know that you will provide her with any assistance needed, just as you all gave me your help and guidance this past year. Thank you again for all you have done for me and the Master Gardeners. If you have not filled out your Annual Recertification and Interest Commitment Form, signed it in two places, and returned it to the Extension Office, please do so right away. This is required so the office can finalize the 2017 Roster and Committee Member listing. Hope you had a wonderful holiday season! I will see you at meetings and at events, and around the gardens when I am not in Florida. Laura Marlowe, York/Poquoson Master Gardener Coordinator, https://virginia.volunteersystem.org/, [email protected], 757 876-7074

What Might Flowers Be Made Of? It is winter and this is my last column before I take over the Coordinator’s column. It is cold outside and we don’t see many flowers outside this time of year. However, if you find yourself in Boston this month, make a stop at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. In 1886 Professor George Lincoln Goodale was appointed the first Director of Harvard’s Botanical Museum. Harvard at that time was fast becoming the world center for teaching and researching in Science. Harvard had a collection of botanical specimens that dated back to 1842. Private collectors traveling the world were collecting plant specimens and sending them to scholars at Universities in the United States. Harvard hired to receive, describe, and catalogue the specimens. Harvard’s botanical specimen collection has more than five million samples today. Goodale was given a series of empty rooms and asked to create a museum for teaching Botany. He was looking for a way to display physical specimens to help him teach botany. The dried pressed specimens that were in Harvard’s collection were two dimensional, fragile, and did not represent the colors properly. They were the only examples available at the time. Goodale took a tour through Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology to get some ideas and he discovered a series of glass invertebrates there that had been created by a family of glass artists in Dresden Germany, Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka, who were making glass sea creatures for museums. The Blaschka family had been glass makers for several centuries making glass eyes, laboratory equipment, and costume jewelry. In 1860, Leopold took a trip to the United States. His ship was becalmed on the way for two weeks and he spent the time observing the invertebrate sea life that he could see from the ship. When he returned home, he began making these sea creatures and flowers as a hobby. The Director of the

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Dresden Natural History Museum saw them by chance and convinced him to begin making the invertebrates for sale to museums. This was a very successful business over the next twenty years. There is a collection of their invertebrates at the Corning Museum. Goodale was so impressed with how lifelike the invertebrates were that he went to Dresden and convinced Leopold and his son Rudolph to make the botanical specimens he needed exclusively for Harvard. This meant that he had to find funding. He approached Mary Lee and Elizabeth Ware, a mother and daughter from a wealthy family in Boston who were patrons of the Botanical Museum, about funding the creation of botanical specimens and the Ware Collection was created.

The Blaschkas created 847 life-size models representing 780 species and varieties of plants in 164 families and 3,000 models of plant details from 1887 until 1936. Leopold died in 1995 and Rudolph in 1936. Leopold left no heirs. The models are made from glass and reinforced with wire and glue. They are colored with glass, paint, and enamel. They are each anatomically perfect. No one has ever been able to duplicate them. The technique they used to make them was common to glassworkers at the time. The technique is called lampworking. It is a method in which glass is melted over a flame fed by air from a foot-powered bellows. The melted glass is then shaped by using tools to create the forms. The Bohemian lamp-working table they worked at is part of the museum display. More than 210,000 visitors visit the display annually. Harvard completed a yearlong restoration of the exhibit in the summer of 2016. Additional references: http://www.wsj.com/articles/glass-flowers-and-fragile-legacy-reviews-leopold-and-rudolf-blaschka- capture-nature-in-art-1472074771 https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2016/05/24/harvard-glass-flowers- return/SwICUX1ZgpsP3CPPeMbpuO/story.html Bethany Beck, [email protected], 898-3766

York-Poquoson Master Gardener HELP Desk Training for the Help Desk. We need you! We can train from 1 - 3 p.m. on either January 11th, 12th, or 13th but only one of those days. If you are interested, please respond with the date best for you. I will take the majority-chosen date and email all those interested. We currently have eight faithful volunteers but need a minimum of eight more. Once initial training is completed, new volunteers will work on the job side by side with current staffing during the months of January - March. Let's get going! Gwen Harris, Help Desk Coordinator, 898-8649, [email protected]

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Learning Gardens I don’t know about you, but I’m glad the holidays are behind us. It was another hectic and chaotic time, but also very enjoyable and happy time with family and friends! We did the guided tours of both learning gardens for our new Interns, some made the decorations for the Dudley Digges House in historic Yorktown, and others helped to plant the donated bulbs from Brent & Becky’s. Our annual Christmas party hosted this year by Nettie Lamb (thanks again Nettie) was a big success and fun time for all those who came (additional pictures can be found after the calendar page). January is a good time to think about and plan for your 2017 garden, to catch up on your reading (garden books and magazines or whatever you enjoy), and to look through the seed catalogs for those new plants you may want to try. It is also a good time to start propagating plants for the coming spring plant sale (hint – hint). The Help Wanted sign is out for the York Learning Garden. We are in a serious transition period with many of our long time section leads retiring and/or reducing their participation in the garden. Vacancies exist in the following sections: Dry Garden (5), Rock Garden (7), Shade Garden (4), and the Wildlife Garden (8) - although I think Nathalie Fair, new intern, has volunteered to take this one. In addition, David Taylor is looking for someone to work with him and eventually take over the Azalea Garden (3) in the coming year. Joanne Roberts is in need of a dedicated assistant in Ground Covers (9) as is Jan Wiener in the Ornamental Grasses (15) garden. Jill Schuff needs assistance with the raised beds and the containers and Mary Boxer needs help with the trees and shrubs (11 & 12) of the Arboretum. The existing heads are eager to mentor any and all who step up with assistance. As you can see there are plenty of opportunities to help out in the York Learning Garden for all the new interns and other learning gardener volunteers. Weather permitting (above 40 degrees, no rain or snow), we'll be working in the garden each Thursday morning, 9:00 -12:00.

Our next Learning Garden Monthly Meeting will be on Thursday, 5 January at 9:30 at St Luke’s. Thanks again for all you do and hope to see you in the garden. Jerry Coffman, Learning Garden Coordinator, [email protected], 897-2783

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Poquoson Learning Garden News  Work days are every Wednesday morning, weather permitting. We have cleaned up the raised beds in preparation for cool season greens and fall bulbs.  Approximately 2,500 tulip, daffodil, and other bulbs were planted in December, along with spreading a new layer of mulch throughout the garden. We even had one of the new interns (Ben Weeks) show up to help.

 Greenhouse – Soon, we will be closing in the greenhouse with replacement polycarbonate panels and the salvaged glass panels. Replacement polycarbonate panels have been ordered that will be installed on the back side wall, rear wall, and roof vent of the greenhouse. Glass panels will then be reinstalled on the front wall and front side wall. Once the panels and glass are installed, we can set up the plant benches, etc. inside and get the greenhouse ready for use in the spring.  Plant Donations – A local Poquoson resident has offered to donate ALL of the plants in her flower beds to us for use in our two gardens or for us to sell at our plant sales. We have already made one trip to her home to dig Yorktown onions. We planted the onions in some of our empty garden beds (see picture below) and plan to dig, divide, and pot them up in March for the May plant sale and again in the summer for the fall plant sale. There are many more plants at her home including more onions, columbine, lamb’s ear, iris, and lilies. Look for a note

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asking for volunteers to help dig and pot up these plants. We will also be looking for volunteers to baby sit and care for the plants till the spring sale.  As part of the State’s effort to restore Virginia’s native longleaf pine, Y-P MG Tree Stewards in partnership with the Poquoson Museum and the VA Dept. of Forestry have planted a plot of 110 native longleaf pine seedlings on the south end of the Museum’s campus. The plan is to start with the 100+ seedlings this fall and if they work out, plant additional seedlings in the future. A 2014 status report on efforts to restore Virginia’s native longleaf pine stated that “Given its role in the region’s early economy and its use in building construction, longleaf has been aptly dubbed the “tree that built Tidewater.” All told, from about 1500 to 1850, more than one million acres of longleaf pine forest disappeared from Virginia. In 1893, longleaf pine in Virginia was pronounced by forester B.E. Fernow to be “…for all practical purposes, extinct.” Today, natural forests in Virginia containing longleaf pines are essentially gone and fewer than 200 mature, native longleaf pine trees are known in the state. The reality is, longleaf forests have for all practical purposes been eliminated at the northern range of this widely distributed species.” If the planting is successful, the Poquoson Museum will have the only significant planting of longleaf pines on the Peninsula. Plans are to add permanent signage describing the project and the historical significance of the pines. Noel Talcott, [email protected], 868-0974

FeederWatch The cold weather has returned and with it our native birds are visiting our backyard feeders. Since most of us are not out in the garden as much during the winter season, why not contribute to a citizen-science project run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Sapsucker Woods, outside Ithaca, New York? It’s called Project FeederWatch (www.feederwatch.org). It’s a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the birds they see at their feeders from November through early April and send their counts to Project FeederWatch. FeederWatch data help scientists track Purple Finch broad scale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. The project is in its 24th year. You can join now and they will send you a kit so you can start recording the data. A great free app for your smart phone is Merlin (www.merlin.allaboutbirds.org). It provides bird identification help for 650 species of North American birds. Answer five simple questions about a bird you are trying to identify and Merlin will come up with a list of possible matches. You can also take a picture with your phone and the app will help you identify it. Another fun event is the Great Backyard Bird Count (www.birdcount.org), which is also run by the Cornell Lab in partnership with the Audubon Society. The 20th annual GBBC will be held Friday, February 17th, through Monday, February 20th, 2017. Last year, more than 160,000 participants submitted their bird observations online, creating the largest instantaneous snapshot of global bird populations ever recorded. The Nature Conservancy and Cornell Lab of Ornithology recently launched Habitat Network, a free online citizen-science platform that invites people to map their outdoor space, share it with others, and learn more about supporting wildlife habitats and other natural functions in cities and towns across the country. Go to www.habitat.network to sign up for an account and get started mapping. There are two very active bird clubs in our area: the Hampton Roads Bird Club (www.hamptonroadsbirdclub.org) and the Williamsburg Bird Club (www.williamsburgbirdclub.org). Any questions on these or other programs, please contact me, Pete Peterman at [email protected] or 757- 766-8658.

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4-H Schoolyard Habitats Outreach

Help Wanted in 2017! We are always in search of volunteers to work directly with a school community as an outreach partner to increase and improve nature-based learning at school. Our program would also benefit from assistance with program promotion, webpage updates, a speaker series, social media administration, graphic design, and more. Many of these additional tasks may be done at odd hours and/or from home. We would be so grateful for the help! Upcoming Program Orientation. Prospective volunteers to this program are cordially invited to attend our orientation session from 11:00am to 2:00pm, on Saturday, 14 January 2017, at the Tabb public library. Pre-registration is required by Monday, 9 January 2017. Register for the orientation session online via SignUpGenius by following this link: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/4090544AAA823A0F94-orientation New Path To Outreach Partner Now Open. This is a reminder that eligibility for becoming an outreach partner is now extended to certified 4-H volunteers. While we continue to encourage MGs and Virginia Master Naturalist to join our program, we are also now in search of folks with great passion and enthusiasm for nature, who enjoy working with K-12 students, who wish to help re-connect youth with nature, and who would be willing to complete the requirements to become a certified 4-H volunteer. Interested parties should contact Jody or Barbara who will assist prospective volunteers with 4-H registration. To offer your help with 4-H Schoolyard Habitats Outreach or for more information, contact: Barbara Dunbar, Program Director, 757-880-8875 (cell), [email protected] Jody Turner, Outreach Partner Coordinator, 867-1135 (home), [email protected]

Thank you Kathy! For three decades, your Green Thumb Editor and I lived in Hilton Village, where one of the Village’s major annual events was the Pink Flamingo Garden Tour; an event that continued right on up until 2012 that I know of, and maybe even is still held today. Up to as many as a dozen yards and gardens would be on display for the tour every year, including ours and that of our neighbor down the street, Dr. David Bankes, Christopher Newport University Horticulture Professor Emeritus, where Dr. Bankes was always the gracious host for an after-the- tour party. Every year, the Pink Flaming Garden Tour was faithfully covered in some fashion by the Daily Press garden features writer Kathy Van Mullekom, whether it was in her “Diggin’ In” column or elsewhere. In 2000, Merrilyn and I bought a piece of property on Patrick’s Creek here in York County, where we eventually built a new house and moved in. And where after retiring some years later, we each became a Master Gardener, as-is Kathy. In 2006, Kathy featured a shoreline restoration project Merrilyn and I were conducting here on Patrick’s Creek in an article titled “Living Shorelines.” Taking a cue from that article, when I became Unit Coordinator for the York/Poquoson VCE Master Gardeners in 2014, I cultured Kathy’s expertise to cover our Master Gardeners at every opportunity – which she did graciously and tirelessly. Not only did she cover our Master Gardeners, but those of Gloucester, Poquoson, Hampton, and Newport News as-well. Kathy covered our Peninsula Master Gardener Training program every year, always featuring a Master Gardener from each of the four Extensions. Whether it was York/Poquoson Master Gardeners decorating the exterior of Yorktown’s historic Dudley Digges House for Christmas or planting the thousands of bulbs donated by Brent and Becky’s in the Poquoson learning garden, Kathy’s coverage was excellent. From our plant sales to our lawn and pruning clinics, and VCE’s Healthy Virginia Lawns program, Kathy always found a time and place for us in the newspaper. Last year, Kathy and her husband Ken moved from Seaford to Virginia Beach so as to be closer to their grandkids, and as of 2017 Kathy will no longer be a writer for the Daily Press. We will miss her.

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On behalf of all Master Gardeners everywhere, particularly those in Gloucester and York Counties, and the cities of Poquoson, Hampton, and Newport News I would like to say thank you Kathy Van Mullekom for your undying support of the Extension Master Gardener program. Steve Dodson, Training Coordinator, [email protected], 872-0824

Dudley Digges House Dudley Digges built this classic Virginia Tidewater style home around 1760. The outbuildings, well-house, kitchen, granary, and smokehouse are typical of those found in the colonial era. The house was restored in

2016 decorations by 24 York-Poquoson Master Gardeners including five interns

1960 and the outbuildings were reconstructed by the in the 1970s. The Digges family participated in colonial government since the immigration from England in 1650 of Dudley’s great-grandfather, Edward Digges. Dudley was born around 1728 and was a practicing lawyer in York County by his early twenties. He served in the House of Burgesses from 1752 until the start of the American Revolutionary War. Throughout the war, Dudley remained active in numerous areas of Virginia government including helping to write the commonwealth’s first constitution and becoming one of the first members of the state council. Dudley Digges, a former lieutenant governor and a current member of the Virginia Assembly, was captured by the British during their Charlottesville raid on June 4, 1781. This ended his prominent political involvement in the American Revolution. Dudley’s home, like so many other Yorktown houses, was damaged during the 1781 siege and rendered uninhabitable. He moved to Williamsburg and died there in 1790.

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Leah Lively, Lily Lach, Ben Weeks (intern), & Joanne Roberts construct the door wreath. Ben Weeks, Lily Lach, & Leah Lively show off the finished wreath.

Beth Check, Peggy Fink, & Rosemarie Conde are proud of their window crescent.

Carol Weakley, Jan Wiener, & Diane Herbert display their finished window crescent.

And a GOOD time was had by all creating the Digges House Carol-Marie Kiernan (center) guided her team of interns decorations! (Natalie Fair, Kathy Morehouse, Sheila Moore, & Suzi Smith) in the construction of the gate swag.

Merrilyn navigates a precarious perch while Peggy & Ben provide support.

Denise Sommers helped co-chairs Jane May & Gwen Harris, Pam Upchurch, & Patsy Moss are equally Merrilyn Dodson with their window crescent. proud of their crescent.

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The York/Poquoson Master Gardeners are Participating in the Trex Company’s “Bags to Benches” Plastic Recycling Challenge How We Do It Collecting and counting bags and other acceptable recyclable plastic: We pack all of the collected plastic in the large, clear 35 gallon lawn and leaf bags. For each full bag, Trex credits us with the equivalent of 1,000 of the carry out plastic bags you get at food stores, etc. Our six month collection goals are 40,000 bags or 40 of the large lawn and leaf bags. For each of our six month cycles, we have been averaging about 60 full bags. Since it is a good program and keeps the plastic out of the land fill, we don’t stop at the 40 bags and have turned in everything we collect. To date, we have collected about 525 large bags of plastic. Noel Talcott sends an email update to Trex each month to keep them updated on our progress. We usually achieve our 40 bag goal in 4 - 5 months and Trex has been good about shipping the bench at that point in time, but our next six month cycle doesn’t start until the current six month collection period is over. Collection box: We only have a collection box at the Extension Office and it fills up quickly. Noel tries to pick the bags when he can and at other times another MG will pick up what is at the office and bring them to Noel or drop them off at one of our two gardens. Noel also collects bags at our monthly MG and Learning Garden meetings and he usually goes home with a car load. Drop off at Food Lion: Trex contacted the Food Lion in Poquoson and got the approval from Food Lion and the Store Manager for us to drop off the large bags at their back loading door. We do not have to check with the store first, we just drive around back and set the bag(s) where they asked us to put them. In addition to the store checkout bags, the following “other” plastic films can be included in the bag collection challenge:  Newspaper sleeves  Paper towel/toilet paper over wrap  Stretch wrap/shrink wrap  Dry cleaning bags  Case wrap (used to wrap soda bottles, canned goods, water bottles, etc.)  Zip lock bags (clean and dry)  Bread bags (clean and dry)  Salt bags (shaken)  Ice bags (no moisture or hard/metal clips please)  Garment bags  Bubble wrap  Polyethylene foam (used in wrapping furniture)  Heat Sheets Join us in our recycling effort.

The Green Thumb. A Newsletter of Extension Horticultural Activities and Events for York - Poquoson Extension Volunteers

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~ January 2017 ~ ► Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 County Offices Closed 9:30 am – noon Work in PLG 9:30 Monthly Learning Garden Orthodox Christmas Day Meeting at St. Luke’s UMC 3 pm Horticultural Extravaganza Walkthrough at PHS

8 9 10 11 13 Lee-Jackson Day 14 Pre-registration Deadline for 9:30 am Monthly MG Meeting at 9:30 am – noon Work in PLG 12 Full Moon 8 am Bird Walk at NQP Schoolyard Habitat Outreach St. Luke’s UMC 1 – 3 pm Tree Pruning at Norfolk 11 am – 2 pm Schoolyard 9:30 am – noon Work in YLG Orientation Botanical Garden Habitat Outreach Orientation at 6 pm Wetlands Board in YH 9:30 – 11:30 Horticultural Tabb Library Extravaganza Committee ‡ 7 pm Hampton Roads Orthodox New Year meeting at VCE Horticultural Society Meeting at St. Luke’s UMC

1 – 3 pm Help Desk Training – one of these days ONLY 15 16 County Offices Closed 17 18 19 20 21 9:30 am – noon Work in PLG 9:30 am – noon Work in YLG 1 – 3 pm Urban Horticulture at Norfolk Botanical Garden

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 10:00 am Floral Therapy at York 9:30 am – noon Work in PLG 9:30 am – noon Work in YLG 7 am Bird Walk at NQP Convalescent Center 6 pm Chesapeake Bay Board in YH

29 30 31 Locations: YH – York Hall, 301 Main St NQP – New Quarter Park RWL – River Walk Landing EDS – 105 Service Drive

‡The Hampton Roads Horticultural Society will be hosting Eric Bailey for their January 12th meeting at 7 p.m. at St. Luke’s Methodist Church on Ella Taylor Rd in Yorktown. Eric is the owner of Eric Bailey Landscapes and will be talking about new plants for 2017 and hardscaping for your gardens. For additional information re: Norfolk Botanical Garden programs, visit norfolkbotanicalgarden.org

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A good time was had by all at the Learning Gardeners Holiday Get Together Pictures provided by Cathy Thacker LG coordinator, Jerry Coffman Greg Hajos examines gift.

Natalie Fair, intern, wonders what’s she gotten herself into Our hostess, Nettie Lamb Tom Rawls examines gift.

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