Celebrate the arrival of spring with a day of gardening and nature workshops!

Agenda:

8:00 - 8:30 am: Registration and Refreshments

• Keynote Session - 8:30-9:30 am: Plant Identification: Then and Now, Ned Siegel, Master Naturalist 

  As the clouds and gray days of winter give way to the sun and warming that comes with lengthening daylength in early March, our annual Spring Awakening is met with the bright colors that the crocus, daffodil and tulip bulbs present us with in our collective gardens.  While clearly Harbingers of Spring that we all happily welcome, many of us are unaware of the bounty of native wildflowers that are also appearing, if not in our home gardens, but out in the woodlands and natural areas.  This presentation will introduce you to some of these Spring Beauties and how we’ve come to collectively identify them through the years – from Colonial Virginia to the ever-present smartphones you hold in your hand today.    

• 9:40 - 10:10 am: Homegrown Mushrooms, Andrew Shelton, Shearwater Farm 

  Growing mushrooms doesn't have to be complicated. Learn how to grow mushrooms by using things readily available around town, and without needing to spend thousands on specialized equipment.

• 9:40 - 10:10 am: Beyond Bees: Gardening for Other Beneficial Insects, Sreelakshmi Suresh, Extension Educator

  So you love pollinators – great! Did you know that many other native insects can be beneficial in your garden and landscaping? In this session we will get to know more of our tiny neighbors and learn how to support them through our gardening.

• 10:20 - 10:50 am: Bees and Wasps: How to Support Your Most Ardent Garden Supporters, Sreelakshmi Suresh, Extension Educator

  Bees and wasps are some of our most industrious pollinators and pest managers. This session will cover how to support their presence and continued hard work in our gardens.

• 10:20 - 10:50 am: Armadillos & Eagles & Bears--Oh My!! Lisa Dean, Master Gardener, and Master Naturalist

  Climate changes affect ALL living things.  Join us for an interactive session talking about new critters, new challenges, and new ways to accommodate (or avoid) these new changes.

• Keynote Session - 10:55-12:00 pm: Raised Bed Gardening Workshop:  Building, Maintenance, and Growing! Nathan Johanning, Extension Educator

  Raised Beds are a great way to add valuable garden space and have lots of advantages. However, like all good things in the garden, they take work and maintenance. This hands-on session will be outside at the Extension Community Garden to talk about maintaining, repairing, and growing in raised beds. We do a demonstration on repairing one of the beds as a part of the session. 

Don’t miss this chance to grow your gardening skills and connect with fellow nature lovers!