News

Gardening and Lawn Care

   

Whether seasoned horticulturalists developing new varieties of plants or first-time homeowners trying to thwart the yearly emergence of spring weeds, gardeners of all stripes will benefit from this media kit with science-based information on home horticulture from Virginia Cooperative Extension. It has resources on gardening, lawn care, landscaping, outdoors safety, urban agriculture, and much more. Below, you will find Extension’s latest news articles, experts, past news releases, and magazine articles about horticultural research, teaching, and outreach. There are links with details about the Virginia Master Gardener program and much more at the bottom.

Latest News
Extension has recommendations for spring lawn care (March 2010)
Every spring, many homeowners ask themselves, “Should I use fertilizer on my lawn, and if so, how much?” and “What is the right way to control crabgrass?” Virginia Cooperative Extension has research-based answers to questions about spring lawn care.

Experts

News Articles
Extension encourages citizens to plant home vegetable gardens (August 2009)
Virginia Cooperative Extension is educating citizens about the benefits of planting and maintaining home vegetable gardens. “Our goal is education,” said Sheri Dorn, an agriculture and natural resources Extension agent for Roanoke County. “We want to teach people not only how to grow vegetables, but how to do it in a sustainable way.”

Spring weed control the subject of new podcast from Extension turf specialist (May 2008)
Warming temperatures and spring rains signal not only the annual resurgence in the growth of Virginia's lawn grasses but also the arrival of a host of weeds. Mike Goatley, turf specialist for Virginia Cooperative Extension, has tips for homeowners trying to rid their property of spring weeds and restore a healthy, thick lawn while protecting the environment.

Turf specialist provides tips for summer lawn care (June 2007)
For most homeowners, mowing the lawn is a necessary chore. It is the most frequent landscape maintenance activity, and if done incorrectly, the area where homeowners make the most frequent mistakes. Mike Goatley, turf specialist for Virginia Cooperative Extension and associate professor of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, offers simple tips for homeowners to manage their lawns this summer.

Demonstration garden educates about benefits of buffer zones (June 2007)
Virginia Tech and the City of Virginia Beach are working together to educate residents on the importance of buffer zones with the Buffer Educational Garden at the Virginia Tech Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center (AREC). Susan French, Virginia Cooperative Extension horticulture agent in Virginia Beach, and Laurie Fox, horticulture associate at the Hampton Roads AREC, initiated the project.

BayScape Gardens protect soil and water resources (June 2007)
BayScaping, a method for landscaping, is applicable not only in the areas around the Chesapeake Bay, but in most of the state, according to Virginia Cooperative Extension horticulturist Laurie Fox.

Riding mower safety starts before mower does (August 2001)
Professional landscaper or weekend gardener, safety is your first job when it comes to riding mowers. Those with years of mowing experience sometimes overlook safety precautions. “Don't be one of them,” says Bobby Grisso, Virginia Cooperative Extension safety engineer. “The results can be dangerous.”

Publications
Extension has publications about annuals, perennials, and bulbs; beekeeping; fruits and vegetables; garden insects and pests; garden and landscape design; garden plant diseases; gardening and the environment; indoor plants; lawns; tools and techniques; and trees, shrubs, and groundcovers.

Magazine Articles
Urban Oasis (Solutions, June 2009)
Tucked into the middle of the city of Hampton, Va., is a 60-acre tract of land called Bluebird Gap Farm. The farm, managed by Hampton's Parks and Recreation Department, offers urban dwellers a glimpse of agriculture and horticulture, as well as a bit of urban oasis. Much of what visitors experience when they visit the farm is a result of the time and energy contributed by the Hampton Master Gardeners.

Getting to the Root of the Matter (Innovations, January 2009)
Structural root systems of landscape trees that are too deep can cause stress and even death. According to Bonnie Appleton, professor of horticulture at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, this problem is everywhere, and it continues to be a significant issue despite numerous, easy control strategies.

Sowing Seeds to Create Community (Solutions, June 2008)
Eating healthfully on a limited budget can be challenging, especially with food prices on the rise. As the Fluvanna County Family Nutrition Program assistant, Faye Anderson knows this all too well. She works with low-income families to help them make better nutritional choices to improve their quality of life.

Rain Gardens Provide Storm Water Management - and Opportunities for Master Gardeners (Solutions, June 2008)
A simple concept for managing what happens to rainwater in urban and suburban landscapes, called a rain garden, is gaining in popularity across the country. A group of Virginia Cooperative Extension faculty members and Master Gardener volunteers are working together to bring this environmentally friendly idea to homeowners in Southeast Virginia.

Beautiful Gardens™: A partnership made with plants and patience (PDF, Outreach Now 2007)
The Beautiful Gardens program, which is centered in the tobacco regions of Virginia, is expected to boost ornamental horticulture output, creating new jobs and opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurs as well as providing alternative uses for the tobacco greenhouses in the region.

Urban Agriculture: Protecting the Environment One Lawn at a Time (Solutions, June 2007)
Lawns in the Richmond area are getting smarter – with the SMART lawns program offered by Virginia Cooperative Extension’s local Master Gardeners. What is a SMART lawn? According to Karen Carter, Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in Henrico County, it’s a lawn that is beautiful, healthy, adds value to the home, and achieves those goals without putting an undue strain on the environment or the homeowner’s time and money.

Gardening Program Helps Grown Green Industry (Solutions, June 2007)
Red, white, and blue gardens are popping up all over Virginia. All those red, white, and blue blooms are part of the America’s Anniversary Garden™ project, which was developed by Virginia Cooperative Extension as a way many citizens could participate in the celebration of America’s 400th anniversary.

¿Horticultura? (Innovations, January 2007)
Barbara Kraft, a Spanish instructor, had no idea what to expect when Virginia Tech’s Department of Horticulture contacted her. Now, five years later, Kraft has developed a curriculum unlike any other in the nation. In it she combines horticulture with an innovative lesson plan on language, culture, and politics.

Additional Resources
A university spotlight on impact features the Beautiful Gardens™ program, a collaboration between Virginia Tech, the Institute for Sustainable and Renewable Resources at the Institute for Advanced Learned and Research, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, the Virginia Master Gardener Association, the Norfolk Botanical Garden, and the Claytor Nature Study Center at Lynchburg College. The partnership’s goal is to create a production and marketing infrastructure and research-based technical and educational information to support the introduction of new plants in the mid-Atlantic region.

The Turf and Garden Tips website has numerous podcasts and additional research-based information from Extension about gardens, lawns, and ornamentals. This site is a collaboration between Extension turf and horticulture specialists and Agriculture, Human, and Natural Resources Information Technology.

The Virginia Master Gardener Program connects Extension volunteers with their local communities to encourage and promote environmentally sound horticulture practices through sustainable landscape management education and training.

The beautiful Hahn Horticulture Garden at Virginia Tech is a five-acre public garden in Blacksburg, Va., that offers tours and volunteer opportunities.

Many counties and cities have agriculture and natural resources agents with resources on gardening and lawn care. Contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension office for more information about a program in your area.

Extension also has a directory of Extension experts on all of the topics it covers. If you need help locating a source or looking for additional information, contact Michael Sutphin at (540) 231-6975 or Lori Greiner at (540) 231-5863.