March Master Gardener Meeting: Communicating Science to the Public (URI Swan Hall Auditorium)
Monday, March 12 | 6-8:30pm

As an Extension Educator, you may find yourself answering tough questions from the public, explaining why a client  should adopt sustainable gardening practices.  ‘What should I spray for:_____?” is a common question.  Our March MG meeting keynote speaker is Sunshine Menezes, Ph.D. who will provide innovative strategies for communicating complex concepts.  How do we effectively encourage the public to become stewards of the land? As executive director of the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting,  Menezes frequently gives lectures about the importance of science communication, working with the news media, and how to become a more effective science communicator. Please register in Volgistics.

The Ecological Landscaping Alliance’s 2018 Conference – Sustaining the Living Landscape (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
March 7th-8th

Looking for New Ideas? Solutions? Inspiration? From the practical to the applicable, immerse yourself in a two-day exploration of ecological concepts as our speakers share their experiences and expertise. Delve into this year’s wide-ranging topics as we look at the principles and practices we need to design, build, and restore the living landscape. Conference Brochure

Composting: Reducing Waste and Bringing Goodness to our Gardens (BEECHWOOD: A Center for Life Enrichment, 44 Beach Street; North Kingstown)
Wednesday, March 21 | 2:00PM

This lecture will focus on the benefits and basics of Composting.  Composting is a component of our lifestyle.  The amount of time and energy we put into composting our kitchen, garden and yard waste will vary and so will the results.  The fact that we choose to make composting one of our lifestyle habits is wonderful given the goodness it brings to our gardens and that it reduces material that will end up in a mounting landfill.  In this talk you will learn everything you need to do to start composting, a bit of history, how composting happens, types of composting from the casual to the obsessive, how to use compost, the tools, the rules and the glorious results. Speaker: Nan Quinlan, URI Master Gardener. If interested in attending, please contact Rayna Wilcox, Volunteer/Program Coordinator, at The Beechwood Center for Life Enrichment at 401-268-1594; or email her at: RWilcox@northkingstown.org.  These programs are offered to members and the public at no charge.  Master Gardeners receive education credits for attending.

RI Wild Plant Society invites MG’s to learn: Plants are better than mulch! (URI Pharmacy Building, Kingston RI)
Sunday, March 25 | 2-3:30pm

No charge, this is part of the RIWPS annual meeting

We have a strange relationship with mulch in America. Landscaping often means a sea of red mulch dotted with a few over-pruned arborvitae shrubs. But how many gardeners got into the hobby for a love of mulch? There are good reasons to use mulch, it helps to control weeds, prevents soil erosion and maintains soil nutrients. Yet for every advantage that mulch offers well-chosen plants work even better. From groundcovers to larger mat-forming species there is a plant for every area in the garden. Join Dan Jaffe, author of Native Plants for New England Gardens to learn about the myriad of plants that can take the place of mulch on your landscape.

THIS EVENT IS FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. For more details, including directions and parking see www.RIWPS.org

Core Training: Classes Open to MGs for Continuing Ed

The URI Master Gardener Program Core Training is in session. Classes are held on Wednesday evenings from 6 – 8:30 at the URI Kingston Campus in Avedesian Hall (Pharmacy Building) room 170. All Master Gardeners are invited to attend these sessions to brush up on their knowledge, learn the latest research, and to earn continuing education hours.  The 2018 Course Schedule (topics subject to change) follows.

The Perennial Planters Present: “Washington Chops Down a Cherry Tree—Fake News” Trees at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, 238 Years of Cultivation and Preservation and Into the 21^st Century (Roger Williams Park Casino)
Thursday, April 26 | 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Dean Norton’s “job as the horticulturist is to apply the latest horticultural technology to an 18th century setting. Our mission is to preserve, protect, and represent the landscape and gardens at Mount Vernon as accurately as possible to the life and times of George and Martha Washington. This requires a great deal of research and collaboration with our team of archaeologists. I am blessed and honored to be the current caretaker of Washington’s Mount Vernon, and I do believe it is one of the most accurately restored historic properties in the country.”

Since Washington’s time trees have been an integral and important part of the landscape. The Mount Vernon Ladies Association cared so much for the estate’s trees that they secured the services of renowned tree expert Charles Sprague Sargent who wrote in his 1926 tree report, “no trees planted by man have the human interest of the Mount Vernon trees.  They belong to the nation and are one of its precious possessions. No care should be spared to preserve them.”

H. A. Miller Endowed Lecture Series | Free and Open to the Public | Further Information and to rsvp www.perennialplanters.org