Neighbors Helping Neighbors Grow – March 2024

Welcome to the James City County Williamsburg Master Gardener Association

Serving Williamsburg, James City, Charles City, Upper York, and New Kent 

March 2024

Landscape Love is Open!

Our Master Gardeners meet with you, the homeowner, right in your yard to review your garden issues and recommend solutions.  To apply for your FREE consultation complete the application form here!

A History of Our War With Plants

These days, gardeners and naturalists often look at one another and wonder, "What has happened to nature? And how do we restore her?"  For the past few decades we have been at war with plants.  For the good of our planet, let’s accept plants as “native to planet Earth, indigenous to this part of the universe.”  Learn more here

For Love of Narcissus

There were more than 80 named varieties of Narcissus in England when the first colonists settled Jamestown.  Many brought Narcissus with them.  Learn why Narcissus have cult-like status in the gardening world, and how easy they are to grow.   Learn here.

Why Bother With Bulbs?

Why plant spring flowering bulbs?  Their beauty is reason enough, but there are many more reasons to plant bulbs for early spring flowers.   Learn More Here

Altruist of the Natural World

Watch the February 2024 Master Gardener Association Program today!

Soil..... NOT DIRT!

Although we often use the words dirt and soil interchangeably, the differences between them are vast. Dirt is made up of clay, sand, silt, and rocks, and it lacks beneficial nutrients or microbes. Dirt is dead. Soil, on the other hand, is teeming with life, as Master Gardener Dave Kleppinger explains. Watch!

A Tea Story: Past and Future

Perhaps the time has come for gardeners to discover the simplicity and joys of growing our own tea.  Read more to learn how to begin...

Noxious or Nice?

The swiftest way to find yourself in a rollicking argument with someone you may otherwise count as a friend, is to disagree with them over whether a plant is useful in the garden, or is a noxious, invasive weed. We all know just enough to know we’re rightRead more here

 

Can I Nibble the Fiddleheads?

Perfect little green, tightly curled fiddleheads will soon push through the damp earth and begin to unfurl themselves into fresh, delicate fern fronds. They might look tasty, and you might wonder whether you can pluck one to nibble as you hike through the woods.  Learn which are good to eat, how to prepare them, and how to grow your own!  Learn more...

Achieve More With Less

Early spring is prime time for getting a head start on the new gardening year.  Learn how to work with roots, rhizomes, bulbs and tubers to grow useful new plants for your garden.  Read more here-

Garden Questions?

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Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds will soon return from their winter migration. Growing nectar rich flowers and providing clean feeders will lure hummingbirds to your garden.  Learn more here-

 

Myrica Is for the Birds

There are three species of Myrica native to the East Coast of North America.  Myrica has superpowers to support wildlife and thrive in our area.  Read more here....

 

Zone Change!

Click to enlarge the photo

The USDA has updated the Plant Hardiness Zone map and we're now in zone 8A. The trend reveals a picture of how many parts of our country are warming.  Read more ...

March Newsletter

Read the March 2024 Newsletter