February - Piedmont Landscape Association

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Piedmont'Landscape'
Association'Newsletter'
Volume!32,!Issue!1!
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February/March!2014!
Happy!Spring!from!the!PLA!!
As! this! very! long,! wet! winter! comes! to! a!
close,!we!are!all!looking!closely!for!signs!of!
spring!and!wishing!they!would!come!a!little!
bit! quicker!! We! have! had! a!particularly! cold!
and!icy!winter!this!year!and!it!does!not!seem!
to! be! releasing! its! grip! just! yet.! Right! now,!
we!are!about!two!weeks!behind!the!average!
bloom! time! for! our! region! but! spring! is!
slowly!making!itself!known.!
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First,! let’s! welcome! our! newest! member,!
Heather' Vail,! who! is! an!independent!
gardener! with! Garden' Girl' –' and' More.! ! We!
have! three! new! pending! members,! Lyle'
Almond! of! Woodland' Landscape' Design' and'
Management'in!Richmond!and!Steve'&'Chris'
Cone!of!Endless'Creations!in!Culpeper.!!
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In! this! issue,! we'll! take! a! look! back! at! the!
seminar! in! February! through! photos!
contributed! by! PLA! members! and!
attendees.!We!had!a!great!turnout!this!year!
with!over!400!seats!filled!at!the!Paramount!
Theater.! Special! thanks! to! our! engaging!
speakers! Rick! Darke,! Doug! Tallamy! and!
Sandy!McDougle!as!well!as!our!sponsors!and!
vendors!along!with!the!countless!volunteers!
that!give!so!much!of!their!time.!They!are!the!
ones!that!make!hosting!this!event!possible!!
Also,! you’ll! find! an! article! by! Scott! Duncan!
about! the! usefulness! of! installing! a! rain!
sensor! in! conjunction! with! your! automatic!
sprinkler! system! and! some! tips! on! best!
practices! for! installation! and! setUup.! After!
[Date]!
the!extremely!wet!year!we've!had,!this!will!
come! as! much! needed! and! very! timely!
advice!!
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Our!next!meeting!is!April!17!at!6:00!at!EcoU
Tulips! in! Madison! County! where! we’ll! be!
touring! an! organic! Tulip! farm.! In! May,! we!
will! meet! at! West! Main! for! a! discussion! of!
BioChar,! an! alternative! soil! amendment!
that! is! being! lauded! as! a! sustainable! and!
ecologically! friendly! choice! that! is! not! as!
resource! dependent! as! other! readily!
available! options.! See! more! information!
about!both!of!these!events!on!Page!2.!
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In! May,! we! will! also! be! voting! in! board!
members!for!2014!and!we! are!in!need! of!a!
new! president! as! Jessica! steps! down! after!
three!years!of!dedicated!service!to!the!PLA.!
Thanks!for!all!your!hard!work!Jessica!!!Start!
thinking! about! whom! you! would! like! to!
nominate! to! fill! her! shoes! and! join! us! in!
April!to!make!your!nominations.!
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Upcoming'PLA'Meetings'and'Field'Trips'
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April'17'at'6:00!
Tour!of!EcoUTulips,!Aroda!VA!
Jeroen! and! Keriann! Koeman! established! their!
organic!bulb! farm,!EcoUTulips,! in! 2009!and! have!
since! been! selling! organic! Tulip! bulbs! and! cutU
flowers! while! also! playing! host! to! the! annual!
Tulip! Festival.! EcoUTulips! also! sells! organic!
Daffodil,! Iris,! Hyacinth,! Fritallaria,! Crocus,!
Muscari,!Dahlia's,!Lilies!and!Gladiolus!bulbs!both!
to!the!public!and!wholesale.!We’ll!tour!the!farm!
and! learn! about! what! it! takes! to! care! for! an!
organic! bulb! farm.! We! might! even! get! some!
hints! on! how! to! deter! pests! from! eating! our!
prized!Tulips!!!
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For!more!information,!click!here!
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May'8'at'5:30!
Discussion!of!BioUChar!and!its!uses!as!an!alternative!soil!amendment!
Chris! Fields! Johnson! will! join! us! from! Piedmont! Earthworks! to! introduce! us! to! the! use! of!
biochar!as!a!means!of!transforming!our!acidic,!degraded!piedmont!soils!into!rich,!productive!
soils!for!agriculture!and!native!plant!communities.!Not!only!does!Biochar!serve!as!a!useful!
soil! amendment,! it! also! holds! carbon! in! the! soil!improving! biodiversity!and! productivity! of!
the!soil!ecosystem.! Research!shows!that!the!stability!of!biochar!in!soil!greatly!exceeds!that!
of!unUcharred!organic!matter.!!
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For!more!information!about!Chris!and!his!projects,!click!here!
News%and%Announcements%
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Bremo!Trees!would!like!to!announce!the!hiring!of!Ed!Yates!as!their!manager.!Bremo!Trees!is!
a!wholesale!nursery!located!on!the!James!River!in!Fluvanna!County,!which!specializes!in!
growing!a!wide!variety!of!quality!deciduous!and!evergreen!trees.!Ed!will!be!joining!an!
already!established!and!successful!team.!Ed!has!spent!the!past!six!years!serving!as!the!
Nursery!Manager!for!J.W.!Townsend!Landscapes!in!Charlottesville.!He!is!looking!forward!to!
working!with!and!learning!from!existing!staff!as!well!as!current!and!potential!clients.!
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!Annual!Piedmont!Landscape!Seminar!
February!20,!2014!
The!Paramount!Theatre,!Charlottesville,!VA!
Photo!courtesy!of!Tiffany!McCord!
Photos'courtesy'of'Michele'Fletcher'(except'where'otherwise'noted)'
Photo!courtesy!of!Tiffany!McCord!
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Photo!courtesy!of!Tiffany!McCord!
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Thank%you%to%our%2014%vendors%and%sponsors%.%.%.%
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Special!thanks!to!our!Door!Prize!Contributors!!
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Our!door!prize!giveaway!is!a!great!way!to!get!your!company!name!recognized!in!the!
industry!(and!it’s!tax!deductible!).!Our!donors!are!a!big!part!of!what!makes!the!PLA!
seminar!stand!apart!from!other!regional!industry!events!and!we!couldn’t!do!it!without!
them!!This!year,!donors!included:!
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Allied'Hardscapes'
Arboristry'Associates'
Bartlett'Tree'Experts'
Brickhouse'Nursery'
Native'Landscape'Design'&'Restoration'(Cole'Burrell)'
Charlottesville'Area'Tree'Stewards'
Colesville'Nursery'
Edible'Landscaping'
Grand'View'Nursery'
High'peak'Farms'
Hill'House'Farm'&'Nursery'
Hot'Pots'
J.W.'Townsend'
John'Deere'Landscapes'
Kingsland'Greenhouse'
Milmont'Greenhouse'
Monticello'Center'for'Historical'
Plants'
Morning'Moon'Gardens'
Mountain'View'Farm'
New'Dominion'Bookstore'
Panorama'Paydirt'
Saunders'Brothers'Nursery'
Saunders'Landscapes'
Snow’s'Garden'Center'
Southern'States'(Profitt'Rd)'
Photo!courtesy!of!Lydia!Wilson!
TD'Watkins'Horticulture'Sales'
Waynesboro'Nursery'
Waynesboro''Landscape'and'Garden'Center'
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New'Member'Profile'
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Heather'Vail''
Garden'Girl'–'and'More!'
www.gardengirlUandmore.com!/703!589!6776'
My! horticulture! education! began! as! soon! as! I! was! able! to! walk! to! the! garden! with! my!
mother!and!help!her!dig!in!the!dirt.!I!inherited!her!passion!for!gardening!and!a!lot!of!plants,!
too!!But!it!never!occurred!to!me!that!I!could!make!a!living!at!it,!so!I!took!a!more!practical!
route! in! college! and! got! a! degree! in! business! marketing.! After! 20! years! on! the!
sales/marketing!treadmill,!always!living!for!the!weekends!to!work!in!my!garden,!I!decided!
to! try! to! make! a! living! doing! what! I! love.! I! have! taken! numerous! classes! in! the! fields! of!
horticulture!and!wine!at!PVCC!and!UVA!and!am!certified!by!the!Virginia!Landscape!Nursery!
Association!(VNLA).!My!company,!Garden'Girl'–'and'More!!offers!nonUGMO! organic!locally!
greenhouseUgrown! plants! for! purchase,! landscape! design,! installation! and! seasonal!
maintenance! as! well.! My!clients!
include! private! individuals! and!
commercial! establishments! in!
Greene,! Madison! and! Albemarle!
Counties.'
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Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus),
southwestern
relative
of
the
Monarch butterfly on a blood flower
Milkweed
plant
(Asclepias
curassavica). Photo courtesy of
Peter Warren.
Board'Members'2013'
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President:''
Vice'Pres.:''
Treasurer:!!
Secretary:''
Directors:''!
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Jessica!Primm!
Michael!Lachance!
Leigh!Townsend!
Tiffany!McCord!
Cathy!Clary!
Ryan!Wilkins!
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Is%a%Local%Rain%Sensor%Important?' !
Written!by!Scott!Duncan,!Irrigation!Management!Solutions,!LLC!
[email protected]!
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In! many! places! in! the! continental! United! States,! a! significant!
amount!of!natural!rainfall!occurs!during!the!growing!season.!!All!of!
this! rain! is! not! available! for! plant! use.! !A! large! percentage! will! be!
lost!to!evaporation,!runoff,!or!deep!percolation.!What!reaches!the!
roots! and! is! utilized! by! the! plant! is! called! effective! rainfall.! !For!
example,!this!past!year!in!central!Virginia!(using!a!very!conservative!
formula)!we!still!ended!up!with!12.26!inches!of!effective!rainfall!for!
the! April! to! October! growing! season! with! an! evapotranspiration!
(ET)! plant! water! requirement! of! 34.25! inches! for! the! same!
period.!!This!means!that!natural!rainfall!provided!almost!36%!of!the!
water! required! for! the! 2013! growing! season.!! This! example!
emphatically! demonstrates! the! importance! of! a! well! functioning!
local!rain!sensor.!!
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Much!of!the!rain!that!occurs!during!the!growing!season!is!localized.!!We!all!know!that!it!can!
rain!1.5!inches!on!one!side!of!town!and!¼!inch!on!the!other.!!The!only!way!to!account!for!
these!large!variations!is!to!install!a!local!rain!sensor!with!your!specific!system.!!When!
functioning!properly,!this!sensor!will!react!to!the!rainfall!that!occurs!at!your!specific!
location.!!It!will!interrupt!any!scheduled!irrigation!cycle!and!not!allow!it!to!operate!until!the!
rain!sensor!has!dried!out,!roughly!paralleling!soil!conditions.!
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If!you!have!a!sensor!it!must!be!installed!at!a!location!that!is!open!to!natural!rainfall.!It!can’t!
be!installed!under!the!canopy!of!a!tree!or!close!to!the!controller!just!because!this!is!
convenient!for!the!installer.!!It!must!be!located!where!it!will!receive!natural!rainfall!so!that!it!
can!react!to!actual!weather!conditions.!!Most!of!these!units,!especially!the!wireless!devices,!
rely!on!a!small!battery!in!the!transmitting!unit.!!These!batteries!usually!need!to!be!replaced!
annually.!!If!this!battery!is!dead!or!weak,!the!rain!sensor!will!not!operate!properly!or!at!all.!
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In!summary,!the!local!rain!sensor!is!a!critical!component!of!your!landscape!sprinkler!
system.!!A!fully!functioning!and!wellUmaintained!device!will!prevent!the!operation!of!your!
system!when!not!needed!and!save!you!large!amounts!of!water!and!dollars.!!As!per!the!
example!in!the!first!paragraph,!this!small!device!could!have!saved!the!customer!over!1/3!of!
the!cost!of!operation!of!their!landscape!sprinkler!system!in!2013.!!Many!of!the!units!
available!on!the!market!today!have!the!ability!to!be!programmed!to!interrupt!irrigation!for!
extended!time!periods!even!after!the!hydroscopic!disks!have!dried!out!and!the!rains!sensor!
contacts!have!closed.!!Take!advantage!of!this!low!hanging!fruit!today.!!Make!sure!that!you!
have!a!local!rain!sensor!properly!installed!and!fully!functioning.!
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Events'Around'the'Area'
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March'27:'Virginia'Native'Plant'Society'
(VNPS)'Plant'Sale'
Ivy!Creek!Natural!Area,!Charlottesville,!VA!
The!one!and!only!VNPS!native!plant!sale!in!
our!region!!Get!there!early!for!the!best!
selection.!Click!here!for!more!information.!
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March'29:'27th'Annual'LARH'Native'Plant'
Symposium'and'Plant'Sale'
United!States!Arboretum,!Washington!DC!
Enjoy!excellent!speakers!on!a!range!of!native!
plant!topics!in!the!Arboretum’s!newly!
renovated!building!and!take!advantage!of!
exclusive!early!admission!to!the!plant!sale!on!
the!grounds.!!Click!here!for!more!
information.!!
April'17'&'19:'Arboretum'Walk'
Trailhead!of!the!SaundersUMonticello!Trail!
To!help!celebrate!Historic!Garden!Week,!
join!naturalist!Jerry!Therrien!at!the!
SaundersUMonticello!Trail!Arboretum.!The!
Arboretum!contains!around!200!hundred!
different!varieties!of!native!plants!of!
Albemarle!County.!Learn!different!aspects!
of!the!native!varieties!as!spring!comes!into!
flower.!Click!here!for!more!information.!
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April'26']'May'3,'2014:'Historic'Garden'
Week'in'Virginia'
Sponsored!by!the!Garden!Club!of!Virginia!
Click!here!for!more!information.!
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April'28:'A'Conversation'in'the'Garden'with'
Thomas'Woltz'
West'Lawn'of'Monticello,'Charlottesville'
April'5:'Center'for'Historic'Plants'Open'
House'
Tufton!Farm,!Charlottesville!
Ira!Wallace!of!Southern!Exposure!Seed!
Exchange!will!discuss!best!methods!for!
home!vegetable!gardening!in!our!area!and!
will!be!available!to!sign!her!book!afterwards.!
Also,!learn!ways!to!incorporate!edible!
mushrooms!into!gardens,!landscapes,!and!
small!farm!designs!to!increase!the!health,!
resilience!and!vibrancy!of!our!local!
community!with!mushroom!expert!Mark!
Jones!of!Sharondale!Farms.!
Click!here!for!more!information.!
Celebrated!landscape!architect!and!author!
Thomas!Woltz!will!speak!about!how!modern!
design!methods!can!improve!ecology!and!
reveal!cultural!and!historic!landscapes.!Click!
here!for!more!information.!
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May'9'–11:'Garden'Fair'@'State'Arboretum'
Boyce,!VA!
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May'14:'VNPS'meeting'
Ivy!Creek!Natural!Area,!Charlottesville,!VA!
Our!speaker!is!Lonnie!Murray,!Chair!of!the!
Albemarle!County!Natural!Heritage!
April'9:'VNPS'meeting'
Committee!and!a!member!of!the!Board!of!
Ivy!Creek!Natural!Area,!Charlottesville,!VA!
Directors!of!the!Thomas!Jefferson!Soil!and!
Our!own!members!Mary!Lee!Epps!and!Ruth!
Douglas!will!present!an!illustrated!account!of! Water!Conservation!District.!Lonnie’s!
presentation!is!entitled,!“Biodiversity!
a!Jefferson!Chapter!field!trip!last!spring!to!
view!the!spectacular!spring!flora!of!two!very! Hotspots!in!Albemarle!County”;!he!will!also!
mention!possible!volunteer!opportunities!
different!habitats,!a!dry!ridge!and!a!moist!
with!the!Natural!Heritage!Committee.!
hillside,!overlooking!the!Maury!River!in!
Click!here!for!more!information.
Lexington.!Click!here!for!more!information.!
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