| The Virginia Garden FestivalClick here for scenes from the Festival on Saturday, September 16, 2006 2007 Virginia Garden Festival Click here for 2006 event details for sponsors and participating organizations Back to Virginia Gardening VGIC Sponsors VA Garden Festival Richmond, VA… May 5, 2006 … The Virginia Green Industry Council (VGIC) is challenging Virginians to GoGreen at the first Virginia Garden Festival on September 16, 2006 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens (LGBG), 1800 Lakeside Avenue in Richmond Virginia. For directions, call (804) 262-9887 or see web site www.lewisginter.org . Festival admission and parking is free. Save this date for a day where art, magic, music and fantasy come together with expert gardening information that you can take home. Talented individuals from all facets of the Green Industry will be on site to make the event an educational and fun-fill family experience. VGIC members have partnered with the LGBG fall plant sale to provide practical and fun activities for the whole family. Hear well-know speakers share their garden and landscape strategies, visit vendor display booths and receive their top 10 earth-friendly tips, stop by and "ask the experts", watch tree care and lawn demonstrations, hear Mark Viette as he airs his radio show "IN THE GARDEN", sample some of "Virginia’s Finest" foods, participate in children’s gardening activities, listen to music in the garden and purchase plants from LGBG’s "rare and unusual" plant sale. Extend your visit to the VA Garden Festival by exploring LGBG. Multi-themed gardens, a greenhouse conservatory, garden shop, patio dining and educational facilities are available for a small fee. Parking is free! Attend an event designed to bring gardening into your living space and expand your living space into the garden. Speakers–
Mike McGrath, editor-in-chief of Organic Gardening magazine from 1991 through 1997, is the author of several books, including Kitchen Garden A to Z (Abrams; 2004) and You Bet Your Tomatoes (Rodale; 2002). He is the Garden Editor for WTOP News Radio in Washington, D.C. and his "You Bet Your Garden" column appears in Greenprints ("The Weeder's Digest"). Mike, as the garden expert for the Saturday edition of The Today Show from 1993 through 1997, chaired major exhibits that won four consecutive "Best of Show" awards at the prestigious Philadelphia Flower Show. Attend Mike’s session to get a sneak peak at his new book, Mike McGrath’s Book of Compost.
Michael Goatley, Jr., Associate Professor and Turfgrass Specialist for Virginia Tech in Blacksburg Virginia challenges attendees to "keep their lawns green and our water clean." This presentation details strategies designed to promote a healthy, aesthetically pleasing lawn without impacting other areas of the environment, particularly our waterways. Best management practices emphasize appropriate turfgrass selection, fertility timing and fertilizer application techniques, and management of clippings and lawn debris. By the session's end, attendees will be able to make informed decisions in regular turfgrass maintenance practices that result in quality lawns without sacrificing the environment.
Richard Nunnally can’t seem to slow down. Known as the man to call at the Virginia Cooperative Extension in Chesterfield for 27 years, he retired several years ago but couldn’t stand still. He is host of "Virginia Home Grown" on local public television stations WCVW and WCVE; he writes a weekly column in the Richmond Times Dispatch and is an adjunct instructor at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Join Nunnally as he shares answers to the "top 10 questions" asked by his TV audience.
Special Activity –Mark Viette holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture from Virginia Tech and is the director of Marketing and Sales for the André Viette Farm & Nursery, which grows over 3,000 varieties of herbaceous perennials in Fisherville, Virginia. He is the president of Viette Communications, which produces and distributes the national weekly radio call-in program "IN THE GARDEN". This show will air from the VGIC VA Garden Festival. Stop by and ask questions to Mark and his staff, in person. About the sponsor – VGIC, champions of the environment!As a Virginia coalition, the Virginia Green Industry Council provides outstanding industry and public sector services. These activities include consumer education, coordination and promotion of professional certifications, distribution of monthly news releases, maintenance of an online speakers bureau, promotion of Green Industry careers and scholarships, coordination of grant applications, "ask the experts" services, sponsorship of Arbor Day activities, consolidation of the economic impact of specialty crops, and sponsorship of the first Green Industry VA Garden Festival held September 16, 2006. An umbrella group, VGIC strives to be proactive in its support and promotion of positive Industry values. How can you participate? Join VGIC as an association or individual or make a sponsorship contribution. Contact VGIC’s executive director Jeff Miller at 540-382-0943 or info@VirginiaGreen.org and list events on VGIC’s Calendar of Events. Provide information for the consumer website, www.virginiagardening.org , or info and links for the professional website, www.VirginiaGreen.org . Contact Mary Williams at info@VirginiaGreen.org to become a VGIC member. Participate in an organization committed to adhering to the highest level of environmental guidelines and horticultural practices. GoGreen! Become a champion for the environment! Affiliate with a Green Industry coalition and have your organization’s voice more clearly heard. Unify the GoGreen effort in Virginia!
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