Rapidan River Master Gardener

08/31/2026

Myth or Fact: Pawpaw trees need to be planted in deep shade to survive.

MYTH!

While young pawpaw (Asimina triloba) saplings prefer shade for their first year or two to protect delicate young foliage, mature trees produce the best harvest when grown in full sun with adequate moisture.

The Details:

Young Saplings: Need partial shade during their first 1–2 years because their tender leaves burn easily in high heat and strong direct sunlight.

Mature Trees: Once established, full sun fuels lush growth, stronger branching, and significantly maximum fruit production.

Pollination Tip: Plant at least two genetically distinct trees (different varieties or seedlings from different mother trees) nearby—pawpaws are not self-fertile, and they depend on beetles and flies for pollination!

Have a pawpaw patch in your yard? Let us know in the comments how your trees are performing this season!

Photo by Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service.

08/31/2026

🌿 Let’s get to the root of plant identification! 🌿

Take a walk through the beautiful grounds of James Madison’s Montpelier and discover the trees and shrubs that make this historic landscape special. Learn identification tips, explore native and non-native plants, and branch out your horticultural knowledge! 🌳

🌱 Register here: https://forms.gle/dEAQKPUFkuo58xieA

08/28/2026

🌿 Lenn Park Native Garden Workday

Monica, Ericka, and Cindy spent some time weeding and maintaining the native gardens at Lenn Park. They filled three 40-gallon bags with weeds and garden debris! 💪🌱

They also worked on prepping garden beds for Monarch Waystation certification and for lots of fall planting coming soon. 🦋🌼

Regular maintenance like this helps keep the garden healthy, gives our Virginia native plants room to thrive, and keeps the space welcoming for park visitors and pollinators.

Thank you, ladies, for helping move this garden forward! 💚

08/26/2026

🔍 Guess That "Bug"! 🕵️‍♂️🌱

This week's mystery garden creature leaves behind a few distinctive clues:

The Damage: Leaves that look "sandblasted," showing fine stippling, yellowing, or a bronzed/bleached appearance.

The Tell-Tale Sign: Fine, delicate silk webbing spanning across the undersides of leaves and stems.

Plot Twist: Despite what people call it, it isn't actually an insect at all! It has 8 legs, a single oval body section, and no antennae or wings.

The Paper Test: If you shake an infested leaf over a blank sheet of white paper, you'll see tiny specks—no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence—crawling around.

Can you guess who's been sapping the life out of your plants? 🤔

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/444/444-221/444-221.html

08/24/2026

🌿 MYTH OR FACT? 🌿

Myth: "You can't plant perennials or shrubs in late summer and early fall because it's too late in the season."

Answer: MYTH! ❌

In Zone 7a, late summer through early fall (late August through October) is actually one of the absolute best times to plant hardy perennials, shrubs, and trees!

Here is why fall planting is a game-changer for Zone 7a gardens:

Warm Soil, Cool Air: Soil temperatures remain warm, which encourages rapid, robust root growth long before the first hard freeze (typically early to mid-November). Meanwhile, cooler air temperatures reduce heat stress on top growth.

Less Water Stress: Autumn typically brings more consistent natural rainfall and lower evaporation rates than the fierce mid-summer heat, meaning less watering strain on you and your new plants.

Spring Head Start: Plants established in late summer/fall spend all winter settling in. When spring arrives, they launch straight into growth instead of recovering from transplant shock.

Pro Tip: Keep newly planted additions well-watered until the ground freezes, and add a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch around the base to insulate root systems through winter.

08/21/2026

The Rapidan River Master Gardeners were delighted to host the Louisa Extension Master Gardeners at the Demonstration Garden at the Carver Center. A great meeting of the minds, information flowed in all directions!

08/20/2026

What are you doing tomorrow, Thursday morning? Come join us at the Carver Center Demonstration Garden to see all of our projects up close. Bring questions to ask the Master Gardeners! Located on Rte. 15 halfway between Orange and Culpeper! 9:00-10:00 am - see you there!

Let us be your garden connection! Join the Rapidan River Master Gardeners at the Demonstration Garden at the Carver Center in Rapidan, Virginia, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM on the third Thursday of June, July, and August . Take a guided tour of the garden and see our projects up close, including cut

08/20/2026

Time for Wednesday's Guess That Bug. For me, this bug appears every year on my mother's birthday, June 14th.

Can you name this common Virginia garden resident?

Clues:

Appearance: Adults are shiny, metallic green and bronze/copper about half an inch long, with distinctive white tufts of hair along the sides of their abdomen.

Favorite Snacks: They aren't picky! They love feasting on over 300 species of plants, skeletonizing the leaves of roses, hydrangeas, crape myrtles, and fruit trees, as well as devouring sweet flower blossoms.

Lawn Secrets: Before they grow wings, their immature C-shaped grubs live underground, munching on grass roots and leaving brown patches in lawns.

Defense Mechanism: When disturbed, they drop straight to the ground or raise their back legs in a defensive "karate pose. Pictured: I swear my roses are their favorite food.

Click here to see if you are right!

https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/2902/2902-1101/2902-1101.html

08/17/2026

Monday's Myth or Fact? Goldenrod (Solidago) causes fall hay fever and seasonal allergies.

Fact: Goldenrod is almost universally blamed for autumn sneezing fits, but the true culprit is Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), which blooms at the exact same time. Goldenrod produces large, heavy, sticky pollen designed to be carried away by bees, butterflies, and other pollinators rather than the wind. In contrast, ragweed produces light, microscopic, wind-borne pollen that floats easily into the air (and into your sinuses). Because goldenrod displays showy, bright yellow flowers right alongside ragweed's non-descript green blooms, it gets all the blame. Goldenrod is actually a vital, late-season nectar source for pollinators preparing for winter!

08/15/2026

Theee person team got busy this morning cleaning up the native beds at Lenn Park . Pulled lots of weeds , tree trimming, planning for erosion control and we got to see a Monarch Butterfly and several Monarch Caterpillar’s 🐛 too . 💚
Stop by and enjoy 🩵