What Grows On in Rhode Island News

Fall Gardener School

Fall Gardener School Flyer

Location: URI Outreach Center at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center, Elmwood Ave, Providence, RI

The University of Rhode Island will be offering a six-week evening class on Mondays, beginning September 22, 2008, and running through October 27. Classes will be held in Providence at the URI Outreach Center at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center. Directions will be sent with the confirmation notice.
The course will be useful to both new and experienced gardeners. The class will be taught by URI Master Gardeners and staff from the CELS Outreach Center.

There are no prerequisites for this class other than the desire to become an environmentally aware gardener. The format will be lectures with a walking tour at the end. Come prepared with your problems and questions!

This course can be considered an introduction to the Master Gardener program administered by the University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension.

Course fee: $120 per person (includes all reference materials).
Registration limited to a maximum of 40 people on a first come, first served basis.

All classes take place from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Sept 22 Soils and Fertilizer Basics – Learn about RI soils and how to amend them. David Hughes, URI Master Gardener

Sept. 29 Vegetable Garden Management – we’ll explore the basic methods to achieve an organic garden. We will also discuss the most common pests encountered. Rosanne Sherry, MG Coordinator

Oct 6 Perennials 101 – What you need to know about selection and maintenance to enjoy a successful garden. Jo-Ann Bouley, Education Coordinator RWP Botanical Center

Oct 20 Garden Skills –Common Pests and Organic Controls - What’s bugging you in the garden? Learn about the many organic products available and how and when to use them. Bring a sample or photo of a problem you had this season. Rosanne Sherry

Oct 27 How to be a “Greener” Gardener – Learn about composting, conserving and protecting water resources. – Kate Venturini, Coastal Landscape Program Coordinator and Sejal Lanterman, Master Composter Coordinator

Saturday Special October 18 10AM-12PM Houseplant Care and Botanical Center tour. Start with a talk on Houseplant Care and Selection and then stroll with URI Master Gardener docents through the lush tropical greenhouses at the Botanical Center. Bring one problem houseplant for ID and problem solving.

Autumn Rose Care ~ September 20, 2008

“Autumn Rose Care”

Presented by the Rhode Island Rose Society in association with the University of Rhode Island Outreach Center at Roger Williams Park Botanical Center

Date: Saturday, September 20th, 2008, 2:00PM-3:30PM

Fee: $15.00

Location: The Victorian Rose Garden at the Elmwood Avenue entrance to Roger Williams Park, Providence, RI

Linda Shamoon, President of the Rhode Island Rose Society, will be your host during this program which will include a walk through the Victorian Rose Garden, established and maintained by the Rhode Island Rose Society and the Providence Parks Department. Linda and her fellow Rose Society members will demonstrate how to ID various types of roses and recognize their growth habits. Discussions will also focus on care needs, how to properly winterize roses and fall transplantation of roses. A question and answer session will follow. Participants are encouraged to bring pictures of their rose "problems".
PLEASE NOTE: THIS PROGRAM IS HELD OUTDOORS – PLEASE DRESS FOR THE WEATHER. The garden tour will be given rain-or-shine. However, the question and answer session may move indoors to an Outreach Center classroom if the weather is inclement.

To Register: Please complete the attached registration form and forward it with your payment to the address listed on the form. This should be submitted by Monday, September 15, so call or email to verify if you can still sign up.

For more info: Call: 401-785-9450 EXT: 250 OR 401-874-2900 Email: [email protected] OR [email protected]

Drawing Plants: Flowers to Fungi ~ September 16 & 17, 2008

Drawing Plants: Flowers to Fungi

Roger Williams Park Botanical Center
September 16 and 17, 2008, 9AM – 1PM each day
Botanical Illustration with Visiting Instructor: Gretchen Halpert

For more information, call 401-785-9450 EXT: 250.

What better time to draw plants than in the fall when flowers are still blooming, seedpods are forming, and colors are shifting?

Spend two weekday mornings at the Botanical Center drawing and painting orchids, carnivorous plants, colorful tropical foliage or a variety of evergreen and deciduous shrubs with visiting instructor, Gretchen Halpert.

This workshop is appropriate for beginners as well as advanced artists.

Tuition covers entrance fee and allows you use of the gardens each day until 4PM.
This two-day workshop is designed to get you drawing and painting plant specimens including flowers, leaves, seedpods or fungi. Whether you are a beginner with a latent desire or an advanced student who hasn't found the time lately to draw, the plants in the Botanical Center’s tropical interior gardens and those in the new exterior gardens will inspire the artist within you (NOTE: outdoor venues available weather permitting). Topics will include: tools and techniques; field sketching and botany. Focus will also concentrate on plant form, plant detail, color and methods for observation. The class will be catered to the interests and backgrounds of participants and will provide individual attention and demonstration. A complete materials list will be sent upon receipt of registration.

Class size is limited so REGISTER EARLY!

Runway Earth 7 ~ September 17, 2008

From Groundwork Providence:

This Wednesday, 6:30 to 9:30 pm, is the annual fundraiser Runway Earth 7.  The Recycled Fashion Show this year will combine over 30 local designers with some local celebrity models and feature refreshments from Decadent Catering.  It is a fun event and will be held at the Botanical Center at Roger Williams Park.  I hope that you will consider attending the event this year and supporting the important work that Groundwork Providence does for our City and our State.  For tickets you can get tickets from our website  and order tickets or stop by and pick yours up at Groundwork Providence, 8 Third Street, Providence RI 02906.

Please buy a ticket and tell all your friends.  Don’t miss this great event!

Tickets will be available at the door for $40.00.

Thank you very much for your continuing support of Groundwork Providence.

Clint Lank
Executive Director
Groundwork Providence, Inc
8 Third Street
Providence, RI  02906
[email protected]
(401)351-6440
fax (401)351-0118

PLEASE CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT BEFORE PRINTING THIS

Blackstone Parks Conservancy Fundraiser ~ September 24, 2008

EPOCH and Laurelmead to hold fundraiser for Blackstone Parks Conservancy

Senior living communities seek donations to restore historical landmark

PROVIDENCE—EPOCH Assisted Living on the East Side, EPOCH Senior Living on Blackstone Boulevard and Laurelmead, senior living communities in Providence, are teaming up to host a “Happy Hour for the Boulevard” fundraiser to benefit the restoration of the trolley shelter on Blackstone Boulevard, now listed in the National Registry of Historical Places. The event, offering drinks and appetizers, will be held at EPOCH Assisted Living on the East Side, One Butler Ave., on Wednesday, Sept. 24, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. This event is open to the public; cost to attend is $25 per person. All money raised through ticket sales will go toward the restoration effort. Please R.S.V.P. to Barbara at EPOCH ~ call 401-275-0682, or email her.

This fundraiser will be held on behalf of the Blackstone Parks Conservancy’s Trolley Shelter Restoration Campaign. The Blackstone Parks Conservancy is dedicated to the preservation and stewardship of historic Blackstone Park and Boulevard. The trolley shelter, built in 1905, is now in need of work. The Conservancy will use grants, funds from the Swan Point Cemetery and community contributions to fund the restoration of the historical structure. Visit the Blackstone Park Conservancy website for more information on the community effort. Representatives from the Conservancy will be in attendance at the fundraiser to answer additional questions.

Please contact Barbara at 401-275-0682 with questions about the fundraiser or how you can donate if you can not attend.

Environmental Justice League of RI ~ October 4, 2008

The next full group meeting of the Environmental Justice League of RI.  The meeting will take place on Saturday, Oct. 4th between 10AM and Noon at Algonquin House, 807 Broad Street in Providence.

Trees 2020 Initiative ~ Training Date September 24, 2008

Please pass the word, those of you who live and/or work in Providence

Trees 2020 is a new tree planting initiative that aims to initiate the planting of 40,000 trees in Providence by the year 2020 to improve our environment.  Our tree purchase program offers trees at a sharp discount to Providence property owners to encourage them to plant a tree in their own yards.  A training date for volunteers with or without tree knowledge is planned for Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 5pm. See below for brief invitation or the flyer and signup form.

From Doug Still, Providence City Forester:

Come be a part of the Tree Team!  Volunteers are needed for Trees 2020, a new program to increase tree cover and improve the environment in Providence by encouraging homeowners and property owners to plant trees.  Whether or not you have experience with trees, we need you!  To learn more and get involved, please read the attached flyer.

TRAINING DATE for Site Assessment volunteers:

When:     Wednesday, September 24, 2008 from 5:00 - 6:30 pm.
Where:    Chamber of Commerce auditorium, 30 Exchange Terrace (downtown)
Given by:    Doug Still, Providence City Forester

Send us your volunteer signup form, or contact Ray Perrault at 351-6440 x14 or by email.    Our website www.trees2020.org will be on-line in late September.

T-Shirts and much appreciation for all volunteers!

This is a joint effort of the City of Providence and Groundwork Providence, funded by the Helen Walker Raleigh Tree Care Trust and the Rhode Island Foundation.

Home & Garden Competition ~ October 4-5, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Lesley Muir, Norman Bird Sanctuary Development Associate, [email protected], 401-846-2577 ext.17

HOME & GARDEN COMPETITION At the NORMAN BIRD SANCTUARY HARVEST FAIR
583 Third Beach Road
Middletown, RI 02842
Saturday, October 4th & Sunday, October 5th, 2008
Open to amateur gardeners, growers, canners, cooks, and bakers OF ALL AGES!

• Each entry must be grown or cooked from scratch, solely by the contestant.
• One entry per category per person.
• Entries must be registered at the Home & Garden Booth by 10 a.m. on the day of the judging, and must be removed between 5 & 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 5th.
• All entries should be labeled discreetly with the contestant’s name, address, phone number and competition category.
• Young grower or baker contestants must be 14 years old or younger.
• After judging, all food entries will be sold at the Country Store. Proceeds benefit the Sanctuary.

PRODUCE
Saturday Judging, 11:00 a.m.
Best Single Fruit
Best Single Vegetable
Best Collection
Biggest Pumpkin
Most Unusual Vegetable/Edible Plant
Young Grower-Best Produce
Jack-o’-lantern Contest (Judged on Sunday with Scarecrows)

FLOWERS
Saturday Judging, 11:00 a.m.
Best Single Rose
Best Single Dahlia
Best Fresh Arrangement
Best Dried Arrangement
Best Sunflower
Biggest Sunflower Face
Young Growers – Best Arrangement

SCARECROW CONTEST
Sunday Judging, 3:00 p.m.
Spook the crows with your original creation.  Bring your entry, or make one at the Fair.  Straw and a limited number of poles will be available at the Fair.  Great for a group, class or family activity.

FOOD
Saturday Judging, 11:00 a.m.
Best Apple Pie
Best Pesto
Best Salsa
Best Savory Relish/Preserves
Best Jam/Jelly
Best Quick Bread/Muffins
Best Cookies/Dessert Bars
Young Baker – Baked Goods

For more information, contact the Norman Bird Sanctuary office at 401-846-2577 or [email protected]

Begonia Show and Sale ~ September 20-21, 2008

From the RI Begonia Society:

Hey there begonia lovers!
We have a special treat this month... a road trip! The weekend of September 20th and 21st is the annual combined show and sale of the Buxton Branch of the American Begonia Society and the Gesneriad Society. It will be held at Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA. No official meeting and the only agenda is to have a good time and maybe pick up a cool new begonia.   Please consider entering a begonia or three; it's a great way to learn about showing your plants. I hope to see lots of our members there... this is the place and the show you will remember with pleasure through the coming winter. As always, feel free to call or email Linda Kammerer with questions or comments.

Stillwater Pond Paddle & Walk ~ September 25, 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Bruce Hooke, 401-351-5747, [email protected]

STILLWATER POND PADDLE AND WALK ON SEPTEMBER 25

On Thursday, September 25 at 5:30pm the Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council (WRWC) is leading a canoe/kayak trip and walk on the Woonasquatucket River, Stillwater Pond and the Stillwater Scenic Trail in Smithfield, in the upper part of the Woonasquatucket River Watershed. This easy paddle and walk will give participants a chance to paddle the deepest valley in the Woonasquatucket watershed, under the historic Smithfield Viaduct, and into Stillwater Pond and then walk for a bit on the scenic trail, before returning to the boats to paddle back to the starting point.
The WRWC has some canoes and kayaks available but participants are encouraged to bring their own boat if they have one. Life jackets and paddles will be provided with the WRWC’s boats, but must be brought by the paddler if they use their own boat. For participants who are using a WRWC boat, there is a suggested donation of $10/person. For participants bringing their own boat, the WRWC would welcome a donation.
Please bring a flashlight as well for this paddle (at least one per boat). We will be getting back to the put-in at around sunset and regulations require that all canoes and kayaks on the water after sunset have a flashlight on board.
This event is part of a series of paddling events called “Explore the Woonasquatucket,” organized by the WRWC this summer and fall throughout the Woonasquatucket River Watershed. Details on the full schedule of paddling events is available on the WRWC website: woonasquatucket.org .
This paddle is also one of the events in the Greenways Alliance of Rhode Island’s “Rhode Island Trails and Greenways Month” series. For more information on this statewide program of events, see the Greenways Alliance website: http://www.rigreenways.org/ .
To register or for more information, call or email Bruce Hooke at the Watershed Council at (401) 351-5747 or [email protected]. Advanced sign-up is required so that we can determine how many boats we need and keep the trip from getting too large.
The Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council is a 501c3 non-profit organization working to promote environmental, recreational, and cultural restoration and preservation in the Woonasquatucket Watershed.