Master Gardeners Workshops in Leesburg

Thursday, June 5 - Understanding Common Insects: Pests and Beneficials, Karen Ohlgren.

Thursday, July 3 - Natives and Our Soil, Ryan Reed. Come be enthralled and educated by our featured speaker, Ryan Reed. Combining his expertise in communications and soil, Ryan will bring special insights into our rich Virginia clay and the wealth of possibilities our very special soil brings to Northern Virginia gardeners. For those of you that think soil isn’t entertaining, prepare to be amazed!
Ryan Reed is an accomplished and award-winning speaker, associated with the Leesburg Toastmaster Club. A soil scientist by trade, Ryan Reed CTM, extends beyond his profession and combines experiences, imagination and stories into entertaining speeches. He is an accomplished amateur speaker, winning several contests including District level Humorous Speech Contest, and runner-up District Level International Speech Contest. Voted Toastmaster of the Year in his own club last year, he draws an audience's attention by relating at a personal level, vivid storytelling, and physical presence. He has an MS in Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy.

Thursday, August 7 - Bringing Native Plants and Wildlife into the Managed Landscape, Elaine Franklin, ASNV Naturalist, Audubon at Home Program. Elaine’s talk will address how we can practice environmentally friendly landscaping on all sizes of property: from multi-acre woods and lawns to balconies and patios. The presentation introduces the five Audubon at Home principles, which help protect and conserve our water and natural resources while providing needed habitat for native wildlife right in our communities.

Elaine Franklin is a naturalist with the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia. She is an active environmentalist in our area, leading many field activities and bringing a wealth of experience to her profession and her topic.


Thursday, September 4 - Using Native Plants:
Combining Ecology and Aesthetics, Keith Tomlinson, Managing Director, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. Keith’s current emphasis is use of native plants in the landscape. Fortunately, his position with Meadowlark Botanical Gardens has allowed him to combine his interests with his passion, resulting in a local lab and an experience that we can all admire and enjoy. Keith brings his real-world experience to us with a unique perspective and presentation style that will keep you enthralled.
Keith has twenty-five years combined experience in field botany, herbarium curation (vascular & non-vascular flora), living collections management, cultural & bio- geography, wilderness travel, rock climbing, gardening and environmental education. Education, BA West Virginia University, Masters Course Work University of Hawaii. Fellow Washington DC Academy of Sciences. Study Tour Leader, Smithsonian Associates. Previously, Keith worked at Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii as an Education Specialist in Natural History and doing herbarium curatorial work.

Thursday, October 2 - Invasive Aliens.
Richard Stromberg of the Virginia Native Plant Society will talk about non-native invasives, what these plants are, why they are a threat, and how to deal with them.

Thursday, November 6 - Using Native Trees and Shrubs in the Landscape
Amanda Caldwell, certified arborist, with Bartlett Tree. Amanda will talk about the use of native trees and shrubs in the landscape and will also bring her enthusiasm and experience to bear on caring for those specimens once they are IN our landscape.

Unless otherwise specified, all Association Meetings are held at 7 PM at the Loudoun County Extension Office, 30 Catoctin Circle SE, Suite B, Leesburg, VA 20175. Lower Level Conference Room.

Association meetings focus on a speaker of interest and are open to the general public.