 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Let us answer your questions about gardening issues and plant problems. |
Call the URI Master Gardener Hotline at 1-800-448-1011 (only calls from RI, from March 1 to October 31) if you have gardening questions. |
The purpose of this website is to educate the public by providing useful information about sustainable gardening and also to provide news and information to our Rhode Island Master Gardeners. The information keeps changing, so visit us often and contact us if you have any questions or need some specific information.
URI Master Gardener Association Mission
Education: MGA is an educational organization whose mission is to educate the Rhode Island community in environmentally sound gardening practices through the dissemination of factual, research-based information.
Outreach: Master Gardenersparticipate in a variety of educational community projects around the state where they have a strong public identity that is readily recognized and widely respected throughout Rhode Island. Master Gardeners give lectures at local libraries and other venues to offer diverse educational programs for the public.
Sustainability: Master Gardeners practice and teach environmentally-sound gardening practices and promote sustainability in all educational and outreach activities.
Harvests From The Heart
All Master Gardeners have two things in common: a love of gardening and a desire to serve their communities. Their mission is: education, outreach, and sustainability.
The mission of the Harvests From The Heart project, sponsored by the University of Rhode Island Master Gardener Association, is to educate the youth of Rhode Island about gardening and to assist community-based youth groups and their adult mentors in the establishment and maintenance of sustainable gardens, while leading them to make a difference in the lives of others by sharing their harvests with local food pantries.
The Coventry Community Garden is the first of our gardens around the state to harvest crops. On June 30, URI Master Gardeners...with local resident and URI Master Gardener project leader Gail Tatangelo...together with members of the community harvested 38 1/2 pounds of lettuce, Swiss chard, and radishes. All produce was donated to the Coventry Food Pantry - just in time for the holiday weekend!
WARNING: Cocoa Mulch is toxic to dogs and cats. Visit the ASPCA Website for more information on poisonous plants.
June – July Garden Chores and Tips
Contact Us
It’s early summer…time to sit back and enjoy all your hard work through spring. Clematis, peonies, iris, and possibly roses are already in bloom and the annuals are ablaze with color. Of course, there is always something that needs looking after so here are some brief reminders:
- Trim deciduous and evergreen hedges.
- Continue mowing the lawn – keep the height to 2 ½ to 3 inches – and apply weed killer only if necessary.
- Apply grub control (the chemical is imidacloprid) at the beginning of June (no later than the end of June).
- Continue to water your perennials and the lawn as needed. Remember, the rule is one inch of water per week (this translates to one gallon per square foot).
- Deadhead perennials and annuals and many will reward you with a second or continuous bloom.
- Prune rhododendrons, lilacs, and any other spring-blooming perennials that finished blooming if you think they need it.
- Cut back yellow bulb foliage. It is also a good time to look around the garden and decide where you would like to plant more bulbs in the spring. You could order these now so you have them in time for fall planting.
- Pinch back asters and mums to encourage compact growth and more blooms.
- Roses need ongoing care so deadhead, water, and feed them.
- Be alert to insect and disease problems and call the URI Master Gardener Hotline (1-800-448-1011, in RI only) if you need help.
Having garden problems? Call the Master Gardener Hotline Monday to Thursday, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., at 1-800-448-1011 (only in Rhode Island)...March through October. In a POISON EMERGENCY call 1-800-222-1222. For more information visit the Regional Center for Poison Control and Prevention, serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
RI DEM Emergency Response 24-hour number for spills or emergengies:
401-222-3070
