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The Master Gardener Field Trip to the Camellia House at Planting Fields was enjoyed by all. A special thanks to MG Courtney quinn who led the tour and provided us with a tea treat (Camellia sinensis) to take home.

When the weather warms, March is a busy month for Master Gardeners. This may be the time for planning, pruning, dividing and transplanting perennials, incorporating native plants, sowing seed, adding beds or borders and amending soil with compost.

Here are several upcoming Master Gardener calendar dates.



March 7..........Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators (Feb. reschedule)

March 13........ March Madness: Nissequouge MG field trip

March 28.........Spring Gardening School

April 1st......... MG Native Plant Pre-sale. Last day to place an order.

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See details below for each of these.

Also, read about a new STAR recognition to honor Suffolk Master Gardeners.

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• 
  
• Spring Gardening School

Saturday, March 28

423 Griffing Avenue, Riverhead

Doors open for breakfast at 8am

Registration for Spring Gardening School continues. Here's the electronic SGS brochure . Here's the SGS registration form. Remember to select your lunch choice. Send the registration form as soon as you can.

We'll need a couple more Master Gardeners to assist on March 28. If you can help, please drop me a note at rz378@cornell.edu. Your lunch is on us.

Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators

ANNUAL MEETING

Saturday, March 7, 9:30-noon

( RESCHEDULED date)

423 Griffing Avenue, Riverhead

You’re invited to the 4th Annual Meeting of the Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators. Coffee and breakfast goodies will be available.

Since gardeners are problem-solvers, we meet once a year to discuss the ways in which we can make an ecological difference in our landscapes for pollinators and the plants they prefer. That includes incorporating more native plants, reducing lawn area, being mindful of water use and avoiding substances that threaten pollinators.

This year we will learn about the impressive role of Suffolk Libraries in distributing free seed, including native plant seed, from Hempstead to Montauk. SAP member and Reference Librarian Amber Gagliardi of the Middle County Library leads the way as the founder of Long Island Seed Libraries. Over 80 libraries are part of public seed distribution in their communities.

Regional conversations will follow.

Given the size of Suffolk, SAP is loosely organized into 4 regions: Western Suffolk ( Rt 110 to Rt 111), Mid Suffolk (Rt 111 to near the William Floyd Parkway), the North Fork and the South Fork.

Please RSVP to the leads in your region if you'd like to attend at the March 7 meeting.

Western Suffolk  Hope Kranidis hkranidis@gmail.com

Mid Suffolk Alicia Whitaker awhitaker196@gmail.com

North Fork Deb Kimmelman soltierravida@gmail.com

South Fork  Linda Whitaker lmw911@aol.com

Master Gardeners in attendance may earn 2.5 hours of continuing education volunteer hours for this SAP event. All are welcome to bring a neighbor or friend to engage in the pollinator conversation.

Native Plant Sale Pre-order

ONE MONTH remaining for ORDERS

LAST DAY: April 1st

Pick up Sat. May 2, Suffolk Farm, Yaphank

Or

Treat your garden to more native plants to boost biodiversity and pollinator attraction. Also consider these natives for a rain garden as their wonderful root systems absorb storm water runoff.

You’ll find 20 plants in larger sizes than last year (no plugs) and still at very reasonable prices.

Here's the native plant brochure https://heyzine.com/flip-book/ae79dc67ef.html

Here's the order form pdf document.

Any native plants still available on May 2 will be at higher prices. Remember. This is the same day as MAYFEST: the Master Gardener Plant Sale and gardening courses at Suffolk County Farm.

Any questions? 

Contact MG Linda Carlson lindalcarlson@gmail.com who serves as the MG lead of the Native Plant Sale Pre-order.

YMARCH MADNESS

Master Gardeners Tour

Behind the Scenes, Nissequogue State Park

Friday, March 13

10 am-noon

Saint Johnland Rd, Kings Park

(Email MG Hope Kranidis for meet up location directions.)

🌿 Join us for a special Behind-the-Scenes Tour!

Explore the gardening facility, nursery, and newly refurbished greenhouse with Horticulture Technicians Michelle Doran-Leute and Alexis Hoffman.

Get your hands in the soil with fun, hands-on gardening activities.

Bring your gloves!

Please send an RSVP to MG Advisory member Hope Kranidis: hkranidis@gmail.com if you plan to attend. 

This is a large property. Hope will provide directions to the Field Trip meeting site.

If a RAIN DATE is needed (March 20), Hope will be in touch with those who sent an RSVP.

STARS

to honor Suffolk Master Gardeners

All Cornell Master Gardeners throughout the state are recognized with NY state pins in a variety of colors once benchmark levels of a certain number of hours or years of active participation are met.

Last year, the Master Gardener Advisory Committee discussed the "gap" in recognition between the white pin for 10 years /1,000 volunteer hours and the purple pin for recognition of 20 years as an active Master Gardener.

I'm introducing an additional, complementary system to recognize the extraordinary service of Suffolk Master Gardener volunteers. Stars will be awarded between the NY State white and purple pins as follows:

Green star at 1500 hours

Red star at 2000 hours

Blue Star at 2500 hours

Gold Star at 3000 hours

Later this year, Master Gardeners will receive a star recognizing their highest level of volunteer hours achieved to date.

To be noted. Some of you always submit your volunteer hours via the MG survey. Some of you submit some of the time. Some rarely or never submit your hours. Consider this another appeal to submit your hours at least twice a year in June and December.

KUDOS to our first round of “star” Master Gardeners.

Green Star (1500+)

Jane Corrarino, Chris DeSantis, Nadja Farooq, Pat Garry, Pat Sperandeo and John Sperandeo

Red Star (2000+)  Christine Killorin

Blue Star (2500+) Doreen Monteleone 

Gold Star (3000+) Bill Weresnick

Others of you may well be deserving of STAR recognition. I can identify at least three other MGs who are deserving of star awards but I have not seen MG hourly reports from you. Please take this opportunity to update your volunteer hours, especially your LEGACY hours on the MG Survey.

Those who believe they have already met a star level, please contact MG Chris DeSantis. mrtwo1@optonline.net

Chris may also advise you on updating your hours via the MG hour reporting survey.



Caroline Kiang answering questions in the Horticulture Lab in the 1970s.

As noted a few months ago, we lost the founder of the Suffolk Master Gardener program in December. Master Gardeners between 1977 and 2016 witnessed Caroline Kiang's devotion to the success of the MG program and the 1500 Master Gardeners she trained during that time. What a legacy.

To honor Caroline, we've set up the Caroline Kiang Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is for an applicant to Master Gardener Training who has a commitment to serving as a gardening volunteer but who can not afford the program. To make a donation of any amount to this scholarship in remembrance of Caroline, please click on this link. .

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MAY 2nd Master Gardener Plant Sale

Volunteers for the Master Gardener PLANT SALE on Saturday, May 2^nd at Suffolk Farm in Yaphank.  Please text, email or call MG Denise Zizzo directly.

Mobile (631) 806-0364 Email denisedzizzo@gmail.com

MG "APPROVED" SITE

APPLICATION REQUESTS OPEN

This is a friendly reminder that MARCH 15, 2026 is the application deadline for MG Approved site requests. See the January or February MG newsletters for details.

Rain Garden Training & Composter Training

Suffolk Master Gardeners who completed the online Rain Garden course or the Composter course...

Please send your name to MG Joe Hinton jchinton369@aol.com . A capstone experience will be planned for later this year.

MG Volunteer Hours

You’re responsible for keeping track of your hours: 1) the number of hours per this calendar year and 2) the number of hours since you became a Master Gardener.

Those working on the first 125 volunteer hours need to contact me directly via email when 125 hours are satisfied.

The Master Gardener reporting volunteers hours survey is linked here. https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aiagRHzCO3z8smO

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators March 7

March Madness Field Trip

Nissequogue State Park

March 13

Drop by Drop: Our Greatest Shared Resource, Heather Coste, Director of Ecological Sustainability

Friday, April 10, 10:30 a.m.

La Providencia Auditorium, Sr. St. Joseph’s, Brentwood

Join us for a talk about water on Long Island and what we can do to protect it. Free and open to the public.

Penn State is offering a free Spotted Lanternfly webinar. REGISTER by April 3. Here's the link.

Pesticide-Free Landscapes

If you missed this webinar, you can watch the full recording here:

Pesticide-Free Landscapes for Pollinators and People: How We Can Help. 

Winter Seed Sowing

The snow provided a perfect context for MGs Lynn Walsh and Diane Santangelo who sowed winter seeds with young gardeners in Brentwood, the Sisters of Saint Joseph campus.



The Southold Girl Scouts also learned how to sow winter seeds with MGs Deb Kimmelman and Linda Carlson. A similar program was offered at the Cutchogue Library. MGs Nancy Dickey and Michael Gornicki offered a Winter Seed workshop to veterans at the VA Hospital in Northport as well.

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This newsletter is posted on our MG webpage linked here.

If you have photos or news to share in the newsletter, you can email me at rz378@cornell.edu

Or...

Post photos, events and news on our Master Gardener facebook page.

Here's the facebook link. https://www.facebook.com/groups/106946829922350/

Happy Gardening!

Roxanne Zimmer

 423 Griffing Avenue, Suite 100, Riverhead, NY 11901-3071

631-727-7850

Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Cornell Cooperative Extension is funded in part by Suffolk County through the office of the County Executive, and the County Legislature.