URI to hold GreenShare Field Day on Sept. 23
Annual event features fun gardening workshops, t
ours, activities

KINGSTON, R.I. -- September 6, 2000 -- Gardeners, environmentalists and nature lovers of all kinds can get expert assistance and a head-start on next year's gardening season at the University of Rhode Island's tenth annual GreenShare Field Day on Saturday, September 23 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event will be held in and around the Learning Landscapes Gardens on the corner of Upper College Road and East Alumni Avenue on URI's Kingston Campus. Rain date is Sunday, September 24.

Sponsored by URI's Cooperative Extension Education Center, the GreenShare Field Day will include gardening and environmental activities that are free and fun for the whole family.

"Fall is one of the best times to plant," said GreenShare coordinator Marion Gold. "The soil is warm, moisture is plentiful, and plants have time to get their roots established before the ground freezes. And it jumpstarts the spring growing season."

The day's activities will take advantage of this timing. Workshops will address tips for growing roses, hydrangeas, rhododendrons and azaleas, as well as how to create water gardens and theme gardens, among others. Also featured will be demonstrations of autumnal wreathmaking and bonsai, and a discussion of new methods of pest control.

One highlight of the day will be the presentation of a $20,000 garden endowment to URI President Robert L. Carothers by the Rhode Island Nursery and Landscape Association to help maintain the University's Learning Landscape Gardens. These gardens, which surround the Cooperative Extension Education Center, are model home landscapes designed to give homeowners ideas for landscaping their own properties while protecting environmental quality.

In addition, URI professionals, Master Gardeners, and representatives from more than two dozen local garden centers, nurseries and environmental organizations will provide educational displays about everything from bird feeding, composting and beekeeping to mosquito abatement, soil testing and weed identification. (Residents should bring soil samples for free testing and weeds and pest insects for identification.)

Children's activities include butterfly sand art, insect zoo, worm composting, arts and crafts, and more.

Food and music will also be available. A complete schedule of events is attached. For additional information about the GreenShare Field Day, call 401-874-2900. The event is sponsored by Clark Farms and Distinctive Landscapes.

URI GreenShare Field Day

September 23, 2000

Schedule of Events

Educational booths, children's activities, food and entertainment all day.

Lectures:

11:00 Common Sense Pest Control

12:30 Butterflies, Birds and Bees: Theme Gardens for Your Landscape

1:30 Creating Biodiversity in Your Backyard

Demonstrations/Workshops

10:15 Water Gardens: A Natural Approach

10:15 Let's Recycle: Build a Birdfeeder (for kids)

10:30 Making Autumnal Wreaths

11:15 Growing Great Roses

12:15 Bonsai Basics

12:30 Folklore of Trees

1:00 Hydrangeas: Blue and Beyond

1:00 Let's Recycle: Build a Birdfeeder (for kids)

1:15 Flower Arranging: Exotic Arrangements from Your Own Backyard

1:45 Bringing out the Best in your Rhodys and Azaleas

TBA Cooking from the Garden

TBA Tree Pruning and Planting

Garden Tours

10:30 Sustainable Trees and Shrubs

11:15 Landscaping with Perennials

1:30 Sustainable Landscaping

For Information: Marion Gold 874-5705, Todd McLeish 874-7892