KINGSTON, R.I.-September 14, 1999 — Attention gardeners, environmentalists, those who love nature or aspire to have a green thumb. The University of Rhode Island will hold its ninth annual GreenShare Field Day on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Field Day 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. For more information, call 1-401-874-2900. (Rain date is Sunday, Sept. 26. ) Sponsored by URI’s Cooperative Extension with support from Holly Ridge Nursery in South Kingstown and Distinctive Landscapes in North Kingstown, the event will include gardening and environmental activities that are free and fun for the whole family. The field day generally attracts more than 2,000 gardeners from around the state. A highlight of the day is the wide selection of hard-to-obtain native and sustainable (disease and insect-resistant) plants. The Rhode Island Wild Plant Society will sell more than 75 different types of native and garden plants propagated by their members. Field day sponsor Howland Green of Holly Ridge Nursery will be selling a variety of sought-after ornamental shrubs, many of which are growing in the URI Learning Landscape Demonstration Gardens. Jean Haley, author of A Handmade Garden, A Planner for Growing Flowers, Herbs, and Specialty Gardens, will also be on hand to sign her well-received book. URI professionals, URI-trained Master Gardeners and representatives from leading Rhode Island garden centers and nurseries will be also on hand to analyze your soil pH (free – bring your soil samples!), answer your gardening questions and identify plant diseases, weeds and insect pests (again bring samples for analysis or identification). Plant sales by local nurseries and garden centers, environmental educational displays, lots of special activities for kids, food and music by Fourth Street will round out the day’s activities. Also on tap are three informative lectures: At 10:30, URI Landscape Specialist Marilyn Shellman will present “Landscaping by the Water’s Edge.” At 11:30, Gail Herman of Koi Villa will discuss “Water Gardening: From Beginners to Experts”. At 12:30, URI Master Gardener Brook Williams will give a talk entitled “Incorporating Ornamental Grasses into your Home Landscape.” All slide lectures will take place in the Cooperative Extension Education Center, located in the middle of the gardens. Capacity is limited so first come, first served. Garden tour & demonstration schedule: 10:30 a.m. – Understanding and Managing the Impact of Drought in Your Landscape, a garden tour by Dr. Susan Gordon. 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.- Proper Pruning – Tools and Techniques, a demonstration by David Renzi, Distinctive Landscapes. 12:15 p.m. – Handling Your Hydrangeas, a demonstration by Robert Aube and Allen Redfern, Morningstar Nurseries in Richmond. 12:30 – Visual Metaphors in Sustainable Landscape Design by URI Learning Landscape co-designer Phil Thibaudeau. 1:15 – Managing Perennials for Maximum Bloom, a garden tour/demonstration by URI Master Gardener Cheryl Cadwell. 1:30 – Growing Great Apples in Your Backyard, a demonstration by Paul Lamore, Narrow Lane Farm in North Kingstown. All-day demonstrations & exhibits include: A Virtual Garden Tour of the Learning Landscape by John Peterson, URI AES Identifying and Harvesting Wild Edible Plants, a book signing by Evelyn Dean Custom Wrought Ironwork for the Garden by Traditional Blacksmithing How to Build an Indoor Composter by Beaver River Associates Beware of the Invaders: A Primer on Invasive Plants by the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society Making Rose Bud Pomanders by Earth/Sea About those Mosquitoes… by Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, Div. of Agriculture Mosquito Abatement Program Lovely Lilies by the New England Lily Society Water Gardening and Aquaculture by URI CE FAVS Garden Tools, Accessories and Gifts by Garden Gear Rabbit Care and Fall Cuttings by Dave Chris Farm and Nursery Floral Sources of Honey in Rhode Island (live bees, weather permitting!) by the Rhode Island Beekeepers Association Preparing the Garden for Winter by The Good Earth Organic Gardening Center Making (& Tasting) Jonnycakes by Dick Donnelly Wearable Flowers by Peggy Siligato, URI Floral Arts Landscaping for Water Quality Protection by URI Cooperative Extension Water Quality Program Apple Taste Testing by the Paul Lamore, Narrow Lane Farm and the URI CE Integrated Pest Management Program Butterfly Caterpillars of Rhode Island by the Butterfly Society of Rhode Island Marine Animals & How Watersheds Work by Save the Bay RI Birds by The Norman Bird Sanctuary Winter Bird Feeding by the R.I. Audubon Society Biodiversity in the Backyard by the RI Natural History Survey Making a Terrarium by Wedgewood Greenhouse Bulb Gardens and Salad on a Stick by Nature Nuts 4-H Protecting Open Space through Land Trusts by the South Kingstown Land Trust Water Gardens! by Koi Villa Ornamental Plant and Fish Farm Watershed Management and Litter Control by R.I. DEM Strategic Planning and Policy The Relationship of the Decline of Songbirds and Coffee by Birdwatchers and Nature View What’s New in the Battle Against the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid? by the URI Intregrated Pest Management For kids: Insect Zoo by URI Cooperative Extension IPM and Entomology Program Smokey Bear and Fire Prevention from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management Beetle Rocks and Artful Flowers by the South County Center for the Arts Earthworm Habitat by Master Composter Linda Los Tibbett Chickens Alive! by Casey Farm Sand Art by the Butterfly Society of Rhode Island Native plant necklaces by the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society Incredible Insects by George Christie -xxx- For More Information: Jan Sawyer, 874-2116