The Dolley Madison Garden Club works alongside the Garden Club of America and the Garden Club of Virginia to promote responsible environmental stewardship and to aid in efforts to "restore, improve, and protect the quality of the environment" through engagement with the community and with legislators. 

Issues for 2018​

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Invasive Plant alerts! 
Giant Hogweed has been sighted in several parts of Virginia with 2 serious cases reported in Fredericksburg. It is a member of the wild carrot family native to Asia and can reach heights of 6-10 feet or more. It looks like a giant Queen Anne's Lace. It is highly toxic! Do not touch, pull, brush against, or weed-whack this plant. Do not try to remove this plant by yourself. Direct contact with this plant sensitizes the skin to the sun and leaves 3rd degree burns. If you see or suspect this plant, contact your local Virginia Cooperative Extension Office. For more photos and information you can visit www.vainvasivespecies.org/species/giant-hogweed.  (Photo is by Robert Videki, Doronicum Kft.)

Spotted Knapweed , a non- toxic invasive plant, has been sighted in Orange County. It is an invasive biennial in the aster family that is commonly found along farm lanes, woodland roads, and fields. It releases a toxin that prevents other nearby plants from growing and impairs native flora. Removing this plant  before seeding is crucial. This plant may be pulled or weed whacked while flowering but before seed sets.
Save a Monarch! Have a cup of coffee...
 Xerces Societies’ Mace Vaughan says if you do one thing to save the diminishing Monarch butterflies, start buying only shade grown coffee. Acres of Monarch habitat is lost yearly due to clearing for coffee plantations. Traditionally the best coffee is shade grown. If you look for the label and buy only shade grown coffee, you can save monarchs and help preserve traditional lands for indigenous peoples. Americans are the bean’s largest consumers!

Garden revolution: Rethink your garden
 The take-away from this year's Shenandoah Valley Plant Symposium is to rethink how you garden. Claudia West, author of “Gardening in the Post Wild World” and Larry Weaner, celebrated landscape architect, encouraged every home gardener to consider wildlife and the insect world when designing a landscape. They urged gardeners to :reduce lawn size, leave fields natural for habitat;  plant for low-maintenance, mostly native plants which require less water and no soil amendments or fertilizer; choose plants with similar needs for the same area, for example drought tolerant catmint and rudbeckia; plant densely to preserve moisture and suppress weeds, use ground cover plants instead of mulch; and plant native shrubs, berries and trees to provide food and cover for pollinators and wildlife. And you can learn more by reading Larry Weaner’s new book Garden Revolution available on Amazon.
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​Save the Bees: Avoid Neonicotinoids in your yard and garden
 Neonicotinoids (or neonics) are insecticides that use neuro-active ingredients to affect the central nervous system of insects to cause death. Neonics include acetamiprid, clothianidin, imadacloprid (one of the most widely used of the neonics), nitenpyram, nithiazine, thiacloprid, and thiamethoam. The most comprehensive study to date of the impact of neonics, completed this year in Europe, concluded that neonicotinoids are devastating to both honeybee and native bee populations. Neonics can be found in seeds and plants sold at many stores and gardening centers and in many products, including non-organic products used to treat roses. Neonic residues can persist in plants and soil for up to six years and are poisonous to pollinators that are essential to our ecosystem and economy. Some pollinators, like the monarch caterpillar, may die after only two or three bites of neonicotinoid treated plant. 
                                 
Garden Club of America Calls For Action to Restrict Neonicotinoids. 
​On May 5th, 2017, the GCA’s executive board asked the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture to restrict neonicotinoid use in the US. The letter stressed the importance of pollinators and their role in society. GCA, concerned that consumers lack awareness of the impact of neonics on pollinators and neonic residues in plants they purchase, called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to take action to regulate neonics. The goal is to stop plant distributors from using neonicotinoids, or at a minimum, to require labeling if neonics have been used to treat a plant so that a buyer can make an informed decision.

Tips to Conserve

University of Florida research shows that landscape shrubs just need 1 gallon of water per week to establish strong roots and a healthy plant.
 It takes about 28 weeks  before a shrub or woody perennial is mature enough to survive without irrigation. The UF study concluded that no more than 1 gallon of water per week is necessary to establish strong roots and a healthy plant. Any more water simply becomes run-off and does not benefit the plant. Both native and non-native species were included in the study. Interestingly, native status made no difference in the amount of water needed for establishment. And the study showed that more frequent, lighter watering was actually better for the establishment phase then the deep infrequent watering traditionally recommended.

Tips to Save Energy

A few  simple steps each day can help you save energy. You can keep your exterior doors and windows closed when the AC or heat is on; change HVAC filters once a month; use a smart thermostat; use shades, blinds, and drapes in the summer to block the sun and to insulate in the winter; turn off lights in rooms you are not in; and unplug chargers when they are not in use. Outside, plant trees to shade the sunny side of your home to reduce solar heating. Deciduous trees will block the sun in the summer but allow the sun to warm your house in the winter. For more energy saving tips take a look at this U.S. Department of Energy website: 
energy.gov/energysaver/energy-saver-guide-tips-saving-money-and-energy-home

Treat Water Like a Precious Resource
​Every Day

You can take steps every day to use water wisely. Fixing leaks in plumbing is an easy step. Running full loads of laundry and dishes will save on water usage. Shortening shower time and turning off the faucet while you brush teeth add up in savings every day. Outside, plant with garden, border, and vegetable plants that use minimal water. Think about planting bigger borders and decreasing the amount of lawn around your home. If you do have to water your plants, using soaker hoses and watering in the morning or evening will minimize water usage and reach your plant roots more efficiently.

Good Reads and Good Viewing

Thomas Rainer and Claudia West “Planting in a Post-Wild World”
​Planning guides, plant materials and tips for better maintenance to garden for sustainability and wildlife as we face the challenges of a changing climate and landscape.

“Growing a Greener World”, Saturday mornings at 8:00 am on PBS. Host Joe Lampl visits great gardens and landscapes showcasing cutting edge green techniques like commercial rooftop gardens and public gardens reclaiming former industrial spaces.
KEEP UP WITH CONSERVATION ISSUES:
Link into GCA Conservation Watch and GCA Conservation Position Papers
 GCA National Affairs and Legislation  2018 Session
Each year Garden Club of America affiliate members from every state in the U.S. come to the Nation’s Capitol for a three day crash course in advocacy on conservation issues, followed by a strategic planning session. The session culminates in private meetings with Senators and Congressmen. This year's featured speakers included former Secretary of Treasury Hank Paulsen, author and entomologist Doug Tallamy, and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao. A recurrent theme was the devastating effect of Climate Change on the Economy. Both Paulsen and British International Financier Robert Grantham (called “Advisor to the Crown”) warned of threats to global markets, an impending world-wide water crisis and mass migrations as a result of increasingly severe weather events and droughts.  The 3 day event ended with a moving presentation by Audubon Societies’ Scott Weidensaul on migratory birds.