Welcome to the University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners’ Home Page The University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners are dedicated, trained volunteers who share a love of gardening and horticulture. Through community service and educational outreach, they provide home gardeners and community organizations the knowledge and skills to create healthy, sustainable gardening environments. Since 1977, Master Gardeners have volunteered at the University of Rhode Island CELS Kathleen M. Mallon Outreach Center, answering public inquiries and providing information on all areas of plant health and gardening practices, as well as participating in a variety of community garden projects.  The University of Rhode Island Master Gardeners Association mission includes: Education: The Association 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 Gardeners participate 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. Please visit this site for information and contact us if you have any questions or need some specific information.

Finally, It's February by Cynthia Drummond

"The February sunshine steeps your boughs and tints the buds and swells the leaves within." -  William C. Bryant Many people who live in New England escape to southern climes in the winter, but one of the things I love about living here is the change of seasons. That change is ongoing and incremental, so we often don’t even notice it until, one day, a cardinal sings his spring song or we don’t have to turn on the lights until much later in the afternoon.

In Rhode Island the snow is gone, leaving lumpy, frozen ground. Too bad. It was so good for the perennial beds. But as gardeners, we are constantly planning and looking forward to the next season. There are a few garden tasks we can undertake as February offers its first quiet suggestions of the spring to come: Seeds: Go through all those tempting catalogs again and make your final selections. Order your seeds and make sure your seed-starting system – whichever one you prefer – is ready to go, along with sterilized seed starting mix. If you’re like me you are itching to start your seeds ASAP but please wait until March so they don’t get all leggy and weak. Pruning: Late February is a good time to prune many trees. Here is a guide explaining how, what and when to prune. Houseplants: Check your plants for dead foliage, diseases, and insects. The longer days and stronger sunlight will prompt many of them to start growing and/or flowering. This is a good time repot, if necessary, and to begin fertilizing again if you stopped feeding during the early winter. The Garden: Get out there and take a walk around. Look for broken branches on trees and shrubs and clean up if necessary. Rake up spent birdseed under your feeders but don’t stop feeding yet. (Check for interesting birds’ nests that are usually hidden by summer foliage.) Tilt your face to the sun and notice how much stronger it is. Be glad you live in a place where you can experience the first hints of spring!