URI Master Gardeners open their gardens to visitors

7went\ six private gardens de signed and Paintained b\ 8niversi t\ oI 5hode ,sland 0aster *ardener volunteers will be open to the public -une and and again 6ept. and Ior the tenth biannual *arden ing with the 0asters 7our.

7he gardens will be open between a.P. and p.P. each da\, rain or shine, Ior 5hode ,sland¶s onl\ state wide garden tour.

7icNets cost

and include ad

Pission Ior one to the gardens on both tour weeNends, a new sPartphone app download to help with driving directions to the tour gardens, and a linN to a guidebooN that includes garden descriptions. 3rinted guide booNs Pa\ be reTuested b\ Pail Ior an additional Iee. &hildren under

will be adPitted Iree. $dditional ticNeting inIorPation is available at web.uri.edu Pastergardener tour.

“Each oI the gardens on the tour is uniTue, evolving over the \ears and reflecting the changing interests and liIelong learning oI its gardener,´ said 0ar\ $nn %ucNle\, a 0aster *ardener volunteer who is coordi nating the tour with 85, &ooperative Extension staff. “Our volunteers are opening their gardens to the public as a teaching tool because our Pission is to help local residents choose envi ronPentall\ sound gardening prac tices. $Iter visiting these gardens, we hope \ou¶ll be inspired to go hoPe and tr\ soPething new.´

*ardens on the tour are located in &harlestown, &uPberland, East *reenwich, East 3rovidence, )oster, *locester, 1arragansett, 1ewport, 1orth .ingstown, 3ortsPouth, 3rov idence, and 6outh .ingstown, 5hode ,sland, with additional gardens in 6eeNonN, 0assachusetts and 6ton ington, &onnecticut. )ourteen oI the twent\ six gardens have never been

Ieatured on previous tours.

$ccording to %ucNle\, each gar den is uniTue in naPe and design. 0an\ support pollinators and attract beneficial insects with native and other flowering plants, while others are designed Ior hoPestead scale vegetable and Iruit production. Each garden is tended with the principles oI integrated pest PanagePent in Pind, with PiniPal or no chePical inputs or soil disturbance.