Dan Genz, The Examiner
2008-05-13 07:00:00.0
Current rank: Not ranked

WASHINGTON -

Lorrie Andrew-Spear is a master gardener with the Virginia Cooperative Extension and hosts “The Gardening Minute” on Prince William County public television, which films programs at the extension’s teaching garden in Bristow.

How did you get into gardening?

When I lived down in Hampton about 10 years ago, I worked in storm water and prepared bay-friendly planting, got trained as a master gardener, transferred my membership up here.

How would you define your gardening choices?

I’m mostly a native plant person: native perennials, native shrubs and native trees. I like native ones because they are easy to care for.

Favorites?

Native columbine, black-eyed Susans and the fringe tree, a local native.

What’s your favorite thing about being a master gardener?

I like to help people do things in the correct way that is best for the environment, helping people take care of their lawns.

What is a master gardener?

It is a position where you volunteer to teach people how to garden properly. It’s quite popular, with more than 150 in Prince William County volunteering more than 12,000 hours a year.

You have racked up over 1,000 hours now over the last 10 years. How do you find the time?

It’s actually easier than you would think, because there are so many programs to participate in, where you can give speeches for local garden clubs, public seminars or spending a lot of time out at the teaching garden in Bristow.

We’ve had some drought conditions over the last year. What do you recommend for that?

Don’t baby your lawn. Lawns are supposed to go dormant in the summer. If you have cool season grasses, they’re supposed to turn a little brown in the summer. Change your attitude toward having a green lawn, not the best for the land.