by Barbara Faurot Emily Dickinson saved seeds “in homes of paper until the sun calls them.” For the 19th-century poet, these seeds were collected from last year’s garden, received from friends, or bought in the shops or from catalogs. In Jefferson County, we have a strong community of seed farmers, sowers, and savers to carry […]
by Barbara Faurot Let’s start with one of my personal interests: helping pollinators! One of the small pleasures of the spring is the arrival of our native pollinators: hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, bees, flies, wasps, and beetles. Spending time planting, weeding, pruning, mulching, field sketching, or simply observing contributes to our own well-being. Plus, our gardens […]
If you have shrubs and trees that outgrow their selected spot, begging to dominate your entire yard, this is the video for you. It is the first in a series by Plant Amnesty, an organization created with the sole purpose of ridding the world of bad pruning forever.
submitted by Plantnut nerdus written by Lloyd Eighme, retired entomologist Washington State University You may have wondered what insect cuts such neat circles from the edges of leaves on your rose bush. It makes the leaves look a bit ragged, but I hope you will forgive the little leafcutter bees that do that because they are […]
https://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/09/13/food-nutrients-carbon-dioxide-000511 The nutrition in fruits, grains, and vegetables is decreasing worldwide. This article, which appeared in Politico, October 2017, written by Helena Bottemiller Evich, helps to explain why: Irakli Loladze is a mathematician by training, but he was in a biology lab when he encountered the puzzle that would change his life. It was in […]
It is nearly tomato growing season again and Dick Schneider’s advice on growing tomatoes in the Pacific Northwest is as invaluable as ever. *Save the Date: The Jefferson County Master Gardeners are sponsoring a trip to RainCoast Farm on September 15th. Our trip starts at Far Reaches Farm, 11:00 am, then travels on to RainCoast […]
Jefferson County Master Gardeners who attended the February 9 lecture and meeting in Chimacum got a crash course in honey bee biology from Harold Prather, treasurer of the East Jefferson County Beekeeper’s Association, http://ejbees.org/ This is the slow season for beekeepers like Prather, when cold temperatures keep their colonies tucked in their hives, clustered together […]
This year’s Home and Garden Show was a great success. Below is the link to the magazine, with lots of good information. Forward to page 14 to find a write-up on our very own Master Gardener’s: http://www.ptleader.com/special_sections/home-garden-magazine/html_99ef7de4-f545-11e6-8130-3f8af08ff678.html
In Wyoming County, Pennsylvania: A family of bears were found dead after ingesting parts of an English Yew (Taxus Baccata) ornamental in a church garden. The article below explains why this isn’t a good plant for your landscape: https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonwells/family-of-bears-falls-victim-to-2016?utm_term=.dqPogmYDw#.nmKzOR7pA
Click on the link below to read this wonderful article about the interconnectedness of trees and the community they create for all of us: The Secret Life of Trees: The Astonishing Science of What Trees Feel and How They Communicate
