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 Last Call for Dig Into Gardening…Learn more about Planting for Pollinators

Are you looking for ways to enhance your landscape by planting for pollinators?  Wanting to add more color into your landscape?  This is the last call for Dig into Gardening- A one day educational program for all interested gardeners!!  The event is slated from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. at Christ United Methodist Church in Baltimore and all proceeds benefit the Fairfield County Master Gardener program.

We will also be discussing boxwood problems and offer up some other plant options for replacements.  This will be a good event to answer lots of plant questions and more.  Cost is for $40.00 for the entire day, which includes a light breakfast and lunch.  We will also have a sharpening truck on site to sharpen all of your garden tools, too!  And the Lancaster Greenhouse mobile Garden Center will be on site over the lunch hour.  For details, call OSU Extension in Fairfield County at 740-653-5419 ASAP.

Registration closes Tuesday, March 19.  Seats are limited!

OSU’s Buckeye Yard and Garden Line has good information for all….

Looking for some good information about gardening?  Check out OSU’s Buckeye Yard and Garden Line at https://bygl.osu.edu.   Be sure to check out the Seed Starting article published by Carrie Jagger, Extension Educator in Morrow County.  Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine provides timely information about Ohio growing conditions, pest, disease, and cultural problems. Articles and supporting photos are created by members of the Extension, Nursery, Landscape, Turf (ENLT) team to benefit those who are managing a commercial nursery, garden center, or landscape business or someone who just wants to keep their yard looking good all summer. Additional fact sheet information on any of these articles may be found through the OSU FactSheet database: plantfacts.osu.edu

 

The Spring 2024 Master Gardener Newsletter is here!

Spring!

In this issue:

  • Brown stink bugs in the home
  • Connie’s Corner; A Message from our MG Coordinator
  • All American selections
  • Growing degree days
  • Edimentals in the garden
  • Vernal pools
  • Cold weather and the Japanese beetle
  • Yerba maté (part 3)
  • Seeing the first greenhouse open sign in spring
  • Featured Books
  • In/Around the Garden; Featured events and event calendar

Find the entire newsletter linked here in PDF.

Got Boxwood Questions? Don’t miss the Dig Into Gardening!

How many of you are still holding on to scraggly looking boxwoods wondering if they will every begin to green up again?  Or are you trying to make the decision to start over?  Looking for a new plant species to try?  Make plans to attend  the Dig Into Gardening one day educational workshop open to all gardeners and friends!

Dig Into Gardening 2022 at Christ United Methodist Church in Baltimore

Check out the Fairfield County Master Gardener Dig Into Gardening event slated for Saturday, March 23 at Christ United Methodist Church in Baltimore, Ohio from 9:30 a.m. until 2:30p.m

OSU Extension Educator Carrie Brown will talk about all of the Boxwood Issues we have been seeing in local landscapes and possible solutions to your issues.  In addition, we will learn about Conifers in your Garden, an alternative to the beloved Boxwood and Planting For Pollinators with Scott Beuerlein of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens.  It is sure to be a day your will enjoy complete with a light breakfast and lunch.  Cost is $40.00  All proceeds benefit the Fairfield County Master Gardener Program.   To register contact OSU Extension in Fairfield County at 740-653-5419   of check out the Fairfield County OSU  Extension webpage at:  https://fairfield.osu.edu/news/2024-dig-gardening-educational-day.

Come be our guest by  checking  out the flier below  with all the details

DigFlier.2024

 

Native Grasses and Flowers for Ohio Landscapes

– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension

Don’t forget native grasses and flowers.

This week we continue the quest for native plants to enhance Ohio landscapes and will focus on how to incorporate native grasses and flowers that are appealing to both people and animals. Whether you manage acres of meadows or a few square feet in a garden bed, the addition of native grasses and flowers will be beneficial to your environment. Along with adding interest to the appearance of the landscape, natives increase the functionality of the landscape by providing benefits to the environment.

Native grasses and flowers are already adapted to our climate, soils, insects, and often thrive with less water and fertilizer than other introduced species. Areas that are often seen as “challenging” such as chronically wet, chronically dry, or sloped areas are often sites where native grasses and flowers can be established and need little follow-up care. Many native plants can be left to stand in the landscape through the winter for interest and as overwintering sites for native insects. Occasional removal of Continue reading

Native Trees & Shrubs for Ohio Landscapes

– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension

Once you have a plan, its time to select your plants.

Once you have a basic outline of the environmental conditions of your landscape and defined goals of what services you want the landscape to provide, it is time to begin researching plants that will deliver results. In this week’s article, we will focus on native trees and shrubs.

Most people don’t think of trees as flowering plants, but they are actually some of the earliest spring-blooming plants in Ohio! Tree blooms are some of the earliest nectar and pollen sources for Ohio bees. Adding native flowering trees and shrubs to your landscape can be an excellent way to provide long-term benefits to the wildlife in your ecosystem.

Some tree species to consider that are native and provide wildlife benefits include Continue reading

Utilizing Natives in the Landscape

– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension

Before selecting plants consider the goals for your native plants.

Interest in utilizing native plants in residential landscapes is on the rise and OSU Extension encourages the practice of considering native plant choices for landscape plants when they fit the site conditions and goals of the grower. Native plants in Ohio settings would be plants that were documented to have been present across the state prior to European colonization. These plants are adapted to local conditions, pressures, and threats. As a result, they typically require fewer inputs to thrive than introduced species.

Native trees, shrubs, flowers, legumes, and grasses are all options for incorporation in landscapes. Over the next few weeks, this article will cover some of the considerations for each category of plants and suggested plants for use in Southeast Ohio. The first thing we will cover is understanding Continue reading

Don’t miss  DIG INTO GARDENING – MARCH 23, 2024

Do you want to learn more about new plants to introduce in your gardens for pollinators in 2024?  How about finding some alternatives to those ugly boxwoods?  Or do you think it looks like those boxwoods are trying  making a comeback?  If you answered yes to any of those questions, then make plans now to attend the Fairfield County Master Gardeners “Dig Into Gardening” at Christ United Methodist Church, 700 S. Main Street in Baltimore, Ohio.

Our program will be featuring Planting for Pollinators with Scott Beuerlein of the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Conifers for Today’s Gardens with (Garden Bob) Bob Iiames, American Conifer Society, and OSU Extension’s Carrie Brown discussing Boxwood Problems!!

We will have a Continue reading

Last Call for Master Gardener Training 2024

Master Gardener Training Informational Meeting – Are you thinking this is your year to become a Fairfield County Master Gardener Volunteer?  If you want to learn more about the program ..what’s involved, how do I get started?  Join us on  Friday, February 23, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. at the Fairfield County Ag Center located at 831 College Avenue in Lancaster, Oh for an informational meeting about the Fairfield County Master Gardener program.  Cost for the 7 week daytime program is $150.00 which does include your training manual and handouts.     All interested in Master Gardener Volunteer training in Fairfield County are encouraged to attend. 

Please take a moment to RSVP for the Fairfield County Master Gardener Informational session here: https://go.osu.edu/ffmgv2024

Questions?  Contact Connie Smith, Master Gardener Coordinator smith.3204@osu.edu or Carrie Brown, Extension Educator  brown.2766@osu.edu.

Winter Bird Feeding Tips to consider!!

Understanding the varied feeding patterns of birds can make a significant difference in their well-being.  Some birds, like chickadees and cardinals, are year-round, while others are more seasonal.  For species like red-breasted nuthatches, redpolls, pine siski

ns,  grosbeaks, scarcity of seeds can lead them far from their usual ranges in search of food.

Diverse food choices planning for winter bird feeding involves three primary categories of food: large seeds, small seeds and suet.

Large seeds: Black-oil sunflower, Striped sunflower, Safflower, Peanuts, Shelled corn, Cardinal mixes (sunflower, safflower and peanuts.)

Black oil sunflower seeds and cardinal mixes are the most popular choices, comprising about 80-90% of seed used in Ohio. They offer Continue reading