Friday, January 28, 2011

Snowy Day Musings

Fellow Master Gardener Jerry Lewis shares his snowy day thoughts.

I can hear it all over the neighborhood - “Enough of this snow already!” “Isn’t it time for spring???” “Can we still go south?” - well, you can handle it however you want, but here are some suggestions:



Remember when we needed that appliance?



Be thankful you’re not a bird. 


Check out the berries you never saw before.

 [guess which tree this is in the comments - Ray E.]

Do some research on why oak leaves hang on so long.
[any guesses? - Ray E.]
Maybe work on your NCIS skills?
[Opportunity for more guesswork in the comments - Ray E.]

Be glad you didn’t cut that grass back.






Just enjoy the scenery

I’m going for a walk - see you out there!

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

2011 Winter Workshops - Creating a Butterfly and Pollinator Garden

Click on the image for a larger view
Franklin County Master Gardeners are offering five workshops over the course of the coming months. First on the agenda, Creating a Butterfly and Pollinator Garden - this Saturday, January 8th at 9:30 a.m.


2010 was a great year for our winged friends. Monarchs, skippers, clearwings, admirals, a question mark, and other Lepidoptera thrived in the warm, dry summer.   (Check out the pictures at those links).



Join Master Gardener Laurie Collins as she shares the latest information about attracting pollinators, including butterflies to your landscape.



Laurie has been working for the last two years with the Haagen Dazs funded pollinator research project at Penn State, establishing our own pollinator friendly garden and collecting data for use in analyzing bee and butterfly populations.

The class will focus on plant selection and review some of the different pollinators in our area and provide information on various conservation programs available to achieve pollinator friendly certifications.

Contact Penn State Cooperative Extension of Franklin County at 717.263.9226 to register, or click on the brochure at the beginning and print out the form and send it to us at 181 Franklin Farm Lane, Chambersburg, PA  17214.

Other winter workshops include:  Winter Sowing, Indoor Seed Starting, Proper Pruning, and Turf and its Renovation.  Look for more information in the coming weeks on each of the classes.