Beautiful Gardens Begin with the Seed

 

Master Gardener, Shirley Barber, has been growing beautiful annuals, vegetables, perennials, and herbs from seed for more than a decade  Each year she and her Master Gardener assistants germinate hundreds of seeds to be used at school and community gardens.  She also installs stunning landscapes at the St. Johns County University of Florida IFAS extension grounds demonstrating  warm and cool-weather All-American Selections and other top-performing plants.  She has spoken at local events and state Master Gardener Conferences.  You can imagine how pleased we were to have her speak at our October meeting.  Her subject was, "Beautiful Gardens Begin with the Seed."  She did not arrive alone.  She brought a hand truck loaded with flats of seedlings, germination supplies, and handouts she developed to document every seasonal planting.  See the list below. 

• Beautiful Gardens Begin with the Seed

• Seed Starting Supplies and Suggested Suppliers

• Seed Documentation Planting Spring - Summer 2021

• Seed Documentation Planting Fall - Winter 2021

• Seeds from 1998-2021 (Excel/Google Spreadsheet)

Shirley is available for speaking engagements at your organization. Contact us at SwitzerlandGC@gmail.com and we'll put her in touch with you.  You can see her handiwork and that of other Master Gardener volunteers at the St. Johns County UF/IFAS extension grounds open during daylight hours at:  

St Johns County Agricultural Extension Service, 

3215 Agricultural Center Drive, St. Augustine, Florida  32092

In November our garden club with be making eucalyptus wreaths.  If you are interested in joining us, please Contact us at SwitzerlandGC@gmail.com in advance to determine the cost.  Seats are limited.

Butterflies of October

 

Our lucky winners of the butterfly rearing cage are at Alpine Groves Native Plant Butterfly Garden to release its latest occupant, Thelma.  Unlike her sister butterfly, Louise, the day before, Thelma seems reluctant to take the big flight.  We did eventually convince her that the garden was a wonderful place to stoke up on nectar before her migration south.  Bon Voyage, Thelma and Louise!

Butterfly gardening season is winding down, but while we humans stay at home, here are resources presented at the library Butterflies of  October event.  Use them to get ready for the new butterflies expected to appear in the spring.

The Butterflies of October.

A Master Class in Growing From Seed by a Master Gardener

Master Gardener, Shirley Barber, will present, "Great Gardens begin with the Seed."  Shirley is in charge of the All-American-Selections trials at the St. Johns County Extension Center.  She will describe the procedures she uses to assure seed germination, measure plant performance, and landscaping of the flowers.  The presentation is on October 6 at 10AM in the Bartram Trail Library.  Guests are welcome, but are asked to call 904-217-0584 so that we may provide adequate seating.  Master Gardeners are eligible for 1 CEU.

Librarian, Donna Braasch, stands behind a butterfly rearing cage containing milkweed plants and several voracious monarch caterpillars.  That was in mid-September.  Now, all the caterpillars have begun to pupate.  Several of them will probably be ready to emerge from their chrysalis and begin their journey to their overwintering locals.  That event may coincide with scheduled presentation on October 8 by Master Gardener Dianne Battle on The Butterflies of October.  October is an important month for local butterflies.  As the weather turns colder and fewer plants are in bloom, butterflies have to choose a strategy to survive the winter:  Migrate or Hibernate.  Learn how our local butterflies deal with this problem by attending this family-friendly event.

The Butterflies of October:  10/8 11AM 

Bartram Trail Library.  register at www.sjcpls.org

Free raffle for butterfly rearing cage (must be present to win)

 

If any of our butterflies are ready to emerge from the rearing cage, we'll feature a trip to Alpine Groves Freedom Butterfly Garden after the presentation.