North Fulton Master Gardeners

Want to become a Georgia Green Landscape Steward? 🌿🐞

Our Master Gardeners are teaching classes from the GGLS program at libraries across Fulton county this summer! Check out our newest blog post to find out where and when! ➡ https://site.extension.uga.edu/fultonag/2024/07/learn-to-become-a-georgia-green-landscape-steward-from-our-master-gardeners/

Opinion: The wild, wonderful world of worms "Yucky! Slimy! Gross! These are the adjectives used to describe the unsung hero of the garden, the lowly worm. Yet worms do so much, from building healthy soil to helping

Climate Watch Volunteers Needed

Can you identify Eastern Bluebirds, Brown-headed and White-breasted Nuthatches, American Goldfinches, or Eastern Towhees by sight and sound? Would you like to use your birding skills to advance our understanding of climate change's impact on birds? If you answered yes to the above questions, then Climate Watch may be for you.

This innovative community science program enlists volunteer birders across North America to survey for one of our twelve target species in the same place (or places) twice each year. By sticking to a scientific protocol and sharing their results, these community scientists help track whether birds are moving in accordance with projections from Audubon's climate models.

This is a scientific effort, so following the protocol precisely is important. To that end, Audubon has recruited a network of Climate Watch coordinators to help participants get the technical details right, including the selection of a survey plot and sharing results with Audubon's climate scientists.

Climate Watch participants do not need to be expert birders but should know how identify target species by sight and sound or be interested in learning to do so.

The next Climate Watch period runs from May 15 to June 15, 2024. If you're interested in learning more, visit the Climate Watch website or reach out to Adam Betuel via email at [email protected]

Eastern Bluebird. Photo by Esther Little, Audubon Photography Awards.

🌱SEED SUNDAY🌱

Are you planning on saving seeds this fall? The time to prepare is now!

To save seeds that are the same variety as the parent plant, here are some methods to help prevent cross-pollination:

Isolating plants by distance: In general, plants that self-pollinate require less isolation distance, while plants that cross-pollinate require greater distances, sometimes up to several miles.

Isolating by containment: Plants can be isolated in netted ‘cages’ which prevent pollinating insects from entering the caged area. Either an entire plant can be blocked, or blossom-bagging an individual flower. Most netting can keep out insects, but is not effective for blocking pollen picked up by the wind.

Isolating by timing: The gardener will determine the length of time needed from planting to the time of flowering, and sow them in sequence so the flowering time will not overlap.

For more on seed saving techniques, visit this site: https://seedsavers.org/learn/seed-saving/

We are excited to launch our new Community Composting Program tomorrow! Stay tuned for details tomorrow morning! 💚♻️🍎🥕

Check out what we have coming up in May! Want to learn more and register ➡️ Click here: https://alpharetta-community-agriculture-program.square.site/

Fireflies, or lighting bugs, as they're commonly known, are neither flies nor bugs. They're beetles.
As spring evenings warm, fireflies arrive to entertain us with their courtship performances, remaining until the chill of winter kills them off. These nocturnal fliers have light-producing organs at the rear of the abdomen. Within these structures, two chemicals combine to produce light in a process that's virtually 100-percent energy efficient, so no heat is generated. The resulting light may be greenish, orange or yellow. Georgia's lightning bugs start flying on warm spring evenings. The fireflies patrolling are males, scanning for mates. In their courtship, females sit on vegetation and send out their light signals, which males cue in on. Each firefly species has a distinctive flash pattern, lasting for a specific time and with a definite interval between pulses. This allows the sexes to identify one another. In a deceptive strategy, some female fireflies mimic other firefly species' flash patterns, luring in foreign males. These predatory females then eat the hapless males. Male fireflies feed on nectar and pollen. Firefly larvae generate light, too. They're called glowworms. Looking like aliens from outer space, these flattened, soft-bodied creatures have broad plates down their backs.
Because they're susceptible to dehydration, glowworms gravitate to moist areas, especially low-lying spots around streams and marshes.
On dark nights, glowworms may be seen crawling in leaf litter or rotting logs. They feed on slugs, snails and earthworms, injecting a toxin that paralyzes prey several times larger than themselves. Children who catch fireflies often notice a distinct odor left on their hands after the lightning bug is released. The beetle produces this chemical to repel predators. Georgia has several dozen firefly species, ranging from less than half an inch to almost an inch long. Our most common species are black or gray with white, yellow and red markings. Because each species has its own flight style and flash pattern, anyone can study and identify the different species inhabiting an area. One species flies very high, dancing among the treetops. Another flies just out of human reach, dipping in a J-shaped swoop as it flashes. On rainy evenings, tiny woods-inhabiting fireflies mimic fairy lanterns bouncing around in knee-high flight. (Nancy Hinkle is an Extension Service entomologist with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
For more information visit: https://secure.caes.uga.edu/extension/publications/files/pdf/C%201213_3.PDF

For more information on helping track and conserve threatened species in our area visit: https://www.fireflyatlas.org/

Get rid of old chemicals on May 11 by bringing them to the spring Household Hazardous Waste Day! Gas, pesticides, motor oils and more tricky-to-dispose of materials will be accepted. For a full list and details, visit www.roswellgov.com/hazardouswaste

POP UP class ➡ Learn the basics of growing and maintaining some of the most popular herbs, including basil, cilantro, parsley, sage, oregano, and many more. Each participant will take home 3-4 herb seedlings to get their kitchen herb garden started!

Register here: http://apm.activecommunities.com/alpharetta/Activity_Search/64655

PARENTS! Do you have an amateur cook just waiting to sharpen their cooking skills? Join us this summer for a 2-week kids’ cooking camp that will walk them through the basics and teach them how to prepare balanced and tasty meals! There is limited availability, so sign up now!!

Register here:
tinyurl.com/ffletthemcook

CNC member presale is open! Secure your preferred date and time today and join us as we celebrate all things pollinators with live entertainment, games, the amazing Butterfly Encounter, and more.

Purchase tickets at the link in our bio.

Paper Clover Week is here! Make sure to visit the Fairburn Tractor Supply Company to purchase a paper clover for $1 between April 24 and May 5! The proceeds from the campaign will be put toward providing leadership and citizenship programming for youth right here in Fulton County!

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Join our Master Gardeners at the GROWL Garden for their Spring Opening!

This Saturday, you can rent a plot in the community garden, check out the plant and seed swap, and peruse gardening vendors. Bring your gardening questions, because our master gardener volunteers can help!

Saturday, April 27th, 9am - 1pm
GROWL Garden at Camp Truitt
4300 Herschel Rd.
College Park, GA 30337

South Fulton Master Gardeners

N. Fulton Master Gardeners: 23rd Annual Garden Faire N. Fulton Master Gardeners: 23rd Annual Garden Faire in Alpharetta

Pink lady’s slipper (Cypripedium acaule) is at its southern range in north Georgia, as far south as Harris County. This beautiful orchid belongs to a genus that has several other species native to the US, one other to Georgia. The pink lady’s slipper is found in mature pine woodlands and is extremely hard to relocate. Other species are not as difficult and are being grown in cultivation even.

Plants are only mature or healthy enough to bloom if they produce a pair of leaves. They are pollinated by bees. According to USDA: In order to survive and reproduce, pink lady's slipper interacts with a fungus in the soil from the Rhizoctonia genus. Generally, orchid seeds do not have food supplies inside them like most other kinds of seeds. Pink lady’s slipper seeds require threads of the fungus to break open the seed and attach them to it. The fungus will pass on food and nutrients to the pink lady's slipper seed. When the lady’s slipper plant is older and producing most of its own nutrients, the fungus will extract nutrients from the orchid roots. This mutually beneficial relationship between the orchid and the fungus is known as “symbiosis” and is typical of almost all orchid species.

We love our volunteers! From the bottom of our Land Grant University hearts, thank you to our 90k+ Extension Master Gardener volunteers for always answering the call (& email!) to support and protect local communities and plants everywhere.

It's Volunteer Appreciation Week, and we want to shout out our incredible Master Gardener Extension Volunteers!

Fulton County Extension's MGEVs are a dedicated and skilled group of people who contribute countless hours to sharing horticulture knowledge with you! 🌻🌷🌼

Have you had a great experience with a Fulton County master gardener? Share your story in the comments!

Georgia Master Gardener Program North Fulton Master Gardeners South Fulton Master Gardeners

Happy Earth Day from all of us here at the North Fulton Master Gardeners!

It was a pleasure to have you there Peggy's Daylilies

Thank you Greater Atlanta Begonia Society for being there. It was a pleasure to host you!

Appen Media's "Garden Buzz" guest columnist Carole MacMullan, North Fulton Master Gardener and UGA Extension Fulton County volunteer writes about camellias in this week's Garden Buzz column.
https://issuu.com/appen-inc/docs/jc_120723_32_w/28
UGA Extension
Georgia Master Gardener Association
Georgia Master Gardener Program

Appen Media's "Garden Buzz" guest columnist Carole MacMullan, North Fulton Master Gardener and UGA Extension Fulton County volunteer writes about tulips in this week's Garden Buzz column.
https://issuu.com/appen-inc/docs/ssc_120723_16_w/12
UGA Extension
Georgia Master Gardener Association
Georgia Master Gardener Program

Did you that the U.S. Department of Agriculture just updated their plant hardiness zone map? This is the first update to the map since 2012!

You may be used to Fulton County being in Zone 7b. However, due to global climate change and the Atlanta urban heat island, most of Fulton County is now in Zone 8a! Some areas, including East Point, College Park, Union City, and Fairburn are now in Zone 8b.

This has implications for gardeners and plant lovers. The USDA plant hardiness map tells us what plants have the best chance of growing in a particular location based on the lowest temperatures they can tolerate. However, according to the USDA, "many other environmental factors, in addition to hardiness zones, contribute to the success or failure of plants."

Check out the new map ⤵
https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

Appen Media's "Garden Buzz" guest columnist Carole MacMullan, North Fulton Master Gardener and UGA Extension Fulton County volunteer writes about tulips in this week's Garden Buzz column.
UGA Extension
Georgia Master Gardener Association
Georgia Master Gardener Program

Opinion: Plant tulips this fall and be rewarded in the spring "Are you looking for a pop of red, orange, yellow or pink color in your spring garden? I have a suggestion, plant tulip bulbs in November or December."

🍁🌿 As Thanksgiving week is nearly here, we wish our incredible North Fulton Master Gardeners and all our friends and neighbors a Thanksgiving filled with warmth, joy, and the bountiful beauty of nature. Your dedication to cultivating vibrant gardens and nurturing our community is truly something to be grateful for. May your day be filled with the love of family, the laughter of friends, and the simple pleasures of a harvest well-tended. Happy Thanksgiving! 🌻🦃

Appen Media's "Garden Buzz" guest columnist Marlysa Rae-Jacobus, North Fulton Master Gardener and UGA Extension Fulton County volunteer writes about more top gardening jobs for the fall season in this week's Garden Buzz column.
https://issuu.com/appen-inc/docs/fh_111623_24_w/18
UGA Extension
Georgia Master Gardener Association
Georgia Master Gardener Program