Fall 2015 Lunch and Learn Class Scedule

Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County Educational Programs

FREE and OPEN to the PUBLIC

Bring your lunch and enjoy an hour-long presentation on a plant/garden-related subject.

Noon to 1:00 PM  
Cobb County Water Lab Training Room
Located at the corner of 660 S. Cobb Drive and Atlanta Street.

Schedule and directions at: http://www.cobbmastergardeners.com

August 14, 2015  -   Plant Propagation with Shirley Priest, MG

Do you want more of your favorite plants? Join us as we learn all about plant propagation-creating new plants from existing ones!

September 11, 2015  -  Making your Garden a Bird Habitat with Les Cane from the Atlanta Audubon Society.

You can make your garden irresistible with a bird habitat and enjoy natural pest control!

October 9, 2015  - Adaptive Gardening with Master Gardener Joe Washington

 He has talked with experts in horticulture therapy and landscaping. Joe has developed a "one stop shop" with tools, tips, and techniques to keep gardening on your lifetime "can-do" list.

November 13, 2015  -  Beekeeping with Metro Atlanta Beekeepers.

Whether you have a formal garden, wildflowers, or vegetables and fruits, you won't believe the difference that honeybee pollination can make.

For questions, contact:

UGA Extension – Cobb County
678 South Cobb Drive, Suite 200, Marietta, GA 30060
Phone: 770-528-4070

 

Cucumber-leaf Sunflower

Last year I planted Helianthus debilis ssp. cucumerifolius, Cucumber-leaf Sunflower at the far end of the sunflower/herb border. These annual sunflowers are a native of  southwestern Georgia but have spread further north. Interestingly, they have only spread as far north as Macon in the interior of the state but they have spread all the way up the coast to New England.






When my friend Hal gave them to me, he warned me that they reseeded readily. The plants he gave me came from middle Georgia in the sandhill region so I wasn't sure they would really grow well up here.

I think I've proved (at least so far this year) that they will thrive and do well up here. In fact, the plants at the garden are bigger and started blooming before the plants 100 miles south of here! Very odd if you ask me since spring comes earlier to the south of us.  It will be interesting to see how well they do the rest of the year and what happens next year.

Vicki - Bed 41

This is my bee hive

 

Now this isn't your traditional bee hive but it is mine. For the last 15 years, we've had bees living in the shed next door. Some years they have a very active swarm, some years not. This year they started off slow, disappeared, then a new group moved in and the swarm has slowly grown. They don't have enough space to all fit in so I see tons on the outside of the shed.

The odd bit about this year's swarm is that it doesn't clump together on the boards closest to the hole they go in. Usually they are really close and you can't see the boards at all.

They were removed once from the shed but they came back. When the bee lady came to remove them it was very fascinating to watch. She pulled the wood siding off, broke off the honeycomb, put it in plastic tubs and also vacuumed up/collected all the bees as she went along.

I enjoy having them and as long as I don't aggravate them everything works out. Luckily the shed is in the back corner of the yard so it is easy to avoid.

For All You Bee Lovers!

Hey Everyone,

While my hive is not producing any honey, I thought all you beekeepers would appreciate the beauty of this nest.  It is so amazing to get up close views of insects in motion!  I have properly identified these wasps hanging in the trees by my home and may I present the Bald-faced Hornet.  Dolichovespula maculata!

This black-and-white relative of the yellow jacket gets its common name from its largely black color, but mostly white face.  It also has easily identifiable white markings on the tip of the abdomen.  Its habitat is the aerial nest pictured here and at peak can contain 100 - 400 members.

These hornets are quite aggressive in nature and it is said that they will attack anyone or anything that invades their space.  With their stingers being smooth, they have the ability to sting repeatedly.  Their stings contain venom, which can cause pain, swelling, and itching for about 24 hours.  I eagerly wait with anticipation!

Bald-faced Hornets Nest
Sue, I think my queen needs a name!

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Beautiful Bee or Wasp?

Hey Everyone,

With all the beautiful flowers in bloom, I have been enjoying taking some photographs of the pollinating insects in the garden.  My goal is to not only increase recognition skills of good bugs vs. bad, but also learn identification of the male and female within the species.  I ran across this beautiful bee or wasp (lower left) the other day and am trying to identify him proper.  Since we have some beekeepers and enthusiasts out there, maybe you can help me.  Have I stumbled upon a male Agapostemon splendens? In addition, is that his female counterpart above?

Beautiful Bee or Wasp?

Any thoughts or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks so much,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29

Pollinators in the Garden

To celebrate National Pollinator week, I spent quite a bit of time chasing bees, beetles, wasps and flies in the garden trying to take their pictures.  It was interesting how few honeybees I actually saw in the garden doing their job. They aren't missing, they just prefer the clover that is blooming in the grass. But don't worry, we do have lots of pollinators working in the garden! 

Most vegetables need something to pollinate their flowers
to form fruit. This tomato obviously has had a visitor or two.

One of the hardest working insects in the garden are the
 bumblebees. Sunday I found them pollinating squash,
 cucumber, tomato, pepper, artichoke and okra flowers.

Notice the pollen sacs on the legs of this bee! It has already visited quite a few flowers
to gather this much pollen. Can you find the tiny little pollinator in this picture? 



Pollen is dusted over the entire body of this bumblebee! It was fun
 watching it circle around and around the artichoke flower and crawl
through the flower gathering as much nectar and pollen as it could.

 

A lady bug (also known as a lady beetle) was busy
inside a cucumber flower.

This sunflower had quite a few different species of native
 bees and wasps busily working away on it. .

Passion vines provide nectar for butterflies and are also a host plant for Gulf Fritillary caterpillars.
Look at the far left of the picture and you can see a  caterpillar  hard at work eating the leaves of the plant.

Two native bees flying in to visit the onion flowers. It really is amazing how many insects
 utilize the them. Next year I'm going to plant onions in the pollinator border just so
 they will flower and attract more pollinators to the garden.