Keep your garden thriving all summer
Many people's favorite part of summer is getting their hands in the dirt to grow flowers and vegetables. There is a lot to think about before your start planting and to keep your plants healthy through the season. As always, Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners are here to help. Read on to learn about the library events we have coming up and books I recommend to help your gardens grow.
How to help bees & other pollinators
A great way you can support pollinators is by planting things that are useful to them. While most people think of pollinators taking pollen and nectar from flowers, some pollinators also need specific plants to lay eggs on or overwinter in hollow stems. June 11, 7-8:30pm master gardener Carrie Riordan will teach you about specific plants to add to your home landscape to attract pollinators of all types during the Host and Nectar Plants for Pollinators event. For some reading on this topic check out Pollinators of Native Plants by Heather Holm and Cultivating Native Plants for Pollinators by Helen Yoest.
Answering all your plant questions
The Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners are hosting our first Plant Care Fair June 18, 3-7pm, Marvin Auditorium. If you’re having issues with the plants in your lawn, garden, landscape or home, we will have local and state experts here to answer your questions. You'll also find a variety of horticulture focused groups like the Kansas Forest Service, the Kansas Native Plant Society, the Topeka Daylily Club and Topeka CommonGround here to give advice in their areas of expertise and talk about opportunities to get involved in horticulture in the community.
If you can't make the Plant Fair, we can still help you. Now through the end of September the Extension Master Gardener volunteers are available on our Response Line! These trained volunteers are prepared to answer any lawn, garden, landscape or houseplant question. To get answers with research-based, unbiased information, call the office at 785-232-0062, email sn@listserv.ksu.edu, stop by the office at 1740 SW Western Ave, Topeka, or use our online question submission survey to add your question to the queue.
If you want to keep up to date with the horticulture activities happening around the county, sign up to receive the Horticulture Happenings newsletter. This is a monthly email newsletter I send out with information on Master Gardener programs and events by the other gardening groups around the Shawnee County area. To sign up to receive this newsletter please complete this quick survey.
Tips to save time in your garden
July in Kansas is a tough time to be outside between dodging thunder storms, the oppressive heat and humidity, and mosquitos that take over when the sun starts to go down. This is also the time your landscape or garden could easily turn into an overgrown, weedy mess. Master gardener Linda Jakle will present Time Saving Garden Tips July 9, 7-8:30 to share practical tips to keep you and your garden happy. While no garden is truly maintenance free, changing your practices can help save time. For more reading, check out The New Low-Maintenance Garden by Valerie Easton and Low-Maintenance Eco Gardens by Fred Meyer.
Creating and maintaining a rock garden
While most landscapes make plants the main focus of a space, hardscapes like rocks and paths are worth discussing. When rocks and plants that thrive in low-moisture come together, a gorgeous and unique landscape that can fulfill a number of purposes arises. Master gardener Carrie Riordan will teach you about rock gardens and plants that thrive there at 7-8:30pm, Thu, Aug13. Take a look at Rock Garden Design and Construction by Mary Jane McGary and the North American Rock Garden Society or Rock Gardening by Joseph Tychonievich for more ideas.
