May - Barrie`s Garden Club
Transcription
May - Barrie`s Garden Club
Cuttings Barrie Garden Club Newsletter May 2016 Barrie Garden Club May Meeting At the Southshore Community Centre May 3 @ 7:00 pm Guest Speaker: Marion Jarvie “Architectural Elements in the Garden” Marion Jarvie is a passionate plants woman who has been gardening in Thornhill for over forty years. She loves plants and invites any and all to her garden where you will find the hardiest of varieties Her gardens are open side by side with plants from all over the world. 4 weekends a year. She even has a tree named after her! If you get a chance – this The Prunus ‘Marion Jarvie’… is definitely a must see! Marion has been involved with both the This year they are open: Toronto and International gardening April 30th -May 1st communities. June 4th – 5th Marion is an accomplished photographer July 9th -10th and enthusiastic educator. She teaches September 24th -25th at the Toronto Botanical Garden and has 10:00am – 4:00pm lectured all over North America and in the UK. Visit her website: www.marionjarvie.com or call (905) 731-1800 37 Thornheights Rd. Thornhill, Ontario to learn more about this amazing woman! Plant Sale Barrie Garden Club At Golden Meadow Park on Hurst St at 9:00am Saturday May 28th Barrie Garden Club Spring Seminar Stupendous Success! A great big thank-you to Jane Falls and her team for yet another amazing day at our annual Spring Seminar! Here are some of the tips that came from our fantastic speakers! Frankie (Flower) Ferrigine *Water first then fertilize *Bloom before you prune *Pick pots that will over winter *Zone 5A – last frost day is June 1st *the higher up it is – the colder it is *no more than 3 colours in a pot *white or pastel colours for North facing area *bright colours for bright sun *potted plants do better in groupings – they create their own humidity *use “Bug Be Gone” when you bring plants in for the winter * Don’t worry if your plants inside don’t do anything from October to March because they’re dormant! *lilies are poisonous to cats More info at: [email protected] Lexi Dearborn *Hydrangeas – don’t prune and water a lot! *For pink ones – put lime in the soil *For blue ones – put alkaline aluminum sulfate *For something different, try a lavender hedge… don’t trim until after it’s bloomed, then shape and cut (around the end of July) *if you are trying to sell or house, or plan to in the future, make your garden look like it’s easy to take care of *polymeric sand is ant resistant (put in between stones or unilock bricks!) More info at: www.dearborndesigns.com And Arthur Carson – HGTV Star Check out his website at: www.carsonarthur.com Do you think Canada should have a National Flower? If you do, check out the website: www.canadasnat ionalflower.com and join the movement to vote for the Black Eyed Susan to celebrate Canada’s 150th Birthday in 2017! “Bee-Friendly” Information about bees from Pathways to Perennials The public is not only aware but incredibly concerned over the decimation of our bee populations. We have all heard about neonicotinoids and the damage they do. Whether nicotinoids such as; imidacloprid (the most widely used insecticide in the world) are the problem or not, Natural Insect Control (NIC) feels that the fewer insecticides being used, the better. Mason and Leafcutter Bees These gentle, good natured bees are amazing pollinators for spring fruit, nut trees, berries and blooming plants. They rarely sting (the males have no stinger) and when they do it is similar to a mosquito bite, which makes them a welcome garden companion. It’s estimated a single mason bee may visit approximately 2,000 blossoms a day. The Mason Bee’s name comes from using mud to seal the egg chambers within a nesting hole. A female mason bee will collect a pollen ball (as a food source for the larva), lay an egg and seal the chamber with mud, on to the next one and so on, usually laying six eggs to a chamber. They are the first bee to hatch in the season usually in late March to early April. These charming ladies love to wake to the warmth of the early morning sun, and will pollinate until day’s end. One Mason Bee pollinates twelve pounds of cherries vs. 60 honey bees to do the same job! The Leafcutter Bee is a smaller bee than the mason bee but just as gentle and as hard working. They tend to hatch out of their cocoons in mid to late July, being cued to do so by heat and daylight hours. The leafcutter bee is a cavity dwelling bee, so she lays her eggs in existing holes. She does not create holes or damage structures to make holes. Leafcutter bees stay close to home, foraging for pollen and nectar within 100m of the nest. So ‘Bee’ a part of bringing the balance of bees back! You can now get bee houses, bee attractants, and cocoons for both Leafcutter and Mason bees, nesting materials to grow your colony and literature on how to raise and maintain these beautiful and helpful creatures. Mason Bee Leafcutter Bee Care Sheet for Mason Bees Who are the Orchard Mason Bees? The Orchard Mason Bee is the common name of a native bee (Osmia lignaria ssp.) that pollinates our spring fruit and nut trees, flowers and vegetables. This bee is non-social which means it does not live in a hive. In the wild, mason bees nest in hollow stems, woodpecker drillings and insect holes found in trees or wood. You will find mason bees active in your yard until early summer at which time they have laid a new bee for the following season. Mason bees are known as gentle bees and can be observed at close range without fear of being stung. Keep in mind this non-social bees does not produce honey. What do they pollinate? These bees are perfect for spring fruit and nut trees, blueberries, and virtually all flowers in your yard needing pollination. How do you hatch the cocoons? Your bees will arrive safely tucked away in their cocoons inside a small cardboard box. These cocoons have been inspected for pests and other bee aliments. Feel free to open the box to see your cocoons. Pouring them into the palm of your hand, you should see a combination of larger cocoons (females) and smaller cocoons (males). Cocoons must be stored under refrigeration to prevent them from hatching. Return the cocoons to their carton/box, or you can transfer them to a slightly larger container. Be sure the container will allow some degree of air in/out Optimal Conditions: If outdoor conditions are not optimal (meaning that daytime temperatures are consistently below 100C/500F, freezing conditions at night), store your bees in the refrigerator’s crisper at 40C/390F. The cool dark environment of your fridge is an important factor in keeping your bees in a state of hibernation. You will also want to keep the container somewhat moist so that the cocoons do not dry out and kill the bees sleeping inside. DO NOT SOAK the container. The container can be lightly misted to achieve 70% humidity If you see hatched bees in the refrigerator, don’t panic If any of the bees (typically the males) hatch early, they will need a food supply to sustain them. A suitable food source is a cotton-ball, soaked in equal parts of sugar and water, inside the container with the cocoons. When daytime temperatures have reached about 10-130C/50-550F or 10% of spring blooms are happening, you can place the box containing your bee cocoons (with the top open) outdoors. Preferably in a spot that gets the morning sun and is safe from the weather. If you have NIC’s Bee & Bee Villa or Bee Bop Barn, place the cocoons into the baby bee nursery The nursery should then be closed (this prevents predator from hurting your bees). The bees will emerge from their cocoons, crawl out the hole in the front of the nursery. All bees will hatch within 1 week. Please note: In addition to warmer daytime temperatures, there must also be sufficient pollen available (blooming trees/shrubs/flowers) for your new bees. Tips: Please do NOT use wood blocks with drilled holes. Your bees will fail within a few years due to pest buildup. Try to avoid holding your bees in hibernation past May 1st as they will begin to die in their cocoons or may emerge too weak to fly and forage. Pollen, mud, clean nesting material, and correctly located/positioned houses are all key factors for successfully raising your bees. The mud must be moist enough to form a ball. Next Season September/October your mason bee pupae for next season will be in your reed. These reeds can be removed from the house and placed into a plastic container stored in a cold place such as an unheated basement or garage until next season. Next season place you reeds out into your house once temperature have reached optimal conditions. Care Sheet for Leafcutter Bees Who are Leafcutter Bees? The leafcutter bees are a useful friend to gardeners as they provide valuable and efficient pollination for plants such as your summer vegetable gardens. Like mason bees, these bees are cavity nesting and need ready-made nests such as soft rotting wood, pithy plants stems like roses or man-made tubes. Once a suitable home is found the leafcutter bee will build its nest using a piece of leaf for lining, which they will use to make a cylindrical cavity that looks like a cigar. Leafcutter bees will cause crescent or almost circular shaped hole in a leaf. This damage does not harm the plant. Like mason bees these bees are gentle and observed without the fear of being stung. What do they pollinate? Leafcutters are very efficient pollinators. They prefer legume blossoms, but are not limited to one plant’s nectar. These bees are summer generalist that pollinates most flowers as well as melons, peas and other fruits and vegetables. Leaf cutter bee cocoon How do you hatch the cocoons? Your bees will arrive safely tucked away in their cocoons inside a small cardboard box. These developing bees need to be protected. Leafcutter bees need a constant temperature of 350C/840F and humidity ranging between 40%-90%, at these temperatures the bees will take 23 days to emerge. At lower temperatures such as 210C/700F the emergence is will take 4 to 6 weeks. If you are hatching both mason bees and leafcutter bees, the cocoons can be placed into the baby bee nursery (loft section) of your bee house (either Bee or Bee Villa and Bee Bop Barn). The mason bees will hatch first and once temperatures are warm enough the leafcutter bees will hatch. It is typical in early spring conditions that it will take 6 to 8 weeks for the leafcutter bees to emerge. These bees need mid-to-high 70°F (21°C) to fly, but perform best in 80°F (31°C) or higher temperatures. How much coverage? Leafcutter bees forage within 100 meters or 300 feet of their nest. The average yard can use upwards of 100 cocoons. Next Season: September/October your leafcutter bee pupae for next season will be in your reeds. These reeds can be removed from the house and placed into a plastic container stored in a cold place such as an unheated basement or garage until next season. Next season place you reeds out into your house once temperatures have reached optimal conditions. Reference: http://www.seeds.ca/pollination/pollinator-profiles/bees/leafcutter Bee friendly plants? -for a comprehensive list of crops and their respective pollinator, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_pollinated_by_bees Source: S.E. McGregor, “Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants.” USDA, 1976 http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/book/index.html Have a BEE-utiful month of May!