The Fred Heutte Center Bulletin Board

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The Virginia Beach Master Gardeners

September 2019

Fall Edition

Fall brings with the cooler weather the beautiful colors of red, orange, and purple flowers. As we work in our flower beds to rake out the dead plants we should look forward to the flowers that give us seeds. Many of these plants can be our harvest for next season if we collect the seeds and store them properly.

Cone Flower is a perfect example of seed baring and quite easily stored in a paper towel inside a zip lock bag. Keep at room temperature until you're ready to plant them. We use these seeds in our Ready, Set, Grow! Program with our 1st and 2nd graders making seed pods for them to be able to plant for spring. It makes an excellent activity for children.

Bees and butterflies are still humming about for their final flights of the season. While we can ensure that they have plenty of nectar, water, and food. We also can give them coverage during this hurricane season. Bees have several types of houses that you can purchase or make. Butterflies, on the other hand, should be placed correctly in a butterfly habitat with food and water until they form a chrysalis. Release them once they have matured, and their wings have dried.

Some examples of food are:

Monarch caterpillars eat milkweed plants and those native to Virginia are:

Butterfly Weed, Asclepias tuberosa

Clasping milkweed, Asclepias amplexicaulis

Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca

Fewflower milkweed, Asclepias lanceolata

Fourleaf milkweed, Asclepias quadrifolia

Green comet milkweed, Asclepias viridiflora

Longleaf milkweed, Asclepias longifolia

Poke milkweed, Asclepias exaltata

Purple milkweed, Asclepias purpurascens

Red milkweed, Asclepias rubra

Redring milkweed, Asclepias variegata

Swamp milkweed, Asclepias incarnata

Whorled milkweed, Asclepias verticillata

Black swallows will eat dill weed, parsley and fennel and also these plants:

Parsley , Petroselinum crispum

Dill , Anethum graveolens

Fennel, Foeniclum vulgare

Dutchmanâ€™s pipe-Aristolochia macphylla

Anise-Pimpinella anisum

Caraway-Carum -Carvi

Celery-Apium Graveolens

Dutchman â€™ s Breeches-Thamnoma Texanum

Forded Scaleseed-Spermolepis divaricata

Golden Alexander-Zizia aurea

Mock Bishopweed-Ptilmmnim capillaceum

Whorled milkweed, Asclepias verticillata

Parsnip-Pastinaca sativa

Wild Carrot-Daucus carota

Wild Chervil-Cryptotaenia canadensis

If we take care of our pollinators, they will take care of us. We learn through workshops and other Master Gardeners. There is a Pollinators workshop in October for children to learn about these creatures and how they help our environment.

Happy Gardening!

Have gardening questions? Help is available year round through the Master Gardener Help Desk by calling 757-385-8156 or email your question to vbmghelp@vbgov.com .

Zinnia

Asters

Bleeding Heart Vine

Marigold

Johnny-Jump-Ups

Primrose

October & November in the Garden

PRUNE

Birch

Black Currant

California Lilac

Common Juniper

Common Hornbeam

Dogwood

Evergreen Clematis

Field Maple

Flowering Cherry

Hazelnut

Holly

Hydrangea

Ivy

Japanese Angelica Tree

Japanese Maple

Raspberry

Roses

Sweet Gum

Sycamore Maple

PLANT

Asters

Johnny-jump-ups

Pansies

Mums

Snapdragons

Zinnias

Marigolds

Cosmos

Forget me nots

Primrose

Bleeding Heart

Start raking. Shred or compost the fall leaves and debris.
Cut back and remove diseased perennial foliage.
Finish planting bulbs.
Keep transplants watered.
Add compost to soil to if compacted.
Check to see if any plant heads are suitable for seeds.
Use leaf mulch in bags for compost.
Divide plants that have clumped together.
Check your tools ; oil and sharpen.

PLANT

Common Name: Red Spider Lilly

Scientific Name: Lycoris radiata

Bloom Time: October-November

Color: Red

Size: 4-5 feet

Zone: 5-10

Native range: China, Korea and Nepal

Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade; moist/wet areas

Deer Repellent

BENEFICIAL INSECT

Common Name: Pirate Bugs

Scientific Name: Orius insidious

Time of Year Active: fall

Where to See Them: Trees, shrubs, plants

Benefits: Pirate bugs are general predators, especially of spider mites, insect eggs, aphids, thrips, and small caterpillars.

More about the pirate bug.

GARDEN TIP

Plant bulbs with the tip pointing up. The main focus with fall months of October, November and December is maintenance.

Cleaning Clean out summer annuals replace with cool season annuals or perennials. Add compost to improve soil or raise the soil level in the bed. Fall is a great time to test your soil and add amendments to prepare for the next planning season.

A good tip is to graph out the garden area with annuals and what perennials are placed, for a more organized method of changing seasons.

Upcoming Events

Oct 5 - Children's Workshop - Pollinators and Art form the Children's Garden*

Terri Belkhov & Mary Hubbard, VCE Virginia Beach Master Gardeners

Learn about and find pollinators that live in the Children's Garden. Collect samples of native plants from the garden, dry them, then create beautiful pieces of art.

*This workshop is for children ages 4-10. Children must be accompanied by a adult. Register at art2eventbrite.com

9:00 am - 12 noon; Virginia Beach Farmers Market-Kitchen Garden

Oct 7 - Gardening Talk - Raised Bed Gardening

Tom Etter, VCE Virginia Beach Master Gardener

Learn Practical advantages and disadvantages of vegetable gardening in raised beds.

Advanced Technology Center. 1800 College Crescent, Virginia Beach, VA 23453 , 7-8pm. Free & open to the public.

Oct 12 - Rain Barrel Workshop

All rain barrel workshops are held at the Virginia Beach Farmerâ€™s Market, 3640 Dam Neck Rd., 9 - 10am. Cost: $50 per barrel. Pre-registration required at www.vbmg.org

Oct 26 - Constructing a Raised Bed for Vegetable Garden

Join the VCE Virginia Beach Master Gardeners

A demonstration of the steps of constructing a raised bed for vegetable gardening.

9:00 am - 12 noon; Virginia Beach Farmers Market-Kitchen Garden

Nov 18 - Gardening Talk - Gardening for Songbirds

Jessica Ruthenberg, Audubon Society of Watchable Wildlife Biologist

Grow Wild! Learn how to attract songbirds, hummingbirds, and other desirable creatures to your property with these gardening and landscaping tips.

Advanced Technology Center. 1800 College Crescent, Virginia Beach, VA 23453 , 7-8pm. Free & open to the public.

Dec 2 - Gardening Talk - Backyard Bouquets

Mike Andruczk, VCE Extension Horticulture Agent, Chesapeake

Get creative with things from your own yard to decorate during the winter or any season.

Advanced Technology Center. 1800 College Crescent, Virginia Beach, VA 23453, 7-8pm. Free & open to the public.

Red Spider Lilly

Calendar of Events

Other Learning Opportunities:

Seed Library -Located at the Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library. The Seed Library offers free seeds for the public and information on how to grow them.

Little Free Library -Located in the Theme Gardens and kitchen Garden, offers books and magazines on a variety of gardening topics.

Youth Education -Youth programs include Ready, Set, Grow! Be Water Wise; Tree Dormancy Program; Arbor Day Program & HRAREC Gardens School Tours.

Visit our Website

If you are a person with a disability and desire any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, please contact Jill Wright at 757-385-4769 during the business hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to discuss accommodations 5 days prior to the event. TDD number (800) 828-1120.

Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Interim Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State University, Petersburg.

The Butterfly Society of Virginia

For more information, contact the society publicity@butterflysocietyofva.org
Visit our website with a click here!
BSV Publicity Manager publicity@butterflysocietyofva.org

Click the image above to visit The Muse!

Visit the
Weyanoke Wildlife Sanctuary
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Visit the
Hoffler Creek Wildlife Foundation & Preserve
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The Chesapeake Arboretum

Eggleston Garden Center
http://www.egglestonservices.org/garden-center