June 2023 Master Gardener News

June 2023

Pollinator Month

June is National Pollinator Month. That means this is the month to be even more aware of the key relationships between native plants and their pollinators.

Celebrate all month long by noticing native plants coming into bloom in your garden and that of others. Master Gardeners in the Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators have organized three free local garden tours for you. With gardens of various sizes and stages of maturity, these tours provide very good examples of incorporating natives and pollinators in your home garden and public Master Gardener sites. Although self-guided, gardeners will be at each destination to answer questions. Kudos to our Master Gardeners for organizing this first ever series of Suffolk MG pollinator tours. We are garden leaders, not weeders. See details below in 'Continuing Education.' Remember. Exploring on these pollinator tours earns you volunteer MG hours! Here's where you report your volunteer hours. https://cornell.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aiagRHzCO3z8smO

May Master Gardener FIELD TRIPS

Brentwood & Farmingdale

It was a pleasure to see a number of you joining the Class of 2023 Master Gardeners on their recent field trips to the Srs. of St. Joseph property in Brentwood and the Teaching Gardens at Farmingdale State College. In the photo above, Long Island Native Plant Initiative (LINPI) President/ MG Greg Lowenthal explained the process of collecting ecotypic Long Island native plant seed eventually grown out and planted in the LINPI Founder’s Plot. Sr. Karen Burke described the transformation of the multi-acre Brentwood property once dominated by lawns and turfgrass into ecological areas of forest, meadow and farmland. We joined Cassidy Kirsch from Island Harvest who discussed the importance of Master Gardeners assisting her with guiding new volunteers in the food garden. At Farmingdale, Horticulture Professor and Chair Jonathon Lehrer described the development of each of the garden rooms in the Teaching Gardens. As Brentwood and Farmingdale are open to the public year round, consider returning another time of the year to see what's in bloom.

What a wonderful response to the Class of 2023 Master Gardener graduation events ahead of us on Wednesday, June 7!

We have a full house in the morning at Landcraft Garden Foundation (Mattituck) and at Lenz Winery (Peconic) in the afternoon.

Some Master Gardeners are attending one of the graduation events. Others are attending both.

This is one of those moments when I'm reminded that Suffolk Master Gardeners are the largest posse of Master Gardeners in our state. Given our numbers, parking at either site will be very tight. Suggestions? Arrive before 9:30 to navigate Landcraft. Consider carpooling. Or plan in advance on meeting other MGs in the King Kullen parking lot on the Main Road in Cutchogue as seen on the map. Although Cornell event signs will be posted, you're well advised to use navigation tools to find your way on the North Fork.

Wednesday, JUNE 7

10 am SHARP

Landcraft Garden Foundation

4342 Grand Ave., Mattituck

12 noon

Lenz Winery

38355 NY-25, Peconic

graduation, lunch, vineyard tour & wine tasting

Notes. A few reasons to arrive before 9:30 in addition to parking.

The Plant Gift shop at Landcraft may be open before our tour begins. Too, we have a few Master Gardener regalia items for sale at the MG check in table. Please bring cash or a check for any MG items available before the start of the Landcraft tour. First come, first served.

Rain cancels Landcraft only.

You're encouraged to tour the gardens another day.

We will be inside Lenz Winery should the weather misbehave.

Master Gardeners other than the Class of 2023: $10 contribution to offset event fees.

Sarah Osborn will be at Landcraft check in.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

As June is Pollinator Month, consider this opportunity to take advantage of the self guided garden tours organized by MGs in the Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators (SAP). A special thanks to MGs Alicia Whitaker, Joan DiMonda and Hope Kranidis for their putting this initiative together.

Tuesday, June 20, 9:00 - noon

Quogue, East Quogue, Westhampton Pollinator Tour

See native and pollinator plants incorporated in three public gardens and two private homes. Begin at 9AM at the first garden on the grounds of the Quogue Library, where you’ll receive the other addresses and plant notes.

Thursday, June 22, 9:30-12:30PM

Southampton-Water Mill Pollinator Tour

Five residential native gardens, including shady, sunny, water side, beach right of way and a larger landscape will be featured. Sign-in at 11 Lake Drive, Bay View Oaks, Southampton from 9:30-10am. Handouts and addresses will be provided. The tour ends in Water Mill.

Tuesday, June 27,1:30-4:30PM

Huntington Garden Crawl Tour

Join Huntington SAP members in a Garden Crawl of local native pollinator gardens. Gardens include public spaces, a community garden and resident garden. Tour begins at 1:30 at 20 Cider Mill Lane, Huntington. Here the Crawlers will receive the addresses of the other 4 destinations.

Westchester and Connecticut also have many Pollinator Garden Tours in June. If you'd like to venture out on a road trip, Ardsley, Greenwich and Westport have a couple of sites open on the same day. See Pollinator Pathway descriptions here : https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/tours

The incessant rain at Spring Gardening School could not deter our Master Gardener volunteers! Here are MGs Denise Zizzo, Mary Jo Re, Brian Smith, Lorraine Leacock, Louise Febrizio, Jeanette DeLuc and Goia DaSilva.

Master Gardener Volunteer Efforts

We're grateful for the lobbying efforts of MG Joy Flynn on the right above. NY Governor Kathy Hochul has officially declared April as native plant month in the state.

Thanks to MG Kathy Readinger for the photo of Master Gardeners who planned and installed a garden around the event tent at Vanderbilt. Some pollinator plants have been included in the design.

Master Gardeners Carolyn Gee and Mike Gornicki are working on a new wheelchair accessible raised planter at the Northport VA facility.

The "Butterfly Garden" in Heritage Park, Mt. Sinai recently contacted me since the Master Gardener who was a leading volunteer for many years is no longer active. They have about 60 plants, including many natives from Jim Glover, that need go be planted in early June. Please contact Chris Hecht at (516) 375-1715 or chris629@optonline.net if you can lend a hand.

This newsletter is posted on our MG webpage linked here.

If you have photos or news to share in the newsletter, you can email me at rz378@cornell.edu

Better yet.

Post photos, events and news on our Master Gardener facebook page. Here you'll find information about activities and volunteer work days/times at the Medford Train Station, LINPI, Northport VA and the Ketcham Inn. Learn about the Rocky Point Garden Tour in July. Please join us if you're not yet on facebook with Suffolk Master Gardeners. Here's the facebook link . https://www.facebook.com/groups/106946829922350/

Happy Gardening!

Roxanne Zimmer

423 Griffing Avenue, Suite 100, Riverhead, NY 11901-3071

631-727-7850

Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Cornell Cooperative Extension is funded in part by Suffolk County through the office of the County Executive, and the County Legislature.