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Garden Talk Series this year includes night blooms, dahlias and hummingbirds

By Billie Owens

Press release:

Join the Genesee County Master Gardeners for our monthly garden series, “Garden Talk." We plan to hold a variety of garden related topics on the first Tuesday of the month starting in February and running through November. (Please note: the July program will be held on July 11.)

Taught by Master Gardeners, these programs will be held during the “lunch hour” from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m. We invite you to join us and bring your lunch to the CCE office at 420 E. Main St., Batavia. This series is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

“A Photo Garden Tour of Hillwood Estates” will be the first program in the series, on Feb. 7. Get rid of the winter blues with a look at Hillwood’s spectacular gardens which contain a diverse and fascinating array of plants. Nestled in the hills of northwest Washington, D.C., we will explore the beauty and tranquility of the formal gardens that were the vision of Marjorie Post.

Explore the mysterious world of “Night Blooming Plants” on March 7. Night-blooming plants in your garden can add another dimension of enjoyment to summer evenings. While many plants bloom around the clock, many prefer the coolness of the night to release their most intense fragrance. Varieties with white flowers and foliage also reflect moonlight and give the garden a glowing beauty. Join us to explore some new ideas and learn about the flowering beauties of the night shift!

New to dahlias? Dahlias are easy to grow and yield beautiful flowers from midsummer through fall. They are also an affordable way to add spectacular blooms and brilliant color to your garden this summer. We will cover dahlia types, tuber sourcing, planting, growing, harvesting and storage. Join us on April 4 for “Dahlias 101.” Be warned, once you try growing a few dahlias, you may end up hooked.

Who doesn’t love hummingbirds! Learn how to make a copper wire hummingbird feeder on May 2. We’ll show you how to make your own feeder just in time for the hummingbirds to return.

On June 6 join us for a walk around the CCE Gardens as we take a look at the plants and scout for insect pests and diseases. Using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies in the garden can help you find a pest before it becomes a real problem.

Future topics and other Master Gardener events will be posted on the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Genesee County website at http://genesee.cce.cornell.edu/ and also on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CCEofGenesee.

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