Greene Gardens: Master Gardeners Help Pollinators

“Without bees, the world’s food supply would be cut drastically, threatening the survival of many plants, animals and humans,” said Connie Schmotzer, a Penn State Extension coordinator and horticulture educator. “Life, as we know it, would be much different — and not for the better.”

The prognosis for bees is a great concern, with noticeable declines in population across North America. Master Gardeners across the state, including Greene County, are helping to remedy this through their Pollinator Preferences and Pollinator-Friendly Garden Certification programs.

You can join their efforts by providing food and habitats that are pollinator friendly. Pollinators will, in turn, provide the pollination needed to protect our plant diversity and food sources. Planting trees, shrubs, and flowers from the list of pollinator friendly plants native to PA is a great way to start. You can even certify your property as “Pollinator Friendly.” This will help support a healthy ecosystem for our community and our future.

If you aren’t sure where to start, the Pollinator Preference Program guides homeowners and gardeners on the best flower varieties to attract and support pollinators. To decide what plants should be recommended, a series of trials are being conducted across the state.

The first series of trials ran from 2012-2015 and Master Gardeners across Pennsylvania monitored three plants – anise hyssop, Helen’s flower, and obedient plant – and their cultivars weekly for pollination visitation. The success of the first trail led to a second trial, now in its final year. The second trial monitored varieties of bee balm and threadleaf tickseed. The Greene County Master Gardeners have participated in both 3-year studies.

“We were looking for a new place for our garden and the raised beds in front of the draft horse barn at the fairgrounds were available. They were falling apart, but we fixed them up,” says Cheryl Brendel, Greene County’s Master Gardener Coordinator for the past five years. Both 8x12’ beds are cared for by the Master Gardeners, although only one is used for the study. The other is planted with a variety of flowers donated by the Master Gardeners.

The plants in the study are monitored for 4 different bee species – honey bee, bumble bee, green metallic bee, and carpenter bee – for a five-minute period. Data collected during monitoring is compiled monthly and turned in. To keep the data consistent, all plants used in the study are from the same seed and come from the same provider.

“The Master Gardeners are about research-based education,” Cheryl adds. “We also go out and do things for the community.”

During the course of the year, our Master Gardeners help teach poison prevention in area schools, hold seminars, volunteer at community events, answer gardening phone calls, and more. Their Spring Gardening seminar is usually held around March or April and helps raise funds for the program, as well as provide a community service. They are also instrumental in the Tiny Tim Tomato Project held yearly at Bowlby, Flenniken, and Fredericktown libraries.

There are currently 15 Master Gardeners in Greene County. Each of the master Gardeners has their own specialty or interest; some have orchards, others are interested in flowers or vegetables. Master Gardener trainees are required to participate in a minimum of forty hours of basic training, score 80% on the final exam, and fulfill 50 hours of volunteer service.

If you are interested in being a Master Gardener, there will be a training course beginning in October. Interviews for the class will start this summer. The cost is $200 (includes manual) and classes will be held at the Extension office at 26 W. High Street in Waynesburg. To sign up, contact Cheryl Brendel at 724-627-3745. For more information about the Master Gardeners or the Pollination programs, visit extension.psu.edu.

Published in July 2018 GreeneScene Magazine.