Okaloosa County Master Gardeners will provide two gardening seminars this week – one on roses in Niceville and one on Honeybees in Fort Walton Beach.
Rose Seminar
Master Gardener and rose enthusiast, Karen-Kirk Williams, will provide a seminar titled “Antique and Old Garden Roses” from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, March 15 at the Niceville Community Center located at 204 Partin Drive in Niceville. The presentation is not limited to the antique and old garden roses. Newer roses that have the same qualities as the older, proven types of roses will be featured as well. Unlike the majority of roses grown today, antique roses are extremely diverse and range in size from small shrub roses all the way up to magnificent climbing roses. Most are very hardy and are disease and pest-resistant so they do not need to be sprayed. Many were brought to this country by our ancestors and, because they are not grafted, they are considered to be “living antiques”. The program will include many photographs of old roses along with photos and ideas for how to incorporate them into your landscape. Handouts will be provided and information about where to find these roses will also be available. If you want to grow the beautiful, fragrant roses grown by your grandparents, chances are they are still available if you know where to look.
Bee Seminar
Master Gardener and bee keeper, Pam Garrett, will provide a program titled “Bee Amazed” from 10-11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 16 at the Extension Annex Building located at 127 West Hollywood Boulevard in Fort Walton Beach. Learn about Florida-Friendly plants that will attract bees and other pollinators. Honeybees are amazing insects that not only produce honey, but through pollination also help produce one-third of the food we eat.
Pam learned her trade from her great-grandfather in the Appalachian Mountains of Southern West Virginia where she helped work his honeybee hives and continues the work today with her husband Mike in Niceville.
There is no cost to attend either event but please call 850-689-5850 to register for the Bee Amazed seminar as space is limited.
Larry Williams is the Extension horticulture agent with the Okaloosa County Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida. Contact Larry at 689-5850 or email lwilliams@co.okaloosa.fl.us.
