OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla. — There has been concern about the health and numbers of pollinators in recent years. Planting a small area around your home can provide a place for pollinators to help pollinate your fruit and vegetable plants.
Dave Gordon, UF/IFAS Extension Master Gardener Volunteer and retired Okaloosa County science teacher, will provide a presentation titled, “Have you hugged your pollinator today.”
The lecture will focus on plants to use in a pollinator garden. Dave is a talented teacher and a fifth-generation native of Okaloosa County with much experience with this topic.
This hour-long presentation will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 15, at the Okaloosa County Extension Office located at 3098 Airport Road in Crestview.
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Handouts will be provided listing many native plants to include in your own pollinator garden. Door prizes will include native plants. If you desire a future where Florida still offers wild natural beauty and want to create a pollinator garden, then this presentation is for you.
Seating is limited. So, please register for this free seminar using this link: https://bit.ly/3Q1esWJ
For additional info or for assistance, call the UF/IFAS Okaloosa County Extension Office at (850) 689-5850.
June Plant Clinic
The June plant clinic will be held Thursday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to noon in Fort Walton Beach at the Okaloosa Farmers’ Market located at 1954 Lewis Turner Boulevard, close to the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds. It will be in the open-covered pavilion.
The plant clinic is designed to provide a place and time for people to bring in samples of plants for diagnosis, including weeds for identification.
If you have a plant problem that you would like diagnosed, bring a sample of the weed, plant, insect, etc., to the clinic. Be sure to bring a fresh sample that represents what is seen in the landscape. This may include a plant stem with several leaves, a 4-inch square of grass with roots attached, etc.
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You may also bring a sample of your soil for pH testing.
While at the plant clinic, you can take advantage of purchasing fresh, locally grown produce provided by some of our local farmers at the Okaloosa Farmer’s Market.
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@myokaloosa.com.
