OSU Extension Master Gardener Volunteers

Our Pest of the Month is the asparagus beetle! This insect is a particular pain to any gardeners trying to grow a spring crop of asparagus. The beetles feed on the asparagus spears, causing browning and a bent, hook-like shape. An aggressive population of these insects can wipe out a garden's worth of the vegetable. There are two different species, the common asparagus beetle and the spotted asparagus beetle (pictured below); both can be huge pests! To learn more about these pesky insects, follow the link: https://extension.umn.edu/yard-and-garden-insects/asparagus-beetles

Our Biocontrol of the Month for May is the Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (otherwise known as Hb) nematode! Nematodes, also called roundworms, are microscopic animals that often feed on other microorganisms or insect larvae. Hb nematodes are a beneficial species that can be used to attack the grubs of harmful beetles in a gardener's soil. As with last month's biocontrol, milky spore disease, Hb nematodes are often used to manage Japanese beetle populations! Different strains are commercially available to interested gardeners who would prefer a biocontrol over a pesticide. To learn more about how Hb nematodes function, follow the link: https://cals.cornell.edu/integrated-pest-management/outreach-education/fact-sheets/heterorhabditis-bacteriophora-beneficial-hb-nematode

Check out the gardening essentials our MGVs can’t live without! This week, Christine Osterman is spotlighting her must‑have tools, including the powerhouse and most recommended soil knife, perfect for digging, cutting roots, dividing plants, and tackling tough garden tasks with ease.

🌿 Celebrating Dyana Robenalt, a 15-year Master Gardener Volunteer from Athens County!

Favorite Project: "Completing the Rutgers MG course and the most recent project in the Athens, OH Community Garden called 'The Food Realization Lab", a Live Food Art demonstration garden to inform and educate the public about the importance of planting native plants for pollinators."

Our Pollinator of the Month for May is the polyester bee! These bees are named for the ability of the female to produce a type of natural plastic that lines the inside of their brood cells. Polyester bees are solitary burrowers with no known pattern of aggression towards humans (although they will sting if stepped on). They emerge each spring, build their nests in tunnels underground, and lay their eggs; the offspring won't emerge as fully-formed adult bees until the following year. Polyester bees are excellent pollinators of spring wildflowers, especially those in the aster family. To learn more about them as well as other Ohio bee species, follow the link: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/ent-85

Join us for our next Horticulture Lunch and Learn! We’re excited to welcome Dr. Curtis Young from Van Wert County for an engaging session, Shoo Fly, Don’t Bother Me: What Kind of Fly Do I See in My Garden and Why. The program will be held on Tuesday, May 19th at 12:00 PM (noon). If you’re curious about the flies in your garden and what they’re doing there, Dr. Young will help you identify common species and understand their roles—both helpful and harmful—in your landscape. Registration is free. To learn more and sign up, visit go.osu.edu/mgvlearn Bring your lunch and your questions—we hope to see you there!

From seeds to stunning blooms 🌱 Discover the gardening essentials our MGVs swear by! Take a peek at Marily Schweitzer's favorite tools, tips, and must-haves for creating an amazing garden. 🌼🪴

A gardener’s go-to: tools, seeds, and everything needed to turn soil into something spectacular! Take a look at our MGVs' favorite gardening essentials! See what Nancy Weisenberger uses for their amazing garden! 🌷

Happy May, Master Gardeners! Spring has sprung, and our Plant of the Month is a unique spring wildflower known as jack-in-the-pulpit. This plant is in the Araceae family, which also includes many tropical houseplants such as monsteras, philodendrons, and pothos. Like its hardy houseplant cousins, jack-in-the-pulpit is relatively easy to cultivate; it thrives in areas that are shady with consistently damp soil. Jack-in-the-pulpit is known for its unique flowers, which grow on a separate stalk from the rest of the plant in the form of a spadix (spike) hidden inside a spathe (a cylindrical, leaf-like bract). To learn more about this wildflower, follow the link: https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/plants-trees/flowering-plants/jack-in-the-pulpit

Camassia bulbs are winter hardy in zones 4-8. Both the plant and the bulbs are resistant to deer and rodent damage.
A lovely, spring-blooming perennial native to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Camassia’s flower stalks stand 24-30” tall and display dozens of star-like florets that open from the bottom up. Depending on the cultivar, the flower color may be white, cream, blue or purple.
Camassia is also known as wild hyacinth, Indian hyacinth and quamash. Did you know it is in the Asparagus family? What are some of your favorite bulbs?