May - Barrie`s Garden Club

Cuttings
Barrie Garden Club Newsletter
May 2016
Barrie Garden Club May Meeting
At the Southshore Community Centre
May 3 @ 7:00 pm
Guest Speaker:
Marion Jarvie
“Architectural Elements in the Garden”
Marion Jarvie is a passionate plants woman who has been gardening in Thornhill
for over forty years. She loves plants and invites any
and all to her garden
where you will find the hardiest of varieties
Her gardens are open
side by side with plants from all over the world.
4 weekends a year.
She even has a tree named after her!
If you get a chance – this
The Prunus ‘Marion Jarvie’…
is definitely a must see!
Marion has been involved with both the
This year they are open:
Toronto and International gardening
April 30th -May 1st
communities.
June 4th – 5th
Marion is an accomplished photographer
July 9th -10th
and enthusiastic educator. She teaches
September 24th -25th
at the Toronto Botanical Garden and has
10:00am – 4:00pm
lectured all over North America and in the UK.
Visit her website: www.marionjarvie.com
or call (905) 731-1800
37 Thornheights Rd. Thornhill, Ontario
to learn more about this amazing woman!
Plant Sale
Barrie Garden Club
At Golden Meadow Park on
Hurst St at 9:00am
Saturday May 28th
Barrie Garden Club Spring Seminar Stupendous
Success!
A great big thank-you to Jane Falls and her team for yet
another amazing day at our annual Spring Seminar!
Here are some of the tips that came from our fantastic speakers!
Frankie (Flower) Ferrigine
*Water first then fertilize
*Bloom before you prune
*Pick pots that will over winter
*Zone 5A – last frost day is
June 1st
*the higher up it is – the
colder it is
*no more than 3 colours in a
pot
*white or pastel colours for
North facing area
*bright colours for bright sun
*potted plants do better in
groupings – they create their
own humidity
*use “Bug Be Gone” when you
bring plants in for the winter
* Don’t worry if your plants
inside don’t do anything from
October to March because
they’re dormant!
*lilies are poisonous to cats
More info at:
frankie@frankieflowers.com
Lexi Dearborn
*Hydrangeas – don’t prune
and water a lot!
*For pink ones – put lime in
the soil
*For blue ones – put alkaline
aluminum sulfate
*For something different, try
a lavender hedge… don’t trim
until after it’s bloomed, then
shape and cut (around the end
of July)
*if you are trying to sell or
house, or plan to in the
future, make your garden look
like it’s easy to take care of
*polymeric sand is ant
resistant (put in between
stones or unilock bricks!)
More info at:
www.dearborndesigns.com
And Arthur Carson – HGTV Star
Check out his website at: www.carsonarthur.com
Do you think
Canada should
have a
National
Flower?
If you do,
check out the
website:
www.canadasnat
ionalflower.com
and join the
movement to
vote for the
Black Eyed
Susan to
celebrate
Canada’s 150th
Birthday in
2017!
“Bee-Friendly”
Information about bees from Pathways to Perennials
The public is not only aware but incredibly concerned over the decimation of our bee populations. We
have all heard about neonicotinoids and the damage they do. Whether nicotinoids such as; imidacloprid
(the most widely used insecticide in the world) are the problem or not, Natural Insect Control (NIC)
feels that the fewer insecticides being used, the better.
Mason and Leafcutter Bees
These gentle, good natured bees are amazing pollinators for spring fruit, nut trees,
berries and blooming plants. They rarely sting (the males have no
stinger) and when they do it is similar to a mosquito bite, which makes
them a welcome garden companion. It’s estimated a single mason bee
may visit approximately 2,000 blossoms a day.
The Mason Bee’s name comes from using mud to seal the egg
chambers within a nesting hole.
A female mason bee will collect a pollen ball (as a food source for the larva),
lay an egg and seal the chamber with mud, on to the next one and so on,
usually laying six eggs to a chamber.
They are the first bee to hatch in the season usually in late March to
early April. These charming ladies love to wake to the warmth of the early
morning sun, and will pollinate until day’s end.
One Mason Bee pollinates twelve pounds of cherries vs. 60 honey bees to do the same job!
The Leafcutter Bee is a smaller bee than the mason bee but just as gentle and as hard working. They
tend to hatch out of their cocoons in mid to late July, being cued to do so by heat and daylight hours.
The leafcutter bee is a cavity dwelling bee, so she lays her eggs in existing holes. She does not create
holes or damage structures to make holes. Leafcutter bees stay close to home, foraging for pollen and
nectar within 100m of the nest.
So ‘Bee’ a part of bringing the balance of bees back! You can now get bee houses, bee attractants, and
cocoons for both Leafcutter and Mason bees, nesting materials to grow your colony and literature on
how to raise and maintain these beautiful and helpful creatures.
Mason Bee
Leafcutter Bee
Care Sheet for Mason Bees
Who are the Orchard Mason Bees?
The Orchard Mason Bee is the common name of a native bee (Osmia lignaria ssp.) that pollinates our
spring fruit and nut trees, flowers and vegetables. This bee is non-social which means it does not live in
a hive. In the wild, mason bees nest in hollow stems, woodpecker drillings and insect holes found in trees
or wood. You will find mason bees active in your yard until early summer at which time they have laid a
new bee for the following season. Mason bees are known as gentle bees and can be observed at close
range without fear of being stung. Keep in mind this non-social bees
does not produce honey.
What do they pollinate?
These bees are perfect for spring fruit and nut trees, blueberries, and
virtually all flowers in your yard needing pollination.
How do you hatch the cocoons?
Your bees will arrive safely tucked away in their cocoons inside a small
cardboard box. These cocoons have been inspected for pests and other
bee aliments. Feel free to open the box to see your cocoons. Pouring
them into the palm of your hand, you should see a combination of larger cocoons (females) and smaller
cocoons (males). Cocoons must be stored under refrigeration to prevent them from hatching.
Return the cocoons to their carton/box, or you can transfer them to a
slightly larger container. Be sure the container will allow some degree of
air in/out
Optimal Conditions:
If outdoor conditions are not optimal (meaning that daytime
temperatures are consistently below 100C/500F, freezing conditions at
night), store your bees in the refrigerator’s crisper at 40C/390F. The
cool dark environment of your fridge is an important factor in keeping
your bees in a state of hibernation. You will also want to keep the container somewhat moist so that the
cocoons do not dry out and kill the bees sleeping inside. DO NOT SOAK the container. The container
can be lightly misted to achieve 70% humidity
If you see hatched bees in the refrigerator, don’t panic
If any of the bees (typically the males) hatch early, they will need a food supply to sustain them. A
suitable food source is a cotton-ball, soaked in equal parts of sugar and water, inside the container with
the cocoons.
When daytime temperatures have reached about 10-130C/50-550F or 10% of
spring blooms are happening, you can place the box containing your bee cocoons
(with the top open) outdoors. Preferably in a spot that gets the morning sun
and is safe from the weather.
If you have NIC’s Bee & Bee Villa or Bee Bop Barn, place the cocoons into
the baby bee nursery
The nursery should then be closed (this prevents predator from hurting
your bees). The bees will emerge from their cocoons, crawl out the hole
in the front of the nursery. All bees will hatch within 1 week.
Please note: In addition to warmer daytime temperatures, there must
also be sufficient pollen available (blooming trees/shrubs/flowers) for
your new bees.
Tips:
 Please do NOT use wood blocks with drilled holes. Your bees will fail within a few years due to pest
buildup.
 Try to avoid holding your bees in hibernation past May 1st as they will begin to die in their cocoons or
may emerge too weak to fly and forage.
 Pollen, mud, clean nesting material, and correctly located/positioned houses are all key factors for
successfully raising your bees. The mud must be moist enough to form a ball.
Next Season
September/October your mason bee pupae for next season will be in your reed. These reeds can be
removed from the house and placed into a plastic container stored in a cold place such as an unheated
basement or garage until next season.
Next season place you reeds out into your house once temperature have reached optimal conditions.
Care Sheet for Leafcutter Bees
Who are Leafcutter Bees?
The leafcutter bees are a useful friend to gardeners as they provide valuable and efficient pollination
for plants such as your summer vegetable gardens. Like mason bees, these bees are cavity nesting and
need ready-made nests such as soft rotting wood, pithy plants stems like roses or man-made
tubes. Once a suitable home is found the leafcutter bee will build its nest using a piece of leaf for
lining, which they will use to make a cylindrical cavity that looks like a cigar. Leafcutter bees will cause
crescent or almost circular shaped hole in a leaf. This damage
does not harm the plant. Like mason bees these bees are gentle
and observed without the fear of being stung.
What do they pollinate?
Leafcutters are very efficient pollinators. They prefer legume
blossoms, but are not limited to one plant’s nectar. These bees
are summer generalist that pollinates most flowers as well as
melons, peas and other fruits and vegetables.
Leaf cutter bee cocoon
How do you hatch the cocoons?
Your bees will arrive safely tucked away in their
cocoons inside a small cardboard box. These
developing bees need to be protected. Leafcutter
bees need a constant temperature of 350C/840F and
humidity ranging between 40%-90%, at these
temperatures the bees will take 23 days to
emerge. At lower temperatures such as 210C/700F
the emergence is will take 4 to 6 weeks.
If you are hatching both mason bees and leafcutter
bees, the cocoons can be placed into the baby bee
nursery (loft section) of your bee house (either Bee
or Bee Villa and Bee Bop Barn). The mason bees will hatch first and once temperatures are warm enough
the leafcutter bees will hatch. It is typical in early spring conditions that it will take 6 to 8 weeks for
the leafcutter bees to emerge. These bees need mid-to-high 70°F (21°C) to fly, but perform best in
80°F (31°C) or higher temperatures.
How much coverage?
Leafcutter bees forage within 100 meters or 300 feet of their
nest. The average yard can use upwards of 100 cocoons.
Next Season:
September/October your leafcutter bee pupae for next season will
be in your reeds. These reeds can be removed from the house and
placed into a plastic container stored in a cold place such as an
unheated basement or garage until next season.
Next season place you reeds out into your house once temperatures
have reached optimal conditions.
Reference:
http://www.seeds.ca/pollination/pollinator-profiles/bees/leafcutter
Bee friendly plants?
-for a comprehensive list of crops and their respective pollinator, visit
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_pollinated_by_bees
Source: S.E. McGregor, “Insect Pollination of Cultivated Crop Plants.” USDA, 1976
http://gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/book/index.html
Have a
BEE-utiful
month of May!