Sunflower

As the weather warms, anticipation grows in people eager to grow vegetable gardens. Gardening daydreams become a canvas of plump tomatoes, colorful dangling peppers, and sprawling squash vines covered in sunny blooms.

The secret to making these bountiful dreams come true is simple: Create a welcoming space for pollinators in and around your vegetable garden. Once that neon welcome sign is turned on, your garden will burst with the activity of these winged workers. Their presence will sweeten the success of your garden by boosting pollination, yield, resistance to pests, and local biodiversity.

While you might notice insects like flies, beetles and butterflies casually moving from flower to flower, bees are the ones doing most of the pollination work.

The image of honeybees clasping at squash flowers might suggest a simple exchange in pollination services. The reality is that pollination can be complex and nuanced, depending on the flower to be pollinated. Honeybees, introduced to North America in the Colonial era, tend to steal the spotlight in pollinator discussions. Their generalist and nondiscriminatory pollination behavior benefits farmers and a wide range of crops, making them highly desirable.

But they are not, as many people assume, the quick fix for our pollination problems — including loss of habitat and species diversity, and overuse of chemicals — that have cut the population of pollinators and, thus, pollination itself. The assumption about honeybees is how the vital work of native bees is overlooked.

The life cycles and behaviors of native bees are in sync with the blooming periods and pollination requirements of native plants — a perfect, more efficient pairing. When populations are healthy, native bees are active in weather that honeybees avoid, and they tend to be more adaptable to local climate challenges. Bumblebees, for example, have a unique pollination behavior valued by crops like blueberries, peppers and tomatoes. The flowers of these plants have pollen grains that do not loosen or transfer easily, resulting in less-than-ideal pollination by most insects. Bumblebees, though, can release stubborn pollen using buzz pollination, vibrating their wings while gripping the flower.

About 20% of our native bees are specialists, using only the pollen from one species or plant genus. The squash bee, for instance, relies solely on pollen from cucurbits (squash, pumpkins, cucumbers) to feed its offspring. Although the spiny texture, low nutritional value and chemical defenses of squash pollen repel many generalists, squash bees flourish on it.

Supporting these specialized pollinator relationships leads to efficient, well-rounded pollination in flower beds and vegetable gardens. Here are a few easy tips to turn on that neon welcome sign and invite biodiversity into your garden.

1.  Plant pollinator-attracting plants in and around your vegetable plot.

Include perennials such as:

• Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
• Aster (Symphyotrichum species)
• Beebalm (Monarda species)
• Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
• Goldenrod (Solidago species)
• Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium species)
• Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum species)

… and annuals such as:

• Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
• Borage (Borago officinalis)
• Dill (Anethum graveolens)
• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

2. Plant so that you can offer a continuous food source — and continuing pollinator activity: Choose plants that flower at different times through the growing season.

3. Delay garden cleanup: Leave dead stems, sticks and limbs that are valued nesting sites for native bees.

4. Instead of regular mowing, consider using strategic string trimming to maintain neat garden edges and allow central areas to stay wild. This adds flexibility and structure to a space without compromising habitat.

5. Implement careful pesticide practices. Avoid broad-spectrum and systemic pesticides; apply in the morning, when fewer pollinators are active; and educate yourself about your garden’s common pests and diseases. This will minimize the chemical impact on the environment and allow pests and natural predators to thrive.

Meredith Simmons is the greenhouse manager for the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

Source: ocregister.com

As the weather warms, anticipation grows in people eager to grow vegetable gardens. Gardening daydreams become a canvas of plump tomatoes, colorful dangling peppers, and sprawling squash vines covered in sunny blooms.

The secret to making these bountiful dreams come true is simple: Create a welcoming space for pollinators in and around your vegetable garden. Once that neon welcome sign is turned on, your garden will burst with the activity of these winged workers. Their presence will sweeten the success of your garden by boosting pollination, yield, resistance to pests, and local biodiversity.

While you might notice insects like flies, beetles and butterflies casually moving from flower to flower, bees are the ones doing most of the pollination work.

The image of honeybees clasping at squash flowers might suggest a simple exchange in pollination services. The reality is that pollination can be complex and nuanced, depending on the flower to be pollinated. Honeybees, introduced to North America in the Colonial era, tend to steal the spotlight in pollinator discussions. Their generalist and nondiscriminatory pollination behavior benefits farmers and a wide range of crops, making them highly desirable.

But they are not, as many people assume, the quick fix for our pollination problems — including loss of habitat and species diversity, and overuse of chemicals — that have cut the population of pollinators and, thus, pollination itself. The assumption about honeybees is how the vital work of native bees is overlooked.

The life cycles and behaviors of native bees are in sync with the blooming periods and pollination requirements of native plants — a perfect, more efficient pairing. When populations are healthy, native bees are active in weather that honeybees avoid, and they tend to be more adaptable to local climate challenges. Bumblebees, for example, have a unique pollination behavior valued by crops like blueberries, peppers and tomatoes. The flowers of these plants have pollen grains that do not loosen or transfer easily, resulting in less-than-ideal pollination by most insects. Bumblebees, though, can release stubborn pollen using buzz pollination, vibrating their wings while gripping the flower.

About 20% of our native bees are specialists, using only the pollen from one species or plant genus. The squash bee, for instance, relies solely on pollen from cucurbits (squash, pumpkins, cucumbers) to feed its offspring. Although the spiny texture, low nutritional value and chemical defenses of squash pollen repel many generalists, squash bees flourish on it.

Supporting these specialized pollinator relationships leads to efficient, well-rounded pollination in flower beds and vegetable gardens. Here are a few easy tips to turn on that neon welcome sign and invite biodiversity into your garden.

1.  Plant pollinator-attracting plants in and around your vegetable plot.

Include perennials such as:

• Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
• Aster (Symphyotrichum species)
• Beebalm (Monarda species)
• Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
• Goldenrod (Solidago species)
• Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium species)
• Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum species)

… and annuals such as:

• Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
• Borage (Borago officinalis)
• Dill (Anethum graveolens)
• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

2. Plant so that you can offer a continuous food source — and continuing pollinator activity: Choose plants that flower at different times through the growing season.

3. Delay garden cleanup: Leave dead stems, sticks and limbs that are valued nesting sites for native bees.

4. Instead of regular mowing, consider using strategic string trimming to maintain neat garden edges and allow central areas to stay wild. This adds flexibility and structure to a space without compromising habitat.

5. Implement careful pesticide practices. Avoid broad-spectrum and systemic pesticides; apply in the morning, when fewer pollinators are active; and educate yourself about your garden’s common pests and diseases. This will minimize the chemical impact on the environment and allow pests and natural predators to thrive.

Wild Green Yonder is a recurring monthly feature from the staff of the Norfolk Botanical Garden, where Meredith Simmons is the greenhouse manager. Send any gardening questions you may have to askaplantquestion@nbgs.org.

Source: pilotonline.com

Women have long been at the forefront of gardening, whether passing agricultural traditions from generation to generation, organizing garden clubs and beautification societies, or — in some cases — making significant contributions to science and landscape design.

Some of these plantswomen gained notoriety for their work. Many are not as well known.

Here are several, in alphabetical order, who have left permanent marks on American horticultural history:

JANE COLDEN

In the 1750s, Colden became the first female American botanist. She is credited with naming and cataloging hundreds of native plants in the Hudson River Valley using Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus’ then-new binomial system of botanical nomenclature. Colden was the first in America to employ the system, which assigns a genus and species to each plant. She also was the first to describe and name the gardenia. Colden drew each of the plants she named, and compiled her detailed descriptions and illustrations into a manuscript, “Flora of New York.”

BEATRIX FARRAND

Known as the first lady of American landscape architecture, Farrand designed more than 100 gardens for private estates, public parks, college campuses, botanical gardens and even the White House’s East Garden during the Wilson presidency. In 1899, at age 27, the self-taught Farrand became the only woman among the founders of the American Society of Landscape Architects. And in 1912, when the field was still largely dominated by men, she was hired by Princeton University as its first consulting landscape architect, a position she held for 31 years.

FANNY LOU HAMER

A civil rights and agricultural activist, Hamer founded the Freedom Farm Cooperative in the late 1960s to provide land, livestock and vegetable-growing resources to poor Black families and farmers in Sunflower County, Mississippi. The Cooperative facilitated crop-sharing, self-reliance and financial independence. Participating families were also loaned a piglet to raise to maturity, after which they would return it for mating and give the cooperative two piglets from each litter to continue the program. “If you have a pig in your backyard, if you have some vegetables in your garden, you can feed yourself and your family, and nobody can push you around,” Hamer said. Her Cooperative became one of the earliest examples of modern community gardening and a precursor of today’s food justice movement.

CLAUDIA ‘LADY BIRD’ JOHNSON

First lady from 1963 to 1969, Johnson was an environmentalist and early native plants proponent who advocated for preserving wild spaces. She led the effort to secure the passage of the 1965 Highway Beautification Act during her husband’s presidency. The law sought to clear highways of billboards and to plant wildflowers along their shoulders to support plant and animal biodiversity and regional identity. Today, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at the University of Texas at Austin honors her legacy.

CARRIE LIPPINCOTT

To contribute to her family’s income, Lippincott, of Minneapolis, started a seed business in 1886. Calling herself the “Pioneer Seedswoman of America,” she published the first seed catalog explicitly targeted to women, featuring a conversational introduction and illustrations of women, children and flowers at a time when other catalogs were simply text on paper. The pamphlet also was the first to specify the number of seeds included in each packet. The style and format revolutionized how seeds were sold, and were soon emulated by competing seed companies. Business bloomed, and soon, Miss C. H. Lippincott Flower Seeds was shipping seeds worldwide.

MARIE CLARK TAYLOR

In 1941, Taylor became the first Black woman to receive a doctorate in botany in the United States, and the first woman of any race to gain a Ph.D. in science from Fordham University. As an educator, she applied her doctoral research on the effect of light on plant growth to change the way high school science was taught. She encouraged the use of light microscopes and botanical materials in the classroom for the first time. In the mid-1960s, President Lyndon B. Johnson enlisted her to expand her teaching methods nationwide. Taylor also served as chair of Howard University’s Botany Department for nearly 30 years until her retirement in 1976.

WAHEENEE

Also known as Buffalo Bird Woman, Waheenee was a Hidatsa woman born around 1839 in what is now North Dakota. She mastered and shared centuries-old cultivating, planting and harvesting techniques with Gilbert L. Wilson, a minister and anthropologist who studied the tribe in the early 1900s. During visits that spanned 10 years, Wilson, whose work was sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History, transcribed Waheenee’s words with her son serving as interpreter. The resulting book, “Buffalo Bird Woman’s Garden: Agriculture of the Hidatsa Indians,” first published in 1917, documented the Hidatsa women’s methods for growing beans, corn, squash, sunflowers and tobacco, as well as the tools they used and their practices for drying and winter storage. Her advice is still relevant today.

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Jessica Damiano writes regular gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

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For more AP gardening stories, go to https://apnews.com/hub/gardening.

Source: apnews.com

During the 2024 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival, guests can search for Spike the Bee with Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration scavenger hunt.

Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration Scavenger Hunt – $9.99 

To participate in the scavenger hunt, purchase a map at a festival merchandise location. Then, find Spike at various global gardens. When you spot him, place the corresponding plant sticker over the correct garden circle on the map.

The stickers feature the different plants that Spike is pollinating, like sunflowers and magnolias. There will be signs labeling the plants so you don’t need to be able to identify them by sight.

No spoilers about where you can find Spike, but here’s what he looks like in the gardens. He’s a plastic figure on a black pole sticking out of a flowerbed or planter.

You don’t need to complete the scavenger hunt in one day. You can complete it at your leisure throughout the festival, which runs through May 27.

Technically, you don’t need to complete the scavenger hunt at all to get a prize. Cast Members will mark the map when you redeem it — regardless of how complete it is — so you can only collect one prize per map.

The prizes this year are mini cornhole games. There are four designs to choose from. They match the four merchandise collections inspired by Orange Bird, “Coco,” butterflies, and Spike the Bee.

The Spike game is light brown with sunflowers on the front. Spike is pictured relaxing on a white flower, with Spaceship Earth in the background. It includes two tan-colored bags. The hole is in the larger sunflower.

The butterfly game is light blue with the hole in the middle of the EPCOT logo. Colorful butterflies and the EPCOT pavilion logos are patterned across the game. Spaceship Earth is pictured below the hole. It includes two pink bags.

The “Coco” game is lime green with flowers, music notes, and guitars pictured on it in darker green. A colorful skull with flowers around it is below the hole, which is in the center of a Spaceship Earth picture. It includes two teal green bags.

Lastly, the Orange Bird game is, of course, orange. The design looks like a label for oranges or juice. It’s dark blue, with a red and white border. Orange Bird’s face is pictured with the green silhouette of Florida. The text reads “Orange Bird,” “Florida Original,” and “EST. 1971.” It includes two orange bags.

The games come packed in cardboard boxes. They have two legs on the back that flip out so you can stand up the game on a table or the floor.

Will you be completing Spike’s Pollen-Nation Exploration and playing cornhole with your family? Let us know in the comments.

Check out the 2024 EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival passport for more details about the event.

For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Source: wdwnt.com

It’s almost time for a new festival to arrive in EPCOT!

The 2024 International Festival of the Arts is wrapping up, but that means the International Flower & Garden Festival is returning soon! This year’s Flower & Garden Festival kicks off on February 28th with special entertainment, exclusive merchandise, and of course, delicious eats. The menus for the festival were recently released, and we’re looking forward to several new items!

We’ve already shared the full menus for the festival, but now it’s time to talk about the brand-new offerings! This year, there are

Click Here to See All the Flower & Garden Festival Menus!

The Honey Bee-Stro

• Honey-glazed Cauliflower with honey-roasted carrot purée, wild rice pilaf, spring vegetables, honey-blistered grapes, and sunflower brittle
• Copperpoint Brewing Co. Bee’s Squeeze Blonde Ale

Pineapple Promenade

• Copperpoint Brewing Co. Tropical Hibiscus Blonde Ale
• Wicked Weed Brewing Perni Haze Hazy IPA

Florida Fresh

• Grilled Warm Water Lobster Tail with Key lime butter
• Cubanito with mojo-marinated pork belly, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and stone-ground mustard sauce
• Florida Strawberry Shortcake

Swirled Showcase

• Strawberry Basil Sorbet in a waffle cone
• Liquid Nitro Honey-Mascarpone Cheesecake with fresh honey, granulated honey, honey mead blueberry compote Presented by National Honey Board
• Vanilla Soft-serve with Cantaloupe Liqueur

Refreshment Port

• Country Boy Brewing Orange Cream Hard Cider

Northern Bloom

• Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Blackberry Wine
• Collective Arts Brewing Beyond Reason Micro Pale Ale
• Collective Arts Brewing Grapefruit Lime Sour

La Isla Fresca

• IMPOSSIBLE Jamaican Beef Patty with Spicy Papaya Syrup
• Wicked Weed Brewing Mango Wowie Hazy IPA with mango

Tangierine Cafe: Flavors of the Medina

• Mediterranean Flatbread with chermoula, roasted vegetables, artichoke, olives, feta cheese
• Keel Farms Pear Honeysuckle Hard Cider
• Woodchuck Imperial Sippin’ Citrus Hard Cider

Magnolia Terrace

• Urban Artifact Capy Snacks Fruit Punch Fruit Ale
• Schneider Weisse LoveBeer Weissbier

Refreshment Outpost

• Seasonal Fruit Parfait with sweet chili sauce and DOLE Whip Mango
• Crooked Can Brewing Sorpresa Picante Pale Ale Winter Garden
• Woodchuck 802 Barrel-Aged Hard Cider
• SweetWater Brewing Co. Fruit Punch IPA

Trowel & Trellis

• Chocolate Mousse Terrarium with matcha crumble, and chocolate soil (NOTE: we’ve seen a past version of this made with pudding instead of mousse.)
• Raspberry and Lemon Herbal Tea: Twinings Raspberry & Lemon Herbal Tea, and Simply Limeade
• Raspberry and Lemon Herbal Tea with Gin: Twinings Raspberry & Lemon Herbal Tea, Simply Limeade, and Conniption Kinship Gin
• Surreal Brewing Co. Natural Bridges Kolsch Style Non-Alcoholic Beer
• Brew Hub Strawberry Heatwave Berliner

The Citrus Blossom

• Southern Tier Brewing Company Orange Twist Imperial Ale
• Left Hand Brewing Lemon Drop Shandy
• Stone Brewing Tangerine Express Hazy IPA
• Key Lime Wine Slush

BRUNCHCOT

• Biscuit and Gravy with IMPOSSIBLE Chicken Fried Steak and IMPOSSIBLE Sausage Gravy

EPCOT Farmers Feast

• Veal Tenderloin with spring pea risotto featuring BEN’S ORIGINAL INTERNATIONAL GRAINS Arborio Rice and red wine syrup (Available from February 28th-March 30th)
• Seared Scallop with tomato risotto featuring BEN’S ORIGINAL INTERNATIONAL GRAINS Arborio Rice and tomato beurre blanc (Available from March 31st-April 27th)
• Blueberry Buckle with lemon crème fraîche (Available from March 31st-April 27th)
• Seared Pork Tenderloin with corn risotto featuring BEN’S ORIGINAL INTERNATIONAL GRAINS Arborio Rice and roasted red pepper sauce (Available from April 28th-May 27th)
• Peach Galette with ginger vanilla whipped cream (Available from April 28th-May 27th)

The Land Cart hosted by AdventHealth

• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with cucumbers, olives, and multigrain crackers
• Açaí Parfait with Greek yogurt, fresh berries, and granola
• Strawberry Fruit Bar
• Florida Smoothie: Pineapple, orange, and mango

Connections Eatery

• Hot Honey Chicken Sandwich: Southern-fried chicken sandwich with hot honey and pickles on a brioche bun
• Blood Orange Hibiscus Margarita: Teremana Tequila with hibiscus and blood orange syrup, and orange juice

Canada Popcorn Cart

• Peach Smash: Canadian Club Whiskey with lemon, peach purée, and ginger

UK Beer Cart

• Scottish Thistle: Fords Gin with lemon and blackcurrant-cucumber syrup garnished with cucumber

Jardin de Fiestas

• Sope de Chilorio: Guajillo pepper-braised pork on fried corn shells with black beans, shredded cabbage, crema Mexicana, queso fresco, and chives
• Tamale de Rajas: Poblano peppers, corn, and cheese in masa topped with poblano cream sauce, crema mexicana, pickled carrots and onions with chives
• Flan de Guayaba: Vanilla flan with guava coulis, whipped cream, and fresh fruit
• Lychee Margarita: Centinela Blanco Tequila, lychee liqueur, citrus juice, and agave nectar
• Floral Margarita: Cherry liqueur, mezcal, hibiscus tea, and lime juice

Lotus House

• Dragon Dynasty: Baijiu spirit, light rum, dragon fruit syrup, piña colada mix, and soda water
• Lucky Peach: Peach whiskey, oolong tea, honey, lemon juice, and soda water

Primavera Kitchen

• Bocconcini: Mozzarella bocconcini, grape tomatoes, and pesto sauce
• Arrabbiata: Pennette pasta, spicy tomato sauce, and buttery shrimp
• Quattro Formaggi: Pennette pasta and four-cheese sauce
• Chocolate Cannoli: Chocolate-covered cannoli shell with peanut butter-ricotta filling

Hanami

• Steam Bun filled with vegetables and plant-based soy meat
• Ramen Cup: Ramen salad shaken in a cup with fresh vegetables, grilled chicken, and dashi broth with chili oil and yuzu
• Watermelon-Strawberry Lemonade
• Orange Blossom Brewing Co. Cherry Blossom Green Tea Pilsner
• Ichigo Breeze Cocktail: Sake with Strawberry and Watermelon
• Ozeki Pineapple Nigori Sake

Fleur de Lys

• Parmentier de Canard A L’Orange: Pulled Duck Confit with Orange Sauce and Garlic-Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
• Gâteau au Crémeux Citron, Lavende et Thym, Compote de Fruits Rouges: Warm Cake filled with Lemon, Lavender, and Thyme-infused Cream served with Berry Compote
• Jean Bojour Val de Loire: Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley

Funnel Cake

• Funnel Cake with powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream, strawberries, whipped cream, strawberry glaze, and strawberry crunch

Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Company

World Discovery (Near Mission: SPACE)

• Iced Honey Jasmine Latte: A floral fusion of espresso, honey jasmine syrup, milk, whipped cream, and graham cracker crumbles

Near Canada

• Citrus Frosted Iced Tea: A tangy blend of frozen lemonade, Minute Maid Lemonade, Iced Tea, and orange-tangerine syrup garnished with a glazed orange peel

Showcase Plaza (Near Disney Traders)

• Iced Berry Chai Latte: A berry sweet blend of chai tea, blueberry syrup, and milk topped with whipped cream and cinnamon

The American Adventure

• Tropical Frosted Iced Tea: An exotic blend of frozen lemon, Minute Maid Lemonade, iced tea, and Hawaiian Island Syrup garnished with a glazed orange peel

That’s a wrap on all the new items coming to this year’s festival! We’ll make sure to keep you updated as we get more updates before the event kicks off, and stay tuned to AllEars — we’ll be there on the first day bringing you all the news!

Click Here to See All the Menus!

Are you going to the festival this year? Tell us in the comments!

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Source: allears.net