This self-guided tour of the Tulsa Master Gardener's (TMG) own gardens is sure to provide inspiration for your own landscape or garden. Five homes will be featured on the tour, showcasing large and smaller garden spaces, an abundance of pollinator plants, diversity of plants and picture perfect gardens. Master Gardeners will be stationed in the gardens to answer all of your questions on plant material, and the home owners will be present to share information about their gardens. 

This year's theme will focus on "Pollinators R Us" which will inform local gardeners about the perfect plant material needed to attract butterflies, bees and birds. Informative presentations given by Master Gardeners will be held on both days at one of the gardens. There will also be a mosaic culture demonstration. 

This Garden Tour is a great way to learn how the Master Gardeners have overcome their own garden problems to create successful gardens in Tulsa. This year's tour will feature three homes in midtown Tulsa and two in Broken Arrow. Tickets are on sale on our website at www.tulsamastergardeners.com. Click on "Garden Tour".

100% of all proceeds go to the Tulsa Master Gardener Foundation which helps to pay for all of the various programs we deliver to your Tulsa community throughout the year.

April showers bring May flowers . . .but, as Oklahoma gardeners well know, May also brings other things too - like wicked weather and insect pests. If you are a gardener who loves to landscape with juniper and arborvitae, you should keep your eyes peeled for the telltale signs of bagworms this time of year.

What is a Bagworm? Bagworms are caterpillar pests; the larval stage of Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis, a clear-winged moth. These caterpillars are masters of construction and disguise.  So, to control a bagworm, the gardener must KNOW the bagworm and take proactive measures.

Click on  BAGWORMS  to learn more about these pests and what to do about them. 

Create a habitat that will encourage Butterflies, Moths and Skippers (all Lepidopterans) to call your garden their full-time home. Their attention grabbing appearance adds both color and activity to provide a pleasing and living landscape.

To do this, you need four things - Host Plants, Nectar Plants, Wind Protections, and Sun-filled location.

Click on BUTTERFLY GARDEN  to learn more about what is needed to have a successful and beautiful butterfly garden - it's really not difficult. 

It's that time of year again when the calls start coming in about when should I trim back my hydrangeas because they never bloomed last year. Hydrangeas and roses are two of our favorite shrubs that folks love to hate.

 

The pruning of hydrangeas is probably the biggest hurdle for most gardeners, especially when the type of plant is not known.  Pruning improves vigor and increases number and flower size.  As for roses, they also benefit from pruning, especially if the bush has been neglected. Shaping and allowing for more air flow can increase vigor and more and bigger blooms.  

Click on ROSES & HYDRANGEAS for much more information on how to properly prune and maintain these beautiful shrubs in our gardens.

                                                                         {AHHHHH!}

Is there anything better than a ripe, juicy, homegrown tomato? Absolutely nothing, unless that tomato ends up on a BLT!

It seems that many of us think tomatoes grow easily . . . not much effort - just buy the plants, water occasionally, then sit back and wait for the harvest. Tomato lovers everywhere wish it were that easy, but the truth is tomatoes may be among the more complex plants to get right. 

Truth be known there can be many problems with tomatoes: pests, diseases, and soil/nutrient issues. Often, these issues can have similar symptoms or the symptoms may simply be confused.

Some of the issues presented will be encountered at one time or another, but don't let this keep you from planting. Instead, click on TOMATO PROBLEMS to learn more about the various tomato issues in our area along with links to many OSU fact sheets that expand that information much further.

Last month, we discussed the front-end planning work that goes into designing an appropriate irrigation system.  This month we will delve into Part 2... installing and maintaining that system.  If you happened to miss Part 1 on "Planning Your  System" c lick on DRIP IRRIGATION - PLANNING.  If you are not familiar with such a system, reading Part 1 will help you better understand Part 2.

Installing a drip irrigation system can seem like a rather daunting task.  But, it doesn't have to be.  With a little  preparation and the right tools and motivation, many can install a small to medium-sized system themselves.  If you are really motivated, don't mind some hard work and mechanically inclined, you may even be able to install a large system.  If properly installed and properly winterized, the system should work with relatively few issues for many years.  Click on DRIP IRRIGATION - INSTALL/MAINTAIN to learn more about owning such a system.  The hard work up front can really pay off later in the long run in terms of effort (dragging hoses around) and cost (potentially wasting water).

DID YOU KNOW?

The Tulsa Master Gardener Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) organization.  As such, it receives no city, state or federal funding for its Tulsa community outreach programs. In fact, the Tulsa's Master Gardener programs are self-funded by its own fundraisers, from member donations, and from public donations.

The main Tulsa Master Gardener fundraiser is its Annual Spring Plant Sale that is held each April.  Other fundraisers include the Garden Tour and Garage Sale in June.  And, one of the most important income sources that sometimes gets overlooked are the personal and corporate donations.  These are so important in helping us to meet our financial obligations and we want you to know they are very much appreciated. 

Our Master Gardeners are on hand to assist you with even the toughest gardening questions. Visit us in person, by phone, via email or online! Hours of operation are Monday through Friday 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m.

Address: 4116 E. 15th Street, Gate 6 at the Fairgrounds

Phone: (918) 746-3701