Want to learn how to attract pollinators to your garden? Here's your answer.| Gardening

Larry Williams /UF/IFAS Extension Agent
·2 min read

If you are interested in learning about pollinators and how to attract them to your garden and/or need help diagnosing a lawn, landscape or garden problem and want to purchase locally grown produce, we have two upcoming events for you.

A pollinator plant seminar and a plant clinic are being provided by the The Okaloosa County branch of the The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
A pollinator plant seminar and a plant clinic are being provided by the The Okaloosa County branch of the The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Seminar

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 18, join us for a seminar titled Native Plants for Pollinators. Sheila Dunning, UF/IFAS Extension commercial horticulture agent in Okaloosa County, will focus on plants and methods to attract butterflies, bees and other pollinators to your home landscape during his hour-long presentation.

Bees, butterflies and other insects play important roles as pollinators in our environment. In Florida, it’s estimated that over 300 bee species help pollinate many of our fruits, vegetables and native plants. 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.

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The presentation will be at the Okaloosa County Extension Office at 3098 Airport Road in Crestview.

Seating is limited, so please register for the free seminar using this link. https://bit.ly/3wgUNsI

For additional information or for assistance, call the University of Florida Institute of food & Agricultural Sciences Okaloosa County Extension Office at 850-689-5850.

Plant clinic

The May plant clinic is from 9 a.m.- noon Thursday, May 19, at the Okaloosa Farmers’ Market at 1954 Lewis Turner Blvd. in Fort Walton Beach near 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.

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.

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: How to attract pollinators to garden, diagnose lawn problems