Amazing Annuals--Master Gardener Style!

One of the Zinnias That Gives The Pollinators Food!

Beautiful Colorful Zinnias!

Butterfly Bushes Attracting Butterflies!

This Butterfly Bush Has Attracted Tiger Swallowtails!

Globe Amaranth or Gomphrena Can Be Dried for Arrangements!

'Coral Nymph' Salvia

An Overall View of the Garden!

The Black and White Garden!

A Closeup of the Black and White Garden!

How Did He Get in the Photo?  He Should Have Been a Master Gardener!

The Master Gardeners in Allegheny County don't always get the credit they deserve.  This is last season's demonstration garden at North Park.  My buddy, Lyn Lang has written an article highlighting the annuals that made a difference last year in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called Amazing annuals.  Trying to get our  juices flowing for this gardening season.   She talks about different varieties of annuals and I tossed in a couple of photos of the butterfly bushes they are growing.  I also wanted to mention for the gardeners in the Pittsburgh area, she gives the names of the nurseries who graciously donate plants to the demonstration gardens during the growing season.  So please patronize them when you are looking for annuals to prolong the growing season.

I don't grow enough annuals in our garden and some of them I used to grow like the globe amaranth are some of my favorites.   The demonstration garden has grown and become a destination for the bees and butterflies thanks to all of the flowers and herbs grown for the pollinators.  The master gardeners also show you how to plant a bed with a color scheme like the black and white garden.  The combination of plants used was very interesting.  If you live in the Pittsburgh area especially the north or south hills, please visit the demonstration gardens in the summer.  You will see and learn about annuals and perennials that maybe you haven't seen before.   It is a true learning experience.   Each August there is an event called Garden in the Park at both gardens, both north and south.  A great family event!  Checkout the extension website later this year for details.

That last photo is of The Herbal Husband and his favorite plant in the demonstration garden, the golden pineapple sage.  This was more than one plant, but I'm going to have to ask Lyn where they got it!   It looks like a must have in my herb garden!   I mentioned that The Herbal Husband should have been the master gardener, but I think some of his gardening ideas would have turned the program upside down!  The Latin master gardener!  And please don't encourage him to start his own program!  He is retired and too busy working in our garden to start the Latin master gardener program!

I sure hope you are warmer than we are in the 'Burgh!  We are going from 20's to 50's tomorrow.  An up and down March.  A little more extreme than normal but still March.   Working on a couple of posts.  Reading takes a lot of time for me, but it is enjoyable.  I will share my thoughts soon.  Talk to you later.