Master Gardener, Soozi Pline, talks with Aloha LeRouge - a gourd grower and artist and member of the Huntsville Gourd Patch. Gourds originated from Asia and Africa thousands of years ago where they were mostly grown as utensils for eating and drinking or carving masks, musical instruments, and fishing floats. Aloha talks about growing gourds and techniques growers use to get unusual gourd shapes. She goes into detail about harvesting gourds and making sure they have space to air out and totally dry before carving. As an artisan, Aloha explains the many different tools and techniques she uses to create her gourd art pieces

Links:
https://www.aces.edu/
https://mastergardeners-limestonecountyalabama.org/
https://www.alcpl.org/
https://alabamagourdsociety.org/

Have questions about this episode? Email askalibrarian@alcpl.org
Music by Pixabay

Master Gardener Emily Clem talks with Regional Extension Agent, Allyson Schabel, about the life cycle of butterflies. They discuss different species, their host plants, and how to attract more butterflies to your garden. Common butterflies in the Southeast include swallowtails, brush-footed, sulphurs, and skippers. Peak season to see butterflies starts in late summer and continues through the fall as species like the monarchs migrate to warmer climates. Allyson references the Alabama Butterfly Atlas as a great resource for distribution, maps, photographs, gardening tips, flight charts, and more—all specific to Alabama.

Links:
https://www.aces.edu/
https://mastergardeners-limestonecountyalabama.org/
https://www.alcpl.org/

Have questions about this episode? Email askalibrarian@alcpl.org
Music by Pixabay

Master Gardener, Emily Clem, speaks with Phil Terry, President of Living Art Bonsai for fourteen years. With over 50 trees, he talks about the art of growing small trees in pots and the techniques he's learned over the years to create these living plant sculptures. An ancient gardening practice originating from China and Japan, successful bonsai trees tell a story. Their exposed bark, twisting trunks, and weathered appearance are meant to mimic trees in nature that have withstood storms and other harsh conditions over time. Phil details, pruning, root management, tools, nutrients and soil condition as well as picking specific trees that are suited for bonsai pots.

Links:
https://www.aces.edu/
https://mastergardeners-limestonecountyalabama.org/
https://www.alcpl.org/

Have questions about this episode? Email askalibrarian@alcpl.org
Music by Pixabay