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Educational Experiences

Take a Class!

Advanced I Floral Design
with Jane Godshalk

DATE: Tuesdays, September 14-October 19
1:00-4:00 PM
FEE: $375 Garden pass member, $338 non-member

By studying historical and international floral design, students will expand and refine their floral design skills. Designs completed in this course include: vegetative style landscape, sheltered, Phoenix, New Convention, abstract, and cascade or waterfall. Many techniques, such as basing, wiring, taping, using chicken wire, binding and banding are taught, as students work with a variety of plant materials. The instructor will demonstrate each style and the elements and principles that guide it. Students work with increasingly challenging concepts and a broad variety of material to create exceptional designs.

Paired Altar Arrangements
with Jane Godshalk

DATE: Saturday, September 18
9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon
FEE: $122 Garden pass member, $135 non-member

Master the techniques to create beautiful altar arrangements. This course will cover the ordering, conditioning, and arranging of flowers for use on a religious altar. You will work with a partner in this session to make two complimentary arrangements which you may then take home or to your place of worship. Bring a partner for arranging or join up with someone in class.

Plant Science: Understanding Plants
with Jeff Jabco

DATE: Mondays, September 20-October 25
1:00-3:00 PM or 7:00-9:00 PM
FEE: $162 Garden pass member, $180 non-member

Understanding the botanical system of plants names and how the plant kingdom is organized is important “groundwork” for anyone hoping to become a successful gardener. Students will become familiar with living organisms’ two-name system and the often confusing additional plant names used for cultivars and subspecies. The second part of the class will focus on the outward structure, or morphology, of plants during the growing season. We will look in detail at the methods and terminology of plant identification through a diverse study of leaves, stems, flowers, and fruits.
 
Herb Appeal
with Cres Motzi

DATE: Saturday, September 25
9:00 AM -12:00 Noon
FEE: $90 Garden pass member, $100 non-member

Herbs are a diverse group of plants, ranging in size from the low-growing, to shrubs and trees. They have a wide range of uses in every culture. They add flavor and aroma to our food, fragrance to our cosmetics, and health benefits to our bodies. We will use the bounty of the season to create an herb wreath that can be used as a table centerpiece or door decoration. As a bonus, herbs dry beautifully, and you will have an extended enjoyment of your arrangement.

Inspired by a Garden
with Antonia Bellanca floral and perfume designer creator of Antonia's Flowers, Sogni del Mare, Floret, Tiempe Passate    www.antoniasflowers.com/index.asp

DATE: Sunday, September 26
1:00-4:00 PM
FEE: $90 Garden pass member, $100 non-member

By selecting the right flowers you can create an experience as well as a beautiful design. Antonia Bellanca will share her own floral experience and how it shaped her fragrance company, Antonia’s Flowers. Flowers reminiscent of her perfumes will be the focus of your basket design. Your creation will be complimented with one of her perfumes to complete your arrangement. Be inspired by Antonia, flowers, and fragrance!

In the Field:  Using Insects for Pest Management

One of the cornerstones of Longwood’s Integrated Pest Management program is officially called “biological control” or “the use of natural enemy insects,” but what it really boils down to this: encouraging good bugs to destroy undesirable ones.

“Wherever possible, Longwood attempts to use natural pest management techniques,” says Casey Sclar, Plant Health Care Division Leader. “In the greenhouses and Conservatories we often use the periodic release of natural enemy insects to control pest populations. Some of the houses that rely on biological control for the bulk of the `heavy lifting’ are the Tropical Terrace, Palm House, and Fern Passage. Most of the time it’s mealybug, spider mites, or armored scale we’re targeting. We use mealybug destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri), predatory mites (Phytoseiulus persimilis), and green lacewings (Chrysoperla rufilabris).”

According to Sclar, there are three major ways that biological control works:

First, classical biological control. This refers to a one-time release of an insect, or an insect relative, for the purpose of controlling an undesirable organism like a weed, disease, or destructive insect. Ideally, the helpful organism gets established in the environment with as few releases as possible.

“Longwood Gardens is active in that area,” says Sclar. “We have hosted researchers from the USDA and are currently working with the University of Delaware, studying the success of a weevil that controls mile-a-minute weed (Persicaria perfoliata).”

The second realm is the ongoing (periodic) release of beneficial insects in conservatories or displays. “These can be bugs that eat other bugs, or lay eggs in other bugs,” Sclar says. “We have released predators, parasites, and parasitoids that attack Mexican bean beetles and aphids. For grubs that live in soil, we’ve used entomopathenogenic nematodes to give them a disease.”

The third prong of biological control is the one that Sclar says has the greatest impact, and is of most value to homeowners. “It’s what I call `conservation biological control,’” he explains. “It takes advantage of the natural enemy insects and relatives that are out there right now in the natural landscape, and employs sound management tactics to give them the upper hand.”

Avoiding broad-spectrum pesticides is a good place to start. Instead, opt for a more selective one like a horticultural oil. “You can spot-treat,” says Sclar, “and if there is persistence, it’s a week as opposed to three months.”

Promoting natural enemies also bolsters this approach. At Longwood, for example, gardeners might eliminate spider mites with a method that doesn’t affect desirable predatory mites.

“The best way to practice conservation biological control is to consistently put the right plants in the right spot to exploit their natural advantages,” Sclar says. “For example, put azaleas and rhododendrons in the shade for optimum performance. Where possible, choose a plant that is resistant to pests. To prevent infestations, avoid growing monocultures.

“We plant flowers to attract beneficial insects not just for pollination, but also to encourage biological control,” he adds. “Flower flies look like bees, but in their maggot stage they feed voraciously on aphids. It is a good example, because it’s one people will see here. It looks like bee but has only two wings. We rely on these for aphid management in the Main Conservatory area. A bunch of them come in when the chrysanthemums are in bloom.”

Longwood purchases some “good bugs” commercially, while others are reared on site. “One is a little tiny ladybeetle that feeds on cottony cushion scale,” Sclar says, “which is a major citrus pest in California and which Longwood has. That falls into the category of classical biocontrol, rather than augmentative. We are building up the population of lady beetles with the intent that we won’t have to release them anymore.”

One helpful bug seems to advertise its search-and-destroy mission on its back. “Minute pirate bugs (Orius insidiosus) are small insects that prey on thrips, spider mites, scale, and aphids,” says Sclar. “They have unique coloration that looks like the Oakland Raiders’ symbol.” Sorry, Eagles fans!

For an overview of Longwood’s Integrated Pest Management strategy, visit http://www.longwoodgardens.org/IntegratedPestManagement_1_3_2_3_3_4.html.