Mobile County Master Gardeners

10/20/2026

10/20/2026

"Fall is officially here! Warm-season crops are likely spent, and some gardeners are dreaming of harvests from cool-weather crops. Fall-blooming perennials continue to grace our landscapes with gorgeous color and provide food sources for pollinators. Warm season w**ds throughout the yard are still in their heyday, and cool-season w**ds are just waiting for a bit of rain to start germinating. Oh, joy...gardeners must march on."

By: Mary Townsley, PhD, Mobile County Master Gardener | MobileCountyMasterGardeners.orgFall is officially here! Warm-season crops are likely spent, and some gardeners are dreaming of harvests from cool-weather crops. Fall-blooming perennials continue to grace our landscapes with gorgeous color and p...

10/20/2026

Garden Events for Your Calendar

What: Walk & Talk Tours of Longleaf Treasure Forest
Free, open to the public, tour of MBG’s Longleaf Forest
When: Saturday, Oct 17 or 31 - 9 to 10:30 am
Where: Mobile Botanical Gardens, 5151 Museum Dr, Mobile
Meet at Nita’s Marketplace.
Bring a water bottle and wear closed-toe shoes.

What: Garden Walk and Talk at Bellingrath Gardens
When: Wed, October 28, 2026 (10:30-11:30 am)
Where: 12401 Bellingrath Gardens Rd, Theodore, AL
Free tour with regular garden admission or membership
More info: www.bellingrath.org/discover/events

What: Market in the Park, Fall 2026
Locally grown produce and handcrafted items
When: Saturdays, Oct 10 –Nov 14, 2026 (7:30 am – Noon)
Where: Cathedral Square, 300 Conti Street, Mobile
Look for: Master Gardener tent to ask your gardening questions

What: MCMG Holiday Greenery Sale Preorder Shop opens
When: October 12 - November 20, 2026
Where: https://www.mobilecountymastergardeners.org/hgs20

Master Gardener Helpline: 877-252-4769

10/20/2026

A sweet taste of Alabama fall!

The American persimmon is Alabama’s only native persimmon species, and its ripe fruit offers plenty of delicious possibilities.

The key is patience! Harvest only fully ripe, soft fruit. Unripe persimmons are intensely astringent and unpleasant to eat.

Use a sieve or fruit pulper to separate the sweet pulp from the seeds and skin, then enjoy it in puddings, jams, fruit butters, pies or ice cream. Freeze the pulp to save some sweetness for later.

Ripe persimmons don’t store well, so process them promptly or refrigerate until you’re ready.

Learn more about this native fruit here: https://www.aces.edu/go/6992

10/07/2026

Water hyacinth, also known as common water hyacinth, is a non-native floating perennial aquatic plant that is native to South America.

Above the water's surface, this plant grows waxy, leathery leaves that can vary slightly in shape from round to more oval or paddle-shaped. They are often not flat but rather have a concave or convex curve along the leaf plane. At the base of the leaves is an inflated, bulb-like petiole that provides buoyancy to the plant.

Flowering typically occurs in summer through early fall. A single, erect stem will bear several showy, 6-petal flowers that are light purple in color with dark purple striations on petals and a single, bright yellow dot on the uppermost petal.

Under the water's surface, the plant grows feathery roots that can become very dense.

This plant has been reported across the southeastern U.S. and can be found in ponds and slow-moving waters in north, central, and south Alabama.
Although this plant was introduced for its beauty as an ornamental aquatic species, it can aggressively spread in stagnant or slow-moving fresh water. Dense mats or heavy infestations can negatively impact ecosystem health by reducing dissolved oxygen and outcompeting native vegetation. Navigation and recreation can also be impacted by infestations of this species. Remember to never introduce this plant or other aquarium species to water bodies. Small infestations may be hand-pulled, but larger infestations will need to be mechanically removed or chemically treated. For more information on aquatic w**d control, visit our Alabama Extension website for the "W**d Management in Lakes and Ponds" article or call your local office.

Join the 2026 Year of Alabama Invasive Plants Project to raise awareness, improve identification skills, and take action against invasive species. Visit the ACES Year of Alabama Invasive Plants Project to learn more and take the pledge.

10/07/2026

Join us for the Urban Green: Back 2 Basics Wednesdays webinar series where our experts will discuss seasonal gardening and landscaping.

10/07/2026

Our October Plant of the Month!

By: Judy Stout, Mobile County Master GardenerPassiflora incarnata, the Passionflower Vine or May Pop, is a native vine found throughout the southeast and Bermuda. This herbaceous, root-hardy perennial has spectacular flowers, making it a popular feature plant for fences, trellises or pergolas. Dead....

10/05/2026

Garden Events for Your Calendar

What: Plantasia Fall Plant Sale
When: Thurs, Fri, Sat, Oct 8-10 (9 am – 4 pm)
Where: MBG, 5151 Museum Dr, Mobile
Wide selection of plants suited to our coastal climate

What: Garden Walk and Talk at Bellingrath Gardens
When: Wed, October 28, 2026 (10:30-11:30 am)
Where: 12401 Bellingrath Gardens Rd, Theodore, AL
Free tour with regular garden admission or membership
More info: www.bellingrath.org/discover/events

What: Market in the Park, Fall 2026
Locally grown produce and handcrafted items
When: Saturdays, Oct 10 –Nov 14, 2026 (7:30 am – Noon)
Where: Cathedral Square, 300 Conti Street, Mobile
Look for: Master Gardener tent to ask your gardening questions

Interested in Becoming a Master Gardener in 2027?
Put your name on the waiting list now.
Selection will depend on the demand for the class.
When: Classes (August 12-Nov 11 in 2027)
Every Thursday: 9am - 2pm
Fee: For materials used in 14-week training
Where: 1070 Schillinger Rd N, Mobile
More Info: Call 251-574-8445 or email [email protected]

Master Gardener Helpline: 877-252-4769

10/05/2026

"Early fall brings lots of anticipation into my life and garden and, I suspect, in many of yours..."

By: MaryJo Broussard, Mobile County Master Gardener MobileCountyMasterGardeners.orgEarly fall brings lots of anticipation into my life and garden and, I suspect, in many of yours. I find myself wandering down my pathways looking not for the fallen sticks or w**ds, but for the newly-formed Camellia b...

09/18/2026

Take advantage of the upcoming fall temperatures and make a positive impact on your own property or in your community! Join the Alabama Extension Year of Invasive Plants Project by taking the pledge and tracking the time you spend removing invasive plants from the landscape.

Visit www.aces.edu/go/YearofInvasivePlants to learn more, take the pledge, and report your control efforts to earn limited-edition prizes.

Follow this page to discover and learn more about the invasive plant species in Alabama. Every Sunday, we spotlight a different invasive plant and share seasonal identification tips, impacts, and management information.

Your actions today can have a lasting impact. Join the movement and be part of this growing statewide effort to protect and restore Alabama's natural landscapes.