Penn State Master Gardeners of Bucks County

06/19/2026

Sharing the Wealth:
Water is for the birds!

Maybe you already maintain a bird-friendly garden:
• growing native plants for berries, seeds & nectar
• resisting insecticides so caterpillars can thrive
• leaving natural nesting sites like dense shrubbery, dead tree snags, and groundcover

💦But what about water?

Birds need access to disease-free water sources all year long for both bathing and drinking—and just like us, they find clean, accessible water especially welcome in hot weather! 🥵

Want to be a good host for our feathered friends this summer?

TOP TIPS

Mimic natural conditions
• Ground level
• Shallow, walkable basins
• Sloped with 1 to 2” of water
• Stones to step on if deeper

Keep it clean
• In the shade to discourage algae
• Change the water every day
• Rinse with a 9:1 water:vinegar ratio
• Separate baths & feeders

Safe space
• Elevated for finches & chickadees
• Keep domestic cats indoors
• Keep it moving with a solar fountain, drip, or mist
• Use anti-mosquito dunks
• Place near (but not under) shrubs or trees

Q. What’s your favorite way to provide a much-appreciated water source for the birds in your garden?

🐦‍⬛ Share your stories in the comments!

✍️ Elisa Rapaport, PhD, Penn State Master Gardener, Bucks County
📸 Cindy Glass (3-5), Elisa Rapaport (2,6) & Mike’s Birds CC by 2.0 (1).

06/19/2026

👇Demonstration Garden Open Day starts with James-Lorah Memorial Home on Saturday, June 20, 10-2.

Come Visit This Hidden Gem Where Horticulture And History Meet
James-Lorah Memorial Home Gardens
100 North Broad Street, Doylestown, PA 18901

You’ll come away more involved in the local gardening scene. Read on 👇💫🌼🌱

Penn State Extension Master Gardeners can certainly help and will host a three-part Demonstration Garden Open Day series, showcasing gardening in Bucks County at notable community gardens throughout the area.

06/17/2026

Or, let it grow wild in the wild areas. 🦌 The deer will thank you—and maybe eat a little less of your landscape.

Also, poison ivy can look different at different stages of development.

• Red, shiny, pointy leaves on new growth
• Large, almost flat green leaves when mature
• Massive vines climbing trees, attached via hair-like “adventitious” roots

Not all “leaves of three” are poison ivy, obviously. But it’s a good clue to be cautious when in nature. 🌿

Given its infamy, maybe this plant needs no introduction. Pictured here is Toxicodendron radicans (a.k.a., Poison Ivy or Eastern Poison Ivy). It is actually a native species to Pennsylvania, along with most of the eastern United States. Poison ivy grows as a deciduous woody vine (its leaves change color in the fall). It can grow upward, attaching itself by adventitious roots to tree trunks or other structures.** Otherwise, absent vertical support, it can form a dense ground cover. While the edges of its leaves can fluctuate from smooth to toothed, poison ivy is most easily recognized by the compound structure of its leaves, being composed of three leaflets.***

As stated in a Penn State Extension article by Tim Abbey, an Extension Educator, “[a]ll parts of poison-ivy contain resinous compounds called urushiols. When urushiols contact the skin, or are inhaled, they cause inflammation, itching, and blistering.”* According to a Purdue Extension pamphlet, “[t]his oil is insoluble in water. That means if you simply wash with water alone after coming into contact with poison ivy, you merely spread the oil to other areas and increase the discomfort. However, washing with a strong alkali soap, such as yellow laundry or naptha, will relieve the discomfort. Alcohol will dissolve and remove the oily substance from the skin, and if you apply it soon enough, may prevent irritation.”***

Do not attempt to control poison ivy by burning. “Burning poison ivy can be hazardous because the smoke may contain the oil and can cause the same symptoms.”***

To learn how to properly control poison ivy, check out the cited sources.

Sources:
* “Poison Ivy,” Tim Abbey (Extension Educator, Horticulture - Green Industry), Penn State Extension (updated July 23, 2025) (https://extension.psu.edu/poison-ivy) -

** “Poison Ivy,” based on publication HG 34 Poison Ivy, author Ray Bosmans, Professor Emeritus University of Maryland, University of Maryland Extension (updated Sept. 18, 2023) (https://extension.umd.edu/resource/poison-ivy) -

*** “Poison Ivy,” B. Rosie Lerner (Purdue Horticulture and Landscape Architecture) & Travis Legleiter (Purdue Botany and Plant Pathology), HO-218-W, Purdue Extension (Oct. 2015) (https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ho/ho-218-w.pdf).

06/17/2026

The Day of the White Mulberry Trees

Every gardener deals with weeds. Master Gardener Hannah Jones has been contending with the particularly persistent invasive White Mulberry (Morus alba). It’s a master of disguise, leaves changing shape in early development. And the way it spreads involves a cute and feathered garden friend.

🫤

White mulberries are invasive across the country.

And they are tenacious! I’ve tried pulling when they’re fresh, but that is a narrow window. Strong roots develop quickly. Then there’s starving the stumps by cutting back all the branches and leaves.

In my experience, each one you cut is replaced by a dozen eager water sprouts the next week, crowding out even more of my garden. Plus, White Mulberries are FAST and can grow as much as 10 feet in a single year!

Where do they come from? I have a fully fenced backyard, THE place to be if you have feathers. This gardening season, I find myself frustrated by those friends who visit too often and stay too long. I’m talking about those darn birds. 🐦‍⬛

The winged friends my husband enjoys watching and identifying—sparrows, house finches, so many more—are partying and pooping constantly. BONUS: if your droppings are by the fence it makes the gardener’s weeding extra challenging!

The first gift was the purple petunias, which I didn’t mind: my chosen color palette, don’t need attention, fill in bare spots. Win!

But then came “The Day of the White Mulberry Trees” (if you don’t know the reference, The Day of the Triffids is a 1951 post-apocalyptic novel that feels like a sequel to Little Shop of Horrors).

Research says the best way to win this battle is cutting the White Mulberry trunks as close to the ground as possible, then immediately apply herbicide.

✂️

Thankfully, there are many native trees that make great alternatives, like Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica), and Sassafras (Sassafras albidum).

👇Have you had to pull white mulberry? Tell us about it in the comments below. 😓

And best of luck in your own battles!

✍️+ 📸 Hannah Jones, Penn State Master Gardener, Bucks County

06/16/2026

DID YOU KNOW today is National Nature Photography Day?

What better way to celebrate than share with us your favorite nature photos!

🌅 🏞️ 🌄

No worries if you’re not a pro. Just show us the favorite shots you’ve captured that bring you joy.

📸 Photos by Cindy Glass & Elisa Rapaport, Penn State Master Gardeners, Bucks County

06/16/2026

POP QUIZ: Reveal!

(1) Did you correctly guess yesterday’s photos?

Left to right:
• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
• White Oak (Quercus alba)
• Scarlet Bee Balm (Monarda didyma)

🐝🌸🦋

(2) But which is the pollinator powerhouse among these three?

Trick question! All 3 are incredibly valuable to pollinators, in different ways.

🌼MILKWEED:
- exclusive host plant for monarch caterpillars
- monarchs lay eggs on the leaves, which the caterpillars eat
- flowers provide a nectar source for pollinators like bees, wasps, and many species of butterflies
- plant typically recovers easily from insect defoliation
- attracts numerous insects that feed other beneficial insects and birds

🌳 OAK TREES:
- hosts more than 500 species of moths & butterflies
- more than 900 species benefit from oaks!
- early spring blossoms provide pollen for many species of bees
- habitat for native birds, with easy access to caterpillars & moths for their young
- thick leaves and branches offer shelter for overwintering animals and insects

🌺 BEE BALM:
- moths, butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds all seek the nectar from the tube-shaped flowers
- exclusive source for some native bees, including predatory wasps that prey on invasive pests like stinkbugs
- host plant for numerous caterpillars
- irresistible to hummingbird moths
- dried flowers & stems provide habitat for overwintering beneficial insects

👍 Which of these native plants are already in your garden? And which are next-up on your wish list?

Tell us below in the comments!

✍️& 📸: Elisa Rapaport, PhD, Penn State Master Gardener, Bucks County & Vincent Cotrone.

06/16/2026

🌿 Meet Our Master Gardeners: Joan Meyers 🌿

For more than 30 years, Joan Meyers has been sharing her passion for plants, learning, and community as a Penn State Master Gardener in Bucks County. It all started in 1995 when Joan spotted an article about the program in the Daily Intelligencer and decided to apply.

"At first, I wanted to learn more about gardening—and I certainly have! But what has been even more gratifying are the connections I've made with so many people who share the same interests."

Over the years, Joan has witnessed incredible changes in both the Master Gardener program and the gardening world.

🌸The biggest change Joan has seen?

“The evolution of the plant sale has been most impressive. I remember that it started as just a few tables in the parking lot! It’s amazing to look at what the plant sale is today.”

🌱Joan has seen gardening trends come and go, but learning about native trees played a big part in Joan's most rewarding experience—serving on the Arboretum Committee.🌳

"I am amazed to see how large the trees are at the old office where we started the Almshouse Arboretum around 2007. Planting and learning about woody trees and shrubs fueled my interest in native plants."

Looking back on three decades of service, Joan is especially inspired by the creativity and enthusiasm each new Master Gardener class brings to community projects.

“[There are] so many opportunities to share information with tons of people—and I always have fun."

💚💚💚

Thank you, Joan, for 30 years of learning, leadership, and growing alongside our community!

✍️+ 📸 Joan Meyers, Penn State Master Gardener, Bucks County

06/15/2026

POP QUIZ!
🐝🌸🦋

This week’s quiz is multi-part!
(1) Can you identify the 3 plants pictured here?
(2) Which is the native pollinator powerhouse?

Share your answers below, in comments. 👍



📸: Elisa Rapaport, PhD, Penn State Extension Master Gardener, Bucks County

06/15/2026

The Ins & Outs of Drought

💦 The parched, cracked soil in our gardens confirms we need rain, but how do we know it’s not just a dry spell?

And why isn’t last night’s storm enough?

Agricultural drought is generally measured beyond a 3-month season as “a water shortage causing adverse impacts on vegetation, animals, and/or people.” (National Weather Service)

WHO DECIDES?
Identifying drought is a multi-agency effort, including in PA:
✔️Department of Environmental Protection
✔️National Weather Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
✔️Commonwealth Drought Task Force (multi state and federal partners)

SEVERITY & IMPACT
Drought Watch =
• A deficit 25% below normal levels
• Residents should reduce water usage 5-10%
• Currently Bucks & 14 other PA counties

Drought Warning =
• 35% below normal
• Reduce water usage 10-15%
• Currently 4 PA counties, including Chester

Drought Emergency =
• 45% below normal
• Local restrictions on water usage
• Often causes widespread agriculture loss
• Only the Governor can declare
• Most recently 2001-2002

Bucks County has been under Drought Watch conditions since November 2024. The recent rains have helped; just weeks ago, 39 of 67 counties were under a Drought Watch—now down to 14 in PA.

WHAT TO DO?
🥵 The Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts a hot summer with below average rainfall, which means our drought will likely continue or worsen.

Small changes can add up.

💧 LIMIT NONESSENTIALS like carwashing or watering the lawn.

💦 APPLY MULCH & organic compost to improve soil & retain moisture.

💧 SWEEP OR RAKE instead of using a hose to clean walkways.

💦 MOW LESS FREQUENTLY to reduce evaporation—or even allow your lawn to go dormant.

💧 PLANT NATIVES & drought-tolerant species.

💦 COLLECT RAIN in a downspout-fed barrel for watering the garden.

💧 WATER PLANTS EARLY in the day, so they have a chance to benefit before the sun gets hot.

💦 USE DRIP IRRIGATION or soaker hoses instead of overhead watering.

💧 WATER DEEPLY but less often, to encourage drought-tolerant root growth.

See links in comments for more helpful tips and an updated Drought Monitor Map.

✍️ Anne Munoz-Furlong, Penn State Master Gardener, Bucks County

📸 Photos: (1) Penn State Extension & (3-6) Elisa Rapaport, Penn State Master Gardener, Bucks County

06/14/2026

🌸FLOWER POWER 🌻 Penn State "Flower Trials Field Day." Come away AMAZED 💫👇

Flower Trial Field Day