Believe it or not - the ground will begin to thaw soon, and the harbingers of spring will begin to make their presence known. One group of plants that is known for delicate blossoming in early spring, and is not well known outside of hard core gardeners is called spring ephemerals. Ephemeral means short-lived or lasting for a brief time. Spring ephemeral de- scribes perennial flowers that pop up early each spring, quickly bloom, then retreat into dormancy as the heat of summer approaches.

Everything you've wanted to know about those pesky insects in your garden and how to keep them from getting to your tasty vegetables before you do will be explained in a workshop presented by Camden County Master Gardeners as part of their Homeowners Series of Workshops on Thursday, April 11th at 7 p.m. at the Camden County Environmental Center. You will learn how to identify the most common insects found on vegetables and how to control them organically. The speaker, Sabrina Tirpak, is the Principal Laboratory Technician at the Plant Diagnostic Laboratory at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.  She is also an instructor at Rutgers and a frequent lecturer on insect pest problems in structures, landscapes and gardens.   Advanced registration is requested. For more information, call 856-216-7130 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Master Gardeners of Camden County are on call for your questions from 9 a.m.-noon weekdays on gardening issues, plant identifications, insect identifications and remedies. Through the Master Gardeners program, administered by Rutgers University, residents who want to become Master Gardeners are trained in classes and then give back to the community by answering residents’ questions in clinics, online and by phone during those weekday hours. There is no fee for this service designed to promote healthy gardens.  Call: 856-216-7130 or email.

Ladybugs, symbols of good luck from medieval Europe to Chinese lore, are beneficial bugs all gardeners should consider welcoming into their yards and garden plots. Bart Conrad, a master gardener in Camden County, says ladybugs are “a friend to gardeners” because they eat bugs that eat plants.