News By Department: CREC-Coastal Research & Ext Center

You’ve got a lovely container, and you want to put a plant in it. But if that container doesn’t have drainage holes, you’ll end up with a dead plant. (Photo by Jonathan Parrish/Cindy Callahan)

The two-day Piney Woods Heritage Festival will feature an historical reenactment along with a showcase of skills and traditions of the region on Nov. 9 and 10.

Mississippi State University received three grants Oct. 22 totaling almost $900,000 to enhance the advancement of scientific and environmental literacy among children and young people living near the Gulf Coast.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Floral enthusiasts can enhance their design skills in a new horticulture course intended to enhance skills and inspire community volunteerism.

The 14-week Master Floral Designer course begins Jan. 10. Classes will be held once a week from 1 to 4 p.m. The course is a program of the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

If you struggle to keep houseplants healthy, you probably don’t have the right plant for your home or office.  (Photo by Kevin Hudson)

Salt marshes are coastal wetlands common throughout the globe and visible just about any time you drive over a bridge along the coast.

Insects and their habitats take center stage during Bugfest at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum in Picayune on Sept. 21 and 22.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- Pollinators are important to flowering plants and the food supply, but dwindling numbers of some of these creatures, including monarch butterflies and bees, have captured the public’s attention.

Many people want to help. But what can homeowners do to support these important pollinators?

Jennifer Buchanan, senior curator at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, shared her top three tips for creating a pollinator-friendly garden.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Coastal areas are dynamic in nature, which means they are constantly changing.

A fitting example of the dynamics of coastlines can be found by looking at historical, but relatively recent, aerial photos of Pelican Island off Dauphin Island, Alabama.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Students at North Bay Elementary School in Biloxi got another hands-on learning component this spring with the addition of a school garden.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Sharks of the northern Gulf of Mexico have a strong advocate in Mississippi State University Extension Service fisheries specialist Marcus Drymon.

Drymon, originally from Kentucky, has been fascinated with sharks from a young age. His dad, an airline pilot, took him on annual scuba diving trips to watch sharks. His college career focused on marine sciences, leading him to a career in marine biology, first at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama.

ELLISVILLE, Miss. -- Mississippi State University representatives met with agricultural clients in Ellisville recently to discuss research and education needs for 2018. More than 115 individuals attended this year's event.

BILOXI, Miss. -- Southern Gardening media products of the Mississippi State University Extension Service once again brought home top honors in competition.

Individuals interested in floral design can attend a live demonstration to learn about new arrangement techniques using Mississippi products March 8.
Jim DelPrince, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, will show attendees how to use materials from their landscapes to create arrangements in Mississippi-made pottery.

PICAYUNE, Miss. -- Area blacksmiths and metalworkers will demonstrate their skills during the annual Forge Day at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum.

The event is set for Jan. 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Picayune.

Mississippi gardeners who plan to incorporate more pollinator plants into their landscapes can consider native milkweed and begin gathering seed for indoor propagation.

A project by the Pearl River County Master Gardeners aims to help increase populations of monarch butterflies by providing habitat and educating the public.

This past spring, the group revamped a portion of the children’s educational garden at the Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum to serve as an official, certified Monarch Waystation. Master Gardener members recently dedicated the garden with the placement of a sign from Monarch Watch, the nonprofit organization that manages the waystation program.

The Mississippi State University Crosby Arboretum will host the Piney Woods Heritage Festival on Nov. 18.

The 15th annual event celebrates the region’s heritage with presentations, displays and demonstrations of historical skills and crafts, including blacksmithing, spinning, basket making, quilting and more.