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January 2006 |
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January 2006 |
January 2006 Volume 22, Issue 1
Cooperative Extension Service
Health Building
119 West Seventh Street
Bloomington, IN 47404
(812)349-2575
2005 MCMGA Executive Board
President Office Team
: Mary Jane HallVice President Office Team:
Ann McEndarfer, Nancy White
Ann: 334-1801 amcendar@truman.edu
Nancy: 824-4426 nwhite38@hotmail.com
Treasurer Office Team:
Diana Young, Mary HawkinsSecretary Office Team:
Marilyn Brinley, Joanna HoweJournalist Office Team:
Helen HollingsworthState Advisory Committee Representative:
Herman Young, Gino BrancoliniMaster Gardener January To-Do List
Sign up today to attend Advanced Master Gardener Training on February 4
Attend the Master Gardener general meeting on January 17 at Public Library
Send Master Gardener dues for 2006 to Extension Office, using form in this newsletter
Send new volunteer hours to Joanna Howe (directions in this newsletter)
Log on to the Master Gardener web site at www.mcmga.net
Volunteer Opportunity
If you can volunteer on a committee for the February 4 Advanced Training and have not already been contacted, call these committee chairs. All hours of volunteer service will count whether or not you are a certified master gardener.
Publicity—Helen Hollingsworth, chair
Breakfast and Snacks—Marilyn Brinley, chair
Clean-up—Jeff Schafer, chair
Handouts & Materials—Ann McEndarfer, chair
Door Prizes & Decorations—Nancy White, chair
General Meeting on Tuesday, January 17
January MCMGA general meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 17 at 6:30 p.m. in Room 1B on the lower level at the Monroe County Public Library. Parking is available on the street or in the library lot or in the city lot on Lincoln Street.
Meeting Agenda and Program
We need your ideas for topics and speakers. See you then!
Note: If, due to weather, this meeting must be cancelled, notices of cancellation will arrive on email and on the radio by 3:00 p.m. Voting for officers will then be conducted via email. Contact Mary Jane Hall (345-3985 or via email) by January 19 if you want to write in a nomination for an office. Complete slate of officers is listed on page 5 of this publication.
New Educator Begins in January 2006
Amy Thompson, ANR Educator in Brown County, has accepted the invitation to serve as ANR Educator in Monroe County, effective January 16, 2006. Amy brings a wealth of agricultural and horticultural experience and knowledge to her new job. Amy replaces Dan Baugh, who retired December 30, 2005.
A Message from Amy Thompson
Hello! My name is Amy Thompson, I will be assuming the position of Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Educator following Dan Baugh’s retirement. My first day on the job will be January 17th. I was born and raised in Monroe County, and I am looking forward to returning back to my home county to work. I am also looking forward to working with the Monroe County Master Gardener’s Association and the upcoming 2006 Intern training program. My educational background is in Forest management/forest ecology, but I have had a life long interest in gardening, especially orchids and native plants, and I enjoy vegetable gardening with my husband and sons. I am looking forward to meeting members of the MCMGA and working together in the future. Best Wishes, Amy
Monroe County Master Gardener Intern Class Begins
A new Master Gardener Intern Class begins on January 26, 2006 and continues for twelve consecutive Thursdays, concluding on Thursday, April 20, 2006. Classes at held at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church, 2700 East Rogers Road, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Certified Master Gardeners are invited to attend any class, and to ensure available seats, are asked to call the Extension Office on the day of the class to register their attendance. Certified Master Gardeners receive one hour of advanced education credit for attending a complete class. Class coordinators for 2006 class are Debbie Lorton and Saundra Olvey with new Educator Amy Thompson.
Date Topic
January 26 Plant Science
February 2 Soils and Nutrition
February 9 House Plants, Container Gardening, Herbs
February 16 Plant Diseases and Diagnosis
February 23 Entomology and Animal Pests
March 2 Pruning, Composting
March 9 Vegetables, Small Fruits
March 16 Landscape Design & Woody Ornamentals, Hardscaping
March 23 Pesticides: Safety and Applications
March 30 Lawn Care, Invasive Plants
April 6 Herbaceous Ornamentals, Perennials and Annuals
April 13 Organic Gardening, Weed Control, & Ornamental Grasses
April 20 Final Exam
Advanced Training Opportunities by Nancy White
This is the time to gather up those advanced training hours for those of you who have already reached the certified level. There are several excellent classes coming up within easy driving distance from Monroe County this winter. As we are notified of others, we will pass them on to readers. Don’t forget to check the Purdue website for other current classes.
Indianapolis Museum of Art is teaming with Horticulture Magazine to present a full day workshop at the Museum on West 38th Street on February 16, 8:00-4:00 p.m. Six hours of advanced training credit is available. Send reservations to Horticulture Garden Programs, 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 452356. This year’s title is “Color Rich Gardens” and noted speakers include Nan Stinton, Rob Proctor, Janet Macunovich, and Vincent Simone. Topics include flowering landscape shrubs, garden conifers, adding color to your garden, colorful borders, and colorful container gardening. Register on-line at www.hortmag.com. Fee is $129 and includes meals and materials.
Crawford County, IL Master Gardeners is presenting “A Winter Day in the Garden,” on Saturday, January 28, at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, IL, State Highway #1, from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. for four hours of advanced credit. Topics include ornamental grasses, lasagna gardening, and seductive and buried treasure gardens. Call (618) 546-1549 for more information. Fee is $35 and includes lunch.
Boone County Master Gardeners will offer a workshop with Rosie Lerner, Purdue faculty member and state director of Master Gardening. Find more information on this one at the Purdue MG website.
Member News by Nancy White
Trees, All Seasons, All Reasons – Last Day to Register Is January 27
It’s coming up soon, and now is the time to register for our very own advanced training session on everything you’ve ever wanted to know about trees. The date is Saturday, February 4, 8:00-12:30 p.m., and the location is St. Marks Church on the east bypass. Tree topics will be the focus with Lee Huss and Ralph Unversaw sharing their expertise with us. Many are involved already in planning and helping with the class. Remember that four hours of advanced credit is available for certified master gardeners. But if you are not yet certified and you help prior to the event on a committee, those hours count toward volunteer hours. Or you can attend the session and do committee work, and you may claim up to four volunteer hours. Everyone needs to sign up right away. Send your reservation to the Extension Office with the fee of $25 by January 27. With everyone’s help, this will be a successful venture. See the November issue of Roots & Shoots for the registration form or find it on our website, www.mcmga.net.
November Holiday Party
The November 29, 2005 Holiday Party was a great success with about 45 of us in attendance and loads of outstanding food shared. The wonderful program on gifts to make, given by Extension Educator Sue Berg, helped us get new ideas for all-season gift giving. Many thanks to Sue for sharing her innovative ideas with us. If you missed it, be sure to join us next year.
Certification Updates by Joanna Howe
Badges have been ordered for Shahab Golian and Nancy White.
Shahab (2005) will receive his Purdue Master
Gardener badge for having completed his volunteer obligation by working many
hours at Hilltop performing such duties as garden work, transplanting, and
propagation.
Nancy (2002) has stepped up to the bronze level. Her activities include serving
on the MCMG board of directors, working with and teaching children at Templeton
Elementary School, planning committee for the Sycamore Land Trust Landscape
Show, advising the Arboretum committee at Clear Creek Elementary School, and
arranging our upcoming advanced training session in February.
A total of 18 badges were ordered during
2005; ten Master Gardener, five advanced, and three bronze. Congratulations, and
keep growing!
Look what we've done! As of this writing a total of 824.5 volunteer hours have
been submitted for 2005. I KNOW there are hours donated that have not been
reported (don't make me name names!). Please get your hours to me by Friday,
January 13 so an updated tabulation can be presented at our meeting on January
17. Send by snail mail to Joanna Howe, 2121 I Street, Bedford, IN 47421 or
email at joanna.howe@insightbb.com.
Junior Master Gardener Program Training
A Junior Master Gardener program training session will be held Tuesday, January 31 at the Brown County Public Library in Nashville, 5:45-9:00 p.m. Dr. Kathryn Orvis, Extension Specialist, will conduct the training for Master Gardeners, teachers, summer camp personnel, librarians, and other after-school program staff. The fee is $25, including refreshments and workshop materials. Registration deadline is January 25th. Contact the Extension Office, 988-5495, to register.
The Junior Master Gardener program (JMG) is an international youth gardening program operating nationwide through Cooperative Extension Service. The program offers curriculum which covers a broad range of horticultural and environmental education topics. The entire JMG curriculum is correlated to academic standards for science, math, language arts, and social studies. This will be a hands on workshop designed to introduce and immerse you in the JMG curriculum.
All-America Selections New Flowers and Vegetables for 2006 by B. Rosie Lerner
This year brought a bumper crop of 11 new All-America Selections (AAS) garden flowers and vegetables judged to be superior based on their performance in test gardens all over the country.
Dianthus 'Supra Purple' was selected for its early and prolific blooming and improved heat tolerance. The 1.5-inch, fringed, purple blooms literally cover the 12-inch plants. 'Supra Purple' also makes excellent cut flowers and performs best in full sun.
Diascia integerrima ' Diamonte Coral Rose' was selected for early flowering, branching habit and long bloom season. This relatively unknown plant reaches just 8-10 inches tall with a 18-inch spreading habit, making it ideal for container gardening or as an edging plant. Diascia is related to snapdragons but is much larger in flower. The 1-inch blooms continue opening all season in full sun.
Nicotiana 'Perfume Deep Purple' was selected for the delicately fragrant, deep purple blooms. The single, 2-inch star-shaped flowers are produced on plants reaching 20 inches tall with a spread of 15-18 inches. This plant performs best in full sun but also adapts to part shade.
Salvia farinacea 'Evolution' was chosen for the 6-7 - nch flower spikes that are distinctly violet, rather than the traditional blue. 'Evolution' is a medium-height annual reaching 16-24 inches tall.
Viola cornuta 'Skippy XL Red-Gold' won over the judges on its flower size, color and continuous bloom. The large, 1.5-inch, round flowers are ruby red with violet-red shading below the golden-yellow face containing penciling or whiskers. 'Skippy XL Red-Gold' promises heat tolerance combined with winter hardiness in protected locations. The compact habit reaches about 6 inches tall, spreading about 8 inches.
Zinnia ' Zowie ! Yellow Flame' was selected for its unique bicolor pattern. The 3-4-inch semi-double bloom contains a scarlet/rose center with yellow petal edges, reminiscent of a yellow flame. Expect flowering plants in about 8-10 weeks from sowing seed. Plants will reach 24-29 inches tall, spreading 26-27 inches in full sun.
Ornamental Pepper 'Black Pearl' produces shiny, pearl-like, black peppers against a striking backdrop of black foliage when grown in full sun. The vigorous, compact plants reach just 18 inches tall and are quite heat tolerant. The peppers turn red as they mature and are edible, if you like fiery hot!
In the vegetable department, Carrot 'Purple Haze' is the first purple imperator-type carrot, reaching 10-12 inches long and tapering to a point. The purple beauty is only skin deep -- the sliced, raw roots reveal a bright-orange center and cooking will dissolve the purple color. 'Purple Haze' can be harvested in about 70 days from sowing seed.
Cilantro ' Delfino ' is an improved selection with decorative fern-like foliage, ready to harvest in about 4-5 weeks from seed. Mature plants reach about 20 inches tall when grown in full sun. 'Delfino ' can also be grown for its flavorful seed, known as coriander.
'Carmen' is an improved Italian-type sweet pepper selected for early production of the distinctive horn-shaped peppers with wide shoulders, tapering to a smooth point. An excellent choice for container gardening, the upright plant reaches only 28 inches tall. Expect ripe peppers about 75 days from transplanting.
Chile Pepper 'Mariachi' was chosen for superior fruit size, early production, high yield and mildly hot flavor (500 to 600 Scoville heat units). The colorful fruit ripen from yellow to red, and flavor can become more pungent when plants are under heat or drought stress. 'Mariachi' produces an abundance of 3-4 inch peppers beginning about 65-68 days from transplanting.
AAS winners are selected from many new cultivars, based on performance in the garden as well as in the greenhouse. Although no plant offers a guarantee of success in an individual garden, AAS winners have proven themselves worthy over a broad range of growing conditions. Try these new selections alongside your old standbys so you'll have a means of comparison. AAS winners should be available through local garden centers and mail-order catalogs next spring. For more information about these and previous years' winners, point your Web browser to http://www.all-americaselections.org/.
Master Gardener Officers for 2006
The nominating committee, chaired by Lydia Anderson, offers the following slate of officers for 2006: President, Marilyn Brinley; Vice Presidents, Nancy White and Ann McEndarfer; Secretaries, Barbara Cappy and Mary Hawkins; Treasurers, Diana Young and Dale Calabrese; Journalists, Helen Hollingsworth and Lydia Anderson; State Advisory Committee Representatives, Herman Young and Gino Brancolini. Voting for 2006 officers will be held at the general meeting at the Monroe County Public Library on Tuesday, January 17. (See page one for complete meeting information.) The old and new boards will meet together on Monday, February 6, to complete old business and begin the new year.
Indiana Bee School IV
The Indiana Beekeepers Association is holding the Indiana Bee School on Saturday, February 25, 2006, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST. The cost is $20 for an individual and $30 for a family, lunch included, catered by SPC Food Service Ministry. Deadline for registration is February 15, 2006. To register, call Steve Doty, 317-485-5593 or email jsdoty@indy.net.
Indiana Community Tree Stewards Session
The Indiana DNR, Community & Urban Forestry, the Owen County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Indiana Urban Forest Council are hosting Indiana Community Tree Stewards Session, Owen County Public Library in Spencer, IN, on January 10, 17, 24, 31 and February 7, from 6:00pm - 9:00 p. m.
A work day will be held on February 18 at 10:00 a. m.
Cost is $25. To register, contact April Murray-Clayton at 317-915-9390 or mail to IDNR, Community & Urban Forestry, Attn: April Murray-Clayton, 6515 E 82nd St., Ste 204, Indianapolis IN 46205-1562.
Gibson County Master Gardeners Present Advanced Training
Gibson County Master Gardeners are hosting an advanced Master Gardener training titled, When the North Wind Blows—Let’s Talk Gardens, on Saturday, February 11, 2006, at the Gibson County Fair Grounds Activities Building, N. Embree Street, Princeton, IN, 9:00 a.m. -3:00 p.m. Doors open at 8:30 a.m.
Registration fee is $35, including lunch and snacks. Registration deadline is January 25, 2006. Late registration fee is $40. Training is open to the public. Master Gardener attendees will receive four education hours.
Program
Bonsai Is Not Merely a Tree in a Pot Dave Bogan
Grasses: Old & New, Short & Tall Darrell Cross
Banding Hummers: Every Bird Is Special Cathie Hutchinson
Trees, Trees, Trees, and More Trees Steve Marling
To register, send name, address, telephone number, email address, and check for $35 payable to Gibson County Master Gardeners to Master Gardener Training, Gibson County Extension Office, 800 S. Prince Street, Princeton, IN 47670. Call 812-385-3491 for more information.
Winter Gardens to Visit by B. Rosie Lerner
While a thick blanket of winter snow might keep even diehard gardeners out of yard work for now, a visit to one of the many Midwestern glasshouse gardens may help you get your plant fix. In addition to seasonal plant displays, many of these gardens offer classes, art exhibits and other ways to beat the winter doldrums.
Indianapolis White River Gardens, 317-630-3252; Indianapolis Museum of Art, 317-920-2660; Garfield Park Conservatory, 317-327-7184
Fort Wayne
Foellinger-Freimann Botanical Conservatory, 260-427-6440Chicago Area Garfield Conservatory (Chicago), 312-746-5100; Lincoln Park Conservatory (Chicago), 312-742-7736; Chicago Botanic Garden (Glencoe), 847-835-5440; Morton Arboretum (Lisle), 630-968-0074
Cincinnati: Krohn Conservatory, 513-352-4080; Civic Garden Center, 513-221-0981
January Calendar by B. Rosie Lerner
HOME (Indoor plants and activities)
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Keep holiday poinsettias and other plants near a bright window. Water as top of soil becomes dry.·
Increase humidity around houseplants by grouping plants together, placing them on a pebble-water tray or running a humidifier.·
Check stored produce and tender flower bulbs and roots for rot, shriveling or excess moisture. Remove and discard damaged material.·
Repot houseplants as they outgrow current pots.YARD (Lawns, woody ornamentals and fruits)
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Check young trees for rodent injury on lower trunks. Prevent injury with hardware cloth or protective collars.·
Keep road and sidewalk salt away from plants. Construct a screen of burlap, if necessary, to keep salt spray off plants.·
"Leaf" through nursery catalogs and make plans for landscape and home orchard additions. Order plants early for best selection.·
Early spring-flowering trees and shrubs, such as forsythia, crabapple, flowering quince, flowering dogwood and honeysuckle, can be forced for early indoor blooms by placing cut branches in water in a warm location.·
Send for seed catalogs for the garden.GARDEN (Flowers, vegetables and small fruits)
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Sketch your garden plans on paper, including what to grow, spacing, arrangement and number of plants needed.·
Order seeds and plants as early as possible for best selection.·
Wood ashes from the fireplace can be spread in the garden, but don't overdo it. Wood ashes increase soil pH, and excess application can make some nutrients unavailable for plant uptake. Have soil tested to be certain of the pH before adding wood ash.Volunteer Opportunities Compiled by Nancy White
Hilltop Garden & Nature Center, year around, various jobs, contact Marcia Figueiredo, 855-2799
Templeton Garden Project, spring/fall, teaching children, contact Nancy White, 824-4426
MG Demonstration Garden, seasonal, various jobs, contact Lydia Anderson, 825-2961
T. C. Steele SHS, seasonal, various jobs, contact Steve Doty, 988-2785
Cheryl’s Garden, seasonal, various jobs, contact Larime Wilson, 339-9705
Flatwoods Park Butterfly Gardens, seasonal, various jobs, contact Cathy Meyer
MCMGA Horticulture Hotline, year around, inquiries and research, contact Amy Thompson, 349-2575
MCMGA Speakers Bureau, year around, various, contact Amy Thompson, 349-2575
MCMGA Newsletter, year around, writing, stapling, labeling, contact Helen Hollingsworth, 332-7313
MCMGA Web Site, year around, various jobs, contact Barbara Hays, 332-4032
MG Program Committee Member, year around, plan MG programs, contact Ann McEndarfer, 334-1801 or Nancy White, 824-4426
Middle Way House, seasonal, various jobs, contact Clara Wilson, 333-7404
Wylie House, year around, various jobs, contact Sherry Brunoehler, 855-6224
Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, year around, education and resource, contact Libby Yarnell, 355-6843
Clear Creek Elementary School, spring/on-going, identification and education, contact Charlie Hawk, 824-7969
Advanced Master Gardener Training, through February 4, 2006, various jobs, contact Nancy White, 824-4426 or Ann McEndarfer, 334-1801
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