Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes

Transcription

1 Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes October 2016 MG Steering Committee Meeting Wednesday, October 12, 7:00 pm; Johnson County Extension Office. All are invited to attend! Thymes Deadline Thymes information should be sent to Jan Denehy at Please send news, volunteer opportunities, stories, pictures, etc., for the October issue by Wednesday, October Fall Master Gardener Training The 2016 Fall Master Gardener Training began September 22 and runs through November 17. We still need help with proctoring and treats. 1. You will receive volunteer hours credit for preparing and bring treats to a class. This is a nice way to welcome our newcomers. The more the merrier so please just let me know what date you would like to bring something. 2. If you are willing to help proctor which is greeting folks, helping to go over worksheets, and helping to type questions into the webinar then you can get volunteer hours credit for helping out. Please let me know if you would like to help on a certain date and I will let you know if that slot is still available. 3.If you would like to attend as a participant to one of the classes. You are welcome and will receive educational hours for attending. Please just let me know which ones you would like to attend so I have a head count. PLEASE NOTE: Class of 2015 Interns you only (40) volunteer hours this year so you are welcome to help with treats or proctoring for volunteer hours. And you are welcome to come and attend a class and report it as educational hours, but it will be considered above and beyond your minimum requirement. All other current Master Gardeners remember your requirement is 20 volunteer hours (at least 10 Core projects) and 10 educational hours. **These are only minimum requirements so please feel free to do more and report your hours if you do more. Doing more helps our county in our ranking at the state level and it helps you reach your milestone county pin levels quicker. We want to make sure you get credit for all the great things you do so please make sure you are reporting your hours. Deadline for hours is December 31, Contact Shannon Bielicke if you have any questions or can help at or Bielicke@iastate.edu Eastern Iowa Orchid Society Orchid Show & Sale October The Eastern Iowa Orchid Society, in cooperation with the Cedar Rapids Parks and Recreation Department, will host its Fifth Annual Eastern Iowa Orchid Show and Sale on Oct at the Noelridge Park Greenhouse, 4900 Council Street NE, Cedar Rapids. The free show is open to the public. The hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The orchid show features more than 500 blooming orchids that are beautifully displayed in Noelridge Park's tropical greenhouses. Exhibitors include regional orchid societies, amateur hobbyist and professional orchid growers from throughout the Midwest. New this year is an Open Exhibition Table for anyone who would like to display their own blooming orchid in the show. Orchids must be registered during show setup on Friday to enter. Contact Nile Dusdieker at niledusdiker@gmail.com for information. Activities include American Orchid Society orchid judging, floor and table top orchid exhibits, and orchid - related crafts and collectables. 1

2 Community participation is encouraged and visitors will cast votes for the People's Choice Award, the best orchid display in the show. Other special awards include: Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion for the best two blooming orchids; Nature's Best for the best orchid species; Weird and Wonderful for the most unusual orchid; and Mini but Mighty Award for the best miniature orchid. Visitors can purchase a wide variety of orchid plants that are for sale by regional vendors. Volunteers will be present to answer questions about the orchids in the show and how to grow them. Daily lectures are scheduled about Repotting, Basic Culture, and Reblooming Orchids. The show venue is family friendly and offers visitors an up close and personal view of some of nature's most exotic flowers in artistically-arranged displays.for more information visit the website: CONTACTS: For general information, display registration, and publicity: Show Chairman: Andy Coghill-Beherendsmistercoghill@hotmail.com Show Registration Chairman: Nile Dusdieker niledusdieker@gmail.com Society President: Bill Page, willvpage@hotmail.com SOURCE: Linda Schreiber lnschreiber@gmail.com Noelridge Orchids Win Special Awards for Cultural Excellence Two large, beautiful orchids from Noelridge Greenhouse s orchid collection were exhibited by the Eastern Iowa Orchid Society at the Wisconsin Orchid Show at the Mitchell Park Domes Botanical Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sept , Oncidesa Taka (a dancing lady orchid) received a national award, Certificate of Cultural Merit, from the American Orchid Society. It had more than 450 bright yellow flowers and buds on 6 bloom shoots displayed evenly on a clean, well-grown plant. The clonal name Noelridge was added to the plant name as special recognition for this award. The American Orchid Society will publish the award and photographs of the plant in their international data base and their journal Orchids. A second plant, Dendrobium Green Lantern, received 1st place and Best of Class ribbons at the orchid show for the best-grown specimen plant of the more than 400 plants in the show. The two orchids are 15-plus years old and are cared for by the Friends of Noelridge volunteer group at the greenhouse. They will be on display along with many other orchids at the Fifth Annual Eastern Iowa Orchid Show and Sale at Noelridge Greenhouse, 4900 Council Street, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the weekend of Oct The show is free and open to the public. Fall Potluck a Yummy Success On Sunday, September 18 th, close to 40 MGs and friends gathered at the Extension Building for the 2016 Fall Potluck. In addition to the usual fantastic food (and some truly amazing pickled beets), we played identify this seedpod and flower with two mystery specimens brought to the event. General consensus of the smartphone owners in the room was that the pod was Honeyvine Milkweed or Climbing Milkweed (Ampelamus albidus), but we re still at a loss for the flower. Any suggestions? There were a few daylilies and a wagon full of everbearing strawberry plants needing new homes, and an assortment of fall gourds for sale. 2

3 Due to a cross communication, the announcement of the Potluck said an hour of education would be available, so we spent about an hour watching a PowerPoint Presentation about the MG Core Projects. Thanks to the Core chairs for stepping in and talking about their projects. (Can you name all 20 Core Projects?) Thanks again to all the Master Gardeners and friends who attended (see below). Preschoolers Making Zucchini Bread Shueyville United Methodist Church Garden Project by Lori D. Winborn This past summer I had the opportunity to complete my volunteer hours with children aged 3-10 at All God's Children Preschool and Childcare, Shueyville. During our time together, the children toured the Shueyville United Methodist Church garden, identified plants and took a scavenger hunt to find particular plants, insects and pollinators. At the end of the season, we used a zucchini from the garden and worked together to make zucchini muffins. With the assistance of the teachers and helpers, children grated zucchini, measured ingredients and spooned the batter into muffin tins. Many of the children had not had zucchini muffins previously and many were surprised at the good taste...though not everyone was a fan! Over the past several summers I have worked at All God's Children to expose children to gardening, the different types of produce grown in the church garden and fun aspects of gardening. This spring a volunteer built the preschool two raised beds so they now have their own gardens and are very proud of them! October Birthdays 3 Jeff Baker 5 Janice Hining 6 Betty Kelly 13 Ramona McGurk 17 Lori Winborn 25 Connie Funk 27 Alicia Ambler Articles needed for the Thymes Newsletter I would like to encourage MGs to submit short feature articles ( words) of interest for the newsletter. These articles can be seasonal, something of special interest to you or a topic of interest to MGs. You might want to write an article related to a MG project you worked on or a topic you would like to learn more about. If possible, include a photo or two (jpg with at least 100 dpi) related to your article. The newsletter is published 10 times a year (there are no issues in January and August) and is distributed via or USPS for those who prefer a hard copy. Each issue is about 7-8 pages in length and includes a variety of regular features such as announcements of upcoming MG events and meetings, special events of interest to MGs, a monthly birthday list, and a list of committee members and volunteer opportunities. If you are interested, please let me know. If you have an idea for an article or need help in putting an article together, contact me and we can discuss the topic and format. You will receive MG core volunteer hours for your work on the Thymes. Deadlines are listed in the Thymes. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you on the Thymes. Jan Denehy, Thymes Editor, Janice-denehy@uiowa.edu Grating the Zucchini 3

4 A listing of programs offered by organizations in our area that may be of interest to MGs. October 2016 Backyard Abundance Saturday, October 1, a.m. to 4 p.m. Edible Landscaping, Ahrens Park, Grinnell, IA. This class is part #1 of the Create an Abundant Landscape Class. Learn to integrate fruit and nut trees, berry bushes, herbs and other edible perennials into your landscape. Sliding fee scale $30- $50. Go to for more information. Wednesday, October 5, :30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Gardening With Spirit. Connect with the spiritual side of nature through playful monthly gatherings that enhance public and private landscapes. This month s gathering is with Joan and John Lorence who have cultivated an oasis of food and wildlife habitat on their diverse landscape. During a fun tour, guests will enjoy seeing thriving bee hives, veggies, herbs and fruits all grown in ways that improves the health of our environment. Registration, directions and fee information at Thursday, October 6, :30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sustainable Living Conversations. Join others the first and third Thursdays of every month to support one another in learning to live sustainably. Trumpet Blossom Café, 310 E Prentiss St., Iowa City. Go to for more information. Saturday, October 8, a.m. to 4 p.m. Edible Landscaping Plant Selection and Establishment. Part # 2 of the Create an Abundant Landscape class. Learn how to properly select and arrange plants to create a self-sustaining garden. Sliding fee scale $30-$50. Ahrens Park, Grinnell, IA. for more information. Thursday, October 13, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Green Drinks, a place to meet and exchange ideas with other green-minded folks in a cozy environment. Held the Second Thursday of every month. Share Wine & Small Plate Bistro, 210 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City. Wednesday, October 19, :00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Wild Utah Slideshow at the Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City. This 15 minute journey through red rock splendor, narrated by Robert Redford invigorates and motivates viewers to participate in a movement to protect these unique and threatened public lands. More Information at Thursday, October 20, :30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Sustainable Living Conversations. Join others to support one another as we all learn to live more sustainably. Gather with students and community members to chat and enjoy dinner or appetizers at Trumpet Blossom Café, 310 E Prentiss St.Iowa City. Information at Blue Zones Bur Oak Land Trust (formerly Johnson County Heritage Trust) info@buroaklandtrust.org Sunday, October 2, a.m. to 12 p.m. O Mara-Newport workday, led by Seth Somerville. Work with volunteer property steward Mark Vitosh on firebreak maintenance. Meet at the end of 320 th St. NE and park single file along the road. Contact Seth at seth@buroaklandtrust.org or Sunday, October 9,2016 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Pappy Dickens Workday. Invasive removal at Bur Oak Land Trust s Pappy Dickens property. Park at the old Hy-Vee, 1201 North Dodge, Iowa City, IA. Contact Seth at seth@buroaklandtrust.org, Sunday, October 9, p.m. to 9 p.m. Join Bur Oak Land Trust at Devotay, 117 N. Linn St, Iowa City, for a Benefit Dinner. A portion of Devotay s evening sales will go to Bur Oak Land Trust. Reservations at Friday, October 21, :30 p.m. to 9 p.m. 10 th Annual Under Cider Moon A Celebration of Autumn at th Street NE, Solon, IA, Celebration Barn. Silent and live auction, hors d oeuvres, local wine and beer. $50 per person ($25 tax deductible). Reservations required by October 7, 2016, Sunday, October 23, :30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Shimek Ravine Workday led by Seth Somerville. General invasive Species removal. Meet at Shimek Elementary School. Contact Seth at , seth@buroaklandtrust.org. Coralville Lake Nothing scheduled at press time Eastern Iowa Bird Watchers/IC Birds Wednesday, October 5 and 19, a.m. Kent Park Bird Walk. Meet at the Conservation Education Center, Kent Park. Rick Hollis, Saturday, October 15, a.m. Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. This is an all-day trip with driving and hiking and will be co-led by Stuart Sparkman and Karen Viste-Sparkman, Wildlife 4

5 Biologist. Pack lunch. Meet at Kohl s parking lot, 2795 Commerce Dr, Coralville, IA. Contact Sharon Somers, Thursday, October 20, p.m. Meeting. Linda and Robert Scarth, photographers, authors and naturalists will present Leks: Arenas for Mate Selection. Learn how birds such as grouse, mammals, reptiles and insects use leks for mate selection. Robert A. Lee Recreation Center, Room A, 220 S. Gilbert St., Iowa City. Sunday,October 23, :45 a.m. Turkey Creek Preserve, a Bur Oak Land Trust property, half day trip with hiking. Target birds are sparrows and other fall migrants. Meet at the North Dodge Hy-Vee parking lot. Contact Jason Paulios, jasonpaulios@gmail.com. ECO Iowa City Check website for events. Iowa State Extension Nothing scheduled at press time Iowa Water ers?sk=wall Sunday, October 9, p.m. to 3 p.m. Stormwater Cleanup. Volunteer cleanup will be along the Iowa River corridor as we make our way down south of the McCollister Bridge. Meet at Napoleon Park parking lot, 3800 Napoleon Lane at noon for assignments. Contact City of Iowa City Volunteer Coordinator carol-sweeting@iowacity.org or call for information on volunteering. Johnson County Conservation salgreen@co.johnson.ia.us Nothing scheduled at press time Johnson County-ISU Extension Wednesday, October 12, :00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Master Gardener Steering Committee Meeting. Johnson County Extension & Outreach Old Highway 218 S. Shannon Bielicke, Linn County-ISU Extension nty=linn&countiesscope Tuesday, October 4, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Putting Your Landscape to Bed. Wil will tell you what to do, when to do it, and why, in order to clean up your yard, landscape and gardens. Ely Library, 1595 Dows Street, Ely, IA. Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, Tuesday, October 4, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Steps and Stones. Debbie Main will walk you through ways to incorporate paths and steps into your existing landscaping. She will cover materials and preparation as well as design elements. Marion Public Library, th Avenue, Marion, IA. Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, Wednesday, October 5, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Your Backyard is for the Birds. This will concentrate on the most popular birds for Iowans and how to attract them to your yard. Ladd Library, 3750 Williams Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids, IA. Shelly O Neal, , Thursday, October 6, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Blueberries. Deb Walser diccusses the best types of blueberries for Iowa. Learn how to adjust your soil, how and where to plant, and how to water and prune the first and future years. Central City Library, th Street N, Suite 2, Central City, IA. Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, Tuesday, October 11, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Blueberries. Deb Walser discusses the best types of blueberries for Iowa. Learn how to adjust your soil, how and where to plant, and how to water and prune the first and future years. Ely Public Library, 1595 Dows Street, Ely, IA. Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, Thursday, October 13, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Pleasing the Bees and Butterflies: Planting for Pollinators. Pollinators and their habitats are disappearing. Learn about what s happening and what s being done to save them. Learn how you can help by planting beautiful plants in your garden. Central City Library, th Street N, Suite 2, Central City, IA. Shelly O Neal, ext 316, Tuesday, October 18, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Fabulous Foliage. Caladium, Coleas and Heuchera are just a few of the foliage plants in a flower garden. Lori shares growing tips, care advice and creative ways to use these and other showy plants. Marion Public Library, th Avenue, Marion, IA. Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, Tuesday, October 18, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. A Few of My Favorite Things. Wil Carew will talk about raindrop on roses and fungus on leaves. Bright copper ninebark and cotton burr compost are just a few. He ll touch on coral bells, tied up tomatoes on netting, flowering weigelas and hydrangeas, fruit, vegetables, tools, trees and gardening in general. Ely Library, 1595 Dows Street, Ely, IA Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, 5

6 Thursday, October 20, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Plant Now for Spring Flowers. This class will provide some ideas on plants that can still be planted this fall for spring. Central City Library, th Street N, Suite 2, Central City, IA, Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, Saturday, October 22, a.m. to 12 p.m. Make a Plant Hypertufa Container. Hypertufa containers look like stone but weigh much less. In the first workshop, you will have the opportunity to make a round container. In the second workshop, you will be able to plant in the containers with plants being provided. $25 fee. Lowe Park Green House, 4500 N. 10 th Street, Marion, IA, Shelly O Neal, , Tuesday, October 25, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Quilt Gardens. Beula Dvorak will take you on a visual tour of the quilt gardens of Northern Indiana, along the Heritage Trail between Elkart and Shipshewana and give you tips for developing your own quilt garden. Ely Library, 1595 Dows Street, Ely, IA, Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, Tuesday, October 25, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Outstanding Shrubs for the Midwest Home Garden. Mike will review several species of shrubs that do well in the Midwest, including some that may be unfamiliar to you. Marion Public Library, th Avenue, Marion, IA, Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, Wednesday, October 26, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Steps and Stones Less Mowing and Less Weeding. Debbie Main will walk you through ways to incorporate paths and steps in your existing landscaping. Ladd Library, 3750 Williams Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids IA. Shelly O Neal, Ext 316, Thursday, October27, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mulch this covers it. Join Phil in hid discussion of the choices we have for mulches, and which material works best in each application. Presentation will cover the use of mulch in landscaping, flower and vegetable gardens. Shelly O Neal, , Trees Forever Saturday, October 15, :30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Leaf It to the Kids, Cedar Rapids Museum of Art classroom and Greene Square. Kids and guardian will learn how a diversity of leaves makes a healthy ecosystem as well as beautiful art, and venture outside to explore and collect and identify leaves. Contact Becky Smith at ext 112. Thursdays, October 20, 27, and November 3, p.m. to 9 p.m. TreeKeepers Program is designed for people who want to become more knowledgeable about urban tree planting and care and become a strong voice for trees in their neighborhoods and communities. Classroom and hands-on training sessions. Johnson County Iowa State Extension Building, 3109 Old Highway 218 South, Iowa City. $30 registration fee includes dinner, TreeKeepers handbook and TreeKeepers t-shirt. Contact Hannah Howard, Register by October 18, Grannies Tuesday, October 25, :30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Regularly scheduled meeting on the 4 th Tuesday of the month at Trinity Episcopal Church, 320 College Street, Iowa City. Dinner at El Banditos following the meeting. All welcome! New Pioneer Coop Check the website for events and activities. Project Green and Seed Savers Check the website for events and activities. Oaknoll-MG Volunteer Matching Program MG volunteers are matched with Oaknoll residents to assist with planting and maintaining their small garden spaces at Oaknoll. Please contact Marilou Gay at or rmlgay@aol.com or Vicki Siefers or vsiefers@mchsi.com if you have any questions or would like to volunteer. 6

7 Solon School Gardens Solon School Gardens can use your help! We are in need of MG's that would like to work on this Core project on their own time schedule, Work in these gardens is primarily pruning, weeding and moving plants. There are periodic group work events. Please contact Tracy Hufford at or Speakers Bureau Master Gardeners, are you interested in earning hours being a speaker? If so, please contact Sharon Jeter, or leave your name, number, and topics of interest and Sharon will contact you. Also, if you give presentations for the Speakers Bureau please contact Sharon to inform her of your work. She records the information for her annual report. Contact Jackie Wellborn, , jackiewe@mchsi.com Fundraising/Flea Market: Barb Krug, , kbjfarm@yahoo.com Hortline: Esther Retish, , eretish@mchsi.com; Joy TenEick, ; jteneick@gmail.com Hospice Garden at Willow Creek Park: Melanie Haupert, , melaniehaupert@gmail.com Intern Class/Training: Nicole Pearson, (507) , nicole-pearson@uiowa.edu Johnson County Fair / 4-H Buckets of Flowers, Scarecrow: Marilou Gay, , rmlgay@aol.com Lavon Yeggy, , lavon47@lcom.net Mark Twain People s Garden (Non-core): Julie Hegmann, , Julie@hegmann.net If you are interested in learning more about or helping with a project listed below, contact one of the chairperson(s) listed for that project. Thank you! Attended Displays: Sharon Rude, ; momrude@gmail.com Butterfly House at Fairgrounds Carolyn Murphy ; carolyn-murphy@uiowa.edu, Barb Krug, ; kbjfarm@yahoo.com; Mike Murphy, Coralville Historical School House: Cindy Parsons, ; cparsons@icialaw.com Ecumenical Towers: Jane Zukin, ; Janezukin@aol.com Demo Garden: Sherlyn Flesher, ; khyber71@aol.com; Miechelle Weber, , miechelle.weber@gmail.com Downtown City Gardens (Newly-approved core) Linda Schreiber, , lnschreiber@gmail.com Fair Grounds Beautification: Rain Garden: Lavon Yeggy, , lavon47@lcom.net, Mardi Rasmussen, , martharasmussen@yahoo.com Fair Grounds Flower Beds: Joan Dinnel, , jdinel@aol.com, Barb Krug, , kbjfarm@yahoo.com Firefighters Memorial: Barb Schintler, , barbjschintler@hotmail.com Oaknoll Garden Project (Newly-approved core): Marilou Gay, , rmlgay@aol.com Plum Grove: Betty Kelly, , blkiowa@gmail.com; Joanne Leach, , Jleach@Jlgardens.net; Lavon Yeggy, , lavon47@lcom.net; Carolyn Murphy, , candmmurphy@aol.com Raptor Center Gardens: Alice Linhart, , mikeandalice@southslope.net; Karole Fuller, , jnkfuller@live.com Speakers Bureau: Jackie Wellborn, , jackiewe@mchsi.com Social Events: Steering Committee, Beth Fischer, , scrabblegirl@gmail.com; Lavon Yeggy, , lavon47@lcom.net Solon High School: Tracy Hufford, , TraceHuff@aol.com Steering Committee Chair: Lavon Yeggy, ; lavon47@lcom.net, Sharon Jeter, , sharonjeter@gmail.com; Barb Krug, ; kbjfarm@yahoo.com Thymes: Jan Denehy, , janice-denehy@uiowa.edu Treasurer: Loren Leach, , lleach@jlgardens.net Volunteer Hours/Secretary: Shannon Bielicke, , bielicke@iastate.edu 7

8 The Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes is published monthly, except January and August. It is distributed under the auspices of Iowa State University. Mail can be sent to: Johnson County Extension Service Attn: Master Gardener Newsletter 4265 Oak Crest Hill Road SE Iowa City, IA Send to: 8