A Publication of the Howard County Master Gardeners. June Educating People to Help Themselves

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1 LOOSELEAF HOWARD COUNTY 3300 NORTH RIDGE ROAD, SUITE 240, ELLICOTT CITY, MD HOWARD COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS (410) FAX (410) A Publication of the Howard County Master Gardeners June 2015 From Georgia s Desk News from College Park: An announcement of the appointment of Dr. Craig A. Beyrouty as Dean of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, effective November 1. It is noteworthy since although we in the Counties don t generally see the Dean, a change of personnel can mean changes in administrative, organizational and even philosophical procedures, strategies, issues. For example, Dean Wei, our current Dean, has been a strong supporter of the MG program, and has always greeted us at Advanced Training Day. So, we ll look and listen as November and the years ahead bring possible changes. The onset of spring and summer means a busy schedule of all our MG programs and I know that the special activities as Days of Taste, and Our Environment in Our Hands add to the already full schedule of programs. Planning has begun for the Howard County Fair and the 2016 MG training. Take some time to enjoy the garden, try some new plants and techniques and of course, vacation. Enjoy! Georgia Eacker Master Gardener Coordinator geacker@umd.edu Educating People to Help Themselves The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.

2 June 2015 Looseleaf 1 From Georgia s Desk 3 Mt. Pleasant 4 Conservation Stewardship 6 School Yard Habitat 8 Continuing Education Suzette Holiday, MG, Editor webbrats@hotmail.com Mark Your Calendar! Master Gardener Demonstration Day Miller Library Saturday, June 20t(weather permitting) 10:00-12:30 p.m. Prepare for a successful gardening season by joining us for mini presentations and informal discussions on Vegetable Gardening, Pruning, Herbs, Rain Gardens, Native Plants, Composting, and Pollinators. Led by University of MD Extension Howard County Master Gardeners. Posies in a Pot (or Small Space Gardening) Miller Library Thursday, June 11 7:00-8:00 p.m. Brighten an outdoor space with a pot of blooming flowers. Pat Greenwald with share information on suitable containers, types of soil and nutrients, best plants, and colorful uses of container gardens. For details and additional events, check the MG Calendar on our Web page. Submit items for the July 2015 Looseleaf by Thursday, June 25 to Suzette Holiday at webbrats@hotmail.com. Submit items for the Howard County Master Gardener Calendar to Janine Grossman at janinegrossman@gmail.com or Roy Heath at therents2001@yahoo.com. June 2015 Looseleaf 2 Howard County Master Gardeners

3 Doings at the Howard County Conservancy at Mt. Pleasant May weather was typical for Maryland, sometimes freezing and sometimes very hot. The garden has been almost completely planted with a wide variety of vegetables and herbs. The peas and beans are climbing the new supports and the remaining plants are responding vigorously to the warm weather. We have begun to harvest greens and have taken a small amount to the Food Bank. We would be happy to take any excess produce which you would like to donate. Work days continue every Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on the very hot days; or 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. for those who can t come until later. Come join us when you are able. We have also had school and family groups stop be each week as part of their field trips to the Conservancy, using the Historical Garden as part of their learning experience. The Conservancy is open every day from 9:00 a.m. until at least 3:00 p.m. with occasional evening programs. Check the website for Saturday and evening programs at Mt. Pleasant and the new Belmont site. Come out to Mt. Pleasant to hike the trails and see what is in bloom. BY JOANN RUSSO, MG jrusso1104@comcast.net The garden at the Conservancy. Photograph: Paul DiCrispino June 2015 Looseleaf 3 Howard County Master Gardeners

4 Middle Patuxent Environmental Area 2015 Conservation Stewardship Project Twelve Spring ephemeral lovers, twenty-four different flowering plants and one tree frog made for a wonderful morning at the MPEA on April 28. The Virginia bluebells were indeed in bloom as were the many others. Happily the garlic mustard in areas where we have this event each April is decreasing but sadly, Vinca, Euonymus, and Bush honeysuckle were found in places they had not occurred the previous year. Louisa Thompson, our wonderful guest speaker, developed the Howard County Master Gardener Native Plant program about 15 years ago. We were treated to great information about ephemeral plants and pollinators, and also the various soil types we encountered (Manor, Gladstone, and Codorus) that were identified using core sampling. BY AYLENE GARD, MG Louisa Thompson describing soil profiles. Sue Buswell bunching garlic mustard. Rosemarie Meservey and Sarah Causey bagging garlic mustard. June 2015 Looseleaf 4 Howard County Master Gardeners

5 Middle Patuxent Environmental Area 2015 Conservation Stewardship Project On June 23 we will meet at the South Wind Circle Trailhead. Dr. Vanessa Beauchamp, Assistant Professor of Biology at Towson University and a third-time guest, will update us about the status of Wavyleaf basketgrass, a relative newcomer and very challenging invasive species. Prepare to be a citizen-scientist by mapping its current distribution using a cell phone app and GPS (bring yours) from the web site. Techie teens are especially welcome.the remaining time will be spent dealing with our nemesis Japanese barberry. Meet the group at 9:00 a.m. at the South Wind Circle trailhead (Route 29 to Route 108W towards Clarksville OR Route 32 to Route 108E. Turn onto Trotter Road to South Wind Circle (about 1 mile). Enter the circle and proceed to trailhead on left (opposite Misty Top Path). For more information contact Aylene Gard (410) or Jeff Claffy jclaffy@howardcountymd.gov Signs of Spring abound in the Patuxent woods. Above, emerging fiddleheads. At right, a toad lily in bloom. Photographs: Aylene Gard June 2015 Looseleaf 5 Howard County Master Gardeners

6 Spring Brings New Success to the School Yard Habitat: Patuxent Research Refuge Visitor Center entrance. Photograph: Phyllis Yigdall Look how beautiful the new section of our pollinator garden is growing! The lovely purple haze is an inter-planting of Lyreleafed Sage, Salvia lyrata, and Hairy Beardtongue, Penstemon hirsutus. The white in the foreground is the lovely native Chickweed, Cerastium arvense and Plantain-leafed pussytoes, Antennaria plantaginifolia. The second photo shows what the garden looked like last September when the baby plants were put in, funded by the Governor s September 11 Day of Service and Remembrance Project. We re looking forward to watching the mood of the garden change as different plants emerge from spring to summer. It is a pleasure to watch the butterflies and other pollinators attracted to the new garden. Thanks to the many hours put in by Master Gardeners and other volunteers, we have kept the weeds at bay and are planning the next stages of landscaping. The goal of the School Yard Habitat (SYH), located in front of the National Wildlife Visitor Center, is to teach landowners how to landscape to attract wildlife, enhance ecosystem function in landscapes, and protect local waterways and the Chesapeake Bay. Each day we get many visitors to the SYH and one of the joys of working there is the opportunity to interact with the public while we do our gardening. The Patuxent Research Refuge (PRR), established in 1936 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is the only national wildlife refuge established to support wildlife research. Besides gardening we have many additional volunteer opportunities to support wildlife research. Come visit, come join us. This National treasure is in our own backyard. SUBMITTED BY ANN COREN, MG anncoren@hotmail.com Sunday, June 14 - Patuxent Research Refuge Volunteer Orientation. Contact Diana Ogilvie, diana_ogilivie@fws.gov to register. Monday, June 15, noon School Yard Habitat Team Meeting, PRR Visitor Center, Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel, MD Monday, June 15, 1 pm Introduction for those new to working at the School Yard Habitat Tuesdays, June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23, June 30, 9 am to noon Weeding workdays. If you not have attended a PRR Orientation you will be asked to sign a volunteer release form before working in the garden. For more information about the SYH, please contact Ann Coren, anncoren@hotmail.com June 2015 Looseleaf 6 Howard County Master Gardeners

7 Above left: Lyre-leafed Sage, Salvia lyrata, and Hairy Beardtongue, Penstemon hirsutus. Above: Newly planted section of SYH Pollinator Garden, September At left: Spring boom. Photographs: Ann Coren June 2015 Looseleaf 7 Howard County Master Gardeners

8 Continuing Education Speakers and Topics for 2015 Our first of two Continuing Education tours will be on Tuesday, June 9 at The Green Farmacy Garden located in Fulton, Maryland. Here 300 native and non-native species of plants used traditionally or researched for medicinal purposes are grown. Master Gardeners and guests will be given a two hour tour of the teaching garden with a guest appearance by retired USDA botanist, Jim Duke, PhD. The plants collected over sixty years are highlighted in Jim s book, The Green Pharmacy. Due to limited parking, please RSVP to Joanna Cumbie, rladywalking@msn.com. She will provide further details. If a large number of people plan to attend, we may have to meet at nearby Reservoir High School parking lot and carpool to the property at 8210 Murphy Rd. (less than 1 mile from the high school). For questions, contact Karin DeLaitsch, kdlaitsch@gmail.com Continuing Education Speakers Tuesday, June 9 Tour the Green Farmacy Garden, Fulton, MD see a collection of 300 plant species used/ researched for medicinal purposes. 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 14 Tour Brisco Daylily Garden, Ellicott City, MD see 1100 daylily cultivars during peak bloom; impulse buying allowed: 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, August 11 Gardens of Lakes Como and Maggiore, Italy, speaker Judy Petersen, MG. 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m., Extension Office Tuesday, September 8 Native Plant Nursery at the County Corrections Facility, speaker Lori Lilly, Manager, 9:30 a.m. 1:00 a.m., Extension Office Tuesday, October 13 A Retrospect Look at What Sets the Bay-Wise Home Tour Landscapes Apart? speaker TBD (The Bay-Wise Committee). 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m., Extension Office Tuesday, November 10 Tree topic TBD, speaker Wanda MacLachlan, UME Area Educator Residential Landscape Management: 9:30 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Extension office June 2015 Looseleaf 8 Howard County Master Gardeners