Save These Important March Dates!

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1 Vol. 28, No. 1 Editors: Julie Stark/Lisa Slattery January 2018 LINN COUNTY MASTER GARDENER EVENTS Steering Committee Meeting January 2 6:30 pm Extension Council Meeting January 8 5:00 pm Executive Council Meeting January 22 3:00 pm Linn County MG Program Review Meeting January 4 5:30-7:30 pm Winter Gardening Fair Previews January 6, 13 & 20 Times and Topics Page 2 Save These Important March Dates! Winter Garden Fair March 3, 2018 (Training March 2) Kirkwood Community College Please see volunteer sign-up sheet at the end of this Germinator issue WMT Outdoor Living Show March 10 & 11, 2018 Hawkeye Downs Volunteers needed Contact Sue Usher (dsajusher@juno.com) Expert Ed Presentation March 22, 2018; 6:30 (Extension Office); Resource Recovery: Waste Less take Less by Jason Evans, Director of Education of the Linn County Solid Waste Agency What s Inside Save the March Dates Page 1 Agenda: Program Review Meeting Page 2 January WGT Previews Page 2 Coordinator Comments Page 3 Things We Love: True Lilies Pages 4-5 Winter Arrangements Workshop Page 6 Steering Committee and Project Reports Pages 7-9 January

2 Linn County Master Gardener Program Review Meeting January 4, 2018 (5:30-7:30 pm) Large Conference Room Please see below the agenda for the January 4 th All Master Gardener Meeting to be held at the in the Large Conference Room from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Please RSVP to Shelly by December 28 (if you haven t already), so she may have a good count for ordering pizza and beverages. Kay McWhinney has also graciously offered to bring brownies. Please let me know if you have any questions. Introductions (20 minutes) Pizza/beverages for attendees-fix plates Ice Breaker Activity Presentation-RaeAnn (40 minutes) Overview of Organization Structure, provide information on Extension Council and members, answer questions in regards to changes in processes. Discussion (60 minutes) Question and answer session Clean up Winter Gardening Fair Previews Scheduled Below is the current schedule for January Winter Gardening Fair Previews. All MG are invited to attend, give feedback to the presenters and earn education hours. All presentations are guaranteed to be interesting and informative, so we hope to have an audience for each session. Be sure to watch your for updates. Saturday, January 6 9:00 - Lori Bailey Bringing Color to a Shade Garden 10:00 - Judy Stevens Vegetables in Containers 11:00 - Judy Stevens Plants in the Bible Saturday, January 13 1:00 - Phil Pfister Hoop House 2:00 - Phil Pfister Small Fruits Saturday, January 20 11:00 - Debbie Main Moonlight Garden 12:00 - Debbie Main Let Me Entertain You 1:00 - Debbie Main When Beauties Turn into Beasts 2:00 - Debbie Main The Sensual Garden 2 Germinator

3 Coordinator Comments By: Shelly O'Neal Happy New Year MGs! In 2017, we have experienced many changes and challenges; which I like to call opportunities for growth. The staff and Extension Council members have been working on a Strategic Plan. In the first meeting, participants identified four areas that need to be discussed further. They were: Partnerships/Collaboration/Visibility Programming Priorities Data Facilities/Building We will also have a meeting on January 4 th at the for any Master Gardener. The meeting will include a presentation by RaeAnn Barnhart, Linn County Extension and Outreach Director. Her presentation will cover the structure of the organization, an introduction to learn more about the Extension Council members, and answer questions in regards to process changes. A full agenda is located on Page 2 of this Germinator issue. It seems that 2018 will be a time of new beginnings and exciting times. I hope you all enjoyed your holidays with family and friends, and I am wishing you all the best to come in 2018! Cheers, Shelly January 3

4 Things We Love Choosing True Lilies for Your Garden By Wanda Lunn, Intern Do you grow True Lilies in your garden? You should! Lilium are very exotic looking and not as difficult to grow as their reputation. True Lilies are a wonderful vertical accent and can fit into small spaces. From the brilliant colors of the easy Asiatics to the heady scents of the tall Trumpets, True Lilies will make you smile every time you see them bloom. True Lilies vs Daylilies True Lilies (genus lilium) are quite different from Daylilies (genus hemeorcallis). The flowers of the two cultivars may look similar, but their garden habits and requirements differ. Daylilies have a root system supporting grassy foliage with blooms on the end of leafless scapes. True Lilies grow from a scaled bulb with blooms at the top of the leafy stem. Daylily foliage is low growing while some of the lilies grow over 8 foot tall! And many of the True Lily blooms feature incredible scents that float across your yard. True Lily Divisions There are over 120 distinct species of lilies in the world which are divided by species and their hybrids into Nine Divisions with separate characteristics & growing requirements. Martagon hybrids love a shady spot, bloom in early June and feature delicate bell shaped blooms. They are a little difficult to establish but wonderful in a shade garden. Asiatic hybrids are the easiest to grow, love sun & multiply quickly. The colors can be brilliant or subtle with differing bloom shapes. Asiatics bloom in June and into July each summer. Interdivisional Hybrids are the fastest growing Lily Division. The tall Orienpets (OT) flaunt huge, fragrant long-lasting blooms. The LAs tolerate part-shade and present an entire bouquet at the top of their strong stems. The LOs, Asiapets (AT) and other new crosses offer a large variety of colors, shapes and scents to the discriminating Lily gardener. An incredible selection of beauty for your garden in this division! Trumpet hybrids can be very tall and fragrant. They are the oldfashioned lilies with a heady scent and grow well Iowa. Continued Page 5 4 Germinator Asiapet lily: Champagne; Asiatic Lilies: Sunrise Ridge, Ocean Breeze, Cupid s Gift; Blue Globe Thistle; Dayliliy: I Can Only Imagine Ruby spider daylily, blue speedwell; Asiatic Lilies of Summer Valley, Le Reine and Parfait Frost.

5 Continued from Page 4 American hybrids-only a few exist and they are not in general cultivation. They grow best on the East and West coasts, away from our hot Iowa summers. L. longiflorum hybrids are grown indoors as the potted Easter Lily. Not very hardy in our Iowa winters, but you can grow them a few years in a protected spot. Oriental hybrids love afternoon shade and are known for unusual forms & incredible scents! Lovely in bouquets. Not very long lived, but worth every moment! Species (or wild) lilies can be a challenge for even the most experienced Lily grower. Species lilies differ in requirements by the area of the world where they originated. One seen growing wild in our area is Lilium michiganense. Planting your True Lilies If you have 6 inches of space in your garden, you have room for a lily bulb. First, choose lily bulbs suitable for the sunny or shady areas of your garden. Different cultivars have different sun requirements, but most need 4 hours of sun per day. Plant your bulbs in well-drained soil, but away from trees or shrubs. Dig a hole 6 inches wide and plant the bulb twice as deep as it is tall. Put some organic material under the bulb and water it in well to remove air pockets. Mulch well. Lilies like their heads in the sun and their roots cool. Be sure to mark your bulb with a garden name stake so you don t accidentally dig it up later. Caring for your True Lilies Martagon lilies: Cranberry Dancer, Pink Taurade, L. martagon album Cupid; Asiatic lilies: Peach Lace, Eurydike, Adelina; Daylily: Baby Tigerpaws. Asiapet lily: Champagne; Asiatic Lilies: Orange Art, Sunrise Ridge, Ocean Breeze; Daylily: Happy Apple; Autumn Joy sedum Fertilize your lilies in the spring when the lily shoots appear. Use a formula low in nitrogen such as Too much nitrogen encourages heavy foliage, less bloom and could rot your bulb. Protect your emerging stems from late frosts and critters this will be the ONLY stem your bulb will send up this season! After your gorgeous True Lilies bloom, be sure to cut off the spent blooming head but leave the leafy stem to feed the bulb for the rest of the season. If the summer is very dry, water at ground level. Wet foliage encourages botrytis which attacks the leaves and damages the plants. Dig, separate and replant only in the Fall when the stems are closer than 2 inches to each other. Be sure to water when you are removing the brown stems and mulch well to protect your lilies from Iowa s cold winter. January 5

6 Winter Arrangements Workshop By Phil Pfister Eighteen creative designers participated in the Winter Arrangement workshop on Thursday, December 7, Using materials such as evergreens, dried plants (some painted, some natural), and an assortment of holiday decorations, they created some pretty spectacular arrangements that can be used either indoors or out. Some of the participants have been to the workshop before, and it was the first time for others. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Again this year, Shelby Foley provided all the bows for the event. The workshop leader was Shelby Foley, assisted by Tina Patterson, Coleen Kint and Phil Pfister. Our thanks to Craig Hartman and Tracy Walder for painting the dried plants. We had a great assortment of materials for everyone to pick from. Some of the material used for the arrangements. Thanks to Beth Roof (above) for providing the birch used in several of the displays. Ester Olson (left) and Jean Minehart (right). Holly Foster (left) and Gail Denny (right). 6 Germinator

7 December 2017 Steering Committee Minutes DRAFT (Abridged for Germinator) The meeting was called to order, roll called, quorum established, and minutes approved as will be amended by Jean Wilson to show the January 4, 2018 retreat is for all MGs. Present: Glenn Babinett, Kathy Carew, Beula Dvorak, Cindy Fagan, Peggy Green, Linda Hinzman, Kay McWhinney, Linda Shepard, Bev Whitmore, Jean Wilson, Diane Wiesenfeld. Absent: Steve Bartlett, Sylvia Kelley (excused), Sam Krumbholz Announcements: Bev Whitmore is our newest Steering Committee member. Her term begins January Becki Lynch was elected cochair of the statewide Advisory Committee. Finance Report: No Financial Report was presented because the November report included two months. MG Coordinator Report: MG Directory: Core team will be updating and editing can be done by individual MGs as desired. MG Procedure Guide: Raeann would like more detail in some sections. Entering Hours: A contest was announced to encourage MGs to enter their 207 hours in the VRS system. A random drawing on Dec. 15 will determine the winners of the stylish MG cap or the designer sunglasses hours reported were approximately 14,000, year-to-date approximately 9,000 hours have been reported. Cost/Benefit Analyses: Being requested for all future MG workshops. Additional clarification of the process is forthcoming. Class Survey: A survey was sent to the 2017 interns; only 6 were returned. The survey was originally sent from ISU. Shelly will resend using her and encourage participation to improve the response rate. Favorable comments on the new flipped classroom format. Old Business: Phil Pfister to provide cost estimates for Head House at Lowe Park. Procedure Guide for Master Gardeners was revised by Jean Wilson on October 23; still waiting on final approval. Annual reports will be reviewed at December Executive Committee meeting and January Steering Committee meeting. New Business: A retreat is scheduled for Project Chairs, all Master Gardeners and the Executive Committee for Jan. 4; Shelly will the agenda. Shelly will work on the online calendar soon. Annual Project Reports for 2017 due Nov. 20 to Kay McWhinney. New Budget Financial Report should be ready for approval at the January Steering Committee. Project Reports November Charlene Woeste Plant Sale (Karen Woeste/Phil Pfister): The 2018 sale will be held on Saturday, May 19, 2018 (8:00-noon) at The American Legion, st St., Marion. In addition to being out of the weather, we will be able to check plants in, groom, price and setup in the sale area all on the same day. Saturday morning setup should be very quick and easy. Community Outreach Gardens (Beula Dvorak): The Gardens are put to bed for the winter. After the holidays, planning will begin for A new garden for 2018 is the Beaver Park Old MacDonalds Farm. Beula and Phil January 7

8 have met a couple times with Meghan and will meet again early in January. We will be presenting a couple times per month at the gardens there, so will be looking for presenters to help with various topics. It sounds like an exciting partner garden. The Hiawatha School garden still has parsley in the pollinator garden! The Johnson Steam Academy Garden Club had it s last meeting for the fall today. We have apple seeds sprouting and hope they will do well over the winter. We would like to plant them at Johnson next spring but need to get permission from the school board to plant on school property; kids wrote letters to the board requesting permission. We had a veggie and fruit tasting activity and then gave the kids certificates for participating in Garden Club. The Marion beds are done for the year, except there is still spinach and lettuce, so we should have an early crop, provided the winter isn't such that they don't survive. We are so excited about several Interns/new MGs who signed up with Community Gardens at the Fall Celebration. Each will be getting an early in January about meetings/opportunities. Expert Ed. (Linda Hayward): Attendance was good with interesting and informative discussions. September 18 Urban Tree Selection presented by Gabbi Edwards, urban forestry specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach (23 attended). October 2 Gardening with Youth presented by Chelsea Krist, FoodCorps (17 attended). October 16 Landscaping for Wildlife presented by Adam Janke, assistant professor and extension wildlife specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach (28 attended). The Expert Ed Committee met on November 13 to plan for the 2018 year. The summer webinars will be shown in the fall and are making contact with people about presenting. From the Ground Up: This program is on hiatus for one year. Hortline (Doug Smith): October, 2017 client contacts to the Hortline prepared by committee member Doris Hardt: Phone calls 113; s 6; walk ins 22; Total Clients 141. Pubs 2; Flower 70; Veg Garden 18; Tree 27; Prune 10; Weed 8; Chemicals 3; Insect 13; Compost 1; Bulb 2; Water 3; Weather 2; Lawn 7; Fungi 1; Mulch 1. The committee met on Nov. 14 to discuss Annual Report and Hortline budget which was $325 this year; budget will be reduced to $165 next year. Shelly suggested buying a subscription to a gardening magazine with current topics; Iowa Gardener and Fine Gardening were suggested. Other recommendations accepted. MG, Herman Knappe, passed away in October at age 97; if there are suggestions of a memorial book or topic, please let the committee or Shelly know. Other topics dealt with checking out DVDs following posted correct procedures of bringing them back in 3 weeks or sooner. Any Scribe wanting to be a Lead should let one of our committee know. Deb Walser has been doing the scheduling using Google and Doodle; decisions will then be made as to which system works best. Hard copy publications will remain in the file until ISU Online Store is updated. Discussed how to make Hortline more visible; suggestion was to weekly/twice monthly post a seasonal gardening Q&A on the Extension Home Page to generate awareness and attract more clients. Lowe Park Greenhouse (Phil Pfister/Shelby Foley): LCMG, Pam Brackey, 8 Germinator

9 and her husband, Wes, donated an original Tom Newport piece of art to the MG Lowe Park Gardens. We appreciate the generosity of this donation and encourage everyone to stop by, especially when the sun is shining, to view this piece of art. This piece is quite stunning. LCMG, Coleen Kint, has donated the American Horticultural Society book on Plant Propagation which covers all aspects of propagation, and includes many full color pictures. Coleen intends the book to be used to assist in the education and practical application of propagation at the Greenhouse. Between 6-8 MG have been working to further winterize the greenhouse and and continue to look for ways to further tighten the greenhouse to help reduce energy costs. Our thanks to the City of Marion for including the upcoming Winter Arrangements Workshop and the Winter Garden Fair in the latest issue of the Marion Messenger. We appreciate their support. NewBo City Gardens (Peggy Green): Tuesday work sessions continue from 6-7pm. All are welcome to join. On October 21 the beds will be cleaned and support structures removed. Cold crop beds going until we get a hard frost. Compost will be added from "The Compost Ninja" who is currently taking away all compostable food waste and materials from the Newbo Vendors and composting it. Noelridge Green House (Diane Stevens/Kathy Rhodes): In September, we took cuttings from the gardens & transplanted into cell packs and pulled plants. We're hoping that of the 10,000 plus visitors to the Noelridge Park Gardens this past season, that the Herb Garden caught some attention. The herb and plant list for the 2018 Herb Garden has been submitted to the greenhouse staff. Total September volunteer hours at Noelridge were 253.3, of which 62.4 were Master Gardener volunteer hours. Project Independence (Karla McGrail): Beds and garden area cleaned and tucked in for the winter. It's been a good year! Winter Garden Fair (Larry Edwards/Sam Krumbholz): Plans for the WGF are on schedule; next meeting is January 9. We are excited to have many new interns join our planning sessions. Watch for the volunteer form in the January Germinator. Many hands are needed for this event! January Meetings: Steering Committee January 2 (6:30 pm); Extension Council January 8 (5:00 pm); Executive Council January 22 (3:00 pm) Respectfully submitted, Linda Shepard, Secretary Linn County Extension Master Gardeners 383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201 Cedar Rapids, IA ph (319) Hortline (319) The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC or call January 9