Johnson County Master Gardener THYMES

Transcription

1 Johnson County Master Gardener THYMES October 2018 MG Steering Committee Meeting Wednesday, October 12, 7:00 P.M.; Johnson County Extension Office. All MGs are invited to attend! From a Gardener s Bookshelf by Mary Lynne Hensley Thymes Deadline Information/articles for the Thymes should be sent to Chris Sedrel at oscarsgram@aol.com or Doug Geraets at dougrph@aol.com. Please send news, volunteer opportunities, stories, pictures, etc., for the November issue by Friday, October 26. Wood Donation Request for Plum Grove from Chris Sedrel M aster Gardener Chris Sedrel is constructing a wood barrier around the bottom fence line of the Plum Grove Wildflower Garden and will be refencing the area. She is in need of pressure treated or redwood boards in 1" x 6" dimensions used or new. Also needed are a few landscape timbers (used or new). If anyone has some boards or timbers to donate contact Lavon Yeggy ( ) or Chris Sedrel ( ). A Touch A Butterfly By Ann Pulley Sayre delightful summer read is the book entitled Touch a Butterfly (2013) by April Pulley Sayre. This book would be of special interest to anyone who enjoys introducing children to wildlife and to gardening. The subtitle tells it all: Wildlife Gardening with Kids Simple Ways to Attract Birds, Butterflies, Toads, and More to Your Garden. Available at the Iowa City Public Library, this book is filled with enchanting photography and practical suggestions on how to be an observer of nature and how to enhance your habitat to encourage and support wildlife including tips specific to welcoming birds, butterflies, bees, etc., into your garden. There are many wonderful ideas for engaging children in the process of creating a wildlife garden. For example, the author (who has written other children s books as well as nature books) describes a sunflower race : Children plant sunflower seeds and then the growth is recorded across the summer by taking a weekly photograph of the children standing beside their plants with a sign indicating the number of each week thus documenting each flower s rapid growth! By the end of the season

2 some sunflowers may even be taller than their young gardeners! Various references and resources are provided, including an interesting last chapter about the possibilities that exist for having your wildlife garden certified! Pelargoniums by Stella Clark R ecently, while going through the The English Garden magazine, I came across an interesting article on Pelargonium, or the most common name "geranium". Little did I know that geraniums formal name is pelargonium. Truth be told, I come across things I didn't know quite often. That is what makes life interesting! In Victorian times, in England, they were known as "pellies", to their many fans, who were breeders and collectors of them. The name pelargonium comes from the Greek word pelargos, which means stork, because of the stork's bill shape of the sea pods. According to the article, geranium is not the correct term. That term only applies to hardy herbaceous perennials. The article states that National Collection at Fibrex Nurseries near Stratford-upon Avon, Warwickshire, is believed to be the largest collection in the world, because of it's diversity of more than 2,000 pelargonium species. Scented-leaved types are one of the easiest to propagate from cuttings from June to mid-september. There are too many species to list here, but it is worth your time in researching the many different types of plants, such as the trailing ivy one, and the rosebud types with tightly packed petals forming rosebud-like flowers. Most pelargonium species come from South Africa, so they like sunny and dry conditions a good thing with Iowa summers. In pots they benefit and thrive with watering more often. After reading this article I have a new appreciation for the "geranium" a common plant found on so many porches and in yards! Iowa City Monarch Festival by Carolyn Murphy T he Iowa City Monarch Festival was held August 26 from 1-3 P.M. at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area. The Monarch Festival is part of Iowa City s commitment to creating an environment that allows Monarchs to thrive and reproduce in our community. To learn more about the initiative and how you can help, visit Carolyn and Mahmooda Staffing Display Dr. Donald Lewis, Iowa State Professor and Extension Entomologist was on hand to answer questions and offer his expertise. Mahmooda Ahmad and Angela Murphy joined me to help with questions at our butterfly display. Beside adult monarchs, we had monarch and swallowtail chrysalis and caterpillars to see. I had The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies video playing. We showed information on how to tag 2

3 monarchs and handed out ISU brochures regarding pollinator habitats and butterfly gardening. Our display also included butterfly specimens in petri dishes and kid proof magnifying glasses. Watch the kid in the video with the light in the magnifying glass at Taste of Heirloom Tomatoes by Lavon Yeggy, Mike & Carolyn Murphy Example of the Crowd at Monarch Festival In advance of the festival, Nathan Brockman, Curator of the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing, gave a presentation, Monarchs and More, at the Iowa City Public Library. A one hour talk turned into two hours because of Nathan s enthusiasm for bugs. In late March 2019 he will have an all-day class on bugs at Reiman Gardens. Several master gardeners have previously attended and found the classes to very informative. Visit for more information on his class. MGs Preparing & Cutting Heirloom Tomato Samples T he 6 th Annual Taste of Heirloom Tomatoes was August 26 from 2-4 P.M., at the Plum Grove Historical Home grounds. It was warm and humid (84 F 79% humidity) with chances of rain throughout, but that didn t dampen the spirits of the visitors that came to taste the 17 varieties in all colors, sizes, and shapes. One of our own Johnson County Master Gardeners, Holly Hotchkiss (Thank you Holly!), gave a presentation on saving seeds and how to successfully start and grow your own seeds. Holly Hotchkiss Featured Speaker 3

4 The top three winners of the heirloom tasting were: 1) Nappa Rose Blush (a thin skinned sweet cherry), 2) Thorburn s Terra-Cotta (an old variety from Baker s Creek Heirloom Seeds/a honey brown skin with orange-pink flesh and green seed mass; very eye-catching when sliced/sensational taste with a floral aroma), and 3) Speckled Roma (a meaty medium sized tomato). Woodle Orange was a close tie for third place. The heirloom selections this year had some interesting names. Here are a few; Glamour, Jefferson Giant, Carbon Black, Cosmic Eclipse, Gold Medal, and Pink Berkeley Tie Dye. Heirloom seeds were purchased through the Food Security grant with the surplus fruit being donated to local food pantries. Heirloom seed companies included: Seed Savers Exchange (Decorah, IA), Baker s Creek Heirloom Seeds (Mansfield, MO), and Johnny s Selected Seeds (Winslow, ME). Advertising efforts included announcement of the event in the Cedar Rapids Gazette and the Press Citizen newspapers. Photos, article and an interview were published in The Iowa Source and the Little Village Magazines. We posted the flyer at various businesses in the area, on the Johnson County Master Gardeners of Iowa Facebook page, and created a calendar event. KCJJ (AM) radio station made several announcements. Comment from Carolyn - My favorite heirloom was the German Lunchbox an oval smaller mid-sized rosy colored heirloom with a sweet meaty texture. It was easy to pick and eat in the garden or cut in half for salads. We want to give a shout out to Patrick O Malley the speaker at last year s heirloom tasting. He gave a few packets of Slanders Heirloom seeds out (Marilyn Kempnick also collected the seeds from that tomato). It is a very favorable tomato similar to a Brandywine. This tomato plant needs to have a very solid cage. The vine is a prolific producer and the fruit is very large. One tomato weighed in at 2 lb 15.5 oz. Joanne and Loren Leach picked similar size tomatoes from this variety. Guests enjoyed sampling prepared recipes: fresh heirloom salsa, cooked heirloom salsa, and spiced heirloom tomato butter. Recipe cards for each dish were available to take. There were 63 paying guests and 22 Master Gardeners helping at the event. Thirteen cookbooks from the Taste of the Heritage Garden at Plum Grove were sold. Overall, 80 to 85 people were at Plum Grove and had the opportunity to enjoy the heirloom tomatoes, tour the historic house, and visit the three gardens. The Plum Grove committee wants to THANK all the Master Gardener volunteers involved in helping with this event. This is nearly a yearlong project from the planning meeting, starting seeds, tending to the plants, preparing/having the event, and harvesting the surplus tomatoes throughout the season for local food pantries. Attendees Sampling Heirloom Tomato Varieties 4

5 Common Milkweed Pods Needed Master Gardeners Chris Sedrel, Lavon Yeggy, Mike & Carolyn Murphy, and Alice Linhart picked 245 pounds of apples on September 17th. We are still collecting milkweed pods or seeds to hand out at events during the year. A whopping total of 1200 packets have been distributed so far this year. So check your backyard, edges of your gardens, fence rows, and roadside ditches where milkweeds may be growing. No honeyvine milkweed seeds or pods please. Call or us (Mike and Carolyn candmmurphy@aol.com) if you can help out. Alice, Mike, Carolyn, And Chris (With An Apple On Her Head???) Wilson s Orchard Apple Picking A Carload of Apples! Thank you Wilson's Orchard for letting Master Gardeners pick apples for the food pantries! Coralville Food Pantry Community Meal By Sharon Rude T he Coralville Food Pantry hosted a free Community Meal in celebration of World Peace Day Friday, September 21, from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. on the lawn of the Coralville Public Library. Tacos and desserts, musical entertainment by the Dandelion Stompers, and activities for children were provided. The Johnson County Master Gardeners volunteered to help serve the food, hosted an Attended Display table, and handed out 5

6 red ISU Extension bags with information about food security, donating produce to local food pantries, recipe cards and the Hort Line magnet. Pictured in the photo are Beth Gehring and Jim Ridenour. items to donate. Hopefully we will have another silent auction to benefit the butterfly house, so also be thinking of something you could donate for that purpose. Thanks from Janice Hining (Plant Sale & Flea Market Committee Chair). MG Core Projects Wrap-up MG Volunteer Hours! If you've achieved your goal of volunteer hours for the year, thank you. Thank you for your Master Gardener service. If you've recorded your volunteer service hours online, thank you. If your schedule permits, we could use your help in October to wrap up gardening projects at several key areas (Plum Grove, Johnson County Fair Grounds, Demonstration Gardens, and Hospice Garden, to name a few). If you need more hours to maintain your Master Gardener certification, please consider the Speakers Bureau. Give me a call ( ) or send me an (jackiewe@mchsi.com) to discuss opportunities. Thanks from Jackie Wellborn and Linda Diggelman! Plant Sale & Flea Market D ear gardeners, I know fall is barely here and spring seems far away, but, it will be here before we realize it. Anyway, I hope you are thinking about plants you can donate for our plant sale/flea market. This fall, if you have some plants that need to be divided, pot then up, record color and cultivar (if known). Let Sharon Jeter or Linda Schreiber know and they can be sunk in the Demo garden to over winter. At this time, we are not sure if Project Green will be having their sale, thus, we may have more customers and people that would ordinarily donate their plants to Project Green who may be looking for a place to donate them. If you do hear of someone interest in donating plants, please have them call the Hortline with information and we will get back to them. Also, be watching for garden related September Thymes Mystery Plant T he Mystery Plant included in last month s Thymes was Euphorbia or flowering spurge. Ramona McGurk was the first MG to correctly identify this plant with the following response: This particular species is Euphorbia marginata (commonly known as snow-on-the-mountain, smoke-on-the-mountain, variegated spurge or whitemargined spurge). It is a small annual in the spurge family. Green & white E. marginata are valued for flower arrangements. Euphorbia consists of more than 1,000 annuals, perennials, and shrub succulents many with little or no resemblance from one to the other and coming from all corners of the world. Flowering spurge grows 1 ½-3 feet tall; its delicate stems and minute white bracts open from early to midsummer. Its glossy leaves turn dark in fall. Perennial in the south, they may survive the Winter in Iowa if grown in warmer microclimates or if moved inside. Flowering spurge is related to the poinsettia! Sources: Perennials by James Underwood Time- Life Books 1972 What Flower Is That? by Stirling Macoboy

7 MG Birthdays Mystery Plant Contest & Education October 3... Jeff Baker 4... Kristin Ho 5... Janice Hining 6... Betty Kelly Ramona McGurk Connie Funk Marge Jensen This weed species is regarded as a medicinal plant. Contest Rules: 1. The 1st person to correctly identify the plant, wins $10 prize credit at our Johnson County Extension. You can choose from variety of booklets. 2. Anyone wanting education credit, can earn one hour by researching accepted resources (i.e. ISU Web site), writing 1-2 paragraphs, & citing sources used. Send to lavon.yeggy@outlook.com 7

8 Committee MG Committee Chairs Φ Core Project? Work Schedule Chair/Contact Information Attended Displays þ On request Sharon Rude Butterfly House at Fairgrounds þ Third or fourth week of July for 4.5 days; contact Carolyn Murphy for other work days Coralville Historical School House þ Saturday A.M. once monthly; contact Cindy Parsons for specifics Carolyn Murphy; Mike Murphy (Carolyn) (Mike) Cindy Parsons Ecumenical Towers þ Jane Zukin Demo Garden þ Tuesday P.M. during the growing season (starting mid-april) Downtown City Gardens þ Usually Sunday 9:20-11:30 A.M. but also flexible Sharon Jeter Linda Schreiber Fair Grounds Beautification; Rain Garden þ Tuesday starting at 6 P.M. and flexible schedule Lavon Yeggy lavon.yeggy@outlook.com , Marge Jensen mjensen59.mj@gmail.com Fair Grounds Flower Beds þ Flexible April-October (during growing season); contact Joan for specifics Firefighters Memorial þ One planting date in early May watch Thymes for specifics Joan Dinnel jdinel@aol.com Barb Krug bkmg2004@yahoo.com Barb Schintler barbjschintler@hotmail.com Fundraising/Plant Sale & Flea Market þ Occurs mid-may; several planning meetings with duties assigned Janice Hining janni.h@att.net

9 MG Committee Chairs Φ Committee Core Project? Work Schedule Chair/Contact Information Hortline þ Spring season: 9-11 A.M. Monday & Friday; 1-3 P.M. Wednesday Fall season: Esther Retish Joy TenEick Hospice Garden at Willow Creek Park þ April-October: Thursdays 9 A.M. Melanie Haupert melaniehaupert@gmail.com Intern Class/Training þ September-November: Tuesday & Thursday P.M. Nicole Pearson nicole-pearson@uiowa.edu Johnson County Fair/4-H Buckets of Flowers, Scarecrow þ Lavon Yeggy lavon.yeggy@outlook.com Oaknoll Garden Project þ Flexible hours: MG paired with resident Plum Grove þ Mid-April-October: Saturdays 9 A.M. to 12 Noon Raptor Center Gardens þ May planting session; April cleanup session; contact Alice Marilou Gay rmlgay@aol.com Vicki Siefers vicki.siefers@gmail.com Betty Kelly , Joanne Leach Jleach@Jlgardens.net Lavon Yeggy lavon.yeggy@outlook.com Carolyn Murphy candmmurphy@aol.com Alice Linhart mikeandalice@southslope.net Speakers Bureau þ On request Jackie Wellborn jackiewe@mchsi.com

10 MG Committee Chairs Φ Committee Core Project? Work Schedule Chair/Contact Information Social Events Fall potluck in September; Winter potluck in March; dates to be announced Beth Fischer Lavon Yeggy Solon High School þ This core project discontinued for MGs; continue to report 2018 volunteer hours Steering Committee Chairs Monthly on 2 nd Wednesday 7 P.M. (except July & December) Thymes Newsletter þ Articles encouraged; contact Doug or Chris if you want more involvement Tracy Hufford TraceHuff@aol.com Lavon Yeggy lavon.yeggy@outlook.com Sharon Jeter sharonjeter@gmail.com Chris Sedrel, contact oscarsgram@aol.com Doug Geraets dougrph@aol.com Treasurer Not applicable Jean Holzhammer ichawks.jh@gmail.com Volunteer Hours/Secretary Not applicable Shannon Bielicke bielicke@iastate.edu Φ If you are interested in learning more about or helping with a project listed above, contact one of the chairperson(s) listed for that project. Thank you! 10

11 MG Upcoming Events/Volunteer Opportunities October 2018 Backyard Abundance Sunday, October 14, :00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Planning Ahead for Spring Planting. Brainstorming and getting inspired for garden visions for next year. A get together to explore and co-create polyculture plantings keeping our needs and the web of life in mind. Drafting of timelines and consideration of our individual plans to work together will take place. This is designed to support future food swaps and community garden potlucks. Chadek Green Park, 1920 Friendship Street, Iowa City. Bur Oak Land Trust info@buroaklandtrust.org Saturday, October 6, :30 P.M. to 9:00 P.M., 12 th Annual Under a Cider Moon A Celebration of Autumn at the Celebration Barn, th St NE, Solon. Silent and live auction, hors d oerves, local wine, $50 per person ($25 tax deductible). Call or info@buroaklandtrust.org for information about tickets. Sunday, October 7, a.m. to 2 P.M. Muddy Creek Workday. Seed harvesting on a remnant prairie at Bur Oak Land Trust s Muddy Creek property. Park at Muddy Creek Preserve, 2806 Muddy Creek Lane, Coralville. Standard work wear. Bring water, snack, lunch. Iowa City Bird Club Wednesday, October 3, a.m. Kent Park Bird Walk with leader Rick Hollis. Meet at the Conservation Education Center, Kent Park. Saturday, October 6, a.m. Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area for sparrows and other fall migrants. Meet leader Brandon Caswell at the parking lot on Swan Lake Road between 6:45 a.m. and 7:00 P.M. across from Swan Lake. We will carpool our way around the area with moderate hiking at some viewing areas. Dress for wet/muddy trails and bring a spotting scope if you have one. Finish around noon. info@icbirds.org. Wednesday, October 17, a.m. Kent Park Bird Walk. Meet at the Conservation Education Center, Kent Park. Thursday, October 18, P.M. Meeting. Doug Harr, birder, photographer, and President of Iowa Audubon, will present Birding the Rio Grande Valley and Texas Coast. Sunday, October 21, :30 A.M. Belgum Grove and Riverside Trail for sparrows and other fall migrants. Meet leader Fawn Bowden at the Fin and Feather parking lot at 125 Highway 1, Iowa City for a morning of birding at two hotspots new to the club. We carpool to both locations and hike the mowed paths at Belgum Grove and gravel trail at Riverside. 11

12 Johnson County Conservation mailto: Thursday, October 4 and 11, :30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M. Volunteer Prairie Seed Harvest-Weekdays. Prairie seed is expensive and more volunteer-collected seed decreases the amount that must be purchased to restore JCC prairies. Volunteers will meet at the Conservation Education Center, Kent Park, 2048 HWY 6 NW, Oxford, but seed collecting will take place at various locations within Kent Park. Wear long-sleeved shirt, long pants, gloves, and closed-toe shoes, and bring a water bottle. Ideal for active senior citizens or any adults wishing to help. Families welcome. To register call or fowen@co.johnson.ia.us. Sunday, October 21, a.m. to 2 P.M. Cedar River Family Paddle Day, Palisades-Kepler State Park Boat Ramp, 700 Kepler Dr, Mt Vernon. Explore the Cedar River by canoe on this free ten-mile paddle trip! Start at the park boat ramp and travel down to the Sutliff Access in Sutliff. Canoes, paddles, and PFD s provided along with instruction over canoe basics. Kids 5 years old and over are welcome. Numbers capped, so register early by ing kmorrow@co.johnson.ia.us. Limited number of personal canoes/kayaks welcome, but registration is required. Wednesday, October 24, :00 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. Nature Buds: Leaves, Conservation Education Center, F.W. Kent Park, 2048 HWY 6 NW, Oxford. Nature Buds is a program for children 3 to 5 years old. This series encourages adult/child interaction through indoor stations focusing on STEM, sensory, and crafts. A themed storybook will be read before an outdoor activity/hike focused on the topic. One adult required for every two children. Paint, play dough, mud and other messy materials featured. Johnson County-ISU Extension Wednesday, October 10, P.M. to 9 P.M. Johnson County Master Gardener Steering Committee Meeting. Johnson County Extension, 3109 Old Highway 218 S. All MG s welcome. Consider dropping in with treats at the fall MG training classes and meet the new class. Contact Shannon Bielicke at or bielicke@iastate.edu. Linn County-ISU Extension Monday, October 15 and Saturday, October 20, :30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Monday and 9:30 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. Saturday. A Little Dirt Never Hurt! Garden Clean-up and Planting Garlic at Old MacDonald s Farm, 2700 Bever Ave SE, Cedar Rapids. The Linn County Master Gardeners have partnered with Old MacDonald s Farm in inviting you to the new Growing Classroom. Hands on workshops for all ages. Snacks from the gardens. Individuals $2, Families $5, age 2 and under free. Info Johanna Rahbusch or Jorah@iastate.edu. 12

13 Tuesday, October 23, :30 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. Compost 101 and Growing Roses at Linn County Extension, 383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201, Cedar Rapids. Build your compost IQ with Ajay Nair, associate professor and extension vegetable production specialist at Iowa State. Then learn how to grow roses that make a garden shine with Aaron Steil, assistant director of Reiman Gardens. Popcorn and drinks will be available. Free. Please register to be sure there are enough handouts at Johanna Rahbusch, Iowa Water Sunday, October 7, 21, and 28, P.M. to 3 P.M. Terry Trueblood Recreational Trail Cleanup. Volunteers will be removing invasive species, trash, and other woody debris to help reduce invasive species and erosion and improves water quality. Meet at Terry Trueblood Recreation Area Lodge parking lot to sign in and get assignments. People under age 18 must have a parent or guardian sign their liability form the day of the event. Contact Carol Sweeting at or carol-sweeting@iowa-city.org. Sunday, October 14, P.M. to 3 P.M. Ralston Creek Cleanup. Meet at Robert A. Lee Recreation Center parking lot to sign in and help remove invasive species, trash, and other woody debris from the banks and stream bed. Those under age 18 must have a parent or guardian sign their liability form the day of the event. Contact Carol Sweeting at or carol-sweeting@iowa-city.org. Trees Forever Saturday, October 6, :30 A.M. to 4 P.M. Backyard Forest Conference at Johnson County ISU Extension Office, 3109 Old Hwy 218 S. Iowa City. Participants will take part in a two hour walk in the woods with a forester to learn about forest health and history. Following the walk, those in attendance will be able to attend four, 45 minute sessions presented by local forestry and conservation experts. $15 fee includes lunch and materials. Counts as education hours. Contact Aaron Brewer at Register by October 1 at Sunday, October 21, P.M. to 6 P.M. Fruit TreeKeepers. A one-day course focusing on common care of fruit trees grown in Iowa. There will be a planting of 1-2 fruit trees with learning about proper pruning and planting, diseases, botany, identification and the history of Wilson s Orchard. Begins at Palmer House located at 200 E Main St, Solon and ends with an excursion to Wilson s Orchard in Iowa Solon. $30 which includes course handouts, booklets, snacks and a t-shirt. Contact Aaron Brewer at ext 114. Register at 100_Grannies Wednesday, October 10, :30 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. Monthly Activism Committee, Big White House, 12 th Ave, Coralville. Monday, October 15, P.M. to 5 P.M. Good Neighbor Committee Meeting, Iowa City Public Library, Room E. This new committee meets the third Monday of the month. Please join our group or just come check us out. Prior sign up not necessary. We re working on this campaign goodneighborsiowa.org/ and partnering 13

14 with Backyard Abundance, New Pioneer Coop and AmeriCorps. Contact Linda Quinn at Tuesday, October 23, :30 P.M.to 5:30 P.M. Monthly Activism Committee, Trinity Episcopol Church, 320 E College, Iowa City Tuesday, October 23, :30 P.M.to 7:00 P.M. Regular Monthly Meeting of 100grannies.org., Trinity Episcopal Church, 320 E College St, Iowa City. Information at 100granniesiowacity@gmail.com. Additional Resources/Event Opportunities Blue Zones ECO_Iowa City Check website for events. Iowa State Extension Nothing scheduled at press time New Pioneer Coop Check the website for events and activities. Project Green and Nothing at press time Seed Savers 14

15 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 3109 Old Highway 218 S. Iowa City, IA Iowa State University Extension and Outreach does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or status as a U.S. veteran. Direct inquiries to the Diversity Officer, , extdiversity@iastate.edu. Send to: bielicke@iastate.edu 15