Inside the Gardener s Scoop

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1 November 2013 Fall Bulb Sale Group Effort Paid Off for First Annual Bulb Sale by Nancy M. Sandel I enjoyed working at our first annual Bulb Sale. I was so impressed with the hard work and outstanding skills that Christy Francis displayed organizing this sale. Her knowledge, talent, and many hours of work were certainly obvious. She deserves a standing ovation from all. The selection of beautiful daffodils was so impressive and admired by all. Having the sweet and knowledgeable Mary McFarland present to help customers with their selection of daffodils was not only helpful but educational and enjoyable. Steve Hotard and Kerry Heafner were busy all day answering questions from customers about everything from planting bulbs and identifying trees, to growing herbs and flowers. Our organization is so fortunate to have such intelligent, knowledgeable and hardworking people. It is always a pleasure working with Buck Bounds who is willing to do anything and everything that needs to be done. Collecting money and keeping up with sales was executed by Mr. and Mrs. Jack Battaglia. A tedious job so well done. It was a fun and rewarding day working with all. Of course, many others were there working all day. Unfortunately, I can't acknowledge everyone by name who worked on the Bulb Sale. It was a pleasure working with everyone. I'm proud to be a part of the Northeast Louisiana Master Gardener Association. I can't wait to go outside and dig in the dirt and get my beautiful daffodils in the ground. Happy Gardening! Inside the Gardener s Scoop Fall Bulb Sale... 1 Meeting Minutes Fall Gardening Checklist... 4 Hero Chrysanthemum... 5 Schedule of Activities... 6 From the President... 7 Gardener s Scoop November 2013 Page 1

2 NELA Master Gardener Association Meeting Minutes for October 8, 2013 Kerry Heafner, Vice President, called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Program Kerry introduced Paul Jackson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Sciences, Louisiana Tech University. Dr. Jackson s topic was Seeds, How They Do Their Thing. He included very informative topics such as plant life cycle, seed content, embryo structure and seed germination, to list a few. He was very interesting and encouraged questions from the membership which he then answered. back of the pavilion. Construction on the pavilion is complete and it is available for rent. Our club will be able to use it for educational purposes. Scholarship Committee Dawn Jordan reported that the scholarship is complete and a printed copy was presented for members to view. It is professionally prepared and very attractive. She further stated that the Bylaws are being amended to include it, and the committee is excited to be able to soon put it in the hands of 4-H representatives and agents that work with high school seniors around our community and northeast area. Steve Hotard will be giving the committee a list of representatives and agents that work with seniors. Old Business Minutes There were no corrections, additions or concerns to the Minutes as printed in the October newsletter. A motion was made by Jack Battaglia and seconded by Mitch Jordan to accept the Minutes as printed by Tom Floyd. Kerry and the entire group commended Tom on the outstanding job he does with the newsletter. Treasurer s Report Jack Battaglia reported that volunteers are needed at the upcoming Bulb Sale for pricing and collecting money. He reminded everyone that you will be able to report your time as volunteer hours. Committee Reports Butterfly Garden Christy Francis announced that weeds and grasses have been sprayed, and she has mulch but is waiting to distribute it until the City completes a road at the New Business Bulb Sale Christy reported that bulbs were expected to arrive on October 9th and volunteers are needed to prepare for the upcoming sale on October 12th. Linda Williams will coordinate the volunteers and their activities. Christy and volunteers will also visit the greenhouse at Louisiana Tech and Sammy s Plant World to pick up plants. A big thanks goes out to Sammy for his generous discount on plants. Social Media and Publicity Christy announced that we will have a Facebook page and she will be one of the administrators that will post informative news, announcements and upcoming events. This will be a good way to get things out to a lot of people and groups about our club. Meeting Minutes continue on page 3 Gardener s Scoop November 2013 Page 2

3 Meeting Minutes continued from page 2 Announcements October 12 Bulb Sale at the West Monroe Farmer s Market October 19 Volunteer gardening day at the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo October 26 Allen Dunn, President of Friends of Black Bayou, will give a demonstration on the propagation of wildflowers/natives at Kiroli Park from 10 a.m. until noon. Christy will talk about perennials and biennials, as well as when to start other plants. This is a great opportunity for continuing education for Master Gardeners. It is open to the public. Please invite anyone who may be interested. October 26 Boo at the Zoo November 2 Volunteer gardening day at the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum Hospitality Thanks to Team 6 for refreshments this evening: Grace Kirksey, Leader Karen Mulhearn Laura Hardin Steven Nelson Mark Johnston Bridget Dawson Patti & Ed Kintzing The meeting was adjourned at 8:34 p.m. Next MG Meeting November 12 Program by Christy Francis Christy Francis, Master Gardener and Kiroli Park Assistant Manager, will present a topic on plant propagation, with emphasis on tasks and techniques for the fall garden. NELA MG Board Members Board Officers President Debbie Beauvais Vice President Kerry Heafner Secretary Elaine Smith Treasurer Jack Battaglia Recorder P. J. Board Members at Large Christy Francis Mel Kallal Casey Stevens Gardener s Scoop November 2013 Page 3

4 Fall Gardening Checklist by Midge Willis Let's see now, you've planted the winter greens and onions, and finished picking the last of the fall vegetables. That about does it for this year until the winter greens get big enough to eat. Time to wind down, take that cup of coffee out to the garden and sit for a while and think about spring and all of the things you'll do differently. Right? NO!!! Don't walk out of that garden with it looking like that. Dead pea vines and tomato vines have to be pulled up and placed in the compost pile. Fall tomatoes need to be pruned just like the spring plants. Believe me, you'll thank me for this when spring comes and you have all of this work finished and the garden looks so good. You'll be so proud! With the weather finally being a bit cooler, this is a perfect time to repair the fence, add organic matter to the soil so it will be well decomposed by spring, get the weeds out, and ENLARGE the garden so it will be ready for those new plants next year. Spray for whiteflies and other pests. They're looking for a good place to lay eggs that will hatch next spring, so the more of them you kill now the fewer you will have in the spring. It's all about timing. Dress up the garden, cover the bare soil with a good layer of mulch to keep the soil from washing away. If you don't wait too late in the season, you can plant a cover crop where you do not plan to grow anything else. Cover crops, also known as green manure, are great for the soil. The average date for the first frost in this area is the middle part of November. If there hasn't been enough rain in your particular area, be sure to water the plants, giving them a good deep watering so they will establish deep roots to help make it through the cold weather ahead. Remember to mulch to help keep the winter weeds away and hold the moisture in. Most of that mulch can be tilled in when spring comes. The same rules apply to the flower gardens. They need to be kept looking good even when there are no flowers there to enjoy. The saddest thing to me is a flower garden or vegetable garden that has been left full of dead plants. It's a lot like sweeping the floor when you finish in the kitchen; it just needs to be done. Prune back the things that bloom after June but not those that bloom in the spring. They should have been pruned before June. Wait until February to prune the roses. Look for broken limbs or limbs that are rubbing against each other. They will need to be taken care of now so they will not cause more damage this winter. Trim the dead tops or pull the plant up if it's an annual, BUT WAIT! Save those seed heads for January s Gardening Seminar! Whether you're cleaning the garden or flower beds always carry something with you to hold the many different seeds you can collect in the fall. Gardener s Scoop November 2013 Page 4

5 Clara Curtis Chrysanthemum An Underused Hero That Thrives with Little Care in Our Area First of a series on Hero plants for Northeast Louisiana Gardens Chrysanthemum rubellum Clara Curtis, is a wonderfully reliable mum that has been around long enough to be considered an heirloom plant. It's known for its lovely and very prolific, light pink blooms that have lilac overtones. Having stood the test of time, it's easy to grow and is pest, disease, and deer resistant. Perhaps you've seen Clara's masses of 2½ to 3 inch, daisy-like, pink-lilac flowers with yellow centers blooming around town. En masse they are show-stoppers. Quite tolerant of poor soil and even some light shade, this mum grows easily with practically no care. Plants mature to about 18 to 24 inches tall and can spread even wider. Loose, floppy sprays of blossoms can form so you'll want to pinch them beginning in June to keep the plants bushy and compact. Other than cutting them back after a frost, pinching in early summer, and dividing them every few years, that's the only upkeep they require. Your reward is masses of flowers to enjoy and cut for bouquets. Propagation is done through stem cuttings and division. Clara Curtis also spreads by underground rhizomes. This aspect and her leggy tendency are considered to be negative factors by some, but assets to others. New plants coming up from the rhizomes create even more masses of showy blooms, but can also easily be pulled up if not wanted. Early pinching prevents the legginess. Known by various names through the years, this classic chrysanthemum can be grown as an accent plant, a ground cover, in containers, or purely for cut flowers; but no matter how you use it, Clara is sure to steal the show at this time of year. With Clara Curtis being an old-fashioned passalong plant, perhaps you can get a cutting or start from a generous neighbor. If not, keep an eye out for them at garden centers, our MG spring plant sale, or order them online. You won't regret the glorious beauty they bring to your garden each fall. Clara Curtis chrysanthemums in the pond garden at Kiroli Park. Photo to the right: closeup from the same garden bed Gardener s Scoop November 2013 Page 5

6 November 2013 Activities Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat 1 2 Volunteer gardening day at the Chennault Aviation and Military Museum MG Meeting 6:30 pm Newsletter Article Submission Deadline Reminders Don t Forget! We need small potted plants and small seed packages for the January seminar giveaway table. We need your donated plants for a successful spring plant sale. Please prepare several pots of each plant you raise from seeds or cuttings. Gardener s Scoop November 2013 Page 6

7 From the President by Debbie Beauvais It felt so good to be free from buildings and have a nice outing on Saturday, October 12. I picked up a good friend and we headed for the Bulb Sale at the West Monroe Farmer s Market. I was extremely pleased and impressed with the organization and the quantity of bulbs and plants. Many thanks to the Bulb Committee and other MG volunteers who helped to prepare for our first Bulb Sale. I thought it was fantastic even though we seemed a little short on shoppers. Then the weather turned stormy and ended the sale a little early. To sell even more of the bulbs, Christy and this hard-working group worked together to get a booth at the River Market October 19. Good idea! My friend was very happy to find the name, height, bloom time, planting instructions, price, and other details on the label of each package of bulbs. This was wonderful information to have with the bulbs for novice and veteran gardeners alike. I haven t been to the bulb sale done by the NWLAMG group in Shreveport, but I don t think it could have been done any better than it was done by our group. Thank you for breaking ground on a fall bulb/plant sale; next year s sale should have even more participants. Congratulations and thank you all. Well done! Volunteer Service Hours As of September 15, Volunteer Service Hours 190 Continuing Education Hours This time last year: 1397 Volunteer Service Hours 193 Continuing Education Hours Do not forget to record your hours! The next MG meeting is Tuesday, November 12, 2013 at the LSU AgCenter. The Louisiana Master Gardener Program is a service and educational activity offered by the LSU AgCenter. The program is designed to recruit and train volunteers to help meet educational needs of home gardeners while providing an enjoyable and worthwhile service experience for volunteers. Contact: LSU AgCenter 704 Cypress Street West Monroe, LA (318) Dr. Paul Jackson presents the topic Seeds, How They Do Their Thing at the October MG meeting. Gardener s Scoop November 2013 Page 7