The Mason Jar Mason County WSU Master Gardener Newsletter

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Dwayne Ferguson
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June 2013 Inside this issue: Plant Sale 2013 Plant Sale Results 2-3 Plant Sale Plant Sale and Docent Volunteer Information Catalyst Children s Garden 4 5 July 13, 2013

Master Gardener Contact Information Minutes from May 2013 Meeting MG s of the Month Martha Perry s Garden 6 7,8 9, 10 Calendars 12, 13 President s Message The Return of

Well before I became a MG, I looked forward to this event every summer.

1 MG Highlights: Mason County WSU Master Gardener Newsletter Volunteers needed for Monday Clinics 12-3 pm Volunteers needed as docents for the Garden Tour July and 1-4 Docent Garden party at Walter Dacon Winery after the tour Volunteer help needed for Mason County Fair July Plant Sale planning for 2014 starts in August! June 2013 Inside this issue: Plant Sale 2013 Plant Sale Results 2-3 Plant Sale Plant Sale and Docent Volunteer Information Catalyst Children s Garden 4 5 July 13, 2013 Docents Needed! Master Gardener Contact Information Minutes from May 2013 Meeting MG s of the Month Martha Perry s Garden 6 7,8 9, 10 Calendars 12, 13 President s Message The Return of the Garden Tour Pat Carpenter In 2000 Mason County Master Gardeners put on their first garden tour. For the next nine years a summer tour was held. Well before I became a MG, I looked forward to this event every summer. It was so enlightening to visit a wide range of private gardens all around the county and get new ideas and inspiration. However, for the past four years there hasn t been a tour. I was disappointed and I know others were too. With new membership and renewed energy amongst our group, it was time to bring back the tour. Lou Schmidt and I were happy to volunteer to coordinate the event. We have a fine team of volunteers to fulfill the many tasks. (cont. on page 4)

2 Page 2 NOW IS THE TIME! By Mary Bigger To take a deep breath and: CELEBRATE: our wonderful gross-j $9,500 plus This is the project that keeps us solvent and underwrites the community service we provide all year. CELEBRATE: solid publicity, and our new banner CELEBRATE: the quality and variety of plants and the people who brought them to that level CELEBRATE: all the volunteers that made this successful sale possible To make a commitment to next year s sale: What will it take to sustain this growth? PEOPLE, PLANTS, PLANS and especially PEOPLE. Let s keep our sale on its fabulous roll! Please put Mother s Day weekend 2014 on your calendar NOW! PLANTS: Now especially is the time and the opportunity to see which plants in your garden might be good candidates for next year. There are many little tricks MG s have reported that bring plants into prime condition while keeping our direct effort to a minimum. Potting up a stray that wants to grow where it was not invited, then tucking the plant in range of a sprinkler works well. By spring its roots will be beautiful and it will be too. If you have Hen and Chicks, we sold all we had and could use a variety both for the tufa gardens and potted to sell. Doing a one off as you groom the garden for summer by cutting a chuck from a perennial, letting it grow in the company of the parent plant; then potting it in the fall is another system. This works well with layering shrubs too. The most important piece is getting the roots going so the plant looks marvelous come sale time. If you have access to native plants, many of the customers asked for them. If each of us prepares a tray of our favorites that will be a great step forward! PLANS AND POSSIBILITIES: Yes, the sale is a year away, but we needed 3,000 plants to make this year s 9K. That volume needs planning if we are to have a prayer of sustaining this income level. Another important financial fact is that we have total profit from our MG s donations. Customers were particularly complimentary about the information they received from those with hands on information. Gardeners raise your shovels, prepare those pots: home grown diversity will be a major factor in meeting and hopefully exceeding this year s success. Bonnie R and Carol F have already swung into motion with some great Tufa ideas and are moving them into action. MG s are stepping up to foster care plants that did not sell. (cont. on page 3)

Page 3 (plant sale cont. from page 2) Beatrix reported from the shade plant area, she felt that we had an 80% sale rate.

More data needs to come in on which plants were in high demand and which ended up being more filler than one might have wished.

Our limitation is that everything has to be portable. We can adapt around this to use ideas and keep our approach fresh.

3 Page 3 (plant sale cont. from page 2) Beatrix reported from the shade plant area, she felt that we had an 80% sale rate. This fit in with the rough estimate I did by comparing the number of tables plus plants on the ground when we started to those remaining. More data needs to come in on which plants were in high demand and which ended up being more filler than one might have wished. We can make educated guesses but we never know until plant meets customer what the synergy will be. Please check out any plant sales or other sales you go to for ideas that help move products. Our limitation is that everything has to be portable. We can adapt around this to use ideas and keep our approach fresh. One growth need is how to get more items at a higher price point that will still fit our audience. The Garden store might help this area. Ideas? PLANT SALE COMMITTEE: We will be working on plant sale components throughout the year. This ongoing planning does its best to meet needs and issues as they arise and to keep problems from blindsiding the goal of yearly solvency. I owe a special thank-you to Dave Shepherd and all those who saved and brought boxes. My personal nightmare going into this was having us underway and then running out of boxes. Yes, I worry well, and for me this was Oh, oh what a relief it is sung to the Alka-Seltzer tune. When you know 400 boxes will be used, this is one huge issue. EVALUATION: The evaluation notes show that many of the 2012 needs improvement areas were addressed. Now we will be able to focus on and refine those parts that came up as this sale s priorities. We are more familiar with the park. Setting the sale up and taking it down have many pieces to be examined. The sheer size the sale has grown to creates needs we did not have to face previously. Come share your ideas, concerns and suggestions. It is the only way we can sustain and improve our major fund raiser. Erika Stewart ready to assist the next customer. Will Macy entertaining the crowd. Evon Masteller has the evaluation notes complied at the May MG meeting and will be sharing these at the June MG meeting.

A big binder holding all the information from previous tours has been super helpful. We appreciate our team s can do spirit.

4 Page 4 (President s Message cont. from page 1) Kim Wheeler and Carol Murray who had previously worked on the garden descriptions and ticket booklets have shared their expertise and made the job much easier. A big binder holding all the information from previous tours has been super helpful. We appreciate our team s can do spirit. We need 26 docents to serve as garden greeters and we hope everyone who is available July 13th will volunteer. Puja has an article with more info about being a docent. We also need Master Gardeners to spread the word about the garden tour and encourage family and friends to attend. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at various local businesses (listed on posters) or at the gardens. This year all of the gardens are in the Arcadia area for easy access and they range from a small jewel box, intimate garden to a huge estate with elaborate fountains and profuse plantings and garden rooms. We think everyone is going to be delighted and will come away with something they can use in their own gardens along with appreciation for the passion people put into their gardens here in Mason County. GARDEN TOUR JULY 13, 2013 Spread the word to neighbors, friends and family! TICKETS $12 PER PERSON SIX BEAUTIFUL GARDENS DOCENTS NEEDED FOR THE 2013 GARDEN TOUR! What s a Docent you ask? Well one definition is a person who leads guided tours...now we don t need someone to exactly do that but we DO need Master Gardeners who are will to be volunteer docents for the Garden Tour on July 13th. Puja Pecovsky Docents will either sit in front of the garden greeting guests and stamping their booklet/ticket or be the designated roamer in the garden answering questions about the garden, plants etc. from our guests. Two docents per garden for a three hour shift so the team should trade off being in the garden and sitting at the entrance table. There are six beautiful gardens and we need two or three folks per shift depending on the size of the garden. We will need at least 26 or more volunteers. The first shift is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and second shift is 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. All six gardens are close by one another so when you are done with your shift, you will be given a free ticket so you can tour the gardens or prior to your afternoon shift.

5 Lisa Stroman CATALYST PARK CHILDREN S GARDEN I recently returned from one month in Alaska to be there for the birth of my sixth grandchild. Being back in Alaska reminded me of how lucky we are to live in Western Washington where we have more than three months to grow things. The first week-end there it snowed ~ in May? Now that I m back home I drove around to see all the beautiful flowers blooming, veggies growing and people working in their yards. So what does this story have to do with the Children s Garden? I m happy to have moved to Washington, glad I took the MG training and I ve made some awesome friends who encouraged me to take on this garden project. I love children and cannot wait to create this space with my MG buddies for kids so they can learn, play and grow things. There is still work to do the pergola needs to be finished, fencing needs to be put up and we need to plant some fun plants. There is a little bit of money left in the budget for this garden so lets spend it. So far, four doors have been purchased for the shed. If anyone is interested in trying to plant a living roof that would be a great addition and perhaps Erika would be able to help with instructions? There has been a donation of a bike for one of the gates and a garden swing frame for climbing plants. Another MG donated a red metal kid s bed frame so we can make a garden bed and we ve also received donations of an old metal chair and old metal school desk. These all should be fun to plant and will enhance the garden to appeal to kids. Children s Garden Grand Opening will be happening at the end of July so that means your help is needed! Let s all try to find a day or two to complete these projects so we can get this done. Please me at wisawobby@gmail.com if you can help, have a donation or have any questions about the garden. Thanks! Page 5 Wouldn t this be cute in the Children s Garden? (Docents cont.) After the tour ends, all the volunteers are invited to a potluck at Walter Dacon Winery just down the road ~ Woohoo! There will be an orientation meeting after the General Meeting on July 8th at the library. If you want to be a docent but cannot attend the meeting there will be information available via . We would like docents to arrive half an hour early to familiarize yourself with the garden but please note that you are not expected to know every plant in the garden. (details to follow) We are hoping for good weather but there are no guarantees so please dress accordingly. The tour will happen rain or shine. Please contact me at pujawa@msn.com if you want to sign up. You can also use the Doodle Michelle set up online. Thank-you for volunteering! It should be a very fun day.

6 Page 6 CONTACTS: Office: 303 N. 4th Ave Shelton, WA Ext. 680 Fax Extension Staff: Robert Simmons Director Ext.690 simmons@wsu.edu R. Jeanne Rehwaldt Master Gardener Coordinator Ext. 688 rehwaldt@wsu.edu Michelle Lapp AmeriCorps Ext. 689 michelle.lapp@wsu.edu Master Gardener Ext 687 gardener.master@gmail.com Foundation Representative Janet Mutter janmut@msn.com Executive Board President Pat Carpenter patandlexi@gmail.com President Elect, Mason Jar co-editor Christy Rowe carowe@hcc.net Vice President Lou Schmidt willilou@q.com Secretary Evon Masteller hatmast@comcast.net Treasurer Margie Plebuch quilted2@aol.com Directors at Large Sybil Jones sybiljones@hughes.net Lisa Stroman wisawobby@gmail.com

7 Page 7 MINUTES: Mason County WSU Master Gardener General Meeting Agenda for Monday, May 13, 2013 Christy Rowe, Vice President-Elect, Facilitator Approval of April 8, 2013 minutes. Present: Lou Schmidt, Vice-Pres., R. Jeanne Rehwaldt, WSU Coord., Jan Mutter, Foundation Rep., Sybil Jones, Reporter-at-Large, and Evon Masteller, Secretary. MG Membership: Cheryl Stewart, Nancy Dillon, Sherry Clemmens, Lou Ann Moeller, Karen King, Michelle Lapp, AmeriCorp, Lisa Henderson, William Macy, Dave Shephard, Pat Edmondson, Steve Edmondson, Puja Pecovsky, Beatrix Blackerby, Mary Bigger, Carol Freytag, Bonnie Ross. Officer s Reports: Treasurer s report - plant sale - Jeanne Rehwaldt filled in for Margie Plebuch and gave us a total of our sales report. 400% increase from last year. Vice president s report & program schedule - Lou Schmidt June 10 th, Close Loop Garden tour after the meeting. Take Exit 111 on I-5, just north of Lacey/Olympia Garden Tour meeting WSU Ext. Secretary s report - Evon Masteller - nothing to report. Foundation Rep. report - Jan Mutter One can begin registering for the Advanced Education Conference that s taking place in Everett this summer on line at: www. wa-mg-conf.org. The link will be added to our website for Master Gardeners via Jeanne Rehwaldt s . Coordinator s report - Jeanne Rehwaldt Harstine Garden Club requesting our attendance at their sale on May 18 th. Unfortunately no one volunteered from the room attendees. The Farmers Market will be our place to hold Clinic, sell plants and catalogues and educate the public where we can. Wall-mart wants us to be present at their Garden Center over the summer. Waiting for information from their garden staff. Maybe just once/mo. Committee and project reports: Plant Sale - Celebrate, high fives and pats on back to all. - Mary Bigger/Evon Masteller Debrief. Anything we should change for next year? See Attachment A Feedback Exercise results. Catalyst/Children s/community Garden Drip line going in on May 18 th, 9am, volunteers welcome. Pumpkin Patch will be going in when we can arrange for the soil movement with our tractor person (Nancy Dillon). Comm. Gardens - Sybil Pest Control next topic of learning; all gardens are up and growing. Our next workshop is 1 st Sat.in June at 10am. -Pioneer Greenhouse - leftover plants, take to homes for caretaking till the next Plant Sale on May 23 rd. Garden Tour - Lou Schmidt Carol Murray is working on the layout of the booklet. The booklet is the ticket and the map of the tours. Lisa Stroman is organizing the BBQ for the Docents. Chicken and Ribs being the main course at Walter Dacon Winery. Master Gardeners will bring salads/ desserts/beverages and breads. Docent duties - Garden Tour pre-event so we can ID the plants we will be visiting. So far the volunteer group is Cheryl Stewart, Sybil Jones, Pat and Steve Edmondson, Lisa Henderson, Christy Rowe and more will be added in the future as they come

8 Page 8 (Meeting minutes cont.) Pioneer project - Michelle Lapp Grant money budget is due in June and the money will need to be used up by that time too., Work Party on Sat., May 18 th, 10am with Susan Shelby using her equipment. The 6 th and 8 th graders worked on soil placement, trellis, and flower beds. Other items for discussion: Extension Office gardens have been weeded by Cheryl Stewart and she would appreciate a little assistance in expertise with the Rain Garden, Fri., May 17 th from 9am Jeanne will information on the Ext. Office Gardens in the Mason Jar. FYI - some complaints on the information at the Clinic being registered and fulfilled accurately. If one needs help, please refer to the manual at the desk or ask assistance from Jeanne or Michelle in the office. Steve Edmondson says he will be stepping aside from the KMAS s Garden Gate Program and we will need someone to fill this vacancy for our community. Need people for Shelton Farmers Market beginning in May - Jeanne Rehwaldt and Michelle Lapp We cans sell our plants. Doodle will be out for volunteer sign-up and what we will need to set up the booth. Mason Area Fair - Jeanne Rehwaldt 1 st Mon. in June will be the next meeting. Decisions will need to be made soon on how this all-volunteer effort will be organized in time for the July deadline. After a long discourse on the pros and cons of the organization or lack thereof, the M.G. s have moved unanimously that we decline in participating this year. We will do something different that can be managed in a program we can support with our own resources, time, and place - to be announced later. Master Gardener for April - Erika Stewart, Congratulations Erika, you deserve it. Dates to remember: May 15 th, Weds. Garden Tour meeting 5pm at WSU May 23 rd, Thurs. Pioneer Greenhouse, plant guardians - save our plants for next sale. {(Sherry Clemmens - Native Conservancy will be guardians (did I understand this correctly?)} June 1 st, Mon. Next General meeting Library June 3 rd, Mon. MG Board Meeting WSU June 10 th, Mon. Assemble Garden Tour ticket booklets After General meeting Adjourn Respectfully submitted by Evon Masteller, Secretary 5/17/13Program: Feedback exercise of 2013 Plant Sale for improvement in the 2014 Plant Sale. Facilitator - Evon Masteller *in an effort to keep this newsletter short, the feedback will be sent in a separate to the Master Gardener Group.

9 Page 9 Garden Tour ~ 2013

10 Page 10 Master Master Gardeners Gardeners of of the the Month Month APRIL 2013 ~ LOU AND WILLI SCHMIDT Congratulations to Lou and Willi and a huge thank-you for their integral part in putting the hoop house at the Pioneer School Greenhouse site together in preparation for our annual Plant Sale. It was kind of like putting a giant puzzle together with numerous pieces and parts. Lou has been a Master Gardener for about six years. Actually, she went through the training in Enumclaw the first year the program was offered in That was before there was more organic gardening research and then the emphasis was on spraying this and killing that. Lou wasn t able to accept those guidelines so she did not complete the volunteer portion of the training. She and Willi raised their kids four total and worked at their careers until the youngest child was in his last year of college. They decided to follow their dream, sold their house and took of sailing around the world for four years. Their children were lucky enough to meet up with their parents at various parts around the world and spend time sailing too. After this adventure the Schmidts moved to Mason County and Lou enrolled in the Master Gardener class again after her retirement as a nurse. When asked what her favorite aspect is of the program Lou said The camaraderie, the learning and the sharing of information with others who like gardening. She really enjoys the art of propagating plants and working on projects like the garden tour. Their own garden at home consists of a garden with fruit trees, a vegetable garden, two cows, six chickens. When Lou and Willi are not gardening, they are off sailing, traveling, skiing and spending time with their six grandchildren. If Lou could give the newest Master Gardeners and Trainees some advice she recommends not making your home garden too big, choose the projects you really enjoy doing and get involved with the Master Gardeners. Don t be afraid in your garden to change your focus and try new things. Gardening is all about evolving and learning. Thank-you Lou and Willi for your time and energies for Mason County! MAY 2013 ~ ERIKA STEWART Our May Master Gardener of the Month is Erika. Similar to Lou, Erika started the MG training class about twenty two years ago but did not finish. Back then the class was held in the basement of the Post Office. Erika officially became a MG in 2010 after completing her certification in Mason County. Originally from Seattle Erika, husband, son and foster son moved to Phillips Lake in They purchased property in 1963 that her parents had purchased in 1951 and built a little A-frame cabin on. That first winter was pretty cold in the uninsulated cabin they burned six cords of wood! In addition to gardening Erika loves to read, sew, cook, hike and do some bird watching. When time permits she also loves writing poetry and doing botanical drawings.

11 Page 11 Master Gardeners of the Month cont. Erika s favorite gardening activity is preparing a place in the garden for a new plant, planting it and knowing that she has given everything it needs to have a good life. She currently is in the process of transitioning from a yard with many beautiful flowers to a yard with fewer flowers and more interesting shrubs. Erika has been using the Great Plant Picks web site to help with that. Outside she grows both vegetable and flower gardens. Inside she likes to grow orchids and African violets. Advice to new MGs and Trainees? Erika says the new MGs should feel that they are a part of everything and are all welcome. Their help is needed an appreciated. The MGs are probably the best resource for gardening information and help. Thank-you Erika for your continual help and devotion to the program. Martha Perry s Veggie Garden By Sybil Jones Even though I just became a Master Gardener I have been hanging around for a long time admiring hardy hibiscus in the Demonstration garden at the Fair Grounds, stealing columbine seeds from the luscious blossoms by the historical building and marveling over the size and color of the cabbages and broccoli n the Food Bank garden. One of the MG activities I enjoyed the most was the Summer Garden Tour; this was a perfect way to spend time with friends and entertain guests. One summer I invited our house guest Martha and some local friends to join me on a tour. I don t remember all of the gardens that we visited that day, I know we saw a city lot overflowing with berries and produce and another city spot where they were growing kiwi with beautifully variegated leaves. For my friend Martha the most impressive garden was the Food Bank garden at the Fair Grounds and the information that came with. She went home to her Garden Club in Snohomish, WA; gained the support of 8 or 10 members, found some land that could be leased, arranged for cultivation, water, tool shed and tools and with the help of her husband and those few dedicated members was ready for the next growing season. This team was able to organize the planting and harvesting of over 2000 pounds of produce for the local Food bank that first year. Unfortunately, Martha s health was not good and by the second season cancer was taking its toll, but her loyal team mates continued her work and the harvesting went on. If you travel in the Snohomish area you may see a sign along the highway which reads: MARTHA PERRY S VEGGIE GARDEN which is still producing many pounds of vegetables for The Food Bank each season and you will know that some of our activates truly are farreaching.

12 June 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat MG meeting at Timberland Library Master Gardener Board Meeting at WSU office CJ Nichols 30 1 Shelton Farmer s Market S Shelton Farmer s Market GARDEN TOUR TICKETS GO ON SALE AT VARIOUS 15 Shelton Farmer s Market Shelton Farmer s Market Shelton Farmer s Market

13 GARDEN TOUR 10 4 July 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat MG Genl. Mtg. and Docent Training for Garden Tour Timberland Library Community Garden Catalyst 10 a.m Catalyst Meeting 5 p.m. at WSU Mason County Fair prep

The Mason Jar Mason County WSU Master Gardener Newsletter

The Mason Jar Mason County WSU Master Gardener Newsletter Mason County WSU Master Gardener Newsletter SPECIAL EDITION July 2013 MG Highlights: SPECIAL EDITION newsletter this month highlighting the Garden Tour. Full regular newsletter will resume in August GARDEN