A Publication of the Howard County Master Gardeners. April 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 April 2013 From Georgia s Desk Last April, I convened a group of MGs to look into our online resources and communication vehicles. I wanted ideas on how we might communicate better among ourselves and with the public. The discussions in this group were very helpful and led, you may recall, to a fairly extensive survey of the entire Master Gardener community during the early summer. The response from you was overwhelming, and the survey team rigorously examined the many comments and suggestions made by all those who took the time to share their thoughts. That team then shared the compiled survey results with me and the committee chairs and online content administrators. This helped refine our understanding of why we communicate with each other and the public. The survey team then presented their final findings and recommendations and I endorsed their suggestions. Basically, the Master Gardeners were happy with the online resources at their disposal. There were many suggestions, which included updating the way we communicate, improving the flow of information among the members (and committees), reducing duplication, and organizing and providing guidance as to where different types of information should be posted. The respondents also want IT training, protocols, and governance. We are moving forward with some of the recommendations. For example, very soon we will be launching a Facebook page similar to the other Maryland Master Gardener programs. In order to make sure we continue to move forward and achieve all the desired results, I have also established a Communications Advisory Group (CAG). The CAG will examine communications and public relations with the committee chairs and the online content administrators. The CAG will be facilitated by Jerry Berson and Roy Heath and meet for the first time in April. At that meeting we will consider a proposed list of work priorities for the CAG. The work of the CAG is by no means limited to IT matters. Indeed it will across the board into smarter ways to communicate externally with the public and internally among ourselves. We will keep you posted on all these events and changes and hope you will find that they result in significant improvements. Once again, we owe a huge debt of gratitutde to all of you who participated in the survey, the results of which will take us effectively into the future. Speaking of the future, spring is really blooming as we look ahead to special events as Whipps Daffodil Day, GreenFest, Wilde Lake Elections display, the Stream Challenge planting, ERC, Howard County Fair planning, and all the public education programs! Please support these programs wherever you can--your help is important and greatly appreciated. Georgia Eacker Master Gardener Coordinator geacker@umd.edu Educating People to Help Themselves University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race, color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or national origin.

2 April 2013 Looseleaf 1 From Georgia s Desk 3 Whipps 3 GIEI 4 Mt Pleasant 5 Bay-Wise 7 Conservation Stewartship 10 News from State Office Suzette Holiday, MG, Editor webbrats@hotmail.com Mark Your Calendar! Daffodil Day Whipps Historic Garden Cemetery 3651 St. John s Lane Saturday, March 30, :00 am - 3:00 pm Public Education for April GIEI Spring Vegetable Gardening Tuesday, April 9, 7:00 pm, Town Center Community Center. Please confirm attendance with Lorna Walls at Gardening for Seniors Wednesday, April 10, 12:30 pm, Oakland Mills Community Center. Please confirm attendance with Brigeeta Warren at Deterring Deer and Other Critters Wednesday, April 10, 7:30 pm, Hickory Ridge Community Center. Please confirm attendance with Joan Lancos at Butterfly Gardening Wednesday, April 24, 7:00 pm, Town Center Community Center. Please confirm attendance with Lorna Walls at Native Plants in the Home Landscape Thursday, April 25, 7:00 pm, Long Reach Community Center. Please confirm attendance with Rita Seidelman at SUBMITTED BY ANN VIETH Earth Forum of Howard County Earth Forum of Howard County Sunday. April 21, 2:00 4:30 pm Columbia, Md. Join this celebration of Earth Week with outdoor/indoor activities, information booths, and games. Held at First Presbyterian Church, 9325 Presbyterian Circle, Columbia, Md. Refreshments provided. Free and open to all. Contact earthforum@firstpreshc.org or call Directions and details at Please submit items for the May Looseleaf by Thursday, April 11 BY MICHELLE CONNOLLY, April 2013 Looseleaf 2 Howard County Master Gardeners

3 Spring is an active time for the Grow It Eat It program. We concluded February with a set of three back-toback Saturday classes at MCE on starting seeds for transplants, vegetable gardening for beginners, and organic vegetable gardening, given respectively by Kent Phillips, Gloria, Lambert, and Jerry Kissel. It was well attended but we would have reached more clients with more widespread publicity. We will be augmenting the usual press release next time around. GIEI advanced training classes on Soils (February) and Organic Gardening (March) were attended by over 110 and 60 MGs respectively. Both classes were in sufficient depth to provide the background for attendees to answer clients questions on these subjects. There are more scheduled in the coming months and the MGs completing five of them will qualify for a Advanced certificate. GIEI presentations in March included Seed Starting (Harpers Choice and Miller Library), Container Gardening (Green Briar Garden Club, and Bon Secours), and Ingredients for a Successful Vegetable Garden (Owen Brown and Central Library). The requests for GIEI classes seem to peak in April. We have another six presentations scheduled for the month. In addition, Container Vegetable Gardening presentations are scheduled for four schools. Interested interns will assist the briefers for many of the April presentations. The next GIEI committee meeting is scheduled for April 23 from 10:00 am 12 noon in the large conference room at the MCE. We will coordinate future activities. All interested MGs are encouraged to come. BY JERRY KISSEL, MG Whipps Historic Garden Cemetery CALL FOR PLANTS Donate your extra garden perennials & small shrubs Drop off Thursday, April 25 Monday, May 6 At Whipps Garden Cemetery 3651 St. John s Lane, Ellicott City We invite your donations of extra garden perennials and small shrubs. Bring plants to Whipps Cemetery (3651 St. John s Lane and place behind the acuba near the parking pad). Please bring -- potted up and labeled --what ever lovely plants you have just a few too many of in your gardens. Please label Sun or Shade, Native or Non-native. Your plants will be happily bought by other gardeners at reasonable, even, we've been told, LOW prices. We just want to share with others -- and also make a little money to keep the Angel Garden growing and glowing. April 2013 Looseleaf 3 Howard County Master Gardeners

4 Doings at the Howard County Conservancy at Mt. Pleasant April brings us spring and the start of our growing season. We have made a start by cleaning up the garden beds and preparing for planting of cool weather crops. This month we will be planting peas, beets, carrots, kohlrabi and a variety of greens. This year we will be focusing more on root crops since the state GIEI committee has decided it will be the year of the root crop. We can still use extra volunteers for the first few sessions since there is so much to do at the beginning of the season. Our regular workdays will be on Fridays from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Come join us and see what is in the garden this year. Earth Day is being celebrated on Saturday, April 20 from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm. Join us for a day of service to the earth! 8:00 am--bird Walk with Howard County Bird Club; 9:00 am to 1:00 pm- Tree planting, invasive species removal and other service projects; 11:30 am to 12:30 pm-- Children's Earth Day craft activity. Master Gardeners will have a vegetable and native plant sale as well as demonstrations at the compost bins and in the historic vegetable garden. Master Gardener volunteers are needed to help with these tasks. Please call Jo Ann at or jrusso1104@comcast.net to volunteer for part or all of this time. The Conservancy is also seeking Master Gardener volunteers to work with seventh grade service learning. Elkridge Landing Middle School will be at the Conservancy on Tuesday, April 16, and Wednesday, April 17, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon. Volunteers act as group leaders and are assigned an area and task for the morning. Each volunteer will be leading a group of 12 students and chaperones to complete the task. These tasks will include pulling garlic mustard, cutting bittersweet vine, and removing callery pear, multiflora rose and Japanese barberry, just to name a few. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Tabby Fique, Land Manager at the Conservancy, tabby.fique@hcconservancy.org. Other Conservancy events for the month of April: On Saturday April 13, Sandy Barnett will be presenting Cool Things about Box Turtles. What can freeze in winter, hear through its feet, has no vocal cords and walked the earth with dinosaurs? Come to find out amazing facts about box turtles, often taken for granted and quickly disappearing from our forests. See and experience how scientists use special detection equipment to follow and study the life of box turtles in the wild, and meet live adult turtles up close and personal. The morning will end with a walk to nearby areas where box turtles might call home. This is a free program, but please be sure to register in advance to ensure a spot. On April 18, the Howard County Conservancy will host its Fourth Annual Juried Art Show Reception and Auction, The Art of Stewardship Connections, A loving, wide call, soliciting area artists for the strongest expressions of stewardship of our Earth, working in two- dimensional art/photography and outdoor sculpture; focusing on the infinite variety of art, nature, and a moment, that moment, the moments of connection. The show is open to all original art and photography media, including outdoor sculpture, from traditional to contemporary work, using a variety of techniques and imaginative interpretations. Works will be judged on their heartfelt expression of art, nature and that moment of connection. The artwork will be on display in the Gudelsky Building from March 14 toapril 18, All work will be judged for acceptance and for awards by Rebecca Hoffberger, founder and director of the American Visionary Art Museum, Greg Mort, internationally acclaimed artist, and Anne Raver, New York Times contributor. Tickets for the reception and auction are on sale now for $10, the price will increase to $12 after April 16. Saturday, April 27,, beginning at 9:30 am, join the Conservancy for an Adult Fishing Class with Martha Shaum for Maryland DNR. Rod, reel, tackle and bait will be provided. You d love to be able to take your child fishing but you don t know how to fish. Attend our Adult Angler Education workshop at the Conservancy and learn everything you need to know to be able to teach your child. Find out what kind of fishing gear is least likely to tangle, how to tie some simple knots, the best kind of bait to use, and some easy casting techniques. Then we ll go fishing at Centennial Lake and you ll have the chance to practice the skills you ve learned baiting your hook, fish handling and catch and release. Ages 18 and older; $10/person. The Conservancy continues to be open almost every day. Come out to hike the trails and see what is currently in bloom on the property. Find additional information on upcoming activities on the website ( BY JO ANN RUSSO, MG AND TABBY FIQUE, MG April 2013 Looseleaf 4 Howard County Master Gardeners

5 Becoming Bay-Wise As gardeners, I think we are all anxious to get outside and dig in our soil I know I am, and bet you are, too! But guess we will have to wait until the snow stops falling (as I write this, today is March 6), the ground warms and soil dries. While we wait, I d like to challenge you to think about incorporating a few more Bay-Wise principles into your landscape this coming year, also sometimes called Conservation Landscaping. Even if you already have a B-W certified landscape, there is always some room for improvement! As MG s, people look to us for advice, best management practices, and suggestions that help them garden smarter; let s also lead by example by demonstrating to them through our own landscapes some gardening and landscaping practices that are gentler to our environment. Here are some ideas I d like you to consider as we anticipate the coming gardening year: Learn as much as you can about your soil. When, if ever, was the last time your soil was tested? Doing so allows us to become better, more informed gardeners if we discover what our plants really need to thrive in our soils. The cost is nominal, and easily made up for if it means buying fewer chemicals, fertilizer or soil amendments we only think our plants may need. Homeowners landscapes are one of the greatest sources of nonsource point pollution and if we put things on our landscapes our plants really don t need (and hence do not absorb), it runs off, ultimately you know where this IS a Bay-Wise article, after all! For lots of great info go to the Home and Garden Information Website: Publications, Free Publications, then Soil, Mulch and Composting. Save time, maybe money and the Bay If you don t already have one, consider establishing a compost pile. It s a great way to recycle kitchen scraps like vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee grounds, etc., and yard waste that take up landfill space, not even mentioning the energy it takes to get them to that landfill. I was amazed at the number of things one could compost when I did a Google search! Finished compost becomes a great slow release fertilizer for your lawn and plants, adds beneficial organisms to the soil and increases its ability to absorb and retain water. No place for a compost pile? Consider Vermicomposting. Again, check out the link above at the HGIC website. Try to add more native plants to your landscape Plant vendors will be selling natives at Ho Co s Greenfest on April 13, and the Whipps plant sale usually has a variety of natives, held this year on May 10. Our native plants, insects, birds and other animals have evolved together over eons. If our native plant populations decline, so goes the rest of the food chain. Plant more things that support our pollinators, beneficial insects and birds, either as a food source or habitat. The more pollinators you have in your landscape, the better your garden will produce, whether you eat it or just look at it! Plant a great variety of things, and in layers. Studies have shown that the greater the variety of plant forms in a landscape, the more insects it has; and the more insects there are, the less plant damage occurs. Go figure! But the more beneficial insects you have (which are counted in that total), the fewer pest problems you may experience the good ones keep the bad ones better in check, meaning you may be less inclined to use a chemical control. To my way of thinking, less chemicals=healthier environment for all! If possible, reduce the size of your lawn. Figure out how much lawn you really need for activities or esthetically. Lawns consume more chemicals and water than almost any other type of planting, not to mention the cost of maintaining them. Again, there is lots of helpful information about lawns on the HGIC website. Stormwater Management in past years has been a concern, but is especially acute now with continued development and more impervious surfaces for water to run off. Each year we have less and less pervious surface to absorb and filter the water that falls as precipitation. If this storm water is uncontrolled it damages our water and land. New fees are on our doorsteps as Howard County begins to try to make us all accountable. My challenge to you would be to ask yourself how you might better manage the water that falls on your landscape. Ideally what falls on your landscape should stay on your ground long enough to percolate through the soil to recharge the groundwater supply and filter out contaminants and not just run off. Eventually that runoff and the contaminants it carries like nitrogen, phosphorus, sediments (Continued on page 6) April 2013 Looseleaf 5 Howard County Master Gardeners

6 MG Earth Day Volunteer Opportunity Master Gardeners are needed to volunteer for an Earth Day event at the Oella/Ellicott City Entrance Garden on April 22, 2013, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. The garden is located on the banks of the Patapsco River on Frederick Road, adjajent to the Frederick Road Bridge. This garden is dedicated to Teddy Betts, a long-time volunteer and artist with the Patapsco Heritage Greenway Organization. The objective of the day is to educate non-mgs on the benefits of a community garden, native plants, and other principles of sustainable gardening. A short history of the garden will proceed actual improvements that will include the planting of black-eyed susans, weeding, and mulching. Those interested in lunch (on your own) will journey across the street to the Trolley Shop Restaurant, an establishment that supports our efforts by providing water during dry spells. If interested in volunteering on this day and perhaps during the growing season, Please send an message to fellow MG Paul Farragut at pjfarragut@aol.com. Please use Earth Day Event in your subject line and include a telephone number. Plant Trees With Kids Looking for something to do after your taxes are done? On Tuesday, April 16, 11:00 am 1:00 pm, we need you to assist the seventh grade students from Dunloggin Middle School to plant 185 trees at Rockburn Park. This is part of the seventh grade ecology curriculum. The MG s role will be to oversee the students as they dig the hole, and prepare the tree to be planted. The students will be briefed in advance of the trip so that they know how to begin. There will be an optional MG training session on Monday, April 8 at 10:00 am at UME. Please consider contributing your time to this small, but important role in the education of our next generation of environmentalists. To sign up, please contact Janice Winter via janicewinter@verizon.net or phone BY PAUL FARRAGUT, MG BY JANICE WINTER, MG Becoming Bay-Wise (Continued from page 5) and other chemicals and pollutants find their way to a storm sewer, creek or stream, then a larger body of water where it can do great damage...for us all, it s the Chesapeake Bay. During a rainstorm (and after) observe how water travels across your landscape is there something you can do to slow it down? Make sure the water flows away from your house, but once it s past about 10 feet from your foundation, what might you do? Could you plant shrubs on the low side perimeter of your property to absorb some of the water flowing downhill? Maybe you could install a rain barrel on your downspout(s), a rain garden or incorporate a planted bed into the area that receives the downspout. Perhaps you could place something in the water s way to slow the flow and dissipate some of its energy flowing downhill? Think large stones, berms, even placing logs perpendicular to its path. We had some trees removed several years ago. I asked my husband to cut them up into rounds and we placed them on the low side of our property in a curve about 8 feet long. Not only do the rounds slow the flow, but my grandkids love to use them as a balance beam and stepping stones. They also add a little more definition and interest to my landscape. Most MGs I know are very creative people can you think of some other solutions to our stormwater management problems? If you think of a solution that has worked for you, I d love to hear about it! Happy gardening, and think Spring!! By Holly McFarland, Bay-Wise MG April 2013 Looseleaf 6 Howard County Master Gardeners

7 Middle Patuxent Environmental Area Conservation Stewardship Project Come share in the joy of discovering those small, elusive plants known as Spring ephemerals on our second Conservation Stewardship event. If the timing is right, we ll also glimpse patches of Virginia bluebells as we continue along the trail to the work site. Once there, we will concentrate on removing garlic mustard. On April 23, join the group at 9:00 am at the South Wind Circle trailhead off of Trotter Road (proceed west along 108 from 29 or east on 108 from Clarksville). Contact Jeff Claffy at (410) on the 23rd for weather related questions. SUBMITTED BY AYLENE GARD Let s Stop the Invasion "Let s Stop the Invasion! A Presentation on Non-Native, Invasive Plants, originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 6, has been rescheduled for April 17 at 7:30 pm, Robinson Nature Center, 6692 Cedar Lane, Columbia. Alien plants are steadily and stealthily attacking our native habitats and invading our native parks, stream sides, open spaces, and back yards. To learn more, please join us for an educational event signaling the start of our year of volunteer-involved, invasive plant removal activities in the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area. This PowerPoint talk is presented by the Howard County Master Gardeners. It will cover common invasive plants and touch on how Invasives affect habitat, why you should care, and what you can do about it! Admission is FREE!!! For more information, contact Master Gardener Aylene Gard at or Jeff Claffy, Assistant Natural Resources Manager, MPEA at Ask a Master Gardener at Miller Library Starting Hi everyone, plant clinic season is approaching, so this is my first appeal for volunteers. Miller plant clinic Ask a Master Gardener (AAMG) operates twice a week starting April 6 and ending September 30. The AAMG table will be set up in the lobby of the new Miller library. AAMG is a fun way to earn some volunteer hours and to talk to the public about one of our favorite topics--gardening. It is also a fun way to get to know some of your fellow master gardeners. I would like to have two volunteers for each session. Many interns have already signed up at the volunteer fair so I need experienced MGs to pair with them. If you let me know you are new, I will pair you with an experienced person so you can learn the ropes. Monday evening hours are from 7:00-8:30 pm, and Saturday morning hours are from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. We have a small box of materials, and most experienced MGs bring a couple of their favorite references. I will also leave 2 large notebooks with copies of the HGIC publications for reference. Most of these are for your reference only. Please encourage clients to access this information and print what they want. I understand that Miller library is working on having WiFi access available in the lobby area. Hopefully that will be up and running by the time we start. I know several MGs like to bring ipads or laptops to use during the session. This year we are also trying something new. MGs will be offering compost demonstrations in the Enchanted Garden outside the library. On those ten dates, we would like to have the plant clinic move to the garden as well, weather dependent. It will be up to the volunteers working those dates to determine if they feel the weather is nice enough to work outside. Volunteers do not have to know everything about gardening - most questions are fairly basic. A list has been compiled of the most frequently asked questions. I have left a copy of those questions with the materials. Please contact me to volunteer or if you have questions about the program at barbarawhite17@yahoo.com or (before 9:00 pm). Thanks in advance. SUBMITTED BY BARBARA WHITE, MG April 2013 Looseleaf 7 Howard County Master Gardeners

8 Sonnet: Daffodils By Gavin Ewart Wordsworth really loved daffodils. He said they were flashers. Certainly they must be the most exhibitionistic flowers there are. trumpeting their presence in yellow by far the most visible colour. I grant that after a long hard winter it's warming to see snow-drops and crocuses in that iron earth and the very first daffodils (what a cliché) seem a resurrection, something it even seems appropriate to make a fuss about. They look so perfect, though a bit self-conscious. After a week or two, however, when Spring is established, and everywhere you look there are oceans of daffodils as arrogant as pop stars, they begin to seem ordinary. You take them for granted. Like a love affair fading they shrivel and go crinkly, papery and tired. The Spring too (teenagers witness) has its own kind of boredom. "Sonnet: Daffodils" by Gavin Ewart, from Or Where a Young Penguin Lies Screaming. Little Hampton books, Reprinted with permission. SUBMITTED BY JUDY PETERSEN, MG Share Your Knowledge of Invasives or Learn More Patapsco Heritage Greenway is joining with the Patapsco State Park on Sunday, April 28 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm for a Family Fun Day in the Avalon area of the Park -- Elkridge off Rt 1. Patapsco Valley State Park staff invites visitors to join them for an afternoon of crafts, critter encounters, disc golf, and ice cream at their Family Fun Day. An MG exhibit on invasives will include a number of information sheets, paired with collected specimens of commonly found invasives such as Garlic Mustard, Japanese Honeysuckle, English ivy, Mile-a-Minute (aka Tear Thumb), Barberry, and some less prevalent ones too. There will also be information on the Oella Garden. Are there any MGs willing to volunteer to explain invasives to the general public attending the Family Fun Day? Interested in doing a two or more hour shift? Contact Lisa Wingate at wingatelj@aol.com. There will be an MG exhibits on Invasives, the Oella Garden, and potentially Bay-Wise gardening practices, at the 2013 Annual Meeting of Patapsco Heritage Greenway, scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 7:00-9:00 pm, at the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park & Museum, 300 Oella Ave, Catonsville, MD 21228, Following a brief business meeting, guest lecturer Nancy Pickard will present Gone But Not Forgotten: History & Community in the Mill Town of Daniels, MD, including many photos of the former textile mill and its surrounding village nestled in a bend in the Patapsco River four miles north of historic Ellicott City. There will be historical displays and refreshments. For more information, refer to patapscoheritagegreenway.org. Submitted by Lisa Wingate, MG April 2013 Looseleaf 8 Howard County Master Gardeners

9 April 2013 Looseleaf 9 Howard County Master Gardeners

10 News from the State Office Hi MGs in Central MD Please see full descriptions, below this summary, for classes located in central Maryland. There are some great opportunities here to significantly increase your knowledge and skills as MGs. Ask a MG Practicum 4/30, 5/6 & 5/7 with Dave Clement, Mary Kay Malinoski and Steve Allgeier (Westminster, Carroll Co.) Landscape Design for Water Management in April with Amanda Rockler and many others (Derwood, Montgomery Co.) Landscape Horticulture: Ornamental Trees and Vines in June with Steve Dubik (Annapolis area libraries) Plant Diseases with Dave Clement, June 11, Baltimore Co. Landscape Horticulture: Flowering Shrubs with Wanda MacLachlan, evenings in June (College Park) and Thursdays in June, daytime (Montgomery Co) Plant ID Taxonomy with Wanda MacLachlan Wednesday mornings in July (Ellicott City) Vegetable Plant and Pest Diagnosis July 16, Howard Co. Conservancy (Woodstock) Plant ID Taxonomy with Steve Dubik, 7/22, 23, 24 (Derwood, Montgomery Co) Plant Diseases with Dave Clement, Th 9/5 (Ellicott City, Howard Co) Website changes: The state MG website URL will be changing in April from mastergardener.umd.edu to extension.umd.edu/mg. You could also try googling Maryland Master Gardener Program as a way to get there. Master Gardener Annual Training Day Wed. 5/22/13 - UMCP Registration is open as of mid-march. It s advisable to register as early as you can so that you can get your first choice in classes. However, since there are 35 workshops to choose from, it s certain you ll have many great choices. The problem might be how to narrow them down! Please register online if you can. You should have all received brochures in the mail. If you didn t, don t worry everything is online. At extension.umd.edu/mg/annual-training-day (this web address will be good starting April 2. From Mid-March to April 2 you can go to the old address Even if you get the printed brochure, you ll get more complete information online including expanded class descriptions, biographical information on presenters, full color pictures of MG Merchandise, and of course, the online registration link. Keynote speaker: Rick Darke. (google him!) His keynote address: Design Ethics for the Nature of Today s Gardens; he ll also be doing a break-out session on The New Wild Garden: Dynamic, Livable, Ecological. Rick is currently working on a book with Doug Tallamy and will explore some of the same themes. No matter what track you are interested in, you ll have lots to choose from: Grow It Eat It: Genetic Engineering, Edible Landscape Design, Interesting Fruit for Home Production, Secret Battles of Plants and Insects in the Garden, Choosing and Using the Right Tools, Top Vegetable Pests and their Organic Control, Aquaponics, Avoid the Tomato Blues in Native Plants: Keynote: Design Ethics for the Nature of Today s Gardens; Importance of Old Growth Forests; Top 20 Natives for Compacted Soil; Inside the World of the Honey Bee; The New Wild Garden: Dynamic, Livable, Ecological; (Continued on page 11) April 2013 Looseleaf 10 Howard County Master Gardeners

11 News from the State Office (Continued from page 10) Secret Battles of Plants and Insects in the Garden; Edible Landscaping with Heirlooms; Wildflowers for Pollinators; Biodiversity, Pollination, Conservation and Connectivity; Natives Why they are so Difficult to Find and Buy- an Industry Perspective; Less Lawn, More Life with Natives. Diagnostics: Diagnosis of Common Landscape Diseases (twice!); Diagnostic Walk for Landscape Problems; Diagnosing Soil Related Shade Tree Problems; Scouting for Pests in the Landscape; Diagnostics of Annuals and Perennials. Annuals and Perennials: Easy Seed Starting; Campus Garden Walk; Knowing and Growing Boxwood; Diagnostics of Annuals and Perennials; Growing Your Own Summer Bouquets; Wildflowers for Pollinators; Growing Hardy Palms (and other adventures in zone-pushing); Weed ID and Control Other subjects: Healthy trees; Art and Science of Pruning; Introduction to Horticultural Therapy; Sustainability Projects Tour of UM campus; Stinging, Biting and Disease Carrying Insects. We will be having about 35 great speakers including Diane Ott Whealy, founder of the Seed Savers Exchange, Joan Maloof, Founder of the Old Growth Network, and Lynn R. Batdorf, Curator of the National Boxwood Collection at the U.S. National Arboretum, Michael Judd, Sarah Tangren, Frank Gouin, Steve McDaniel, Mike Raupp, Stanton Gill, Sam Droege, Jon Traunfeld, Betty Marose, and many other great speakers. HELP NEEDED We will need folks to help on the day of (5/22) with registration, meals, set up, merchandise sales and people to help in advance of the event with mailings (probably 5/7 or 5/8) and merchandise packing (Fri. 5/17). If you d like to volunteer to help, please contact Robin at or rmhessey@umd.edu MG Identity Items This year we have a greater selection of MG merchandise than ever before (and many ever again). Please check out the color photos on the web. Deadlines: 4/26/13 for MG Identity Items. 4/30/13 for Registration at the $69 rate. Registration will be $79 after 4/30/13. MG Advanced Training Classes for April-May 2013 EVERGREEN TREES AND SHRUBS Thursdays April 11, April 18 and April 25, 10am-1pm Location: Charlotte Hall Library, St. Mary's Co. Field trip location (on 4/25): U.S. National Arboretum. Registration Fees: $45 Registration Deadline: April 4, 2013 Instructor: Bob Stewart, UME Educator, Retired. Course Description: How well do you know the common evergreen trees and shrubs growing in our area? Do you know their cultural requirement and common problems? If not, come join us for this class as we will go over identifying characteristics, distinguish between confusing look-alikes, and discuss cultural requirements and use in the landscape of about 50 evergreen plants. You will be receiving the Common Landscape Plant of Maryland publication the first day of class as well as many handouts. Bob Stewart, UME Retired, our class instructor, brings a tremendous amount of knowledge of both plant materials and plant problems and will surely make this a most informative class. Top off the classroom portion of the course with a field trip to the magnificent National Arboretum to see a wide variety of plants you've studied. (Continued on page 12) April 2013 Looseleaf 11 Howard County Master Gardeners

12 News from the State Office (Continued from page 11) FLOWERING SHRUBS This class is being offered in 3 locations: LOCATION #1: Harford County Extension 2335 Rock Spring Road, Forest Hill, MD Field Trip location: Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA. Directions. Dates & Times: Tuesdays April 23, April 30 9:30-12:30 and May 7 (field trip) - 9am-1pm. Instructor: Joyce Browning, Horticulture Consultant and MG Coordinator, Harford Co. Registration Fees: $56 (includes admission into Longwood Gardens - if you are a member there, subtract $11 - your registration fee would be only $45 for this class) Registration Deadline: April 16, 2013 LOCATION #2: 4-H Center in College Park Dates: Wednesdays, Jun 12, Jun 19, Jun 26 Time: 6-9pm; Presenter: Wanda MacLachlan; Fee: $45 LOCATION #3: UME Washington Co., Boonsboro Dates: Thursdays Jun 13, Jun 20, Jun 27 Time: 9:30am-12:30pm; Presenter: Wanda MacLachlan; Fee: $45 Course Description:This class will cover approximately 45 flowering shrubs. We will go over identifying characteristics, distinguish between confusing look-alikes, and discuss cultural requirements and use in the landscape. Spring flowering shrubs are among our most beautiful and interesting landscape plants: itea, kerria, crape myrtle, mahonia, spirea, viburnums and so much more. Join us! LANDSCAPE DESIGN FOR WATER MANAGEMENT (3 locations) These classes are being brought to you by the State MG Program and the UME Sea Grant Program and supported by a UME grant. Montgomery Co. - UME office in Derwood and DEP office in Rockville - Wed. 4/17, 4/24 and 5/1; 9:30-3:30 plus optional field trips and exercises Queen Anne's Co. - Wye Rec in Queenstown; Wed. 5/8, 5/15, 5/29 9:30-3:30 plus optional field trips and exercises St. Mary's County -Soil Conservation office in Leonardtown Wed. 6/5, 6/12, 6/19 9:30-3:30 plus optional field trips and exercises Presenters: - Jack Leonard, Principal of JGL Design Associates, Adjunct Professor at University of Maryland and Morgan State University, and a Baltimore County MG. - Ann English, Rainscapes Coordinator, Montgomery Co., MD Dept of the Environmental Protection - Jennifer Dindinger, Regional Watershed Restoration Specialist, UME Sea Grant - Amanda Rockler, Regional Watershed Restoration Specialist, UME Sea Grant - Jacqueline Takacs, Regional Watershed Restoration Specialist, UME Sea Grant - Many more to be announced. Speakers will vary by county. Registration Fee: $49 Registration Deadline: one week before start date for each course. Course Description: Does water flow off your property quickly? Does it pool in the wrong spots? What can and should be done? Excess water flow is also creating critical environmental problems. Erosion, pollution, and run off are destroying water quality and native habitat. Since a great percentage of the problem is caused by run off from private property, Master Gardeners are in the perfect position to help correct many of the problems. Goal of the course: To increase the knowledge and capacity of Master Gardeners so that they can effectively conduct water management outreach in their communities and provide assistance to other organizations and individuals who may wish to undertake a water management project, but not have the horticultural knowledge or critical understanding required for a successful project. Secondary goal: To develop a core of county-based MGs who are specifically trained in stormwater stewardship to conduct assessments, assist others and support the counties with stormwater BMP verification. In this course, you 'll gain some very specific skills: (Continued on page 13) April 2013 Looseleaf 12 Howard County Master Gardeners

13 News from the State Office (Continued from page 12) 1. Specific information about plants used for conservation landscaping so that you can advise clients on plant selection and placement. 2. How to install rain barrels 3. How to assess a site You'll also learn to design techniques that help manage water in the best possible way. Learn how to make good design decisions including resource protections, microclimates, amount and type of hardscapes, material selections, maintenance requirements and best management practices (best design principles) for water management. Learn in-depth about and take field trips to both rain-gardens and riparian buffers. Understand the scale of the problem and the role of the Master Gardener in the solutions. These classes have been revised for each county s particular circumstances and have been developed by the state MG office, Sea Grant Extension, and our main presenter, Jack Leonard, RLA, Principal, JGL Design Associates and is being supported by grant funding from the University of Maryland Extension. ASK A MASTER GARDENER PRACTICUM Location: Univ. of MD Extension, Carroll Co. Tues. 4/30; Mon. 5/6, Tues. 5/7; 10am 2-pm Registration Fee: $45 Registration Deadline: April 23; Class limit: 25 Course Description: We would all like to be able to better answer questions at our Ask a Master Gardener events. Some of us don t even sign up to help out at these events because we feel like we don t know enough. Now s your chance to learn more, hone your diagnostic skills and feel comfortable with your abilities and with the public. Two field trips and hands-on diagnostic exercises included. This class fills the Ask an MG practicum requirement for the Plant Diagnostic certificate. Presenters: Dave Clement, Ph.D- Extension Specialist, Plant Pathologyand; Mary Kay Malinoski- Extension Specialist, Entomology; Steve Allgeier, Horticulture Consultant and MG Coordinator, Carroll Co. and Master Gardeners. PLANT ID TAXONOMY This class will be offered in 3 locations in 2013 Washington County Reg Fee: $35 & required text Th. 5/30, Tues. 6/4, Th. 6/6 Registration Deadline: 5/23 UME, Washington Co. Boonsboro 9:30am-12:30pm Instructor: Wanda MacLachlan Howard County Reg Fee: $35 & required text Weds. 7/10, 7/17, 7/24 Registration Deadline: 7/3 UME, Howard Co. Ellicott City 9:30am-12:30pm Instructor: Wanda MacLachlan Montgomery County Reg Fee: $35 & required text Mon. 7/22, Tues. 7/23, Wed. 7/24 Registration Deadline: 7/15 UME, Montgomery Co. Derwood 10am-1pm Instructor: Steve Dubik This course is a very important basic tool for Master Gardeners in that it teaches all of the basics needed to identify woody plants in the landscape. Being able to identify plants is the first step in knowing how to diagnose problems or give growing advice. Whether you want to learn 200 plants, 20 plants, or just want to learn techniques to identify plants in the field, this is (Continued on page 14) April 2013 Looseleaf 13 Howard County Master Gardeners

14 News from the State Office (Continued from page 13) the course for you. The course will be made up of approximately 9 hours of class work with lots of hands-on practice with dichotomous keys. You will also receive a specially prepared booklet of course materials. This course will be offered in 3 different locations. Material to be covered will include the following: Morphology- the study of the structure of external plant organs (e.g. leaf shapes) Nomenclature- the systematic naming and classification of plants Taxonomy- the general principles of classification Keying- Using a dichotomous key to identify plants by specific characteristics Required Text: A Field Guide to Trees & Shrubs (Peterson Field Guide) by George A. Petrides ($16). Certificate Information: This course helps fulfill the requirements for both the MG Plant Diagnostics Certificate and the MG Woody Plants Certificate. FUTURE CLASSES NOT LISTED ABOVE: Entomology- Ecological IPM WYE REC Queenstown, Q.A. Co. Thurs. 6/6 & 6/13 9:30am-3:30pm Mike Raupp, Ph.D. $49 Reg Deadline: 5/30 Landscape Hort. Ornamental Trees and Vines Anne Arundel Co. Libraries and Nat l. Arboretum Mon. 6/10, Tues 6/11; Wed 6/12; 10am-1pm Steve Dubik $45 Reg. Deadline: 6/3 Plant Diseases UME Baltimore Co. Cockeysville Tues. 6/11 9:30am-3:30pm Dave Clement, Ph.D. $35 Reg. Deadline 6/4 Vegetables: Intensive Techniques/Small Space Gardening UME Frederick Co. Frederick Tues. 6/18 & 6/25 9am - 3:30pm Jon Traunfeld Kent Phillips Don Ludke, David Muns $49 Reg Deadline: 6/11 Plant ID/Taxonomy UME Howard Co. Ellicott City Wed. 7/10, 7/17, 7/24 9:30am - 12:30pm Wanda MacLachlan $35 (plus book) Reg. Deadline: 7/3 Vegetable Plant and Pest Diagnosis Howard Co. Conservancy Woodstock Tues. 7/16 9am-3:30pm Jon Traunfeld $35 Reg. Deadline 7/9 Vegetable Plant and Pest Diagnosis Charles Co. (exact location TBA) Th. 7/18 9am-3:30pm Jon Traunfeld $35 Reg. Deadline 7/9 Plant ID/Taxonomy UME Montgomery Co. Derwood Mon. 7/22, Tu. 7/23, Wed. 7/24; 10am-1pm Steve Dubik $35 (plus book) Reg. Deadline 7/15 Plant Diseases UME Howard Co. Ellicott City Th. 9/5 9:30am-3:30pm Dave Clement, Ph.D. $35 Reg. Deadline 8/29 SUBMITTED BY ROBIN HESSEY, MG April 2013 Looseleaf 14 Howard County Master Gardeners

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16 "Get Up, Get Out, Get Green" Buy Native! Mark your Calendars for Howard County GREENFEST 2013 This year the event will focus on taking steps in greening the community by improving the environment, exploring the natural outdoors, choosing native plants, participating in volunteering opportunities, making storm water management improvements, purchasing green products, choosing local and organic food, water and energy conservation, and other ways to live a more ecologically aware lifestyle. As always, the Howard County Master Gardeners are sponsors of this event but this year in addition to information displays we are hosting a native plant sale. Seven vendors from the local area will be participating. The sale will take place in the Quad, rain or shine. It s often difficult to find native plants for sale and bringing these vendors to Howard County is a real coup. Help us make the event successful so that we can make this an annual (and perennial, tree and shrub) event. Linda Decker, MG Bay-Wise Committee April 2013 Looseleaf 16 Howard County Master Gardeners