The Tollgate Farm News

Transcription

1 The Tollgate Farm News Volume 19 Issue 5 May 2013 MSU Tollgate Gardens Volunteer General Meeting in the Conference Center Thursday, May 16, 7:00 PM Introduction to Bonsai On Thursday evening, May 16, discover the art and science of bonsai. In Raquel Vega's Introduction to Bonsai, she will discuss the basic principles of design and how to keep bonsai trees and plants alive and small. She will do a live demonstration transforming a nursery plant into a beautiful bonsai. Raquel will also identify resources for getting started as well as obtaining current information and local support. Raquel Vega is a member and former board member of the Ann Arbor Bonsai Society, From 2003 to 2010, she was a volunteer at Matthaei Botanical Gardens, where she spent three years as a volunteer with the bonsai collection. Raquel is an Advanced Master Gardener and the webmaster for the Master Gardener Association of Wayne County, Ask Raquel how many live bonsai plants she has in her personal collection. Spring Has Arrived at the Farm Tollgate Garden Volunteer Important Dates and Events May Meetings June Activities 14 Fall Fair Meeting (CANCELLED) 1 Spring Plant Sale 16 TGV General Meeting 7:00 PM Photos by Roy Prentice 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM May Activities 8 Office/Entrance/Farmhouse 9:00 AM 4 Rose, Rock Ledge, Heritage Gar- 9:00 AM 15 Pond 9:00 AM 11 Children s/xeriscape Gardens 9:00 AM 22 Xeriscape/Activity Center Dry Shade 9:00 AM 18 Plant Sale Prep/Division Par Planting and Demo Garden 9:00 AM 29 Heritage/Dry Shade 9:00 AM 31 Plant Sale Set-Up 9:00 AM July Meetings June Meetings 2 TGAC Meeting 7:00 PM 4 TGAC Meeting 7:00 PM 9 Fall Fair Meeting 7:00 PM 11 Fall Fair Meeting 7:00 PM 18 TGV General Meeting 7:00 PM 20 TGV General Meeting 7:00 PM Page

2 GREETINGS from the Tollgate Farm Manager Roy Prentice Greetings All, Recently, the Tollgate volunteers have been checking our many bird boxes in the back fields. Bluebirds, Swallows and wrens have taken up residence in several of the boxes already. I have also seen a few odd birds about the property. Blue-winged Teal, Canvasback and Bufflehead ducks have been seen by the pond. Pheasant, Sandhill Crane and turkey have been roaming the upland areas. The weather has been gorgeous, though, with just the right mix of sun and rain. Earth Day: Tollgate teamed up with the City of Novi to conduct the City s celebration of Earth Day on Saturday, May 4th. We had over 50 attendees for the event. This year the group focused on preparing garden beds for Tollgate s new Community Supported Agriculture vegetable plot located in the vegetable garden area. Volunteers laid down newspaper, shoveled leaf compost and layered on straw mulch to create planting beds. Folks attending the Earth Day event were in good spirits, had a lot of fun and helped launch a new program on the farm. Cole Phillabaum (right) and his Crew Construct a Sturdy Fence around the Animal Barnyard Eagle Projects: Two Eagle candidates recently completed their projects at Tollgate. Cole Phillabaum and his crew constructed a great, sturdy, practical fence around the animal barnyard. The new fence and gate construction is located adjacent to the lane to the vegetable garden and is a very useful addition to the farm animal youth based programing that is conducted on the site. Another exciting new project that has been recently completed is a new native planting of small trees and shrubs that were installed on the west end of the Tollgate pond. This project was spearheaded by Eagle candidate, Christopher Merchant. The focus of the planting is to display a selection of native plants that are attractive to and support wildlife. Christopher Merchant Working on Plant ID Signs Plant Sale s a Coming: Please help us by bringing to Tollgate plants from your yard that can be sold at the June 1st plant sale. This is our major fundraiser for the gardens and we need your help to make the event truly successful. If you need pots, there are plenty that can be obtained at Tollgate. Pots and plastic tags are available in the yard barn across the drive from the nursery. Please label any plants that you are bringing to the site so that we can give as much information as possible to our garden shoppers. Tollgate Activity Days: We have already had several activity days in our young gardening season. They have been well attended and we have gotten a lot done. Thanks to all of our many returning Tollgate volunteers and the new volunteers that have assisted in our efforts, the grounds look great! Spring has brought many beautiful blooms to grace the farm. Please keep up the good work and keep attending our activity days. We have lots of plans for 2013 to make the grounds even more attractive and educational for our many visitors. Page 2

3 Notes from the President Thanks to all who have been out so far this season for all your hard work. The rose garden got off to a good start and the Entrance Garden prep for planting is moving along. The Entrance Garden make-over is in the second phase of the plan which includes the planting of some nice varieties of ground covers, rock garden type perennials and woody ornamentals. Watch us grow! We will need lots of helping hands to stay ahead of the weeds as it appears the warmer weather is coming on quickly. See the Activity calendar for details. We are gearing up for the 2013 Spring Plant Sale. Our major plant purchases for new gardens and additions to existing ones comes from this fund, not to mention our seasonal mulch and compost supply. We have a successful quilt raffle in the works and the generous donations of members but the plant sale sets the budget for new plant additions for each season. The Tollgate Gardeners always come through with great selections to fill our rows and I am asking again for your donations. I hope you are keeping us in mind for your spring divisions. Named varieties are best but if not known, bloom time, color and botanical name are helpful. Items blooming in late May/early June are good sellers. Some wish list items are below: No Hostas this year please, use good tool cleaning when dividing plants that are near hostas to avoid spread of the Hosta Virus X (HVX) Plant Sale Plant Sale Wish List Bleeding heart red and white Gaillardia Persicaria Astilbe Goatsbeard Sage Brunnera Grasses, smaller varieties, native smaller varieties Salvia Campion Ground Covers (not carex) Soapwort Candy tuft Guara Sweet Woodruff Chrysanthemums Helebores Toad Lily Coneflowers, purple or white Heuchera Valarian Coreopsis varieties Jacobs Ladder Veronica Crocosomia Kniphofia Woodland Poppy Dianthus Lavender Yarrow (clumping varieties preferred) Epimedium Monarda (mildew resistant varieties) Fern varieties (not Ostrich fern) Penstemon Please no mint, common iris or daylilies (purple, yellow, Stella D Oro) though unusual color varieties (pictures too) would be welcome. As we divide and place our sale items in the nursery, there are a few procedures to follow so we don t lose donations prior to potting. See the article in this issue on page 4. See you all soon. Thanks for being a Tollgate Garden volunteer. Renee Cottrell, President Tollgate Volunteers Page 3

4 NURSERY NOTES... Your spring divisions will be much appreciated for the 2013 Spring Plant Sale. This is our preferred procedure: Drop off plants already potted and use pencil on the markers provided. (There is a plastic can on the potting bench or in shed nearest then the nursery for labeling plant name and bloom color). If you need to pot divisions here at Tollgate there are pots available at the new shed located near the Nursery. The pots are sorted by size (one and two gallon). These are the sizes we can use. Other smaller or larger sizes do not fit our needs and we encourage you to recycle them. **If you cannot pot the plants and you plan to drop off, you need to contact me by phone or to arrange drop-off so volunteer help can be arranged to pot your donated divisions before they die.** We will use the large holding area in the front of shade structure as the location for division drop off, donated, potted and labeled plants. From here we will relocate to the appropriate shade or sun location. Your help in the Nursery area is always welcome as we prepare for plant sale. Consider joining the Nursery Team. Renee Cottrell rmcottrell4@att.net, Bee Packages Installed The installation of the new bee packages for the SEMBA Beekeeping Course took place on May 2nd. The classes are well attended. Tollgate Maple Brunch Casserole 1 loaf of Challah (egg) bread, sliced and diced into 1 pieces 9 large eggs 2 C milk ½ C sugar ¾ C maple syrup 8 oz cream cheese, cut into 1 pieces Cinnamon Beat the eggs, milk, sugar, and maple syrup well. Butter a 9 x 13 pan. Put ½ the bread on the bottom, and top with cream cheese pieces distributed evenly. Layer on the remaining bread pieces. Pour the egg mixture over all, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350 F. Leave foil on and bake for 60 minutes. Remove foil to brown the top during the last 10 minutes. Drizzle with additional maple syrup and serve warm. Page 4

5 Get Informed It is that time of year to refresh your knowledge of ticks. Learn how to prevent bites, identify ticks and what to do if you, your loved one, or your pet is bitten. Below is some great information to keep handy. Ticks and Your Health Brochure DEET, Showers, and Tick Checks Can Stop Ticks Michigan s Five Most Common Ticks Interesting Read Restoring the American chestnut trees is the mission of The American Chestnut Tree Foundation (TACF). A blight from Asia took out most of the American chestnut trees in the early 20th century. TACF s fundamental goal was to create a blight resistant American chestnut tree. They have been working to backcross breed the Chinese chestnut tree, that is naturally blight resistant, with American chestnut tree, while retaining the American chestnut characteristics. You can read all about the restoration process by going to the TACF web site at: Amazing Star The 2013 Tollgate Quilt Photos Wanted for the Tollgate 2014 Calendar The Tollgate quilt is back from the quilter. You can purchase your raffle tickets at the TGV General Meeting, from the Tollgate Quilting Bees, from Roy or on the day of the drawing. Raffle tickets can be purchased up until the drawing during the Summer Open House, Art in the Gardens, on July 20th. The pattern is Amazing Star. The quilt measures 77 x 78 inches. Raffle Tickets will be $2.00 each or 3 tickets for $5.00 The deadline for calendar photographs is fast approaching, June 17th. I have received only a few photos so far this year. Please send your photographs of Tollgate to me via Roy or you can bring them to a Volunteer meeting and give them directly to me. They should be in landscape format on a CD or memory stick. If you use a memory stick and want it back please put your name, phone # or address on it. Nancy Roggers Page 5

6 Above Photos by Roy Prentice Spring Color Display Above Photos by Darretta Ferasin Page 6 BAKERS NEEDED FOR 2013 Feel like baking or did you see some delicious bake goods in the store? Please feel free to bring some treats to our monthly Thursday evening meetings. No need to sign up. Need ideas? Let me know. Yvonne mainwoods@gmail.com

7 Special Invitation to Visit Private Groh Gardens Between 6:00 and 8:30 PM on Thursday, May 23, Dennis and Carole Groh, 160 S. Evangeline St., invite MGAWC and Tollgate volunteers to visit their gardens in Dearborn Heights. Carpooling is always encouraged, but there is adequate street parking on both sides of S. Evangeline Street (south of Cherry Hill, east of Beech Daly and west of Gulley). 160 S. Evangeline is a red brick ranch with the first driveway south of Cherry Hill on the west side. The driveway will be reserved for handicap parking. If you plan to linger in the garden, you may want to bring a folding lawn chair so you can rest a spell. Well Worth the Trip Rain or shine, Tollgate and MGAWC volunteers will enjoy Dennis and Carole s beautiful garden on a one-acre lot with island beds containing several thousand different plant species and cultivars. It has an outstanding collection of dwarf and rare conifers, ornamental trees and shrubs, especially azaleas, rhododendrons and Asian maples. Photographs of Groh Gardens have been featured in the Detroit Free Press, Adrian Bloom's Gardening with Conifers, and several articles in the Conifer Quarterly, a publication of the American Confer Society. In 2005, Rebecca's Garden (HGTV) filmed a segment on Japanese Maples from Groh Gardens. In case of severe weather, the May 23 garden visit will be canceled and rescheduled for a later date. Please plan to use restroom facilities before arriving to tour the gardens. If you want to have dinner before or after your garden visit, there are several restaurants (Olga s Kitchen at Ford Rd., Cedar Garden Mid-Eastern Cuisine at Ford Rd., Antonio's Cucina Italiana at Ford Rd., Leo s Coney Island at Ford Rd., Panera Bread Company at Ford Rd., Applebee s at Ford Rd.) and a Kroger at Ford Rd. with public restrooms in a shopping center about 1.5 miles from Groh Gardens. The Heights (as in Dearborn Heights) Shopping Center is on the north side of Ford Road, 0.5 mile west of Beech Daly. From Tollgate: According to MapQuest, Groh Gardens is 21.5 miles, about 30 minutes, southeast of Tollgate. The suggested route from Novi is south on I-275, east on I-96, exit 178 to go south on Beech Daly Rd. for 5 miles, east on Cherry Hill Rd. for 0.1 mile then south on S. Evangeline St. to 160, which comes up quickly on the west side. According to Google Maps, 160 S. Evangeline St. is 20 miles, about 28 minutes, from Tollgate. The suggested route is east/southeast on MI-5/Grand River, south on US-24/Telegraph for 7.7 miles, west on Cherry Hill St. for 0.8 mile then south on S. Evangeline St. According to Rand McNally, the 23-mile trip from Tollgate to Dearborn Heights takes about 30 minutes. The suggested route is south on I-275, east on I-96, exit 179 to go south on US-24/ Telegraph for 5 miles, west on Cherry Hill St. for 0.8 mile then south on S. Evangeline St. A Special Thanks! To all of you who made a donation to help the Tollgate Gardeners make Tollgate a more beautiful place. Your donation is greatly appreciated! The support that you have provided will continue to help our program prosper and grow. Thanks again and Happy Gardening! Pat Beck Mary Bohner Barb Boswell Paula Geiman Debbie Kearney Mary Lou Kendral Laurey Konjarevich Sabrina Kudzia Becky Makanoff Sue Millington Margie Mooney Wanda Morrison Donna Olsen Mary Osborn Keisuke and Masako Sakamoto Maria and Lawrence Sayre Andrew Shuffett Mary Jane Valenty Cecilia Van Horn Kathryn Wildfong Cindy Zemaitis Page 7

8 Saturday Workday Activities Roy Prentice Introduces New Volunteers to the Hosta Garden Clean-Up in the Rock Ledge Garden Rose Garden Clean-Up and Pruning Included the Tool Disinfecting Process to Prevent the Spread of the Rose Rosette Disease (RRD) Page 8

9 Wholesale Shopping at Christensen's Plant Center in Plymouth Saturday, June 8, 2013, 1:30-4:30 PM 6282 Gotfredson Road at North Territorial Master Gardener Association of Wayne County (MGAWC.org) members, supporters, friends and guests--including Tollgate volunteers--are invited to shop at Christensen s Plant Center, a major wholesale supplier to landscape professionals. Located west of Plymouth, Christensen s sells quality perennials, conifers, trees and shrubs. One of our favorite speakers, Kim Roth, Perennial Department Manager, and other extremely knowledgeable Christensen s staff will help you select great plants. On Saturday, June 8, 2013, arrive between 1:30 and 3:30 PM Please do not come early and interrupt the workers on their well-deserved lunch break. There will be plenty of plants for everyone. Bring the big car with an empty trunk because purchases cannot be held or delivered. This one-day-only shopping wraps up at 4:30 PM Christensen's accepts cash, checks, MC and Visa. Christensen s Plant Center is at 6282 Gotfredson Road on the southeast corner at North Territorial Road in Plymouth Township. From many parts of Wayne County, take I-96 west beyond I-275 where I-96 transitions to M-14. Take exit 15 (Gotfredson Road), head north (right) on Gotfredson for a half mile. Christensen s is on the corner with North Territorial. Turn in the gates off Gotfredson or North Territorial. Map available at: Spring Plant Sale Planning is Underway! Our major fund raiser of the year needs your help. Plant donations, pots and your volunteer time up until sale day are all crucial to our success. Plant sale volunteers are needed for the Friday, May 31st for set-up and pricing and on the day of the sale, Saturday, June 1st (in two shifts 8:00 AM -11:00 AM and 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM clean-up on sale day) Please see Renee for sign-up for the following: 2 each shift cashiers 2 each shift raffle sales 10 each shift set/up or clean-up and sales assistance 2 each shift Ask the Master Gardener and miscellaneous duties Kathy Colman and Barbara Burke at the Raffle Ticket and Cashier s Table Plant Sale See Renee for sign-up at any meeting or sign the list in the Volunteer Communication Center Page 9

10 Roy Prentice Leading the New Volunteer Orientation Tour of the Grounds Breakfast being Prepared for our Annual Pancake Brunch Tollgate Volunteers Enjoy the Pancake Brunch Celebrating the Bountiful Maple Syrup Season (126 gallons) after a Morning of Workday Activities Page 10 Triplet Goats Born at Tollgate Around the Farm Ron Wasko Diligently Power Washing the Maple Syrup Evaporation Pans at the End of the Season

11 Rose Rosette Disease THE HOSTA VIRUS X Disinfecting Garden Tools When Working with Roses Rose Rosette Disease (RRD) is a virus that endangers all ornamental roses. The disease is spread by a microscopic wingless mite and the virus could be transferred by the sap of an infected plant via garden tools to an uninfected plant. Symptoms vary but will be obvious. Unusual leaf color and growth habits are common and the rose often displays witches broom type branching. There is no cure. The rose will eventually die. To read more about the Rose Rosette Disease go to the following link on the American Rose Society web site: All garden tools coming into contact with a rose must be cleaned before and after each rose is touched to avoid the spread of the RRD. The rose sap and soil must be removed from the tool. Disinfecting kits can be carried to your worksite. Buckets and a large tub are available to scrub large tools. Below is the proposed cleaning process: Spray pruners or scissors with bottle labeled Alcohol. Wipe with blue toweling swatch to remove any rose sap. For trowels, hand weeding tool or garden saws use the Lysol Dual Action Disinfecting Cloths and let the tool air dry. If these tools are heavily soiled, it may be necessary to scrub the tool in a bucket of water with a couple of drops of Dawn concentrate detergent first. Buckets, Dawn Detergent, Brushes and Lysol Disinfecting Cloths are Available at the Tool Disinfecting Station For shovels, garden forks or rakes scrub the tool with a brush in a bucket of water and a couple of drops of Dawn concentrate detergent and water. Take the bucket to the water spigot that is on the side of the shed and do your cleaning outside the shed. A large kitty litter box is available for scrubbing rakes. Use the Lysol Dual Action Disinfecting Cloths to disinfect the tool. Let the tool air dry. Collect used blue wipes, disinfecting cloths and disposable gloves in the provided kit carrier (plastic tea jug) and dispose of them into the trash can near the Tool Disinfecting Station in the shed. The trash can also be taken to the worksite. Used detergent water can be dumped in the dry rock ravine bordering the hosta garden. Other locations will be determined. Disposable gloves have been provided to wear alone or over your garden gloves. You will find these at the Tool Disinfecting Station in the tool shed. Clean and disinfect gloves that come into contact with the rose sap. Portable Disinfecting Kit for Pruners Scissors, Trowels, Hand Weeding Tools or Saws Disinfecting Kit Contains Alcohol, Blue Shop Towel Swatches and Lysol Disinfecting Cloths Darretta Ferasin Tool Disinfecting Station in the Tool Shed Page 11

12 Tollgate Volunteer Information Activity Days Activity day hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM unless otherwise noted on the Tollgate Garden Volunteer Important Dates and Events listed on the first page of the Tollgate Farm News or by the Area Garden Leader (AGL). Lunch will be provided - veggie alternatives are available upon request. If you aren t getting The Tollgate Farm News , Check your SPAM folder This schedule does not exclude you from working independently on the site. However, on non-scheduled days, your efforts will need to be selfdirected with guidance from the garden area clipboards located in the Volunteer Communication Center. Volunteer Activity Day and Meetings Information ext. 400 Garden Tools Available for Use at Tollgate List of Suggested Gardening Implements to Bring from Home as Needed Spades Garden Rakes Brooms Wheel Barrels Weed Buckets Leaf Rakes Garden Hoe Long Handled Garden Forks Trowel Hand Pruners Loppers Garden Scissors Your Favorite Weeding Implement Hand Saw Plant Division Forks Shrub Rake Sun Screen Gloves Knee Pads Insect Repellant Tollgate Garden Advisory Council Farm Manager Roy Prentice ext prentic1@msu.edu President... Renee Cottrell Vice President... Peg Palmer Secretary... Dave Komraus Treasurer... Sue Janczarek Membership... Nancy Roggers PR... Yvonne DeMattos Fall Fair... Dennis Roggers Programs... Jackie Stengel Hospitality... Yvonne DeMattos Farm News Editor... Darretta Ferasin For membership questions or to update your current membership information send to: tollgatemembership@gmail.com MSU Tollgate Gardens Volunteers For general information and questions Contact Roy Prentice The Tollgate Gardens Advisory Council next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 4, 2013 at 7:00 PM in the Tollgate Office Building. All Tollgate Gardens Volunteer members are welcome to attend. Listings to contact individual Council Members and Area Garden Leaders are available at all general meetings and in the Volunteer Communication Center. Tollgate Volunteer Membership is renewed annually. The 2012 Tollgate Garden Volunteers membership is from December 1, 2012 to November 30, THE TOLLGATE FARM NEWS Tollgate Gardens Volunteer Office Meadowbrook Novi, MI, Page 12