OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION. News for Greene County Master Gardeners Greene County Extension April 2015

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1 OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY EXTENSION The Greene Leaflet News for Greene County Master Gardeners Greene County Extension April 2015 President s Message Page 1 Meeting Minutes Page 2 Calendar..Page 3 Continuing Ed Page 3 Mary s Message...Page 4 Announcements...Page 4 Did You Know?...Page 4 Garden Report... Page 5 Contact Info...Page 6 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Our next meeting will provide the opportunity to learn more about ferns, a presentation led by our own Dan Denham. Ferns are primitive plants, found in fossil records more than 300 million years old. They are found in far ranging environments from the tropics to the Arctic. Indeed, they have colonized most of the world. Although delicate in appearance, ferns are rugged plants in their own environment, growing wild in open woodlands, swamps, bogs, and conifer forests. They can thrive on bare cliff faces, beside waterfalls, as well as that shady spot in your garden. However, unlike our favorite perennials and annuals, ferns have not been hybridized for gardens. So, fern selection is important. Select those fern species that thrive in our area and in your growing environment. There are many hardy ferns that thrive in Ohio, and non-hardy ferns can be grown as houseplants if a high humidity level can be provided. While ferns do not flower, set fruit or seed, they provide beautiful texture to the garden and their fertile fronds provide winter interest. Ferns come in a wide range of texture, color, sizes and shapes. And, they are mostly trouble free. Raking and hoeing, fortunately, should be avoided because their fine roots are close to the surface. Ferns do not need fertilizer or insecticide, although slugs can be a problem. So, come and learn more about croziers, fronds, and spores on April 14 th. Only spread a fern frond over a man s head and worldly cares are cast out and freedom and peace come in. John Muir The Greene Leaflet 1 Greene County Master Gardeners

2 March 10, 2015 Meeting Minutes Peace Lutheran Church, Beavercreek President Judi Engle opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. with 44 members present. The minutes of the February business meeting were approved as distributed. Treasurer s report Connie O'Brien Checking account balance Mar 1 $22,989 Less obligated ($14,390) Remaining balance $8,599 Savings balance $7,057 The treasurer s report has been filed. Old Business Bylaws The bylaws are still under review. Judi thanked Jerry Haun and his committee for their work. Plant Sale The spring plant sale will be May 2. Flyers are available for distribution to area nurseries and points of interest. Newsletter Judi thanked Christine McComb for working so hard with the new branded newsletter. Members are encouraged to write about their garden projects for the newsletter. Spring Seminar Rebecca Morgann reported that the seminar, A Gardener's Guide to Climate Change, will be held at the Extension Office on June 13. New Business AART Abuse Recognition and Reporting Training This is training that 4-H leaders have always had to attend and has now been extended to all Master Gardener volunteers. Training for MGs has been set up, is free and will count toward your continuing education requirement. You will need to sign a form that you attended. [Please see page 5 for more details from Mary Griffith. Note: The training sessions discussed during this meeting are no longer necessary.] Anouncements Talent and Resource Committee: Co-chairpersons Carol Scriven and Judi Hill will be sending a fill in form in Word through to those individuals who have not yet completed the survey. It will take only a few minutes to complete and back to Judi Hill. Judi read a card from our former Extension coordinator, Barb Mills, thanking our group for flowers sent in memory of her father. Marjorie Hodson and Larry Smith were honored with emeritus status with Greene County Master Gardeners. Sweet Arrow Reserve Tree Planting April 4 at 9 am. Erin O'Brien is asking for MG volunteers to assist with planting trees. Area Boy Scouts will also be helping. Contact Erin at for more information. Continuing Education for April meeting will be ferns by Dan Denham. Arbor Day Nimfa Simpson said the Xenia Tree Committee is hosting an Arbor Day event April 24, 10 am at Franklin Park, Xenia. All are welcome to attend. New intern class Jerry Haun said the new intern class is halfway through the classes. The project fair will be April 9. After the meeting was adjourned, Sheryl Ingram from Meadow View Growers demonstrated how to make and maintain a terrarium. Continuing education credit is! hour. Raffle tickets were sold for a chance to win the terrarium. Respectfully submitted, Jan Fix The Greene Leaflet 2 Greene County Master Gardeners

3 CALENDAR April 4: 9:00 a.m. Tree planting at Sweet Arrow Reserve April 5: Easter April 6 13: Volunteer Week April 14: 6:30 p.m. Monthly MG business meeting April 22: Earth Day April 22: 9:30 a.m. to Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Big Pull at Aullwood Garden Metro Park April 24: 10:00 a.m. Arbor Day event at Franklin Park, Xenia May 1: 9:00 a.m. Spring plant sale set up May 2: 9:00 a.m. Spring Plant Sale at Memorial United Presbyterian Church May 10: Mother s Day May 25: Memorial Day CONTINUING EDUCATION April 9, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.: 21 st Annual Southwest Ohio Perennial School hosted by Clermont County. Located at Clermont County Fairgrounds 4-H Hall, 1000 Locust St., Owensville, OH. Cost: $40 before March 31; $45 after March 31. Go to: Neal.331@osu.ecu or clermont.osu.edu April 18, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: From Garden to Table, Vegetable Gardening Symposium in Akron. Fee is $36 ($42 after 4/1/15). Go to: April 18, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.: What Time is It? A Phenology Program sponsored by Hardin County Master Gardeners. Cost: $10. Location: Harco Industries 750 N. Ida Street, Kenton, OH Contact Dave McPheron at April 24, 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Growing a Sense of Place, the Third Annual Garden School Conference at Nationwide and Ohio 4-H Center in Columbus. OSU 2201 Fred Taylor Dr., Columbus, OH Fee $55 June 11, 9:15 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.: Montgomery County Master Gardeners present Monticello s Revolutionary Garden and Thomas Jefferson, Gardener. Keynote speaker is Peter J. Hatch. Fee is $55. Location: Presidential Banquet Center, 4548 Presidential Way, Kettering, OH. For more information, go to: Montgomery.osu.edu June 13: Spring Seminar: A Gardener s Guide to Climate Change held at Greene County Extension Office July 24-26: Midwest Native Plant Conference at Bergamo in Beavercreek. Registration, go to: pdf The Greene Leaflet 3 Greene County Master Gardeners

4 DID YOU KNOW.... that The Ohio State Stadium is the largest stadium in the country to achieve zero waste? With an average attendance per football game exceeding 105,000 fans, a lot of waste accumulates. But what is zero waste? Zero waste is defined as diverting 90% or more of compostable and recyclable materials from landfills. OSU achieved a 95.24% diversion rate per game in How is OSU achieving this? By working with vendors to eliminate waste at the source, by switching to compostable and recyclable products, by including recycling and composting containers throughout the stadium, and by educating the public by monitoring each waste station. It takes a lot of student volunteers to go green! Over 75 colleges and universities participate in the USEPA Game Day Challenge, and the Buckeyes consistently have the highest diversion rate, the most greenhouse gas reduction, and the most recycling in the Big Ten! Article information taken from: footprints.osu.edu MARY S MESSAGE: OSU is requiring all volunteers to participate in crisis management training. The training will give guidance on appropriate responses to help navigate crises that may occur while volunteering. The training is easy! I will hand out cards with emergency contact info at the next business meeting. The cards are also available in the Extension Office (Mon. Thurs. 8:30 to 4:30). You will need to read the information and sign off that you have reviewed the information. We have until June 2015 to accomplish this. In the future, we will build crises management training into business meetings and other events so there will be multiple opportunities to receive this mandatory training. [NOTE: This replaces the! hour sessions discussed at the last general meeting.] HOTLINE: We are getting the old MGV hotline up and running at the OSU Extension Office this spring. I get tons of plant samples and home gardening questions at the office and need your help! Kim Hupman is going to be the project manager for the hotline at the office. Susan Wagers will continue to manage the virtual hotline. We plan to work together to answer as many home gardening questions as possible. The new hotline will be open every Wednesday afternoon from 1:00-4:00 at the OSU Extension office. I hope to get at least two volunteers at each session. Kim, Susan, and I will be holding a hotline training and Q&A on Wednesday, April 15 th, from 1:00-2:00 at the Extension Office. If you are interested in volunteering at, or learning more about the hotline, please RSVP to let me know you will be attending. If you cannot make the April 15 meeting but would like to volunteer at the hotline, please let me know so that we can set up an alternate training. ANNOUNCEMENTS Our sping plant sale is coming up May 2 at Memorial United Presbyterian Church in Xenia. Please consider donating garden tools, books, magazines, and PLANTS. Please drop plant donations at the church after April 26 th. There is a large white garage behind the church; you can leave plants on the right side. Our set up day is May 1 starting at 9:00 a.m. We also need volunteers to help on sale day: cashiers, tallyers, and customer help. Thank you for all you do for the plant sale. Christine McComb at squarneedl@yahoo.com Sweet Arrow Reserve Tree planting on April 4 beginning 9:00 a.m. Let s help those Boy Scouts! Thank you, Erin O Brien for organizing this important event. Call Erin at for more information. It s time to spruce up the Extension Office grounds. If you re able to help rake, prune, and weed on April 16th, please Kim at hupmank@bellsouth.net The Greene Leaflet 4 Greene County Master Gardeners

5 Garden Manager s Report Wartinger Park Gardens by Cathy Plum Wartinger Park is a 4.3-acre park located on Kemp Road in Beavercreek. It is sandwiched between the Beavercreek educational offices and the fire station. Its outstanding features are an historic barn and four cabins. The Wartinger Park Master Gardeners maintain the gardens to reflect the history of the park with plants and planting designs to enhance the mid to late 1800s early settler period of the buildings. The park is open daily during daylight hours and is often used by neighbors walking their dogs and by photographers in search of beautiful backgrounds for their photo shoots. It is a lovely, quiet spot to enjoy. To fully appreciate the historic cabins, you should visit during the spring event, History Blooms at Wartinger Park, or the fall Heritage Days event. On both those days, the Beavercreek Historical Society has the buildings open and there are demonstrations and speakers. At the fall event the Wartinger gardeners hand out heritage seeds to children to take home and plant. We also have members available to answer questions about the gardens during both events. Four historic cabins have been saved from demolition and carefully restored and moved to Wartinger Park: Philip Harshman House (circa ) George Jarusiewic Cabin, Replica (circa 1805) Samuel Ankeney House (circa 1828) John Nicodemus Cabin (circa 1811) One-Story Salt Box Design Barn (circa 1858) served medicinal, household and comfort needs. The plants are labeled so come and see what you d like to try in your garden. Scented plants and flowers were very important to mask less pleasant smells, and around early June there is a pink blooming, heritage climbing rose that covers the handmade iron arbor a must see! The other gardens have many old, favorite perennials and self-seeding annuals. There is usually something in bloom from spring to hard frost. Come and see it for yourself! Herbs were very important to the settlers and Wartinger Park has two herb gardens. The larger one is located by the Jarusiewic Cabin and is set in a formal style. The one towards the back of the park, behind Harshman House, is set up as four small gardens. The herbs Lynn Cafaro and Jan Fix distribute heirloom seeds at a Heritage Days event. The Greene Leaflet 5 Greene County Master Gardeners

6 Greene County Extension Office 100 Fairgrounds Road Xenia, OH Mary Griffith, Extension Educator, Agriculture and Natural Resources Office Hours: Monday Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Phone: (937) Ext. 114 Fax: (937) URL: Hotline Contact Information: Phone: (937) Next Newsletter Deadline: May 20th We welcome all suggestions, thoughts, calendar dates for this newsletter. Please your comments, articles, photos, and dates to: The Greene Leaflet Editor Christine Nelson-McComb at and Judi Engle at Greene County Master Gardener 2015 Officers: President Judi Engle (937) Past President Cecilia Mehaffie (937) Vice President Marirose Sindoni (937) Secretary Jan Fix (937) Treasurer Connie O Brien (937) ExOfficio Board Member: Mary Griffith, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator (937) Ext. 114 Board Members At Large: Carolyn Abel (937) Robbie Nash (937) Erin O Brien (937) Don Shipley (937)