The Garden Plot. WMGA Newsletter October 2015

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1 The Garden Plot... in honor of Evelyn Isbell WMGA Newsletter October 2015 Wiregrass Walk-About By: Beth Arnold As I began to write this column, I just couldn t help but think WHERE THE HECK DID SEPTEMBER GO? This past month has been a whirlwind of activities, meetings, and travel. There are days when I m not sure if I am coming or going. I m certain that others in our association are feeling the same. After all, during the month of September, our volunteers have successfully conducted project workdays, conference planning meetings, Lunch and Learn, the Fall Plant Sale and a Silent Auction. They have attended fall workshops supported other activities in our community. They have built scarecrows. Our volunteers have been instrumental in educating consumers on horticulture related topics pertinent to the fall season. They have worked with the media to familiarize the public about the Wiregrass Master Gardeners Association and our mission. It s no wonder we are tired... With that being said there are no words to express my extreme gratitude for all of the dedication and hard work that brought us through September into October. We made it though and you all made it happen. Our volunteers are remarkable. The Fall Plant Sale and the Silent Auction will provide our organization with the resources needed to conduct business and to set aside funds that will be used for horticulture education programs in our area. For this, I am very proud to be association with this organization. For all of you who spent many, many tireless hours to make those events a success we thank you!! You have served well!! As we approach fall, please take time to sign up for the various committees being formed so that we can finish out the year in grand fashion completing all tasks and preparing for a new year a new leadership. I am so confident in those who are serving but we will need some new blood to come forward and serve on the board for It is a commitment, but one that is rewarding and of value to our community. I challenge each of you to consider new and exciting ways to serve. Enjoy this beautiful fall weather and Garden Well Garden Safe! Beth INSIDE... Membership Renewals Due Now A Touch of Color for Fall Gardens WMGA Scarecrow at DABG Saving Seeds Upcoming Webinars Visit our Lunch and Learn Sunflower House Progresses Gardens Aglow 1

2 Lunch and Learn We re happy that our Lunch and Learn series is back after the summer break. Be sure to add these dates to your calendar so you won t miss out. October 6... Do s and Don ts of Fall Landscaping November 3... Year Round Herbs Bring your lunch and bring a friend drinks are provided and admission is FREE. Sessions will be held from 12 noon 1 pm in the Community Room at the Houston-Love Memorial Library (445 North Oates Street). Questions can be directed to the Houston County Extension Office ( ). Sunflower House Under the leadership of Sherrill Hughes, work began on the Sunflower House back in April. Planting (seeds) was done during the first week in August in order for the Sunflowers to be at full height and bloom in October to coincide with the many fall related activities at Landmark Park during that time From this... To this... And still growing... Stay tuned for more Don t Miss These Buggy Webinars Be sure and put these dates on your calendar. The Extension Office has some very interesting webinars available to us. They are held the first Friday of each month and begin at 1 pm CDT. October 2... Keep Ants and Cockroaches from Ruining Your Holidays Elizabeth Wizzie Brown November 6... Let s Beat the Bug! New Things to Know about Bed Bugs Dr. Stephen Kells December 4... Wildlife in the Backyard a Double-edged Sword Dr. Scott Hygnstrom Take a few minutes to make sure your computer is ready so you won t miss any of them. For more information on the series AND how to connect to the webinars, visit extension.org/pages/72197 then scroll down until you find the one you want and then click on the Title of the webinar. You ll also find ALL the webinars that have been presented this year as well as previous years. What a wealth of information. 2

3 Mark Your Calendar... October Scarecrows in the DABG October 2... Webinar Keep Ants and Cockroaches from Ruining Your Holidays October 6... Lunch and Learn, 12 noon-1 Houston-Love Memorial Library October 6... Wiregrass Rose Society, 6 First Nazarene Church October WMGA BOD meeting, DABG October DABG Annual Membership Meeting and Dinner October Landmark Park Quilt Show, Stokes Activity Barn October Landmark Park Fall Farm Day, 10:00 am-4:00 pm October th Annual Ralph Smith Memorial Golf Tournament benefitting DABG October Halloween Work Days at the Greenhouse DATE DAY TIME October 5 Monday 8-11 am October 17 Saturday 9-12 noon November 2 Monday 8-11 am December 7 Monday 8-11 am Gardens DABG The Christmas Lights Committee at DABG is busy at work planning the 3rd annual Christmas event at the Gardens. There will be a number of changes this year with the focus on the lights and holiday displays. The dates will be the four Friday nights between Thanksgiving and Christmas (November 27th and December 4th, 11th, 18th) and the Saturday night after Christmas, December 26th. Be sure to mark your calendar to enjoy the Gardens Aglow. It s Time to Write that Check It s time to renew your WMGA membership. The WMGA membership dues for 2016 remain the same as last year $ Dues must be paid by December 1, 2015 so that WMGA can meet the AMGA due date of January 1, Dues for any member who has AMGA Life Memberships remains at $10.00 and is also due and payable on December 1, Tom Boyle, Membership BoyleT@graceba.net. Please mail your dues to: WMGA, PO Box 9376, Dothan, AL or give them to Connie Ford, WMGA Treasurer. 3

4 Oh What A Day... We had a great day for our Fall Plant Sale. The efforts of our plant parents and other WMGA members was quite evident by the great selection of healthy plants. It was more than a fundraiser... It was an educational event Thanks to Devonne Ellis for capturing the day in pictures. Be sure to check out our Facebook page for more photos of the day. 4

5 Fall Garden Checklist OCTOBER Fruits and Nuts Planting season for strawberries starts. Clean up orchard areas. Remove broken limbs, old fruit, and debris from orchard floor. Shrubs Shrub plantings can be made. Water when needed. Note varieties of camellias in bloom. Start mulching all shrubs that do not have a mulch. Lawns Continue to mow lawns until no new growth is noticeable. Roses Continue insect and disease control practices. New rose catalogs will be coming in. Study closely; add some new varieties to your list. Annuals and Perennials Visit flower shows and gardens. List desirable varieties of mums. Clean up flower beds immediately after first killing frost. Bulbs Plant tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, crocuses, Dutch irises, anemones, and ranunculuses. Watch planting depth. Dig caladiums; clean and store in warm place. Miscellaneous Renew mulch around shrubs and rose beds. Loosen mulches that have packed down. Spray with oils before freezing weather to kill scale, mites, etc. Remove all dead stems and trash from flower beds. Transplant into small pots any cuttings taken earlier. Vegetable Seed Plant turnips, mustard, kale, spinach and onion sets. November Fruits and Nuts Select sites for plantings. Start mulching strawberries, blackberries, and grapes. Shrubs Plant shrubs, trees, and vines. Lawns Have you thought about having a green lawn this winter? It s time to overseed. Use proper herbicide to kill germinating winter weeds. Roses Get rose planting underway. Use a soil test as a basis for fertilization. Look for new varieties. Annuals and Perennials Plant hardy annuals such as larkspur, poppies, pansies, anchusa, and candytuft. Get sweet peas into the ground. Bulbs Continue spring bulb planting. Put lilies of the valley in a shady place. Miscellaneous Plant screen plantings for privacy on the patio. Vegetable Seed Plant cabbage and lettuce in the cold frame. 5

6 A Week in the Life of a Gardener's Spouse She dug the plot on Monday, the soil was rich and fine But she forgot to put the dinner on, so out we went to dine. She planted roses Tuesday, she says they are a must. They really were quite lovely, but she forgot to dust. On Wednesday it was daisies they opened with the sun, All pinks and whites and yellows, but the laundry wasn't done. The poppies came on Thursday all bright and cherry red, I guess she really was engrossed, she never made the bed. It was violets here on Friday in colours she adores, It never bothered her at all, the dirt upon our floors. Saturday I hired a maid, I'd not admit defeat, She can garden all she wants now and the house will still be neat It's nearly lunchtime Sunday I cannot find the maid, Oh I don't believe it. She's out there alongside my wife with her own spade! Submitted by Lindsay, Blenhiem, New Save Your Seeds As our summer gardens wind down, it s time to start thinking about our Annual Seed Swap that will be held on Saturday, January 30, 2016 at Landmark Park s Activity Barn. Save some seeds from your favorite plants and bring them to the seed swap. People have been saving seed for more than 12,000 years! However, in our culture, much seed-saving knowledge, along with significant biodiversity, has been lost over the last hundred years. Seed saving is important for so many reasons, including cost efficiency, improving the quality of seeds acclimated to that climate, improve pest resistance naturally, increasing genetic diversity, self-sufficient food supply, and sharing the knowledge and culture of seed saving. Take a few minutes to check out the following resources for tips on the best way to save those seeds:

7 Count Your Volunteer Hours At our September meeting, Lucy Edwards and Tom Boyle explained the importance of recording our volunteer hours and helped us understand some of the activities that may qualify as MG volunteer hours. When considering whether volunteer hours can be counted, the following four guidelines are used to validate volunteer work: Will it benefit the community? Is it associated with a non-commercial group? Is it related to gardening, the environment, or an Extension program? Are you helping people learn? If you can answer yes to these four questions, then the activity meets the mission of the Master Gardener program and you should record the hours in the MG database. To encourage Certified MG s to stay active in the program, a minimum of 25 volunteer hours per year is required. Any activity accepted or approved by the Local MG Coordinator counts as volunteer hours. Time spent in Master Gardener Association business meetings counts as volunteer hours. Drive time to monthly MG association meetings ONLY counts when you are involved with a committee or have a specific responsibility at the meeting or there is an educational presentation. Travel time to and from ALL other educational or volunteer activities counts as volunteer time. Time spent listening to an educational speaker or topic should be counted as CEUs. RECORDING YOUR HOURS: When the volunteering is done, don t forget to record your volunteer hours in the ACES Master Gardener Service Report database. Below are some of WMGA activities and the appropriate category for each. When in doubt, check with Tom Boyle ( or BoyleT@graceba.net) TYPE OF ACTIVITY CATEGORY WMGA nursery/greenhouse (washing pots, etc.), plant sale... Fundraising WMGA demo gardens at DABG... Education/demonstration Landmark park... Education/demonstration or community landscape Fire ant booth... Education/demonstration WMGA business meeting... MGA/AMGA meeting AMGA conferences... MGA/AMGA meeting AMGA 2016 State Conference Planning... MGA/AMGA meeting Lunch and learn (participant)... CEU Lunch and learn (presenter)... Public education program MG class (assisting)... Manage/teach/assist intern class Presentations to other organizations... Public education pgm Home visits... Home garden consult Harvest for Health... Harvest for Health Preparation time... Include in the same area of activity 7

8 Bambi Arrives at DABG Thanks to the creative efforts of a few of our WMGA members Bambi has found its place among the scarecrows at DABG. Jan Robertson, Phyllis Poole and Lynda Rutenkroger put their talents to work and created WMGA s scarecrow entry. New Master Gardener Congratulations to our newest Master Gardener! At our September WMGA monthly meeting, Lucy Edwards presented Greg Neher with his Master Gardener certificates of completion and MG badge. Please give Greg a BIG welcome! A Touch of Color for Your Garden The end of summer doesn t mean the end to a colorful landscape. Below are a few popular plants that can brighten your fall and winter garden: Ornamental Kale Viola Camellia Snapdragon Larkspur Pansy Chrysanthemum Anchusa There s a lot of work being done by Wayne and his team getting ready for this conference. Everyone will be needed to make this a success contact the coordinator for your area of interest. Below are the contacts for each planning area. October 27th is the date of the next planning meeting Westgate Library). We d love to see you there! CHAIR... Wayne Van Landingham... waynepatty100@yahoo.com Decorations... Helen-Sue Kemp... hsdekemp1@juno.com Finance... Lisa Enfinger... theenfingers@graceba.net Food & Drink... Eileen Barreca... scottisheye@aol.com Fundraising... Lamar Glover... netglover@comcast.net Hospitality... Anita Gibson... agibson5141@gmail.com Publicity... Ona Garwood... ogarwood@roadrunner.com Registration... Cheryl Hatcher... jhatcher@graceba.net Silent Auction... Faye Carnley... fmcarnley@gmail.com Speakers... Beth Arnold... beth.arnold80@yahoo.com Technical & Equipment... Tom Boyle... boylet@graceba.net 8

9 Need to reach us? 2015 WMGA Board of Directors Officers: President:... Beth Arnold Vice President... Devonne Ellis Secretary... Jane Klosky Treasurer:... Connie Ford Board Members: Board Member at Large:... Anita Gibson Membership Chair:... Tom Boyle Ways & Means Chair:... Helen-Sue Kemp Communications Chair... Cheryl Hatcher Programs Chair... Janice Egolf Projects Co-Chairs... Faye Carnley Lisa Enfinger Immediate Past President... Wayne VanLandingham Newsletter Editor... Jane Klosky Conference Chair... Wayne VanLandingham Plant Parent Directory Annuals: Devonne Ellis Bulbs: Judy Clardy Perennials: Cheryl Hatcher Faye Carnley Groundcovers/Vines/Grasses: Anita Gibson Herbs: Linda Westphal House Plants/Tropicals: Connie Ford Shrubs: Wayne Van Landingham Trees/Succulents: Ralph Byram Vegetables: Helen-Sue Kemp Our Mailing Address: Wiregrass Master Gardeners Association P.O. Box 9376 Dothan, AL ACES Lucy Edwards Home Grounds Regional Agent Dale County Extension Office: (334) Mobile: (334) DISCLAIMER: The Wiregrass Master Gardener Association (WMGA) believes this information to be correct and accurate. Neither the Association nor its members accept responsibility for errors or omissions that may be made. The WMGA makes no warranty expressed or implied with respect to the material within. 9