2018 UPCOMING EVENTS. You do not need to know anything about a plant to know that it is beautiful Montagu Don. Inside this issue: 2018 MG OFFICERS

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1 March/April 2018 Volume, Issue Inside this issue: Updates 2 How to Plant Trees 3 Help & Reminders 4 Three Sister Garden 5 African Violets 6 Clean Sweep 7 Let s Get Green 8 Calendar 9 Back Page MG OFFICERS PRESIDENT: Della Julseth SECRETARY: Donna Bulahog TREASURER: Cyndi Snyder BOARD MEMBERS Joanne Elliott Linda Bailey UPCOMING EVENTS Adams County Master gardeners will be holding some exciting events in the next few months. They will take place in the Community Center, 569 N. Cedar Street at 6:30PM February 27 - Brian Stanley who is part owner of Property Works in Adams, will be telling us about all the many services they offer and also will be able to answer any questions we may have on lawn care, insect, erosion, fertilizer and herbicide control, mulches and tops soils. There is a possibility they will be opening a garden center soon and he will update us on this. March 27 - Patrick Creed, the manager of Anchor Floral in Friendship and who also helps at the Ace Hardware greenhouse in Adams will be designing some foral arrangements with spring flower bulbs. He is a very talented florist, so this should be very exciting. He has said he would give one of these as a gift to one happy gardener. April 24th - Sharon Hartz who is a certified Master Gardener has volunteered to show us how to propagate plant cuttings. Sharon has been doing this for quite awhile and is very good at it, so this will be an informative and interesting presentation. The garden tours will be at 6:00PM starting in May, so watch for these in future newsletters. You do not need to know anything about a plant to know that it is beautiful Montagu Don Robyn Preston EXTENSION COMMITTEE Chairman - Barb Morgan Vice Chair - Florence Johnson Committee - Fred Nickel Committee - Paul Pisellini Committee-Dan Wysocki NEWSLETTER COORDINATORS Lynn Dolata Della Julseth

2 BOARD MEETING REPORT February 13, 2018 Our January 23, 2018 General meeting was cancelled due to bad weather. Due to this, we combined the January meeting and the February Board Meeting and held it on February 13 at 9:30AM Becky Gutzman, President of WIGMA - WI Master Gardeners Association was our guest speaker. She explained what WIMGA can do to help our local organization, such as sending us a newsletter 6 times a year dedicated to providing horticulture education and information about the Master Gardener program, having a state conference (this year in Eau Claire - September 21-22), providing grants to use for such areas as speakers, starting classes, supplies for children s programs, landscaping projects, developing a mentor program, ect. At our meeting, Robyn Preston volunteered to be our local representative. Thank you Robyn!! MASTER GARDENER VOLUNTEER SERVICE The Master Gardener Program in Adams County started in Over 172 people have been trained since that time, and there are currently 11 certified Master Gardener Volunteers (MGVs) for The UW-Extension Agriculture Educator facilitating the MG Program is Alana Voss. Fallen Officer Memorial Refurbished The landscaping around the Officer Shannon Memorial at the Adams County Sheriff s office for fallen officer Michael Shannon was overhauled by the MGV training class as a group project. Using information from their classes they decided as a group on the plants to be used, landscape design, and did the maintenance of the memorial. Introducing Children to Gardening Every year businesses, groups, and individuals come together in the community to hold educational events geared towards kids. At this year s Kids Day MGVs gave away 450 flower bulbs as a way to introduce the youth of Adams County to gardening and the opportunity to meet local MGVs in their community. The MGVs provided instructions to the kids on how to plant and care for these bulbs, so they should be able to have them for several years. Promoting the Master Gardener Program This year MGVs held an open house to encourage individuals to learn about the Master Gardener program at the Adams County Community Center. A short garden tour was given around the community center to highlight a few of the gardens on site. The Aging and Disability Resource Center spoke about their raised gardens that the seniors care for during the year. We discussed how MGVs plant and care for flower pots at the entrance of the center and the flag pole. The UW-Extension office showcased their pallet garden used as an educational display. MASTER GARDENER S VOLUNTEER SERVICE IN Youth Education - 5 Hours Support Services Hours Community Education Hours Total: 956 Volunteer Hours

3 How to Plant Your Trees From the Arbor Day Foundation Side Notes Planting Evergreens Evergreens are planted in the same manner as deciduous trees, and do not need pruning at planting. Partial shade is recommended for the first year except for juniper and cedars. Give them plenty of water and promote growth by cultivating the soil during the first few years. A desired shape can be kept by pinching off new growth in the spring-cutting just ahead of a point where there is a dominant bud. Planting Many Tree Seedlings When planting a large number of small seedlings, the same basic principles apply as in planting bareroot trees. However, use of a planting bar can help speed up the process. Remember to keep roots from drying out before planting, water the trees generously, and use mulch. Where To Plant Consider how big you trees will grow. Avoid planting under or near overhead utility lines, and check for underground utilities, too. If you re planting 6 to 12 inch trees, you may want to start them by planting them a foot apart in your garden. Planting Bare-Root Trees It is best to plant bare-root trees immediately, in order to keep the fragile roots from drying out. If you can t plant because of weather or soil conditions, store the trees in a cool place and keep the roots moist. When you Plant in the Fall After fall planting, completely soak the ground around the tree once each week until the ground is frozen solid. Also, water during winter warm spells if the ground is dry and not frozen. Before freezing time, cover the soil around the base of the tree with an extra4-inch layer of mulch for insulation. Remove this extra mulch in the spring after the ground thaws. The Value of Mulch A young tree s best friend, mulch insulates soil, retains moisture, keeps out weeds, prevents soil compaction, reduces lawnmower damage, and adds an aesthetic touch to a yard or street. Remove any grass within a 3-foot area and pour organic mulch such as wood chips or bark pieces 2-4 inches deep within a circle. Keep the mulch from touching the trunk of the tree.

4 LOOKING FOR HELP By Betty Conrad Looking for someone to take over watering and caring for the library plants once a week starting in May. I am moving to Baraboo and will need to relinquish this responsibility to someone else. You do not have to be a Master Gardener. If you are interested please get a hold of Betty and we can discuss the particulars, Linda Bailey has volunteered to chair the Gunderson/Moundview Hospital planters and could use some volunteers to help with that project if interested in helping with those please contact Linda at REMINDER Scholarship Deadline: April 1, 2018 Applications must be turned into the Extension Office, 569 N. Cedar Street, Suite #3, Adams, WI by April 1, The Adams County Master Gardener Volunteers offer a scholarship for post-secondary education to Adams County residents accepted and pursuing related fields of study. Qualifying courses may include: Agriculture Economics, Agriculture Education, Agronomy, Botany, Entomology, Forest Science, Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, Plant Pathology, Soil Science and Wildlife Ecology. BEEKKEEPING Beekeeping can be a fascinating hobby, a profitable sideline, or a full-time occupation. Beekeeping Basics provides information on the colony and its organization, beekeeping equipment, how to start with bees, colony management, how to manage maladies, honey production and processing, pollination, and handling beeswax and pollen trapping, as well as a glossary and an appendix. Become a successful beekeeper by learning about honey bee biology and how to manage bee colonies. Order your publication today at I believe the world is incomprehensibly beautiful - an endless prospect of magic and wonder. ~Ansil Adams

5 HOW TO PLANT A THREE SISTERS GARDEN Submitted by Della Julseth You will first need to decide on a location. Like most vegetable gardens, the three Native American Sister s garden will need direct sun for most of the day and a location that drains well. Next, decide on which plants you will be planting. While the general guideline is beans, corn and quash, exactly what kind of beans, corn and squash you plant is up to you. Beans - The beans, you will need a pole bean variety. Bush beans can be used, but pole beans are more true to the spirit of the project. Some good varieties are Kentucky Wonder, Romano Italian and Blue Lake beans. Corn - The corn will need to be a tall, sturdy variety. You do not want to use a miniature variety. The kind of corn is up to your own taste. You can grow the sweet corn that we commonly find in the home garden today, or you can try a more traditional maize corn, such as Blue Hopi, Rainbow or Squaw corn. For extra fun, you can use a popcorn variety too. The popcorn varieties are still true to Native American tradition and fun to grow. Squash - The squash should be a vining squash and not a bush squash. Typically, winter squash works best. The traditional choice would be a pumpkin, but you can also do spaghetti, butternut or an other vine growing winter squash that you would like. Once you have chosen your beans, corn and squash varieties, you can plant them in the chosen location. Build a mound that is 3 feet across and around a foot in height. The corn will go in the center of each mound. Once they have sprouted, thin to just four, two weeks after the corn has sprouted, plant 6-7 bean seeds in a circle around the corn about six inches away from the plant. When these sprout, also thin them to just 4. Lastly at the same time as you plant the beans, also plant the squash. Plant 2 squash seeds and thin to 1 when they sprout. The squash seeds will be planted on the edge of the mound, about a foot away from the bean seeds. As your plants grow, gently encourage them to grow together. The squash will grow around the base, while the beans will grow up the corn. A three Native American Sister s garden is a great way to get kids interested in history and gardens. Growing corn with squash and beans is not only fun, but educational too. Read more at Gardening Know How: A Three Sisters Garden - Beans, Corn & Squash It was one of those perfect summer days - the sun was shining, a breeze was blowing, the birds were singing and the lawnmower was broken. ~James Dent

6 AFRICAN VIOLETS BRINGING BEAUTY INDOORS Submitted by Della Julseth from The Hungry Genealogist Bringing beauty to the indoors is a goal of any gardener in the winter months. African violets have a reputation of being fussy plants, but with just a little care and the right conditions, they can thrive, bloom, and enhance any home. African violets (Saintpaulia) hail from the mountains of East Africa where the humidity and dampness provide ideal growing conditions. Baron St. Paul-Illaire, governor of a district in then German East Africa, first discovered the African violet. He was an amateur botanist, and collected seeds and specimens and sent them to his father in Germany. They ultimately landed with the director of Berlin s Royal Botanic Garden. Seeds and plants were distributed around Europe and in 1925 found their way to the United States where breeding selection occurred. This process narrowed the choices down to the best ten plants and from there the thousands of cultivars available today have been developed. The most difficult part of growing this plant might just be choosing which one to grow. They come in literally thousands of named varieties with more being introduced each year. Plants are available with pink, blue, purple, white, and bicolor blooms. There are single and double flowering varieties with smooth, ruffled, or frilled petals. Leaves can range from green to bronze or have a pink to white variegation. Miniature and trailing cultivars are also available. As with any plant, African violets have specific water, light, temperature, and soil requirements. Probably the most important is the amount and type of light they receive. Without the proper intensity and amount of light, they will not bloom as proficiently as they are able. Bright but not direct light all afternoon (at least six hours) is ideal. Placed several feet from a west or southeast window where the direct light does not hit it, the plant will flourish. Alternatively, make sure those windows have some sort of shading, either by bushes on the outside or curtains on the inside and place the violet closer to the window. If natural light is not readily available, violets can be successfully grown under artificial light. Two 40 watt fluorescent bulbs placed 6 12 inches above the plant and kept on for hours per day will yield the best results. African violets are temperature sensitive plants. They will grow best if daytime temperatures stay between 70 and 75 and nighttime temperatures do not fall below 65. Be aware of plants that are close to windows in the winter months and move them away from any potential cold drafts. Water management can also be critical with these beauties. African violets prefer moist, but not saturated soil; never let them get completely dry. They can be watered from above or below. Self-watering pots with a reservoir in the bottom from which water is drawn upward by capillary action are readily available. These work wonderfully for African violets; just be sure to follow manufacture directions when filling the reservoir to avoid soggy plants. If watering from the top, use sufficient water to run through the drain holes on the bottom of the pot. Then, discard any remaining water in the tray. Use room temperature water and avoid splashing water on the leaves to prevent leaf spotting. Do not overwater to avoid crown Article Continued on Page 10

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9 March 13 - Board Mtg. at the Community Center, 9:30AM, 569 N. Cedar St, members welcome! March 24 - Columbia County Master Gardener 10th Annual Let s Get Green & Growing, see pg. 8 for more details. March 27 - General Mtg. at the Community Center, 6:30PM, Patrick Creed, Anchor Floral, Adams April 10 - Board Mtg. at the Community Center, 9:30AM, 569 N. Cedar St, members welcome! April 14 - Fruit Tree Sale Pick-up at the Adams County Fairgrounds April 24 - General Meeting at the Community Center, 6:30PM, Sharon Hartz Propagating Plant Cuttings April 28 - Kids Day May 8 - Board Mtg. at the Community Center, 9:30AM, 569 N. Cedar St, members welcome! May 22 - General Mtg. Garden Tour/Potluck, Northwoods Orchard, Mauston, 6PM June 12 - Board Mtg. at the Community Center, 9:30AM, 569 N. Cedar St, members welcome! June 26 - General Mtg. Garden Tour/Potluck, Della & Dennis Julseth w/gwen Ramsell-Langan with seed plant exchange, 6PM July 10 - Board Mtg. at the Community Center, 9:30AM, 569 N. Cedar St, members welcome! July 24 - General Mtg. Garden Tour/Potluck, Patrick Creed, Adams, 6PM August 14 - Board Mtg. at the Community Center, 9:30AM, 569 N. Cedar St, members welcome! August 28 - General Mtg., Garden Tour/Potluck, McGowen House, Friendship, 6PM September 11 - Board Mtg. at the Community Center, 9:30AM, 569 N. Cedar St, members welcome! September WIMGA Conference, Lismore Hotel, EauClaire, WI September 25 - General Mtg., Adams Community Center, 6:30PM, Mike & Sharon Hartz Developing a New Flower - Vegetable Bed October 9 - Board Mtg. at the Community Center, 9:30AM, 569 N. Cedar St, members welcome!

10 AFRICAN VIOLETS BRINGING BEAUTY INDOORS Continued Winter months in Wisconsin can be too dry for these plants. Putting them on a humidity tray, a shallow dish with pebbles in it and with water nearly up to the top of the pebbles, will increase the humidity around the plant and make it much happier. If the plant begins to lose lower leaves more frequently, needs to be watered more often, or develops a long neck it is time to repot. A good rule of thumb is to simply repot African violets annually. Chose a commercially prepared soil specifically mixed for African violets or make a mixture of equal parts (by volume) of soil, peat, and vermiculite. Make sure when potting the plant to put the crown just above the soil line to prevent crown rot. African violets will benefit from monthly fertilization using a specific compound formulated for them. Phosphorus levels need to be high in order to get the beautiful blooms, so use something like a fertilizer. African violets do have a few pests, but keep them watered and sunny, keep any stray dead leaves pulled off, and the pests will be minimal. If you are not interested in not receiving this publication anymore or would like to receive it via instead please me at lynn.dolata@ces.uwex.edu or call Adams County UW Extension 569 N Cedar Street, Suite 3 Adams, WI Phone: Fax: lynn.dolata@ces.uwex.edu adams.uwex.edu Be the first to know. Join the Master Gardener Blog at: The University of Wisconsin Extension provides affirmative action and equal opportunity in education, programming and employment for all qualified persons regardless of race, color, gender/sex, creed, disability, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or parental, arrest or conviction record or veteran status.