Inside the Fence. 15th of the month is the DEADLINE for information for ATF. Submit items by to editor, Jane Ford at:

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1 Trees Workshop May 13 (see page 4) Deadline to register, May 8. Plant Sale setup day, Friday, May 19 Plant Sale May 20 & 21, Noon to 2:30 p.m. both days Inside the Fence Ricky s Reflections (pages 2 ) Plant Sale News (page 3) What s Happening in the Gardens (page 4) Educational Opportunities (page 5) Angelica (page 6) MG Coordinators (page 7) Response Center Volunteer Signup Forms (pages 8, 9 & 10) Speakers Bureau Volunteer Form (page 11) Updated Response Center Schedules (Posted on the Web Site: 15th of the month is the DEADLINE for information for ATF. Submit items by to editor, Jane Ford at: bloominthing@gmail.com Extension Office: Option 3 FAX #: TDD:711/for hearing impaired Allen County Extension Web Site Horticulture Educator Ricky Kemery Cell kemeryr@purdue.edu Garden Coordinator Jackie Hoopfer jackiehoopfer@aol.com Response Center Coordinator Denise Lloyd lloyddenise@gmail.com Across The Fence Editor Jane Ford bloominthing@gmail.com Community Garden Manager Jane Ford Plant Sale Coordinators Simone Alberding Jennifer Redwine Sherri Knisley Speaker Coordinator Anita Crusoe anitacrusoe@gmail.com Workshop/Seminar Coordinator Pam Snyder psnyder414@gmail.com Home & Garden Show Coordinators Dave & Nina Thierer Home Cell ntteach2001@gmail.com Purdue Extension - Allen County 4001 Crescent Avenue, Fort Wayne, IN Phone

2 Garden Workday Changes (See calendar changes and reminders at the bottom of this page) I had to change the later dates of the garden workdays due to some scheduling conflicts. The June 3 workday is unchanged. In July, the workday will be on July 29 beginning at 8:00 AM The final workday will be November 4 at 8:30 AM. MG Online Reporting System Many of you have already registered and are reporting your hours. Some of you had difficulty getting to the log in page it is here: Click on Volunteers register here (about a third of the way down on the page). Include your travel and bonus hours with your total hours entered (you don t need to separate those). You can include direct contacts if applicable but it is not necessary. The Other category will be used a lot as not all activities are included. Its ok, just get your hours in. New Computers at the Office We replace computers at the office every three years or so as a part of a lease agreement. Our new Dell computers are a fraction of the size as the old computers. Purdue did not upgrade to Windows 10, so you won t see many changes in the system on the phone response computer. MG Policy Verses General Questions As it turns out, texting me is a very good way of contacting me for quicker responses. While I do check and phone calls regularly; I can access and answer texts even when I am out and about which is a lot during the summer months. So utilize the text option to contact me if you can. If you have any questions relating to MG policy, hours approval, what counts, volunteer vs. continuing education, work assignments, etc., please text, , or call me. If you have specific questions about plant sale work assignments, Display Garden issues, Phone response, or speaking engagements; contact the appropriate coordinator of that activity first. Coordinators are listed on page in ATF. Remember there is a box in the Phone Response room to drop off forms and fees related to continuing education workshops and seminars. It is certainly ok to ask our support staff general questions about dates, etc., or to set up a face-to-face appointment with me. The idea here is to not tie up support staff s valuable time with questions that would be more appropriate to ask either me or the specific coordinator of a volunteer activity. MG Training I am about the halfway point in the spring MG training. They are an energetic enthusiastic bunch. The fall 2017 Master gardener training is full; and I am now taking application for the Winter/Spring MG training which will begin in January and end in early April (Wednesday and Saturday mornings). If you know anyone interested in taking the program; it would be a good time to fill out an application Dates to Remember Plant Sale is May 20 and 21 Noon to 2:30 p.m. Workday June 3 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Garden Tour/Plant Sale June 17 Noon to 2:30 p.m. Workday July 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Workday November 4 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

3 By AMG Simone Alberding Plant Sales are coming FAST! Those of you who have called, texted, ed and saw me in the grocery store (and you know who you are!), you should have heard from Kay Musgrave by now for working the May set up or sale days! If you haven't heard from her at the time you are reading this, please give one of us a call. Our telephone numbers are on front page of this ATF and my is simonekitty@aol.com if you communicate better that way. Remember you must be registered on our list to participate. We have need for a few more good people to help on all of the days! There are plenty of pots and soil for planting your donations. There are plastic plant stakes in the containers on the potting benches. Remember, each pot needs to have a name tag with identifying information, especially color and sun or shade. If you don't know color just mark UNK. Please place all plant donations back around the Beauty Bush and potting benches at least three days before Sale days so we can have time to price them. We have people to water plants so please don't be concerned for their care. If you are donating non plant items, please give one of us a call so we know what you are bringing and to let you know where to put it. The Plant Sale Coordinators and our sale team really appreciate all your cooperation to date and can't wait to see what plants show up for sale this year! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. Pics of Plant Sale 2013 May 2017 Volume 19 Issue 5

4 By AMG Cindy Trygg, Display Garden Reporter (Photos on this page by Cindy) Sometimes not everything goes as planned. Take for instance my article for this month. It was going to be on the April garden cleanup, but with a very good chance of thunderstorms, cleanup day was cancelled. Now what? Well, it was suggested that I write about my involvement with the MG program. Here goes! For some time I had wanted to take the MG course, but like many of you I imagine, working full time and taking care of a home and ten acres, I didn't have a lot of spare time. So, when my husband turned 65 and I thought he was going to retire, (I work for him) I thought, here is my chance! I took the MG class in 2011 and I was hooked. I have been answering the MG hotline phones every Wednesday morning since then. I was involved with the vegetable garden for two years, helping build the Keyhole garden my first year in the garden. I took Ricky's diagnostic class two years ago and now help with diagnosing samples brought into the extension. I have been the garden reporter for about a year now. I was a 2016 Working Council At-large member and I am a 2017 member of the Purdue Extension Board as a liaison for the MGs and have just accepted a full time Working Council position as of May. On a personal note, our latest undertaking at home has been replacing 18 raised garden beds and putting hardware cloth under each one (I didn't learn that helpful hint before we built the first raised beds). No more moles, voles, or chipmunks in our raised beds. We also have many perennial flower beds and a greenhouse that keep us busy. By the way, six years later we still have not retired. We now only work three days a week! What I would like to know from you is, when there is something happening with your garden group or something in the community you are involved with and would like to share with other MGs, would you please contact me at (260) or jlt22208@aol.com and I will be happy to write about you. ~ Photos by Cindy May 2017 Volume 19 Issue 5

5 By AMG Pam Snyder TREES with Tom Meyers Tom is a Board Certified Master Arborist and a certified Tree Risk Assessor that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of tree disorders. The learning objectives of this seminar are to review common mistakes made in tree selection, planting, maintenance and care, as well as discussing treatment measures for common insect, disease and soil problems. He will talk about understanding how a plant health care program uses a holistic approach to managing a landscape. Workshop is: Saturday, May 13 at 9:00 AM at Fire Station #4. The cost for this class is $4.00 and the registration deadline is Monday, May 8. NOTE: Register with Pam Snyder for the class by Monday, May 8. Pam can be reached at (260) or psnyder414@gmail.com There is a basket in the Response Center for your registration fee. Please drop the fee by the office on or before the 8th and deposit the fee in the basket. Please do not bother the office staff. Thank you. ACRES LAND TRUST with Kelly Shepherd. Kelly Shepherd is a Contractual Outreach Specialist whose job it is to reach out to the community to share ACRES stories and inspire folks who love natural areas to get involved in preserving land. The more community interest, the more land we can preserve together. Robert Frost ends his most famous poems saying. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I took the one less traveled by. Don t miss this informative and exciting presentation. Workshop is: Thursday, June 8 at 6:00 PM at Fire Station #4. The cost for this class is $4.00 and the registration deadline for this seminar is Saturday, June 3. NOTE: Register with Pam Snyder for the class by Saturday, June 3. Pam can be reached at (260) or psnyder414@gmail.com There is a basket in the Response Center for your registration fee. Please drop the fee by the office on or before the 3rd and deposit the fee in the basket. Please do not bother the office staff. Thank you. Please remember that payment of all class fees is due at the time of registration. We do not accept payment onsite at the seminars. Contact Pam Snyder at or her at psnyder414@gmail.com for registration information for classes. These classes count for Education hours. Tulip Bulbs Q&A by Rosie Lerner Q. I purchased some tulip bulbs last fall that I didn t have a chance to plant. I potted them up and stored them in the basement. Now I have leaves, but no sign of flowers. What can I do to get them to bloom? A. Most spring-flowering bulbs including tulips require a period of 8-16 weeks of chilling to initiate flower buds inside the bulb. If they don t receive that chilling period, the bulbs may sprout as you ve experienced, but will only grow foliage. There s not much you can do to get them to bloom now that they ve already come up. Should you find yourself with unplanted bulbs next year, pot them up about 3-4 months ahead of when you would like them to bloom. Moisten the soil and store between 35 and 45 F. Your basement may not be cold enough, but you also do not want them to freeze. After the required chilling period, the bulbs will begin to sprout and can then be moved to room temperature and greater light exposure. The bulbs should bloom within 2-3 weeks of sprouting. You ll find more information in Extension publication HO-19, Forcing Bulbs for Indoor Bloom, at

6 By AMG Peg Erpelding & Luna Angelica, a genus of some 60 species of biennial and perennial By AMG Peg Erpelding & Luna herbs in the family Apiaceae. It is considered a short lived perennial or biennial and should be planted every year as it will flower after 2 years and can either die or struggle on for another year. A native to the Northern Hemisphere as far north as Iceland, Lapland and Greenland, Angelica is also referred to as wild celery, Holy Ghost and Norwegian angelica. Angelica is related to carrots and is a member of the parsley family. The plant grows 3-10 ft. tall and has a long tap root so moving it or transplanting is not suggested. Angelica prefers cooler temps and prefers semi -shade or part sun as long as the weather doesn t get too hot. Doing best in well drained soils, angelica does not do well in dry or drought conditions and should not let get dry between watering. It is best when the plant is watered at its base to prevent fungal disease. Angelica can also be prone to aphids, leaf miners and spider mites, which can often be taken care of with a good spray of water. The leaves of angelica can be dried and used as a seasoning or for tea. The plant has a long history of being a flavoring agent in gin and vermouth, for this the seeds are pressed and the oil from them are used as the flavoring. The leaves of angelica are simple, umbrella like flowers are showy appearing every other year although the plant often dies after blooming. The first year of growth the plant will reach 1-3 ft. tall, the second year it will grow to 4-6 ft. tall. The root of angelica is thick and fleshy resembling a large, pale colored carrot. Young stems in the second year of growth can be candied and eaten. The leaves from first year plants can be harvested and used to stuff into scented pillows. Angelica has long been associated with having magical properties, especially used to ward off evil. There are active ingredients in the roots and rhizomes of the plant which contain furocoumarins. This can cause sun sensitivity to light in some people (skin blistering and rash) so the plant should be handled with care until you are sure it will not affect you. Pokeweed Q & A by Rosie Lerner Q. We have this plant or weed in our back yard. I can t identify it by looking on line, and was hoping that you can tell us what it is and whether or not it is a weed that will destroy other plants or take over the lawn. A. This commonly seen plant is pokeweed, known botanically as Phytolacca americana. Pokeweed is a perennial plant native to much of North America, but is considered a weed by most gardeners. This is a tall plant (up to 8 feet) with a large taproot. Although the young, emerging new shoots of this plant are considered edible by some (for poke salad), most of the plant, including its stems, leaves, root, and dark purple berries, are toxic to mammals. Many birds, however, relish the fruit. Preventing the plants from producing ripe fruit will help curtail the spread of unwanted new specimens! Pokeweed berry ink

7 Ricky Kemery Horticulture Educator MG Program Coordinator AMG Simone Alberding Plant Sale Co-coordinator (260) AMG Denise Lloyd Response Center Coordinator (260) AMG Anita Crusoe Speaker Coordinator (260) AMG Pam Snyder Workshop/Seminar Coordinator (260) AMG Jane Ford Editor of Across the Fence Community Garden Manager (260) AMG Dave Thierer Home & Garden Show Co-coordinator AMG Jackie Hoopfer, Display Garden Coordinator (260) AMG Nina Thierer Home & Garden Show Co-coordinator AMG Peg Davis, Bill Oliver & Kathy O At-Large Council Members AMG Cindy Trygg Display Garden s Reporter Extension Board Member jlt22208@aol.com (260)

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11 I you would like to share your public speaking ability with those in the community fill out the form and either it to Anita or contact her at (260) and ask her for more information.