At the Garden Gate. January February 2014

Transcription

1 At the Garden Gate Emerald Ash Borer: It is in Iowa. Now what? The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a small beetle that kills all species of ash trees, including green, white, black and blue. This federally regulated insect has been found in four Iowa counties and has the potential to spread across the state. There will be two informational meetings concerning the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB), an exotic, destructive insect of ash trees, which is spreading in Iowa. The meetings will be held January 14, 2014 at the Mahaska County Extension Office. Meetings are FREE and no registration is required. A Green Industry Meeting will be held 1-4 pm and is directed towards professionals in the tree service and landscaping industry. A Public Meeting will be held 6:30-8 pm and is directed towards homeowners and other concerned citizens. If you have questions, call Mahaska County Extension at visit the website or striegel@iastate.edu. Attendees will learn how to identify EAB, how to identify an ash tree, signs of EAB infestation, if the tree is safe, if a tree is a candidate for treatment, EAB treatment options, how the spread of EAB is being restricted, bark peeling how to find EAB in Tree (Green Industry) and Ash Tree replacement options (Public meeting). EAB was first discovered in Iowa in May 2010 when an infestation was reported in Allamakee County. The beetle this year was also positively identified in Des Moines County in July, Jefferson County in August, Cedar County in October and Union County in December. Twenty five counties in Iowa are now quarantined. The regional quarantine is designed to prevent the spread of this insect. The meetings will be presented by a panel of Experts: Nick Witt Oskaloosa City Forester; Ben Hoskinson Mahaska County Integrated Roadside Vegetation Manager; Jeremy Cochran Iowa Department of Natural Resources District Forester; Mike Kintner EAB Outreach and Regulatory Coordinator with Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship; and Mark Shour Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Entomologist. January February 2014 It is not too late! Enrollment for Iowa State University Extension and Outreach s Master Gardener training is due Jan 10, Participants may enroll (with a $25 late fee) until the Orientation class which is Jan 16. Mahaska County s training in winter 2014 will be held Thursday evenings January 16 April 10. Also, enrolling in Master Gardener training is one way to accomplish that New Year s resolution to have better landscaping! Inside this Issue: Master Gardener Meetings 2 Hours Reminder 2 Growing Heirloom Tomato Speaker 2 Grow Your Own Garden classes 2 Lil & Junior Gardeners 2 Tree Pruning Workshop 3 Bee Keeping classes 3 Garden Calendar available 3 ISU Extension Publications 3 Gardening Guide 4 Speaker Series 5 Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age or disability. Upcoming Events 6

2 At the Garden Gate Page 2 Master Gardeners Meetings Mahaska County Master Gardeners have scheduled these monthly business meetings: Tuesday, January 7 at 6 pm will be our Celebration! It will begin with a potluck meal, followed by Garden White Elephant Exchange and our monthly meeting. Tuesday February 4 at 6 pm. It will be followed at 7 pm by Growing Heirloom Tomatoes with Susan Gilland, Monroe County Master Gardener. Tuesday, March 4 at 6 pm. It will be followed at 7 pm by a the first speaker of the annual speaker series: Jim Kesseler, Why Native Plants Matter. Reminder: Master Gardeners need to enter their hours into the online reporting system ASAP. Master Gardeners without internet access or those who wish may turn their hours into Suzette Striegel to enter. Contact Suzette for more information and/or questions. Growing Heirloom Tomatoes presentation Come learn about Growing Heirloom Tomatoes on Tuesday, February 4 at 7 pm. Susan Gilland, Monroe County Master Gardener will be the presenter. Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend. Susan has grown Heirloom tomatoes since 1999, growing over 100 different varieties. She has presented about Heirloom Tomatoes in the past, including at the 2009 All Iowa Hort Expo. Grow Your Own Garden Gardening Classes The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Master Gardeners of Mahaska County are offering classes for beginning gardeners to gain the knowledge and skills to become successful gardeners. The classes are designed for beginners; however, any interested gardener is encouraged to attend. Classes will be held Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm at the Mahaska County Extension Office. Participants may attend one, two or all three classes. Cost for each class is $5; or $10 for all three. Registration is due one week prior to the class. Dates and topics for the classes are: February 11 Flowers; February 18 Vegetables; and February 25 Garden Tools Many ISU Extension horticulture publications will be utilized as handouts. These publications are also available at our office or downloadable from the website For more information or to register, please contact Suzette Striegel Mahaska County Extension Horticulturist by striegel@iastate.edu or phone at or visit our website Lil Gardeners Clover Kids & Junior Gardeners 4-H Club Lil Gardeners Clover Kids and Junior Gardeners special interest 4-H Club will have a sessions on Tuesday, January 21 and Monday, February 10 at the Extension Office. January theme is Seed Starting and February theme is Fruit and Vegetable Mania. Lil Gardeners Clover Kids will meet at 5:30 pm and Junior Gardeners special interest 4-H Club will meet at 7 pm. To insure we have enough supplies, please RSVP by Noon the work day before the session if you plan to attend. Lil Gardeners and Junior Gardeners are special interest 4-H clubs. If you are already a member of one Clover Kid or 4-H club in Mahaska county, you do not pay an additional enrollment fee to join. If only joining one of these 4-H groups, you will need to pay the enrollment fee ($15 for Lil Gardeners and $30 for Junior Gardeners). For more information, please contact Suzette Striegel at the MCEO.

3 At the Garden Gate Page 3 Tree Pruning Workshop Many homeowners have trees or plant trees in their landscape and often are unsure about the proper pruning of them as they grow. Mahaska County Master Gardeners and Trees Forever will host an opportunity to learn about tree pruning. Ben Hoskinson, the Mahaska County Integrated Vegetation Roadside Manager (IVRM) will demonstrate tree pruning methods on Monday, February 24 at 5:15 pm. Attendees may bring their pruning tools, and may have an opportunity to utilize the skills learned on trees planted at the site. Anyone interested in learning about tree pruning is welcome to attend this demonstration. Attendees are also encouraged to dress for the weather. The workshop will begin at the Mahaska County Shop, 2074 Old Hwy 163, Oskaloosa. If weather is inclement, the workshop will be postponed to March 24. Please listen to KBOE radio for cancellation information. Beekeeping Classes Mahaska County Extension Office will be a site for beginning beekeeping classes. The seven classes will be offered on Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm beginning January 23, To enroll or obtain information about the classes, please contact Craig Greene at ; cell or cgreene@iowatelecom.net. Garden Calendar Available Gardeners, both novice and experienced, will be inspired by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach s 2014 garden calendar. It celebrates the wonderful gifts that trees provide for other living things. The full-color, 12-month calendar is filled with stunning photography and information including tree-planting instructions, Iowa's state forests, vignettes of historical trees and quotes that trees inspired. ISU Extension & Outreach Publications of Interest IC 407 Insect Pests of Stored Foods IC 472 Household Insect Pest Management PM 212 Landscape Plants for the Midwest PM 607 Suggested Vegetable Varieties for the Home Garden PM 713 Indoor Plants PM 874 Starting Garden Transplants at Home PM 1429f Power Lines and Trees PM 1913 Perennials for Shade PM 1914 Perennials for Sun PM 1942 Annuals PM 1958 Pruning Ornamental Shrubs PM 1966 The Garden Guide to Midwest Annuals and Perennials PM 2004 Home Landscape Design RG 105 Garden Tips-Guidelines to Seasonal Chores Each month has several gardening activities and chores listed, so homeowners can easily stay on task as they plan, prepare for, plant and take care of their 2014 garden. Some gardeners also use the calendar as a journal to keep notes from their garden, Cynthia Haynes, ISU Extension and Outreach horticulture specialist. said. We hope the calendar provides new gardeners with information that helps them improve their gardening practices, while helping experienced gardeners find new and different things to try. The back of the calendar provides plenty of other Extension and Outreach resources. Many people buy calendars because they are very (Continued on page 4) RG 316 Poinsettia Care RG 325 Language of Flowers RG 402 Lighting and Houseplants SUL 5 Pruning Trees and Shrubs These publications (as well as many others) are available to purchase at county Extension office or at the ISUE online store Many of ISUE publications are available for download at the same site.

4 At the Garden Gate Page 4 Gardening Guide January Recycle Christmas tree Remove dead or hazardous trees Hike or cross country ski in the woods after a winter snow. February Inspect trees for damage after ice Storm. Begin pruning fruit trees. Attend Shade Tree Short course in Ames February These items were taken from the 2014 ISU Extension and Outreach Garden Calendar The Wonder of Trees. Iowa One Call Call 48 hours BEFORE YOU DIG! Printing and Postage costs are increasing......and our office would like to insure all recipients of the newsletter want to receive it. If you would like to continue to receive this newsletter (and be notified of horticulture programming in Mahaska & surrounding counties), please indicate this to our office. This can be a phone call ( ), (striegel@iastate.edu), or by mail (212 North I Street, Oskaloosa IA 52577). If we do not hear from you, your name will be removed from the mailing list for the March/April (Continued from page 3) pretty to look at, Haynes said. This calendar is very visually appealing, and it also provides helpful hints and tips that gardeners can sometimes forget. This calendar is a great resource. The Wonder of Trees 2014 Garden Calendar (PM 0815) is available for $6 from the ISU Extension and Outreach online store at or from local extension offices, including the Mahaska county office. Trees and Shrubs with Winter Color An excellent way to brighten the winter landscape is to plant trees and shrubs that possess ornamental characteristics, such as colorful fruit or exfoliating bark. Horticulturists with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach describe shrubs and trees that add color to the winter landscape. To have additional questions answered, contact Hortline at or hortline@iastate.edu. Which shrubs have colorful bark in winter? One of the most beautiful sights in winter is the bright red twigs of the redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea) set against a backdrop of newly fallen snow. Native to Iowa, the redosier dogwood grows 6 to 10 feet tall. Several colorful cultivars are available. Cardinal has bright, cherry red stems. Alleman s Compact is a red-stemmed, compact cultivar that grows 4 to 5 feet tall. Arctic Fire is a red-stemmed, 3- to 4-foot-tall shrub. Flaviramea is a 5- to 6-foottall shrub with yellow stems. There are also several cultivars of willow that possess colorful bark. The Flame willow (Salix Flame ) has reddish orange stems. The stems of the coral bark willow (Salix alba Britzensis ) vary from yellow-orange to orange-red. The redosier dogwood and willows should be pruned on a frequent basis as young shoots possess the brightest colors. Flame and coral bark willows should be pruned annually. Cut back plants to near ground level in late winter. The redosier dogwood requires less pruning. In late winter, remove approximately one-third of the oldest stems near ground level. Which trees have attractive bark? Selecting trees with attractive bark is an excellent way to add interest to the winter landscape. A widely planted tree that possesses attractive, exfoliating bark is the river birch (Betula nigra). The exfoliating bark varies from salmon-white to reddish brown. Often planted as a multi-stemmed specimen or clump, the river birch may eventually reach a height of 50 to 60 feet. Two small ornamental trees with exfoliating bark are the paperbark maple (Acer griseum) and Amur chokecherry (Prunus maackii). The (Continued on page 5)

5 At the Garden Gate Page 5 (Continued from page 4) paperbark maple grows 20 to 30 feet tall, possesses cinnamon to reddish brown exfoliating bark, and is hardy in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 to 8. The bark characteristics of the Amur chokecherry are highly variable. Bark color varies from brownish yellow to reddish brown to cinnamon red. Some exhibit little or no bark exfoliation, while others exfoliate heavily. The Amur chokecherry grows 30 to 35 feet tall. Other trees with showy bark include the lacebark pine (Pinus bungeana) and Chinese or lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia). The bark of both trees exfoliates in patches revealing a kaleidoscope of colors. The multi-colored bark of the lacebark pine contains splashes of green, white, brown and purple, while the Chinese elm is spotted with brown, gray, green and orange. Which trees and shrubs have colorful fruit in winter? While crabapples (Malus spp.) are usually planted for their flowers, many cultivars also possess colorful, persistent fruit. Crabapple cultivars with red fruit include David, Donald Wyman, Mary Potter, Red Jewel and Sugar Tyme. Indian Magic, (Continued on side) Mahaska County Master Gardeners Education Series All sessions to be held at the Mahaska County Extension Office. They are free and open to the public. March 4 Why Native Plants Matter with Jim Kesseler March 11 Invasive Plants with David Pealer, Marion County MG March 18 Thirteen Things Every Lily Garden Needs with Sue Williams, Iowa Regional Lily Society March 25 Basics of Growing Fruit Trees with Patrick O Malley, ISUEO Commercial Horticulturist Professor Sprenger and Snowdrift have reddish orange fruit, while Harvest Gold and Golden Raindrops are yellow-fruited crabapple cultivars. Hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) are another group of small, flowering trees that possess attractive fruit. Hawthorns produce white flowers in spring. In fall, their small (one-fourth to one-half inch in diameter) fruit turn red and persist into winter. Two hawthorns noted for their excellent fruit displays are the Washington hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) and Winter King hawthorn (Crataegus viridis Winter King ). Shrubs that possess attractive fruit in late fall and winter include red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia), cranberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster apiculatus), winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Meserve hybrid hollies (Ilex x meserveae) and American cranberrybush viburnum (Viburnum trilobum). All of the aforementioned shrubs have red fruit. Snowberries and coralberries (Symphoricarpos spp.) have white, pink or purplish red fruit. The brightly colored fruit of most of the aforementioned trees and shrubs do not remain throughout winter. Very cold temperatures in winter eventually cause many fruit to turn reddish brown or black. Hungry birds and squirrels may also devour the fruit. However, the fruit display in late fall and early winter can be spectacular. ISUEO news release 12/13/2014 If you want more information about any of the Mahaska County Extension horticulture events or have horticulture questions, please contact Suzette Striegel, Mahaska County Extension Horticulturist by calling or ing striegel@iastate.edu.

6 Upcoming Events* ~Mahaska County Office Staff~ Suzette Striegel, Horticulturist Amy Brainard, County Youth Coordinator Natalie Spray, Program Coordinator Codi Workman, Educational Program Assistant Lea DeCook, Office Assistant Nathan Crane, Regional Extension Education Director ~Office Hours~ Monday Friday 8:00 am 1 pm, 1:30 4:30 pm *All events are at Mahaska County Extension Office UNLESS indicated. January 1 Office Closed for New Years Day 7 Master Gardener Celebration 6 pm Potluck Followed by Meeting 14 Emerald Ash Borer Program For Green Industry 1 pm For Public 6:30 pm 21 Lil Gardeners 5:30 pm Junior Gardeners 7 pm February 4 Master Gardener Meeting 6 pm Growing Heirloom Tomatoes speaker 7 pm 10 Lil Gardeners 5:30 pm Junior Gardeners 7 pm 11 Gardening Class-Flowers 6:30 pm 18 Gardening Class-Vegetables 6:30 pm 24 Tree Pruning Workshop 5:15 pm At Mahaska County Shop 25 Gardening Class-Garden Tools 6:30 pm Mahaska County Extension 212 North I Street Oskaloosa IA Phone: Fax: