The Mason Jar. Seeds For Thought. March Inside This Issue: Mason County WSU Master Gardener Newsletter

Transcription

1 1 Mason County WSU Master Gardener Newsletter Seeds For Thought R. Jeanne Rehwaldt We only have 68 days left until our plant sale! Our next meeting will be on March 15 from 5 pm until 8 pm at Memorial Hall at 210 W. Franklin Street in Shelton. We need everyone to come to this meeting, even if you can only stay for a portion of it. It s time to get updates from all the committees about what has been accomplished to date and what each committee s timeline is for moving forward. Please bring a list of plants you plan to donate to this meeting for the labeling and pricing committee. The greenhouse committee has been meeting regularly and it is nearly ready to plant. This Saturday, March 3 we will be meeting at the greenhouse to fill pots with seed starting mix in preparation for the seed planting the next Saturday, March 10. Both days we will be there beginning at 10 AM. Inside This Issue: Contacts 2 General Mtg. Minutes 3 Donald D.Tapio Article 8 Catalyst Corner 11 Getting Involved 12 March Gardening 13 Edibles-Ornamentals 15 Calendar 17 BackPage 18 Allie Bernhard has scheduled an orientation session for interns for the same day, Saturday, March 10. Please let her know if you can attend. This will be a time where you will be familiarized with the office procedures, learn how to report volunteer hours and get a chance to see Catalyst Park garden and plant seeds. Our meeting on March 12 will feature a presentation on Green Roofs by Erika Stewart. These living roofs can be applied to any structure that has enough strength to hold the extra weight of soil and plants.

2 2 Contacts Extension Staff Executive Board Robert Simmons Director Ext.690 R. Jeanne Rehwaldt Master Gardener Coordinator Ext. 688 Allie Bernhard AmeriCorps Ext. 687 Anna Mangan AmeriCorps Ext. 690 Master Gardener Ext 687 Office 303 N. 4th Ave Shelton, WA Ext. 680 Fax President Beatrix Blackerby President Elect Pat Carpenter Vice President Lou Schmidt Secretary Evon Masteller Treasurer Margie Plebuch Directors at Large Pat Edmondson Dave Shepard Foundation Representative Janet Mutter Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, US Department of Agriculture and Mason County. Extension Programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension Office.

3 3 Mason County WSU Master Gardener General Meeting Minutes February 13, 2012 Meeting Called to Order 10:18 A.M. Present: Board Members Beatrix Blackerby, Pres., Pat Carpenter, Pres. Elect, Lou Schmidt, Vice Pres., Evon Masteller, Secy., Margie Plebuch, Treas., Dave Shephard, Dir. At Large, and Janet Mutter, Foundation Representative. Also Staff Members: R. Jeanne Rehwaldt, M.G. Coord. and Allie Bernhard, AmeriCorps. Master Gardeners: Steve Edmondson, Bonnie Day, Puja Pecovsky, Mary Bigger, Karen Shephard, Nancy Dillon, Christy Rowe, Jill Coulson, Maryjane Robbins, Edna Rodgers, Nancy Verlinde, Erika Stewart, Esther Novak, Karen King and Sybil Jones. Agenda: - January 9 th, 2012 Meeting Minutes Approved - Treasurer s Report.: Margie - Vice President s Report: Lou General Meeting Minutes - Plant sale location - Kneeland Park location will cost $180 ( $9/Hr. at 10 hours each for Friday and Saturday with ability to begin set-up Thurs. evening). The logistics of water, parking access and tables was also covered. Mark Zeigler needs a list of vendors at our sale site. Jeanne - Fairgrounds was another possible cost-free site with John and Rachel Hansen who are managing that area with something being worked out with vendors. Rhododendron Society will support us along with advertising the event. Other members brought up ideas about setting up a history for future plant sales, parking can be worked out and bring in more customers with the exposure in a central location. We can support the efforts of John and Rachel at the Fair Grounds with other endeavors such as a Barn Dance. - Motion was made by Dave Shephard to thank the Hansen s but, to accept the Kneeland Park location for our Plant Sale this year, and Seconded by Puja. Voting was 19/1 in favor w/steve Edmondson opposing. -Evening Meetings for people that have jobs. New members have expressed the desire to attend our meetings. We could do this before the Plant Sale in April 9 th 5-7 P.M. at Timberland Library however, we could check with at the Memorial Hall so we could utilize their kitchen. The Motion was made by Dave Shephard and Seconded by Steve Edmondson. Amendment Motion to check on Memorial Hall with same time frame by Dave Shephard, Seconded by Nancy Dillon carried and Lou (Continued on page 4)

4 4 (Continued from page 3) General Meeting Minutes will announce the location through . - State Representative Report - Foundation - Jan First Meeting at Seattle with 2 main items: Getting the meaning of the Foundation information out to the Master Gardeners and covering travel expenses Spokane being the next meeting. Suggestion was made to utilize teleconferencing as another possibility. Jeanne has experienced this method and volunteered to help her out on learning this method. - Coordinator s Report - Jeanne - Fair Ground Meeting on March 5 at Fair Grounds - Nancy Dillon will attend. - Cluster Meeting in Lewis County - Dave Shephard will attend which Jeanne will report to him. - Burpee Seed Grant was declined. (Patti Kleist has volunteered to work 25 hours applying for grants for Master Gardener Foundation). Works for Faith and Action in Belfair. - Skokomish Garden beginning with Art Day former M.G. is now with Hood Canal Kiwanis and they need facilitation with seeds, organization and partnering learning events with Catalyst Park Food Bank Garden. Edna Rodgers said she would help them. Bonnie will get together with them on Seed ordering. - Allie and Jeanne will share responsibilities with the Children s Garden. Meeting at Tues. 21 st at WSU Ext. with conflicts on the time so they will talk about it at the work party on Feb. 20 th. - Hypertufa meeting on March 19 th at Pioneer Greenhouse at 12:00 P.M. Parking Lot Item = Conversations on what would make them a better product for selling. Old-Ongoing Business - - Plant Sale Committee - Apron Sale - Nancy Dillon She ordered 19 (13 came in, balance will be coming in.) Cost is $15 with tax and embroidery covering the extra amount ($12.99). Mary Bigger is making embroidered name tags for the aprons. Lou - Don Acheson has a list of free plants for the Plant Sale. We need to decide on which we can (Continued on page 5)

5 5 (Continued from page 4) General Meeting Minutes use. Erika and Lou will get together to determine that and report later. Sub Committees will determine their own meeting schedules. - Greenhouse Update - Bonnie Thermostats are in and heating cables will be arriving soon. Need lighting fixtures have 6, need 14 ( said they can contribute 3), we have enough lights and we have timers, locks/ chain on back gate in place, Jeanne has lock for main greenhouse gate and school gate; heater is hooked up. Propane is all hooked up and ready to go. End of Feb. beginning of March begin seeding. Keith is the person to contact while Rick is on vacation at Pioneer School to work out the water problem. - Community Beds - We will be building bigger and higher for our gardeners. Lumber from Simpson Timber Co. will donate 12 foot boards through Sara Watkins who is talking to Contact person Terry Roberts. There will be enough boards to support the Children s Garden as well. - Catalyst Park Work Party on Feb. 20 th - Soil will be delivered on Sat. - Pile of chips will be arranged by Allie and Jeanne. - Need to be there before 9 A.M. to show workers where to work. - Potluck - bring food. - Fairgrounds Update/Building 1 display box for May - Jeanne - Need to find out what we need to do for April at library. - Master Gardeners programs and education possibilities. - Tourist attractions. - Using grounds daily for community interests as they arise. - Keep them in mind when coming across venues for the area. -Approval of revised By-Laws - Dave (Continued on page 6)

6 6 (Continued from page 5) General Meeting Minutes No content changes. Jeanne and Edna made their comments known and changes were made. Motion made by Lou and Seconded by Margie to accept the By-Laws and voter approved by members. - Master Gardener s Journal updates - Pat Carpenter It s coming along with most of content completed, most of the months except December finished. Asking for content pages on edible plants and grasses (supplied by Jan) items to be added Jeanne doing canning and Dave Shephard can do an item on tools. We are planning for a total of 160 pages. Now up to laying out next. Nancy Dillon took paper white narcissus. Photos can still be sent in please. 200 copies of Journals to sell with 20 already sold Selling for $25 and with discounts $20 if purchased before March 15 th. The next Journal Meeting will be Feb. 26 th 1 P.M. at Pat Carpenter s house. - Country Living - Steve Edmondson - Need to publicize the upcoming workshops with flyers distributed throughout the community. Master Gardener of the Month for January is Lou Schmidt. Opportunity after meeting to purchase Discount Card was offered by Margie Dave gave a synopsis of Lewis County Master Gardeners Classes, Drip Irrigation, Integrating Fruits and Nuts, Pruning Fruit Trees, Vertical Gardening,Greenhouses and Hoop Houses, Master Gardener Panel notes can be reviewed per request by to Dave Shephard. Lots of information for you to explore. Allie announced Catalyst Park Work Party on President s Day February 20 th 10 A.M. - 2 P.M. Margie announced Olmstead in the Pacific Northwest: Parks, Gardens, and Campus Designs event on Harstine Island, March 25 starts at 2:00 P.M. Important Dates: February 23 rd through 25 th - Mason Conservation District Plant Sale February 25 th Country Living Workshop - Frugal Gardening February 27 th, Executive Committee meeting, 10:00 A.M. Extension Office (Continued on page 7)

7 7 (Continued from page 6) General Meeting Minutes March 12, 2012, Master Gardener General Meeting Meeting Adjourned at 11:30 A.M. Handouts: Plant Sale Information/back side of Agenda - WSU Lewis County Ext. WSU Master Food Preserver & Safety Advisors Food Safety/Food Preservation Programs for February through June 2012 flyer Contact Dave Shephard. - Harstine Island Community Club Presents Inquiring Minds flyer. Contact Margie Plebuch - - Seed Catalog & Ideas Exchange flyer. Respectfully submitted by Evon Masteller, Secretary For as we know, not withstanding their eccentricities, gardeners are with rare exceptions the most pleasant of persons! ~The Passionate Gardener by Des Kennedy There is more to life than gardening, When you find out what it is, let me know. ~Unknown. Life is made of choices. Take off your muddy boots or scrub the floor! ~Unknown.

8 8 Donald D. Tapio Article Pruning Berries Now Will Add More Fruit at Harvest Time Just like fruit trees, the vines and bushes on which most berries and grapes grow need to be pruned to provide maximum production. Whether you re talking about raspberries, blackberries, grapes, or gooseberries, pruning them will help put more fruit on the table at harvest time. The techniques of pruning, however, differ. For example, black and purple raspberries require both dormant and summer pruning. During the dormant season, four to six of last year s canes should be left on each hill, and all lateral branches from the previous year s growth should be cut back to about 10 to 12 inches. Then, in the summer, growers should pinch off the growing tips of the new canes as they reach two feet for black and three feet for purple raspberries. This causes side branches to grow. Summer bearing red raspberries are commonly grown in a hedgerow system. The row should be kept 14 to 18 inches wide. The tips are not pinched back since they do not branch in response to the practice. Weak and dead canes should be removed in the spring, leaving four or five vigorous ones per foot of row. Thorny blackberries should be pruned similarly to black raspberries. However, canes may be allowed to become a little higher before summer pinching. Semi-erect, thornless blackberries should be trained on a trellis. Vigorous ones can be pinched when they get above the top trellis wire to help keep them in bounds. Then in the early spring, before buds begin to swell, reduce the total cane number by about one-third, leaving the thickest, most vigorous ones. Grapes should be pruned in early spring after severe cold weather is past. Don t prune them while the wood is frozen, because frozen canes are brittle and the vines could be damaged. Pruning in late spring causes bleeding (sap flow) to occur, but there is no evidence such bleeding is harmful. When planting a new grape plant, cut the vine back to two buds and train one trunk up to the top of the trellis by pinching off the lateral growth during the growing season. The top one-third of the blueberry plant should be removed at the initial planting. For the next two years, little pruning is needed except to remove broken or damaged branches. After the third growing season, prune the bush to open up the center early in the spring. Currants and gooseberries are pruned in late winter before growth begins. Both have similar growth patterns. After the first season, retain six to eight of the most vigorous shoots on a plant and cut the others off at ground level. After the second season leave four or five vigorous oneyear old shoots and three or four two-year old canes. After the third year, retain three or four each from the one, two and three year canes. Since canes that are four years old or older produce very little fruit, those older canes should be removed. Question: We would like to plant a row of raspberries in the garden. As a child, I remember we had the Willamette variety. Are there any newer varieties we can plant that might have (Continued on page 9)

9 9 (Continued from page 8) Donald D. Tapio Article sweeter fruit? ANSWER: There are a number of newer varieties that provide outstanding flavor and are much sweeter than the older varieties like Willamette which gave raspberries their reputation for tartness. Although most of the berries grown for commercial production in Washington are the Meeker variety, there are many other varieties that are ideal for home garden production. A favorite among home gardeners is Tulameen, which was introduced in The fruit is very large, long, conic, medium red, glossy and firm. It has the longest fruiting season of all summer varieties (50 days). It is noted for both its flavor and size. Although it is moderately susceptible to root rot, it is resistant to the common strain of raspberry mosaic virus and to powdery mildew. Cascade Delight was released as a new raspberry variety in It is productive, with long fruiting laterals producing large, firm fruit. The fruiting season and productivity is very similar to Tulameen, though fruit size and firmness is greater. In research plots at WSU Mount Vernon and Puyallup it was very vigorous and withstood root rot where Tulameen did not. Cascade Bounty was released as a new raspberry cultivar in It is a medium, very productive, late season variety that is extremely rot tolerant. The harvest season is similar to Meeker. The fruit is bright colored, glossy and rounded in shape. The fruit has a tart acidic flavor and removes easily from the receptacle. Sannich is a early variety which produces high yields with fruit size that is slightly larger than Meeker. It is very productive, and produces some of the highest yields. The glossy, firm, excellent quality fruit have fine druplets and a very pleasant flavor that is comparable to Tulameen. The canes are spineless with laterals that are short and bend easily without breaking, and so are able to carry the high yield. Although all of these varieties are excellent choices, many gardeners continue to grow Meeker which was developed by Washington State University and released as a new cultivar in Meeker is a sweet raspberry with the delicious flavor one expects. Meeker continues to be the most widely planted variety in Washington and the Pacific Northwest, representing 70 percent of the plants sold in Washington between 2007 and Meeker is a late season, very productive summer fruiting raspberry with excellent traditional raspberry flavor. It is particularly sensitive to root rot as a new plant, but has more tolerance after it has become well established. Gardeners wishing to extend their raspberry season have several fall bearing varieties to choose from. Heritage is the traditional standard for fall fruiting raspberries. It can be very productive, but in most years in the Pacific Northwest, much of the fruit cannot be used because it is produced (Continued on page 10)

10 10 (Continued from page 9) Donald D. Tapio Article too late in the season. Autumn Bliss is an early season, fall fruiting variety. The fruit is larger and firmer than Heritage and is produced two to three weeks earlier. The canes are short and sturdy needing minimal support. Summit is a fall fruiting variety that begins to produce fruit at the same time as Autumn Bliss. Summit is very productive and highly tolerant of root rot. Both fruit size and quality decline later in the season. Fall Gold is a yellow fruited variety with mild, sweet flavored fruit. The bushes are only moderately vigorous, producing an average yield. Raspberries are the most demanding of all small fruits in their preference for well-drained, sandy loam soil at least 24 inches deep. Check the future planting site after a heavy rain for the presence of standing water. On sites slow to drain, install drain tile 24 inches deep, or plant the raspberries on mounds of soil 1 foot high. Excessive soil moisture during late winter when new shoots are growing leads to root rot development. Staying informed is easier than ever! WSU Mason County Extension Master Gardener Face Book Page WSU Mason County Extension Master Gardener blog at the Mason County Daily News WSU Mason County Extension Master Gardener Website Tune in to The Garden Gate with Master Gardener Steve Edmondson weekdays at 12:15 KOOL FM / AM 1030 KMAS Check out Jeanne Rehwaldt s gardening and nutrition articles! You can find them every other week in the Shelton Mason County Journal, located under Non Profit News in the Master Gardener Column, and during the odd weeks in the new Mason County Daily News weekly paper!

11 11 The President s Day work party at Catalyst Community and Food Bank Garden was a great success, with 18 volunteers showing up despite the weather! Much was accomplished, including creating an alternate route from the North West side of the garden, pulling the deck out, starting to clear land between the food bank and children s garden areas, gravelling between the sheds, weeding in front of the garden Catalyst Corner Photo by Pat Carpenter and around the food bank garden beds, pulling scotch broom from around the nature trail, and beginning to level the ground for the children s garden space. There is much still to be done, and your help at upcoming work parties is needed! Upcoming work party tasks include clearing blackberry bushes, clearing and leveling more land for the children s garden, fill-dirt delivery and distribution, staking out the fence line for the children s garden, digging holes for the new garden sign, tilling food bank garden beds and adding more soil. Needed items to be purchased or donated include roofing materials for the deck, more high quality soil for the garden beds, an irrigation system, organic fertilizer, compost, and garden seeds. Other upcoming projects include implementing a planting / harvest tracking system, expanding the number and size of community garden plots, and obtaining the new garden sign. Applications for the 2012 Community Garden are available on the MG website, and have been distributed to several social service agencies in Mason County. Applications are due by March 1st, with community gardener orientations scheduled for March 17th and 31st, beginning at 10AM. (Orientation meetings will be moved to the extension office in case of inclement weather). The steering committee has decided to combine all upcoming children s garden meetings with the regular steering committee meetings. Mark your calendar now for the following meeting dates, all starting at 5pm and held at the extension office. March 14th and 28th June 13th and 27th April 4th and 18th July 11th and 25th May 2nd, 16th, and 30th August: T.B.A.

12 12 Volunteer Opportunities: Office clinic Getting Involved March 5 Erika Stewart, Jinx Cromwell March 12 Lou Schmidt, Christy Row March 19 & 26 volunteers needed March 3 10 am 1 pm Soil mixing and pot filling at Pioneer greenhouse. Prepping to plant. Bring shop light fixtures for installation. March 7-10 am Work party at Extension office gardens (this is on- going, every other Wednesday at 10 am) March 7 9:45 am 10:45 am Oakland Bay Jr. High work with high school FFA students in their greenhouse. (on-going every other Wednesday) March am -? Seed planting at Pioneer greenhouse. March 15 Plant sale meeting Memorial Hall 5 pm 8 pm Bring list of plants you have to donate. All committees be prepared to give a report of progress to date and timeline of work to be accomplished. March 19 noon 3 pm Hypertufa class/work party at Pioneer greenhouse. (check in at office before walking back to greenhouse.) Continuing Education Opportunities: March 12th Immediately following the General Meeting, Erika Stewart will be offering a presentation on Green Roofs. Note: WSU Master Gardener Trainees are required to complete 60 hours of Basic Training classes plus on line training, and as Interns fulfill 60 hours of volunteer time in their first year, including 15 hours of Clinic time. Certified Master Gardeners are required to complete 25 hours volunteer time and 10 hours of Continuing Education per year in order to remain Certified.

13 13 March Gardening Your plants are ready to start growing, so help them out by giving them a shot of fertilizer. Roses need to be pruned first. Don t worry about the fact that they are already growing. Cut out any dead, weak and crossing branches. Look for the big, healthy basal canes that formed last year and remove any old wood that is interfering with them. Then prune what is left down to inches. Climbers bloom on year-old wood, so wait to prune them until after bloom. Clean up dead leaves and debris in your flowerbed. Summer-blooming perennials can be divided. If you don t need them, pot them up and give them to friends and neighbors. While you are working, be on the lookout for slugs and slug eggs. If you get rid of that cluster of pearly white eggs now, you will have fewer chewed leaves later. Start cool-season transplants (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and lettuce) under lights, if you haven t already. Inexpensive shop lights suspended over seed trays work well. You don t need expensive full-spectrum bulbs; plain cool white fluorescent bulbs are fine. In about three weeks you can move them to a protected place outside during the day, bringing them in at night. After a week of this treatment, leave them out in a protected spot and then plant them when you get the soil prepared. Growing transplants in the house decreases the seed-to-harvest time on most crops in the early part of the season. By the time your first crops are getting hardened off, you can use the lights to start tomatoes, peppers and other warm-season crops. When your garden soil dries enough, dig it deeply and add compost and fertilizer. If you planted a cover crop in the fall, turn it under and let it decompose for a couple of weeks before planting. You can sow peas, onions, lettuce, spinach, beets, chard, turnips and radishes directly into the garden. Houseplants that are getting root-bound can be repotted to a slightly larger pot with fresh soil. By the middle of the month trim and repot any geraniums and fuchsias that you have been holding over from last year. Put them somewhere that they will get lots of light, but be protected from late frosts. Water and fertilize them to get them growing again. I have just been potting up the geranium cutting that I took back in January. They all have a few roots and will be big, beautiful plants by time to put them into the garden. Geraniums are not usually planted out until May, so, if you want to do some propagation, there is still time. Take a 3-4 inch terminal cutting, dip the base in rooting hormone and then put it into a wet peat pellet or a mix of peat and sand or perlite. Keep it somewhere humid or suspend a plastic bag around the pot, keeping the plastic away from the leaves. In a few weeks you will have brand new plants. (Continued on page 14)

14 14 (Continued from page 13) March Gardening If you want a good-looking lawn this summer, it is time to get busy. First mow what has grown since you stopped for the winter. Then evaluate your turf. Cut out a 3-inch square with a sharp knife and look at the thatch layer. If there is more than a ½ inch of old roots and stems, this is your year to thatch. My lawn has some moss spots, so I will demoss and then rake out the dead patches. Aeration can also be done now and is probably needed, at least on high-traffic areas. After either thatching or moss treatment, turf usually benefits from top-dressing with a thin layer of light soil mix and then over-seeding. Use a seed mix of fine-leafed fescue and turf-type perennial ryegrass. Wait for another month before fertilizing your lawn. Think about adding fruit to your landscape. Bare-root plants are available now for considerably less than potted ones will cost later in the season. ~Holly Kennell, Community Horticulture Agent for Snohomish County

15 Combining Edibles and Ornamentals Landscaping books suggest that vegetables be grown in the far back or side of the garden, preferably shielded from view by a fence or hedge. The vegetable garden has been equated with the garbage cans, compost bin and laundry line functional, but ugly. This may be because Americans usually grow vegetables in long rows. Their gardens mimic a farm field cultivated by a plow and that s pretty boring. The more traditional way, world-wide, is to grow whatever you need together. Historically, none but the very wealthy could afford big gardens of useless ornamentals. Most people had cottage gardens combining plants for food, flavoring, medicine, fiber, dyes, scent, etc. These gardens were useful as well as ornamental. It is possible to make a totally edible ornamental garden. However, harvesting usually spoils the picture and the garden is not attractive in winter. Combining edibles with inedible ornamentals to give the beds structure works best. Plant small vegetables and herbs in bays between shrubs or in front mixed with flowers. Tall vegetables (corn, sunflowers) or vines (squash, beans, tomatoes) trained on trellis can provide temporary privacy or shade. Fruit bushes often make nice shrubs for foundation plantings or mixed beds. Fruit and nut trees work as shade trees or some can be espaliered as a hedge. You will need to take special care in selecting ornamentals. Don t use those needing pesticides not labeled for edibles. Hopefully, the garden s diversity will confuse the bugs and slow disease spread and it will attract birds and beneficial insects. Avoid ornamentals with toxic berries, since you will be growing edibles nearby. Trees should have an open canopy for light penetration and deep roots that won t mind soil disturbance or competition. The trees must be able to handle water and fertilizer (even in late summer, which may delay dormancy and thus reduce hardiness). Also they should not have shallow or aggressive roots (poplars, elms, big maples) or roots that sucker when disturbed (tree of-heaven, sassafras, sumac). When placing plants, consider the compatibility of the plants needs. Most vegetables and herbs need sun. If you have semi-shade, try leafy greens and maybe root crops. Likewise, all vegetables, particularly shallow-rooted and young ones, need regular watering. Mediterranean herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary), figs, salal and Oregon grape are drought-tolerant edibles. The soil should be fertile and have a neutral ph. Heath family ornamentals (Rhodies, azaleas, mountain laurel, Pieris, heather) require too acid a soil for most vegetables and have shallow, fibrous root system. They could work well with blueberries, lingonberry and salal. To create a pleasing design, consider leaf size and texture; leaf and flower color; and plant size. Don t plant in rows. Random plantings allow harvesting without spoiling your design, whereas 15 (Continued on page 16)

16 16 Combining Edibles and Ornamentals (Continued from page 15) picking from a row makes it look like a smile with a tooth missing. Good trees for your mixed beds might include Amur maple, filbert, honey locust, Japanese snowbell, katsura and silk tree. Shrubs to consider include Juneberry, witch hazel, euonymous, Nandina, dwarf pines, rosemary and sage. Akebia, grapes, honeysuckle, climbing roses, clematis and beans are vines that might be useful. Ajuga, dwarf phlox, dwarf Potentilla, Corsican mint, violets, strawberries, lingonberry and thyme are nice ground covers. Choose perennial flowers with a long flower season such as beebalm, black-eyed Susan, campanula and coreopsis. Many annuals bloom all summer including alyssum, calendula, cosmos, larkspur, marigold, pansies, Scabiosa, snapdragons and zinnias. Mix in some bulbs like snowdrops, crocus, daffodils, grape hyacinths and iris. Among the most useful edibles for the ornamental garden are vegetables with nice leaves like amaranth, cabbage, celery, edible chrysanthemum (shungiku), endive, escarole, kale, leeks, lettuce, mustard, bunching onion, parsley, rhubarb and Swiss chard. On the other hand, beets, broccoli, cauliflower and bulbing onions will be hard to use. If you want to pursue this more deeply, Kate Rogers Gessert did trials at Oregon State. Her book, The Beautiful Food Garden, will tell you such things as which cultivar of carrot has the nicest foliage and which beans are the most ornamental. ~Holly Kennell, Community Horticulture Agent for Snohomish County Wanted for the Mason Jar: Committee and Sub-Committee Chairs, please submit dates and times of upcoming meetings so they can be included in the Mason Jar calendar Your favorite recipe utilizing local, seasonal produce Your free, trade, or wanted classified ad Information about upcoming non-m.g. events of interest Your favorite garden related story, tip, trivia, or quote Your photos of anything garden or nature related Photos are needed on an ongoing basis. Please your submissions to trarac@care2.com by the 2nd Monday of the month!

17 17 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Pioneer Greenhouse Work Party 10AM 4 5 CLINIC 12-3 E. Stewart/ J. Cromwell 6 7 Ext. Ofc. Work Party & OBJH work day 9 10 Pioneer Greenhouse Work Party 10AM General Meeting / CLINIC 12-3 L. Schmitt/C. Rowe Catalyst Steering Committee Mtg 5PM 15 Plant Sale Meeting 5-8PM Catalyst Community Gardener Orientation CLINIC 12-3 / Hypertufa Oakland Bay Jr. High work Silent Movie The General Choice HS 6:30 pm CLINIC 12-3 / Board Meeting Catalyst Steering Committee Mtg 5PM Country Living Workshop / Catalyst Orientation

18 18 BackPage Photos by Pat Carpenter