Digging in Dodge Sunflowers

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1 July 2017 Issue 51 Dodge County Master Gardener Association Digging in Dodge Sunflowers Photo by Carol Shirk Inside this issue: Upcoming Meetings 2 Upcoming Events 3 Annual Bus Trip 4 Master Gardeners in Action Certified Youth Master Gardeners Youth Master Gardeners 6 Youth Master Gardeners Sunflowers are fun, cheerful, easy to grow plants native to North America. Native Americans ground the seeds for flour and used the oil for cooking and dressing hair. The sunflower also provided dyes that were used in basketry, weaving, and body paint. The botanical name for annual sunflowers is Helianthus annuus. Helios means sun and Anthos means flower. Sunflowers may look like one large flower, but the flower head is made of many tiny flowers called florets that are clustered in a spiral pattern. After pollination, the florets produces seeds. Sunflowers can have up to 2000 seeds in one flower head. Sunflower plants have erect, bristly stems with broad, alternate leaves. The plant has a taproot along with lateral surface roots. The bristly stems prevent water loss and are a way to deter animals. The broad leaves absorb the sunshine for photosynthesis. Depending on the variety, sunflowers will get anywhere from 15 inches to 15 feet tall. Sunflowers are fast growers, and can grow 8 12 feet tall in six months with the right conditions. When selecting a site for sunflowers, choose one that will get full sun and has well-drained fertile soil. Sunflowers will grow in most any type of soil and are somewhat drought resistant. If planting a tall variety of sunflowers, pick a spot that is protected from the wind. Give plants plenty of room to spread and grow. There are two different kinds of sunflower seeds black and striped. The small black seeds are used for their oil while the bigger, striped seeds are grown for snacking. Both seeds are good for attracting birds. Sunflowers are grown for their seeds which are a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus and B Vitamins, as cut flowers for bouquets, and to attract birds and pollinators to the garden. The large sunflower seeds make it easy for children to plant and they have fun watching the plant grow. Sunflowers are also a commercial crop. In the United Sates, 85% of the sunflowers are grown in North and South Dakota and Minnesota. The plants are also planted as a silage crop, and seed hulls provide filler in livestock feeds and bedding. Sunflowers were first grown as a source of food, it wasn t until recently that they have been grown as a decorative plant. New varieties of sunflowers have been developed so that sunflowers come in a range of sizes and colors. Mammoth is the traditional giant sunflower that gets feet tall, while Teddy Bear is just 2 3 feet tall and is good for small gardens and containers. The annual sunflower is just one type of sunflower. Maximillian sunflower (Helianthus maximillanii) and western sunflower (Helianthus occidentalis) are both native perennial sunflowers found in prairies are and a valuable plant for wildlife. Helianthus multiflorus Flore Pleno is a perennial sunflower that works for the back of the border of perennial gardens. Chris Jacobs Certified Master Gardener

2 P a ge 2 D igging in Dodge I s su e 51 Upcoming Meetings Anyone with an interest in gardening is welcome to attend the following free programs. Master Gardener meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of the month. Unless otherwise noted, the meetings are at 6:30 p.m. in the Administration Building, 127 E. Oak Street, Juneau. July 27 Off site tour hosted by Al and Jan Krause. Both Al and Jan are Master Gardeners with the Dodge County Master Gardener Association. They will share their beautiful flower gardens (which have been in a constant state of flux for over 45 years). Current emphasis has been to cut back on labor-intensive flowerbeds and shrubbery. They were recent recipients of the Watertown Arts Council garden award. August 24 Herbs that Heal by Janet McCounaghy. Have a cold, flu, headache, pain? Answers to your health problems could be as close as the kitchen. Come learn about uses of some common herbs we all have on hand. Janet has lived in Wisconsin since 2000, before that in West Virginia for 23 years. While in West Virginia, she was a Master Gardener, Certified Organic Farmer, and member of the WV Herb Growers Assoc. Twelve acres of her 300 acres were organic. She raised vegetables, fruit, and woods grown botanicals. Since moving to WI, she has cultivated a "green" life. She has installed geothermal heat and solar panels on her house. She raises most of her vegetables, many kind of fruits, bees, and this spring, she s getting chickens. Janet is a board member of Sustain Jefferson and is happy spending her retirement in the backyard September 28 Plants on the Frontier by Kate Redmond. In 1492, an exchange of plants began between the Old World and the New. What plants did the Native Americans and later, the Europeans use in a time before drugstores, grocery stores, home improvement, and department stores? How did they know what was safe to eat? Kate Redmond will answer those questions and more. Kate is a Wisconsin interpretive naturalist/environmental educator. She is excited about wetlands, prairies, writing, insects (especially dragonflies), carnivorous plants, native orchids, and photography. She served for 10 years as a founding board member of the Friends of the Cedarburg Bog, wrote the on-line field guide to the Mequon Nature Preserve and as the Bug Lady, has written more than 350 essays about local insects, and other invertebrates. Master Gardener Websites Master Gardener askamastergardener@att.net

3 D igging in Dodge I s su e 51 P a ge 3 Upcoming Events Dodge County Fair August 16 20, 2017 Dodge County Fairgrounds, Beaver Dam, WI The Dodge County Master Gardener Association will have a booth in the Youth Building during the fair again this year. Master Gardener Volunteers will be on hand to answer gardening questions on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 1 5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. 6 p.m., and Sunday 2 6 p.m. The fair is the largest outdoor event in the area. There are many fun events and concerts in the grandstand. Don t forget to taste the great fair food, view the many exhibits and animals while at the fair WIMGA Annual Conference October 13 & 14, 2017 The Prairie Center, West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, West Bend WI Hosted by the Washington County Master Gardener Association This event will be held at the West Bend Mutual Insurance Company Prairie Center, in West Bend. The Prairie Center is located on several acres filled with native plants, with several walking paths through the property. Friday night s speakers will be Martine and Edgar Anderson of Door County. Martine and Edgar are the proprietors of Fragrant Isle, known as one of the Midwest s largest lavender farms. Saturday will consist of several breakout sessions with a variety of speakers. Meals made by the Prairie Center s top chefs will be available for additional cost. Several vendors will have items available for purchase. There will be a silent auction with many garden items, or garden related items available for bidding. For more information and a brochure go to or contact Vicky Hopp, at hoppvicky@att.net. Gardening for Gold November 4, 2017 Horicon Marsh Education Center, Horicon WI The Dodge County Master Gardener Association will host four dynamic speakers in a day -long event at the Horicon Marsh Educational Center on Saturday, November 4, Speakers for the day will include Jed Colquhoun, a professor at UW-Madison on Edible Weeds. Jeff Epping the director of Horticulture at Olbrich Gardens will be presenting Bark, Berries, Grasses and Beyond. Garden Myths will be presented by Amy Freidig from the Wisconsin Master Gardener Program. The day will end with a dried floral arrangement demonstration from Kristen Wass of Waas Family Garden, Mayville. Lunch will be included in the events of the day as well as a Silent Auction featuring many items of interest to gardeners and non-gardeners alike. The brochure and registration information will be available soon. Level 1 Training 2018 Dodge County UW-Extension will offer a 14 week Level 1 Master Gardener Volunteer Training in The classes will be on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 9:00 p.m. beginning on February 6 and running through May. Participants are required to attend a mandatory orientation meeting prior to the start of class. Watch for more information regarding Level 1 Training in upcoming newsletters, local newspapers, the extension website and Facebook.

4 Digging in Dodge Issue 51 Annual Bus Trip Page 4

5 P a ge 5 D igging in Dodge I s su e 51 Master Gardeners in Action Making Rain Barrels Answering questions at Senior Expo, Beaver Dam Final Preparations for Plant Sale Taking Level 2 Training Presentation at 4-H Family Learning Day SPARK! Activity Hustisford Nolan Buchmann Lillian Jeffers Shane Joeckel Charlie Kaminski Madelline Maas Mikayla Pohl Colter Sliper Devin Williams Certified Youth Master Gardeners Juneau Mayville Josephine Brunner David Feucht* Benjamine Cameron Evan Feucht* Bethany Cameron Ethan Groh Timothy Cameron Jasmine Maller Kaden Krause Rory Mueller Maya Krause Brynn Rohloff* Ezra Thao Michael Thompson Kaiza Thao Helen Vanderloop* Lora Thao Katie Vanderloop Sadie Thao *2 nd year certification. All others were 1 st year.

6 P a ge 6 D igging in Dodge I s su e 51 Bats Dodge County Youth Master Gardener Association When Ms. Liz came, and taught us about bats it was a fun time. I surprisingly learned that bats are very small. I thought they were big but apparently, they are not. The small brown bat is only about as tall as your finger. There has been a myth going around that they try to fly in your hair but they really don t. They are just trying to get a mosquito in the air. Also, don t be afraid of bats. They are actually very good creatures. by Keagen Fleischer What Plants Need By Katie Vanderloop Plants need soil, water, sunlight, worms, bees, and care. Plants need soil because the soil gives plants the food they need to live. Plants need water to drink or else what would they drink. Plants need sunlight because without sunlight the plant could not grow. Plants need worms because worms help plants by helping the soil by teaming up to help the plants grow. Plants need bees to pollenate them. People need to care about plants because if they didn t people would have no food. TREES by Ethan Groh My favorite thing in gardening was learning about trees. What trees are good for Trees are good for giving us oxygen. Process Trees take in a big breath of oxygen this is like inhaling for a tree. Then trees exhale. Planting Step #1 Determine where Root Collar is inside the Root Ball. Step #2 Dig a planting space two to three times wider than the Root Ball but no deeper otherwise the tree will die. Step #3 Before putting a tree into the ground remove all tags ribbons and trunk guard. Step #4 Remove twine clip and fold back wire basket and trim burlap. If left on this material can girdle the tree. Step #5 Carefully remove the soil from the top of the Root Ball to expose the Root Collar check to see that the Root Collar is level with 1 to 2 inches above finished grade. Step #6 Back fill the planting space with soil. Water thoroughly to eliminate air pockets do not tamp. Step #7 celebrate a job well done a properly planted tree! I think trees are AWESOME.

7 D igging in Dodge I s su e 51 P a ge 7 Dodge County Youth Master Gardener Association This report is on the tree leaf collection project. We found a lot of leaves in a few different places. We found oak leaves at the Mayville grave yard. Plant report By Helen Vanderloop We found a fox tail leaf at Heidi s house. Heidi is mom s friend. We found a maple leaf when we were on a walk by a church in Fond du Lac. We found all the leaves on the same day. We put them in between two pages of a coloring book at the way end of the book. The reason we put them in the book is so they would flatten and dry up. Then we glued them to a piece of paper and wrote where we found them and what day we found them. Last, we put them in a folder and then mom put it into my back pack so I could bring them to master gardeners. I hope you enjoyed my report on tree leaves. The Hustisford YMG s will be featured in the October 2017 issue of Digging in Dodge

8 Board of Directors Loretta Ortiz-Ribbing Crops and Soils Agent UW-Extension Office Diane Hemling President Lynn Stanton Vice President Jan Krause Secretary Chris Jacobs Treasurer Gae Bergmann Local Record Keeper Al Krause Local Representative to the WIMGA Photo by Diane Hemling Dodge County Master Gardener Association UW-Extension, Administration Building 127 E. Oak Street, Juneau, WI Phone: (920)