The Garden Plot. WMGA Newsletter September 2015

Transcription

1 The Garden Plot... in honor of Evelyn Isbell WMGA Newsletter September 2015 Wiregrass Walk-About By: Beth Arnold We had an amazing Membership meeting in August, with wonderful food and an amazing guest speaker. Scott Thompson of Thompson Chiropractic gave us some tips on how to properly lift without hurting our backs and pointers on how to maintain a healthy body. He and his assistant, Jeanie Turner really provided us with some helpful advice on maintaining good health. Again, Janice has coordinated another amazing program for our members. I hope that all of you will join us for the September program. Tom Boyle will provide us with all of the information we need to keep our volunteer hours recorded. It s ALL HANDS ON DECK for the upcoming fundraisers. Our Fall Plant Sale will take place on September 26 th. It is imperative to a lot of volunteers available for this fund raiser. You can Lisa Enfinger at to let her know YOU ARE AVAILABLE to participate. Then, a few days later, we will have our annual Silent Auction. Please donate a nice item for auction and then bring family and friends to bid on an item. It is a fun night and all proceeds go to help provide horticulture education programs in our area. Speaking of horticulture education, Lunch and Learn is beginning again in September with some great topics for fall. Please try to attend and support your fellow Master Gardeners in this endeavor. Garden Well, Garden Safe! Beth INSIDE... Silent Auction Enjoy Cut Flowers Fall Plant Sale Lawn and Landscape seminars Visit our Upcoming Webinars Fall Garden Extravaganza Lunch and Learn 1

2 Lunch and Learn Is BACK We re happy that our Lunch and Learn series is back after the summer break. Be sure to add these dates to your calendar so you won t miss out. October 6... Do s and Don ts of Fall Landscaping November 3... Year Round Herbs Bring your lunch and bring a friend drinks are provided and admission is FREE. Sessions will be held from 12 noon 1 pm in the Community Room at the Houston-Love Memorial Library (445 North Oates Street). Questions can be directed to the Houston County Extension Office ( ). Look what Helen-Sue has found. If any of these items belong to you, let Helen-Sue know ( or hsdekemp1@juno. com). 2

3 Mark Your Calendar... September 4... Webinar Bees, Wasps and Hornets They re All Different September 8... SE Alabama Camellia First UMC September 9... AMGA Fall Seminar, Clanton, AL September Wiregrass Daylily Society, 12 First Christian Church September BOD Meeting, 4:30 HPUMC September Monthly WMGA meeting, 6 HPUMC September Conference Planning, 10:30 Westgate Library September Fall Plant Sale, 9 am 2 DABG September WMGA Silent Auction, HPUMC October 2... Webinar Keep Ants and Cockroaches from Ruining Your Holidays October 6... Lunch and Learn, 12 noon-1 Houston-Love Memorial Library October 6... Wiregrass Rose Society, 6 First Nazarene Church May , AMGA 2016 Conference, Dothan Work Days at the Greenhouse DATE DAY TIME FOCUS September 14 Monday 8-11 am Preparation for plant sale September 26 Saturday FALL PLANT SALE October 5 Monday 8-11 am TBD October 17 Saturday 9-12 noon TBD November 2 Monday 8-11 am TBD December 7 Monday 8-11 am TBD Don t Miss These Buggy Webinars Be sure and put these dates on your calendar. The Extension Office has some very interesting webinars available to us. They are held the first Friday of each month and begin at 1 pm CDT. September 4... Bees, Wasps and Hornets They re All Different Dr. Charles Ray October 2... Keep Ants and Cockroaches from Ruining Your Holidays Elizabeth Wizzie Brown November 6... Let s Beat the Bug! New Things to Know about Bed Bugs Dr. Stephen Kells December 4... Wildlife in the Backyard a Double-edged Sword Dr. Scott Hygnstrom Take a few minutes to make sure your computer is ready so you won t miss any of them. For more information on the series AND how to connect to the webinars, visit extension.org/pages/72197 then scroll down until you find the one you want and then click on the Title of the webinar. You ll also find ALL the webinars that have been presented this year as well as previous years. What a wealth of information! 3

4 What s a Yellowhammer? The yellowhammer has been a symbol of Alabama since the Civil War when a company of Alabama soldiers wore uniforms trimmed with yellow cloth and were nicknamed Yellowhammers. The "yellowhammer" was designated the official state bird of Alabama in Wiregrass Master Gardeners Association Fall Plant Sale Saturday, September 26 9 am 2 pm "Yellowhammer" is the common name given to the northern flicker because of the bright yellow feathers beneath its wings and tail. The northern flicker is a common species present year-round in Alabama, but bird surveys show that flickers are declining in numbers (particularly the eastern yellow-shafted flicker). Possible reasons: use of pesticides on lawns and other feeding areas, and diminishing eastern forests. Unlike most woodpeckers, northern flickers forage primarily on the ground, eating ants, termites, caterpillars, grasshoppers (and other insects), spiders, seeds, nuts, and berries (including the berry of the poison ivy plant). The yellowhammer does not have the superhammering ability of most woodpeckers and seeks out rotten or hollow trees, fence posts, and occasionally earthen banks or nest boxes for nesting. Dothan Area Botanical Gardens What happened to the August newsletter? It was posing as the September newsletter. This newsletter editor goofed and put the wrong date on the newsletter. Sorry for the confusion Fortunately, this issue is THE REAL September newsletter. 4

5 Fall Garden Checklist SEPTEMBER OCTOBER Fruits and Nuts New catalogs will be arriving soon. Start plans for future selection and plantings. Take soil test for new planting areas. Fertilize established strawberry plantings. Shrubs Study landscape to determine plant needs. Check early varieties of camellias. You may want to replace those damaged in spring by late freezes. After fall growth is completed, spray all shrubs with a fungicide. Lawns Plant seed of winter grasses where situation prevents planting permanent grasses. Winter seeds will appear soon. Stop fertilization three weeks before frost. Roses Protect fall crops of blossoms from aphids and thrips. Keep plants healthy. Annuals and Perennials Last chance for planting perennials and biennials. Old clumps of perennials may be divided. Plant peonies. Bulbs Delay planting of spring flowering bulbs. Miscellaneous Clean up infestations of insects on azaleas, camellias, boxwoods, gardenias, hollies, etc. If oil spray is needed, don t use in freezing weather. Build compost bin or box; leaves will be falling soon. Move houseplants indoors. Vegetable Seed Plant hardy vegetables and root crops. Vegetable Plants Plant cabbage, collards, cauliflower, celery, Brussels sprouts, and onion sets. Fruits and Nuts Planting season for strawberries starts. Clean up orchard areas. Remove broken limbs, old fruit, and debris from orchard floor. Shrubs Shrub plantings can be made Water when needed Note varieties of camellias in bloom. Start mulching all shrubs that do not have a mulch. Lawns Continue to mow lawns until no new growth is noticeable. Roses Continue insect and disease control practices. New rose catalogs will be coming in. Study closely; add some new varieties to your list. Annuals and Perennials Visit flower shows and gardens. List desirable varieties of mums. Clean up flower beds immediately after first killing frost. Bulbs Plant tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, crocuses, Dutch irises, anemones, and ranunculuses. Watch planting depth. Dig caladiums; clean and store in warm place. Miscellaneous Renew mulch around shrubs and rose beds. Loosen mulches that have packed down. Spray with oils before freezing weather to kill scale, mites, etc. Remove all dead stems and trash from flower beds. Transplant into small pots any cuttings taken earlier. Vegetable Seed Plant turnips, mustard, kale, spinach and onion sets. 5

6 Cut Flowers from Your Garden Plant flowers with a variety of shapes and texture: When planning for a new year, try to plant flowers in a variety of different shapes and textures. Among other annuals, try Benary's Giant zinnias, snapdragons, statice, ageratum, coxcomb celosia, feather celosia, larkspur, cleome, cosmos, sunflowers, purple coneflowers, rudbeckia, veronica, and anise hyssop. Choose varieties with long stems: It s important to grow varieties with long, straight stems that will be easy to arrange look for flowers with stems that are at least 18 inches long. Consider plant supports: Use plant supports or ties to keep the tall stems from flopping to one side or another as they grow. Plant your flowers in full sun: Most varieties of flowers need full sun to thrive. Choose the sunniest spot in your yard as the place to plan your cutting garden. Pay attention to the frost dates: After doing the work of starting delicate plants from seed, it's important to pay careful attention to frost dates and be sure that you're not planting seedlings in the ground when there's still danger of a frost. Grow your soil: Before you think about growing cutting flowers, first think about growing your soil by adding organic matter. Pick early, or late, but never midday: Cut flowers may need plenty of sun to grow, but they need to be cut in the morning before the sun hits them, or after the sun has sunk for the day. After you pick your flowers: Just a drop of bleach: The No. 1 enemy to flower life after cutting is bacteria. Adding just a tiny drop of bleach to your bucket (or vase) will help prolong the flowers' lifespan post snip. Trim your stems daily: After you've cut your stems, the No. 1 recommendation for keeping them fresh is to trim a bit off the bottom of the stem each day. Cut off the end of each stem at an angle, with sharp shears. Remove all leaves below the water level or will begin to decompose. Enjoy the fruits of your labor it s well worth the labor of love. Gardening Humor... Where did the worm go in the corn field? In one ear and out the other. author unknown 6

7 Please share this with family and friends as well as members of other organizations to which you may belong. We re having a Silent Refreshments Tuesday, September 29th 5:30-6:30 pm to be held at Highland Park United Methodist Church Doors 5 pm Come join us for a wide selection of items available Garden Items PLUS an hour of FUN Gift Items Door Prizes Proceeds from the Silent Auction will be used to provide quality horticulture education programs throughout the Wiregrass, such as horticulture therapy programs, Lunch and Learn, the Junior Master Gardeners Program, etc. 7

8 New Master Gardeners At our last WMGA meeting, Tom Boyle awarded certificates of completion to Ron Vann and Judith Arden. Many of you have already met these Master Gardeners but if you haven t, please give them a BIG welcome. Still Time to Register... But not for long the deadline to register is September 11th. For more information, click to visit their website. You can also click here to register online. The cost is $25/person. You can also register by calling Tallapoosa County Extension at (256) This workshop is hosted by Tallapoosa County Extension Office and the Tallapoosa County Master Gardeners Association. There s a lot of work being done by Wayne and his team getting ready for this conference. Everyone will be needed to make this a success contact the coordinator for your area of interest. Below are the contacts for each planning area. September 22nd is the date of the next planning meeting. We d love to see you there! CHAIR... Wayne Van Landingham... waynepatty100@yahoo.com Decorations... Helen-Sue Kemp... hsdekemp1@juno.com Finance... Lisa Enfinger... theenfingers@graceba.net Food & Drink... Eileen Barreca... scottisheye@aol.com Fundraising... Lamar Glover... netglover@comcast.net Hospitality... Anita Gibson... agibson5141@gmail.com Publicity... Ona Garwood... ogarwood@roadrunner.com Registration... Cheryl Hatcher... jhatcher@graceba.net Silent Auction... Faye Carnley... fmcarnley@gmail.com Speakers... Beth Arnold... beth.arnold80@yahoo.com Technical & Equipment... Tom Boyle... boylet@graceba.net 8

9 Need to reach us? 2015 WMGA Board of Directors Officers: President:... Beth Arnold Vice President... Devonne Ellis Secretary... Jane Klosky Treasurer:... Connie Ford Board Members: Board Member at Large:... Anita Gibson Membership Chair:... Tom Boyle Ways & Means Chair:... Helen-Sue Kemp Communications Chair... Cheryl Hatcher Programs Chair... Janice Egolf Projects Co-Chairs... Faye Carnley Lisa Enfinger Immediate Past President... Wayne VanLandingham Newsletter Editor... Jane Klosky Conference Chair... Wayne VanLandingham Plant Parent Directory Annuals: Devonne Ellis Bulbs: Judy Clardy Perennials: Cheryl Hatcher Faye Carnley Groundcovers/Vines/Grasses: Anita Gibson Herbs: Linda Westphal House Plants/Tropicals: Connie Ford Shrubs: Wayne Van Landingham Trees/Succulents: Ralph Byram Vegetables: Helen-Sue Kemp Our Mailing Address: Wiregrass Master Gardeners Association P.O. Box 9376 Dothan, AL ACES Lucy Edwards Home Grounds Regional Agent Dale County Extension Office: (334) Mobile: (334) DISCLAIMER: The Wiregrass Master Gardener Association (WMGA) believes this information to be correct and accurate. Neither the Association nor its members accept responsibility for errors or omissions that may be made. The WMGA makes no warranty expressed or implied with respect to the material within. 9