Inside the Gardener s Scoop

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1 April 2015 My Spring Salutation Article and photos by Midge Willis Come on, Spring! Where have you been? After being cooped up all winter watching the rain, sleet, snow, and freezing weather, I am ready for my favorite time of the year. I am ready to get all plants out of my house and regain my space, minus the dead leaves that fell off all winter. I tell you right now, next year I will not have any plants that must be brought in or out as the weather dictates. Rubber tree plants, you may as well start looking for another home today because next year you will not be in mine. Forget about it, Norfolk pine - someone gave you to me and you grew to be a giant. Ferns, no more mooching in my house! Away all of you go, out of my sight; get away from me. I am so ready for Spring and all that it promises. Spring Salutation continues on page 6 Inside the Gardener s Scoop My Spring Salutation...1,6 Meeting Minutes Decorative Branches 4-5 Analyze to be Sure... 7 Schedule... 8 Volunteer Service Hours... 9 Gardener s Scoop - April 2015 Page!1

2 NELA Master Gardener Association Meeting Minutes For March 10, 2014 Call to Order Our President, Christy Francis, called the meeting to order. The Minutes and Financial Report as of February 28 were approved. Presentation Segment Kerry Heafner announced our speaker, Jerry Brown, with the Extraordinary Ouachita organization, founded several years ago by Tommy Smith of West Monroe. Mr. Brown is chairman of the Phillips Bridge Committee. This bridge is located on Highway 165, north of Interstate 20, and crosses Bayou Desiard. Nobody knows exactly how old this bridge is. There is a stone marker at each end, giving dates of 1897 (on the left) and 1918 (on the right). The News-Star on February 23, 1918 reported that the police jury met and approved a new bridge to replace the dilapidated Phillips Bridge. The City of Monroe owns the bridge. Plans for the bridge are to make it pretty and save it, and to make it inaccessible. Volunteers have been found to build gates and install lights. Nine lights are needed. The bridge is condemned for traffic, but safe to walk on. It crosses to the Deborah Drive neighborhood. Plans are to remove one hundred feet of Deborah Drive to prevent parking near the bridge. There is to be a clean-up day soon. The Master Gardeners are requested to design, plant, and maintain the vegetation. Reports and Projects Master Gardener Classes Kerry Heafner announced that the new state coordinator for Master Gardeners is Miles Brasier. The first Advanced Master Gardener class will be presented their certificates at the State Master Gardener meeting in October, He will be placing the order for the new Master Gardener class soon. The emphasis for this new class will be on volunteerism. They can join the Master Gardener organization when they have fulfilled their 40 hour commitment. Greenhouse at Kiroli Park A workday to begin erection was scheduled for Saturday, March 12. Plant Sale Everything must be potted by the end of the month. Contact Myra Lawrence for work schedules. Kiroli, the AgCenter, and the Butterfly Garden will get the leftovers. Everyone should be sure to sign up for their preferred spot to work. Meeting Minutes continue on page 3 Gardener s Scoop - April 2015 Page!2

3 Meeting Minutes continued from page 2 St. Matthews Steve Hotard will look at the grounds to determine a landscape plan. The beds are ready to plant, and they have requested low maintenance plant materials. He is going on Wednesday afternoon. The front of the rectory and south side of the church will be done. Contact Laura for information. Scholarship The Scholarship Committee is looking for one or two more members. Requirements are having a college degree and not being on another standing committee. We have received four applications. Mary McFarland offered to have the committee meet at her home before the tour on the 21st. Help with New Master Gardener Class Elaine B. requested help with food for the new class. She needs two pasta dishes, salad, and two desserts. Class on Hypertufa A class on hypertufa, a means of making plant containers from concrete, will be held in May. Final Words Updates on the conditions of Buck Bounds and John Francis were given. The meeting was adjourned at 8:15. NELA MG Board Members Board Officers President Christy Francis Vice President Steve Hotard Secretary Virginia Lee Treasurer Steve Thomas Recorder Helen Hotard Historian Lilly Mathews Board Members-at-Large Elaine Johnson Laura Hardin Warren Daniel The gardening activity made possible this past winter. Photo by Sharon Jones. Gardener s Scoop - April 2015 Page!3

4 Decorative Branches by Elaine Smith The past year or so I ve been harvesting young elm branches that grow through a fence along our property line. Even with removing an armload of branches from the young (volunteer) tree, new growth quickly reappears - always. Perhaps it s a nuisance tree to some, but I wanted to see if I could give a little personality to an armload of thorny elm branches. So, here s what I did, along with instructions: I selected branches with nice curves, some with tall vertical lines, and some that were a bit different from all the others. Hold several branches together and imagine how they will look in a display. Cut branches during months when trees are not dormant. Watch for tree leaves to emerge in the spring. (see Image 1) branch exposes layers of colors: brown outer bark, a moist greenish layer, and a cream color near the center of the branch. The bark and inner layers peel away easily because the branches are holding fluids that are present when the tree is in a state of active growth. But in autumn as leaves begin to fall and growth seems at a standstill, trees and plants become dormant. Because the branches are not in a dormant state, layers strip away easily. One end is completely stripped and the top section shows what the branch looks like when only sections are stripped away. (see Image 2) Image 2 Image 1 Looking at the branch in the upper part of this shot shows a branch harvested this past winter. Stripping the bark away may be difficult because the tree was in a dormant state during the winter months. Experiment with some branch samples of your own to see which plant materials are interesting to work with. You may create some interesting variations. Next, note the branch in the lower part of Image 1 was harvested in early spring. Note how stripping a The tools for stripping bark are simple: a knife with a short regular blade and a pair of garden snips. Position the knife at the bottom of the branch with the bottom edge of the branch facing away from you. Hold the branch in such a way that your dominant hand is supporting the knife. Using the other hand, support the branch against your body. Use garden snips to remove the thorn-like side shoots along the sides of the branch. This is the easiest way to remove the bark quickly. Remember that removing bark is easier when the tree is not dormant - sap is flowing. Decorative Branches continue on page 5 Gardener s Scoop - April 2015 Page!4

5 Decorative Branches continued from page 4 Image 2 also shows a large branch with the side shoots removed. Further up the branch the bark has been partially removed. This thicker branch shows examples of several ways to create different effects when stripping the branches. Peel the bark away completely or partially as shown. Leave the small side shoots as they are or snip them off close to the main branch. Little nubs will remain. Stripping the bark after the side shoots have been removed is easier to work around than trying to strip the bark from the small thorny side shoots (see Image 3) Finally my branch collection becomes an attractive display. (see Image 4). Image 3 This new elm branch is flexible and illustrates completely stripping away the bark as well as partial stripping. Such limbs are easier to strip and the bark can be peeled away quickly. Older branches will be less flexible. Note the decorative effect when nubs are left for special effect. Image 4 Gardener s Scoop - April 2015 Page!5

6 Spring Salutation continued from page 1 The time for drawing out plans on paper and dreaming of warm weather is over. It's Spring in Louisiana. A time for a lot of activity in the great outdoors, from vegetable gardens to flower gardens! Get up and get growing! Show us your green thumbs! Right now, Spring is knocking on the potting shed door and commanding all of my tools to get ready to show their metal - no rust accepted. Attention seed and fertilizer, stand up and be counted - you have a very important job to do now! Seedlings, shape up and prepare for the task ahead! There is not a minute to lose if we want to get ahead of the hot, dry days and pesky pests. The door is opened with a very wide smile of anticipation on my face. Spring is what gardeners live for - another year to give it our best, to enjoy the bounty of this great earth. After all, there are a lot of six packs full of Big Boy tomatoes waiting to be bought and planted. Rows to get ready for Pink Eye purple hull pea seed to be planted! Squash, cucumber, oh, the things I will plant! Will I plant too early this year as I do every year? Yes! The sooner the better! I have a yard full of pine straw to cover the tender seedlings to protect them from a late frost. If that doesn't work, I will re-plant. Bring it on, Spring, and welcome back! Spring arose from this snowy winter! Photo by Midge Willis Gardener s Scoop - April 2015 Page!6

7 Analyze to be Sure by Midge Willis The latest growing trend is to plant vegetables in your flower beds right along with your flowers. It's supposed to be considered a smart move for the gardener with limited space. They sure do look pretty there, and they all need the same attention, right? Well they do all need attention, but maybe not the same attention. Carefully think this through before doing it. What pesticides or herbicides will you be using on the flowers? Are they safe for use in the vegetable garden? If not, you do not need to plant edible plants in that location. What pesticides/herbicides were used in that flower bed during the past year, or sometimes more than a year ago? Some pesticides/herbicides linger in the soil for a long time. Are you sure you want to plant your vegetables there? Sometimes the soil can be removed from that bed and new soil added, but, will you be sure you got it all and the soil is okay to use for a vegetable garden? Make sure you know what the land you are planning to use for growing vegetables was used for previously. Was it agriculture land, used for farming large fields of vegetables? If so, what chemicals were used there, and where was the shed that held the chemicals? Did the previous owners follow all of the safety rules we know about now for dangers Some pesticides/ herbicides linger in the soil for a long time. Are you sure you want to plant your vegetables there? of certain pesticides/herbicides? Were the chemicals allowed to spill onto the land a lot? Where did the contractor, who made the land ready for new homes, get the fresh new top soil? Was it from an area that may have been a mechanic shop, or a trucking company? Maybe gasoline, oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid or diesel fuel was spilled regularly at that location and the lingering chemicals were hauled in, disguised as top soil, and then spread over your property. The smell may be gone but some chemicals remain in the soil. Maybe this was where cattle were sprayed with stock dip to prevent fleas and flies from getting on them. There are a lot of things that went on with land before you and I even thought about what we were going to plant in our gardens. If you are unsure, send a soil sample to be analyzed for lingering chemicals. Dig deep when taking the soil that is to be analyzed. This is a good idea even if you are moving into a brand new house with nice fresh top soil in the spot you have chosen for your vegetable garden. Contact the AgCenter for instructions on how to do this. It never hurts to be sure, but it always helps. Be sure; have it analyzed. Here's to your health and good gardening habits! Gardener s Scoop - April 2015 Page!7

8 April 2015 Activities Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Plant Sale 11 Plant Sale MG Meeting 6:30pm Newsletter Article Submission Deadline Upcoming Garden Events April 10, 9:00-7:00 and April ll, 9:00-2:00 April 11 (preview April 10) April 11, 8:00-2:00 April 11, 8:00-3:00 April 12, 1:00-5;00 April 18, 9:00-2:00 April 18, 9:00-3:00 April 25, 9:30-2:30 Central Louisiana Garden Expo, State Evacuation Shelter south of LSU-A NELAMG Spring Plant Show West Monroe Farmer s Market Tri-Parish Master Gardeners Plant Sale, Greenhouse in New Roads Baton Rouge Master Gardeners Spring Plant Sale, LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens at Burden Hilltop Arboretum Garden Tour "Chene Vert On Tour Contact Peggy Davis Cates, Director at pdavis@lsu.edu Tri-Parish Master Gardeners Plant Sale, Greenhouse in Plaquemine Piney Hills Master Gardener Spring Plant Show Webster Parish Extension Office Jolis Jardins Garden Tour - $10 ticket provides entry to 3 area gardens, the garden market, and complimentary lunch. Tickets may be purchased at Townsend House Gifts, Ruston Lincoln Convention and Visitors Bureau, or Twin Oaks Nursery Gardener s Scoop - April 2015 Page!8

9 Volunteer Service Hours As of November 15, As of Volunteer March 15, Service 2014 Hours Continuing Volunteer Education Service Hours 32.5 Continuing Education Hours This time last year: 1309 Volunteer Service Hours 197 This Continuing Time Last Education Year Hours 229 Volunteer Service Hours 63 Continuing Education Hours Do not forget to record your hours! Do not forget to record your The hours! next MG meeting is Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at the LSU AgCenter. The next MG meeting is Tuesday, April 14, 2015 at the LSU AgCenter. The Louisiana Master Gardener Program is a service and educational activity offered by the LSU AgCenter. The program is designed to recruit and train volunteers to help meet educational needs of home gardeners while providing an enjoyable and worthwhile service experience for volunteers. Contact: LSU AgCenter 704 Cypress Street West Monroe, LA (318) Gardener s Scoop - April 2015 Page!9