February INSIDE: Local Master Gardener News - 2 Upcoming Events 3 Bits and Pieces - 6. Pictures by Jo-Ann Clark. Photo by Jo-Ann Clark

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1 February 2016 / February 2008 Erin LaFaive and Mike Maddox Update ECAMGA On History and Direction of the Master Gardener Program by Carol W. Cox The Eau Claire Area Master Gardener Association (ECAMGA) members met for their monthly educational meeting on January 19th at 6:30 in the Eau Claire County UW-Extension office in Altoona. The highlight for the evening was listening to Erin LaFaive speak on the history of the Master Gardener program and to give some insights into the future of the program. Erin was joined, via live telecasting capabilities, by Mike Maddox, director of the UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) program. The MGV program has been a part of the Wisconsin gardening experience for 40 years and is presently trying to gear into the needs in the community. These include food security, childhood obesity, pollinator issues and keeping green space and parks within our downtown areas. The volunteers also target working with the elderly and those who are incarcerated. Erin indicated that the MGV program, nationally, began in 1971 in the state of Washington because more questions were coming into the local extension offices on urban horticultural issues. So, Extension went on radio with an ongoing program to answer call in questions. This was so successful that they then set up a garden volunteer training program to prepare a cadre of volunteers to help answering questions from the public. Pictures by Jo-Ann Clark The name came about from the German word miester which means, master. And so, the program was called Master Gardeners (Actually I have always thought that a title easier to live with might be Garden Addicts Anonymous!!!! ). Now every state in the U.S. plus Canada have programs modeled after this early MGV effort. Bringing that down to Eau Claire County, the first training event back in 1984 had 19 people enrolled. Then another class was not held until 1989 when there were 32 enrolled. In 1992 the Eau Claire County program really took off with a class being held that year and each year thereafter. Since then there have been various UW-Extension personnel (with various titles) in charge of the Master Gardener program. These included: Chuck Prissel, Susan Frame, Kerri Ingraham, Tom Kalb, Nancy Skelly (interim), and Erin LaFaive, the current Extension Horticulturalist. Also, it was in 1989 that the MGV formed a group here called the West Central Wisconsin Master Gardeners, which is now known as the Eau Claire Area Master Gardener Association. Over the years the issue of retention has become more a concern as our culture changes. One of the things that can be done is to better clarifying the expectations of both the MGV (Continued on page 6) Photo by Jo-Ann Clark INSIDE: Local Master Gardener News - 2 Upcoming Events 3 Bits and Pieces - 6

2 Page 2 Eau Claire Area Master Gardener New February 2016 Local Master Gardener News Changing ? Moving? If you do, please remember to notify the ECAMG and the newsletter editor of your new e- mail address and/or mailing address so you don t miss any Eau Claire Area Master Gardener happenings! you re new Information to Carol Cox at c7w6c2200@charter.net Or notify her by snail mail at 1908 Hogeboom Ave., Eau Claire, WI (or call her at ). ECAMGA BOARD MEMBER CONTACT INFO NAME/TITLE address Phone number Erin LaFaive Erin.lafaive@ces.uwex.edu Mary Jane Griffin mgriffinhlaa@gmail.com Dick Lienhardt dicklienhardt@yahoo.com Nancy Spak nancyspak@gmail.com Ede Strand edestrand@aol.com Amy Boettcher myamybird@aol.com Carla Pelzl jcpelzl@gmail.com Nina Logan ninalogan@centurylink.net MGV Bulletin Board Postings Stories and Opportunities!!!! Bulletin Board Postings Deb Spickler rvsrfun@aol.com Lori Kempen lorikempen@charter.net NOTE: The ECAMGA Board minutes no longer appears in the newsletter. You may access them by going to the website at eauclairemastergardeners.weebly.com The 2016 Master Gardener Plant Sale is Sunday, June 12, at the Phoenix Park Pavilion. We will be holding the sale in conjunction with the Northwest Hosta Society. Volunteer help in organizing and advertising the sale is needed. It is an easy and fun way you can earn master gardener hours! The first committee meeting will be held the third week in February. If you are interested, please contact Susan Merten, at or me at susmerten@wwt.net. VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED FOR THE ECAMGA WINTER GARDEN SEMINAR This is a great way to earn some volunteer hours. If you wish to volunteer please go sign up at the volunteerspot website at: Or, if you have questions contact Kevin at: Kevin.r.hite@gmail.com ECAMGA 2016 Calendar All meetings at UW-Extension Office unless otherwise noted February 6: Ready, Set, Grow Winter Garden Seminar March 15, 2016: Erik Keisler, BCR Ex. Director April 19, 2016: Katherine Stahl/Prairie Enthusiasts May 2016: TBA June 12, 2016: annual plant sale in conjunction w/nw Hosta Society. June 2016: tour of 2 gardens July 2016: TBA August 2016: TBA September 2016: TBA September 30: Volunteer hours due in October 2016: TBA November 2016: TBA December 2016: Annual Potluck & Christmas Party and election of board members.

3 Page 3 Eau Claire Area Master Gardener News February 2016 Upcoming Events Don t forget!!!! The Ready, Set, Grow Winter Garden seminar is fast approaching. You will get to hear and meet Inga Witscher, of WI Public Television fame. She is our keynote speaker and will also do one of the breakout sessions. In addition you have the opportunity to learn about what is new in perennials for 2016 from Dean Carstensen, a thing or two about raising Monarchs, and learn about the ins and outs of starting a berry farm. One of our speakers, Chris Cold, will even be bringing some wild critters for us to see and talk about the importance of wildlife and our land. Our own Erin LaFaive will teach you about adapting your garden to deal with (Continued on page 5.) If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles. -Poor Richard s Almanac Think Spring Garden Seminar Saturday February 20, :45 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Registration begins at 8:00 a.m.) Avalon Hotel & Conference Center 1009 W. Park Avenue Chippewa Falls, WI Keynote Speaker - Dan Zerr, Keeping Water Where It Falls Come visit the Vendors, win a Door Prize Cost: $25 Early-bird Registration (Before February 10, INCLUDES LUNCH); $30 Registration (After February 10, INCLUDES LUNCH). For more information and details on the seminar call the Chippewa County UW-Extension Office at or go to: Sponsored by Chippewa County UW-Extension And Chippewa Valley Master Gardeners Association WPT's Garden Expo February 12-14, 2016 Fri 3:00-9:00 Sat 9:00-6:00 Sun 10:00-4:00 Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall Madison, WI Sponsored by Wisconsin Public Television (WPT), Friends of WHA-TV, and the UW- Extension Horticulture Team, this event draws nearly 16,000 people to view 400 booths, provided by numerous exhibitors over 100,000 square-feet. Certified MGVs will assist UW-Extension Specialists and Agents in answering questions in the UW-Extension booth. Numerous educational seminars, demonstrations, and workshops are offered on a variety of horticultural topics. For more information and to purchase tickets go to Wisconsin Public Television s website at:

4 Page 4 Eau Claire Area Master Gardener News February 2016 SPRING INTO GARDENING SATURDAY, MARCH 5, :30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. LUND CENTER WTC CAMPUS th STREET N LA CROSSE, WI Keynote Speaker: Ed Lyons For breakout choices and speakers see website below. H Cost: Adults $45; Students $35 (with ID); Children (12-18 with adult) $20 Deadline to register is February 20, 2016 (registrations at the door accepted but will not include lunch) For more information and to register go to: Beaver Creek Reserve S1 County Road K, Fall Creek, WI bcr@beavercreekreserve.org Phone: Tree and Shrub ID in Winter February 17, :30 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Wise Nature Center Leaves are one of the biggest clues for tree and shrub identification. So what do you do when there are no leaves? Winter offers a special time to appreciate trees and shrubs in a totally different way. This program will point out unique bud and bark characteristics of many of our native trees and shrubs, making identification possible even in winter! A power point and a hands-on session inside will be followed by an outdoor hike around the Reserve to apply what we learned inside. Some easy tips and a simple winter tree and bark key will be provided for participants to take home. Bring warm clothes and boots along for the outdoor portion of the program. All gardening is landscape painting,' said Alexander Pope. Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking Registration and full payment required by February 15. Cost is $5 for Friends, $8 for Nonmembers. There are 9 spots available so get your registration in by calling Upcoming Classes Saturday, February 6, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.; Sweetest Miniature Garden Workshop - Design and create the sweetest miniature garden! With just a few plants, a selection of miniatures, and a touch of fairy dust and you have the sweetest little miniature garden! Choose from our wide variety of containers, plants, and miniature collections to create a one-of-a-kind miniature garden. Miniature gardens make perfect ndoor gardens, but can be enjoyed outdoors as well. (Cost: Only pay for what you take home. Bring your own container or purchase one here.) Thursday, February 11th, 18th, and 26th at 6:00 p.m.: Hanging Basket Workshop - Break away from winter and come plant your very own custom hanging basket in the greenhouse! We will be planting baby plants in your hanging basket. Then DTE will care for your baskets until they are ready to go outside. You ll be able to pick up your basket in May to take home and enjoy. You re welcome to stop in and check on the status as they grow. Cost: $40 per basket, everything included. Saturday, February 27th at 10:00 a.m.: Terrarium Workshop Come discover why terrariums are growing so popular and how they are a great way to get kids excited about gardening. A simple glass container can be transformed into a self-sustained tropical oasis! Learn how to properly put together a glass terrarium that creates a perfect growing environment for plants, and adds life to your office desk, the nook in your kitchen or a child s room. Cost: Bring your own container or purchase one here - only pay for what you take home Arndt Lane, Eau Claire WI, or - home@dwntoearth.com Website:

5 Page 5 Eau Claire Area Master Gardener News February 2016 Don t Forget continued from page 3 extremes. I wonder if she will, again, show up in costume (maybe as a tornado????). In any case, she will have a lot of useful information to share. Or, maybe you are into mushrooms? If so Tavis Lynch will be talking about mushroom gardening while Ellen Terwilliger will teach you something about seed saving and starting as a way of life. Maybe you will choose Nancy Spak s Stained Glass/Sun/Mooncatcher Make and Take workshop. If so, I hope you have signed up early so that you can get into the session as space there is limited. And, don t forget all the great vendors that are typically at the event. Nina Logan does a great job of finding interesting vendors old favorites and interesting new ones, to attend the seminar. In addition, Lori Kempen has oodles of door prizes that she has received from various sources. Gift cards, goodie baskets and all kinds of neat stuff. Typically anywhere from one third to one half of attendees go home with a door prize. That is MUCH better odds than the PowerBall lottery!!! So, plan to attend. Bring a friend. Heck, bring two or three friends. The public is invited. Come and enjoy the day and get a head start on the growing season and spring. See you there! How about this for horsing around in the garden! Check this out Giant Living Sculptures at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. Go to: da.com/plantsculpturesmosaicultureimaginary-worldsatlanta-botanicalgardens. A Peek Into The 2016 ECAMGA Calendar. As we begin to notice that the days are imperceptibly getting longer and the Ready, Set, Grow garden seminar approaches we begin to anticipate spring. Along with that we can look forward to, not only another great Winter Garden Seminar but the ECAMGA March Educational meeting speaker will be Eric Kessler who will be speaking about Beaver Creek Reserve (BCR) and all the great things that the BCR has to offer nature lovers and also, all the volunteer opportunities that we can be involved with (And, don t forget that BCR will be holding it s annual native plant sale on May 7 th ). Then, on April 19 th, the ECAMGA volunteers will have a chance to listen to Katherine Stahl from the Prairie Enthusiast organization. She will be discussing invasive species and their impact in our community. And, as we look down the calendar and into the summer months, don t forget that this year, along with the opportunity to tour various interesting gardens, our annual plant sale will be in June this year and will be held in conjunction with the Hosta Society plant sale out at Phoenix Park. Wow! Here it has just turned February and the year is almost over LOL!!! In any case, make a note on your calendars to be involved in these interesting events. And don t forget to think about what plants you might be able to divide and contribute to the plant sale come spring. Take care. See you at the Winter Garden Seminar on February 6!!!!

6 Page 6 Eau Claire Area Master Gardener News February 2016 Bits and Pieces We all look for dramatic ways to fill the containers that we use for impact on our porches, patios and in our gardens. Particularly when we go to fill large containers with plants it can get quite costly. One option for impact is to consider utilizing the various ornamental grasses that are on the market today. To look at some of the possibilities and to garner ideas you may want to check out this website: Also, as we consider the cost and effort of containers, it may be useful to consider the possibilities of planting something in a weather proof pot that can stay outside in that pot over winter. Typically this requires at least 1 full zone hardier that our zone, although the recommendations on this will often state that 2 hardiness zones are the norm. This will depend on the characteristics of what you plant. "In every gardener there is a child who believes in The Seed Fairy. -Robert Brault, rbrault.blog spot.com. Gardening is about enjoying the smell of things growing in the soil, getting dirty without feeling guilty, and generally taking the time to soak up a little peace and serenity. ~Lindley Karstens, noproblemgar den.com Erin LaFaive and Mike Maddox Update (continued from page 1) organization and those of the person who expresses an interest in the program. The program is not just another certification program for people working in the area of horticulture or their own garden pursuits. Instead the program is designed to augment the UW-Extension horticultural outreach and delivery of horticultural research education into the community. This means that there will be an expectation of volunteering to help in the many areas that the MGV program is involved. There have been some difficulties where horticultural organizations, nurseries and the like have advertised that they have one or more certified master gardeners on their staff. The Master Gardener program, Mike Maddox emphasized, is not a certification program but an organization of volunteers that are trained to assist Extension in the delivery of horticultural research and information out into the community. Those who have taken the classes and met the requirements can certainly put the certificate on their wall but they should not be using that title on their business card, etc. Just a few of the statistics shared by Erin were that the MGVs statewide contribute a value of $47.7 million dollars in volunteer hours to Extension. Also, the average number of hours worked is 55 hours per person. Statewide there are 338 community gardens overseen by MGVs with a great deal of produce donated to food pantries, etc. for use for the hungry or the homeless or for use in Extension nutritional programs. All together, there are 2844 MGV in the state. This past year, for the ECAMGA, 58 volunteers sent in hours and 47 of those recertified (i.e., they met the volunteer hour requirement and educational requirements to recertify). Overall it was an interesting overview of the history and present importance of the Master Gardener program. After the presentation door prizes were awarded and good food and camaraderie was enjoyed by all.

7 Page 7 Eau Claire Area Master Gardener February 2016 Bee Walls?? Bee Houses??? What is going on here? We know that pollinators are on the decline and there has appeared in the lexicon of nonbeekeeper types words and phrases such as hive death, pollinator garden, native pollinators, and a lot more. Of course, some of the things that we can do are to put plants in our garden that help to increase the natural food and habitat of these pollinators, particularly our native pollinators. Another way that we can help out here is to put up bee walls and bee houses for our native bees. To take a look at what this might look like go to: Oh for that Mossy look! Not everyone can have such a clear green complexion. Well, at least not every garden statute. If you are intrigued and want your garden statute to measure up in the world of moss and garden fixtures check this out at: Clivia (Clivia miniata) Quick Chili (Recipe is Carol Cox s cheater s chili) Brown one pound of hamburger With the hamburger brown 1 chopped up onion 1 green pepper cut up fairly fine Add salt and pepper to taste Add 1-2 tbsp. chili powder (to taste) 1 tsp. cayenne powder When the above is browned to satisfaction add: 1 can of mild chili beans (15 oz. size) 1-2 cans of stewed tomatoes (15 oz. size) 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed (15 oz.) Allow the mixture to simmer for min. to allow flavors to mix before serving. This is a gorgeous and excellent easy care houseplant, which also does well outdoors during our Wisconsin summers. Grow in a shaded location outdoors and in bright indirect light indoors. Avoid waterlogged soil that can lead to root rot. The plant likes to be somewhat pot bound and may take four to five years to bloom when repotted or if the plant is small but WELL WORTH the wait. The strap like leaves are also elegant. Fertilize with a dilute solution of flowering plant fertilizer after the flowers fade. This plant came to England from South Africa and was popular as an indoor plant in England and Europe during the Victorian era.

8 Page 8 Eau Claire Area Master Gardener Newsletter February 2016 I love Dreams of summer deadlines. I enchant us. Here like the are two 2015 Photo Contest entries, whooshing Late Summer sound they Evening taken by make as they Rhonda Cooke (left) fly by. and Pineapple Lily -Douglas taken by Kristine Nelson to inspire us Adams for EAU CLAIRE AREA MASTER GARDENER NEWSLETTER A newsletter for the Eau Claire Area Master Gardener Association members. Unless otherwise noted, articles for this newsletter are submitted and/or written by ECAMGA members or the newsletter editor, Carol W. Cox. Unless otherwise noted, graphics are from clipart. Newsletter layout by Carol W. Cox For more Eau Claire County UW Cooperative Extension information go to our website: Phone: Fax: M-F 8AM-5PM The University of Wisconsin Extension provides affirmative action and equal opportunity in education, programming and employment for all qualified persons regardless of race, color, gender/sex, creed, disability, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or parental, arrest or conviction record or veteran status. If you need an interpreter, materials in alternate formats or other accommodations to access this program, activity or service, please contact Erin LaFaive at as soon as possible preceding the scheduled event so that proper arrangements can be made in a timely fashion Eau Claire County Extension Office 227 First Street West Altoona, WI 54720