Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes

Transcription

1 Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes September 2016 MG Steering Committee Meeting Wednesday, September 14, 7:00 pm; Johnson County Extension Office. All are invited to attend! Thymes Deadline Thymes information should be sent to Jan Denehy at Please send news, volunteer opportunities, stories, pictures, etc., for the October issue by Monday, September 26. Taste of Plum Grove Heritage Gardens Thank you to everyone who made the 21 st Taste of the Heritage Garden at Plum Grove a huge success. Parking attendants, ticket takers, menu makers, cooks and servers, flower arrangers, cookbook makers, garden workers, set-up and clean-up crews all did an outstanding job! As always, the weather was a huge concern. Just before the Solon Boy Scout Troop #120 set up tables and chairs the night before our event, it rained. The next morning as we were putting tablecloths on the tables it was thundering. All day it looked stormy but by the time things got started the weather had calmed. It was warm and humid but a soft breeze was blowing which helped cool things off. The Post Office Brass Band from the Senior Center provided a festive air with their music. People enjoyed the food and door prizes. The gardens looked beautiful. Many people visited the house for the first time. We had visitors from Cedar Rapids and Des Moines. There were about 200 people counting Master Gardeners. It all made for a very pleasant evening in the gardens. Thank you to everyone involved! Joanne Leach Creating Flower Arrangements Enjoying Heirloom Recipes Serving at the Dessert Table 1

2 Master Gardener Signs The new MG signs have arrived. Contact Lavon Yeggy at if you need a sign for your site or project. Attended Displays The Attended Displays have been updated with the addition of a new display board. The new display board includes a carrying case, which protects the board while transporting it and in storage. The carrying case also helps to free up hands for the rest of the materials when preparing to set up for events. Information on the board is laminated and attached with Velcro, which will allow for easy updates in the future. The new display board has already been out and about at the Taste of Plum Grove, Johnson County Fair and Plum Grove Tomato Tasting. Upcoming events include Kid s Day at the Iowa City Farmer s Market on September 17 and the University of Iowa Wellness Fair in November. With roughly ten events March through November, the new display board makes set up time for each event quicker as well as packing up at the end of each event. Sharon Rude, Chair New Attended Display Board Attended Display at Plum Grove Attended Display at the Johnson County Fair Sharon Rudd, Cindy Pickett, and Gwen Elling Butterfly House We had another successful year at the fair. There were 46 Master Gardeners covering four 10-hour days, doing a Fantastic job. We counted over 6,300 visitors coming thru the butterfly house to see the Monarchs, 5 species of Swallowtails, Fritillary, Morning Cloak, Zebra Longwing, Red Admiral, Malachite, and the White Peacock butterflies. On Tuesday, Kathleen Ziemer, Butterfliz of Iowa, brought a couple of tropical Blue Morpho butterflies which emerged from their chrysalis on Wednesday night and were released in the butterfly house on Thursday for guests to see. If you didn t get a chance to see them, Lucy Hershberger of Forever Green Nursery, has them on display at the butterfly house in North Liberty. We had educational Iowa State Extension brochures on butterfly gardening, host and nectar plant selections, on-hand displays, milkweed with monarch caterpillars, and chrysalis outside the house for visitors to see while they waited. The popular Butterfly Photo Stand was a big hit with young and old alike (we added a sign; Please Step Up and take a Butterfly Selfie Smile!. The Iowa City Press-Citizen took photos on Kids Day which can be viewed on their gallery, the Cedar Rapids Gazette published an article on July 25 th, and pictures are being posted daily on our Facebook page Johnson County Master Gardeners This exhibit gives the community a chance to experience butterflies, learn about their life cycle, and how they can protect their habitat. Only with the efforts of Master Gardener s and partners; Lucy Hershberger, Forever Green, Brenda Christner, Johnson County Fair board, is the Butterfly House possible. Thank You to all that helped this year. To those of you that couldn t join us this year, you will get another chance. We will send out a call for help in late May or early June 2017 for help. The fair is always the last week of July; most likely, July 24-27, Chairs: Carolyn Murphy, Barb Krug, Mike Murphy 2

3 Butterfly House Volunteer Training Fair Grounds Beatification Recently Master Gardeners did a great job weeding and planting flowers and other plants around the fair grounds and extension offices before the fair. They also helped plant annuals around the Butterfly House. When the Johnson County Fair was done, our Master Gardener volunteers weren t done! They planted the annuals from the Butterfly House around the hill by the horse arena as Lucy Hershberger from Forever Green Nursery didn t want to take them back to the nursery. We would like to thank Lucy for making the Butterfly House a part of the fair. It is a very special event that we are proud to be part of. On September 24 the "World Cup Cylocross Race" will be held at the fairgrounds. This is an event that will be well attended. We hope the flowers will be blooming at that time. This is yet another event that highlights the contributions Master Gardeners make in our community. Stella Clark Butterfly Photo Stand MGs planting flowers on Fairgrounds Butterfly House Planting on hillside was challenging task! Monarch and Swallowtail Release 2016 Upper Midwest Regional Master Gardener Conference: September 14-17, 2016 at the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Cost for the entire session is $220; full guest registration is $160. Registration for Friday and Saturday only is $175 and guest is $105. Educational tours are scheduled on Thursday September 15 th at $75 per tour. 3

4 There is no time like the present to start thinking about what you would like to do in your garden this fall and what you would like to try next year. Attending a gardening conference is a terrific way to get new gardening ideas, exchange information with fellow gardeners, travel to a new destination and complete your continued education hours quickly. There are two upcoming events in Wisconsin in September that promise to be very helpful for coming up with new solutions and creative ways to improve your garden. This year s theme is Helping Nature Thrive and features area garden tours, educational sessions, expert speakers and the Wisconsin Master Gardening Association annual meeting For the tours, space is limited and sign up early. Educational tours are: Crimson and Gold, Urban Finds and Hidden Gems. The Crimson and Gold tour includes visiting a cranberry marsh, attending the cranberry museum and seeing the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Urban Finds tour will visit the Olbrich Botanic Gardens and the University of Madison Arboretum. The Hidden Gems tours will go to the Ross private garden, Aquaponics Innovation center and conclude at the Hancock University of Wisconsin Agriculture Research Station. If you would like to register for the conference, use the link list n/ and your contact person is Becky Gutzman. The registration password is WIMGA.There is some lodging available at the resort for master gardeners at the discounted rate of $82.00 per night for a single room and $92.00 per night for a double. When making your reservation call, and use the booking number D The second conference occurring in September in Wisconsin is the 2016 Native by Design: Gardening for a Sustainable Future conference. This conference is held every September at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum in Madison, Wisconsin. It is a one-day conference that seeks to promote sustainable gardening practices and the use of native plants in home gardens. The conference includes: workshops, keynote speaker, tour of the Wisconsin Native Plant Garden and resource packet. Presentations focus on garden design, native meadow, gravel gardens, rain gardens, garden planting, maintenance, soil health, trees, shrubs, and butterfly gardens. Cost is $65.00 per person and registration can be completed on-line at The conference is from 8:45 to 4:30 and the keynote speaker is Heather Holm, author of Pollinators of Native Plants. These conferences promise to be a great way to connect with other gardens and address some of your gardening dilemmas. Take the short drive or make a weekend themed garden get away during the upcoming football season. Hopefully, someone will be able to provide a full report about these conferences and future conferences. Nichole Pearson Tomato Taste The fourth annual Plum Grove Master Gardener Tomato Taste was a success with great weather and many interested attendees. The guest seemed to be engaged in our talks and enjoyed the taste plus the 4 recipes we made and served. The Straw Bale Gardening demonstration presented by Joanne and Loren Leach was something unique that drew questions from our guests. The talk by Betty Kelly on saving tomato seeds was very informative. The following day, Shannon received a call from one of our guests complimenting the MG on this event! MGs and Guests prepping tomatoes Guests judging tomato taste Carolyn Murphy introducing Betty Kelly 4

5 Iowa City Stormwater Contact Jason Havel Coralville Contact Amy Foster Johnson County does not have a match program, but I am working on Kate Giannini to get one. It s harder because many residents have large acreages so it could potentially be very costly. Joanne and Loren Leach give demonstration on hay bale gardening johnson county Johnson County itself does not offer assistance BUT Johnson County soil and conservations does! North Liberty Contributed by Sandra Steil, steilmms@gmail.com The Space Between We all remember learning in Turf Management class how compost can be good for your yard, right! Well, I remember anyways. For those of you who don t remember, let me refresh your memory. If you want to increase the health of your turf grass but don t want to use chemicals, there is an alternative treatment. In the fall of the year, right before the ground freezes, it is advisable to have your lawn aerated (you remember that part right?) However, the second step is to have compost either spread or blown over the lawn after aeration. In the storm water engineering world, this is known as Best Management Practice (BMP). This extra step in the fall helps to amend your soil. Many people live in suburban areas that have compacted fill or clay type soils covered with a layer of turf. However, what your lawn is probably lacking is that good healthy A horizon, otherwise known as topsoil. Incorporating compost into your lawn in the fall helps to heal and promote the healthy development of your topsoil. In the spring, you will have green, luscious grass your neighbors will envy, and you will have not needed to use fertilizers on your lawn. This BMP process has a second added benefit you probably were not aware of either. When you amend your topsoil layer, you also increase the porosity, the open space between the particles of soil. When you increase porosity, you also increase the amount of storm water your lawn can hold. Think of your lawn as a big sponge; the less compacted it is, the more water it can hold. This prevents storm water runoff to local streams and waterways. There are various companies in the local area that will help with this process. A note of caution though, you will want to be sure to do this at a time of year when the temperature outside will not reach 70º or higher. The reason is the dark compost on the green lawn under a warm sun can cause turf burn. Also, check with your local municipality to see if they have a cost sharing initiatives that will cover up to 50% of the cost of aeration and compost treating. Effect of Aeration and Compose Application (Right) September Birthdays 1 Cindy Pickett 4 Dorothy Fowles 5 Gwen Elling 7 Amy Blessing 7 Doug Parsons 8 Marilou Gay 8 Sue Kloos 8 Toni Zenishek 9 Sherlyn Flesher 10 Marty Annis 10 Sally Dierks 15 Rose Ann Sippy 20 Tracy Hufford 20 Jeff Hughes 20 Jane Zukin 21 Esther Retish 22 Holly Hotchkiss 28 Cindy Parsons 5

6 MG Demo Gardens at Johnson County Fair A listing of programs offered by organizations in our area that may be of interest to MGs. September 2016 Articles needed for the Thymes Newsletter I would like to encourage MGs to submit short feature articles ( words) of interest for the newsletter. These articles can be seasonal, something of special interest to you or a topic of interest to MGs. You might want to write an article related to a MG project you worked on or a topic you would like to learn more about. If possible, include a photo or two (jpg with at least 100 dpi) related to your article. The newsletter is published 10 times a year (there are no issues in January and August) and is distributed via or USPS for those who prefer a hard copy. Each issue is about 7-8 pages in length and includes a variety of regular features such as announcements of upcoming MG events and meetings, special events of interest to MGs, a monthly birthday list, and a list of committee members and volunteer opportunities. If you are interested, please let me know. If you have an idea for an article or need help in putting an article together, contact me and we can discuss the topic and format. You will receive MG core volunteer hours for your work on the Thymes. Deadlines are listed in the Thymes. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you on the Thymes. Jan Denehy, Thymes Editor, Janice-denehy@uiowa.edu Backyard Abundance Wednesday, September 7, :30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Gardening With Spirit. Connect with the spiritual side of nature through playful monthly gatherings that enhance public and private landscapes. This month s gathering is at the woodland of Jerry and Becky Ross. There will be a woodland walk followed by a gathering for stories around a fire pit. Registration, directions and fee information at Thursday, September 8, :30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Green Drinks, a place to meet and exchange ideas with other green-minded folks in a cozy environment. Held the second Thursday of every month. Share Wine & Small Plate Bistro, 210 S. Dubuque St, Iowa City. Saturday, September 10, a.m. to 11 p.m. Make a Fairy House and Garden. Come help us construct and plant a magical fairy garden at Robert A. Lee s new edible classroom and make a small fairy house of your own. Kids will learn about magical fairy-size edible plants. Fee for class is $12 ($17 for non-resident. Register at Parks and Recreation website. Robert A. Lee Recreation Center. Sunday, September 11, p.m. to 5:30 p.m. 9/11 Day of Service for Monarchs at Wetherby Park Edible Forest. Join others in remembering 9/11 by helping prepare the Edible Forest for a large Monarch butterfly garden. Free comfrey rootlets to all participants. Refreshments served. For more information contact herbyedibleforest.aspx. Tuesday, September 13, :30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Suzan Erem Presentation at the Iowa City Public Library, Room A. Why Local Food Will Fade and How We Can Save it. Suzan is president of the Sustainable Iowa Land Trust. This event is held in conjunction with Eat, Drink Local Week (September 11 to 18) sponsored by Field to Family. More Information at Thursday, September 15, :30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Culinary Walk in downtown Iowa City. The Culinary Walk is an annual delicious fundraiser for Field to Family featuring downtown Iowa City restaurants. Walk with friends and sample culinary 6

7 treats from local restaurants featuring ingredients from local farmers. Get tickets at Saturday, September 17, a.m. to 12 p.m. Edible Classroom Ribbon Cutting and Potato Dig at Robert A. Lee Community Recreation Center. Celebrate the fall equinox by enjoying the bounty from the Edible Classroom. At 10 a.m., a ribbon cutting ceremony will be held followed by digging potatoes, tasting cucumbers and tomatoes, visiting farm animals, and sowing butterfly milkweed seeds that will grow in spring. Saturday, September 24, :30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Backyard Forest Conference at Wickiup Hill Learning Center, Morris Hills Rd., Toddville, IA. Enjoy a day full of exciting workshops and learn how to manage your forest while increasing native pollinator habitat, removing invasive plants, reducing erosion and more. More information at Blue Zones Bur Oak Land Trust (formerly Johnson County Heritage Trust) info@buroaklandtrust.org Friday, September 9, p.m. to 9 p.m. Share the Profit Night at Sushi Popo 725 Mormon Trek Blvd, Iowa City. Support Bur Oak Land Trust by experiencing quality Japanese, Koreon, and Chinese cuisine. A portion of Sushi Popo s profits for the night will be donated to Bur Oak Land Trust. Coralville Lake Nothing scheduled at press time Eastern Iowa Bird Watchers/IC Birds Sunday, September 11, a.m. to 4 p.m. Annual Pelican Festival at Hawkeye Wildlife Area, 2564 Amana Rd NW, Swisher, IA. Programs featuring American White Pelican, fish of Coralville Reservoir, ornate Box Turtle, and Osprey. Fun activities for kids. Spotting scopes provided by Iowa DNR. Food vendor Scout Troop 211. For information call x6300. ECO Iowa City Check website for events. ers?sk=wall Saturday, September 17, :30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. until complete. Iowa River Clean-up. Volunteers in canoes and on riverbanks help haul trash out of a 9.5-mile section of the Iowa River from Iowa City to Hills. Volunteers with canoes will meet at Hills Access Park. Loaner canoes are available. Volunteers working on land will meet at Hills Access Park at 1 p.m. Contact City of Iowa City Volunteer Coordinator carol-sweeting@iowacity.org or call for information on volunteering. Johnson County Conservation salgreen@co.johnson.ia.us Nothing scheduled at press time Johnson County-ISU Extension Wednesday, September 14, :00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Master Gardener Steering Committee Meeting. Johnson County Extension & Outreach Old Highway 218 S. Shannon Bielicke, Linn County-ISU Extension Thursday, September 1, :30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Webinars With Popcorn and Pop Tree Problems. Become familiar with some common symptoms of tree problems and learn what to keep an eye out for. Linn County Extension, 383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201, Cedar Rapids, IA. Shelly O Neal, , soneal@iastate.edu. Thursday, September 8, :30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Webinars With Popcorn and Pop What s the Buzz About. Learn about insects native to Iowa and what to do to increase the enjoyment of these six-legged garden visitors. Linn County Extension, 383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201, Cedar Rapids, IA. Shelly O Neal, , soneal@iastate.edu. Tuesday, September 20, :30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Family Gardening for Food and Fun!: Putting the Garden to Bed. The Linn County Master Gardeners would like to invite you to an evening of informal/interactive discussions of pertinent topics followed by a snack and beverage. Lowe Park Greenhouse, 4500 N 10 th St, Marion, IA. Shelly O Neal, , soneal@iastate.edu. Iowa State Extension Nothing scheduled at press time Iowa Water New Pioneer Coop Check the website for events and activities. Project Green 7

8 and Seed Savers Check the website for events and activities. Trees Forever Saturday, September 17, p.m. to 4 p.m. Indian Creek Nature Center s Grand Opening Partner Fair, Cedar Rapids, IA. Nature lovers are invited to visit Trees Forever s booth in the auditorium and check out Indian Creek Nature Center s new building. Tuesday, September 20 and 27, p.m. to 9 p.m. Fruit TreeKeepers. Join Trees Forever s two classes to learn about planting and maintenance of fruit and nut trees. The September 20 class is at Noelridge Park Greenhouse, 4900 Council St NE, Cedar Rapids. The September 27 class is at Lowe Park Arts and Entertainment Center(Hickory Room), 4500 N 10 th St, Marion. Contact Grannies Tuesday, September 27, :30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Regularly scheduled meeting on the 4 th Tuesday of the month at Trinity Episcopal Church, 320 College Street, Iowa City. Dinner at El Banditos following the meeting. All welcome! Oaknoll-MG Volunteer Matching Program MG volunteers are matched with Oaknoll residents to assist with planting and maintaining their small garden spaces at Oaknoll. Please contact Marilou Gay at or rmlgay@aol.com or Vicki Siefers or vsiefers@mchsi.com if you have any questions or would like to volunteer. Solon School Gardens Solon School Gardens can use your help! We are in need of MG's that would like to work on this Core project on their own time schedule, Work in these gardens is primarily pruning, weeding and moving plants. There are periodic group work events. Please contact Tracy Hufford at or tracehuff@aol.com Speakers Bureau Master Gardeners, are you interested in earning hours being a speaker? If so, please contact Sharon Jeter, or leave your name, number, and topics of interest and Sharon will contact you. Also, if you give presentations for the Speakers Bureau please contact Sharon to inform her of your work. She records the information for her annual report. Contact Jackie Wellborn, , jackiewe@mchsi.com If you are interested in learning more about or helping with a project listed below, contact one of the chairperson(s) listed for that project. Thank you! Attended Displays: Sharon Rude, ; momrude@gmail.com Butterfly House at Fairgrounds Carolyn Murphy ; carolyn-murphy@uiowa.edu, Barb Krug, ; kbjfarm@yahoo.com; Mike Murphy, Coralville Historical School House: Cindy Parsons, ; cparsons@icialaw.com Ecumenical Towers: Jane Zukin, ; Janezukin@aol.com Demo Garden: Sherlyn Flesher, ; khyber71@aol.com; Miechelle Weber, , miechelle.weber@gmail.com 8

9 Downtown City Gardens (Newly-approved core) Linda Schreiber, , Fair Grounds Beautification: Rain Garden: Lavon Yeggy, , Mardi Rasmussen, , Fair Grounds Flower Beds: Joan Dinnel, , Barb Krug, , Firefighters Memorial: Barb Schintler, , Fundraising/Flea Market: Barb Krug, , Hortline: Esther Retish, , Joy TenEick, ; Hospice Garden at Willow Creek Park: Melanie Haupert, , Speakers Bureau: Jackie Wellborn, , Social Events: Steering Committee, Beth Fischer, , Lavon Yeggy, , Solon High School: Tracy Hufford, , Steering Committee Chair: Lavon Yeggy, ; Sharon Jeter, , Barb Krug, ; Thymes: Jan Denehy, , Treasurer: Loren Leach, , Volunteer Hours/Secretary: Shannon Bielicke, , Intern Class/Training: Nicole Pearson, (507) , Johnson County Fair / 4-H Buckets of Flowers, Scarecrow: Marilou Gay, , rmlgay@aol.com Lavon Yeggy, , lavon47@lcom.net Mark Twain People s Garden (Non-core): Julie Hegmann, , Julie@hegmann.net Oaknoll Garden Project (Newly-approved core): Marilou Gay, , rmlgay@aol.com Plum Grove: Betty Kelly, , blkiowa@gmail.com; Joanne Leach, , Jleach@Jlgardens.net; Lavon Yeggy, , lavon47@lcom.net; Carolyn Murphy, , candmmurphy@aol.com Raptor Center Gardens: Alice Linhart, , mikeandalice@southslope.net; Karole Fuller, , jnkfuller@live.com The Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes is published monthly, except January and August. It is distributed under the auspices of Iowa State University. Mail can be sent to: Johnson County Extension Service Attn: Master Gardener Newsletter 4265 Oak Crest Hill Road SE Iowa City, IA Send to: janice-denehy@uiowa.edu 9