Johnson County Master Gardener THYMES December 2018/January 2019 MG Steering Committee Meeting There is no Steering Committee meeting in December. Next meeting is Wednesday, January 9, 7:00 P.M.; Johnson County Extension Office. All MGs are invited to attend! Thymes Deadline Woolly Bear Caterpillars Predict Winter?? By Doug Geraets T he woolly bear caterpillar also called woolly worm and fuzzy worm seemed overly abundant around my yard & garden this year. There is a folk legend that the more rusty brown sections relative to black the milder the coming winter. Information/articles for the Thymes should be sent to Chris Sedrel at oscarsgram@aol.com or Doug Geraets at dougrph@aol.com. Please send news, volunteer opportunities, stories, pictures, etc., for the February issue by Friday, January 25. 2019 Garden Calendar The 2018 Garden Calendar Gardens Through the Seasons is available now at the Johnson County Extension office. The price is only $6 for JCMGs and they make a great holiday gift for gardeners! In addition, the JCMGs benefit from profits generated from calendar sales!! I have completed a completely unscientific observational study of the caterpillar (n=6) this fall (see enclosed pictures of my study population) and from this I have concluded that the majority of the caterpillars have an abundance of rusty brown compared to black. Therefore, according to legend, we should be seeing a milder winter! Of course if it
turns out to be otherwise don t blame me blame that darn caterpillar! Winter Garden Forums By Linda Schreiber P roject GREEN and the ICPL will present 2019 Second Sunday Winter Garden Forums beginning Sunday, Jan. 13 from 2 4 P.M., at the ICPL, 123 S. Linn Street. The forums are free and open to the public and refreshments will be served. Lee Buttala, president and executive director of the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, will launch the 2019 series with his presentation: Saving Seeds from Backyard Garden to the Svalbard Seed Vault. He will take us from our own backyards to an underground seed bank drilled into a mountain 800 miles from the North Pole. With knowledge of the practice of saving seeds to proper storage techniques, he will explain how, by working together in our own backyards and through seed swaps and exchanges, and as part of an international coalition working to store seeds collectively in Svalbard, we can all preserve the varieties we love and cherish. Lee has worked in public horticulture as director of marketing communications for the Berkshire Botanical Garden and as a preservationist for the Garden Conservancy. Previously, he was a television producer for Martha Stewart Living and PBS s Cultivating Life and co-editor of the award-winning book The Seed Garden: The Art and Practice of Seed Saving. Lee also serves as the vice chair of the Historic Landscapes Section of the American Public Garden Association and member of the Hollister House Garden board of directors. Attendance at the forum provides Iowa State University Extension Master Gardeners education CEUs. Second Sunday Garden Forums are televised on the Iowa City Public Library Cable TV channel. Archived Garden Forums are also available on the ICPL.org website and also qualify for education credits. Outreach Event: UI Health Fair by Carolyn Murphy T he UI Health Fair was November 7, from 7:30 4:00. Shortly after 7 A.M. people began arriving ready to check out our booth. We staffed two tables filled with information and real flowers. The bright red table cloth, the tall banner, and colorful and fragrant flowers always draws a crowd (~800 this year). Or it could have been the Bit-O-Honey candy? Carolyn, Mike, and Angela setting up display Keeping with this year s theme Restore and Rejuvenate, Sharon Rude created a display board (see picture) on Restore, Rejuvenate, and Therapeutic Gardening. She gave the meaning of each word and gardening examples. Great job Sharon. Perhaps we can get Sharon to share this display at the Winter Potluck or Education Day? 2
Sharon Rude theme display on Restore and Rejuvenate therapeutic gardening Can you name five pollinators that begin with the letter B? Do you know that, Pollinators help bring one in every three bits of food that you eat to your plate? These are a few of the signs displayed on the Restore Pollinator Habitats for Food Security table created by the Murphys. The display featured bees and butterflies with a food for thought quote from Laurie Adams, Pollinator Partnership; Our Future Flies on the Wings of Pollinators. The display included information on protecting bees and butterflies, habitats, gardening for pollinators, and an outstanding pamphlet, Your Health Depends on Pollinators, https://pollinator.org/shop/pamphlets. Chris Sedrel & Megan Garrels at attended display Lavon Yeggy & Megan Garrels answering questions from health fair visitor Mike Murphy & Sharon Jeter staffing the attended display We also featured a map with the monarch migration pattern and highlighted how important it is to plant milkweed in Iowa. We gave out the last 200 milkweed seed packets. Now we can focus on the milkweed seed pods you have so generously given us. Thank you everyone. I want to thank Beth Gehring, Chris Sedrel, Angela Murphy, Lavon Yeggy, Doug Geraets, Megan Garrels, Sharon Jeter, Sharon Rude, and Mike Murphy for helping with the 2018 UI Health Fair! Thank you Chris for the old shoe with succulent s as an example for reusing/repurposing. 3
The 2019 UI Health Fair will be held on Wednesday, November 6. The Wellness committee is tentatively planning for a Healthy Hawkeye Tailgate theme. Save the Date: Sunday, Feb. 17 Winter Potluck/Seed Share 3.0 J ohnson County Master Gardeners will host our annual Winter Potluck Sunday, Feb. 17 at the ISU Extension Office and award Master Gardener certificates to interns who have completed their hours. 4 4:30 P.M. Set-up 4:30 5:30 P.M. Social 5:30 P.M. Meal followed by program Master Gardener interns and volunteers will also be able to select Seed Share 3.0 garden seeds for the coming growing season. Volunteers will be encouraged to plant a row in your personal garden with your free seeds to help those in need. Think about it. Your efforts could help others who need support at a critical time. JCMG will provide information about how and where you can take your row produce to share before the growing season begins. This past year (2018), 71 JCMGs were involved in our Growing Together/Plant a Row project and recorded more than 713 volunteer hours. For their efforts, JCMGs donated 2,500 pounds of produce to area pantries that was a 64 percent increase in donated produce and a 70 percent increase in volunteer time. (In 2017, 55 JCMGs donated more than 500 volunteer hours and more than 1,600 pounds of produce to area pantries.) Thank YOU, thank YOU, thank YOU! We look forward to seeing you Sunday, Feb. 17, enjoy some great food, meet other Master Gardeners and plan how to share your garden knowledge with others. And thank you in advance for your JCMG volunteer service to support others. MG Hortline The Master Gardener Hortline is in need of additional volunteers! Current Hortline hours November through March are Thursdays, 9:00-11:00 A.M. Anyone from the general public can call, email or stop by with questions. It is not necessary for volunteers to provide an immediate answer; you can call them back. If interested or needing hours in 2018 contact Esther Retish at eretish@mchsi.com or Joy TenEick at jteneick@gmail.com. MYSTERY Plant Contest & Education Contest Rules: 1. The 1st person to correctly identify the plant land provide its scientific name, wins $10 prize credit at our Johnson County Extension. You can choose from variety of booklets. 2. Anyone wanting education credit, can earn one hour by researching accepted resources (i.e. ISU Web site), writing 1-2 paragraphs, & citing sources used. Send to: dougrph@aol.com (note change) 4
November Thymes Mystery Plant By Lavon Yeggy W ow, we master gardeners do know our weeds! More than a dozen JCMGs quickly identified the not-so-mysterious Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida), a native annual. Chris Sedrel, was the winner for November and can select a prize from Johnson County Extension. Ragweed, including Giant and Common, can grow 3-12' tall and a single plant can produce up to one billion pollen grains over the season. No wonder we sneeze! Fellow horse lovers, I discovered this is also known as horseweed, as horses love the blooms/seeds! And for those who resort to herbicides like a post emergent 2,4-D product, there are cautions for overuse, both for killing other plants and ragweed resistance to herbicides. Resources: https://plants.usda.gov isuweeds.online extension.agronomy.iastate.edu MG Birthdays December 2018 1... Lavon Yeggy 3... Loren Leach 11... Emil Rinderspacher 12... Barbara Robinson 17... Joann Verts 18... Sandy Steil 19... Chris Sedrel 24... Alice Linhart 27... Margaret Hibbs 27... Sharon Rude 28... Melanie Haupert 31... Louise Murray 31... Doug Geraets January 2019 1... Joan Dinnel 4... Fred Meyer 5... Jim Ridenour 7... Kris Jones 9... Lois Dusdieker 18... Karen Martinek 21... Maggie Elliott 22... Darlene Clausen 23... Michael Farran 25... Stella Clark 30... Beth Fisher 30... Katherine Kelly Giant Ragweed 5
Committee MG Committee Chairs Φ Core Project? Work Schedule Chair/Contact Information Attended Displays þ On request Sharon Rude momrude@gmail.com 319-331-3042 Butterfly House at Fairgrounds þ Third or fourth week of July for 4.5 days; contact Carolyn Murphy for other work days Coralville Historical School House þ Saturday A.M. once monthly; contact Cindy Parsons for specifics Carolyn Murphy; Mike Murphy candmmuphy@aol.com 319-541-7079 (Carolyn) 319-351-6345 (Mike) Cindy Parsons cparsons@icialaw.com 319-400-7179 Ecumenical Towers þ Jane Zukin janezukin@aol.com 319-339-9127 Demo Garden þ Tuesday P.M. during the growing season (starting mid-april) Downtown City Gardens þ Usually Sunday 9:20-11:30 A.M. but also flexible Sharon Jeter 319-631-2148 sharonjeter@gmail.com Linda Schreiber lnschreiber@gmail.com 319-936-8600 Fair Grounds Beautification; Rain Garden þ Tuesday starting at 6 P.M. and flexible schedule Lavon Yeggy lavon.yeggy@outlook.com 319-330-0952, Marge Jensen mjensen59.mj@gmail.com 319-330-2926 Fair Grounds Flower Beds þ Flexible April-October (during growing season); contact Joan for specifics Firefighters Memorial þ One planting date in early May watch Thymes for specifics Joan Dinnel jdinel@aol.com 319-338-2434 Barb Krug bkmg2004@yahoo.com 319-857-4569 Barb Schintler barbjschintler@hotmail.com 319-351- 5174 Fundraising/Plant Sale & Flea Market þ Occurs mid-may; several planning meetings with duties assigned Janice Hining janni.h@att.net 319-351- 6304 6
MG Committee Chairs Φ Committee Core Project? Work Schedule Chair/Contact Information Hortline þ Spring season: 9-11 A.M. Monday & Friday; 1-3 P.M. Wednesday Fall season: Esther Retish eretish@mchsi.com 319-351-5011 Joy TenEick jteneick@gmail.com 319-626-2080 Hospice Garden at Willow Creek Park þ April-October: Thursdays 9 A.M. Melanie Haupert melaniehaupert@gmail.com 319-351-1149 Intern Class/Training þ September-November: Tuesday & Thursday P.M. Nicole Pearson nicole-pearson@uiowa.edu 507-251- 0902 Johnson County Fair/4-H Buckets of Flowers, Scarecrow þ Lavon Yeggy lavon.yeggy@outlook.com 319-330-0952 Oaknoll Garden Project þ Flexible hours: MG paired with resident Plum Grove þ Mid-April-October: Saturdays 9 A.M. to 12 Noon Raptor Center Gardens þ May planting session; April cleanup session; contact Alice Marilou Gay rmlgay@aol.com 319-466- 3047 Vicki Siefers vicki.siefers@gmail.com 319-331-1798 Betty Kelly 319-351-4903, Joanne Leach Jleach@Jlgardens.net 319-351-4722 Lavon Yeggy lavon.yeggy@outlook.com 319-330-0952 Carolyn Murphy candmmurphy@aol.com 319-541-7079 Alice Linhart mikeandalice@southslope.net 319-621- 8073 Speakers Bureau þ On request Jackie Wellborn jackiewe@mchsi.com 319-512-8382 7
MG Committee Chairs Φ Committee Core Project? Work Schedule Chair/Contact Information Social Events Fall potluck in September; Winter potluck in March; dates to be announced Beth Fischer scrabblegirl2@gmail.com 319-321-8378 Lavon Yeggy lavon.yeggy@outlook.com 319-330-0952 Solon High School þ This core project discontinued for MGs; continue to report 2018 volunteer hours Steering Committee Chairs Monthly on 2 nd Wednesday 7 P.M. (except July & December) Thymes Newsletter þ Articles encouraged; contact Doug or Chris if you want more involvement Tracy Hufford TraceHuff@aol.com 319-624-3342 Lavon Yeggy lavon.yeggy@outlook.com 319-330- 0952 Sharon Jeter sharonjeter@gmail.com 319-631-2148 Chris Sedrel, contact oscarsgram@aol.com 319-330-8416 Doug Geraets dougrph@aol.com 319-541-6324 Treasurer Not applicable Jean Holzhammer ichawks.jh@gmail.com 319-325-6530 Volunteer Hours/Secretary Not applicable Shannon Bielicke bielicke@iastate.edu 319-337-2145 Φ If you are interested in learning more about or helping with a project listed above, contact one of the chairperson(s) listed for that project. Thank you! 8
MG Upcoming Events/Volunteer Opportunities December 2018/January 2019 Bur Oak Land Trust info@buroaklandtrust.org Tuesday, December 11, 2018 5 P.M. to 9 P.M. Share the Profit Night with Vesta. Bur Oak Land Trust is once again partnering with Vesta, 849 Quarry Rd. #100, Coralville. Enjoy a relaxing night of delicious dining. Support the local economy and conservation at the same time. A portion of the evening s proceeds will be donated to the Bur Oak Land Trust. If you wish to make reservations, please call Vesta at (319) 338-3782. Thursday, December 13, 2018 7:00 P.M. to 8:30 P.M. The Art of Conservation: A Visit With Ding Darling, at the intersection of conservation, art, and journalism. This is a free hour-long show in the Meeting Room (lower level), Coralville Public Library, 1401 5 th St., Coralville. The show is put on by Tom Milligan and features Jay N. Ding Darling, considered by many to be one of the most influential members of the the modern conservation movement in the first half of the 20 th century. Beginning with his early years in Souix City, where he became aware of the natural world around him, followed by his work as a Pulitzer Price-winning editorial cartoonist at the Des Moines Register, he reflects upon his remarkable life journey. This program is part of the Democracy and the Informed Citizen Initiative, administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils. Linn County-ISU Extension http://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/showlist.asp?county=linn&countiesscope Thursday, December 6, 2018 6:30 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. Holiday Arrangements. In this hands-on workshop, you will be able to create your own beautiful holiday arrangement from an assortment of evergreens and dried flowers. Class size is limited to 20. Sponsored by Linn County Master Gardeners and will meet at Lowe Park Greenhouse, 4500 N. 10 th St, Marion. $20 fee. Information at jorah@iastate.edu or Johanna Rahbusch, 319-377-9839. Project Green http://www.projectgreen.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/www.projectgreen.org Sunday, January 13, 2019 2 P.M. to 4 P.M., Second Sunday Garden Forum, ICPL. Programs have not been finalized, but one of the programs will feature Seed Savers from Decorah. Mark your calendars for Feb 10, 2019 and March 10, 2019 as well. Project Green and the ICPL have joined together to put on this program for 25 years. 9
100_Grannies http://100grannies.org/ Tuesday, December 4, 2018 5:30 P.M. to 8 P.M. Stone Soup Supper at Trinity Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 320 E College St, Iowa City. Monday, December 17, 2018 4 P.M. to 5 P.M. Good Neighbor Committee Meeting, ICPL, Room E. This new committee meets the third Monday of the month. Please join our group or just come check us out. Prior sign-up not necessary. We re working on this campaign goodneighborsiowa.org/ and partnering with Backyard Abundance, New Pioneer Coop and AmeriCorps. Contact Linda Quinn at 319-330-3328. No December Meeting Saturday, January 19, 2019 10:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. Eco Book Discussion on the classic environmental book. ICPL, Iowa City. Contact Megan with Green Iowa Americorp, 319-339-5399. Backyard Abundance http://backyardabundance.org/ Nothing at press time Blue Zones www.bluezones.com https://iowa.bluezonesproject.com/activities Eastern Iowa Bird Watchers/IC Birds http://icbirds.org/newsletter.html Nothing scheduled at press time ECO_Iowa City http://www.icgov.org/?id=2256 Check website for events. Iowa State Extension http://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ Nothing scheduled at press time Johnson County Conservation http://www.johnson-county.com/conservation mailto: salgreen@co.johnson.ia.us Nothing scheduled at press time Additional Resources/Event Opportunities New Pioneer Coop http://www.newpi.coop/new-pi-classes-and-community/2015-02/ Check the website for events and activities. Seed Savers http://www.seedsavers.org/education/ Nothing at press time 10
Iowa Water https://www.facebook.com/iowa.city.stormwater.volunteers?sk=wall Nothing at press time Trees Forever http://www.treesforever.org/events Nothing at press time 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 3109 Old Highway 218 S. Iowa City, IA 52246 Iowa State University Extension and Outreach does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or status as a U.S. veteran. Direct inquiries to the Diversity Officer, 515-294-1482, extdiversity@iastate.edu. Send email to: bielicke@iastate.edu 11