Spring is Finally Here!

April 2014 Spring is Finally Here! Blooms Are Replacing the Relentless Cold of this Past Winter Signs of spring are everywhere. Whether it be the massed, naturalized daffodil blooms at the McFarlands, the lovely tulips at Kiroli Park, or the show of color from somebody s home landscape, the joyful color of spring has turned the Winter of our Discontent into a mere memory. Below are photos taken at the McFarlands and Kiroli Park. Inside the Gardener s Scoop Blooms of Spring...1 Meeting Minutes... 2-4 Junior MG Program... 5 Cheap Seed Starting...6 Surviving Winter... 7 Grandmother s Front Porch. 8 Schedule of Activities... 9 From the President... 10 Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 1

NELA Master Gardener Association Meeting Minutes for March 11, 2014 The Association meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. Debbie Beauvais introduced tonight s guest speaker, Kelby Ouchley, author, naturalist, and historian. Kelby is the retired manager of Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge; he has a program on Biodiversity on KEDM Public Radio. Program Kelby s program was on Woody Native Plants. Woody native plants are better for the environment because they are adapted to the environment, rarely need chemicals, are easy to grow, and are a way to attract local wildlife to the yard. Unfortunately, there is not a good source close by where one can purchase native plants. He recommended the following shrubs: American beauty berry, a low shrub with attractive purple berries (one variety has white berries), arrowood viburnum (birds love its fruit), American holly (need a male and female), possum haw viburnum (10-15 with black berries loved by birds). His tree recommendations included: big leaf magnolia, a deciduous tree easy to start from seed, but needs to grow in a protected area, sweet bay magnolia (also prefers a protected a area, with the best smelling flowers), deciduous holly (a female if you want berries), and the fringe tree or grancy grey beard, which also produces a fruit for birds. Flowering dogwood is beautiful and popular, but will eventually have problems with dogwood anthracnose. It usually kills the tree, which dies from the top down and takes two to three years. He also mentioned Virginia willow, or sweetspire shrub, which grows in higher wetlands because it likes wet sites and to sit by itself. The flowering sugar maple has spectacular yellow foliage in the fall. Bigtree plum (Prunus mexicanus), with peeling bark and edible fruit, grows up to 30 feet in height. Other plants of interest included the palmetto, a good focal and architectural plant. The native azaleas are deciduous plants. He emphasized not to remove these from the woods. They don t usually survive transplanting, and the only way to propagate is through layering. It is site specific and likes its feet moist. The orange-flowered azaleas are native to Florida and southern Mississippi, and they will do well in northeast Louisiana. Red buckeye (loved by hummingbirds), the devil s walking stick (berries for birds), serviceberry (aka shad bush) has fruit for you or the birds, as do the mayhaws. Other good natives are the small snowbell or silverbell tree; small snowbell is eight to ten feet in height. Sourwoods are liked for foliage and are a great pollen source for honey bees. Winged sumac and smooth sumac have beautiful fall color, and witch hazel is an early spring bloomer. Additional annuals and perennials included the following: bloodroot for deep shade, trout lily, violets, eastern and Texas columbine (which prefer drier soils), jack-in-the-pulpit (another great architectural plant), beard tongue (Penstemon), black-eyed susan, Mexican hat, giant coneflower, Stokes aster (for moist areas), coral bean or mamou (great for hummers), fire pinks for shade, Indian pink which requires no maintenance, partridge berry ground cover, lobelia (aka cardinal flower), great blue lobelia, white and orange milkweed, blue phlox, rattlesnake master, wine cups (Callirhoe involucrata), trillium, verbena, crane-fly orchid, and royal fern (deciduous) and Christmas fern (evergreen). The vines included yellow jessamine, Carolina moonseed, and cross-vine. He encouraged the destruction of extremely invasive species such as Chinese tallow trees and water hyacinth. Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 2

Meeting Minutes continued from page 2 Old Business Before starting the business meeting, Debbie announced that Rita Albritton had brought an item of glass yard art to be a door prize. Also, Kerry Heafner had brought two lettuce plants as a door prize. The winners were Myra Lawrence and Helen Hotard. Debbie reminded all that the February Minutes will be printed with the March meeting Minutes since the Feb. meeting had been moved to the end of February due to winter weather conditions. Treasurer s Report Steve Thomas reported he re-issued two checks and reported the current balance. Junior Master Gardener Education Classes Steve Hotard reported that work continues on the request for gardening classes for some high school age homeschooled students. Markaye Russell, the 4-H representative, is working with the Northeast Louisiana Christian Homeschool Association and is finalizing arrangements. Committee Reports Kiroli Park Christy reported that she still needs a lot of help with seed propagation, rooting, and performing other activities geared toward the Spring Fest plant sale. Chennault Aviation and Military Museum Saturday, March 15, is a volunteer day at the Aviation Museum. Debbie reported that the roses were delayed, but weeding would be done Saturday. Monroe Zoo Kerry Heafner also needs extra help potting up seedlings he hass raised for the plant sale. Butterfly Garden Christy Francis announced that money was included in the 2014 budget for irrigation. This would be needed for supplies. We need MGs to help with the installation. Debbie said she would check with Tommy Neck to see if he would volunteer his time to provide us with a plan for irrigation. Someone asked if it was going to include the irrigation of the gardens behind the market; Christy responded that as far as she knew only the area in the front had been approved. New Business Spring Fest 2014 Christy Francis reported that she has been starting a lot of seeds and re-potting for the plant sale, but she still needs a lot of help with these activities, as well as making the labels that go on the individual plants. Kerry said that he found a low-cost alternative for transplanting tomatoes, and that was to use inexpensive styrofoam cups. Dawn Jordan reported that children s activities during the Plant Sale will be held in a tent behind the WM Farmer s Market. There will be activities for all ages, including finger puppets, plant demonstrations, making butterflies out of coffee filters, and other activities. She asked for volunteers for this area. Mary Sue Tiller and Reba Cummings will give a presentation on butterflies; Buck Bounds will speak on Down and Dirty composting; Steve Hotard will speak on small, native trees suitable for the urban landscape. A volunteer sign-up sheet will be at the Children s area. Don t forget to wear your name tag and apron. Bring calculators, spare boxes, and wagons if available. Meeting Minutes continue on page 4 Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 3

Advanced Master Gardener Classes Dr. Paul Jackson has been asked to present a class on March 27 on advanced Plant Physiology with special emphasis on the effects of plant nutrients on plant growth and development. Flower Arrangement Classes The Flower Arrangement Seminar is scheduled for April 22. A $35.00 fee will be charged for supplies. There will be afternoon and evening sessions. A flyer will be prepared soon. Announcements The 4 H strawberry sale is now taking orders. Please write your checks and fill out the forms and turn them in to Steve at the end of the meeting. Debbie acknowledged Linda Williams help in purchasing and bringing the bags of potting soil to the AgCenter. These were purchased with a $50 gift card from Walmart. She reminded everyone that some of the bags of garden soil donated by Lowe s are still available to MGs by the back door, and to please take them tonight. Any not taken would go to Christy or Kerry for potting of plants. Flyers for the Plant Sale have been adapted to reflect the inclusion of the children s activities. Members were encouraged to take some of the colored and updated flyers and distribute them. A trip to Mary Lou McFarland s daffodil garden has been scheduled for Saturday, March 15, from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. Hospitality Thanks to Team 4 for refreshments this evening: Dawn Jordan, Leader Jack Battaglia Casey Stevens Elaine Johnson Kerry Heafner Buck Bounds Buddy Kennedy Jerry Hunter The meeting was adjourned at 8:18 p.m. Next MG Meeting April 8 Program by Amy Weeks Presentation on the making and use of honey. NELA MG Board Members Board Officers President Debbie Beauvais Vice President Kerry Heafner Secretary Lilly Matthews Treasurer Steve Thomas Recorder Helen Hotard Historian Patti Kintzing Board Members-at-Large Elaine Johnson Christy Francis Dr. Warren Daniel Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 4

Junior MG Program Presents Opportunities by Virginia Lee Ms. Mary Beth Bearden visited the February 25 Master Gardener s meeting to present an idea for Master Gardeners to teach in a homeschool co op, possibly beginning a Junior Master Gardener s program. Ms. Bearden is a homeschool mom with an interested seventh grader. Some background information is in order. The Northeast Louisiana Christian Homeschool Association is a non-profit organization of a few hundred homeschool families governed by a board that oversees a wide range of activities that may be offered to school children: sports (basketball, volleyball, soccer), choir, 4 H, field trips, Speech and Debate Club, and co op, as well as familyoriented social activities. Participation in any of the activities is optional. There are two co ops, one in West Monroe at Edgewood Baptist Church near West Monroe High School and the Farmer s Market (meets on Wednesdays), and one in Monroe at College Place Baptist Church near ULM (meets on Thursdays). Both are overseen by a single board that coordinates dates and general rules. Each co op is operated by an Administrator and Advisory Council of parents. The school year is 20 weeks, Labor Day to Thanksgiving, then the middle of February until the end of April. Academic high school classes offered for credit meet more often than other classes, and involve significant homework and outside study. The website is nelcha.org. Co op is not designed to replace the parent as primary teacher of their children, and does not offer a complete homeschool curriculum. Co ops are parent-driven: parents decide which classes are offered, and serve as teachers, helpers, cleaners, and graders according to their talents and preferences. It is required that a parent must attend co op, as there is no drop-off. A different variety of classes is offered each year from leisure (juggling, sign language, cooking, sewing, map reading, PE) to high school academics (study skills, sciences, literature, math, civics, economics). Classes are 45 minutes or one hour. Sometimes a class is scheduled for two periods. At the end of the school year, each co-op decides what will be taught the next year and makes a schedule. Registration takes place in August, and classes begin after Labor Day. If a sufficient number of students do not sign up for a class (usually three or four) the class is cancelled. Fifteen is considered a huge class. Besides a minimal charge for insurance and facility use, at registration families pay a fee for each class that may be the cost of the textbook, copies, materials used in the class (no teacher fees). Professionals who are not homeschool parents and make their living teaching (like the art teacher) charge their usual fees, payable through the co-op. Ms. Bearden is a parent interested in coordinating a high school class at the West Monroe co-op that could possibly result in a Junior Master Gardener designation for the students. She would be responsible for working with Markaye Russell, the 4 H coordinator (and possibly others), to develop a curriculum for the class to be held next academic year and is asking for Master Gardener volunteers to guest-teach the classes. The request was well received by those in attendance. This is a terrific opportunity to get our feet wet since there has not been a Junior Master Gardener program in this area previously. As the Administrator of the Monroe co op, I will certainly float the idea of a similar program to the parents at the Monroe co op when we begin planning for next year. Specific requests will be forthcoming when more information is available. Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 5

Cheap Seed-Starting Box Original Design for a Small-scale Home Seed-starting Project by Virginia Lee You will need: Cardboard box. Use a box that your planting tray will fit into when the box is laid on its side, and about 18 inches tall. This can be a computer-paper box or something longer, with or without flaps. Glue. I used spray-on adhesive last year, and it worked well. It s flammable so spray outdoors. I sprayed the entire inside at once and then tore off foil about the size of each side and applied it. This year it was too cold to spray outside so I used school glue sticks, which worked well. It takes three or four to coat the inside of a cardboard box. I rubbed glue all over a wall of the box and then applied foil to one side of the inside of the box at a time. Aluminum foil. This use is not structural, so I used the narrow, thin kind. Its width fit swell in my box. Rigid plastic. You want to support the electric socket, so use the lid of a plastic coffee storage container or a plastic saucer, cut a one-inch hole in the middle, and place it on the top outside of your box. Light socket with cord. You need only the socket with a cord. I wasn t able to find one, so I dismantled a clip-on utility light and a kit used to make a lamp out of a bottle for the sockets. There are also brooder lights, but they are overkill since they are made for much more powerful bulbs (and more expensive). Light bulb. Use one of those 13 watt, daylight, twisty, fluorescent bulbs (equivalent to 60 watt bulb). Process: 1. To prepare the box, lay it on its long side. Cut ventilation slots in the back and sides near the top. Cut a one-inch circle in the middle of the (now) top of the box for the light. If your box has flaps, tape them open so your box has more depth. 2. Apply aluminum foil. Using the glue, line the entire inside of the box (including the flaps if your box has them) with aluminum foil, shiny side facing the inside of the box. You are looking for maximum reflection. Remove foil from the ventilation slots and light circle in the top of your box. Make sure foil is well away from the light circle because of the electrical hazard. 3. Cut a one-inch hole in the rigid plastic and lay it over the hole on the top of the box. 4. Holding the light socket outside on top of the box, screw the light bulb in from the inside. Plug in the light. 5. Make a front flap for your box using foil taped to the front of the box, shiny side inside. 6. Put your planted tray in the box. I use trays with the clear plastic covers on until the plants are up, then remove the cover. I leave the light on all the time. I don t use a heat mat with this arrangement. Last year, I kept the box in the breakfast room where it was warm. This year it s in a really cool room, but it doesn t seem to make any difference. Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 6

Surviving Winter with a Greenhouse by Nancy Sandel I encourage everyone to build a greenhouse. During the winter months it is a must have. My heaters have been working over time; without them, this year I wouldn't have any plants left. It s also a wonderful place to enjoy the beauty of live plants and clean air. It s a sanctuary where you can still enjoy digging in the dirt, re-potting root bound plants, starting seeds, and propagating cuttings. My bromeliads are thriving and are in full color. They have survived the winter and look so beautiful. I'm starting seeds for my spring garden without freezing outside thanks to my greenhouses. I put my habanero peppers and jalapeno peppers in the greenhouse and I still have peppers on the plants. Succulents love the warmth of being in the greenhouse. The few plants that I left out on my front porch look terrible. I loved feeding the birds during the freeze and ice storm. I noticed them trying to peck their way through the ice to get to the seeds. Spring is finally peeking through. The first sign of spring in my yard was very welcome; four beautiful daffodils popped up. Also, I have a few green leaves sprouting out on my climbing roses. It seems to be time to plant some citrus trees in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi at my fishing camp. Like all my Master Gardener friends, and probably everyone else, I m looking forward to warmer days. Happy Gardening! Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 7

My Grandmother s Front Porch by Theresa Cotton Grandma and I often sat in her porch swing. She would tell me things about something or someone in her life but I guess I was too young to remember most of her reminiscing. A few stories did stick with me. She talked about her brother Bud dying. Uncle Bud was living in Ferriday, La., at that time. I had no idea where Ferriday was. Grandma grew up in Natchez, Mississippi at the time I didn t know where Natchez was. One particular story was about digging up silver spoons and other items that seemed to be someone s treasures buried during the Civil War. What fond memories of the porch and swing I have of that ole shotgun home of Grandma s. There was a bed of larkspurs growing on either side of the walk leading up to the many steps to the porch. The house was built on tall piers, and it made a great place for us kids to play under the house. The side yard was so beautiful to me. There was a long and wide flowerbed with many colorful flowering plants. In the spring it was heaped up with freshly turned dirt lined with yellow daffodils, paperwhites, and snowflakes. The fragrance was like a hint of perfume when you strolled through the yard. Often I followed Grandma while she watered everything. This child was gaining a love for plants and flowers. On the small back porch were many other plants. My favorites were those planted in old discarded dishpans containers of portulaca or rose moss. I still plant rose moss every spring. What a heartwarming sight to watch Grandma look over each planted treasure of orange, yellow, red, white and a host of other colors. This was a morning ritual while holding a cup of coffee. Our side yard joined her back yard so I could see her each morning checking on and loving each plant. A few years ago a friend and I were browsing through a junk shop on DeSiard Street. The shop had about five of these old dishpans in the typical white trimmed in red, with also a gray one. My friend looked at me with that questioning look of why as I gathered the old dishpans up to purchase. These are for remembering my Grandma and the way she planted her rose moss. She loved the idea and asked if she could have two of them.we shared the pans and warm feeling of love of flowers from the past. We lived around the corner from my grandmother. Our yards joined, so it was simple to go in the back door to visit. Sometimes going up those back steps you could hear her laughing so loud I Love Lucy show was on the TV. She did love Lucy and her antics. Today if I change stations and I love Lucy comes on I can see Grandma once again. A few years ago I visited a nursery on Violet Street in West Monroe. This is the old home place of its current owner, Ms. Billie Bennett. She is a charming lady, and when you engage her in conversation, she is eager to tell you her mother planted this shrub and that tree more than 75 years ago. It s truly a country yard with many great heartwarming stories to tell. As we visited, my eye caught the array of larkspurs across the way up against the old run-down fence. Colors of blue and white waved in the wind. In awe, I was transported back to my childhood and a very special time as a child learning the wonderful ways with plants. I visited my Grandma again. Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 8

April 2014 Activities Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 MG Meeting 6:30 pm 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Newsletter Article Submission Deadline 21 22 Flower Arranging Seminar. Times TBA (afternoon and evening sessions) 23 24 25 26 Tour of Kelby Ouchley s place (Time TBA) 27 28 29 30 The sun was warm but the wind was chill. You know how it is with an April day. When the sun is out and the wind is still, You're one month on in the middle of May. But if you so much as dare to speak, a cloud come over the sunlit arch, And wind comes off a frozen peak, And you're two months back in the middle of March. Robert Frost Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 9

From the President by Debbie Beauvais SPRING is getting nearer, and I m sure you are looking forward to it as much as I am. It s the gardener s favorite season. There s always more to do than hours available in the day, but I ve found a few minutes to dream of this year s plant sale. I hope you, too, will be filled with ideas and enthusiasm. With the improvements done by the City of WM at the Farmer s Market, we ll have use of the gazebo at which we can hold informal workshops. Since we re maintaining a butterfly garden, we need some information for the public on butterflies in our area, nectar plants, and host plants for their young. We could also have workshops on starting seeds, soil testing, compost, mulching, companion planting. We only need a few. To keep our future gardeners entertained, we ll need some fun activities that will also teach them about butterflies, starting seeds, caring for flowers, etc. Rita has some nice ideas for dressing up the garden, and we ll need lots of hands to clean up the beds, set out more plants, and spread mulch. Christy may need help with the beds in front of the Farmer s Market, as well. Christy has worked things out with the city to get some irrigation lines in the flower beds in front of the market and in the butterfly garden. What a blessing! Maybe now we won t lose so much during the summer heat. We need a committee to start planning the workshops and children s activities right away. Let s make it an event that everyone will enjoy and look forward to this year and in years to follow. Volunteer Service Hours As of March 15, 2014 229 Volunteer Service Hours 63 Continuing Education Hours This time last year: 527 Volunteer Service Hours 74 Continuing Education Hours Do not forget to record your hours! The next MG meeting is Tuesday, April 8, 2014 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 71291 (318) 323-2251 If you haven t worked on an event or on a committee, I hope you ll break out of your chrysalis and spread your wings to help make this a fantastic event for our community. Kelby Ouchley delivers a presentation on native plants at the March MG meeting. Gardener s Scoop April 2014 Page 10