Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes

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Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes March 2018 MG Steering Committee Meeting The next meeting will be Wednesday, March 14 at 7:00 pm at the Johnson County Extension Office. All are invited to attend! Thymes Deadline Thymes information should be sent to Jan Denehy at janice-denehy@uiowa.edu Please send news, volunteer opportunities, stories, pictures, etc., for the April issue by Friday, March 26. Master Gardener Winter Potluck March 11 at the Extension Center, 4:00 pm set up and social, 5:00 pm dinner and 6:00 pm awards/educational presentation. Please feel free to come early to help set up and bring a potluck dish to share. Also, please bring your own dining ware (plate, cup, utensils etc.). Extras will be available if needed. This is the event at which 2016 class members who have completed their first year of 40 volunteer hours will receive their certificate and permanent name badge. Year milestone certificates and hour milestone pins also will be handed out. If you are unable to attend, these items will be mailed after this event. A one-hour educational program is being planned for this event. We hope to see you there! Questions please contact Beth Fisher scrabblegirl2@gmail.com 2018 Johnson County Master Gardener Continued Education Sessions Sunday March 18, 1-5 pm at the Johnson County Extension Office. This program is free for MGs and will consist of four one-hour presentations. (Note:This year there will be only one track of speakers to accommodate more participants at the extension office) 1-2 pm Current President of the Eastern Iowa Orchid Society, orchid judge, orchid grower since 1980, and speaker will spark your interest in growing orchids with the presentation World of Orchids. 2-3 pm Linn County MG Karla McGrail will teach the basics about designing, constructing, and planting landscape features that can capture rain runoff. Rain gardens are an ideal way to do your part to improve water quality. 3-4 pm Linn County MG Barbara Wing will discuss ajugas to zinnias, perennials to annuals, and how to select ground cover plants that can work as a lawn alternative or garden enhancement. 4-5 pm DNR District Forrester Mark Vitosh will be discussing Growing Healthy Shade Trees. He will focus on tree selection and care after planting. He will discuss the best tree care practices of watering, mulching, staking and pruning. Bring some cookies or other treats to share and your water bottle and join us for this information-packed program! 35 th Annual Bur Oak Prairie Preview Thursday evening, March 1, 2018 at The Clarion Highlander, 2525 North Dodge St. just north of I-80 in Iowa City. Doors open at 6:30 pm for this free event. Mark Hirsch, author of That Tree, will be our keynote speaker, presenting Shades of wisdom. Lessons learned from a lonely Bur Oak. We hope that you will be able to join us! Prairie Preview is a very popular program in our community, and we expect another great attendance this year. Mark will also be giving a 45-minute photo workshop and book signing at 4:30 with a fee of $25. If you have questions, contact Tammy at info@buroaklandtrust.org. 1

13 th Annual Winter Gardening Fair Saturday, March 3 at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids. Tuition is $59 for the all-day event, sponsored by the Linn County Master Gardeners, will feature over 40 workshops by Iowa Master Gardeners and other gardening experts. Lunch is included. Keynote speaker will be Dr. Adam Janke, Assistant Professor and Wildlife Specialist at ISU. Workshop topics range from critter control, how to attract butterflies or birds, ornamental grasses, and how to grow better tomatoes. Hands-on classes include seed starting, making whimsical wind chimes, making a butterfly nectar feeder, and Miniponics. For complete class descriptions and registration, go to www.extension.iastate.edu/linn/content/wintergardening-fair Plant a Row for the Hungry Johnson County MGs are encouraged to attend the Winter Potluck March 11 -- certainly for the food and friendship, but also for information about what the organization is planning this year. Iowa State University has awarded JCMGs a second Growing Together grant. Take a bow Master Gardeners: Last year, 55 JCMGs were involved in our project donating 1,600 pounds of produce and recording more than 500 volunteer hours for the project! At the potluck, JCMGs will have the first opportunity to participate in Seed Share 2.0 where you will be encouraged to take free seeds and plant a row to donate produce from the seeds to an area pantry. Information and seeds will be available before serving begins at 5 pm. Seed Share 2.0 for the public will be held at Iowa City Public Library on Sunday, March 24, from 2 3:30 pm. Master Gardeners are encouraged to volunteer to help the public choose seeds for their garden and may count their service for volunteer hours. See you soon! Linda Schreiber Plum Grove Clean Up Saturday April 28, 9-Noon (cancelled if raining) Please come and help us prepare for our summer gardens. Bring your own garden tools and gloves with you. We will continue to need help on Saturdays mornings through the spring. If interested, please contact Carolyn Murphy for more information. (319-541- 7079) candmmurphy@aol.com, Winter Webinars More information will be sent out, as it is available. If you are interested in viewing these please send me an email and I will start a list. Topics will include: 1. From Seed to Table 2. Garden Helpers 3. Food Security Partners. www.extension.iastate.edu/article/master-gardenersoffer-three-winter-webcasts Save the Date: Flea Market/Plant Sale May 12 It will be here sooner then we know it. Please take a look thorough your garden supplies or garden art and see what you might want to donate to make room for new. If you have extra plants or plants that you can divide and pot up for a new home please consider donating them. Clothing is not accepted and everything should be clean and in useable condition. Information will be sent out as help is needed. Please keep this event in mind for it is the largest Johnson County MG fundraiser for the year and all help is needed to make it successful. Project Green Second Sunday Forum March 4, 2 pm at the ICPL Deb Walser presents Blueberries, Strawberries and Raspberries, oh my! and Introduction to the newest and coolest annuals and perennials Deb is a recently retired perennial expert from Peck s Green Thumb Nursery in Cedar Rapids and an active Master Gardener. Her love affair with berries began as a child in her grandmother s raspberry patch. She will share her experience and success in growing the best tasting berries in your backyard with tips for the right soil, location, watering and pruning techniques. Deb will also challenge you to add some spunk to your perennial gardens by introducing some new perennials and annuals and mixing them up for constant color throughout the season. March Birthdays 4 Reed Renneckar 5 Lindsey Boerjan 7 Tracy Edens 8 Mahmooda Ahmad 14 Mardi Rasmussen 15 Carl Hensley 19 Dan Stence 19 Angela Murphy 20 Laurie Canady 22 Joanne Grey 23 Barbara Schintler 23 Beth Gehring 24 Torrie Masko 26 Chris Parizek 2

Your Steering Committee at Work! The Master Gardener Steering Committee meets monthly on the second Wednesday of the month (with the exception of August and December) at the Extension Office. The committee consists of Lavon Yeggy, Chair, and Sharon Jeter, Co-chair, as well as the chairs from each of the committees listed at the back of the Thymes, such as Butterfly Garden, Raptor Center, Hortline, and Speaker s Bureau. The members of the committee discuss current programs, plan new programs, and provide coordination of the many activities offered for MGs. After the business reports, each committee chair presents a short summary of what is going on with that group. All MGs are invited to attend. The Thymes often has information announcing programs and meetings of the various committees, as well as featuring special programs such as the Plum Grove Taste, Butterfly Garden, and Fire Fighters Memorial. In future issues of the Thymes, there will be more committee report summaries so you can become acquainted with all the activities that MGs perform for our community. Hopefully this might also encourage you to join a committee and earn volunteer hours needed for recertification. Shannon Bielicke (left front) is the ISU Extension Program Associate who keeps us on track. February Mystery Flower Identified! The only person to respond to last month s mystery flower/plant was MG Ramona McGurk who correctly identified the plant as the Gas Plant. Impressive, Ramona! Lavon Yeggy (L) and Sharon Jeter (R) sit at the head of the table during our February Steering Committee meeting. If you have a mystery flower or plant, please send a photo, and let s see if the Master Gardeners can solve the mystery for you. The Gas Plant The Gas Plant (Dictamnus) is also known as burning bush, dittany, and Fraxinella. It is an herbaceous perennial native to warm climates, often found in open woodland habitats in Southern Europe, Africa and Asia. It grows to about 16 inches in height with leathery green leaves. The flowers have five petals with long projecting stamens and vary in color from purple and pink to white. 3

In the warm summer months, the whole plant is covered with a sticky flammable substance that has a very fragrant, lemony aroma. If it ignites, it goes off with a flash all over the plant, leading to comparisons with the burning bush in the Bible. On a calm summer night it can be ignited with a match. Several varieties are cultivated for garden use. The variety D albus var. purpureus, which is purple with white veins, was awarded the Royal Horticultural Society s Award of Garden Merit. They are propagated from seeds in seedpods and will take 3-4 years before they bloom. However, they are long lived, but resistant to transplanting. http://www.thegardenhelper.com/dictamnus.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dictamnus EIOS receives Silver Certificate The Eastern Iowa Orchid Society received a prestigious Silver Certificate at the Winter Carnival Orchid Show held in St. Paul, MN, on Jan. 27. In addition, the organization was awarded the Show Trophy for the best exhibit in the entire show. The American Orchid Society judges scored the display for a national award and with 85 points was issued a Silver Certificate. This was a first for the local society. Orchid society members take their own orchids and displays to regional shows throughout the Midwest. The plants are also judged individually for ribbons and individual national awards. Robert Bannister's Phalaeopsis hybrid 'Freckles" received an Award of Merit at the show this year. More than 5,000 people visited the show at the Como Park Conservatory throughout the two-day weekend. The Eastern Iowa Orchid Society (formerly the Iowa City Orchid Society) is a small group of people with a big love of growing orchids. The nonprofit organization, formed in 1991, is an affiliate of the American Orchid Society. Members, who range in age from 20 to 80 years, represent all walks of life in eastern Iowa. Dues are $20 per year for individuals; $30 per year for couples. The organization meets the first Thursday of the month September through December, and February through May at the Shueyville United Methodist Church, Shueyville, Iowa. For more information, visit their website at www.easterniowaorchidsociety.org Nile Dusdieker: niledusdieker@gmail.com; Bill Page, President(319) 210-2952, willvpage@hotmail.com Contributed by Linda Schreiber Eastern Iowa Orchid Society Displays Messy Houseplants by Jayne & Caleb Ryder Houseplants help to bring the outside in and add life and greenery to our indoor spaces. In Iowa we have a few months every year when there is nothing growing outside, and houseplants can be a light to get us through the grays of winter and bring color and hope to the shorter days. But, some houseplants are prone to shedding their leaves indoors, are stressed by drafts, or simply create more of a mess that they may be worth. We used to clean peoples homes, hundreds of them. As a result we saw a lot of folks houseplants on a regular basis, including our own. 4

In this article we will share some observations of houseplants we have found to be finicky, prone to shedding, or messy in general. If you don t mind cleaning up after your plants, then by all means, grow everything and anything. But if it s hard enough picking up after your kids, spouse, and pets, then these might be houseplants to avoid. Schefflera - This often-variegated plant is a wonderful houseplant if given correct care and consistent temperature. But if it is watered irregularly or kept near a door that keeps being opened and shut throughout the winter, it will let you know. The leaves are thick and waxy and will fall off at an alarming pace when stressed. Ferns - Many gardeners have fern baskets or pots they may move out for the summer and then bring inside to overwinter. They do look fabulous hanging above a patio outside in June, but they get seriously stressed when brought inside for winter. These are one of the heaviest shedding plants you can buy. If overwintering indoors, best to keep them on a rolling stand or something that can moved easily to vacuum or sweep up under them -- you ll be doing that a lot! Every small movement will release another avalanche of leaves that will fall. Fern Schefflera Ficus - The Ficus family is large and includes many indoor and outdoor plants, including the Rubber Tree Plant, Fig Trees, and Banyan Trees. The small-leaved common ficus tree houseplant is the one I am referencing here tends to shed if overwatered, left near a draft, or even looked at in the wrong way. With proper care and the right location, it can be a great addition to a room, but if one doesn t have the right spot for it to thrive, it can shed like crazy! We once witnessed a large ant colony surviving in the soil of an indoor Rubber Tree for many months. The dreaded Asparagus Fern - Although this plant looks great when we find that perfect one at the store, it never tends to look better than the day we bought it. This is the most extreme shedding plant I have ever seen, and I have yet to see one that doesn t at least shed massively as seasons change and it adapts to shorter days. If you like to vacuum a lot, this is the plant for you! If not, avoid it at all costs. It also has sharp thorns on the branches that will stab you if you try to move part of the plant out of the way. Asparagus Fern Ficus Tree 5

Articles needed for the Thymes Newsletter I would like to encourage MGs to submit short feature articles (300-500 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 sent as separate files) related to your article. The newsletter is published 10 times a year (there are no issues in January and August) and is distributed via email 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 chairmen 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 Members Only Webpage Don t forget to visit this webpage for helpful information, including access to previous editions of the Thymes. www.extension.iastate.edu/johnson/content/johnsoncounty-master-gardener-members-only A listing of programs offered by organizations in our area that may be of interest to MGs. March 2018 Backyard Abundance http:/backyardabundance.org/ Nothing scheduled at press time Blue Zones www.bluezones.com https://iowa.bluezonesproject.com/activities Bur Oak Land Trust info@buroaklandtrust.org Thursday, March 1, 2018 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Prairie Preview XXXV. Bur Oak Trust presents this free, open to the public environmental forum that traditionally attracts over 200 attendees at the Clarion Highlander, 2525 N Dodge, Iowa City. Exhibitors will be set up by 6:30 p.m. Mark Hirsch, author of That Tree will be this year s speaker beginning at 7:30 p.m. His talk is titled Shades of wisdom, lessons learned from a lonely BurOak. Information at info@buroaklandtrust. Friday, March 2, 2018 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Pappy Dickens Workday. Invasive removal at Bur Oak Land Trust s Pappy Dickens property. Park at the old Hy-Vee at 1201 North Dodge. Contact Seth for more information at seth@buroaklandtrust.org or 319-400-5511. Wednesday, March 7, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Bur Oak Land Trust Community Night at Vesta, 849 Quarry Rd, Coralville. Enjoy a relaxing night of delicious dining. Vesta will donate a portion of their proceeds to Bur Oak Land Trust. Friday, March 16, 2018 1 pm to 4 p.m. Invasive Removal at Shimek Ravine. Park at the Shimek elementary school parking lot, 1355 Grissel Place, Iowa City. Contact Seth for more information at seth@buroaklandtrust.org or 319-400- 5511. Saturday and Sunday, March 17 and 18 and Sunday, March 24 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Workdays at Big Grove for general invasive removal. Park at Big Grove parking lot, 3999 Starry Night Lane NE, Solon. Directions: take 245 th St NE west from Sugar Bottom Road, about 2 miles from Newport Rd, continuing onto Starry Night Road/Starry Night Court to a turn-around located at the entrance to the preserve. Contact Seth at seth@buroaklandtrust.org or 319-400-5511. Eastern Iowa Bird Watchers/IC Birds http://icbirds.org/newsletter.html Sunday, March 4, 2018 8 a.m. Cone Marsh in Louisa County for Snow Geese. Sandhill Cranes, migrating ducks and other water birds. We ll stop at several points around the marsh, and take a walk on the dike, returning by noon. Meet at Fin & Feather parking lot, 125 Hwy 1 W, Iowa City. Trip leader is Linda Rudolph, 319-325-8393. Wednesday, March 7, 2018 8 a.m. Kent Park Bird Walk with leader Rick Hollis. Meet at the Conservation Education Center, Kent Park. Saturday, March 10, 2018 6:30 a.m. Burlington Area for spring waterfowl migration along the Mississippi River. All day trip will target birds include ducks, geese, pelicans and more. Stops at locks and dams, riverside parks,and other hotspots. Stop for lunch at nearby restaurant. Meet at the Fin and Feather parking lot, 125 Hwy 1 W, Iowa City or at the port of Burlington, 400 Front St, Burlington at 8 a.m. Karen Disbrow, 319-430-0315. Thursday, March 15, 2018 7 p.m. Eastern Iowa Bird Watchers Meeting. Rick Hollis will present Learning Bird Song: Tips & Apps. Robert 6

A Lee Recreation Center, Room A, 220 S Gilbert St, Iowa City. Tuesday, March 20, 2018 7 p.m. Beginning Birdwatcher Course: Basics of Birding I at the Conservation Education Center, Kent Park. Advance registration requested, and is free for club members. Call Sydney Algreen at 319-645-1011. Wednesday, March 21, 2018 8 a.m. Kent Park Bird Walk with leader Rick Hollis. Meet at the Conservation Education Center, Kent Park Wednesday, March 21, 2018 6:30 p.m. to 8:30p.m. Storm Spotter Training. Register early because seating is limited to the first 125 participants. Kirkwood Regional Center at The University of Iowa Center Coralville, Conference Room 118, 2301 Oakdale Blvd, Coralville. Register for your free ticket here. https://www.evenbrite.com/e/2018- weather-spotter training tickets-42095590043. Sunday, March 25, 2018 8 a.m. Cone Marsh in Louisa County for Sandhill Cranes, migrating ducks, geese, and other water birds. Meet at Fin and Feather parking lot, 125 Hwy 1, Iowa City. Beginning Birder Trip. Karen Disbrow, 319-430-0315. Tuesday, March 27, 2018 7 p.m. Beginning Birdwatcher Course: Basic Birding II at the Kent Park Conservation Education Center. Advance registration requested and is free for members. Call Sydney Algreen at 319-645-1011. Saturday, March 31, 2018 8 a.m. Explore trails at Kent Park near Tiffin. Beginning Birder Trip to look for migrating songbirds and resident woodland birds. Meet at the Conservation Education Center. ECO_Iowa City Check website for events. Iowa State Extension http://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ https://www.facebook.com/iowa.city.stormwater.vo lunteers?sk=wall Nothing scheduled at press Johnson County Conservation http://www.johnson-county.com/conservation mailto: salgreen@co.johnson.ia.us Thursday, March 15, 2018 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Forts and Fires youth educational program at Conservattion Education Center at Kent Park, 2048 Hwy 6 NW, Oxford. Kids spend spring break outdoors constructing a woodland shelter from found materials and will practice firebuilding using flint and steel. One adult required for every three youth. Accepting email reservations at kmorrow@johnson.ia.us or call 319-645-1011. Johnson County-ISU Extension http://www.extension.iastate.edu/johnson/ Sunday, March 11, 2018 4:00 p.m. to 9:00p.m. Master Gardener Winter Potluck. Shannon Bielicke at bielicke@iastate.edu. Wednesday, March 14, 2018 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Johnson County Master Gardener Steering Committee Meeting. Johnson County Extension, 3109 Old Highway 218 S. All MG s welcome. Sunday, March 18, 2018 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Master Gardener Educational Sunday at Johnson County Extension, 3109 Old Highway 218 S. Shannon Bielicke at bielicke@iastate.edu. Linn County-ISU Extension http://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/showlist.asp?county=linn&countiesscope Saturday, March 3, 2018 8 a.m.to 4 p.m. Winter Gardening Fair at Kirkwood Community College, 6301 Kirkwood Blvd SW, Cedar Rapids. Registration fee $59. Contact Shelly O Neal at soneal@iastate.edu or 319-377-9839 Ext 316. Monday, March 5, 2018 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Containers Beyond Thrillers, spillers, fillers Library Talk Rescheduled. Come to this class to learn how to elevate your container arrangements in dramatic ways! Speaker: Cindy Fagan, Linn County Master Gardener. Mount Vernon Library, 620 3 rd St SW, Mt Vernon. Info at Shelly O Neal 319-377-9839. New Pioneer Coop http://www.newpi.coop/new-pi-classes-andcommunity/2015-02/ Check the website for events and activities. Project Green http://www.projectgreen.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/www.projectgreen.org Sunday, March 4, 2018 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Project GREEN Garden Forums. Deb Walser, retired perennial expert at Peck s in Cedar Rapids, presents Blueberries, Strawberries, and Raspberries, Oh My and Introduction to the Newest and Coolest Annuals and Perennials. Free and open to the public. Iowa City Public Library. Seed Savers http://www.seedsavers.org/education/ Check the website for events and activities. Trees Forever http://www.treesforever.org/events Saturday, March 3, 2018 2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Trees Forever session at the Master Gardener Winter Gardening Fair. Trees Forever Field Coordinator Patty Reisinger will present in the fourth session (2:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.) Native Trees and Plants Make for the Best Wildlife Habitat. 7

Info at https://www.extension.iastate.edu/linn/content/wintergardening-fair. 100_Grannies http://100grannies.org/ Monday, March 5, 2018 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Barbara Schlachter Memorial Lecture Series. Jerry Schnoor presents Climate Change and Policy at the Senior Center, room 202. Monday, March 12, 2018 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Barbara Schlachter Memorial Lecture Series. Del Holland and Carolyn Dyer present Iowa City Cohousing, the First Cohousing Community in Iowa. Senior Center, room 202. Tuesday, March 13, 2018 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Welcome and orientation New Grannies. Join a few older grannies for an overview and welcome to the group social (It s not really a meeting). The location changes from month to month but we are trying to hold it on the second Tuesday of the month so check back. Contact Pat Bowen at 319-354-1286 or Margie Benson at 210-685-4854 for location. Wednesday, March 14, 2018 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monthly Activism Committee, Big White House, 12 th Ave, Coralville. Monday, March 19, 2018 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Good Neighbor Committee at Iowa City Public Library Room E. This new committee meets the third Monday of the month. Please join our group or just check us out. We re working on this campaign goodneighboriowa.org/ and partnering with Back Yard Abundance, New Pioneer Coop and AmeriCorps. Contact Linda Quinn at 319-330-3328. Monday, March 19, 2018 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Barbara Schlacter Memorial Lecture Series. Tim Dwight presents Solar Power: The Second Coming or Powering the world on Solar. Senior Center, room 202. Wednesday, March 21, 2018 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Steering Committee Meeting. For location contact 100granniesiowacity@gmail.com. Monday, March 26, 2018 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Barbara Schlachter Memorial Lecture Series. Suzan Erem presents Leaving a Healthy Farm Legacy: SILT s Impact on Future Generations. Senior Center, room 202. Tuesday, March 27, 2018 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Regular Meeting at Trinity Episcopal Church, 320 College St. All are 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 466-3047 or rmlgay@aol.com or Vicki Siefers 331-1798 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 624-3342 or tracehuff@aol.com Speaker s Bureau Master Gardeners, are you interested in earning hours being a speaker? If so, please contact Jackie Wellborn, or leave your name, number, and topics of interest and Jackie will contact you. Also, if you give presentations for the Speaker s Bureau please contact Jackie to inform her of your work. She records the information for her annual report. Jackie Wellborn, 512-8382, 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, 319-331-3042; momrude@gmail.com Butterfly House at Fairgrounds Carolyn Murphy 541-7079; carolyn-murphy@uiowa.edu, Mike Murphy, 351-6345 Coralville Historical School House: Cindy Parsons, 400-7179; cparsons@icialaw.com Ecumenical Towers: Jane Zukin, 319-339-9127; Janezukin@aol.com Demo Garden: Sharon Jeter, 319-631-2148, sharonjeter@gmail.com Downtown City Gardens (Newly-approved core) Linda Schreiber, 319-936-8600, lnschreiber@gmail.com 8

Fair Grounds Beautification: Rain Garden: Lavon Yeggy, 319-330-0952, lavon47@lcom.net, Sharon Jeter, 319-631-2148, sharonjeter@gmail.com Fair Grounds Flower Beds: Joan Dinnel, 319-338- 2434, jdinel@aol.com, Barb Krug, 857-4569, bkmg2004@yahoo.com Firefighters Memorial: Barb Schintler, 319-651- 5174, barbjschintler@hotmail.com Fundraising/Flea Market: Barb Krug, 431-5865, bkmg2004@yahoo.com Coordinating new leadership for 2018. Steering Committee Chair: Lavon Yeggy, 330-0952; lavon47@lcom.net, Sharon Jeter, 631-2148, sharonjeter@gmail.com Thymes: Jan Denehy, 319-338-7493, janice-denehy@uiowa.edu Treasurer: Loren Leach, 319-351-4722, lleach@jlgardens.net Volunteer Hours/Secretary: Shannon Bielicke, 319-337-2145, bielicke@iastate.edu Hortline: Esther Retish, 319-351-5011, eretish@mchsi.com; Joy TenEick, 319-626-2080; jteneick@gmail.com Hospice Garden at Willow Creek Park: Melanie Haupert, 319-351-1149, melaniehaupert@gmail.com Intern Class/Training: Nicole Pearson, 507-251- 0902, nicole-pearson@uiowa.edu Johnson County Fair / 4-H Buckets of Flowers, Scarecrow: Marilou Gay, 466-3047, rmlgay@aol.com Lavon Yeggy, 319-330-0952, lavon47@lcom.net Mark Twain People s Garden (Non-core): Julie Hegmann, 319-337-3607, Julie@hegmann.net Oaknoll Garden Project (Newly-approved core): Marilou Gay, 319-466-3047, rmlgay@aol.com, Vicki Siefers, 319-331-1798, vsiefers@mchsi.com Plum Grove: Betty Kelly, 319-351-4903, blkiowa@gmail.com; Joanne Leach, 319-351-4722, Jleach@Jlgardens.net; Lavon Yeggy, 319-330-0952, lavon47@lcom.net; Carolyn Murphy, 319-541-7079, candmmurphy@aol.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 52246 Send email to: janice-denehy@uiowa.edu Raptor Center Gardens: Alice Linhart, 319-621- 8073, mikeandalice@southslope.net; Speakers Bureau: Jackie Wellborn, 319-512-8382, jackiewe@mchsi.com Social Events: Steering Committee, Beth Fisher, 319-321-8378, scrabblegirl2@gmail.com; Lavon Yeggy, 319-337-6327, lavon47@lcom.net Solon High School: Tracy Hufford, 319-624-3342, TraceHuff@aol.com 9