Greenhouse Notes A quarterly newsletter for Coastal Master Gardener Association members Our Motto: Weed em and reap! Summer 2016 President s Notes: Bloom Where You Are Planted I looked back over the past series of messages and it seems like my thought process starts with WOW! I m not sure if it is because I am constantly amazed at the opportunities before us or recognizing how far behind I actually am! Either way, I have committed to do a better job of accepting the things I cannot change and embracing the situations where I can have a positive impact. Time will tell if I am successful at this or not. Spring is in full swing and summer is not far behind. Much of our gardens are in full bloom while other plants and shrubs are busy soaking up the sun and rain, working to provide a bountiful harvest. Whether you are a native plant aficionado, a forester or arborist, or simply enjoy blooms and bounty, now is our time in our gardens. Once you get rid of the weeds (if you choose to do so), it is time to sit back and enjoy nature at its finest. If you missed the May outing to the Sparrow pollinator berm and Skidaway Farm, you missed a fantastic opportunity to see the results of a lot of effort and energy from our members and the community. It was easy to see the level of commitment and dedication that has been given to the gardens, yielding amazing results. You should plan to go see them on your own soon. Special thanks to our hosts for the evening (Diane Gustafson, Shirley Brown, and Sue Hamlet) and to Liz Lubrani for setting up the event.
Steve Taylor, Liz Lubrani Garden Guy Louisa Sigman at the berm Eats! I hear we will have a new Extension Agent in July. Howard and I had the pleasure of meeting him several weeks ago and we re excited to hear that he will be joining the Chatham County team. A new Master Gardener class should be announced once he settles in. Please let interested people know to contact Susie Edwards at 912-652-7981 to get their names on a waiting list for the next MG class. Congratulations to Hope Barton and Colleen Weinkle for being awarded $500 grants from Georgia Master Gardener Association. Hope s project is located at the Tybee Island Lighthouse and Museum. Colleen s project involves raised bed gardens at Head Start in Camden County. As you can see, it has been a busy Spring. And summer looks even busier with lots to do, much to learn, and plenty to grow. We all have decisions to make every day about how we elect to face the challenges and joys before us. I hope you choose to bloom where you are planted and make the most of it! See you in the garden, Steve Taylor President, CMGA
Bonaventure Update The camellias at Bonaventure just keep getting better and better of late. The mild weather and plentiful rainfall has enabled all of the latest plantings, well over one hundred, to really adapt to their new environment and they look like they are truly at home. It may not seem that exciting to some people but after years of drought, heat waves and hard freezes it is so encouraging to have Mother Nature on our side for a while. You can really see results. The mild weather has also allowed us to go on several field trips and take numerous air layers from various sites around Savannah. In April, local writer Ben Goggins wrote a wonderful article about the camellias at Bonaventure for the Savannah Morning News and we have been lucky enough to have quite a few people with decades-old camellias contact us and allow us to take numerous air layers on their property. For camellia lovers this is the equivalent of letting a kid loose in a candy store. There are just so many varieties and we want them all! It s also nice to know that there really are a lot of camellia enthusiasts out there and they ve been around for a very long time. Our thanks to all of them for their generosity. We do have a wonderful group helping with this project. Every week a motley crew consisting of leadman Doug Webb, Ron and Belinda Jacob, Danae Goldberg, Linda Artley, Ginger Benton, John Gentry and our newest helper, Leonard Daugherty, show up and do whatever needs to be done. If anyone would like to join us, just contact Doug Webb at 912-786-6276 or email douglaswebb@bellsouth.net or you can contact me at 912-677-2729 or richardgsommers@comcast.net. Even if you just have some camellia or gardening questions feel free to contact us any time. This is the hard part of writing this article. One of our favorite colleagues, Dennis Ronning, passed away on March 2 nd after a short illness and we are heartbroken. Dennis was one of the nicest guys on the planet and working with him was always a good experience. Actually, not working because it was too cold and going to Krispy Kreme instead wasn t so bad either. Dennis is definitely the one that really kickstarted our airlayering agenda and probably holds the record for taking more of them than the rest of us put together. He loved Bonaventure and seeing all of these new camellias is really a tribute to his dedication. We miss him terribly. Here is Dennis doing something else that he loved, just hanging out and fishing. Jane Morel Sommers
The SACGC Botanical Garden Saturday, May 7, was a perfect day for a Festival and Plant Sale. We had lovely plants for summer gardens from Oelschigs and Harry got in his usual beautiful roses to add to the sale. We were quite satisfied with our earnings, especially in view of the fact that there were at least six other events going on during the day. L-R: Harry Howard, Tony Hejkaa There were half a dozen vendors with items ranging from native plants, jewelry and art to puppies (One Love Rescue). Faith adopted a kitten and others of us adopted various plants. Faith Sadley, Freya Zipperer and Nancy Tamarack manned the Ask-A-Master-Gardener table. Ron Jacob and Pat Ryan talked with people about their plant purchases. Steve Taylor struggled through the Georgetown traffic-- a heroic effort--to put in an appearance. Everybody seemed to have a good time and the gardens looked wonderfully colorful. Lots of nice comments about them. Weeders are needed (we are approved for volunteer hours); come join Susie Derrickson, Chloe Smith, and me at the Garden. Pat Ryan 912 898 8373 912 777 2119
Spring has sprung and things are blooming at the The Gardens are abuzz with pollinators and visitors. We began charging admission April 1 st and visitor attendance has increased over last spring. CGBG couldn t function without our Master Gardener Volunteers! Thank you for all you do and have done in the past for us. We are in need of volunteers to serve as receptionists in the main office. You would be answering phones, giving out general information and helping with light administrative duties. This will count towards your MG service hours. We have two shifts per day from 9-noon and noon-4pm. If you are interested, please call Liz at 912-921-5460 x202. Everyone who volunteers in any capacity a total of 20 hours will be given a free annual individual Garden membership. We ve had a very busy spring with events and field-trips. An huge thanks to the Master Gardeners who volunteered with our Roots & Shoots program this year; Gail Alexander, Nancy Rosenthal, Freya Zipperer, Nancy Tamarack and volunteer Cassandra Nichols. We served over 800 students through the program and had all positive reviews from the teachers. Thank you! Our next big event is Runway in Bloom. Runway in Bloom is a fashion show featuring botanically inspired designs by fashion designers from SCAD. General admission is $20 and VIP admission is $50. Held May 29 th at 5pm, the Fashion Show will take place on the Terrace and in the Formal Gardens. Call Stephanie for your tickets today! (912) 921-5460 x222. From Southern Living s Golden Rules of Gardening, February 2016: Many plants wilt in the hot sun, even if the soil is moist. Even after several inches of rain a few days ago, in the hot afternoons many plants are looking as if they hadn t had a drink for months. Examine your plants first thing in the morning when it s cooler. If they re wilted, water. Prevent crepe murder at all costs. You should prune your crepe myrtle like you prune your dogwood in other words, just about never. It is not just unnecessary, it makes the plant look stupid.
Dear Members of Coastal Master Gardener Association: It is our pleasure to present a check for $145 to your organization from the Georgia Master Gardeners Association $5 Membership Promotion. In the fall of 2015, the GMGA Board voted to implement a promotional program called the $5 Membership Promotion. This promotion stated that for every Master Gardener that joined GMGA by March 31, 2016, GMGA would donate/rebate $5 of the $15 dues back to that member s local organization. Our goals were: To build membership so that we could increase our funds for grants and educational programs To build awareness of GMGA and our programs and foster stronger relationships with our local organizations We feel this promotion was also a real benefit and win/win for your organizations as well. A total of 29 CMGA members paid their GMGA dues. As a result of the promotion, you have an extra $145 in additional funds for whatever projects or programs you wish to use these funds for. The Georgia Master Gardeners Association is the collective voice for the individual Master Gardener organizations and strives to be an enhancement for the projects, programs and activities that are carried on by the different groups across the state. We appreciate your support and hope you will call us with questions, requests, information and ideas. Please share your organization s news on our GMGA Facebook page and in The Scoop. We want to hear from you. We plan to run this promotion again in 2017, so we hope we will be presenting a much bigger check to you next year. Thank you again, Dot Martin, President Georgia Master Gardeners Association Don t throw it away recreate it! Is that too clever, or what? (Wish I could take the credit but I put it on my credit card because it was too fun to not have. Carol McCurdy)
July 12 We are planning a pot-luck reception for the new Ag agent at 6 pm here in the Visitor s Center at the CGBG. The July 12 reception will also qualify as our July meeting. I thought it would be a great opportunity to welcome Dr. Davis and show him that we are excited to have him join the team. It will also give each one of us an opportunity to speak directly with him and get to know him better. He was honored to hear that we wanted to hold a reception and is looking forward to getting to know us. For dinner, we will furnish a meat item, drinks and utensils. Please bring a side dish to share. It is not required, but I have seen that y all are fantastic cooks and creative bakers! As part of the program, I thought it would be good for us to talk about some of the active projects currently underway. 5-7 minutes about your project, the history, and the current status. Some that come to my mind are: The Sparrow Field Pollinator Berm - Diane Gustafson, Shirley Brown Savannah Botanical Garden - Pat Ryan The gardens at Massie School - Gale Steves Beach Institute garden - Ron Elcock Victor Jenkins Boys Club - Virginia Cann Old Jail Art Center Native Garden - Ginger Pruden Oatland Island Apiary - Faith Sadley Savannah Ogeechee Canal - Howard Turner Tybee Island Lighthouse Gardens - Hope Barton Roots & Shoots - Liz Lubrani Warriors in the Garden - Liz Lubrani What do you think? Are you willing to do a brief talk about your project to the group? PLEASE DO NOT BE OFFENDED IF I DIDN T LIST YOUR PROJECT OR MISSED ON A NAME. I m doing this from memory. Email me and I ll add you to the list. Any before / after photos? Current activities? You all work very hard on your projects. Here s a chance to tell us about them. This promises to be a fun evening and a chance to make a great first impression on the new extension agent. Please help me show him the talent, experience, and energy that our group has to offer. Be sure to let Liz know if you can attend and let me know if you are willing to speak about your project. Thanks! Steve, President, CMGA 912-655-0888 September Keren Giovengo of UGA s MAREX & Sea Grant Eco-scapes will be speaking on the effects of GMO and neonicotinoids on pollinators at CGBG November Sam Ingram of UGA s Effingham County Ag and Natural Resources Extension Office Liz Lubrani
Plants to Show & Share Finally! My Joe Pye is coming up (left pic - the light green group of leaves). It will be about 5-6ft tall and the blooms attract dozens of different types of winged creatures. I Have sky blue salvia, dark blue salvia, mexican petunia (starting to bloom), and old fashioned 4 o clocks and fragrant narcissus bulbs to share. Just call and come on over and dig! All are great nectar plants and bloom all summer long into the Fall. Nancy Tamarack 912-354-8165 Speaking of sharing, this was just too lovely a picture not to share. Freya Zipperer
SPRING Mystery Plant Salvia lyrata aka lyre-leaf sage, wild sage, cancerweed is a herbaceous perennial in the family Lamiaceae is native to the United States from Connecticut west to Missouri and in the south from Florida to Texas. It was described and named by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753. Salvia Lyrata is a medicinal and edible herb. As alternative medicine, it is carminative, diaphoretic, laxative, and salve. Lyre-leaved sage has some of the same medicinal properties of the other sages but is very weak. It is used mainly as a gargle in the treatment of sore throat and mouth infections. Medicinal salve made from root is applied to sores. Warm infusion of herb is taken as a laxative or for colds, coughs and nervous debility. This sage is not very strong tasting, and has a rather pleasant minty flavor. Fresh young leaves are edible in salads, or cooked as pot herb. No one guessed this one which was a surprise once you have one, you will have thousands. SUMMER Mystery Plant There is a prize for the correct guesser It might be exotic seeds or a unique plant, or an absolutely cutesy gardener's doo-dad. Answers should be sent to mm_mccurdy@msn.com. That s an underscore between all those mmm s
Email: coastalmastergardeners@gmail.com CMGA Website: http://cmga.caes.uga.edu/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coastalmastergardeners?sk=wall Track your Volunteer Hours: http://www.ugamgev.org/ On-going Volunteer Opportunities Contacts Coastal GA Botanical Gdns... Kelli Bagwell... 921-5460 x222... bagweke@usa.edu CGBG Roots & Shoots... CGBG Greenhouse Plantings... Bonaventure Cemetery... Jane Sommers... 677-2729... richardgsommers@comcast.net Botanical Gdns on Eisenhower... Pat Ryan... 898-8373... pryangarden@att.net Downtown Extension Office... Tonia Rudrow... 652-7981... lrudrow@uga.edu... Susie Edwards... 652-7981... uge3051@uga.edu Native Plant Garden... Pat Ryan... 898-8373... pryangarden@att.net Old Darien Jail... Ginger Pruden... 832-3466... ginpruden@darientel.net Savannah-Ogeechee Canal... Linda Thrift... 308-5874... lthrift78@gmail.com Sparrow Field Pollinator Berm... Shirley Brown... 598-1924... Sabatsav@comcast.net For the entire list of projects, go to the MLOG website - http://www.ugamgev.org/ 2016 Board Members President... Steve Taylor... 655-0888... luckydogsteve@aol.com Vice-President... Howard Turner... 748-2719... annandhowardplants@yahoo.com Secretary... Ronald Elcock... 651-9699... ronald.elcock@yaloo.com Treasurer... Amy Rhodes... 713-4282... amywrhodes@gmail.com Directors Website... Jeanette Byrd... 355-0218... rj.byrd@att.net Programs... Liz Lubrani... 921-5460 x221... elubrani@uga.edu Membership... Louisa Sigman... 432-1236... louisasigman@comcast.net Comms/Newsltr... Carol McCurdy... 777-3810... mm_mccurdy@msn.com Publicity... Andria Cummings... 256-698-3506... aesegedy@earthlink.net Projects... Vacant (All Area Codes are 912 except where noted)