1

As the Garden Grows

A Publication of the Gonzales Master Gardeners Gonzales, Texas

November 2011 Volume 1, Issue 6

Where did all the Monarch Butterflies Go?

After the wonderful and enlightening MG class session with Chris Nice, Texas State University Entomology Professor, on October 25, I went out to my gardens and really noticed the Butterflies that were in abundance. Isn’t it amazing how the butterfly knows when and where to go during its migration back and forth across the continent? Monarch butterflies migrate to escape the cold weather and a need for food so every year they travel south and every spring they return to the northern regions. They come through Texas from Canada and the eastern half of North America every fall to high mountain sites in the fir forests of Mexico and Central Mexico where they spend the winter. In the spring the surviving adult butterflies begin the migration north, breeding and developing more generations of butterflies. In Texas, this southern migration is usually seen in October but can start earlier if the cold weather gets an earlier start in the northern parts of the United States. An understanding of the Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly will help you understand the migration process. Monarch butterflies go through four generations each year and the fourth generation lives for up to six to eight months so that they can migrate to the warmer climates, hibernate, and then start a new first generation in the spring time. They start off as an egg, then hatch into larvae (the caterpillar), then wrap up in a cocoon (the pupa or chrysalis) and then go through a metamorphosis to become a butterfly.

In February and March, the final generations of hibernating monarch butterflies come out of hibernation to find a mate. At this time they migrate north and east from Mexico in order to find a place to lay their eggs. This starts stage one of the life cycle and the first generation of the new year for the monarch butterfly. In March and April the eggs are laid on milkweed plants, hatch into caterpillars. After about two weeks, the caterpillar attaches itself to the plant to become a pupa and starts the metamorphosis (about ten days). It finally emerges into a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly enjoys its short life span (two to six weeks), lays eggs and then dies starting the second generation. The second generation is born in May and June, and the third generation will be born in July and August. The first, second and third generation all die two to six weeks after it becomes a beautiful monarch butterfly.

The fourth generation born in September and October goes through the same four stages of the life

2

cycle except it doesn’t die after two to six weeks. It is this generation of butterflies that live six to eight months and migrate to warmer climates like California, Mexico and Central America. While you’re wondering what to do this winter when you can’t get outside and dig in the dirt, start thinking about establishing a butterfly garden for your enjoyment. Some favorite monarch friendly flowers are lantana, purple coneflower (Echinacea), phlox, yellow cosmos, plains coreopsis, zinnias, saliva and verbena. These flowers provide nectar as a food source for the butterfly. In order to reproduce the monarch butterfly requires the milkweed plant, also known as butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). The female can deposit her eggs on the plant. Plants in the milkweed family are the only plants the monarch larva will feed on. Butterfly weed can be propagated from seeds, taking up to 2 years to establish, or by purchasing a plant from the nursery. Butterfly weed produces an abundance of fiery red-orange flowers in late spring followed by decorative green seed pods. It is drought tolerant, growing in full sun to 24" tall.

One last thought: The Monarch Butterfly became the Texas state insect by a 1995 resolution of the state legislature. The resolution was introduced by Representative Arlene Wohlgemuth on behalf of students in her district. Resources: www.aggie-horticulture.edu www.monarch-butterfly.com www.monarchwatch.org www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch

Master Gardeners Attend Health Fair

On October 15, 2011 Community Health Centers of South Central Texas held a Health Fair at the Victoria College center in Gonzales, Texas. Flu shots were available along with area business promoting good health, exercise and their services to the community. The Gonzales Master Gardeners had a booth at the fair to promote “eating healthy by learning to grow fruits and vegetable”. Jim Johnson and Fran Saliger hosted the event. Many people stopped by to gather information from the master gardeners about how and when to grow vegetables and fruits. Bug tattoos were handed

3

out to the children. Many of those stopping by were interested in the Master Gardening Program and signed up for receiving information on upcoming programs.

Fall Rummage Sale Huge Success!

The Fall Rummage Sale held on Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 623 N. Fair Street, the future Exploratorium, was an overwhelming success! We were able to raise $2,176.35 to be used for building beds and landscaping for the Fair Street Project. A big thank you goes out to Juliana Hennig for organizing this big event. Also, thanks to everyone else including the spouses who worked so long and hard to make this a great fund raiser. The plan is to make this an annual event so don’t throw out your junk, unwanted stuff or “trash”, but save them for next year!!

Remember: One man’s trash is another’s treasure”.

4

Junior Master Gardener Program Launches

It’s a very big deal!!! The Junior Master Gardener Program was launched on October 26, 2011 here in Gonzales. The JMG Program was developed by Texas A&M University as an interactive science based program for kids. The program is a curriculum that can be implemented by any program leader. Its mission is to grow good kids by igniting a passion for learning, success and service through a unique gardening education. There are two JMG levels of the JMG program. Level One is for grades 3 – 5 and Level Two is for grades 6 – 8. All Junior Master Gardener curricula include independent and group learning experiences, life/skill and career exploration, service learning opportunities for youth and correlation to state teaching standards. Students use what they have learned to be of service to others. Examples of service projects initiated by JMG groups include: growing produce for donation to food banks, community beautification projects and class businesses generating funds for local charities.

The Gonzales Master Gardeners launched the Junior Master Gardener program in the area by hosting in service training for 15 area teachers in the Level One curriculum. Teachers from Shiner, Gonzales and Sweet Home participated in the in service which was conducted by the program director from Texas A&M, Randy Seagraves. Having Randy down to conduct the launch is a special treat. With a program like Junior Master Gardeners that has gone international, the director can’t do many in-services himself, and so Gonzales was very fortunate to be able to host Randy. The Gonzales Master Gardeners provided the curriculum for the teachers so that they could go back to their schools and immediately implement the program. Next year, the Gonzales Master Gardeners hope to offer this valuable in service for area teachers again about two weeks before school starts.

November 3, Monthly Meeting Report (Submitted by Gail Johnson)

The monthly meeting was November 3 at the Odd Fellows Lodge. There was plenty on the agenda and attended by 22 members and interns. Jim Johnson reported on the finances and said the Master Gardeners have moved their bank accounts to Sage Capital where we have established an operating account and a restricted account. The operating account will contain our regular operating funds and our restricted account will contain funds that are raised for a special purpose or that are donated for a special purpose. The association is in good shape with $3562.93 in operating funds and the money from the rummage sale opened the restricted account with $2176.35 which will be used to build beds and landscaping for the Fair Street Project.

5

The members decided to take a break from business meetings in December and have a holiday party in lieu of the business meeting. The association will supply the meat and members will bring potluck for the lunch that will be held at the usual time and place—noon on the first Thursday of the month at the Odd Fellows Lodge. The rummage sale was a big topic of conversation. The members thanked Juliana Hennig for her leadership of the project. The results from the sale were terrific with $2176.35 raised and set aside to support the association’s efforts to create an Exploratorium at Fair Street to support the association’s childhood education projects. Support from the members---and their spouses---was outstanding and the association is grateful for the community support for the event, including such notables as the donation from the Lutheran Church of items from their rummage sale and the exceptional service from Don Hennig who, along with his dogs, stood guard at the building the night before the event. (He just had one incident in the night and the intruder made a hasty departure when finding the place manned and dogged, too). Members agreed that we should do it again next year!! The in-service training for area teachers for the Junior Master Gardener Program was very well received. Randy Seagraves, the director of the Junior Master Gardener Program from Texas A&M, came down to personally conduct the in-service. The Gonzales Master Gardeners hosted the event which was held at Gonzales Elementary School. Fifteen teachers from Gonzales, Shiner, Sweet Home and Grace Christian attended. The Master Gardeners also supplied each teacher with a copy of the curriculum manual which cost $38 each. The funds came from monies raised last spring at the plant sale. The teachers really appreciated the manuals and commented that they attend many in services where they leave without the materials needed to implement the programs. With public funding tight in schools, teachers often have to buy materials themselves to implement worthy programs. Having conducted the training and reviewed the facilities, Randy Seagraves offered to provide letters of support for the association. The first graders were at the Eggleston Garden to plant their vegetables. Broccoli, radishes, lettuce, turnips and spinach were the crops of choice this fall. The kids and the Master Gardeners had a great time and David reported that the radishes are already up!! The WIC client leader has gotten the debris removed from the site and is working with internal controls to manage the funding for the project. The street next to the building is still under construction which is limiting access to the site. The Master Gardeners had a booth at the Gonzales Health Fair. Jim and Fran passed out materials and chatted with attendees. Nine people signed up on the interest sheets to receive more information about the Master Gardener program. Fran gave the kids stick on tattoos and the Master Gardeners contributed two door prizes to the drawings. Norma’s House has asked for help developing a design for their exterior. Several members met with the executive director, Ann Alexander, to determine the scope of the project. Maureen Paulk has volunteered to lead the project. Alan Marek has volunteered to serve as Membership Chair. This group will follow up with members of the public who have expressed an interest in the program and recruit new members.

6

The Fair Street Project—A Dream Project with Broad Support

This coming year will see a lot of time and effort into the Fair Street Project. The Gonzales Master Gardeners are beginning the process of organizing the project team for the facility and for the programs that it will house. This is a really unique project that is bringing together many diverse collaborators in search of a focus for scientific, conservation and artistic education. It’s a rare thing to see so many groups and agencies working together to make something possible and it shows the “can do” spirit of the Gonzales community.

The Fair Street Building, located at 623 N. Fair Street, belongs to the Gonzales Independent School District. It was built in the 1930’s and was used for years as a school cafeteria. It is a wood frame structure, with a stucco exterior. The facility has hard wood floors in excellent condition, an almost new metal roof, and is structurally sound. The dimensions of the building are 89 feet long and 27 feet wide. Gonzales County leased the building from the school district and will provide support for utility bills. The building will be administered by the Gonzales Office of Texas AgriLife Extension and operated by the Gonzales Master Gardeners. As a county building, the facility will be available to a range of organizations for child and adult education. The City of Gonzales will provide infrastructure work for the utilities and GVEC has committed funds to kick off the renovation project. The project has expressions of interest from charitable organizations to install a rainwater harvesting system and a green house. The Gonzales Underground Water District has pledged technical support for the rain water harvesting system. The project has received letters of support from the Gonzales Economic Development Corporation, Gonzales Main Street, the Gonzales Area Development Council, the Gonzales Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture and the International Association of Lions Club, in addition to the various governments involved. The project also recently received an offer of a letter of support from the Junior Master Gardener program at Texas A&M University. In addition, the project has received the pro bono services and financial support of private citizens in the community. Are you counting? That’s five governmental entities, five agencies and business groups, three nonprofits and a growing number of individuals. And more keep coming. When is the last time you saw that kind of support for anything? So why are all these people committed to this project? Because it takes something that was old and pretty useless (the old building) and converts it into something that looks to the future by serving the children of our community through cooperation and hard work. Because it will teach science, art and conservation and strives to reconnect coming generations to the land and the natural world. Because it has the potential to bring us closer as a community by joining a positive common cause. But, it’s the Gonzales Master Gardeners that will carry the torch if we are going to make this happen. You’ve already put your sweat into this. But you haven’t seen anything yet. Now we have to actually make it real.

7

Other Master Gardener News Events

David Speaks

David DeMent was the keynote speakers at the Gonzales Soil and Water Conservation District annual awards banquet in October. David spoke about the Master Gardener program here in Gonzales County and about the projects that the Master Gardeners are working on. The board of the district wanted to hear more about the program and its goals—and who better to tell them all about it!!

Welcome New Members

The Gonzales Master Gardeners are pleased to welcome transfer members Allen and Brenda Barnes. The Barnes recently moved to Gonzales where Allen is serving as city manager. Long time Master Gardeners, the Barnes were glad to learn there is a chapter here in Gonzales where they can pursue their love of gardening and public service. Welcome, Allen and Brenda.

Membership Chairman

Alan Marek has volunteered to serve as Membership Chair. He’s just the kind of guy we need for that and he worked hard last summer to recruit students for Class 2—which is kinda’ what gave us the idea to ask him if he would take this on. Being sure that we respond to people who express an interest in Master Gardeners is part of serving our community. So, thanks, Alan, for stepping up.

MEET THE STUDENTS

The Gonzales Master Gardeners are proud of the members of their new class, Class 2. So we

thought we would brag on them a little bit. Each month we will be introducing two of our students and

here we go, in alphabetical order. . . .

Lori Behlen is a self-employed painting contractor who lives in Gonzales county.

Lori has been gardening about five years and loves flower beds, her vegetable

garden and potted plants. She is looking forward to learning more about growing

vegetables and maintaining her yard.

Anne Gage laughs that she has lots of gardening experience—25 years of killing

plants!! But Anne loves vegetable gardening and container plants. She hopes to

learn new skills in class that will help her beautify not only her own space but

public places as well. Anne and optician husband Dr. Gage are longtime

residents of Gonzales County.

8

Tip of the Month (Submitted by Carol Bond)

The cool weather is enough to motivate us all to get out of doors and do some much needed clean up. While you are trimming and tidying, how about propagating some of those clippings ready for our Master Gardener plant sale next spring? Some easy to start plants are Basil, Bougainvillea, English Ivy, Firebush, Geranium, Lantana, Plumbago, Pathos Ivy, Rosemary, Salvias and Verbena. If you are taking cuttings use a clean sharp knife or pruners (Lysol spray is easy to use for this purpose) and a good quality potting soil. Dip end in rooting hormone and tap off any excess from the plant cutting. Use a pencil to make a hole in the potting medium to avoid knocking off any more rooting hormone, plant the cutting and push the potting soil gently back against the cutting. Water gently. Keep your cutting in bright light but not in direct sunlight. Cut the bottom off a clear plastic bottle to make a mini-greenhouse and help maintain the humidity for your plant. Do check the TAMU website or other reputable web sites for specific details on how to propagate your plant. Good luck and much success!

Plant of the Month (Submitted by Fran Saliger)

Common Name: Candlestick plant (“Tree”) Botanical Name: Cassia alata Blooms: Beautiful golden spikes of bloom in the Fall Height: from 6’ to 15’-great for the back of the flower bed Light: Full sun Heat tolerance: Very high Water requirements: Medium Propagation: Start from seed soaked overnight and planted Outdoors in the spring after danger of frost has passed. Deciduous shrub. In the warmer parts of Texas and along the Gulf Coast area the Candlestick tree will last for several years. They should be trimmed back after flowering to maintain compactness. May be root hardy under mild freezes unless the cold lasts longer than a day or two.

9

Best Time to Plant Trees and Shrubs

According to Mark Peterson, conservation project coordinator for San Antonio Water System, the best

time to plant trees is in the fall or winter because tree roots continue to grow throughout the dormant

season. By spring, young trees are strong enough to face the rigors of summer without serious

stress or water deficit. Late November and throughout the holidays is a great time to plant. Use the 3-

2-1 watering plan (see table below). Be sure to soak the root ball thoroughly every time you water but

do not over-water.

Timeframe Water Frequency

First four weeks 3x per week

Second four weeks 2x per week

Third four weeks 1x per week

Following six months 1x per week

Christmas Holiday Lunch

The Gonzales Master Gardeners Association next monthly business meeting on December 1,

2011 has been cancelled! Instead, we are going to have a Christmas Holiday Lunch. The turkey and ham will be provided. Bring a side dish and a big appetite! Bring a guest if you like.

Lunch will be served at noon at the Odd Fellows Lodge.

Come out and have a great time together.

SPRING WILL BE HERE SOON!!

Ok, I know you must think I’m crazy, but the Spring Plant Sale will be here before we know it! Right? I would like to get a committee together and start thinking about what we want to do for the Spring Plant Sale. A kick off meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 10:00 am at the Extension office. If you want to get in on the organization of this event, please come on out and give us you’re input. This is a great way to earn volunteer hours and a great event for our association. If you can’t attend but want to be in on future meetings, please contact Fran at 830-672-2953.

10

Events in the Area (Submitted by Juliana Hennig)

San Antonio: Saturday, November 26 from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm tour the herb garden at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens and learn all about how to grow, harvest and cook with herbs. Take home a sample of an herbal salt-free blend made with dried herbs in the class. Fee is $41.00. An additional $10 food fee payable to the instructor covers materials, samples, and lunch made with the herbs. Register at www.communityed.neisd.net

San Antonio Botanical Gardens presents Holidays in Bloom at the Garden! November 25 - December 31 Enjoy holiday decorations throughout the Garden! A great time for family photos, holiday lunch in the Bistro, and gift shopping! New Braunfels: Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. 9 am to 4:30 pm. Backyard Vegetable Gardening Seminar presented by Comal Master Gardeners. To be held at New Braunfels Convention Center, 375 South Castell Ave., New Braunfels, TX 78310. For information: http://txmg.org/comal/future-events/seminar. 6 CEU’s for Certified Master Gardeners.

SAVE THE DATE!!

River Walk & Garden Talk

May 3-5, 2012

San Antonio, TX

Registration will open in early December

Speakers will include Malcom Beck, Paul Cox, Karen Guz, Paul Johnson, Molly Keck, Cora Lamar, Patty Leander, Clayton Leonard, Monte Nesbitt, Dr. Kevin Ong,

Dr. Jerry Parsons, Ashton Ritchie, Gina Rodriquez, Felder Rushing, Nicholas Staddon, Dr. Larry Stein, Dr. William Welch and Carol White.

Go to www.bexarcountymastergardener.org For more information on the big event as it comes available

Okay Sleepy Heads

Wake Up and GET THOSE VOLUNTEER HOURS IN BY THE END OF EACH MONTH!!!!

PLEASE E-MAIL THEM TO GAIL JOHNSON-THANK YOU

11

Gonzales Master Gardeners are people who love gardening and want to learn more about

horticulture. Master Gardeners enjoy sharing their plant knowledge with others and promoting the love of gardening. What really sets Master Gardeners apart from other home gardeners is their

special training in horticulture. In exchange for their training, persons who become Master Gardeners contribute time as volunteers, working through the Texas AgriLife Extension office to

provide horticulture-related information to the community.

Editors: TexasAgriLife Extension Office Fran Saliger 1709 E. Sarah DeWitt Drive fsaliger@gvec.net Gonzales, TX 78629

Gail Johnson Phone: 830-672-8531 gailpjohnson@earthlink.net Fax: 830-672-8532

E-mail: gonzales@ag.tamu.edu Web page: http://gonzales.agriflie.org

Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability or national origin. The Texas A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas cooperating. Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid, service or accommodations in order to participate in this meeting are encouraged to contact the County Extension Office at 830-672-8531 to determine how reasonable accommodations can be made. The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the Texas AgriLife Extension Service is implied.

Check us out on

Facebook at Gonzales

Master Gardeners