Inside . . . Pages 2-3 News from Julia Pryor, Program Coordinator Page 4 Peoria Master Gardener News

Page 5 Tazewell Master Gardener News Page 6 Speakers Bureau Training and Continuing Education Webinars Four Seasons Gardening Program Series Page 7 Calendar of Events

November-December 2016

Well, it is that time again. The end of the year is quickly approaching and this is a great opportunity to express how impressed I am by all of the hard work that you do each year. I know that many of you have heard this multiple times, but we would not be able to provide the educational outreach that we do without the time and effort you provide. Your contributions to the community that you live and work in are more than just time. Although we can calculate the value that your time has to a community, the effect that you have is more than just a simple number.

You are impacting youth by teaching them how to grow food, where food comes from, how to care for nature, that nature is not something to be feared, and many other lessons. Your passion and excitement for “Helping Others Connect with Nature” and “Helping Others Learn to Grow” are inspiring to those around you. Words cannot express how impressed I am with the commitment that you have to be a Master Volunteer.

Last year, Master Volunteers reported 17,508 hours of work which had a tremendous impact on the communities in Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell Counties. Your volunteering is changing lives for the better. I cannot wait to see how many more hours and lives you all have impacted over this past year.

Do not forget to report any remaining hours that you have done as soon as you are able.

I hope that you have a safe and wonderful holiday season, and that you can spend it with friends and family.

I want to wish you a happy holiday season and look forward to all that is ahead of us in 2017.

Happy Holiday and Happy New Year!

Jason Haupt

Master Volunteers Learning and Doing!

Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit

Master Volunteer News

Energy and Environmental Stewardship Educator Comments

2016 is flying by! In the whirlwind of activity and pangs of strategic management of time and resources, good things are growing in and around Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Counties. THANK YOU for being involved as a Master Gardener volunteer and the many ways you “Help Others Learn to Grow”.

Long term projects continue to make an impact, new audiences are being reached through displays, and public presentations and new projects in Peoria, Chillicothe, and Pekin are up and growing.

Rhonda Ferree, Anita Wilkinson, and I just finalized a video that describes our 2017 horticulture program plan. It is available on YouTube at http://go.illinois.edu/HortProgram2017. It takes just eight short minutes to watch, and all who view will learn more about horticulture programming in this U of I Extension Unit. You may even count this as Miscellaneous volunteer time.

Our MG team is growing: CONGRATULATIONS and WELCOME to our newest U of I Extension Master Gardeners: Bill Baker, Karla Kane, Martha Willi, and Cris Potthoff. These four are reaching others new to MG and Extension programming. Watch for more good news: at press time we have five people who are near the finish line on their internships. You can do it!

Thanks to all who have submitted their Master Gardener Volunteer Agreement; please return ASAP if you have not already done so or you will be considered “inactive” for 2017. Your signed agreement means you are covered by U of I Extension insurance. If this is the time for you to transition to “inactive” or “alumnus” status, please let the office know.

I appreciate all who answered the plea and made a special effort to report hours needed for our annual report. The priority deadline for reporting your 2016 Volunteer and Continuing Education hours online is November 24, 2016, and the absolute final day to report 2016 hours is January 6, 2017. Info will be shared with campus and is needed to show the impact the Master Gardener program has. If you have not already done so, please enter the number of people you reached with your projects in the comments section when you report.

Want continuing education from home? Visit the U of I Extension Horticulture You Tube site at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEYBGqFXZS6Sn37n1mVcY1g to see a wealth of good info.

Huge thanks to the Tazewell MGs for sponsoring the September Spree trip to Rotary and Anderson Gardens. The weather was spectacular and the gardens were glorious. Here are a few pictures from our day:

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News From Julia Pryor, Program Coordinator

The weather was GLORIOUS for the

September Spree trip

September Spree travelers

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Fulton County MGs enjoyed a joint meeting with the Spoon River Garden Club in September and heard a program on Therapy Gardening in October. They will meet on Dec. 1 for a Greenery Workshop.

Mason MGs had a meeting with Jr. MGs and families at the Fanter Farm where they enjoyed a wiener roast, hay rack ride, and garden tour. MG Glen Fanter said this is the best garden he has ever had. Mason will meet quarterly in 2017.

Thanks to MG Dixie Krisher for sharing “You know you are a Master Gardener” when…..

You plan vacation trips around the locations of botanical and historical gardens.

When considering your budget, plants are more important than groceries.

You always carry a shovel and plastic bags in your trunk as emergency tools.

You appreciate your MG nametag more than jewelry.

What would YOU add to this list??

Please share your comments and I’ll update this in the future.

Historically, gardeners know that good things come to those who wait. Horticulturally speaking, don’t you just LOVE the designs embedded in turf at Wrigley Field? GO CUBS and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Julia

Anderson Japanese Gardens

Dee Brown and City of Mackinaw Garden

MGS and MNs at ICC Lawn and Garden Day

Mason County MG meeting

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Project Updates

Jubilee College Historic Site

In the next few weeks, our Jubilee volunteers will be "putting the garden to sleep" for the winter months. This year our Jubilee Butterfly Garden attracted over ten species of butterflies and hundreds of visitors received informational handouts on "how to start a butterfly garden" with lists of host and nectar plants. We held our Annual Summary meeting on October 6 and discussed our accomplishments for the year. Five events were held at Jubilee College Historic Site this year with a total attendance of 520 visitors, as compared with one event in 2015 with an attendance of 420 visitors. With that said, we are hoping to expand our volunteer base so we can have the College open for tours on a monthly basis in 2017 for the summer months. Volunteers are needed to both volunteer in the butterfly garden and to be historic interpreters in the College for the various rooms and its artifacts. There are "scripts" available for volunteers to use to acquaint themselves with the history that abounds at the Jubilee Historic Site. A training session and a tour of the College are being planned for the Spring of 2017 for those interested in volunteering. Please contact Patricia Melaik, Project Chair for the Jubilee Butterfly garden, if you are interested.

Contact information: email: bluecob5@yahoo.com

~Patricia Melaik - Project Chair

Wildlife Prairie Park

The Great Learning Garden at Wildlife Prairie Park has finished its growing season. Our total harvest was 215.5 lbs. this year with seven youth participating. We were awarded a $130 grant in 2015 from the state Master Gardener mini-grant program and were able to add blueberries, strawberries, seeds, and other seedlings to the growing season. ~Carol Cihla, Project Leader

Prospect United Methodist Church Memorial Garden

Several plants were donated by church members and were planted during the summer months. One of our older members had us out to her home in the country, and we dug up many older variety plants such as Chinese Lantern, Purple Day Lily, Blackberry Lily, Lamb's Ear, Buttercups, and pink Yarrow. These we transplanted in the garden. In late October, Purple Panda Pre-School will, again, plant bulbs. This year it will be yellow daffodils. Also, the little ones will help cut back plants such as spirea, so they can witness the regeneration in the spring. Plant tags were ordered so we can identify plants in the garden and who donated them. A new hose reel was purchased to make watering the garden much easier. Thanks to the Peoria County Master Gardeners for the grant to make these purchases possible.

~Barb Wickness, Project Chair

Peoria Master Gardener News

November Meeting

Wed., Nov. 16, 2016

12:30 pm—Social Time

1 pm—Program

2 pm-Membership Meeting

2016 Peoria County Master Gardener Officers

President - May Bach

Vice President—Randy Saxon Recording Secretary—Peggy Shane Corresponding Secretary—Sharon Jackson Marketing—Patricia Melaik Financial Secretary—Jennifer Bass Newsletter Editor—Jill Meints Membership—Tony Anderson Long Term Projects—Bill Johnson Short Term Projects—Bill Johnson Speaker’s Bureau—Paula Lane Volunteer Coordinator—Barb Wickness Education Coordinator—Charles Crider Assisted by: Dixie Krisher

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Tazewell Master Gardener News

Next Meeting

March 27, 2017

6:00 pm

Extension Office in Pekin

Project Updates

Green Valley Garden-Curt Franks wanted to thank Bill and Kathy Baker for stepping in and helping during his recent surgery. The produce has been harvested and donated to the food bank in Green Valley. The Bakers, Curt, and a couple people from the community were able to clean up the garden in about an hour. The Bakers have chisel-plowed and tilled the garden and are planting winter radishes.

ICC Garden-Lee Maki advised that Lawn and Garden Day went real well, although it was very muddy. Suzanne and Trudy manned the Tazewell County booth.

Mackinaw Garden-Dee Brown reported that the community is very cooperative and appreciated the efforts to beautify the village. They provide a person to water and a couple of people to weed the areas, along with whatever equipment is needed. Lee Maki read a letter from Craig Friend, Village President, thanking the Tazewell Master Gardeners for the donation for flowers and materials to landscape the Mackinaw sign, which can be seen at the corner of Route 9 and Orchard Street.

Morton Giving Garden-Pam Scott reported the garden has been closed for the winter. The garden produced just over 3,000 lbs. for Hope Chest and We Care. We had a lot of problems with squash bugs and Cathy Lane has done some research on the bugs. She discovered that the newspaper, cardboard, and straw provide great breeding conditions for the bugs. We will be looking at ways to reduce the problem next year. Trudy Yazujian and her husband are going to till the garden this fall, which is supposed to help break the lifecycle. She is also going to plant winter radishes.

Pekin Main Street-Suzanne Cook reported that about a month ago she, Lisa Ziegenhorn, Ellen Denler, and Suzanne’s daughter removed all the annuals from the planters downtown and replaced them with about 200 mums. She isn’t sure they are getting watered, but we have had a little rain so they are doing well. Before Thanksgiving, she will be looking for volunteers to clean up the planters for the winter. Let her know if you would like to help. If anyone is interested in the mums, let Suzanne know. Susan McCabe was able to overwinter some of the mums last year by just covering them with leaves.

Washington Community Garden-Lee Maki reported they had the same problem with squash bugs. They harvested around 5,900 lbs. of produce this year. They are still harvesting tomatoes and peppers.

Wildlife Prairie Park Children’s Garden-Carol Cihla reported the first part of November they will be putting straw in the berry area. Two of the other quadrants will be tilled and winter radishes will be planted. They harvested over 200 lbs. of produce for the animals of Wildlife Prairie Park.

New Business

Election of Officers-2017 Officers were elected. Lee Maki will remain as President, Ellen Denler as Vice President, and Pam Scott as Secretary. Trudy Yazujian will take over as Treasurer.

Advisory Board Representative-Trudy Yazujian will replace Margaret Kelly for a two-year term.

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Save the Dates Speakers Bureau Training and Continuing Education Webinars

Horticulture Educators Martha Smith, Rhonda Ferree, and Richard Hentschel are teaming up to provide resources for their Extension Unit’s Speakers Bureaus. They have developed nine new programs to use. Each includes PowerPoints, scripts, teaching guide, and handouts. To demonstrate how they present these programs, each will be offered via webinar and taped for viewing later on YouTube. Speakers Bureau guidelines and tips, and instructions on how to download all the materials will also be provided. Richard Hentschel begins the series with tips on public speaking, including PowerPoint and image use. Watch your email and future MV News for program descriptions and registration information. All programs begin at 9 am and last about 1 ½ hours.

December 7—Introduction to Master Gardener Speakers Bureau Project, Richard Hentschel

December 14—Seasonal Care for the Home Landscape: Winter/Spring, Martha Smith

December 21—Creating a Shady Garden Respite-Shade Gardens, Rhonda Ferree

January 4—Seasonal Care for the Home Landscape: Summer/Fall, Martha Smith

January 11—Energy Efficient Landscaping, Rhonda Ferree

January 18—Late Summer & Fall Colors in the Garden, Martha Smith

January 25—Tea Gardens, Rhonda Ferree

February 1—Designing a Flower Bed with Seasonal Interest, Martha Smith

February 8—Container Gardens, Rhonda Ferree

February 15—Easy Care Native Plants, Martha Smith

Four Seasons Gardening Program Series All sessions are available for live home viewing. Tuesday sessions are also available in the Peoria Extension office. Following the session, a taped version is available on YouTube. WINTER 2017 • Seed Starting, Kim Ellson Jan. 31 @ 1:30 & Feb. 2 @ 6:30 • Houseplants, Rhonda Ferree Feb. 14 @ 1:30 & Feb. 16 @ 6:30 • Moth Orchids, Sandy Mason March 7 @ 1:30 & March 9 @ 6:30 SPRING 2017 • Veg Growing in Small Spaces, Jennifer Fishburn April 18 @ 1:30 & April 20 @ 6:30 • Beyond Hosta, Martha Smith May 2 @ 1:30 & May 4 @ 6:30 • Backyard Small Fruits, Bruce Black May 16 @ 1:30 & May 18 @ 6:30 SUMMER 2017 • Sustainable Lawns, Chris Enroth June 27 @ 1:30 & June 29 @ 6:30 • Carnivorous Plants, Ken Johnson July 11 @ 1:30 & July 13 @ 6:30 • Backyard Tree Fruits, Andrew Holsinger July 25 @ 1:30 & July 27 @ 6:30 FALL 2017 • Therapeutic Hort, Candice Hart Sept. 5 @ 1:30 & Sept. 7 @ 6:30 • Essential Oils, Nancy Kreith Sept. 19 @ 1:30 & Sept. 21 @ 6:30 • Butterfly ID, Kelly Allsup Oct. 3 @ 1:30 & Oct. 5 @ 6:30

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Regular County Master Gardener Meetings

Peoria 3rd Wed. at 12:30 p.m. (Board 2nd Wed. at 9:30) usually in Peoria office, but do not meet in December or January.

Tazewell 4th Mon. at 6 p.m. in Pekin office (March through October).

Fulton

Mason

UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS

Mon., Nov. 7—Master Volunteer Advisory Committee Meeting, 1:30 pm, Peoria County Extension Office

Thurs., Nov. 24—Master Gardener and Master Naturalist 2016 Reporting Deadline. This is the priority deadline for reporting hours for 2016. The online system will remain open through Jan. 6, 2017 to allow reporting of December hours.

Thurs., Dec. 1—Fulton and Mason County Master Gardener Greenery Workshop, 6 pm, Fulton County Extension Office, doors open at 4 pm for material drop off. Bring a container and greenery to share, leave with a seasonal arrangement from shared items. Appetizer potluck.

Tues., Jan. 24—Master Naturalist Quarterly meeting, time and location TBA.

Tues., Jan. 31—Four Seasons Webinar, 1:30 pm, Seed Starting with Kim Ellson.

Thurs. Feb. 2—Four Seasons Webinar, 6:30 pm, Seed Starting with Kim Ellson.

Tues., Feb. 14—Four Seasons Webinar, 1:30 pm, Houseplants with Rhonda Ferree.

Thurs., Feb. 16—Four Seasons Webinar, 6:30 pm, Houseplants with Rhonda Ferree.

Tues., Mar. 7—Four Seasons Webinar, 1:30 pm, Moth Orchids with Sandy Mason.

Thurs., Mar. 9—Four Seasons Webinar, 6:30 pm, Moth Orchids with Sandy Mason.

Sat., Apr. 29, 2017—Save the date for Gardeners’ BIG Day at DICKSON MOUNDS. The planning team is looking forward to this event and hope many of you and your gardening friends will plan to attend.

For details of calendar events, call 309-543-3308 or see MV google calendar at bit.ly/fmpt-mvevents

Calendar of Events

University of Illinois Extension · U.S. Department of Agriculture · Local Extension Councils Cooperating University of Illinois Extension provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.

If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in any event, contact your local Extension office.

University of Illinois Extension

serving Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Counties

University of Illinois Extension Fulton-Mason-Peoria-Tazewell Unit 15411 N IL 100 Hwy Lewistown, IL 61542

Main Office

1505 Valle Vista

Pekin, IL 61554

Phone: 309-347-6614

FAX: 309-347-5472

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm

(Closed 12—1 pm)

Branch Office

127 S High St, Ste 1

Havana, IL 62644

Phone: 309-543-3308

FAX: 309-543-6239

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm

(Closed 12—1 pm)

Branch Office

15411 N IL 100 Hwy

Lewistown, IL 61542

Phone: 309-547-3711

FAX: 309-547-3713

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm

(Closed 12—1 pm)

Branch Office

4810 North Sheridan

Peoria, IL 61614

Phone: 309-685-3140

FAX: 309-685-3397

Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 am-4:30 pm

(Closed 12—1 pm)

Academic Staff

Dr. Earl Allen-County Director

Kathleen Brown-Educator, Community and Economic Development

Margaret Cover-Educator, Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

Rhonda Ferree-Educator, Horticulture

Jason Haupt-Educator, Environmental and Energy Stewardship

Judy Schmidt-Educator, 4-H Metro

http://web.extension.illinois.edu/fmpt/