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In last month’s newsletter, I started to honor the top 10 Master Gardeners with the most hours. This month I’ll continue with the second group.
Sam Patsy has spent many hours working in the Derwood Demonstra-tion Garden. He is one of our compost gurus and I hear that his compost is like magic! Sam is very active in the vegetable gardens in the Demo Garden too. Sam is a member of the Speaker’s Bureau and offers talks on composting, soil science, soil testing and nutrient management for soil. He also gives talks on vegetable gardening and garden preparation and maintenance Pat Kenny is a very energetic expert on anything about herbs. To sit in on one of her talks is always an adventure. You learn about edible plants that you didn’t think were possible and often get to sample them as well. Pat will often give out herb seed packets or even plants to attendees of her talks. Pat spends many hours preparing and giving talks on herbs for the Speakers’ Bureau. She has also given talks for our intern classes and both the spring and fall Mini-Conferences. She shares her knowl-edge and love of gardening at Plant Clinics as well. JoAnn Mueller is the reason that Therapeutic Horticulture is so success-ful. She has a wonderful way of working with seniors and challenged residents of nursing homes, group homes or wherever there is a request for therapeutic horticulture. JoAnn is incredibly creative and artistic and she develops gardening activities and teaches them to her groups with ease and grace. JoAnn works in the Derwood Demonstration Garden growing many of the plants she uses in therapeutic horticulture. JoAnn also volunteers at Brookside Gardens at the Wings of Fancy Butterfly Ex-hibit. Fran McClure co-founded the Landscape Design committee along with Len Friedman several years ago. As a landscape designer herself, she CON’T ON PAGE 7
February 2011
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
THURSDAY, FEB 3
HERITAGE BLDG,
FAIRGROUNDS
9:30 SOCIAL TIME
10:00 BUSINESS
10:30 SPEAKER
PEOPLE AND PLANTS: EXPLOR-
ING HISTORY WITH SMITH-
SONIAN GARDENS
ERIN CLARK
SMITHSONIAN HORTICULTURIST
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Thursday, Feb 17
10:00 am
President’s Perspective By
Sheryl Freishtat
NewsletterNewsletter MONTGOMERY COUNTY / 18410 MUNCASTER ROAD DERWOOD, MARYLAND 20855
MAIN NUMBER (301) 590-9638 LAWN & GARDEN (301) 590-9650 FAX (301) 590-2828
THE MASTER GARDENER
University of Maryland Extension programs are open to all citizens without regard to race,
color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital or parental status, or national origin.
THE MASTER GARDENER NEWSLETTER
The Master Gardener Newsletter is a monthly newsletter
published by the volunteer Master Gardener organization
of Montgomery County, an office of the University of
Maryland Extension.
U. of MD. Extension Office Contacts
Director Chuck Schuster
Master Gardener Coordinator Stephen Dubik
Master Gardener Secretary Linda Waters
Master Gardener Volunteer Organization—2010
President Sheryl Freishtat
First Co-Vice President Barbara Waite-Jaques
Second Vice President Taffy Turner
Treasurer Julia Horman
Recording Secretaries Brad Foss &
Liz Hofmeister
For information on the organization and the services
offered by Master Gardeners, contact:
Black Hills Butterfly Marsha VonDuerckheim
Derwood Demo. Garden Karen Shavel &
Maria Wortman
External Special Events Elsie Sullivan &
Taffy Turner
Fair Demo. Garden Tom Stanton &
John Zeglin
Internal Special Events Kathi Dyer &
Terri Pitts
Landscape Design Len Friedman &
Carol Hall
Mini-Conference: Michael Parizer &
Pat Wolfe
Newsletter Editor Stacey Guthrie
Plant Clinics Hayley Goris &
Sue Kuklewicz
Program/Education Kate Crawford, Joe Ginther &
Pat Kenny
Public Relations Kathy Eighmey
Speakers Paula Jean Hallberg
Strategic Planning Leonard Friedman &
Frank Lostumbo
SWAT Pat Lynch
Technology/Computer Gary Cahn & Joe Ginther
Telephone Hotline Nancy Farrar &
Barbara Waite-Jaques
Therapeutic Horticulture JoAnn Mueller &
Alyce Wertheimer
Youth Programs Ron Anderson
Class of 2010 Chairpersons
All opinions expressed with reference to commercial
organizations or products are those of the authors and do
not represent an official endorsement by the University of
Maryland.
Stephen Dubik,
Master Gardener Coordinator
PAGE 2 MASTER GARDENER FEB 2011
Mission and Vision
Mission: The Maryland Master Gardener mission is to support the
University of Maryland Extension by educating Maryland residents
about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build
healthy gardens, landscapes and communities.
Vision: A healthier world through environmental stewardship.
How To Submit Articles
MGs are invited to write articles for the newsletter, but keep in mind that submittals may be edited and/or not used until a later month. To submit articles, e-mail in attachment form by the 12th of the month to: Stacey Guthrie
Deadline for submissions: 12th of the month
Computer Users Note Home & Garden Information Center Web site:
http://www.hgic.umd.edu
Montgomery County Master Gardener Web site: http://mcmg.umd.edu
Horticultural Hotline: 301-590-9650
March — November: Mon. - Fri. 10 am - 1 pm
Plant Clinic Sites and Leaders
Audubon Naturalist Society Sat. 10-12 Marlene Cianci
(May-Sept)
Brookside Gardens Sat. 10-2 Hayley Goris
(Year-Round)
Brookside Gardens Sun. 1-4 Margie Richards
(Year-Round)
Brookside Gardens Wed & Thur 1-4 Sue Kuklewicz
Davis Library Sat. 10-1 Margaret Edison
(April-Sept)
Derwood Ex. Office M-F 9-1 Arlene Cole
Germantown Library Wed. 7-8:30 Judi Moline
(May-Sept)
Poolesville Library Thur 7-8:30 Terri Pitts
Quince Orchard Library Sat. 10-1 Bill Connors
(May-Sept)
Silver Spring Farmers’ Mart Sat 10-1 Kathy Clark & Gerri Hall
(April-Sept)
Twinbrook Library Sat. 10-1 Barbara Waite-Jaques
(Apr-Sept) (3rd Sat only)
Direct correspondence to:
The Horticultural Consultant, University of Maryland Extension
18410 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855
Email: [email protected]
PAGE 3 FEB 2011 MASTER GARDENER
Continuing Ed. Corner
Compiled by Lauren Rubenstein
January, Landscaping Classes, at Mont-gomery College and Brookside Gardens; including new course on plant propagation; tuition waivers available for seniors. Check it out on: http://www.montgomerycollege.edu/admissions/registration/tuitioninfo.htm. Contact: [email protected], 240-567-7803.
Feb. 6, 9:30am–noon. Bald Eagles of Black Hill. Black Hill Visitor Center. To register, email D.Gibbs@ Montgom-eryParks.org or call 301.444.3142. Feb. 6, 10-11:30. How Does Your Garden Grow? Brookside Gardens, Visitors Cen-ter Auditorium. 301.231.5122. Feb. 12, 11am: Glass House of Dreams ($5) (glasshouseofdreams.com) Home-stead Gardens, Davidsonville Feb. 13, 10-11:30. Benefits of Compost and Compost Tea. Brookside Gardens, Visitors Center Auditorium. 301.231.5122. Feb. 20, 10-11:30. Common Pests and Controls for the Vegetable Gardener. Brookside Gardens, Visitors Center Audito-rium. 301.231.5122. Feb. 23, 6:30-8:30pm Winter Meeting, Black Hill Visitor Center. A naturalist pre-sents on a natural history topic Feb. 26, 8:30am-4pm Green Matters 2010: Food for Thought. Topics include: ‣ Impact of local, sustainable food on climate change ‣ Soil Food Web and the importance of healthy soil for healthy food ‣ ―Grow It Eat It‖ Campaign by the Master Gardeners ‣ Community Garden Programs ‣ Edible plants in an ornamental landscape $79 (early registration by Jan. 16) $89 (after Jan. 16) Sign up online for Course #64759 at www.ParkPASS.org.
Master Gardener dues for calendar year 2011 are $25 and are NOW PAYABLE . For Income tax purposes, your MG dues are con-sidered a tax-deductible contribution. Note: Members with Emeri-tus status pay no dues;, and MG Interns pay no dues in their year of internship. MG Bylaws state that any member not wishing to pay dues may forgo payment by sending a brief, written request for a waiver to the Treasurer, or the MCMG Coordinator, Steve Dubick. Please make dues checks payable to “MC – EAC.” Dues payments will be collected at the MG monthly meetings; checks can be mailed to MG Treasurer, Julia Horman, 2104 Parker Avenue, Wheaton MD 20902, or dropped off with Linda Waters in Derwood. If your name is not on the check, or if you wish to pay by cash, kindly include the following form with your dues. Thanks for supporting our MG As-sociation. (update any changed information) Name:______________________________ Phone:_______________________ Address:____________________________ Email:_______________________
If you have a picture or two of your garden from years past that I can use in the newsletter as a filler (see page 7) to brighten things up, send it along to me in an attachment with your name. Thanks.
Con’t Ed Continued! Feb. 27, 9 am-4pm. Dan Hinkley. Sheppard Pratt Conference Center, Beltimore. Www.mdhorticulture.org Save the Date… March 8-10. Philadelphia Flower Show. Brookside Gar-dens tours March 8 & 10, www.brooksidegardens.org . March 26. Lahr Native Plant Symposium. Fee. Registration required. Beltsville Agricultural Research Center. http://www.usna.usda.gov/ Education/events.html For further information see: http://sites.google.com/site/mgmdmontycontinuinged/Home"
FEBRUARY MINI-CONFERENCE
Master Gardeners — please remember that the Feb. 26 mini-conference is
being offered to the public; the one for MGs was offered in November.
Master Gardeners will be admitted only if there is space at the February
mini-conference.
PAGE 4 MASTER GARDNER FEB 2011
MG ADVANCED TRAINING Master Composter
Location: University of Maryland Extension- Baltimore County (Cockeysville) Date: Thursdays, 3/17 & 3/24, 10-3 (includes field trip), Instructors: Lew Shell (Horticulture Consultant, HGIC; Anne Arundel Co. MG), Susan Levy-Goerlich
(Howard Co. MG) Registration Fee: $45 (plus any texts) Registration Deadline: March 10, 2011 Class Limit: 25
Course Description:
Learn all about composting from dedicated Master Gardener Composters. This advanced course, designed to teach the teacher, will not only enable you to improve your own composting techniques, it will empower you to share your knowledge with novices and experts alike. You will be given instruction in both the science and the art of creating compost and be given the opportunity to hone your own personal teaching skills. As a gradu-ate ―Master Composter‖, you will be able to seek out new and innovative ways to present ‗backyard compost-ing‘ to both MG interns and to the public at large. Master Gardeners are among a very small number of spokespersons for Integrated Pest Management. To become certified, class participants are expected to give 10 hours of volunteer time in the next 12 months in the area of compost education. Our mandate goes well beyond the sensible use of pesticides; we are also charged with educating homeowners in areas of Water Quality, Nutrient Management, Soil Conservation, and Recycling. Backyard Composting is an endemic part of each of these areas and thereby has a crucial role to play in all of our programs and projects. Also included:
Planning for the new MG composting site at the new Baltimore Co. Ag Center. Vermicomposting demo and hands-on exercise. Field trip to the Eastern Sanitary Landfill
To Register on MG Website: http://mastergardener.umd.edu/AdvancedTraining/index.cfm
MG ADVANCED TRAINING
New Course!
Growing Fruit at Home Location: University of Maryland Extension Research and Education Center, Upper Marlboro Date: Wed., 3/30, 9-3 Instructors: Christopher Walsh, PhD., Professor of Horticulture, UMCP and R. David Myers, Extension
Educator - Fruits and Vegetables; and Anne Arundel County Extension Director. Registration Fee: $35 Registration Deadline: March 23, 2011 Class Limit: 20 Course Description: New Course!! Join us for our first MG Advanced Training class on Growing Fruit. We‘ve been hearing a lot about vegetables lately- but what about fruit? It‘s fun, nutritious and often easy to grow here. Grapes, blueber-ries, raspberries, apples, peentos (flat peaches) and more. Learn what the most successful fruit plants are in Maryland and how to grow them - even in small spaces. Pruning demos, hands-on exercises, and field walk included. (Be prepared to do some outdoor field walking.) To Register: send your name, address, email, phone, MG county you work with, name of class you want to take, and a check for $35 (payable to the University of MD). Mail to: MG Classes, HGIC, 12005 Homewood Road, Ellicott City, MD 21042. The State MG Advanced Training information and registration forms can be found at: http://mastergardener.umd.edu/AdvancedTraining/index.cfm
PAGE 5 MASTER GARDENER FEB 2011
NEWS FROM THE STATE MG OFFICE:
MG ―Ask A MG‖ Statewide Meeting ,Thursday, Feb 10, 10-1, MD Dept of Agriculture in Annapolis Attn: Plant Clinic Coordinators and Clinicians This annual meeting enables plant clinic folks to get together with others across the state to share problems and answers, decide on common strategies and identify common needs. The goal of his meeting is to make all plant clinics more successful and efficient. Light refreshments and coffee will be on-hand, but bring your own lunch if you want one. Please join us! Questions? Contact Robin 410-531-1754; [email protected]. MG Advanced Training in School Gardens Sat April 9 (not completely definite yet) Master Gardeners and Baltimore City Public Schools are joining up for a training on School Gardens at Great Kids Farm in Baltimore County. This training is scheduled for Saturday, April 9. More details will be coming. You‘ll learn how to work with kids in the vegetable gardens, start school gardens, and get tips on how to sus-tain them and work with the system. Primary presenters will be the energetic and very experienced staff from Great Kids Farm and Jon Traunfeld, State MG Coordinator and Extension Specialist in Fruits and Vegetables. MG Annual Training Day will by Tuesday, May 17, 2011; UMCP Please mark your calendars! Registration forms will be coming to you in March. Keynote Speaker will be Pat Stone
CoAuthor of Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul: 101 Stories to Make the Heart Bloom, part of the best-selling Chicken Soup for the Soul series.
Editor/Publisher/Creator of GREENPRINTS, ―The Weeder‘s Digest,‖ since 1990 the only magazine de-voted to sharing the human side of gardening in fine prose and art.
“Pat Stone is a hoot! He is a great storyteller—hilarious one minute, inspirational the next. He has a way of reaching inside you and flipping switches. I defy any gardener to come away unchanged after a session with Pat Stone. I wish I had his energy and charisma.” - Jim Wilson, The Victory Garden
PAGE 6 FEB 2011 MASTER GARDENER
FEBRUARY IN THE GARDEN By Christopher Lewis, Montgomery County Master Gardener
It is late winter and there’s not much of anything to do outside in the garden. The soil is too wet to work with and we gardeners should avoid walking on it without using a wooden plank to stand on to avoid compacting loosened earth. You could use this time, however, to rake away leaves and remove and dispose of (not compost) old mulch and garden debris from garden areas. This would expose insect nymphs and eggs, that may be present in cracks and crevices in the soil, to the full furry and fluctuations of February freeze and thaw thereby eliminating them.
Still too cold and miserable to go outside, but want to work in the garden? This would be a good time to look at your gardening tools. Mine have been roughed up from last year’s use and could use a cleaning, sharpening, and refinishing. Wooden handles could be lightly sanded and coated with varnish or a coat of bright paint. Metal blades could be edged with a file and coated with oil to keep from rusting. Inven-tory garden stakes, string, fertilizer, pots and seed-starting equipment to have everything ready for ac-tion once warm weather arrives.
TRAINING WORKSHOP FOR NEW THERAPEUTIC HORTICULTURE LEADERS By JoAnn Mueller
Are you a Master Gardener or MG Intern who would like to participate in horticulture programs for our special needs populations, but are just not sure you can do it? This workshop is for you! On Monday, March 7 from 9:30 to 12:30, the Therapeutic Horticulture Committee will hold a "how to" workshop in the Multipurpose Room at the Extension Office in Derwood. This will be the first in a series of work-shops designed to equip would-be leaders with the specifics needed to plan and conduct monthly horti-culture programs. Materials needed and how to obtain them will be discussed and suggested projects will be demonstrated in full. You will leave the workshop with the ideas and know-how to conduct pro-grams for at least the next several months. Other workshops will follow. We have several facilities in the county requesting programs for their residents or participants (day programs as well as residential), but we have been unable to fulfill these requests because of a lack of new volunteers. By giving potential vol-unteers specific projects that they can implement, we hope to relieve some of the anxiety about "what to do" each month. Anyone who would be interested in leading or co-leading a therapeutic horticulture program with either seniors, adults, or youth with special needs is invited to attend this workshop. We will help you find co-leaders and/or " helper volunteers" for your programs. For those who cannot com-mit to monthly programs but are still interested, how about considering every other month or 4 times a year? Keep in mind that these programs often provide the only hands-on contacts with nature that these populations have. The joy and pleasure it brings them is evident in their responses. It is truly a life-enriching experience for them. We would very much like to see these experiences provided for more residents of the county and we can do it with your help! If enough people are interested, but unable to attend the workshop on March 7, please let me know and we will arrange an additional date. JoAnn Mueller (301-421-9657) [email protected]
PAGE 7 FEB 2011 MASTER GARDENER
Con’t from page 1
saw a need for the type of landscape design services that the Master Gardeners could offer. She has shared her knowledge of landscape design with many Master Gardeners by assisting in the development of a class for Master Gardeners interested in working on the Landscape Design committee but in need of background education. Fran has spent many hours giving talks on a variety of topics for the Speakers’ Bureau. She has also presented talks at the fall and spring Mini-Conferences. And last, but not least is Pat Lynch. Pat helped to create SWAT, the Special Work Action Team, and has evolved it into a dynamic and very busy group. SWAT has spread out into a number of sub-groups in order to better serve the requests that come in for Master Gardeners to attend one-time events. This past year, Pat has been very involved in and a leader in the movement to end Montgomery County Public Schools’ ban on school vegetable gardens. And in large part, due to her perseverance, is succeeding. She is currently working with the school system to develop a list of plants that schoolchildren can grow in containers at their schools. The Master Gardeners that I wrote about here and in last month’s newsletter have all put in an excep-tional amount of time and effort and are all leaders in the Master Gardener association. I think I speak for everyone when I thank each one for a terrific 2010!
Spring is coming!
Guthrie Garden 2010
FEB 2011 PAGE 8 MASTER GARDENER
CAN WE HOLD A PLANT CLINIC AT OLNEY FARMERS MARKET FROM MAY TO OCTOBER 2011? By Hayley Goris and Sue Kuklewicz, Plant Clinic Co-coordinators.
A group of volunteers participated at the Olney Farmers' Market last fall in two monthly Plant Clinic ses-sions. This trial was our reaction to a suggestion from Stanton Gill to Steve Dubik. Stanton has a stand at Olney himself, and would like to see the Master Gardeners getting better known to the general public. The trial worked well. We liked the location, the helpful organizers headed by Janet Terry, and the posi-tive reactions from market visitors. When we pooled our experience afterwards, we became concerned that a roster of once a month ses-sions would produce the limited effect of an information kiosk rather than of a full-fledged Plant Clinic exercise. We wanted our advice to go deeper than just short identification responses, references to books and reliable websites. Hence, we would need at least some months with weekly sessions, weather permitting, to match the output of Plant Clinics in Public Libraries. For the full horticultural season that means up to five months times four teams of two volunteers per month. The Olney area has a good number of Master Gardeners, but they are already active in various other horticultural pursuits; maybe they will consider also contributing some of their experience to this new endeavor. The essential input needed to achieve our goal is a team of dedicated volunteers, including at least two coordinators. Volunteers have to be ready to do slightly more work for an open air event, and even if we can borrow tents, we may have to bring tables and chairs and keep ourselves and our books dry in case of unforeseen rain or snow. Before we can inform our Board how we hope to go ahead, we have to hear from enough MGs with ex-perience in plant clinic work, or equivalent knowledge, who are ready to commit themselves to working at Olney. This could be for one or more months within the period May through October. The market takes place in a spacious parking lot shaded by trees, on Sundays from 9 to 12, and is located at the cor-ner of Route 108 and Prince Philip Drive in Olney. Please send your reactions as soon as possible to [email protected].
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXTENSION 18410 MUNCASTER ROAD DERWOOD, MD 20855
NON PROFIT ORG POSTAGE PAID
GAITHERSBURG, MD 20898
PERMIT # 2356
Master Gardener FEBRUARY 2011
A Great Topic Every Month!
MONTH SPEAKER TOPIC LOCATION
January Eric Wenger, MG Pruning Derwood
February ERIN CLARK Exploring History Fairgrounds
with Smithsonian Gardens
March Gene Sumi Growing Edible Fruits Fairgrounds
April Cindy Brown Container Gardening Fairgrounds
May Merikay Smith, MG Bulbs for All Seasons Fairgrounds
June Master Gardeners Picnic Derwood
July Lewis Ziska Impacts of Climate Change Derwood
August Pat Kenny, MG Sea Veg/Ocean Herbs Derwood
September Kathy Stephens, Brookside Trees That Support Butterflies Derwood
October Vanessa Lane, Pope Farm Tree Care Derwood
November Master Gardener Mini Conference Derwood
December MCMGs Holiday party Fairgrounds
