Turf to Treeshellipan Update

By Adam Chesser

Two springs ago I wrote an article detailing methods

for planting a small one acre stand of trees to shield our

house from the winter wind and create some privacy in the

farm field where our house sits While researching planting

methods and costs I stumbled upon the Lawn to Woodland

Program With this program The Maryland Forest Service is

offering to plant trees on your propertyrsquos lawn free of charge

if you have more than one acre of turf you can convert on

your Maryland property I contacted the State Forest Service

through the website at the end of the article and received a

call from the St Marys County Forest Service office within a

couple weeks by the spring of this year we had signed a con-

tract The trees red and white oak and loblolly pines were

planted in April Each tree was planted with a weed mat and

every third tree was planted with a tree tube to protect them

from deer damage

The large amount of rain we had this spring really helped the trees take root and they continued to do well though the small drought we had at the end of the summer Wersquove lost a couple but some have started growing out of their tubes already The hardest part of the process has been keeping the former lawns grass and weeds at bay by mowing every month or so between the trees The final task for the year is to do one final mowing to try and minimize the vole habitat for the winter In-formation on the program can be found at the following web link httpwwwarbordayorgpartnershipsmarylandindexcfm

I n s i d e t h i s

i s s u e

Timely Tips 2

Annual Cicada 3

Deer Fence 3

Recipe 4

Surreybrooke 5

The Vine

F a l l 2 0 1 5

FROST FROST frosthellip Is it winter already NOhellip I just planted my seeds I thought it

was just a month ago I started looking at gardening catalogs and checking out the new to-

mato plants on the web Wasnrsquot I making a lsquosort ofrsquo garden plan the other day in my comfy

arm chair I remember writing down something Where did the time go

As a Maryland Master Gardener I started planning ON PAPER NO LESS what my garden

would look like if I planted this by this and that by that I walked around the plot a few

times and had it burned in my mind what I was going to plant beside what and when But

now look That plant looked so interesting in the storehellipand what about those tiny seeds I

traded with the neighbor And is that a piece of red I see through that cabbage Oh Itrsquos that weird flower I shouldnrsquot

have bought My garden looks NOTHING like lsquomy planrsquo

I should have dug my sweet potatoes by now to make room to plant winter veggies Where did the time go Irsquoll dig

the sweet potatoes pull up my tomato plants and sow some lettuce seeds Then start the whole process over

again Maybe this time I will stick to my garden plan Maybe this time I wonrsquot buy those peanut seeds at the Annual

Master Gardener Conference (they werenrsquot in my plan either) Who am I kidding I will still make a plan knowing I

WONrsquoT stick to it Buy plants I have no place to put and even try to eradicate that invasive plant again and still will

wonder ldquoWhere did the time gordquo

TIMELY TIPS

Where did the time go Submitted by Gail Whitney

Crabgrass has already formed seed heads for

next year After a frost it will die and the old dead

plants can be removed by hand raking If crabgrass was a

severe problem this summer apply a crabgrass pre-

emergent next spring Over-seeding your lawn to thicken

the turf will also help combat crabgrass Mow fescue

lawns at the recommended height (3 inches) taller grass

shades out crabgrass

Now is a good time to plant trees Be sure to keep all

newly planted or transplanted trees and shrubs watered

during dry periods this fall If you buy container grown

trees be sure to spread the roots out in the planting hole

With balled and burlap stock cut the twine around the

ball and cut away the nylon or burlap wrapping Do not

spread the roots of balled and burlapped trees and

shrubs (HG 24)

Poison ivy leaves turn red in the fall Cut poison ivy

plants down to the ground or spray with glyphosate or

ldquoBrush-B-Gonrdquo herbicide Another possibility is to cut the

vines to the ground and paint the cut surfaces with

Round-Up or Brush-B Gon as soon as the cut is made

Follow the label instructions Remember do not handle

the hairy poison ivy vines wrapped around trees (HG 34)

Always wear protective clothing and gloves and note that

even once the vines are dead the irritant oil in roots and

vines can still produce a rash It actually is not necessary

to remove the vines from the tree trunk

Leave the large seedheads of black-eyed Susans

coneflowers and native grasses for birds to feed

on over the winter Plants also offer shelter and provide

winter interest in the garden

Clean all nest boxes and feeders Scrape and re-

move debris and scrub with hot soapy water Rinse and

let dry Some birds that are cavity nesters such as

(chickadees and titmice) may use the nest boxes for

roosting during the winter

Donrsquot put your bird bath away Birds need fresh

water for drinking and bathing throughout the fall sea-

son Clean frequently and keep filled with fresh water

Use your fall trimmings and leaves to build a

brush pile in the corner of your yard or near the

edge of a wooded area Brush piles offer winter pro-

tection for ground dwelling birds small mammals and a

hibernaculum for reptiles

The Annual Cicada Submitted by Peg Fitzgerald

If the great lsquocicada invasionrsquo of the East Coast was in 2014

why then were we seeing and hearing cicadas again this past sum-

mer Because what we heard was the lsquoannual cicadarsquo These North

American Cicadidae have a lifecycle spanning 2 to 5 years but do not

emerge in great swarms as do the periodical cicada we witnessed in

2014 Some members of the annual cicada appear each year emerging

and molting (called ecdysis) from their skins in late summer I hap-

pened upon an emerging annual cicada this past August and snapped

some pictures

There are over 150 species of cicadas that occur in the United

States and Canada and about 20 of these are found in Maryland The annual cicada differs from the periodic cicada not

only in life cycle but in appearance This is not the red-eyed red-edged alien looking variety that visited us last sum-

mer The annual cicada is a bit more subdued in appearance Since this particular subject was in its initial stage of

emergence it was difficult to tell exactly which species it was It was likely a Tibicen cicadidae also known as the Dog

Day cicada as its emergence coincides with the rising of the Dog Star (Sirius) in late summer The green body is also

indicative of the Tibicen cicada as most cicadas are more drab The Tibicen is highly variable in color pattern and size

I guess if there is such a thing a pretty cicada this one would be it But if you have been curious as to why we have the

lsquouniquersquo song of the cicada every year vice every 13 or 17 years you can thank the many annual species that will grace

us each and every summer

I was skeptical that four metal fence posts and a roll of 30 lb clear fishing line

would be enough to protect the remainder of my garden from complete deer deci-

mation However Jim Elkins a certified and licensed Wildlife Damage Control

Agent in West Virginia convinced me in his You Tube video ldquoCheap easy and effec-

tive deer fencingrdquo that he had cracked the code of deer behavior patterns explaining

in detail how and why his system works After all he had been using this system in

his garden successfully for 5 years

His method is as follows Stake the perimeter of your garden using metal

fence posts I used four metal 7 ft U-posts ($798 each at Lowes) Then using 30

lb clear fishing line ($888 Walmart) tightly wrap a single continuous line

around the posts at 12rdquo 24rdquo 36rdquo 48rdquo hellipuntil yoursquove reached the height of your fence post The deer will push against

the fence until they feel the resistance They are fearful of the resistance and it will spook them Since their eyesight is

poor and they wonrsquot jump what they canrsquot see they will simply give up and move on to someone elsersquos tasty gar-

den Important reminders Use 30 lb line - anything less they will break - anything heavier they will see Also

donrsquot tie streamers to the line - it will give the deer the reference they need to know they can jump it

I was able to rescue the remainder of my garden for a mere $4272 The hardest part was standing on the step

ladder and pounding the stakes into the ground Channeling my anger at the deer into the sledge hammer was ex-

tremely therapeutic And walking out to the garden the next day and counting the deer droppings on the outside of the

new fencing perimeter felt victorious Keep Calm and Garden On

Unique and Inexpensive Deer Fence That Works

Submitted by Shelley Miles

P a g e 4

Cheryl Kenney emailed thishelliprdquoMy Aunt gave me this recipe last month She said it is to use up the last of the garden before winter I have made it three times and we can not get enough of it at our household It is so easy and so yum-myrdquo

End of Summer Casserole

2 large zucchini 2 or 3 large tomatoes 2 med onions 1 7 oz package Swiss cheese slices 6 strips of bacon ( or you can use the McCormick bacn pieces made from soy if you are meatless)

In an 8x8 dish layer sliced zucchini sliced tomatoes sliced onion and Swiss cheese Make a second identical layer

and top with bacon strips Cook at 350 degrees for one hour uncovered Enjoy

Ongoing Classes Native Plant Essentials Online Class

Native Plant Foundation Bed Workshop (October 2014-November 2015)

Fall 2015 Classes NMAI Native Landscape Tour

Washington DC October 29

Beginning Native Tree ID (course formerly named Basic Native Tree ID Skills and Landscape Tour)

Carroll County November 5

Winter 2015 Classes Specifics will be available November

2015

Winter Native Tree ID

Carroll County TBD

Evergreen Trees and Shrub TBD

Recipe

Advanced Training

Check out the MG Website for more information

P a g e 4

Cheryl Kenney emailed thishelliprdquoMy Aunt gave me this recipe last month She said it is to use up the last of the garden before winter I have made it three times and we can not get enough of it at our household It is so easy and so yum-myrdquo

End of Summer Casserole

2 large zucchini 2 or 3 large tomatoes 2 med onions 1 7 oz package Swiss cheese slices 6 strips of bacon ( or you can use the McCormick bacn pieces made from soy if you are meatless)

In an 8x8 dish layer sliced zucchini sliced tomatoes sliced onion and Swiss cheese Make a second identical layer

and top with bacon strips Cook at 350 degrees for one hour uncovered Enjoy

Ongoing Classes Native Plant Essentials Online Class

Native Plant Foundation Bed Workshop (October 2014-November 2015)

Fall 2015 Classes NMAI Native Landscape Tour

Washington DC October 29

Beginning Native Tree ID (course formerly named Basic Native Tree ID Skills and Landscape Tour)

Carroll County November 5

Winter 2015 Classes Specifics will be available November

2015

Winter Native Tree ID

Carroll County TBD

Evergreen Trees and Shrub TBD

Recipe

Advanced Training

Check out the MG Website for more information

P a g e 5

On September 9 Master Gardener friends Alicia Smith Genise Ron-

dina and Pam Herold took a daytrip to lovely Surreybrooke Farm in Mid-

dletown Maryland to attend the Summer Cut Flower Tour This event was

sponsored by the University of Maryland Extension and co-sponsored by the

Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers After traveling for about 1 frac12

hours our group arrived and started our day with a very informative 45-

minute garden tour During the tour we walked through the beautiful gardens

and were provided information about the history of the Surreybrooke Farm

gardens and the outbuildings Over the last 20 years the owners have been

creating a gardenerrsquos delight by incorporating many additions to the property

and gardens These include several of the historic outbuildings the arbor

posts found in a Virginia flea market the adorable miniature garden and the

many hydrangea varieties as well as a myriad of perennials As we made our

way around the winding paths and lovely ponds we enjoyed the colorful bor-

ders of flowers flowering native shrubs and vines that climbed the pergolas

located throughout the farm

At the end of the tour we assembled for lunch and a very interesting day of speakers including topics such

as 1) ldquoGrowing Peonies and Bulb Cropsrdquo Speaker Ko Klaver Botanical Trading Company 2) ldquoAsiatic Lily Hybrids

and Other Bulbs for Cut Flowersrdquo Speaker Dave Dowling Ednie Bulb Company 3) Commercial Dahlia Production

Successes and Lessons Learnedrdquo Speaker Richard Uva Seaberry Farm 4) Success at Farmersrsquo Markets Marketing

and Pricing Your Product Wellrdquo Speakers Leon and Carol Carrier Plantmasters Inc and 5) ldquoDiseases and Insects

of Cut Flowersrdquo Speakers Karen Rane and Stanton Gill University of Maryland Extension

At the conclusion of our day I think we were impressed with the challenges faced by our ldquoGardening Communityrdquo yet

we all agreed the beautiful results are worth our efforts Surreybrooke Farm is a lovely destination for a Sunday drive

and we recommend it to our gardening friends Happy Gardening

Daytrip to Surreybrooke Farm

By Pam Herold MG

UME-St Maryrsquos 26737 Radio Station Way Suite E-2

Leonardtown MD 20650 TEL 301-475-4120 FAX 301-475-4483

Our Vision The Maryland Master Gardener vision is a healthier world through environmental stewardship

Our Mission to support the University of

Maryland Extension mission by educating

residents about safe effective and

sustainable horticultural practices that

build healthy gardens landscapes and

communities