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JUNEAU COUNTY
MASTER GARDENERS NEWSLETTER
November 2019
UW-Madison | Division of Extension Juneau County
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Juneau County Master Gardener Meeting Minutes
October 28, 2019 5:30 pm
The October Master Gardener meeting was held at the home of Myrna Nachatelo. There were 18 members and guests present for the garden tour, lunch, and meeting. Thank you to Myrna for hosting our meeting. Thank you to all who brought delicious dishes to share.
Call to Order: President Deb Bollig called the meeting to order.
Approval of Minutes: Minutes from the September meeting were accepted as written.
Treasurers Report: The Treasurer’s report was presented by Irene Klingemann. The report was accepted as written. Irene also reminded the group that dues of $12 for the year 2020 are due.
Report from Alana Voss: Alana brought some printed waivers for anyone not able to complete their hours this year. Alana is looking for project information that could be used in the accomplishment report. Natty Kranz will help with the report, and the Mauston Sharing Supper training projects will be used in the report. The New Lisbon planters and Stewart Chapel projects may also be included in the accomplishment report. Master Gardener training starts in February. The location has not yet been set.
No WIMGA Report:
Food Pantry Donations: Audrey Traver made a motion to donate $50 to each of the five Juneau County Food Pantries. Herb Dannenberg seconded the motion and the motion was carried.
Project Updates:
Master Gardener signs: Alana Voss and Lutrelle Manna. Lutrelle will forward information to Audrey Traver who has volunteered to visit with Concept Printers, as they are very hard to reach. Some small signs will be added to the project with ‘Planted by Juneau County Master Gardener Volunteers’ as the only wording.
Natty Kranz gave a report on the Juneau County Master Gardener table at the October Women’s Night Out in Mauston. She stated 153 people had stopped by the table and signed up for the door prize.
Natty Kranz also reported on the October Mauston sharing Supper. There were 15 people who stopped by the table to hear about gourds, cucumbers, and squash.
Margarete Hummelbeck stated that the Boorman House needs more volunteers. Work days will be posted on the Master Gardener Facebook page. A fall clean-up day was held with Margarete Hummelbeck, Marion Koca and her granddaughter, Irene Klingemann, Natty Kranz, and Deb Bollig volunteering.
Alana Voss will bring a sample of the ‘Grab and Go’ box to the April meeting.
Information Exchange:
A discussion took place concerning ideas to raise funds for Master Gardeners. Ideas included a spring plant sale, fruit tree sales, and having a booth at the Juneau County Fair.
Mauston City officials would like Master Gardeners to plant flowers in the barrel planters located around Mauston. Details weren’t very clear, including who would weed and water after planting.
Each person took a few minutes to share what Master Gardeners has meant for him or her. Most members agreed that learning from each other and meeting people they would probably not know otherwise, was what made it most interesting.
Meeting reminders: The next meeting will be held on April 27, 2020. Arris Sullivan will check with the New Lisbon Public Library to see if the meeting can be held there.
Adjournment: Respectfully Submitted by Lutrelle Manna
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Juneau County Master Gardener Projects :
Anyone interested in helping on any of these, please contact person listed. This is a great way to accumulate volunteer
support hours towards certification.
Adopt-a-Highway – Maureen Fox, 462-4228
Cleaning trash along Highway 58 South of Mauston
Boorman House – Margarete Hummelbeck, 562-3856
Garden renovation around the Juneau County Historical Society Boorman House
Watering and Shade Garden – Natty Kranz, 547-1884/Marion Koca, 847-4580/ Lutrelle Manna, 547-3213
Buckhorn State Park Project –
Maintain plantings and gardens around the office and cabins
Carl W. Nelson Animal Shelter – Jan Brendle, 565-7290/Rosemary Aney, 847-5558
Planting annuals and maintaining flower bed
Elroy Fair – Bev Kozlowski; 608-853-0300
Manning booth for distributing MG information and plant sales
Facebook Site – Beth Pusel, 547-6172/ Diane Hamm, 547-9404
Administrating and maintaining Facebook site
Juneau County Fair – Marsha Lubinski, 847-5166
Entering an Open Class Booth with MG information
Lyndon Station Veterans Memorial Park – Natty Kranz, 547-1884
Maintaining grounds
Mauston Food Pantry Flower Beds – Marsha Lubinski, 847-5166
Planting annuals and maintaining flower bed
New Lisbon City Planters – Arris Sullivan, 562-5181
Planting annuals and maintaining flower beds/planters
Necedah Nat'l Wildlife Refuge and Butterfly Program– Audrey Traver, 608-427-3761
Planting annuals and maintaining flower beds/planters
Stewart Chapel – Herb & Diane Dannenberg, 847-4395/Margie Miller, 847-5541
Planting annuals and maintaining flower beds/planters
In Sympathy
We offer our sympathy to family of MaryJo Coleman who passed away on October 27, 2019. MaryJo was with the Juneau County Master Gardener Volunteers from 2008 to 2010. A celebration of MaryJo's vibrant life will be held in Mauston, WI at a later date to be determined. Our condolences to her family and friends.
The 2019 theme for CHRISTMAS at the Boorman House in Mauston is
"We Believe in Angels"
November 30- December 1-
December 2- 8 - Noon to 7 p.m. each day
Be sure to check out the Boorman House.
Marsha Lubinski is again in charge of decorating the Master Gardeners room.
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NOTE: Be sure to check times & dates to verify event.
Contact for more information on any event at Olbrich Botanical
Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI; Aleeh Schwoerer, 608-
245-3648 [email protected] For events at Rotary
Botanical Gardens, 1455 Palmer Drive, Janesville, WI 53545,
phone 608 752-3885 ext 17, rotarybotanicalgardens.org.
For events at West Madison Ag Research Station, 8502 Mineral
Point Rd., Verona, WI 53593-9689, phone 608 262-2257,
http://www.cals.wisc.edu/westmad/garden/Events.html
Dec 7-31 - 10am-4pm - OLBRICH'S HOLIDAY EXPRESS
& FLOWER AND MODEL TRAIN SHOW - Olbrich
Botanical Gardens - Madison - Note: Closes at 2pm Dec 24 all day Dec 25 - All aboard for Olbrich’s Holiday
Express! Large-scale model trains wind through a holiday
scene overflowing with hundreds of poinsettias and fresh
evergreens and twinkling lights! Cost: $6 for adults, $3 for
children ages 3 to 12, Children 2 and under are free, Free
member - includes the tropical Bolz Conservatory.
Jan 15-23, 2020 - Master Gardener Tour – Costa Rica -
Join newly retired WI MG Program Coordinator Susan Mahr
on a tour to Costa Rica. Opening still for these dates. Contact
Kari Harper of Hidden Treasures Tours at (573) 303-2872
or [email protected] Details at
https://hiddentreasurestours.com/upcoming-tours/master-
gardener-tour-costa-rica/
Jan 24-25, 2020 - Garden Visions- Wausau, WI - The
North Central WI Master Gardeners will be holding their
annual Garden Visions conference. Friday, Jan 24, enjoy the
inspirational documentary film “Five Seasons” featuring Piet
Oudolf and his beautiful garden designs. Saturday, Jan 25,
full day conference with break-out sessions. Featured
speaker is Wisconsin native Roy Diblik, owner of Northwind
Perennial Farm. He is best known as the plantsman behind
Piet Oudolf’s midwestern garden designs, including the Lurie
Garden at Millennium Park in Chicago. Roy is the author of
“The Know Maintenance Perennial Garden.” Cost: Friday
Night Dinner and a Movie: $25; Saturday Conference: $57
(non senior) all day, includes lunch; $37 (senior 62+) all day,
includes lunch; $25 half day, excludes lunch. Location is
Northcentral Technical College, 1000 W Campus Dr, Wausau. Find the full brochure here: https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/marathonmg/files/2019/11/Ga
rden-Visions-Brochure-2020.pdf To register, please visit our
website. Registration opens Monday, Dec 2. Contact: Carole
Machek at 715-301-5547 or [email protected]
Feb 3 thru May 4, 2020 - Juneau County Master
Gardener Volunteer Training - Mauston WI - See next
page for more information. Location: Mauston City Hall,
303 Mansion St., Mauston.
Feb 15, 2020 - Winnebago County Master Gardeners
Spring Garden Seminar - Oshkosh, WI - Keynote Speaker:
Ben Futa, Executive Director, Allen Centennial Gardens,
Madison, WI. Also presenting: Jim Nienhuis, Professor of
Horticulture, UW- Madison, and Anita Carpenter, Biologist,
Oshkosh. Registration information
at:www.winnebagomastergardeners.org Cost: $45-$50
includes Continental Breakfast and Lunch. Location: LaSure’s
Banquet Hall, Oshkosh, WI
Feb 29, 2020 - 9am-3pm - Spring Symposium 2020:
Inspired Gardening - Cedarburg, Wisconsin - Ozaukee
Master Gardeners will host its Spring Symposium “Inspired
Gardening”. Gardeners will get the inspiration and know-how
to apply to their own yards as soon as the snow melts.” The
day-long Symposium will feature three internationally known
speakers. Fergus Garrett, head gardener at England’s Great
Dexter, one of the most famous gardens in the world, will
provide the keynote presentation. Diane Ott Whealy, the co-
founder of Seed Savers Exchange, and award-winning
landscape designer Nick McCullough, who will take our
audience through the garden design process, from inception
to maintenance. Cost: $65 includes a box lunch. Location:
Cedarburg Performing Arts Center, W68 N611 Evergreen
Blvd, Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Information at
https://www.ozaukeemastergardeners.org/omg-calendar.
Seating will be limited.
March 7, 2020 - 9am-noon - Spring Begins! - Menomonie,
WI - Diana Alfuth, UW-Extension Horticulture Outreach
Specialist will present “Using Native Plants in the Landscape”
and “Small Space Gardening” including Lasagna Gardening,
Straw Bale Gardens, Pallet Gardens and Container Gardens.
Refreshments, handouts, door prizes and vendors included.
Cost: $8 until Feb 22; $10 after and at the door. Location:
3001 U.S. Highway 12 East, Menomonie, WI Contact: Sally
Schendel at 715-556-5098 or [email protected]
March 21, 2020 - 7:30am–12:30pm - Ready, Set, Grow
Spring Conference- Lancaster, WI - 5th Annual Spring
Conference with speakers covering gardening topics for
beginners and beyond. Educational displays, door prizes, and
light refreshments. Cost: $20. Contact: Jenny Dixon at 608-
723-2125 or [email protected] More information:
https://www.vespermanfarms.com/ Location: VESPERMAN
FARMS, 8149 Stage Road, Lancaster, WI 53813
Calendar of Events
February 7-9, 2020, Madison. WI
“Garden Expo” continues to evolve as a
major event for Wisconsin Master Gardener
Volunteers.
Save the Date
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Hort - Q&A: Here’s a sample of horticultural questions received and answered by Juneau & Sauk County Agricultural Educator -,
Alana Voss or a Juneau County Master Gardener Volunteer. Have a question or comment just call 608-847-9329 or
cell 608-477-3945 or email [email protected]
Juneau County - Extension, 220 E. State Street, Rm 104, Mauston, WI 53948, Website: https://juneau.extension.wisc.edu/
Q. I am hoping to get ahead on my continuing education hours this winter while stuck in the house. What are some things I can be doing to complete those hours?
A. That is a great question, here is a list of potential options that you can look into doing:
Horticulture programs at your local meetings
Twilight meetings or field days
Horticultural seminars at local colleges
Lectures at botanical gardens, or presentations by MGVs
MG conferences
Level 2 training
Online advanced training
Approved TV programs
Wisconsin Horticulture Updates
Responding to Horticulture Inquiries Trainings (will be coming up in the new year)
Reading articles on the Master Gardener Program website
Here are a few links online you can access to do right from the comfort of your own home!
Web Links:
Plants plus: https://wimastergardener.org/plants-plus/
Wisconsin Master Gardener YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiZcnoHqOD99nC3R-mRCjMA?reload=9
Furthermore, here is another online option that has a small fee, but a fantastic topic to learn more about! To register for Placemaking Lite: Registration will be open October-December 2019. What will I learn?
What Placemaking is and how MGVs can be/are placemakers
How Placemaking is being used in communities
How to think about MG projects in a new way to connect them to research, goals, and community needs What stays the same?
Class is totally online = flexibility! Do the course when it works with your schedule
Watch videos, read, and answer questions using Google Forms (no Google account required)
Starts January 2020
Technical assistance provided by the state program office and Extension What is different about this course?
NO GOOGLE ACCOUNT REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE
Earn 6 hours of Continuing Education
No final project or discussion questions. (There are questions to respond to but you don’t have to reply to a classmate’s answer.)
Course runs January-October 1, 2020… that’s a 9 month window to complete it whenever you can with your schedule. No scheduled online meetings or due dates.
Cost: $25 per person Visit the registration website: https://uw.ungerboeck.com/prod/emc00/PublicSignIn.aspx?&SessionID=fb2fdlfcnfh1fckei0eik&Lang=*
If you still have questions, concerns, or just need a location to come in and watch videos or work on a Master Gardener project feel free to give me a call or an email! Contact info is [email protected] or 608-847-9329.
Alana Voss
Agricultural Educator UW-Madison | Division of Extension
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Early Winter Garden Prep Tips You Should Know From The Bruce Company Blog of Nov 7, 2019
By: Lisa Briggs | November 7th, 2019
Wow. Only November 7th and it has snowed three times already. The Farmers’ Almanac is predicting above-average snowfall for the lower
Great Lakes region, so the past week is a portent of weather to come. The snow will make it difficult to get those bulbs in but stop into the Garden Center to save 50% on remaining tulips and daffodils and ask the Plant Information Desk for bulbs forcing instructions.
If you have hybrid roses, loosely tie the canes together and prune them to fit under a rose cone. Have some unfrozen topsoil or bark mulch handy. Once the ground freezes, mound about 8 to 10 inches of mulch over the crown of each plant. Although late November is usually a good guess for timing, you might want to wait until mid-December. Let this mound freeze solid before covering the plant with the rose cone or with some clean straw. Your hardy shrub roses won’t require this kind of protection. Wait until spring to prune them and though it isn’t necessary, an added layer of mulch certainly won’t hurt them.
And using the same timing as the roses, go ahead and apply winter mulch around your more tender perennials and shrubs. Pay special attention to those Zone 5 plants like butterflybush, big-leaf hydrangea, and blue-mist spirea. Leaves from your trees and grass clippings are not a good choice. Marsh hay or evergreen boughs make the best protective mulch. The idea behind the practice is to use materials that will keep the air spaces intact and not mat down.
You should be done transplanting and dividing perennials by now. If you have anything still unplanted, consider mulching them in a sheltered spot for the season. You’ll have all winter to figure out where to plant them in the spring. Clean up and discard foliage from any plants that had mildew or leaf spot problems during the growing season. Do not put this material in your compost pile as it might re-infect your garden in the spring.
Protect any young, thin-barked trees from frost-cracking by applying a paper tree wrap to the trunks. If you have had problems with rodents or deer, use the sturdier plastic tubes. This is temporary though. Be sure to mark your calendars to remove any tree wraps in late March or early April. And use some lengths of old nylon stockings to tie up the multiple leaders of arborvitae and upright junipers. This can prevent any splitting caused by heavy snow.
Apply an anti-desiccant like Wilt-Pruf to your broadleaf evergreens, being sure to follow product directions. Moisture can be lost throughout the winter from the foliage of rhododendrons, boxwood, and hollies, leaving you with golden-brown, crispy plants in the spring. If these plants are sited in a windy spot, or afternoon sun, think about putting up a burlap screen to protect them.
Wait until January or February to do dormant-season pruning of trees and shrubs. Remember that spring-flowering trees and shrubs have already set flower buds for next spring, so any pruning will remove blossoms. And leave your evergreens alone. Late pruning can cause serious winter damage.
Plants that have gone dormant can be trimmed back now or left until early spring. Perennial silhouettes in the winter garden can be very attractive though and provide cover and food for birds. Grasses and coneflower heads, in particular, add a nice dimension and texture. So consider leaving them intact until spring.
Christmas Present
Ideas for Gardeners Gardening gloves with or without
reinforced or rubberized fingers
A garden book or subscription to a
gardening magazine
i.e.: Garden Gate - magazine -
www.gardengatemagazine.com
Gift memberships to a local botanic
garden or nature center.
Gift certificate from a garden center or
nursery.
A nifty new tool such as by-pass blade
type pruners and loppers or pruning saws.
i.e.: Garden Supply Company – Check for
useful information, ideas, etc. -
http://www.gardeners.com
Holiday gift plants such
as a Christmas cactus or
an amaryllis or ash shown
here, a poinsettia.
Christmas Cactus - A How To Note that most of these cactus are actually Thanksgiving cactus and
are easily forced for blooming around this time. Thanksgiving cactus
have pointed tooth-like notches on the margins, Christmas cactus have
rounded notches, and Easter cactus again have the tooth-like notches
but with tiny spines or hairs on the stem segments. Regardless of which
type you have, caring for these plants is simple.
1. Cactus needs either cool night temperatures
(between 55 and 60 degrees for 6 weeks) or
extended periods of darkness to set flower
buds. If you cannot meet the temperature
requirement, give the plant 13 hours of total
darkness each night for several weeks.
2. Place plant in bright but indirect light. Direct
light and excessive heat will scorch the leaves
and cause the flower buds to drop
3. When in bloom these plants should be watered about once
a week or when the top half of the soil in the container
becomes dry. Lack of water will cause the flower buds to
drop
4. Fertilize with an all-purpose houseplant food mixed at half
strength once a month.
5. Again many people wonder why buds will drop from their
plants before the flowers open. This can be caused by
excessive heat, too much light, cold drafts, over watering,
under watering or a sudden change in light or temperature
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UW-Madison | Division of Extension
Juneau County Courthouse
220 E. State Street, Rm 104
Mauston WI 53948
If you would like to host a garden meeting, list two months of your choice:
1st choice___________ 2
nd choice ____________
If you are a current Master Gardener, list the year you took your training:
______________________
If not, would you like information on becoming a Master Gardener?
__________________________
NAME
ADDRESS
CITY
STATE ZIP
PHONE ( )
ANNUAL DUES: $12.00 from January thru December 2020
FILL IN THIS FORM AND MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO: Juneau County Master Gardeners AND MAIL TO:
Irene Klingemann, W5805 Brown Rd, Mauston WI 53948
2020 JUNEAU COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS MEMBERSHIP FORM
An EEO/Affirmative Action employer, University of Wisconsin-Extension provides equal
Opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX and ADA requirements.
Send articles or other ideas for the Master Gardener Newsletter to:
Irene Klingemann, W5805 Brown Rd, Mauston WI 53948 or email
The theme for CHRISTMAS at the Boorman House this year is: "We believe in Angels"
Open House is November 30-December 1 and December 7-8 from noon to 7 p.m.!! Hope to see you there at there.
Marsha Lubinski is again in charge of decorating the Master Gardeners room. Be sure to check it out.
If you have not done so yet it's time to fill-out your JCMG membership form for 2020 (see below) and mail it
along with $12.00 to the address shown on the form.
For those who can't make our meetings for one reason or another, please still consider being a JCMG member to be
part of our group in spirit if nothing else.
Note that for JCMG members, $5.00 of this goes towards membership in WIMGA and to receive the WIMGA
newsletter.
The schedule for 2020 meetings of the Juneau County Master Gardeners.
April 27 New Lisbon Library
May 18 Open
June 22 Necedah Nat'l Wildlife Refuge
July 27 Open
August 24 Open
September 28 Open
October 26 Open
And also a Safe Hunting Season