Charle

s County

Maste

r Gard

eners

Univ

ersity

of M

ary

land E

xte

nsio

n

Charle

s County

Offic

e

9375 C

hesa

peake S

treet, S

uite

119

La P

lata

Mary

land 2

0646

Univ

ersity

of M

ary

land E

xte

nsio

n p

rogra

ms a

re

open to

all c

itizens w

ithout re

gard

to ra

ce,

colo

r, gender, d

isability

, relig

ion, a

ge, se

xual

orie

nta

tion, m

arita

l or p

are

nta

l statu

s, or

natio

nal o

rigin

.

2

FALL 2012

Marcia... You Will Be Sorely Missed Dear Marcia,

How sad it is to say “au revoir” after seven years of your tender loving

care to the Charles County Master Gardeners. We won’t say “good-bye”

because we hope you’ll remain part of the life of our organization.

Where would we be without your guidance through the rabbit holes of

rules and regulations required to keep us in compliance? Your ability to

teach each and every one of us to do for ourselves will serve us well

and reflect on your unique skills as you leave us. Not having you greet

us every day with needed information and our endless questions will

leave a void not easily filled. You have offered friendship and kindness

to each of us and watched as we come and go and grow. The growth

has been in large part to your skilled contributions and invaluable assis-

tance to the training program, the record keeping, and membership.

Your grace under fire has been demonstrated daily and appreciated by

all. Still, knowing you are doing something that will make you happy

will make our adjustment easier.

WE LOVE YOU MARCIA!

Charles County Master Gardeners

Cover: Marcia Wakefield displays the Honorary Master Gardener apron presented to her by the Charles County Master Gardeners at her appreciation luncheon September 20, 2012.

Cindi Barnhart Editor Jessica Milstead Copy Editor Betsy Parbuoni PDF Editor Brenda Elmore Writer Terry Thir Writer Carol Teets Writer, Mail

Janet McGrane Calendar Elaine Miller Mail Anna Haugh Mail Larry Martin Mail Gale Kladitis Writer, Mail Karol Dyson Advisor

THE COMPOST

Published quarterly by the Charles County Master Gardeners

University of Maryland Extension, Charles County Office, 9375

Chesapeake Street, Suite 119, La Plata, MD 20646

Phone: 301-934-5403—301-753-8195

Submit articles, photos, reports, and other items to Cindi Barnhart by December 1,

2012 for publication in the Winter 2013 newsletter. Submit calendar items to Janet

McGrane by December1, 2012. Articles and pictures may also be submitted at any

time for future publication.

FALL 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF THE COMPOST

Marcia… You Will Be Sorely Missed 2

Master Gardeners at the Charles County Fair 3

Memorial Garden in La Plata Offers Hours 4

Projects

The Newsletter is Looking for a New Editor 5

Jude House: Garden Planning is Scheduled for Spring 6

Waldorf Farmers Market: Sweet Potato Baskets and Salad Boxes 6

Bay-Wise Advanced Training Course 7

Each Site Visit is a Learning Experience 8

Detention Center: Summer Planted Garden Yields

Tasty Fall 9

Charles County Family Recovery & Juvenile

Drug Court 10

Project Briefs 11

Fall / Winter Events 12

Wanted: Copy Editing For The Compost 13

Bug Day Request for Input 13

Book Review: Good Book About Native Plants 14

The Magical Garden a Few Months Later 15

Advanced Training Course on Shade Trees 17

AHS River Farm Tour: Great Day of Learning 18

Master Gardener T-Shirts for Sale 19

Woody Plants Certification Awarded 20

How Does Your Garden Grow?… With Turtles All in a Row! 21

23

22

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia September 20, 2012

We will miss

you!

3

Master Gardeners at the Charles County Fair

By Bob Peregoy, Intern

er Master Gardeners were working

at various other booths and build-

ings throughout the fair on other

projects, or had flower, canning,

or fine arts entries in the fair. Con-

gratulations to all.

At the Charles County Fair, Sep-

tember 13 through 16, 2012, the

Master Gardeners hosted two in-

formation booths. Our main

booth, located in the Flower

building, won a second place red

ribbon for education. It displayed

photos of Master Gardener volun-

teer landscaping projects, along

with many brochures from the

University of Maryland Extension

on topics as diverse as Lyme dis-

ease, Bay-Wise yardstick, poison

ivy, nutrient management and its

effects on the Chesapeake Bay,

and the Grow-it Eat-it program.

We also had a second, smaller

display in the Drury (canning)

building, displaying many of the

same brochures.

Our membership provided over

100 hours of volunteer community

service staffing these booths,

welcoming the fair-going public,

and answering questions on a

wide variety of gardening topics.

Special thanks to Mary Beth Chan-

dler, Mary Cocke, Bob Eppley,

Mary Grant, Millie Head, Neal

Johnson, Sheila Kristiensen, Jan

Lakey-Waters, Dave Lewis, Laura

Meffley, Lin Murray, Doris Santi-

mays, Pauline Spurlock, Terry

Thir, and Karen Westhead, for

their great volunteer efforts. Oth-

Photos by Cindi Barnhart

Mary Cocke, Terry Thir and Neal John-son at our MG display with new Ask A Master Gardener tablecloth in the Drury building.

The display in the Flower building is being staffed by Bob Eppley and Intern Bob Peregoy.

4

Memorial Garden in La Plata

The Star Memorial Garden, 3 Fire-

house Street in La Plata, is a

great opportunity for community

service hours for Master Garden-

ers. It is a small “pocket” garden

that is forever changing with each

season. The garden is owned by

the Town of La Plata and main-

tained by the La Plata Garden

Club, many of whom are Master

Gardeners, along with a wonder-

ful Melwood crew for grass cut-

ting and mulching. Like all gar-

dens, it takes a good deal of TLC,

weeding and feeding to keep it in

pristine condition for visitors.

Finding the garden is a lesson in

taking time to look up. You can

see the town Star from Charles

Street looking south; just follow

the Star and you are there. The

Star is not as high in the air as it

was prior to the tornado of 2002,

when it rested on the top of the

original water tower that was

destroyed. This site was selected

for the garden because the prop-

erty is the home of the first fire

Star Memorial Garden

Ongoing

Contact: Sherie Zimmer/Dianne Shisler

By Mary Beth Chandler, Class of 2003

station and rescue squad in the

town and is now the Charles

County Firehouse Museum.

Master Gardeners Sherie Zimmer

and Dianne Shisler maintain the

work schedule for the garden

from April through September,

rotating from week to week

throughout the season. If you are

interested in working in the gar-

den for your service hours, con-

tact Sherie or Dianne and they

will give you more details. All

willing gardeners are welcome!

Star Memorial Garden in July 2012.

Photo by Cindi Barnhart

21

Yes, I know gardens are full of

life and soil gives birth to seeds

but something else entirely is

growing in my garden now. One

morning at the end of July when I

went out to the garden to "tweak"

a few things I discovered a Dia-

mond Back Terrapin in the act of

laying eggs. After using her back

legs to push a blanket of earth

over her future offspring she

promptly headed back to the Po-

tomac River and dove right in. I

never saw her surface again.

By Beth Bonifant , Class of 2003

Left: Photo taken by Beth Bonifant of the turtle in her garden laying eggs. Right: Wikipedia illustration of top (carapace) and bottom shell.

How Does Your Garden Grow? With Turtles All in a Row!

Editor’s note:

According to Wikipedia... The eggs usually hatch in 60–85 days, depend-

ing on the temperature and the depth of the nest. Hatchlings usually

emerge from the nest in August and September, but may overwinter in

the nest after hatching. Beth's turtle eggs were laid late in the season!

We have nearly 20 acres on the

Potomac River so it amuses me

that the turtle chose my flower

garden for her nursery. The gar-

den is approximately 200' from

the river. That's a long way for

tiny turtles. I'm sure I'll never get

to see if and when they hatch,

though I always patrol the area. I

hope the abundant osprey and

Bald Eagles are equally oblivious

when the time comes.

Life began in a garden. I think I've

heard that somewhere before.

20

By Carol Teets, class of 2003

In addition to classroom study

each of these classes included a

field trip. Three of the classes

included a trip to the National

Arboretum and another was as

simple as taking a walk around

the Charlotte Hall Library. It was

amazing to experience the land-

scape through trained eyes.

Although this training takes ap-

proximately five years to com-

plete, I encourage all Master Gar-

deners to pursue this certifica-

tion. The key is to take advantage

of the classes when they are host-

ed in the tri-county area. If you

have any questions concerning

this educational opportunity feel

free to speak to Carol Teets,

Sherie Zimmer or Dianne Shisler.

Sherie and Dianne completed

their certification in 2009.

In June 2012 I completed the final

class in the course of study re-

quired to receive the Woody

Plants Certification through the

University of Maryland Extension.

This is a Master Gardener Level II

course of study, comprised of 5

classes of 9 hours each. The re-

quired classes are Evergreen Trees

and Shrubs, Plant Taxonomy, Flow-

ering Shrubs, Shade Trees, and

Ornamental Trees and Vines.

The classes were held at the Char-

lotte Hall Library and I started in

2007. The focus of each of these

classes was to identify the trees,

shrubs, and vines by training the

eye to recognize their similarities

and differences. We learned to

examine the leaves, bark, and

their fruiting/ flowering character-

istics through careful examination.

Then in Master Gardener tradition

we were tested.

Woody Plants Certification Awarded

Two levels of training are offered:

Level I, or continuing education training, will consist of short

courses, ranging from a one hour course to an entire day devoted

to a single topic.

Level II training will be much more in-depth, and will consist of

approximately 6-24 hours or more of training on a single topic.

5

MG Steering Chair’s Note:

The “Crown Jewel” of the

Charles County Master Gardeners

must continue! This is a golden

opportunity for those of you with

writing skills and editorial

knowhow to gain a wealth of ex-

perience and have fun at the

same time. Perhaps we could

have co-editors or a combination

The Compost Newsletter

Ongoing

Contact: Cindi Barnhart

The Newsletter is Looking for a New Editor

I have been editing and compos-

ing the newsletter since 2008 and

now I am stepping away from the

job. My last issue will be the Win-

ter 2013 edition, which will go

out in January of 2013. I am will-

ing to assist the person taking up

the challenge of providing this

informative and well-received

publication to the Charles County

Master Gardeners.

I have enjoyed my chance to hold

the reins and steer this marvel-

ous outreach vehicle.

The format need not stay as a

booklet and you can put your

stamp on the newsletter using

your own expertise and ideas.

I thank all the people who have

assisted me by editing, furnishing

photos, writing articles, assem-

bling the newsletter and simply

helping with any task I asked of

them. I have asked the current

staff to stay on and assist the

new editor and all have agreed.

I look forward to hearing from

and working with the new Editor/

Publisher. Please contact me so

we can start working together to

make the transition.

By Cindi Barnhart, Class of 2003

Editor/Publisher

of jobs to allow the information

to exchange and flow in an en-

joyable manner. This tradition

must be maintained and I am

sure there are MGs or Interns who

will volunteer to learn the pro-

cess before our editor’s final is-

sue in January of 2013.

Think About It! And Then Act!

6

The Charles County Master Gar-

deners were asked to partner

with the St. Mary’s County Exten-

sion office in a nutrition table for

the Waldorf Farmers Market on

Saturday, August 25. St Mary’s

nutritionist, Lait Mackey, would

offer literature and recipes, with

examples of vegetables, particu-

larly sweet potatoes. The Master

Gardeners would introduce prop-

er planting techniques and meth-

ods of care required to grow the

potatoes. I took a sweet potato

basket; Cindi Barnhart designed

Waldorf Farmers Market

Ongoing

Contact: Gale Kladitis

Sweet Potato Baskets and Salad Boxes

Garden Planning is Scheduled for Spring

Jude House

Ongoing

Contact: Carol Teets

We were contacted by Jude House

in Bel Alton, to help them plan

and implement a Serenity Garden.

Jude House is an addiction treat-

ment center and they feel a gar-

den would be beneficial to their

clients.

By Carol Teets, Class of 2003

Hopefully by spring a designated

area will have the soil amended

and we can plan this garden with

the management staff.

and printed the instructions for

distribution. Even though it

rained, the true hearts of Charles

County still came out and our ta-

ble had a pretty good business.

There were a lot of questions on

container gardening and how pro-

ductive they really can be. How-

ever, with the photo instructions

demonstrating the yield, it was

self-explanatory. The Master Gar-

deners were asked to set up a

table on September 29 at the

same location. This time we had

salad boxes to demonstrate.

By Gale Kladitis, Class of 2008

19

Master Gardener T shirts

Please contact Terry Thir

CC Master Gardener women's polo-shirts for sale

(Med, Large, XL)-$23

(2XL)-$24

Available at the Extension Office

"No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth,

and no culture comparable to that of the garden."

Thomas Jefferson, 1811

The native shrub pictured on page 16? Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora ) Ideal for under planting in woodlands or for use in shrub borders and large masses. These grow 8 to 12 feet high and 8 to 15 feet wide.

Photo by Beth Bonifant

recognized as the largest Osage

orange in the United States by

the National Register of Big Trees

in 2011, and is estimated to be

200 years old.

scribes is a massive, gnarled Osage

orange tree (Maclura pomifera).

This tree measured 58 feet tall

with an average crown spread of

more than 90 feet and has been

(Continued from page 18) AHS FARM

Photo from American Horticultural Society website of Osage orange at River Farm

18

On August 17 nine Master Garden-

ers toured the gardens at River

Farm, the headquarters of the

American Horticultural Society, in

Alexandria, VA. Joining me on

this trip were Anne Gillespie, Cin-

di Barnhart, Janet McGrane,

Celine McLaughlin, Mary Grant,

Mary Beth Chandler, Dianne

Shisler and Pauline Spurlock.

Mary Grant and Anne Gillespie

served as our drivers.

Sylvia Shmeichel, our tour guide,

started us off with an introducto-

ry presentation in the Parlor,

where there was a fantastic view

of the front porch, the gardens

on the grounds below, and the

Potomac River.

Our outdoor tour began with the

colorful plantings at the front

entrance. Afterward we visited

the Meadow, filled with various

ornamental grasses and perenni-

als. Sylvia described the burning

of the Meadow, one of the tasks

that maintains the Meadow and

contributes to eliminating inva-

sive plants.

The Green Garage has this name

because of its green roof, cov-

ered with grasses. It features the

proper choices of tools, equip-

ment, materials and techniques

By Millie Head, Intern

AHS River Farm Tour: Great Day of Learning

to be used for environmental sus-

tainability. We visited one of the

oldest trees of its type in the

USA. [See Editor’s Note below.]

Its huge trunk and limbs spread

out to form a great shaded area.

We could see where cables held

up the limbs to prevent breakage.

And that was only one of the is-

sues involved in keeping this tree

alive!

Other sights included the chil-

dren's garden and butterfly gar-

den, and a garden with wrought

iron gates at the entrance. The

gates were brought to River Farm

from the White House, but

there’s a mystery as to exactly

how they happened to be placed

on the grounds of River Farm.

Our last stop, the gift shop, was

very tempting, and some of us

gave in.

We finished our field trip at the

Town Mouse in La Plata, with a

lively discussion of various Master

Gardener activities.

Watch for a notice about the next

garden tour, planned for May

2013.

Editors note:

The very large tree Millie de-(Continued on page 19)

7

Bay-Wise Advanced Training Course

Bay-Wise

Ongoing

Contact: Ronda Goldman

By Ronda R. Goldman, Class of 2006

Charles County Bay-Wise Coordinator

October 10, 17, 19, 2012 9:30 am – 3:30 pm

The Charles County Master Gardeners will be hosting an advanced

training course in October 2012. The Bay-Wise program is designed to

equip Master Gardeners with the skills to evaluate, consult, and certi-

fy landscapes within the state of Maryland. Please join us for three

days of cutting-edge knowledge and field experiences that will give

you the tools to impact your county’s streams, rivers, and lakes, as

well as the Chesapeake Bay.

Master Gardeners and Interns are invited to participate and the fee is

$45.00. Current Bay-Wise Master Gardeners may also re-take the

course for free, but must bring their original homework notebook.

The course will be held at the Charles County Extension Office, 9375

Chesapeake Street, Suite 119, La Plata, MD 20646.

If you are interested, please respond by October 1, 2012 with a check

made payable to Charles County EAC. Send the check and registration

form to the extension office at the above address.

We hope to see you there!

BAY-WISE ADVANCED TRAINING COURSE Registration Form

NAME: ____________________________________________________________

COUNTY: ___________________

ADDRESS: _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

PHONE: ____________________________(H) _________________________(C)

EMAIL: ____________________________________________________________

8

What are the water sources, do

they need drought and deer re-

sistant shrubs, full sun or shade,

and what is the budget? For in-

stance, one homeowner was in-

terested in landscaping around his

swimming pool but on a limited

budget because the installation

cost of the pool exceeded his ex-

pectations.

Then there are the older homes

with overgrown shrubs and de-

pleted lawns looking for a

facelift. What do you keep and

what do you purge, and can you

integrate the two?

Beth Bonifant and I recently

worked with a gardening friend

who wants to re-establish an old

perennial garden. This was a

challenge because we were cross-

ing age differences of about 15

years. Beth is youthful and is

known to garden at night with a

miner’s hat, while the homeown-

er is a senior citizen. We had to

come up with a plan that was

easy on the back and low mainte-

(Continued on page 16)

The site visits this season have

been very diverse. There is much

to be considered when we visit a

property if we are to aid home-

owners in achieving their garden-

ing goals. New properties are

generally the biggest challenge --

dealing with Maryland clay and

convincing the property owner

that it is essential to prepare and

amend the soil before any suc-

cessful planting can take place.

This makes the difference of

whether the plant is going to sur-

vive, thrive or die. Dianne Shisler

tries to explain that good soil and

good bones are the foundation of

any garden, but most homeown-

ers want instant gratification.

How the property will be used

must be discussed with the home

owner. Are they looking to devel-

op a formal garden, a cutting gar-

den, perennial garden, vegetable

garden and/or outdoor living

space? Are there children who

need a recreation area or do they

want low maintenance with quiet

serenity for weekend pleasure?

Site Visits

Ongoing

Contact: Jessica Milstead

Each Site Visit is a Learning Experience By Mary Beth Chandler, Class of 2003

17

By Danielle Webber, Class of 2008

The class culminated with a field

trip to Historic London Town and

Gardens. There we were able to

identify about 20 of the shade

trees we had studied. I was the

first one in the class to identify

the Carya illinoiensis - the Pecan

tree. We also got to see the tall-

est tree in Anne Arundel County,

a specimen of Quercus phellos –

the Willow Oak. This tree is also

thought to be the tallest tree in

Maryland.

This class was interesting and fun

for serious horticulturists and

those of us like myself who are

simply tree enthusiasts. I encour-

age everyone not only to attend

advanced training in Charles

County but in other areas of Mar-

yland too.

A shade tree is any tree that gives

shade, Wanda MacLachlan, Exten-

sion Environmental Educator, ex-

plained in the first session of

Shade Trees, a section of the MG

Advanced Training Course in

Landscape Horticulture. I signed

up for the course, not with the

intention of getting my certifica-

tion in Landscape Horticulture,

but to be able to identify the

trees in my yard when I walk

through the woods. This three-

session class not only made me

capable of identifying the trees in

my yard, but also trees all over

the region. I now know which

type of trees to plant and where.

We studied about 45 shade trees,

their identifying characteristics,

how to distinguish between con-

fusing look-alikes, and their cul-

tural requirements and use in the

landscape.

MG Advanced Training Course on Shade Trees

Another Advanced Training Certification Program Plant Diagnostics Certification

You will need to take 4 courses: ● Plant Diseases ● Entomology ● Ask an MG Practicum ● Plant ID/Taxonomy Courses for each can be taken in any order.

16

Can you identify this plant? Turn to page 19 to see if you are right.

All in all, our magical garden was

a great adventure that gave our

family great pleasure and pride.

The grandkids are already talking

about what we will plant next

year!

MAGICAL

scribed. She has taken on a lot of

those visits, while I focus on

problems such as “My dogwoods

are dying. Why, and how can I fix

the problem?” “Or, what are

these funny-looking white things

all over the stems of my cher-

ished shrub?” What adds to the

interest of requests like these is

that it never stops there. There’s

always a lot of “While you’re

here…” that usually involves

broader landscaping issues. So do

contact me if you’re interested

SITE VISITS

nance, while providing lots of color

from spring to fall with no moon-

light weeding.

Each homeowner and property has

a different personality and each

site visit is a learning experience.

If you would like to get involved in

the site visit project send an email

to Jessica Milstead.

P.S. from Jessica: It’s not always

landscaping as Mary Beth has de-

(Continued from page 8)

Toward the end of the hot sum-

mer, I also discovered bottom

end rot on some of my plants. As

a novice, many valuable lessons

were learned from our garden.

(Continued from page 15)

9

Our fall horticulture sessions for

inmates started on Wednesday,

September 5. We were based in

the garden. Even though our

spring sessions ended on June 20,

we continued to visit the garden

every Wednesday to monitor pro-

gress and to help harvest the veg-

etables. And what a harvest this

year! We did especially well with

peppers. With the new students

we did an introduction to the

garden; harvested the watermel-

ons, peppers, and tomatoes; and

planted the cold crops. We’re

Charles County Detention Center

Horticultural Education

Contact: Gale Kladitis

Summer-Planted Garden Yields Tasty Fall By Gale Kladitis, Class of 2008

hopeful these new crops will

flourish as well as the earlier

crops did. The vegetable garden

just seems to get better with

each year; we sampled the water-

melons at the end of the first

class. It was a treat to watch the

students enjoy fresh fruit from

the garden. The fall classes will

continue through October 18 with

the assistance of the project co-

leader, Dave Lewis. Many thanks

to all of the Master Gardener vol-

unteers for making this project

such a joy.

Photos by Gale Kladitis

Above are sweet basil, tomatillos, jalapeños, yellow squash, tomatoes, zucchini cherry tomatoes, and cherry peppers grown in the Detention Center garden this year as well as the lovely watermelons displayed on the right by Sally Hopp.

10

Editor’s note:

Problem-solving courts respond to

the underlying problems that

bring certain people into court—

drug or alcohol addiction, mental

illness, and/or family or personal

issues. Charles County Circuit

Court’s rigorous programs com-

bine ongoing judicial oversight

with intensive treatment and su-

pervision. Participation in either

program is voluntary.

The programs identify appropri-

ate persons and place them under

ongoing judicial monitoring, drug

and/or alcohol testing and com-

munity supervision, coupled with

effective, long-term treatment

services. National research shows

drug courts are successful and

cost effective for dealing with

drug-addicted offenders in the

criminal justice system.

salad for an estimated 60 to 70

people. Since it was a fund raiser,

Cindi Barnhart and I joined in to

help and enjoy lunch. The group

was so large that three more ta-

bles were needed to seat every-

body. A lovely program was pre-

sented with former Redskins play-

er, Rod Milstead, as guest speak-

er. Karol Dyson and Emily Ferren

were in charge of the silent auc-

tion and “yes”, you guessed it,

Cindi and I did not leave empty

handed. I look forward to the

third annual luncheon and see a

need for a bigger space to hold it

in their future.

The Charles County Family Recov-

ery & Juvenile Drug Court held

their second annual luncheon on

August 9 at the Holiday Inn Ex-

press in La Plata. Our Director,

Karol Dyson, who is a member of

the Steering Committee for the

organization, sent a request to

the Master Gardeners for fresh

garden vegetables because the

Extension Office had been asked

to donate the salad.

The only item we had to purchase

was the lettuce; the rest was

available from our gardens. The

Extension employees busied

themselves happily making the

By Gale Kladitis, Class of 2008

Charles County Family Recovery & Juvenile Drug Court

August 9, 2012

Contact: Gale Kladitis

15

Our beautiful garden gave the

family such pleasure! Every day,

we would go into the garden to

see how it had grown, what vege-

tables were ready to harvest, and

whatever surprises it offered.

We had an abundance of zucchi-

ni, yellow squash, and cucum-

bers. Our four tomato plants

were thriving and lots of jelly

bean and grape tomatoes were

ripening. My grandchildren were

so excited when they would come

to visit. It was our ritual for the

kids to put on their Dora and Die-

go gloves and go into the garden

to help grandma. The kids were

really excited and proud to help

me pick the vegetables.

One day when we entered the

garden, we discovered that

something had been eating our

tomatoes. Upon close inspection,

we discovered a bright green

worm about the size of one of my

fingers on the tomato plants. We

ran back to the house to get our

bug jar and clippers. The boys

were excited about the cool bug;

however, my two year old grand-

daughter just looked at it and

said “ooh.” Afterwards, we went

inside the house to research on

the computer to determine ex-

actly what was this giant worm!

The Magical Garden a Few Months Later By Terry Thir, Class of 2010

Yes, it was a green Hornworm

(really a caterpillar)! It then be-

came my daily ritual to take the

bug jar to the garden to remove

any other unwanted bugs and save

them so the grandkids could see

them at their next visit. I discov-

ered the Hornworm also enjoyed

eating my pepper plants. Later, I

noticed the leaves of my squash

looked like they had a power or

mildew. Since I wanted an organic

garden I just had to keep dealing

with all the surprises. I also found

a few stink bugs, which immedi-

ately went into the bug jar!

I think I was the most excited

when we discovered the canta-

loupes were growing. After a two-

day trip, I came home and imme-

diately went out to inspect the

garden. To my horror, I found

that something had eaten into

most of the cantaloupes! I just

wanted to cry. It was my goal to

find out who was the culprit. Lat-

er that day, I saw three squirrels

enter the garden and head toward

my few remaining cantaloupes! It

then became my intention to pro-

tect those ‘lopes until they were

ready to harvest.

(Continued on page 16)

14

want to know more about it. The

focus is on the plants you’re most

likely to see, but there are some

rarities here too.

While it was the

plant descriptions

that made this book

a must-have for me,

there are also de-

scriptions of a wide

variety of kinds of

habitats, and the

plants are keyed to

these habitats. I

don’t consider this a

book to carry into

the field. It weighs

2.5 pounds, but more importantly,

the paper is a clay-coated slick

variety intended for good photo-

graphic reproduction. Papers like

this don’t take well to getting

wet. But if you’d like to have a

good read about native plants that

you can put down and pick up

again after you get home, get this

one.

Spira, Timothy P. Wildflowers and

Plant Communities of the South-

ern Appalachian Mountains &

Piedmont: A Naturalist’s Guide to

the Carolinas, Virginia, Tennes-

see, & Georgia. University of

North Carolina Press, 2011.

By Jessica Milstead, Class of 2002

Book Review: Good Book About Native Plants

While at the Cullowhee Native

Plant Conference in the moun-

tains of North Carolina this sum-

mer I came across a

great book. Even

though the scope is

the southeastern

states (Virginia, Car-

olinas, Tennessee,

and Georgia), it’s

well worth having

for a Maryland na-

tive plant enthusi-

ast. Many of the

plants included also

grow in Maryland,

and even where a

particular species is more south-

ern, a closely related species is

likely to be here.

Even though the subtitle is “A

Naturalist’s Guide…” this is not a

field guide. It covers about 500

plants in total (trees, shrubs, and

herbaceous plants), but what it

gives you on those 500 plants

warrants a place on the book-

shelf. Each plant has a clear pho-

tograph, and an essay of several

hundred words covering matters

such as its ecology, its habitat,

and its place in the taxonomic

structure. This is the sort of in-

formation that you find yourself

wishing for when you’ve identi-

fied an interesting plant and

11

Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact: Carol Teets

This valuable community effort

provides a wonderful opportunity

for earning volunteer hours.

Assess assigned Christmas In April

properties before April 27 or join

us for the actual day of service, on

Saturday April 27, 2013.

Nature Walks with Jessica

Ongoing

Contact: Jessica Milstead

These are ongoing walks as the sea-

sons allow. The walks do count as

Advanced Training for Master Gar-

deners and are open to all Interns.

See Calendar for dates.

Speakers Bureau

Ongoing

Contact: Marian Bruemmer

Use your knowledge to inform the

public and/or your fellow Master

Gardeners.

Charles County Detention Center

Horticultural Education

Ongoing

Contact: Gale Kladitis

Spring and fall sessions at the

Detention Center offer valuable

horticultural instruction and hands-

on experience to the in-house pop-

ulation. Teachers as well as other

volunteers are welcome.

Site Visits

Ongoing

Contact: Jessica Milstead

When someone calls or visits the

Extension office with a question

about problems with their

plantings, or for advice on

landscaping, the call is referred to

me, and I put together a team to

go out to look and give advice.

The Compost Newsletter

Ongoing

Contact: Cindi Barnhart

Photographers and writers are

needed to keep our outstanding

publication informative. Help to

cover our activities and contribute

to the newsletter.

Contact the project leader by referring to your Membership Directory.

Dr. Samuel Mudd House

Ongoing

Contact: Beth Bonifant

You may want to join the team of

MGs who maintain the herb garden

and surrounding landscape at the

Dr. Samuel Mudd House in Waldorf,

April through October/November.

Master Gardener Training 2013:

February 19 to March 28

Contact: Barbie Walter

Tuesdays and Thursdays for six

weeks with Project Day built in.

12

Fall / Winter Events

October

2 Quarterly MG Volunteer Activity Log for hours/activities

July 1 through September 30 due in the Extension Office

3 Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.; CC Detention Center

class, La Plata, contact Gale Kladitis

10 Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.; Bay-Wise Advanced

Training, Extension Office, $45, contact Ronda Goldman

13 Saturday, Plant walk, time and place TBD, contact Jessica

Milstead

17 Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p. m.; Bay-Wise Advanced

Training, Extension Office, contact Ronda Goldman

19 Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p. m.; Bay-Wise Advanced Training,

field exercise location TBA, contact Ronda Goldman

23 Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership meeting, Extension Office,

Open to all MGs

November

27 Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership meeting, Extension Office,

Open to all MGs

December

4 Tuesday, 6 p.m.; Holiday Potluck, Hampshire Neighborhood

Community Center, Waldorf

January

22 Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership meeting, Extension Office,

Open to all MGs

February

19-28 Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Master Gardener

2013 Training Class, Extension Office, La Plata,

contact Barbie Walter

(Continued on page 13)

13

*********************************************

If you would like more information on a project, please contact the

project leader by referring to your Membership Directory.

26 Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership meeting, location TBA,

Open to all MGs

March

5-28 Tuesday and Thursday, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Master Gardener

2013 Training Class, Extension Office, La Plata,

contact Barbie Walter

26 Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership meeting and Project Day,

location TBA, Open to all MGs

(Continued from page 12) CALENDAR

The next issue of The Compost will have an article on

Bug Day at David Lewis’s house and I am looking for a

photographer and writer to cover this annual event.

Please send photos and a writeup to me by October 20.

The newsletter will be sent out in January, but I am

gathering materials early because of the holidays.

WANTED COPY EDITING FOR THE COMPOST

I have been helping Cindi with copy editing of our newsletter ever since Cindi became Editor. Since she is stepping down, this is an op-portune time for me to step down as well, so that the new Editor can structure the tasks of preparing the newsletter as she or he wishes. Besides, it’s been long enough! My work has consisted primarily of checking names and catching grammatical bobbles and the like. If this is your forte, why don’t you volunteer your services to the new Editor? Contact Cindi so that she can pass the information along. While I’ll be available to consult as needed, I believe it is time for someone else to have a chance to put her or his impression on The Compost.

By Jessica Milstead