September

MG EVENTS

Steering Committee Mtg. Extension Office

September 2• 6:30 pm

Expert Ed Extension Office

September 4 • 6:30-8:00 pm

Lowe Park Events Swamp Fox

September 6 • 3:45-6:00 pm Hoop House Building/Growing September 11 • 6:30-8:00 pm

Intern Classes Extension Office

September 16, 18, 23, 25, 30 6:30-9:30 pm

Library Talks: 6:30-7:30 Cedar Rapids Ladd Library 3750 Williams Blvd. SW

September 3, 10, 17, 24 North Liberty Library

520 W. Cherry St. September 15, 22, 29

Backyard Forest Field Day Kent Park, 2048 Hwy 6 NW,

Oxford September 20 • 9 am-1 pm

"..make no mistake, the weeds will win, nature bats last" -Robert Michael Pyle

Vol. 24, No. 9 Editors: Jean Murray/Lisa Slattery/Julie Stark September 2014

What’s Inside...

2014 Brucemore Garden and Art Show—Pages 1-2

Backyard Forest Field Day—Page 2

Master Gardener Intern Schedule—Page 3

Expert Ed Class—Page 3

September Library Talks—Page 4

Coordinator’s Comments—Page 5

Upcoming Events at Lowe Park—Page 6

Plant Exchange Scheduled—Page 6

Financial Report—Page 7

MG Participate in Noelridge Park Events—Page 8

August Committee Notes—Pages 9-11

Brucemore—A Hit in Spite of Rain By Melanie Brown

It was touch and go for a while with the rain, thunder and lightning, but the rain stopped and the sun peeked out (a little). The 10:00 am main presentation had been moved to the carriage house, and Jean Murray had a full crowd of 20 attendees for her presentation.

(Continued Page 2)

The exhibits were a popular spot for visitors.

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(Continued from Page 1)

We provided two new enhancements to the Brucemore show, the walking seminars, which were well received by the attendees. Each seminar had a small group to take around the grounds. Shelby Foley spoke on seed saving at 11:30 and Mike Anderson and Kay McWhinney identified trees on the Brucemore grounds at 1:30.

Thank you to all the Master Gardener volunteers–at booths and in the gardens-who shared their knowledge and love of gardening with attendees. I look forward to 2015.

David Mahlke, Ellen Skripsky and Devon Dietz found reprieve from the morning sun.

MG Guides, Shirley Thornton and Mike Anderson, with the Brucemore scarecrow in the background.

Vickie Keegan explains the lotus ponds to attendees.

Backyard Forest Field Day Saturday, September 20, 2014 9:00 am to 1:00 pm The Iowa Department of Natural Resources and Trees Forever will be holding a field day at Kent Park, 2048 Hwy 6 NW, Oxford, Iowa (once in the park, follow Trees Forever event signs to the Conservation Education Center). Small woodland owners are encouraged to join us for a day of learning from local experts. Speakers will lead small groups in rotating workshops through a variety of topics, including Forest Health Management, Alternative Woody Crops, Backyard Wildlife, Tree and Shrub Identification and Invasive Plant Management.

This is an outdoor event and will be held rain or shine, so be sure to dress for being outside in the forest. Comfortable shoes are suggested. If severe weather occur, speakers will present indoors. Funding is made available by the Iowa DNR through a grant from the US Forest Service.

Cost: Free, but registration is appreciated by September 17. Register at www.treesforever.org/BackyardForest or calling 800-369-1269, Ext. 112.

September 3

Upcoming Expert Ed Class

Thursday September 4; 6:30-8:00: Jeff Iles, Extension Nursery and Landscape Specialist, will speak on Ash Alternatives, providing ideas of other species of trees to consider planting in the home landscape. Webinars will be at the Linn County Extension Office, 383 Collins Road, NE, Suite 201, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; open to Master Gardeners and the public. To register, please contact Linn County Extension by calling (319) 377-9839 or by emailing kwimer@iastate.edu

Fall 2014 Master Gardener Intern Training Schedule Unless otherwise noted, all classes start at 6:30 pm and are held at the Linn County Extension Office Large Conference Room.

All Face-to-Face classes are instructed by local Master Gardeners, Phil Pfister, Deb Walser, Wil Carew and Glen Babinet. All Adobe Connect classes are given by Iowa State University instructors.

Tuesday, September 9: Special MG Orientation

Tuesday, September 16: Adobe Connect—Soils and Botany (Less Burras and Denny Schrock)

Thursday, September 18: Face-to-Face—Vegetable Gardening

Tuesday, September 23: Adobe Connect—Weeds, IPM and Pesticides (Kristine Schaefer and Laura Jesse)

Thursday, September 25: Face-to-Face—Houseplants

Tuesday, September 30: Adobe Connect—Plant Pathology and Entomology (Mark Gleason and Donald Lewis )

Thursday, October 2: Face-to-Face—Composting

Tuesday, October 7: Adobe Connect—Landscape Trees and Shrubs (Jeff Iles)

Tuesday, October 14: Adobe Connect—Animal Ecology (Rebecca Christoffe)

Thursday, October 16: Face-to-Face—Herbaceous Ornamentals

Saturday, October 18: Saturday Class on ISU Campus

Tuesday, October 21: Adobe Connect—Fruits (Gail Nonnecke)

Saturday, October 25: Saturday Class on ISU Campus

Tuesday, October 28: Adobe Connect—Turf (Ryan Adams)

Tuesday, November 4: Adobe Connect—Sustainable Landscape Design (Lisa Orgler or AnneMarie VanderZanden)

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September Library Talks

Ladd Library, Wednesdays 6:30- 7:30

September 3: Hummingbirds and Butterflies - A favorite of many gardeners, and inviting them into your garden is easier than you might think. Jean Murray, LCMG, will discuss butterfly and hummingbird feeding and habitat and share some favorite plants that attract these beautiful and elusive creatures. Drought-resistant plants will be featured.

September 10: Overwintering Tropicals and Tender Bulbs - So you bought hibiscus, Mandeville, Jasmine and more, now what? How do we keep them happy until next spring? Learn from Deb Walser, LCMG, the dos and don’ts and which annuals, tropical and tender bulbs to overwinter and those to throw out.

September 17: Heavenly Hydrangeas - Wil Carew, LCMG—Hydrangeas bloom in a variety of colors including white, blue, pink, green and red too. Join Wil as he discusses the how-to’s of planting and pruning. He also shares those varieties which are his personal ‘celestial’ favorites and are locally available.

September 24: Spring Flowering Bulbs - Zora Ronan, LCMG -This class looks at the major spring flowering bulbs that are hardy in Iowa: tulips, daffodils, alliums, and fritillaria. There are bulbs that bring early spring color to almost every location in your garden.

North Liberty Library, Mondays 6:30- 7:30

September 15: Beautiful Bulbs All Year Long - Jean Murray, LCMG -Bulbs can grace your garden and your home with their splendor in all four seasons. Having many advantages over traditional flowers, bulbs still remain the “misunderstood” plants. Join Jean to explore the beauty of bulbs and learn some tips for planting and growing these wonderful plants.

September 22: Putting your Landscape to Bed - It’s autumn. Time to clean up yard, landscape and gardens, but how do I start?” Join LCMG, Wil Carew, as he covers what to do, when to do it, and why!

September 29: Overwintering Tropicals and Tender Bulbs - So you bought hibiscus, Mandeville, Jasmine and more, now what? How do we keep them happy until next spring? Learn from Deb Walser, LCMG, the dos and don’ts and which annuals, tropical and tender bulbs to overwinter and those to throw out.

*October/November Library Talks will be in the next Germinator.

Volunteer/Education Hours & Directory Updates Needed

Just a reminder…if you have not turned in your MG volunteer and education hours, please do so ASAP. Thank you for sending in! In addition, please review your contact information in the Master Gardener Directory and update if needed by visiting this link: http://mgquickfind.info/. Information will be sent soon announcing opportunities to have updated photos taken for the Directory.

September 5

Coordinator’s Comments By Kathy Wimer

Hello Everyone,

As I write to all of you I reflect on the wonderful support I have received since starting my MG interim coordinator duties in June. I have greatly appreciated everyone’s encouragement and support during these last three months. I learn something new every single day and continue to be impressed with the level of expertise along with the amazing dedication of time and talent that the Master Gardeners share with one another and with our community. I feel so fortunate to be working together with you!

We are in the midst of MG intern interviews this week and next week, with approximately 30 interviews scheduled. We hope to have MG interns selected by August 28th, with follow-up letters mailed out after the 28th. I would like to thank our interview committee, including Jane Schildroth, Jackie Baumhauer, Shelby Foley, Sue Usher and Barb Wing, for dedicating many hours to interview MG applicants. Intern orientation is Sept. 9 at 6:30pm at the Extension Office large conference room. Classes run through Nov. 4, with the MG Fall Celebration the following week.

The MG “Community Agriculture Programs Coordinator” position has been posted, with applications accepted through Aug. 25 and with hopes the position is filled by September. For questions about this open position contact Extension Director, Diane Hagarty at (319) 377-9839 or view link: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/linn/news/vacancy-community-agriculture-programs-coordinator

Upcoming MG Volunteer & Educational Opportunities: * Help with the MG Intern Training Classes in fall 2014 and/or consider attending training classes (which count as MG education volunteer hours * Become a mentor to one or more of our fall 2014 MG interns

* Write articles, submit pictures and/or contribute ideas to the Germinator * Promote MG events throughout the community via social media * Participate in a Food Preservation 101 Workshop on Aug. 27 at 6:30pm at Lowe Park * Attend an Expert Education class, “Ash Alternatives” on Sept. 4 at 6:30pm held at the extension office * Attend Seed Saving Workshop/Tomato Tasting on Sept. 6 at Lowe Park * Get on October’s Hortline schedule * Contribute to MG Plant Exchange on Sept. 20 at 10am at Lowe Park * Participate in “Extending the Growing Season” and “How to Build a Hoop House” workshop on Sept. 11 at 6:30 pm at Lowe Park * Attend Wednesday Free Garden Classes at Ladd Library or North Liberty Library

Please contact me if you would like to learn more about these opportunities at kwimer@iastate.edu or call (319) 377-9839, ext. 316.

Warmest Regards, Kathy Wimer, MG Interim Coordinator

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Upcoming Events at Lowe Park Greenhouse By Phil Pfister

Swamp Fox at Lowe Park

Saturday September 6, 2014

3:45: Seed Saving: Linn County Master Gardener, Shelby Foley will lead this hands-on-workshop in the methods for selecting, collecting and saving seeds. At the end of the workshop, participants will be provided with maps of the Demonstration Gardens at Lowe Park, and containers for seeds they may want to save.

4:15-6:00 (or when the tomatoes are gone): Tomato Tasting: Join the Linn County Master Gardeners at the Lowe Park Greenhouse for a tomato tasting. There will be over 25 varieties, consisting of a mix of heirlooms and hybrids, cherries to beefsteak and all kinds in between.

Thursday, September 11 (6:30-8:00 pm)

How to Build and Grow in a Hoop House: This workshop, led by Phil Pfister, will discuss materials and building techniques for building a hoop house similar to the one by the Lowe Park Greenhouse. The workshop will also include tips and techniques for growing in the hoop house. This workshop will be scheduled for early fall.

Saturday, October 18 (10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.)

Looking Ahead to the Holidays: This workshop, led by Shelby Foley, will be to create an ivy tree topiary centerpiece, with a few special touches. There is a $20.00 materials fee, and class size is limited to 20.

Thursday, December 4 (6:30-8:30)

Holiday Arrangements: In this hands on workshop, led by Shelby Foley and Phil Pfister, you will be able to create beautiful holiday arrangements from an assortment of dried plants and evergreens. There is a $20.00 materials fee, and class size is limited to 20.

MG Plant Exchange Scheduled

All MG’s are invited to attend the 2014 Plant Exchange on Saturday, September 20, at 10:00 am, at Lowe Park Greenhouse You may bring divisions of perennials, herbs, house plants, cuttings, seed saved, woody plants, bulbs, etc. Fall is a great time to plant outside. If you are not certain where to plant the new plant/s, simply bury the pot in a protected area and mulch well. You may bring one specimen or several, and will take home an equal number of new treasures. Refreshments will be served. If you have any questions, please contact Kay McWhinney at 377-6612 or via email, jonkay1965@yahoo.com. Please respond to the Extension if you can join us so plans for space and enough treats are available. PS: PLEASE BRING A LAWN CHAIR.

September 7

The fiscal year-end Linn County Master Gardener program financial report.

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Master Gardeners Participate in Noelridge Park Events

Despite much needed rain earlier in the day, and clouds threatening more, it cleared up just in time for the Master Gardeners to take part in events at the MG Herb Garden and the Noelridge AAS Garden in Noelridge Park Thursday, August 21.

All American Selections Garden

The vegetable section of the AAS Garden (photo right) is producing plentiful veggies

that include but are not limited to green beans, tomatoes, peppers, and abundant pumpkins and watermelons.

The butterfly section of the AAS garden is outstandingly beautiful and colorful. The garden is hosting many bees and butterflies. Kathy Carew, Wil Carew, Karla McGrail, Jean Murray, Becki Lynch, and Noelridge volunteer Bill Snyder stationed themselves around the gardens to answer questions and explain the All American Selections garden.

Master Gardener Herb Garden

The Master Gardener Herb garden at Noelridge Park looks lush and gets lots of attention from visitors to the park. It is an Herb of the Year garden; Herb of the Year is selected by the Herb Society of America. Our garden has Herbs of the Year from 1995 to 2015.

For the evening event, Beula Dvorak made herbal items for the public to sample. It was fun to tell visitors that many of the herbs she used in making the samples came from the MG herb garden. Some of the offerings to sample included Any-Green Pesto, Herb Olive Oil Dip, Herbed Cream Cheese, Zesty Italian Dressing, Rustic Garden Herb biscuits, Rosemary butter, and herb vinegars. Very popular on this hot and humid evening were the cucumber-mint and the lemon-balm flavored waters.

Wil Carew discusses the vegetable section of the AAS garden with event attendees.

Refreshing and cold herbal water caught everyone’s attention! People were happy to try these.

The sample table set up right beside the herb garden is all ready for many goodies to sample.

Master Gardeners and visitors gather near the flavored water.

September 9

August 2014 Committee and Project Reports

No August Steering Committee meeting.

Committee Reports:

Brucemore (Melanie Brown): The Brucemore Landscape & Garden Show is still a go! Leads have been contacted, volunteer schedules are being gathered, display boards are being worked on, publications are being gathered and work schedules going out the first week in August.

Community Garden Connection (Beula Dvorak): Work continues at both the Ely & Catherine McAuley garden sites. On July 16 Phil Pfister provided education on garden pests with 8 attendees. On August 7 & 14 Beula will lead education on composting, planting for fall, and harvesting & using garden produce--tying in both July/August topics. Attendance at the educational presentations has been lower than hoped, but we will continue to build relations and communicate with garden leaders. The committee continues to work on solidifying guidelines.

Creative Gardening Series (Carson Fixmer): The Creative Gardening Series committee met on June 26. Last spring’s series evaluations, topics of interest and prospective speakers were discussed. The 2015 proposed dates were approved and the Cedar Rapids Public Library confirmed the reservation for the Whipple Aud. for March 12, March 19 and March 26

Demo Garden/Granger House (Lynette Brenzel/Jo Dillion): The Granger House project is still in a holding pattern. The heritage herbs and vegetables are still in pots, waiting for construction of the driveway and raised beds to be finished.

Demo Garden/NewBo Learning Garden (Carol Elliott/Cindy Fagan): Now that we've established a beautiful garden at the NewBo Market, we're focusing on education. Saturday, July 26, MG's Lynda Bordwell and Carol Elliott will be presenting a hands-on salad workshop. Watch for upcoming sessions on Garden Pests, Pizza and Salsa from the Garden, Composting, and the First Annual NewBo Tomato Tasting.

Demo Garden/Noelridge (Jean Minehart/Kathy Rhodes): Master Gardeners continued mentoring the Goodwill clients in the All American Selections garden and leading tours in the greenhouse, in addition to herb garden maintenance. Event on July 9 in conjunction with the Noelridge Park AAS garden, Farmers Market and Municipal Band Concert. Shared information at the MG Herb Garden for the public–102 people visited our garden and we gave samples of Glazed Lavender Teacake. Two more events are planned at the gardens: August 21 and September 7th.

Expert Education (Linda Hayward): The first summer webinar was held Tuesday, July 15th. Twenty-one people attended. There were computer problems both at the Extension Office and at Iowa State. Linn County was not unable to reconnect, but the webinar was archived. Everyone who attended was emailed and told what the problems were. I will ask at the August 14 webinar if there are people who would like to view the Iowa’s Unknown Treasure at the Extension Office. The Committee is checking into having a tour of the garden at the top of the new Cedar Rapids

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library. Jill Messerli at the CR Library suggested a fall date. More details as they are clarified.

Fall Celebration: New committee chair sought.

Financial Planning (Jean Murray): The financial report included in the Germinator is the final report for the 2013-2014 fiscal year for the Linn County Master Gardeners. Updated reports will be included on the LCMG website every few months.

From the Ground Up (Pam Brackey/Linda Eggleston): Our new PowerPoint, Student Manual and Teacher's Guide are complete. We will have training soon.

Garden Walk (Kay McWhinney/Mary Sam Krumholz): The five gardens featured were a variety of sizes and styles of loveliness. A sincere thank you to hosts Barb Brown, Doris Hardt, Gene Nassif, Louise Harn, and Barb Wing, who generously shared their beautiful gardens with 350+ guests. Sincere thank you’s to the Team Leaders, the volunteers who helped with garden preps and to those MG’s who worked the day of the GW in the heat and humidity. Kathy Wimer, Connie Wier, Dianne Hagarty and Mary Dloughy were a big part of the success story too.

Greenhouse (Phil Pfister/Shelby Foley): Activity at the greenhouse mostly involves cleaning, sterilizing and storing the cell packs and containers so they will be ready for the upcoming growing season. After containers are clean and stored, we will clean and sterilize the interior of the greenhouse and benches. This fall we will also check the torque on the structural hardware and covering hardware. After the very wet prolonged weather, the tomatoes really suffered. It is doubtful they will produce enough tomatoes to support the tomato tasting. Donations may be needed.

Hortline (Doug Smith): The August sign-up with our new electronic system worked well and there didn't seem to be any major problems. Thanks to all of the staff and volunteers who worked to make this possible. The committee would like to thank Karen Woeste for the years she was in charge of making the schedule. Also, thanks to Sylvia Kelley for her willingness to step forward and take over the scheduling with the new system. Master Gardeners recommended new books for the Hortline library. Cacti and Succulents for Cold Climates by Leo Chance has been purchased. Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, Updated and Expanded by Doug Tallamy of The University of Delaware will be the memorial book for Leonard Booth and Fruit Trees for Small Spaces by Colby Eierman is a memorial to Jerry Schmidt. Zipscope used to send photos to ISU wasn't working. Connie uninstalled and reinstalled the operating program solved the problem.

MG Stipends & Scholarships (Mike Anderson): One stipend approved for July for a Master Gardener to attend the Ball Horticulture field day in West Chicago, Illinois. The event was held on July 25th and consisted of speakers, tours of the Ball lab and testing facilities as well as the grounds and examples of hundreds of varieties of plants.

Plant Exchange (Kay McWhinney): The 2014 MG Plant Exchange will take

September 11

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964.

Linn County Extension Master Gardeners 383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 ph (319) 377-9839 • Hortline (319) 447-0647 • www.extension.iastate.edu/linn

place on September 20 at 10 am at Lowe Park Greenhouse. While you are dividing overgrown perennials as the garden season comes to a end, please share one or more of your treasures with other MG's. This is a free, fun and educational event open to MG's only. You may bring perennials, herbs, houseplants, cuttings, and/or woody plants. An equal number of plants can be taken home as were brought to the Plant Exchange. Refreshments will be served.

School Projects: Hiawatha (Cindy Fagan/Phil Pfister): Hiawatha School raised beds grew with gusto in July. Weekly educational sessions with neighborhood and daycare students are going well, averaging around a dozen students each week, and a few adults. Students harvest carrots, peas, beans, lettuce, zucchini, peppers and herbs that they are allowed to take home to their families. They will weed, water, and plant more seeds for harvest when school starts in the fall. Students learned about garden pests with Phil Phister (and thankfully didn’t find too many damaging bugs, although they did find a rabbit nest and a bunny that was good at hiding amongst the veggies). They got their hands in the compost bin and pointed out the red wigglers while learning about compost with Scott Koepke. They also delighted in harvesting and making tasty recipes with Alicia, the HyVee Dietician, such as a spinach herb dip with carrots and a basil shallot dressing over cherry tomatoes and butter beans. With just a few weeks of the summer session left, they are anxiously waiting for the three watermelons on our vine to get big enough to eat!

Speaker's Bureau (Deb Walser): To update our presentations list, please contact email Deb (wadeborah@mchsi.com) with a list of topics MG can speak on, along with a two-three sentence presentation description.

Winter Gardening Fair (Linda Hinzman/ Karla McGrail): Beth Roof and Tammy Lutz have joined the committee as shadows for the 2015 fair confirmed confirmed with Kirkwood as Saturday, 2/21/15. Speakers are getting set up - both Master Gardeners and others. There will three featured keynote speakers for attendees to choose from, adjacent to each track's lunch period. The attendee fee has not been increased for several years, and will likely be $59 (up from $49) to cover Kirkwood staff fees and catering (now coming from the Kirkwood Hotel). However, because a Kirkwood department is paying for the food, we will get it at their cost. The food cost still will be higher than in past years.

The next Steering Committee Meeting will be Tuesday, September 2 at 6:30 p.m. in Extension small conference room.

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