October 2016

Issue 47

Upcoming Meetings 2

2016 Gardening for Gold 2

Events of Interest 3

What I Enjoy about Gardening and/or Being a Master Gardener

4

What I Enjoy about Gardening and/or Being a Master Gardener

5

Volunteers in Action 6

Youth Master Gardeners 6

Selecting a Live Christmas tree

7

Poinsettia 7

Inside this issue:

Chrysanthemums, or mums for short, are a popular fall plant. Mums are a member of the daisy family that are available in a variety of colors, bloom shapes, and cultivars for the garden. Mums have been labeled as the “divas” or “queens” of the autumn garden.

For mums to survive the winter, make sure to plant a hardy or garden mum, not a florist mum. The main difference between the two is the production of un-derground stolons or shoots. These sto-lons are required in order for the plant to survive the winter. The florist mum pro-duces few if any stolons, making it suita-ble as an indoor plant or for short-term bedding plant during the summer, but unable to survive the winter. Garden mums produce many underground sto-lons, which with a little care will survive the winter for years.

Mums are in their full glory in late sum-mer or fall. This is when we typically purchase and plant them, with minimal success of the plants surviving the win-ter. Mums should be planted in the spring so that they have time to become well established before winter. When selecting garden mums make sure it’s hardy for this area. Garden mums like at least 6 hours of sunlight per day, well-drained soil, and good air circulation. Also, the plant should be a sufficient dis-tance from other larger plants to avoid root competition.

Once planted, mums should be watered thoroughly. After they are established they need the standard one inch of wa-ter per week. From early June or once plants reach 6 – 8” tall, until about July 4th, remove the tips of young shoots to get bushy, compact plants with good bud formation and blooms in the fall.

After the hard frost in the fall takes its toll on the mum, mulch the plant with up to 4” of clean straw, shredded hardwood, cornstalks, marsh hay or other suitable material. Avoid mulching with leaves, as they tend to pack solid when wet. Mulching will keep the soil uniformly cold after it has become frozen. Freezing and thawing throughout the winter often destroys a large part of the plant’s root system. Pinch off the dead blooms but leave the branches intact until spring as they offer the roots protection during the winter. Once the weather warms up in spring, remove the mulch to allow new shoots to pop up.

Garden mums also make great contain-er plants. They can be popped into at-tractive containers, lined up in a row in a window box, or place them in the center of a mixed container with trailing foliage plants all round.

“If you would be happy for a lifetime, grow Chrysanthemums” A Chinese phi-losopher

Chris Jacobs Certified Master Gardener

Dodge County Master Gardener Association

Digging in Dodge

Chrysanthemums

Photo by Carol Shirk

Upcoming Meetings

Anyone with an interest in gardening is welcome to attend the following free programs. Master Gardener meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of the month. Unless otherwise noted, the meetings are at 6:30 p.m. in the Administration Building, 127 E. Oak Street, Juneau.

Page 2 Digging in Dodge Issue 47

October 27 – Alternate Lifestyles: Plants that Eat Animals by Erica Young. Erica Young is an Associate Pro-

fessor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UW-Milwaukee. She will present a profile of these charis-

matic plants who not only capture insect prey to supplement their nutrient uptake, but ‘farm’ a range of inver-

tebrates and bacteria to support their nutrient requirements to thrive in nutrient-poor wetland ecosystems.

The talk will include natural history and some great pictures of the plants as well as some emerging frontiers

in scientific research on these organisms. Erica grew up among amazingly diverse plants of Western Austral-

ia and has since lived in Sweden, Ireland, and now Wisconsin. Her scientific research has focused on photo-

synthetic phytoplankton, intertidal kelps, nitrogen-fixing symbioses, and invasive species. Her current re-

search focuses on nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems - from the Great Lakes to micro-ecosystems

within carnivorous pitcher plants.

November and December – No meeting. Happy Holidays!

Gold Sponsors:

Kaycee, Allison, Nicole & Stephanie Zindl

Silver Sponsors:

Bronze Sponsors:

Kathryn J Hassin Attorney at Law

Waukesha WI

Adding Gourmet & Medicinal Mushrooms to Your

Garden ~ Lindsey A. Bender

Making Paper from Dried Plants & Grasses ~ Mel

Kolstad

Vernacular Gardens ~ Liza Lightfoot,

Hydrangeas for Wisconsin ~ Mike Maddox

November 5, 2016

8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Public is Welcome

Horicon Marsh Education Center

Pre-registration is Required

Registration Deadline: October 21 ,2016

Presentations

For a brochure and registration form: http://dodge.uwex.edu/files/2011/12/2016-Symposium-Brochure.pdf

Events of Interest

Page 3 Digging in Dodge Issue 47

Master Gardener Websites http://www.wimastergardener.org/ http://dodge.uwex.edu/maste

Master Gardener E-mail askamastergardener@att.net

November 13, 2016 Ground Covered: Top Groundcover Plant Selections ~ Olbrich Gardens, Madison 1:00—2:30 p.m. Are you looking to introduce new groundcovers into your landscape? This class is for you! Michael Jesi-olowski, senior horticulturist at Chicago Botanic Garden, will discuss a wide variety of groundcovers with inter-esting and colorful foliage, flowers, or fruit, along with those that are evergreen. He will focus on Midwest-hardy groundcovers, including cultural conditions for each plant, that will help provide unified colors and tex-tures to make the rest of your plantings really sing. Limited space; register early. To register or for more infor-mation: www.olbrich.org Registration Deadline: November 3 Cost: $15/$12 member | Course Number: 11-26

November 19, 2016 Garden Art ~ Hoard Historical Museum, Fort Atkinson 2:00—3:30 p.m. Learn about garden art of the past and see what types of garden art are popular now. The Jefferson County Master Gardener Volunteers will each bring in samples of their own work and walk you through the necessary steps to create your own! This program is free of charge, although donations are gratefully accepted. Contact Dana Bertelsen at 920-563-7769 for more information or email info@hoardmuseum.org. http://hoardmuseum.org/get-involved/garden-volunteers/garden-education/

October 27, 2016 What’s Bugging Your Tree? ~ Olbrich Gardens, Madison 6:30—8:00 p.m. Join Briana Frank, owner of Tree Health Management, LLC, and learn about common insects and disease issues affecting trees in Wisconsin, and what to do to mitigate damage and improve tree health. She will help you understand Oak Wilt management, Emerald Ash Borer, common foliar diseases, and insect problems, as well as teach you how to detect these issues. Limited space; register early. To register or for more infor-mation: www.olbrich.org Registration Deadline: October 20 Cost: $15/$12 member | Course Number: 11-2

September 24—November 6, 2016 Fall Harvest Fest Floral Show ~ Mitchell Park Domes, Milwaukee Visit Mitchell Park Domes and catch the Fall Harvest Festival seasonal floral display featuring chry-santhemums now through November 6th. Experience a stroll through the country with scarecrows cornstalks, and hay bales as well as a pumpkin patch. Antique farming implements will be seen throughout the show. The even runs daily at the Domes, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and major holidays; $3 per person. Free for children age 5 and under. For more details: http://county.milwaukee.gov/MitchellParkConserva10116.htm

Page 4 Digging in Dodge Issue 47

I like the order--the straight rows (sometimes ) The magic of planting a seed and watching it grow. The sense of pride of being the first one in neighbor-hood with corn coming up--or eating the first tomato. The satisfaction of saying-"I grew this" The peacefulness of the garden--the quiet. Being alone. (who wants to help pull weeds??) Great food! Diane H.

I enjoy learning about the earth’s plants and crea-tures and working together with friends to share that knowledge and beauty. Kay V.

Gardening takes me to a place of deep focus that incorporates togetherness of mind, body and soul.

Being a MG has given me a fine tuned discernment from the plants' point of view. Lois L.

Gardening is my stress release. I love going out in the gardens in the early morning with my cup of cof-fee, and deciding what gardens I am going to work in that day. I loved the chance to pick other Master Gardener's brains, and exchanging ideas, as when I belonged to Marathon County Master Gardeners. No time ever seems to be put aside for that purpose at the meetings in Juneau. It was very disappointing. Pat Cunderman

I became an intern in April of 2016. I was involved in Daybreak, Life Academy, Youth Master Gardener at Hustisford, Help Line, the County Fair and Earth Day. I worked or met with people from age 7 to 70 plus. All eager to learn more about gardening and also eager to share their gardening experience. Today was my last day at Daybreak at Horicon for the year. I received a thank you note from the resi-dents, a book on square foot gardening and a invite to a dinner. And I thought I was just care taker. Bill

I think the thing I enjoy the most is all the fantastic people I've met. This includes the other Master Gardeners, staff in the Extension office, and people I've met or talked with while working the MG Help-line. Gardeners are some of the greatest people in the world! And I have to add a second favorite.. and that is that I learn something new every time I'm involved with a MG activity. There is so much I don't know, but little by little I keep learning new things. Dianne Priegel I like gardening because it is a great stress reliever,

it keeps body and mind occupied, and it provides an avenue for giving back to friends, those needing help, those that visit our gardens, and to charities and the community. We donated 1650 plants to a large number of situations this year along with infor-mation and suggestions on what and how to grow from prairie to perennials to trees and my favorite succulents. The most interesting and rewarding was helping a young newlywed gal with aggressive cancer get started with numerous varieties of hen and chicks and suggestions for how best to grow them and the many options for their use. I like be-ing a Master Gardener for the same reasons plus meeting and sharing ideas with so many neat peo-ple from diverse backgrounds with a common love for gardening. Berwyn I like bringing a plant to fruition, be it a shrub, flower

or vegetable. I love the wealth of information & op-portunities that are available to me as a Master Gar-dener. Sondra

What do you enjoy about gardening? by Jan Krause

I enjoy designing of flower beds and the beauty that follows. It is somewhat like painting, in that, it is the placement of the flowers (paint colors) that show the beauty of the completed flower bed. I receive much satisfaction from looking at the finished product

What do you enjoy about being a Master Garden-er? by Al Krause

It is absolutely the friendships that are developed through the organization. Whether it be our local group, the state organization, or non-Master Gar-deners there is a bond that develops.

What I Enjoy about Gardening & Being a Master Gardener

Thank you for sharing why you enjoy gardening and/or being a Master Gardener. Chris

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Gardening is my alone time to escape from the cha-os of my life. It has structure, beauty and life. I can create beauty anyway I want as long as I under-stand the plants need and how they affect their sur-roundings. Bottom line. I get to play in dirt :)!

What do you enjoy about being a Master Garden-er?

I'm learning about plants that I wanted to all these years with so many knowledgeable people that are as crazy or crazier than me on this subject. I get to help others and meet people while I'm learning. Interacting and listening to Carol have been and will be a pleasure. Thuy T.

What I enjoy so much about gardening is the es-cape provided by the complete and "other-worldly" distraction from the rest of a busy life. I appreciate the relaxation provided by that short time of focus. Margaret Furdek

I like gardening because I like to be outside and dig-ging in the soil is nurturing to my soul. I have learned so much being a gardener that I can apply to other parts of my like. The quote, “A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust.” by Gertrude Jekyll is a good representation of what I think. There are many things we do in life in which we do not see immedi-ate results. However, with gardening, we can step back and see something positive (usually….we won’t mention those negative ones) from our ef-forts. That boost is just what encourages me to keep going. And when I am weary from it all, I have the winter to rest and begin to plan again.

I like being a Master Gardener because I enjoy spreading the knowledge to others and allowing them to enter this world on their own. I love to see the spark in a child’s eye when they discover some-thing new, to see an older person as they plunge their hands into the soil and plant seeds, to see a person’s face light up when they realize the answer to their problem and they CAN solve their landscape problem with a little help. It is all about serving to me and it brings great joy. Carol

What I enjoy about gardening? The delight I feel when something I’ve planted, whether from seed or pot, actually thrives in my yard and under my care. To top it all off, I’m continually blessed to see the results when the plant or plants continue to shower us with fragrance and color and increased growth year after year. Beyond that, when a plant-ing doesn’t grow well, I’ve learned something new helping me to become a more successful gardener in the future.

Enjoyment being an MGV? I have never met a group of people who not only have the same pas-sion for gardening, but who are so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. It is mainly thru this group of gardeners that whatever successes I might have are due in great part to their advice and encourage-ment. Besides that, what I’ve learned about this science of gardening itself is immeasurable! Gae

What I Enjoy about Gardening-- The very first time my mother showed me how to plant a marigold seed in the soil, I knew my destiny was sown. I would check every day watching to see if the seeds had germinated from the soil, and whether they were spreading their leaves towards the sun. My mother also taught me how to pull the weeds and as I grew older, caring for my mother’s flower garden became my family chore.

While the science of growing plants became my ca-reer and gardening my personal passion, I realized now that my mother really had no experience gar-dening, she just really loved flowers. And while at first, my mother was using gardening to have a mother-daughter teachable moment, I think her ulti-mate strategy was to have one of her seven chil-dren, that being me, relieve her workload and pro-vide a splash of color along the driveway.

Little did she realize the depth of the seed she plant-ed in me.

Loretta Ortiz-Ribbing, Ph.D. Crops & Soils Area Agent

What I Enjoy about Gardening & Being a Master Gardener

Thank you for sharing why you enjoy gardening and/or being a Master Gardener. Chris

Page 6 Digging in Dodge Issue 47

Senior Expo—Waupun

Master Gardeners in Action

Dodge County Fair Daybreak—Horicon

Demonstration

Sr. Expo—Waupun

2016 Upper Midwest Regional Master

Gardener Conference

Help Line

Both the Mayville and Homeschool YMG classes at-tended this event at the Horicon Marsh. Only one Monarch was captured, largely because the peo-ple had to stay on the paths, but the butterflies did NOT! The students were real troopers on a hot day and spent an hour searching and trying to coax the butterflies into an area where they could be captured to no avail.

Youth Master Gardeners

Monarch Tagging

Page 7 Digging in Dodge Issue 47

Selecting a Live Christmas Tree

Perhaps this is the year to extend your Christmas memories with the purchase of a live tree.

The first factor to consider is if there is space in the landscape for another tree. The best adapted to the area are spruce varieties, including Colorado, Norway, Black Hills. One variety to avoid is the Colorado Blue Spruce since they very susceptible to both Rhizo-sphaera Needle Cast and Cytospora Canker. Regard-less, a spot that is in full sun with rich, moist, well-drained soil is necessary. These trees will grow to a mature height of 30-60 feet and a width of 10-15 feet.

Purchase either a potted tree, or a balled and bur-lapped tree. (B&B). Get a tree that was dug this fall and not a “left over” that was dug in the spring. Select a healthy tree with fresh green needles; if a number of needles fall off when the tree is shaken, the tree is dry and not a good choice. Break one small branch and squeeze to see if it exudes pitch.

Pick the tree up by the root ball, never by the trunk which will cause the roots to tear away and ultimately cause fatal damage. Wrap the branches loosely with twine and shield it from the wind as much as possible during the ride home.

Once home, spray with a desiccant to prevent mois-ture loss from the needles. Select a waterproof con-tainer to put your tree in that is just slightly larger than

the root ball in the case of a B&B tree. This snug fit will help keep the tree stable and maintain moisture levels. Any gaps around the ball can be filled in with wood chips to conserve moisture.

Leave the tree in an unheated garage, porch, or shed for several days before moving it into the house. A dormant tree that is suddenly exposed to warmth will resume growth. Water daily while inside keeping it moist, but not soggy. If in doubt, poke through the burlap and check the soil.

The tree can be in the house for 7-10 days without the risk of breaking dormancy. Place it in the coolest spot available, do not use large lights that generate signifi-cant heat. Avoid heavy ornaments that might bend and break the tender branches.

When done inside, transition the tree back to the outdoors by putting it in the unheated garage, porch, or shed for several days. To safely store your tree until spring, place it on the north or east side of your home, keeping the root ball moist and covered with mulch.

Carol Shirk Certified Master Gardener

Poinsettia Fun Facts Poinsettias are not poisonous. A study at Ohio State University showed that a 50-pound child would have to eat more than

500 leaves to have any harmful ef-fect. Plus poinsettia leaves have an awful taste.

You might want to keep your pets from snacking on poinsettia leaves. Eating the leaves can cause vomit-ing and diarrhea.

Poinsettias are native to Mexico.

In Mexico the poinsettia is a peren-

nial shrub that will grow 10-15 feet tall.

The Aztecs called poinsettias "Cuetlaxochitl." During the 14th - 16th century the sap was used to control fevers and the bracts were used to make a reddish dye

There are more than 100 varieties of poinsettias available today. Poinsettias come in colors like the traditional red, white, pink, burgun-dy, marbled and speckled.

Poinsettias contribute over $250 million to the U.S. economy at the retail level.

California is the top U.S. Poinsettia-producing state.

Poinsettias are the best selling pot-ted plant in the United States and Canada.

Poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant. Most Poinsettias are sold within a six-week period leading up to that holiday, repre-senting some $60 million worth.

The showy colored parts of poin-settias that most people think of as the flowers are actually colored bracts (modified leaves).

http://extension.illinois.edu/poinsettia/facts.cfm

Board of Directors

Loretta Ortiz-Ribbing

Crops and Soils Agent

UW-Extension Office

920 386-3790

Diane Hemling

President

920-960-6351

Lynn Stanton

Vice President

920-296-1868

Jan Krause

Secretary

920-261-7939

Joan Loomis

Treasurer

920-988-2153

Gae Bergmann

Local Record Keeper

920-928-3486

Al Krause

Local Representative to

the WIMGA

920 261-7939

Dodge County Master Gardener Association

UW-Extension, Administration Building 127 E. Oak Street, Juneau, WI 53039

Phone: (920) 386-3790