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Cindi Barnhart ... Editor Jessica Milstead .. Copy Editor Betsy Parbuoni ... PDF Editor Jessi Thibault .... Art, Mail

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

Cover: Camp Merrick “Sight” bed with a pendulous form of Blue Atlas cedar, Cedrus atlantica.

Carol Teets Writer, Mail Janet McGrane ... ...... Calendar Elaine Miller ............. Mail Anna Haugh .............. Mail Larry Martin .............. Mail

SUMMER 2011

Update On The Search For Excellence Award

In February we submitted an application for The International Master

Gardener Search for Excellence award on behalf of our Charles County

Detention Center Horticultural Education program and garnered an 85

out of 100 point score. Although we were not selected for this award

we were pleased with the feedback from the awards committee and

will follow their recommendations for future submissions.

One judge gave the following comment: Creative work with a very

needy group of clientele. Good curriculum titles. I liked the balanced

program idea with 90 minutes of lecture and 90 minutes of hands-on

activities.

The International Master Gardener Conference in Charleston, West

Virginia will take place October 11-14, 2011.

3

Photos by Cindi Barnhart

How Our Two Plant Sales Spelled SUCCE$$! By Terry Thir and Gale Kladitis

Yes, we outdid ourselves again

this year! This year we held a

plant sale at two locations: the

Farmer‟s Market in La Plata and

the PD Brown Memorial Library in

Waldorf. The plant sales were a

huge success and exceeded our

goal by grossing over $2,200. The

project leaders, Gale Kladitis (La

Plata) and Terry Thir (Waldorf),

want to personally thank all of

you for your contributions and

participation, and for making this

event our most successful sale to

date. We really enjoyed the op-

portunity to lead this rewarding

project. As in prior years, MGs

and interns rolled up their sleeves

and planted seedlings and dug up

shrubs and perennials. Volunteers

helped with setting up and break-

ing down staging, pricing plants,

transporting them, and working

onsite at the actual sale. This was

a great learning opportunity for

all of our interns who helped us

this year.

A big thanks to Barbie Walter for

allowing us to use her yard to

stage the plants. A special shout

out to Marsha Back for her hand-

made soaps which were a big hit.

We also want to thank Jessica

Milstead, Sue Brewer, and Louise

Kearns for all the time spent or-

ganizing the sale, identifying

plant species, and leading teams

to price and label the plants prior

to the plant sale. Thanks to

Cheryl Kasunich and Janet

McGrane for handling the public-

ity and for designing a new ban-

ner and street signs for the sale.

We also want to thank our onsite

experts, Jessica Milstead and

Maggie Tieger, for fielding gar-

dening questions from our pa-

trons. We need to acknowledge

and thank Heaven‟s Garden for

(Continued on page 18)

Rosemary Ewing sets up a sales table; a growing potato basket; and an audience listens to Gale Kladitis demonstrate how to grow a lettuce box to our County Extension Director Karol Dyson.

4

April showers are said to bring

May flowers---I don‟t know how

true that is, but April and May

bring Master Gardeners out and

get them going in a hurry! Besides

our own gardens, we have helped

countless others through partici-

pating in numerous activities. Due

to the number of activities of-

fered, I found it hard to pick and

choose. Here are the ones I fi-

nally joined.

One of the first activities under-

taken was the April 13 plant walk

at Chapman‟s Landing State Park.

This little known gem was fought

for by true believers who wanted

it preserved instead of destroyed

by developers. Walking through

the wooded grounds, with house

and water views made it easy to

see why.

We had a booth at the Spring Car-

nival at Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Ele-

mentary School on April 16. Par-

ents and children alike learned

about salad boxes and potato bas-

kets, which Gail Kladitis had

ready for display. Packets of let-

tuce seeds, brochures, informa-

tion, and smiles were handed out,

to the delight of the people who

braved the weather to come to

the event. The MGs even joined

in the carnival fun, relearning the

Spring Fever—MG-Style With Activities Galore

By Brenda Elmore, Intern

electric slide, and literally blow-

ing up balloons. It was a great

success and lots of community

ties were made. Follow-up pro-

grams are in the works.

On April 30 there were two places

for MGs to be at one time: land-

scaping the Christmas in April

locations; and providing activities

and information in a booth pro-

vided by Civista on the La Plata

courthouse common for La Plata

Day. Carol Teets, Marty Eldridge,

and I staffed the booth at La

Plata, with Carol also intermit-

tently running supplies to the

Christmas in April volunteers.

Children came to plant seeds in a

cup, getting the first-hand thrill

of gardening, while adults

learned about potato baskets,

salad boxes, and the Master Gar-

dener program. It was a long but

satisfying day for both groups.

(Continued on page 5)

The Chik Fil-A cow grazes on a lush lettuce box at La Plata Day.

Photo by Gale Kladitis

5

Editor‟s note:

We will be partnering in upcoming outreach programs with Southern

Maryland Rural Health Disparities and Obesity Network (SMRHDON),

an organization centered around health, wellness, and fitness.

Marty Eldredge is the contact for work with this organization.

SPRING FEVER

These are some of the activities

that have kept this Charles

County Master Gardener Intern

hopping this spring. But that‟s

not all of them -- Gail Kladitis‟

detention center horticulture

training program, state training

day at College Park, fundraisers

(love that soap!), and learning

opportunities are helping our MG

program thrive.

I give it two green thumbs up!

Photos by Cindi Barnhart

Above left: Marty Eldredge talks with Nina Voehl of Southern Maryland Rural Health Disparities and Obesity Network, as Brenda Elmore gathers information to be given to Nina at the Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School carnival (April 16). Above right: Marty Eldredge and Carol Teets provide information about salad boxes, potato baskets, the upcoming plant sale and our Master Gardener program at the La Plata Day booth (April 30).

On Monday, May 2, a site visit to

Children‟s Aid set up a future

landscape renovation for Septem-

ber, using Chaney Grant money,

and then it was on to prepara-

tions for the two plant sale sites

in Waldorf and La Plata for Satur-

day, May 7. Interns and Master

Gardeners alike worked hard to

ensure the successful fundraising

through the sale of the plants

they themselves had nurtured

and donated.

(Continued from page 4)

6

By Ronda Goldman, Class of 2006

JC Parks Elementary School and

Matthew Henson Middle School

embarked upon an environmental

adventure that has proved to be

an exercise in team work, horti-

cultural calisthenics, and wetland

wonders. Both schools joined

forces to plant some of the 1800

plants. The focus of this stage

was their wetland classroom. The

wetland installation was led by

Environmental Concern, an or-

ganization in St. Michael‟s, MD,

that specializes in school-based

wetland installations.

Armed with shovels, trowels, and

youthful energy, students man-

aged to break through Charles

County‟s clay (with the help of an

auger) and help young plants find

a new home. Mary Cocke, Rose-

mary Ewing, Anne Gillespie,

Ronda Goldman, and Terry Thir

provided guidance and mentor-

ship as the children enthusiasti-

cally laid the foundation for out-

door exploration. The field of

dreams will teem with dogwoods,

pin oaks, black-eyed susan, blue

vervain, American sycamores, and

Bay-Wise

Ongoing

Contact: Ronda Goldman

Two Charles County Schools Go Bay-Wise many other native plants. When

it‟s all finished, opportunities for

science, art, math, and music will

come to life as the wetland,

meadow, forest, and orchard grow

into a living classroom that will

transform educational experi-

ences into multi-dimensional,

cross-curricular units of study.

The students weren‟t the only

anxious and excited participants

in the planting. Before the day

was finished the water level had

risen and wetland wildlife began

to move into the neighborhood.

One of the 121 species of Anisop-

tera skimmed across the moving

waters and graced the planting

with their presence. This can be

considered informal approval from

one of the fastest wetland insects

in the world -- the dragonfly. Mal-

lard ducks were also spotted vaca-

tioning in the new habitat. Let‟s

just hope that they will consider

the wetland and meadow prime

real estate and make it their per-

manent home.

The next steps for Parks and

Henson were to finish planting the

(Continued on page 7)

7

Photo by Terry Thir

Above, Ann Gillespie, Rosemary Ewing, Terry Thir, Mary Cocke and Bay-Wise coordinator Ronda Goldman display the schematic for planting; and students lay out plants according to the plan and begin planting.

last 200 plants in the wetland,

install the meadow, and install

200 trees, all scheduled for June

9. Our very own Jessica Milstead

designed the tree plan and was to

coordinate the tree planting,

(Continued from page 6)

while Environmental Concern was

to be responsible for the wetland

and meadow. Projects like these

help make Charles County Schools

an exciting and green place to

learn, grow, and play.

BAY-WISE

Photo by Deanna Wheeler

Jan Lakey-Waters among flourishing plants at Camp Merrick.

Camp Merrick

Ongoing

Contact: Jan Lakey-Waters or Janet Cooney

Janet Cooney, Terry Thir and I

have been weeding the beds and

they are looking good! Classes for

campers are being held this sum-

mer and will dictate when we can

work.

Watch for emails to announce our

work plans so you can join us.

By Jan Lakey-Waters, Class of 2009

We Will Tend The Lovely Beds This Summer

Photo

by T

err

y T

hir

8

the Speaker‟s Bureau:

Mary Ann Wade did presentations

for the Hughesville, Charles

County, and Swan Point Garden

Clubs. Gale Kladitis presented to

the Hughesville Garden Club; to-

gether Carol Teets, Cheryl Ka-

sunich, and Gale Kladitis pre-

sented to the Civista employees

and Social Services, as well as a

presentation open to the public

on container gardening -- potato

baskets and salad boxes. Marty

Eldridge and Rosemary Ewing pre-

sented weed-less gardening to

the La Plata Garden Club.

If any of you have done presenta-

tions, email the information to

me so I can record it and brag

about what you do. Congratula-

tion to all of you who are doing

teaching programs and letting

them know how good we are!

If any other MGs have been asked

to do a presentation, please

email or call me so I can get the

information into our records.

MGs are out and about doing

presentations, teaching, and from

what they tell me, having fun

along the way. The word is out

that we are available to present

on many different topics, and

that we are pretty good at doing

it. This has resulted in MGs being

called individually by interested

groups and organizations instead

of contacting the office or me to

find someone to do a presenta-

tion for them.

This is a compliment to our pre-

senters, but there is one draw-

back. That is, unless you let me

know about your presentation the

speaker‟s bureau will not know

about it and it will not go into the

records.

The only program I have placed

was for the Clover Group home-

schooled children, ages 5-7. Gale

Kladitis and Kathy Cox responded,

and had fun doing a hands-on

class for the little people and

parents on April 17.

The following programs were ar-

ranged directly, rather than by

Speakers Bureau

Ongoing

Contact: Barbie Walter

Our Speaker‟s Bureau Is Doing Quite Well By Barbie Walter, Class of 2006

Marian Bruemmer will handle the

Speakers Bureau in July/August.

9

certified. The Detention Center

Administration has granted the

Master Gardeners permission to

visit the garden weekly after the

completion of classes in order to

monitor progress and check for

proper maintenance.

Jon Traunfeld will conduct a class

on vegetable gardens at the De-

tention Center garden on Tues-

day, July 26, at 9:00am. This

class is certified as advanced

training. If you are interested in

attending, please contact Robin

Hessey prior to the class to regis-

ter.

Our fall sessions will begin on

Tuesday, September 6, 2011.

Our spring sessions are well under

way and will conclude on June 14

with graduation and awarding of

certificates. Once again this

spring we have concentrated on

the vegetable garden at the main

building for our outside activity.

We switched the direction of the

garden, so that the rows go in the

40‟ direction instead of the 60‟

direction, and trenched the out-

side as well as the rows to keep

more water available for the

plants. Our indoor classes have

varied and we have had many

fantastic instructors. For the stu-

dents, the really special experi-

ence was learning about Bay-Wise

and getting their garden Bay-Wise

Charles County Detention Center

Horticultural Education

Contact: Gale Kladitis

Detention Center Garden Bay-Wise Certified By Gale Kladitis, Class of 2008

Above: Sally Hopp looks over the garden; Gale Kladitis and Ronda Goldman pose in back of the Bay-Wise plaque and Officer Oliver helps in the CCDC garden.

Photos by Cindi Barnhart

10

Christmas In April

Ongoing

Contact: Carol Teets

By Carol Teets, Class of 2003

Experienced Master Gardeners and

Master Gardener Interns partnered

with the Christmas in April organi-

zation for the eighth consecutive

year. Christmas in April, a chapter

of a national organization, is dedi-

cated to rebuilding and repairing

homes of elderly, disabled, and

low-income residents.

The 2011 effort provided free ser-

vices to 15 houses and 2 commu-

nity service projects. Master Gar-

dener volunteers participated by

pruning, planting, mulching, and

sharing the proper method for

performing these tasks with other

volunteers. On several occasions

mini planting and or pruning

classes took place as a Master

Gardener would generously share

their knowledge.

Learning and teaching for this pro-

ject starts well before event day.

Prior to April 30 site visits were

performed to each of the homes

by Sue Brewer, Tom Lewis, and

Jessica Milstead; and on Friday,

April 29, volunteers gathered at

Longwood Nursery in order to

make plant selections. Site visits

and a visit to a nursery are always

a learning experience for a gar-

dener.

Thank you to all the volunteers

who worked on this project:

Interns-Pauline Spurlock, Nadine

Morgan-Jackson, Yuka Sanders and

Miki Pickering; MGs-Mary Cocke,

Karen Westhead, Elaine Miller,

Jessi Thibault, Janet Cooney,

Maggie Tieger, Jan Lakey-Waters,

Yvonne Irving and those men-

tioned earlier in this article.

We are counted among the 850

volunteers in Charles County to

make a difference for these de-

serving citizens. I look forward to

the Charles County Master Gar-

deners being a part of Christmas

in April in 2012.

Eighth Annual Christmas in April Project

Azaleas are the signature plant of the Christmas In April program

Contact the project leader by referring to your Membership Directory.

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 28 or join

us for the actual day of service, on

Saturday April 28, 2012.

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. See page 8.

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

population. 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.

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.

Charles County Fair

September 15–18

Contact: Carol Teets

Help design an educational display

and volunteer to staff a booth.

12

Summer / Fall 2011 Events

July

14 Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Plant ID/Taxonomy, St.

Mary's County, Charlotte Hall Library, $35, text $16,

Registration Deadline 6/15

21 Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Plant ID/Taxonomy, St.

Mary's County, Charlotte Hall Library

26 Tuesday, 9 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.; Vegetable Plant and Pest

Diagnostic Walk, Charles County Detention Center,

Fee: $10, Registration deadline 7/19

See page 22 for additional walks in July

26 Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,

Open to all MGs

August

4 Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Plant ID/Taxonomy, St.

Mary's County, Charlotte Hall Library

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

Open to all MGs

September

6 Tuesday, 9 a.m.; Charles County Detention Center

Horticultural Education class, Fall Session begins

10 Saturday, Native Plant Walk, Time and Location TBD,

contact Jessica Milstead

13 Tuesday, Bug Day at Marty Eldredge’s home, Time TBD

14-18 Wednesday through Sunday; Charles County Fair in La

Plata. See page 13

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

Open to all MGs

27 Tuesday, 10:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.; Dumbarton Oaks Gardens,

Advanced Training, Guided tour of the gardens and music

room. Fee: $8.00 per person non-refundable. See page 13 .

(Continued on page 13)

13

Dumbarton Oaks Gardens Field Trip

Tuesday September 27, Tour starts at 10:30 and ends around noon.

1703 32nd street, Washington D.C. (Georgetown area).

Fee: 8.00 per person, non-refundable and must be prepaid.

RSVP required. Contact: Terry Thir. Limited to 45 people.

For more information on Dumbarton Oaks Gardens go to their web

site: http://www.doaks.org/gardens/

October

6 Thursday, Native Plant walk, Time and Location TBD,

Contact Jessica Milstead

11-14 Tuesday through Friday, International Master Gardener

Conference, Charleston West Virginia, for more information

go to:http://imgc.ext.wvu.edu/

25 10:00 a.m., Membership Meeting, Extension Office,

Open to all MGs

November

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

Open to all MGs

December

Holiday Potluck and Advanced Training

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

Open to all MGs

(Continued from page 12)

Charles County Fair

September 14 (Wednesday) for entries to be submitted.

September 15 to 18 (Thursday—Sunday) open to the public.

General parking is available on the fairgrounds, but there is satellite parking at the Charles County Courthouse and Government Building parking lot (La Plata) and a free shuttle bus to the fair on Saturday and Sunday. Shuttle buses run from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Sat-

urday and 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday every 15 to 30 minutes.

CALENDAR

Teets hosted a container garden-

ing class for the hospital employ-

ees in the hospital healing gar-

den. The lettuce box and the po-

tato basket were the featured

containers.

Community Vegetable Gardening

was also promoted by Civista

Hospital. On May 19 the hospital

hosted a vegetable gardening

class for the community. This

class was open to the general

public and provided the Master

Gardeners another opportunity to

promote vegetable gardening and

a healthy diet.

(Continued on page 15)

Grow It Eat It

May 2011

Contact: Carol Teets

We Got Out Our Healthy Message In La Plata By Carol Teets, Class of 2003

Photo by Gale Kladitis

Carol Teets speaks to the public at Civista on May 19.

Charles County Master Gardeners

who are interested in educating

the community about vegetable

gardening have made significant

progress this spring. Vegetable

gardening classes and demonstra-

tions have been hosted through-

out the county. Our Grow It Eat

It partnership with Civista Hospi-

tal has provided us with opportu-

nities at the Health Department,

La Plata Town Hall, Mount Hope

Nanjemoy School, and the Col-

lege of Southern Maryland.

Celebrate La Plata Day, April 30,

was an opportunity to educate

the children of La Plata about

planting vegetable seeds. Volun-

teers Brenda Elmore, Marty El-

dredge, Gale Kladitis, and Carol

Teets shared in the fun of deco-

rating cups, filling them with soil

and planting seeds with the chil-

dren.

National Hospital Week was cele-

brated at Civista Hospital the

second week of May. Vegetable

and herb gardeners Cheryl Ka-

sunich, Gale Kladitis, and Carol

14

Fruit In The Landscape Really Requires Care By Carol Teets, Class of 2003

On March 30, 2011 Maggie Tieger

and I, as well as Master Gardeners

from several counties gathered at

the University Of Maryland's Re-

search Center in Upper Marlboro

to learn about home fruit produc-

tion. This class was led by David

Meyers, a senior extension agent

from Annapolis, and Chris Walsh,

an undergraduate instructor from

the University of Maryland.

The 225-acre Research Center

provided the perfect site to ob-

serve fruit trees, blueberry

bushes, and grapevines in an or-

chard setting. Students learned

about basic horticultural princi-

ples, maintenance requirements,

and general disease and insect

control recommendations. Al-

though the amount of informa-

tion about fruit production is

overwhelming, a "Home Fruit Pro-

duction Guide" is available

through the Home and Garden

Information Center website at

www.hgic.umd.edu. If you are

interested in home fruit produc-

tion I would recommend this

guide...otherwise, after learning

that fruit trees require an aggres-

sive spraying program to achieve

high quality fruit I will be pur-

chasing most of my fruit from the

local farmer. Did I mention that

apple trees require 18 different

spraying applications in one year?

I am even willing to pay a little

more for my fruit!

Photo by Gale Kladitis

Centerpiece for the May 10 class for Civista employees by Gale Kladitis.

For more information concerning

GROW IT EAT IT:

Website: growit.umd.edu

Blog: groweat.blogspot.com

Facebook: Grow It Eat It

Twitter: GrowEat

(Continued from page 14) GIEI IN MAY

15

16

By Maggie Tieger, Class of 2006 Bees are either generalists or spe-

cialists in terms of flower prefer-

ence. Generalists, such as bum-

blebees, visit any flower in search

of nectar and pollen, while spe-

cialists seek out a specific flower.

Native bees coevolved with native

plants, and specialist bees rely on

specific native flowers to survive.

In Maryland, highly regarded na-

tive bee attracting plants include

willow, American holly, black

gum, highbush blueberry, black

chokeberry, sweet pepperbush,

winterberry, blackberry, trumpet

creeper, evening primrose, gold-

enrod, ironweed, black-eyed

susan, milkweed, joe pye weed,

bee balm, and coreopsis.

How can you help native bees?

●Plant as many native trees,

shrubs, and perennials as possi-

ble; pollinators thrive in gardens

with big patches of wildflowers

●Plant a variety of plants so there

are flowers throughout the sea-

sons

●Provide nesting habitat, such as

sparsely vegetated patches for

ground nesters and brush piles,

old logs and tree stumps for twig

nesters

●Hang a nesting board or mason (Continued on page 17)

The roughly 4,000 native bee

species in North America go

about their lives largely unno-

ticed. About 400 of these bees

occur in Maryland. The plight of

the European honeybee has

been in the news, but the fate

of some of our native bees, es-

pecially native bumblebees, is

potentially worse.

You are probably familiar with

carpenter bees, tiny metallic

blue or green sweat bees, large

bumblebees, and mason bees.

Native bees represent an amaz-

ing diversity of species and vary

in size from a quarter of an inch

to just about an inch. The

smallest is about the size of a

grain of rice. Native bees nest

in abandoned holes in the

ground and trees. Most are gen-

tle and do not sting.

Native bees are excellent polli-

nators, working their magic on

fruits, vegetables, and other

agricultural crops, such as al-

falfa and clover. They also are

central to the biodiversity of

our environment by helping

plants reproduce, which in turn

provides fruits and seeds to

feed songbirds and other wild-

life.

How We Can Help Our Native Bees Survive

17

How many times have you been

asked for advice on how often to

water a container with no drain-

age holes -- or wondered how to

avoid drowning the plants your-

self? I've always told people to

stick a finger well down into the

container, while knowing per-

fectly well that unless the con-

tainer is very shallow and not

filled with roots this just isn't

good enough.

Here is a hint that I found in an

old issue of

Southern Living.

Use a bamboo

skewer! It will

be easy to push

all the way into the container,

and if it comes out wet you know

to wait before watering. This is

one of those "Why didn't I think of

that?" inspirations. I suspect it

would even be useful for a large

container that has drainage holes

because those can be dry on the

surface and wet underneath.

A Great Method To Help With Watering Plants By Jessica Milstead, Class of 2002

bee nesting box

●Avoid using pesticides

Then sit back and enjoy watching

our native bees at work in your

garden.

(Continued from page 16)

Above photos; Sweat bee on spiderwort and Mason bee nesting box

BEES

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

18

Three Photos by Cindi Barnhart

PLANT SALE

their plant donations. There were

also people behind the scenes who

spent many hours coordinating

logistics: Dianne Goodrich and her

husband Chuck for handling the

transportation and Cindi Barnhart

for handling the money.

Special thanks to Chuck Goodrich

for building lettuce boxes for us to

sell at our plant sale. The patrons

were really impressed with the

demonstration of the lettuce box

and potatoes planted in laundry

baskets and all the possibilities of

growing vegetables in containers.

We especially want to thank the

(Continued from page 3) PD Brown Memorial Library for

allowing us to use their property

to hold our Waldorf plant sale.

The library staff was really ex-

cited about this educational part-

nership. They advertised the

event on their website and had a

large display featuring our UME

CCMG banner along with other

UME gardening and Bay-Wise lit-

erature. In addition, they dis-

played recommended books that

patrons could borrow to learn

more about gardening, landscap-

ing and much more. It was a great

fun day thanks to everyone‟s con-

tributions!

Photos clockwise from top left: Anna Haugh and Sue Brewer assemble and label plants for full sun on prep day (5/6); Solomon‟s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum); gardening theme display inside PD Brown Library (Waldorf); and Dianne Good-rich checks out the heirloom vegetables and herbs.

Photo by Terry Thir

19

Hickory Ridge Conservation Landscaping

passersby will enjoy blue/violet

Lobelia siphilitica (great blue

lobelia) and gold/black Rud-

beckia hirta (black-eyed Susan).

With this variety of color, tex-

tures, sizes, shapes and bloom

times, it is hoped that the new

plantings will provide something

for everyone!

The project will also be used to

educate residents of the commu-

nity on the benefits of using

drought tolerant native plants. At

the community‟s National Night

Out event in August, members of

the community‟s Beautification

and Grounds Committee will pre-

sent information on the project

and plantings, and be available

to answer questions. The commu-

nity places a high value on its

landscaping and grounds, and this

addition of mostly native peren-

nials puts them another step for-

ward in their efforts to smartly

and successfully “go greener”.

The Hickory Ridge community in

La Plata recently decided to “go

greener” in their planting efforts.

The tradition of planting Spring

and Fall annuals for color at the

community‟s entrance has been

replaced by the planting of a col-

orful palette of drought tolerant,

mostly native, perennials to pro-

vide that extra splash of color to

the foundation plantings. Not

only will the neighborhood reap

the financial benefits from the

one-time (hopefully) plantings,

but much will be saved on the

reduced amount of water needed

to sustain the new plantings.

With funding from the Town of La

Plata‟s La Verde Grant Program

and plant selection assistance

from Dianne Shisler of the Master

Gardener Program, the commu-

nity has now transformed its en-

trance planting beds into a year-

round oasis of color. Early Spring

and summer flowers

include dark red Hel-

leborus orientalis

„Queen of the Night‟,

white Tiarella cordi-

folia (foamflower)

and orange Asclepias

tuberosa (butterfly

weed). In the Fall,

residents and

Photo by Mary Grant, Intern

Photo by Mary Grant

20

Master Gardener Pat Biles (pictured at right) submitted a design for the Art Design logo contest sponsored by the Charles County Arts Alliance and won. Her design “Indian Head Rail Trail Turtles Doing Yoga.” was featured as the official River Artsfest 2011 logo.

How our program grows and flourishes

Seeds, Sprouts and Blossoms...

Project Day March 22

Cheryl Kasunich speaks to the group about membership meetings, the Grow It Eat It display we created last year for the Charles County Fair and the herb garden at Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Education Center.

Jessica Milstead explains how site visits, Nature Walks with Jessica and Prep Day for our annual plant sale in May work, to an eager-to-get-going group of Interns, as well as MGs look-ing for an opportunity to earn hours.

21

As I write this note on the first

day of summer, I am more inter-

ested in writing about the great

things the Master Gardeners have

accomplished throughout the

spring rather than looking for-

ward to summer! Although the

fruits of the har-

vest are ever

tempting!

In May, I attended

the super plant

sale held in both

Waldorf and La

Plata, and once

again, by the time

I arrived, most of

the “good stuff”

was long gone.

However, just like

last year, I found

some items not yet

in my garden, so I

went away happy. Many thanks to

so many of you who worked so

hard to make this event a suc-

cess!

Last week I was honored to be

part of the presentation made by

the Bay-Wise Committee recog-

nizing the Charles County govern-

ment building as a certified Bay-

Wise location. Four of our five

Commissioners were present for

the presentation along with other

county dignitaries. Special thanks

to Ronda Goldman and her com-

mittee for their dedication and

commitment to improving the

quality of our watershed and

Chesapeake Bay treasures. I be-

lieve that this is a first for county

governments in Maryland!

Last week also saw

the graduation of an-

other class at the

Charles County Deten-

tion Center. Gale

Kladitis and all the

volunteers there did

an awesome job in

providing a glimpse of

self-sufficiency in

food production to the

participants, and

maybe the start of a

new lifelong interest.

It may even lead to

new employment op-

portunities for a few. Although

gardening is often seen as

“recreational”, the impact you can

have on people‟s lives through this

volunteer work can change their

futures.

I continue to be proud to be affili-

ated with each one of you.

Stay cool this summer.

Best Regards,

Karol Dyson

Charles County Executive Director

Karol Dyson at La Plata Plant Sale

Happy Summer To All and Try To Stay Cool

Photo

by C

indi Barn

hart

22

Vegetable Plant and Pest Diagnostic Walks

July

12 Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.; Washington County

Extension and German Garden (Boonsboro), Registration

deadline 7/5

13 Wednesday, 9 a.m.- 11 a.m. Montgomery County; Button

Farm (Germantown) Registration deadline 7/6

14 Thursday,7 a.m.- 9 a.m.; Anne Arundel County; Kinder Farm

Park (Millersville) Registration deadline 7/7

Instructor: Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialist in Fruits and

Vegetables; State MG Coordinator; and Director, Home &

Garden Information Center

Registration Fee: $10

Course Description: Let's go see what's happening in the

vegetable garden. We'll be looking for and identifying

summer pests, diseases and abiotic problems, then proceed to

a discussion of prevention, deterrence and cures.

To Register: Use Registration Form or send your name,

address, email, phone, MG county you work with, name and

location of class you want to take, and a check for $10

(payable to the University of MD).

Mail to: MG classes, HGIC, 12005 Homewood Road,

Ellicott City, MD 21042. For more information contact

Robin Hessey at 410-531-1754; or email rmhessey@umd.edu.

Details on the training at: http://mastergardener.umd.edu/

AdvancedTraining/Veg Diag11.cfm

A poem sent to me by MG Mary Beth Chandler:

I love to hear Real gardeners talking, the Latin names rolling off

their tongue, sonorous and beautiful. I feel abashed when I take

a sleeve and say "Do come and see that pink thing over there. "

"Ah, Centaurea hypoleuca. Very nice” they say.

Never mind. It smiles the same for both of us."

Pam Brown, born 1928

INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF THE COMPOST

Submit articles, photos, reports, and other items to Cindi Barnhart by September1,

2011 for publication in the Fall 2011 newsletter. Submit calendar items to Janet

McGrane by September 1, 2011. Articles and pictures may also be submitted at any

time for future publication.

SUMMER 2011

How Our Two Plants Sales Spelled SUCCE$$! 3

Spring Fever—MG Style With Activities Galore 4

Projects

Two Charles County Schools Go Bay-Wise 6

We Will Tend The Lovely Beds This Summer 7

Our Speaker’s Bureau Is Doing Quite Well 8

Detention Center Garden Bay-Wise Certified 9

Eighth Annual Christmas in April Project 10

Project Briefs 11 Spring / Summer Events 12

Dumbarton Oaks Gardens Field Trip 13

Charles County Fair 13

We Got Out Our Healthy Message In La Plata 14

Fruit In The Landscape Really Requires Care 15 How We Can help Our Native Bees Survive 16 A Great Method To Help With Watering Plants 17 Hickory Ridge Conservation Landscaping 19 Seeds, Sprouts and Blossoms 20 Project Day River Artsfest Happy Summer To All and Try To Stay Cool 21 Vegetable Plant and Pest Diagnostic Walks In July 22

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