April 2015 Grapevine - Escambia County Extension

April 2015 | Vol. XXVII, No 4
Calendar of Events
MG MONTHLY MEETING
Thursday, March 26, 2015
9:00 a.m.
Program: Botanical names of Plants – Tina Tuttle
MASTER GARDENER PLANT CLINIC
Saturday, March 28, 2015
10:00 a.m to 2:00 p.m.
Lowes Garden Center
Fairfield Drive and Mobile Highway
GARDEN TALKS
April 10, 2015
9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Harvesting Vegetables
Register by calling 850-595-3460 or email: [email protected]
You must preregister 3 days prior to the program to receive handout materials
EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING
April 16, 2015
9:00 a.m.
Conference Room
MG MONTHLY MEETING
April 30, 2015
9:00 a.m.
Program: Garden prep for Extension Spring Festival and Open House
ESCAMBIA EXTENSION SPRING FESTIVAL AND 4-H OPEN HOUSE
Saturday, May 2, 2015
8:00a.m to Noon
Educational demonstrations, garden tours, and plant sale
3740 Stefani Road
Cantonment, Fl 32533
ESCAMBIA COUNTY
Master Gardener’s Grapevine
Beth Bolles, Extension Agent III, Horticulture
Carol Lord, Horticulture Technician
Editor, Shelby Kalin
This newsletter is written and compiled by Master
Gardeners in support of the Escambia County Master
Gardener Volunteer Program. Master Gardeners have
contributed more than 161,077 hours of service to the
Extension Horticulture Program since 1987, providing
services worth $3,005,696.
Escambia County Master Gardeners Association
Officers – January 2015 – December 2015
Ann Luther, President
Annie Guthrie, Vice President
Russ Poerner, Secretary
Carolann Holmes, Treasurer
Extension Programs are open and available to
individuals and institutions without regard to race,
color, gender, age, handicap, or national origin. No
discrimination is intended and no endorsements by the
Cooperative Extension Service is implied for specific
products. Reference to commercial products or trade
names are for educational purposes only.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, any person requiring special
accommodations to participate in any meeting or
workshop noted herein is asked to advise the
University of Florida at least 5 working days prior
to the meeting or workshop by contacting Beth
Bolles at 850-475-5230. If you are hearing or
speech impaired, please contact the University by
calling 352-846-1046(TDD).
Beth R. Bolles
Beth Bolles, Extension Agent III Horticulture
President’s Remarks…
WOW….a big Green Thumbs Up! I am so
grateful to all for being there for every activity
that has been thrown your way. It truly
exemplifies the meaning of Escambia County
Master Gardener Volunteers. So take that “ah
ha” moment and know that you are great!
Now that you have taken that moment let’s get
to work. April is our busiest time at the
Extension. The weather started off very cold
and rainy but with the end of March the sun
emerged and brought new growth in the
Demonstration Garden.
It is hard for me to believe that some people in
the community still don’t know that we have a
garden! I know that will change with this
year’s Spring Festival/Open House. The County
is advertising the word and we are all excited to
see the 4H building completed and the grounds
coming together. “Together” is exactly the
word that we needed to complete the transition
year. TOGETHER, we can do just about
anything.
Beth and her MG crew have been planting new
hardy trees and shrubs around the new 4H
building. Low maintenance was the goal and
they have achieved this first stage. It is all
coming together. Green Thumbs Up!
Doug McCrary and his work crew have taken
on the task of the pavers around the Extension
Sign. The sign will get a new facelift with
painting from the county and with the addition
of new pavers it will stand out. With their
engineering expertise it will be there for years
to come! Thanks guys. Thanks to Lennie Foster
who was able to have the pavers donated.
Green Thumbs Up!
The propagation area is getting a new face
lift….well actually a roof lift! Bob McLaughlin
and James West are raising the roof of the
propagation area’s shade cloth. Finally, small
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or tall can comfortably stand to propagate! No
excuses…..Green Thumbs Up!
Lo Sitton and Mollie Armes are helping the
Baptist Hospital Wellness Center with starting
their raised and container vegetable gardens.
The Wellness Group is very enthusiastic and
really appreciates the help from these two MG’s
ladies. Lo and Mollie will also check on them
to see their progress. Green Thumbs Up!
If you need all the good dirt, see Dave Peck. He
is now the Soil Leader. Whenever the soil gets
low in the propagation area, please contact
him. Gwen Conley will coordinate the pickup
and delivery by our own MG’s. Green Thumbs
Up!
Big Green Thumbs Up to the Chairs of the
Watering Team: Karen Carr and Carol Wilson.
And of course all those that are on the team.
Our plants thank you for helping tend to their
growth.
Tom Morgan is working on a raised bed of
exotic vegetables. That’s a great educational
area for not only the public but also MG’s. Take
a moment to talk to Tom about his garden.
Green Thumbs Up!
Since we are all busy in the garden and with
activities, please think about your budget for
this year. I hate to bring up money, but it is
something we all need to think about. It also is
a way to educate the community on lower
budget gardening!? Hmmm….it can be done.
GREENHOUSE has been whispered since last
year. Even though the original plan was voted
down, it didn’t mean that one was totally off
the table. I always say things happen for a
reason….and since our mission of education is
even louder this year, the plans for some kind
of “plant shelter” have changed. Beth has
asked Bob McLaughlin to check into one with
certain footage. Stay tuned for more on this
soon.
Remember to “Plant it Forward.” I challenged
all to make sure they write down their contacts
this month. At our April 30th General Monthly
Meeting, we will see how many contact totals
we have made and talk about the different
community educational activities. “Plant it
Forward” isn’t about actually planting a seed or
plant in the ground, but how many seeds of
horticulture education have you planted in the
community. Let’s make the numbers soar!
Whew, it is so exciting this month…..Spring
Festival, Plant Clinics, Speakers Bureau,
Garden Talks, Extension Phone Clinic, The
Beulah First Grade Field Trip- “Do the Rot
Thing”, and the ongoing Demonstration
Garden Activities. If you haven’t found
something to volunteer for PLEASE see me!
We need ALL Master Gardeners now!
See you in the Garden,
Ann Luther
A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches
patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches
industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire
trust.
Gertrude Jekyll
From Beth…
Roll out the Unwelcome Mat for
Formosan Termites
Join a team from the Florida Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services and UF
IFAS Extension to learn about protecting your
home from Formosan termites.
Topics covered include:
 Formosan termite biology including
simple ways to ID them
 Available Formosan termite pest control
protection for you home
 Florida law and building code pertaining
to termites
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

What you can do-identify and fix the
weaknesses in and around your home
Bring your Pest Control Contracts for
review by FDACS experts.
Program will be Tuesday, April 7 at 6:00 p.m.
at Escambia County Extension, 3740 Stefani
Road, Cantonment, FL 32533.
The program is free but participants must pre
register by calling 475-5230 or emailing
[email protected]
New MG Office
Master Gardeners have a new office at
Extension to research recommendations and
work on projects. The lobby area will be used
to talk to clients that visit about their gardening
problems and requests.
Why Don’t We Apply Nitrogen to Lawns
Before mid April?
Research from UF IFAS shows nitrogen applied
to turf areas before mid April is prone to
leaching. Don’t waste your money and increase
potential for nitrogen pollution of water
systems by fertilizing before April 15.
Vice President Comments
Admittedly, as addictions go this one does not
rank as detrimental to ones health...
Regardless, it certainly has a hold on me. It
goes by the name Pinterest. Which if you
have never experienced this phenomenon, take
my word, it surpasses my ability to describe
and accurately portray. So let's agree it has to
do with the internet and lovely photography.
This morning as I was Pin -ing away (Pin-ing
known as the actual act of indulging in said
addiction) I came upon a word that set my
mind off into all sorts of machinations.
PETRICHOR...yes petrichor ! If you have
heard of it I am impressed. It is a word that
was coined in 1964...and it has an almost poetic
meaning: a scent that is produced when
rain falls on dry ground. It is something
we all know but I never considered I would
need a word to describe this event. However, it
intrigued me.
Musing about petrichor brought to mind
another word that has been kicking around in
my mind.... scent. I am coming to conclusion
it is one of the elements that least matters to
me in the garden. I am all about color, shape,
texture... but scent? NO! I blame it on
ligustrum. Never, ever liked that plant and most
often refer to it as builder grade.
When we lived in New Orleans, we had a privacy
fence of very mature ligustrum. As soon as it started
to bloom, my allergies would go wild. I got to the
point I cut the blooms before they had even a hope
of maturation. Now I would just dig it up!
Perhaps you will relate to the fact that,
regardless of where I am or what I am doing
gardening always comes up in the
conversation. So I was not surprised during a
regular check up, when my Internist revealed
her own passion... Roses. With obvious
delight, she made a list of her favorites.
One of the categories she included was
fragrance. Reinforced by master gardening
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studies and getting to know folks who love
roses, I am beginning to think it is time to go
beyond Knock Out Roses!
Recently, I was at one of the big box stores
when they unloaded the latest shipment of
plants. To my delight I smelled the most
delightful scent....kind of musky and maybe
there was a hint of cinnamon...
Did I just say that I was never going to
consider scent for the garden? I urge you to
check back to see in the coming months
whether the scent of rain on dry earth leads one
crazy gardener to plant roses based on
fragrance !......
KUDOS: Many thanks to Pamela Allen,
Hank Bignell, Angela Hinkle. Carrie
Stevenson, Libbie Johnson and our own
Beth Bolles for taking the time out of their
busy schedules to speak to us at our last
General Meeting about what their jobs as
County Extension Agents actually entail. It was
absolutely fascinating and gave me even more
respect for these hard working
folks.....Submitted by Annie Guthrie
Upcoming events in the area
April 4 – FDSG meets at the Valparaiso
Library at 9:30 a.m. Call Linda Henderson,
850-936-4950.
April 10-Pensacola Federation of Garden
Clubs indoor Garage Sale at the Garden Center,
1850 N. 9th Avenue 8am-2pm. Call 432-6095
for more information and to rent a table.
April 10-11 The Santa Rosa County Master
Gardeners annual plant sale: 6263 Dogwood
Drive, 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.
April 12-Tour of the grounds and greenhouse
of the Marriott Grand Hotel in Point Clear.
2pm
April 16 -Tri-County Horticulture Study
Group presents:
Location:
DeFuniak Springs, Home of Dara
Dobson of 7 Pines Native Nursery
Topic: “Wildflowers, Native and ‘Good’ Plants”
Activity: Tour 7 Pines Native Nursery, 2365
County Hwy. 192, DeFuniak Springs
Lunch: Bogey’s at Hotel DeFuniak (400 US
Highway 90 E, Defuniak Springs)
contact [email protected] (850-6782842).
April 17 - Spring Fling, Navarre Conference
Center. Lunch, plant and crafts sale.
April 18-Pensacola Rose Society Spring
Flower Show, Downtown Library on Spring
Street. Free, open to the public. Noon to 3:45
p.m.
April 21 -Pensacola Camellia Club
membership meeting at the Garden Center,
1850 N. Ninth Avenue, 6:30pm.
Demonstration of propagating camellias by airlayering. Demonstration of proper pruning of
camellias.
April 25-Valparaiso Garden Club participating
in 'Saturday in the Park' with a huge plant sale.
April 25-Honeysuckle Garden Club and the
Barrineau Park Historical Society sponsor a
Community Clean Up in celebration of Earth
Day and the National Great American Clean
Up. Briefing at 8:30, pick up starts at 9:00am.
Lunch for all volunteers provided. Barrineau
Park Historical Society building on Barrineau
Park School Road, Molino.
April 25-Bonsai Exhibit from 10 am to 3 pm.
Presented by Fort Walton Beach Bonsai
Society at The Meridian at Westwood, 1001
Mar-Walt Drive, FWB, FL. (Across from FWB
Medical Center) Visit www.bonsaifwb.com for more information or call (850)
897-2622
April 28-FFGC District I Spring meeting,
Chop House, Navarre. $20 with registration.
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CHECK THIS OUT
PRUNUS jacquemontii (bush cherry)
You will find this deciduous flowering cherry in
the Retreat Garden. Covered with pink
blossoms, it grows about 5 ft. tall and wide
making a beautiful pink rounded form in late
winter or Spring. It prefers full sun or partial
shade. Leaves emerge after flowering season
and turn shades of yellow and gold in the fall.
Small crimson berries develop from flowers,
not edible but may be used in jams and jellies.
Check it out. - Gwen Conley-ECMG
. The filbert nut is edible, and is very similar to
the hazelnut. Its main use is as a filler (along
with peanuts as a small filler) in most
containers of mixed nuts. Filberts are
sometimes grown in orchards for the nuts. The
purple-leaved cultivar Corylus maxima
'Purpurea' is a popular ornamental shrub in
gardens.
Here’s the Dirt on…..
Corylus maxima 'Purpurea'
Corylus maxima, the filbert, is
a species of hazel, native to southeastern
Europe and southwestern Asia. It is
a deciduous shrub or small tree, 20–33 ft tall,
with stems up to 8” thick. The leaves are
rounded, with a coarsely double-serrated
margin. The flowers are produced in late
winter. The fruit is a nut produced in clusters
of 1–5 together; each nut is fully enclosed in a
3–5 cm long, tubular husk.
The Purple Hazel, Corylus maxima
Purpurea, is a variety of Filbert Hazel with
superbly rich purple leaves. This ornamental
tree is very productive and its big, tasty nuts
have a pretty, wine-purple tinge inside them. It
is very hardy and suitable for any soil, although
it is not quite as good in the shade as ordinary
Filberts. Purple Hazel is also a good hedging
plant; however, if it is clipped to hedging, the
amount of nuts is limited. SJK
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Garden Talks
April 10 – Harvesting Vegetables
9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Plant Clinic
There will be two plant clinics this spring
conducted by members of the Class of 2015.
Saturday, March 21, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m. at Woerner Turf and Landscape,
1332 Creighton Rd, Pensacola, FL 32504.
Topics include vegetable gardening, Seasonal
Gardening.
Saturday March 28, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m. at the Lowes Garden Center, corner
of Fairfield Drive and Mobile Highway,
Pensacola, FL. Education topics: Soil testing,
Florida Friendly Landscape, Container
gardening, Question/Answers.
one with no or very little phosphorus unless a
soil test indicates a need for it. A fertilizer
containing slow release nitrogen will give
longer lasting results and have less potential to
leach nitrogen through the soil.
Don't be alarmed if evergreen trees such as the
live oak and Southern magnolia are shedding
leaves – mature leaves are being replaced by
new growth.
If you have scale insects on camellias, hollies,
ligustrum, or viburnum, use horticultural oil
before temperatures go above 85 degrees.
Fertilize trees and shrubs only if needed. Many
established plants have root systems that will
able to take up fertilizer that is applied to other
parts of the landscapes and lawns.
Instead of blooming annuals, try ones with
colorful foliage such as sun coleus,
alternanthera, Persian shield, and cranberry
hibiscus this year.
On The Wild Side…..
The Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest
Florida will have its Annual Baby Shower and
Supply Drive Saturday, April 18, 2015 from
noon to 3:30 p.m… Please help us stock our
shelves for all the baby critters that are already
finding their way to us!
Paper towels
Freezer Ziplocs
Pecans/Walnuts/Peanuts
Pedialyte
Meat/Fruit Baby Food
Tissues
Fleece Baby Blankets
Sunflower Seeds
Heating Pads (no auto off)
Gardening Tips for April
Lawns: Do not apply fertilizer any sooner than
mid-April after new growth has started. Choose
This is an ideal time to plant many bulbs.
Consider planting blood lily, caladium, or
canna. Louisiana iris makes a beautiful cut
flower and thrives in most soil types although
they prefer moist soils with a high organic
matter content.
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Plant heat-loving herbs, including basil,
oregano, lemon grass, and rosemary. Herbs
like lemon balm will benefit from a spot with
some afternoon shade.
Continue planting warm season crops. Plant
okra and cucumber. Mulch well to prevent
weeds and provide irrigation if rainfall is
lacking.
If rain is frequent make sure you routinely
check the landscape for standing water in
containers and areas/artificial containers.
Mosquito populations can increase quickly and
the best management is to reduce developing
larvae that is breeding in artificial containers.
Before mowing turf, sharpen mower blades so
that turf is always cut evenly. This is healthier
for the turf and also more attractive. Make
sure you know the appropriate mowing height
for your turf. Correct mowing can help the turf
survive stress conditions and prevent weed
growth.
This spring, you may be see bees flying in and
out of burrows in sandy soil. Do not be
worried. These are often solitary bees that will
only be around for several weeks and are very
beneficial. You should remain aware of their
presence but they should not be treated with
chemicals.
Solitary bees are important
pollinators which are important to numerous
crops and plant species.
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