Open Garden Days Gaining Steam - Harris County Master Gardener

HARRIS COUNT Y MASTER GARDENER NEWSLETTER  APRIL 2014
Urban Dirt
Open Garden Days Gaining Steam
Home school students and parents
have been taking advantage of the revamped Open Garden Day educational
activities spearheaded by Master
Gardener Will Isbell (below). Contact
him or one of the garden coordinators
to find out about opportunities to
help during this event or to assist in
maintaining the gardens each Tuesday.
A
fter a weather-related delay in January, the relaunched Open Garden Days have been building
attendance at the Bear Creek Demonstration
Gardens. The primary change to the event, held on the fourth
Tuesday of each month, has been the addition of educational
activities to complement tours of the gardens. The talks and
hands-on activities are related to the monthly Green Thumb
Lecture Series topics. In February, it covered Spring Vegetable
Gardening and the March event (shown in photos) focused
on Irrigation. The April 22 OGD will highlight Landscape
Maintenance and Lawn Care. May 27 will feature insects.
Open Garden Days............................ 1
Upcoming Events.............................. 2
Precinct 2 Happenings...................... 3
Plant of the Month............................ 3
News and Opportunities................... 4
Spring Field Trips............................. 5
Demonstraton Garden Blog.............. 6
MG Birthdays .................................. 6
Master Gardeners of the Month........ 7
Spring Sale Time............................... 8
U R BA N D I RT  A P R I L 2 0 1 4
Upcoming Events
April 2014
Master Gardener Lecture Series
April 1, Grafting, by Bill Adams, Extension Office, noon.
April 16, Crazy Ants, Dr. Paul Nester, Extensin Program
Specialist, The Meeting Room at Clear Lake, 10:00 a.m.
April 16, Gene Speller, Extension Office, 7:00 p.m.
Texas AgriLife Extension Service
Horticulture Program in Harris County
3033 Bear Creek Dr
Houston, TX 77084
281.855.5600
fax 281.855.5638
Green Thumb Gardening Series
CEA – Horticulture........................................Robert "Skip" Richter
281.855.5600
April 8, Landscape Maintenance / Lawns, the Meeting
Room at Clear Lake, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
CEA – Horticulture.........................................................Paul Winski
281.855.5600
April 15, Landscape Maintenance / Lawns, Recipe for
Success, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Volunteer Coordinator................................................... David Parish
281.855.5611
April 17, Landscape Maintenance / Lawns, Trini
Mendenhall Sosa Community Center 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
April 19, Landscape Maintenance / Lawns, Maude
Smith Marks Library, 10:00 - Noon.
May 2014
Master Gardener Lecture Series
May 6, Aquaponics, by Jim Bundscho, Extension Office,
noon.
May 21, Attracting Birds to Your Property, Paul
Fagala, Owner - Wild Birds Unlimited, The Meeting Room at
Clear Lake, 10:00 a.m.
May 21, African Violets, Helen Payne, Extension Office,
7:00 p.m.
Green Thumb Gardening Series
May 13, Insects In Your Garden, the Meeting Room at
Clear Lake, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Harris County Master Gardener Association
2013-2014 Board of Directors
President .........................................................................Cathy Preator
[email protected]
First Vice President ............................................................. Will Isbell
832.264.3466
Second Vice President........................................................Rob Lucey
[email protected]
Past President .................................................................. Peggy Moore
281.304.6271
Secretary ..................................................................... Dianna Bernsen
832.654.5439
Treasurer ................................................................................Jo Huskey
281.829.2956
May 15, Insects In Your Garden, Trini Mendenhall Sosa
Community Center 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Directors: Carole Fisher, Loesther Foley, Sid Kapner, Georgia
Lau, Patti Suler and Shirley Swansey.
•
May 17, Insects In Your Garden, Maude Smith Marks
Library, 10:00 - Noon.
Precinct 2 Steering Committee Coordinator............... Sid Kapner
281.487.2065
May 27, Insects In Your Garden, Recipe for Success,
6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Urban Dirt Editor .............................................................. Rob Lucey
[email protected]
* Visit txmg.org or contact the Harris County Extension Office,
281.855.5600, [email protected] for registration details.
2
•
Assistant Urban Dirt Editor ........................................... Terri Simon
Assistant Urban Dirt Editor ...................................Mickie Warriner
U R BA N D I RT  A P R I L 2 0 1 4
Precinct 2 Happenings
T
his crazy winter has kept the MGs who work at Genoa
Friendship Garden wondering which plants are going
to survive and which will have to be removed. As
Nancy Cansler noted, “we have unabashed enthusiasm and
optimism that encourages us to use plants that just can’t handle
our occasional hard winters. We should just enjoy their beautiful
displays during the warm months, and then say goodbye when
the temps plummet with no regrets.” That may be easier said than
done as we each mourn the individual plants that we were just
sure would be the exceptions.
Although there wasn’t that much work in the gardens because
of the weather and there was little harvested from the production
beds, the tasks of readying the tomatoes and peppers for our
March sale kept everyone busy. They were seeded and bumped
and labeled and coddled. Mimi Chapman and Susan
Delcambre kept it all organized and on schedule.
Christa Kaiser organized a rose pruning event to start
getting our rose garden in shape for the Rose Society garden
tour on April 26, 2014. We will be recruiting volunteers to assist
with the tour. Christa worked hard to get us included in the tour
and this will be a nice feather in our cap. Many thanks to all who
have worked to make the rose garden the beautiful place that it is.
by Eileen Donovan
Master Gardener
Keith Homan and Sid Kapner have replaced some
of the hanging shop-type lights in the greenhouse with some
special lights that are quite bright. Someone suggested turning it
into a tanning bed when it is not in use as a greenhouse (which
is never). The Steering Committee approved a plan to have a
company complete the leveling and drainage in the garden and to
defer the irrigation in the orchard area until after the drainage has
been completed.
Our Fruit & Citrus Tree Sale was held Feb. 15. Since we
changed our schedule, the fruit trees were accompanied only
by berries. Previous spring sales had included tomatoes and
peppers, but since we moved the perennial sale to a later in the
spring, the Steering Committee decided to include tomatoes and
peppers in that sale. The setup went very smoothly and there
were many beautiful plants for sale. Not having the tomatoes and
peppers allowed more effective use of our space in Campbell
Hall. The public arrived en masse and within an hour, many, if
not most, of the plants had been sold. Other customers drifted
in throughout the morning and by the time the sale closed and
Master Gardeners were turned loose to buy whatever was left
all of the strawberries, blueberries and many of the trees were
already gone. We are the best customers for our sales.
Plant of the Month - Louisiana Phlox
P
hlox divaricate is also called Wild Sweet William, Blue
Phlox, Forest Phlox or Woodland Phlox. This Eastern U.S.
woodlands native is valued for its showy spring bloom.
Story and Photo by Christa Kaiser
Master Gardener
Color: Spring bloom flowers can be lavender-blue to violet
blue, also white.
Propagation: Division of dormant plants or softwood stem
cuttings taken after the plant finishes blooming.
Culture: This species is shade tolerant and will require
regular irrigation; soils should be high in organic matter,
mulching is recommended. Although cold hardy, heat and
drought are limiting planting in zones 8 and 9.
Usage: Ornamental, good spring display.
You can find a wonderful patch of Louisiana Phlox in the
P2 Perennial Garden.
3
U R BA N D I RT  A P R I L 2 0 1 4
Keeping It Clean
W
e have received an important request from the
Extension office. This request is not specifically
pointed at the Master Gardeners but is being
requested of all of the groups that volunteer at the Extension
offices. If you borrow something please return it. If you move
chairs or tables, please return them where you found them. Please
pick up your trash; do not leave anything behind for someone
else to clean. If the trash cans are overflowing (like they tend to
get on Hamburger Tuesday) go ahead and empty them out back
in the trash bin - get someone to help you if they are heavy or
unmanageable.
The Extension office hosts many groups and organizations
in addition to the Master Gardeners. There is a clean-up crew
that empties trash cans, sweeps and mops, but they are only
scheduled a couple evenings a week. When Master Gardeners
or other groups move chairs and tables from different rooms,
Garden Tag Sale
by Cathy Preator
Master Gardener
rearrange things in the auditorium or leave trash behind, someone
has to clean up after us or hunt for missing chairs or tables
for meetings. This not only takes time away from the jobs of
the employees who work in the Extension office but makes
the employees at the extension office appear unprepared and
unorganized when they are not set up properly for the events
they host. The Extension office hosts many different kinds of
classes, seminars and certification events in addition to the
many volunteer organizations based there. Please let's make a
conscious effort to be welcome "guests" and not an irritation to
someone's day. We wouldn't be too happy if groups that visit our
gardens rearranged our plants or littered the gardens with food
and drink containers. A little courtesy goes a long way.
Thanks for your understanding and willingness to ensure the
Master Gardeners are a welcome presence!
P2 on YouTube
I
T
As in previous years, we need your donations of gardening or
gardening themed items including tools, books, baskets and
decorative containers, clay pots, plant stands and home/patio
accessories. All items should be clean and in good condition.
We are not able to accept magazines, live plants, pesticides/
herbicides/fertilizers, or plastic nursery pots.
"Here is a link to the video I produced about the Master
Gardener's Spring Plant Sale and Symposium," Keith wrote. "I
hope you enjoy it. Thank you for your friendly welcome and very
helpful participation. I loved the sale. I believe it is one of the
hidden gems for people in our area, and the Pasadena Channel
is glad to highlight everyone and everything to do with it. I am
looking forward to possibly producing other video(s) with Master
Gardeners letting people know about your organization, your
facilities, and your other annual plant sale."
t's never to late to clear out those closets, garages, tool
sheds, and potting benches for our 7th annual gardening tag
sale. This year's tag sale will be held on Saturday, April 12,
2014, as part of the Spring Plant Sale at Bear Creek. This is a
fun event for the bargain hunter in all of us. You never know
what treasures you'll find. Previous sales have contributed
over $1,900.00 for HCMGA projects and we appreciate your
continued support.
If you'd like to donate items for the sale, please leave them in
the storage room to the left of the stage in the Extension Office
auditorium. Please try not to block the file cabinets. After the
sale, any unsold items will be donated to charity.
4
he Master Gardener plant sale hosted by Precinct 2 is now
an Internet sensation. Keith Thompson, videographer for
the Pasadena Channel, not only stopped by to check out
the sale, but also took some video which he posted on You-Tube.
Along with some nice things to say, he sent us a link so we could
enjoy the "celebrity."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_yZZHqD6Sw&list=UU514B1
OlciNW3q7lZU94PiA
U R BA N D I RT  A P R I L 2 0 1 4
Enjoying Spring Field Trip Adventures
Story and Photos by Terri Simon
Master Gardener
W
hat a field trip! Led by Alice Marinos and Jo
McGinnis, Precinct 2 Master Gardeners visited
Southwest Fertilizer at 5828 Bissonnet and Wabash
Feed and Garden Store at 5701 Washington Ave. in Houston. We
covered everything from the latest in lawnmowers to peacocks.
Our first stop,
Southwest Fertilizer
opened in 1955 as a
feed and tack store.
They still offer
birdseed and horse
feed, but today they
focus on organic
and synthetic lawn
products, mulch,
soil and garden
equipment in addition
to lawn mower repair.
one of our fellow Master Gardeners. Ed works there and came
in on his day off to guide us on our tour. Did you know the name
“Wabash” is an acronym? It stands for Washington Avenue
Bric-Brac, Antiques, Sundries and Hardware. Owner Betty Lou
Heacker moved the business to its current location when she
could not buy the original site. Specializing in organic products,
Wabash offers a mish mash of everything from plants, animals,
plant and animal supplies, yard art, pots, fountains and antiques.
The store attracts an eclectic group of customers. Again, several
of the employees garden and were able to answer gardening
questions and make recommendations. It’s a good thing we had a
bus to load our purchases.
Afterwards we enjoyed lunch at Candelari’s.
Peacocks for sale at Wabash. They
make excellent guard animals.
Current owner
Bob Patterson at Southwest welcomed us with cookies, drinks
and two door prizes – plus a 10 percent discount on all of our
purchases. What a deal! The store is easy to navigate. One side
has organic products and
the other has synthetic
products. The employees
were helpful and a
few of them garden as
well. In fact, two of
them are interested in
bonsai plants. Store
employees helped load
our purchases on the bus
since some of them were
large.
Bob Patterson shares the story
of Southwest Fertilizer.
Next we stopped at
the Wabash Feed and
Garden Store where we
were met by Ed Dreier,
Precinct 2 and Bear Creek both offer several field trips
during the year and continuing education credit can be earned
by participating. Alice and Jo are looking for trip coordinators to
replace them this summer. Email them at alicemarinos@hotmail.
com if you’re interested.
Mercer Field Trip Planned
The next field trip leaves the Bear Creek office
at 8:30 a.m. on April 30. The bus will visit Mercer
Arboretum for a guided tour of the 325-acre gardens,
including Endangered Species/Native Plants, Bog,
Azalea Trail, Tropical, Prehistoric, Bamboo, Perennial,
Color, Herb and more. After lunch at the Potato Patch,
the bus will visit the 4,000-acre flood-plain forest of
Jesse H. Jones Park and Nature Center before returning
about 4 p.m.
The event is limited to 39 participants and is
eligible for three CEUs. It is free apart from what you
spend on lunch. Registration begins at the April 1
Hamburger Tuesday meeting. Call 281.855.5600 for
details.
5
U R BA N D I RT  A P R I L 2 0 1 4
Blog from the Gardens
Sometimes it is refreshing to approach a new area or
explore a new approach in a familiar spot. That is what I found
happening in the Vegetable Garden where I chatted with Joe,
Phil, and intern Fran. The raised beds are being put to a new use
as a true test garden in order to offer home gardeners data along
the lines of the A&M planting guide, but particularly suited to the
Houston area. I learned for the first time in my eight-plus years
as a MG that there exists in the phone room a Vegetable Log for
the benefit of anyone wishing to learn the results of experiments
done in the veggie garden. Some of the center beds have been
reserved for use by our agent Skip Richter for conducting
nematode trials to determine the most productive approach to
eliminating them from those beds.
Other happy events have seen retired Sanitary Engineer and
MG Intern John Little finally solving the problem with the
irrigation system in the veggie garden. Previously it seemed to
be a case of too much in some spots with not enough in others
which was a big frustration. Joe Pratt, the current garden
coordinator, was delighted with the results and praised the efforts
of John with a really large grin on his face!
Joe spoke as well about a focus on trying to select varieties
that require less space but produce more product so that home
gardeners might reap a larger or more frequent harvest from
less space. Today's home gardener has the distinct luxury of
choosing to buy those much loved garden space hogs from the
local grocer or farmer's market while reserving his own garden
space for vegetables that either require less space or those that
will be repeat producers over a season. That surely sounds like an
approach worth considering.
Even though I interrupted the crew without prior notice, they
made me feel welcome and were happy to share their time. I
didn't come home with a bag of veggies like I sometimes have
in the past, but rather something more beneficial in my view...
I learned some new things to try on my own. And I became
a hands-on participant in the process of evaluating some of
the varieties they have been trying. Who knew the French eat
radishes for breakfast or that they have a particular variety
considered best for breakfast?
Photo by Paul Winski
H
ere is your very first Garden Correspondent's blog
posting, The goal of this new blog is to bring Master
Gardeners and Interns news from the various Bear
Creek demonstration gardens in the hope of sharing the goals and
directions each garden coordinator is focused upon. Those who
would like to share in working toward those goals can hopefully
find a niche in which to contribute their time and talents while
expanding their knowledge.
by Linda Saxman
Master Gardener
Extension Agent Skip Richter (left) and HCMGA Second
Vice President Rob Lucey accept a $1,000 donation from the
Houston Cactus and Succulent Society to help add a cactus
and succlent bed to the demonstration gardens. Society
member Daryl Rebrovich (right) made the nomination for the
grant after touring the gardens a few months ago.
Master Gardener Birthdays Celebrated in April
Master Gardeners who celebrate a birthday
during March include the following. Wish them a
Happy Birthday when you see them!
Ann Abernathy, Kristina Baldwin,
Barbara Campbell, Becky Cooper, Vivian
Cromwell, Christine De Angelis, Judy
6
Franco, Dee Gordon, Gail Huggett,
Philip John, Jan Kapner, Jerry
Landwert, Louis Mickler, Cindy Moore,
Marleine Oren, Diane Perez, Karen
Pol, Donna Price, Suzi Russell, Pat
Stier, Darlene Underwood and Marilyn
Zavatsky.
U R BA N D I RT  A P R I L 2 0 1 4
Master Gardeners of the Month
J
an Kapner was
chosen as Precinct 2’s
Master Gardener of
the Month for February
for her outstanding job of
coordinating the selection
and ordering of plants and
trees for Precinct 2’s 2014
Fruit Tree and Spring Sale.
She worked closely with
TreeSearch Farms months in advance of the sale to find just the
right plant and tree selections. In spite of having major surgeries
in the middle of the process, she and her committee spent hours
deciding which plants to offer to the public at the sale.
Jan graduated with the 2004 Master Gardener Class and has
worn many hats since her graduation and internship. Not only
does she select and order the plants and trees for the plant sales,
she works with the City of Pasadena and secures the venue for
P2's sales. She served as P2’s Coordinator from 2010 to 2012,
is a current member of the P2 Steering Committee and was
secretary of the committee prior to becoming Coordinator. As if
that isn’t enough, Jan manages the Tropical Garden, the Sensory
Gardens and many of our demonstration plantings.
Jan is a valued member of Precinct 2, and we very fortunate
to have her as a member. She is always willing to help and is not
afraid of hard work.
Margaret Hamburg, Jean Fefer, Judy Padar and Teresa See - Bear Creek
M
argaret Hamburg, Jean Fefer, Judy Padar
and Teresa See are the Master Gardeners of the
month for March in recognition of their continued
support in the greenhouse.
Margaret and Jean religiously show up just about every week
and keep the flow of activities in the greenhouse moving. Judy
goes about her work keeping the greenhouse weed-free and, if
needed, jumps in and helps with the planting or bumping up as
well. Teresa regularly works behind the scenes coming in during
the week and on weekends to check on things, watering anything
that needs it, propagating plants for door prizes and now she has
joined the greenhouse crew on Tuesdays as a regular as well.
Since becoming a board member and now the president, new
duties take Cathy Preator away from the greenhouse for large
portions of time. Margaret, Jean, Judy and Teresa always take
up the slack. Jean graduated with the 1997 MG class and is also
chairperson for the Education Committee, former head of the
greenhouse, past member of the association board and member
of the speakers bureau. She speaks on propagation at many MG
events. Teresa graduated with the 2006 MG class, has served
as a board member and currently is a member of the Program
Committee obtaining speakers for the MG regular monthly
meetings. She
has also taken the
Vegetable Specialist
training and
speaks at events on
vegetables. Margaret
graduated in 2001
and Judy graduated
in 2003.
Photo by Teresa See
Photo by Georgia Lau
Jan Kapner - Precinct 2
Teresa See, Judy Padar, Jean Fefer and
Margaret Hamburg share the award.
The greenhouse
would not be the
success it is today without ALL of them. All of these ladies
have helped to make the greenhouse a welcoming, fun,
learning atmosphere!
Nominate a MG of the Month
Submit MG of the Month nominations to the Membership
Committee by placing a note with their name and why
they should be selected in the suggestion box in the Master
Gardener room or e-mail them to [email protected] (Bear
Creek) or [email protected] (Precinct 2).
7
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
3033 Bear Creek Dr.
Houston, Tx 77084
281.855.5600 fax 281.855.5638
harris.agrilife.org/program-areas/hort/
hcmga.tamu.edu
Harris County Master Gardeners
U R BA N D I RT
Spring Plant Sale
Saturday April 12, 2014
 APRIL 2014
Preview – 8 a.m. Sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Harris County Master Gardeners
Spring Plant Sale
Saturday April 12, 2014
3033 Bear Creek Drive
Houston, Texas 77084
281.855.5600
http://harris-tx.tamu.edu/hort
Preview – 8 a.m. Sale 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
S
ign up to volunteer now at
http://vols.pt/DMSM2X. Do your part to
3033 Bear Creek Drive
the Spring Plant Sale a success.
Houston, Texas make
77084
281.855.5600
http://harris-tx.tamu.edu/hort
Upcoming Event
Fall Plant Sale
September 20, 2014
• Herbs • Antique & Selected Heirloom Roses
• Plants for Texas • Drought Tolerant Plants
• Daylilies
Funds raised support Master Gardener activities
throughout the year, including the Demonstration
Gardens, Cylinder Gardening, Speakers Bureau,
Ask-a-Master Gardener, plant trials and other
Upcoming Event
educational outreach.
Fall Plant Sale
N
Clay Rd
Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Service
Patterson Rd
West Interstate 10
Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids,
services or accommodations in order to participate in Extension programs are encouraged to call
281.855.5600 to discuss specific needs. Harris County Master Gardeners is a program of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Educational programs of the Texas
A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people
without regard to race, color, sex, disability, religion,
age, or national origin. The Texas A&M University
System, U.S. Department of Agriculture and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.
re y
to
all
k S especi
o
Bo lected eners
e
rd
ks s
l ga
Boo or loca
f
e
al
gS
Ta re
l
a
s a ted
nu
em
a
An All it ng rel
eni
d
r
Ga
September 20, 2014
N
• Herbs • Antique & Selected Heirloom Roses
• Plants for Texas • Drought Tolerant Plants
• Daylilies
Clay Rd
Texas A&M AgriLife
Extension Service
Visit our web site, give us a call or “like” us at www.facebook.com/HarrisCountyMasterGardeners, www.facebook.com/HarrisCountyHorticulture or visit our blog page http://agrilife.org/
harrishort.
Patterson Rd
West Interstate 10
Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids,
services or accommodations in order to partici-
re y
to
all
k S especi
o
Bo lected eners
e
rd
ks s
l ga
Boo or loca
f
e
al
gS
Ta re
l
a
s a ted
nu
em
a
An All it ng rel
eni
d
r
Ga