Thymes Garden - WSU Extension

Jell‐O Mold Farm Photo by Christine Farrow Garden
Thymes
WSU SKAGIT COUNTY EXTENSION MASTER GARDENERS ● Summer 2012
In this Issue: Come Visit Naturescape
Come Visit Naturescape ............. 1 Know and Grow .......................... 2 Foundation News ....................... 3 Know and Grow .......................... 5 Touring and Gadding About A Day in the Blooms .................. 6 Plant Nerd Night ........................ 7 Camano Backyard Wildlife Habitat Tour ........................................ 7 Booshoot® ................................ 8 Chemicals at Discovery Garden ... 9 Community Outreach .................. 8 Jefferson Elementary School ... 10 Dig It ........................................ 11 Rain Garden Workshop ........... 12 Plant Fair Photo Gallery ....... 12/13 Garden Visitors/Residents ......... 13 WSU Extension office address: 11768 Westar Lane, Suite A, Burlington, WA 98233 MG Coordinator: Lisa Hervieux [email protected] Phone: 360‐428‐4270 Newsletter Editorial Board: Lin Hoisington, Editor [email protected] Lynn Heagney [email protected] Maria Nicholas [email protected] Sandy Fielden
Naturescape represents a less formal approach to
gardening and is designed to reflect a bit of nature that
includes relaxation and reflection. It will delight the
senses with color and variety as it attracts wildlife with a
pond, hedgerows, berms and a meadow. It is a large
garden, both in size and number of plants, with our list
surpassing 170 species. Naturescape is located in the
southwest corner of Discovery Garden, backing up to
A new batch of gold‐
the WSU research facility.
fish in Naturescape’s pond If you enter on the path to the left of Discovery
Photo by Sandy Fielden Garden’s entryway you will be on the east side. We
continue to work on the best combination of plants to enhance the little island
in front of the restrooms. An eastern redbud was recently planted, and phlox
does nicely as long as the bunnies desist in using them as appetizers. This path
has a large rugosa rose, beautiful rhododendrons, hostas, ornamental grasses,
etc. Notice the azalea ‘Gaiety’ (#133 on the Naturescape
plant list). Directly across the path is the same variety,
but the blooms are a slightly different color. Is this
caused by the micro environment or color variation in
the individual plants? The back edge of east and south
beds contain several different trees including liquid
amber, silk tassel tree, Serbian spruce, several twigged
dogwoods, flowering dogwood, pines, Indian plum and
much more.
Muscari (grape hyacinth) The path swings around to the south border planted
with natives, cultivated shrubs and perennials providing
shelter and food for birds, butterflies, bees and amphibians. The non-aerated
pond was renovated in 2006. A border of dwarf barberry grows on the exposed
side to discourage children from wading,
—See Naturescape, page 2
Nov. 2009
The Gardener Newsletter
Page 3
Garden Thymes
Summer 2012
Page 2
Know and Grow
—Naturscape, from page 1
Diana Wisen
and a corkscrew willow
towers over the back area.
Once a year, preferably on a
warm day, you might find
Sandy Fielden and Darlene
Thompson joining the
goldfish, native frogs, bull
frogs and insect life to trim
back plant growth. Feeding Young visitors to the pond searching for frogs. pond critters is strongly
Photo by Lin Hoisington discouraged, although the
Naturescape team enjoys chocolate. The alpine garden on
the bermed island was planted to represent an alpine
terrain. A contorted filbert, hinoki cypress and spirea
‘Magic Carpet’ grow here.
Know and Grow workshops help us fulfill our
mission to provide outreach and education to
the gardening public as well as continuing
education for Master Gardeners. These popular seminars
are held monthly on a Tuesday afternoon from 1:00 p.m. –
3:00 p.m. at the NWREC auditorium adjacent to the
Discovery Garden. Upcoming topics are:
The meadow is bordered by wild mock orange. A beautiful
‘Himalayan White Pine’ dominates the corner. Come
spring the meadow is glorious with daffodils, muscari, and
blue and white camas. Verbascum appears later. Thistle,
fireweed and dandelions grow without an ounce of effort.
The meadow gets a haircut twice a year to give the
flowering species a chance to regenerate and multiply.
October 16: TBA
You should see Naturscape in person. Better yet, come
help us. The Naturescape team of Gloria Williams, Edie
Gamble, Darlene Thompson and Sandy Fielden will
welcome you to our little piece of paradise where there’s
always a chance for chocolate. 
August 14: Flower Arranging 101, with Claudia Wells.
Use flowers and foliage from your own yard to make beautiful floral arrangements. It’s easier than you think.
September 18: Orchids, with Frank Thompson, former
master gardener. Join us while Frank takes the mystery out
of growing these exotic plants.
November 13: Visiting Public Gardens and Garden
Shows in Europe, with Ginny Sharp, the consummate
garden traveler. Whet your appetite for gardening European
style. Ginny’s slide show will do just that.
Watch this space for additional Know and Grow topics!
For more information, visit the Master Gardener Website:
www.skagit.wsu.edu/mg  MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Garden Closing Barbecue and Scarecrow Contest Tuesday, October 30, 2012 9 a.m.—1 p.m. Hampton Court Flower Show Surrey, England July 2013 Start thinking about it. Next year will be here before you know it. Ginny Sharp is organizing a small group to experience this preeminent flower show. E‐mail Ginny for particulars: [email protected] Summer 2012
Master Gardener Advisory
Committee Members
Don McMoran, Chair
Lisa Hervieux, MG Program
Coordinator
Diana Wisen, Public Outreach
Michael Bonacci, Publicity and
Education Outreach
Mary Ellen Salyan, Plant Specialist
Molly Dight, MG Landscape
Specialist
Justin Hayton, Commercial Farmer/
Nurseryman
Julianne Ash, Educational
Professional
Cindy Bjorklund, Community
Member
Skagit County Master Gardener
Foundation Board Members
Ruth Sutton, President
Al Call, Vice President
Garden Thymes
Page 3
From the Foundation Board President
Greetings Master Gardeners:
I want to thank all who stepped up and joined in to make the Discovery Garden look wonderful. In spite of the recent “June Gloom” we are experiencing,
many projects are getting done, including the new look in the Children’s
Garden, weeding out horsetail in the Heather Garden, a new trellis in the
Vegetable Garden, and pruning everywhere.
More and more of the public are discovering our Discovery Garden. I
recently spoke with a man who had driven by the garden many times and had
never stopped before. I also met with King County master gardeners, and
Lynn Poling met with several master gardeners from Whatcom County who
also enjoyed a tour of the garden. All of them were impressed with the Garden
and the ability to learn from the experience.
The board has approved the 2012-2013 budget. With the Plant Fair being a
success we were able to approve most of the requests.
As most of you know, we have struggled with drainage issues in the garden for
years, with it seeming to get worse each year. The Board has approved the
hiring of Trico Contractors, who have a lot of experience in this sort of work,
to investigate a potential fix for the problem. Preliminary discussions have
taken place with NWREC to determine where old drainage lines are and some
of the history of the site. We are hopeful that we can come up with a solution
and implement it in the fall.
The Board has set aside funds to cover this capital project, as well as monies
for a new heater for the greenhouse, if needed, and a scholarship for new
interns.
Gail Messett, Secretary
Shawn Brown, Treasurer
Bob Bryan
Madelyn Case
Dawn Greenfield
Cindy Juel
Again, a big “Thank You” to all of you who worked so hard on the Plant Fair.
I invite all of you take the time to walk through the garden and just enjoy.



Ruth Sutton

Carol Taylor
Jane Billinghurst, ex-officio
Molly Dight, Past President
Ex-officio Members
Don McMoran
Lisa Hervieux
“An addiction to gardening is not all bad when you consider the other choices in life.” – Cora Lee Bell Cooperating agencies: Washington State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Skagit County.
Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on
nondiscrimination regarding race, gender, national origin, religion, age, disability, and sexual orientation.
Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension Office.
Nov. 2009
Summer 2012
The Gardener Newsletter
Garden Thymes
Life at the Discovery Garden
Vegetable Patch
Kathy Wolfe
Photos by Christine Farrow
Kale: the new “it” vegetable! And with good reason.
Added to the landscape, this aristocratic plant contributes
texture and deep color to complement any garden plot,
and containers benefit from its lush foliage accents.
Kale’s varied uses in the kitchen range from using very
young leaves fresh in salads, slaws or smoothies; adding
more mature leaves sautéed with some olive oil and garlic
for a side dish; tossing leaves into soups, stews, stir fries;
or roasting or even baking them into a crispy kale chip
snack. High in vitamins K, C, A, manganese, fiber, beta
carotene, lutein, carotenoids, calcium and other minerals,
kale could almost be called a super food. With the beautiful leaves providing earthy flavor and big nutritional value
for fewer calories than most vegetables, what’s not to like?
A member of the brassica
family, kale enjoys cool
weather. Spring, fall and
winter are good times to
grow it because the soil is
cool. A light frost actually
enhances kale’s flavor.
This hardy vegetable can
overwinter in many areas. Commonly available varieties
include curly leaved (Scotch kale), which is the most common supermarket and salad bar type; cavolo nero (also
known as black kale, Tuscan kale, lacinato and dinosaur
kale), which has an oblong shape and deep bubbly leaves
and hails from Italy; and red Russian kale, which resembles
oak leaves with soft sage color and red vining and has a
mild, sweet flavor.
Plant kale in midsummer, six to eight weeks before the
first frost, for fall harvest when lettuce, garlic or onion
beds are freed up. Optimal soil temperature is 60-65 degrees. Hot weather turns kale bitter. Kale grows best in full
sun but will tolerate partial shade. Fewer than six hours of
sun daily will reduce the stocky, leafy nature of the plant,
but the leaves are still perfectly edible. Soil pH should be
5.5-6.8. Enrich soil with compost and fertilizer before setting out seeds. Plant seeds every 1-2” in shallow furrows
that are 6-12” apart. Cover with ½” of soil, and don’t let
the seeds dry out during germination. Thin to 6” once the
plants are a couple of inches tall. You may want to increase
space between plants as they mature. Kale takes approximately 60 days to mature fully.
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Page 4
If you prefer to plant starts you have grown or purchased
directly into the garden, space them 6-12” apart. The
leaves will grow bigger with ample space than if crowded
together, but smaller leaves tend to be more tender. It’s
your call. Water transplants well and apply fertilizer.
Mulch with compost to keep the soil cool and moist to
reduce weeding. Kale likes an even supply of water, about
1-1.5” per week. Get out that rain gauge if you need to.
Moist soil helps keep leaves sweet and crisp rather than
tough and bitter. Side dress during the growing season
with more compost or fish emulsion every 3-4 weeks.
Harvest by removing the outer
leaves first to allow the center of
the plant to keep producing.
Kale is relatively pest free, but it
can be susceptible to black rot or
club root as well as aphids, cabbage
loopers, cabbageworm, cutworms
and flea beetles. The best defense is
to provide good growing conditions to keep the plants healthy.
After harvesting, clean kale by submerging leaves in cool
water for 10-15 minutes, rotating leaves through the water
2-3 times to ensure all surfaces get covered. This should
help get the dirt out from all the crevices and wrinkles in
the leaves. Remove the leaves from the water and rinse the
remaining dirt away. Cut off the stem by slicing on each
end of the main stalk using scissors or a knife. Some people cook the tough stems separately, but most just compost them. Spin or blot the leaves dry with a soft towel.
Store kale in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic storage bag
with as much air removed as possible. Kale can retain its
crispy quality for a week or two, but the longer it is stored,
the more bitter it becomes. —See Kale, page 5
A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. —Thomas Mann Some guy invented Vitamin A out of a carrot. I’ll bet he can’t invent a good meal out of one. — Will Rogers Garden Thymes
Summer 2012
Page 5
—Kale, from page 4
Bitterness can be a problem, especially when using kale in
its raw form. To reduce bitterness for salads, add some
kosher salt, olive oil and lemon juice to raw kale and
massage this mixture for 3-5 minutes. Don’t be shy! Use
your best bread kneading technique. This procedure will
break down the cellulose without heating the vegetable.
The leaves will darken and shrink considerably and the
taste will change. Taking a bite periodically will determine
if the flavor is right for you.
(No, I am not making this up!)
Tasty to your palette, healthy
for your body, and beautiful to
your eyes, kale is a colorful,
robust, hearty, easy to grow
vegetable to add to your garden
Kale smoothie and your table.  Foliage Phobia
House plants come with instructions
I follow every rule:
"Place in a sunny window."
Or "Keep soil moist and cool."
Small talk, I'm told, is vital.
Misting is a must.
Recent Sighting of the Plant Clinic Fairy (aka Virgene Link) You know, I think I might prefer
The kind you only dust.
~ Ermina Wesner
Lee's Summit, Missouri
(Submitted by MG Barbara Lloyd)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
WSU Master Gardener Advanced Education Conference, 2012
Bounty of Three Rivers
September 13-15, 2012
TRAC Center
Pasco WA
To Register on-line: www.regonline/MGF2012Bounty
For more information, contact Chris Bailey by
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: (509) 205-0497
Summer 2012
Garden Thymes
Touring and Gadding About A Day in the Blooms
Toni Caskey
MG Step-On-Guides Chairwoman
As a Skagit County Master Gardener, I am one of several
volunteers who serve as either a step-on-guide or navigator
for Tulip Tours during the Annual Skagit Valley
Tulip Festival each April. We are now in our 19th year of
educating visitors about our fertile farmlands.
After booking a tour with us on
a pre-arranged date,
luxurious coach buses roll onto
the Discovery Garden parking
lot. On this particular day,
passengers from Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, alight and stroll to the
pavilion where they partake of
refreshments.
A master gardener docent greets
the group before leading them
around our three-acre garden.
Tulip Tour Greeter/
She emphasizes particular plants Docent, MG Intern that perform well in the Pacific Marsha Goller Photo by Christine Farrow Northwest. There are wondrous
oohs and awes and numerous
inquiries from the
traveling gardeners.
Few have seen such
massive pink and
scarlet colored
rhododendrons and
azaleas.
As the travelers
A Step‐on‐Guide’s greatest challenge: Working a visitor’s camera board the bus again,
ash-colored clouds
scuttle across the
western sky. Our touring bus rumbles along narrow bumpy
roads to Roozengaarde Display Garden. The 54 passengers
are eager to photograph the ever changing patchwork quilt
of bursting blooms as we pass. Flashes of sunlight break
through as blustery winds whip across the sea of flowering
tulip cups. It is a kaleidoscope of undulating formations of
pinks, greens, yellows and lavenders throughout the 1500
acres of flowering farmlands.
Photo by Christine Farrow Arriving at Roozengaarde, we disembark for a 50-minute
layover. Walking along the pathways our group is delighted
Page 6
to see the displays of some 300,000 early spring bulbs. I
explain that every year the formations are planted and computer mapped to highlight the various hues, sizes and
ranges of tulip color that start blooming in early April and
continue blooming throughout a six-week period.
“I have never seen anything like this,” shouts a burly
Iowan farmer. Another man, pointing to a brilliant grouping of Rem’s Sensation, chimes
in with, “Well worth the price
of coming here.”
After storming the gift shop,
the travelers succumb
happily to tulip mania as they
clutch various items bearing
tulip logos and colors. We
Tulipa ‘Rem’s Sensation’ board the bus again as I continue my spiel about the agriculture and history of the Tulip
Festival and its origins.
Arriving at Tulip Town our guests gaze at the wall murals
masterfully applied by a Tulip Festival poster artist. Tractor
driven wagons haul our visitors to the fields for a close up
view of the flowers as cameras click and whir.
An hour later, we return to the Discovery Garden. We are
old friends now, sharing the title of Tulip Trekker! 

MG step‐on‐guides, navigators and docents for one of this year’s Tulip Tours: (L‐R) Cindee Juel, Deborah Smeltzer, Christine Farrow and Virgene Link Photo by Unknown Tulip Aficionado A garden is a delight to the eye and a solace for the soul.” – Sade Summer 2012
Garden Thymes
Touring and Gadding About (continued) Plant Nerd Night
Maggie Amber
For those who missed the opportunity to attend Plant
Nerd Night , mark it on your calendar for next year. The
Northwest Horticultural Society hosted the event, at the
Mountaineers’ Club in Seattle’s Magnuson Park. NHS
hopes to make this fundraiser into an annual event. Filled
with camaraderie, horticulture delights, and shopping, this
great trip was just plain fun.
The bus picked us up right on time from Discovery
Garden, and we were on our way to Volunteer Park where
we enjoyed a docentguided tour of the Conservatory. The Conservatory,
built in 1912, is a Victorian
greenhouse, which stands
at the north end of Volunteer Park, in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Professional horticulturists Volunteer Park Conservatory with the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation care for the Conservatory’s
collections, including bromeliads, cacti, ferns, palms and
seasonal display plants. Our volunteer docents were full of
facts, explaining the architectural history, plant acquisition
and facility operations. A special feast for the eyes was a
notable orchid collection showing off vibrant colors and
shapes.
After we absorbed all the sweet smells and visual delights
of the conservatory, we continued to our next destination:
University Village. There we had plenty of time for lunch,
and shopping. MGs took advantage of a 20% discount at
Ravenna Gardens, a specialty store, offering unique products for the garden and home.
Stomachs full and shopping complete, we proceeded to
the event of the day, Plant Nerd Night. Emceed by “Cisco
the Magnificent” (aka Cisco Morris, local horticulture
celebrity), it was an evening filled with song, humor and a
wide variety of garden treasures. A silent auction kept
many of us busy bidding, while others surveyed the
nursery selections and had time for personal questions and
purchases. Slide presentations of some of the growers
included Dan Hinkley’s Windcliff gardens, Langley Fine
Gardens and Joy Creek Nursery. For many of us, the slide
shows provided views of nurseries and gardens never
Page 7
before visited. Some also included slides of international
trips to collect seed and take pictures of plants unknown
to the Pacific Northwest.
We enjoyed wine, cheese, crackers and other treats to keep
us fortified while we looked at a variety of plants just waiting to be purchased and added to our own palette of plants
at home. The purchases of many unique varieties will
bring happy memories of our trip while watching them
grow in our own gardens. See you next year! 

Camano Backyard Wildlife Habitat Tour
Maggie Amber and Lynn Heagney
The Camano Backyard Wildlife Habitat Tour on June 26,
2012, was an excellent demonstration of sustainability in
action. Camano Island is proud to be the 10th residential
community in the nation to be certified by the National
Wildlife Federation and has nearly 800 individual properties certified as Backyard Wildlife Habitats. This tour
brought landscape artistry, fragrant aromas, and vibrant
color to a gray northwest day.
Six homes on both the east and west sides of Camano
Island were available to visit with each offering their own
unique arrangement of pathway textures, habitat nourishment and shelter, and enticing colors to attract various
wildlife. Docents were present at each garden to explain
the sustainability features as well as how specific site challenges were overcome.
The tour opened with the Open Gate Farm offering large
garden areas of vegetables and flowers, ducks and chickens
cohabitating together, bee hives, and various small birds
—See Camano, page 8
Skagit Talks
Skagit Master Gardeners can be heard on
Skagit Valley Community Radio out of
Skagit Valley College:
KSVR-FM 91.7
5:00—5:30 p.m.
Third Friday of the Month
Summer 2012
Garden Thymes
Touring and Gadding About (continued) —Camano, from page 7
flitting about taking advantage of their bountiful environment. Another interesting facet of the tour was the composting system, a vital
element in the operation of their farm.
The next garden, situated on Vesper Way,
was a fascinating demonstration of a steep
garden planted delibOpen Gate Farm composting area erately with plants of
Photo by Lynn Heagney different root depths
and a system of gravel
pathways designed not only to curb erosion, but also to filter water back into the water table. The plants selected by
the owner are a profusion of color all year long.
Another home of notable mention was that of Cathryn
Hodl who found the 30-year old home listed among foreclosed properties on
the Internet. After
three years of hard
labor and help from
her grandson, she
transformed a once
overgrown and
neglected home and
garden into an oasis
of color, shelter and
Recirculating waterfall pond at new life for an inCathryn Hodl’s farm Photo by Lynn Heagney crease-ingly grateful
wildlife population.
To further add to the beauty she put in a new recirculating
waterfall pond.
The home of one of our fellow master gardener, Elaine
Richards, was an excellent example of sustainability, with
stone and gravel paths, reduced lawns, raised vegetable
beds, and native as well as drought-tolerant plants. The
color groupings of her plants were wonderful, not only for
their visual appeal, but because they were chosen with
hummingbirds and bees in mind. Even the nesting birds
were considered with Elaine’s addition of a mesh bag filled
with dryer lint to help the birds build soft and durable
nests.
Page 8
The next garden, on Secord Court, was newly planted
and professionally designed. It contained such interesting
features as plant containers made of recycled plastics, complete with a reservoir at the bottom and a wicking system
designed to bring water up to the plants’ roots.
The sixth garden on Rocky Mountain High Road, kept
many of the native trees, but added other favorites as well.
The plants that were included in this landscape were
specifically suited to shade, dappled sunlight, or full sun.
The owners have focused on planting for the birds as well
as keeping all plant refuse on their own property with
chipping, composting and brush piles.
All the gardens were designed with an eye to sustainability,
wise and efficient use of compost and water, use of native
plants, and lots of color to attract insects and birds. Each
home owner implemented these concepts with such an
artistic flair. It’s a tour well worth a second visit.   Booshoot®
In case you have missed recent national headlines, bamboo
is the “next big thing” in terms of timber and clothing
production. On July 20, 2012, some 30 master gardeners
toured the production facilities of Booshoot®, a biotech
company in Mount Vernon that has “cracked the code” on
tissue culturing of bamboo. Why the hullabaloo? Bamboo
is notoriously difficult to propagate, and Booshoot’s new
proprietary process will enable the production of bamboo
on a green, sustainable and rapid scale.
Lars Nilson, executive vice president of sales and marketing, and Dan Meier, vice president of production, gave the
group an overview of Booshoot’s history and work processes and then led the group through some of its greenhouses.
Tissue culturing (also known as cloning) is not just a lab
junkie’s high, but is seen as a “win-win” for both economic and environmental purposes. Tissue culture produces cleaner—and more robust—plants with no risk of
disease.
Besides being one of the first commercial tissue culture
labs in the country, Booshoot® is also developing other
grasses, vegetables and perennials via tissue culture.
Bamboo’s unique flowering cycle has resulted in a scarcity
of supply. Bamboo is slow to flower (between 60-120
years) and then produces seed for only three years.
Furthermore, bamboo mother plants all die off worldwide
after flowering; this includes any clones that were derived
from any one plant. These are just a few reasons why
bamboo is difficult to propagate. —See Booshoot® , page 9
Summer 2012
Garden Thymes
Touring and Gadding About (continued) —Booshoot, from page 8
Currently, Booshoot® is focusing on four areas of
industry:
 Horticulture—screening plants, veggies and perennials
(Costco, Home Depot, local nurseries)
 Forestry—pulp and paper (Kimberly Clark has recently
contracted to produce timber stands); textiles (clothing,
other fabric uses); and wood products (furniture, flooring, etc.)
 Biomass—miscanthus and other grasses for energy production
 Agriculture—cauliflower, cabbage, wasabi and potatoes
(a big crop that has a number of disease issues that tissue culture can circumvent)
Consider bamboo’s “green”
appeal. It sequesters four
times the carbon dioxide of a
comparably sized young forest. It releases 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand
A grove of clumping bam‐ of trees. Bamboo can grow
100 feet in 45 days (giant/
boo (Fargesia sp.) timber bamboo, that is). It
requires minimal care and water once established. And
perhaps best of all, it can be harvested every 3-5 years
instead of the 60-90+ year rotation of trees.
All varieties can be grown in pots—good news for the
home gardener. Clumping
varieties expand slowly,
similar to irises. Running varieties are typically used for
forestry purposes and not
recommended for home gardens although it can be used
as ground covers. When it is
cut, a new runner will appear
Varieties of running bamboo beside the old culm (or
(Phyllostachys sp. ) stalk).
While growing bamboo is an organic endeavor, the processing of bamboo—currently done overseas—is not ecofriendly, but inroads are being made that will “green” up
those processes.
“Wow!” barely describes this eye-opening, brain expanding
tour for both scientific and non-scientific gardeners alike.
 Page 9
Chemical Use at Discovery Garden
Julie Powell
From time to time, Master Gardeners have used approved
chemicals at the Discovery Garden. Problems arise when
these chemicals are transferred to a secondary container
and are not properly labeled.
A recent audit of the gardening sheds at the Discovery
Garden found three improperly labeled spray containers in
violation of U. S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), and State of Washington laws on chemical use and storage. The potential fine for these containers
could have been $10,000 each, or $30,000. A fine like this
would have bankrupted the Skagit County master gardener
program.
The secondary containers in question were spray bottles of
premixed, commonly used and approved chemicals that
lacked the required labeling elements. It is not enough simply to list the name of the product on the container. Secondary container labels should have the name of the
chemical in the container as well as hazard warnings and
information specific to the contents.
We use a three-tier system of chemicals in the Garden.
Red Light: Herbicides or chemicals that are used for
weed control and need time to work
These are chemicals that are used for weed control and
need time work. If the label gives a re-entry time after using, you need to follow all the steps. The garden coordinator will fill out the paperwork and the garden manager will
sign off on it, ensure all the steps are followed and file the
paper work in the safety book. These chemicals will have
red circles on the labels.
Yellow/Orange Light: Organic products
Organic is not necessarily as safe as it looks and
sounds. Besides clearing their use with the garden coordinator or the garden manager, you will need to provide a
recommendation sheet from Hortsense or the PNW for
what it is being used. These products will have a yellow
circle on their labels.
Green Light: Fertilizers, insecticidal soaps, slug bait
(e.g., Sluggo) and garlic sprays
These products can be used at any time, but should first be
approved by the garden coordinator where you are working. Keep these in original containers with the label and
health cautions attached. These products will have a green
circle on the label.
—See Chemicals, page 12
Summer 2012
Garden Thymes
Community Outreach Jefferson Elementary School Field Trip
Lisa Hervieux
Photos by Christine Farrow
Shepherding a large group of second graders is no small
task; some would say it’s more than a little intimidating. But
that did not deter the half dozen program coordinators
from the WSU Skagit County Extension office who recently invited 75—that’s right,75!—second graders from
Jefferson Elementary in Mount Vernon. The focus of the
event was to showcase the programs offered through Extension, including 4-H, Youth and Senior Nutrition Education, the Livestock Advisors Program, Beach Watchers and,
of course, Master Gardeners. Each program coordinator
was asked to lead an activity for the kids, so Lisa Hervieux,
Master Gardener Program coordinator, packed her group
down to Viva Farms to learn about the two Ps: Pollinators
and Poop. We’re talking worm poop, of
course.
Kids LOVE worms: big, squirmy masses
of worms—the slimier, the better!
Armed with her composting worm bin
and a freshly harvested worm ball, Lisa
succeeded in thrilling and grossing out
the group as they learned all about soil
and nutrients, and the important role
Lane Sprouse worms play in our gardens. After the
enjoying a little lesson, each
worm action student was
given a cup
of soil (with worm castings!)
and they planted up some icicle
radishes to take home and
nurture.
Also on hand for the event was Diane Tait Dong shows local bee educator, Diane Tait students her see‐through Dong. Knowing that many kids beehive. are afraid of bees, we thought it
would be great if they could see bees “up close and personal” and learn about their amazing social structure. By
demonstrating respect for bees, we hoped the kids might
appreciate how important these amazing pollinators are to
local crops. Diane brought along her see-through hive to
the absolute delight of the students. The kids were so busy
talking, pointing and squealing that we wondered if they
had heard anything we said, but afterwards all you could
hear were tiny voices talking about queen bees, drones and
Page 10
worker bees. Clearly, the fact
that these “simple” creatures
were part of a very structured
bee society was fascinating to
them.
Don McMoran, director of
WSU Skagit Country Extension, wrapped up the day with
a weed pulling contest. The
kids were shown a weedy patch
on the farm, and instructed to
pull as many as they could in
two minutes. Their parents
would have been shocked at
Don McMoran and how quickly those kids raced
Master Weeder, Koltan off, pulling weeds like it was
the most fun thing in the world Diamond to do. Just try getting them to
do that at home! Student Koltan Diamond took first place,
pulling over a pound of weeds. He was the proudest kid in
the world as he
posed for his photo
with Don.
The following week
a giant poster arrived at the office,
covered with thank
you notes from the
kids. Almost every
Jocelyn McManus and Ireland Bock note contained the
inspect tomato plants in the green‐
words “worms,”
house. “bees” and
“awesome!” But
the notes that touched Lisa the most were the ones where
more than one student said, “I learned how to plant a
seed.” Now that’s awesome! 
Viva Farms is a joint venture of WSU Extension and GrowFood.org, an international non‐profit dedi‐
cated to recruiting, training and capitalizing the next generation of sustainable farmers. Viva Farms helps new farmers get started. Their farm incubator, located on 33 acres of leased land west of Burlington near the Skagit Regional Airport, provides:  Land, equipment and infrastructure  Education, training and technical assistance (bilingual‐ English/Español)  Marketing and distribution support Garden Thymes
Summer 2012
Community Outreach Page 11
Second grader SHANNEN JOHN
(right) ponders the next step in
her drawing project.
Dig It
The end of the school year for some
lucky students means a field trip to
the Discovery Garden. On May 23rd,
90 some second graders from Lucille
Umbarger Elementary School in
Burlington and on June 14th, about
40 third graders from La Conner
Gail Messett, Elementary school took part in the
Dig It Coordinator Master Gardener Dig It program.
The students were organized into six separate groups
(Bats, Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Frogs and Worms). Dig It
team members staffed one of six different “stations of
discovery” as each team rotated through. MGs at each
station had just 20-minutes to give a quick overview and
then launch the students into a hands-on experience.
Composting: The
composting group led by
CALLIE MARTIN, master
composter, literally got
“down and dirty” with the
compost and the worm bins.
Here TIMMY REID and DANNY
RAPADA measure the temperature
Enabling Garden: While MG MADELYN CASE (below
left) explains the purpose of the various plantings, CARMEN GARCIA and SARAH
MALCOMSEN (below right)
check out
the textures,
scents and
colors in
one of the
beds.
Plant Dyes: MGs CINDEE JUEL and
DARLENE THOMPSON (below) give
design encouragement to ISABELLE
WILLIAMS and SARAH MALCOMSEN.
KETELINA
O’BRIAN
(right) uses
her hammer
with the
panache of a
true artist.
of various compost bins.
Planting: VAUGHN SCHORNACK, (below left) examines
the finer points of composted soil while KAYLA RASLER
(below right) plants a corn seedling.
Animal Tracks: MG LYNNE
POLING (right) assists the junior
sleuths in locating animal tracks
in Naturescape.
MG Intern
DEBORAH SMELTZER and second grader
SELENA BAILEY (left) clearly have spot-
ted something of interest on the ceiling
of the pergola.
Drawing: MG DAWN GREENFIELD
(right) explains a style of drawing à la
Georgia O’Keefe.
As you can see from photos of these La Conner students,
there was plenty of discovery happening in Dig It.
Come join the fun next year.
Summer 2012
Garden Thymes
Community Outreach Rain Garden Workshop
Jane Billinghurst
On June 15, 2012, as part of the
12,000 Rain Gardens program
(www.12000raingardens.org) Erica Guttman (shown right), rain
garden expert from WSU
Thurston County, was guest
lecturer for a full day class on rain
gardens. Attendees included
master gardeners from Skagit and
surrounding counties, landscape
professionals and at least one public works
employee.
After a brief overview explaining the importance of rain
gardens in the Pacific Northwest, we created a human
chain outside around a theoretical rain garden site to deal
with run-off from the roof of WSU-NWREC. Volunteers
manned the laser level, took measurements and sited the
rain garden.
Back inside with calculators in hand, we worked our way
through a fascinating worksheet Erica is developing to
help people calculate the depth of their rain gardens, the
amount of soil they will need to excavate and the amount
of compost they will need to import. This will be a great
tool to help people decide on the placement and size of a
rain garden.
We looked at plants Erica is testing for their suitability in a
rain garden setting and then took a
short drive to Azusa Farm and
Garden, where owner and fellow
MG Everett Chu (center) had not
only dug a rain garden for us to play
with but also had laid out a selection
of rain garden plants by zone.
Armed with blank plans of the garden, participants broke
into groups to create a planting plan that suited Everett’s
goals. Each group then presented the highlights of their
hopes and dreams for a brand new rain garden at Azusa.
Who knows, one of these plans might even see the light of
day.
Many thanks to Everett for hosting us and to the Skagit
MGs who made this day possible: Ann Brooking, Colleen
Fisher, Bev Noble and Becky Stinson.
Page 12
—Chemicals, from page 9
Every chemical we are allowed to recommend to home
gardeners is available at most garden centers. Each chemical requires a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) be filed
on site. Each MSDS must be written in English and contain the following information:
 The name of the chemical (same as on the label)
 The chemical and common names of the substance
 A listing of the ingredients
 A statement of the ingredients that are known carcino-
gens or that present other known hazards
 Any specific hazards
Copies of MSDS used at the Discovery Garden are stored in
the Tool Shed in a 3-ring binder labeled: Material Data Safety
Sheets (MSDS). A helpful Website is:
http://www.lni.wa.gov/WISHA/Rules/agriculture/HTML/part-y2.htm
It is vital to our own health and safety as well as to that of
our community to be ever mindful of these precautions and
practice safety every day.

Plant Fair Photo Gallery
Photos by Christine Farrow
Mary Kay Branch Teresa Hanson
Bob Crooks Lynn Heagney Allison Hitchcock Raoul St Pierre Cindee Juel —See Photos, page 13
Summer 2012
Garden Thymes
Beneficial Visitors and Residents of Our
Gardens
Page 13
—Photos, from page 12
Photos by Christine Farrow
The Discovery Garden
provides an abundant and
varied floral buffet;—all
pollinators are welcome.
Even the common housefly,
Musca domestica, (below) helps
to pollinate our shrubs and
flowers.
Deborah Smeltzer A male ceanothus silk moth, Hyalophora euryalus, (shown
below) lands on a window screen. Virgene Link says, “You
do not get this
large and beautiful moth (and
bird food) without sustaining a
little damage
from a big caterpillar in your
garden. The
moth's wingspan is 3.5 - 5 inches.”
A bumblebee visits blossoms
first on a Spanish lavender
(Lavandula stoechas), and then
chive (Allium schoenoprasum).
Home “grown” hyper tufa planters Roxie Rochat Bob O’Brien a
Herta Kurp What kind of visitors do you have to your garden? Send us
a photo or two. We’ll include them in a future edition of
the Garden Thymes.
—See Photos, page 14
Garden Thymes
Summer 2012
Page 14
Plant Fair Hats
Jean Nelson Virgene Link Carole Jacobson Susan Parker Al Call Patricia O’Mara Brenda Cunningham Lynne Poling Barbara Cretzler Judy Lobdell Julie Powell Jerry Sells Diane Erickson Helga Hilderbrand Letty Hafer Pascale Michel Becky Stinson Madelyn Case Dawn Greenfield Gloria Williams Judy Baker Bob Bryan Deborah Smeltzer Claudia Wells Hat Finalists: Dawn Greenfield, Susan Parker, Lin Hoisington and Patricia O’Mara Rosalie Myers And the Tomato Prize for most over‐
the‐top hat goes to: Lin Hoisington