Linda Burchfield—Gardening Is in Her Genes

April 2014
McLennan County Master Gardeners Association
April 9 2014 Master Gardener Meeting
Our April meeting will be April 9th at 6:30pm
at the Arboretum. The program afterwards will
be: Fresh from the Garden Food Preparation,
Deanna Franklin, Extension Agent
Linda Burchfield—Gardening Is in Her Genes
Linda Burchfield, who chairs the
2014 Intern Class Committee,
was born in Ajo, Arizona (west of
Tucson). She was raised in
Pasadena, Texas, where she
attended public school from third
grade through high school. She
earned bachelors and masters
degrees from Lamar University in
Beaumont (where she later
taught). Linda earned her PhD from Texas Women’s
University in Denton.
Linda met Billy Burchfield three years after she was
widowed, while she was teaching at Southeastern
Oklahoma State University in Durant. Between them,
Linda and Billy have “five children, four in-law children,
sixteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren”.
In the early to mid-1980s, she served as a State Housing and
Home Furnishings Specialist for the Texas Agricultural
Extension Service. In the mid-1990s Linda went back to
work for the Extension Service, this time as a Family and
Consumer Science County Agent. She worked in Crane
County, and then in Ector County (Odessa) in western
Texas.
Interior design being Linda’s passion, she left the Extension
Service and the couple moved to Colorado, where they
were called to establish a church in Eagle, located in west
central Colorado. As Linda puts it, “Because this was a bivocational position [i.e., it didn’t pay much], I went to work
managing a furniture store and put in a design studio in
nearby Avon, Colorado. Billy managed the warehouse and
ran the delivery and installation team”. The couple stayed
in Eagle until they felt led to move to Japan for a short term
ministry project.
Then, back to Texas, where they were asked to run Ewing
Christian Academy, a school for children with learning
disabilities. Six years later they moved to Waco, where they
have lived for five years. Billy pastors Williams Creek
Baptist church, located off County Line Parkway just south
of US Highway 84 on the way to Mexia.
Linda’s late brother Michael Toby was the senior pastor of
Woodway Baptist Church and he was instrumental in
persuading the couple to resume their ministry work.
According to Linda, her brother convinced Billy to “go
back into full-time ministry. He promptly found the perfect
little church, Williams Creek Baptist, for us.”
As you might expect of a former Extension agent, Linda
has long been interested in gardening and in becoming a
Texas Master Gardener. But like so many of our members,
she was unable to participate while she was working full
time. Linda joined the MCMG intern class of 2010 the
summer after moving to Waco. Her dad always kept a
garden and her aunts and uncles all had farms. Linda
reckons that gardening is in her genes.
Linda loves container gardening. In the past she grew
flowers in containers. She and Billy (class of 2012) have
been trying lots of different things in their garden. They live
in the church parsonage and the couple has put in flower
beds around the house. She laments the poor soil and
annoying wind. Each year they tend a small vegetable
garden and they have one raised garden bed that has done
especially well. Linda especially enjoyed the garlic trial
garden in which the 2010 intern class participated. She also
likes volunteering at the Waco Downtown Farmers Market,
at the Children’s Garden Fair and at the MCMG office.
Page | 1
When not gardening and serving as a pastor’s wife, Linda
does quilting.
From Jeanette Kelly
Notes from the President—
Happy Spring!
WOW! This has certainly been a busy first
quarter!
You have volunteered 1,850
"documented" hours so far this year. Some of
you are very quietly volunteering "behind the
scene", and others are very visible.
As most of you already
passionate about volunteering.
us to
make a
healthy,
educated team of volunteers
MCMG.
know, I am
It takes all of
happy, and
to represent
I am so proud of all of you and this
organization! Thank you, ALL!
Happy Gardening,
Jeanette
"Got Snails?" Sprinkle crushed egg shells and
crushed pieces of pottery in you gardens.
History of Roses, Part 2
By Eva FitzGerald
Roses were in such high demand
during the 17th century that royalty
considered roses or rose water as legal
tender, often used as barter and for
payments. The 17th century also
brought new research methods for
developing rose genetics and hybrids.
Swamp rose, pasture rose, Virginia
rose and prairie rose were among the 35 types found only
in the United States. In 1699 William Penn wrote in his
"Book of Physic" that Pennsylvania settlers planted 18
different types of English roses intended for medical uses,
from the 100-petal cabbage rose to the petite moss rose. The
first American nursery opened on Long Island in 1737.
In traditional Chinese medicine, the Japanese rose was used
to bring down temperature and as a remedy for dry mouth,
excessive thirst, malaria, diarrhea and external bleeding.
The Cherokee rose was used to treat infertility. The rose
revolution started in China with roses bred to bloom
repeatedly. Chinese roses were brought to England in 1730,
then to America. In 1752, the popular China rose, known
for its hardy evergreen leaves, spread throughout Europe
and Russia. China and tea roses laid the groundwork for
many other types.
A renewed interest in garden roses came with Empress
Josephine Bonaparte (1763-1814), Napoleon’s wife. Her
dream was establishing a rose garden at Chateau de
Malmaison with a collection of all the world’s roses.
Josephine’s efforts elevated roses in style and stature during
the 1800s. She sent all over the world for plants to cultivate
in her gardens. She also encouraged breeding and
hybridizing of new varieties. Napoleon ordered his naval
commanders to search seized ships for plants and send them
to Malmaison. The English nurseryman Kennedy was a
major supplier for Josephine. Even though England and
France were at war, his shipments were allowed to cross
blockades. Sir Joseph Banks, Director of the Royal
Botanical Gardens at Kew also sent her roses. Josephine
surrounded herself with several interests, especially botany
and horticulture--while she consoled herself at the palace of
Malmaison over her divorce from her beloved Napoleon.
Josephine commissioned Pierre Joseph Redoute (17591840) to sketch drawings of roses in her garden. These
became the foundation for his work as a botanical
illustrator. In 1824 Redoute completed his watercolor
collection "Les Rose," which is still considered one of the
finest examples of botanical illustration. He was born into
a family of artisan-painters who decorated churches and
public buildings, but Redoute loved to paint flowers best.
He became Josephine’s right hand as decorator at her
Malmaison gardens. Upon Josephine’s death in 1814, her
garden contained around 250 different varieties of roses,
the world’s largest collection of any flower. In 1843, the
Souvenir de La Malmaison Rose was named in her
memory.
Experts today tend to divide roses into two groups. There
are "old roses" (those cultivated in Europe before 1800) and
"modern roses" (those which began to be cultivated in
England and France around the turn of the 19th century).
Until the beginning of the 19th century, all roses in Europe
were shades of pink or white. Our romantic symbol of the
red rose first came from China around 1800. Unusual green
roses arrived a few decades later.
Page | 2
Frenchman Joseph Permet-Ducher is credited with
discovery of bright yellow roses around 1900. After more
than 20 years of breeding roses, searching for a hardy
yellow variety, his luck changed when one day he stumbled
across a mutant yellow flower in a field.
Apr 15
The world's oldest living rose bush is thought to be 1,000
years old. It continues to bloom on the wall of the
Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany.
Apr 16
The phenomenal rose is rightly known as 'the world's
favorite flower'. In temperate climates, roses are more
widely grown than any other ornamental plant. No other
flower says romance like the rose. A symbol of love,
romance and beauty, the world’s most beloved flower,
roses survived ancient volcanic eruptions, wars, and
drought to remain the premier flower grown in gardens and
used in bouquets. Rose hips are a valuable source of
Vitamin C and antioxidants, and they are used to make rose
hip tea and jam.
Apr 25
It has been estimated that 150 million rose plants are
purchased by gardeners worldwide every year. Breeding
programs have produced plants that dominate the world's
cut flower market; the annual crop is calculated in tons.
Roses have also made a tremendous contribution to the
perfume industry.
Volunteer Opportunities
April 2014
Apr 1, 8, 15, 22
(Tuesdays)
Apr 3, 10, 17,
24 (Thursdays)
Apr 3, 10, 17,
and 24th
Apr 6
Apr 10
Apr 12
UGC/JMG Club at
Baylor, 705 S. 9th,
4pm-5:30
Tuesdays K-2
Thursdays 3-5
JMG at UHS
(clearance req.) 8:3012:00, 1:00 to 4:30
Gardeners’
Gathering at the
Arboretum-Sunday
afternoon
China Spring
Elementary Water
Field Day
Kindergarten-1st
Grade Programs 8:30
to 10:10, Lunch, 1:00
to 2:40
Downtown Waco
Farmers’ Market
Set up at 8:30;
Rianna Magee
Tom Burr
Emily
Davidson
Shane
McLellan
Sherry
MatthewsMCMG contact
Apr 26
Depart at 1:00
Recycling
JMG at UHS
Orientation Meeting
10-12 at AgriLife Ex.
Office
China Spring Elem.
Water Field Day—
2nd Grade Program 12:40
Woodway Elem.
8:00 to 2:30
Weeding/Happenings
in the Garden
discussions
Party for the
Planet/Earth Day
Celebration 9:00 to
3:00 Cameron Park
Zoo
Tom Burr
Brenda
Golubski
Shane
McLellan
Sherry
Mathews
Marietta Diehl
Lisa Daily
Jeannette Kelly
March 2014 Speaker’s Report
March 13 - Valerie Schillaci presented her program on
Wild (Natural) gardens to the Crawford Garden Club. Six
members were present.
March 18 - Ila Jean Carothers did her program on Some
Like it HOT to a Guild Group at the Parish Hall in
Waco. Seventeen people attended.
March 18 – Margaret Henson gave her Beekeeping
Program to the Four Seasons Garden Club. Thirty-nine
people attended.
If you are a certified MG and would like to be a speaker or
have questions about becoming a speaker to area
clubs/organizations, please contact Nelda Cooper at 8221629, [email protected]. We have prepared
programs on the MG laptop that can be checked out from
the Agri-Life Office. Current MG speakers are willing to
act as mentors.
Thank you, Nelda
Penny Gifford
Rianna Magee
Page | 3
McLennan County Master
Gardener Association
March meeting - March 12, 2014
Carleen Bright Arboretum
President Jeanette Kelly opened the meeting at 12 noon
with a welcome for everyone.
Minutes of the previous meeting were approved as read,
and Treasurer Andrea Moore commented that only 2
cookbooks were left for sale. She also said that numbers for
the BIG event had not been finalized yet. Soon Andrea will
send quarterly reports to committee chairmen to assist them
with their budgets.
Linda Burchfield reported that the Intern committee
continues to meet regularly and that all is going according
to plan. Janet Schaffer would like pictures of various
committees as they go about their duties so that at the
appropriate time new interns can see just what these
committees do.
Sonia and Jan have created a list of available MCMG
programs suitable for use by the public at their meetings or
events. They are in the process of designing a 3-fold flyer
to be published for that purpose.
The MCMG Plant Sale will be on May 17, 2014, and Barb
Mersinger, Louie McDaniel and Ila Jean Carothers make
up the members of that committee. Ila Jean asked us to start
potting the plants we plan to sell and to please clean the pots
first. Check with Louie if you don’t have the pots you need.
Jeanette stressed that this sale is our big money maker for
the year and urged everyone to participate if possible. One
difficulty this year is that we will no longer have access to
our usual place for the sale. Other venues are currently
being considered.
There are several volunteer opportunities listed on the
meeting agenda and on the March/April calendar:
UGC JMG at Baylor Community Garden... Rianna
Magee; WalMart Garden Center Open House....Della;
Arboretum
Work
Day....Janet;
Gardeners
Gathering...Emily Davidson; Water Field Day at China
Spring Elementary....Sherry; Office….Carol, Ila Jean.
Help is needed with these projects. Please consult the
calendar or the committee chairmen for more details.
Many Educational opportunities were also listed on the
meeting’s agenda: March 17, 18, 19….Irrigation Specialist
Training, San Antonio; March 23….Aquaponics:
Principles and Practices, Bryan; March 29….Lawn and
garden Expo, Ellis MG, Waxahachie; April 25….Clifton
Keyhole Garden Tour; May 3….Tour of 3 MCMG gardens;
May 3….TMGA Meeting, College Station; September 25
– 27….TMGA Conference, Midland-Odessa.
One item of business was the addition of the title, ”Inactive
Retiree of MCMG” to our Standing Rules. The explanation
of this is as follows:
McLennan County Master Gardener, after 10 years active
service in good standing, may become an “inactive retiree
of MCMG”. The member should make this request in
writing or email to Executive Committee, and the status
would be applicable at the beginning of the next calendar
year. The inactive retiree would not pay dues nor be
required to fulfill minimum certification requirements.
Therefore, this designation means the person would no
longer be a member of MCMG or TMGA, but it would
allow the organization to honor the person’s service and
ensure the lines of communication remain open, such as
through continued receipt of the newsletter, welcome at
meetings and educational programs.
This would not require a bylaw change and would be added
to Standing Rules.
This addition to the Standing Rules was moved and
seconded and the measure passed.
The next meeting will be in the evening on April 9, at 6:30
pm, at the Arboretum. Extension Agent, Deanna Franklin
will present a program on “Food, From Your Garden to the
Table”.
Respectfully submitted,
Elizabeth Milam,
Serving temporarily for Secretary David Daniel
[Followed by Renee Burk’s program on “Texas Trees and
Oak Wilt”][1 hour education credit]
MCMG Members Attendance 3/12/14
Bonnie Belanger, Grady Bonner, Billy Burchfield, Linda
Burchfield, Tom Burr, Ralph Calhoun, Ila Jean Carothers,
Lynn DeMuynck, Marietta Diehl, Pat Dillard, Eva
FitzGerald, Xan Foulks, Cindy Geletzke, Brenda Golubski,
Joan Harmon, Margaret Henson, Sherry Henson, Peggy
Holcomb, Carolyn Hughes, Jeanette Kelly, Taddie Kelly,
Missy Kinder, Linda Deal Kruse, Cynthia Krzywonski,
Donna Lindsey, Cindy Mabry, Rianna Magee, Sherry
Matthews, Louie McDaniel, Barbara Mersinger, Elizabeth
Page | 4
Milam, Gerry Milnor, Andrea Moore, Candace Moore,
Linda Moore, Georgia Peterson, Anne Plasek, Robert
Powers, Sherry Prather, Art Reinking, Carol Reinking,
Sharon Richardson, Janet Schaffer, Judy Schmeltekopf,
Sandra Scott, James Seale Jr, Ann Sefkcik, Dawn Segrest,
Rita Self, Jan Serface, Della Setser, Betty Tawwater, Tina
Traynor, Catherine Valentine, Barbara Vance, Barry
Vokes, Jo vonRosenberg, Melba Waldrop, Sonia Warriner,
Ramona Watson, Dorothy Whitehead, MJ Whitehead,
Carol Wood.
HOURS FOR THE MCLENNAN CO.
MASTER GARDENERS
2/26/14 to 3/25/14
VOLUNTEER HOURS
443.25
EDUCATION HOURS
22
MILES DRIVEN
1539
MCMG MEMBERS REPORTING
45
CONTACTS
4349
(The hours listed below are included in the above totals.)
Ask a Master Gardener Telephone line
24
Superstar Bed
15
Trailside Garden
2
Cedar Ridge Elementary Green Classroom
49
Annual Plant Sale
3
JMG at UHS
134
Urban Garden Coalition
3
MCMG Admin/Clerical
32
Newsletter, publishing
5
Other Volunteer Hours
153
Speaker’s Bureau
17
Waco Farmers’ Market
29
Volunteering at the Junior Master
Gardener Club
Hello Master Gardeners,
Here are the details again for volunteering at the Junior
Master Gardener Club.
March 18-April 24th
K-2 Grade: Tuesdays 4-5:30
3-5th Grade: Thursdays 4-5:30
At the Baylor Community Garden
1705 S.9th St. Waco Tx 76706
Volunteers can come for 1 day or more. Will be assisting
with children helping them with crafts, snacks and
learning (ahem listening quietly).
You may contact Rianna at [email protected] for
signup.
Sounds like a fun way to serve our community in the area
of gardening!
Rianna
Party for the Planet/Earth Day
Celebration at CP Zoo
(The name of the event is no longer Beasts and
Blooms/EarthDay at CP Zoo)
April 26, 9am-3pm
MCMG will be in the Tree Top Pavilion making
paper sombreros in the afternoon, seed cards in the morning
from recycled newspaper, and answering questions about
EarthKind plants. (We will need 15 volunteers. Contact
Jeanette Kelly if you would like to volunteer. It is LOTS of
fun)
Master Gardener Library Books
These books have disappeared from our
library shelves and no one has left a
check-out card. If you have one of
these, please return it to our office
soon.
Texas Garden Almanac by Doug Welsh
Lasagna Gardening by Tricia Lanza
Perennial Gardening Color by William Welch
Country Garden Planner by Darrelll Trout
Mathematics of Turfgrass Maintenance by Michael
Agnew
Shade Gardening by Mimi Luebbermann
Vegetable Book: Texan's Guide to Gardening by Sam
Cotner (hard cover)
Diseases of Trees and Shrubs by Wayne Sinclair
Basic Book of Organic Gardening by Rodale
To check out a book:
Put your name on the card in back of the book and leave
card in box on the shelf.
Page | 5
On-Line Registration: http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu
(keyword Master Gardener)
PLANT SALE - MAY 17
NEW LOCATION - 4565 W. Waco Drive
The MCMG Plant Sale will be moving across the
creek from Mocek's side lot to the parking lot of
Westview Lanes at 4565 West Waco Drive. Hours
will still be from 9 to 3 and we anticipate the usual
large crowd looking for our plants.
Divide your perennials that are emerging and need
thinning.
Dig up plantings that have spread where you don't
want them.
Bulbs and seeds are good sale items.
Plant seeds in pots to grow during the next 6 weeks
to be of a good size to sell.
Each pot will need to have a label with their correct
name, price and helpful information such as "sun,
shade, herb, drought tolerant, growth size", etc.
Plants should have been potted before May 1 to have
time to be well established in their pots and well
rooted.
Educational Opportunities
Master Gardener Specialist Training Conclave May 1516, 2014 on Texas A&M Campus:
MG Vegetable Specialist; Course Director-Joe Masabni
MG Earth-Kind Landscape Specialist; Course DirectorMengmeng Gu
MG Home Fruit Specialist; Course Director-Monte
Nesbitt
MG Junior Master Gardener Specialist: Course DirectorLisa Whittlesey
The MG Specialist Conclave is an opportunity for certified master
gardeners to gain specialist training in a conference setting. Four
specialist courses will be taught concurrently at the Texas A&M
Horticultural Sciences Department building on the Texas A&M
University Campus at College Station, Texas. Certified master
gardeners with approval and support of their county coordinator
may register for one of the training sessions.
Registration $250
**Master Gardeners completing their requirements are eligible
for $50 in rebates from the Texas Master Gardener
Association.
°Home Fruit: Vegetable
°Earth-Kind Landscape
°Junior Master Gardener
Course Descriptions-All three courses involve 16 hours of
classroom instruction spanning two days, as listed above.
Registrants must begin and complete each session during the
listed dates (no exceptions). 20 hours of volunteer service must
be completed in one year to gain certification.
Rainwater University 2014
The Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center
– Dallas is pleased to announce Rainwater University 2014.
Rainwater harvesting a viable alternative water source for
your landscape, garden, livestock, firefighting and both
indoor non-potable and potable uses. Rainwater University
will have presentations and hand on training from rainwater
harvesting experts from around the country. From
constructing a 55 gallon rain barrel or small home system;
designing and installing large commercial rainwater
collection systems above and below ground; understanding
how to irrigate from your cistern. This event has it all. Sign
up for one day or all three, daily topics outlined below.
April 16, 2014
• Small and Large Scale Residential Collection Systems
(55 to 2,000 gallon)
• Irrigating with collected rainwater – with or without a
pump
April 17, 2014
• Large Scale Commercial Systems (10,000 gallons +)
• Underground and Above Ground Collection Systems
• Non-potable and Potable Uses of Rainwater
• Installing an Irrigations System from your Rainwater
Harvesting System
April 18, 2014
• Low Impact Development – Green Roofs and Rain
Gardens
• Stormwater Protection
• LEED credits for Water Conservation
• EPA WaterSense Program
Cost $75 per day, includes program materials and
lunch
American Rainwater Collection System Association
(ARCSA) Trainings
ARCSA Accredited Professional (AP) Training: April 1415, 2014 $395.00
ARCSA Design and Construction Workshop: April 16-17,
2014 $395.00
ARCSA Inspection Specialist (IS) Program: April 18,
2014 $195.00
Page | 6
Texas Rainwater Catchment Association (TRCA) Annual
Meeting
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Register online at http://dallas.tamu.edu/courses
Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center Dallas
17360 Coit Road, Dallas, TX 75252
For more information Contact Dotty Woodson
[email protected] 972.952.9688
Education Saturday""
Home Tour, May 3, 10am-1pm
(3 hours ed if you visit all three homes)
MCMGs will have the opportunity to visit 3 different
gardens of our members. (Possibly 4)
Jan Serface, Water Wise Landscape, 2600 Richards
Drive,
are given the chance to grow and learn how to do new
things.
Master
Gardeners get the
chance
to
have
hands-on
opportunities
to
learn. I love the look
on
Linda
Deal
Kruse’s face as she
tackles
building
raised beds. She is
ready to go with her
electric drill!
Below,
Sharon
Richardson helps a
student learn how to
secure the sides of a
raised bed together.
I think it is evident
that both the Master
Gardeners and those
we teach have fun
learning new things.
A love of learning is
one of the greatest
things we can instill
in a young person. It
is wonderful to be
part of this.
Elizabeth Milam, Roses and More, 1016 Hummingbird
Lane,
Andrea Moore, Patio Home Garden, 1329 Windstone
Master Gardeners Wear Many Hats
Master Gardeners are often asked to master many skills—
even some you would not think would be related to
gardening. Many of us play the role of teachers, artists,
administrators, and carpenters as we fulfill our roles in
service to the community.
Over the next months we will have ample opportunities to
teach and share our gardening skills with others. I hope
each of us will get involved and take part in these activities.
We will soon have a new set of interns. It is exciting to think
about all the great talents and knowledge this group will
bring to our organization. Let’s all welcome them and be
ready to welcome them into our group. No telling what we
will be learning to do this time next year!
Melody Fitzgerald
Students at UHS are learning how to make raised
beds.
It has often amazed me how skilled our group is. We have
a wide pool of skills and talents from which to draw
whenever it is needed. Those of us with less talents often
Page | 7
Master Gardeners About Town
Margaret Henson showed beekeeping equipment
at the Four Seasons Garden Club.
Students get some hands-on gardening experience at WWE.
MG volunteers worked hard at the SuperStar bed.
Students have a new friend at University High
School Greenhouse Classroom.
Page | 8