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Transcript
MARCH 2015 The Seed News that grows on you University of Maryland Extension, Montgomery County, MD, Master Gardeners Why Grow Houseplants? By Adele Fein In the Victorian Era, a nicely kept parlor was the symbol of middleclass respectability. Parlors usually included plants, especially those adaptable to low light conditions, such as aspidistra, snake plants, ferns, and palms. Where: Fairgrounds Click here for directions. When: Thursday, March 5 9:30 a.m. mingle 10:00 Meeting These days, rather than symbolizing social status, houseplants are valued for the many other benefits they provide––offering companionship, purifying the air, and helping fragile bodies and souls to heal. We grow them because they add beauty to our lives, they help us connect with the environment, and they keep us healthy. Working with them lowers blood pressure, eases stress, satisfies our emotional need to nurture, and gives us pleasure. On another level, they help remove air pollutants from our homes, like those from carpets, pressed wood, insulation, paper products, vinyl fabrics, detergents, glue, copying machines, and printers. According to the EPA, indoor air pollution is one of the fastest-growing environmental problems. In fact, NASA put spider plants in spacecraft to purify the air in space capsules. Plants absorb pollutants through their leaves; they take in the CO2 we exhale and give back the oxygen we inhale. Their soils absorb pollutants, and soil microorganisms break down the chemicals. Continued on page 3 General Membership Meeting — March 5 What: Growing Community Gardens in Montgomery Parks The prize of the parlor a pampered aspidistra. Who: Pat Lynch, Community Garden Coordinator for Montgomery Parks Community Garden Program. An MG since 2008, Pat also heads this program, which has grown steadily over the years. Pat will tell us about the program, its history, successes and problems, what it is now and what is planned for future years. Photo: whatsthatpicture via Wikimedia Commons Introducing . . . the Class of 2015 Welcome to the 45 new Master Gardener interns. And it’s just in time, as the many MG activities gear up for Spring. The class of 2015 is larger than the entire membership of Montgomery County Master Gardeners back in April 1990, when they started out fielding phone calls about gardening problems. Today there are 387 active members (and we’re not getting many phone calls anymore.) Photo by Sherry Marshall Quick Links - see page 2 or click here What’s Inside President's Column ·················· 2 From the Garden ······················ 2 Quick Links ································ 2 SEED Team ································ 2 Announcements······················· 4 Stumped ··································· 6 Ask and Answer ······················· 7 MG News ·································· 8 Weed of the Month ················· 8 Continuing Education ·············· 9 PAGE 2 The Seed Team Sherry Marshall Alison Mrohs Co-Editors Deborah Petro Julie Super Production Co-Editors Ruth Burke Photo Editor Claudia Sherman Editor, Continuing Education Corner Editor, Ask & Answer Diyan Rahaman Editor, STUMPED Tech Support Betty Cochran Copy Editor Quick Links Board Meeting Minutes Board Members, Committees and Services Derwood Demo Gardens Discounts for MGs at Nurseries and Stores GIEI Blog Green Sheets Home & Garden Info Center Insect Data Base Join the Listserv MG Information Sheet MG Policies/Guidelines MG Website Monthly Membership Meetings Native Plant Center Photo Permission Form Plant Clinics Propose New Activity The Seed MARCH 2015 The President’s Column By Janet Young Digging Deeper: Still Digging This Year Last year I proposed starting a Master Gardener reading club to discuss scientific articles on horticulture related to our mission. Unlike an ordinary scientific journal club that is often fraught with stress over finding the best article to impress colleagues, our group is a fun-loving, snack-enjoying, chat-engaging group of gardeners. And most important – you do not have to have a science background to attend. The mission is twofold. First, we explore the background behind science-based recommendations from Extension scientists. Second, we go to the science behind articles in the popular press that are often incomplete, emphasize minor points, or are sometimes incorrect. Summaries of our meetings are published in The Seed, so all can read our discussions and conclusions even if unable to attend meetings. Our group started last July and met four times last year. At the first meeting, we explored the Extension recommendation that certain Stink Bug traps may not be particularly effective in discouraging these insects from consuming our plants. This meeting had the added attraction of attendance by several Master Gardeners who participated in the study that was led by Chris Sargent and Mike Raupp at the University of Maryland. Our August meeting focused on the challenges and development of GPS mapping in studies of climate change. In September, Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp directed us to scientific articles on the bee crisis showing that neonicotinoid pesticides are only one of many factors affecting bees. At our final 2014 meeting in November, our group found a preponderance of scientific evidence for the safety and benefit of GM plants, including rice with vitamin A, potatoes with additional protein, and chestnut trees with a wheat gene making them resistant to Cryphonectria parasitica, the cause of chestnut blight. We now have a Google Group where we will keep for future reference all the articles we review. Our first meeting this year is Thursday, February 26 at 10 am in the Conference Room at Derwood. The topic is the perceived and actual environmental hazards of GM plants. If you would like to join Digging Deeper Google Group, send an email to me and I will send you an invitation. Not sure if you can attend the meetings? Feel free to join the group and get to see the articles we plan to explore. Janet From the Garden Photo by Kathy Gaskill Scroll or Return to Table of Contents In honor of St. Patty’s Day, we bring you a lovely photo from the Irish National Study Japanese Gardens in County Kildare, Ireland. This is one of the 137 amazing photos taken in 22 countries by 29 master gardeners and presented as the Master Gardener Worldwide Garden Tour 2014. Skillfully assembled by Len Friedman, all of the photos can be enjoyed at https:// www.extension.umd.edu/ sites/default/files/_docs/ programs/master-gardeners/ Montgomery/2015%20MG% 20Travel.pdf. PAGE 3 Houseplants continued from page 1 Like animal pets, plants welcome us home when we’ve been away; they respond to our care by growing healthy and strong to draw us into very real relationships with them. In nursing homes, rehab centers, schools, and other situations where outdoor gardening is not possible, working with plants provides a green connection that enhances healing, decreases frustration, and stimulates memory. Working with plants has been known to shorten recovery time for hospital patients who have undergone surgery. Studies have shown that plants in the workplace decrease absenteeism and increase productivity. School systems have been advised to keep plants in classrooms, halls, and cafeterias, where CO2 levels can be as high as five times what they should be. Reducing those levels helps students stay alert. Best of all, plants are nice–– they never reject you! The Seed MARCH 2015 Landscaping for Cavity-Nesting “Look, Ma, no cavities!” may explain a lot if she’s wondering why the bluebird of happiness never visits her garden. If you share Ma’s concerns about having bluebirds and other cavity-nesting birds as part of your garden environment, think about providing the trees and shrubs that they favor for food as well as nesting. Here’s a list provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to get you started. You may even wish to become one of Cornell’s certified NestWatchers, a nationwide monitoring program that tracks reproductive biology of birds. Find out An Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) more at www.nestwatch.org. in winter plumage, eating the Bluebird, Eastern (Sialia sialis) - Fruits of elderberry, bright red berries of a Weeping hackberry, serviceberry, sumac, flowering dogwood, Holly tree. Photo by Ken Thomas via holly, red cedar, fox grape, and Virginia creeper Wikimedia Commons Chickadee, Black-capped (Poecile atricapillus) Serviceberry, bayberry, winterberry, and viburnum shrubs, as well as pines and birches Chickadee, Carolina (Poecile carolinensis) - Various fruits and conifer seeds (pines, spruces, etc.) Flicker, Northern (Colaptes auratus) - Wild strawberries, fruits of elderberry and blueberry shrubs, dogwood trees, and the seeds of clover and grasses Flycatcher, Great Crested (Myiarchus crinitus) Insects mostly, but will eat mulberries, cherries, wild grapes, and sassafras fruit Kestrel, American (Falco sparverius) - Dead snags containing nest holes of flickers and woodpeckers, hunts open land where it finds grasshoppers, mice, and reptiles Eastern Screech Owl red-phase Photo by Epeterwolf via Wikimedia Commons Nuthatch, Brown-headed (Sitta pusilla) - Pine tree seeds Nuthatch, Red-breasted (Sitta canadensis) - Seeds of pine, spruce, and fir trees Woodpecker, Hairy (Picoides villosus) - Blackberries, hazelnuts, acorns, and beechnuts Nuthatch, White-breasted (Sitta carolinensis) - Maple, oak, and pine trees for food and shelter; they also like beechnuts and hickory nuts Woodpecker, Pileated (Dryocopus pileatus) - Fruits of serviceberry, blackberry, wild strawberry, elderberry, hackberry, and red mulberry shrubs; also searches foliage for insects Screech Owl, Eastern (Megascops asio) - Cavities in large trees, leave snags standing if they do not threaten property Master Gardener Snow Day Policy Swallow, Tree (Tachycineta bicolor) - Berry-like succulent cones of juniper and small waxy fruits of bayberry and wax myrtle shrubs If Montgomery County Public Schools are closed, all classes and meetings will be cancelled that day. If Montgomery County Public Schools start late, we will start on time. Titmouse, Tufted (Baeolophus bicolor) - Acorns, as well as the fruits of bayberry, elderberry, hackberry, and serviceberry Woodpecker, Downy (Picoides pubescens) - Fruit of serviceberry and wild strawberries, dogwood, mountain ash, and Virginia creeper Woodpecker, Red-bellied (Melanerpes carolinus) Pine seeds, acorns, and the fruits of shrubs such as elderberry, bayberry, red mulberry, and flowering dogwood Wren, Carolina (Thryothorus ludovicianus) - Fruits of native bayberry shrubs and leaf mulch, where it probes for insects Source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, based on The Bird Garden, by Stephen Kress, with thanks to MG Vivienne Burke. Scroll or Return to Table of Contents The Seed PAGE 4 MARCH 2015 Announcements Last Call for 2015 Dues Reminder––if you haven’t paid your 2015 dues, now’s the time. Your continued support is vital to our work. And you continue to receive all the benefits of belonging (as detailed in the January issue of the Seed). Dues are tax-deductible. Make your check in the amount of $25 payable to MC-EAC (Montgomery County— Extension Advisory Council, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization). Dues may be paid at the monthly general meeting, or by mail, to our treasurer, MG Ken Hoyle, 24395 Hilton Place, Gaithersburg, MD 20882, or delivered to MG Linda Waters at the Derwood office. Already renewed? Thanks! Starting March 17 & March 24 Derwood Demonstration Garden Needs Volunteers , When: First work day for current volunteers: Tuesday, March 17, 8 am to noon When: First work day for new volunteers: Tuesday, March 24, 8 am to noon Where: MG Demonstration Garden in Derwood By Lily Bruch The Derwood Demonstration Garden needs a lot of volunteers during the season. Come whenever your schedule allows you to join us, once a week or once a month! Our primary goal is to reach out to the public to share our gardening experiences and knowledge. Our second goal is to furnish a fun learning environment for Master Gardeners in our award-winning demonstration garden. Here are some of our activities: Offer hands-on education to Master Gardeners Demonstrate plants that can grow successfully in our region Demonstrate Integrated Pest Management practices Provide plant material for use in the Therapeutic Horticulture program Provide therapeutic horticultural activities for autistic children Supply fresh vegetables to Manna Participate in public events such as Grow It Eat It and Harvest Festival Provide scheduled tours for county organizations The award-winning Derwood Demo Garden wants you! Consider working in these areas: composting, turf plots, therapeutic gardening, children’s gardening, plant labeling, irrigation, kitchen gardening, herb/fragrance gardening, potatoes, butterfly gardening, shade-loving plants, ponds, conservation gardening, mapping, small fruits, 100-square-foot gardening, fencing, and . . . whew! Yes, the Demo Garden team knows how to get our hands dirty. Please join us! Regular workdays are Tuesdays from 8 am to noon, starting March 17 (current) or March 24 (new) to November 3. Shade garden team meets on Thursdays. Contact MG Darlene Nicholson, [email protected], MG Bill Newman, [email protected], or MG Lily Bruch, [email protected], for more information. Wednesday, March 25 Let’s Get Herbal with the Herb Society of America If you believe there’s more to herb gardening than basil and pesto, you’ll enjoy this special culinary event co-sponsored by Montgomery County Master Gardeners and the Potomac Unit of the Herb Society of America. On Wednesday, March 25, at Derwood MG and GIEI chef Maro Nalabandian will show you how she gets creative with herbs in Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. The demonstration will depend on what’s fresh and available, and you’ll get to sample what she whips up. Come at 11 am to mingle with Herb Society members, learn more about what they do, and tell them about MG activities. Chef Maro’s program will run from 11:30 – 12:30. Herbs and veggies look healthy and delicious even before they go in the soup pot. Space is limited for this special event, so sign up with MG Pat Kenny at the MG monthly meeting on March 5 or, thereafter, via email to Pat at [email protected]. Photo by Pat Kenny Scroll or Return to Table of Contents PAGE 5 MARCH 2015 Announcements (continued) Monday, March 30 How to Submit Articles and Pictures MGs are invited to submit articles and pictures for the newsletter, but keep in mind that submissions may be edited and/or not used until a later month. Please limit stories to 350-400 words. Send submission as an attachment to your email by the 12th of the previous month to [email protected] Photos must come with basic information that includes name of the person in the photo, subject matter or caption and either a signed photo permission slip from those in the picture or an email from them saying they allow us to use their picture in the newsletter. Click here for the form. If you have your name, email address and/or phone number in your article, please give us permission to use them. The newsletter can be accessed through the internet. Without the permission, we will delete the contact information. Therapeutic Horticulture Workshop – You’re Invited By JoAnn Mueller The Therapeutic Horticulture Committee will hold its annual workshop on Monday, March 30, from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm in the Multipurpose Room at Derwood. If you’d like to find out more about our programs, you are welcome to attend. The purpose of the workshop is to share ideas for horticulture-related projects for our programs. Our target population is County residents with special needs, from youth to seniors. Most of our programs are with seniors at nursing homes and assisted living facilities, but we also have a program for children and teens with autism in the Master Gardener Demonstration Garden. Last summer we led a container gardening project at a local women’s shelter in Rockville; we also have a small indoor gardening project at NIH for patients with emotional illnesses. No matter what the special needs are, there are many therapeutic benefits gained through the three components of our programs: group programs, hands-on activities, and a horticulture-related educational component. We currently have 18 ongoing programs and are in the process of starting two new ones at St. Raphael’s Assisted Living in Rockville and Byron House Assisted Living in Potomac. We are also in need of additional help at Kensington Nursing Home, Brooke Grove Retirement Village and the gardening project for youth with autism in the Demo Garden. There are many opportunities to become involved. Please contact MG JoAnn Mueller for further information: [email protected] or 301-421-9657. Donations Needed for Backyard and Community Gardens By Terri Valenti Thank you to everyone who donated supplies for Backyard and Community Gardeners. We are still in need of items listed below, which can be brought to the March 5 monthly meeting or to the Nancy Ballard Phone Room. If you have a question about where to bring a donation, please contact MG Melissa Siegel at [email protected]. If you have a question about an item to be donated, contact the lead for Growing Vegetables with Manna Clients (program lead MG Robin Ritterhoff) □ Hoe □ 5 gallon nursery pots (1 gal. pots no longer needed) □ 5 gallon buckets (with lid ideal, no lid okay) Jr. MG (program lead MG Sue Kuklewicz) □ Hoses (5/8) inch □ 50 ft and 100 ft hose reels □ Small watering cans □ Watering wands □ Gardening gloves, small - medium size □ Hand pruners □ Hand trowels □ Wheel barrow / garden cart □ Bucket tool belts □ Magnifying glasses / hand lens □ Dish tubs □ Garden markers □ Large pots Boy Scouts/GIEI Events (program lead MG Terri Valenti) □ Annual flower seeds that are easy to direct seed (can be self-collected) □ Spading forks □ Lawn/leaf rake □ Garden rake □ Round point shovel More than 1 group (program lead MG Melissa Siegel) □ Wooden Clementine Boxes - a few more needed Scroll or Return to Table of Contents PAGE 6 The Seed MARCH 2015 Stumped When gardeners are STUMPED, they seek expert advice from MG Extension, a plant clinic, or HGIC. Winter Damage or Something Else? As winter winds down and spring is in the air, homeowners venture out to look at their yards, sometimes discovering tattered plants that they send to the Derwood Extension office to find out if they are suffering from winter damage or something worse. Here are examples of some brown spots on pachysandra and discolored hemlock branches that, under closer examination, were found to be the symptoms of more serious problems than winter injury. Volutella blight of pachysandra Volutella blight, also called leaf and stem blight, is the most destructive disease of pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) in the Northeast. It is caused by the fungus Volutella pachysandricola. Patches of wilting and dying plants in a bed of pachysandra often indicate the presence of volutella blight. This fungus is considered an opportunistic pathogen that attacks weak plants. It can infect leaves, stems, and stolons. Leaves develop irregular tan to brown blotches, often with concentric lighter and darker zones with dark brown margins. These necrotic blotches gradually increase in size until the entire leaf turns brown or black and dies. Good housekeeping helps prevent volutella blight of pachysandra. Photo: University of Massachusetts Volutella blight can be managed by following an integrated approach that includes sanitary, cultural, and chemical measures. Fall cleanup to remove any fallen leaves or plant debris from the bed helps to improve air circulation and reduce moisture levels. When infections are detected, all debris and severely diseased plants should be removed and destroyed. It is also helpful to periodically thin the planting to prevent dense growth and increase light and air circulation. Elongate Hemlock Scale The elongate hemlock scale (Fiorinia externa) is a serious armored scale insect pest of hemlocks (Tsuga) that also feeds on many other species of conifers, including firs (Abies), pines (Pinus), spruces (Picea), cedars (Cedrus), Douglas firs (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and yews (Taxus). It is believed that this armored scale insect was unintentionally introduced into the United States from Japan. It was first observed in Queens, New York, in 1908 and now occurs in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Virginia. The waxy covers of this species can be observed on the lower needle surface as well as on new cones. The flattened, elongate, light yellow-brown to brownish-orange waxy cover of the adult female is about 1.5 mm long. The adult female's body beneath the waxy cover, eggs, and crawler stage are yellow. The white, waxy cover of the male is smaller. Adult male scales have only one pair of wings. Sometimes waxy secretions from settled crawlers may build into a mass of tangled strands. These waxy strands may be so abundant that it gives the lower surface of infested needles a white appearance. Elongate hemlock scale may be most noticeable on conifers in May-June. Photo: Charley Eiseman, bugguide.net There is an abundance of crawlers from late May through early June. This is an ideal time to treat with a registered insecticide formulation applied according to label directions. For effective crawler management, repeat applications may be needed until mid-September. Maintaining healthy trees may reduce the chances of an increase in the population of this pest. Two small wasp parasitoids, the lady beetle, Chilocorus stigma, and several species of lacewings are natural enemies of this scale insect that provide some population reduction. Scroll or Return to Table of Contents PAGE 7 The Seed MARCH 2015 Ask and Answer New monthly feature in The Seed Word of the Month:Imbibition The uptake of water by dry seed is called imbibition (imbibition means to drink: seeds imbibe water, you do not imbibe seeds). As seeds imbibe water, they expand and enzymes and food supplies become hydrated. Hydrated enzymes become active and the seed increases its metabolic activities to produce energy for the growth process. In addition, the water causes turgor pressure to increase in the cells and they are able to enlarge. Source: Roger Hangarter, Indiana University, Dept. of Biology Basil Downy Mildew: Advice from the Expert Downy mildew of basil (BDM) is a relatively new, destructive disease that apparently is here to stay. First reported in Florida in 2007, it has been observed yearly in Maryland since 2009. The SEED consulted with Dr. Margaret (Meg) Tuttle McGrath, a vegetable disease expert at Cornell University, who has worked extensively on BDM. Q. What are the symptoms of basil downy mildew? MTM: Early symptoms include a yellowing of the leaves (sometimes in distinctive bands delineated by major veins) that can be mistaken for nutritional deficiency, but the key to diagnosis is observation of clusters of tiny black spores on the underside of the leaves. Eventually, all leaves will turn yellow and fall off and the plant dies. Often BDM is not recognized until the plant completely declines. For photos, see http://tinyurl.com/q78qxno and http://tinyurl.com/qcuwfap. Q. How is it spread? Telltale sign of downy mildew on underside of basil leaf. Photo: University of Maryland Extension MTM: The pathogen, Peronospora belbahrii¸ can be seed-borne or dispersed via air-borne spores. The tiny spores are not visible until they cluster on the underside of leaves. Unlike impatiens downy mildew, the BDM pathogen cannot survive in soil over winter. The pathogen needs high humidity (at least 85%) or wet leaves to infect. Q. Are all species of basil equally susceptible to the disease? MTM: The common sweet basil, Ocimum basilicum, is very susceptible to the disease, while exotic and ornamentals such as the red types, Thai, lemon, lime and spice basils, are less susceptible. Sweet basil varieties with some resistance are starting to become available. The first, Eleonora, has moderate resistance, which means it will become severely affected more slowly than varieties without resistance. Q. What should I do if my plants have the disease? Can it be managed or prevented? MTM: Infected plants should be removed and trashed, not composted. Put a plastic bag over the plant and pull it up by the roots, containing as much as possible to avoid spreading spores. Prevention is key as BDM is very difficult to manage with fungicides available to home gardeners. Inspect plants carefully at purchase for any signs of disease. Minimize leaf wetness and reduce humidity by planting with full sunlight and good air movement. Maximize plant spacing and use drip irrigation. I’ve had success with planting basil in pots and bringing them in at night when humidity above 85% was expected or during periods of rain. See http://tinyurl.com/ph9zn6k for my report on this experiment. If your high humidity in Maryland makes taking pots in impractical, I still recommend planting in pots and placing them high, such as on a garden wall or deck, to promote better air circulation. Q. Is there anything Maryland Master Gardeners can do to help with your study of this disease? MTM: Yes! Gardeners can participate in an ongoing monitoring program by making reports at: http://tinyurl.com/p2b69an. Enter your observations in a line at the bottom of the spreadsheet and e-mail me at [email protected] to notify me of the report. See http://tinyurl.com/q78qxno for further instructions on reporting and submission of samples. This is my article that also contains what is known about the disease. Q. What other research is being done on BDM? Are we going to have to live with this disease for the foreseeable future? MTM: BDM is here to stay, but can expect varieties with a high level of resistance in the future. Rutgers University has made excellent progress and there are breeders elsewhere working on this. Scroll or Return to Table of Contents PAGE 8 Weed Spotters MARCH 2015 MG News If You Thought We Were Busy Last Year… You’re right! Montgomery County Master Gardeners logged 23,425 hours in 2014, an average of 60.5 hours for each of our 387 active members. Just as impressive, we worked with, contacted, and otherwise interacted with 18,279 people in the County. With two new programs this year (so far), it’s not unlikely we’ll put in even more time and make more contacts. Activities that absorbed the most hours were Demonstration and Historic Gardens (4,329 hours), Plant Clinics (3,612), Internal Administration (3,504) and Backyard & Community Food Production (3,350). (Internal administration includes activities such as: newsletter, website, public relations, record-keeping, and volunteer recognition.) Hairy bittercress, Cardamine hirsuta, is in the Brassicaceae or mustard family and is quickly spotted in the garden this time of year. It’s also very easy to pull now, when it’s small and the ground is wet. On the other hand, the tiny flowers are attractive to a few early butterflies, including spring azure and falcate orange-tip. Photo by Alison Mrohs Special Events (SWAT, Fair Week, Close Encounters, etc.) generated the highest number of contacts (5,801 individuals), followed by Plant Clinics (5,699), Backyard & Community Food Production (2,530), and Therapeutic Horticulture (2,341). Mary Hagedorn talks about stream buffers and water quality during the 2014 Close Encounters. Photo by Julie Mangin MG Janet Young, President, noted that 16 MGs put in 200 or more hours last year, and 63 MGs put in 100 or more hours. One dedicated MG put in more than 1,000 hours. Every hour and every contact entered by MGs by various means electronic or otherwise was collected, deciphered, approved and submitted to University of Maryland Extension by the indefatigable MG Katie McIe. So let’s make her job a little easier this year and faithfully complete our hours and contacts using the Online MG Tracking System at http://www.agnr.umd.edu/mg/index.html. MG Demo Gardens Continue to Garner Awards The Master Gardener Demo Gardens at Derwood and the Montgomery County Fairgrounds continue to rack up awards in the “Keep Montgomery County Beautiful” awards competition. The Farmer’s Triangle Garden and the Master Gardener 4-H Garden both won Awards of Excellence in 2014 in the Public & Institutional Category. The Heritage Garden at the Fairgrounds and Derwood Demo Garden both received awards for Sustained Maintenance, which may be earned after a garden has won the Award of Excellence for three years. Gardens that receive awards for Sustained Maintenance for five years may then qualify for the Golden Trowel Award, and rest on their laurels. Heritage received the Sustained Maintenance Award for the first time in 2014, and Derwood received it for the second year, so they are on their way to qualifying for this prestigious award, which is presented to very few gardens. In addition to the Beautification Awards, there is a contest for amateur photography of county locations/residents, and for Adopt-A-Road Clean Sweep Awards. Get more information at: https://montgomerycountymd.mygreenmontgomery.org/2014/10/keep-montgomery-county-beautifulbeauification-awardees-photo-contest-winners/. Keep Montgomery County Beautiful is sponsored by the county Department of Transportation (MCDOT). Scroll or Return to Table of Contents PAGE 9 The Seed MARCH 2015 Continuing Education Corner M BENEGF IT Visit Website for More Classes Editor's note: Want to find the web link for an organization offering a class to get more information or register? See the green column headed "Resources" at the side of the page, and click on the organization's link to go directly to its website The Accokeek Foundation February 28, 9 am-2 pm (first of four quarterly hikes). A Year at Boundary Bridge. Join the author of A Year in Rock Creek Park, starting at Boundary Bridge and follow the same 2.5-mile loop trail each season, to admire and identify the rich plant life along a scenic stretch of Rock Creek. (Walks continue on April 11, June 27 and November 7). Audubon Naturalist Society in partnership with Rock Creek Conservancy. $42 per walk ($30 for members); $143 ($102) for entire series; preregistration required. Much of Northwest Branch Park is preserved as Montgomery County parkland, and it feels surprisingly wild despite the urbanization surrounding it. County forest ecologist Carol Bergmann will lead this hike of 2.5-3.5 miles, focusing on plant identification and ecology in a search for the earliest signs of Spring. The trail will be a natural surface path, with some uphill/downhill and some limited rock scrambling. Audubon Naturalist Society. $34 ($24 for ANS members); preregistration required. March 1, 1 pm. Garden Talk – Fruit Trees and Berry Bushes: Planting, Pruning and Prep for Spring. Behnke Nurseries. FREE: preregistration requested. March 22, 1 pm. Garden Talk – Planning an Old Fashioned Cutting Garden. Learn about the nature of cutting gardens and the best flowers to grow. Behnke Nurseries. FREE; preregistration requested. Audubon Naturalist Society Behnke’s Brookside Gardens Casey Trees City Blossoms Green Spring Gardens Horticultural Society of Maryland Irvine Nature Center Ladew Topiary Gardens Maryland Native Plant Society Meadowlark Botanical Gardens Merrifield Gardens Montgomery College Neighborhood Farm Initiative Prince William Cooperative Extension State MG Advanced Training United States Botanic Garden Conservatory US National Arboretum March 7 (the first of 12 weekly classes), 10:30 am12:30 pm. Advanced Bonsai Workshop. Design one or more projects that you will continue on your own, with one-on-one instruction. Prerequisite: Beginner Bonsai Workshop. Behnke Nurseries. $300 for the series, plus plants and materials; preregistration required. March 7, 11 am and March 8, 1 pm. Garden Talk – Your Edible Garden: Starting from Seed & Planting Spring Vegetables. Behnke Nurseries. FREE; preregistration requested. March 7, 2-4 pm. Beginner Hands-On Bonsai. Learn all of the basics of bonsai design (how to select a tree, prune, transplant, landscape with rocks) and create your own bonsai to take home. Behnke Nurseries. $65 (includes materials); preregistration required. March 14 and 15, 9 am-5 pm. Orchid Diagnostic & Repotting Clinic. If you have questions about an orchid, bring it in and let Carol Allen take a look; will repot for a fee and show you how. Behnke Nurseries. FREE; preregistration requested. March 21, 11 am, repeated at 2 pm. Garden Talk – Getting Ready for Spring. Learn how to jump start your garden and landscape projects now. Behnke Nurseries. FREE; preregistration requested. March 22, 10 am-1:30 pm. Botanical Gems in Montgomery County: Northwest Branch Park. March 24, 6-7:30 p.m. Introduction to Organic Food Gardening. MG Gordon Clark, Montgomery Victory Gardens, will discuss site and plant selection, planting with the seasons, dealing with pests and more. Brookside Gardens Visitors Center Adult Classroom. $22 (FOBG $20); preregistration required. March 26, 4-7 p.m. and March 27, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Rain Garden Workshop. Learn techniques to evaluate your yard and create a rain garden that uses native plants and enhanced soils to build a watershed-friendly garden. Brookside Gardens Visitors Center Adult Classroom. $15 (FOBG $13), preregistration required. March 28, 1 pm. Garden Talk – Controlling Insect Pests in Your Garden: an IPM Approach. Behnke Nuirseries. FREE; preregistration requested. March 29, 9:30 am-1:30 pm. Budbreak at Carderock. Join Natural History Field Studies woody plant ID teachers Melanie Choukas-Bradley and Elizabeth Rives for a walk devoted to the identification and admiration of native trees and shrubs as their buds break and their leaves and flowers start to emerge. The 2-3 mile hike will mostly follow the C&O canal towpath, but will venture down to the Potomac River on Section B of the Billy Goat Trail for a portion of the hike. This Scroll or Return to Table of Contents EDUCATION continued on page 10 PAGE 10 MARCH 2015 Continuing Education Corner Our Mission: To support the University of Maryland Extension mission by educating residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities. Our Vision: The Maryland Master Gardener vision is a healthier world through environmental stewardship. Disclaimer: All opinions regarding businesses or their products are those of the authors and not of the University of Maryland. EEO Statement: The University of Maryland Extension programs are open to any person and will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression. Montgomery County Master Gardeners 18410 Muncaster Road Derwood, MD 20855 301-590-2836 Email: [email protected] Website Direct correspondence to: Stephen Dubik University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener Coordinator and Horticultural Consultant stretch involves some scrambling over rocks, a few steep sections, and some up and down, but will move at a slow pace. Audubon Naturalist Society. $34 ($24 for ANS members); preregistration required. March 29, 12 noon. Garden Talk – Planning a Hummingbird Garden. Behnke Nurseries. FREE; preregistration requested. March 29, 2 pm. Garden Talk -- Planning a Butterfly Garden. Discussion of the different stages of butterfly development and which plants are beneficial for each stage. Behnke Nurseries. FREE; preregistration requested. (continued) NC State Permaculture Classes (free): http://mediasite.online.ncsu.edu/online/Catalog/p ages/catalog.aspx?catalogId=f5a893e7-4b7c-4b7980fd-52dcd1ced715. Classes to choose from include Site Analysis & Design, Soil Ecology, BioDynamic Agriculture, Garden Ponds, and more. WEBINARS Seed Savers (not approved for CE credit). Recorded webinars include: Population Size; Planning Your Fall Garden; Pepper Seed Saving; Eggplant Seed Saving; Planting Garlic; Dry Seed Cleaning; Growing Biennials for Seed. www.seedsavers.org. March Events (not qualified for CE credits) STATE MG ADVANCED TRAINING Look for future issues of the The Seed to learn what the newly hired Advanced Training Coordinator, Alicia Bembenek, has planned for 2015. February 28 to March 1 and March 6-8 (two consecutive weekends). Maryland Home and Garden Show. Over 300 home improvement exhibits, landscaped garden displays, a plant marketplace, seminars and more. Maryland State Fairgrounds, Timonium, MD. $12 ($10 for seniors). Go to http://mdhomeandgarden.com/spring for more information. LOOKING AHEAD March 5, 10 am- 10 p.m.. 4th Annual Philadelphia June 4, 2015. Master Gardener/Master Naturalist Flower Show Bus Trip with Kathy Jentz. Leaves from Annual Training Day. It’s never too early to Save the Behnke Nurseries at 10 am. Sign up deadline is Date! March 1. For information and registration go to http://behnkes.com/website/images/stories/event s/2015/PhillyFlowerShow-Behnke2015.pdf. MORE WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING Environmental Concern, Inc. in St. Michael’s offers courses on wetlands. The USDA Graduate School offers a Natural History Field Studies Certificate Program. The University of Maryland Extension sponsors the Maryland Naturalist Program. Sessions are held in different areas of the State. http://extension.umd.edu/masternaturalist. The Center for Environmental Research & Conservation of Columbia University has online classes for its Certificate in Conservation & Environmental Sustainability. http://www.cerc.columbia.edu/. March 14 & 15, 9 am-5 pm. Friends of Brookside Gardens Orchid Show and Sale. Behnke Nurseries. March 21, Behnke Nurseries Spring Open House. Demonstrations, wine-tasting, door prizes and orchid clinic & repotting. “Getting Ready for Spring” by Christopher Lewis presented at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. March 28, 9:30 am – 2 pm. Native Plant Sale. This annual sale features a collection of local nurseries offering an extensive collection of high quality, locally grown native plants. Growers on site for expert advice. U.S. National Arboretum R Street parking lot. (Offered in conjunction with the Lahr Native Plant Symposium; attendees of the symposium get 8:30 early admission to the plant sale.) Scroll or Return to Table of Contents