Turnip News Master Gardeners

Prince William

April 2015

Editors: Rebecca Arvin-Colón Maria Stewart

Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings - At a Glance 3

MGPW.org Website Updates 4

The Ed Rishell Master Gardener College Scholarship

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Jamie Nick, Education Committee Announces: David Roos Lecture

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Summer Quest 2015 7

Do You Ever Wonder? 8

Bees—History, Current Benefits and Problems, and What You Can Do to Help

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Get to Know a Critter 12

Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings 13

Spring Plant Sales 13

PUZZLER 14

Inside this issue: MG President’s Message Master Gardeners, another milestone achieved! The Master Gar-deners of Prince William, Inc. was granted 501(c)(3) status by the IRS effective February 6, 2015. Our Treasurer, Debbie Scott, and Pat Reilly are now hard at work preparing the applications to send to the Commonwealth Of Virginia IRS. These applications will re-quest we be excused from paying sales tax when items are pur-chased for our association, to be excused from collecting sales tax when conducting fundraisers, and finally, to be excused from paying state income tax. We are hopeful we will be able to obtain relief from collecting sales tax at our first major fundraiser…our plant sale in May.

Leslie indicated we had over 30 volunteers out in the Teaching Gar-den for the first official workday. The weather is finally cooperating as there remains much to be accomplished in the garden after the long winter. We have purchased a second storage shed, and it will be placed at the garden as soon as the ground will permit a loaded truck to carry the shed to its new location. We plan to replace two

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MG President’s Message of the raised bed frames this year as well. Finally, we have purchased a new shredder that will make our composting operation run much easier.

Take time to look over our website. Traci Lovelace, along with the members of the Communication Committee, are making improvements as time permits. If you have suggestions for the website, please share them with Maria Stewart, Chairperson of the Communications Committee.

Yes, we finally have chairpersons for our Fundraising Committee. Brenda Hallam and Harriet Carter have agreed to be Co-Chairs of this committee. I am glad to announce all of the Board of Director positions that were required by our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws are finally filled, but feel free to join one of our committees. The more members a committee has, means less work for any one person.

I know it’s just April, but this coming January the membership must select a new secretary, an at-large member, and a president-elect. If you are interested in joining your Board of Directors, please let me know, and I will place you on the nomination ballot. The Standing Committee chair-persons are appointed by the Board.

Finally, I want to express our sincere gratitude to Rob Powers for having served as our treasurer for the past three years. Rob did an outstanding job keeping track of our finances and responding to all requests for reimbursements submitted by the membership. Rob has elected to step down, and Debbie Scott has been appointed by the Board of Directors as our new treasurer. Rob is get-ting Debbie up to speed, as our financial responsibilities as a 501(c)(3) organization have increased. We will miss Rob at our Board meetings, as he always found a positive side to every situation.

Respectfully,

Bill Willis President, Master Gardeners of Prince William, Inc.

Editors’ Note - Correction:

It has come to our attention that Kathy Burch’s name was misspelled in the President’s Message of the March 2015 Turnip News. Kathy Burch is a member of the Fundraising Committee.

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Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings - At a Glance

April FRIDAY 10

MG College Scholarship

Application due FRIDAY-SATURDAY 10-11

Spring Garden Market

SATURDAY 25 Northern Alexandria

Native Plant Sale

SATURDAY 18 Loudoun Wildlife

Conservancy Native Plant Sale

WEDNESDAY 1 ClinicTraining

SATURDAY-SUNDAY 25-26 Adkins Arboretum’s

Native Plant Nursery

May SUNDAY 3

Earth Sangha Open House and

Plant Sale

SATURDAY 9 Saturday in the

Garden / MGPW’s Spring Plant Sale

SATURDAY-SUNDAY 9-10 Blandy State

Arboretum Mother’s Day Garden Fair

WEDNESDAY 13 David Roos

Fall Garden Talk

SUNDAY 3 Friends of Riverbend Park Wildflower Sale

WEDNESDAY 6 Native Plant Society (Potowmack chapter) Monthly Sale Begins

SATURDAY 9 Prince William

Wildflower Society Native Plant Sale

SATURDAY 16 Spring Green Day at Green Spring

Garden

SATURDAY 23 Hill House Farm &

Nursery Annual Spring Open House

SATURDAY 11 Saturday in the

Garden

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MGPW.org Website Updates

Have you been to MGPW.org lately? Be sure to visit! http://www.mgpw.org/

Traci Lovelace has been busy streamlining and organizing our website to make it easier

to navigate and have more informative than ever. On the right side of the homepage, check out the Facebook icon that links to VCE - Prince William Master Gardeners (no need to have a Facebook account to access the page) and the “Latest News” module that lists articles added in newest order first.

Would you like to keep up-to-date on what’s happening at the Teaching Garden? You can now access Bev Veness’ Teaching Garden Blog from the homepage (either on the left under “Our Programs” and “The Teaching Garden” or on the right under “Latest News” and “The Teaching Garden Blog”). To have Bev’s updates sent directly to you, click on the latest post, then click “follow” and type in your email address.

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The Ed Rishell Master Gardener College Scholarship

Nominate yourself or someone you consider deserving!

Just follow the directions on the MGPW.org homepage;

on the right side, click “The Ed Rishell Master Gardener College Scholarship” (http://goo.gl/tWiEgh)

Submit your application to Bill Willis by April 10th.

The winner will be selected by April 15th.

If you have any questions, please email Bill Willis at profwillis@comcast.net or Leslie Paulson at ljp6651@comcast.net.

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Jamie Nick, Education Committee Announces:

David Roos Lecture on Fall Gardening, Wednesday, May 13th, 6:30 p.m. at the Old Courthouse (9248 Lee Avenue, Manassas)

Join us for Mr. Roos’ very popular fall garden talk where he will discuss the full circle of gardening (preparing, main-taining, and wrapping up the garden), as

well as the role of natives.

About David Roos: David Roos inherited his gardening and other lifelong passions from both sides of his family. He has a gardening design and consulting practice, gives garden lectures, worked in nurseries, and wrote a newspaper column. He received his design training at the New York Botanical Garden's Landscape Design certificate program in New York City. Mr. Roos' gardening philosophy emphasizes a hands-on approach and common sense practicality. Known for his strident views, Mr. Roos favors the elimination of Latin, petrochemicals, white-tailed deer, and mechanized equipment from the garden.

Please reserve your space with the Horticulture Help Desk at 703-792-7747 or email master_gardener@pwcgov.org.

More Education Committee Announcements to Come… Be Sure to Check Next Month’s Turnip News

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Summer Quest 2015 by Gloria Miller

F or the past nine years, Master Gardeners have been a part of The Prince William County Public Library Summer Quest Reading

Program. Our presentations have been developed around the Summer Quest theme.

This summer’s theme is “Read to the Rhythm,” and is the perfect opportunity to revive our “Plant Band” program. The program will begin with an introduction to instruments made from plant materials, which will include percussion (drums, shakers, strikers, castanets, etc.), wood wind (pan pipes, whistles, recorders, reeds, etc.), and string instruments. After the presentation, the children will divide into small groups to rotate around three stations, which will include the Sounds of Nature (craft project), Make a Shaker (craft project), and Meet and Greet the Instruments.

If you would like to volunteer, please come and join the “Plant Band.” You do not need to play an instrument; however, if you do, we could use your musical talent. The dates, times, and library locations are listed below. The program is usually an hour in length with an additional 30 minutes for set up and 30 minutes for cleanup. You do not need to volunteer for all the libraries. Past pro-grams have included Insects, Pollination, Bees, Plant Olympics, Eat Your Colors, Soils, and Native Plants/Insects. Our programs have always been well received by children and parents. If you plan to bring your children or grandchildren to the program, please check with the libraries for signup procedures. For more information about the program, please contact Nancy Berlin at NBerlin@pwcgov.org or Gloria Miller at gm_rose@hotmail.com.

Schedule: Wed. July 1, 2015 10:30 a.m. Dale City Neighborhood Library 4249 Dale Boulevard, Dale City

Wed., July 8, 2015 10:30 a.m. Nokesville Neighborhood Library 12993 Fitzwater Drive, Nokesville

Thurs., July 9, 2015 2:00 p.m. Potomac Community Library 2201 Opitz Boulevard, Woodbridge

Thurs., July 23, 2015 3:00 p.m. Central Community Library 8601 Mathis Avenue, Manassas

Wed. July 29, 2015 10:30 a.m. Dumfries Neighborhood Library 18007 Dumfries Shopping Plaza, Dumfries

Wed. Aug. 12, 2015 10:30 a.m. Independent Hill Neighborhood Library 14418 Bristow Road, Manassas

top left: MG Debbie Hamilton; bottom left: MG Wendy MacDonald Photos by Andrea Kinder

Earthworms from the Soils program Photo by Andrea Kinder

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Do You Ever Wonder? by Leslie Paulson

S ome days it is hard to remember when I wasn’t a Master Gardener. In 2004, it filled a void in my life, as I was used to being part of a group that did things for other people. And so, I look back on doing things for and with the Master Gardeners of Prince William for over 10

years. I now ask you to forgive me for getting up on my soapbox for a bit, but I feel that the time has come to reach out to both those who have been around longer than me and also to our more recent volunteers. We are now officially a 501(c)(3), as a result of Bill Willis’ hard work and the help of the MGPW Board. We also have leaders for all our necessary committees. Yet, it will soon be time to look for some Board member replacements and possibly some committee leadership replacements as well. There are over 200 of us in this organization. Like any large family, there are always some doing a larger percentage of the work, but now is a good time to offer some help to MGPW. I would not ask you to take on something that I wouldn’t do myself. And so, I ask if you might consider joining one of our committees or being in charge of our booth at the County Fair this year. And don’t forget that we will need some new Board members to run for the vacancies. The slate needs to be advertised 60 days before we take a vote at Recertification in January. For all of you who will step up and help our group out, I thank you ahead of time. And thank you to everyone who has already stepped up to volunteer.

Native Bed at The Teaching Garden Photo by Andrea Kinder

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Bees – History, Current Benefits and Problems, and What You Can Do To Help

by Abbie and Vincent Panettiere

A s Master Gardeners, we have all known the importance of bees in pollinating the plants in our gardens and also the

crops of farmers whom we depend on for food. Along with insects, birds, bats, and other polli-nators, plant life depends on the presence of bees to produce an abundant supply of food. Several sources I read stated that when we eat, one bite in three depends upon a pollina-tor, and bees are the main source of this vital service. It came as a surprise to me to learn that honey bees are not native to this country. They were brought here from Europe by farmers in the 17th century for their honey supplies and crop pollination. However, honey bees compete with, and even have supplanted, some of the 4,000 species of native bees, in some cases driving them to the point of extinction. In spite of this, many native bees are essential. Pumpkins, blue-berries, and tomatoes, among other fruits and vegetables native to the U.S., cannot be pollinated by honey bees. Native American bees patriotically perform this ser-vice for these native plants. Honey bees belong to the family Apidae, a large family whose various species can mate with one another. Besides honey, the honey bee’s living habits have also made this insect valuable to hive-keepers. Most native Ameri-can bees are solitary dwellers, with the excep-tion of bumble bees, which like honey bees, are hive-forming. Of the species of bees native to this country, the family Apidae includes all bumble bee

species, carpenter bees, and some miner bees and cuckoo bees. Bumble bees generally nest in the ground, but some build their nests above ground covered by thatch and debris. They are prized for their ability to fertilize tomatoes and are used exten-sively for that purpose by the large greenhous-es that grow tomatoes year-round. A queen bee is given a box for her nest and a supply of sugar water because, though tomatoes produce good quantities of pollen, they produce no nec-tar. The bumble bees are free to come and go, but seem content to stay in the greenhouse do-ing their jobs. Honey bees have been bred to be gentle over the generations, so that they can be handled easily and safely by bee handlers. An example of unintended consequences occurred when honey bees were introduced in South America, but were found not to function well under trop-ical temperatures. In 1956, Brazilian scientists imported southern African bees in an attempt to make the local honey bees better able to cope with the tropical heat. The African bees had developed over time to be extremely sensi-tive to disturbances and react fiercely to any perceived predator or source of danger, per-haps to protect their hives from honey poach-ers. The intent of the Brazilian scientists was to “gentle” the African bees by selective inter-breeding, but unfortunately, some of the Afri-can bees escaped quarantine, swarmed, and began to breed with the native bees giving them some of their hostile attributes. They were able to spread rapidly, some 200 miles each year, and have made their way up South America and into North America. These bees have inspired, among other things, a 1978 sci-

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ence fiction monster horror film, “The Swarm”, and at least three made for TV movies on “killer bees.” Another matter of great concern is that honey bee colonies are dying off suddenly from some-thing called colony collapse disorder (CCD). This name was given because the causes are not completely understood as yet, but seem to include such things as loss of habitat and plant diversity, diseases, and exposure to pesticides. Of the pests attacking honey bees, perhaps the most predatory has been varroa mites, an arachnid. A Virginia Cooperative Extension publication identifies these mites as having been introduced accidentally into Florida, probably in an illegal shipment of South Amer-ican queen bees, and first identified there in 1987. The publication continues: “By 1989, the mite was found in 19 of the southern states and has continued to spread throughout the United States and much of Canada. To date, the varroa mite has killed one‑half of the managed honey bee colonies and almost all of the feral honey bee colonies in North America. If a varroa mite infestation is left untreated, it can kill a bee colony within one to three years. As a result, the varroa mite is considered to be one of the most severe threats to the apiculture industry.” The publication contains a detailed description of ways to identify a varroa mite infestation and successfully treat it. As Master Gardeners, what can we do to help the busy bees in their useful work? Mostly, it involves knowing how the bees live and the en-vironment they need or prefer. Much of the following suggestions come from an excellent article I read on About.com, “12 Things You Can Do to Help Native Bees Roll Out the Green Carpet for Native Pollinators” by Debbie

Hadley. • For the sake of bees, there should be plants

with flowers that will bloom in succession from earliest spring to late fall, so that bees will have a continual source of pollen. Re-member also, a good diversity of plants en-courages native bees to pollinate your plants.

• Leave areas in your gardens as mulch-free as possible. Ground-dwelling bees have trouble digging through piles of mulch to get to the dirt below. For the same reason, avoid using landscape fabric weed barriers on the ground. Bees cannot dig through it to make nests. Ideally, there should be are-as of uncovered dirt in your gardens intend-ed for bees to nest in.

• Avoid, or at least limit, the use of pesti-cides, which can be very harmful to bees. Likewise, if you avoid using herbicides, you will be helping bees survive. Bees make no distinction between the flowers you raise and the weeds you’d like to get rid of. From a bee’s perspective, mowing your lawn less is preferred. The weeds that flower provide food for them and lawns are a place they enjoy foraging. Regardless, when you mow, if you do so during the cooler morning or evening hours, or when it’s cloudy, you’ll be less likely to kill them.

We’re so used to enjoying the results of the mostly unnoticed activities of bees that we can fail to appreciate just how much our lives are enhanced by these very hard-working little creatures. Besides helping create bounty and beauty in our gardens, they provide food to nourish us. And let’s not forget the so sweet honey.

Bees Information:

http://goo.gl/dOaQgE Sarah Yang UC Berkeley News

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Press Release Pollinators help one-third of world's crop pro-duction, says new study October 25, 2006 http://goo.gl/TUSqZG Gardener’s Supply Company Attracting Beneficial Bees – Gardeners can help counter the decline in pollinator popula-tions http://goo.gl/mDBVC Fairfax County Public Schools, Island Creek Elementary School Study of Northern Virginia Ecology Honey Bee – Apis mellifera http://goo.gl/h7X1Qo Ric Bessin University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Varroa Mites Infesting Honey Bee Colonies http://goo.gl/X96ieS Vonney M. Barlow and Richard D. Fell Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Virginia State University Publications and Educational Resources Sampling Methods for Varroa Mites on the Domesticated Honeybee May 1, 2009 http://goo.gl/rM6vIN Debbie Hadley About.com, About Education, Insects The 10 Most Important Native Pollen Bees http://goo.gl/g0YGyU Debbie Hadley About.com, About Education, Insects, Benefi-cial Insects 12 Things You Can Do to Help Native Bees – Roll Out the Green Carpet for Native Pollinators

http://goo.gl/PR6bJz Beatriz Moisset BugGuide Native Bees of North America November 26, 2010, updated March 18, 2014 http://goo.gl/KlqL46 DesertUSA Killer Bees - Africanized Honey Bees http://goo.gl/CgIEUt Jamie Ellis University of Florida, Institute of Food and Ag-ricultural Sciences Featured Creatures common name: African honey bee, Africanized honey bee, killer bee scientific name: Apis mellifera scutellata Lepeletier (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Apidae) January 2008, updated November 2012 http://goo.gl/G1XrYb Wikipedia The Swarm (film)

Bees at The Teaching Garden Photos by Maria Stewart

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Get to Know a Critter: Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)

Did you know? ♦ Spotted salamanders are hard to spot even though they can grow up to 9 inches long. ♦ They spend most of their lives hiding under rocks, logs, or in the burrows of other forest

creatures. ♦ Spotted salamanders only come out of

hiding at night to feed and in spring to mate.

♦ The salamanders lay their eggs in

vernal pools and ponds found in moist, low-lying mature deciduous forests near floodplains. They will return to the same mating pool by the same route each year.

♦ Their average lifespan in the wild is up

to 20 years. Source: National Geographic, http://goo.gl/WWj4xq

Photos by Jason Alexander

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Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings by Leslie Paulson and Nancy Berlin

Teaching Garden Workdays Check out our calendar on www.mgpw.org for the workday schedule. Our first workday was March 17th, and we had a great turnout of volunteers! The workdays will be on Tuesday mornings, Thursday evenings, and a couple of Saturdays a month. We hope to see a crowd this year! Come out and join us.

Clinic Training, Continuing Education in PWC, Wednesday, April 1st, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Old Courthouse (9248 Lee Avenue, Manassas)

Are you going to be working at a garden center, farmers’ market clinic, or the Extension Horticulture Help Desk this year? If so, plan to attend this clinic training. Staff will include turf updates, what’s new in the 2015 PMG, seasonal updates, and a refresher on problems often encountered with Prunus. Please reserve a spot, so that we can prepare handouts and seating; call the Horticultural Help Desk at 703-792-7747 or email master_gardener@pwcgov.org.

Saturday in the Garden: Companion Planting, Saturday, April 11th, 9:00 a.m. - noon at the Teaching Garden (9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow)

Discover which plants, grown side by side, benefit each other and result in healthier plants and a better garden yield. Join the Cooks’ Garden Master Gardeners for planting potatoes and turning cover crops. Participation is free, but registration is requested; please call the Horticultural Help Desk at 703-792-7747 or email master_gardener@pwcgov.org.

Saturday in the Garden: Good Guys and Bad Guys, Saturday, May 9th, 9:00 a.m. - noon at the Teaching Garden (9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow)

When you see an insect on your plant, do you immediately squish it? You may be targeting an ally instead of your enemy! Learn about the many insects that help us in the garden, tips and tricks in an organic vegetable garden, and secrets from Cooks’ Garden volunteers. Participation is free, but registration is requested; please call the Horticultural Help Desk at 703-792-7747 or email master_gardener@pwcgov.org. Also this Saturday is the MGPW Plant Sale. Find some new plants for your garden! All proceeds to benefit future Master Gardeners of Prince William activities.

Spring Plant Sales 2015 MGPW’s Spring Plant Sale Saturday, May 9th, 9:00 a.m. – noon at the Teaching Garden (9535 Linton Hall Rd, Bristow) We have the best plants for the lowest prices. Don’t forget us when you are starting seeds or thinning out plants this spring. Please pot up your plants in gallon size pots at least 3-4 weeks before the sale. Watch for directions about dropping them off at the Teaching Garden. All proceeds to benefit future Master Gardeners of Prince William activities. For more information on other local native plant sales see NativeScapes Horticultural Consulting, LLC: http://goo.gl/qdSPi9

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Last month’s answer:

(dead wood for wildlife)

For more information explaining benefits of dead wood to a variety of species see: Penn State Extension, http://goo.gl/8ox1Ca

Do you know what this is?

See next month’s

Turnip News for the

answer!

PUZZLER