President’s Perspective Jean Byars

October 2007 �

CALENDAR

MEMBERSHIP MEETING Thursday, October 4, 2007

9:30 a.m. Social Time

10:00 a.m. Business

10:30 a.m. Speaker

Speaker: Jon Ellifritz

Mushroom Society

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Thursday, October 18, 2007 1:00 p.m.

(note new time)

Downstairs Kitchen

SPEAKERS COMMITTEE

Oct. 4, noon to 2:00 p.m.

(Following Meeting)

Garage

see how eager the youngsters are to make one for their mothers. Even if you are not volunteering during the weekend, do come and visit the amazing Demonstration Garden on the hill. It is lush. I don’t know how Martha Fisher and Nancy Woods created such an abundant and healthy garden despite this year of drought. Close Encounters will be held on October 29 and 30 and will con-tinue from November 5 through 8, and from November 12 though 16. This program helps fourth graders to understand what it means to grow health plants and farm animals. If you would like to help get children interested in gar-dening, you don’t have to be an ex-pert. Contact Elsie Sullivan, Barbara Waite-Jaques or Terry Kinney for more information. Master Gardeners at plant clinics have had many questions from visi-tors about what to plant, where to plant and what is wrong with their plants. Most of the questions have been about how to keep plants

(Continued on page 6)

At last, in the second week of Sep-tember, we have rain. Just when I thought I would have to turn my vegetable garden into a cactus gar-den. Although many of my vegetables did not do well this year, I am sur-prised that I have had a bumper crop of cucumbers. There are many still on the vines. Pumpkins are growing nicely. My herb garden is doing just fine, and I have plenty of basil to make into pesto. Some of the plants that have grown so easily in other years, however, just did not produce without the usual rainfall. Come rain or shine, the Master Gardeners keep on going. We have a lot to look forward to in the com-ing months. The Harvest Festival will be held at Derwood on the weekend of Octo-ber 6 and 7. Many activities at the Harvest Festival are led by Master Gardeners for children and adults. I’ll be helping with the “Tussie Mussies,” small bouquets sur-rounded with a doily. It’s a joy to

**THE PROPOSED BY-LAWS

WILL BE VOTED UPON AT THE

OCTOBER MEMBERSHIP MEET-

ING.

PAGE 2 THE MASTER GARDENER OCTOBER 2007

Mission and Vision Mission: The Maryland Master Gardener mission is to educate

Maryland residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural

practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes and communities.

Vision: A healthier world through environmental stewardship.

THE MASTER GARDENER NEWSLETTER

The Master Gardener Newsletter is a monthly newsletter of the volunteer Master Gardener organization of the Montgomery County Office of the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, whose mission is Educating People to Help Themselves through a variety of public service programs. Extension Office Contacts Director ......................................................Douglas Tregoning Master Gardener Coordinator .......................Stephen Dubik Master Gardener Secretary ................................Linda Waters Master Gardener Volunteer Organization President..................................................................... Jean Byars First Vice President...................................Amanda Laudwein Second Vice President.................................. Bebe McMeekin Treasurer ...................................................................Gary Cahn Recording Secretary ............................................. Marie Rojas For information on the organization and the services offered by Master Gardeners, contact following: Computer ..................................................................Gary Cahn Derwood Demo. Garden .....…. Martha Fisher and Nancy Woods External Special Events .....................................Elsie Sullivan Fair Demo. Garden ………. .... Sheryl Freishtat and Frank Lostumbo Internal Special Events...........................................Gary Cahn Landscape Design ..........Leonard Friedman and Carol Hall Newsletter Editors ..............Karen Bandy and Maralyn May Plant Clinics..........................Bill Connors and Hayley Goris Program/Education......Bob Alde, Pat Kenny, Joe Ginther Public Relations (Acting) ........... . Nancy Moses Greenblatt Speakers........Maxine Callender, Adele Fein, Nancy Swope Telephone Hotline ..............Nancy Ballard and Arlene Cole Therapeutic Horticulture ................................ JoAnn Mueller Strategic Planning (in process of adoption) .......... Leonard Friedman Correspondence should be directed to the Horticultural Consultant, Montgomery County Cooperative Extension, 18410 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855. We can also be contacted via e-mail at lwaters@.umd.edu. All opinions expressed with reference to commercial organizations or products are those of the authors and do not represent an official endorsement by the Cooperative Extension. The deadline for submission of articles for the newsletter is the 12th of the month.

_______________________________________

Stephen Dubik

Computer Users Note Home & Garden Information Center Web site:

http://www.hgic.umd.edu Montgomery County Master Gardener Web site:

http://extension.umd.edu/gardening/masterGardeners/local/Montgomery/index.cfm

How To Submit Articles Master Gardeners are invited to write articles for this newsletter. Please keep in mind that submittals may be edited.

To submit articles for publication by e-mail, please put “MG News-letter” in the subject line and send to: Karen Bandy, KBandy@AkilahMedia.com; or Maralyn May, Mara-lynM@msn.com. If you do not have access to e-mail, send by U.S. mail to Karen Bandy, 13312 Hathaway Dr., Silver Spring, MD 20906. Deadline for submissions is the 12th of the month pre-ceding the newsletter publication.

Plant Clinic Sites and Leaders Audubon Naturalist Society Sat., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m Marlene Cianci (May-Sept.) Brookside Gardens Sat., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hayley Goris (Year-Round) Brookside Gardens Sun., 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Bev Carragher (Year-Round) Davis Library Sat., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Margaret Edison (April-Sept.) Derwood Extension Office During hotline hours (See Above) Germantown Library Wed., 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Judi Moline (May-Sept.) Quince Orchard Library Sat., 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bill Connors (May-Sept.) Twinbrook Library one Saturday per month Hayley Goris (acting) (May - Sept.)June 30, July 21, August 18 and Sept. 15

Horticultural Hotline Horticultural Hotline: 301-590-9650 (Note: The hotline will close for the winter break Nov. 30 and resume Jan.22, 2008.)

PAGE 3 THE MASTER GARDENER OCTOBER 2007

Special Events– Harvest Festival and Close Encounters Elsie Sullivan, Terry Kinney and Barbara Waite-Jaques

Thanks to everyone who signed up to help with the Harvest Festi-val and with Close Encounters. There are still lots of opportunities for you to help. The sign-up sheets will be available at the Oc-tober meeting or you can call or e-mail Elsie Sullivan—(301) 871-6518; esull432733@aol.com. WE NEED YOU!! HARVEST FESTIVAL—OCTOBER 6 AND 7: Since the Festival is for two days, (11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) we need volunteers for each day. If you can work even part of Saturday or Sunday, let Elsie know. This is a fun activ-ity and you will have a chance to visit all of the other booths and events. MG activities are: Mr. McGregor’s Garden; Tussie Mus-sies; Demonstration Garden Tours; Plant Clinic and MG In-formation; Terra Cotta Pot Paint-ing; Herbal Tea/Gardening; Build a Butterfly; The Bug Game. One of our most popular activities is Tussie Mussies. Jan Short and her crew need lots of small to me-dium flowers, greenery, and herbs. Please bring them to the festival in

a can or plastic container. If you will not be attending the festival, you can bring them to the meeting on October 4th or drop them off in the garage on Friday, October 5th. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS – OCTOBER 30 AND 31, NO-VEMBER 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15 AND 16. GOODY BAG STUFFING ON OCTOBER 25 This program for 4th grade stu-dents is always a fun activity. If you have not worked it you should give it a try. No special skills are needed since you will be assisting Extension Service staff. The areas are: Plant Track, En-vironmental Track, Logistics and Miscella-neous Duties, Nutri-tion Track, and Barn Activities (plants, animals, games). This is a fun way to earn those last-minute hours or just get to know other Master Gardeners and the staff of the Cooperative Ex-tension, Soil Conservation, 4-H, Farm Bureau and others. Experi-enced help would be especially appreciated for Nov. 12, Veterans

Day, since Soil Conservation staff will be on holiday. YOU WILL BE FED, with lunch and snacks provided. YOU WILL BE APPRECIATED, not only by the staff, but by teachers, children and parents! Hope to hear from you if you have not al-ready signed up. It is just two months until our holiday party, which will be held on December 6. Help will be needed for set-up, clean-up and the construction of the famous tuna fish can centerpieces. Sign-up sheets will be available at the October meeting, so grab this last opportunity to add to your ser-

NOVEMBER MG MEETING VENUE CHANGE (At the Fairgrounds!)

Master Gardeners please take note: The November membership meeting will take place Nov. 1 in the “garden room” at the Heritage building at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds. Our regular meeting place will be full of Close Encounters program materials and unavailable. Times, however, will remain the same. Please mark your calendars!!

BOXES NEEDED FOR GOODY

BAGS

We are in need of boxes for Close

Encounters’ Goody Bags. The

boxes should have four sides at

least 10” high; a minimum size of

18”x12” (but not too big since

they have to be carried on the

buses); and clean. No liquor

boxes, please, since they are going

to schools. Please leave any dona-

tions

in the downstairs garage any time

tended periods of cool, cloudy weather use the same fertilizer and dosage once every eighth water-ing. Scented Geraniums may need an extra does of magnesium. One teaspoon of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) can be added to 1 gallon of fertilizer solution every forth time you fertilize.

Scented geraniums like to have good air circulation and moder-ately cool temperatures (65 de-grees). If your house is stuffy in-side you may want to run a fan periodically. This will get air circu-lating. Remember to remove dead leaves from scented geraniums promptly.

. My favorite book on the subject of scented geraniums is “Scented Geraniums: Knowing, Growing, and Enjoying Scented Gerani-ums” by Jim Becker & Faye Brawner. It covers every topic you could imagine including prun-ing, propagation, pests & diseases, tips for growing in containers or in the ground, using scented gera-niums in the landscape and much more. The book also has great pictures of all the different varie-ties including rose-scented, mint-scented, lemon/citrus-scented, fruit and nut-scented and pun-gent-scented. There are so many to choose from and I am sure you will find a favorite to keep you company this winter!

PAGE 4 THE MASTER GARDENER OCTOBER 2007

Scented Geraniums (Pelargoniums) Donna Almquist, Montgomery County MG

Scented geraniums are comforting to have inside during the winter months not only for their delight-ful fragrance but also for their sweet little flowers. When I see them blooming on my sunny win-dowsill in the dead of winter it always brings a smile to my face. The old fashioned rose geranium is a favorite of many and the flow-ers are lovely shades of pink. In the fall when nighttime tempera-tures start to go down to 45 de-grees bring your scented gerani-ums inside. Bring them back out-doors in the spring when night-time temperatures are above 45 degrees and daytime temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees.

Indoors, scented geraniums do well in a south-facing window that receives at least 4 hours of direct sunlight. If your house does not get adequate sunlight you can sup-plement natural light with grow lights.

Do not over water! Wait until the top of the soil feels dry and then water thoroughly until you see ex-cess water running out of the drainage holes. Always empty any water that collects in the saucers placed under the pots.

During the growing season, which is approximately from February to October, fertilize scented gerani-ums with a water-soluble fertilizer every other time you water. Al-ways use half the manufacturer’s recommended dosage. From No-vember to January and during ex-

We Need You In the Speakers

Group!

Adele Fein

Current Speakers Group members

and anyone interested in finding

out what the Speakers Group is

about are invited to attend the

group’s meeting immediately after

the October membership meeting.

We have a lot to discuss.

We have a new brochure advertis-

ing some talks on topics for which

we have no speakers, especially

some of the ones John Hartmann

used to do. Bob McDowell has

been taking many of them, but we

need to take the pressure off Bob.

There have also been requests

from libraries for children’s pro-

grams, and on rain gardens. We

couldn’t fill that request, but Fran-

ces Smithson is preparing that talk

now. We should create new talks

on hot environmental issues, i.e.,

native plants, bog gardens, green

roofs, etc. We need to follow

through with our County Fair gar-

den’s emphasis on

Bay-wise gardening.

Can you help with creating Power-

Point presentations and with

showing them, if the speaker is not

computer savvy? Some of our

speakers don’t drive at night —

can you help here? If you are un-

sure about putting a program to-

gether, we can help you with re-

sources and suggestions. WE

NEED YOU. Bring your ideas and

your lunch.

PAGE 5 THE MASTER GARDENER OCTOBER 2007

Thanks to the efforts of quite a number of Master Gardeners, both old timers and interns, the Black Hill Butterfly Habitat is be-coming more and more butterfly friendly. During a summer walk led by our park consultant Denise Gibbs, those who worked there this spring had a chance to see the butterflies enjoying the habi-tat. There is always more to do. Isn’t that the way with any garden? This is to inform all of you of our fall work days in October and November. Do join us on the fol-lowing Wednesdays (October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and November 7, 14 and 21) from 9:00am to 12:00noon to continue our addi-tions (planting) and subtractions (weeding). BYO favorite tools for planting, clipping and digging. Directions: I-270, Exit 18, Boyds; Route 121 SW. BHBH is across from 20612 Clarksburg Rd, i.e. Rte121 (NE of bridge over Little Seneca Lake).

Black Hill Butterfly Habitat: Fall Workdays Deborah Zucker, Montgomery County MG

For those unfamiliar with this effort, the Black Hill Butterfly Habitat (BHBH) is a meadow along Route 121 in Black Hill Regional Park (Boyds) in which we Master Gardeners are making a difference in the upcounty. The area is full of native Indian Hemp aka Dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum) an excellent nectar source for butterflies in our county. By now it also has sev-eral Milkweed species, the host for Monarch butterflies, and has qualified as “Monarch Waysta-tion #40,”in a program spon-sored by Monarch Watch at the University of Kansas (www.monarchwatch.org). Our goal is to enhance the area with additional butterfly host and nectar plants while eliminat-ing various non-native invasives and other weeds. We are also preparing an educa-tional display for the Habitat. We work in consultation with

Denise Gibbs, Naturalist at Black Hill Regional Park and known throughout Montgomery County for her butterfly expertise as well as her knowledge of native plants. To protect the site from tramping feet while the Indian Hemp is ac-tively growing, we concentrate our efforts OUTSIDE the traditional garden work months of May through September. We would appreciate YOUR help this fall.

healthy in a dry summer, especially trees and shrubs. Hayley Goris says that there were more questions recently about the drought than about insects. She is happy that many who came to the plant clinics asked for recommendations for native plants that would grow in their yards. Visitors also asked which plants are “good for the Bay.”

(Continued from page 1- President’s Perspective)

ANN VAN HERPE MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS Anyone who would like to make a donation in memory of Master Gardener Ann Van Herpe, may do so by send-ing a check made out to: Montgomery County EAC, to the attention of Steve Dubik or Linda Waters, 18410 Mun-caster Rd., Derwood, MD 20855. It was Ann’s wish that contributions be made to the Montgomery County Mas-ter Gardener program, and we have already received numerous contributions from friends of her family. The board is considering an appropriate memorial for Ann with the monies collected.

PAGE 6 THE MASTER GARDENER OCTOBER 2007

Bay-Wise Advanced Training in Montgomery County Wanda MacLachlan, Area Educator, Residential Landscape Management, MCE

Join us in an advanced training opportunity and learn how to be a Bay-Wise Master Gardener. The classroom sessions are on Tuesdays, October 16 and 23 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Montgomery County Maryland Cooperative Extension office in Derwood. The field trip is 9:30 a.m. to noon Thursday morning, October 25, location to be determined. Cost of the class is $30.00. Please make checks payable to Montgomery County EAC. Checks can be mailed or delivered to Linda Wa-ters at 18410 Muncaster Road, Derwood, MD 20855. For information regarding this fun-filled session contact Linda Waters at 301-590-2836. The Maryland Bay-Wise Program focuses on water quality. It comprises a comprehensive set of environmental topics that affect the quality and quantity of water here in Maryland. Most of these topics relate to landscape management (like fertilize wisely, water efficiently, control storm water runoff, recycle yard waste, IPM, encourage wildlife). However, a few, like hy-drology, wells & septic systems, hazardous household products and water conservation, address household issues. All these topics are rolled neatly into a comprehensive program. How the Bay-Wise Program Works In Maryland, county Master Gardeners, who have taken the 9 to 12 hours of advanced training in Bay-Wise Landscape Man-agement, form a committee to plan Bay-Wise activities around their county such as: • One-on-one site visits to help county residents have their landscapes certified as Bay-Wise using the MD Yardstick; • Classes and lectures to community groups; • Teaching youth in schools/community projects; • Staffing information booths at community fairs.

THE MASTER GARDENER OCTOBER 2007 PAGE 7

Bob Resnik, MG class of 1996, receives

the Montgomery Soil Conservation Dis-

trict’s “volunteer of the year” award for

his steadfast work in the Environmental

Track of the Montgomery County Coop-

erative Extension’s annual Close En-

counters with Agriculture program, as

well as other assistance to the district.

Bob peruses his award presented

by Soil Conservation District

Chairman George Lechlider at the

group’s annual Cooperators’ Din-

ner held at Linden Farm in

Dickerson in September.

Bob reacts with surprised pleasure as Soil

Conservation District Manager, David

Plummer, applauds.

NON PROFIT ORG POSTAGE PAID

GAITHERSBURG, MD 20898 PERMIT # 2356

MONTGOMERY COUNTY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND 18410 MUNCASTER ROAD DERWOOD, MD 20855 ————— Official Business penalty for private use $300

The Master Gardener

October 2007

A Great Topic Every Month! Month Topic Speaker Organization

February The Lily Family Diane Lewis Brookside Gardens

March Insect Control Paula Shrewsbury University of Maryland

April Ecologically Focused Landscape Design

Lauren Weaver Natural Resources Design Inc

May Power Trees John Hammond U.S. Dept of Agriculture

June Master Gardener Summer Meeting Everyone Master Gardener Luncheon

July Bees Chester Langworthy Bee Keepers

August Horticultural Therapy Lana Dreyfus Am Assoc of Horticultural Therapy

September Plant Nutrition Dr. Andrew Ristbey University of Maryland

October Mushrooms Jon Ellifritz Mushroom Society

November Herb Gardening Tom and Madeline Wajda

Intl Herb Assn

December Honoring Master Gardeners Everyone Master Gardener Holiday Party