Roots & Shoots Master Gardener Society of Oakland County August / September 2005 Taking Time Out While well intentioned, with all of our varied schedules, sometimes indulging in the pure pleasure of reading, often escapes us. Each year, "our plan is to". Invariably we all scale back, which still allows us to enjoy the more manageable pace of life. Regards, John P. Humphrey President, MGSOOC Some Information you should know MGSOOC Board Members President : John P. Humphrey ............................. (248)542-8213 Vice President: Tom Hershberger .......................... (586)573-3954 Secretary: Ruth Vrbensky ...................................... (248)969-6904 Treasurer: Julie Bird .............................................. (248)358-3277 Team Administrator: Sherry Jones ........................ (248)442-9866 MSU Extension Oakland County Coordinator Advisor: Carol Lenchek ........................... (248)858-0900 lenchekc@co.oakland.mi.us Team Coordinators Bowers Farm: Martha Humphrey.....babylon6@ameritech.net Grants: Clay Ottoni .............................. (248)454-9800 Hospitality: Pat Banaszek ........................... (248)375-5683 Membership: Tom Hershberger .....................(586)573-3954 Programs: John P. Humphrey ................... (248)542-8213 Trips & Tours: Sandie Parrott ......................... (248)394-1532 Web Site: Sheri Trout................................. (248)328-0557 sheri@oaklandweb.com Web Site Address: www.mgsoc.org Currently Available Opportunities: Communications, Education, Project Support, Volunteer Activities MGSOOC Board Meetings are open to all. Copies of the Minutes can be made available, upon request to the Secretary. Mission Statement It is the Master Gardener Society of Oakland County's Mission to assist, enable, and encourage its members to use their horticultural knowledge and experience to help the people of their communities, enrich their lives through gardening and good gardening practices. MGSOOC SOCIETY MEETING & LOCATION SEPTEMBER 7TH General Meeting ~ 6:30 pm Bowers Farm, Alternative School Building, 1219 E. Square Lake Rd., Bloomfield Hills Education: George Papadelis - "Annuals & Perennials For The Fall Season" OCTOBER 5TH General Meeting ~ 6:30 pm Bowers Farm, Alternative School Building, 1219 E. Square Lake Rd., Bloomfield Hills Education: Steve Nikkila, "How To Store Tender Bulbs" MICHIGAN CHAMPION TREES by Jean Gramlich Detroit forester, Dan Kurkowski was dealing with the effects of a major storm on Detroit's trees. So our friend, Janet Macunovich stepped in to present our topic for the July meeting. The search for champion trees began in the 1940's by the American Forest Association. Global ReLeaf has since become a sponsor of the project. This organization plants trees and monitors forests. They have determined that we are short 634 million trees in the U.S. There are 826 species of trees in the United States, and champion specimens have not been found for many of them. Champions are listed by state and nationally. Michigan has 64 national champions and is 4th in the nation for the number of champion trees. Global ReLeaf has compiled a list of Michigan champions, which is available on their website, www.globalreleaf.org/winners.htm. The list includes the location of the tree and who discovered it. Three measurements determine whether a tree is a champion: 1. Circumference of the trunk at 4.5 feet 2. Height 3. Crown width Points are added together to achieve championship status. www.historictrees.org is propagating champion trees. Most of them are wild and very, very old. The national champion sugar maple covers an acre! Janet's love and enthusiasm for trees came through loud and clear, as she gave us tips on how to plant trees and common mistakes in planting trees. Nursery potted trees are often planted too deep with the flare below the soil level. The burlap SHOULD ALWAYS BE REMOVED. As a rule, the top should not be pruned when planting a tree (except fruit trees). The tree needs all its leaves to manufacture food and feed the injured roots. The tree may prune itself, that is, certain branches may die off during the first year if the roots cannot support all the branches. A tree should not be fertilized in the first year. The City of Detroit is an excellent place to see old trees. The Detroit Garden Center (313-259-6363 - ask for Barb Hayes) conducts tours of the Elmwood Cemetery, where there are many beautiful old trees. JULY Question Answer How do I get rid of nut sedge? Lawn services use a combination of herbicides, which may not be available to the general public, early in the season. Otherwise, pull it religiously! Emerald ash borer marshalling yards are closing due to lack of funding. What can we do with the wood now? Call the garden hotline. What can I do about leg cramps? They may be due to intense exercise with excessive sweating and loss of salt. Drink a sports drink or some salted water. Also consider taking calcium and/or potassium as regular dietary supplements or quinine. My pumpkins aren't germinating! Crows, squirrels or other critters may be eating the seedlings. Try germinating them inside and protecting the seedlings after planting them in the garden. My phlox are dying from the bottom up. The most likely causes are mildew and spider mites. Grow phlox in a sunny breezy location. My coral bells have rusty patches on their leaves. They may have root weevils - look for notching on the leaves. My linden trees are 5-6 years old and have little dark raised bumps on their leaves. These bumps are caused by mites, but they do not hurt the tree. Does milky spore work here? Milky spore is not recommended for Michigan. Its life cycle does not match the beetles' life cycle in our climate. Milky spore does not last through the winter here. Do Japanese beetle traps work? MSU Extension bulletin does not recommend trap use for individual homeowners because the traps attract beetles. The tips of the new leaves on my tall garden phlox are scrunched. This phenomenon is probably due to spittle bugs. AUGUST INFORMATIONAL MEETING by Jean Gramlich Our August meeting was an informational exchange among members. Q. Is there a Gardeners' Anonymous? I need to go! A. It's at least a 13-step program. Q. How do you control weeds in the asparagus bed? A. Mulch or salt carefully in early spring not too close to the crowns. Rototill shallowly before asparagus emerges. Use pre-emergent herbicide lightly. Salt can also be used 2 pounds to a gallon of water to kill weeds in the driveway. Q. My pear tree is not bearing and seems to be declining. A. Consult The Backyard Orchardist by Stella Otto. Pollinator may have died. Q. I have mature white pines which the power company butchered by cutting off the tops. Should we trim the laterals? A. Conifers will create a second leader when the first one is damaged. You can trim the laterals to shape the tree. Q. When should I prune a juniper? A. When it is candling. Q. Japanese beetles. ARGHHHH! A. Pick them off. Individual homeowners should not use traps (attracts them). Q. My heirloom German garlic forms very small bulbs. A. Cut off flower head for biggest bulbs. Size of garlic varies due to conditions. Q. My hibiscus grows 5 feet tall. I would like it to be smaller. A. Height is the nature of the variety. Q. My neighbor has a silver maple close to my house with sawdust at the base of the tree. A. Sawdust is probably due to carpenter ants. Consult with the owner of the tree and express your concerns. Ask for an inspection and keep a record of letters, conversations, etc. Oakland County Conservation District arborist, Sal Hansen, can be reached at 248-673-4496. Q. My neighborhood has lots of maple leaf petiole borer, and lots of leaves are dropping. Is this harmful to the trees? A. No, it is simply cosmetic damage so no pesticides are recommended. Contact Cathy Morris for further information on reporting hours. Our volunteer year is the calendar year. MGSOOC 2005 Summer Trip, by Helen Kaiser How does she do it? Sandie Parrott pulled together another wonderful garden tour and kept 40 people in line and on time. As I will detail, many wonderful memories were created at the destinations visited. We all gathered early morning in Pontiac on Thursday, June 16, to board the Indian Trails bus which would take us to our destinations. What a pleasure to see the familiar face of Jim Truscott, our bus driver. He is such a pleasant man and so very accommodating. Thank you to Marilyn and Glenn Spence for taking the time to stuff all of the important materials in our goody bags, which included our "On the Go" breakfast. After brief announcements, we all enjoyed a little shuteye until Sandie's musical voice announced "Wakie, Wakie!" We were at Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. Our tour coordinator, Linda McDonough, met us at the bus and gave us an overview of what we could expect during our short visit there. We immediately visited the perennial gardens (well, maybe the bathrooms first), took pictures and wondered at the species of some of the more unusual plants. We had hoped for expert information about orchids, but the orchid man, Paul Gelmet, did not make an appearance. Many orchid lovers were very disappointed. Most of the group took advantage of the Tram ride that gave a tour of the picturesque grounds and impressive bronze statues. There is so much to see at the gardens and, unfortunately, just too little time to see it. These gardens are a work in progress. What has been completed thus far is exquisite. The Children's garden is interactive and keeps little fingers very busy. There are sculptures to climb, sail boats to sail, along with a myriad of other things for a child to explore. After satisfying the gardener in us, we all had the opportunity to shop at the gift shop. Lunch in the gardens was delicious, choosing from a small, but tantalizing menu of food selections. All too quickly of course, we were off to our next destination. Doug Welsch, Owner and winemaker at the family-owned Fenn Valley Winery, met us at the entrance and piled us onto two tractor-pulled buckboard wagons. The tour of the vineyards took us through plantings of many varieties of grapes at various stages of maturity. The grapes selected for planting are traditional European wine varieties that have the ability to thrive in the cool northern climate. The site for the vineyard was selected for its proximity to a large body of water (Lake Michigan), which allows for a longer growing season due to the breeze off the warmed lake water. Our wagons stopped at various plantings, to give us the opportunity to see how the vines and grapes looked at this stage of their growth. Doug explained in detail the methods of planting, the care of the vines and the harvesting of the grapes. It was fascinating to learn how manually labor intensive growing and harvesting grapes can be. The tour culminated at the winery where wine tasting took place and many bottles of wine were purchased and packed under the bus. Next on our itinerary were Traverse City and the Holiday Inn West Bay. The hotel was our anchor for the next three days. Thank you to the Sales Manager, Kim Aldrich, who made our stay there a pleasant one. On Friday morning, a special French toast breakfast was served at 6:00 a.m. For those who were not able to partake of this delight due to diet restrictions, special requests were kindly filled by the Banquet Manager. By 7:15 a.m., we were all back on the bus and headed for the Arnold Ferry lines in Mackinac City which took us across the Straits to Mackinac Island. Everything was so very well coordinated by the Grand Hotel's energetic sales person, Julie Lucky. Horse drawn carriages were waiting for us at the dock to take us to the hotel. We were greeted by Julie and introduced to Jennie Shanku, garden manager, and Julia Viel, apprentice. They were our Grand Hotel garden tour guides. Jennie pointed out the window boxes on the famous front porch of the hotel. The 600 foot porch boasts 2,500 geraniums in 260 planting boxes with 7 tons of potting soil! They are filled with a variety of geraniums that were selected for their deep red color. At street level in front of the hotel, a variety of annuals are planted each year in specific patterns for interest and color. It's fascinating to look down from the porch to see the zigzag pattern. On the side of the hotel, stands a very impressive herb garden. The chives were in bloom which added a burst of color to the garden. Some of the Master Gardener's were cringing each time Jennie referred to the soil as "dirt", but her knowledge of every variety of plant in all of the gardens allowed us to forgive her for her minor gaff. We were then escorted to the gardens, on the lawn below street level. A lively game of croquet was in progress, so we had to walk around the playing field to view the beautiful peonies-one deep red beauty was named Mackinac Grand in honor of the hotel. The peonies are bred and purchased from a nursery in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. There were several varieties and colors and all were unique and beautiful. There were a large variety of roses and other perennials. Annuals filled in the perennial beds and added additional texture and color to the landscape. Placed in among the vegetation were very colorful and delightful sculptures of turtles. Due to the hot weather early in June, we unfortunately did not see the lilacs at their prime. After our very informative tour and lots of picture taking, we walked to the Fort where we enjoyed a simple lunch on the porch facing the water. It was a serene and scenic setting. After lunch, we were given the freedom to do our own thing on the island until we caught the ferry back to the mainland and boarded the bus back to Traverse City. There were a bunch of tired, but happy puppies on that bus. The evening was ours to do as we pleased, if we had any energy left to do it. Saturday morning breakfast was served at 7:00 a.m., so we could actually sleep in. An optional tour to the Cedar Hedge Gardens was scheduled. The Gardens boasts over 600 varieties of Hosta for view and sale. The owners, Donna and Gary Courtney, were such gracious hosts and allowed us to wander through the wonderful paths they carved through the woods with soothing fountains and Asian statues at every bend in the path. They had the cutest little raised fairy-themed bed with teeny tiny miniature hosta-some only about the size of a half dollar! They completely tamed, planted and landscaped this wonderful garden by themselves! For anyone that the owners graciously allowed to tramp through their white carpeted house, a great view of the garden and lake could be seen from their living room. The sale of the hostas, labeling and hauling was all well planned and organized which made it a pleasant trip. Hosta lovers were in their element at these Gardens. From the gardens, the group ventured to the Cherry Republic for a very cherry lunch. Jason was on hand to be sure the bus parked in an area where the car show would not bother the group. Westie, a very peppy gardener, coordinated the groups. Sunday found some of the group enjoying the elusive sunshine on the Nauti-Cat on Traverse Bay. Russ Schindler, recently returned from Iraq, was our captain. He had two second mates who made the trip very informative and enjoyable. We were "tattooed" with a cat paw and treated to donut holes, coffee and water. One of the mates was a regular comedienne. She walked around with powdered sugar on her face asking us how we enjoyed our donuts. It was a peaceful ride with an opportunity to get better acquainted with members of our group we had not had a chance to talk with. All too soon, we were back on shore and standing in line to get our lunches to take on the bus for our trip home. Judy, from Folgarelli's, provided us with sub sandwiches, cookies and pop. We all settled in to enjoy our lunch while working our way home via the Dow Gardens and Arrowhead Alpines Nursery. On our way to Dow Gardens and in between our other stops, Shannon Black kept us entertained with many fun games. We had a word search, bingo, matching, etc., all with a gardening theme. Some of those games were quite difficult, but there was always one or two Master Gardeners who knew the answers. Sandie solicited prizes to be given to the winner of each game. They included two Clint's Dandy Diggers, two garden e-books by Doug Greene, a Bordine's gift certificate, a wine bottle topper from Fenn Valley, a Cobra Head tool, Gordon's Speed Zone Weed Killer, and assorted items from the MSUE office. Along with those prizes, each member of the group received seeds from several sources including Plant a Row for the Hungry, Sander's Milk Chocolate Topping and Soil Moist with fertilizer samples. For their help on the trip, Marilyn and Shannon were each given Firefly (solar powered light-up garden sphere) ornaments. At Dow Gardens we stopped long enough to take several pictures of our group and then went on a self-guided tour of the Gardens. It was a peaceful pleasure to wander the century old concept of Herbert H. Dow, the founder. His intention in building the gardens was for the enjoyment of family and friends. His dream has evolved and is enjoyed by people from all around the world. A visitor has the opportunity to follow the Stream Walk, visit the Homestead Area, view the Color Garden and enjoy the sensual pleasure of the Pines. The Exploration Garden includes the Trial Garden for testing new varieties, the Rose Garden, the Children's Garden, the Snake Creek Overlook and the Rhododendron Trail. There are sights to see for everyone in the family. Our final stop before heading back to Pontiac was Arrowhead Alpines Nursery in Fowlerville. One of the goodies in our goody bag was a catalog of more than 100 pages of all the items we could purchase at the Nursery. If we did our homework on the bus, we knew exactly what treasure we wanted to buy when we got there--thus, no time wasted. How wonderful when we got off the bus to find the owners, Bob and Brigitta and their staff waiting to serve us. We forty were their only customers and we were treated like royalty. There were acres of greenhouses, with the staff kindly answering our questions, pointed us in the right direction, helping us to carry our purchases to the register and then finally loading them onto the bus. They even provided water for us, their parched shoppers. Can you believe that we all did what we wanted to do and were back on the bus within one hour! That has to be a record. Although Sandie works magic with these trips and we are ever so grateful for her willingness to do this, she cannot do it alone. As I mentioned earlier, Shannon Black was most creative in providing games on the bus to help make time between stops go faster. Next year Kathy Click will be taking over this fun job. Kathy was the Trash Collector on this year's trip and kept the bus neat, clean and tidy. Marilyn Spence was in charge of Finances for the trip and, along with stuffing bags, helped with the research that is so important in coordinating a smooth and interesting trip. Her husband, Glenn Spence made sure we were well hydrated with water and ice for the trip. A very special thank you goes to Rick Parrott, for being so supportive and helpful on these trips. A survey for next year's trip will be coming out soon and Sandie expects everyone to provide input on where we should go next. I know I'm looking forward to next year's adventure. Happy gardening and see you all next year! Foreign Invaders Wreak Havoc on Native Trees: By Kelly Chaiser Hitchhiking over from Asia, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) has already spread throughout most of Michigan's Lower Peninsula since its discovery in 2002. Like previous invaders, such as Gypsy Moth and Dutch elm disease, EAB has found ideal environmental conditions-lots of food, and few biological controls. EAB stands ready to wipe out millions of trees throughout this country, having wiped out 8-10 million trees in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. Most of the destruction is in southeast Michigan. Native Trees Affected EABs food of choice is ash trees (Fraxinus sp.). All ash species are vulnerable. Not just a beautiful tree, ash trees are a valuable resource and their loss is potentially catastrophic. * Both stressed and healthy trees are affected. * Mountain ash (Sorbus sp.) is not affected. Symptoms * Die back stars at the top of the tree canopy. Leaf out in spring may be thin or non-existent. The entire tree may die in one to four years. * Root and sucker shoots come out below EAB activity. * Splitting bark is caused by tissue produced by the tree in response to larval feeding. * * "D" shaped exit holes are found on the trunk and branches of infested trees. * Serpentine shaped feeding tunnels may be found under the bark. * Increased woodpecker activity is another indicator of infestation. Treatment Infested trees have very little chance of beating EAB. New information indicates that EAB sometimes has a two-year cycle. A healthy tree treated to prevent infestation is the best course of action. Unfortunately, if you live in Oakland County, your ash tree is probably infested. * Infested wood can be burned. * The wood can be recycled for a fee. Companies will come out to saw ash logs into usable planks, which can be used for baseball bats, furniture, etc. Call MSU Extension-Oakland County at (248) 858-0902 for more information. * Stopping the Invasion Emerald ash borer seems to get around two ways: Wings and wheels! * These insects can fly at least a half a mile from their emergence site, and probably got to Ontario that way! * Moving infested wood seems to be the main mode of transport EAB uses to get to different areas of the state. * We can help by not transporting firewood. Moving firewood out of the quarantined counties is punishable by fines. For more information call (toll free) (866) 325-0023 or go online to www.emeraldashborer.info. There's Light at the end of the Tunnel? There is a glimmer of hope. Parasitic wasps have been discovered that use EAB larvae or eggs as baby food. Although they may not stop the borers, the wasps could at least reduce EAB population. This research is preliminary but the hope is that these wasps, along with other measures, can bring EAB under control. From A New Member: A Gentle reminder I see you at the meetings But you never say hello, You're busy all the time you're there With those you already know. I sit amongst the members, And yet I'm lonesome and shy, The new fish are as strange as I Your old members pass me by. But, darn it, your group invited me in Is the promise of friendship soon to begin? You could just step across the space, With a kind welcome to this place. Remember that not long ago for you, This was all new too. And if every time a new face arrives Old timers remember the need to strive, To say "Hello", to touch a soul Then your group fulfills its goal. Author Unknown CAROL'S CORNER By Carol Lenchek, Oakland County MSU Extension MG Program Coordinator Hoping your summer was good and your gardens were even better. What a challenge this year was with the heat, drought, and for me, by far the worst, DEER. Many a time I threatened to plow my vegetable garden under and plant grass seed. OK, it could be worse, I could have no room to garden at all. Now, on to the news.... I'm pleased to announce that we have a new Director at the Oakland County MSUE office. Her name is Beverly Terry and she's an avid gardener. Bev spent many years at the SE Regional office at Tollgate and she is very familiar with Oakland County. We know that she will be good for our office. 18 Master Gardener Volunteers answered the call to judge kid's projects at the Oakland County 4H Fair in Davisburg in July. This year everything in the Activity Center was judged on the Saturday before the Fair started, so it was THE PLACE TO BE, as the building buzzed with activity. Plant Science, Vegetables, Fruits and Nuts, Photography, and Creative Writing were the areas we judged. I have been judging plant science for the past 4 or 5 years and will continue doing it forever! I'm hooked! Judging involves interviewing the kids about their projects and I'm continually amazed at how knowledgeable they are and how great their projects are! Advanced Master Gardener, John Olsen, was Superintendent for the Plant Science area and did a great job of keeping us organized so when it came time to award the ribbons, it went smoother than ever! You can count on us advertising for Master Gardener Volunteers to judge at next years Fair and I encourage you to get involved. As you read this, we have begun training another 40 people to become Oakland County Master Gardener Volunteers. We wish them the best and know that they have no idea how very lucky they are to join this great family. Michigan State University Extension-Oakland County Bringing Knowledge to Life North Office Building, #26 East Office Hours: 1200 N Telegraph Road Monday through Friday Pontiac, MI 48341-0416 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Beverly Terry...248/858-0885 Carol Lenchek...248/858-0900 County Extension Director Extension Program Coordinator E-Mail: terryb@co.oakland.mi.us E-Mail: lenchekc@co.oakland.mi.us Yard and Garden Hotline...248/858-0902 Cathy Morris.... 248/858-1639 Charlene Molnar, Horticulture Advisor Clerk & Contact for Certification Hours of operation vary with seasonal needs. of Volunteer & Education Hours E-Mail: morrisc@co.oakland.mi.us Food Safety Hotline . . . . .248/858-0904 4-H Youth Programs Tom Schneider Michigan State University Master Gardener Program Mary McLellan, State Coordinator 517/355-5191, ext 408 E-mail: mg@msu.edu The Oakland Gardener only accepts submissions via e-mail. E-mail needs to include a description of request, contact person's name, phone number and e-mail address. This info will be "cut and pasted" into this online newsletter. Roots & Shoots is a joint publication of MSU Extension-Oakland County and MGSOOC. Deadlines for submitting information or articles to Roots & Shoots are: January 1 for February/March Issue March 1 for April/May Issue May 1 for June/July Issue July 1 for August/September Issue September1 for October/November Issue November 1 for December/January Issue Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status. ?? ?? ?? ??