Roots & Shoots Master Gardener Society of Oakland County February/March 2007 February 7th, 2007 @ 6:30 pm MGSOOC General Society Meeting & Location MSU Extension Office, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 26 East, Lower Level Classroom http://mgsoc.org/Images/occomplexmap.pdf Education: "Stretching Out For Your Garden” ~ Full Credit Speaker: Deb Lane, is a personal trainer, with over 20 years of experience in group exercising.  She also has a degree in exercise science from the Cooper Institute and the AFAA.  Deb will guide us in the proper stretching techniques, as well as safety/injury prevention for working in your garden. REMINDER! Don’t forget, the Project Support Team will have some yummy soup selections for sale, prior to the start of the meeting. March 7th, 2007 @ 6:30 pm MGSOOC General Society Meeting & Location MSU Extension Office, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 26 East, Lower Level Classroom http://mgsoc.org/Images/occomplexmap.pdf Education:  Fallen Heroes Memorial ~Design Workshop ~ Full Credit April 4th, 2007 @ 6:30 pm MGSOOC General Society Meeting & Location Bowers Farm, Alternative School Building, 1219 E. Square Lake Rd. http://mgsoc.org/Images/Bowers_streetMap.jpg Speaker: Ms. Shelly Buckman & Education:  Containers ~ Full Credit We extend our many thanks, to all of our generous MG’s who donated to the Gleaners Community Food Bank of Pontiac. They appreciatively acknowledged the contribution of 191 lbs. of assorted foodstuffs. Congratulations Master Gardeners on making the winter version of “Plant-A-Row” a big success. Michigan Fallen Heroes Memorial Garden Landscape Design – Wednesday March 7th You are all cordially invited to attend a Landscape Design Workshop to be held on Wednesday, March 7th, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. It will be held immediately following the 6:30 p.m. regular announcements, of the Master Gardener Society Membership meeting. Our location will remain at the 1200 N. Telegraph Rd., North Office Building, 26 East, Lower Level of the MSU Extension site. http://mgsoc.org/Images/occomplexmap.pdf. The program will include a project overview, by a representative of the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department. Bev Moss, has graciously volunteered to give a brief landscape basics and design course. We will then break out into small work groups, to begin our individual designs. We will provide you with a site layout. That you might better familiarize yourself with this Memorial project’s location, a visit out to the site is suggested. It is conveniently located on the North East corner of the Oakland County Campus, 1200 N. Telegraph Rd., and County Center Drive East, Pontiac. http://www.michiganfallenheroes.com/ This continues to be a phased project. If ultimately approved by the Sheriff’s Department, the MGSOOC would then obtain the appropriate planting materials, do the plantings and provide for the necessary ongoing maintenance. All of the time applied to this project, would be considered as Required Volunteer Hours. Please feel free to bring your color drawing pencils, resource plant books, graph paper, and your imagination. Contact Gail Novak, novakg@oakgov.com or 248-858-5080, should you have any additional questions. Hello to Everyone,   As most of you are aware, I had resigned from my Team Administrator position last fall due to my upcoming surgery and a few work related issues.  The surgery went well, in fact I was up and around sooner that I had thought and my work issues have been resolved.    I greatly missed my involvement with the Society and the interaction with all of you.  When I learned the position was not filled at the last election I asked the Board if I may return.  A vote was taken and I'm pleased to announce I'mmmmm Baaaaaack, and so looking forward to an exciting year ahead of us.   Again, thank you for allowing me to serve as your Team Administrator. Sincerely, Sherry D. Jones  Missing a Meal on Meeting Night? The Project Team of the Master Gardener Society wishes to warm the Master Gardener tummies by providing a light meal of soup at meetings and fundraise at the same time as long as there is enough synergy to sustain the activity. The charge for the mini-dinner is $3 per a 12 ounce serving with crackers, bread or something similar along with it. In order for this to work, we need four volunteers for each month's meeting who Have Crock Pot, Will Travel. Ideally a batch from scratch brings the best profit but if necessary, arrangements can be made to subsidize the basic ingredients. Volunteers receive credit hours for cooking, transporting and serving a pre-determined “flavor” to feed twenty MG’s a 12 oz. serving and are encouraged to embellish the basic recipe at their discretion. At February’s meeting the two choices will be squash and chicken noodle soup. Volunteers are needed for the March flavors of chili (not exactly a soup, could be vegetarian or not) and cheddar broccoli. In April, we need volunteers to bring a nourishing mushroom soup (like mushroom barley, for example) or their favorite minestrone. Keep in mind that the healthier the recipe is the more likely people will participate. Please sign up at the next general Master Gardener meeting or send inquiries to Clay Ottoni at ceottoni@juno.com or Susan Tatus McLarty at smclarty2002@yahoo.com. Calling All Chefs, Cooks and Concoctors! We know that Master Gardeners have a wealth of knowledge about many things herbal, floral and even edible. The Project Team, under the direction of the Master Gardener Society of Oakland County, is still inviting you to share your prized recipes for the publication of a cookbook to be used not only for fundraising but also to showcase the collective talent of those we grow with. And you know that almost every gardener welcomes a new way to prepare zucchini! Your contributions can be recipes of value that cover not just the everyday cookbook categories of main dishes, vegetables, desserts, soups and salads but also tried and true formulae for healthy breakfasts, preserving herbs, canning delicacies, flower foods, and even home-style recipes for treating garden pests. All types of food wisdom are welcome, especially those having a special gardening “flavor.” Please take a few moments and send your treasured recipes to the Project Team in care of Clay Ottoni at ceottoni@juno.com. Please put the recipe name in the subject area of the email. While it would be grand to have a book available in time for this year’s growing season a more realistic target would be in time for next winter’s gift giving season. Anyone who might have expertise in this type of endeavor is welcome to send suggestions or other words of wisdom (and encouragement) to Clay as well. Flowers or Shrubs? Why not Both? Are you looking to gain more interest in your yard for a longer period of time? Many gardeners think of perennials, annuals or bulbs immediately when asked about adding color to landscapes. They tend to discount flowering shrubs and trees because they don’t bloom for a long enough period of time. One thing to remember, though, is that color and interest can be added even without flowers! First of all, what is a shrub, anyway? As defined by Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, it is a low, usually several-stemmed woody plant. This plant may be deciduous (losing its leaves in fall), evergreen (retaining the majority of its leaves during winter), or a broad-leaf evergreen (an evergreen having a leaf wider than a needle). Shrubs may attain heights of 25’! Some are as small as 18” in height! Anyway, many of the newer cultivated varieties of shrubs give us an abundance of color and interest throughout more than 1 season of the year. Many have been bred to be much smaller, too. Some have flowers blooming for 3 months or more, some have spring and fall color, some are evergreen, and some have interesting fruit or seedpods that remain in winter. Many of the newer cultivars of evergreen have leaves that start out 1 color, change to another color when mature, and may even have a different color in winter. To give an example of each of the above “categories” of shrubs, we’ll start with Potentilla fruticosa, which bloom all summer. Some people don’t like the look of the plant as the flower heads turn brown, but they can be “deadheaded”. Also, they tend to get “floppy” if not trimmed properly (reduce height by 1/3 and trim out 1/3 of the total number of branches to the ground either in fall or early spring before the buds break). Two wonderful, colorful plants are the Spirea bumalda ‘Magic Carpet and the Deutzia gracillis ‘Nikko. Each of them will give you spring, summer and fall color. ‘Magic Carpet has reddish coloration to the new leaves, which changes to a yellow color and then back to a red color for fall. In addition, it will bloom midsummer and if given a “buzz cut” to remove spent blooms, will reblooms in about six weeks for you (most years). ‘Nikko Deutzia also has more than one season of color. It has a wonderful display of white flowers in the spring and gives you a burgundy color in the fall. Some of the newer cultivars of evergreens have yellow or white foliage either as new growth or permanently. These are found in junipers, arborvitae, spruce, hemlock and many others. Again, many of these have been bred to be smaller in size so that they will fit into your landscape more easily. These can add an interesting variation of color in the garden for all 4 seasons. Some of the evergreens (such as Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Boulevard) have wonderfully different textures and turn a different color in winter than they are the other 3 seasons. In addition to flowers, many broadleaf evergreens have variegated leaves, which add color and interest to the garden. In some of the variegated forms, the white portion of the variegated leaf turns pink or reddish in the winter and then reverts again in spring. This category of plants, however, usually requires a spot where the hot afternoon sun isn’t going to fry them and they are protected from the western winds. Many also require a more acidic soil. Obviously, there are many, many flowering trees that should be considered for the landscape. Some bloom very early (i.e. Amelanchier Canadensis--Serviceberry) and some bloom later in the growing season (i.e. Koelreutaria paniculata –Goldenraintree). Again, many of these trees are smaller in stature than the Oak or Maple that usually comes to mind. There is not enough space here to detail all of the trees and shrubs that will give you good color, form, interesting bark and seedpods or fruit, as well as flowering. I encourage you to peruse your local garden center and enjoy learning about the plants that may become your new favorites. Permission for reproduction in Roots and Shoots only granted 1/11/07 by Karen Auch THREE DIMENSIONAL GARDENING Shelly Buckman, a Michigan Certified Nurseryman, spoke on Three Dimensional Gardening at our January membership meeting. Shelly has a B.S. in Plant Ecology and an M.S. in Botanical Education. She currently works for the Matt Prentice Group where she designs and cares for the restaurants’ outdoor plantings, which certainly add to the ambience. Shelly used a Power Point program with photographs of many gardens and a new electronic gadget that allowed her to draw on the pictures to show us how to improve the designs. The pictures were very informative, and some of the gardens were really beautiful, but it is imimimpossible to convey the pictures in words. The following paragraphs cover the general principles Shelly was showing in the pictures. There are four issues you should consider as you design a garden. The first is the function of the garden, for example, a front entrance to the house. The garden also needs to be in proportion to the surroundings – how many times have we all seen a small house dwarfed by a huge tree in front of it? The third consideration is a simple one: we have to like the plants in the garden. Lastly, we should look for variety of color, texture and height. Start your thinking by filling from the ground up and side to side, not from the top down. Then think first about the shapes of plants: conical, round, triangular, etc. When considering your garden space, don’t think of specific plants first (that’s hard, since we all have our favorites that we just must have), but look instead at the type of plant you need, e.g., a plant of a certain shape that needs part sun which grows 3 feet tall and has unusual foliage. Gardens are often used to hide something unattractive. In this situation, people often just use a hedge, which is BORING. Instead you should fill up the whole area with layers from front to back, thus taking the eye away from the offending old shed or other eyesore. Use hard goods as layers for variety in the design. Rocks can add weightiness; statuary can add whimsy or lightness to a design. Lighting and beautiful lamps can be a special touch in our landscapes. Shelly will present our April talk on container gardens. Since pictures are worth thousands of words, come and see the pictures! Jean Gramlich MSUE-Oakland County is pleased to announce another Bulb Fundraiser!  This time for spring bulbs that will arrive just in time for planting season.  Due to space constraints in our office, we are moving to an "order in advance" program.  The flyer and order form are included in this issue of Roots & Shoots and is also available on our website at www.msue.msu.edu/oakland..  The deadline to order is March 1 and the plants should be available for pick-up the week of April 16th.    Many of you requested a copy of the Christmas poem that Tom Hershberger recited for our holiday potluck. Here it is, along with his recipe for Vegetable Bake! Merry Christmas, Mom, You'll be all right 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the abode only one creature was stirring, and she was cleaning the commode. The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds, while visions of Nintendo and Barbie flipped through their heads. The dad was snoring in front of TV, with a half-constructed bicycle on his knee. So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter, which made her sigh, "Now what's the matter?" With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand, she descended the stairs, and saw the old man. He was covered with ashes and soot, which fell with a shrug. "Oh great," muttered the mom, "Now I have to clean the rug." "Ho-ho-ho!" cried Santa, "I'm glad you're awake." "Your gift was especially difficult to make." "Thanks, Santa, but all I want is some time alone." "Exactly!" he chuckled, "I've made you a clone." "A clone?" she asked, "What good is that? Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit-chat." The mother's twin. Same hair, same eyes, same double chin. "She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess. You'll relax, take it easy, watch The Young & the Restless." "Fantastic!" the mom cheered. "My dream come true! "I'll shop. I'll read., I'll sleep a whole night through!" From the room above, the youngest began to fret. "Mommy?! I scared and I'm wet." The clone replied, "I'm coming, sweetheart." "Hey," the mom smiled, "She knows her part." The clone changed the small one, and hummed a tune, As she bundled the child, in a blanket cocoon. "You're the best mommy ever. I really love you." The clone smiled and sighed, "I love you, too." The mom frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal." "That's my child's love she's trying to steal." Smiling wisely, Santa said, "To me it is clear, Only one loving mother is needed here." The mom kissed her child, and tucked her into bed. "Thank you, Santa, for clearing my head. I sometimes forget, it won't be very long, When they'll be too old, for my cradle-song. "The clock on the mantle began to chime. Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time." With the clone by his side Santa said, "Good night. Merry Christmas, Mom, You'll be all right." VEGETABLE BAKE Tom Hershberger 3 CUPS (ABOUT 3 MEDIUM) COARSLEY CHOPPED RED POTATOES 2 TBS WATER 1 PKG (16 OZ) FROZEN BROCCOLI COULIFOWER AND CARROT MEDLEY 3 TBS BUTTER, DIVIDED 2 TBS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR 1 CAN (12 OZ}EVAPORATED FAT FREE MILK 2 CHICKEN FLAVOR BOUILLON CUBES 1/8 TSP GROUND WHITE PEPPER 1/4 CUP SEASONED DRY BREADCRUMBS Microwave potatoes and water in a covered microwave safe dish on high power for 9 or 10 minutes, drain. Return to dish, top with frozen vegetables. Melt 2 TBS butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour; cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Gradually stir in evaporated milk, bouillon and pepper; cook stirring occasionally, for 3 or 4 minutes or until bouillon is dissolved and sauce is slightly thickened. Pour sauce over vegetables. Microwave remaining butter in small, microwave safe bowl on high for 10 to 20 seconds or until melted. Stir in breadcrumbs until combined. Sprinkle over vegetables, cover Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover bake for additional 10 minutes or until top is golden brown. Habitat for Humanity seeks Garden Volunteers (Counts as REQUIRED volunteer hours for MG!) Here is a great opportunity for Master Gardeners. The Pontiac Agriculture Network has asked Master Gardeners for assistance in working with the Pontiac Habitat for Humanity homeowners in planting vegetable gardens and landscaping their homes. Master Gardeners will be soliciting donations for equipment and materials from Oakland County retailers; and, the background skills for gardening and landscaping will be taught in a classroom setting in late April, with a demonstration for the homeowners in early May. We are looking for Master Gardner volunteers who would like to help. We need a location in Pontiac where we can hold our April class. This can be at a religious meeting place, a non-profit organization, an office, or even a reasonable sized residence, just as long as the site is not a part of the City of Pontiac. Second, we are looking for donations of trees, shrubs and perennials (whole or divisioned) that are native to Oakland County, to be entered into our database and distributed to the Habitat homeowners. Maybe some kind-hearted MG out there would even help us with annuals and vegetables started in a greenhouse. If that weren’t enough, we will even need a central collection and distribution location for the equipment and materials, and also a pick-up truck or two to distribute these to the homeowners. There are approximately sixty Habitat homeowners in Pontiac, and we should soon have a clearer picture of how many are interested in taking part in this. Oakland residents are welcome to participate in the classes and the demonstration; however, only the Habitat for Humanity homeowners will be eligible to receive the equipment and materials for home gardening and landscaping. It’s never too early for us to have an understanding of what needs to be done and how best to do it. If you are interested and have donations, information or ideas, we would like to hear from you. Please contact Michael Huler at: michael.huler@sbcglobal.net; or Susan Work at: susanwork@sbcglobal.net Notes from Nutcase Nursery January 2007 As the holidays pass, and the New Year resolutionaries insist we make promises to renew ourselves, even those of us who are perfect have to admit that it really is an appropriate time to reflect. If you had been jotting faithfully in your gardening diary you would have plenty of fodder for thought, whether the snows have brought us the comforting blankets of sparkling white stuff to hide mistakes or not. I seem to have no problem writing down what displeases me. Mostly I find notes admonishing me to perform certain tasks at certain times. “Be sure to prune ‘Karl Foerster’ before mid April.” Notes like that appear to be more common than ones that reward me but since he sprouts earlier in spring than the other grasses, I need to make sure I get out there with the electric shears and my roll of twine early enough to avoid hacking into the new growth. Tying and shaving work best for me, although some gardeners set their grasses on fire, which I find very tempting. I love a good fire but I also happen to know that vinyl siding tolerates only so much burning grass. (That might have been a resolution at one time.) Occasionally I find a note bragging about some serendipitous pairing that caught my eye. Most of the time I had absolutely nothing to with it, or at best I could claim maybe half responsibility at most. One year, white Dame’s Rocket (Hesperus matronalis) sprouted where none had been before, in front of a deep green yew. In front of this was a very happy Prince of Orange oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) which is the only thing is this vignette that I personally planted. The yews came with the house. Certainly my magnificent pruning was the primary reason this scene commanded attention. (If you believe that, I know where you can get a really good deal on some houttuynia you shouldn’t be without.) As surely as your intent is to create beauty and delight, so surely will there be accidents and errors in judgment. Those wildflowers you planted on the west side of your estate to dazzle the flying-by butterflies so thoroughly enjoyed their bed, they seized the opportunity to escape and lay groundwork for a repeat performance elsewhere, colonizing every nook and cranny downwind. Maybe it was that wet first half of May last year that was the key factor in a pretty good garden year. Extra moisture sure made a difference in the fruit. The apples, peaches and berries were significantly larger because of good rains this past season. Can I take credit for any of that? Hardly, although I did feed everything a little cottonseed meal. And I was also the one who passed out sulfate hors d’ouvres to those who could benefit from a little kick in the acid. So why do I feel I need credit for this stuff anyway? A true gardener knows that their stuff never actually belongs to them; a true gardener knows that the experience of gardening is not one of ownership but of stewardship. Maybe the need for positive strokes is part of the Mother Nature/ Earth Mother karma thing some gardeners experience. It’s that mother-guilt-need-to-nurture action. It’s like putting on a marvelously spectacular holiday dinner party year after year and guests have taken it so for granted no one says thank you anymore. At first, the lack of applause can be a letdown. But when you finally get over the pouting, you realize it was the experience itself that became the reward. Why else would successfully reseeding the bald spots in the lawn make you giddy with a sense of Oscar-caliber accomplishment? For me, it was the first time the seed really took in one particularly pesky spot by the road. All my favorite elements to work with - - - hot concrete, road salt, maple roots, weeds and impossible to water. It should have happened so much sooner but I felt I never really obeyed all the rules of reseeding in the past (17) attempts. In the end, it was the rain that made this sowing so successful, and we all know I never had a hand in that, except to wash windows which is what actually makes it rain. When I raked and fluffed, and sandwiched the seed in two layers of compost, just like always, great things happened. I wanted to stop passers-by and show them the new babies, I was so proud. Seems like the eighteenth try just might have been the charm! A lot of the entries in the diary that are more commentary than lesson are concerned with weather anomalies. Temperatures swing and so does the mood, mostly for the better. In fact, the early month’s entries take turns between notes on catalogue orders and the weather report. “So many catalogs, so little room.” Not exactly a page-turner but just stay tuned for the evening’s weather. “High of 46 today. 50s expected for tomorrow. Then, the bottom drops out for the weekend. Back to winter. The daffodils by the lamppost are trying to grow,” followed the next day with “It reached 53 degrees. At 11 pm it was still 42. Tomorrow is Friday the 13th. By Sat. it will be very cold.” The voice of doom had dictated and moved on. There were similar entries for several years. In 2004, the year began with highs in the fifties followed by a blast of unrelentingly cold air. “Can’t remember such a long cold January! Lows below 0, highs only 15-19. Seven inches of snow in 1 day last week. Bought lots of seeds at Frank’s for 50% off.” Low pressure, followed by the momentary high of a seed sale. February shows a lot of buying activity at the beginning and then all is usually quiet the rest of the month. The good and the beautiful commentaries are here and there --- snowdrops blooming, witch hazel in flower, buds on the hellebores. March starts with another buying frenzy and now seeds are being started. Days of warmth are duly noted once again. “First day of spring. Temp 58. Day after – 37.” A previous note indicated that it was 68 that same date seven years ago. The resolutionaries are right. It is good to reflect, renew and improve. Looking back I see that April and May are full of entries written by a gardener gone wild. That membership in Gardeners Anonymous is pretty well needed. As years have passed though, I can see a trend downward in the shopping entries. It may be a sign of maturity. That would be good. It could also be a sign that Nutcase has finally run out of arable land. That would be bad. But as for ugly, there is none. In the chill of the season, with a nice snowy blanket, everything is beautiful and that’s what keeps us coming back to the garden year after year. Happy New Year from Nutcase Nursery and don’t forget to water the birds. Comments and questions can be sent to nutcase_nursery@yahoo.com. 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 8:30 a.m to 12:00 noon and 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Beverly Terry…248-858-0885 Carol Lenchek…248-858-0900 County Extension Director Master Gardener Program Coordinator E-Mail: terryb@oakgov.com E-Mail: lenchekc@oakgov.com Mary Wilson…248-858-0887 Linda Smith…248-858-0887 Horticulture Educator Horticulture Secretary E-Mail: wilsonm1@msu.edu E-Mail: smithlin@oakgov.com Yard & 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@oakgov.com Food Safety Hotline…248-858-0904 Robin Danto, Extension Educator 4-H Youth Programs…248-858-0905 Water Quality Education…248-858-5198 Tom Schneider, Extension Educator Bindu Bhakta, Extension Educator Lois Thieleke….248-858-0888 Children, Youth & Family…248-452-9726 Extension Educator- Food & Nutrition Saneya Hamler, Extension Educator 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 newsletter. Roots & Shoots is a joint publication of MSU Extension-Oakland County and Master Gardener Society of Oakland County. Submit articles for publication by suggested deadlines below. January 1 for February/march Issue March 1 for April/May Issue May 1 for June/July Issue July 1 for August/September Issue September 1 for October/November Issue November 1 for December/January Issue Postal rates may be increasing 2007. With this in mind, if you have Internet access we encourage you to read Roots & Shoots online at the Master Gardener Society website www.mgsoc.org. ?? ?? ?? ??