Central Maryland Research and Education Center
Fall/Winter 2014-2015
Bay-Wise Master
Gardener Update
To:
From:
Subject:
Date:
Bay-Wise Master Gardeners and MG Coordinators, Sherry Frick; Mike Ensor;
Naima Jenkins-El; Anna Glenn; Herb Reed; Steve Allgeier; Doris Behnke; Luke
Gustafson; Susan Trice; Ashley D Bodkins; Joyce Browning; Georgia Eacker; Esther
Mitchell; Molly Garrett; Jennifer Horton; Michaela Boley; Annette Cormany;
Ginny Rosenkranz; Alicia Bembenek and Jon Traunfeld
Wanda MacLachlan
Bay-Wise Update
February 2015
Greetings
Certified Landscapes
It was also a good year for Bay-Wise certifications.
This fall/winter issue covers the last half of this
year (7/1 through 12/31).
to all, for your landscape certifications.
It’s winter! While viewing beautiful snow-covered
landscapes, sitting by the fire with new seed
catalogues, this is a good time to reflect on the past
year and dream about the coming gardening
season. 2014 was an “average” year, precipitationwise. We got 43.16 inches of precipitation, with the
bulk of it coming in February, April, and May. Our
state average is 42.43 inches. It was a good
growing season for newly planted trees, shrubs and
perennials. Let’s hope this coming season is similar.
According to my records, there have been sixteen
new Bay-Wise Master Gardener landscapes
certified as demonstration sites since our last
newsletter. The names of the proud owners, the
counties in which they are situated, and dates of
certification of these special landscapes are listed
on the following page.
(410) 531-5973  (301) 596-9478  FAX (410) 531-5567  WTM@umd.edu
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT  11975 HOMEWOOD ROAD  ELLICOTT CITY, MARYLAND 21042-1545
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
LOCAL GOVERNMENTS  U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COOPERATING
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS
Page 2 of 11
2014 Certified Landscapes Between 7/1 & 12/31/14
First Name
Karen
Helen
Paula
Gary
Mary
Kathy
Laura
Daniel
Cindy
Anne
Carol
Bonnie
Sandra
Sharon
Doris
Ruth
Last Name
Cicmanec
Downey
Dube
Fulmer
Gaskins
Jenkins
Jiroun
Kuebbing
Mallonee
McIntyre Rivera
Nau
Pavlak
Reissig
Row
Santimays
Simon
(alphabetized by last name)
B-W Training Demo Certification Date
County
9/13/2014
9/15/2014
Baltimore
5/5/2014
7/3/2014
Calvert
9/13/2014
9/28/2014
Baltimore City
3/11/2013
9/3/2014
Washington
10/17/2012
8/4/2014
Charles
4/3/2014
10/16/2014
Charles
3/26/2011
9/26/2014
Calvert
3/11/2013
7/16/2014
Frederick
5/5/2014
7/23/2014
Calvert
10/17/2012
8/30/2014
Prince George's
3/21/2011
8/4/2014
Harford
3/31/2007
9/3/2014
Anne Arundel
4/3/2014
8/6/2014
Charles
4/27/2013
10/2/2014
Frederick
4/3/2014
8/14/2014
Charles
3/10/2012
7/9/2914
Baltimore
Bay-Wise Advanced Trainings
This past fall we conducted one Bay-Wise
Advanced Training session adding 18 new Bay-Wise
Master Gardeners to our rolls. These newest
inductees, combined with the 65 trained during the
first half of the year, brings the total to 83 in 2014.
This year we invited our Sea Grant Extension
Watershed Restoration Specialists to teach a few
sessions in our advanced training. They spoke on
the state of the bay, meeting county Phase II
Watershed Implementation Plans (WIPs) imposed
through Maryland's NPDES Municipal Separate
Storm Sewer System (MS4) requirements (TMDLs
or Total Maximum Daily Loads, anyone?), rain
gardens, and how Master Gardeners can help by
tracking homeowner BMPs through their
Stormwater Management and Restoration Tracker
(SMART) tool.
In September, Baltimore City and County co-hosted
the training that graduated the 19 new Bay-Wise
Master Gardeners. And 8 returnees sat in for an
update. Congratulations to Cathy Allen, Michel
Anderson, Paula Dube, James Hejl, Crystal
Patterson, and Debbie Veystrk, from Baltimore
City; Karen Cicmanec, Phyllis Clements, Anna
Glenn, Harry Merritt, Sheila Polley, Ernie Ritchey,
Glen Schultze, Michelle Stone, Debbie Thomas,
Lora Wong, and Rona Michele Zahorchack from
Baltimore County; and Lucy Howard from Harford
County for completing the advanced training. We
were also happy to see Gail Ritscher, from the city;
Kim Barnes, Judy Fulton, Joanna HastingsKiessling, Nancy Lewis, Patsy Pahr and Cathy
Thompson from Baltimore County and husband,
Stephen Howard from Harford County, returning
for a refresher course.
Upcoming Advanced Trainings
Currently, there is one Bay-Wise advanced training
scheduled for the last two Saturdays in May. Prince
George’s County Master Gardeners plan to conduct
training again in 2015. For specific dates, sites and
times, visit the Bay-Wise website,
www.extension.umd.edu/baywise and look for the
link in the top right corner.
Page 3 of 11
Also, if you haven’t attended one in a while and
would like a refresher, you are welcome to sit in on
this training if space is available. Ask the contact
person whether there is room in the class for you.
You don’t have to pay the registration fee but you
must bring your own HomeWork binder because
you won’t receive a new one (unless you pay the
registration fee).
To schedule an advanced training for your county,
assemble a group of at least 20 Master Gardeners
(don’t forget you can work with other counties to
reach your minimum of 20 attendees), select three
training dates and a venue and then contact
Wanda MacLachlan to work out a schedule.
Bay-Wise Statistics
Thank you to each and every Master Gardener who
has taken the Bay-Wise advanced training. Since
the beginning of the program in 1996, you have
certified a total of 1,405 client landscapes and 167
non-residential landscapes. In addition, 564 of you
have had your landscapes certified as
demonstration sites (of which 450 are still
maintained as such)!
Since our inception, we have trained a total of
1,184 Master Gardeners as Bay-Wise volunteers
and 353 of you are still actively participating on
your local committees.
Please Respond
Statistics are important to our program.
They help us tell our story. When you receive
a request to complete an on-line survey from
us, please complete it!
News From the Counties:
Anne Arundel
Co-chairs, Jim MacNicholl and Robin Gill, report
that their committee has maintained its 27
members for the past year or so. Since mid-year,
they’ve certified a record 53 landscapes, including
1 Bay-Wise demo site, 3 belonging to other Master
Gardeners, and 2 non-residential landscapes. They
also have 10 ongoing consultations that should
lead to certifications this spring. Jim and Robin
additionally report, “The Anne Arundel Bay-Wise
committee worked closely with the community of
Galesville to spearhead an effort aimed to certify a
large number of homes in this waterfront
community. We started in the spring by assisting
the Watershed Stewards Academy in installing rain
barrels throughout the community and kicked off
yard visits in July. We presented the benefits of
Bay-Wise Certification at the annual town meeting
in October, and will hold a Yardstick workshop in
spring 2015 with the plan to make Galesville a
major project in the next few years.
“This was year two of a partnership with Federated
Garden Club of Maryland, District II to encourage
clubs and members to adopt bay-friendly
gardening. So far, 21% of members in participating
Anne Arundel County clubs are Bay-Wise Certified.
Crofton Village Garden Club fully embraced our
efforts by inviting us to make presentations in Feb
and Sept, making Bay-Wise their annual theme for
2014/2015 and encouraging 44% of their members
(so far) to become Bay-Wise Certified.
“We are proud of our all-time record number of 96
certifications in 2014, plus 10 consultations for a
total of 106 visits. Our outreach efforts resulted in
9 presentations, and participation in two large
community events. We counted 700 contacts for
2014.”
Baltimore City
Co-Chairs, Gail Ritscher and Cathy Thompson are
training two new Master Gardeners to co-chair
Page 4 of 11
their committee. Starting this year, Lynn Supp and
Debbie Veystrk will be taking on this leadership
role. Meanwhile, Gail and Cathy share that their
committee has grown to 12 in the last six months.
They certified 2 demo sites, 9 client landscapes (1
belonging to a Master Gardener), and 5 nonresidential sites. One ongoing consultation will
likely turn into a certification later this year. They
also reached 23 city residents during presentations
with the UMD Medical Center, Fells Point Garden
Club, and Lake Evesham Community Meeting. In
addition, Gail and Cathy write that, “2014 was a
very successful year for outgoing Bay-Wise
Committee co-chairs Gail Ritscher and Cathy
Thompson. We certified 16 gardens in the second
half of the year, including 5 wonderful community
gardens, bringing our total for the year to a record
26. In addition, we finally managed to make
contact with three Baltimore City Garden clubs, an
audience we were sure would be receptive to our
message, but who proved to be much more difficult
to reach than we had imagined. We started with a
presentation to members of the Fells Point Garden
Club in October, and we are scheduled to give
presentations to the Lake Hills Garden Club and the
Mt Washington Garden Club in January and April
2015, respectively.
“Plans are also underway for another Bay-Wise &
Beautiful Garden Tour in June 2015. Eight gardens
are already locked in, and another five to six are
likely to be added. We are very excited to have an
advertising expert connected with the National
Wildlife Federation (NWF) working with the tour
committee this year, as good advertising is
obviously the key to success in terms of attendance.
We are hoping to work with the NWF as a partner
for the tour.
“Finally, this year’s Advanced Bay-Wise training in
collaboration with Baltimore County netted our
Committee a great new group of enthusiastic BayWise educators: Paula Dube, Debbie Veystrk (new
BW Committee co-chair), Debbie Thomas, Crystal
Patterson, Michel Anderson, Jim Hejl, and Cathy
Allen. Thanks to all of you for your work on behalf
of the Committee.”
Baltimore County
Co-Chairs, Leslie Erickson and Carolyn Vane inform
us that their ranks have grown to around 28 active
committee members. The committee has certified
a total of 18 landscapes in the past six months. Two
were Bay-Wise demonstration sites, 15 were client
sites (including 2 belonging to Master Gardeners),
and 1 was a non-residential site.
In June their team taught Bay-Wise principles to 25
county residents as part of their “In the Garden”
series, which takes place in the demonstration
garden located at their Extension office. Carolyn
and Leslie also inform us: “Late summer and fall
found us doing a flurry of certifications when a local
garden club (with several MGs as members) was
challenged to have all member landscapes certified.
They came very close to success. Strangely enough,
the only two un-certified are MGs. Go figure!
“The mild weather this summer and fall only added
to the beauty of the BCMG Bay-Wise Demo garden
and rain garden. The gardens were featured in our
August 9th Garden Fest and were used to teach a
“class”, open to the public, on Bay-Wise Gardening.
About 20 people attended.”
When asked to report impacts, they shared: “A
Bay-Wise “party”, hosted by BCMG President Randy
Low, resulted in about 11 certifications for her
garden club members. Our ongoing partnership
with the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy resulted in
4 certifications, including one of a marina, located
right on a creek leading to the Chesapeake Bay.”
Calvert
New Chair, Dom Braino has gotten off to a great
start. Since he didn’t submit a report for the first
half of 2014, he decided to report on everything
that has happened since he took the helm from
long-time chair, Judy Kay, in fall of 2013. So his
report covers September, 2013 through December,
Page 5 of 11
2014. The Calvert County committee is 25-strong
and has certified 22 sites since last September.
Seven are Bay-Wise demo landscapes and 15 are
client sites (2 belong to Master Gardeners). There
are 3 pending certifications, as well. Dom shares,
“Calvert County Bay-Wise Master Gardeners set
two goals for 2014. The first was to expand the
Bay-Wise Committee and the second to partner
with local garden clubs to increase the percent of
club members’ gardens certified as Bay-Wise.
“Advanced Bay-Wise training was conducted in the
spring for 25 Master Gardeners and Interns.
Fourteen of the 25 were initial trainees and 11 were
refreshing their Bay-Wise training. Seven of the
class and one previously trained MG were Bay-Wise
certified during the summer, increasing our
committee 47% to 25 active members.
“Bay-Wise presentations were made to over 85
members of the North Beach, Calvert and the
Chesapeake Garden Clubs during their winter and
spring meetings. Fourteen of the 25 yard
certifications and consultation visits conducted in
the reporting period were for Garden Club
members.
the Chesapeake Beach Elementary School in early
2014. Forty-one adults and 6 youth attended in
spite of bad weather and 9 were interested in BayWise yard visits. Due to these educational
activities, we have a list of requests for yard visits
to be conducted during spring and summer of 2015.
Planning and training is underway to schedule
these visits.”
Carroll
Acting Chair, Dick Heiger, heads up a committee of
6 that has certified 2 landscapes in the last six
months. There had 3 consultations that have not
led to certifications yet. Dick reports “Our
certifications for 2014 were few but very
interesting. The property of Deborah Marder, about
23 acres in the rural country side of Manchester in
northern Carroll County, is part farmland and a
business. The business in called The Cat’s Meow
Daylily Garden where she has a dozen or so
gardens of various flowers and many daylilies, plus
a large pond. The business is open for tours during
June through August and she sells clumps of the
daylilies. You can even enjoy a cup of tea in the
garden.
“The property of Sharon Row was also very rural on
the Carroll/ Frederick county line in New Windsor.
Her home is situated on 1.75 acres in the middle of
native oak, pine, dogwood and many other trees.
Only a small portion of the back yard gets sunlight
during the summer but she maintains many
gardens for the birds, butterflies, frogs and other
animals. All the rain water off the house is filtered
and captured in a well.”
One of Calvert MG most productive Bay-Wise Certification teams.
Four are Bay-Wise Committee members. Three received Bay-Wise
advanced training in 2014 and were certified this summer.
“Additional interest in the Bay-Wise program was
generated from Garden Smarter workshops, the
MG booths at the Green Expo, North Beach
Farmer’s Market and the County Fair. CCMG also
were asked by Chespax and the Chesapeake Beach
Green Team to present a Bay-Living Workshop at
Cecil
No report.
Charles
Co-chairs, Ronda Goldman and Janet McGrane
inform us that their team is 37-strong! In the last
six months of the year they certified 11 landscapes:
4 demo sites and 7 client sites (5 belonging to
Master Gardeners). They also had 13 consultations
that have not yet led to certifications. Ronda and
Page 6 of 11
Janet report that “Bay-Wise in Charles County
toured the Heron’s Flight in the latter part of 2014
and made stops at the Charles County Fair in La
Plata, MD and Monarch Mania on Cobb Island.
Gearing up for 2015 brought organizational
meetings for our first Bay-Wise Garden Tour and
our first SMART Tools training session. We added
thirteen new sites to the roster and are looking
forward to building more community connections
and strategic partners.
“The Charles County Fair proved to be a rewarding
opportunity to connect with residents. The fair
brings the community together through
demonstrations, shows, and contests. It is the
beginning of the holiday season and we were able
to garner thirteen interested residents. It also
provided an opportunity to educate the community
and share Bay-Wise principles.
“The next adventure for BWCC is to launch its first
Bay-Wise Garden Tour. Historic and modern sites
are being selected as well as sites that provide a
multigenerational experience. The project is
scheduled for October 2015 and will be an
educational and fundraising opportunity.
“SMART Tool training is the next leg of training for
our team. SMART stands for Stormwater
Management and Restoration Tracker, a tool used
to monitor the number and impact of properly
functioning practices. All information can be used
by municipalities to determine efficacy of resources
and efforts. Adding this level of training will further
equip team members and enable them to educate
and assist Charles County with stewarding our 300
mi. of shoreline.”
Dorchester
No report.
Frederick
“Monarch Mania was spearheaded by the Citizens
of Cobb Island and has taken place annually for the
last three years. The event is held to increase
awareness of the migration of Monarchs and the
importance of maintaining a healthy environment.
Monarch butterflies, like all other butterflies,
cannot exist in environments that are toxic. Their
habitat calls for native flora, clean air, and clean
water. The state of Maryland often judges its
toxicity levels by documenting the number of
butterflies that frequent each year. The Monarch
population is currently declining and the festival
tracks their migration through tagging. Bay-Wise
was present to provide information about native
plants and how to maintain a healthy ecosystem.
Chair, Regina Irizarry, reports that their team of 50
certified one demonstration landscape during the
second half of the year. Read below to find out
what else the committee has been doing:
“NEW NATIVE PLANTS HANDOUT
Thanks to the great work and research that BayWise committee member Telly Encarnación has
done as part of her 2014 intern presentation, the
Bay-Wise team has a draft for a new proposed
handout and reference document focused on
locally-available native plants for the Frederick
area. Telly has created a spreadsheet and graphic
informational brochure that include comprehensive
information on the plants, including scientific and
common names, mature size, soil and moisture
requirements, beneficial insect/wildlife information,
and deer resistance. Telly and Margaret Hindman
are working to finalize the brochure, which should
be very helpful for Frederick Bay-Wise clients who
are interested in adding native plants to their
landscapes.
Page 7 of 11
“EVENTS ̶ UME 100TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE
Five Bay-Wise volunteers (Mary Costello, Telly
Encarnación, Regina Irizarry, Ellen West, and
Harriet Wise) staffed the Bay-Wise table display at
the University of Maryland Extension Open House
in Celebration of University of Maryland Extension’s
100th Anniversary on 10/22/14. They shared
information with visitors on Bay-Wise and the
issues that affect the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
“CREATION OF A MONARCH BUTTERFLY
WAYSTATION IN BRUNSWICK, MD
Telly Encarnación worked with Brunswick Crossing
residents this fall to create a monarch butterfly
waystation in Kim Weddle Park in the City of
Brunswick. Eight volunteers from the community
created a caterpillar-shaped garden, in which they
planted bee balm, purple coneflower, aster, joe pye
weed, sedum and catmint, and sowed swamp
milkweed, common milkweed and goldenrod seeds.
The group hopes the garden will serve a dual
purpose, by supporting the monarchs on their
annual migration and by serving as an outdoor
classroom for youth and scout groups using the
adjacent library.
Volunteers from the Brunswick Crossing Community in Brunswick,
MD and with their newly-completed Monarch Waystation garden in
Kim Weddle Park. Master Gardener Telly Encarnación (kneeling in
Credit: Richard A. Foot
front) guided the volunteers with the project.
“HERON PIN RECOGNITION
Jann Rabin introduced a pewter heron pin this year
that will be awarded to master gardeners who lead
4 landscape certifications and/or give 4 talks on
behalf of Bay-Wise during a calendar year.
Congratulations to Suzanne Hill, the first recipient
of the pin in recognition for her Bay-Wise service
during 2014.”
Harford
Bay-Wise Master Gardener Chair, Joan Parris
informs us that their committee has grown to 31
members. Since last report they have certified 1
demonstration and 8 client landscapes (1 belonging
to a Master Gardener). They also reached 483
residents (including 150 youth) during four
different events. Joan shares this: “Harford County
Bay-Wise Master Gardeners worked at several
events in the community to inform clients about the
Bay-Wise program. We staffed a table at the APG
Community Day on July 10 where we talked with
over 75 residents who were interested in the
program. We gave out native seedlings and
discussed the importance of native plants for
pollinators and general landscape health. In
October we took our watershed display to STEM
night at John Carroll Middle School. Over 200
students were exposed to the importance of storm
water runoff control. An exciting outcome of that
event was that a group of students wants to train
in using the model so that they can make
presentations as well. We have a small group of
MG's working with the girls toward that end. Joan
Parris and Eleanor Cone made a Bay-Wise
presentation to the Deer Creek Watershed
Association in September. We discussed possible
ways of working together to further our common
goal of protecting the Bay and its watersheds. One
of the members had her property certified as a
result of the meeting. And in November we once
again had a Bay-Wise display at the Eden Mill Fall
Fest. Over 200 people visited the table and
received information on good landscaping
practices.”
Howard
Bay-Wise Master Gardener Chair, Linda Decker
reports that their 38-member committee deferred
certifications in second half of 2014 in anticipation
of new Bay-Wise Yardstick. They scheduled
Page 8 of 11
certifications of demo landscapes for the Spring of
2015 and have 12 landscape consultations pending.
They have also taught over 315 county residents
(including 76 school children) Bay-Wise principles
in 4 different venues including community fairs and
garden club meetings.
Linda reports, “During the second half of the year
our major project is the Bay-Wise Garden Tour.
Our committee co-chaired by Holly McFarland and
Pat Harrington selected a property in Columbia
that exemplified Bay-Wise principles. A typical
Columbia residential property, the landscape
included two rain gardens and storm water
management features including multiple rain
barrels. Design of the yard provided spaces for
entertaining, vegetable gardening, composting,
children’s play equipment, wildlife habitat and
incorporated a wide array of native plantings. The
garden tour was featured in the Baltimore Sun and
Howard County publications:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/ho
ward/columbia/bs-md-ho-baywise-landscapinghelps-control-polluti-20140915,0,5523289.story.
The excellent pre-tour publicity generated the
largest attendance we have ever experienced.
More than 260 people toured the property
(Sometimes it was just too hard to count because of
the crowd!) It took a large team to pull off the
event. We had nine exhibits staffed by MGs and
signage everywhere to identify native plants and
highlight significant Bay-Wise features. The
Columbia Association Watershed Manager also
participated, handing out brochures and advising
eligible Columbia Residents about the Rain Garden
Cost Share Program. A compost bin give-away was
quickly consumed and disappointed residents were
advised to come to our Alpha Ridge rain barrel and
compost bin distribution site. Feedback was
requested as folks left the property and it was
overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Two thirds of the
participants indicated they intended to plant
natives and implement better water management
as a result of the tour. Half the folks intend to
compost and a third are considering reducing the
size of their lawn and planting trees.
“A number of schools in Howard County have had
rain gardens installed. Over time the parent groups
instrumental in building them have moved on and
the maintenance group for HCPSS is neither staffed
nor skilled for the maintenance of rain gardens.
Over the past few months an effort has been made
to clarify responsibilities and make a plan of action
to tackle several of the gardens. This fall we
received a request to visit the Lim Kiln Middle
School. Two science teachers there have an
ambitious program with their students. In addition
to grants for raising aquatic plants they maintain a
rain garden and pollinator garden. However, they
are having difficulty determining how to deal with
runoff from an adjacent farm. During one
particularly heavy rain event, the water overcame
the storm water grates and flooded the basketball
courts. Members of the Bay-Wise committee and
the education committee met with the teachers.
We provided suggestions for expanding the rain
garden but that is insufficient for dealing with the
major source of storm water. The topography of
the adjacent farm funnels water towards the swale
in back of the school. The engineered overflow
protection becomes blocked by debris. We have
involved the county in developing an alternative
solution and have also committed to an ongoing
relationship with this school to provide advice.
“The Rain Barrel distribution program at the Alpha
Ridge Landfill concluded in October for 2014. Twice
a month, food grade barrels that have been
cleaned and drilled are delivered to the site
adjacent to our demo rain garden and we provide
them to the public free of charge. Each recipient is
given information on how to equip and use the
barrels and asked to sign a pledge that the barrels
will be put to use. Because of the success of the
program, two of the hardware stores in Howard
County have prepared kits for homeowners that
Page 9 of 11
include all the hardware needed to convert the
barrels.
“We continue to provide on-site consultations for
members of the Howard County community to help
them solve their landscaping problems. In an effort
to gauge the impact of our efforts we established a
committee headed by Sylvia Huestis to develop a
questionnaire and strategy to contact the many
residents we have consulted with over the past few
years and determine if our recommendations were
implemented and to what result. The
questionnaire is complete and the follow-up
contacts will begin in January 2015.
“In reviewing our catalog of presentations, we
determined that a gap existed for the topic of trees.
We pulled together a committee, outlined a
presentation and gathered information and
photographs. Phyllis Yigdall took all the
information and crafted a beautiful presentation,
“Trees, Wonderful Trees.” Elements of the
presentation were debuted in a display at the Main
Howard County library in October. Two of our
presenters will be delivering the talk in early 2015
at libraries and community centers. The talk is
accompanied with handouts and information on
tree planting programs in Maryland. Given the
recent recommendation in the 2014 State of the
Bay report encouraging more tree planting in
Maryland, this presentation is spot-on!”
Prince George’s
Franchella Kendall, Chair, reports that their
committee has maintained its 23 members since
last report. They have certified 1 Bay-Wise demo
site and 1 client site within the past six months.
Franchella adds that “Bay-Wise Master Gardeners
who have had their yard certified were presented
with the Blue Heron Pin at the Annual Prince
George’s County Holiday Party.” (See picture)
Bay-Wise Master Gardener, Anne McIntyre Rivera’s, yard
certification. Also pictured are the Master Gardener interns who
shadowed the Bay-wise Master Gardeners to learn more about the
Bay-Wise and the yard certification process.
Queen Anne’s and St. Mary’s
No report.
Talbot
Co-Chairs, Lynn Freeburger & Lisa Ghezzi report
that they certified one client landscape within the
past six months.
Washington
Master Gardener Coordinator, Annette Cormany
says that their committee has certified 4
landscapes over the past six months. One was a
demo site and the other 3 are client sites. She also
reports that “over 900 visitors learned about the
Bay-Wise program at our information booth and
displays at Boonsborough Days, a major local
event. Another 100 guests were taught Bay-Wise
principles at several plant clinics and learning
activities in our historic 4-square garden. Six
Master Gardeners led in a lively Bay-Wise panel
discussion at a monthly Master Gardener meeting,
sharing their positive experiences with training and
certification reviews with the 40 Master Gardeners
present. This panel discussion led to a series of
successful certifications and a dozen Master
Gardeners signing up for training, reviews and
service on a planning committee.”
Page 10 of 11
More Assorted Stuff
Upcoming Anniversary
In 2016 the Bay-Wise
Landscape Management
Program will celebrate its
20th year of training. How
can we mark the occasion?
Confer with your fellow
Bay-Wise committee
members and let me know your thoughts.
What is a Native Plant?
When someone asks me, “is that a native species?”
my answer is a resounding YES! Because it is native
to somewhere, but maybe not here in Maryland.
It is wonderful to know that the public is becoming
more interested in native plants. We, as Bay-Wise
Master Gardeners, certainly do our best to
encourage people to plant more native plants to
provide food and shelter for our native birds,
butterflies, pollinators and other wildlife.
•
In 1994, the Federal Native Plant
Conservation Committee defined it as “a
plant species ‘that occurs naturally in a
particular region, state, ecosystem, and
habitat without direct or indirect human
actions.’”
• Another definition is “one that was growing
in a specific area, such as a region of MD, at
the time Columbus arrived in North
America.”
Certainly, each of these definitions contributes to
the idea of co-evolution with other natives over a
long period of time without human intervention
and adaptation to a specific eco-region. Whichever
definition you choose, it should fulfill those
characteristics.
And then there is the question of cultivars. Is a
cultivar of a native plant still considered a native
plant? The answer to that one is easy – NO – it is, a
cultivar of a native plant. It involves human
intervention. There is nothing wrong with planting
a cultivar of a native plant, unless your goal is to
plant native plants. If you want to “go native” with
your plantings, use locally grown native plants, not
cultivars.
The only exception to this issue is planting a
cultivar because our native species is in danger of
extinction; think American elm and American
chestnut.
So, what’s in your garden – a native plant or a
cultivar of a native plant?
Native pachysandra starting to bloom
Conceptually, we know that native plants are good
for our local fauna but we sometimes have trouble
understanding exactly what a native plant is or is
not. This is due to several subtly differing
definitions and our interpretation of them.
• One such definition is, “a plant that is
"indigenous" to an area - growing where it
originated.”
Bay-Wise Brochures
The new brochures are available now. The cost was
reduced from $0.24 to $0.09 apiece. I sent a
complimentary 250 copies to each Extension office
with an active Bay-Wise committee. When you are
ready to order more, visit the Bay-Wise website
and click on the link For BW MGs Only and cursor
down the page to the link where you can download
the publications order form. You can order bundles
of 100 or more in increments of 100.
Page 11 of 11
Maryland’s New Lawn Fertilizer Law and
Homeowners
Beginning 1 October 2013, Maryland residents are
being required to follow University of Maryland
recommendations when applying fertilizers to their
lawns. Maryland Department of Agriculture has
instituted a new law for commercial lawn care
professionals and homeowners who apply fertilizer
to lawns. The law requires applicators to follow
many of Bay-Wise practices we have been
espousing for many years, such as sweeping spilled
fertilizer off of paved surfaces, not fertilizing within
15 feet of waterways and not fertilizing when
heavy rain is forecasted. A relatively new
requirement is that no phosphorous may be
applied to turf unless indicated by a soil test or
during seeding. Find out more about the law and
how it affects homeowners by visiting this link:
http://mda.maryland.gov/Pages/fertilizer.aspx.
From this page you can download many useful
publications. Although developed for the
professional industry, the MD Professional Lawn
Care Manual,
http://mda.maryland.gov/SiteAssets/MDAProLawn
CareManual6.24.13.pdf , is a good review of
everything a Master Gardener should know about
turf. Check out the first six chapters.
Interested in Planting Trees?
The Maryland Urban and Community
Forest Committee (MUCFC) is a
volunteer group of citizens,
professionals, and government
officials united to protect and enhance
Maryland's forest ecosystems. MUCFC
is a sub-committee of the Maryland Association of
Forest Conservancy District Boards. Every county in
the state has a Forestry Board.
The primary functions of the
Committee are to 1.)
Promote and coordinate the
Maryland Community PLANT
award program that officially
recognizes communities
planting and caring for
trees, and 2.) Administer grants to communities,
through their local Forestry Boards, that promote
planting and care of trees. If you are interested and
would like more information about membership,
please contact Wayne Lucas, 301-324-2684 or me,
at 410-531-5973.
If you are interested in applying for a grant of up to
$1,500, or learning more about MUCFC, visit:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/programs/urb
an/mcfc.asp
Is Your Landscape Certified?
Are you among the few, the proud, the “certified?”
Has your landscape been certified as Bay-Wise yet?
If you answered “no” to these two questions, it is
time to move into action. One of the successful
indicators of the Bay-Wise Landscape Management
Program is to have all Bay-Wise Master Gardeners’
landscapes certified as demonstration landscapes.
So far 559 “demo landscapes” have been
designated throughout the state. If yours isn’t one
of them, and you know who you are, contact your
county’s Bay-Wise committee chair to set up an
appointment. The process is easy & fun and one of
the rewards is increased visibility in your
neighborhood as an expert on ecologically sound
landscaping.
Wanda MacLachlan
Contact Information:
wtm@umd.edu
410-531-5973
11975 Homewood Road
Ellicott City, MD 21044