THE COMPOST
Published quarterly by the Charles County Master Gardeners
University of Maryland Extension, Charles County Office, 9375
Chesapeake Street, Suite 119, La Plata, MD 20646
Phone: 301-934-5403—301-753-8195
Cindi Barnhart ... Editor
Jessica Milstead.. Copy Editor
Betsy Parbuoni ... PDF Editor
Jessi Thibault .... Art, Mail
Carol Teets
Writer, Mail
Janet McGrane ... ...... Calendar
Elaine Miller ............. Mail
Anna Haugh .............. Mail
Larry Martin .............. Mail
Cover: Camp Merrick “Sight” bed with a pendulous form of Blue Atlas
cedar, Cedrus atlantica.
SUMMER 2011
Update On The Search For Excellence Award
In February we submitted an application for The International Master
Gardener Search for Excellence award on behalf of our Charles County
Detention Center Horticultural Education program and garnered an 85
out of 100 point score. Although we were not selected for this award
we were pleased with the feedback from the awards committee and
will follow their recommendations for future submissions.
One judge gave the following comment: Creative work with a very
needy group of clientele. Good curriculum titles. I liked the balanced
program idea with 90 minutes of lecture and 90 minutes of hands-on
activities.
The International Master Gardener Conference in Charleston, West
Virginia will take place October 11-14, 2011.
2
Rosemary Ewing sets up a sales table; a growing potato basket; and an audience
listens to Gale Kladitis demonstrate how to grow a lettuce box to our County
Extension Director Karol Dyson.
Photos by Cindi Barnhart
How Our Two Plant Sales Spelled SUCCE$$!
By Terry Thir and Gale Kladitis
all of our interns who helped us
this year.
Yes, we outdid ourselves again
this year! This year we held a
plant sale at two locations: the
Farmer‟s Market in La Plata and
the PD Brown Memorial Library in
Waldorf. The plant sales were a
huge success and exceeded our
goal by grossing over $2,200. The
project leaders, Gale Kladitis (La
Plata) and Terry Thir (Waldorf),
want to personally thank all of
you for your contributions and
participation, and for making this
event our most successful sale to
date. We really enjoyed the opportunity to lead this rewarding
project. As in prior years, MGs
and interns rolled up their sleeves
and planted seedlings and dug up
shrubs and perennials. Volunteers
helped with setting up and breaking down staging, pricing plants,
transporting them, and working
onsite at the actual sale. This was
a great learning opportunity for
A big thanks to Barbie Walter for
allowing us to use her yard to
stage the plants. A special shout
out to Marsha Back for her handmade soaps which were a big hit.
We also want to thank Jessica
Milstead, Sue Brewer, and Louise
Kearns for all the time spent organizing the sale, identifying
plant species, and leading teams
to price and label the plants prior
to the plant sale. Thanks to
Cheryl Kasunich and Janet
McGrane for handling the publicity and for designing a new banner and street signs for the sale.
We also want to thank our onsite
experts, Jessica Milstead and
Maggie Tieger, for fielding gardening questions from our patrons. We need to acknowledge
and thank Heaven‟s Garden for
(Continued on page 18)
3
Spring Fever—MG-Style With Activities Galore
By Brenda Elmore, Intern
April showers are said to bring
May flowers---I don‟t know how
true that is, but April and May
bring Master Gardeners out and
get them going in a hurry! Besides
our own gardens, we have helped
countless others through participating in numerous activities. Due
to the number of activities offered, I found it hard to pick and
choose. Here are the ones I finally joined.
Photo by Gale Kladitis
The Chik Fil-A cow grazes on a lush
lettuce box at La Plata Day.
electric slide, and literally blowing up balloons. It was a great
success and lots of community
ties were made. Follow-up programs are in the works.
One of the first activities undertaken was the April 13 plant walk
at Chapman‟s Landing State Park.
This little known gem was fought
for by true believers who wanted
it preserved instead of destroyed
by developers. Walking through
the wooded grounds, with house
and water views made it easy to
see why.
On April 30 there were two places
for MGs to be at one time: landscaping the Christmas in April
locations; and providing activities
and information in a booth provided by Civista on the La Plata
courthouse common for La Plata
Day. Carol Teets, Marty Eldridge,
and I staffed the booth at La
Plata, with Carol also intermittently running supplies to the
Christmas in April volunteers.
Children came to plant seeds in a
cup, getting the first-hand thrill
of gardening, while adults
learned about potato baskets,
salad boxes, and the Master Gardener program. It was a long but
satisfying day for both groups.
We had a booth at the Spring Carnival at Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School on April 16. Parents and children alike learned
about salad boxes and potato baskets, which Gail Kladitis had
ready for display. Packets of lettuce seeds, brochures, information, and smiles were handed out,
to the delight of the people who
braved the weather to come to
the event. The MGs even joined
in the carnival fun, relearning the
(Continued on page 5)
4
SPRING FEVER (Continued from page 4)
On Monday, May 2, a site visit to
Children‟s Aid set up a future
landscape renovation for September, using Chaney Grant money,
and then it was on to preparations for the two plant sale sites
in Waldorf and La Plata for Saturday, May 7. Interns and Master
Gardeners alike worked hard to
ensure the successful fundraising
through the sale of the plants
they themselves had nurtured
and donated.
These are some of the activities
that have kept this Charles
County Master Gardener Intern
hopping this spring. But that‟s
not all of them -- Gail Kladitis‟
detention center horticulture
training program, state training
day at College Park, fundraisers
(love that soap!), and learning
opportunities are helping our MG
program thrive.
I give it two green thumbs up!
Photos by Cindi Barnhart
Above left: Marty Eldredge talks with Nina Voehl of Southern Maryland Rural
Health Disparities and Obesity Network, as Brenda Elmore gathers information
to be given to Nina at the Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School carnival
(April 16). Above right: Marty Eldredge and Carol Teets provide information
about salad boxes, potato baskets, the upcoming plant sale and our Master
Gardener program at the La Plata Day booth (April 30).
Editor‟s note:
We will be partnering in upcoming outreach programs with Southern
Maryland Rural Health Disparities and Obesity Network (SMRHDON),
an organization centered around health, wellness, and fitness.
Marty Eldredge is the contact for work with this organization.
5
Bay-Wise
Ongoing
Contact: Ronda Goldman
Two Charles County Schools Go Bay-Wise
By Ronda Goldman, Class of 2006
many other native plants. When
it‟s all finished, opportunities for
science, art, math, and music will
come to life as the wetland,
meadow, forest, and orchard grow
into a living classroom that will
transform educational experiences into multi-dimensional,
cross-curricular units of study.
JC Parks Elementary School and
Matthew Henson Middle School
embarked upon an environmental
adventure that has proved to be
an exercise in team work, horticultural calisthenics, and wetland
wonders. Both schools joined
forces to plant some of the 1800
plants. The focus of this stage
was their wetland classroom. The
wetland installation was led by
Environmental Concern, an organization in St. Michael‟s, MD,
that specializes in school-based
wetland installations.
The students weren‟t the only
anxious and excited participants
in the planting. Before the day
was finished the water level had
risen and wetland wildlife began
to move into the neighborhood.
One of the 121 species of Anisoptera skimmed across the moving
waters and graced the planting
with their presence. This can be
considered informal approval from
one of the fastest wetland insects
in the world -- the dragonfly. Mallard ducks were also spotted vacationing in the new habitat. Let‟s
just hope that they will consider
the wetland and meadow prime
real estate and make it their permanent home.
Armed with shovels, trowels, and
youthful energy, students managed to break through Charles
County‟s clay (with the help of an
auger) and help young plants find
a new home. Mary Cocke, Rosemary Ewing, Anne Gillespie,
Ronda Goldman, and Terry Thir
provided guidance and mentorship as the children enthusiastically laid the foundation for outdoor exploration. The field of
dreams will teem with dogwoods,
pin oaks, black-eyed susan, blue
vervain, American sycamores, and
The next steps for Parks and
Henson were to finish planting the
(Continued on page 7)
6
BAY-WISE
(Continued from page 6)
last 200 plants in the wetland,
install the meadow, and install
200 trees, all scheduled for June
9. Our very own Jessica Milstead
designed the tree plan and was to
coordinate the tree planting,
while Environmental Concern was
to be responsible for the wetland
and meadow. Projects like these
help make Charles County Schools
an exciting and green place to
learn, grow, and play.
Photo by Terry Thir
Photo by Deanna Wheeler
Above, Ann Gillespie, Rosemary Ewing, Terry Thir, Mary Cocke and Bay-Wise
coordinator Ronda Goldman display the schematic for planting; and students
lay out plants according to the plan and begin planting.
Camp Merrick
Ongoing
Contact: Jan Lakey-Waters or Janet Cooney
We Will Tend The Lovely Beds This Summer
Janet Cooney, Terry Thir and I
have been weeding the beds and
they are looking good! Classes for
campers are being held this summer and will dictate when we can
work.
Watch for emails to announce our
work plans so you can join us.
Photo by Terry Thir
By Jan Lakey-Waters, Class of 2009
Jan Lakey-Waters among flourishing
plants at Camp Merrick.
7
Speakers Bureau
Ongoing
Contact: Barbie Walter
Our Speaker‟s Bureau Is Doing Quite Well
By Barbie Walter, Class of 2006
the Speaker‟s Bureau:
MGs are out and about doing
presentations, teaching, and from
what they tell me, having fun
along the way. The word is out
that we are available to present
on many different topics, and
that we are pretty good at doing
it. This has resulted in MGs being
called individually by interested
groups and organizations instead
of contacting the office or me to
find someone to do a presentation for them.
Mary Ann Wade did presentations
for the Hughesville, Charles
County, and Swan Point Garden
Clubs. Gale Kladitis presented to
the Hughesville Garden Club; together Carol Teets, Cheryl Kasunich, and Gale Kladitis presented to the Civista employees
and Social Services, as well as a
presentation open to the public
on container gardening -- potato
baskets and salad boxes. Marty
Eldridge and Rosemary Ewing presented weed-less gardening to
the La Plata Garden Club.
This is a compliment to our presenters, but there is one drawback. That is, unless you let me
know about your presentation the
speaker‟s bureau will not know
about it and it will not go into the
records.
If any of you have done presentations, email the information to
me so I can record it and brag
about what you do. Congratulation to all of you who are doing
teaching programs and letting
them know how good we are!
The only program I have placed
was for the Clover Group homeschooled children, ages 5-7. Gale
Kladitis and Kathy Cox responded,
and had fun doing a hands-on
class for the little people and
parents on April 17.
If any other MGs have been asked
to do a presentation, please
email or call me so I can get the
information into our records.
Marian Bruemmer will handle the
Speakers Bureau in July/August.
The following programs were arranged directly, rather than by
8
Charles County Detention Center
Horticultural Education
Contact: Gale Kladitis
Detention Center Garden Bay-Wise Certified
By Gale Kladitis, Class of 2008
certified. The Detention Center
Administration has granted the
Master Gardeners permission to
visit the garden weekly after the
completion of classes in order to
monitor progress and check for
proper maintenance.
Our spring sessions are well under
way and will conclude on June 14
with graduation and awarding of
certificates. Once again this
spring we have concentrated on
the vegetable garden at the main
building for our outside activity.
We switched the direction of the
garden, so that the rows go in the
40‟ direction instead of the 60‟
direction, and trenched the outside as well as the rows to keep
more water available for the
plants. Our indoor classes have
varied and we have had many
fantastic instructors. For the students, the really special experience was learning about Bay-Wise
and getting their garden Bay-Wise
Jon Traunfeld will conduct a class
on vegetable gardens at the Detention Center garden on Tuesday, July 26, at 9:00am. This
class is certified as advanced
training. If you are interested in
attending, please contact Robin
Hessey prior to the class to register.
Our fall sessions will begin on
Tuesday, September 6, 2011.
Photos by Cindi Barnhart
Above: Sally Hopp looks over the garden; Gale Kladitis and Ronda Goldman pose
in back of the Bay-Wise plaque and Officer Oliver helps in the CCDC garden.
9
Christmas In April
Ongoing
Contact: Carol Teets
Eighth Annual Christmas in April Project
and a visit to a nursery are always
a learning experience for a gardener.
By Carol Teets, Class of 2003
Experienced Master Gardeners and
Master Gardener Interns partnered
with the Christmas in April organization for the eighth consecutive
year. Christmas in April, a chapter
of a national organization, is dedicated to rebuilding and repairing
homes of elderly, disabled, and
low-income residents.
Thank you to all the volunteers
who worked on this project:
Interns-Pauline Spurlock, Nadine
Morgan-Jackson, Yuka Sanders and
Miki Pickering; MGs-Mary Cocke,
Karen Westhead, Elaine Miller,
Jessi Thibault, Janet Cooney,
Maggie Tieger, Jan Lakey-Waters,
Yvonne Irving and those mentioned earlier in this article.
The 2011 effort provided free services to 15 houses and 2 community service projects. Master Gardener volunteers participated by
pruning, planting, mulching, and
sharing the proper method for
performing these tasks with other
volunteers. On several occasions
mini planting and or pruning
classes took place as a Master
Gardener would generously share
their knowledge.
We are counted among the 850
volunteers in Charles County to
make a difference for these deserving citizens. I look forward to
the Charles County Master Gardeners being a part of Christmas
in April in 2012.
Learning and teaching for this project starts well before event day.
Prior to April 30 site visits were
performed to each of the homes
by Sue Brewer, Tom Lewis, and
Jessica Milstead; and on Friday,
April 29, volunteers gathered at
Longwood Nursery in order to
make plant selections. Site visits
Azaleas are the signature plant of the
Christmas In April program
10
Site Visits
Ongoing
Contact: Jessica Milstead
Nature Walks with Jessica
Ongoing
Contact: Jessica Milstead
When someone calls or visits the
Extension office with a question
about problems with their
plantings, or for advice on
landscaping, the call is referred to
me, and I put together a team to
go out to look and give advice.
These are ongoing walks as the seasons allow. The walks do count as
Advanced Training for Master Gardeners and are open to all Interns.
See Calendar for dates.
Speakers Bureau
Ongoing
Contact: Marian Bruemmer
The Compost Newsletter
Ongoing
Contact: Cindi Barnhart
Use your knowledge to inform the
public and/or your fellow Master
Gardeners. See page 8.
Photographers and writers are
needed to keep our outstanding
publication informative. Help to
cover our activities and contribute
to the newsletter.
Christmas In April
Ongoing
Contact: Carol Teets
Charles County Detention Center
Horticultural Education
Ongoing
Contact: Gale Kladitis
This valuable community effort
provides a wonderful opportunity
for earning volunteer hours.
Assess assigned Christmas In April
properties before April 28 or join
us for the actual day of service, on
Saturday April 28, 2012.
Spring and fall sessions at the
Detention Center offer valuable
horticultural instruction and handson experience to the in-house
population. Teachers as well as
other volunteers are welcome.
Dr. Samuel Mudd House
Ongoing
Contact: Beth Bonifant
Charles County Fair
September 15–18
Contact: Carol Teets
You may want to join the team of
MGs who maintain the herb garden
and surrounding landscape at the
Dr. Samuel Mudd House in Waldorf,
April through October.
Help design an educational display
and volunteer to staff a booth.
Contact the project leader by referring to your Membership Directory.
11
Summer / Fall 2011 Events
July
14
Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Plant ID/Taxonomy, St.
Mary's County, Charlotte Hall Library, $35, text $16,
Registration Deadline 6/15
21
Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Plant ID/Taxonomy, St.
Mary's County, Charlotte Hall Library
26
Tuesday, 9 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.; Vegetable Plant and Pest
Diagnostic Walk, Charles County Detention Center,
Fee: $10, Registration deadline 7/19
See page 22 for additional walks in July
26
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
August
4
Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.; Plant ID/Taxonomy, St.
Mary's County, Charlotte Hall Library
23
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
September
6
Tuesday, 9 a.m.; Charles County Detention Center
Horticultural Education class, Fall Session begins
10
Saturday, Native Plant Walk, Time and Location TBD,
contact Jessica Milstead
13
Tuesday, Bug Day at Marty Eldredge’s home, Time TBD
14-18
Wednesday through Sunday; Charles County Fair in La
Plata. See page 13
27
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
27
Tuesday, 10:30 a.m.- 12:00 p.m.; Dumbarton Oaks Gardens,
Advanced Training, Guided tour of the gardens and music
room. Fee: $8.00 per person non-refundable. See page 13 .
(Continued on page 13)
12
CALENDAR
(Continued from page 12)
October
6
Thursday, Native Plant walk, Time and Location TBD,
Contact Jessica Milstead
11-14
Tuesday through Friday, International Master Gardener
Conference, Charleston West Virginia, for more information
go to:http://imgc.ext.wvu.edu/
25
10:00 a.m., Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
November
22
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
December
Holiday Potluck and Advanced Training
27
Tuesday, 10 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
Dumbarton Oaks Gardens Field Trip
Tuesday September 27, Tour starts at 10:30 and ends around noon.
1703 32nd street, Washington D.C. (Georgetown area).
Fee: 8.00 per person, non-refundable and must be prepaid.
RSVP required. Contact: Terry Thir. Limited to 45 people.
For more information on Dumbarton Oaks Gardens go to their web
site: http://www.doaks.org/gardens/
Charles County Fair
September 14 (Wednesday) for entries to be submitted.
September 15 to 18 (Thursday—Sunday) open to the public.
General parking is available on the fairgrounds, but there is satellite
parking at the Charles County Courthouse and Government Building
parking lot (La Plata) and a free shuttle bus to the fair on Saturday
and Sunday. Shuttle buses run from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturday and 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday every 15 to 30 minutes.
13
Grow It Eat It
May 2011
Contact: Carol Teets
We Got Out Our Healthy Message In La Plata
By Carol Teets, Class of 2003
Charles County Master Gardeners
who are interested in educating
the community about vegetable
gardening have made significant
progress this spring. Vegetable
gardening classes and demonstrations have been hosted throughout the county. Our Grow It Eat
It partnership with Civista Hospital has provided us with opportunities at the Health Department,
La Plata Town Hall, Mount Hope
Nanjemoy School, and the College of Southern Maryland.
Photo by Gale Kladitis
Carol Teets speaks to the public at
Civista on May 19.
Teets hosted a container gardening class for the hospital employees in the hospital healing garden. The lettuce box and the potato basket were the featured
containers.
Celebrate La Plata Day, April 30,
was an opportunity to educate
the children of La Plata about
planting vegetable seeds. Volunteers Brenda Elmore, Marty Eldredge, Gale Kladitis, and Carol
Teets shared in the fun of decorating cups, filling them with soil
and planting seeds with the children.
Community Vegetable Gardening
was also promoted by Civista
Hospital. On May 19 the hospital
hosted a vegetable gardening
class for the community. This
class was open to the general
public and provided the Master
Gardeners another opportunity to
promote vegetable gardening and
a healthy diet.
National Hospital Week was celebrated at Civista Hospital the
second week of May. Vegetable
and herb gardeners Cheryl Kasunich, Gale Kladitis, and Carol
(Continued on page 15)
14
GIEI IN MAY
(Continued from page 14)
For more information concerning
GROW IT EAT IT:
Website: growit.umd.edu
Blog: groweat.blogspot.com
Facebook: Grow It Eat It
Twitter: GrowEat
Photo by Gale Kladitis
Centerpiece for the May 10 class for
Civista employees by Gale Kladitis.
Fruit In The Landscape Really Requires Care
By Carol Teets, Class of 2003
control recommendations. Although the amount of information about fruit production is
overwhelming, a "Home Fruit Production Guide" is available
through the Home and Garden
Information Center website at
www.hgic.umd.edu. If you are
interested in home fruit production I would recommend this
guide...otherwise, after learning
that fruit trees require an aggressive spraying program to achieve
high quality fruit I will be purchasing most of my fruit from the
local farmer. Did I mention that
apple trees require 18 different
spraying applications in one year?
I am even willing to pay a little
more for my fruit!
On March 30, 2011 Maggie Tieger
and I, as well as Master Gardeners
from several counties gathered at
the University Of Maryland's Research Center in Upper Marlboro
to learn about home fruit production. This class was led by David
Meyers, a senior extension agent
from Annapolis, and Chris Walsh,
an undergraduate instructor from
the University of Maryland.
The 225-acre Research Center
provided the perfect site to observe fruit trees, blueberry
bushes, and grapevines in an orchard setting. Students learned
about basic horticultural principles, maintenance requirements,
and general disease and insect
15
How We Can Help Our Native Bees Survive
By Maggie Tieger, Class of 2006
Bees are either generalists or specialists in terms of flower preference. Generalists, such as bumblebees, visit any flower in search
of nectar and pollen, while specialists seek out a specific flower.
Native bees coevolved with native
plants, and specialist bees rely on
specific native flowers to survive.
In Maryland, highly regarded native bee attracting plants include
willow, American holly, black
gum, highbush blueberry, black
chokeberry, sweet pepperbush,
winterberry, blackberry, trumpet
creeper, evening primrose, goldenrod, ironweed, black-eyed
susan, milkweed, joe pye weed,
bee balm, and coreopsis.
The roughly 4,000 native bee
species in North America go
about their lives largely unnoticed. About 400 of these bees
occur in Maryland. The plight of
the European honeybee has
been in the news, but the fate
of some of our native bees, especially native bumblebees, is
potentially worse.
You are probably familiar with
carpenter bees, tiny metallic
blue or green sweat bees, large
bumblebees, and mason bees.
Native bees represent an amazing diversity of species and vary
in size from a quarter of an inch
to just about an inch. The
smallest is about the size of a
grain of rice. Native bees nest
in abandoned holes in the
ground and trees. Most are gentle and do not sting.
How can you help native bees?
●Plant as many native trees,
shrubs, and perennials as possible; pollinators thrive in gardens
with big patches of wildflowers
Native bees are excellent pollinators, working their magic on
fruits, vegetables, and other
agricultural crops, such as alfalfa and clover. They also are
central to the biodiversity of
our environment by helping
plants reproduce, which in turn
provides fruits and seeds to
feed songbirds and other wildlife.
●Plant a variety of plants so there
are flowers throughout the seasons
●Provide nesting habitat, such as
sparsely vegetated patches for
ground nesters and brush piles,
old logs and tree stumps for twig
nesters
●Hang a nesting board or mason
(Continued on page 17)
16
BEES
(Continued from page 16)
bee nesting box
●Avoid using pesticides
Then sit back and enjoy watching
our native bees at work in your
garden.
Above photos; Sweat bee on spiderwort and Mason bee nesting box
*********************************************
A Great Method To Help With Watering Plants
By Jessica Milstead, Class of 2002
old issue of
Southern Living.
Use a bamboo
skewer! It will
be easy to push
all the way into the container,
and if it comes out wet you know
to wait before watering. This is
one of those "Why didn't I think of
that?" inspirations. I suspect it
would even be useful for a large
container that has drainage holes
because those can be dry on the
surface and wet underneath.
How many times have you been
asked for advice on how often to
water a container with no drainage holes -- or wondered how to
avoid drowning the plants yourself? I've always told people to
stick a finger well down into the
container, while knowing perfectly well that unless the container is very shallow and not
filled with roots this just isn't
good enough.
Here is a hint that I found in an
17
PLANT SALE
(Continued from page 3)
their plant donations. There were
also people behind the scenes who
spent many hours coordinating
logistics: Dianne Goodrich and her
husband Chuck for handling the
transportation and Cindi Barnhart
for handling the money.
Special thanks to Chuck Goodrich
for building lettuce boxes for us to
sell at our plant sale. The patrons
were really impressed with the
demonstration of the lettuce box
and potatoes planted in laundry
baskets and all the possibilities of
growing vegetables in containers.
We especially want to thank the
PD Brown Memorial Library for
allowing us to use their property
to hold our Waldorf plant sale.
The library staff was really excited about this educational partnership. They advertised the
event on their website and had a
large display featuring our UME
CCMG banner along with other
UME gardening and Bay-Wise literature. In addition, they displayed recommended books that
patrons could borrow to learn
more about gardening, landscaping and much more. It was a great
fun day thanks to everyone‟s contributions!
Photo by Terry Thir
Photos clockwise from top left: Anna Haugh and Sue Brewer assemble and label
plants for full sun on prep day (5/6); Solomon‟s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum);
gardening theme display inside PD Brown Library (Waldorf); and Dianne Goodrich checks out the heirloom vegetables and herbs. Three Photos by Cindi Barnhart
18
Hickory Ridge Conservation Landscaping
Photo by Mary Grant, Intern
passersby will enjoy blue/violet
Lobelia siphilitica (great blue
lobelia) and gold/black Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan).
With this variety of color, textures, sizes, shapes and bloom
times, it is hoped that the new
plantings will provide something
for everyone!
The Hickory Ridge community in
La Plata recently decided to “go
greener” in their planting efforts.
The tradition of planting Spring
and Fall annuals for color at the
community‟s entrance has been
replaced by the planting of a colorful palette of drought tolerant,
mostly native, perennials to provide that extra splash of color to
the foundation plantings. Not
only will the neighborhood reap
the financial benefits from the
one-time (hopefully) plantings,
but much will be saved on the
reduced amount of water needed
to sustain the new plantings.
The project will also be used to
educate residents of the community on the benefits of using
drought tolerant native plants. At
the community‟s National Night
Out event in August, members of
the community‟s Beautification
and Grounds Committee will present information on the project
and plantings, and be available
to answer questions. The community places a high value on its
landscaping and grounds, and this
addition of mostly native perennials puts them another step forward in their efforts to smartly
and successfully “go greener”.
With funding from the Town of La
Plata‟s La Verde Grant Program
and plant selection assistance
from Dianne Shisler of the Master
Gardener Program, the community has now transformed its entrance planting beds into a yearround oasis of color. Early Spring
and summer flowers
include dark red Helleborus orientalis
„Queen of the Night‟,
white Tiarella cordifolia (foamflower)
and orange Asclepias
tuberosa (butterfly
weed). In the Fall,
residents and
Photo by Mary Grant
19
Seeds, Sprouts and Blossoms...
How our program grows and flourishes
Project Day March 22
Cheryl Kasunich speaks to the group
about membership meetings, the
Grow It Eat It display we created last
year for the Charles County Fair and
the herb garden at Nanjemoy Creek
Environmental Education Center.
Jessica Milstead explains how site
visits, Nature Walks with Jessica and
Prep Day for our annual plant sale in
May work, to an eager-to-get-going
group of Interns, as well as MGs looking for an opportunity to earn hours.
Master Gardener Pat Biles (pictured at right)
submitted a design for the Art Design logo
contest sponsored by the Charles County Arts
Alliance and won. Her design “Indian Head
Rail Trail Turtles Doing Yoga.” was featured
as the official River Artsfest 2011 logo.
20
Happy Summer To All and Try To Stay Cool
As I write this note on the first
day of summer, I am more interested in writing about the great
things the Master Gardeners have
accomplished throughout the
spring rather than looking forward to summer! Although the
fruits of the harvest are ever
tempting!
to Ronda Goldman and her committee for their dedication and
commitment to improving the
quality of our watershed and
Chesapeake Bay treasures. I believe that this is a first for county
governments in Maryland!
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Last week also saw
the graduation of another class at the
In May, I attended
Charles County Detenthe super plant
tion Center. Gale
sale held in both
Kladitis and all the
Waldorf and La
volunteers there did
Plata, and once
an awesome job in
again, by the time
providing a glimpse of
I arrived, most of
self-sufficiency in
the “good stuff”
food production to the
was long gone.
participants, and
However, just like
maybe the start of a
last year, I found
new lifelong interest.
some items not yet
It may even lead to
Karol Dyson at La Plata Plant Sale
in my garden, so I
new employment opwent away happy. Many thanks to portunities for a few. Although
so many of you who worked so
gardening is often seen as
hard to make this event a suc“recreational”, the impact you can
cess!
have on people‟s lives through this
volunteer work can change their
Last week I was honored to be
futures.
part of the presentation made by
the Bay-Wise Committee recogI continue to be proud to be affilinizing the Charles County govern- ated with each one of you.
ment building as a certified BayStay cool this summer.
Wise location. Four of our five
Best Regards,
Commissioners were present for
the presentation along with other Karol Dyson
county dignitaries. Special thanks Charles County Executive Director
21
Vegetable Plant and Pest Diagnostic Walks
July
12
Tuesday, 8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.; Washington County
Extension and German Garden (Boonsboro), Registration
deadline 7/5
13
Wednesday, 9 a.m.- 11 a.m. Montgomery County; Button
Farm (Germantown) Registration deadline 7/6
14
Thursday,7 a.m.- 9 a.m.; Anne Arundel County; Kinder Farm
Park (Millersville) Registration deadline 7/7
Instructor: Jon Traunfeld, Extension Specialist in Fruits and
Vegetables; State MG Coordinator; and Director, Home &
Garden Information Center
Registration Fee: $10
Course Description: Let's go see what's happening in the
vegetable garden. We'll be looking for and identifying
summer pests, diseases and abiotic problems, then proceed to
a discussion of prevention, deterrence and cures.
To Register: Use Registration Form or send your name,
address, email, phone, MG county you work with, name and
location of class you want to take, and a check for $10
(payable to the University of MD).
Mail to: MG classes, HGIC, 12005 Homewood Road,
Ellicott City, MD 21042. For more information contact
Robin Hessey at 410-531-1754; or email rmhessey@umd.edu.
Details on the training at: http://mastergardener.umd.edu/
AdvancedTraining/Veg Diag11.cfm
A poem sent to me by MG Mary Beth Chandler:
I love to hear Real gardeners talking, the Latin names rolling off
their tongue, sonorous and beautiful. I feel abashed when I take
a sleeve and say "Do come and see that pink thing over there. "
"Ah, Centaurea hypoleuca. Very nice” they say.
Never mind. It smiles the same for both of us."
Pam Brown, born 1928
22
INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF THE COMPOST
SUMMER 2011
How Our Two Plants Sales Spelled SUCCE$$!
3
Spring Fever—MG Style With Activities Galore
4
Projects
Two Charles County Schools Go Bay-Wise
6
We Will Tend The Lovely Beds This Summer
7
Our Speaker’s Bureau Is Doing Quite Well
8
Detention Center Garden Bay-Wise Certified
9
Eighth Annual Christmas in April Project
10
Project Briefs
11
Spring / Summer Events
12
Dumbarton Oaks Gardens Field Trip
13
Charles County Fair
13
We Got Out Our Healthy Message In La Plata
14
Fruit In The Landscape Really Requires Care
15
How We Can help Our Native Bees Survive
16
A Great Method To Help With Watering Plants
17
Hickory Ridge Conservation Landscaping
19
Seeds, Sprouts and Blossoms
Project Day
River Artsfest
20
Happy Summer To All and Try To Stay Cool
21
Vegetable Plant and Pest Diagnostic Walks In July
22
Submit articles, photos, reports, and other items to Cindi Barnhart by September1,
2011 for publication in the Fall 2011 newsletter. Submit calendar items to Janet
McGrane by September 1, 2011. Articles and pictures may also be submitted at any
time for future publication.
23
Charles County Master Gardeners
University of Maryland Extension
Charles County Office
9375 Chesapeake Street, Suite 119
La Plata Maryland 20646
University of Maryland Extension programs are
open to all citizens without regard to race,
color, gender, disability, religion, age, sexual
orientation, marital or parental status, or
national origin.