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.
THE COMPOST
INSIDE THIS ISSUE OF 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
Winter 2011
Cindi Barnhart ... Editor
Jessica Milstead.. Copy Editor
Betsy Parbuoni ... PDF Editor
Jessi Thibault .... Art, Mail
Carol Teets
Writer, Mail
Janet McGrane ... ......
Elaine Miller .............
Anna Haugh ..............
Larry Martin .............
Karol Dyson ..............
Calendar
Mail
Mail
Mail
Advisor
Cover: Janet Cooney is demonstrating overgrown shrub removal at
the Charles County Detention Center.
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
WINTER 2011
Master Gardener Plant Sale
May 7, 2011
We’ll be looking for nicely potted healthy plants, labeled with their
names.
New this year; staging will be in Barbie Walter’s yard, with overflow
in Janet Cooney’s yard. Sue Brewer has been working on her property
and we want to give her yard a rest so she can reseed and renovate.
Good news: the time you spend digging and potting counts as volunteer hours; in fact, everything you do for the plant sale counts as
volunteer hours.
A second plant sale site is in the planning stage. Gale Kladitis and
Terry Thir will be our plant sale chairpersons this year.
Join us for the Plant Sale meeting January 22, 2011 at The Towne
Mouse in La Plata.
From Karol’s Desk
3
Rail Trail: Non-Flowering Plants Show Off
4
What are Fern Allies and Mosses and Lichens Anyway?
5
Projects
A Ribbon Was Won at the Charles County Fair
6
An Artful Presentation was Arranged
7
La Plata Library Outreach
7
Sunchokes Are Quite Tasty, Prolific and Tall
8
Protecting My Sweets Garnered A Small Crop
9
Camp Merrick - So Many Weeds - But We Will Conquer
Them
10
The Healing Garden is Taking a Step Forward
11
Spring Planting at J C Parks to Go Forward
11
Fall Session: A Stupendous Growing Success
12
Project Briefs
13
Fall / Winter Events
14
Mentoring Is Planned For the New MG Class
15
2011 Master Gardener Training
17
Steering Committee Is Revving Up For 2011
17
Coming to A Pomfret Garden in the Spring
18
Holiday Party Was Very Tasty and Informative
19
Southern Maryland Beekeepers Training 2011
20
Introducing Extension Educator Brian Clark
21
A Lovely Retirement Ceremony for Pam King
22
Compost: A collection of unattractive materials that,
when mixed together and properly treated, becomes
something useful and enriching.
This is our major fundraiser for the year so everyone's participation is
important!
Submit articles, photos, reports, and other items to Cindi Barnhart by March 1, 2011
for publication in the Spring 2011 newsletter. Submit calendar items to Janet
McGrane by March 1, 2011. Articles and pictures may also be submitted at any time
for future publication.
2
23
A Lovely Retirement Ceremony for Pam King
Happy New Year to the Charles County MGs
By Carol Teets
There is always a sense of anticipation at the beginning of a new
year; we are past the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year
and some of us can already sense
spring in the air! Although there
are still months of winter left, I
know that many of you are planning your early spring plantings
already with great delight!
Hodge, Reuben Collins, and Sam
Graves were among those who
attended and shared in the remarks and presentations that celebrated the success of
Pam's career. Pam was also surrounded by co-workers, family,
and volunteers who with mixed
emotions, wished her well.
On November 9, 2010, 93 people
gathered at La Plata Methodist
Church to celebrate the retirement of Pam King, the Charles
County Extension Agent. Pam
served as an Extension Agent for
31 years and it was a pleasure for
the Master Gardeners to be involved in this celebration. Jessica
Milstead was the Mistress of Ceremonies, and volunteers Marty Eldridge, Maggie Tieger, Carol
Teets, and Danielle Weber were
in attendance.
After dinner and dessert, in Pam
King fashion, she took the opportunity to thank everyone and to
do a little teaching...YES one last
time!!! Pam reminded us of our
need to "Go Green" and to challenge ourselves, as she has challenged herself in retirement, to
ask ourselves each day "What will
I do today to make a difference?”
What a great reminder of the difference Pam King has made in
Charles County and the Master
Gardener Program. Thank you
again Pam!
The retirement program was organized and executed by the Extension Office staff and was well
attended by representatives from
our community. A representative
from Senator Mac Middleton's office; Associate Dean Dr. Nick
Place of the University of Maryland; and Charles County Commissioners Edith Patterson, Gary
From the State MG office:
MG ANNUAL TRAINING DAY 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Stamp Student Union
University of Maryland College Park
All classes (except for labs) will be in the same building – no need to
walk between buildings!
We’ll be in a larger space this year – no crowding during the keynote
address!
Please note this carefully on your 2011 calendar. This year’s training
is more than a week earlier than usual and on a different day of the
week than usual.
Registration will begin in April
22
yland. In his
meeting with
the College of
Agriculture and
Natural Resources faculty
and staff, Dr.
Loh expressed strong support for
UM Extension and indicated that
he would like to visit some of the
counties to learn about our programs. It would certainly be great
to get him here in Charles County
to learn about many of the exciting cutting edge programs you are
involved with.
You will find in this issue of The
Compost an introduction to Brian
Clark, the Extension Educator
from Prince George’s County who
has graciously offered to provide
educational programs to the
Charles County Master Gardeners
as needed in the absence of an Ag
Educator assigned to Charles
County. UME is actively working
on a new staffing plan for Extension programming throughout the
state, hopefully to be shared later
this spring after working its’ way
up through the administrative
channels for final approval. We
will certainly keep you posted as
we learn more about what is in
store for our county. For now, any
administrative concerns or needs
should be directed to me as the
County Extension Director.
As a new class gets ready to start
their journey to become master
gardeners, I want to thank each of
you for the part you have played
in making CCMG a vibrant and exciting partner with UME. Please
let me know what I can do to further support your efforts.
Warm regards,
Karol Dyson
County Extension Director
I also wanted to share with you
Editor’s note:
that we have had the opportunity
to meet Dr. Wallace Loh, the new Brian Clark’s introduction is found
president of the University of Mar- on page 21.
3
Rail Trail: Non-Flowering Plants Show Off
By Jessica Milstead
Introducing Extension Educator Brian Clark
Identifying a downy lobelia (Lobelia puberula) using Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide.
of one of the large wetland ferns
that we couldn’t get close
enough to identify. It may have
been Ostrich Fern (Matteucia
struthiopteris). Grape Fern
(Botrychium dissectum) is a little
jewel that I have recently
learned to identify. I thought it
was rare until I found it in six
different places in my own
woods! The Running Cedar (a
clubmoss, with name-changing
going on at a confusing pace) and
mosses and lichens were other
treats.
The tree foliage was also beginning to color up, especially the
reds, but also some purples and
yellows. Our autumn colors may
not be as brilliant as those of
New England, but they have a
charm of their own.
After this expedition we had a
special treat – which may have
had something to do with the
great participation in the walk
itself. Gale Kladitis and Cindi
Barnhart threw a weenie roast
for us at Gale’s house. Husbands
roasted the weenies and we had
an abundance of good food, put-
A special treat was the ferns and
other non-flowering plants.
Bracken (Pteridium) covers several banks at the White Plains
end of the trail. Elsewhere we
saw a lot of New York Fern
(Thelypteris noveboracensis) and
Hay-Scented Fern (Dennstaedtia
punctiloba). At the bottom of a
bank there was a beautiful stand
(Continued on page 5)
4
Bio: Brian has a B.S. in Entomology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.S. in Entomology from the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln. He has worked
at the O.J. Noer Turfgrass research facility in Middleton, WI;
as a plant pathogen diagnostician
at the University of Nebraska’s
Diagnostic clinic; as a plant care
technician for an arboriculture
firm; and as a Landscape Crew
Foreman and Pest Control Specialist at the University of Maryland-College Park. From 20052007, Brian coordinated the tree
inventory and hazardous tree assessment on the University of
Maryland campus. He has been
employed by the University of
Maryland Extension since 2007.
His primary duties as an Extension
Educator are to assist commercial
fruit and vegetable producers,
commercial nurserymen, and
landscapers; and to plan and implement applied research.
He has offered to provide some
support to Charles County in the
absence of an Ag Educator.
Currently, he is working on Project Community Grow, a way to
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Title: Agent-Agriculture and Natural Resources, Commercial Horticulture
On October 9, on a brilliant autumn day, a group of MGs took a
walk to look for autumn plants on
the White Plains to Middletown
Road segment of the Indian Head
Rail trail. At this time of year
there are fewer flowers than in
high season, but to compensate,
the ferns and other non-flowering
plants stand out better than
when there are flowers everywhere. Not that there weren’t
flowers -- we saw Downy Lobelia
(Lobelia puberula), as well as
Ragworts (Senecio sp.), Joe-Pye
Weed (Eupatorium sp.), and
Boneset (another Eupatorium
sp.).
Brian Clark on Bug Day, October 26.
incorporate the green industry
into the classroom. The project
presently involves two high
schools in Prince George’s County
and one in Charles County. He is
also doing research on high tunnels on asphalt at two sites in
Prince George’s County. The goal
is to determine how late in the
season summer vegetables can
remain viable, using soilless media
and the radiant heat from the asphalt.
Editor’s note:
In the Spring issue of
The Compost will be
pictures and a story on
Bug Day where Brian educated our
group at the lovely home of Marty
Eldridge.
21
Southern Maryland Beekeepers Training 2011
By Barbie Walter
The Association of Southern Maryland Beekeepers announced their
annual beekeeping short course.
Trade a few winter Saturdays for
years of adventure while you give
Mother Nature a helping hand.
One of the most beneficial insects
is also one of the most fascinating, but the stresses of modern
agriculture are making life difficult for the honey bee. By starting a hive or two of your own, you
can improve the environment
while having the time of your life.
Topics to be covered are bee behavior, beekeeping equipment,
installing a package of bees or a
nucleus hive, year-round
management, nectar sources,
honey production, and diseases.
2011 Classes will be held on Saturdays from 9:00 - 12:00 at:
Charlotte Hall Library
37600 New Market Road
Charlotte Hall, MD 20622
February 5
February 12
February 19
February 26
March 12
(March 19 Snow day if needed)
and yes, we go into the hives
looking for eggs, queen, diseases,
stores of food, anything showing
if we have a strong hive or
not. There is no way of guessing
at an approximate date yet. It all
depends on when the bees arrive,
when the packages are installed,
what the weather is like and how
strong the nectar flow is. The
date will be determined a week
or so before the class in the
Spring.
The charge for the course is $40
for one person or $50 for two
people in the same family who
can share course materials.
To check on class availability or
for other questions, call Karen
Cooksey, President of Southern
Maryland Beekeepers, 301-7057611.
If St. Mary’s County libraries are
closed for snow, the class cannot
be held.
Editor’s note:
If the February 2011 class is too
full to accommodate MGs, Karen
has made an offer to arrange
training for us as a day course of
Advanced Training.
To be followed by one or two
field days. Field days are outside,
20
Put them on your calendar if
you’re interested, and if you
know of a special place, preferably local, for a plant walk, let me
know.
RAIL TRAIL (Continued from page 4)
ting back all the calories we had
just walked off. Not incidentally,
we toured Gale’s garden, which
is an eye-opener for anyone who
thinks you can’t grow a lot of
good food in a smallish space.
This walk was a return to the
plant walks that I had to put on
hiatus for most of the season
while I recovered from surgery.
Elsewhere in this issue you’ll see
that tentative dates have already
been set for next year’s season.
Grape fern, Botrychium dissectum
What are Fern Allies – and Mosses – and Lichens -- Anyway?
Fern allies, mosses, and lichens –
as well as the ferns themselves –
are often called “lower” plants,
as distinguished from the
“higher” plants we know and
love, in which pollen fertilizes an
ovule. The lower plants reproduce by means of spores. (They
have a stage of sexual reproduction, but that’s ‘way more complicated than we need to get into
here.)
they are growing. Most mosses
are limited to damp environments that never dry out.
Lichens are not actually plants,
though in lay terms they are often lumped together. A lichen
consists of an alga and a fungus,
neither of which is a true plant,
growing together in symbiosis.
These organisms can colonize
bare rock, gaining most of their
water by absorbing atmospheric
moisture. On the other hand they
grow very slowly. When reproduction time comes, pieces of
the lichen may break off and fly
away in the wind, or a complicated set of changes may occur to
produce a reproductive body
combining both alga and fungus.
Mosses and lichens are really low
in the plant hierarchy, because
they are non-vascular. They do
not have “veins” to transport
fluids throughout the plant. They
also do not have true roots,
though mosses usually have structures called “rhizoids” to anchor
them to the surface on which
(Continued on page 16)
5
Holiday Party Was Very Tasty and Informative
By Teresa Ambol
Speakers Bureau
Ongoing
Contact: Barbie Walter
A Ribbon Was Won at the Charles County Fair
Photo by Cheryl Kasunich
By Cheryl Kasunich
The Charles County Master Gardeners were active participants
in the 2010 County Fair, and we
received a second place ribbon
for our efforts. Our exhibit was
presented in the Flower Building
at the invitation of the Charles
County Garden Club. This year’s
display focused on the “Grow It
Eat It” campaign. A growing salad
box supplied by Gale Kladitis was
displayed along with a Grow It
Eat It poster and brochures on
how to build one at home.
Grow It Eat It was the topic of the
display awarded a red ribbon.
total of 13 MG volunteers during
all the open fair hours. Volunteers
had an opportunity to talk to visitors about Masters Gardener programs and services, as well as distributing information on composting , soil test sample bags, and a
new “How to Become a Master
Gardener” brochure, along with
bookmarks and HGIC magnets.
We had a new banner for the display, made with digital art work
supplied by the University of Maryland. The state and county offices provided key help in gathering and producing materials for
the exhibit. Since education displays must follow published
guidelines to be eligible for judging, we were glad to meet with a
representative of the Charles
County Garden Club prior to planning our display.
Thank you to the volunteers:
Teresa Ambol
Nancy Maude
Cindi Barnhart
Debbie Sindt
Carolyn Chlosta Jessi Thibault
Mary Cocke
Terry Thir
Rosemary Ewing Carol Washeleski
Ann Gillespie
Sandra Womack
Planning for the 2011 Fair will
begin in March. A call for volunteers will be made at the end of
the annual training class.
Rosemary Ewing and I set up the
exhibit, and it was staffed by a
6
I must admit I was hesitant about
going to the Christmas party. The
potluck thing makes me a little
nervous, but the program would
give me needed training hours.
All fears dissolved when I saw the
Hampshire Community Center. It
was framed in lights with a beautiful big Christmas tree in the reception area. The room was decorated, green tablecloths and place
settings with poinsettias as centerpieces.
idea of a cold frame. When asked
why this was such a new exciting
thing (since cold frames have
been around for a long time) Brian
responded “it’s old made new
again”. This season his group built
a 20’ x 40’ high tunnel and grew
vegetables. The season was extended from mid-March through
mid-December. He is building another one on a blacktop to bring
gardens into cities. Brian wrapped
up his talk by answering questions.
A Christmas gift drawing was held
and Poinsettia door prizes were
awarded to the lucky people sitting in randomly marked chairs. It
was time to clean up and go
home.
I met new people and talked to
familiar people. There were over
thirty people in attendance. The
myriad of foods was great!
After dessert, Carol Teets introduced members who work with
the steering committee, administration of the MGs, and The
Compost. It was great to see the
faces of those who do so much
work in the Master Gardeners
group. Linda Lockhart and Elaine
Miller received cyclamen plants
for all their years of dedicated
work on the Steering Committee.
What a wonderful Christmas gift –
being with all these wonderful
people! It was a great way to start
the holidays and end the year.
Editor’s note:
Carol introduced our speaker Brian Clark, the PG County Extension
Educator. Brian spoke on “high
tunnels”. These are used to extend the growing season. They are
an enlarged new take on the old
19
Thank you to
all the members who contributed gifts
for our drawing. Over
twenty MGs
went home with gardening gear,
food, books and other lovely and
useful items.
Coming to A Pomfret Garden in the Spring
By Cindi Barnhart
cones. Its flavor is somewhat more
delicate than that of regular cauliflower. Romanesco is available
only briefly-from September
through November. Choose a firm
head with crisp leaves. Store in a
plastic bag in the refrigerator for
up to 1 week. Romanesco can be
cooked in any fashion suitable for
regular cauliflower. It makes
beautiful crudités, and is stunning
cooked whole.
Gale Kladitis and I made a trip to
the new Wegman’s in Prince
Georges County. Among the bountiful produce was a strange looking vegetable, a Romanesco cauliflower. The produce man working
on the aisle said it was a cross
between a cauliflower and broccoli.
According to Answers.com, though
classified as (and also called) a
summer cauliflower, this vegetable's appearance is so uniquely
striking that it deserves its own
listing. Like regular cauliflower,
Romanesco has a tightly compact
head of florets attached by clusters of stalks-but there the similarity in appearance ends. The
Romanesco, which hails from
northern Italy, is a beautiful pale
lime green color; its florets, rather than being rounded, rise in a
pyramid of pointed, spiraling
CAMP MERRICK
(Continued from page 10)
One day we were treated to a
lovely home-cooked lunch of beef
barley soup by the father of camp
Director Melissa Lynch.
We spent a total of five days
there, we and will regroup and go
down in the spring to replant and
probably weed the beds again.
Gale has ordered seeds for next
year and we will see if it grows
well in Southern Maryland.
Speakers Bureau
Ongoing
Contact: Barbie Walter
An Artful Flower Presentation Was Arranged
By Barbie Walter
This request for a presentation
took the form of flower arranging
for Mary Sims, at the private
home of a member in the Mt. Airy
Claybreakers Garden Club, in Upper Marlboro on October 14.The
focus was on utilizing unusual
natural plant materials found in
members’ gardens as well as
Mary is an artist with flowers and her
fruits and vegetables.
audience was impressed with her knack
of composition and form.
La Plata Library Outreach
Janet McGrane has secured the display window, inside the main door,
for February 2011 in the La Plata library branch on Garrett Avenue. She
will need some volunteers to plan,
set up and tear down by March 1.
Photo from Wikipedia
Please join us, as many hands
make light work, and we need
volunteers to tend the beds next
year on a schedule. We need to
use volunteers to attend to the
watering and weeding because no
one is there to take care of the
beds. However, we hope to find
an interested community group
that we can train to work with us.
18
Photo from The Compost Spring 2008
Terry Thir shows off our display and red ribbon won at the Charles County Fair
Photo by Gale Kladitis
in September in the Educational Award category.
7
STEERING COMMITTEE IS REVVING UP FOR 2011
As acting Master Gardener Chairperson I would like to revitalize our
Steering Committee to lead the Charles County Master Gardeners in
2011. A member of the Steering Committee is expected to attend
Committee meetings regularly and to participate in governance
decisions and activities. If you are interested in being a part of this
committee please let me, Carol Teets, know. If you have served on
this Committee in the past and want to continue please let me know
as well.
Grow It Eat It
Ongoing
Contact: Carol Teets
Sunchokes Are Quite Tasty, Prolific and Tall
By Cindi Barnhart
Photos by Gale Kladitis
In June Alberta Carson gave me
Sunchoke plants for my garden.
The Sunchoke, Helianthus tuberosus, is an underground vegetable, sort of a cross between a
rutabaga, potato, and water
chestnut, and looks like a tall
branched sunflower, with smaller
bright yellow flowers. Also called
a Jerusalem artichoke, it is one
of the few native tubers of North
America, is related to the sunflower, and makes a delicious
addition to salad, salsa, marinade, and soup. They're so easy
to grow throughout North America that many gardeners consider
them invasive weeds.
Currently the following people have committed to serve:
Ann Gillespie
Janet McGrane
Jessica Milstead
Maggie Tieger
Marty Eldridge
Barbie Walter
Gale Kladitis
Cindi Barnhart
Golf ball size and smaller tubers dug
up 12/3.
the roots to make them larger.
When the stems die back cover
the roots with 4+ inches of mulch,
and then cover the mulch with
plastic (or whatever) to keep the
ground from freezing and make it
easy to dig up the chokes throughout the winter as you need them.
This beats harvesting and then
storing them. It will also leave
some in the ground to root next
year. Keep harvesting into next
year until they began to sprout.”
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
I have not harvested mine but
Gale Kladitis gave me some of
her crop and I used them in a
salad. When I harvest mine I plan
to make a butternut and sunchoke soup.
According to Alberta, “Sunchokes
should be harvested after the
frost which will make them
sweeter. I cut the sunflower
blooms off so all energy will go to
CHARLES COUNTY MASTER GARDENER TRAINING CLASS
2011
Classes will be held at the University of Maryland Extension Charles
County Office, 9375 Chesapeake Street, Suite 119, La Plata, MD.
Prospective Master Gardeners will explore topics such as diagnosing
plant problems and organic vegetable gardening each Tuesday and
Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., from February 15 to March 10.
Graduation and a spring potluck will be held at Hampshire Neighborhood Community Center in Waldorf.
The fee for this 40-hour training is $165, which includes the new Maryland Master Gardener Handbook. For more details on becoming a
Master Gardener, click on "How to Become a CCMG", on the website:
http://mastergardener.umd.edu/local/Charles/index.cfm or contact
the University of Maryland Extension Charles County Office (301-9345403 or 301-753-8195) for more information or to enroll.
Eight foot sunchoke in flower on 9/3.
8
17
RAIL TRAIL (Continued from page 5)
Now the fern-allies. These aren’t
ferns but, like ferns, they are
vascular plants that reproduce by
means of spores rather than
seeds. The most common ones
are generally called Lycopodiums. These are small plants
that trail along the ground in the
woods. Their leaves tend to be
needle-like. This is the reason for
common names like Running Cedar and Princess Pine. These
common names vary all over the
map. My “Running Cedar” may be
your “Princess Pine,” and all we
can do is acknowledge that common names aren’t standardized.
The scientific names and classification of these plants has
changed drastically, and is still
not settled, so for our purposes
it’s not critical to try to get those
names right.
All these plants are considered
more primitive than the flowering plants. They originated earlier, by many millions of years. In
their heyday they, along with the
ferns, dominated terrestrial plant
life, but the flowering plants
were able to take advantage of a
wider range of environments,
reproduce faster, and grow larger. These primitive plants ended
up relegated to much smaller
niches. They aren’t as showy as
the flowering plants but they
have their interest nonetheless.
Grow It Eat It
Ongoing
Contact: Carol Teets
Protecting My Sweets Garnered A Small Crop
By Cindi Barnhart
All Photos in this article by Cindi Barnhart
As an experiment, in September I
cut up and planted a sweet potato
which had sprouted in my kitchen.
I wanted the foliage but hoped for
a few edible potatoes. I cut the
bottom out of a laundry basket,
lined the bottom and threequarters up the sides of the basket
with newspaper and filled with
compost (so I could lift the plant
out of a loose medium and avoid
having to dig and injure the potatoes).
Deer are a problem in my area and
so I hid my basket and prayed they
would not find it. My potatoes
were in the ground, in a protected
area, for over twelve weeks. After
the beautiful foliage was killed by
frost I harvested my basket. I had
fingerling potatoes, not full size.
Reindeer moss, which is really a
lichen, Cladina, on a bed of a true
moss.
Running cedar (and various other
common names), a clubmoss, which
is also not a moss.
Next year I will plant Beauregard
sweet potatoes so I can have a full
size harvest.
Editor’s note:
We have approached Heidi Fick, Indian Head Rail Trail Manager at
Charles County Parks and Recreation, to see if we can partner with
them to plant ferns and other native plants along the trail. Possibly
we (MGs) can maintain an area to be devoted to natives.
16
Please remember to buy an edible
variety and not ornamental ones if
you plan on a harvest.
Photos by Cindi Barnhart
Top to bottom photos; Foliage on the sweet potato basket hidden from the
deer at my house on 9/3; fingerling size potatoes pulled from the basket on
11/28 and potatoes in a colander ready to be washed and cooked.
9
(Continued from page 14)
Camp Merrick
Ongoing
Contact: TBD
So Many Weeds - But We Will Conquer Them
By Janet Cooney & Jan Lakey-Waters
A pleasant surprise was finding
Wild Poinsettia (Euphorbia heterophylla), also known as Painted
Leaf and Fire on the Mountain. in
the beds. Although this plant is
considered a weed according to
Wildflowers in the USA, it is
spreading into our region and we
consider it a new native.
Wednesday, Native Plant Walk, walk dedicated to learning and
practice in plant identification, using the keys in Newcomb's Wildflower Guide. Time & Location TBD, contact Jessica Milstead
24
Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
June
Photo by Jim Waters
When we went to Camp Merrick in
October we were not prepared for
the weeds we encountered. The
beds were overflowing with weeds
of every kind.
4
Saturday, Native Plant Walk, Time & Location TBD, contact Jessica
Milstead
11
Saturday, River Art Fest, Indian Head, booths for Bay-Wise and
MG's, more information to follow
28
Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office, Open
to all MGs
The square raised bed as Janet and Jan
found it on October 13.
Photo by Janet Cooney
Jan Lakey-Waters brought her
husband Jim and Malcolm, her
grandson. They spent the day pulling and hauling away six foot long
Japanese knotweed and other
weeds. Janet Cooney and her son
John worked tirelessly on the
weeding, hauling top soil and
brush back to the existing compost pile in hopes of using it next
year. We shored up a bed that
was bulging and tried to remove
the soil we thought was causing
the bulge, but plants will have to
be removed and the raised bed
repaired in the spring.
18
After weeding, the raised beds are
more presentable. The square bed is on
the left.
Euphorbia heterophylla as shown in a
photo from the North Carolina Native
Plant Society website.
2011 MASTER GARDENER TRAINING CLASS
Tuesday, February 15 to Thursday, March 10. See page 17
Mentoring Is Planned For the New MG Class
By Barbie Walter
This year we are beginning a new practice that I hope will help new
trainees to feel more comfortable as they start their MG work. The
idea is that the new trainee will have someone to answer questions,
help with time sheets, and invite them to take part in activities and
projects so they can get their hours. Some of the new trainees are not
comfortable just showing up to do things, and we all remember the
confusion with time sheets the first few times we did it.
So, any of you who want to be a "buddy" to, or partner with a new
trainee please let me know. Also, it will be an easy way to get volunteer time throughout the next year. This help in getting oriented
should make interns’ first year as MGs easier and more successful.
(Continued on page 18)
10
15
Winter/ Spring 2011 Events
January
22
Saturday, 10:00 a.m.; Plant Sale Committee Meeting, Towne
Mouse, La Plata
25
Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Panera in La Plata,
Open to all MGs
The Healing Garden is Taking a Step Forward
By Gale Kladitis
February
15-24
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; Master Gardener
Training Class, Extension office, contact Barbie Walter for more
information
22
Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.; Membership Meeting, location TBD, Open to
all MGs
March
1-8
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; Master Gardener
Training Class continues, Extension office, contact Barbie Walter
for more information
10
Thursday, 9 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; Intern Graduation and MG Potluck,
Hampshire Neighborhood Center, Waldorf
22
Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.; Project Day, Project leaders share information
on current projects with new 2011 interns and all MGs, Extension
office
April
13
Healing Garden
Ongoing
Contact: Gale Kladitis
Wednesday, Native Plant Walk, Time and Location TBD, contact
Jessica Milstead
26
Tuesday, 10:00 a.m.; Membership Meeting, Extension Office,
Open to all MGs
30
Saturday, Christmas in April, contact Carol Teets
Bay-Wise
Ongoing
Contact: Ronda Goldman
Spring Planting at J C Parks to Go Forward
By Ronda Goldman
May
7
Saturday, MG Plant sale, more information to follow
17
Tuesday, MG Annual Training Day, Stamp Student Union,
University of Maryland, College Park, See page 15
(Continued on page 15)
14
For much of the past year the
Master Gardeners have been
working with the Charles County
Garden Club (CCGC) on a project
to develop a Healing Garden in
the central atrium of the Charles
County Detention Center (DC).
The CCGC took responsibility for
finding funding, and in the first
week of December Mary Pat Berry, President of the CCGC, submitted an application for a grant
from the Chesapeake Bay Trust.
While Mary Pat took primary responsibility for preparation of the
application, she had numerous
helpers. Jessica Milstead and Diane Kramer prepared the re-
quired list of native plants to be
included in the application. Karol
Dyson, County Extension Director,
gave her enthusiastic support and
supplied a letter of support on
behalf of the MGs. The Detention
Center signified its support and
its commitment to maintenance
with a letter from Director Pam
Dottellis. If the grant is approved
the first phase of the Healing
Garden can move forward, with
construction of beds and plantings. At this stage the Healing
Garden will be usable, and later
phases will make it an even more
welcoming place for inmate and
staff meditation and renewal.
Bay-Wise is really slow right now.
Literally, we have been waiting
months for one permit to go
through for the JC Parks school
project and it has finally been
approved. The project will resume in the spring with the plant-
ing. Hopefully, all will go well
and there will be more to report
then. There is an opportunity for
a volunteer to help with communications and updating the membership and the public on our Bay
-Wise program. Please contact me
for more information.
11
Charles County Detention Center
Horticultural Education
Contact: Gale Kladitis
Fall Session: A Stupendous Growing Success
By Gale Kladitis
The Fall session for the Detention
Center was fantastic. We had seven sessions, starting on Tuesday
September 7 and ending on October 19. We missed having Pam
King’s introduction to plant life
but we were lucky enough to get
Brian Clark, Prince Georges County Extension Educator, to speak
on lawn maintenance. The vegetable garden was composted and
planted in fall greens such as lettuce, spinach, collards, kale and
radishes. It was growing nicely
when our classes ended. The major project for the class was a
request from the Director, Pam
Dottellis, to remove all of the
overgrown junipers in the parking
lot at the Main Building. Our classes had been trimming the junipers for years and it had become
too difficult to control the growth
and keep the plants from interfering with the parked cars. Next
spring we plan to plant small
trees along the walkway. The students also planted 140 daffodil
bulbs at the Annex and removed a
dead dogwood tree from the
raised bed on the corner. We had
a terrific celebration after the
certificates were awarded on
October 19, when we discussed
the plans for the spring sessions.
The Detention Center Master Gardener volunteers will have a
meeting prior to the spring sessions in order to put in place a
comprehensive plan for the
maintenance of the vegetable
garden and distribution of the
produce. Any Master Gardener –
including interns - interested in
joining our wonderful volunteers
can contact me anytime by email
or phone.
Christmas In April
Ongoing
Contact: Carol Teets
Nature Walks with Jessica
Ongoing
Contact: Jessica Milstead
This valuable community effort
provides a wonderful opportunity
for earning volunteer hours.
Assess assigned Christmas In April
properties before April 30 or join
us for the actual day of service,
on Saturday April 30, 2011.
These are ongoing walks as the
seasons allow. The walks count
as Advanced Training for Master
Gardeners and are also open to
Interns. See Calendar for dates.
Charles County Detention Center
Healing Garden
Ongoing
Contact: Gale Kladitis
Site Visits
Ongoing
Contact: Jessica Milstead
A contemplation garden within
the walls of the Detention Center
is proceeding at its own pace
with the Charles County Garden
Club seeking funds through
grants. See page 11.
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. Mary Beth Chandler and I
share the task of putting together a team to go out to look
and give advice.
Speakers Bureau
Ongoing
Contact: Barbie Walter
Dr. Samuel Mudd House
Ongoing
Contact: Beth Bonifant
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Radishes harvested from the garden on
October 19 by a class member.
12
Use your knowledge to inform
the public or your fellow Master
Gardeners.
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.
Mount Zion United Methodist
Church Gardens
Ongoing
Contact: Nardine Daniels
Contact the project leader by referring to your Membership Directory.
13