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
Fall 2009
Cindi Barnhart ... Editor
Jessica Milstead.. Copy Editor
Betsy Parbuoni ... PDF Editor
Jessi Thibault .... Art, Mail
Linda Lockhart... Writer, Mail
Carol Teets....... Writer, Mail
Janet McGrane ... ......
Elaine Miller .............
Anna Haugh ..............
Larry Martin .............
Pam King .................
Carole Butler ............
Calendar
Mail
Mail
Mail
Advisor
Consult.
Cover: Camp Merrick committee members spruce up the raised beds. See page 11.
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
From Pam’s Desk
2
Fall / Winter Events
14
Kingly Advice: Those
Wicked Weeds
3
Summer MG Meeting
Affirms Possibilities
15
Elizabeth The Organic
Gardener
4
Integrated Pest
Management Seminar
16
The Lockhart Chronicles
Mother Nature Came To
My Rescue?
5
Camp Merrick Sensory
Garden Wish List
17
Benefits of A Little
Sloppiness
18
Another Plant We Wish
We Didn’t Love
19
Meet A Master Gardener:
Alberta Carson
21
Something To Walk On
Barefoot
22
Caterpillars Do Chew
23
Projects
Healing Garden
FALL 2009
Hi everyone,
I can not believe it is already moving into Fall —
one of my favorite seasons. Be sure to harvest a
pumpkin, cleanup and put your garden to bed, and most
importantly get out and volunteer for some of our great
projects.
There is so much to do.
6
Rails To Trails
Detention Center
7
Gilbert Run Field Trip
8
Grow It / Eat It
9
Bay-Wise Certification
10
Camp Merrick
11
Teacher Learns Lesson
12
Project Briefs
13
Compost: A collection of unattractive materials
that, when mixed together and properly treated,
becomes something useful and enriching.
See you soon.
Pamela B. King
University of Maryland
Extension Agent, Agriculture
and Natural Resources
2
Submit articles, photos, reports, and other items to Cindi Barnhart by
December 1, 2009 for publication in the Winter 2010 newsletter. Submit
calendar items to Janet McGrane by December 1, 2009. Articles and
pictures may also be submitted at any time for future publication.
27
Camp
(Continued from page 11)
The most exciting news from
Greg, however, is that he plans
to install a brick walkway through
the garden area, much like the
beautiful memorial bricks surrounding the flag garden. Not
only will it be beautiful, but it
will improve access and, at the
same time, eliminate heavy
equipment near the beds.
replaced the boards. We plan to
buy soil in October, and Maggie
has recommended reinforcing the
huge rectangular bed with a
wood frame.
Beekeeper Greg Ferris, who has
taught us much about bees, created the symbols for each bed
and donated his time and materials to this project.
Still more good news, Master Gardener Larry Martin is organizing a
conservation effort at Camp Merrick. Larry has already
received emails from several members who wish to volunteer. Larry
will be putting together an SOP
(or standard operating procedure) for the project and creating a calendar. Contact Larry, if
you would like to join in this ongoing program at Camp Merrick.
Lions Camp Merrick Director
Gregory Floberg is actively pursuing a partnership between the
Master Gardeners and the Lions.
He was very enthusiastic about
the plant donation list and plans
to run a copy of it in the Lions
newsletter. He would like us to
resume control over the flag pole
garden, and we will use any extra
plants to return the flag pole garden to its original beauty.
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Above, Bob Eppley, Sandra Womack, Larry Martin and Jessi Thibault admire
the five completed garden beds with sensory symbols.
Master Gardener Advanced Trainings:
Plant Diseases - One Day Workshop
9/29/09
Master Composter Course
10/21, 10/28 and 10/29/09
To Register: http://mastergardener.umd.edu/AdvancedTraining/
index.cfm
26
Those Wicked Weeds and How to Treat Them
By Pam King
County Extension Agent
It rained, and then it didn’t, and
then it rained some more. This
has been a good year for weeds.
Because nothing seems to hold
them back—no matter how dry it
gets or how many times they are
stepped on, they come back for
more. Believe it or not, late summer and early fall are pretty good
times to get weeds under control
for next year. So plan ahead and
beat the weeds back now.
seems to have on some people (it
doesn’t work for me). Get them
when they’re small if you can. In
the vegetable garden, small
weeds can be shaved off the soil
surface with a clean, sharp hoe,
without damaging the roots of
your crops. Older weeds are much
harder to remove and sometimes
must be dug out, resulting in root
injury to your garden plants.
When putting the garden to bed
for the fall, steps can be taken to
reduce weed problems later. Tilling the soil late, after weeds
have sprouted, will help to reduce their numbers. Leave the
soil rough to inhibit further weed
growth and mulch at least three
inches deep with straw, dried
grass clippings or other materials.
Remember that a weed is simply “a plant out of place”. Turf
grass is a troublesome weed in
the vegetable garden, but is held
in high esteem by lawn owners.
Nobody seems to like crabgrass,
though. So take a look around and
evaluate your weed problems.
What are the weeds? Good identification is always important in
choosing the best control program. Is it an annual or perennial?
Fall control measures differ for
weeds that will overwinter as
seeds and those that overwinter
as plants.
Mow crabgrass-infested areas in
the lawn very short. Keeping
crabgrass mowed short during the
late summer is also a good idea,
so it cannot set seed – but continue to mow the desirable grasses
long. Re-seed the crabgrassinfested areas heavily in September to get a good stand of turf
growing that will shade the soil
next spring and help keep
If there are a lot of plants out
of place in your garden, try cultural practices first. To me, there
are very few joys associated with
pulling weeds, except for the exercise and the mellowing effect it
(Continued on page 25)
3
ELIZABETH THE ORGANIC GARDENER
By Alberta Carson
s
Weeds
(Continued from page 3)
thing green that it touches.) Just
like your garden plants, the
weeds are preparing for winter,
pulling resources down into their
roots. So they will also pull the
herbicide down into the roots for
a better kill, if properly applied.
crabgrass from germinating.
When Elizabeth was five years old
she started to bloom, showing up
in my garden about 6 a.m. to ask
question after question about
organic gardening. One day after I
had labeled all my transplants,
Elizabeth gathered the labels and
repositioned them, you know,
corn is okra, squash is romaine
lettuce. Her comment? “What
difference does it make? You
know what the vegetables are!!
You plant them, enjoy watching
them grow, you pick and eat
them. What is the big deal!!”
Still, she didn’t want to have a
section of the garden for her
own.
Photo by Elaine Miller
A Frog Motel in Alberta’s garden.
den, to do things economically
AND organically.
When we grew some beets and
carrots that she harvested for a
little frail couple she gave all of
them away. When I protested she
stated I could buy them at Shoppers Food Warehouse. “You said
they had very fresh vegetables
and fruits”. Say WHAT!?!?
For two years Elizabeth read all
my old copies of Organic Gardening and Mother Earth News magazines from cover to cover. When I
ordered a subscription for both
magazines for her she was elated.
Maybe she didn’t know I was just
trying to keep my own magazine.
By the time she was 8 years old I
noted that she began to MAKE
statements about gardening rather than asking questions. She
also started using the HGIC website. About this time I figured why
she refused to have her own plot
in my garden – because my garden
had become OUR garden. She was
working hard to improve our gar-
By the time Elizabeth was 9 years
old our gardening roles had reversed. She became the teacher
and I was her student. Sadly,
through the last three years of
her life, Elizabeth had to fight a
battle with cancer. She lost that
battle a couple of months ago.
She left me with a to-do list,
some of which, like planting bamboo for a trellis, will not happen.
Others, such as building a cold/
hot frame and erecting a frog
spa, frog motel and toad pent(Continued on page 24)
4
Another alternative is to use
herbicides for chemical weed
control. This is widely accepted
by commercial growers and can
be safe and dependable. Now is a
good time (especially for perennial weeds) to use broadleaf weed
killers on the lawn, if needed.
(See AM 79- Broadleaf Weed Control for Lawns Fact Sheet).
Crabgrass is an annual weed, and
chemical controls are applied in
the spring to kill the germinating
seeds.
Always be sure to Read and
Follow Label Directions when
using pesticides.
Weeds can harbor insects and
diseases and steal water and nutrients from your garden plants.
Some are so bad that they are
monitored and eliminated as a
threat to agriculture by the State
(for example, Johnsongrass).
Keeping weeds under control is a
year-round project, but with a
little work and planning most can
be controlled by proper soil preparation, cultivating and mulching,
if you are diligent and keep one
step ahead of them. Or you can
just learn to smile and make dandelion wine.
If you want to try a more organic method to prevent crabgrass
from germinating, try corn gluten. The jury is still out on its
effectiveness as a pre-emergence
herbicide, but you can try it and
see. As with synthetic chemicals,
follow label directions for best
results.
Late summer and fall are also
the best time to use a broad
spectrum systemic herbicide like
glyphosate (Trade name: Roundup) to spot treat tough perennial
weeds, as long as the weeds are
actively growing. (Two things to
keep in mind: 1) If it is droughty
and the weeds aren’t growing, it
may not work very well, 2) this
herbicide may kill or damage any25
Bay-Wise
(Continued from page 10)
based on practice, not
presentation. Practices are rated
in inches on the Maryland BayWise Yardstick. The nine areas on
the Yardstick include: fertilizing
wisely, mulching appropriately,
watering efficiently, creating and
maintaining a wildlife habitat,
protecting the waterfront,
mowing properly, composting,
utilizing IPM methods, and
recycling yard waste. In each
category there is a list of criteria
for practices and procedures.
Gale’s expertise was gloriously
shown as she maintained much of
the landscape’s original
topography and incorporated
environmentally friendly
Elizabeth
solutions to landscape problems.
She has provided places for birds
to nest and chipmunks to drink.
Butterflies and bees love
navigating their way through her
property and currently her
garden is being visited by a local
groundhog. Oh, the joys of
nature! (Mixed, in the case of the
groundhog.)
We salute Gale Kladitis and wish
her more success as the fall
season approaches. Keep up the
good work and thank you for
being Bay-Wise.
Ronda R. Goldman
Bay-Wise Coordinator
Charles County
(Continued from page 4)
house, are either finished or
about to happen.
Bringing this child into my garden
didn’t just make her happy; it
enriched my life and my garden.
Mother Nature
(Continued from page 5)
ny friend got hit by a car about a
month ago but his contribution to
my gardening knowledge is now a
permanent part of my gardening
repertoire and I don’t think I’ll be
messing with Mother Nature again
anytime soon.
Mary Call took this picture of a
Luna Moth in May. She looked it
up, because it was the largest
moth (4 inches wide by 6 inches
long) she had ever seen! Her
daughters called it the Garden
Fairy because that is what it
looked like flying through the
garden.
24
Mother Nature Came to My Rescue?
Finally, one of the
experts told me
about a tar spray that I could use
on the branch when I cut it. This
did work but in the fall and winter I ended up with rather unsightly black tar on what should
have been a beautiful winter interest plant.
By Linda Lockhart
Sometimes it’s best not to fool
with Mother Nature. I found this
out when I bought a Contorted
Dwarf Weeping Cherry Tree. The
weeping cherry part of the tree
was grafted onto some sort of
gnarled dwarf tree stock and
when I first saw it at the nursery
it was adorable. Just the right
size and shape for a prime spot in
the front garden. The first few
years were wonderful. It grew
slowly and the branches draped
gracefully.
Finally this year Mother Nature
has come to my rescue after having her little laugh all this time.
This spring, I noticed a little rabbit in my garden. My first instinct
was to chase it off but luckily I
decided to just let it be. Soon I
began noticing that he was eating
the leaves on my cherry tree
nemesis. I still fought the urge to
chase him off. As spring turned
into summer my little rabbit
friend continued to eat and my
tree began looking better than
ever. I had a neat pruning job
just at bunny rabbit height. But
best of all, I noticed that the
branches were not growing longer. All I had to do all this time
was just remove the lower leaves
from the branches and they
would stop growing.
After three or four years I began
noticing that the branches of the
tree were really getting long. So
long that they not only touched
the ground but they grew out
sideways across the driveway.
Out came the trusty pruners. I
began cutting off the long overgrown branches. However, it
soon became apparent that I was
dealing with a mythical Hydra but
instead of two heads growing
when one was cut off I had anywhere from four to six branches
at each place where I pruned. I
continued to prune and at every
pruning class that I went to I’d
ask the expert for advice.
Well, unfortunately my little bun(Continued on page 24)
5
Meet
Detention Center Healing Garden Planning Begins
By Gale Kladitis
October and start the planning
phase. We will have additional
information in the winter issue of
The Compost.
Individuals from the Master Gardeners, Charles County Garden
Club, the Extension Office and
the Detention Center will tour a
proposed location some time in
Rails-to-Trails Landscaping Plan Derails?
By Barbie Walter
questions.
Armed only with the knowledge
that the plants were going to be
purchased at Shelby’s or Heaven’s
Garden, Maggie Tieger, Carole
Butler, and I went to work to design a landscape for the first of
the trailheads on the Indian Head
Rail Trail at White Plains. We got
a list from Shelby’s of the native
plants they could provide, and
put together a very pretty, fourseason, low-maintenance garden
for the entrance, using the plants
on Shelby’s list.
Somehow there was a slip in communications between design and
execution. On National Trails
Day, June 6, we saw that the
planting had been done, but not
according to our plan; plants had
been substituted, and the placement was not according to our
schematic. Apparently some of
the plants we specified were not
in stock. In addition, the design
was rearranged.
Thanks to all of you who signed
up for this committee, and I will
let you know what, if anything, is
going to be done next. I promise
you that if we are asked to do
any more landscape plans I will
make sure that the lines of communication are very clear and
that everyone understands the
importance of checking with us if
for any reason it’s not possible to
follow our design as provided.
Charlotte Mandragos provided her
landscape design computer program, so we were able to do a
professional schematic of the design. I presented the schematic
along with a computer-generated
picture and list of the plants
needed to Parks and Recreation,
and offered to be with them
when they did the purchasing and
planting in case there were any
6
(Continued from page 21)
Alberta refers to as her “Invasive
Weed Morgue ... I let that sit and
compost for a long time ... two
or three years.”
Linda Lockhart is impressed by the
variety of vegetables Alberta grows.
As we left Alberta’s garden we
came away knowing we had visited a gardener who truly loves the
Photos by Elaine Miller
activity and who is mindful of the
The composting shredded paper acts as
environment and what can be
a walkway throughout the garden and
done to protect it.
suppresses weeds.
Caterpillars Do Chew But Adults Will Sip
In a little while this guy will
be a Monarch butterfly heading for Mexico. I hope it can
eat the butterfly weed faster than the aphids. I had to
quit spraying the aphids with
insecticidal soap when this
caterpillar (and its halfdozen companions) showed
up. This was a lesson about
Photo and article by Jessica Milstead
native plants for me. This
native butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is getting chewed to bits
by caterpillars while adult butterflies nectar on its blossoms. Next to
it is a non-native (and invasive) butterfly bush (Buddleia) which is in
fine shape. It provides nectar for the adults, but if the caterpillars
didn't have something else to eat they would starve and there would
be no butterflies. When our plants stay perfect, it's a sign that they
are freeloading on the general environment. When they start to get
beat up, we know the web of nature is being supported.
23
Something Awesome To Walk On Barefoot
By Larry Martin
Detention Center Classes - Everyone Wants More
Some folks worry that mints are
invasive plants. One mint that I
wish were more invasive is Corsican Mint (Mentha requienii). My
wife and I are very much into
herbs and Corsican Mint is one of
our favorites. It’s been difficult
to find at nurseries, but a few of
the Amish growers had some this
past spring.
By Gale Kladitis, Coordinator
Photo by Larry Martin
flavoring in crème de menthe liqueur. We usually keep it in pots
on our tables outside and just like
to rub our hands on it because
it’s so soft and strong smelling.
Good to rub on after a crab feast.
Corsican mint is native to Corsica, Sardinia, France, and mainland Italy. It’s a bright green
creeping ground cover with ¼inch round leaves and little light
purple flowers. Some people use
it to line walkways or between
paving stones. I would love to
have a whole yard of it and walk
barefoot on it. It’s also reported
to repel insects when grown near
plants like cabbage and broccoli,
as it obscures the smell of the
vegetable crops.
Corsican Mint is a perennial. Hardiness: Sunset zones: 5-9, 12 -24;
USDA zones: 7-9. It does best in
shady garden areas but will do
okay in sun if kept watered. It
will rot if given too much water
and does turn a rather ugly brown
in the winter. To propagate it we
plug it, similarly to zoysia grass,
but we just use a knife to cut
plugs.
This mint can also be used in cuisine, its most popular use being
Do you wonder where Powdery Mildew on plants comes from?
The fungi which cause powdery mildew are spread by spores produced
in the white patches. These spores are blown in the wind to other
parts of the plant or to other plants during the growing season.
For more information go to http://plantclinic.cornell.edu/
FactSheets/powdery/powdery.htm
22
isn’t just classes any more. The
administration there is so pleased
with the impact of the classes
that they are expanding our
scope. We are working our way
through the process of arranging
for our students to volunteer at
Camp Merrick. Naturally several
steps are required for an arrangement like this one, but we are
almost there. A variety of tools
are required for this work and for
the fall class session, and the
Center immediately purchased
everything we requested.
At the organizational meeting for
the Detention Center Program on
Tuesday, August 25, we greeted
four new volunteers. Welcome
aboard to Tom Lewis, Janet
Cooney, Janet McGrane, and Jessi Thibault. The program has retained all of our spring volunteers: Joyce Rose, Carol Teets,
Jan Lakey-Waters, Pam King, Judy Norris, Carolyn Sauer, Dani
Webber, Dianne Shisler, Sherrie
Zimmer, and Dianne Goodrich.
They are all enthusiastic about
the fall schedule. The fall program will start Tuesday, September 29, and end Tuesday, November 10, for a total of seven sessions.
The Center has also requested
help with landscaping for the
new Training Building. Jessica
Milstead and I presented a landscape plan for the building on
August 28, and it was enthusiastically accepted. The students
from our classes will have the
opportunity to put their learning
to work in planting the new landscape, with MG volunteers to supervise and advise them.
Four new speakers have been
added, with subjects from Composting to Soil Testing, and a Bay
-Wise presentation by Ronda
Goldman, preparing the Center’s
annex for certification in the
spring. A welcome addition is the
inclusion of the women inmates.
The classes for the fall will be coed. We do expect the classes to
be larger and require more of our
wonderful volunteers.
Master Gardeners, this program
always has room for one more. If
you think you might like to check
it out, please call me, or better
yet ask one of our other volunteers.
And the Detention Center project
7
Meet A Master Gardener: Alberta Carson
By Linda Lockhart
Gilbert Run Field Trips
Advanced Training
Contact: Jessica Milstead
Gilbert Run State Park Reveals Its Treasures
By Jessica Milstead
Field Trip Planner
This year I set out to coordinate a
field trip to walk around the lake
at Gilbert Run Park each month,
to see how everything changes
with the seasons. On our April
walk we saw everything coming
alive, with a variety of spring
flowers, and a fascinating purple
leaf we couldn’t identify. In June
(we missed going in May) the overhead canopy was closing in, but
there were still some flowers.
The purple leaf was gone, though
by this time I had figured out
what it probably was. In July we
found I was right. At the base of a
beech tree right in the path we
found lots of purple stems, eight
inches or so high, that didn’t look
like much, but we knew. This was
Crane-Fly Orchid, Tipularia discolor, and it was getting ready to
bloom. Its leaf comes up in fall
and dies back in spring before it
blooms. There are a number of
little terrestrial orchids that are
not terribly showy, and this is one
of them. However, orchids somehow arouse passionate interest.
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Crane Fly Orchid in full bloom July 30.
Cindi Barnhart and I monitored
the plant, and a couple of weeks
later we found it in bloom – and
Cindi got a really good photo of it.
Another interesting plant, found
earlier in the season, was Indian
Pipe, Monotropa uniflora. This
plant has no chlorophyll; it gets
its nutrients via a complex relationship with a fungus. Most
sources say it is a saprophyte,
(Continued on page 20)
8
Elaine Miller and I met up with
Alberta, class of 2007 at her
home one afternoon in midAugust. Alberta’s garden is a fantastic example of “going green.”
The raised beds contain a wonderfully eclectic combination of
plants, one of the most interesting of which is cotton. Alberta
commented, “I love the beautiful
flowers on cotton ... they are
great for flower arrangements …
with different-colored flowers on
each plant.”
In addition to flowers, Alberta
raises quite a few vegetables,
fruits, and herbs. She pointed out
such things as okra, peanuts,
cranberries, foot-long string
beans, “walking onions,” watermelons, figs, pears, apples, lemon balm, and basil -- just to mention a few. One of the most interesting sights was the watermelon vine on a trellis, with a
large watermelon inside a black
pair of panty hose, hanging there
as if in a hammock with mosquito
netting around it.
As she walked us through the
paths covered with things like
pine needles, pine cones, and
grass clippings to keep weeds
out, I was impressed with Alberta’s creativity. Then I noticed
some of the paths seemed to be
covered with white sand. Alberta
told us, “That’s from the Health
Department ... while I was there
one day, I noticed the large bags
of shredded papers ... I asked if I
could have them ... Once they get
wet they form this nice pulp that
nothing grows through.”
In her gardening efforts, Alberta
has not forgotten wildlife. She
leaves fallen fruit for the bees,
wasps and other insects. She also
has made small refuge areas for
frogs and toads which she lovingly
refers to as her “Frog Motel” and
“Frog Penthouse.” Hummingbird
feeders dot the garden.
The compost piles are another
“green” aspect of Alberta’s garden. The large wire enclosure
filled with scraps from the garden
eventually will be a place to plant
potatoes. Another compost area
(Continued on page 23)
21
IPM
(Continued from page 16)
as an alternative to using chemicals, even those recommended
by a local farm store. Farm stores
can recommend safe products
which are available and effective
locally, such as pyrethrins or Sevin, but these all have their side
effects and can kill other insects
as well.
vine borer, corn earworms, spider
mites, and others. Copies of Bulletin 252, Control of Insects and
Diseases in Home Vegetable Gardens were distributed to the gardeners. Bulletin 252 contains pictures of specific pests and their
specific treatment plans.
Pests and diseases discussed in
the IPM seminar included the Colorado potato beetle which has
become resistant to pesticides,
Japanese beetles and their counter-productive traps, the squash
Irony
Editor’s note:
A few copies of Bulletin 252 are
available in the extension office.
It is no longer being printed but
copies can be made.
(Continued from page 12)
main ingredient is chlorophyll. I’m
hoping ticks, mosquitoes, deer
flies, and the like will find it distasteful.
Photos from www.hgic.umd.edu
I’ve always liked the idea of
Blacklegged or deer tick (Ixodes scapbringing “hands on” experience to ularis) and the American dog tick
my teachings but not this time!
(Dermacentor variabilis).
Gilbert Run
(Continued from page 8)
drawing its nutrients from dead
materials, but in its entry in Wikipedia the fungal relationship is
defined as parasitic. These field
trips are continuing; heat permitting there will be one in August,
and surely more trips in September and October. Watch for notices in email.
Photo by Marge La Mar
Indian Pipe captured on July 13, 2009.
20
Grow It Eat It
Ongoing
Contact: Carol Teets
Grow It Eat It Class Begins Organic Endeavors
By Nardine Daniels
This past spring I took one of the
Grow It Eat It classes so that I
could have some homegrown organic produce this year. Our little
26x28-foot area really gave us a
learning experience.
What to grow? My husband suggested pole beans that he had
had when he was growing up. The
trouble was that the poles he
assembled for the beans to climb
were over six feet tall, and I’m
only a little over five feet. I vote
for bush green beans next year.
The pole beans, planted near the
middle of the garden, also prevented the water from our tower
sprinkler from getting to the other end. That meant I had to water the other end of the garden
separately.
Photo by Nardine Daniels
A sample of Nardine Daniels’ bounty.
they would have been ready for
harvest in October, instead of
August. However, I am proud of
my nine small pumpkins.
Another interesting discovery is
that one person can’t keep up
with five cucumber hills. Try as I
might, I couldn’t eat them or
give them away as fast as they
ripened. Next year we will cut
back to two or three hills.
We enjoyed our little garden and
are already talking about enlarging it a bit for next year. It was
worth the time and effort and
the extra training from GROW IT
EAT IT paid off.
I have always wanted to try growing pumpkins and I was thrilled
when the first little ones started
forming on my vines. I learned
that starting them early indoors
wasn’t a great idea. My pumpkins
ripened early. If they had been
planted in the ground in June
9
Another Plant We Wish We Didn’t Love
By Jessica Milstead
Bay-Wise
2009
Contact: Ronda Goldman
Gale Kladitis - Garden & Landscape Certified
“Gale has free veggie plants!
Please call or email her if you are
interested.” Beth Grem’s call to
Master Gardeners was enough to
gain my interest and send me
traveling down 301 south. This
routine plant pick-up turned into
Charles County’s first double BayWise certification. On July 10,
2009, Gale Kladitis’ vegetable
garden and landscape were
certified as Bay-Wise. It’s
amazing what can happen on a
routine visit.
Gale lives on a one-acre lot that
has been cultivated for thirtyeight years. Her landscape is
complete with wooded areas,
rock gardens, rain barrels, ponds,
and bird houses. Her garden
contains a plethora of tomatoes,
cucumbers, onions, peppers,
spinach, eggplants, cabbage, and
much more. She maintains a
natural composting area in her
woods and when asked why she
favors a Bay-Wise method of
maintenance, she replied, “It’s
more economical and easier to
maintain.” This element of
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Gale Kladitis displays her two Bay-Wise
certification signs.
landscape management is one
that the Bay-Wise committee is
working hard to communicate to
Charles County residents. She
indicated that the average
homeowner could cut their
gardening expenses in half or
eliminate most of the cost of
managing a healthy landscape.
She also encouraged her fellow
Master Gardeners to “take the
Bay-Wise challenge,” and not to
focus on creating a “House
Beautiful” ad, but to highlight
the practices that make their
landscapes environmentally
friendly. Bay-Wise certification is
This quarter’s invasive hasn’t
made it onto any invasive-plant
lists yet, but its behavior has given me some concern. Out of
bloom, Blackberry Lily
(Belamcanda chinensis) looks
much like an iris, but the flowers, yellow with orange spots,
are not at all iris-like. This is an
old plant that’s been in American
gardens for many years. However, I’ve discovered that it will
turn up unexpectedly some distance from where it was planted.
When I discovered a plant on the
edge of my uncultivated field a
few years ago I didn’t worry too
much, but this August I discovered it scattered around in a
number of places in the field,
several hundred feet away from
the planting.
If it’s deadheaded faithfully,
then it won’t spread. The trouble
is that we grow it for the seed
head, which look like blackberries, not just the flowers. So naturally we don’t particularly want
to deadhead it. In Googling
Blackberry Lily I found several
comments indicating that it wasn’t officially considered invasive
yet, but that caution was definitely warranted.
Photos by Cindi Barnhart
The flowers are typically bright orange
with darker spots. Photo taken July 4,
2009.
As for my Blackberry Lily wanderers, they’re all going to be yanked
as I find them. I will probably continue to keep the plant in its selected spot, but I don’t want to
look around a few years from now
and see that it’s all over the
neighborhood
The seeds remain on the stalks for
several months. When left standing,
the seed heads offer good winter interest, especially when viewed
against a backdrop of snow. The seed
heads are also a unique addition to
dried flower arrangements.
(Continued on page 24)
10
19
The Benefits of A Little Bit of Sloppiness
So now I have the best possible
excuse to be neglectful of the
edges. Even if I don’t happen to
see the butterfly emerge, I’m
providing more opportunities for
a diversity of insects to live out
their lives. Some beautiful, some
so-so, but all part of the web of
life.
By Jessica Milstead
Do you faithfully keep the edges
of your yard – next to your property line or the woods – neat and
shipshape? Or are you like me,
rarely getting around to neatening it all up and letting it be just
a bit frowsy? Today I was driving
my wheelbarrow into the woods
when I happened to notice a
beautiful butterfly near the
ground. When I got down and
looked a little closer I saw that I
had a brand-new Red-Spotted
Purple that had just left its
chrysalis and was getting ready
to fly away. The chrysalis looked
like another dead leaf hanging
from a rather bedraggled little
weed. It’s visible in the photo if
you look closely. If I had been a
little more careful about touching up yard edges with my weedwhacker, this weed, and the butterfly chrysalis attached to it,
would have been history.
Photo by
Jessica Milstead
Red Spotted Purple
butterfly newly
emerged from its
nearby chrysalis on
July 15, 2009.
Photos, Left and above from Photobucket
website
Pictured, at left, a glimpse of the topside of the Red Spotted Purple, and
the caterpillar stage is above.
18
Camp Merrick
Ongoing
Contact: Carole Butler
The Building Is Done – Let The Planting Begin
Miller (and a friend), and Janet
Cooney (and her granddaughter)
assembled at Camp Merrick on
July 20 to finish building the five
raised beds.
Don’t you just love it when a plan
comes together? That is what
happened at Lions Camp Merrick.
I have to admit that since 2004,
when Pam King asked for a volunteer to complete the late Ed
Spurlock’s goal for a sensory garden at the camp for blind, deaf
and other disabled children,
there have been some challenges,
including stopping work due to
infrastructure issues at the camp
grounds.
There was also a lot of hoeing
and weeding and planning that
day. Maggie shared the final plant
list she and her committee created for each sensory garden with
the hope that members will be
able to donate plants from their
own gardens to fill all of them.
Linda Lockhart is the gate keeper, so please call or email Linda if
you have plants to share. The list
of plants is on page 17.
Despite the challenges, the five
planned beds were constructed,
beautiful engraved wood signs
adorn each of the beds, and the
first work day for installing the
appropriate plants for each designated sensory bed is October 15.
Shortly before this work day,
Chaney Foundation awarded
$1,000 to the project. So far we
have purchased the rest of the
plastic boards needed , which ate
up most of the funds. Unfortunately, three boards arrived broken--and these boards were to
replace already broken boards,
most from contact with weed
eaters and lawn mowers. The
good news is that the company
A number of Master Gardeners
have worked on this project since
2004 when Jessi Thibault and I
teamed up to coordinate the project. Most recently, Bob Eppley
(who has been with us since day
1), Sandra Womack, Maggie Tieger (and husband Joe), Larry Martin, Cindi Barnhart, Linda Lockhart, Carole Raucheisen, Elaine
(Continued on page 26)
11
The Irony Of It All… Teacher Learns Lesson
By Joyce Rose
My name has been splashed
around in e-mails and The Compost as being involved with the
Detention Center project. I really
like this project and the teams of
Master Gardeners who have been
involved, sharing their basic gardening/landscaping skills. It’s a
humble project. As my contribution, I developed and added my
own two cents’ worth of instruction on how to keep oneself
healthy so that one can keep on
keeping on (working, that is). I
talk about investing in oneself,
such as buying gloves that fit, or
wearing a wide- brimmed hat to
reduce the sun’s effects. Going
further, I try to raise awareness of
Lyme disease -- the role deer ticks
play, the difference between
“wood” ticks and deer ticks, and
the nasty bacteria (called spirochetes) which will infect the
body’s tissues, thereby turning a
simple tick bite into a horrible
chronic disease.
Looking back to that fateful last
working day (for me) at the Detention Center, I’m forced to ask
myself, why did I not clear the
work area of poison ivy before we
started weeding the overgrown
Vinca major? Why did I not wear
gloves and long sleeves?
Why didn’t I wash my arms as well
as my hands afterward? I left the
Detention Center and went shopping. Within the week, I was
abloom with -- you got it -- a nasty
case of poison ivy, requiring a doctor’s visit after it went systemic. I
was embarrassed when I could not
make the next class, as I was just
that miserable. Did I mention that
I got little or no sleep, due to the
itching? In fact, the itching was
getting worse instead of better
even though I was taking Prednisone.
And then there was a new twist. A
different rash appeared across my
abdomen (no blisters, but welts). I
had finished the Prednisone two
days before, so back to the doctor
I go. “My dear”, the doctor says,
“Have you been bitten by a tick?”
Imagine that! Why yes, in fact by
a wood tick, aka American dog
tick (Dermacentor variabilis), and
a deer tick (Ixodes scapularis) on
the same day, approximately two
weeks before. You see, ticks, like
mosquitoes and most other obnoxious critters, are attracted to me.
I’m now on Doxycycline and more
Prednisone.
I’m reading about a holistic treatment to sweeten the body. It’s a
mint tablet taken twice a day. The
(Continued on page 20)
12
WISH LIST FOR LIONS CAMP MERRICK SENSORY GARDEN
If you can help with this project, contact Linda Lockhart.
Sight – Pentagon bed
● 3, Agastache aurantiaca, Apricot sprite hyssop
● 3, Aster spp. (under 2 feet)
● 1, Cedrus atlantica, Atlas cedar—already present
● 5, Oenothera speciosa, Pink evening primrose
● 3, Phlox subulata, Moss phlox
● 3, Sisyrinchium angustifolium, Blue-eyed grass
● 2, Stachys byzantia, Lamb’s ear—already present
Smell – Hexagon bed
● 2, Aster oblongifolius, Aromatic aster
● 1, Clethra alnifolia ‘Hummingbird’, Summersweet
● 3, Geranium x cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo Karmina’
● 2, Lavandula spp., Lavender
● 3, Lilium superbum, American Turk’s-cap lily
● 3, Monarda didyma, Bee balm (shorter one)
● 4, Nepeta cataria ‘Walker’s Low’, Catmint
● 3, Origanum vulgare, Oregano
● 2, Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Little Spire’, Russian sage (the small one)
● 1, Rosemarinus officinalis, Rosemary
● 1, Salvia elegans, Pineapple sage
Sound - Triangle bed
● 6, Echinacea purpurea, Purple coneflower – purple flower-C. Raucheisen providing
● 6, Echinacea purpurea, Purple coneflower – white flower
● 8, Nigella damascena, Love-in-the-mist (annual)
● 3, Panicum virgatum, Switchgrass
● 5, Platycodon grandiflora, Balloon flower
● 9, Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’, Black-eyed susan
● 1, Schizachyrium scoparium, Little bluestem
Accessories: Wind chime—already present
Taste – Square bed
● 3, Agastache foeniculum, Anise hyssop
● 1, Allium schoenoprasum, Chives
● 1, Allium tuberosum, Garlic chives
● 1, Foeniculum vulgare, Fennel
● 1, Helianthus giganteus, Giant sunflower
● 1, Mentha piperita, Peppermint
● 3, Thymus x citriodorus, Lemon thyme
● 1, Vaccinium angustifolium, Lowbush blueberry
Accessories: Bird House
Touch – Rectangle bed
● 8, Agastache foeniculum, Giant hyssop
● 2, Dennstaedtia punctilobula, Hay-scented fern
● 1, Erica x darleyensis, Mediterranean heather
● 6, Liatris spicata “Kobold”, Gayfeather or Blazing star
● 3, Nassella tenuissima, Mexican feather grass or ponytail grass
● 1, Pinus mugo pumillo, Dwarf mugo pine
● 3, Sedum x ‘Autumn Joy’
● 3, Stachys byzantia, Lamb’s ear—already present
Accessories: Large landscape rocks (already accounted for)
17
Integrated Pest Management Seminar
By Marge LaMar
On July 16, 2009, the Extension
Office was infested with 35 vegetable gardeners who were interested in learning how to control
the most common insects and
diseases affecting home gardens.
Pamela B. King, County Extension
agent and entomologist, asked
which pests were in local vegetable gardens. Her audience listed
over a dozen garden pests. Pam
then described how to address
any garden problem using integrated pest management techniques: determine if the pest is
really a problem and, if so, what
are the choices to control that
pest.
To determine whether a pest is
really a problem, identify it by
using the WAMM’s and examine
the pest’s Wings, Antennae,
Mouth parts and Metamorphosis.
WAMM indicates the what,
where, when and how the pest
eats and reproduces. Some good
insects, such as lady bugs and
lacewings, devour bad pests.
The choices for pest control are
cultural, biological and, if all else
fails, chemical. The best cultural
choice is to avoid the pests in the
first place. Select plant varieties
which are pest-resistant and then
plant and maintain the garden at
appropriate times in properly prepared sites. If that choice is no
longer available, remove pests by
hand-picking them off the plant.
If cultural choices fail and the
pests have overrun the plant, the
next choice should be biological
remedies such as insecticidal soap
or Bacillus thuringiensis. Insecticidal soap can be purchased at a
farm store or garden center; it’s
not the same as household soaps
and home remedies may do more
harm to the plant than the pest
itself. Bacillus thuringiensis products, better known as Bt’s, are
available for different pests, with
differing ingredients and application procedures for specific pests.
Bt’s must be used only according
to the directions on the product
container, as with all biological
and chemical pest control products.
Chemical insecticides and fungicides are last resorts for pest control. For cole crops (cabbage,
kale, etc.), Pam King suggests
merely washing off low infestations of insects with tap water,
then examining for beneficial insects before resorting to Bt’s labeled for ‘cabbage worms’. Consider destroying the infected crop
(Continued on page 20)
16
Christmas In April
Ongoing
Contact: Carol Teets
Soap Sales
Ongoing
Contact: Linda Lockhart
Gardener’s Soap
This valuable community effort
provides a wonderful opportunity
for earning volunteer hours.
Assess assigned Christmas In April
properties before April 24 or join
us for the actual day of service,
on Saturday April 24, 2010.
$4.00 / bar
A new batch of soap to support
our program will be available for
our winter meeting on December
3 at Hampshire Neighborhood
Community Center. The fragrant
soaps are a great gift idea. New
designs will be
available for this
meeting.
Site Visits
Ongoing
Contact: Jessica Milstead
When someone calls or visits the
UMD 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.
Library Project
Fall 2009 and Beyond
Contact: Barbie Walter
Staff an information table or give
a presentation on a subject you
choose. Set up a display window
for the 2010 MG Training class.
We need you to jump in and help
advertise our MG program and
expertise.
Invasive Plant Identification and
Removal
Contact: Marc Imlay
301-699-6204 or 301-283-0808
marc@anacostiaws.org
Speakers Bureau
Ongoing
Contact: Barbie Walter
Chapman Forest and Ruth Swann
Park. Dates: First Sundays and
the following Saturday, monthly
Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Use your knowledge to inform
the public or your fellow MGs.
Mount Zion United Methodist
Church Gardens
Ongoing
Contact: Nardine Daniels
Educational plant removal walks
with botanist Marc Imlay.
13
Fall / Winter 2009 Events
September
By Linda Bronsdon
2
10:00 a.m. Herb Garden maintenance, Dr. Mudd house,
Drop-ins welcome
22
10:00 - 12:00 p.m. Bug Day, Nancy Maude’s house, Newburg,
Md., Hunters, Farmers and Food See below for information.
29
9:30 a.m. Detention Center classes begin. See details below.
October
7
10:00 a.m. Herb Garden maintenance, Dr. Mudd house
27
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Membership Meeting, Extension office,
Open to all MGs
November
4
10:00 a.m. Herb Garden maintenance, Dr. Mudd house
24
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Membership Meeting, Extension office,
Open to all MGs
December
3
6:00 p.m., MG Holiday Meeting and Potluck, Hampshire
Neighborhood Center in Waldorf, Gardens in Winter
22
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Membership Meeting, Extension office,
Open to all MGs
January
26
Summer MG Meeting Affirms Possibilities
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Membership Meeting, Extension office,
Open to all MGs
The topic at Bug Day 2009 will be Hunters, Farmers and Food Allowing bow hunters to hunt deer on your property, with the meat
being given to food banks. For additional information please contact
Carol Teets.
Detention Center classes taught by Master Gardeners begin Tuesday,
September 29 and continue for seven weeks, until November 10.
For information or to volunteer please contact Gale Kladitis.
14
The thought of hosting a Master
Gardeners meeting seemed like a
great idea. It was just the thing
to get me to focus on completing
pending projects. I envisioned a
gorgeous, manicured yard…
And this was LAST year’s plan,
until it turned out that the Autumn 2008 guest speaker was a
butterfly expert. My woodland
property sees only sporadic butterflies. After a slew of e-mails,
my invitation was postponed a
year. (Those of you attending last
year’s meeting might recall monsoons dampened field explorations.)
Photo by Cindi Barnhart
Linda’s property is Bay-Wise certified
and she is extolling the virtues of
maintaining a natural space to Karen
Patterson, Carol Teets, Janet LakeyWaters, Pam King, Mary Sims and
Ronda Goldman.
were shown my humble but functional rain garden. While walking
the yard, I noted I was simply not
going to be able to keep up my
With this year’s focus on “Grow It garden much longer. Rather than
Eat It” I felt compelled to launch being judged for being more
my first-ever vegetable garden,
shabby than manicured, I was
adding to my pile of unfinished
strongly encouraged to let nature
projects. An edging of 6 x 6 land- take its course on both my yard
scape ties was finally completed and my body. It felt great to be
on Memorial Day, causing corn
affirmed.
seeds and tomato plants to be
The other important lesson was a
planted fairly late.
group analysis that a vegetable
Invitations to the Summer meet- garden full of mulch with no toping went out with warnings that
soil produces very yellow vegetaour driveway is an eroded
bles. By August, my corn was not
streambed. Then, with history
yet a yard high. But, the goal was
repeating, we had another huge
attained: The gathering got me
downpour just before the start of to see new possibilities and atthe meeting.
tempt new ventures. Seems to
me this is the point of Master
The brave souls who found their
Gardening.
way through rural Hughesville
15