budding
AUGUST 2014
BCMASTERGARDENERS.WEEBLY.COM
news
A PUBLICATION OF UME MASTER GARDENERS OF BALTIMORE COUNTY
C a le n d a r
AUGUST
7 Bay-Wise work day in the demo garden,
9-12
9 MG Garden Fest
21 MG Harvest Picnic 5:30-8:30
22 Bat Walk lecture & walk, 7pm, Cylburn
30 Free Garden Ed: Weed and Pest ID &
Control, 10-11 at the Demo Garden
SEPTEMBER
6, 13 Bay-Wise Advanced Training
11 General Meeting, Carol Warner on
Bearded irises, 10-12, Ag Center
21 MARC’s Family Farm Day
OCTOBER
9 General Meeting, Maryland Daffodil
Society, Daff primer, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
NOVEMBER
13 General Meeting, Native Plant training
with Sara Tangren, 10-1
F re e Na tive P la n t
a d va n c e d tra in in g
Mark your calendars for November
13th at 10:00 a.m. to be at the Ag Center. In
lieu of our general meeting on this day, we
have decided to invite a very special guest
speaker, Sara Tangren, PhD, of the
University of Maryland, to lead a presentation and discussion of native plants in
Maryland. This three-hour continuing education opportunity will be completely FREE
for you! All you have to do is show up with
your questions and an open mind, ready to
learn. This class is being offered ONLY to
Baltimore County Master Gardeners, so
please be sure to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity that the State MG office
has so generously organized for our group.
NATIVE PLANTS: CHOOSING
WISELY (OR NATIVE PLANT
E S S E N T I A L S -P A R T 2)
MGs want to do their best to promote
native biodiversity, to protect and promote
our native plants, pollinators and the whole
ecosystem of which they are part. However,
finding and planting the perfect group of
truly native plants is not as easy as some
might think. We can’t always easily pronounce that this plant is “good” and that one
“bad”. There is a continuum, a progression
of choices and considerations that always
need to be made. In this class, we hope to
convey a good working model or rubric for
making these choices, explaining what to
aim for and what to try to avoid and why.
We will also discuss why viewpoints on
what’s good to plant vary among extension
educators and different organizations and
how to resolve or understand these differences. We will allow ample time for both
presentation and discussion. This is an
important discussion for MGs to have and
it’s great that the Baltimore County MGs
are delving into the important nuances of
the issues.
Our presenter, Sara Tangren, Ph.D.
has spent many years dedicated to
researching, learning and educating about
the many issues that come up around
native plants: definitions, identification,
availability, acquisition, soils, survivability,
habitat change, seed collection, growing
and just about every other aspect you can
think of. She cares deeply for our native
environment and will do her best to
explain and resolve…but everything is on
a continuum and there is no “black and
white” in nature.
To prepare for this presentation and
discussion (and just to educate yourself
more about native plants), please do your
best to complete the Native Plants Essential
on-line class that Sara Tangren has created
for the MG program. You might want to take
this course even if you’ve had the in-person
course, because there are many differences.
The course may take five or more hours to
complete, but you can do it in sections, in
your own time and free of charge. It is not
required that you complete this training prior
to Sara’s class, although it is strongly
encouraged so that Sara can spend more
time covering new information as opposed
to reviewing information that she has previously presented in other Advanced Training
courses. By reviewing the course materials
prior to Sara’s visit, we can ensure that this
training will be maximally beneficial to all
participants. Here’s the link for the online
training course: https://extension.umd.edu/
learn/native-plant-essentials-online-class.
Thanks and we hope to see you there!
budding
NEWS
NORMAN’S PATCH 40
NORMAN COHEN
Is it a s we e t pota to or a ya m?
The sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, belongs to the family
Convolvulaceae and is native to tropical regions in America. Of
the approximately 50 genera and more than 1000 species of
Convolvulaceae, I. batatas is the only crop plant of major importance—some others are used locally, but many are poisonous.
The sweet potato is only distantly related to the potato,
Solanum tuberosum. The sweet potato does not belong to the
Solanaceae, the nightshade family; however, both are in the same
order, Solanales. The family Convolvulaceae includes the morning glories, Ipomoea sp., and the pernicious, ubiquitous bindweed,
Convolvulus arvensis, which grows without bound in the Demo
Garden. Cultivars of I. batatas are also grown as ornamental
plants, the red and green sweet potato vines that fill planters.
The etymology of potato and sweet potato are confusing at
best. The English term sweet potato is derived from Spanish.
The Spanish word is a compound of taino batata (sweet potato)
and papa, the Quechua word for potato. The name potato originally referred to a type of sweet potato rather than the other way
around. In many of the chronicles detailing agriculture and
plants, no distinction is made between the sweet potato and
potato. The 16th century English herbalist John Gerard used
the terms “bastard potatoes” and “Virginia potatoes” for the
potato and referred to sweet potatoes as “common potatoes.”
Although yams and sweet potatoes look alike, the two could
not be more dissimilar. The yam belongs to the order
Doscoreaceae and is the common name for some plant species in
the genus Dioscorea that form edible tubers. Dioscorea rotundata, the white yam, and Dioscorea cayenensis, the yellow yam, are
native to Africa. They are the most important cultivated yams.
BC MG AUG US T G E NE R AL
There are over 200 cultivated varieties between them. The
word yam is derived through the Spanish word igname, to eat,
from the West African language Fulani. In the United States,
African slaves had already been calling the soft sweet potatoes
“yams” because of the resemblance between them. Even today
the USDA requires sweet potatoes labeled with the term “yam”
to be accompanied by the term “sweet potato.”
The white yam’s tuber is roughly cylindrical in shape.
The skin is smooth and brown, and the flesh usually white and
firm. The yellow yam is named after its yellow flesh, a color
caused by the presence of carotenoids. The outer appearance of
the two is similar, but the yellow’s skin is usually a bit firmer
and less extensively grooved. The yellow also has a longer
period of vegetation and a shorter dormancy than the white.
The Kokoro variety is important in making dried yam chips.
Yams are monocots and their flowers, dioecious. They
have a rough, difficult-to-peel skin that softens after heating.
They are dry and starchy in taste and very low in beta carotene.
Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are dicots with monoecious
flowers. Their skin is smooth, thin and easy to peel. They are
moist and sweet to the taste and high in beta carotene.
Last year a small 24-square plot in the GIEI Demo Garden
produced 200 pounds of sweet potatoes. They were cured to
improve storage, flavor and nutrition and to allow wounds on the
periderm of the harvested root to heal. Proper curing requires
drying the freshly dug roots on the ground for two to three hours,
then storage at 85-90°F from five to 14 days. Cured sweet potatoes can keep for 13 months when stored at 55-59°.
For the Jewish New Year my mother made my favorite
carrot and sweet potato dish, tzimmes, which can be made meatless. The other ingredients and spices can vary, but prunes or
raisins and honey are always a mainstay. In the yinglish lexicon, one of my favorite phrases is “Why are you making such a
big tzimmes over that?”
ME E TING
Au g u s t 2 1 s t, 5 :3 0 -8 :3 0 p m
Ha rve s t P ic n ic
Be sure to bring something delicious to share with the group and remember to bring the
recipe. We would like to make copies of the recipes and upload them to our website so if you try
something that you really like, you will be able to make it for yourself at home. Drinks will be
provided. Come and enjoy a good time with lots of food, friendship, and fun.
PAGE 2
INFORMATION ABOUT
A L L MG A D V A N C E D
TRAINING CLASSES
MAY BE FOUND AT:
H T T P :// E X T E N S I O N .
UMD.EDU/MG/ADVANC
ED-TRAINING
BALTIMORE COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS
budding
NEWS
NOTES ON A NATIVE…
G
SM
KIM BARNES
Lo b e lia
c a rd in a lis
C a rd in a l flo we r
Baltimore County
Special thanks
to our
2014 donors
Albright Farms
American Native Plants
Archway Remodeling
Black Rock Landscapes
Blooming Hills
Cavanos
Chapel Hills Nursery
District III, FGCMD
Fieldstone Nursery
Forest Hill Landscaping
Greenfields
Happy Hollow
Herring Run Nursery
Kingsdene Nursery
Kurt Bluemel Nursery
Lehnhoff Landscaping
Manor View
McLean’s Nursery
Natural Concerns
Nature’s Artisans
One Straw Farm
Perennial Farm
Sylva Native Plants
Radebaugh’s
The Mill @ Hereford
One of the first natives planted in my garden about 15 years
ago is the bright and beautiful cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis. It
has grown, reseeded and bloomed
happily every year (too happily,
some years!) in various locations
around the garden. As the name
implies, the color is a striking,
scarlet red that hummingbirds
can’t resist. The flowers are clustered in spikes, or racemes, at the
top of two to four foot stems, which are lined with alternate, deep green, lanceshaped leaves. It typically blooms from June through September.
Cardinal flower prefers medium to wet soil conditions, with at least part sun,
and will tolerate more sun if it has consistent moisture. It is often a good choice for
a rain garden. Lobelia cardinalis is native to most of the states in the continental
U.S.—all but those in the north central and northwest.
I have been wondering for a while if cardinal flower might be a biennial rather
than a perennial. I recently read an explanation by William Cullina in Growing and
Propagating Wildflowers, that Lobelia cardinalis is not a true perennial because the
flowering stalk dies back after setting seed in the fall. The mother plant, however,
forms multiple offshoots of rosettes around the base of that stem, which gives it a
perennial effect. Each plant produces many seeds, so you can allow it to go to seed,
or deadhead the stalk after blooming to strengthen the clump of new plants at the
base of the flowering stalk. Note that after a period of cold stratification, the seeds
of cardinal flower need sunlight to germinate, so avoid covering them with soil,
leaves or mulch.
In addition to the ruby-throated hummingbird, the cardinal flower attracts some
butterflies to its nectar-filled tubular flowers, but it is the hummingbird that plays
the major role in the pollination and survival of the species. How nice to have
plants that provide that kind of entertainment in the late summer!
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXTENSION...SOLUTIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
PAGE 3
budding
NEWS
Ag C e n te r p la n t
d a ta c o lle c tio n
JUDY FULTON
G IE I h a rve s t re p o rt
Our Grow It Eat It gardens are bursting with pounds of vegetables each week.
As of July 28, 83.6 pounds were reported
for the month, bringing the annual total to
140.4 pounds. Local food pantries have
received 119.5 pounds ... definitely a winwin situation for all!
Well known Maryland botanist Charlie
Davis, Towson University professor Vanessa
Beauchamp, and Master Gardener Judy
Fulton are running a series of plant workshops and labs. You can use these as either
advanced training or volunteer hours.
Plant identification labs 7:00 to 9:00
p.m. every second and fourth Monday of
the month at the Natural History Society
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PAGE 4
G
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Rue anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)
taken at the Ag Center, April 18, 2014.
of Maryland: During these labs, we will
have fun identifying and learning about the
plants collected from the Ag Center. Instead
of lectures, expect to roll up your sleeves
and work with knowledgeable botanists and
other interested people. Participants with all
levels of experience are welcome.
Plant collection at the Ag Center on
Friday, September 19 from 9:00 a.m. to
1:00 p.m: We will first have an interesting
time finding and collecting plants that
flower in late summer. Afterwards, we will
press the specimens so that they can be
identified and included in an inventory of
what grows at the Ag Center. Participants
can expect to learn a lot about the plant
species we see.
These activities are sponsored by
Baltimore County Master Gardeners in
conjunction with the Natural History
Society of Maryland and are part of a
much larger project: an inventory of the
plant species growing throughout the seasons of the year and in the varied habitats
at the Baltimore County property (e.g.,
fields, woods, stream banks and strips bordering paths). Species of trees and shrubs,
grasses, sedges, and herbaceous plants will
all be included in the inventory.
Find full descriptions and register on
Meetup by clicking on the events listed on
the calendar at www.meetup.com/marylandnature/events/.
Baltimore County
BALTIMORE COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS
budding
NEWS
Wa te rs he d S te wa rds
s pringing up
AMANDA ROCKLER,
JENNIFER DINDINGER
& KRISZTIAN VARSA
After the harsh winter and months of
training, Maryland Watershed Stewards are
digging, amending, and implementing projects throughout the Bay watershed.
The Watershed Stewards Academy
(WSA) is an intensive training program that
engages and empowers community leaders
to identify local stormwater pollution issues
and treat them at the source. To comply with
the Chesapeake Bay Total Maximum Daily
Load (TMDL), or water pollution diet, by
2025, it is imperative that small-scale
stormwater solutions be implemented
throughout the Bay’s watershed. Although
small, these actions add up, and with a
“flood” of stewards throughout our local
watersheds, communities are empowered to
transform stormwater to clean water.
Expert stormwater professionals lead
the training, which includes watershed management, geographic information systems,
leadership skills, social marketing, and
stormwater best management practices. A
consortium of experienced stormwater management practitioners provides stewards with
on-going support for their community projects. The original WSA Program was
launched in 2010 in Anne Arundel County.
The National Capital Region, which serves
Montgomery County, Prince George’s
County, and the District of Columbia,
launched soon after in 2012. Howard County
is the most recent addition, having launched
in 2013. The Cecil County WSA will launch
this fall, followed by the St. Mary’s/Calvert
County WSA slated to begin in 2015. To
become a Master Watershed Steward, students are required to complete six to eight
months of coursework followed by a class
project and a capstone project.
By the numbers, the WSA is a homerun. In Anne Arundel County, where the
program was initiated by the Department of
Public Works and the Board of Education,
every dollar that WSA spends is matched
more than 100 percent by community
investment. The result in 2012 alone was an
investment of 3,700 hours and $47,500 in
watershed restoration in local neighborhoods. Notably, those stewards brought in
an additional $11,700 in grant funding.
As leaders in watershed health in
Baltimore County, Master Gardeners know
how important small scale watershed stew-
ardship is to the health of our local waterways. Although Baltimore County does not
have a WSA at this time, there are ways to
get involved in watershed stewardship and
even become watershed stewards. Howard
County’s WSA is now accepting applicants
for the 2014-2015 WSA class (out-of-county
residents can be accepted!). If you are passionate about watershed health in Baltimore
County and interested in being involved in
creating a Baltimore County WSA, contact
Krisztian Varsa, Watershed Restoration
Specialist for Baltimore County Extension,
at kvarsa@umd.edu.
BAY-WISE TRAINING
J u s t a fe w s p o ts re m a in !
Saturdays, September 6 and 13 at the Ag Center and Cylburn Arboretum. Brought
to you by Baltimore City and Baltimore County Bay-Wise Committees. Send $50 to
Baltimore County Extension marked Bay-Wise Advanced Training, made payable to
BCEAC. This class is open to all Master Gardeners who want to continue their education on issues around sustainable gardening. It enables you to lead Bay-Wise certifications and spread the word to all that gardening that is good for the Bay is easy and fun.
A syllabus with topics to be covered will follow, but go ahead and sign up now to save
your space. Questions? Leslie Erickson and Carolyn Vane may have some of the
answers. Contact them!
MGs who have already taken the training may attend as refresher. While the registration fee is waived, they will not receive a new homework binder so they should
bring theirs along.
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXTENSION...SOLUTIONS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
PAGE 5
budding
NEWS
Ho rtic u ltu ra l
Th e ra p y
Are you interested in learning more
about ways you can combine your passion
for gardening with a love for helping others? Maybe you should consider joining
the Horticultural Therapy Institute for this
year’s “Fundamentals of Horticultural
Therapy” training classes in Upper
Marlboro, October 23-26th. For more
information about class descriptions,
schedules, and enrollment forms please see
the HTI website at www.htinstitute.org or
call (303) 388-0500
MG s a t 4 -H F a ir
La n d s c a p e F o r
Life ™ “Tra in th e
Tra in e r” We b in a r
b e g in s O c to b e r 2 1
about plants and the four essential things
that plants need to grow: water, sunlight,
air, and soil. After the lesson, kids were
able to make small charm bracelets with
four different colored pony beads, with
each color representing one of the things
plants need to grow. It was a great event
that was enjoyed by both the kids and
Master Gardeners alike and something that
we hope to continue doing in upcoming
years as well. If you would like to get more
involved in youth gardening activities,
please contact Kathie Offutt.
Are you interested in teaching homeowners in your area how to create sustainable gardens? Apply now for a free webinar series called “Train the Trainer,”
brought to you by the Lady Bird Johnson
Wildflower Center and the U.S. Botanic
Garden. Landscape For Life is an educational program based on the principles of
the Sustainable Sites Initiative™ that
teaches homeowners how to holistically
work with nature in their gardens.
Landscape for Life http://landscapeforlife.org/train-the-trainer-webinar-series/
S E P TE MBE R G E NE R AL
On July 10th and 11th, the Master
Gardeners had a booth at the Baltimore
County 4-H Fair where they were able to
work with approximately 400 youth who
came to tour the fair. MG’s taught youth
ME E TING
S e pte mbe r 1 1 th, 1 0 a m to 1 2 noon
Be a rd e d iris e s with C a ro l Wa rn e r
B EARDED
IRSIES ARE RELATIVELY EASY TO GROW AND GIVE GOOD
RESULTS WITH A MINIMUM OF CARE , BUT LIKE ALL PLANTS , THE
BETTER THE CULTURE , THE MORE MAGNIFICENT THE DISPLAY .
budding
NEWS
Editor/designer:
Natalie Hamilton
Submissions are welcome!
Please forward to
infobcmg@yahoo.com
The Maryland Master Gardener Program was started in 1978
as a means of extending the horticultural and pest management
expertise of University of Maryland Extension to the general
public. The program is designed to train volunteer horticultural
educators for the University of Maryland Extension—the principal outreach education unit of the University of Maryland.
UME B A L T I M O R E C O U N T Y E X T E N S I O N
1114 Shawan Road
Cockeysville, MD 21030
Phone: (410) 771-1761
Fax: (410) 785-5950
NEW website http://extension.umd.edu/baltimore-county
www.bcmastergardeners.weebly.com
Anna McGucken, Horticulture Faculty Extension Assistant,
amcguck@umd.edu
University of Maryland Extension (UME) programs are open to any person and
will not discriminate against anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, political affiliation, and gender identity or expression.