Delaware County Master Gardeners

News for Delaware County Master Gardeners

Vol. 11 No. 7 July 2006

Thanks to the Hortline and Office Management committee members who worked to create a new space for the Hortline volunteers in the office. Veronica Connor, Marie Trexler, and Ron Gatto helped move furniture from one office to the other and set up our new area. Barbara Meahl edited the contents of the file cabinets and we were able to reduce the number of cabinets in the office. We now have desks for two people and thanks to Ken Paulsell, two new chairs that actually match! The MG Board approved the purchase of a laptop computer for the second desk. It will also be available to members for PowerPoint presentations.

We have had requests for assistance with student gardens in the Children's Community Garden in Nether Providence and the Chester Youth Center in Chester. If you would like to volunteer for either of these projects, please let me know. Thanks to Kathy Hornberger and Lois Sellers for representing the MG program at the dedication of the new youth center. They now wish to have garden instruction for middle school students during the summer school program.

We have had a great representation at the Hortline updated training sessions held in neighboring counties. The last session will be here in Delaware County on June 10. These sessions address the concerns of the Hortline volunteers throughout the region, and have been extremely well-presented by extension educators. This year's topics included turf problems, caterpillar ID, wildlife pest control, stink bugs, deciduous tree and shrub ID, evergreen tree and shrub ID and invasive weeds.

Gerri Eunson has, once again, organized two great trips for us. We visited Meadowbrook Farms on June 17th, then Central Park on June 24th. Visitors to Central Park were offered a 3-hour tour featuring Frederick Law-Olmsted's garden designs. Thanks to Gerri for planning these experiences.

Please update your volunteer hours and advanced training hours either on the website or by turning in the volunteer hours sheets. If you participated in the garden tours, you may use those hours for educational update hours. Each of us needs 8 hours per year, except for the class of 2005. They are working on their 50 hour volunteer requirement.

Congratulations to Gail Sklar form the class of 2005 for earning her Master Gardener status. Gail presented the Second Saturday program on growing orchids.

We're into dead-heading and weeding season - fortunately we've had plenty of water. Good opportunity to enjoy the results of your spring labor in the garden!

A weed is a plant that is not only in the wrong place, but intends to stay.
- Sara Stein

I always think of my sins when I weed.
They grow apace in the same way
and are harder still to get rid of.
- Helena Rutherfurd Ely, A Woman's Hardy Garden, 1903

Weeds Never Die.
- Danish Proverb

Now is the time for exasperation. After our record breaking rainfall, the weeds have taken a stronghold and with the hot humid weather, it has been tough to deal with them. I have a hillside of daylilies that has bindweed, garlic mustard, escaped porcelain berry vine, mile-a-minute vine, assorted baby walnut and tulip popular trees and of course crabgrass. They all seem to be cohabitating together but each one has world dominance on its mind.

When you think about weeds, the situation is quite like a global one. One particular variety feels that it has a right to claim that inch of ground while another wishes to displace the first. The situation goes downhill because they just "duke" it out by trying to become stronger than the first. Meanwhile, the poor existing plants are looking distressed and this where gardeners are like the U.N. Our job is come in and mediate an understanding between everything, but the usually the weeds do not show up at any Geneva Summit!!

Anyway hopefully you get the picture. Get out there and fight for the underdogs; the good plants that are being overtaken, strangled, sucked dry, shaded and bullied by those annoying weeds, especially invasives. If you don't, there will be a population explosion next year.

Enjoy the summer and happy weeding.

What is essential to practice the Tao is to get rid of cravings and vexations. If these afflictions are not removed, it is impossible to attain stability. This is like the case of the fertile field, which cannot produce good crops as long as the weeds are not cleared away. Cravings and ruminations are the weeds of the mind; if you do not clear them away, concentration and wisdom do not develop.
- Chang San-feng, legendary founder of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, circa 1300 A.D.

That beautiful season the Summer!                         

Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light;
and the landscape
Lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES (Please call the office if you are interested):

CATHOLIC SOCIAL SERVICES CENTER
E. 7TH ST., CHESTER
Renovation of an existing plot with girls 9-13 who are enrolled in a summer camp program. Camp begins the week of July 17, and runs for four weeks from 9:00-3:30 pm.
Americorp volunteers are involved. Plant donations would be helpful - they have no real budget.

CHESTER STUDENT CENTER 9TH AND BUTLER STS., CHESTER
Middle school students enrolled in a voluntary summer school program. Wish to improve landscaping on property.
Program runs July 10-August 18.

CHILDREN'S COMMUNITY GARDEN, Nether Providence Township
Children from the area garden together in a community plot. Need volunteers to teach appropriate gardening practices.

TREE TENDER TRAININGS:

Cabrini College, Radnor, Tuesdays Oct. 3, 10, 17, 6-9 pm
Great Valley Middle School, Malvern, Wednesdays, Oct. 18, 25, Nov. 1, 6-9 pm

Opportunities for hours:

1. Kinder Park---A senior center located in Woodlyn, on McDade Blvd.
   We will be presenting a 6-week gardening series on Wednesdays from 10 to 11 AM starting July 26 going to August 30th. The schedule is as follows:

   July 26-----Flower arranging
   August 2---Birdhouse making
   August 9--Painting/Decoupaging clay pots
   August 16---Planting indoor containers
   August 23---Making Stepping Stones
   August 30---Making Scarecrows.

   If you need hours or would just like to come and help out with the seniors, give Joe Daniels a call. (added helpers always needed).

2. Concord Twp Library
   October 7---11AM---Scarecrow making
   December 2----11AM----Wreath Making
   
   
3. Ridley Twp Library
   Sept. 30---10AM---Scarecrow making-----
   Oct.12--7PM --Composting
   Nov.2--7PM--Winter interest in the garden.

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GOT PLANTS ??????????????

Last year's MG Fall Fest plant sale (our first!) was a huge financial success for us. Let's build on it! It's not too early to keep an eye out for plants you'd like to donate for our sale this September. And keep all those containers…you'll need them for your plant donations! Plan now and avoid the last minute pressure of throwing something in a pot and racing to Smedley to get in under the wire.

I would like our plant sale to be an event that people value. Because we are selling and not swapping, we need to give our plants a polished look. Please keep these points in mind: healthy plants that are labeled and in clean unbroken pots will sell well. I would be happy to label plants if I know what they are. Please bring a list of your contributions when you drop off your plants in September.

Plant categories this year are:

Natives Shade perennials
Trees Sun Perennials
Shrubs Houseplants
Cacti Bulbs

Questions? Contact Marion Yaglinski

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Odds & Edds               A RECOMMENDATION

Are you looking for a unique plant for your garden?

If you are, or if you enjoy seeing unusual plants, I suggest you visit Tripe Oaks Nursery in Franklinville, NJ. What a joy it was for me to see so many unique plants and lovely varieties of known plants recently. It may have been a rainy day, but the rain did not lessen my enthusiasm for seeing every plant Triple Oaks had for sale. The owners are extremely knowledgeable and friendly too.

Triple Oaks is located on the web at www.tripleoaks.com and on earth at 2359 Delsea Drive in Franklinville, NJ 08322 (856-694-4272). It is less than an hour from Media and they are open 7 days a week.

I do hope you get a chance to visit; enjoy their lovely display gardens and purchase some gems for your own garden. Of course, they have a few less plants for sale after we were there!

Barbara Knight

July 18 Meeting

Monthly Meeting at Styers Garden Center in Concordville-----6:30-8:00PM There is a 25% discount on all cash and carry items.

Food will be available - and a short meeting - if needed. Bring your walking shoes, Advil and your bankroll - and don't forget family members who enjoy gardening and shopping - bring them along to carry all your newly purchased items, and if they have time, they can shop for themselves.

Hope to see you all shopping or at least standing by the coffee bar for a tall cool iced caffeine drink to keep you going.

MGs AT WORK

"Summer breeze, makes me feel fine
Blowin' through the jasmine in my mind.

Sweet days of summer
the jasmine's in bloom
July is dressed up and playing her tune"
Seals & Crofts - 1971

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