News for Delaware County Master Gardeners

Vol. 10 No. 4 April, 2005

From the Coordinator: Linda Barry

Congratulations to the many volunteers who worked to make the Home Gardening School one of the best ever. We had many compliments on the program, the decorations, and the organization of the Master Gardeners.

Those members who attended the March MG meeting received the new policy updates for your Master Gardener manual. The rest of the volunteers have them included in this mailing. Please replace this section in your manual. Other sections will be updated after the new state coordinator has been hired. The mailing list agreement was also rewritten. Please sign and return this. Do not return the signed policy statement.

Check the new volunteer opportunities mentioned in this issue. We have had a renewed interest from garden centers this year, specifically Home Depot and Linvilla. Volunteers work in teams to answer questions and demonstrate gardening practices. The garden centers will make a donation to the organization. If you have an interest, please sign up to join one of these teams. All of these opportunities are on Saturdays.

Joe D. has been very busy scheduling speakers for a Havertown evening school program, Second Saturdays, compost Workshops and Home Depot demonstrations. Please contact Joe if you are willing to assist in any of these important outreach programs.

Our gardening season has finally arrived. The volunteers for Teaching Gardens were invited to meet on April 9 after the Second Saturday program. Please contact me or one of the committee co-chairs if you wish to work with this project, but did not have your name on the committee list.

I attended a Southeast Region conference on April 4th. Dr. Daney Jackson, newly appointed director of Cooperative Extension outlined plans for a more integrated approach to planning and marketing the Cooperative Extension programs under one slogan and using a distinctive logo. The new materials should be available this year. The percentage of the Cooperative Extension budget supplied by the state is decreasing and the programs are depending more on gifts, grants and contracts for funding. There are many implications for programs and staff. As staff declines, volunteers are increasingly being called on to present educational information.

Thanks to your efforts, we are providing many learning opportunities to the residents of Delaware County.

From the MG President . . . . . Alyce R. Zellers

Gardening — a leisure activity of little leisure and much activity!

I am fond of good quotes and this one certainly applies to spring. In assessing what to buy for my garden, I have come to the conclusion of sticking with what works best to cut down on the “activities”. One major mental activity is coming home with some new fabulous, had-to-have plant and then trying to figure out where to put it and what pampering it may need. Multiply that times several plants and that amounts to unneeded consternation when that time could be spent maintaining or adding to already existing varieties of plants that do a great job in my landscape.

In other words, stick to your favorites (just as long as they are not invasive) expand with other cultivars, possibly other heights or leaf color and continue to enjoy your success with that plant.

Nandinas have always given me a lot of bang for the buck in that the deer pretty much leave them alone, there are numerous varieties, short and tall, different leaf colors, etc. I am sure you have heard me lament about gardening with deer and many other MGs have the same not-sociallyacceptable- comments about them as well. You tend to really love and respect certain plants that can challenge deer. But everyone has a certain challenge in their garden such as shade, dry/wet areas, bad soil, spouses that only want grass, etc-- so just expand on what works for you and limit the time and money spent on the “current fashions” in gardening.

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GREEN THUMB DINNERS

The Green Thumb Dinner group is scheduled next for April 20th at Vinny T's Restaurant in Wynnewood.

Also May 25th at a location to be determined. We always meet at 6:45 pm and all Master Gardeners are encouraged to join us.

Let me know if you would like to join us, so I can reserve the correct size table. RSVP to Janae Alberts.

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UPCOMING EVENTS, WORKSHOPS AND TRIPS

ARBOR DAY AT SMEDLEY PARK

Our Arbor Day event is scheduled at Smedley Park on Saturday, April 23 at 1 p.m. open to the public.

Cub scouts of the district have been invited to attend to earn points for tree planting experience. Flyers will be distributed to welcome families of the community to the celebration which will include educational activities, tree plantings and a picnic.

Steve K. has negotiated a donation of four service berries and a green ash (3 ft. seedlings) for the planting ceremony, hopefully near the creek. Youngsters will be encouraged to do charcoal rubbings on the bark of various trees.

Penn State publications on trees will be available to take home.

All Master Gardeners are invited to attend, to help. Call with any ideas for fun activities chairpersons Elsie M. or Mary S.

The Arbor Day committee includes Philip V., Tara C., Mary C., Jennifer D., Susan J., Helene M., Debbie M. and Marion N.

Saturdays—April 16, 30, May 14, 28, June 11, 25, 10AM to Noon
Container Workshops, Ridley Park and Clifton Heights Home Depot

Saturday. April 23, 10:00 a.m. & 11:30 a.m.
Composting Workshops, 4-H Farm in Newtown Square

Saturday, April 30th, 10am to 4pm
Linvilla Flower Festival
Master Gardener Question and Answer booth

April 16 and May 21, 10:00-1:00
Plant and Seed Pick-Ups
Intergenerational Garden, 9th and Madison, Chester

Saturday, May 14, 9 am—2:00 pm
Green Valleys Association, Chester County
Private Landowner Workshop: Promoting Wildlife Diversity on Private Lands in Forest and Riparian Habitats, $10.00 fee includes sessions and lunch. Registrations are limited to 30. Brochures available in the office and at the April 19th MG meeting

Saturday, May 7th
Providence Garden Club Annual Plant Sale
Williamson School of Mechanical Trades, 106 South Middletown Road (Route 352)
Middletown Township - 9 am to 2 pm.

Saturday, June 4, Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve & Renny’s Hortulus Bus Trip
7:45 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Cost $47.00 includes transportation and snack

MERRY PLACE EVENTS

Merry Place is a handicapped accessible playground located on Glendale Road in Havertown. Children come from different schools to use the playground and adults find comfort in a bereavement/mediation garden, memorial tree park, wildflower walk and perennial gardens.

The Master Gardeners work on the perennial gardens, usually directing community volunteers and Scout and Youth groups. Here are two upcoming events:

April 16th - 10:00 am to 12 Noon Preparing your Garden for spring

May 7th - 9:00 am to 12 Noon Composting Workshop

Volunteers are needed for Community work in the Gardens

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ODDS & ENDS

Workshops are scheduled for Home Depot Stores in Upper Darby and Ridley Park on April 16, 30, May 14, 28, June 11 and 25. All workshops are Saturdays from 10:00-12:00 noon. Joe D., Speakers’ Bureau chair is scheduling the volunteers. If you can help on one or more of the workshop dates, please contact him as soon as possible. Topics include Container Planting, Pruning, Tree and Shrub Care, Container Planting for Children, Rose Care, Annuals, Herbs, Vegetables, Soils and Fertilizers. Home Depot will supply all plant material, pots, tools, etc. The Master Gardener volunteers will choose from the store’s stock.

Composting Workshops are scheduled for the 4-H Farm on April 23rd. Please contact Joe if you are able to assist.

Gordon J. has offered to organize the volunteers for the Linvilla Flower Festival on April 30th. We will be there to answer questions from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Please call Gordon if you will be able to volunteer for a portion of the day.

The students of Toby Farms Elementary School have a newly built raised bed vegetable and flower garden. We need a few Master Gardeners to work with the staff and students. They have been gardening on Thursdays, but if you can offer to assist another day, it can be arranged. Please contact Linda if you are interested.

Elwyn has residents in Upper Darby who live in group homes. A greenhouse has been donated to the Gardening Club (currently has 6 members) that meets at their social center. They need volunteers to work with this club once a week to grow plants for their homes. They are mostly interested in house plants at this time, but I'm sure they would grow plants for their gardens outside if they have any space. The Master Gardeners could use the rest of the green house space for their own plants. The location is near West Chester Pike and State Road. Call the office if you would be interested in working with this group.

The Might Oak Tree

Just wanted to let everyone know that the college has a free lecture coming up on Sunday, April 10 at 1:30 p.m.

The speaker is John Frett, a University of Delaware professor and a Longwood Gardens instructor. His slide talk "Oaks: On the Hills and in the Dales," is going to be about specific oak species and their habitats.

The talk is sponsored by the Campus Arboretum Association and everyone is welcome. It's in Sharpless Auditorium--just enter the campus either from College Avenue (off Haverford Road) or Lancaster Avenue-- and park in the big visitors parking lot. There will be signs posted to get you to the auditorium.

Punch and cookies afterward!! Call or e-mail me if you have questions.
Martha Van Artsdalen, mvanarts@haverford.edu , (610)896-1101

4-H Indoor Gardening will be selling all the extra plants at great prices at the next MG Meeting.

Plant materials include Gloriosa Rotschildriana bulbs, tuberose double pearl bulbs, canna and orchid bletilla, aloe vera and cereus cacti.

Come to the meeting. For more information call Patty R.

HOME GARDENING SCHOOL A TREMENDOUS SUCCESS
	Good job MGs !! And they deserve a break. Pictured left are Ken, Alyce, Nancy.and Diana - at the Gregg Center, American College.

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