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Name that Butterfly/Moth! See Page 17 for I.D. answers
INSIDE THIS EDITION:
April 2017 Calendar 2
Presidents Corner 3
Squash Bugs 4
Veggie Guy 5
Greening of our Palate 6
Earth Day 7
Plant Sale 8
Herbal Forum 15
Spiritual Takes 16
Answers to Butterfly ID 17
This and That 18
Announcements 23
What’s Happening in Your Yard 26
Bell County
Master Gardener
Association
The Blooming Bell
April 2017
1
8
4
2
6
5
7
3
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2
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 April
Fools
2
3
4
5 Work Day 8 am*
Burger
Wednesday 10:30
6
7
8
9
10
11
12 Work Day 8 am*
Plant Swap 8 am
General Meeting-
State Awards
Application/Bulb
Chipping10:30 am
Social time-10 am
13
14
15
16
Easter
17
18
Taxes
Due
19 Work Day 8 am*
New Class Field
Trip
20
21
1st Graders
Field trip to
BCMGA
22
Earth
Day
23
24
25
26 Work Day 8 am*
BOD Meeting 9 am
27
Ag
Safety
Day
28
29
30
Upcoming events: Graduation, May 10 Fall Plant Sale, September 30.
* in the event of rain, there will be NO Workday. Remember to record volunteer/education hours.
Photo of Blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium angustifolium by Terrie Hahn
April 2017
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3
The President’s Corner
I would like to take this opportunity to give a
huge thank you to Terrie Hahn for the support she
has given to the BCMGA as editor of the Blooming
Bell for many years. This will be her last BB, after
which she turns it over to Sylvia Maedgen. I’m posi-
tive that Sylvia will do a great job, even though Terrie
will be a tough act to follow. THANK YOU, TERRIE!!
The memorial ceremony for Frances Idoux at
the Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical
Center healing garden not only allowed us to remem-
ber Frances, but to also see the results of the hard
work done by the team led by Kathy Love in re-
designing and planting much of the garden. New
class interns Rebecca Burrow and Breanna Care did
much of the design work required to enhance the gar-
den and create seasonal color. There are over 30
BCMGA members involved in caring for the garden to
help keep it maintained and watered. We commented
at the ceremony that Frances coordinated with God
that day to make it rain so the garden would grow to
become even more beautiful. Thank you to everyone
who has been a part of making this healing garden
not only a place to help children and their families, but
a place that we can be reminded of Frances’ vision in
creating this healing garden.
Speaking of thank you’s, Kathy Love has done
another outstanding job putting together the Spring
Plant Sale. There were approximately 750 people
who attended our sale this year. Many customers
and members commented how much nicer the new
display tables were compared to the wooden tables
we have previously used. The new tables also al-
lowed us to use shade canopies to provide protection
to the plants. There were very few plants remaining
at the end of the sale, and some of them can be re-
turned to the vendor. There were many BCMGA
members who assisted in all the various stages of
planning, coordinating with vendors, grounds cleanup,
setting up, and of course helping on sale day. The
addition of gardening presentations for the public and
demonstrations on planting a citrus tree and rainwater
harvesting provided even more educational opportuni-
ties to the public. Your wonderful support makes me
proud to work with all of you.
Thanks to Gary Slanga and Charles Newsom,
we now have a 75” television hanging in the educa-
tion building that we will use for presentations. The
BOD approved the purchase, but Gary made it hap-
pen and Charles engineered the installation. It pro-
vides a much clearer image and should enhance our
viewing pleasure. Come to the monthly meeting on
April 12th to enjoy this new tool for our membership. I
will be away for that meeting, but Mary Ann Everett
will do a superb job leading the meeting.
Finally, the FIRST EVER TMGA Turfgrass
Specialist Training Program will be hosted by the
BCMGA on April 6th & 7th. Lots of effort has gone into
making this training a strong addition to the line-up of
TMGA Specialist training programs. Gary Slanga has
been the primary coordinator, but his committee
members have all worked hard in developing this pro-
gram. We need to start now to write this up for the
TMGA 2017 Educational Program award. That’s it
for this month.
Changing of the Guard
- Terrie Hahn
This the last Blooming Bell that
I’ll be editing for you. I’ve en-
joyed working on The Bell and
hope you’ve enjoyed reading it.
It’s just two months shy of seven
years that I’ve been doing this
and we’ve had many, many tal-
ented photographers and writers during that time
to help make The Bell a good publication. I thank
all of you for taking the time to contribute and to
read The Bell.
Sylvia Maedgen will be taking over as Editor as of
May. She has a lot of experi-
ence and I know will make
the The Blooming Bell some-
thing you can all be proud of.
Starting next month, please
send your stories, announce-
ments and photos to her at:
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4
Squash Bugs
- Wizzie Brown, Travis County AgriLife
Extension Entomologist
Squash bugs are shield shaped insects that reach
about 5/8 of an inch in length. These insects are grey
to brown and adults have fully developed wings, while
nymphs (immatures) have wing pads. Eggs are ellip-
tical, reddish-brown, and laid singly but in clusters
(usually on the underside of the leaves or along the
stems).
Squash bugs
overwinter as
adults in pro-
tected areas.
They emerge in
spring to search
out cucurbit
plants where
they mate and
lay eggs. Eggs
hatch in about
10 days and
nymphs take about a month to reach adulthood.
There can be 1-2 generations per year and life stages
overlap. Squash bugs like to hang out near the crown
of the plant, under leaves, or other protected areas.
The insects hide and scurry for cover when disturbed.
Late in the growing season, when vines are dying,
adults and nymphs often congregate on the fruit.
Nymphs die with freezing temperatures while adults
find protected locations.
Squash bugs feed on squash, pumpkin, melon and
other plants in the cucurbit family. They have piercing
-sucking mouthparts that are inserted into plant tissue
to suck out juices. Damage appears as yellowing of
foliage that eventually turns brown. Younger plants
have more problems with heavy infestations of
squash bugs and feeding can lead to wilting and pos-
sibly death. Squash bugs may also feed on develop-
ing fruit causing it to become scarred.
To help manage squash bugs, inspect plants for eggs
on a regular basis and squish eggs before they hatch.
Create traps using wood boards or newspapers;
check traps each morning and kill any bugs found.
For vining squash, trellising can provide fewer harbor-
age areas for insects to hide. Use row cover to pro-
tect plants from squash bugs and remove the cover
during bloom to allow for pollination. Remove old
plants after harvest is complete and clean up debris to
reduce overwintering sites.
Insects can be handpicked or vacuumed from the
plant. If a pesticide is needed, look for less-toxic ac-
tive ingredients such as insecticidal soap,
azadirachtin (neem) or horticultural oils for smaller
nymphs.
For more information or help with identification, con-
tact Wizzie Brown, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
Service Program Specialist at 512.854.9600. Check
out my blog at www.urban-ipm.blogspot.com
The information given herein is for educational purposes only. Reference
to commercial products or trade names is made with the understanding
that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by Texas A&M
AgriLife Extension Service Extension or the Texas A&M AgriLife Research
is implied.
Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic
level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
Wizzie’s Wonderful World of Insects
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5
The Veggie Guy
Get Those Spring
Vegetables Planted - Wayne Schirner
Hopefully we won’t have another temperature drop
below freezing, but most of us remember the April
Easter Sunday a few years back when we actually
had snow on the ground (for a few hours anyway.) I
haven’t completely put away my frost cloth, just in
case.
Time to get those
warm season veg-
gies into the garden.
Tomatoes should be
transplanted by mid-
April, at the latest, or
they won’t produce
much before the hot
weather causes
them to stop flower-
ing and setting fruit.
Nothing is more frus-
trating than having
wonderful tomato
plants but no toma-
toes. Cucumber and
green beans are also much better when they ripen in
warm rather than hot temperatures.
I plan to give summer squash a chance again this
year, but I have built separate 2’X2’ raised beds to
accommodate their huge leaves and sprawling growth
habit. These smaller beds will also make it easier to
cover them with a fine mesh insect netting to keep out
the moth that lays eggs that become the squash vine
borer. Once my squash has male and female flowers,
I will open the netting in the early morning to allow
pollinators access to the flowers, then replace the net-
ting in late morning. Sounds like a lot of work for
something readily available to purchase, but the varie-
ties you can grow can’t be purchased at the local gro-
cery. I encourage you to try something new for this
summer.
Vining crops grown on a trellis not only save space,
but they also keep the crop away from critters on the
ground that like to burrow into the fruit. Some garden-
ers use livestock panels as a trellis, but I like to use
nylon netting because it is less likely to damage the
vines rubbing against it. There are many suggested
ways to support heavier fruit, like cantaloupe, but I
have been told that if the fruit starts developing on the
trellis, its stem will automatically grow stronger to sup-
port the fruit. Mike Butts is helping me this year in the
SFG demonstration bed at the extension office and
we are planning to try growing some cantaloupe on a
trellis this year.
There are many recommendations about how to fertil-
ize your growing crops. In the Square Foot Garden-
ing method, 1/3 of the soil mix is compost, and that is
replenished with more compost after every harvest. I
add enough compost to keep the soil level with the
top of my raised beds and I have not found it neces-
sary to add additional fertilizer by following this
method. If you are following a traditional gardening
method, consult aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu for spe-
cific recommendations on different crops.
Take steps now to make your summer gardening eas-
ier. Mulching reduces weeding when the weather is
hot, while drip irrigation systems can make summer
watering easier and more efficient. I just completed
the Irrigation Efficiency Specialist training program
and would be more than happy to help you design a
drip irrigation system that works for your garden. All
you have to do is ask.
Remember, gardening is cheaper than therapy, AND
you get tomatoes. Have fun in your garden.
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6
The “Greening” of our
Food Palate
- David Hubbell, “rookie” gardener
Last month I mentioned growing up with
canned greens. And, those who grew up with canned
vegetables know why it was hard to get kids to eat
them with “gusto.” Fortunately, Green Giant, Bird’s
Eye, and other companies began marketing frozen
vegetables. It was a marked improvement. Ah, how
our food options have changed.
Although Birdseye is credited with the process
for freezing vegetables in 1924, they don’t really be-
come a significant part of home meals until after
WWII, especially with more and more families replac-
ing ice boxes with refrigerators with the small freez-
ers. Yes, as a child, we had an ice box replenished
periodically when the ice man and his tarp-covered
wagon came through the neighborhood. Around
since 1925 in print media, the Jolly Green Giant (Ho!
Ho! Ho!) helped sell frozen vegetables through the
new home “appliance” – the television -- beginning in
the late 1940s.
Depending on where people were raised, their
pre-War green vegetables were usually peas, spin-
ach, cabbage, lettuce, green beans, and broccoli. Of
course, I grew up in the South with some occasional
okra and collard greens. Others had asparagus,
Brussels sprouts, mustard greens, and artichokes.
Today, we are not limited to just these pre-War green
staples. Our food palate now includes bok choy,
leeks, broccolini, kale, kohlrabi, Swiss chard, alfalfa
sprouts and other green delights. We can even eat
radish leaves and carrot tops. Many of these we can
grow in Central Texas.
Check out the “10 of the Healthiest Vegetables
You Can Eat” at http://www.rd.com/health/healthy-
eating/healthiest-vegetables/. You will find that six of
the ten vegetables listed are green. So, whether you
buy them or grow them, you can certainly enjoy the
many varieties of greens that are now a part of our
food palate.
Wildflower Quiz
- Terrie Hahn
If you like the quiz on the cover on this Blooming
Bell, take a look at the Newsletter Archives on
our website and go to the April, May, June and
July 2014 issues of the Bell. You’ll find the cov-
ers of three of these issues with photos of wild-
flowers found by MG’s with answers in the next
issue as to what they are. If you’re stumped as
to which wildflowers you have in your yard, take
a peek at these issues and maybe you’ll find
your answers!
http://txmg.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/bell/
files/2010/10/April-2014-BB.pdf
http://txmg.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/bell/
files/2010/10/May-2014-BB.pdf
http://txmg.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/bell/
files/2010/10/June-BB-2014.pdf
http://txmg.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/bell/
files/2010/10/July-BB-2014.pdf
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7
- Marjorie Gillmeister
"Wolfgang's Garden" sowed seeds in recyclable
materials to decrease plastic waste in our landfills.
Try reusing plastic water bottles (16.9 fl oz shown
on image) cut them in half with scissors, poke
drainage holes at bottom with a sharp knife, fill
with potting soil, and sow a seed. Results are
amazing as we watched Bok Choy White Stem
grow into a healthy seedling. If started indoors, be
sure to harden off for several days to acclimate
the seedling to its surrounding environment (air,
wind, sunlight, moonlight) where you chose to
transplant. When ready to transplant simply cut
down one side and around the bottom of the bottle
to remove the seedling and soil without disturbing
the roots. We love using fish fertilizer (Alaska
Brand) when transplanting seedlings into a bigger
pot or outside in the garden (follow as instructed
on back of bottle for proper measurements). We
love watching the roots through the clear plastic
water bottle pot as the seedling grows and is help-
ful when keeping the seedling moist and hy-
drated!
Growing your own Microgreens all year round at
home is fun and easy using a recycled strawberry
container. The plastic reusable container already
has built in drainage ventilation at the bottom and
the top cover can be cut off with scissors and
used as a water catching tray when placing under-
neath the container. Use potting soil and fill in
container about 1-2 inches from the bottom. Gen-
tly moisten soil with a spray bottle. Sow micro-
greens seeds to fill all of soil surface such as
amaranth, sunflower, or any of your choice.
(Microgreens Seeds can be found at your local
Natural Grocers) Gently spread a small amount of
potting soil by hand (1/8" - 1/4") over the seeds to
cover lightly, then mist soil on top. Set container in
a sunny window sill or area where there is ample
sunlight, microgreens only need four hours of sunlight per day and require a gentle mist each morning. Try to
keep soil moist and not soggy... the clear container is great for keeping track of moisture level. When first
leaves appear you can harvest by snipping off with small scissors and enjoy its delicate flavor packed with a
ton of nutrients. To have a continual growth of microgreens sow seeds every 10-14 days. Microgreens require
no fertilizer since the seed provides all the nutrients it needs to thrive.
In Honor of "Earth Day" on April 22nd
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8
Prep Work For the
Plant Sale
- Randy Brown
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9
Plants Delivered!
- Randy Brown
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10
The Day of the Plant Sale!
All Photos for Plant
Sale by Randy
Brown.
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11
Plant Sale
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12
Plant Sale Ed
Demonstrations and activities at the Plant Sale
included EarthKind Scoring, Planting a Citrus
Tree, Square Foot Gardening, Know Your Na-
tive Plants, Rainwater Harvesting, Kid’s Camp
and Ask a Master Gardener.
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13
Spring 2017 Annual
Plant Sale - Kathy Love, Plant Sale Coordinator
Thanks to our many members who helped with the
Spring Plant Sale! I don’t have all numbers to report
now, but I think it is fair to say that it was a success!
There are too many people to name them all who
were essential to the success of this sale, but I would
like to give a shout out to a few of you. To Jane Van
Praag who served as the liaison to Wright’s nursery
and who repeatedly organized workers to help with
our very large order from that nursery. She was
greatly helped with the Wright’s order by her co-
liaison, Sylvia Maedgen. Wayne Schirner was our liai-
son to Gabriel Valley Farms and was responsible for
helping to bring in the great plants from that nursery.
To Jan George who served in that role for Joss Nurs-
ery which provided our very quickly sold succulents
and various groundcovers and to Rebecca Burrows
who headed up our rose order efforts with the Rose
Emporium with great support from Carol Morisset,
Jan Upchurch and Judy Hoelscher.
So many of you showed up to work when I asked for
help and again, I can’t name all of you but I would like
to recognize a few of you for your outstanding efforts.
Claudette Hawkins, Stacye Parry and Sandi Lenehan
were there any time I needed help with organizing our
notebooks and for just about any other project need-
ing help. Several of our new class members were
great helpers with additional plant descriptions
needed for our notebooks including Barbara Ishikawa
and Kellie Hussmann.
Thanks as always to Don Wyatt for his guidance and
leadership with organization and everything else that
Don always does! To Carla Harmon for her non-stop
help with everything plant sale related and to Johnny
Jones, Tom Rennels and their awesome grounds
committee for getting us so well set up and ready to
go.
The day of the sale was such a success thanks to the
68 members who showed up to work! Thanks to
Elaine Passman who took over Kid’s Camp from Pam
Dragoo who had a last-minute conflict. To our cash-
ier’s, Charlotte Jones, Melinda Arriola, Jan Upchurch,
Gail Garner and our emergency fill-in cashiers Kathy
Patterson and Jo Carlsen who had to overcome some
of my errors at the outset and in many ways saved-
the-day with their great efforts. All of you who were
responsible for our sales did a FANTASTIC job. Here
are some stats:
VEGETABLES= We had approximately 39
flats=roughly 780 4” pots (some flats were not com-
plete) and of that we had 80 4” plants left at the end of
the sale, thus we sold approximately 700 vegetables.
Continued on next page...
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14
Spring Plant Sale...continued
HERBS=Approximately 228 4” pots purchased and
we had 61 4” pots left for total sales of approximately
161 herbs.
1-5 GALLON PERENNIALS, ANNUALS, GRASSES,
GROUNDCOVERS, VINES, FERNS, TREES,
SHRUBS = Approximately 270 purchased and re-
turned to Wright’s unpurchased were 2 1 gallon plants
(1 Blue Daze annual and 1 Red Yucca) which means
we sold approximately 268 1-5 gallon plants—we only
had 3 Eve’s Necklace shrubs left and those carried
were over from last fall’s sale. (Anyone want an
Eve’s? I’ll make you a deal!)
4” PERENNIALS, ANNUALS, GRASSES, GROUND-
COVERS, VINES, FERNS = Approximately 2,340 4”
pots (again not all flats were complete, but this num-
ber should only be off less than 50 or so) and re-
turned to Wright’s were 219 4” pots, meaning we sold
roughly 2,121 4” pots!
ROSES = We purchased 163 2 gallon roses from the
Rose Emporium and we will be returning 29 of them
to Brenham Monday so we sold a total of 134 of our
roses!
SUCCULENTS = We sold every succulent we pur-
chased meaning we sold all 43 of our purchases.
I did take roughly 140 4” plants, one of every 4” plant
we purchased, to the memorial service for Frances
Idoux at McLane Children’s Hospital on Friday the
24th (Frances’ birthday) and asked everyone attending
the service to take a pot and plant it in loving memory
of Frances. Less than half of those plants were dis-
tributed, so roughly 80 of those plants were returned
to the sale.
In a separate plant sale item, we purchased 115 one
gallon perennials and 32 five gallon plants which were
purchased by McLane Children’s hospital for phase
one of the Children’s Healing Garden remodeling we
are directing. These items will net the sale
approximately $455.00 in sales (we dis-
counted most of our plants to the hospital
since it is one of our projects).
Here are the remaining stats I have as of
Sunday, the 26th:
TOTAL CUSTOMERS (CONTACTS) = 710
TOTAL MEMBER PRE-SALE INVOICES
PAID = APPROXIMATELY $2,700.00 ON
34 INVOICES
CLASSES:
SQUARE FOOT GARDENING BY WAYNE
SCHIRNER = Attendance 11
PLANTING CITRUS TREES BY ANN
WAGNER = Attendance 14
KNOW YOUR NATIVE TREES BY Armand Hufault =
Attendance 5
KID’S CAMP headed by Elaine Passman = Atten-
dance 23
I know everyone will want to know the money total,
but it will be awhile before we can reconcile every-
thing so I don’t have that for you as of now. Please
suffice it to say we did not lose any money on the
sale.
THANKS AGAIN TO EVERYONE FOR A WONDER-
FUL EFFORT! LET’S ALL TAKE A BREATHER BE-
FORE FIRING UP FOR THE FALL SALE. PLEASE
REMEMBER THE FALL SALE WILL BE ON SEP-
TEMBER 30TH, SO PLEASE START GETTING THE
WORD OUT.
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15
Round Top Herbal Forum
- Pam Dragoo and Sylvia Maedgen
A Group of BCMG’s attended the 22nd annual
Herbal Forum (March 17-18) at Round Top,
Texas. This year's Herb of the Year was cilantro/
coriander. As in years past, our fearless leader,
Kim Pringle arranged everything for us Herb
groupies. From overnight accommodations to
carpooling, she thinks of everything. We left
Temple about 7:30 a.m. Friday in order to arrive in time for Henry Flowers plant talk at 10 a.m. Some of us
strolled the beautiful grounds and ruins at Festival Hill, while others went on to classes. The classes included
“Using Twigs in Plant Arrangements,” “Building Your Own Self Watering Container,” Making Jellies and Jams”
and “How to Use Naturally Occurring Probiotics to Ferment Cabbage, Cucumbers, Milk and Flour into Sauer-
kraut, Pickles, Yogurt and Bread.” All the Friday classes are $40.00 and they are well worth it. Around 5 p.m.
the group rejoins on the patio for a potluck and wine.
On Saturday, one of the seminars was on “Herbal Remedies – Floral Treatments for the Soul,” presented
by Bill McKinley, the Benz Endowed Chair and Senior Lecturer at Texas A&M University. He created several
sample floral arrangements. The luncheon was delicious and we had a great variety of salads. To end the
day, we got to sample dumplings, kabobs,
punch, cookies, jellies all made with cilantro,
coriander or other herbs.
If you haven't
attended the
Herbal Forum
and you have an
interest in herbs
or maybe you
just what to
hang with a
group of cool
chicks, you
should look into at-
tending.
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16
Spiritual Takes Via Vegetation
Worms Aren’t Bugs At All
- Breanna Care
As plant hosts, we will undoubtedly render a welcome to our plant's visitors and possible pathogens as well.
(Cucumber beetles, aphids, mealey bugs, scale insects, Pythium, Rhizocronia, Plectosporium, and Verticul-
lium, etc.). It is just the way life is, we can't very well live here alone now can we? And while it is extremely
appropriate to rid what is harming our wee dirt babies -- instead of trying to combat individually all that "bugs"
us -- let us please consider the earthworm and it's gut-assets :) first.
Castings not only fertilize but also offer a means to all natural pesticides and pathenogenocides. Gardens
containing cast contain 5-11 times more nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium than surrounding soils and the
secretions in the intestinal tracts of earthworms make these nutrients more recognizable, and likewise avail-
able for plant uptake. This excreted rich black humus is boldly packed with microorganisms that also help the
plant create a strong immune system. This immune system has been proven to be effective against, and sup-
presses the previously mentioned issues. Additionally, they offer a no-brainer time-release to the plants as
needed. Pauly Piccirillo, author of The Worm Farming Revolution, states that, "They will not burn your plants
no matter how much you use."
Are there people in your life you'd do better to accept as worms and not mere "bugs?" Hint: They are the
tough ones with hearts who won’t quit, tending to your soul up close and personal, root-of-the-matter issues.
It can stink sometimes -- but it's good for you, and your future. Their love for you isn't superficial. As you go
about the amends to your soul, achem, soil -- richly consider, at a deeper level, keeping a few worms in the
mix. They will do you no harm - the very opposite I can assure you.
Some things are bound to happen:
Romans 5:3-5
Diagnosing:
Psalm 26:2
Truth & Wisdom:
James 3:17, Proverbs 4:6-7, Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 19:20, Proverbs 24:6, Ecclesiastes 7:12, Proverbs
31:25-26
Peace be with you.
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17
Name that Butterfly/Moth! - Terrie Hahn
Were you able to come up with the names of the butterflies and moths pictured on the cover page of the
Blooming Bell? More Information available at: http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Actias-luna.
1. Terrie Hahn’s
photo of a White
lined Sphinx
Hyles lineata
moth flying
around Salvia
greggi.
2. Rose Harris’s
photo of a Luna
Moth Actias luna
that was resting
on a plant next to
the door of our
Master Gardeners
building.
3. Central Texas
Master Natural-
ist’s Kathy
Cantu’s photo of a
Great Purple Hair-
streak Atlides
halesus butterfly.
4. Kathy Cantu’s
photo of a
Ceraunus Blue -
Hemiargus
ceraunus butter-
fly.
5. Mechelle Davies’
photo of a Giant
Swallowtail Papilio
cresphontes butter-
fly on her peach
blossoms.
6. Terrie Hahn’s
photo of a Pipevine
Swallowtail Battus
philenor butterfly.
7. Kathy Cantu’s
photo of a Juniper
Hairstreak Callo-
phrys gryneus but-
terfly.
8. Kathy Cantu’s
photo of a Dusky-
blue Groundstreak
Calycopis isobeo
butterfly.
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18
This and That
Killeen Municipal Court
Community Gardens
- Randy Brown
Busy at KMCCG! Top: a pound of asparagus
harvested; updated entry picture that has sec-
ond (new) building in The Orchard; right, Larry
working the tiller hard; below: our favorite pas-
time: weeding! six forty-two gallon bags of
weeds harvested today; work now completed
on bins and we’re giving them a workout!
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19
This and That
Timber Ridge Family Stem Night!
- Elaine Passman
The following Master Gardeners had fun helping the children make na-
ture masks at Killeen’s Timber Ridge Elementary School’s Family Sci-
ence Night: Mary Ann, Dennis, Christy, Lorraine, Sandra, & Elaine.
Home and Garden Hats
- Sylvia Maedgen
Jan Watkins and myself with the newspaper hats we made to show the
kids how to make their own hats in the Kids Zone at the Home and Gar-
den Show at the Expo in Belton on Feb. 25th. The kids got to decorate
their hats with a variety of stickers, foam cut-outs and feathers.
2006 Get Together
- Terrie Hahn
Several Class of 2006 BCMG’s got together at the Florence
Vineyard recently to talk over old times. For a couple of
years, Joan Hinshaw and Joyce Pack used to single-
handedly plant, care for and harvest veggies out of all the
demo beds to donate; Joyce Richardson is still active in
many MG activities including McLane’s Hospital Garden.
Diane Calderwood was one of the New Class directors for
several years and is now our Botanic Garden liaison, and I’m working on my last MG newsletter.
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20
This and That
Improvements!
- Gail Christian
March General Meeting!
- Randy Brown
Below: Larry gave a talk on KMCCG’s. Left:
MG’s providing refreshments.
Our new
tv in the
education
building.
Louann
used it
today for
her pres-
entation to
the propa-
gation
class.
Gary
Slanga
re-
searched
and
bought it. He also was the person in charge of
getting it mounted on the wall. Really nice for
presentations.
Right: Figuring out how to
set up the new tables for
the Plant Sale and Voila!
Above: Done!
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21
This and That
Home and Garden Show
- Louann Hight
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22
This and That
Bell Dedication
- Terrie Hahn
There was a ceremony on March 24th at McLane’s Chil-
dren’s Hospital to dedicate the bell purchased by donations
from BCMG’s in memory of Frances Idoux and her work at
the Hospital garden. Frances’ children and some of her
grandchildren attended the ceremony as did several dozen
Master Gardeners, Hospital staff and other friends. The
ceremony was to be held out in the garden, but was forced
indoors as it started to rain right about the time things were
going to get started. Somehow, I think Frances would have
had a good chuckle at the timing of the rain as she always
saw the bright side of things. It was a nice to time to re-
member our dear friend, Frances.
Left: the work
crew that prepped
the Gar-
den with
new
plants
and hung
the bell a
couple of
weeks
before
the dedi-
cation.
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23
Announcements
Grounds Workdays
- Johnny Jones and Tom Rennels
Here is the Workday schedule for April:
April 5, 2017 8:00 a.m. Workday
April 5, 2017 10:30 a.m. Burger Wednesday
April 12, 2017 8:00 a.m. Workday
April 19, 2017 8:00 a.m. Workday
April 26, 2017 8:00 a.m. Workday
In the event of rain, there will be No Workday.
March General Meeting
- Mary Ann Everett
The April 12th General meeting’s speaker, Kathy
Love, will talk about state awards, and an additional
program on bulb chipping. Meeting at 10:30 a.m. So-
cial Time is 10:00 a.m.
Plant Swap will be before General Meeting and if
anything is left, after the meeting. Plant Swap commit-
tee members will start receiving plants at 7:30 a.m.
The Swap will start at 8 a.m.
Master Gardener Tree Care
Specialist Training
- Jayla Fry
Tree related questions are one of the primary things
that make the phone ring in an Extension office. This
training is designed to teach Master Gardener volun-
teers about landscape trees and troubleshooting com-
mon tree problems so they can serve county resi-
dents and extend the outreach of Extension program-
ming into the community. The training is designed to
go above and beyond what you learned in the Master
Gardener Training Course. Highly qualified instructors
will provide advanced training in the classroom as
well as outdoor demonstrations of tree care practices.
Major topics include: Tree Benefits, Biology and
Function, Site Selection, Tree Species Selection,
Proper Planting Techniques, Proper Training and
Pruning, Tree Nutrition, Common Stress Factors, Alle-
viating Soil Compaction, Abiotic Tree Problems, Com-
mon Pests and Diseases, and more. A final course
agenda will be available prior to the training.
Dates: Wednesday, May 17 through Friday, May 19,
2017
Location: Myers Park and Event Center, 7117 County
Road 166, McKinney, TX 75071
Cost: $175 per person. This fee covers all instruction,
educational materials, two meals, and refreshments.
Deadline: Registration deadline is April 24, 2017.
Please note that as we must order supplies and re-
freshments in advance, no refunds can be given after
May 8, 2017.
To learn more and apply, visit the online registration
page at https://goo.gl/EUEv5R
For more information contact the Collin County Exten-
sion Office at 972-548-4233 or [email protected]
Check out BCMGA FaceBook
page! Go to
https://www.facebook.com/BCMGA
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24
Announcements
Gardening in Bell County
- Carol Morisset and Jan Upchurch
We are proud to present the following educational opportunities for our neighbors and fellow gardeners:
March 16 Texas Super Star Plants
April 20 An Earthkind Landscape
May 11 Native Plants
June 15 Living With or Without Insects
July 20 Controlling Fire Ants
August 17 Growing and Cooking with Herbs
September 21 Fall Gardening
October 19 Trees and Shrubs
November 16 Composting
Location: Bell County Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Offices
1605 N. Main
Belton, TX
Time: 6:30-8:00 pm
Cost: $5.00 per seminar (Payment is due the week BEFORE the scheduled seminar)
Seminars are limited to 25 participants so register early.
For Information Contact one of the following: [email protected] OR [email protected]
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25
Earth Day
- Susan Terry
The 1st Annual Earth Day 5K Troll Trot will be held
Saturday, April 22, 2017 along the beautiful streets
of Salado, Texas. The race route will feature the rich
history and natural beauty of our Village, and high-
light the public gardens and hidden art, especially
Billy Goat Gruff and the Troll at the Green Bridge
Garden. The race begins and ends at historic Col-
lege Hill.
The race will begin at 8 am from College Hill. Keep Salado Beautiful will have a variety of materials available
on water conservation, native plants, rain barrels, turf grasses, and other earth friendly guides. Sign up at
Runsignup.com/trolltrot.
All proceeds benefit beautification projects and environmental programming in the
Village of Salado! For more information go to our web site at
www.keepsaladobeautiful.com and follow us on Facebook
Announcements
- Wayne Schirner
After last Wednesday’s general meeting and new
class, an issue related to parking was brought to my
attention that needs to be shared with everyone for
your consideration and observance. It seems that we
need to be regularly reminded about the issues re-
lated to parking around the Extension Office. We must
remember that the Extension Office is the place of
work for many people, and is also a place that is fre-
quently visited by the public coming in for assistance
with some agricultural or USDA issue. In order for that
daily business to occur, there MUST be parking avail-
able. My understanding from past announcements on
this topic is that the parking lot between the building
and the garden area is primarily for staff parking. The
side of the lot closest to the building is for Staff Only
from the “big tree” to the south end of the lot. The
parking on the side closest to the gardens is reserved
for staff from about half way down to the south end of
the lot. It would be good if we could get specific areas
designated for Staff Only so there wouldn’t be a ques-
tion about this and we would avoid those spaces to
ensure adequate parking for the staff who work in the
building and who frequently have to come and go in
order to do their job. I know how frustrating it can be
on them to have to leave for a site visit and then re-
turn and not be able to find a place to park. We are
guests at their place of work, so please be mindful of
their needs. The other issue is parking for customers
who come and go throughout the day. My suggestion
would be to restrict the parking closest to the building
on the front side for customers only. That includes
the handicapped parking spaces at the south end of
the lot. If the extension office staff has a better sug-
gestion, I know they will share it with us, but for now I
think that would save enough spaces for the custom-
ers who need to do business at the Extension Of-
fice. The final issue brought to my attention is that
speeding out of the parking lot has been reported. I
have no way of knowing who might be doing this, but I
want to remind everyone that driving too fast in a
parking lot is a recipe for disaster. Please drive
slowly and be alert for anyone who might be walking
in the parking lot to/from their car. Thank you for
your attention to this issue. If additional restrictions
need to be made, we will adjust as necessary. Any
questions or concerns should be addressed back to
me at [email protected]
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26
What’s Happening in Your Yard
Spring Flowers
- Sylvia Maedgen
Pictures of the first of my blooming flowers
at home this year. The red Rain Lilies (I al-
ways called them Easter Lilies) and Irises
are two of my favorites that I remember as a
child in my mother’s flower beds. I had
been wanting to get some red lilies for a
long time and these are what I got at the
plant swap last spring. I was pleasantly sur-
prised when they bloomed the red
color. Thank you to whomever brought the
lilies last year.
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27
What’s Happening in Your Yard
- Randy Brown
Poppies, Crossvine, Antique
Roses, Anacacho Orchids and Bird
of Paradise all blooming in March.
Mounding up soil on my potatoes
too!
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28
What’s Happening in Your Yard
- Crystal Fisher
I’ve been busy sculpting
clay plants and vines and
animals to go on my garden
fairy doors.
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29
What’s Happening in Your Yard
- Melinda Woods Arriola
Mahonia Holly is home to
this Robbin’s nest. Four
little fuzzballs hatched.
Crossvine and Wysteria.
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30
What’s Happening in Your Yard
- Terrie and Werner Hahn
Above clockwise: Perle d’Or; Iceberg; Sombreuil; White
Heritage; a culinary
Sage trying to grow and
bloom amongst the
Bluebonnets; wild Ver-
bena; and Bluebonnets
in our front yard.
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31
A publication of the Bell County Master Gardener Association sponsored by Texas AgriLife Extension of
Texas A & M University
1605 N. Main St. Belton, Texas 76513
(254) 933-5305
Contributing Writers and Photographers:
Wayne Schirner Wizzie Brown Randy Brown Sylvia Maedgen Mary Ann Everett Crystal Fisher Marjorie Gillmeister Pam Dragoo Elaine Passman David Hubbell Breanna Care Gail Christian Johnny Jones Tom Rennels Kathy Love Rose Harris Kathy Cantu Mechelle Davies Louann Hight Carol Morisset Jan Upchurch Susan Terry Melinda Woods Arriola Jayla Fry Terrie Hahn
Editor: Proofreader
Terrie Hahn Werner Hahn
Please submit articles of less than 500 words for the
Blooming Bell as Word Documents with photos
separate as JPG files to Terrie Hahn at:
[email protected] Please do not send PDF documents.
Photo by Randy Brown
Officers
President Wayne Schirner
First Vice President Mary Ann Everett
Second Vice President Louann Hight
Recording Secretary Stacye Parry
Corresponding Secretary Pat Allen
Treasurer Don Wyatt
Directors
Youth Programs Gail Koontz New Class Fran Sheppard Grounds Johnny Jones Tom Rennels Plant Sale Kathy Love KMCCG Edie Campbell Outreach Carol Morisset Jan Upchurch Awards Kathy Love Webmaster Pat Johnson Membership Gail Christian
AgriLife Agent Lyle Zoeller