Will the new Maryland Nutrient Management Law really change how homeowners and lawn care professionals treat their turf and eventually change water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed?

Eric Wenger, MG, veteran speaker, and owner of his own lawn management company, spoke at the January general membership meeting and left the question somewhat unanswered. He pointed out that first, homeowners are at the bottom of the totem pole of much larger bay polluters; and second, the law’s limits were not set based on scientific evidence. Nevertheless, the law provides homeowners with measures they can undertake to do their part.

The role of MGs is to advise gardeners how to comply with the law. At plant clinics, SWAT info

tables, and demonstration gardens, we hand out new flyers on the law, and now we can personalize our effort using these top “take-away messages” from Eric:

1. For the first time, homeowners join turf-care professionals in being obligated to comply with the new law for how often and how much fertilizer to use.

2. The two most important tasks for home gardeners are to calibrate their equipment and read the label on the fertilizer bag for proper application of nitrogen and phosphorus—regulated substances. Manufacturers and stores also must comply for products sold.

3. Don’t fertilize within 15 feet of waterways, which include storm drains, culverts, swales, streams and ponds.

4. Test your soil about every three years using the HGIC list of labs, which should say “University of Maryland Fertility Index Value (FIV).”

5. There are significant fines for non-compliance (but no definition of compliance officers).

To view the HGIC brochure on this topic, click here.

Spreading the word about fertilizing

The Seed News that grows on you

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What’s Inside

President's Column·················· 2

Photo of the Month················· 2

GIEI ············································ 3

Growing Gardening Kids ········· 4

Ask and Answer ······················· 5

Submitting Articles ·················· 5

Announcements ······················ 6

Best and Worst ························ 7

Stumped ··································· 9

Continuing Ed ························· 10

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4

Even a little red spreader needs calibration. Photo from manufacturer

Let’s Grow our GIEI events

By Pat Lynch GIEI announces three, free Veggie Gardening Showcases for 2014 to show both new and experienced veggie gardeners the how-to’s to garden more efficiently. The three events will be filled with unique and practical plants and these fresh ideas: plan and plant the garden of your dreams; succeed with intensive planting techniques; grow in just 100 square feet; find and care for the best garden tools; treat your soil nicely; and learn how to cook new and different veggies. Share Seeds! Buy Plants! Bring friends and neighbors! For more details, click here.

Information on the February Meeting at the Fairgrounds

Science and Master Gardeners Go Hand-in-Hand By Janet Young

The President’s Column By Janet Young

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 2 The Seed

The Seed Team

Nancy Moses Greenblatt Editor-in-Chief Deborah Petro Julie Super Production Co-Editors Katie Mcle Senior Editor, Editor, Ask & Answer Tech Support Julie Mangin Photo Editor Claudia Sherman Editor, Continuing Education Corner Diyan Rahaman Editor, STUMPED Tech Support Betty Cochran Copy Editor Anne Abend Contributors

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Photo of the Month

Early bloomer: Braving the cold is the purple primrose, Primula vulgaris. Photo by Martha Fisher

Just the word SCIENCE will often elicit cries of “Oh, no!” and “Just give me the bottom line, please!” But science really can be an important tool in our arsenal of strategies to help gardeners, and it can be judiciously used more frequently than we may think.

I will admit I love science. I love learning how things work, and why someone tells me to do something when at first glance the opposite seems just as good or even better. I will also admit that scientists can be geeky. My husband used to audibly groan when people we just met would ask me “…and what do you do?” The problem was simple: I always provided too much detail, using increasing numbers of arcane words. Over time I learned how little was just enough, and stopped the flood of information before the person had become a zombie.

At plant clinics and SWAT events you will encounter people who want only the bottom line, and that is fine. Others may want scientific information. And a third group may not think they want The How, but if it is put in a short and simple package will appreciate the additional knowledge. A benefit is that they will now be able to put additional memory hooks on the recommendation that could go a long way in helping to prevent over fertilization or excessive and indiscriminate use of pesticides.

We have many opportunities to learn the most current science background behind the advice we give to gardeners including scientific and technical presentations at our Monthly Meetings, our fall Mini-conference, the Advanced Training courses during the year, and the state-wide Annual Training Day in May.

In November at our Mini-conference we learned from Mike Raupp why genetic diversity is important from the standpoint of Maryland forests. Mary Kay Malinoski updated us on the brown marmorated stink bug giving some hope that native predators and a parasitic wasp may provide a significant defense. David Clement provided the scientific background for diagnosis and effective responses to a number of plant diseases in Maryland.

So how can we package this information in an exciting and interesting way that can be heard and used by the people we encounter at our events? That is the real challenge, isn’t it? Tune in to next month’s column for some ideas!

Janet

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 3 The Seed

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What are cucurbits? By Terri Valenti

This year will be the biggest year yet for our Grow It Eat It (GIEI) program as the Master Gardener organization hosts three open houses for county residents and offers two additional talks.

For GIEI it’s the year of the cucurbits—that’s the family that includes squashes, pumpkins and other melons, cucumbers, and gourds. All the events will showcase this family of vegetables, along with many other topics related to gardening for edibles.

The three, free open houses will be held on March 29, May 3, and July 26, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Agricultural History Farm Park.

Getting Ready. The March 29 open house will focus on helping county residents get ready for the

growing season, with presentations on starting vegetables from seed, growing fruits and vegetables, establishing a compost pile, and keeping animals out of the food garden. There will be a cooking demonstration with winter vegetables. Also included will be a talk about small-scale intensive gardening that will encourage county residents to take part in GIEI’s 100-square-foot garden challenge. [See sidebar]

At information tables, attendees can find out about gardening with children, tool sharpening and maintenance, vegetable-garden planning, county recycling, and improving the soil. A plant clinic, a plant sale, and a seed swap will be part of the event. Weather permitting, the demo garden will offer tours.

Starting Up. Starting a summer edible garden will be the theme on May 3. Talks will include beginning vegetable gardening, starting an herb garden, and improving the soil. A cooking demonstration will feature squash. Besides information tables about tool sharpening and other topics, there will be a bug zoo, a plant clinic, and a plant sale. The demo garden will be in full swing, featuring many practical demonstrations and exhibits. A garden-structures class will provide hands-on information about building trellises and other items.

Keep Going. The season’s final open house, on July 26, will help county residents keep their gardens going, with talks about pests and diseases and fall-winter gardening. Along with a plant clinic, plant sale, and demo garden presentations, the idea of a tomato tasting, with tomato-based demonstrations, is being explored.

Besides the open houses, GIEI will offer two talks about basic vegetable-growing:

March 20, 7:30-8:30 p.m., at Meadowbrook/Rock Creek, 7901 Meadowbrook Lane, Chevy Chase

April 12, 10-11 a.m., at Capital View Homewood, 2929 Edgewood Rd., Kensington.

No Room for a Garden?

Try the GIEI Challenge By Mary Anne Normile

The 100-Square-Foot Garden Challenge is a statewide “contest” (still in development) to encourage new and experienced gardeners to get the most out of a small vegetable garden. It will have these requirements:

Plan: Lay out a 100 square foot growing area, in one or several small beds. Leave room for paths to have access to plants.

Plant intensively: Make use of techniques like close spacing, vertical gardening, and even planting in a flowerbed to get the most of a small space.

Keep it going: Plant something new in the spots vacated by finished plants to provide a continuous harvest.

Stay tuned for more information and volunteer opportunities.

Melissa Smith (standing), Linda Taveira-da Silva, and Mary Anne Normile set up the 100-square-foot garden in 2013. Photo by Darlene Nicholson

Big Year Ahead For GIEI

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 4 The Seed

Growing Gardening Kids

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Link Bird Watching with the Garden by Pam Hosimer

Editors Note: As Master Gardeners we often forget our love of working with soil and plants as a kid. Somehow, a seed was planted in all of us that bloomed over time. Many of us would like to work with a younger generation to pass along our infectious enthusiasm and knowledge but don’t know where to start. This occasional column hopes to help with that!

Bird Watching Basics

Just because it has been cold outside and our gardens are covered in snow doesn’t mean we cannot find gardening activities to share with kids. The Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, takes place Friday, February 14 through Monday February 17, 2014. This is a great intergenerational activity and a wonderful reason to discover kid-friendly resources for bird watching in the garden.

I keep a basket at my bird watching window with three “must have” birding items - binoculars, bird identification books and a notebook for keeping track of what I see. The best how-to bird- watching book for kids is Backyard Birding for Kids. It is an instruction manual, field guide and activity book all wrapped up with charming illustrations and easy to read text. My go-to field guide for kids is the Fandex Family Field Guides: Birds. Kids, and new adult bird watchers like me, can flip through the deck to find the big photo identifying the bird you are looking at and then read the handy description and field notes.

For those that embrace technology and can already identify birds, Cornell University’s new eBird program is fantastic! It is simple and fun to use. You create an account, mark your favorite bird watching spot on a map and input the information about the birds you’ve observed. This data then helps to map birds in real time and goes to scientists for use in their research. Read more about it in the January issue of Birds & Blooms Magazine. There is also a new free phone app available, Merlin Bird ID; to help beginning birders identify common birds.

Resources

Backyard Birding for Kids by Fran Lee

Birds & Blooms Magazine, January 2014 issue “Birding for a Cause,” pages 40-44 Cornell Lab of Ornithology - http://www.birds.cornell.edu eBird at http://ebird.org/content/ebird Fandex Family Field Guides: Birds by Michael W. Robbins GBBC - http://birds.audubon.org/great-backyard-bird-count National Audubon Society - http://www.audubon.org Phone app Merlin Bird ID

Birdseed Basket

For this project you need a basket with a handle, a sturdy plate, decorations (beads, string, natural feathers, yarn, buttons, ribbon, anything small & durable for outdoors), and birdseed. Decorate the basket in an imaginative way, nest plate securely inside basket, hang up basket outdoors, and fill plate with birdseed. Sit back together and enjoy watching birds stopping by for a winter snack! -- From Project Garden by Stacy Tornio

Ask & Answer

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 5 The Seed

Select A Native Tree

Q. Hello, I am new to the area and I want to learn about native trees in order to make appropriate selections for my nearly naked, three-acre property. What do you recommend?

Signed, Puzzled in Poolesville

A. In our region, we are fortunate to have a wide variety of beautiful native trees available. When deciding on a tree, you need to consider a number of factors before making your selection:

space available for the tree to grow to its mature height

amount of sunlight and water

competition from trees and buildings

soil conditions.

Most gardeners have their own list of favorite trees. A few of mine are the River Birch, Betula nigra, often planted for ornamental reasons because of its beautiful, peeling bark on young trunks. Others are the American Linden, Tilia americana, with its large, cordate leaves, and the Tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica, with its spectacular fall color. I also love the Chestnut Oak, Quercus prinus, for its ability to grow on poor sites, even to thrive in hard, rocky soil. In Rock Creek Park, you can find Chestnut Oaks that seemingly have their roots embedded in large rocks. Fabulous!

The Maryland State Government provides a list of trees that are recommended in our area at http://www.trees.maryland.gov/pickatree.asp. You can also obtain a coupon for $25 off of any tree on this list (retail value of $50 or more).

To learn about native trees, consider taking one of Steve Dubik’s Plant Materials courses at Montgomery College. Both the Plant Materials I and the Plant Materials II courses will introduce you to native woody shrubs and trees. You do not have to take the classes in any particular order.

Finally, for pleasure and for learning, consider the book The Wild Trees by Richard Preston. Although this book is about Redwoods rather than about trees native to our area, it is a joyous excursion through the treetops. You will accompany a couple of climbers as they search for the tallest Redwoods in the Pacific Northwest, and discover an entire ecosystem in the Redwood canopy. You won’t be disappointed!

Source: Sibley, D.A. (2009). The Sibley Guide to Trees. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Preston, R. (2007). The Wild Trees. New York, NY: Random House.

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How to Submit Articles and Pictures

mcmgnewsletter12@yahoo.com

MGs are invited to submit articles and pictures for the newsletter, but keep in mind that submittals may be edited and/or not used until a later month. Please limit stories to 350-400 words.

Photos must come with basic information that includes name of the person in the photo, subject matter or caption and either a signed photo permission slip from those in the picture or an email from them saying they allow us to use their picture in the newsletter. Click here for the form.

If you have your name, email address and/or phone number in your article, please give us permission to use them. The newsletter can be accessed through the internet. Without the permission, we will delete the contact information.

Intense fall color of the Tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica. Photo by Katie McIe

Announcements

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 6 The Seed MG BENEFIT

General Membership

Meeting

SPEAKER: Jenny Brown

Topic: Master Gardeners and School Gardens: Opportunities to Fulfill Our Mission

WHEN: Thursday, Feb 6, 2014

9:30 a.m. mingle;

10 a.m. meeting

WHERE: County Fairground

Jenny is one of our own Master Gardeners, class of 2008. She is also School Garden Consultant for the Green Kids Program with the Audubon Naturalist Society. The title of her talk is "Master Gardeners and School Gardens: Opportunities to Fulfill Our Mission." We will hear what has transpired between MGs and the Montgomery County Public Schools in the last few years. There is now much more interest in having school gardens, and Jenny will describe ways we can get involved. She is thinking this is more like an infomercial!

Click for Directions

$25 annual dues are tax-deductible Renew your membership for $25 (tax-deductible) for the 2014 calendar year and

enjoy all the benefits.

Dues are tax-deductible. Make checks payable to MC-EAC (Montgomery County—Extension Advisory Council, a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit organization). Dues may be paid at the monthly General Meeting; by mail, after January 1, 2014, to our Treasurer Elizabeth Bradford, 11458 Fruitwood Way, Germantown, MD, 20876; or simply left with Linda Waters at the Derwood office.

When you see this symbol in The Seed, it identifies an activity that is a benefit of MG membership.

MG BENEFIT

Get Ready to Visit Members’ Open Gardens

A new year of gardening is soon upon us and I hope many of you are thinking about hosting an Open Garden. Most of us were gardening long before we became Master Gardeners. We probably have as many different types of gardens as there are Master Gardeners.

Since the Open Garden program started in 2008, we’ve visited 47 members’ gardens to see new installations and updates. This includes the wonderful community vegetable gardens of the Friends House and Leisure World retirement communities and the Blair Native Garden at the Audubon Center.

The Open Garden program is a great opportunity to see gardening in Montgomery County by people who really know how to garden here. It allows us to share our gardens with our colleagues. Please note – we’re not expecting your garden to be a weed-free showplace. This is not competitive gardening, folks! It’s an opportunity to get ideas, ask questions, and expand our knowledge both as hosts and as attendees.

Attendees can log one hour of continuing education time, while hosts can count up to three service hours for preparation of their gardens such as plant lists and presentation, etc.

Please consider sharing your garden with your fellow Master Gardeners. In addition to the benefits mentioned above, it also is a great incentive to start or finish gardening projects or just give your garden a good sprucing up. Please contact me and get on the schedule for 2014: taffyt@verizon.net – 301-681-9133.

‘This is not competitive gardening, folks! ...get ideas, ask questions, and expand your knowledge’…Taffy Turner

Mark Your Calendars: Date and Place Changes to 2014 Membership Meetings Program Education Co-Chairs, Liz Hofmeister and Joe Ginther, have updated the dates and locations of the 2014 calendar due to scheduling conflicts at Heritage House, County Fairgrounds. New Date: The April meeting will be Thursday, March 27. New Date: The May meeting will be Thursday, May 8 and includes the plant swap. New Location: The August meeting will be at Derwood rather than the Fairgrounds.

AFTERWARDS:

Book Exchange Please bring up to 12 gardening books. Any unclaimed books will be donated to charity.

MG BENEFIT

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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 7 The Seed

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Editor’s Note: Let’s take a peek at some of the best and worst plants that our members identified in their homes and gardens. Photos were taken primarily by the gardeners themselves unless noted otherwise.

My scrapbook of best and worst plants in 2013

Robin Ritterhoff wrote: “My two, 18-year-old fig trees are my perpetually best performers. Ficus carica ‘Petite Negri’ ripens about 10 days before 'Chicago Hardy' in my small Bethesda backyard. I also had great luck with two beautiful veggie crops: the vigorous vining Malabar spinach, Basella alba, and purple pak choi, Brassica rapa (under a tulle row-cover). Malabar spinach is productive through the worst of our heat and humidity. “My biggest problem is the exploding rabbit population, including the one that wiggled under my chicken wire & finished off my early bush beans, which I now grow in containers on a tabletop. A Washington Post article suggested that the decline of the fox population has left rabbit proliferation unchecked.”

Joy Adler: “The late, much-loved Fran McClure used to say she never saw an Epimedium she didn't like. I understand that better each year as I watch mine. They last a long time, spread generously but not madly, transplant easily, retard weed growth and, once dry, can be mowed down easily. “This year, I add to the ‘never saw one I didn't like’ list: most hellebores, particularly the taller ones that show both leaf and flower above ground cover and have lovely ranges in leaf shape and color. Some are now being bred to have ‘face up’ flowers - an especially happy addition in winter. Both have been deer resistant.”

Brad Foss wrote that his worst plants were seven Skimmia japonica, which mostly grow in partial to full shade. This rounded evergreen shrub has glossy, leathery leaves and fragrant ivory flowers, followed by red winter berries. "A perfect plant with winter interest" you might say, except for the mortality rate of seven casualties in his shaded garden. Cause of death? Location. “My guess is that the roots became waterlogged from being planted over a channel of rainwater build-up,” he wrote. While some think Skimmia is "a chancy plant" in our climate, he still believes it is worth taking the chance since two Skimmia have soldiered on in his rear garden. Brad ended up replacing the dead Skimmia with four dwarf Buxus microphylla ‘Grace Hendrick Phillips,’ and “they have prospered handsomely in the same heavy shade.”

Brad Foss lost seven Skimmia

Robin Ritterhoff’s two best veggies: Malabar spinach and purple pak choi

Joy Adler likes her hellebores for leaf shape, color, and deer resistance. Photo by Nancy Woods

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 8 The Seed

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Gloria Sherman says her indoor Homalomena is very easy to care for.

Cynthia Walczak said these two deer resistant shrubs have been her best performers in 2013: the carefree and pest-free Fothergilla with its well-known fall color in full sun, and Celosia, probably ’New Look Red.’

Carolyn Burelbach described her best: 1. Charteuse and Red Weigela enjoys full sun to bloom in spring and even all summer long if it’s cool enough. “They’re 10 years old and I still love them.” 2. Her five-year-old Deutzia gracilis ‘Nikko’ (common name is slender Deutzia) glories in sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. 3. Imagine her early blooming 15-year-old Paeonia rockii, ‘High Noon’ with its sweet scent.

Pat Lynch said she finally had a good experience this season with her namesake Dahlia, ‘Patricia.’ “I'm a Dahlia killer and was hesitant to buy one - even the cute one with my name. But the floral display was a hoot. I was smitten, and I returned regularly to see what color the blossoms would be. They came out red and yellow, red or yellow, half-and-half, and even striped - you pick! So my new answer to all questions is - genetic diversity!”

Carolyn Burelbach’s Chartreuse-and-Red Weigela and scented peony ‘High Noon’

Gloria Sherman’s easy-care indoor Homalomena

Cynthia Walczak’s two best: Fothergilla and Celosia

Pat Lynch’s namesake Dahlia ‘Patricia’ survived where others have failed.

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 9 The Seed

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Here are some home-gardener questions that came to the MG Extension office, plant clinics and to HGIC recently. Some questions we answered and some had us -- STUMPED!

Predicting the weather

On Groundhog Day, we await Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction for the coming spring. If it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on Feb. 2, then spring will come early; if the groundhog sees its shadow and retreats into its burrow, winter continues for six more weeks. Below are two more examples of nature’s weather predictors that might help us along the way.

Wooly Bears

Woolly bears, Pyrrharctia Isabella, belong to a large group of moths called tiger moths. The woolly bear caterpillar begins its life as an herbivore in the spring, when it hatches from an egg laid by its mother, the Isabella tiger moth, on a plant such as a dandelion or aster. The woolly bear overwinters as a larva, but in spring with the return of warm temperatures, it feeds a short while before spinning a cocoon and completing the transformation to an adult moth.

The banded woolly bear has two black bands, one at either end, and an orange band in the middle. A popular folktale has it that the woolly bear is a predictor of the harshness of the winter to come. A wide orange or brown band in the middle indicates that a mild winter is at hand. Conversely, a narrow band of brown or orange means that a long, severe winter is on the way.

Ref: http://www.almanac.com/content/predicting-winter-weather-woolly-bear-caterpillars

Cricket Chirps

The male field cricket, Gryllus pennsylvanicus, has remarkable structures at the base of his forewings called the file and scraper. By rubbing the scraper of one wing against the file of the other, the characteristic chirping

sound is produced. The male has several songs: one to warn other males to stay off his turf, one to attract a potential mate, and one to convince an interested female that he should be the father of her nymphs.

All insects are cold blooded, meaning the body temperature of an insect is more or less the same as the surrounding environment. The frequency of chirping varies according to the temperature, and to get a rough estimate of the temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, count the number of chirps in 14 seconds and then add 40. The number you get will be an approximation of the outside temperature.

Ref: http://www.almanac.com/cricket-chirps-temperature-thermometer

Field Cricket (Gryllus pennsylvanicus) Photo: M. J. Raupp, University of Maryland

Woolly Bear (Pyrrharctia isabella) Photo: Troy Bartlett, National Geographic

Our Mission: To support the University of Maryland Extension mission by educating residents about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities.

Our Vision: The Maryland Master Gardener vision is a healthier world through environmental stewardship.

Disclaimer: All opinions regarding businesses or their products are those of the authors and not of the University of Maryland.

EEO Statement: The University of Maryland Extension 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.

Montgomery County Master Gardeners

18410 Muncaster Road Derwood, MD 20855

301-590-2836

Email: mgmont@umd.edu

Website

Direct correspondence to:

Stephen Dubik University of Maryland Extension Master Gardener Coordinator and Horticultural Consultant

Stumped

Continuing Education Corner

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 0 The Seed Resources The Accokeek Foundation

Audubon Naturalist Society

Behnke’s

Brookside Gardens

Casey Trees

City Blossoms

Green Spring Gardens

Horticultural Society of Maryland

Irvine Nature Center

Ladew Topiary Gardens

Maryland Native Plant Society

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Merrifield Gardens

Montgomery College

Neighborhood Farm Initiative

Prince William Cooperative Extension

State MG Advanced Training

United States Botanic Garden Conservatory

US National Arboretum

MG BENEFIT

February 2, 1:30-3 pm. A Passion for Peonies. Kathleen Gagan, owner and founder of Peony’s Envy, will introduce different types of peonies and educate on their propagation and seasonal care. Bare root peonies for sale following the lecture. Green Spring Gardens Park. $12 for non-Fairfax residents; pre-registration required. February 5, 1-2:30 pm. All About Air Plants. Learn more about the tropical origin of Tillandsia and put together a creation to take home. Brookside Gardens Visitors Center Adult Classroom. $18 ($15 for FOBG); pre-registration required. February 7, 1:30-2:30 pm. Basic Gardening: Gardening with Roses. Although this universally loved plant has a reputation for having a temperamental nature, Master Gardeners show you common sense approaches and precautions to help ensure successful growing. Green Spring Gardens Park. $12 for non-Fairfax residents; pre- registration required. February 8, 9:30-11 am. Starting from Scratch with Seeds. Topics include potting mixes, containers, seed treatments, lighting, fertilization, watering, seed sources and timing. Green Spring Gardens Park. $24 for non-Fairfax residents; pre- registration required. February 9, 1:30-3 pm. Life Without Impatiens – Plants for Shade. Introduction to some lovely shade garden options when your impatiens are succumbing to downy mildew. Green Spring Gardens Park. $12 for non-Fairfax residents; pre-registration required. February 9, 2-3:30 pm. Before Flowers and Fruits. The flowering plants that dominate our modern landscape in most parts of the

world today first appeared about 125 million years ago. Learn what came before flowering plants, how we study the fossil record and their living descendants to understand their place in the environment, how they are used by people around the world, and how modern laboratory methods and the fossil record are being used to look back in time to understand their evolution and how to protect endangered species. U.S. Botanic Gardens Conservatory Classroom. FREE; pre-registration required. February 15, 9:30-11 am. Multiplying Garden Treasures: Cuttings. Learn how to take cuttings following simple techniques and strategies for successful rooting. Green Spring Gardens Park. $24 for non-Fairfax residents; pre-registration required. February 18, 6:30-8:30 pm. Seed Starting for the Veggie Garden. Get a jump on the season, save money, grow what you want and maximize production. This class will cover everything from lights to soils to seed starting strategies. Brookside Gardens Center Adult Classroom. $18 ($15 for FOBG); pre-registration required. February 22, 8:30 am-4 pm. 10th Annual EcoSavvy Gardening Symposium. Focal points? Vertical gardening? Attractive containers? Yes, suburban gardeners, you can have it all! How to meet the challenges of gardening in the suburbs where lots can be small, views unattractive, conditions harsh and gardening limited. Green Spring Gardens Park. $85 for non-Fairfax residents (includes lunch); pre-registration required. February 23, 9 am-4:30 pm. Fruit Trees Workshop. Grow fruit successfully for your family or community by mastering the basics of orchard planning and management.

Editors’ note: Want to find the web link for an organization offering a class, to get more information or to register? See the green column headed “Resources” at the side of the page, and click on the organization’s link to go directly to its website.

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EDUCATION continued on page 11

Homeowners, community gardeners, landscapers, and others will benefit from this in-depth program on orchard basics. Instructor Michael Phillips’ newest book, The Holistic Orchard: Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way, recently received the Garden Book of the Year honor from the American Horticultural Society. Includes a short walk to the field for demonstration of techniques, rain or shine. U.S. National Arboretum Auditorium. $40; pre-registration required. February 27, 12-1 pm. Horticultural Houdinis: The Magic Behind the USBG Gardens. Ever wonder how the U.S. Botanic Garden maintains such exquisite gardens? What magic is performed to keep everything in beautiful bloom and tip-top shape? Join a special tour to get a peek behind the horticultural curtain and discover the many talents that make the USBG such an exceptional, national horticultural treasure. U.S. Botanic Gardens Garden Court. FREE; pre-registration required. February 28, 8:30-4 pm. Green Matters: Gardening in a Shifting Climate. A daylong symposium dedicated to sustainable horticulture. It becomes especially apparent that our weather is changing when gardening: plants that have flourished for years are failing and planting dates are no longer as reliable. Hear from a variety of professionals on how to adapt and learn to successfully garden with such changeable weather. Sponsored by Brookside Gardens at Manor Country Club, 14901 Carrolton Road, Rockville, MD 20853. $89; pre-registration required. February 28, 1:30-2:30 pm. Basic Gardening: Gardening for the Birds. Learn what plants you should grow to create a habitat that will encourage cardinals, bluebirds, wrens and other beautiful birds to visit your garden and perhaps extend their stay. Green Spring Gardens Park. $12 for non-Fairfax residents; pre-registration required.

LOOKING AHEAD

March 1, 10:30 am-12 noon. Orchid Symphony First Movement: Evolution, Biogeography and Ecology. This informative lecture will cover the evolution, biogeography and ecology of orchids in conjunction with the USBG Orchid Symphony exhibition. Orchids form one of the largest plant families dating back to the Age of Dinosaurs. They are remarkable for the beauty and the diversity of their blooms, the range of environments that they occupy and their unique relationships with their pollinating animals. Learn about how modern research methods are being used to better understand these plants and conserve them. U.S. Botanical Gardens Conservatory Classroom. FREE; pre-registration required.

STATE MG ADVANCED TRAINING

Grow It Eat It 2014 – Train the Trainer (three different locations and dates, below). PowerPoint presentations and classes are important, but we can also teach through school and community gardens, creating demos and demo gardens and more. Learn about different types of gardens, where to find resources, proven teaching methods, and answers to the most common questions and issues. We’ll share a new GIEI training presentation for the public as well as a new cucurbits presentation because 2014 is GIEI’s “Year of Cucurbits.” MGs have made GIEI a hugely successful program over the past five years and it’s still going strong. Join us to find out what we’ve learned and how to take it to the community. Presenter: Jon Traunfeld. $15; pre-registration required.

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 1 The Seed

WEBINARS Tree Talk Thursdays: Casey Trees’ online chat series held every second Thursday of the month at noon to discuss urban forestry and tree care topics. Archived chats are available for replay and sharing. www.caseytrees.org.

Seed Savers (not approved for CE credit). Recorded webinars include: Population Size; Planning Your Fall Garden; Pepper Seed Saving; Eggplant Seed Saving; Planting Garlic; Dry Seed Cleaning; Growing Biennials for Seed. www.seedsavers.org.

Webinar Policy

The following MC-MG guidelines for determining how webinars qualify for Continuing Education credit were developed by a Board ad hoc committee and approved by MG Coordinator, Steve Dubik.

Continuing Education:

1. Subject matter must be relevant to the field of horticulture.

2. Continuing education hours may be granted for webinars assuming:

*The duration of the program is a minimum of 30 minutes for which a MC-MG would earn 30 minutes of CE credit.

*The source is an educational or governmental organization (e.g., University of Maryland, Penn State University, Maryland Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture or Environmental Protection Agency).

*The webinar has been pre-approved by the state or local Master Gardener Coordinator.

At least five of the required continuing educational hours must be

earned in a face-to-face environment such as meetings, seminars or workshops.

If you have questions as to whether a webinar may be accepted for continuing education credit, contact the local Master Gardener Coordinator or designee.

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Continuing Education Corner

February 25, 9:30 am-12:30 pm. UME Washington Co. (Boonsboro). Registration deadline is February 18; snow date is March 4. February 26, 6-9 pm. Cylburn Arboretum (Baltimore). Registration deadline is February 19. March 5, 5:30-8:30 pm. UME Calvert Co. (Prince Frederick). Registration deadline is February 26.

Native Plant Essentials (three different location and dates below). This course will serve as the basic introductory course to all MG Advanced Training native plant classes and as a survey course for folks who want to know more. Introduction of what’s native and why, soils, ecology, climate and the concept of native plant communities, why native plants are important and what their preservation and success means for all of us. Includes a hands-on component with either identification exercises or a field walk. Presenter: Sara Tangren. $35; pre-registration required.

March 15, 9:30 am-3:30 pm. Cylburn Arboretum (Baltimore). Registration deadline is March 7. March 18, 9:30 am-3:30 pm. UME Washington Co. (Boonsboro). Registration deadline is March 11. March 20, 9:30 am-3:30 pm. Anne Arundel Co. Dairy Farm (Gambrills). Registration deadline is March 13.

Organic Vegetable Gardening. March 25, 9 am-4 pm. This program will define the terms “organic” and “sustainable” and teach you about the products and techniques that will help you to succeed. Additional topics include contaminants, safety, climate change, reading labels, soils and fertilizers. An intensive, interactive class with pre-class assignments on-line (so computer access is required). Presenter: Jon Traunfeld. UME Montgomery Co. (Derwood). $35; pre-registration by March 18 required.

MORE WORKSHOPS AND TRAINING

Environmental Concern, Inc. in St. Michael’s offers courses on wetlands. The USDA Graduate School offers a Natural History Field Studies Certificate Program. The University of Maryland Extension sponsors the Maryland Naturalist Program. Sessions are held in different areas of the State. http://extension.umd.edu/masternaturalist The Center for Environmental Research & Conservation of Columbia University has online classes for its Certificate in Conservation & Environmental Sustainability. http://www.cerc.columbia.edu/. NC State Permaculture Classes (free): http://mediasite.online.ncsu.edu/online/Catalog/pages/catalog.aspx?catalogId=f5a893e7-4b7c-4b79-80fd-52dcd1ced715. Classes to choose from include Site Analysis & Design, Soil Ecology, BioDynamic Agriculture, Garden Ponds, and more.

Continuing Education Corner

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 P A G E 1 2 The Seed MG BENEFIT

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Save the Date!

MG Annual Training Day:

May 29 at the University of Maryland

College Park.

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