Over the Garden Gate

Monthly Newsletter

Clinton County Master Gardeners

Editor: Carol Machael, cmachael@gmail.com; 563-357-7537

Published on the first Monday of the month except during January and December.

To submit an article it must be sent by E-mail as a Microsoft Word attachment to the above e-mail address. To be accepted for publication in the

next newsletter, articles must be received 10 days before the first Monday of the month. Articles will be accepted or rejected at the discretion of the

editor. If you are mailing something to me please use new contact info: 502 Apple Valley Lane, Clinton.

Volume 7 Issue 1 February 2016

Mark Your Calendar for HORT Hort in the Heartland is Saturday, March 5, at Clinton Community College. This is an excellent op-

portunity for education hours. The brochure will be in the mail the first week of February. Again

this year there will be a table of free garden magazines, garden catalogues, etc. If you have such

items bring them the day of the event. We will need members to introduce the presenters in each

session. If you would be willing to help with this contact Willard at willardflarsen@gmail.com or

249-2476. If you do not receive a brochure you may get one at the Arb or the Extension office.

THERE WILL BE A FALL MG CLASS!!!

Please help us recruit students by asking them to call the extension office at 563-659-5125 to get on the interest list.

The rather rigid leaves

of ‘Curly Fries’ are

narrow – elongated

and nearly strap-like

– but with heavily rip-

pled, wavy edges. The

upper leaf surface is

slightly shiny and

petioles on mature

plants have red

specks. The leaves are only 1” wide, but with great

substance, so the plants tend to be more durable than

many small hostas. In midsummer lavender blossoms

are produced on red to purple scapes up to 2 feet tall,

held well above the foliage.

CLINTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS ADVISORY BOARD MINUTES

Volume 7 Issue 1 Page 2 February 2016

EXTENSION OFFICE-DEWITT, IA 9AM JANUARY 19,2016

ROLL CALL- Linda Lampe, Deb Monroe, Bonnie Meyers, Brenda Council, Deb Neels, Willard Larsen, Todd Diercks, Roger Rittmer, Mark Schroeder, Margo Hansen

Agenda- approved Minutes- approved

Election of Officers-21 ballots returned. Positions filled as following- Co-Chairs: Linda Lampe & Deb Monroe, Vice-Chair: Bonnie Meyers, Secretary: Brenda Council, Treasurer: Deb Neels

Financial Report: Mark S.- $4041.39 Balance Deb N. made motion to approve information. Willard, 2nd. Fi-nancial Report approved.

Extension report-Mark- Webinars for MG education hrs. now available on U-Tube. Also have Facebook page for more exposure.

REPORTS ON COMMITTEES/PROJECTS/EVENTS

Bickelhaupt Arboretum-Margo-Upcoming programs for ed. hrs are Sprout Class-Feb. 20, 2016, Cost $10. Rainbarrel Class, March (final date not set), 2016. Plant Propagation Class, April 16, 2016, cost $10. Bus Trip in July to Des Moines in mid-July to Des Moines Botanical Gardens & Ngil Wildlife Refuge.

Bald Eagle Days-Brenda-good turnout of volunteers to help with booth. lots of information flyers taken from table, info taken about becoming a Master Gardener but no sign ups.

OLC-Deb Monroe made handbook for the OLC Garden on new plants & their care. Will be meeting scheduled at end of Jan. to discuss future improvements.

Hort. in Heartland-Willard-Will be on March 5, 2016. Will start mailing out info in Feb. for sign-ups. Good lineup of speakers this year. Will have Magazine Table again this year.

Publicity-Deb Neels- Spring Social on calendar for April 7,2016 at OLC building in DeWitt at 6PM

Plant sale-Deb & Brenda-May 14 & 15- Will be setting up meeting in March. Willard & Jerry will handle DeWitt sale at fairgrounds. Linda will handle the Garden Treasures this year at DeWitt sale.

Garden Walk-Bonnie Meyers-Walk tentatively set for June 26. Have 3 gardens possibly committed. Meeting scheduled for Feb. 2, 2016 to begin planning.

MG Day at Fair-Will be on July 6, 2016. Speakers are being lined up for seminars. Container contest will be on agenda also.

Scholarship-Willard- Will check again with schools to see if anyone has applied. Deadline of April 30 to apply.

Volume 7 Issue 1 Page 3 February 2016

OLD BUSINESS:

MG Room-Need to go thru files and books and decide what to keep. Good project to get volunteer hrs. for someone.

NEW BUSINESS:

Pollinator Grant-Roger-$500 grant available for the OLC Garden to help replace plants with plantings that are beneficial to pollinators. Plantings will be placed on South side of N. fence. Roger & Deb will do the necessary paperwork for application. Willard made motion to apply for $500 Pollinator Grant, Deb 2nd. Motion approved by board.

For the Good of the Cause:

Have a new booklet stating Guidelines for recruiting new Master Gardeners. Have about 94 MG on list-about 40 active.

Respectfully submitted, Brenda Council, Secretary

Webinars Available for Education Hours

These webinars provide an excellent opportunity for you to get educational hours for 2016. When you go to the web site, just click on the play icon in the middle of the screen and you should be all set.

01 Hunger in Iowa - video https://iastate.box.com/s/r0f1vd0lvvx6omtddeykggu5d9auwfuc (handout & evaluation) 02 Working with Food Banks - video https://iastate.box.com/s/5csp2de5ayhts7lgzq0rb7jdenl1ioan (handout & evaluation)

03 Best Practices for Food Safety - video https://iastate.box.com/s/5molatcdjl08nwfry2d27pugc302f5z (handout & evaluation)

2015 Summer webinars are now on YouTube! See the playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBsBPVFxix-qdpQPatShDMyGGdWdiLpq2

Also, see the note below regarding the first time you log in to the hours reporting system this year:

Annual Agreement: When Master Gardeners log in to the Volunteer Reporting System<http://mastergardenerhours.hort.iastate.edu/> this year, they will be asked to agree to the Annual Agreement terms. They may have to clear their cache if they get a "Page Not Found" error when trying to log in for the first time this year.

Save the Date!

April 7th, 2016 Annual Spring Social Garden Party

The snow has almost melted, the temperatures are above zero, and although we have February and March ahead of us, please mark your calendars for the spring social garden party at the Outdoor Living Classroom at the DeWitt fairgrounds on April 7th. It is the start of our Master Gardener activities for 2016. More information will be forthcoming in the March newsletter.

Volume 7 Issue 1 February 2016

. . . and justice for all

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability,

political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative format

M

MASTER GARDENERS VOLUNTEER :

Extension Office Plant Partners: Willard Larsen willardllarsen@gmail.com 563-249-2476

Eagle Point Nursing Home and Rehabilitation or Community Garden: Willard Larsen

OLC/County Fair: Roger Rittmer rogr@iowatelecom.net

Bickelhaupt Arboretum: Margo Hansen margo.hansen@bickelhaupt.org

Curtis Mansion: Liz Clements 563-243-3254

2016 GARDEN WALK

Yes, it is still January as I write this, but the Garden Walk Committee is already thinking about the Clinton County Master Gardener garden walk in June, 2016. First of all, if anyone is interested in volunteering to be on the committee and/or help with the garden walk, please contact Bonnie Meyers at 563-242-5145. We would love to have new members on the committee. Any assistance is appreciated.

Next request are the gardens to be showcased. Do you have a garden you would like to share with others and/or do you know of someone who might be interested in having their garden in our walk? Your garden or a friend’s garden would be highlighted in a pamphlet for the walk. Individuals whose gardens are fea-tured do not need to be Master Gardeners. A volunteer will also be provided at each location to welcome guests, answer questions, sell tickets, & generally promote the Master Gardener program. Proceeds from the walk are used for scholarships and other educational projects/programs.

Enjoy the rest of the winter! Debbie Neels, Garden Walk Committee

Plant Propagation Workshop

April 16, 2016 10 am to 11 am

Everything you ever wanted to know about starting your own seeds, taking cuttings and root divisions. In-

structions and hands on workshop where you will transplant seedlings take plant cuttings and make perennial

divisions. New plants will be following you home! What a great way to kick off the

new growing season. Class size is limited so sign up early! $10

Instructor Margo Hansen and sponsored by Bickelhaupt Arboretum and Clinton

Community College

Pre- Registration Required Please Call

The Perennial Plant Association’s Perennial of the Year 2016 could be

just what you need!

With pure white flowers held on wiry stems well above dark green

mounds of foliage, Anemone ‘Honorine Jobert’ makes a statement in the

fall garden. The glossy basal foliage only grows 12-18 inches tall, but

when in bloom the plants are 3-4 feet tall. The palmate, toothed dark

green basal leaves are lightly covered with fine hairs. It spreads by

shallow creeping, wiry black rhizomes.

Something to Sprout About WorkshopSomething to Sprout About Workshop

Feb 20th, 10 to 11 am . Learn how to make your own fresh organic seed sprouts. Sprouts are a tasty,

crunchy and healthy addition to salads and sandwiches.

At the workshop you will make your own seed sprouting jar and will take home seeds to sprout. Class

size is limited. Pre- registration required. Cost $10 Call to register 563-242-4771. Workshop will be

held at Bickelhaupt Arboretum 340 South 14th Street, Clinton Iowa 52732.

Winter is the season we need fresh greens the most

and sprouts are the superfood of the season!!

Sprouts are the powerhouse of the vegetable world. Grown

year round and packed with nutrients, sprouts are finished in

days and often provide more vitamins and minerals than our

favorite vegetables. They are also inexpensive and easy to

grow. And there are health benefits. A study from John

Hopkins University noted that broccoli sprouts have

higher levels of cancer fighting compounds than broccoli

heads—up to 100 times higher!

In theory, almost any seed will sprout given the right conditions, but some are better than others for eating in

their sprouted state. Seeds marketed specifically for sprouting are also free of the harmful fungicides and

other chemicals that some seed growers use to treat their seeds. Ensure your seeds are meant for sprouting

before you start and choose the seed best suited for your purpose. Try alfalfa, broccoli, clover, fenugreek,

mung, mustard, lentil, radish, quinoa, sunflower or more!

A few tablespoons to half a cup of seed are all you need to produce ample sprouts for sandwiches, salads, and

other dishes. Sprouts will double or triple in size, depending on the size of the seed and the variety you are

sprouting. Keeping things small will ensure you don’t end up with sprouts going bad in your refrigerator.

In general, use 2-3 tablespoons of small sprouting seed (alfalfa or clover) and 1/3-1/2 cup of larger sprouting

seed (lentils or beans) for ample amounts. Quinoa is one exception: this ‘pseudo-grain’ sprouts small and stays

small.

Here are some other general rules of thumb to observe when growing sprouts at home:

1. Rinse and clean your seeds to remove any dust or other debris.

2. Spread evenly in your container so seeds form a thin layer. Avoid piling seeds on top of one another.

3. Soak your seeds to “wake” them up and encourage sprouting. While you can skip this step for a few, lesser-

known sprouts, soaking seeds is an important first step for most varieties. Cover your seeds completely and

soak for 6-12 hours. (Be sure to poke down any floaters.)

4. After soaking, drain water from the seeds and keep moist. If using a jar, try laying on one side for more

even distribution. Rinse and drain 2-3 times per day. (Note: rinse hulled sunflower seeds more frequently,

since they tend to get slimy. Rinse or pick off seed skins to prevent rotting.)

5. After your seeds have sprouted, continue to rinse and drain regularly (every 8-12 hours) until sprouts

reach the desired length.

6. Eat fresh or store in the fridge until consumed. Most sprouts last 1-2 weeks when kept cool.

Iowa State University

Clinton County Extension

400 East 11th Street

DeWitt, Iowa 52742

Hooker’s Lips (PsychotriaElata)The flowers that are repre-sented in the image are not true flowers but instead are colourful, waxy bracts. A bract is a modified or specialized leaf, usually associated with a reproductive structure, in this case the flower. The plant is a flowering tree from the tropical rainforests of Central and South America.

Laughing Bumble Bee (Orchid (Ophrys bombyli-

flora). This orchid is pollinated by males of solitary

bees of the genus Eucera (not bumblebees). As

with other species of Ophrys, the flowers mimic

the females in appearance and scent. Earlier-

emerging males attempt to mate with the flowers

"pseudocopulation"), collecting pollen which they

transfer to other flowers of the same species.

Swaddled Babies(AnguloaUniflora). Anguloa uniflora is only

about 18 to 24 inches tall with thin pleated leaves above

conical pseudobulbs. These large, fragrant, creamy-white,

waxy flowers usually bloom in the spring and in the sum-

mer and are overwhelmingly fragrant. Each bloom devel-

ops from a single stem that rises from the base of the

pseudobulbs. In its natural habitat Anguloa uniflora is

found at high elevations, so when growing it at home you

will need to create shady conditions of intermediate to