the grapevine - osu extension service...and photos with osu’s benny beaver from 3pm-7pm! ... joy...
TRANSCRIPT
Remember to turn in your Volunteer Hours: mgvrs.extension.oregonstate.edu Page 1 of 9
July 2019
THE GRAPEVINE Columbia County Master Gardener Program
505 N. Columbia River Hwy, St. Helens OR 97051
T: 503-397-3462
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/columbia/master-gardener-volunteer-program
It has been decided to have a newsletter dedicated to just our membership and local
organization. This newsletter will be published once a month and will be edited by
the President of the Columbia County Master Gardener’s Association and the Master
Gardener Program Coordinator. Please send any news items, events, articles,
pictures, etc. to Sonia @ [email protected] by the 25th of every month.
The President’s Corner
July is here and so is the Columbia County Fair! The fair opens on
Wednesday, July 17th at 10am and closes Sunday July 21st at 5:00 pm.
(Seniors and Veterans have FREE admission on Wednesday!) This means
the Demonstration Garden needs volunteers for answering questions
and providing tours of the Garden. Contact LaVina Patterson to sign up
for a shift or two: 503-397-4375 or [email protected]
In addition to the Fair Volunteers, please show up at the Garden on July
15th, 5 to 7 pm to help finalize getting the garden ready for the opening
of the Fair. Contact Sonia to let her know you’ll be there and for a
headcount for pizza! LaVina says there are plenty of items to still get
accomplished. See you there!
Also on the agenda is the Annual Association Picnic. The coordinator is
Melisa Richardson and Sonia will be helping her this year. Remember to
mark your calendar on August 25th, noon to 3pm for the picnic.
~ Larry Byrum, President, CCMGA
Upcoming Events
July 11
Project Planning Meeting 10:00 am
Board Meeting 10:30am
July 11
BugNutz 1:00 pm-4:00 pm
July 15
All Chapter Meeting at Demo Garden at 5-7pm to ready garden for County Fair visitors; need head count for pizza!
July 17-21
Columbia County Fair! * See page 2
July 18
Columbia County Beekeepers Meeting:
Paul Anderson presents on Varroa
Mites and control. Open to public.
Columbia County Master Gardeners Association
2019 CCMG Board of Directors
Larry Byrum, President
Chuck Petersen, Past President
Sandy Newman, Vice President
Brooke McClain, Secretary
Kathy Johnson, Treasurer
LaVina Patterson, Historian
VACANT, OMGA Rep.
Pat LaPointe, OMGA Alt-Rep.
Remember to turn in your Volunteer Hours: mgvrs.extension.oregonstate.edu Page 2 of 9
Demonstration Garden – Getting Ready for County Fair Visitors!
The weekly work parties continue on Mondays AND Saturdays from 10:00 AM til 12:00 noon.
The Demo Garden was featured in the St. Helens Garden Club Garden Tour last month and now we are
looking forward to hosting visitors during the County Fair July 17th – 21st. Please plan to join us for an all-
Chapter “meeting” at the demonstration garden on July 15th at 5pm to do some final work in preparation for
our visitors. (Sonia is collecting a head count for our pizza dinner!) If you would like to help out with hosting
visitors, giving mini-tours and answering questions during the fair, please contact your Demo Garden
Coordinator to sign up for some volunteer time.
Demo Garden Update from LaVina: “Since everyone has worked so hard in the Demo Garden it is looking
great. Zelda and her husband pressure washed the fence so it is looking great. There are always weeds to
pull and a lot of deadheading to be done. For some reason the popcorn has put on silk and it isn't even knee
high yet! There are still open slots to work in the Demo Garden during fair, please call me so I can put you
down for a time. Your Demo Garden Coordinator, ~ LaVina Patterson”
Demo Garden Coordinator: LaVina Patterson (503) 397-4375 [email protected]
************************************************************
July 17th – 21st 2019 – Columbia County Fair & Rodeo
Fair Hours & Special Admissions:
Wednesday 10 a.m.-11 p.m. - (Seniors/Veterans get in free)
Thursday 10 a.m.-11 p.m. - (Jr. Rodeo/Kids free till 3p.m.)
Friday 10 a.m.- midnight - (Rodeo at 7pm)
Saturday 10 a.m.- midnight - (Rodeo at 7pm) And photos with OSU’s Benny Beaver from 3pm-7pm!
Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. - (Carnival buddy day)
The OSU Extension Master Gardener Demonstration & Learning Garden at the fairgrounds will be open daily for tours with Master Gardeners on hand to answer your questions!
Visit https://www.columbiacountyfairgrounds.com/ for admission prices & complete schedule.
Remember to turn in your Volunteer Hours: mgvrs.extension.oregonstate.edu Page 3 of 9
Call for Photos of Pollinators!
Next year’s Columbia Soil and
Water Conservation District
calendar will feature
pollinators and should be
really cool! They are seeking
awesome photos of
pollinators in Columbia
County (especially pollinators
visiting native plants) and are
trying to use locally taken
photos first.
Crystalyn Bush, Riparian Specialist, (503)433-3205, [email protected]
****************************************************************************
Bug Nutz News
The Bug Nutz were enjoyed by two classes at
the Lewis & Clark School on May 30th. I want
to give special thanks to Sonia, Chuck and
Deb for going to the 4-H camp at Camp
Kiwanilong in Warrenton. The kids always
enjoy the bugs. ~ LaVina Patterson
Thank you to the BugNutz!!
Thank you for all the educational activities
such as eduformances, the Children’s Fair,
(another one is upcoming in October)
demonstrations at the demo garden and the
kids activities at the Spring Fair!
Metallic sweat bee on a coneflower. Photo by OSU.
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To Weed or Not to Weed by Marjie Stanko
Each summer an unknown plant forces its way through soil to sun
along the side fence of my backyard.
Each summer the guys who help me maintain my yard insist it’s a weed
(A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, "a
plant in the wrong place." www.wikipedia.com).
Each summer, convinced it is a sore for sweet eyes, I pull it from arid
soil. Cast it in the trash. Make sure it’s gone.
This year, now a Master Gardener, I know to “find out what it is before
you destroy it.”
The plant of questionable origins had permission to stay once it
sprouted this Spring. With the same sparkling devotion I give to all my
other plants, I watered. Like every other plant, it prospered. Clusters
of small purple and pink bells amid long, thin dark leaves grew on
hardy stems. Three feet of green and grace now beautify the fence.
This winter’s Master Gardener Certification class taught me tools to research and identify what I can’t figure out on
my own, techniques for grooming my garden, pest control, pruning techniques. It reawakened long dormant
memories of starting my herbs and vegetables from seeds in egg cartons, keeping them warm in a table top box I
constructed from an old window and milk crate. My continuing joy of houseplants, always filling my home with life in
all its luscious greenness has been reconfirmed.
Now, I’m working on discovering what this new plant is. A photo search led me to common comfrey. While studying
in the herb gardens of the Morris Jumel Mansion over 40 years ago, I learned comfrey is:
1. A staple in Colonial herb gardens.
2. Great for teas, poultices and cold cures.
3. The only plant with Vitamin B12.
(As a woman who periodically has depleted B12 and aspires to a high green diet, this gave me hope.)
4. It takes 30 cubic feet of comfrey, eaten at one sitting, to provide the minimum daily requirement.
5. Poisonous in large quantities, comfrey’s probably not the right choice as a dietary supplement.
(These last two facts dashed my comfrey hope).
I also learned it is not native to the PNW, and therefore, out of its native element. Which means it’s a weed.
This year, nonetheless, I have upgraded its status. Whether or not it’s comfrey, it has gone from weed to wanted.
Remember to turn in your Volunteer Hours: mgvrs.extension.oregonstate.edu Page 5 of 9
Remember to turn in your Volunteer Hours: mgvrs.extension.oregonstate.edu Page 6 of 9
July 7 - 10 a.m.
Maurice Horn
Hydrangea Tour in the Gardens of Joy Creek Nursery & Their Use as Landscape Plants
Joy Creek Nursery houses a large collection of hydrangeas, not only the showy mop-head and
lacecap types that are familiar to the public but also less common species, climbing forms and close
relatives. Many of these shrubs are more than 20 years old in the garden and will be at their best in
July. This tour is designed to acquaint gardeners with the large variety of hydrangeas that are
available and to teach good cultural practices. Learn how to use them as not only specimens, but as
landscape plants. The tour begins in the cool of the morning at 10 a.m. and will include instructions
and best practices for planting and care. Free and open to the public.
Maurice Horn is co-owner of Joy Creek Nursery. Hydrangeas are among his many plant passions.
Come with your questions!
July 21 - 1 p.m.
Ramona Wulzen
The Big Beautiful Tour
There are amazing bold and beautiful plants in the gardens at Joy Creek Nursery. Many of these
serve double duty as privacy plants in the landscape, something many of our customers are seeking
out these days. Come and walk the gardens with Ramona and learn about some larger plants out
there and determine which ones will do well in your own garden. There's always something new to
learn! Plants in the larger range include perennials, shrubs, small trees, grasses and vines. Many
have fall color or flowers or interesting bark. Free and open to the public.
Ramona Wulzen draws on her years of experience working with Joy Creek customers and tending
her own gardens. A life-long gardener, she has gardened both on a city lot and on three acres in
the woods. Ramona is a veteran of our retail department and now works in our landscape
department.
Remember to turn in your Volunteer Hours: mgvrs.extension.oregonstate.edu Page 7 of 9
Columbia County Oregon Bee Atlas Group
Our Columbia County Oregon Bee Atlas group plans to collect native bees all over the county throughout
the summer. We are particularly interested in collecting bees from natural areas, especially from native
blooming flowers. If you can direct us to a good location where you have noticed a lot of flowers (or weeds)
blooming, please let us know. We have a list of plants we are looking for, some of which may still be in
bloom in higher areas and some that are yet to bloom such as thistles, goldenrod, huckleberry, asters,
phacelia, mallows, penstemon, and sunflowers. If you have any suggestions for good collecting areas with
plenty of blooming flowers, please let Debi know at 503-543-3294 or email: [email protected]
Columbia County Beekeepers – July
Meeting
Columbia County Oregon
Beekeepers July meeting: It
is time to explore the Varroa
mite. What is it? How does
it affect honeybee health?
Why is it important to know
its life cycle? What can be
done? What does the future
hold? Now is the time to act
to help your bees raise
healthy “fat” bees to survive the winter. Paul Anderson from Tualatin Valley Beekeepers will tackle this
extremely important subject Thursday July 18th at 6pm at the Columbia County Extension Office.
Note that this is a change to our normal schedule of monthly meetings. In August, we will return to meeting
on the first Thursday of the month at 6 pm at the PUD meeting room. On August 1st, Mark Johnson, a local
commercial beekeeper, will be our speaker.
This will be a free open to the public meeting and everyone is welcome to attend! For more information,
please contact Linda: (503) 799-7073 [email protected]
~ Linda Zahl, President of the Columbia County Oregon Beekeepers
Remember to turn in your Volunteer Hours: mgvrs.extension.oregonstate.edu Page 8 of 9
A WALK THROUGH THE GARDEN … part 3 of 3
An original essay by Margie Ann Stanko, 2019 Master Gardener Trainee
A WALK THROUGH THE GARDEN… part 3 of 3
Essay by Margie Ann Stanko, 2019 Master Gardener Trainee
There are flowers I can’t identify, and a clematis which reminds me of a lotus, only it’s
growing as a vine that crawls along the ground. Another hero plant vying for victory with
the sun. I gave it a metal sculpture of two people to use as a trellis. It seems happy to weave
its way around it in a tangle of purple and green. The Japanese maple, Andromeda, weeping
cedar, rhododendrons, hydrangea, and hellebore - with its large cream and green waxy
petalled blossom, lilies, and grasses are here, there and everywhere, all in the wrong place at
this wrong time.
I do have relationships with the herbs in my garden,
even if they were there when I became the owner, I feel blessed
by their presence. I’m not sure about my apple tree – too
fruitful for just me. But that jungle of rhododendrons, Japanese
maples, firs, and ferns that shrinks the space by its
waywardness, even with their beauty, I have no attachment to.
Even the rosebushes –their magical flowing alien scents
permeating the air at sunset mean nothing to me.
Maybe I am just a practical gardener. I want beauty and
utilitarianism. I make an exception for the violas, their Let Me
Tell You A Story faces and their gentle scent entertain with a
bright chortle and velvety appeal. I have to replace Chuck, the
‘Charles Joly’ lilac I purchased during Lilac Days at the Hurda Kelger Gardens. The smoke
of the fires in The Gorge suffocated him.
I am getting ready to pull out, reposition, discard what was before and repurpose what
is beloved. Hopefully, with the Master Gardener program beside me, the garden I create will
be lush with color, scent, texture and tastes that tantalize and tease, no longer mattering what
was, just mattering what is.
Remember to turn in your Volunteer Hours: mgvrs.extension.oregonstate.edu Page 9 of 9
Board Meeting Minutes June 6, 2019
President Larry Byrum Attended by Larry Byrum, Sandy Newman, Kathy Phelan, LaVina Patterson, Chuck Petersen, Chip Bubl & Sonia Reagan
Housekeeping:
Secretary’s Report – Minutes of May Board and Chapter meetings, Accepted as written
Treasurer’s Report - Questions on two vendors paying $50 instead of $25 at Spring Fair. Additional space and table requirements. Questions on Spring Fair Insurance and how much it is and how it is paid. Chuck moved the questions should be left for Kathy’s Spring Fair report as she was not in attendance at the meeting.
Correspondence Sonia brought up Spring Fair bills labeled past due received in Extension Office, Sonia will mail to Kathy. Larry has not been receiving emails from OMGA so was not prepared to go to OMGA quarterly meeting today. Chuck received an email noting update from Chuck to Larry on the OMGA mail list so that should solve the problem.
Committee Reports:
OMGA Rep: Larry will go to the September Meeting and prepare the Two Minute Report.
CC Fairgrounds Garden: Garden ready for St Helens Garden Tour on Saturday June 8, with some finishing touches being done on Friday, June 7.
Old Business:
Demo Garden Chapter Meeting on July 15: Larry is working on and it was decided to have Pizza
instead of Pot Luck. Motion was made and passed to pay for the pizza out of the Demo Garden budget.
Work Party and Pizza to be announced at next Membership Meeting. Work Party will be 5:00 PM to
7:00PM and Sonia has volunteered to pick up and deliver the pizza to the Demo Garden.
New Business:
Annual Picnic lead(s)– announcement in Grapevine and Country Living
A discussion was held as to how to get someone interested in taking on the Lead for the Picnic. Sonia
will send out a notice by email, it will be in the monthly Newsletter and brought up at the Membership
Meeting.
OMGA mini college attendee Jerry Simpson
No Mini College this year so what should be offered instead as a benefit for the winner of the Master
Gardener of the Year award? Some discussion but no decision was made.
July 2019 Board Meeting scheduled for Thursday, July 11
July 4 was to be Board Meeting but it was moved out to July 11 instead.
~ Brooke McClain, Secretary
Columbia County Master Gardeners Association