The Sage Gardener Park County Master Gardeners March 2018

Park County, Wyoming Published Quarterly Volume 14, Issue 1

CALENDAR

April 2 … Meeting, Powell, PC Fairgrounds

April 14-15 … WY Master Gardener Convention

Cheyenne, Wyoming

April 26… Powell Arbor Day, 5th graders

April 27… Powell Arbor Day, public

May 7 … Northern Gardens Tour, 5:30p.m.

Meeting, Cody, EOC Room, 7 p.m.

May 12 … Home & Garden Show, Powell

CONTENTS

The President’s Podium ……………..2

WY MG Conference …………………...2

The Ghost Mantis……………....………3

Hawaiian Color………..…….………….4

Horticulturist Notes..….……………..6

Sizzling Sedums……………..………….7

Plants for Success …………………….8

Future Notes…………...……………….9

President’s Podium

Andi Pierson

Hello Everyone and Happy Spring! With the snow melting away and birds chirping, it’s

nice to start reaching for my garden tools instead of a snow shovel (though living in

Wyoming, I better keep that snow shovel handy until June). I am so excited to see

what this year brings. All of the great discussion and hard work has brought the Park

County Master Gardener group some awesome ideas for community projects and ed-

ucational experiences for the upcoming season. Some of these ideas include field

trips for the PCMG’s and public events such as a pumpkin growing contest. Our main

goal as always is to provide educational experiences, but we wanted to focus on

something even more important …. to have fun! With this in mind, I can’t wait to see

what we do this year. Happy planting!

GARDENING FOR SUCCESS 2018

WY Master Gardener Conference

The Wyoming Master Gardener Conference, “Gardening for Success

2018”, is a 2-day, multi-track fun event to be held Saturday and Sunday,

April 14 and 15 in the Pathfinder Building on Laramie County Community College

campus. Events start at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. Cost of the conference is $125. Registration

is handled online by Eventbrite at xxxxxxx.

Keynote speaker Friday morning will be Scott Skagoerboe of Ft. Collins Wholesale Nursery

who will speak about “Edible Landscapes.” David Salman, High Country Gardens, will speak

about “Sensational Salvia and their companions” at Saturday’s dinner.

Discount hotel rates have been arranged with Comfort Inn and Radisson. The code to get

the rate is “Gardening for Success Conference”. Reservations must be made by March 30 to

get the discount. Scholarships are available from WMGA and PCMG.

Park County MG will donate at least one silent auction item. Anyone who attends should

take two (2) table centerpieces. There will be 20 round tables. There will be a Garden Hat

Contest with three (3) themes. Bring a hat you have already made to wear in a Garden Hat

Style Show.

The Ghost Mantis

By Della Sheridan

A native species of Madagascar, the Ghost Mantis (phyllocrania paradoxa) is a

mantis that resembles a leaf. It has an asymmetrical cone on its head that helps it

blend in as an additional camouflage tactic. Normally brown in color, they can also be

sand or light brown and with higher humidity can be green. They do best with a

relative humidity between 60-90% and a temperature of 68-78 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ghosts hatch from an egg case called an ootheca and go through a series of 6 molts

and in 155 days reach adulthood at 2 inches. A short life expectancy of 7 months they

usually reproduce 2 to 4 weeks after their final molt. Males are slightly smaller and

the sex difference can be seen by the antenna, which is bigger at the base and longer

in length in the males. Ghosts are the weakest of mantis species and have a hard time

catching big prey. They prefer flying insects and are the less aggressive of the mantis

species too which makes them great for a communal housing as pets. Females rarely

cannibalize males after mating. They make a great pet for experienced insect

hobbyist.

HAWAIIANCOLOR

Joyce Johnston

1 2

3 4

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Butterflies are Pollinators, too.

By Bobbie Holder

There are not many things more beautiful than a flower bed filled with flowers

and butterflies. Not only is it beautiful but it helps support pollinators which help pro-

tect and feed us all.

Everyone is talking about bees these days, but remember that butterflies are

pollinators and need protection also. With 227 species of butterflies known to live in

or come through Wyoming, it is easy to pick a couple of favorites and plant to encour-

age them to visit your home. Butterflies need water, food and shelter like all living

things. Adult butterflies need flowers that provide nectar and plants to lay their eggs

on that the resulting caterpillars can feed on. Some butterfly larvae only feed on spe-

cific plants while others are more generalist feeders.

Trees such as willow, ash and chokecherry can provide larval food for several

butterflies commonly found in yards around Wyoming such as Two-Tailed Tiger and

Western Tiger swallowtails, Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, and Mourning cloaks.

Adult butterflies will feed on Zinnias, Penstemmon, Lilacs, Delphiniums, purple

coneflower and many other flowers. Generally the flower needs to be strong enough

to hold the weight of the butterflies and provide nectar.

The North American Butterfly Association has a butterfly garden certification pro-

gram you might consider joining.

Milbert’s Tortoiseshell Mourning Cloak Western Tiger Swallowtail

Hawaiian Plant Identification

Joyce Johnston

1. Tree roots

2. Heliconia blossom

3. Sporing fern

4. Velvet leaf

5. Heliconia plant

Plant Sale Sat. May 12 — Joyce Johnson

We have been asked to provide perennial plants for the Home & Garden Show. Suggested items

are: raspberries, iris, strawberries, brussels sprouts, hollyhocks, house plants, grapes, rhubarb,

daylilies, and flowers. We also need workers from 8:30am to 4pm to set up, man the booth, and

take down. Pots and flats are in the MG shed at the research station. Please contact me at (307)

754-8836 with your contribution of time or plant material. This event provides half of our annual in-

come.

THANK YOU! Joyce

The Great Sunflower Project

In 2007 Gretchan LeBuhn of San Francisco State University was looking for a way to assess popu-

lations of bees across the US. She created the Great Sunflower Project in 2008 to collect data na-

tionwide on pollinators. The objective is to get an idea of how many pollinators visit plants in differ-

ent parts of the US and where pollinators were doing well.

Volunteers plant ‘Lemon Queen’ sunflowers, a member of the Asteraceae family. The flowers are

composites — ray flowers on the outside border have petals while disc flowers in the center are

smaller. Rim florets open first. Bloom moves toward the center over time. Thus pollen and nectar

are freshly available over a long time. The floret shape is easily accessible to pollinators. Volun-

teers count pollinators on the flower head at regular intervals. Google “The great sunflower project”

to get involved for 2018.

6. Hibiscus

7. Orchid

8. Bougainvillea

9. Fan palm

Sizzling Sedums!

by Suzanne Larsen

The Sedum family (Crassulacae) are commonly called stonecrops and there are roughly 600 varie-

ties in the Northern Hemisphere. Some of the flagship plants are the Jade plant and the Kalanchoe,

common house plants. Sedums and Sempervivum are considered “Old World Treasures” and are

associated with mythology. During the early centuries in Scandinavian countries, certain hardy suc-

culents were called “Thor’s Helper” and were believed to drive off demons and guard homes if plant-

ed on roofs. Sedums come from the Mediterranean area, Northeast Africa, the Middle East, the

mountains of Europe, Scandinavia, the Himalayan Mountains and even Mexico; and the list goes on.

The word Sempervivum means ‘always alive.’ This is the Latin name for the common hens and

chicks, for example. There is much interest in these plants and they are becoming very popular.

They make great container plants and do very well planted in the ground in a mix of sandy and rocky

soil. They dislike clay or damp soils. They have been used in rock gardens, on green roofs, for moss

balls, living walls and much more.

There are few plants more forgiving of sun and bad soil than sedum plants. They need very little at-

tention or care. A common name for a sedum is stonecrop due to the fact that many gardeners joke

that only stones need less care and live longer. Sedums vary in height and hardiness. Many are

hardy to Zone 3 while others need a warmer climate.

Sedum is easily planted, some shorter varieties can be lying on the ground and start there. They will

send out little roots wherever the stem is touching the ground and root themselves. Taller varieties

can be stem cut and pushed into the ground where it is to grow. They are slow to root.

In short, you will not find a more easy-going, rewarding group of plants. Not only are new introduc-

tions appearing on the market every year, new species continue to be brought into cultivation. The

wonderful world of sedums awaits you.

All-American Selects — our Wyoming Demo Garden

All-America Selects,the only non-profit trialling organization in North America is 85 years old. AAS

annually conducts field trials at 80 sites in the US and Canada. Professional horticulturists and in-

dustry support the non-profit organization. Industry provides seeds of new plants for testing. AAS

makes three (3) awards. The Gold Medal is only awarded once or twice a decade for plant breeding

breakthroughs. AAS National Winner recognizes cul-

tivars that have performed well across North Ameri-

ca. AAS Regional Winner recognizes cultivars that

have not done well at every site, but which have re-

gional success.

The mission of AAS is “to promote new garden vari-

eties with superior garden performance judged in

impartial trials in North America.” The purpose is to

test new, unsold cultivars; to inform gardeners about

ASS Winners, and to earn gardeners’ trust in AAS

Winners. See their website for more information.

Wyoming does participate in the AAS field trials. Dr. Karen Panter, Professor, University of Wyo-

ming, has established an AAS Demonstration Garden on the Laramie campus. The garden is locat-

ed on 9th St.

… plants for the Rocky Mountain Region

Plant Select is a non-profit collaboration among Colorado State University, Denver Botanic Gardens,

and professional horticulturists to “create smart plant choices for a new American landscape inspired

by the Rocky Mountain Region.”

Plants selected exhibit eight attributes. Low water consumption Thrive in a broad range of conditions Habitat friendly Tough and resilient in challenging climates One of a kind/unique Resist diseases and insects Long-lasting beauty Non-invasive

Plant Select’s mission is “to seek out and distribute the very best plants for landscapes and gardens

from the intermountain region to the high plains and beyond. There are many demonstration gar-

dens along the Front Range in Colorado. The website at plantselect.org has designs for gardens,

instructional videos, maps of demonstration garden locations, newsletters, and plant lists.

Snowmass, blue-eyed veronica. Groundcover 1-2”. Blooms spring

to summer. Zone 3-10. dry to Xeric. Clay, loam, sand soils.

FUTURE NOTES . . .

Park County Master Gardeners will conduct a public Pumpkin Growing contest in

2018.

Park County Master Gardeners will conduct a tomato growing project that will result

in a publication for the general public.

2018 Officers

President Andi Pierson

Vice President

Treasurer Denise Fink

Secretary Della Sheridan

Newsletter Editor Sandy Frost,

frostkayak@gmail.com

History

UW Extension

Jeremiah Vardiman

Extension Educator

655 5th St., Powell, WY 82435 (307) 754-8836

Joyce Johnston

Horticulturist

655 5th St., Powell, WY 82435 (307) 754-8836

Bobbie Holder

Horticulturist

1002 Sheridan Ave., Cody, WY 82414

(307) 527-8560

MARCH Rhonda Faulkner

Della Sheridan

APRIL Suzanne Larsen

MAY Joyce Johnston, Karen Anderson

The University of Wyoming is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution.