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LooseLeaf

A publication of the University of Maryland Extension

Howard County Master Gardeners.

3300 North Ridge Road, Suite 240 Ellicott City, Md 21043

(410)313-2707 FAX (410)313-2712

http://www.extension.umd.edu/mg/locations/howard-county-master-gardeners

August 2019

Just a note to reinforce Michelle Wright's request regarding staffing of the Howard County Fair, August 3-10! Our sincerest thanks to our exhibit creators, Susan Bishop, Elaine Kielman and Carol Spencer for coming up with important, timely themes and then developing displays on the topics of Citizen Science, Monarch Butterflies and Wellness Gardening. We are very fortunate to have them take on this challenge and implement the topics with such informative and enjoyable displays. Kudos to this team! This fall I would like to take a somewhat different approach to our activities and schedule and have consulted with the Program Coordinators. I am working with Denise Bowman, Howard County Conservancy to come up with a September date for an annual MG luncheon meeting. It will be an opportunity for our Program Coordinators to share information on the 2019 activities and then present some thoughts on what's ahead in 2020. An additional, new idea is to have a follow-up meeting of Program Coordinators late October to share ideas about the MG program and address any issues that deserve attention as mentioned at the September luncheon. With changes within the state MG program as well as within our county program, let's look at our accomplishments and share ideas of what's possible and should be done in the year ahead. I am very appreciative of the coordinators’ responses and welcome comments and thoughts from all! Dates will be announced through our Yahoo system. Stay cool- enjoy the harvest!

Georgia Eacker MG Coordinator WSA Liaison

INSIDE 2—Six Focus Areas for Master Gardeners

3—Demonstration Garden at Howard County Conservancy, Mt. Pleasant

4—What’s in Your Garden?

5—Latin for Gardeners

7—Bood Review: Climate-Wise Landscaping

8—Backyard Birds: Hummers (and Where are the Birds)

Program Update from Georgia —

Daucus carota L.

Queen Anne's lace

LooseLeaf * August 2019 * Page 2

Meetings, Events, Volunteer Options! It’s All on the MG Calendar

Go to the Howard County page of the Maryland MG website. Our calendar is in the upper right-hand column under the link to LooseLeaf. Look there for dates, times, locations and contact information for MG activities in Howard County. Just click on a specific listing for details. Click here to go directly to the MG Calendar. It’s time to earn volunteer hours! Tuesdays and Wednesdays are work days at The Enchanted Garden (demonstration garden). Thursdays are work days at Whipps. Multiple Plant Clinics and Compost Demos are also listed along with who to contact if you want to volunteer.

You may also want to help during an MG talk or presentation by collecting attendee demographics for the speaker (to earn volunteer or continuing ed hours!). August Activities 1 Fall vegetables talk @ Miller library 4 HC Fair MG display through Aug 10 5 Bulbs talk at Long Reach community center 20 LooseLeaf story deadline for Sept. 29 Deer & gardening at Elkridge library

Check the MG Calendar

Six Focus Areas for Master Gardeners

UME directed us to concentrate on six specific activities: Plant Clinics, Composting, Grow It Eat It, Bay-Wise, Pollinators and Natives. All of our volunteer efforts should fall within one or more of these activity areas as we implement our mission to educate Howard County residents about safe, effective, and sustainable horti-cultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes, and communities. 1) Plant Clinics help residents with questions about everything from aphids to tomato worms. There are many volunteer opportunities on Saturdays and Mondays at our County libraries. 2) Compost demonstrations are opportunities to talk one-on-one with residents about the benefits of backyard composting. And it helps reduce the waste stream going to our landfill. 3) Grow It Eat It offers tips and suggestions on how to start and maintain successful food gardens. The team encourages a variety of ideas for backyard, container or community gardens. 4) Bay-Wise provides information about landscape practices that protect the Bay and our local waterways. 5) Pollinators will be one of the topics in our display at the Howard County Fair. 6) Natives are often featured in presentations and talks at libraries, garden clubs and community centers. As a reminder, there are logos for each of the six focus area on the MG website. Be sure to include them in your printed materials and PowerPoint presentations. This practice will help increase the awareness of the Howard County Master Gardener program.

LooseLeaf * August 2019 * Page 3

Demonstration Garden at the Howard County Conservancy, Mt. Pleasant

Everything in the garden is growing heartily and so far our critter retardant efforts seem to be working. In July we had a pleasant midsummer picnic in the barn which was enjoyed by all. As of this writing we have contributed 274 pounds of produce from the combined gardens at the Conservancy and Fairhaven Retirement Community. The Howard County Food Bank has received tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, on-ions, garlic, kale, chard and a variety of herbs. While the weather is hot we will continue to work from 8:00 am to 10:00 am, every Friday morning. Come out and lend a hand, or simply explore what is currently growing in the garden.

Jo Ann Russo, MG1997

Back row, left to right -- Isabelle Bryden, Susan Bishop, Paul DiCrispino, Rita Moy Front row, left to right -- JoAnn Russo, Monica May, Michelle Bryden (Isabelle is Michelle 's daughter.)

Photos: Paul DiCrispino

LooseLeaf * August 2019 * Page 4

Stone walkway in farm house garden at HC Conservancy.

Monarch caterpillar and butterfly on milkweed in historic farm house garden at HC Conservancy maintained by Betty Rice, Janine Grossman and other MGs.

What’s in Your Garden?

Photos by MG

Roy Heath

LooseLeaf * August 2019 * Page 5

August’s Native Maryland Plant

Rudbeckia laciniata L. (rud-BECK-ee-uh luh-sin-ee-AY-tuh)

Common Name: Cutleaf Coneflower

Finding plants that can survive the wettest areas in a landscape can be a challenge, and finding plants that look great doing it is even more difficult – unless you’re growing Rudbeckia laciniata. This tall, bodacious plant has a long bloom period and scoffs at high humidity. Its stature and bright yellow bloom are a not-to-be-ignored calling card to pollinators, who relish the nectar and pollen found on its unique green cone. The alternate leaves are conspicuously large, up to 12” long and wide, becoming smaller as they ascend the plant.

(Continued on page 6)

Latin for Gardeners

LooseLeaf * August 2019 * Page 6

Rudbeckia laciniata is best planted in large landscapes where its aggressive rhizomes will form large colonies. It’s not drought tolerant, but if sited properly, and with Maryland’s in-creasingly wet weather, that’s not likely to be an issue. Many people avoid planting such tall plants, but for biodiversity’s sake and my own visual pleasure I try to find places for a varie-ty of architectural plants in my garden. If necessary, I use Texas tomato cages to provide them extra support. I’ve been thrilled with the range of pollinators this plant has attracted to my yard and I’m really looking forward to the birds that will come later this year to feed on the seed heads.

Alison Milligan, MG 2013

(Continued from page 5)

LooseLeaf * August 2019 * Page 7

Climate-Wise Landscaping. Sue Reed and Ginny Stilbolt (Introduction by Doug Tallamy). (2018).

This book combines the wisdom of a botanist and a landscape architect committed to correcting and pro-tecting our environment. Their work is premised on the necessary condition that climate change is a real phe-nomenon and is occurring right now. But rather than despair they devote their energies to implementing the use of new and old ideas and solutions in our commu-nities, be they parks, school grounds, personal and public gardens, and changes at municipal levels.

This optimistic view is carried out with the presentation of doable actions for all of us, actions designed to (1) shrink the carbon footprint of each landscape, (2) create and maintain gardens and greenspaces that can adapt to the changing climate conditions, and (3) assist local species by maintaining and sustaining habitats to support their needs. This is what I most liked about the book – rather than wallow in the science the authors urge everyone to action with doable suggestions.

The authors cover 10 basic topics, each specifically relevant to landscaping/gardening which aid in the above goals. Landscapes and landscaping are ongoing processes we can interact with; “creating experiences…that support our lives and also, where possi-ble, the lives of other people and other organisms. (p.5)“ It is a holistic approach we can all encourage. From our backyards and green roofs to community gardens, rain gar-dens, geothermal heating/cooling, harvest of wild edibles, healthy landscaping includes a wealth of good practices.

Here are a few of these action steps, many of which, as Master Gardeners, we are fa-miliar: install a rain garden, plant to support pollinators, work with the soil and not against it, plant both fast and slow-growing trees, use native plants -- all activities to re-move excess carbon in the atmosphere. Easy actions with long term gains. This book is a powerhouse of reasonable and renewable landscaping projects. Create or maintain a landscape that is good not only for a backyard garden but also your neighborhood and community. Climate-Wise Landscaping is a treasure trove for “practical actions for a sustainable future.”

Pattee Fletcher, MG 2014

LooseLeaf * August 2019 * Page 8

Backyard Birds: Hummers (and Where Are The Birds?)

August is probably the quietest month of the year to see birds in your backyard. As well as the heat, which makes everyone want to rest, this is when birds are recovering from the rigors of breeding (true empty-nesters) and molting. Feathers wear out so birds replace them at least once and often twice each year, usually staying hidden and quiet while their flying abilities are reduced. Many species of birds lose their bright breeding plumage in August for a new set of neutral winter feathers.

One bird that always seems to stay visible though are the flashy hummingbirds. The birds will defend their nectar sources vigorously from interlopers, including this year’s babies. Nectar is important as hum-mingbirds are busy building up reserves ready for their return flight to central America. Even though they weigh less than a penny, ruby-throated hummingbirds will fly over 500 miles non-stop to cross the Gulf of Mexico. To do this, the hummingbirds must eat enough to gain up to 40% of their normal weight.

I am sure many of you hang feeders to attract these energetic and entertaining birds. Feeder are usually red but the sugar solution (1 part white sugar to 4 parts water) should not have food coloring add-ed. When the temperatures are hot like much of this current summer, the sugar solution must be changed frequently and feeder cleaned meticulously to prevent mold. I have to admit I find it much easier just to grow plants that provide good nectar sources.

How to attract Ruby-throated Hummingbirds: most native red colored flowers will attract humming-birds but you should aim to have flowers from April- September. Good options include Eastern colum-bine, coral honeysuckle, bee balm and red columbine. Although it is not native to Maryland, the red buck-eye is a favorite of hummingbirds (it is native from Florida to North Carolina so hummingbirds are proba-bly feeding at the flowers on their journey north) and is one of the few plants in my yard that appears to be truly deer resistant.

Clare Walker, MG2015