Volume 28, Issue 12

Roots and Shoots Monroe County Master Gardener Assoc iat ion

Special points of interest:

See the winning photo from the photo contest on the front cover of 2013 folia and flora

Learn about shrubs to behead

Indiana Green Expo is open to Master Gardeners

Learn about terrific understory trees for our area

Mary Hawkins has volunteer opportunities

New officers are Evelyn Harrell, Susan Lovell, Sandy Belth, David Dunatchik, Stephen Anderson, and Jeff Schafer

Member news 2

Photo contest winners 3

Garden Fair update 4

Holiday dinner 5

Perennial Plant winners 6

Butterflies guide 7

Shrubs to behead 8

Volunteer opportunities 9

Inside this issue:

The 2013 MCMGA Board was approved at our November general meeting and will meet for their first meeting on Monday, January 7, 6:30 p.m. at the extension office. Our thanks go to Mary Jane Hall, chair, and nominating committee members, for their work.

Newly elected board members are Evelyn Harrell, president; Susan Lovell, vice president for programs; Sandy Belth, vice presi-dent for education; David Dunatchik, secretary; Stephen Ander-son, director of communications; and Jeff Schafer, director at large.

Our thanks go to three members of our board who have retired from their responsibilities after many years of service. Herman Young has been our director at large for many years and has brought an historical knowledge of community activities that will be hard to replace. Marilyn Brinley has served as president and past president and has been generous and supportive in both roles. Barbara Hays retires as our first communications director and has well-served us as keeper of our website and “go-to” per-son for all things web-based. We honor and congratulate these three retiring board members without whom this group could not have functioned in the last few years.

2013 MCMGA board meets on January 7 By Nancy White

December 2012

Add this date to your 2013 calendar!

Master Gardener General Meeting Tuesday, January 22, 2013, 6:30 p.m.

Extension Office Meeting Room

Program: Living in Harmony with Wildlife

Presenter: Sandy Belth

Over 60 members and guests attended our November 27 holiday meeting and dinner at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church. Prior to the meal, members viewed the 56 entries in our photo contest and selected five finalists. (See the article elsewhere in this issue for the an-nouncement of the winning photo.) After a wonderful carry-in dinner, we held a short business meeting during which the bylaws revisions were accepted and a slate of officers was approved.

Representatives from two of our 2012 community grant winners gave a brief overview of the project they completed using our grant funds. Chris Bottorf, Food Pantry Director of Area 10 Agency on Aging, spoke about their emerging garden project to teach gardening techniques to seniors and to provide clients with fresh produce. Chris commented on the difficult growing conditions this past summer but was encouraged by the enlargement of the garden’s footprint and the soil amendments funded by the grant. Audrey Hall-Pine, Camp Rock Garden director from Bloomington Boys and Girls Club, presented pictures from the camp garden project and told of the many young people who learned about grow-ing produce and healthy eating. At Camp Rock, grant monies provided tools, books, seeds, seedlings, and mulch for their garden project.

Thanks to the holiday dinner committee! Evelyn Harrell chaired the committee, which in-cluded Jane and David Dunatchik, Cindy Benson, Susan Sachtjen, Jeff Schafer; Diane Young and Esther Minnick who prepared our tasty meat, cheese, and veggie trays; and Susan Eastman and Helen Hollingsworth who designed and fashioned our lovely table ar-rangements. Lucky Master Gardeners were awarded the arrangements as door prizes.

Jackie Claffey is on medical leave later this month

Jackie Claffey, our great staffer at the extension office, will be out of the office for several weeks on medical leave after December 18. If you have need of assistance, contact Cindi Percifield or Amy Thompson. Amy requests that if you email, you copy both Cindi and Amy to make sure your message is delivered.

folia and flora will distributed at our January 22 general meeting

Dates for the 2013 general meeting and programs will be announced in folia and flora which will be completed and distributed in January. Be sure to put the date of January 22 on your calendar for our first 2013 meeting. The program is Living in Harmony with Wild-life presented by Master Gardener Sandy Belth.

Educator position will be filled soon

The staff vacancy created when Jeff Holland retired has not yet been filled at the extension office, but the extension board has interviewed final candidates and hopes to have a deci-sion soon. In the meantime, Amy Thompson and Emily Roth, extension educators, are working with the various groups, including 4-H.

Member news By Nancy White

PAGE 2 ROOTS AND SHOOTS VOLUME 28, ISSUE 12

PAGE 3 VOLUME 28, ISSUE 8 ROOTS AND SHOOTS

Photo contest winners announced By Nancy White

After members voted at our November holiday dinner and on-line, we are pleased to an-nounce the first place winner of our photo contest is Kay Cunningham. Kay receives the new IU Publications book, Butterflies of Indiana: A Field Guide, by Jeff and Sandy Belth. Kay’s photograph will be featured on the front cover of folia and flora, which will be pub-lished and distributed in January.

Second place winner in the contest is Nancy Miller. Donna Terry and Susan Eastman tied for third place. These photographers receive certificates, and their photographs may ap-pear on other MCMGA publications throughout 2013. Many thanks for all 56 of our en-tries this year.

FIRST PLACE Kay Cunningham

SECOND PLACE Nancy Miller

THIRD PLACE (TIE) Donna Terry

THIRD PLACE (TIE) Susan Eastman

VOLUME 28, ISSUE 8 PAGE 4 ROOTS AND SHOOTS

Garden Fair update By Nancy White

Garden Fair chairs and coordinators have determined important decisions about our 2013 Fair.

Date: Saturday, April 6, 9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.

Location: Bloomington National Guard Armory on South Walnut Street

Booths: 34 commercial vendor booths and non-profit booths will be available

Education Seminars: four free educational seminars will be available throughout the day to all attendees

Admission: entry is $2, and door prizes will be given all day.

Help Required: members are still needed to work on all our Garden Fair Committees. Please contact Jeff Schafer, David Dunatchik, or Nancy White to volunteer.

From the president By Nancy White

At our recent holiday dinner, someone asked me if I were leaving town. This message is to assure you that I am still hanging around and plan to remain active in our group. In fact, my new title as past president does seem to suggest I may be over the hill, but that’s not the case, at least not yet. But what I am is proud. Proud of all the MCMGA has accom-plished in recent years. And you can be proud too as a member of such a civic minded, generous, hard-working, and capable organization that each year enriches Monroe County. Just starting to relate our many successes seems to prove that statement. To re-call them all is to share my pride in jobs well done.

You remember the many events related to Bloomington in Bloom and what about the in-creased Master Gardener presence at the Monroe County Fair? In just three years we have made the Garden Fair a valued community event. We have newly revised bylaws to guide our activities and a publicity brochure that outlines what it means to be a Master Gar-dener. Each year the new intern class is mentored and is welcomed into our association. We have high quality speakers at our general meetings and provide numerous volunteer opportunities for all members. Because of you and your commitment to this community, the list will continue to grow in the years to come.

It has been a great experience to serve as your president for the past four years. And I thank you for supporting me and your board as we have continued to facilitate and sus-tain the fine reputation Master Gardeners have for service to Monroe County.

Thanks so much to the refreshment committee members who produced a seamless annual holiday dinner. Refreshment committee members Diana Young and Esther Minnick claimed the kitchen for their own and put together meticulously arranged meat, cheese, and bread trays. After so much Thanksgiving turkey, the sandwiches were a delicious change. Helen Hollingsworth and Susan Eastman created beautiful arrangements for each dining and serving table. They went above and beyond. Dining room coordinators Jeff Schafer, Cindy Benson, Susan Sachtjen, and Master Gardener ex-officio Jane Dunatchik arranged rows and rows of excellent side dishes and sinful desserts and organized a vari-ety of drinks for participants. Events like this would not happen without the willingness to help out. Thanks again to all.

Speaking of helping out, if you are able to help with refreshments at the January 22 gen-eral meeting, please contact newly elected vice president of programs, Susan Lovell, at smlovell@indiana.edu or her cell phone, 369-8839.

Sandy Belth, newly elected vice president of education, will present a program at the January meeting, Living in Harmony with Wildlife. Some of us may wonder how to do that, so it will be good to hear Sandy’s thoughts. Two hours of education will be available.

Thanks again to the committee that met in October to plan educational opportunities for 2013. Master gardeners attending were Steven Anderson, Keith Barnhardt, John Emerson, Nancy White, Mary Jane Hall, Amy Thompson and Jeff Schafer, education vice president and Evelyn Harrell, programs vice president.

Holiday dinner and general meeting By Evelyn Harrell

PAGE 5 ROOTS AND SHOOTS VOLUME 28, ISSUE 12

Hats off! New badge!

Charlotte Griffin,

GOLD

Congratulations!

PAGE 6 ROOTS AND SHOOTS VOLUME 28, ISSUE 12

Perennial Plant of the Year™ winners, 1990-2012

The Perennial Plant Association (PPA) selects and publicizes their plant Perennial Plant of the Year™ program to showcase a standout perennial. When you select a plant that has been designated as Perennial Plant of the Year for the current year or for any previous year, your plant is suitable for a wide range of growing climates, requires low mainte-nance, has multiple-season interest, and is relatively pest/disease-free. Since 1990, PPA members have voted for the plant that will be showcased for the following year. The 2013 Perennial Plant of the Year™ will be announced in January. To learn more about the pro-gram, see www.perennialplant.org.

2012 Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’

2011 Amsonia hubrichtii

2010 Baptisia australis

2009 Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’

2008 Geranium ‘Rozanne’

2007 Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’

2006 Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Feuerhexe’

2005 Helleborus xhybridus

2004 Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’

2003 Leucanthemum ‘Becky’

2002 Phlox ‘David’

2001 Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’

2000 Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’

1999 Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’

1998 Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’

1997 Salvia ‘Mainacht’ (May Night)

1996 Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’

1995 Perovskia atriplicifolia

1994 Astilbe ‘Sprite’

1993 Veronica ‘Sunny Border Blue’

1992 Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’

1991 Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’

1990 Phlox stolonifera

2012 Brunnera ‘Jack Frost’

2011 Amsonia hubrichtii

2010 Baptisia australis

2009 Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’

2008 Geranium ‘Rozanne’

2007 Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’

2006 Dianthus gratianopolitanus ‘Feuerhexe’

2005 Helleborus xhybridus

2004 Athyrium niponicum ‘Pictum’

2003 Leucanthemum ‘Becky’

2002 Phlox ‘David’

2001 Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’

2000 Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’

1999 Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii ‘Goldsturm’

1998 Echinacea purpurea ‘Magnus’

1997 Salvia ‘Mainacht’ (May Night)

1996 Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’

1995 Perovskia atriplicifolia

1994 Astilbe ‘Sprite’

1993 Veronica ‘Sunny Border Blue’

1992 Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’

1991 Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’

1990 Phlox stolonifera

New field guide to Indiana butterflies

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Butterflies of Indiana: A Field Guide by Jeffrey E. Belth, Indi-ana University Press, 344 pages, 854 color photographs, 4.5 x 7.5, paperback; $20

Butterflies of Indiana: A Field Guide is the first field guide to Indi-ana’s butterflies and their close relatives, the skippers. All species and subspecies recorded from the state are shown. An illustrated Quick Key narrows the identification process to several similar species. Photographs with arrows pointing to field marks then highlight the differences between those species and allow easy identification, even for people just beginning their study of butter-flies. Text, range map, and abundance graph are opposite the photographs for easy reference. Also included are photographs of eggs, larvae, or chrysalises of many species. Numerous plants im-portant to butterflies, either as larval hosts or as nectar sources, are also depicted. Fully illustrated chapters describing Indiana’s natural regions, how to find butterflies, watching and photographing butterflies, butterfly biology and behavior, butterfly habitats, and but-terfly conservation, are also included.

Jeffrey E. Belth has been studying butterflies since childhood. He has been photograph-ing butterflies in Indiana for over 25 years and has traveled to all corners of the state—and in some cases beyond—to obtain the photographs used in this guide. He lives near Bloom-ington with his wife Sandy and son Alan.

To order, visit the Indiana University website: http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/product_info.php?products_id=806832 or call toll-free 800 842-6796.

For the past eight summers, Master Gardeners have enjoyed wonderful private garden walks of our members who have graciously opened their gardens followed by a pitch-in picnic at the final garden. It’s time now for new leadership! There are opportunities for two leaders, one to organize and select the gardens and one to plan and organize the picnic de-tails.

Please contact Mary Hawkins at 360-0485 or email marywalloon@aol.com if you are avail-able to help to plan the 2013 Master Gardener Garden Walk and Picnic.

A great opportunity to earn volunteer hours By Mary Hawkins

Many shrubs can benefit from occasional or even routine pruning to remove damaged stems, keep the plant in size, rejuvenate for greater flower production or to maintain a for-mal shape. But there are a few species that should routinely be cut to the ground, at least in our midwestern climate.

Some shrubs will actually dieback to the ground most winters and then send up new twigs the following spring, effectively performing as if they were herbaceous perennials. With other species, the stems may not actually dieback completely, but their wood becomes weak and spindly if it does survive.

The following plants are best cut back all the way to the ground by late winter, before spring growth begins. Fortunately, these plants bloom on new season's growth so they will still provide summer flowers, despite having to start from scratch each year.

Common Name Botanical Name

Glossy Abelia Abelia x grandiflora

Butterfly Bush Buddleia sp

Beautyberry Callicarpa sp.

Bluebeard Caryopteris x clandonensis

Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens (such as Annabelle' and Grandiflora ')

Bigleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla (those cultivars that bloom on new wood, such as Endless Summer' and All Summer Beauty'

Bushclover Lespedeza sp

Russian sage Perovskia atriplicifolia

Common Name Botanical Name

Glossy Abelia Abelia x grandiflora

Butterfly Bush Buddleia sp

Beautyberry Callicarpa sp.

Bluebeard Caryopteris x clandonensis

Smooth Hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens (such as Annabelle' and Grandiflora ')

Bigleaf Hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla (those cultivars that bloom on new wood, such as Endless Summer' and All Summer Beauty'

Bushclover Lespedeza sp

Russian sage Perovskia atriplicifolia

Shrubs to behead By Rosie Lerner, Extension Consumer Horticulturist

PAGE 8 ROOTS AND SHOOTS VOLUME 28, ISSUE 12

Indiana Green Expo is open to Master Gardeners Indiana Green Expo on January 9-11, 2013 at the Indiana Convention Center, sponsored by the Indiana Nursery & Landscape Association (INLA) and Midwest Regional Turf Foun-dation (MRTF) is open to Master Gardeners. Master Gardeners are encouraged to attend for Advanced Training (continuing ed) hours. Highlights include Plant Materials, Land-scape Design, Native and Sustainable Plants, Trade Show & more! The fee for two days of education plus Trade Show is $139. Workshops are an additional fee. More info and regis-tration is now available at www.indianagreenexpo.com/.

Volunteer opportunities

Compiled by Nancy White

PAGE 9 ROOTS AND SHOOTS VOLUME 28, ISSUE 12

Location Time Jobs Contact

Hilltop Gardens year around

various Charlotte Griffin, 345-8128

MG Demonstration Garden seasonal various Bethany Murray,339-8876

bethany.murray@gmail.com

Bloomington Community Orchard

seasonal various Stacey Decker, getinvolved@ bloomingtoncommunity orchard.org

Cheryl’s Garden at Karst Farm Park

summer design and maintain

Nancy Fee, 332-1940

T. C. Steele SHS seasonal various Davie Kean, 988-2785

Flatwoods Park Butterfly Gardens

seasonal various Cathy Meyer, 349-2575

MCMGA Horticulture Hotline

year around

inquiries and

research

Amy Thompson, 349-2575

MCMGA Speakers Bureau year around

various Amy Thompson, 349-2575

MCMGA Newsletter year around

write articles

Helen Hollingsworth, 332-7313

MCMGA Web Site year around

various Barbara Hays, 332-4032

MG Program Committee Member

year around

plan MG programs

Evelyn Harrell, 3390572 Jeff Schafer, 325-3130

Middle Way House seasonal various Clara Wilson, 333-7404

Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard

year around

education, resource

Stephanie Solomon, 334-8374

Wylie House year around

various Sherry Wise, 855-6224

WonderLab Garden 2 times monthly

various Nancy White, 824-4426

Hoosier Hills Foodbank year around

various Nicole Richardson , 334-8374

Make no big plans for your garden this coming spring. Instead, consider small, understory trees for major impact.

An understory tree fits neatly under the canopy of a forest or near a multi-story house. Unlike large shade trees such as oaks or maples which can grow to 100 feet, an under-story tree typically reaches maturity at fifteen to thirty feet. It adds structure, texture, color and multi-season interest, and should be one of the first plants for your garden.

“In today’s suburban or city yard, understory trees are really the answer,” says Peggy Pelk-onen, The Morton Arboretum’s landscape architect. She notes that while a typical quarter-acre lot can visually support just one large shade tree, many understory trees can be added for variety.

Redbuds (Cercis canadensis) are among Pelkonen’s favorites because of their exquisite purple-pink dainty buds in spring. Shade-lovers, they are a good solution for many shad-owy city lots or suburban yards with existing large trees. Pelkonen likes the redbud’s heart-shaped leaves for texture in summer and bright yellow color in fall.

Hawthorns (Crataegus) are another great small deciduous tree. Their horizontal spreading branches are striking in winter, and most have tiny white flowers in spring, followed by colorful berries that birds love. Pelkonen recommends ‘Winter King’ (Crataegus viridis ‘Winter King’). While many hawthorns should be planted away from heavily trafficked ar-eas because of the thorns they drop, ‘Winter King’ is nearly thornless, according to Doris Taylor, Arboretum Plant Clinic manager.

In the dogwood family, Cornelian-cherry dogwood (Cornus mas) is covered with clusters of bright yellow flowers in spring, among the earliest to bloom. It sports elongated, red fruit in late summer and has interesting peeling bark for winter interest. Pagoda dogwood (Cornus alternifolia) is native to our region and features horizontal branching, flattened white flower heads in spring and blue-black berries that will have birds flocking to your yard. The showy flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), while tempting, is very fickle in our region and rarely successful.

Some trees look like multi-stemmed shrubs. Among Pelkonen’s favorites is a unique Pe-king lilac (Syringa pekinensis 'Morton' China Snow®) whose white flowers appear in mid-summer. “The flowers bloom much later than most lilacs, and the plant is very drought and salt tolerant,” Pelkonen says. She also favors spicebush (Lindera benzoin) with its dainty yellow flowers.

Serviceberry is usually seen as a tall, multi-stemmed shrub, but it may also be a small, single-trunk tree. As an added visual treat, lovely Cedar Waxwings may flock to this tree for its red berries.

Understory trees: small trees with big payoff By Cathy Jean Maloney, The Morton Arboretum

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Gardenias have a well-earned reputation for being difficult specimens for even the experi-enced indoor gardener. They are usually in great shape when selected at the local green-house, where growing conditions closely match this plant's needs. Bright light, high hu-midity, and an even supply of moisture and nutrients bring out the best in gardenias. Its glossy leaves and heavenly scented blooms just about cause the plant to leap into your arms, whether it's a gift for yourself or a loved one.

But then the plant enters the home environment, where hot, dry air and gloomy winter days send the gardenia into a downward spiral. Those delicate flower buds, so filled with promise of good things to come, begin dropping from the plant in droves. The glossy leaves turn dull, yellow, and they too begin to drop like tree leaves in autumn. If the plant sur-vives this cruel change in environment, mealy bugs, spider mites, scale insects and stem cankers provide further challenges to overcome.

Now, for the good news: gardenias can be successfully grown in the home, but they won't tolerate neglect like so many other houseplants.

Your challenge in growing the gardenia indoors is to match the plant's native environment as closely as possible. First, make sure you give the plant plenty of bright light, preferably direct sunshine, for at least half a day. Winter will likely be the most difficult time to keep high light intensity due to short, gloomy days. Moving plants closer to southern-exposure windows and/or supplementing with plant grow lights will help.

Gardenias thrive in moderately humid air, but maintaining proper relative humidity is a challenge, particularly during the winter heating season. There are several ways to help increase humidity, including running a humidifier and grouping plants together on trays of wet pebbles. Misting by hand with a spray bottle offers only momentary relief and does not really increase humidity in a meaningful way.

A healthy, blooming gardenia will need to be nurtured with a steady supply of water and nutrients, but don't overdo. The goal is to provide the proper balance of water, air and nu-trients. If soils are kept constantly wet, the roots can be starved for air. Too much fertilizer can lead to damaging salt accumulation. Monitor the soil frequently for moisture content, and water thoroughly as the top inch of soil dries. Use a fertilizer formulated for acid-loving, blooming plants, such as an azalea-type product, according to rates listed on the label.

Don't be afraid to prune the gardenia. In fact, blooming will be more prolific on younger growth. Remember that the gardenia is a woody shrub in its native environment and may need to have older, woody stems removed to make way for new branches. .

Gardenia: a gardener's challenge By Rosie Lerner, Extension Consumer Horticulturist, Purdue

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FIRST CLASS MAIL

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Cooperative Extension Service 3400 South Walnut Street Bloomington, IN 47401

MONROE COUNTY MASTER GARDENER ASSOCI ATION

2012 MCMGA Board President: Nancy White 812-824-4426 nwhite38@hotmail.com Vice President—Programs: Evelyn Harrell 812-339-0572 ear4841@comcast.net Vice President—Education: Jeff Schafer 812-325-3130 jeff.schafer1@comcast.net Secretary: David Dunatchik 812-332-2331 dddunatchik@att.net Treasurer: Diana Young 812-339-0040 young-Diana@att.net Journalists: Helen Hollingsworth 812-332-7313 hlhollin@indiana.edu Director—Communications: Barbara Hays 812-332-4032 barbsblooms@att.net Director—Records: Dan Pyle 812-340-4462 danpyle@sbcglobal.net Director at Large: Herman Young 812-339-0040 hoyoung@indiana.edu Fair Board Representative: Preston Gwinn 812-876-2999 pgwinn@bluemarble.net Extension Educator: Amy Thompson 812-349-2575 afthompson@purdue.edu

Helping others grow!

December 2012

The Show for Gardeners by Gardeners in Valparaiso

By Nancy White

Porter County Master Gardeners present their 10th annual garden show, The Show for Gardeners by Gardeners, on Saturday, January 19, 8:00 a.m.to 4:00 p.m., at the Porter County Expo Center Valparaiso, Indiana. Admission is $10. The show fea-tures vendor booths and free seminars. For more information and to register, log onto pcmastergardener@gmail.com .

You will receive your copy of 2013 folia and flora

at our January 22 meeting.

See details on page 1.