Newsletters

PONDERING THE END OF ANOTHER GROWING SEASON

I’m sitting on my porch looking at leaves as they have started falling. I’ve decided that raking up every leave that falls is not really the best way to handle my leaves. In years past, I’ve been obsessed with raking up all my leaves so that my yard would have a neat, well-kept appearance. Is that really the best thing for my yard and garden? I know I have heard it discussed at one of our master gardener monthly meetings that we should leave the leaves. If possible, mulch your leaves, but I’ve found that leaves from maples, poplars, and gums break down pretty easily, even without mulching. Unfortunately, oak leaves seem to last forever. I will get the leaves off my turf grass, but on all my shrub beds, garden beds, and non-turf grass areas, the leaves will give added winter protection to my plants as they break down to mulch and nourish my plants.

So, don’t be shamed into raking. Educate your friends and neighbors on the benefits of “Leave the Leaves.”

I hope you were able to attend the Fall in the Gardens event, which was held at the WTREC, on Thursday, October 3, and Friday, October 4. Many thanks to all the volunteers it took to plan the event and to carry out the many tasks involved to make things run smoothly. Fun, food, fellowship, education, and, of course, the plant sale all made for an exciting and fulfilling day. Our guest speakers both presented informative and entertaining lectures.

Lastly, some of you may know that I collect daffodils. I’ve got approximately 150 varieties in my garden and I have purchased some more to be planted this fall. I am a member of the American Daffodil Society and the Mid-South Daffodil Society. The Mid-South Daffodil Society and Dixon Gallery and Gardens will host a sale featuring the best bulbs to grow in the Mid-South. In addition to fifty different cultivars of daffodils, the sale will include Camassia (Wild Hyacinth), Crocus, Hyacinthoides hispanica (Spanish Bluebell), Ipheion (Starflowers), Leucojum (Summer Snowflake), Muscari (Grape Hyacinth), and Allium. A selection of jumbo Amaryllis bulbs perfect for holiday and winter blooming will also be offered. Expert advice for selecting and planting your bulbs will be available.

Bulb Sale for Fall Planting

Saturday, November 9, 2024

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Dixon Potting Hub (Catmur Horticulture Building)

This will be an in-person sale only.

More details on this event can be found at www.dixon.org

Happy Gardening,

Phillip Mullins, President

SPECIAL NOTE: MEETING LOCATION CHANGE for Nov. 7

Due to construction at UT involving the meeting area, we will not be able to meet at the UT Ag Center in November. Member Debbie Lay has secured the East Union Baptist Church for our meeting in November.

Address for the Church:

East Union Baptist Church

2242 Beech Bluff Rd

Jackson, TN 38301

The Church is 5.5 miles from the UT center via HWY 70 and TN 198 E (Beech Bluff RD)

November 7th Meeting

Our speaker for our last meeting for 2024 will be Jason Reeves. Jason always enlightens us with the information he brings at this end-of-year meeting.

This evening will be " Garden Travels with Jason."

Jason will share photos of his travels this year, including gardens in Raleigh, Athens, Asheville, Grand Rapids, Huntsville, Atlanta, and Birmingham. So come along, and you won't have to leave your seat to explore the best of these gardens!

Jamie Boone, VP Programs

NOTE: Seed / Plant Swap

We will have a seed/plant swap at the November Meeting. So, bring any seeds or plants you have to share with fellow gardeners.

We will have an area set up. Trish Dycus and Susan Luckey will receive and organize the items. We will swap and share after the meeting.

Jamie Boone, Vice-President, Programs

Garden styles that support biodiversity are gaining popularity. According to a 2021 survey conducted by the National Wildlife Federation and the National Gardening Association, there was a 26 percent increase in plants purchased to help wildlife from the previous year.

Instead of simply buying plants because they are pretty, gardeners are choosing plants that also fulfill ecosystem functions like providing food for foraging insects, nesting materials for birds, and strong deep root systems that stabilize the soil and contribute to plant survival in harsh weather conditions. One group of plants that is gaining recognition due to this trend is the North American native sedges.

Not to be confused with the unsightly garden weed, nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus), sedges (Carex sp.) are attractive grass-like plants that primarily grow in slowly spreading clumps. While there are hundreds of native species found in the wild, only a handful of those are available on the retail market.

Carex cherokeensis (Cherokee sedge) is one of those chosen few, and it is easy to see why. This handsome, tough selection thrives in an impressive range of conditions including deep shade, intense sun, occasional flooding and periods of drought once established.

Depending on the growing environment, this plant ranges in size from 1-2 feet tall and wide. The coarsely textured semi-evergreen foliage contrasts well with big, round flowers and large-leaved plants like hostas. Consider using it as an alternative lawn under trees, as a filler for large mixed borders, in a rain garden, or naturalistic meadow planting.

For a tidy appearance and a flush of fresh green growth, cut back old foliage to about 6 inches tall in late winter or early spring. Mature communities of Cherokee sedge can be found at the Native American Interpretive Garden on the UTIA campus in Knoxville, as well as the perennial border surrounding the Great Lawn at UT Gardens, Knoxville.

Dog for Hire

A lot of us use Promix for our potting soil. This week, I broke open a new bale of Promix to pot some things that will hopefully be ready for the May plant sale. Those who use Promix know that it is dry and hard and has to be crumbled up with your hands before putting it in a pot. That slows down the potting time. Well, fortunately, I have a solution. Apparently, my Brittany Spaniel, Goose, noticed my struggle and decided to help. When I came outside and looked at the fruits of my potting labor, my new bag of Promix had been dug out of the bag and all of the hard clumps were now broken up so that it was ready for potting. Goose was laying on top of the loose soil guarding it so that no one else could get it. He looked at me saying, “” Aren’t I a good boy? Look what I’ve done for you.”

With a face like that, who could be mad? So, I swept up all of the Promix and since it was now loosened up, it wouldn’t fit back into the bag, but that’s OK. Goose is still a great dog. If you need help breaking up your Promix, Goose is available for a nominal price (one milk bone treat should do it!)

I’ll mention a couple of other things. First, this past Saturday was the birthday brunch for Jason Reeves’ 50th birthday. The weather cooperated, and it was a very nice event to honor Jason. Thank you to everyone that planned and had a part in this. There will be additional pictures later, but here are a couple to start.

Secondly, we are planning to have a plant and seed swap at our November meeting. Now is the time to collect seeds and prepare plants for that.

By the time you read this, the Fall Plant Sale and October meeting may have taken place. I hope to see (or to have seen) you there.

Happy Gardening

Phillip Mullins, President

See below for the Fall in the Garden schedule for October 3 which is our regular meeting night. We will be providing the pop-luck meal as usual. Since we will have guests joining us, please bring a little extra for sharing! Note that the plant sale will continue on the 4th. There will be several speakers during the day and the keynote speaker Dr. Jared Barnes will be our speaker for the night. He is an award-winning Associate Professor of Horticulture at Stephen Austin University in Texas. He writes a weekly newsletter titled Plant-Ed that was featured in the NY Times. He is widely recognized by his peers. You will not want to miss hearing him.

Jamie Boone, Vice-President, Programs

Take advantage of those crisp Fall apples and make an Easy Apple butter. So good on biscuits

Easy Apple Butter Recipe

Ingredients

▢ 6 lbs. Honeycrisp apples, cored, peeled and sliced (see notes below)

▢ 1 cup apple juice
▢ 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
▢ 1 tbsp cinnamon or apple pie spice
▢ 2 tsp vanilla extract
▢ ½ tsp salt
▢ 1 ½ tsp lemon juice

Instructions

Place the apples, apple juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt in a large pot and heat over medium-low heat.

Cook uncovered for about 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften completely.
Puree the apples using an immersion blender or transfer them to a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture back to the pot and cook over low heat for another 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture should be much thicker than apple sauce and very dark. Stir in the lemon juice and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
Transfer to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

You can use any variety or mixture of apples you prefer. Honeycrisp and Fiji are two options that give you sweet apple butter. Alternatively, Granny Smith and McIntosh will add a tartness to the apple butter.

Caramelized Browned Butter Butternut Squash

1 3/4 lbs. Butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into 1-inch cubes (or ½-inch cubes for faster cooking)
2 Tbsp. Butter
1/2 cup Water
1 Tbsp Brown sugar (optional)
Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

Melt butter in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat.
Continue cooking, stirring regularly, until butter has browned and smells nutty/caramel-y, about 4 minutes
Carefully add squash cubes to the pan (careful of splatters!) and stir to coat with the browned butter. Sauté squash over medium 10-12 minutes, until the squash is starting to brown and soften.
Add brown sugar (if using) and 1/2 cup water and cook an additional 10-12 minutes, or until water has cooked off and the squash is caramelized and tender.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste

Oh No! Not Again!

I promise I won’t talk about this again. I have mentioned several times that the majority of plants/items donated for the Plant Sale were donated by a small number of MCMGs. To be exact, 70% of the items were donated by 15 people. Since I made that known, several people have sent me emails wanting tips on how I did my plants. I don’t pretend to be the largest or best contributor, but here is what I do.

I realize that if I wait until spring to start preparing plants that I will not have very many to donate. I don’t have a greenhouse or a fancy place to do my plants. I have a spot in my foundation bed next to my house that faces northeast and I simply put my pots there so that they get some sun but miss the hot noonday/afternoon sun. This is a spot that I walk by often so that I can water them or if there are new cuttings, I have a mister bottle that I use and leave with the plants. To get plants, I don’t have just one method, but I use several- Seeds, Volunteer plants that I dig up, Cuttings, Layering, and Bulbs. In the picture you’ll see that I have the following: Purple beautyberry, white beautyberry, butterfly weed, cup plant, false indigo, forsythia, two kinds of sedum, Major Wheeler, Miss Huff, red lantana, red rooster crape myrtle, red bud trees, red buckeye, Formosan lily. Some things like liriope and hostas seem to do better if I leave them in the ground until early spring. For my cuttings I use a rooting hormone that Dr. Dirr mentions in his propagation book. It’s called Dip’n Grow and a 2 oz. bottle costs less than $20 on Amazon.

This past year is the first time I’ve donated over 100 plants, and it required a lot of work. The part I really underestimated was the time it took to clean the pots, print the labels, and put them on the pots for the sale.

Hopefully, I don’t sound like I’m criticizing anyone for the number of plants they do. Everyone has different talents and abilities. It takes lots of different types of volunteers to make the plant sale a success. So, if propagating plants is not your thing, there are lots of other ways you can contribute to the success of the plant sale. Happy Gardening!

Phillip Mullins, President

We will visit the Donnell Century Farm at 3720 Hwy 70 E. It is an entertaining agribusiness venue that I know you will enjoy learning about. The meeting will start on time at 6:30. So carpool and come with fellow Master Garden friends. They provide wonderful food and snack items for purchase so no need to bring a dish!

Items available are: Chicken Tenders and fries, Cheese Nachos, Homemade Lemonade and other drinks , Best Kettle Corn around and other snacks!

There will be directions on where to park as you enter the farm. We will start out in their market and they have an area with tables where we can sit to eat and learn about the farm as well as any Master Garden business we need to conduct. In the market they have the beef they produce along with sausage and great bratwurst. So, you may want to bring some money to purchase some of the great beef that they raise.

Jamie Boone, Vice-President, Programs

Join us for Fall in the Gardens on October 3-4 here at UT Gardens, Jackson! We have an exciting lineup of talented speakers, local vendors, educational tours and so much more! This annual event is always free, so be sure to come out for both days:

Thursday, October 3, 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. – Enjoy lectures from guest speakers Dr. Jared Barnes, horticulture associate professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, and Shalena Durkot, horticulturist with UT Gardens, Crossville. Attendees can also participate in tours of the gardens and AgResearch Center, enjoy local vendors and food trucks, and partake in the first day of the Fall Plant Sale. The community is also invited to a community potluck dinner hosted by Madison County Master Gardeners that evening!
Friday, October 4, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Shop the second day of the Fall Plant Sale! The full plant list is scheduled to be released by September 26.

Event Schedule

Thursday, October 3: 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

8:45 a.m. – Master Gardeners begin selling coffee and breakfast

9:00 a.m. – Walking tour of UT Gardens, Jackson (Meet in the main parking lot)

10:30 a.m. – Guest lecture – Shalena Durkot (UT Gardens Coordinator, Crossville)

DISCOVER THE PLATEAU

Join Shalena, the Coordinator for our sister garden in Crossville, to learn about the history, evolution, and challenges of growing plants on the Cumberland Plateau.

11:30 a.m. – Lunch (Food trucks will be onsite)

12:30 p.m. – Guest lecture – Dr. Jared Barnes (Stephen F. Austin State University)

THE WILD SOUTH: NATURALISTIC PLANTING AND ECOLOGICAL DESIGN

Discover the power of ecological principles in crafting sustainable, resilient gardens suited to the Southern landscape. This talk will guide you through site assessment, understanding local ecology, and designing with nature in mind. Learn how to implement naturalistic planting strategies that enhance biodiversity and withstand regional challenges. Whether you’re a novice or expert, this session offers insights for creating vibrant, eco-friendly spaces.

2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Fall Plant Sale

3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Wagon tours of AgResearch Center

4:00, 4:30, 5:00, 5:30 p.m. – Demonstrations by Madison County Master Gardeners (see below)

Kokedama Creation with Madison County Horticulture Extension Agent Mary Glenys Espey – Learn the art of kokedama, a beautiful Japanese gardening technique that transforms plants into stunning moss-covered living sculptures.
Nature Printing with Madison County Master Gardener Juanita Barrow – Join us as we explore the beautiful designs of nature through the creation of prints using natural objects like leaves and flowers from our gardens.

5:00 p.m. – Walking tour of UT Gardens, Jackson (Meet in the main parking lot)

6:30 p.m. – Guest lecture – Dr. Jared Barnes (Stephen F. Austin State University

PLANT EXTROVERTS! WONDERFUL WOODIES AND PRAISEWORTHY PERENNIALS

We all can recognize plants with “extroverted personalities.” They stop us dead in our tracks, they are hot items in the garden center, and they bring flavor and spice to landscapes like few other plants can. Want to meet a few more?!? Then come to this session where Jared Barnes will introduce you to woodies and perennials that come to life through their incredible traits and leave a lasting first impression. Whether its color, form, bloom, foliage, fragrance, or a whole host of other noteworthy attributes, these hardy characters are sure to stand out in your landscape!

6:30 p.m. – Dinner provided by Madison County Master Gardeners

By the time the kids are back in school, football is on TV and the temperatures have started to drop, many folks think the planting season is over and start packing away their tools until next year. But lots of cool-season crops thrive in the Volunteer State’s fall days. In fact, fall vegetable gardens can be a Tennessee gardener’s best friend. Why? You can extend the season, have more fresh produce at your fingertips and be out in the yard without the extreme heat.

Here’s what and how to plant to get a few more months in your garden.

Of course, you want to choose plants that are suited for colder temperatures and can even handle a light frost. That said, if frost happens before the plant is established, all bets are off. If you get an unexpected freezing (or near-freezing) forecast early in fall, you might need to rush out and cover them, as you do in the spring when temperatures vary. Broccoli and cauliflower are among the fall crops that are more sensitive to frost.

When you get ready to plant, choose well-drained soil. Plant a little deeper than during spring plantings so that seeds do not dry out, since you won’t get the benefit of those spring showers. Of course, if you don’t get rain, you’ll want to make sure you water the plants thoroughly. Aim for about 1 inch of water per week.

Good candidates for planting in September in Zone 7 (most of Tennessee’s major cities are in either Zone 7a or 7b) include bush and snap beans, leaf lettuce, turnips, kale, spinach, arugula, and Brussels sprouts. If you are planting from seed rather than an established plant, you’ll need to start earlier. Beets, carrots, radishes, and lettuces are good candidates for directly sowing seeds in the ground rather than starting seeds in containers first.

Another plus of fall vegetable gardens is you’ll have fewer weeds popping up in your beds. You’ll need to do a little maintenance, but it is usually a lighter task than it is in the height of the summer sun. Then, sit back and enjoy your autumn bounty.

2024.9President's Message

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

This may seem like a strange gardening topic. The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a bundle of nerves that sits in your brainstem. Its job is to regulate behavioral arousal, consciousness, and motivations.

The parameters you establish for your Reticular Activating System are essentially your core beliefs and the goals you set. Whatever these are, this part of the brain will look for evidence of it – and it will stop you from seeing anything that doesn't support these core beliefs and goals.

Psychologists have a term for this: Motivated perception. The idea is that we don’t see everything. What we notice is biased and selective.

In layman’s terms, it’s summed up in this statement. WE SEE WHAT WE WANT TO SEE.

This principle can be applied to all phases of our lives, but this article is about GARDENING.

As I was beginning to become an “enlightened” plant person, I was having a discussion about naked lady flowers (Amaryllis Belladonna) with a co-worker, Cathy, when another coworker, Mark, overheard us. Mark said he had never seen them in his 40+ years and they must be a rare flower. We challenged Mark to purposely look for them on his way to and from work. The next day, Mark came in and proclaimed, “I see naked ladies everywhere!” He was amazed that he had never noticed them before.

Another example of plant enlightenment for me. My sister Phyllis and I lived almost next door to each other for over 20 years. When she was moving, I was helping load something in her backyard when I saw a bush, and I immediately said, “Do you know that’s a weigela? How long has it been here?” Phyllis said it’s been here for the entire 20 years. And it has beautiful blooms every spring. I had never “SEEN” it! Since I had become a Master Gardener, I was seeing things I had never seen.

The more I garden, the more I realize what I’ve been missing. I’m trying to train my eyes to be more aware of the beauty that surrounds us every day. I challenge us all to be better at seeing because “WE SEE WHAT WE WANT TO SEE.”

Phillip Mullins

President

On August 8th, Bart Jones will speak to our group on Tennessee Native Plants. Bart is past president of the Tennessee Native Plant Society, as well as many other botanical societies and local conservation groups. He is also particularly knowledgeable about butterflies and conducts counts each year as part of the North American Butterfly Association counts.

Bart is from Parsons, TN, and received a degree in Biology from UT Martin. He makes his home in Memphis, where he is employed with St Jude Children's Research Hospital as an Associate Scientist in the Department of Infectious Diseases.

Due to the first voting on August 1st at the UT Facility, our meeting is on Aug. 8th!

Plans for the September 5th Meeting

We will visit the Donnell Century Farm at 3720 Hwy 70 E. It is an entertaining agribusiness venue that I know you will enjoy learning about. The meeting will start as usual at 6:30, so carpool and come with fellow Master Garden friends. They provide wonderful food and snack items for purchase, so there is no need to bring a dish!

Chicken tenders and fries, bar-b-que, cheese nachos, homemade lemonade, and other drinks are available, as well as the best Kettle Corn around and other snacks!

2024 Plant Sale Information

The Spring Plant Sale was a huge success, with our profit being approximately $18,400.00, with over 4,000 plants and garden goods contributed. More than 200 man-hours were required for the sale on Friday alone. Setting up the room and organizing and pricing the plants is a two-day process, requiring many more hours. All members are encouraged to bring 20 plants for the sale each year. Those who bring over 100 plants for sale are able to shop early. Plants are required for the sale, but so are people. There is a job for anyone who volunteers, and we appreciate every one of our workers.

Last month, our MCMG President, Phillip Mullins, mentioned that 2/3 of the 4,000 plants brought for the Spring Plant Sale were provided by only 15 of our 200 members. He contacted me to ask, “What can be done to increase participation from more members?” This is a question that Celeste Scott and the Plant Sale Team have been attempting to address for years. Over the last few years, we have attempted to share as much information about the plant sale as possible, even creating a “tab” on the web page. In 2022, the team put together a two-page document, “Ideas for Plant Propagation,” and added that to the page. We have included plant propagation information in our monthly meetings and had some of our top producers give tips on what they do.

In early 2025, we hope to have a series of classes on how to have a highly successful plant sale, which will be open to Master Gardeners across the region. Hands-on propagation classes will be held for Madison County Master Gardeners.

The focus of the Master Gardener program is education, and the plant sale is an excellent opportunity to help educate the public about plants that are desirable for our area, as well as the correct botanical name. Using the label format that we provide ensures that the information necessary to be successful with the plant is on the label.

The plant sales team is constantly learning. The big surprise this year was by the Tennessee Invasive Plant Council ( www.tnipc.org). They were in the lobby during the plant sale, giving out information on plant pests (invasive plants) in Tennessee, and we recognized that some of them had been brought for sale, which we removed. Currently, there are 13 species of plants that are not allowed by law to be sold in the state of Tennessee. TIPC has a much larger list, which we will use to update our plant label database to identify plants as invasive or a threat and exclude them from future plant sales.

If you are interested in contributing plants to the plant sale, begin now to look at your garden. Do you have shrubs that you can layer and root over the winter? Are there hosta, phlox, or Lenten roses that could be divided in the spring? What about zinnias, cosmos, and other annuals from which you could collect seed? Take cuttings from coleus or similar annuals, or bring a pot inside and take the cuttings late winter/early spring. Maybe you have elephant ears that you could overwinter in your garage and divide and repot in late winter? Order seed from catalogs to start next year. It’s fun to try new things. You will have new plants for yourself as well as the plant sale. Happy growing!

Elizabeth Edwards

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account at https://temg.tennessee.edu/. In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there.

While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

This site is also where you report your project hours and continuing education hours.

https://temg.tennessee.edu/
Login with your email and password.
Under “Home,” you can find your dashboard, or you can select CEU (continuing education units) or Projects, where you can report your hours.

Recipe for August:

This recipe is by “Emily” and is available on the internet. I apologize for not including the site. If someone in our group makes this cake, PLEASE SAVE A PIECE for all of us to try.

Banana Pecan Caramel Layer Cake Recipe

June 25, 2024 by Emily

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup chopped pecans, plus extra for garnish
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup caramel sauce, plus extra for drizzling

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch cake pans.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla and mashed bananas.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, alternating with buttermilk, starting and ending with flour. Fold in 1 cup chopped pecans.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow cakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
Once cool, layer the cakes with caramel sauce between each layer and on top. Drizzle additional caramel over the top and garnish with more pecans.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cooking Time: 30 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes Kcal: 530 per serving | Servings: 8

Notes

Bananas: Use overripe bananas for the best sweetness and texture.
Caramel Sauce: For best results, use a high-quality or homemade caramel sauce for richer flavor.
Pecans: Toast the pecans lightly before adding them to the batter to enhance their flavor.
Storage: This cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for up to 5 days.

FAQs

Q: Can I make this cake ahead of time? A: Yes, you can prepare this cake a day in advance. Keep it refrigerated, and add the caramel drizzle just before serving to maintain its texture and appearance.

Q: What can I use instead of buttermilk? A: If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a quick substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes before using.

Q: Can this recipe be made into cupcakes? A: Absolutely! Adjust the baking time to about 15-20 minutes for cupcakes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

SUMMERTIME IN WEST TENNESSEE

It is hot! Miserably hot! And summer is just getting started. Here’s a few tips for the heat. (source Oregon State extension)

Keep hydrated. Carry a water bottle – and use it.! You need water as much as your plants do.
If you plan to work in the garden, do it in the morning before the hottest part of the day.
Wear a hat and lather on the sunscreen when outside.
Water in the morning to give plants time to take up moisture before the worst heat.
Water plants deeply, at least to 6 inches down. Plants are the best indicator of when they need water – they wilt. Watch your plants
Hanging baskets and containers will need to be watered more frequently than those in the ground. Be sure to check them often. Stick your finger in the soil to see when it needs water. If they are small, pick them up. If they are light, water. Consider moving potted plants into a shadier spot during the heat wave.
Mulch around your plants; it slows down evaporation.
Don’t do anything that will stress a plant, like transplanting, pruning, or fertilizing.

I have one thing about our plant sale that bothers me. We had over 4,000 items donated for the sale, but 2/3 of those items were donated by only 15 people! We have over 200 MCMG and we need to have more people actively donating items to sale. To have items ready for sale you need to start now preparing for next spring’s sale.

Take care of yourself in the heat and enjoy your summer.

Happy Gardening

Phillip Mullins, President.

Butterfly Count Event

On July 20th at 9:30 in the gardens at UT Ag Center, Bart Jones (our August Speaker) will conduct a North American Butterfly Association registered count of Butterflies. They will start at UT and then go to Pinson Mounds and end at a prairie garden. If you would like to participate or observe, we are welcome. There is a $3.00 charge that goes to the North American Butterfly Association.

Thank you to all those that made our awards banquet a special event! The food was so good and table décor was beyond beautiful! Also special thanks to those that volunteered for Buzz Fest! It was a great success, and so fun to see the young people line up for a neat learning experience.

In September we will have the meeting at the Donnel Farm, a local Agribusiness. More details to follow.

Jamie Boone, Vice-President, Programs

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Helping Hands, RIFA and ComeUnity Cafe still need volunteers for the table arrangements. These arrangements help to brighten the day of those in need. Note: All these project signups can be found on the MCMG website.

Lane College is a new opportunity to volunteer to support their vegetable and flower gardens. Watch for details on MCMG FB page soon.

Hamilton Gardens

Quietly tucked away in the North Georgia mountains sits a rare treasure. Hamilton Gardens at Lake Chatuge is an eye-catching site in April and May. Its signature Rhododendrons and native Azaleas are in full bloom on the 40-acre botanical garden.

There are over 400 varieties of Rhododendrons and 3,000 plants in all. Trilliums, Ferns, Dogwoods, and rare forest perennials also line the gently sloping path. Two miles of trails looping a shoreline trail of the lake and terraced mountainside have winding pathways and sculptures by local artists. The easy hike is a stroll through tranquil pine bark trails, giving stunning views along the Blue Ridge Mountain range.

It is also a music venture, and the day we visited, a plant sale of local native plants and arts and crafts was available.

The remarkable thing about the gardens is the maturity of some of the 18-foot-tall Rhododendrons placed along the trails. It is a fusion of colors and a place to visit in the spring.

‘Silver Stitch’: Resilient in Summer Sun and Drought

Help the hardiness of Helichrysum italicum 'Silver Stitch' by planting in well-drained soil or on a slope. This annual is suited for hot summers and drought and boasts a unique curry-scented fragrance—photo courtesy of Andy Pulte.

There are many helichrysum in the world, perhaps as many as 600 species. One of my favorites is Helichrysum italicum ‘Silver Stitch,’ a remarkable plant that captivates with its unique appearance, versatile nature, and fragrance. Belonging to the Asteraceae family, this half-hardy annual will perform well on the edges of a garden border in full sun. I call it a half-hardy annual because it is right on the edge of hardiness across Tennessee. Planting in well-drained soil or on a slope will increase survivability.

The name ‘Silver Stitch’ aptly describes how the thin leaves intertwine and stitch together. This form is compact and bushy, with a garden height of around 8 to 14 inches. This is an excellent choice for borders, containers, or rock gardens. Its low-growing habit and versatile silvery foliage create a stunning contrast with darker green foliage plants or brightly colored flower blooms. (Find more on this plant from Andy Pulte at https://utgardens.tennessee.edu/

I Am Thankful for

…the mess to clean up after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

…the taxes I pay because it means that I’m employed.

…the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat.

…my shadow who watches me work because it means I am out in the sunshine.

…the spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I am capable of walking.

…all the complaining I hear about our government because it means we have freedom of speech.

…that lady behind me in church who sings off key because it means that I can hear.

…lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home.

…my huge heating bill because it means that I am warm.

…weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means that I have been productive.

…the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours because it means that I am alive.

~Nancy J. Carmody

Thank you!!

Thank you to all of you who contributed plants and other items, worked at the plant sale, or purchased plants to support the 2024 MCMG Plant sale and the UT sale. A special thank you to Elizabeth Edwards for her outstanding coordination of the sale. I don’t have many statistics from prior sales to compare, but here are a few.

We had over 4,000 items donated for the sale.
2023 Last year’s total profit was $13,279.50
2024 This year’s total profit to date: $18,469.09
Square Sales: $6024.00 (Credit Card)
Difference from last year +$5189.59

Wow! That is very impressive. Of course, the entire sale is based on the plants and items we donate. A little math says that we sold items for an average of approximately $4.50/item.

Thanks to hard work by our Treasurer, Merry Herrera, we were able to have credit card sales for the first time. It was a resounding success. Almost a third of all sales were done by credit card. We lost a few dollars on transaction fees, but we think that was offset by additional sales.

We also set up a refreshment tent for the first time with coffee, donuts, water, and soft drinks. We made a few dollars on that and learned some lessons on how to do it better next year, but we think it’s worth doing.

It’s time to start making plans for next year’s sale. Remember the basis of the sale is how many plants we donate. So, it’s time to start propagating and planning your plants to donate NOW! I need to start potting some things now so they will be nice by sale time.

Happy gardening and I hope to see you at the Award Banquet on June 6.

Phillip Mullins

MCMG President

Additional Opportunity To Contribute

PLANT SALE Coffee SHOP

We will be offering some coffee and donuts for sale to our morning shoppers waiting in line. If you would like to bring some donuts or boxed fruit bars or packaged snacks for sale at the coffee station, that would be a way to contribute to the success of the sale. You can bring them on the drop-off days, particularly on Thursday. Due to restrictions on homemade food for this sale we cannot accept homemade items at this sale.

There is a Plant Sale tab on the MCMG website (www.madisoncounty.org) with everything you need to know about the sale. Refer to it for guidance and answers to common questions. Links to sign up for working will be there.

Please bring plants weed free, well-watered (but not dripping) and correctly labeled. If the plant blooms, include color on the label. Note a USDA inspector examines our plants to approve. No banned invasives or diseased plants!
You can pick up blank labels to print yourself or request them to be printed. They will be at the next two meetings and at the Extension Office
Plant templates are available on the website
Make sure you know the correct identity of your plant.
We also have a place on website where you can log in totals of plants, if you plan to bring 15 or more of one type of plant.
Drop-off times will be Wednesday, May 1st, 11 am - 4 pm and Thursday, May 2nd, 8 am - 1pm
Collect Boxes to drop off with your plants! Strawberry boxes work great. Check with your grocery store for boxes. Some stores will hold boxes like Sam's for you. NO Large Boxes with tall sides!
If you need pots or have some extra to share, go by the extension office or the storage building in the back to leave or pick up some pots.

Don’t Forget! Garden Art, craft items, sun catchers, macramé hangers, painted rocks, gently used garden tools, hanging baskets, planted hypertufa or other pots, garden books, and bird houses. Make sure items are clean and ready to sell. This is a big area and grows every year with lots of great items!

UT Plant sale list here: https://mail2.tds.net/service/home/~/?auth=co&loc=en&id=81058&part=2

Liberty Garden Park Attacked?

Yes attacked! On April 6, 2024, at 8:00 a.m., fearless Jack Baudo and his merry band of volunteers armed with rakes, shovels, and hoes cleaned out and mulched the various flower beds within Liberty Park. Tammy B. Anderson of the Liberty Garden Park Conservancy started the battle with a pep talk and some history about the park.

The Veteran’s War Memorial area was cleaned and polished in the Memorial Park section by the Jack Holland Marine Corp League, the city court litter crew, and Jackson State volunteers. The Daughters of the American Revolution aided the crew to clean the granite memorials and bronze signage, the gazebo, and the rotunda. The Marine Veterans power washed and wiped down the artillery.

At the end of the day, Liberty Park won the battle. With its lovely flower beds, gazebos, and memorials, the people of Jackson and elsewhere can enjoy a peaceful break to walk, run, picnic, and just think.

The Madison County Master Gardeners and the Liberty Garden Park Conservancy appreciate the arduous work of all the volunteers. Hard work and new friends – a terrific way to spend a crisp, sunny Saturday morning!

Article: Jennifer Daniel and Linda Rizzuto

Photographs: Jennifer Daniel and Linda Rizzuto

There is a Plant Sale tab on the MCMG website. (www.madisoncounty.org) with everything you need to know about the sale. Refer to it for guidance and answers to common questions. Links to sign up for working will be there.

Please bring plants weed-free, well-watered (but not dripping), and correctly labeled. If the plant blooms include color on the label. Note a USDA inspector examines our plants to approve. No banned invasives or diseased plants!
You can pick up blank labels to print yourself or request them to be printed. They will be at the next two meetings and at the Extension Office
Plant templates are available on the website
Make sure you know the correct identity of your plant.
If you need help with printing labels, please contact Jane Ann Davis. She will coordinate printing and pickup. Put LABELS in your subject line
- Simply email your plant list to Jane Ann at: janeanndavis@charter.net
- If you have questions, please call or text her at 731-988-6360
- The cutoff date for label requests is Friday, April 26th
We also have a place on the website where you can log in totals of plants if you plan to bring 15 or more of one type of plant.
Drop-off times will be Wednesday, May 1st, 11 am – 4 pm and Thursday, May 2nd, 8 am – 1 pm
Collect Boxes to drop off with your plants! Strawberry boxes work great. Check with your grocery store for boxes. Some stores will hold boxes like Sam's for you. NO Large Boxes with tall sides!
If you need pots or have some extra to share, go by the extension office by the storage building in the back to leave or pick up some pots.

Don't Forget!! Garden Art, craft items, sun catchers, macramé hangers, painted rocks, gently used garden tools, hanging baskets, planted hypertufa or other pots, garden books, and bird houses. Make sure items are clean and ready to sell. This is a big area and grows every year with lots of great items!

Watch for more details and information on the Website, Facebook group, and Newsletter!

2023.11

Message from the President

I hope you were able to attend the Fall in the Gardens event which was held along with the Western Region Master Gardener Conference at the WTREC on Thursday October 5. Many thanks to all the volunteers it took to plan the event and to carry out the many tasks involved to make things run smoothly. Fun, food, fellowship, education and, of course, the plant sale all made for an exciting and fulfilling day. Our guest speakers, Troy Marden and Ed Lyon, both presented informative and entertaining lectures. When Troy spoke at the first lecture at 10 a.m., more chairs had to be moved in to accommodate the crowd. Jason Reeves posted that 234 attendees were counted for the first lecture.

As we move into fall, it’s terribly dry where I live in South Jackson. Today I spent considerable time watering some of my plants and for some of them it may have been too late. I’ve got a number of things still in pots that I’m waiting to plant until it rains. I was going to take some soil samples, but the ground was so hard that I decided to wait. However, let this be a reminder to not guess what your garden/lawn needs- take a soil sample!!

Lastly, some of you may know that I collect daffodils. I’ve got approximately 120 varieties in my garden and I have purchased some more to be planted this fall. I’m a member of the American Daffodil Society and the Mid-South Daffodil Society.

The Mid-South Society is hosting the following events at Dixon Gallery and Gardens:

Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. Jason Delaney will be presenting a program on Fall Planted Bulbs for Spring Flowers.

Saturday, November 11, 2023 from 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Fall Bulb Sale- Daffodils, Crocus, Muscari, Tulips and more.

March 16-17, 2024 the Annual Daffodil Show

More details on these events can be found at www.dixon.org

Happy Gardening

Phillip Mullins, President

From Celeste

MG Monthly Meeting

A Quick reminder that the MCMG Monthly meeting is THIS Thursday November 2nd at the West TN Research & Education Center (605 Airways Blvd.) at 6:30pm. We will have an add-a-dish as usual, and our guest speaker will be Jason Reeves. As this will be the LAST meeting of the year, we will also be holding elections. The Nomination Committee has selected a slate of volunteers who are willing to fill the open positions. We will entertain nominations from the floor for each position as well. If none are brought forward then the membership will vote by hands to accept or not accept the Nomination Slate as presented.

Report of nominating committee - The nominating committee has met. We submit the following nominees for 2024.

President: Phillip Mullins to serve a second one-year term

Vice President/Programs: Jamie Boone to serve a second one-year term

Treasurer: Merry Herrera to serve an unlimited term

Secretary: Patricia Lewis to serve an unlimited term

Vice President/ Projects: Niki Pritchard to serve her first one-year term

No General Board positions require filling this year.

Those serving on the nominating committee are: Celeste Pope, Debbie Morris,

and Bill Wyatt.

Hey MCMGs,

Well, we had a good long run of warm weather, but I’m afraid that Fall has finally decided to set in. I hope that everyone has had a chance to bring in their beloved tender annuals and houseplants (or as many as space will allow)! As typical for me at the threat of the first Fall frost, I collect WAY too many cuttings and will attempt to root the majority of them in water until I get lazy, forget to replace the water levels, and eventually lose most of them due to evaporation! But never the less, I try and am hopeful each year. I feel that hopefulness and resilience are two signs of true gardeners, and I have confidence that as our association goes through the transition phase of leadership changes (with on boarding of not only newly elected officers, but eventually a new county Extension Agent/MG Coordinator) that the resilience of our group will help us to overcome any obstacles!

Reporting Hours

As I am sure many of you are aware, the deadline for reporting hours is NEXT Friday November 10th. You may guesstimate what time will be spent on volunteer service and continued education for the months of November and December, and include those in your reporting.

Here are a few FAQ when it comes to reporting hours:

Hour Requirements for general members(1-9 years)- 25 Hours of Service, 8 Hours Continued Education
Hour Requirements for members (10yr and up)-15 hours total, this can be any combination of service and/or education
Hour Requirements for trainees-Those who trained in the 2023 class have until May 2024 to complete their hours for certification (40 Hours of Service, 8 Hours Education). However, You STILL have to report any thing that you have done so far, so that it can be included in our Annual Impact Report.
If you need assistance, or need to change your membership status (inactive/active), or email address update, please reach out to Charlotte Jaquet cjaquet@gmail.com, who is our membership administrator.

Amaryllis Sale

UT Gardens is once again hosting an Amaryllis sale for the Holidays.

The sale will be held on Thursday, November 16th from noon to 6:00PM.

Members of the UT Gardens (which is separate from the Master Gardener Association) are invited to a pre-sale on Wednesday, November 15th from noon to 3:00pm.

Please see the attached flyer for more details

2023 UT Gardens Jackson Amaryllis Sale

The UT Gardens, Jackson, is holding its amaryllis bulb sale on Thursday, November 16th from noon to 6:00PM. Members of the UT Gardens are invited to a pre-sale on Wednesday, November 15th from noon to 3:00pm.

We have 26 different kinds of amaryllis for a total of over 650 bulbs for this sale. Most bulbs will be 13-14 inches in circumference. Bulbs that size often produce three flowering stalks and sometimesfour. They will be

$22.00 each, including tax. We will also offer a terracotta pot and saucer for $5.00 and bags of potting soil for

$3.00, including tax. We will also have red spider lily (Lycoris radiata) and summer snowflake (Leucojum astivum) bulbs as well as some conifers and a few other plants offered at the sale. Cash or check preferred.

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account at https://temg.tennessee.edu/ In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there.

We encourage members to share photos,

tips for better gardening, recipes etc.

Any items you submit to the newsletter can be counted as volunteer hours

Send articles to Liz Whitsitt at lizv@tds.net

While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page

2023.10President’s Message

Message from the President

As I write this, fall is in the air and last night I got 6/10” inch of rain. Both of those things excited me because fall is an excellent time to plant new things. The things I bought at Summer Celebration are still patiently waiting to be planted. I was afraid hot dry weather would kill them, so I kept them close to the house in their pots so I could properly care for them. I’m sure they

will be joined by purchases at Fall in Gardens.

At our last Board meeting your Board decided to start accepting credit/debit cards at the spring sale and for membership dues. One dollar ($1.00) will be added to each transaction to cover part of the expense. Hopefully we can get everything in place to start accepting cards by January 2024.

Lastly remember this is the time of the year to collect seeds for swapping with other members. AND set a goal for how many plants you can contribute to the spring sale. My personal goal is 100 plants.

I hope to see you at the Fall in the Gardens plant sale and lectures.

Phillip Mullins, MCMG President

From Celeste

October brings clear skies, cooler temperatures, and beautiful UT Gardens events. So, head to Jackson in October for some fun and flowers with the Madison County Master Gardeners.

This Fall in the Garden EMG regional conference will be conducted in tandem with the fall UT Gardens event and plant sale. There will be special tours and sessions for EMGs as well as networking time with fellow volunteers. Plus, you will be able to attend all the great sessions and speakers of the Fall in the Garden event AND enjoy the fall WTREC plant sale.

Registration is OPEN- click below for all the registration info! Paper Registration form with schedule click HERE Online Registration link HERE

A few fun things that will be happening just for the conference goers:

Hospitality table throughout the day with snacks and drinks!
$20 worth of meal tickets to be used for lunch at the food trucks!
Special Breakout Sessions in late afternoon.
Scavenger Hunt! Complete the challenge and get a FREE 6-pack of pansies and be entered in

for a grand prize drawing!!
Mix-N-Mingle socializing and networking time with light refreshments. We will have a Fun BINGO themed ice breaker game. There will be prizes for EVERYONE.
We will also have door prizes during this social time, and then wrap up with our regular Western Region Update Meeting (the one we used to do at Summer Celebration).

The Fall in the Garden event is a 2-in-1, but you Have to register to take part in the special events just for MGs that day.

By becoming a member of the UT Gardens, you can take advantage of the following benefits:

Cultivate, the official magazine of the UT Gardens, published twice each year
Discounts at select UT Gardens Plant Sales
Reduced rates for Knoxville campus workshops and programs
Early notification of special events and members-only opportunities
Special discounts and offerings specific to a campus and/or membership level
Reciprocal Admissions Benefits at over 345 gardens located across the country (through the American Horticultural Society's Reciprocal Admissions Program)

From Jason

I fell in love with Flower Surprise daffodil last year and thought others might like them since they are so unusual. They are not cheap but if ordered in units of 100 are a little cheaper.

How many of you would be interested in buying Narcissus Flower Surprise daffodil 6 bulbs for $12.00? The price includes shipping and tax. Attached is a photo of one of mine from March 8th and a link to Van Engelen where you can read more about it. https://www.vanengelen.com/flower-bulbs-index/narcissi/double/narcissus-flower-surprise.html

Please let me know if you are interested and if so if you would like 6, 12, etc.

Your MCMG Board is considering a couple of items on which we would like to have your input. First, should we accept credit/debit cards for payment at our spring sale? Even though we advertise and display it prominently that we only accept checks or cash, there are always a number of customers that show up prepared to only use a credit/debit card. Our members that are acting as cashiers know that sometimes these customers get very upset. Accepting these cards is not without a cost. I estimate that the cost will be in the range of 3-4% of the transaction plus there will be some cost for card readers depending on the vendor selected. I might also mention that checks are not without their headaches too. Occasionally we have a bounced check to deal with. Even cash has some difficulties in that it has to be counted. How about counting $20-30,000 that is mostly in twenty-dollar bills?

Secondly, the Board is discussing whether or not we should incorporate as a non-profit organization. We handle enough money and are involved in enough activities that legal recognition as a non-profit may be desirable.

If you would like to express your opinion on either of these items, please email me at pmullins@eplus.net. Lastly, let me encourage you to be preparing plants NOW for the spring sale. Now is a good time to be starting plants from cuttings. I was checking on some of my cuttings last week and discovered that one of my cats had decided that my pots with new cuttings made a great bed-BAD KITTY! Personally, I have set a goal to contribute at least 100 plants for the spring sale. I find that setting a goal is helpful to me in having a plan to achieve something. Setting a goal may be helpful to you too. As our growing season is on the downhill side, get your hands dirty and enjoy yourself.

Phillip Mullins, MCMG President

Third stop was Bates Nursery and Garden Center. More beautiful plants, pots, and decorative items for us to explore and purchase. https://www.batesnursery.com So thankful for the roomy storage underneath the bus and in the overhead compartments! Dispersing at the hotel, we got our rooms and were anticipating the arrival of pizzas and salads for dinner.

Tuesday morning, it was back on the bus with luggage on board headed to the Fall Festival!! The weather surprised us with a downpour a few miles from our destination but that did not damper our excitement. The downpour turned into a sprinkle that would visit us throughout the day, but the temperature was perfect.

We were greeted with great hospitality at the registration booth, where we were given orange bags filled with information and goodies. The classes were spectacular with great speakers (including our own Celeste and Jason), demonstrations, and handouts. The Vendor tent was very popular with everything from plants, tools, garlic and oils, decorative yard art, and information about UT Gardens. For lunch, we had several food trucks to choose our meals. The ice cream from Sunrise Diary was a huge hit.

Time to leave, we took a group photo near the entrance of the Fall Festival. After a stop at Buc-ees, we headed for home. Many thanks to our riders, Celeste and Jason, festival hosts, speakers, and our bus driver for making this a wonderful trip. Lots of new friendships made and renewed on this adventure. The consensus is that we are ready to go again!!!!

By becoming a member of the UT Gardens, you can take advantage of the following benefits:

Cultivate, the official magazine of the UT Gardens, published twice each year
Discounts at select UT Gardens Plant Sales
Reduced rates for Knoxville campus workshops and programs
Early notification of special events and members-only opportunities
Special discounts and offerings specific to a campus and/or membership level
Reciprocal Admissions Benefits at over 345 gardens located across the country (through the American Horticultural Society's Reciprocal Admissions Program)

The Master Gardeners of Hamilton County invite EMG volunteers from across the state to Chattanooga on September 8th and 9th for a great regional conference focused on Celebrating and Protecting Tennessee Natural Resources! All the information you need including schedules and sessions as well as the registration form are attached, plus all the info is on the front page of our EMG website https://mastergardener.tennessee.edu/ on line registration

https://secure.touchnet.com:443/C21610_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=1046

What’s This Plant?

I Have No ID(ea)

One of the most common questions on our Master Gardener Facebook site or the Tennessee Gardeners site is someone asking for help in identifying a plant. There are a number of plant identification apps available. Some of the more popular ones are: PictureThis, PlantSnap, iNaturalist, Google Lens, and PlantNet. However, the one that I want to talk about is the one built into iPhones. The day I heard someone mention it in a post on Facebook, I couldn’t believe I had never heard of it. I like to consider myself pretty tech savvy, but somehow, I had missed this iPhone feature. So, just in case you have been living under a rock too, look at the picture below. When you have a picture of a plant on your iPhone screen, the following things appear: at the bottom of the screen see the dark blue circle with an “i” in it and a star at the upper left. That means it has recognized the picture as a plant. Note that a leaf is showing on the picture, and that there is a line that says “Look Up- Plant.” Select that line and it will give you an ID. Of course, it’s not always correct, but this is the first app I use for ID because it’s so quick and easy.

However, my best app to use is you. The amount of knowledge about plants in our group is amazing. Chances are if I need a plant ID, one of you already has it. One of my pet peeves is when someone asks for help with an ID, someone will chime in with a “why don’t you just google it” answer. I have more than one plant ID on my phone, but nothing beats getting an answer from one of you, not even Google. Happy gardening and Happy July 4.

Phillip Mullins, MCMG President

From Celeste

Summer Celebration- Plant Sale We still have several spots open for assisting with the plant sale, please take a look at those time slots and see you may be able to assist. The day is broken into several shifts. We don’t want anyone getting too hot out there. The last week of June, I will close the online sign ups and begin to assign positions. If you have something specific that you would like to do, please email, and let me know. Ex: Customer Service (helping people shop), Adder (adding up plants and working as a team one counting one writing), Cashier/Assistant, Hold Area/Loading. Summer Celebration Activity Tent We still need LOTS of help in the activity tent! This is a fun interactive job. The tent is in a shady spot and it won’t be busy non-stop. Folks seems to come in waves (kind of like checking out at wal-mart ha-ha). We have 2 leaders for the Macramé projects, but they need helpers! There are practice kits here at my office so you can learn the project and practice before the big day. You will be helping teach others how to do the project. They can choose between the Beginner and the Intermediate version. Kids will mostly want to do the simpler one. Also, we will have our rock painting station set-up and we need folks to help with that. We already have all of the supplies; you just help folks get started and keep the stations clean.

Reminder: THERE IS NO MONTHLY MEETING IN JULY. We want you to come to Summer Celebration on Thursday July 13thfor tons of Continued Education!! And fun of course 😊

MG Trip to Crossville: Fall Gardeners Festival August 28th-29th (Monday-Tuesday): Thank you to everyone who has signed up as being interested in going on the trip to Crossville in late August. We still need about 10 more folks to make this happen! The estimated cost is $100 this will cover Bus, Hotel, and Lunch on Monday and continental breakfast at hotel on Tuesday. All other meals will be paid for individually: Dinner on Monday, & Lunch on Tuesday at the Festival. Big thanks to the MCMG Board for supporting a large portion of the travel budget to help lower the cost per member. If I do not have enough MCMGs to fill the bus by next week, I will begin to accept friends and family if you have anyone that would like to come. Everyone should be prepared to pay their registration fee at the August meeting on Thursday August 3rd.

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account at https://temg.tennessee.edu/ In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there. While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Please be sure to check your profile (instructions above) to make sure your email address and phone number are correct!!

Thank You!

With the Spring Plant Sale behind us, the first thing that comes to my mind is THANK YOU for making the plant sale a success. Elizabeth Edwards did a superb job as the overall coordinator and countless others did all the things necessary to make the event happen and run smoothly. I don’t know if this year’s attendance was the most we’ve ever had or not, but the line of cars waiting to get in stretched all the way to the traffic light at Airways and the Bypass. That’s more than a mile long just waiting to get in. Of course, that lead to a challenge in getting them all safely parked which reminds me of a funny (at least to me) story.

This year I was one of the volunteers that helped with parking. For my second work shift I was assigned a Kubota RTV. One of our MG workers flagged me down and said she had a lady who was upset because she couldn’t find her car. That sounded like a relatively easy task, so she pointed to where the lady was waiting and I motored over to her and asked her to get in. “Have you tried pushing your key fob to find it?” “No”, she replied, “it’s in the car.” Hmm... So, I asked, “Are you in the parking lot or parked along the side of the road?” She replied, “I don’t remember, but I know I parked beside a tree.” I wanted to laugh as I considered how many trees there are at the WTREC, but that wasn’t appropriate. I could see she was really worried and embarrassed and she hoped her children never heard about losing the car. She said they’d be concerned about her having Alzheimer’s.

So, we started in the main parking lot and aisle by aisle we looked for her car giving particular attention to those close to trees. It wasn’t there, so we hit the road and started making the long loop around the back of the WTREC, until suddenly she shouted, “There it is! Next to those trees!” She was very embarrassed, but also very appreciative of our help in finding her car. We went back to the plant pick up area and got her plants and got them all safely loaded. It still makes me laugh when I think of “it’s parked close to a tree!” I hope that if you lose your car, that you can give a better description than that.

Remember that next year’s plant sale will be here in the blink of an eye, so start propagating plants now to prepare for it.

Phillip Mullins MCMG President

June Speaker - Carol Reese

This month retired Ornamental Horticulture Specialist for UT Extension, Western Division, Carol Reese will be our special speaker. Though retired she often wonders how she had time to work! She is a much sought after speaker with engagements this spring from Missouri to Georgia and of course Tennessee. W

e are pleased to have her speak. Her topic will be "Glow in the Garden". She will present an intriguing topic on plant placement to maximize the plants beauty in your garden by considering how light will transform its appearance and create magical moments in your garden and bring out more color and detail. Come learn how to break

a few "rules" of plant placement and learn why you need a compass when planting!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

MCMG Members Plant Swap- June Meeting

Several members (and even our speaker Carol Reese) have mentioned to me that they have LEFTOVER plants that they were not able to bring to the sale. The cool/wet weather really put a damper on many of our members plants that they had intended to donate to the sale. Did you have plants that just weren’t big enough, or got whipped by the wind, or just hadn’t filled out the way you had hoped they would? If so, please bring them to our meeting in June!! You can place them at the tables that line the back of the room, and we will have an informal plant swap AFTER Carol presents. Hope to see you there 😊

Every year, I am blown away by the generosity and dedicated hard work of our association! This year was no exception. Even with the uncertain weather (cold, wet spring, and hard winds during the week leading up to the sale), our members showed up again providing a huge variety of quality plants. Our shoppers were appreciative and left our sale satisfied and happy.

Here are our numbers for the plant sale:

# of plants donated= 3,545

Total after expenses= $13,264.50

We CAN NOT say THANK YOU enough and we look forward to supporting your projects this coming year and gearing up to host another spring sale next year.

Celeste Scott, and the Plant Sale TEAM

Upcoming Service Opportunities

Adopt-A-Plant:

Adopt houseplants from the Community Montessori School in Jackson and care for them over the summer while teachers are away! You can pick up plants Wed May 24 through Friday May 26th from 8am-3pm at Community Montessori School @ 716 Westwood Ave. Jackson TN 38301. Email Jane Ann Davis with questions janeanndavis@charter.net. Sign-up Here https://signup.com/go/HqWzHkt

Liberty Park Clean-up:

Come out to the park on Saturday June 3rd from 8am-Noon and assist with our annual spring clean-up day! Bring any and all garden tools especially pruners, rakes, wheelbarrow, mulching tools, ect… This is a FUN group project. Signup HERE https://signup.com/go/GKaEurj

Summer Celebration: Thursday July 13th All Day

We will have Sign-ups ready at the June Meeting! We will need folks to work at the Plant Sale Area as well as at the Master Gardener Project area. More information to come 😊

The Surprising Benefits of Moths in Your Garden

Just like butterflies, native moths are important plant pollinators and act as a food source for other animals. While invasive species pose challenges, the many thousands of beneficial moth species deserve their rightful place in nature and our gardens.

Both butterflies and moths belong to the Lepidoptera group and play similar roles in nature.

Moths are one of the many creatures in nature that deserve a better reputation. Whether we fear them or not, moths are beneficial to gardens.

Some people find moths creepy or mysterious, perhaps because they associate them with chewing wool garments or furiously flapping against patio lanterns at night.

But the fact is, they are butterfly cousins, from the same taxonomic order, Lepidoptera, and creepy or not, they are important.

Like butterflies, moths assist with pollination, need plants to sustain their offspring, and act as a vital food source for numerous other animals.

But what about destructive, non-native, invasive moths? Yes, there are some.

If you grow brassicas like cabbage or cauliflower, you probably know cabbage moths.

Funny enough, the fluttery white ones are actually butterflies (Pieris rapae), also commonly known as cabbage butterflies or cabbage whites.

But there are also actual cabbage moth species that eat those crops including Plutella xylostella and the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni).

For all of them, physical barriers like vegetable bed screens are one way to help keep cabbage pests away.

If you follow ecology news here in North America, you know the destruction spongy moths (Lymantria dispar dispar) are causing. This is a huge problem, likely exacerbated by habitat loss and climate change. But that’s not a reason to dismiss moths as a group.

Most moth species are quietly going about their useful lives in the dark of night without us ever knowing it. Our job as ecological gardeners is to grow the food and habitat that sustains them and all the other co-dependent players in the food web. (Taken from Melissa Empress of Dirt )

It’s Finally Spring Time (or is it?)

This is the time or the year when I anxiously wait for the time to plant a variety of things. I don’t know how many things I’ve killed over the years by planting them too early. As I write this on April 20, there is a possibility of frost in our area in the next few days. Maybe it’s blackberry winter. If you read Jason Reeves’ advice, you’ll know that waiting until around May 1 is a better plan. Right now is a good time to do winter cleanup and plant bed preparations.

The main thing I’d like to talk about briefly is the plant sale. No, not the one on May 5 & 6, 2023, but the sale May 3 & 4, 2024. Now is a good time to start planning for it. A couple of times I’ve volunteered to help unload plants that have been donated by my fellow Master Gardeners. The people who usually contribute the most are those that have started plants one, two or even three years before the sale. I know for instance that if I want to contribute “Dr. Sams’ raspberry plants” (aka Royalty Purple) that I need to pot them this spring for sale next spring. My hydrangea cuttings need time to grow too before they are saleable. Anyway, you get the idea, start planning now for the sale in 2024 and beyond. That’s how we can make our sales even more successful. The Arlo and Janis cartoon below describes how a lot of us feel this time of the year as we get into “gardening shape” and I personally think it’s a lot more fun than a marathon. Happy gardening in the 2023 season!

Phillip Mullins, President

The Plant Sale date is drawing nearer and I am soooo excited to see what kinds of wonderful plants and crafts you all will be bringing!!! Instead of having a ‘formal’ monthly master gardener meeting, we are going to do a VIRTUAL SNEAK PEAK TOUR of BOTH Plant Sale areas highlighting mine and Jason’s favorites on Thursday May 4th (next Thursday)!! 6:30 We will be broadcasting this tour on Facebook LIVE through the UT Gardens Jackson Facebook page!! No need to register or have a password like we do for ZOOMs, just hop on Facebook and watch it LIVE 😊

I hope everyone’s plants made it through the chilly weather we had a few nights ago! I didn’t have frost, but I know that some people may have!!

From Celeste

We have the opportunity to work once again with the “Love Your Block” project. This grant funded community improvement project accepts applications from residents for small home improvements and also focuses on trash pick-up.

We had several MGs who volunteered to lend a helping hand along with MANY other community partners for these work projects.

If you are interested in helping, please check out the work days listed below and sign-up at THEIR project sign-up link which is also listed below.

I would like to keep a general head count of how many MGs we have that are getting involved, so would you also please send me a quick email if sign-up to help 😊

If anyone is interested in volunteering on any of these projects they can sign up here: https://www.jacksontn.gov/residents/loveyourblock/lybvolunteerinformation

I grew up about 1.5 miles due west of the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center (aka The Experiment Station). In my childhood, Airways was Poplar, four lane Highway 70 didn’t exist, and there was no Highway 45 Bypass. There was no way for us to get to town except to drive by or through the Experiment Station. So, I have driven by the Experiment Station thousands of times. You could take a short cut from Hwy. 70 to Hollywood Drive by cutting through the field roads of the Experiment Station and at least a few times I’ve ridden my bicycle through on my way to the baseball field, pool, or bowling alley that were on Arlington. As a child, my simplistic notion was that a lot of smart people doing experiments worked there. They were doing important things to make our lives better. My eyes would get big if I heard you were one of those smart people. Now as an adult, I realize those thoughts were actually pretty accurate.

The West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center, established in 1907, is the oldest AgResearch Center in the UT Institute of Agriculture System. UT scientists, along with the USDA researchers, conduct more than one hundred investigations annually to evaluate new cultivars, test and develop technology for more efficient crop production, and ensure sustainable agriculture in a safe, aesthetically pleasing environment. Ornamental horticulture and lawn and landscaping management are featured in the UT Gardens and arboretum. It’s known for its research on agronomic crops as well as ornamentals, turfgrasses, and horticultural crops.

For us as Master Gardeners, our focus is on the Gardens and it’s our regular meeting place, and location for our sales. But let’s not forgot the important part the West Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center aka The Experiment Station has played in the lives of everyone since 1907, it’s a true community treasure.

Phillip Mullins, President

April Speaker:

Our own Master Leader Celeste Luckey Scott, UT Horticulture Extension Agent, will be speaking at the April meeting. She will be discussing Perennial Plant Propagation. Celeste as you know has a wealth of knowledge to share. Just in time to help us prepare for the upcoming May plant sale. You will learn details about preparing your plants, how to divide, propagate, and grow plants from your gardens to share at the sale. Joining Celeste will be two panels consisting of the plant sale committee and the top plant sale producers to share tips. You won't want to miss this meeting!

Friday May 5th and Saturday May 6th 9:00 am - 1:00pm

PLANT SALE DROP OFF DAYS

WEDNESDAY MAY 3rd 11 am - 6:00 pm

THURSDAY MAY 4th 9 am - 1:00 pm

Please bring plants weed free, well-watered (but not dripping) and correctly labeled.

There is a Plant Sale tab on the MCMG web site (www.madisoncountymg.org) with everything you need to know about the sale.

Waterproof labels are provided by the Master Gardeners. Labels are available at the UT Extension Office and the March and April meetings. Please use the template that is on the MCMG website Plant Sale tab when printing your own and take only as many labels as you have plants.

If you need your labels printed, please e-mail your list (identify your plant by common name as well as botanical name and cultivar if applicable) to Judy Rice at trice@eplus.net If you have questions call/ text 731-695-1424. The cutoff date for label requests is April 26.

Volunteer hours may be obtained in the following ways:

*Propagate plants (both indoor and outdoor) by seed, cuttings, division or layering. Grow and properly label plants, then bring them looking attractive and clean (weed and pest free) to WTREC on the drop off days.

*Collect and STORE boxes for customers to put their plants in at the sale. Strawberry boxes work best for this as they are strong and stackable. Sam’s will hold the boxes if you will let them know when you will pick them up. Check with your grocery store also. You may drop off boxes when you bring your plants.

*WORK on Plant Sale days at the Master Garden portion of the Sale using SignUp to reserve your time slot. There are job descriptions for every job on the MCMG WEBSITE, under the Plant Sale tab click Plant Sale Volunteers. Please read the one you sign up for and be prepared. Once you have signed up to work, you will receive a reminder from SignUp. Please sign in when you arrive for work and wear a vest for customers to identify you. The sign in sheet and vests (Orange for inside and green for outside) will be at the Master Gardener Booth. Bring garden related art or craft items; especially hand crafted items such as painted watering cans, sun catchers, stepping stones, macrame hangers, painted rocks, or gently used garden tools to sell. Houseplants, hanging baskets, English garden baskets, planted hypertufa or other pots sell well.

Kale Slaw Spring Salad

Ingredients

5 cups chopped fresh kale
3 cups torn romaine
1 package (14 ounces) coleslaw mix
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 cup chopped fresh broccoli
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup pureed strawberries
Sliced fresh strawberries

Directions Combine kale and romaine. Add coleslaw mix, fennel, broccoli and red cabbage; sprinkle with feta cheese and sesame seeds. Toss to combine.

Stir together olive oil and sesame oil. Whisk in honey, vinegar and lemon juice. Add pureed strawberries. Whisk until combined. Dress salad just before serving; top with sliced strawberries.

Creamed Garden Potatoes and Peas

12 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds small red potatoes, quartered

3 cups fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 cups 2% milk

1 cup half-and-half cream

Directions

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, 8-12 minutes. Drain.
Meanwhile, place peas and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until tender, 3-5 minutes. Drain.
In a large saucepan, sauté onion in butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until blended; gradually add milk and cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in potatoes and peas; heat through.

Nutrition Facts 2/3 cup: 156 calories, 5g fat (3g saturated fat), 18mg cholesterol, 345mg sodium, 22g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 3g fiber), 6g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 1-1/2 starch, 1 fat.

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account at https://temg.tennessee.edu/ In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there. While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

You can earn volunteer hours by writing about some garden you visited, some technique you tried which worked (or did not), or share your enthusiasm for some special plant, recipe, or condensing a gardening article you read. Any items you submit to the newsletter can be counted as volunteer hours

Keep Contributing……Keep Reading……Keep Sharing

Thoughts of Spring

We are enjoying unseasonably warm weather which makes us think that spring has already arrived. Crocus, forsythia, daffodils and other early blooming plants are teasing us about the coming of spring. My favorite early bloomers are the daffodils. I think it’s because they remind me of the hillside where I used to pick “buttercups” as a child. Presently I have around 150 varieties in my yard/garden area. Some of them are “store bought,” but others are rescue daffodils (some would say stolen) that I’ve acquired by carrying a sharpshooter shovel in my truck and looking for old home sites that have a variety of daffodil that I don’t have. During Master Gardener training, I learned about the Mid-South Daffodil Society and the American Daffodil Society (I’m a member of both) and their annual bulb sale at Dixon Gardens (it’s Celeste’s fault). I’m attending their daffodil judging training on March 4 as a non-credit observer.

The 2023 daffodil show in Memphis is March 18-19, 2023, in the Auditorium at Dixon Gallery and Gardens. It is free and open to the public on Saturday, March 18, from 2 to 5 p.m. and on Sunday, March 19, from 1 to 4 p.m. Attending a daffodil show is the best way to see the different divisions and colors of daffodils and to see what grows well in our area.

Another wonderful educational opportunity is Brent Heath’s program on daffodils at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, March 19, in Hughes Pavilion at Dixon. He is the owner of Brent and Becky’s Bulbs. He will be speaking on “Undaunted Daffodils.” I’m excited that I can see Brent speaking in person! The lecture is free and open to the public.

Meanwhile, put a sharpshooter shovel in your car or truck and go daffodil hunting!

Phillip Mullins, President

From Celeste’s Email

Thank you for bearing with me this week as we have had several emails concerning meeting cancellations and such. Even though we didn’t get to meet in person, the board still meet virtually, and I wanted to take a few minutes to fill you all in on updates for the Month of Feb. and things to come in March!

MG Training Sessions:

I want to again invite all of you to attend any of the MG training sessions that you would like! But I would specifically like to invite you to our first session which will be TUESDAY FEB. 7th at 5:30pm at the Auditorium at the Extension Office 309 North Parkway (MY OFFICE). Please sign-up online so that I can plan for drinks and light refreshment. I have attached the syllabus which may be misleading as it lists instructors. This night class is structured a bit differently, so if you plan on attending you will not be sitting in the classroom listening to a speaker for 3 hours. Our students will ‘pre-watch’ the lectures and we will be having active discussion on the topics and engaging in hands-on labs/activities during the in-person session. If you would like to view the recorded lectures, let me know and I will make them available to you.

Tree Day Project:

THANK YOU for the wonderful response on filling ALL of the slots for TN Tree Day. At the request of the project organizer, Trish Dycus, I have added an additional 3 spots to the ‘sorting day’ on Wednesday March 15th. So, if you would like to assist, sign-up online. If it fills up again, and you still want to help, just give Trish a text at 731-499-1176 to see where and when she could use you 😊

MG Scholarship for High School Seniors

We will once again be sponsoring a $1,500 scholarship for graduating seniors who are pursuing horticulture or related areas through higher education. This scholarship is available to seniors in all of the surrounding counties that we have members from. The updated application and guidelines will be posted to the home page of our website next week http://madisoncountymg.org/ Please share this information with the High School Counselors, and Ag Teachers in your communities.

MG Awards Banquet:

Make sure to mark your calendars for THURSDAY MARCH 2 at 6:30pm @ the WTREC. We are looking into having the banquet catered or at least supplemented once again this year. The board and I feel that it is super important to recognize our volunteers’ hard work throughout the year, and we look forward to recognizing those who are reaching milestone achievements within the association as well as unique service awards. All graduating interns are invited to bring a guest with them to share in the special occasion. We also still need help with the Decorations and Set-up/Clean-up. Please sign-up for those service opportunities here https://signup.com/go/OtPhazB Susan Luckey will be in contact with you all for more instructions 😊

Table Arrangement Projects:

I am in the process of updating the sign-ups for weekly table arrangements for RIFA, ComeUnity Café, and Helping Hands. Those should be completed and ready for 2023 by the end of today.

Middle Fork Bottoms Update:

3 of the 4 plots have been winter seeded! One plot is in need of some smoothing up before planting, and plans are underway to get that completed. The recreation area crew are marking those plots off so that no one accidently mows them or sprays them. Demo signs are being printed to educate the public on what to expect for each of those areas in the coming growing season. Thanks to all who have been involved and I look forward to finding EVEN MORE ways to utilize our volunteers out there since there is so much interest!

In addition to these projects, there are several MORE listed on our sign-up including an opportunity to work with YOUTH, and for involvement on the Planning Committee for the Western Region MG Conference in Oct.

You can find links to ALL of the available project sign-ups here https://signup.com/group/1127019869174458042?utm_source=group-badge-signups-orange

Waterproof labels are provided by the Master Gardeners. Labels are available at the UT Extension Office and the March and April meetings. Please use the template that is on the MCMG website Plant Sale tab when printing your own and take only as many labels as you have plants.

Plant Sale

If you need your labels printed, please e-mail your list (identify your plant by common name as well as botanical name and cultivar if applicable) to Judy Rice at trice@eplus.net If you have questions call/ text 731-695-1424. The cutoff date for label requests is April 26.

Volunteer hours may be obtained in the following ways:

*Propagate plants (both indoor and outdoor) by seed, cuttings, division or layering. Grow and properly label plants, then bring them looking attractive and clean (weed and pest free) to WTREC on the drop off days.

*Collect and STORE boxes for customers to put their plants in at the sale. Strawberry boxes work best for this as they are strong and stackable. Sam’s will hold the boxes if you will let them know when you will pick them up. Check with your grocery store also. You may drop off boxes when you bring your plants.

*WORK on Plant Sale days at the Master Garden portion of the Sale using SignUp to reserve your time slot. There are job descriptions for every job on the MCMG WEBSITE, under the Plant Sale tab click Plant Sale Volunteers. Please read the one you sign up for and be prepared. Once you have signed up to work, you will receive a reminder from SignUp. Please sign in when you arrive for work and wear a vest for customers to identify you. The sign in sheet and vests (Orange for inside and green for outside) will be at the Master Gardener Booth. Bring garden related art or craft items; especially hand crafted items such as painted watering cans, sun catchers, stepping stones, macrame hangers, painted rocks, or gently used garden tools to sell. Houseplants, hanging baskets, English garden baskets, planted hypertufa or other pots sell well.

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account at https://temg.tennessee.edu/ In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there. While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Life Finds a Way

I know we have all thought a lot about what will happen to our plants as a result of the extreme cold we experienced in December. I think the official low temperature in Jackson was a frigid -2 degrees. While not the all-time record, it was still the coldest it has been in quite a while and the speed with which the temperature dropped was also dramatic. I’m reading a book right now titled “A Short History of Nearly Everything” by Bill Bryson. In the Chapter titled, “The Rise of Life”, it points out the incredible odds of life arising spontaneously. It’s like all the ingredients in your kitchen somehow got together and baked themselves into a cake. But not just a cake. A cake that could divide and make more cakes (lots of baby cakes!) All the life around us is truly incredible. In 1993 the movie, Jurassic Park, came out. One of my favorite scenes is when Dr. Malcolm says “Life will not be contained. Life breaks free- Life finds a way. What does that mean with our plants that have been damaged? Be patient before you declare your plants dead- Life finds a way!

Phillip Mullins, President

Meeting Notes

February Meeting Speaker -- Rita Randolph

We are pleased to have Rita Randolph as our speaker this month. Rita will be speaking on seed starting. Rita is a nationally known container gardener expert, professional horticulturist , lecturer, and garden writer just to name a few of her talents. Rita is from Jackson

and is well known for her cultivation of rare plants. She was the head of Randolph Greenhouse a local favorite for many years. She studied Landscape and Garden Design at the New York Botanical Gardens.

So come and enjoy what Rita has to share with us!

Freeze damage

We are being bombarded with freeze damage questions. It is not as bad as it looks. Most things will recover with time. We do not have all answers but the publication below can help. Please be patient.https://westtn.tennessee.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/35/2023/01/Handling-the-Holiday-Freeze- in-Your-Lawn-Landscape.pdf

Watching Celeste and my Face Book Live we did on Tuesday can also be a big help. If you are not on Facebook, you do not have to be to look at it. You can click on this link and it will take you to our page. Scroll down until you come to Tuesday. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063473262788

Trial Data

Spring will be here before we know it! If you are working on seed orders don’t forget to look at our Best and Beautiful report and the complete trial data. https://westtn.tennessee.edu/ornamentals/ and for prior years reports. https://westtn.tennessee.edu/utgj-ornamental-research/ Over 75% of the plants in the Best and Beautiful report will be available at our spring plant sale on May 6th & 7th. The plant list will be published about a week before the sale.

From UT Gardens

We all want something to look at in our gardens year-round. Blooms at unexpected times can bring a world of joy to the garden, and among the plants that offer them are witchhazels (Hamamelis spp.). There are many types of witchhazel shrubs and trees you can grow. Each one is a cool-season favorite with fringed, often sweetly fragrant blooms. Many species also have nicely colored fall foliage adding to their appeal.

Ranging in both habit and size, witchhazels vary in form from a dense rounded to a wide spreading shrub, or an upright multi-stemmed vase-shaped tree. While best grown in moist, well-drained, acidic soils, witchhazel is adaptable and tolerant of heavy clay. Plants can be grown in sun or shade, but increased sunlight with adequate moisture improves their flower display.

Witchhazel has low maintenance demands as well as good pest and disease resistance. Pruning is not required but can be done in spring after flowering to control shape, size, and removal of any suckers from the root stock. Although serious disease and insect problems are rare, Japanese beetles, leaf gall aphids, and powdery mildew can occur on occasion.

There are plenty of places witchhazel can fit in the home garden. Plant as a single specimen, add to a mixed border or use in group plantings. Overall, this is an easy and worthwhile plant to add to your landscape.

Post Holiday Reuse & Recycling How To's

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) household waste increases by 25% every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas which amounts to an extra 25-million tons of garbage, or about one extra ton a week. According to Stanford University's office of Land, Buildings and Real Estate, if every family reused just two feet of holiday ribbon the 38,000 miles of ribbon saved could tie a bow around the entire planet, and if every American family wrapped just three presents in re-used materials, it would save enough paper to cover 45,000 football fields. Now the holidays have come and gone there are a few things you can do as you prepare to be more planet-friendly next year:

Those food gifts that don't work with your dietary restrictions or nutritional goals can be donated to local food pantries (call ahead first to be sure they can be accepted) or composted instead of being thrown away
Turn your holiday lights into year-round party lights with a quick DIY craft. Channel your inner Martha Stewart with this simple project courtesy of a Penn State engineering student posted on instructables.com
If you upgraded your electronics this year, consider donating your old items to organizations like Cell Phone for Soldiers. Many organizations will also give you a gift card when you trade in your old electronics. Best Buy has a Trade-In calculator to use to see the value of the old items being kept out of the landfill. Contact your local public works or solid waste department to see about options for recycling your live Christmas tree.

Spring Cleaning for Bluebirds Clean out bluebird boxes and tightens up any screws that are getting loose. If Squirrels have been gnawing at the entrance hole buy a metal ring to put around the hole to deter them.

Stock Feeders Stock the birdfeeders regularly, the suet feeder especially sees heavy action at this point in winter.

Storing Garlic Checks garlic stash: if few garlic bulbs are sprouting, peel unsprouted cloves and toss them with oil to prevent freezer burn and freeze. For freezing garlic cubes — 1 part chopped garlic to 2 parts oil is the ratio the USDA recommends.

Plant Spring Vegetables It's almost veggie time, begin planting sweet peas and spring vegetables

Winter Hellebores Mississippi garden writer Felder Rushing cleans up his Christmas and Lenten roses in February. "My hellebores are beginning to bloom in spite of the frosts and freezes," he says. "I usually cut back the old foliage, especially the tattered bits, so the flowers — which typically hang downward — are easier to enjoy."

2023 Spring Plant Sale

Madison County Master Gardeners and UT Gardens of Jackson

WTREC

May 5th and 6th

Sales times for both days: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

Now is the time to start gathering and preparing for the Spring Plant Sale. From the brown leaves left by our deep freeze, springs the hope for new plant life for us and our customers!

Cleaning out your gardening supplies, yard art and old tools? Perhaps they can be included in our Spring Sale. Remember we will also need boxes for the plant sale. No deliveries accepted until week of sale.

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account at https://temg.tennessee.edu/ In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there. While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and

settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

I hope each one of you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. As I take Charlotte Jaquet’s place as President, I feel like the guy who took Michael Jordan’s place. He was doomed to failure in comparison to Michael Jordan, but I’m sure (whoever he was) he gave it his best shot and so will I.

Five years ago I retired and one of the things on my bucket list was to become a Master Gardener. I’m not sure exactly why, because in hindsight I really knew very little about the organization. I find my first interaction with the group humorous. I had gone to a couple of Master Gardener training sessions and the time for the monthly meeting arrived. I knew I wanted to participate. So the evening arrived and as I pulled in to the WTREC and saw a crowded parking lot, I wondered what on earth was going on that had attracted such a large crowd. In my naïveté, I was expecting 25-30 people at a Master Gardener’s meeting. I assumed someone besides Master Gardeners must be meeting. I hesitantly walked in and asked where the Master Gardeners were meeting and I was directed into the auditorium with maybe 150 people. I was shocked at the number of people attending and at the smorgasbord of food. I now laugh at my expectations for the monthly meeting.

I hope you realize what an impressive group you belong to. Not only is there a tremendous amount of knowledge in the group that you’re willing to share, but you generously volunteer time to make your community a better place.

So, go take a look in the mirror and looking back at you will be an awesome individual. I’m extremely proud to be part of such a great organization and I hope you are too.

Phillip Mullins, President

Meet Tyler Taylor at our January membership meeting. Tyler is currently the greenhouse manager at Memphis Botanic Garden.

He will be discussing the care and maintenance of house plants and tropicals. He has a wealth of knowledge on this topic and looks forward to meeting some new plant people.

Tyler is a Memphis Native growing up in the gardens of his grandpap, picking blackberries, and his peepaw's giant tomato patches. He continued his passion for plants throughout college and started a 2 acre urban farm and community garden in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis.

He moved to Oregon in 2017 and worked with a cousin who is a Master Grower in a medicinal cannabis operation. He learned about growing in a sealed off growing environment and the role of "playing nature". He has much experience in creating a growing environment beyond the natural setting and developed what he calls an annoying tag line "don't cultivate plants, cultivate an environment for plants"

January Gardening tips for Tennessee Zone 7

1. Put the Warm Days to Use

It’s inevitable at some point in January you’ll have a few warm days. Put these days to good use.

During the winter, chickweed and wild onions like to sprout in some of your garden beds. Use the warm days to pull these items out of your garden beds.

2. Start Seeds

Towards the end of January, there are some seeds you should get busy starting indoors. If you enjoy broccoli and cabbage, they can be started inside.

However, you can also grow some lettuce indoors too. This will be a welcomed task considering it’s difficult to have many fresh greens over the winter months.

3. Direct Sow Certain Veggies

Though it’s cold outside, there are some vegetables which are hearty enough to be able to withstand the temperatures.

You can direct sow cabbage seeds and onion seeds outdoors. Be sure to plant them in a cold frame or under row covers for added protection.

4. Prep Strawberries and Asparagus

Do you have established strawberry and asparagus beds in your yard or garden? It’s time to take care of them.Begin by pulling any weeds in the beds. Finish the job by adding fertilizer to the beds and topping them with a fresh layer of mulch.

Why not try something different with Blackeyed Peas for New Years

Cowboy Caviar

Ingredients

1can Black Eyed Peas
1can Black Beans
1can Corn or corn from 3 cooked cobs
1Red Pepper medium pepper
½Red Onion medium onion
½Bunch of Dill medium bunch
½Bunch of Cilantro medium bunch
3tbsp Olive Oil
1tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1tsp Sugar
⅛tsp Coriander ground

Instructions

Open the cans of corn, black beans and black eye peas. Rinse in a colander, and let dry for a bit. If using fresh corn, cut the corn kernels off the corn on the cob.
Peel, wash and chop the red onion. Wash the red bell pepper, and chop into small pieces. Wash the dill and cilantro, remove the big stems and chop on a cutting board.
In a salad bowl combine the beans, peas, corn, red onion and red bell pepper. Add the dressing and mix. Add dill and cilantro and mix again.

In Case You Missed it…following is an article written by Celeste Scott for UT Extension

Large Glossy Leaves of Lusterleaf Holly Shine in any Landscape

UT Gardens’ December 2022 Plant of the Month
Submitted by Celeste Luckey Scott, Extension Agent, UT-TSU Extension Madison County

Hollies are versatile plants with a wide range of uses in the landscape. Perhaps my favorite species of this genus is Ilex latifolia, commonly called the lusterleaf holly.

From a distance, the leaves of Ilex latifolia are often mistaken for those of the Southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora. I recall the first time I saw a specimen of this plant. It was being used in a living screen, and I was about 30 yards away when I myself made this incorrect assumption! I was initially drawn to the large, flat leaves. They were wide at the base and tapered towards the tip, leathery in texture, and some were even larger than the size of my hand. Upon closer inspection, I noticed the plant’s heavy berry load. The berries, which were immature and green at that time, were forming in huge clusters nestled at the leaf axils (where the leaf attaches to the branch) and encircling the stem. As the season progressed into winter, the berries turned a deep, dull red and were visible from a great distance, which only added to this plant’s beauty.

Ilex latifolia has a narrow, dense pyramidal shape, reaches average heights of 20 to 25 feet, and growth is considered slow. The large, broad leaves can reach 6- to 8-inches long and 3- to 4-inches wide. They are dark green and their upper surface is shiny and lustrous, which lends itself to the plant’s common name of lusterleaf holly. The leaf margins are edged evenly with small, coarse teeth, not spiny. Ilex latifolia prefers the heat of summers in the South and is hardy from USDA hardiness zones 7 through 9. There are several cultivars, but the straight species is the most commonly found at garden centers and is a grand addition to any landscape.

In my opinion, this species has the most beautiful foliage of all the hollies. It is resistant to heat, insects and diseases and could serve equally well as a specimen, in a grouping or as a component of a living screen. While this holly is not currently used widely in landscapes, it is worth consideration, and in the authoritative “Manual of Woody Landscape Plants,” Michael Dirr writes that Ilex latifolia“certainly ranks among the best of the broadleaf evergreens.”

Specimens of Ilex latifolia can be seen growing on the UT Gardens, Jackson, grounds in a screen planting located on the northern side of the east end of the conifer bed, as well as in a tapestry screen planting beyond the annual trial berms on the west side of the garden.

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account at https://temg.tennessee.edu/ In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there. While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

I want to say THANK YOU to everyone for giving me the opportunity to serve as your Madison County Master Gardener president for the last two years. One of my favorite books is Who Moved My Cheese, a motivational book about dealing with change. Looking back over the last couple of years, COVID moved our cheese in a big way!! It brought challenges, but we persevered and made it through to the other side. As always, Celeste was the glue that held us together and made sure we stayed on course. We learned to change direction and implement technology to stay in contact with our group. It sure has been fun being together at our meetings for the past few months.

I want my fellow board members to know that it was a pleasure to serve alongside each and every one of you. Thank you to Nancy Blair, Marie Kyper, and Stephen Pope for their board service. They will be leaving the board for 2023, but they have been a wonderful asset to Madison County Master Gardeners during their years of service. In January, we welcome Phillips Mullins as President and Jamie Boone as Vice-President of Programs. Peggy Ferguson, Debbie Lay, and Ken Stumpenhorst will serve as Directors-at-Large. Mona Miller, Donald Collomp, Mary Nenarella, and Laura Tomlin will continue in their current positions. You have a board who always makes decisions based on the best interest of members.

I look forward to seeing what 2023 brings. I know there will be lots of new and exciting things happening for MCMG.

Remember, we don’t meet in December. I look forward to seeing everyone at the January meeting.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

(Editor Note: Thank you Charlotte for all the hard work for the MCMG’s and keeping me straight in the newsletter)

A Fall Visit to The North Carolina Arboretum

Vicki Bunch

Surrounded by the Southern Appalachian Mountains, The North Carolina Arboretum abounds with fall beauty. The rich, botanically diverse landscape has a peaceful connection to the beauty of the North Carolina countryside. The University of North Carolina administers the 434-acre garden and arboretum, which is located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest of Pisgah National Forest, southwest of Asheville near the Blue Ridge Parkway. The acres of gardens are home to hundreds of native plant species and house about 2,000 living plants.

The arboretum gives visitors assorted opportunities to explore the beautiful grounds through more than ten miles of hiking and biking trails. Benches are located along the path for stopping to enjoy the views. In addition to the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Parkway, the trails link with other area attractions such as Lake Powhatan. The hiking experience is available to visitors of all ages as trail options include easy, moderate, and difficult levels. Also, all trails are dog-friendly, so you can bring along your best friend.

What can you expect on your visit? From April through October, the seasonal landscape exhibits feature numerous plants and flowers that attract and support pollinators. The arboretum’s ongoing work to protect pollinators includes a designation from Bee Campus USA, an initiative for university and college campuses to work together to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites, and reducing the use of pesticides. Dozens of native wildflowers scatter across the property from early spring through fall. The variety of colorful wildflowers includes bloodroots, azaleas, fire pinks, yarrows, and more.

A permanent garden exhibit is the Arboretum's impressive bonsai collection, which George Staples created in 1992 by donating plants and containers. As one of the most unique collections in the U.S., it includes over one hundred display specimens, with additional varieties of more than one hundred in various stages of development. These small trees have a significant impact on the world of horticulture and art. Created in 2005, the Arboretum’s world-renowned Bonsai Exhibition Garden can host up to fifty bonsai specimens. The garden hosts traditional Asian bonsai trees, such as Japanese maple and Chinese elm, tropical plants such as willow-leaf fig and bougainvillea, and American species such as bald cypress and limber pine.

Things to keep in mind before planning your trip. There is no admission fee, but there is a fee to park. The hours of operation can be found at www.ncarboretum.org or by calling 828-665-2492. Asheville is currently in zone 6b (-5°F to 0°F), so its hardiness zone is slightly different from West Tennessee. Their average first frost date is between October 21st and 31st and their average last frost date is between April 11th and 20th. However, they do have Winter Lights, an open-air walk-through light show of over one million lights that runs November 18th through December 31st. So, there are points of interest during all seasons!

Photos attached:

If you missed the macrame class. Here's what you missed! The class was taught by Jane Ann Davis. For those who did macrame in the '70s, this was a fun refresher class. Some nice learning points (see pictures below that illustrate the points) were:

you can use a taped down ruler to measure your macrame cord
you can use paper clips (the larger black ones) at each end of a ruler to help hold your cord as you measure
2 people measuring and cutting is going to be quicker than doing it by yourself :)
if you put your cord in a small plastic or metal bucket, put a small dowel rod through the core of the material, and have the bucket handles hold the rod (see the pictures below), you will find it easier to pull out cord as you need it
an inexpensive rack (the one we had was from Walmart) that adjusts and rolls is good to hang your work on as you macrame it

We cut cords for a macrame holder for a planter. Enjoy the pictures below of the event, the people attending and the excellent holiday food and punch!!

I know you’re tired of my constant encouragement to enter your volunteer and CEU hours in our database, but the time is NOW!! Year-end reporting of volunteer service and continued education hours are due on the second Friday of November each year. This year that date is Friday, November 11, 2022. You may guesstimate what time will be spent on volunteer service and education for the months of November and December. Extension Agent Impact Reports are due in late November, and Celeste needs our hours to include in her state report.

There are still volunteer opportunities available, so continue to keep an eye on our Facebook page and Signup.com for information. Requirements for recertification are in the handbook posted on the MCMG website, and this newsletter contains the “cheat sheet” for reporting your hours.

Database link: https://temg.tennessee.edu/

Handbook link: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W099.pdf

Election of officers for 2023 board service will be held at our monthly meeting on November 3 rd . A slate of officers will be presented to the membership by the nominating committee, but nominations are always welcome from the floor. I look forward to seeing everyone there. There will be no monthly meeting in December.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

November Program Introduction to Bees presented
by Dr Andrew Martin, President of JABA Dr Andrew Martin started keeping bees in 2016 out of a general interest in agriculture and insects. To get started, he attended the Jackson Area Beekeepers Association beginning beekeeping course and put two colonies in his backyard. He now maintains about a dozen colonies. In 2020, he was elected President of the Jackson Area Beekeepers Association and has been serving in that role the past three years. He will be sharing an introduction to honey bees and basic beekeeping equipment at the November 3rd meeting.

NOVEMBER Tasks

Fruits and Vegetables

Plant garlic
Harvest cool season plantings
Clean up remains from warm season plants
Note first killing frost date
If you haven’t already planted, consider a cover crop for your garden space
Late month is okay to prune dead or diseased fruit tree limbs
November is a good month to document varieties that did well, any pest or disease issues, any other notes that will be useful for next year

Flowers and Ornamentals

November is ideal for planting or transplanting trees, shrubs, and fruit crops
Keep heavy layers of leaves removed from the lawn. Mowing light layers will mulch and add nutrients to the lawn
November is time to apply herbicide to control wild onion if a problem in the lawn
Cut off asparagus tops and mulch
Spraying fruit trees with a dormant horticultural oil will help control wintering pests and diseases
Secure raspberry and blackberry canes
Force bulbs for indoor blooming. Start paperweights in late November for Christmas blooming
Ideal time to plant spring flowering bulbs
Clean up dormant perennials, mulch will stabilize soil temps and prevent winter plant injury

Roasted Fall Vegetables

Prdep time : 10 min Cook Time 50 min Total Time 1 hr

Yield 6-8

Ingredients

1large, peeled and cubed – Sweet Potato
1/2 lb. peeled and cubed – Butternut Squash
10, sliced in half – Baby Potatoes
1/2 lb. – Green Beans
3 small-medium, peeled and halved – Carrots
8oz package – Baby Bella Mushrooms
1/2, cut into wedges – Red Onion
1 head, peeled – Garlic
2 tbsp. – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tbsp. – Balsamic Vinegar
2 tbsp – Italian Seasoning
Fresh Thyme – to taste.
2 tsp, or to taste – Salt
Freshly Cracked Pepper – to taste.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Place all ingredients on a large baking sheet.
Toss well to coat all the veggies with the oil, vinegar and spices.
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until fork tender (but still crisp, not mushy).

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account at https://temg.tennessee.edu/ In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there. While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

MG Reporting Cheat Sheet

This guide is a quick handy resource for reminders on how to do basic functions in the TEMG Reporting System. For detailed instructions, see the database packet with screen shots.

Reporting Deadline:

All service activities and continued education should be entered by the second Friday in November each year. Please guestimate hours that will be achieved through the months of November and December and include those with your report.

Register: First time users only

www.temg.tennessee.edu
Click Register
Enter Email
Create a Password
- Click Register
- This will automatically take you to the edit profile page where you should fill out information as fully as possible and click “Update Profile.”

Sign-In: All other times to access database

www.temg.tennessee.edu
Click Sign In
Enter e-mail
Enter Password
- Click Log In

View Volunteer Dashboard:

After you sign in, the page will open to your Volunteer Dashboard. This is a quick summary of your hour entries for the year-to-date.
To access this page at any time while logged in, simply click the Home tab at the top of the gray menu bar and select Year-To-Date Dashboard.

Home Tab Navigation:

click the Home tab in the gray menu bar to reveal sub-tabs
- Year-to-Date Dashboard (Home Volunteer Dashboard)-quick summary of all of your personal reports for the year
- Volunteer Activity Reports- Search your archived reports from years’ past
- County Dashboard- Access the County Roster, and County Reports

CEU Tab Navigation: Report Education Hours

Click CEU icon at the top of the menu bar
Click Log CEU Hours
Enter Program Name ex: Monthly MG Meeting
Enter Description ex: Carol Reese Native Plants
- Select a Category from the drop down box. Doesn’t have to be exact.
Enter Hours spent learning
Select Program Date
Click Submit

*If the hours were successfully submitted, a message saying “CEU Report Saved” will appear on screen in green.

Project Tab Navigation: Report Service Hours

Click Project icon at the top menu bar
click Log Project Hours
select project from drop down list
click the green magnifying glass to open project
-enter Hours, Miles, Project Date
-click Submit

*If the hours were successfully submitted, a message saying “Report saved for the project titled: ____________” will appear on your screen in green!

Update Profile Information:

-Click the Profile Icon on the top right of the menu bar

Username:

click the blue text “Change Email”
make changes
click Reset

Password:

click the blue text “Change”
make changes
click Change password

Profile:

click the blue text “My Profile”
make changes
click Save Profile Information

Photo:

click the blue text “Manage Profile Image”
click Choose File
select picture from your saved pictures & click open
click Save Image

Forgot Password:

On Log-in page, enter e-mail but don’t put in a password
Click Submit
A page will appear with options on how to proceed
Select “Forgot your password?”
A box will appear, Enter your email
Click Submit
An e-mail will be sent to you with your password

Now that temperatures are beginning to drop, it’s more pleasant to be out in the garden. It’s a good thing, too, because there’s lots to do. Tasks that can be accomplished in the fall mean fewer to do in the spring. Well, at least that’s the plan. Now it’s time for mums, corn stalks, and pumpkins.

Make plans to join us for the fall plant sale and lecture series. The plant sale will be held on Thursday, October 6, from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Plant sale hours on Friday, October 7, will be from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Our lecture speaker on Thursday, October 6, will be Harvey Cotton, retired vice president and chief horticulturist of the Huntsville Botanical Garden in Huntsville, Alabama. He will present a lecture at 10:30 a.m. and again as our program speaker that evening.

There will be a garden walk at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday and a lantern lit walk after the evening lecture.

There are lots of volunteer opportunities available, so continue to keep an eye on our Facebook page and Signup.com for information. Be sure to log your hours so you aren’t rushed at the November deadline. Requirements for recertification are in the handbook posted on the MCMG website. We’ve again included instructions for reporting your hours.

Database link: https://temg.tennessee.edu/

Handbook link: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W099.pdf

I look forward to seeing everyone at the plant sale and monthly meeting.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

October Meeting

Our October meeting will actually be the culmination of an entire day of garden events on October 6. The day will begin at 9am with tours of the UT Gardens, Jackson. At 10:30am, Harvey Cotten, retired horticulturalist at Huntsville Al Botanical Garden, will present “Native Plants in the Landscape”. At noon, a Q&A session featuring various experts will answer all your gardening questions. From 2-6 pm the UT Gardens will host their annual Fall Plant Sale.

The public is invited to join the Madison County Master Gardens monthly pot luck meal and 2nd presentation by Mr Cotten, “New Plant Introductions”. Following the meeting everyone is invited to enjoy a lantern walk through the gardens. Plan to join in the full day of learning and fun!

October Tasks

Flowers and Ornamentals

Collect seed of annuals you would like to grow next year. Dry completely before storage. Paper is better than plastic
Look for and dispose of bag worms from your plants. Place in the garbage, not the compost
Start your annual raking of leaves before they accumulate too deep. Can be composted or tilled into garden soil
Seasonal mums can go into the compost. They rarely live up to expectations if planted
It’s time to get cool season planting done
Hurry and get your bulbs ordered, if you can still find some. They need planting next month
Dig your caladiums now and store for spring planting wash pumpkins, gourds, and winter squash in a mild bleach solution to prevent rot
Bring tropicals in before frost
After frost, it is safe to cut back herbaceous perennials to lessen insect and disease overwintering in the beds. Tender plants such as canna and elephant ears appreciate a layer of mulch

Fruit and Vegetables

Keep good notes on cultivars that did or did not do well this year
Clean up warm season crops to prevent disease spread
October is a good time for soil samples. Take 10-15 samples about 6 in deep
Seed your cover crops.
Record the date of first frost. For West Tn, usually the last week in October
Bring tools in for a good cleaning and repair/ sharpen. They will benefit from a good dose of oil
Remove and dispose of floricanes that fruited on cane berries
If you experienced scab or leaf spot on fruit trees, rake and dispose of the leaves to prevent disease

Pumpkin Pecan Coffee Cake

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 35 minutes Total Time 50 minutes

2cups flour spooned, leveled
3/4cup granulated sugar
2 baking powder
1/2 salt
1T pumpkin pie spice
1cup pumpkin puree
1/2cup milk
1/2cup oil vegetable or canola
1 vanilla

Topping

1/2cup brown sugar
2T butter melted
2 Tflour
2 cinnamon
1/2 cup pecans chopped

Instructions For Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Dump in pumpkin puree, milk, oil, and vanilla and then mix until well incorporated.
Pour into a lightly greases 9x9 pan.

For Streusel

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon and mix until incorporated. Mix in chopped pecans.
Sprinkle evenly on top of cake batter. Note: You can leave it on the top when cooking, or I prefer to lightly poke it (with a finger- poke, do not stir) into the batter in several places. I like the taste of having the streusel areas within my cake. The texture is so good.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with just a few moist crumbs.

MG Reporting Cheat Sheet

This guide is a quick handy resource for reminders on how to do basic functions in the TEMG Reporting System. For detailed instructions, see the database packet with screen shots.

Reporting Deadline:

All service activities and continued education should be entered by the second Friday in November each year. Please guestimate hours that will be achieved through the months of November and December and include those with your report.

Register: First time users only

www.temg.tennessee.edu
Click Register
Enter Email
Create a Password
- Click Register
- This will automatically take you to the edit profile page where you should fill out information as fully as possible and click “Update Profile.”

Sign-In: All other times to access database

www.temg.tennessee.edu
Click Sign In
Enter e-mail
Enter Password
- Click Log In

View Volunteer Dashboard:

After you sign in, the page will open to your Volunteer Dashboard. This is a quick summary of your hour entries for the year-to-date.
To access this page at any time while logged in, simply click the Home tab at the top of the gray menu bar and select Year-To-Date Dashboard.

Home Tab Navigation:

click the Home tab in the gray menu bar to reveal sub-tabs
- Year-to-Date Dashboard (Home Volunteer Dashboard)-quick summary of all of your personal reports for the year
- Volunteer Activity Reports- Search your archived reports from years’ past
- County Dashboard- Access the County Roster, and County Reports

CEU Tab Navigation: Report Education Hours

Click CEU icon at the top of the menu bar
Click Log CEU Hours
Enter Program Name ex: Monthly MG Meeting
Enter Description ex: Carol Reese Native Plants
- Select a Category from the drop down box. Doesn’t have to be exact.
Enter Hours spent learning
Select Program Date
Click Submit

*If the hours were successfully submitted, a message saying “CEU Report Saved” will appear on screen in green.

Project Tab Navigation: Report Service Hours

Click Project icon at the top menu bar
click Log Project Hours
select project from drop down list
click the green magnifying glass to open project
-enter Hours, Miles, Project Date
-click Submit

*If the hours were successfully submitted, a message saying “Report saved for the project titled: ____________” will appear on your screen in green!

Update Profile Information:

-Click the Profile Icon on the top right of the menu bar

Username:

click the blue text “Change Email”
make changes
click Reset

Password:

click the blue text “Change”
make changes
click Change password

Profile:

click the blue text “My Profile”
make changes
click Save Profile Information

Photo:

click the blue text “Manage Profile Image”
click Choose File
select picture from your saved pictures & click open
click Save Image

Forgot Password:

On Log-in page, enter e-mail but don’t put in a password
Click Submit
A page will appear with options on how to proceed
Select “Forgot your password?”
A box will appear, Enter your email
Click Submit
An e-mail will be sent to you with your password

This year is flying by, and fall is on the horizon. I hope you either became a member or renewed your status as a Friend of the Garden during the UT Gardens membership drive. If not, you can always take advantage of becoming a member. As the weather cools, it will be the perfect time for day trips to visit botanical gardens. And, as a bonus, free admission to most gardens is a benefit of membership.

Become a member: https://utgardens.tennessee.edu/support/membership/

We have had a flurry of recent volunteer opportunities. Be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page and Signup.com for available dates to help with a project or two. Your volunteer and CEU hours need to be logged into the database before the November deadline. I know that seems like a long time away, but it will be here before you know it. Requirements for recertification are in the handbook posted on the MCMG website. This newsletter includes a MG Reporting Cheat Sheet as a refresher for posting your hours.

Database link: https://temg.tennessee.edu/

Handbook link: https://extension.tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/W099.pdf

Jason Reeves will present the program at our monthly meeting on Thursday, September 1, at 6:30 p.m. at WTREC. I look forward to seeing everyone there. Bring a dish and enjoy!

Charlotte Jaquet, President

Hey MCMGs,

I have several project updates for everyone on this beautiful Friday morning!

Help needed at Augustine School on Saturday morning (tomorrow August 19th) at 8am. They will be working to fill the raised beds in their new learning garden with soil and amendments. I am so sorry for the late notice! They submitted the request earlier in the week but I was out of town and unable to communicate it with you all. MCMGs have supported this project with securing materials and now it would be awesome if we could contribute with volunteerism. Thanks!!

Pinson Mounds State Park: We're getting excited about the upcoming 40th Annual Archeofest on September 17th & 18th. We'd love to have your assistance preparing for and during the event. Here are a couple of upcoming opportunities to volunteer.
- August 27th 8 am to noon - prep day at the park maintenance shop
- September 10th 8 am to noon - beautify day across the park
Madison County Extension Office: Friday Sept. 9th 9am-11am, Clean-up day to weed, refresh mulch, and plant some cool season annuals in the beds at the County Extension Office on NorthParkway. Online Sign-up will be posted.
Liberty Park Clean-up Day: Saturday Sept. 24th from 9am-Noon is the date for the Fall Clean-up day at Liberty Park. I will post an online Sign-up for this event that can be accessed at the link below
We need more participation with the RIFA and Helping Hands weekly flower arrangements.
We have LOTS of other volunteer opportunities that were announced at the Aug. meeting and all can be found at the link below.

Follow this link for a complete listing of volunteer opportunities!! http://madisoncountymg.org/Projects.php. Just click the Sign-up button and it will take you right to it!!

Let me know if you have any questions, or have work opportunities that you would like to share with the group!!

Celeste

MG Reporting Cheat Sheet

This guide is a quick handy resource for reminders on how to do basic functions in the TEMG Reporting System. For detailed instructions, see the database packet with screen shots.

Reporting Deadline:

All service activities and continued education should be entered by the second Friday in November each year. Please guestimate hours that will be achieved through the months of November and December and include those with your report.

Register: First time users only

www.temg.tennessee.edu
Click Register
Enter Email
Create a Password
- Click Register
- This will automatically take you to the edit profile page where you should fill out information as fully as possible and click “Update Profile.”

Sign-In: All other times to access database

www.temg.tennessee.edu
Click Sign In
Enter e-mail
Enter Password
- Click Log In

View Volunteer Dashboard:

After you sign in, the page will open to your Volunteer Dashboard. This is a quick summary of your hour entries for the year-to-date.
To access this page at any time while logged in, simply click the Home tab at the top of the gray menu bar and select Year-To-Date Dashboard.

Home Tab Navigation:

click the Home tab in the gray menu bar to reveal sub-tabs
- Year-to-Date Dashboard (Home Volunteer Dashboard)-quick summary of all of your personal reports for the year
- Volunteer Activity Reports- Search your archived reports from years’ past
- County Dashboard- Access the County Roster, and County Reports

CEU Tab Navigation: Report Education Hours

Click CEU icon at the top of the menu bar
Click Log CEU Hours
Enter Program Name ex: Monthly MG Meeting
Enter Description ex: Carol Reese Native Plants
- Select a Category from the drop down box. Doesn’t have to be exact.
Enter Hours spent learning
Select Program Date
Click Submit

*If the hours were successfully submitted, a message saying “CEU Report Saved” will appear on screen in green.

Project Tab Navigation: Report Service Hours

Click Project icon at the top menu bar
click Log Project Hours
select project from drop down list
click the green magnifying glass to open project
-enter Hours, Miles, Project Date
-click Submit

*If the hours were successfully submitted, a message saying “Report saved for the project titled: ____________” will appear on your screen in green!

Update Profile Information:

-Click the Profile Icon on the top right of the menu bar

Username:

click the blue text “Change Email”
make changes
click Reset

Password:

click the blue text “Change”
make changes
click Change password

Profile:

click the blue text “My Profile”
make changes
click Save Profile Information

Photo:

click the blue text “Manage Profile Image”
click Choose File
select picture from your saved pictures & click open
click Save Image

Forgot Password:

On Log-in page, enter e-mail but don’t put in a password
Click Submit
A page will appear with options on how to proceed
Select “Forgot your password?”
A box will appear, Enter your email
Click Submit
An e-mail will be sent to you with your password

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account at https://temg.tennessee.edu/ In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there. While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

First, a big thank you to everyone who worked as volunteers at Summer Celebration. We had a steady flow of customers taking advantage of the great plant selections. I don't have a final tally of the money made by MCMG, but we will have that figure for you at the August meeting. Celeste had workshop tents with activities for adults and children, and they were a huge hit.

The UT Gardens Annual Membership Drive will begin later in the month of August. Recognized in 2013 as the official botanical gardens of the state of Tennessee, the UT Gardens located in Jackson, Crossville, and Knoxville are open during all seasons and are free to the public. Memberships play an important role in growing the gardens. Members enjoy reciprocal admission benefits at 345+ gardens across the United States, with more gardens being added all the time. (https://ahsgardening.org/gardening-programs/rap/). When my husband and I visited Cheekwood, the savings from free admission and parking more than covered the cost of our UT Gardens family membership. Watch for an email later this month to take advantage of the opportunity to join or renew.

I look forward to seeing everyone at our monthly meeting on Thursday, August 4th at 6:30 p.m. at WTREC. Bring a dish and enjoy!

Charlotte Jaquet, President

Celeste Scott - Summer Celebration

I want to give a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered and helped to make Summer Celebration 2022 a success! In the plant sale area, a special thank you goes out to Nancy Blair, Trish Dycus, Peggy Ferguson, Charlotte Jaquet, and Tammy & John Overby for stepping up to help with planning, set-up, running the sale, and managing the money. There is absolutely NO WAY that this plant sale could happen without ALL of our MCMG Volunteers and the effort you put into it. A final thank you goes out to Ron Blair at Lone Oaks Farm for lending us the HydroCooling fans which helped to knock off some of the heat, and I hope that everyone took advantage of the wonderful icy treats from Stacey’s Ice Cream Truck that the MCMG board provided to our volunteers.

A NEW attraction for Summer Celebration this year was the hands-on Workshop Tent pioneered by MCMGs! I am happy to report that it was a huge success. The tent stayed busy with garden crafters for the majority of the day, and I have only heard positive feedback from participants. The MCMGs sponsored these crafts to attendees at no cost! What a wonderful way to give back to our community!! Many thanks to those volunteers who ventured out of their comfort zone and helped with this awesome endeavor. A special thanks goes to Jane Ann Davis, Lori Moore, Merry Herrera, and Lee Ann Brigman for taking lead roles at each of the crafts! I hope that we can continue to do interactive workshops in the future.

Huntsville Botanical Gardens

Summer in the South isn't really complete without gardens and flowers (even if the weather is hot, hot, hot!!). Even though hot, a trip to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens is educational and fun. This 160 acre garden is well worth a visit even in the summer. They have a beautiful Butterfly Garden, Chinese garden, and Children's Garden as well.

The Gardens have an installation this summer called "In the Swing" where different types of swings are placed throughout the gardens. It was a very fun feature!

This garden was used to show how to raise vegetables.

Nancy Blair's

August Program Notes

Our guests this month will be Paige Keith and David Blackwood with the Middle Fork Bottoms Recreational Area that has been established in the northern end of the county in the Three-Way community. This area serves as a public resource for outdoor recreation as well as flood control management and wetland preservation. They will be talking more about the project, how it has developed over the years and its’ current status, which is OPEN and ready for use!! They will also be discussing ways that MCMGs can get involved and use this wonderful resource as a site for outreach and education. I hope you can make it!!

For more information about Middle Fork Bottoms Recreational Area https://cityofthreeway.org/living-here/middle-fork-bottom-recreation-area/

Summer Celebration is July 14th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the West Tennessee Ag Research and Education Center. This year’s theme is “The Power of Plants,” expanding on how gardening became a therapeutic hobby for many during the pandemic. There will be more than 15 speakers at Summer Celebration, with topics including water stewardship, tree care, edible landscapes and more. Extension Specialists and Agents will be available for plant diagnostics and the UT Kitchen Divas will host cooking lessons indoors. In addition to these educational opportunities, local vendors will provide some great ideas for your landscape, and the UT Gardens will have a plant sale. There will be service opportunities to work the plant sale and to volunteer in the workshop tent.

Visit our website http://madisoncountymg.org/ to see the project sign-up listings.

There will be no monthly meeting in July. The next monthly meeting will be held on Thursday, August 4, at 6:30 p.m. I look forward to seeing everyone at Summer Celebration and the August meeting. The August meeting will be add-a-dish.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

Dear Master Gardeners,
It's been another crazy year when we didn't have live meetings in January and February where we would normally collect dues for 2022. So... this is your friendly reminder that your dues are due at this time. Please make your checks payable to MCMG in the amount of $20. and mail to:

Mary Nenarella 245 Henderson Road Pinson, TN 38366

When your check is received, I will send you an email as your receipt for payment. If there is any reason you may have to go to an inactive status for 2022, please contact our Extension Agent, Celeste Scott at 731-668-8543.

Grass and Ornamentals

Propagation of many ornamentals by layering is an easy way to expand the garden. Hydrangea, viburnums, weigela, and climbing roses are a few ornamentals that layer easily. Fasten a limb
to the ground with a brick or other heavy object and cover with soil
Deadhead hydrangea arborescens for continued bloom
Raise the height of the mower to reduce stress on your
lawn
Keep pinching chrysanthemum and asters till mid month
Deadhead perennials to lengthen bloom time. Remove fading flowers to a leaf node or new bud
Cut-back by 1/3 annuals that are getting leggy. Give them a shot of fertilizer to help them bloom into fall
Cut flowers for bouquets in the early morning and immediately place in water

As summer temperatures rise in the garden, many plants start to fade.
Not coneflowers (Echinacea)! These long-blooming perennials thrive in full sun and heat, adding vibrant color to the garden from summer to frost. Coneflowers aren’t only pretty – they’re also problem-solvers in the landscape. They adapt easily to any well- draining soil (even poor soils) and can handle mild drought once established. Even in gardens plagued with deer, coneflowers always seem unfazed. Deer and other garden pests dislike their hairy leaves, stems, and prickly cones that serve as the namesake of this hardy perennial.

Coneflowers are easy to grow and even easier to love, which is why you’ll find them in gardens all over the US. After planting them, you’ll soon learn that gardeners aren’t theonly ones that love coneflowers! Pollinators find their blooms irresistible – and we can’tblame them. Colorful petals radiate from a prominent center cone, composed of hundreds of fertile florets, loaded with pollen, nectar, and fragrance. Flowers give way to prominent seed heads, which can be left standing in the fall and winter to attract birds.

Poisonous Plants to Dogs

Autumn Crocus Bleeding Heart Foxglove.
Iris Larkspur Lily-of-the-Valley
Monkshood Star o Bethlehem Rhubarb
Black Locust Elderberry Oak trees
Moonseed Azaleas Daphne
Golden Chain Jasmine Lantana camara (Red Sage)
Laurels Rhododendrons Wisteria
Yew Castor Bean Daffodil
Hyacinth Elephant Ear Dieffenbachia
(Dumb Cane)
Narcissus Oleander Rosary Pea
Water Hemlock Buttercups Jimson
Weed (Thorn Apple)
Nightshade Poison Hemlock Jack-in-
the-Pulpit
Mayapple Mistletoe Wild and
cultivated cherries
*Reference: Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Another awards banquet is in the books. We had great attendance and enjoyed celebrating the achievements of our fellow Master Gardeners. The highlight of the evening was welcoming 28 newly certified Madison County Master Gardeners. Carol Dix and Georgia Morehead were part of the founding group, and they were recognized with 25-year pins and emeritus status.

Congratulations to Nancy Blair for being named Master Gardener of the Year for 2022. This is a much-deserved honor, and we thank Nancy for her dedicated service.

Our plant sale was a huge success with more than $11,000 in net profits. Thank you to the plant sale team and to all members who donated plants. These funds allow us to give back to the community through donations and scholarships.

Pinson Mounds State Park has been added as an approved project. Dedra Irwin, Park Ranger and Master Gardener, has great plans for the park, including a medicine wheel garden.

I look forward to seeing everyone at the June meeting where Carol Reese will present our program.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

Carol Reese is a retired UT Extension Horticulture Specialist. She's spoken at many gardening symposia across the US, blending equal parts gardening knowledge, natural lore, and quirky humor. Her B.S. and M.S. in Horticulture are from Mississippi State University, and she could also add her Phd. if she “had ever written that damn dissertation!” There she taught classes in Plant Materials, and co-taught Landscape Design for non-LA majors alongside a “real” landscape architect.
She is a prolific writer and has produced innumerable newspaper columns andmagazine articles, and was the Q&A columnist for Horticulture Magazine “back in the day”. She attributes her love of horticulture to being raised on a farm by generations of opinionated plant nuts, including a grandfather who dynamited his garden spot each spring to “break up his hard pan”.

Carol’s very personal appreciation of natural lore is at least partially a result of her near daily rambles through the wild areas near her home with her motley collection of mutts, aka known as the strong-willed breed of “Amalgamations”. Yes, they are a hunting breed, mostly of newly planted bulbs.

Light in the Garden – Why should you hold a compass in your hand when you plant? Magical moments are often about the light, yet too few consider how best to set up those moments when designing or placing plants in the landscape. This presentation will help you site those plants that glow when placed just so, as well as those plants that serve as living stained glass. See how breaking a few “rules” of plant placement can create intriguing compositions of light and shadow. It is a scientific fact that your design can physically affect eye function, allowing you to see more color and fuller detail. These ideas can create a day of garden moments that spangle, sparkle, shimmer and glow as the sun moves through the sky.

Dear Master Gardeners,
It's been another crazy year when we didn't have live meetings in January and February where we would normally collect dues for 2022. So... this is your friendly reminder that your dues are due at this time.

Please make your checks payable to MCMG in the amount of $20. and mail to: Mary Nenarella, 245 Henderson Rd., Pinson, TN 38366

When your check is received, I will send you an email as your receipt for payment.

If there is any reason you may have to go to an inactive status for 2022, please contact our Extension Agent, Celeste Scott at 731-668-8543.

June Tasks

Vegetable and Fruit Garden

• Scout for pests and disease at least weekly
• Remove cool season crops and manage soil, prevent weed growth

• Fertilize blueberries and other small fruits
• Plant watermelon, pumpkins, and sweet potatoes
• Continue weeding and monitor water
• Continue succession planting
• Provide support for tomatoes with stakes, cages, or twine
• Keep an eye on plant health and ready with fungicide if needed

Lawn and Garden

Continue planting annuals. Many seeds can still be direct sown
Trim catmint after flush of flowers to promote second flush
Harvest most herbs before flowering. This is when they contain the most essential oils
Remove yellow foliage from daffodils, surprise lilies and spider lilies. If removed while green, next year’s bloom may be affected
Water plants in the morning. Deep watering is better than frequent shallow watering. Most plants need 1 inch of rainfall per week. Adjust watering accordingly
Many plants are susceptible to powdery mildew. Check out this link for more information: https:// extension.Tennessee.edu/publications/Documents/ sp370b.pdf

It’s time to start your spring adventure in the garden!

Congratulations to all who completed the Tennessee Smart Yards Program. Members who completed the requirements during the month of April will be receiving their yard signs at our awards banquet.

Our spring projects are calling your name. I hope you have signed up to volunteer at next week’s plant sale. A big thank you to the plant sale team for their hard work again this year to make our fundraiser a success.

Our awards banquet is shaping up to be an exciting event. Since our plant sale preparation overlaps the usual monthly meeting date, the banquet will be held on Thursday, May 12, at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in downtown Jackson. Food will be catered by Jack Baudo and Mama Baudo’s Chow Bella. Since COVID prevented last year’s event, we will be recognizing lots of members for their accomplishments and will be having a graduation ceremony for new certified members.

Registration is open for the Tennessee Extension Master Gardener State Conference June 9th through 11th in Kingsport, Tennessee. Visit https://mastergardener.tennessee.edu/ for details.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

PROGRAM NOTES from Nancy Blair

May Program

Our May program will be the annual Membership and Awards Banquet on May 12, 6:30 pm at First United Methodist Church, downtown Jackson. The meal will be catered by one of our members, Jack Baudo and Mama Baudo’s Chow Bella. There will not be a speaker but lots of recognitions and presentations of members and new interns. Following up from the April meeting, be sure to get your Tennessee Smart Yard certified before the last day of April. Any member certifying in April will be recognized at the Awards Banquet with a metal yard sign.

Spring Plant Sale – May 6 – 7

The Spring Plant Sale is coming soon! Every MCMG member and intern is encouraged to participate in some way to support this fundraiser. The Plant Sale Team and Celeste have been posting plant sale information as well as “Sign Up” opportunities on the web page. Please take time to read this information.

It is not too late to be potting things up for the sale. Please do not wait until just a few days ahead as it takes plants some time to adjust to being repotted. Make sure that your plants are weed free and well groomed.

Remember that we have a “Garden Art” section at the sale. Hand crafted items such as painted watering cans, stepping stones, sun catchers and bird houses have been sold successfully in the past. Any gently used or new garden tools and accessories are also welcome.

In addition to being a fundraiser for our educational programs, the plant sale is an educational outreach tool. Our plants are for the most part member tested and are good performers in our location. That knowledge coupled with great pricing encourages many in the community to try gardening when they may be not very knowledgeable about plant selection.

Plant Sale Reminders

PLEASE sign up to assist with the Plant Sale. Several shifts are available and links to each day can be found here http://madisoncountymg.org/Plant-Sale.php . You may not want to sign-up to volunteer ALL day and that is fine. We understand the need for breaks and shopping!! That is why we have sectioned the days into shifts.
PLEASE save boxes (especially strawberry boxes) that you may come across at the grocery store. We need sturdy boxes with bottoms for our customers to take plants away in. You can store them in the MCMG Shed at my office if needed.
Don’t forget about our website which holds ALL THINGS plant sale related ☺ http://madisoncountymg.org/Plant-Sale.php

This Spring is off to a GREAT start and I hope you feel as refreshed by it as I do. Call me if you need anything and we will see you soon!

From UT Gardens e-newsletteer
Submitted by Celeste Luckey Scott, UT Extension Madison County

Zinnias are a longtime favorite of
home gardeners. They come in a
wide variety of colors and flower
forms ranging from single, to fully
double, cactus flowered, and even
crested. They are easy to grow from
seed, relish full sun, are loved by
pollinators and have a long vase life
for cut stems. They also are tough
and drought tolerant, requiring little
to no additional watering once
established. What more could a
gardener ask for than a flower that
has attributes like these? How about
disease resistance? The typical garden zinnia, Zinnia elegans, falls short in one category,disease resistance. It is susceptible to a wide range of foliar diseases including powdery mildew, cercospora leaf spot, alternaria leaf spot and bacterial leaf spot. Some Z. elegans cultivars claim resistance to these diseases, yet none can compare to the clean foliage offered by the hybrid Profusion and Zahara series. You can read the full article at

https://utgardens.tennessee.edu/zinnia-are-colorful-favorites-featuring-profusion-and-zahara- series/

May Task Reminder

Home Vegetable Garden

Harvest cool season crops
Prepare beds for transplants
Transplant warm season crops and plan for succession seeding of direct sown seed
Peppers and eggplant like warmer soil they will be happier if planted a week or 2 behind tomatoes and other transplants
Young transplants need water and a starter boost of fertilizer
Set up stakes, trellises, cages or other supports now to be ready for future growth.
Weed, weed, weed

Yard and Flowering Gardens

Plant dill, parsley, fennel, butterfly weed and others to encourage butterflies and pollinators to your garden
Plant vinca and caladiums after night temps are above 60. They like warm soil.
Prune early flowering shrubs such as azalea, forsythia, flowering quince, and loropetalum. Only prune if needed and select branches down in the shrub rather than prune to look like meatballs
Early May is a good time to cut back on rosemary, lavender, rue, artemisia, and Santolina.

Parker’s Crossroad Work Day

An energetic group of Master Gardeners and garden supervisor Ms. Cheryl braved the chill to tackle weeds, mulch, and brick pavers at Parkers Crossroads on 4-9-2022. Parkers Crossroads was the site of battle during the Civil War but continues as an historical site for the public and veterans. The group worked on the Medicinal Garden, groomed shrubs, and placed barriers around trees. Work will continue on 4-23-2022. The group finished the morning with a short walk on the walking trail and watched a red fox having fun in the tall grass. This project promotes education, history, gardening, and honors veterans past and present

United Way Ladies Luncheon

The Master Gardeners of Madison County participated on 4-6-22 and 4-7-22 with advisor Celeste Scott in the First Ladies Luncheon, a major fundraiser for United
Way for fourteen counties in West TN., decorating the entrance to the Jackson Fairground Expo Building as well as a luncheon table. We were assisted by Morris Nursery providing our flowering plants and shrubs. The five gardeners included: Dianne Harris, chairman, Nikki Pritchard, Ambassador, Peggy Allen, Diana Montemayor, and Marilyn Howell. The mission of United Way is ..."to advocate for equity through uniting agencies in ways that improve each person's access to health, education, and financial stability." It is such
a blessing that our group is able to contribute as well as interact with so many groups. This was a luncheon for 800 persons (the largest ever done in West TN.) benefiting 14 counties

What a great turnout we had in March for our first in-person meeting for 2022. It was great to see everyone to visit and enjoy a meal together. Join us April 7th for our in-person meeting and add-a-dish. Our presentation will explain the Tennessee Smart Yard program.

Plant sale time is here!! It’s time for you to be in full swing getting your plants ready to bring to our biggest fundraiser of the year. If you haven’t already done so, go to our website http://madisoncountymg.org/ and click the Signup button under the Projects tab to choose a volunteer shift.

The plant sale team has worked hard to implement changes this year to make the process more efficient. Plant labels are waterproof, so you can go ahead and apply those to your containers early. Look for the announcement with details in this newsletter .

The spring cleanup for Liberty Garden Park will be 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 9th. Bring your tools, water bottles, and garden gloves.

Registration is open for the Tennessee Extension Master Gardener State Conference June 9th through 11th in Kingsport, Tennessee. Visit https://mastergardener.tennessee.edu/ for details.

Our last order of Madison County Master Gardener apparel/logo items was placed in 2017. We will be planning another order soon. Stay tuned for details.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

Our membership meeting scheduled for April 7 is going to be a little different. The Madison County Master Gardeners are going to be focused on certification for Tennessee Smart Yards throughout the entire month. Do you already have a Smart Yard???? Our own Celeste Scott will show us how to see just how close we may already be. Then, throughout the month of April, Thursdays at 10am will be workshops to help us complete certification. Upon completion each member will earn at least 10 hours of education and 5 hours of service. If you complete in April, you will receive your Tennessee Smart Yard Sign for free at the May awards banquet.

To view the Madison County Master Gardener online directory, log into your account athttps://temg.tennessee.edu/ In the upper left-hand corner, choose “Home,” then “County Dashboard,” and then “County Roster.” Everyone who has given permission to publish their information is listed there. While logged into your account, you can also manage your account information and settings by clicking the “Profile” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

If you are a certified Madison County Master Gardener, it’s time to renew your annual membership. Dues for 2022 are $20 per certified member and can be mailed to Mary Nenarella, 245 Henderson Road, Pinson TN 38366. Interns do not owe annual dues

The Spring Plant Sale is coming soon! Every MCMG member and intern is encouraged to participate in some way to support this fundraiser. The Plant Sale Team and Celeste have been posting plant sale information as well as “Sign Up” opportunities on the web page. Please take time to read this information.

It is not too late to be potting things up for the sale. Please do not wait until just a few days ahead as it takes plants some time to adjust to being repotted. Make sure that your plants are weed free and well groomed.

We are trying something new this year with labels. They will be waterproof and will stick directly to the pot. Judy Rice will be the contact person for labels and plans to have someone at the Extension Office to aid in label making.

Remember that we have a “Garden Art” section at the sale. Hand crafted items such as painted watering cans, stepping stones, sun catchers and bird houses have been sold successfully in the past. Any gently used or new garden tools and accessories are also welcome.

In addition to being a fundraiser for our educational programs, the plant sale is an educational outreach tool. Our plants are for the most part member tested and are good performers in our location. That knowledge coupled with great pricing encourages many in the community to try gardening when they may be not very knowledgeable about plant selection.

Plant Description Labels!
___no more popsicle sticks, no more stapling, no more sticking the label on a separate card.
___This year we will be using waterproof labels that can be stuck directly onto your container and, yes, they are costly so please try to be conservative and mindful of that.
____You may request your labels to be printed for you or you can pick up blank labels and print them yourself. Beginning in April, a volunteer from our plant label team will be at the extension office to be available for assistance. Days and times will be announced later.
____The plant descriptions list will be accessible on our website soon. It’s going to look a little different but will have the same information.
____Remember that your labels should already be on your containers when you drop them off for the sale When you drop off your plants for the plant sale, your label should be stuck on the container. Make sure your containers are clean of dust/dirt before you place the label on it.
____This should be a timesaver for everyone and a plus for shoppers! madisoncountymg.org.

I’ll coordinate printing and when/where to pick up your labels.

_____Email your list or any questions to me at trice@eplus.net call/text her at 731-695-1424.
Cutoff date for label requests is April 29.

Master Gardener's Project of the Month: Liberty Garden Park Spring Clean-Up Day:

If you are looking for a fun and
fulfilling project to get a few Service
Hours....The Liberty Garden Park
Spring Clean-up Day is Saturday April
9th 9:00-12:00. This is a collaborative
effort between the Madison County
Master Gardeners, Toyota Boshoku,
Evergreen Garden Club and Liberty
Garden Park Conservancy. Bring a
water bottle, hand tools, and
gloves. Once you arrive at the Park,
you will need to sign a release for the City of Jackson -- can never get away from the paperwork!! Come on out, get a few hours and have some fun!!

As background, Liberty Garden Park and Arboretum is a 14.5 acre area serving as a living memorial to 9/11. Along with the very heavily used walking trail, the park includes a Veteran Memorial Wall, the open Freedom Plaza, a beautiful limestone Gazebo and well over 100 varieties of trees and plants. In the works is a gorgeous limestone stage for the Children's Area. Liberty Garden Park has been an on-going project for the Master Gardeners and a passion of project manager Jack Baudo.

The hardest part of this program is getting it started on paper.

I first heard of the smart yard at a master gardener meeting in 2020. I watched one video and then got "really busy" with other things.

In the fall of 2021, our master gardeners were again encouraged to complete our smart yard program. I had been "really busy" with selling our home of 14 years with 6 acres and downsizing into 1 acre. I moved many, many, many pots of plants from the previous yard. The new yard had not been properly tended for many years. I drew a layout of where I needed to place the plants When it rained, I would watch how the water flowed and where it pooled.

Also, at that time most everything was presented on Zoom. I got "really busy "and watched 100 hours of garden/yard related videos. Part of those hours were watching the nine foundation principles of the smart yard series. They were very informative but I realized I had many of those principles on the new yard. But I kept putting off printing the smart yard workbook, interactive spreadsheet and checklist yardstick from the website at tnyards.utk.edu because I was "really busy".

The early part of 2022 I wasn't really busy so I got it printed off and read. I kept adding up inches I had completed. The layout I had drawn counted. Right plant, right place was accomplished as I had planted the plants I had moved or bought at the fall sale. My hubby and I had spread six loads of mulch and that was in the managing soils and mulch categories. Don set up the two rain barrels and hung up a rain gage. All those were inches on my smart yardstick.

Our trees produced small leaves but five neighbors were happy to help me fill my new compost bins. They would have their leaves in piles and we would
attach our Agrifab yard vacuum to the golf cart and clean their
yard. We picked up thirteen large loads. In the category of

reduce, reuse recycle I easily added six inches.
We had installed a purple martin pole, house and gourds and

three blue bird houses. That counted in the provide for wildlife category. We enlarged the driveway. Instead of paving we used small, gray crushed stones. This made a permeable surface for water drainage from one of the house downspouts. That added inches in the reduce stormwater and pollutants category.

Do you see that starting the paperwork was the hardest part? Because I was adding inches to the yardstick and didn't know it. My project this spring is to buy more plants for the rain garden. I certified my yard in February but haven't received the yard sign.

We moved to a very small town in Benton County. I have divided
plants with neighbors and talk plants very often. Big Sandy has a
small soup kitchen and an after-school program for children. I wash dishes one day a week there. They built five raised beds this month where I will help teach the children how to raise their own food. I have been asked to speak in May to a local church group. I think that will be a good time to introduce Tennessee Smart Yards to this community.

We have all been hearing lately about the Tennessee Smart Yard program. But what can I do that will be effective, well simply use the actions/practices that can be adopted in your landscaping to benefit you and the environment? There are nine categories with various actions per category that you can do to achieve thirty-six inches towards the certification of your yard showing that you are helping to keep our Tennessee communities healthy and natural.
You say, how can I do this, well several items you are already doing, but you must identify those items on the practices listed on the Tennessee Smart Yard actions. Start by going to www.tnyards.utk.edu , and under the “Resources” tab choose, “Start your path to a Certified yard.” Watch the nine online module videos. There is even an excel spreadsheet that you can use to note all your progress with the various items to be accomplish for certification. You can also refer to this website for the yardstick listing all the nine modules: https://tiny.utk.edu/tnsyyardstick.

As you know from your original Master Gardner training, we were introduced early in our training about erosion. Celeste Scott told us that we need to “Slow that water down!” We can do this by making a rain garden in our landscape to help prevent and control erosion. So, this is one of the first items I did as a Master Gardner. I have a natural ravine that starts just off my front yard and driveway area which is a decent size yard. Shortly after moving to this property, I noticed that during heavy downpours that the ravine was eroding a little more each time. After starting the Master Gardner training, I started working at the beginning of this ravine and made a water garden to catch and hold water until it could permeate into the ground. It did take some time to even out the ravine to where I could take some decorative landscaping concrete blocks to make a holding wall. I
lined the rain garden with a permeable cloth for the lining
and then poured pea gravel on top of the cloth. Next, I
used larger gravel and some natural stones as the major
water break to keep the current from eroding my pea
gravel. The retaining wall had to be re-enforced to make
it stable and stop that water, but I did have a small
overflow area, which we learned is called a “freeboard.” The freeboard area had to have larger gravel to help stop
erosion from what water that may not have time to seep into the ground. You can place plants in the area to help
absorb the water, but I made mine without plants. I even lined the ditch further downhill with more of this heavier
lava rock to control erosion in the ditch.

You can read more about building a rain garden, at the website: ag.tennessee.edu/watersheds/documents/D22
Here is a picture of the water garden that I made. A picture does not do it justice though.

Compost is happening all around us, all the time. Mother Nature is in constant ebb and flow, growing and breaking down. The breaking down or decomposing of organic matter is the essence of composting. Witnessing this in my own garden is magical to me! "Stinky" garbage, such as food scraps, and chopped up leaves transform into rich, earthy smelling black gold! I recently attended a compost discussion presented by Mr. Steve Pope and was inspired to share about the process I use to assist in the making of my garden's gold.

It really only takes two material inputs from you, carbon (browns) and nitrogen (greens). I am fortunate to have access to all the carbon I can handle, so I use what I have, leaves! However, you can use an array of items such as paper, cardboard, or dried plant material. Nitrogen could be more difficult to come by if you don't produce a lot of kitchen waste. I use mostly vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and egg shells. You could also use unsprayed lawn clippings, healthy plant clippings, or animal manure (this takes extra care and I personally don't use this material). Mix these materials in equal amounts, add some harvested rain water, and let the microbes do their thing. If you occasionally aerate or turn / mix the pile you should start to see the material breakdown into rich compost within a few weeks. I continuously add material to mine throughout the year and my whole bin composts and can be used in about 6 to 8 months. (I withhold new material a few weeks before use.) Contributed by Amber McCann

* A good time to prune woody perennials. Just before they put on new growth

* Prune early blooming shrubs such as azaleas, forsythias, flowering quince and Loropetalum AFTER their bloom. Selectively cut old or unruly branches by reaching as deep as you can into the shrub.

* Prevent azalea lace bug and spider mite infestations by applying a one-time dose of imidacloprid. This early application in liquid form should remain effective throughout the growing season

* Direct sow annuals and vegetables after danger of frost this month. Jackson’s avg last frost date is around April 15. Look at the 10-day forecast, there could be cold weather predicted. We had an early May frost last year.

* Time to freshen up mulch. Don’t pile around tree trunks or shrubs. Better to form a bowl than a volcano. If using a per-emergent herbicide, be sure to apply under the mulch to decrease breakdown by sun exposure.

* April is a good time to fertilize with a balanced, granular fertilizer scattered on the soil service.

* Begin purchase of warm season vegetable garden transplants. Watch soil temps and for possible frost.

* Beans and corn may be direct sowed before a frost-free date but the soil temp needs to be warm * Harden transplants before introducing into your garden

* Begin harvest of early seeded leafy or root crops
* Finish seeding any cool season crops to prevent maturing under the hottest summer condition

April

Prune spring flowering shrubs (azaleas, flowering quince, Forsythia, and Loropetalum) soon after they finish flowering, but only if they need it. Selectively cut old or unruly branches by reaching deeply into the shrub leaving no visible stub, making the cut just above a joint. This will keep them from looking like meatballs.
A good option for Loropetalums that have outgrown their space is to tree-form them. They can easily be limbed up by removing lower branches.
Japanese kerria or yellow rose of Texas, Kerria japonica, often gets dead branches. Follow them to the base to cut them. Older branches should be removed the same way to keep the plant looking good. Older, overgrown, or neglected plants can be cut to the ground for rejuvenation.
Treat crapemyrtles for crapemyrtle bark scale. For how-to videos and more information check out this UT Gardens – Jackson site. http://taes.tennessee.edu/recs/wtrec/ornamentals/BarkScale.asp
Try the annual moon vine, Ipomoea alba, this year to attract sphinx moths to your garden. Nick the hard seed coat carefully with nail clippers and soak in water overnight to hasten germination.
Continue to be on the outlook for rose rosette- there is no cure for infected plants. Just pruning out affected growth has not been shown to be effective, so remove the entire plant, roots and all, as soon as the virus is discovered to prevent spread to other plants. Place plants in the trash, not the compost pile. To be on the safe side, sterilize pruners and tools used on affected plants with bleach water or Clorox Cleanup before using on other plants.
Remember it is not necessary to fertilize well established trees or shrubs. If you are trying to encourage faster growth on new plantings, a balanced granular fertilizer scattered on the soil surface is effective. Be careful not to overdo it. Tree spikes or drilling fertilizer into the root zone is unnecessary and expensive.
If you have been disappointed in the flowering production of Endless Summer® or other
“reblooming” hydrangeas in the past, it is most likely due to lack of fertilization. Think about it.
When you’re hungry or thirsty, you don’t perform as well. Apply a good quality slow-release fertilizer in early spring and again in late June. Too much nitrogen will hinder flower production so look for an NPK ratio that is balanced or ensure that the second and third numbers are higher than the first number (example: 10-20-20).

Overwatering, often caused by automatic irrigation systems running daily or every other day, may produce a plant with lush large green leaves but few flowers. You’re better off watering any landscape plant well, just two or three times a week. It’s normal for hydrangeas to wilt for a short time in the heat of the day so don’t be alarmed.
Changing a Hydrangea macrophylla flower color to pink or blue can be done by adjusting the pH of the soil. Aluminum is what makes hydrangeas blue, and it is most easily absorbed by the roots in acidic soil (low pH). Acid soil alone will not guarantee blue flowers. Aluminum sulfate will be your friend if you want blue hydrangea, since using only sulfur doesn’t guarantee success. In addition, too much phosphorus can bind aluminum, so avoid fertilizers that have high phosphate levels for the bluest blues. Potassium is the last number on a bag of fertilizer. Superphosphates and bone meal should be avoided when trying to produce blue. For pink flowers add lime several times a year to help raise the pH. Since hydrangeas take up aluminum best at lower pH levels, raising the pH will make the aluminum less available therefor, making the flowers pink.

Happy (almost) Spring! I was beginning to wonder if better weather and warmer days would ever get here. These past few weeks have been a weather roller coaster. I hope everyone is getting their plants ready for the Spring Plant Sale to be held May 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and May 7 from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at WTREC. This is our biggest fund raiser of the year, and we always have a huge community turnout. There will be volunteer opportunities announced soon for those of you who want to help with the sale.

Keep a watch on our Madison County Master Gardeners-Members Only Facebook page for information shared by our page members. Each week Nancy Blair posts a new photo contest. We have had some fabulous entries, and our winners will be highlighted in the newsletter.

Mona Miller, Vice President of Projects, will be contributing a monthly newsletter highlight of one of our projects. She will also highlight upcoming project workdays on our Facebook page. Please pick a project that you would like to work on and plan to participate when a workday is scheduled. We have lots of projects to choose from, and I'm sure one or more would be right for you!

Plans are underway for the Awards Banquet to be held May 12, 2022, at 6:30 p.m., at First United Methodist Church in downtown Jackson. The banquet will replace our May monthly meeting. This was a better date for the event since our plant sale setup will be happening at WTREC on the first Thursday in May. We will have a fun celebration of the accomplishments of our members and will have 25 new graduates joining the ranks as certified Master Gardeners. Mark your calendars. You won't want to miss this event.

As always, http://madisoncountymg.org/ is the place to go to get information about upcoming educational opportunities, events/news, and to find links for our SignUp page for projects and a link to the database to log your CEU and Project hours. LOG THOSE HOURS!

Charlotte Jaquet, President

March Speaker: Mark Carter, Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio Program: Water Features

Mark Carter of Carter’s Nursery, Pond, and Patio will be our speaker for the March membership meeting. He will introduce us to developing water features in the home garden. He will also be bringing some giveaways and providing time for questions and answers. Make plans now to attend this informative and fun meeting.

Mark Carter lives and gardens in Jackson. Mark is the owner/operator and lead designer of Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio, a 7-acre nursery/garden center and landscape design/build firm here in Jackson, Tennessee. Mark has been designing beautiful water features and landscapes all around the mid-south since 1989. Mark was one of the founding board members of the Certified Aquascape Contractors Program, is an accomplished writer and speaker, and does a live weekly radio garden segment on Fridays from 9-11 a.m. on WNWS 101.5 FM in Jackson. You can contact Mark at his nursery office by phone at 731-424-2206 or online at www.cartercountry.com

It’s that time of year again!!! Are you already thinking about what plants you will contribute to the MCMG Spring Plant Sale to be held on May 6th and 7th?

When labeling your plants this year, we will not be using popsicle sticks or the index sized cards previously used. New waterproof labels will be available that can be stuck directly onto your container. This will be a timesaver for everyone and a plus for shoppers! You’ll just need to have your potting containers clean of dust/dirt before you place the label on it. Remember that your labels should already be on your containers when you drop them off for the sale.

As in the past, you may request your labels to be printed for you or you can pick up labels and print them yourself. (The plant descriptions list will be made accessible on the website madisoncountymg.org).

For our plant sale, we would like to see more garden art. I will be sharing an article in our newsletters for easy, inexpensive garden art that can be done quickly and brought in for the sale. Today's project is a solar lamp for the garden. This project cost about $2.50 and that includes the little shepherd rod.

For this project you will need:

* light shades from ceiling fans (or colored glass vase)

* solar light (Dollar Tree) with stem removed

* floral wire

* small shepherd rod (Dollar Tree)

Wrap the floral wire around the neck of the light shade, just under the collar. Pull the wire over to the opposite side, making a hanger. Place the Solar light inside. The light can be secured in place with permanent adhesive, such as E6000 or GE Silicone II (permanent adhesive in all weather conditions).

Hang on the Shepherd rod. These lights can sell for $5 each. If you use a thicker wire and add a few beads, they can sell for $8.

Here are two I quickly made this week:

I am also including ideas from crafting blogs. By the way, the white column hangers are available at Dollar General.

If you have any questions, or want a demonstration, contact me at lori4christ@yahoo.com

Mona Miller is our new Projects Coordinator.

Mona grew up in East Tennessee and graduated in 1985 from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Procter and Gamble brought her to Jackson where she worked for 7 years till she went into Management Consulting.

With a more flexible schedule, Mona's interest in plants, gardening and landscaping took off. In the Spring of 2000, Mona participated in one of the early Master Gardener Training Programs. At that time, there was no on-going program. Upon completion of the class, participants were required to complete some type of gardening project that would benefit the community or a non-profit. Years passed and Mona become involved with the Evergreen Garden Club -- she is currently the president. She encouraged members to take the Master Gardener class and discovered there is a Madison County Master Gardeners Group!!

Mona heard so many positive things about the group and the class, she decided to take it again in the Fall of 2019!! After graduating and certifying, Mona worked with the 2020 Interns as part of the Growth Team. Mona's favorite part of being a Master Gardener is learning from and sharing with all the wonderful MG she has met over the years.

EcoLOGICAL Gardening Symposium

Greetings! We hope you will join us for our EcoLOGICAL Gardening Symposium on March 5, 2022 here on the UTIA campus in Knoxville. This year’s speakers will showcase some of the best practices for gardening in a LOGICAL way because making your home landscape both beautiful and functional just makes sense. UT Gardens Knoxville! When: Saturday March 5, 2022; 8:30 am - 3:30 pm. FEATURED SPEAKERS Jessica Walliser: Modern Companion Planting for the Vegetable Garden Carol Reese: Native Plants: Facts and Fallacies Dr. Andy Pulte: Put Garden Inspiration to Practical Use Mike Ross, SITES AP, ASLA: Of Biodiversity and Butterflies: Planting Design and Conservation for Pollinators Kelly Smith Trimble: Wildly Productive Gardens Pre-registration is required for this full day event and includes a light breakfast and box lunch. Registrations are limited to ensure ample space for safe physical distancing and masks are encouraged. Please register at https://tiny.utk.edu/EcoLOGICALGardening to reserve your spot. Registration fees and silent auction proceeds will go to support the UT Gardens Education Program at the Knoxville location of the State Botanical Garden of Tennessee. Make plans to join us today!

MARCH TASK LIST

Fruit and Vegetable Garden Tasks

* Plant fruit trees or plants

* Remove straw protection from strawberries before bloom

* Seed warm-season transplants March seeding means May transplants

* Prepare garden soil, till in cover crop

* Seed or transplant cool season crops

* Install row covers or low tunnels for early season growth

Lawn and Garden Tasks

* Weeding beds now reduces weeds later and prevents seeds for next year weeds

* Feed pansies and other winter annuals with a complete fertilizer

* When the forsythia blooms signals time to spray lawns for summer weeds

* Time to direct sow nasturtiums, look for adding hellebores and pulmonaria to shade beds.

* Prune climbing roses after 1st growth flush. Start tying canes for support

Resources: University of Tennessee Home Fruit and Vegetable Garden 2021 Calendar UThort.com for UT Extension publications and resources for home gardeners

Our January speaker has graciously agreed to be with us in February. We will be meeting by zoom in February . Our awards banquet is going to be postponed until later in the year. We wanted to make sure we could gather together and have a meal to celebrate our new graduates and fellow master gardeners’ achievements. We have something very special in the works, so stay tuned. It will be a lovely event.

February is a tough gardening month, but it doesn’t stop the true gardener from working in the garden. February is a time for planning and for seeing the first signs that spring is around the corner. Take advantage of those rare sunny days.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

We are going to try this again! Tyler will meet with us (hopefully) for our February meeting by zoom (watch for the link in your email). We are moving our membership and awards banquet to a little later date so hopefully we can have a large crowd and be together safely again. You will be hearing more about that in next month’s newsletter and on our FB page.

Meet Tyler Taylor at our February membership meeting. Tyler is currently the greenhouse manager at Memphis Botanic Garden. He will be discussing the care and maintenance of house plants and topicals. He comes to us with a plethora of knowledge and says he’s looking forward to meeting some new plant people.
Tyler is a Memphis native growing up in the gardens of his grandpap, picking blackberries, and peepaw’s giant tomato patches. He continued to cultivate a passion for plants throughout college and spearheaded a 2acre urban farm and community garden in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis. In 2017 Tyler moved to Oregon and worked with his cousin who is a Master Grower in a medicinal cannabis operation. There he learned about growing in sealed off growing environments and the role of “playing nature”. He fine-tuned his understanding of creating a growing environment beyond the rhizosphere and developed what he calls an annoying tag line “don’t cultivate plants, cultivate an environment for plants”.

Parker’s Crossroad Project

This is a brief discussion of a new project at Parker’s Crossroad located just off I-40, approximately 15 miles from Huntingdon, and about the same distance from Lexington, and approximately 25 miles from Jackson. During the Civil War, Parker's Crossroad was a site for a major conflict between the North and the South. One hundred and fifty-seven years later this site has been chosen as a National
Military Cemetery to celebrate patriotism and devotion and preserve each soldier's attempt
to preserve freedom for all.

Master Gardeners starting with Celeste Scott, and most recently guidance from Jason Reeves, have begun to assist coordinating appropriate landscape of the former battlefields, walking trails, and seasonal plantings. Did you know that many tourists don't know what a turnip or turnip greens are??? One young man asked me for a turnip as a souvenir. OKAY, I gave it to him??? Remember, a responsibility of a Master Gardener is to educate :). We have begun an herb garden and now there is money :) for more landscaping plants as well as a watering system.
This project for Master Gardeners draws persons off the interstate including soldiers and lay persons off from all over the United States to use the walking trails, study natural flora, walk dogs on leashes, ride bicycles, look for future burial sites, and use state of the art year around water fountains and bathrooms. This project is incorporating college history professors, Civil War buffs, soldiers, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, local citizens, children, as well as Master Gardeners. You may be devoted to special projects, but as a Master Gardener and a citizen of the United States, please consider volunteering.

Peggy Allen, Madison County Master Gardener

Chipping of the Greens

The Madison County Master Gardeners were back again at the Chipping of the Green after a break last year due to the pandemic. The number of trees chipped was far less than other years due to a shortage of live trees for sale before Christmas. There were 234 trees chipped and it produced about 200 bags of mulch. It was breezy and cold but seven Master Gardeners and JD from the City of Jackson were able to get the mulch bagged and ready for free pick up.

Dr. Hayes was our first customer, picking up a couple bags to spread around plants near his front door because it smells so good!

Earthquake Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 box German Chocolate Cake Mix (do not prepare as directed on box, prepare as directed below)
1/3 cup oil
3 eggs
1 and 1/3 cup water
2/3 cup shredded coconut
2/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter
8 oz cream cheese
1-pound powdered sugar (3 and 3/4 cups)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Sprinkle the coconut, chocolate chips, and pecans on the bottom of the pan. Mix the German chocolate cake mix with the oil, eggs, and water.
Pour the cake mix on top of the coconut/chocolate chip/pecan layer.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and cream cheese.

Beat in 1 pound of powdered sugar until it’s smooth to the butter/cream cheese.

Spread this mixture on top of the uncooked German chocolate cake in the pan, and swirl into the cake mix using a knife.

Bake for 35-45 minutes. It is done when it doesn’t wobble in the pan if you shake it. The toothpick test shouldn’t work because the cake should be more gooey in nature. ENJOY!!

Ihope everyone had a wonderful and safe Christmas and a Happy New Year! Our gardens are anxiously awaiting our attention, and hopefully you’ve placed your seed orders by now. Even though we’re not able to do much now except dream about springtime and watch the birds at our feeders, we can start marking our calendars for upcoming gardening events. During the month of January, Memphis Area Master Gardeners will partner with Bartlett Public Library to present in-person and Zoom gardening seminars weekly. I have attended the last several years, and these seminars are very informative.

The last two years of dealing with COVID have been tough on all of us, but maybe this year we can get back to a feeling of normalcy and spend time working on MCMG projects and enjoying the company of fellow gardeners.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

January Speaker: Tyler Taylor, Memphis Botanical Garden

In 2017 Tyler moved to Oregon and worked with his cousin who is a Master Grower in a medicinal cannabis operation. There he learned about growing in sealed off growing environments and the role of “playing nature”. He fine-tuned his understanding of creating a growing environment beyond the rhizosphere and developed what he calls an annoying tag line “don’t cultivate plants, cultivate an environment for plants”.

Meet Tyler Taylor at our January membership meeting. Tyler is currently the greenhouse manager at Memphis Botanical Garden. He will be discussing the care and maintenance of house plants and tropicals. He comes to us with a plethora of knowledge and says he’s looking forward to meeting some new plant people. Tyler is a Memphis native growing up in the gardens of his grandpap picking blackberries and peepaw’s giant tomato patches. He continued to cultivate a passion for plants throughout college and spearheaded a 2acre urban farm and community garden in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis

Care and Maintenance of House Plants and Tropicals
So the general theme for the entire discussion is going to be "Nuance." If there's anything I've learned about caring for such a wide variety of plants it's that there are very few "General Rules of Thumb" that run through all the various species. -I'm going to break down the various classifications of what we consider "Tropicals." The differing pseudo-subcategories like "Arid Tropicals" and "Humidity Tropicals." -I'm going to expound upon the very broad strokes that we paint with on plant care tags like "Low, Medium, Bright Light" and "Dry between waterings, consistently moist, moderate water, wet" and what those mean for various plants [some of them will have the same info on the tag "Moderate Water" but what that actually looks like can be pretty different between two different plants with the same care info." -I'll cover a broad range of houseplants, the care that they require, how that care differs based off of your grow environment [on the patio during summer, or in a sunroom in the winter, or dry-dormant in an attic/garage]. -I'll cover the various fertilization techniques for houseplants. I'll bring samples of the soils and also a few different plants. -I'll cover the things to consider when a plant transitions from the greenhouse that it was produced in to your home, and the major differences between those environments and how that change affects a lot of different plants. -I will briefly touch on pests, insecticides/miticides/fungicides.

-And I will try to leave a 10-15min window for questions at the end, and I will happily linger and 'nerd-out' with anyone who wants to pick my brain for botanical info.

History Clubs Do Service Project at Liberty Garden Park

Nov 2, 2021 - The history department’s Delta-Psi chapter of Phi Alpha Theta and Rutledge Honorary History Club co-sponsored a community service project at Liberty Garden Park and Arboretum on November 2, 2021, as part of Union University’s Campus and Community: A Day of Remembrance and Service. Dr. Stephen Carls organized the activity at Union, while Tammy Buchanan-Anderson and Jack Baudo served as coordinators for the Jackson community. Members of the Madison County Master Gardeners and City of Jackson park employees also participated in the cleanup event.

The Union University team at the park consisted of both faculty and students. In addition to Carls, history department faculty members who worked were Drs. Henry Allen, Keith Bates, and David Thomas. The student participants included Anne Adams, Sandra Allen, Elizabeth Blevins, Joe Gee, Abigail Gilbert, Anna Guelcher, Noah Kea, Logan Sherrod, and Nick Terra.

There were several projects that occupied the Union volunteers. Some put mulch around trees and shrubs. Others trimmed tree branches with anvil loppers and pole saws or picked up broken branches and twigs. Another group swept sidewalk areas and raked. A couple of students were also tasked with putting loose bricks in piles for city workers to pick up and repurpose.

Homemade chocolate chip cookies, candy, and bottled water made up the refreshments for the occasion.

Union University's history department work volunteers join with project coordinators for a photo at the beginning of their community service project at Liberty Garden Park on November 2, 2021. They are: (front row, left to right) Dr. David Thomas, Elizabeth Blevins, Joe Gee, Anna Guelcher, Anne Adams, Logan Sherrod, and Noah Kea; (second row, left to right) Dr. Henry Allen, Abigail Gilbert, Sandra Allen, Nicholas Terra, and Dr. Keith Bates; (back row, left to right) project coordinators Tammy Buchanan-Anderson, Dr. Stephen Carls, and Jack Baudo.

As the year winds down, I would like to say a personal thank-you to the project leaders and all the volunteers who gave their time for Madison County Master Gardener projects during 2021. Even though we continued to deal with the pandemic, our members went the extra mile. Transitioning between in-person and virtual meetings wasn’t always easy for everyone, but attendance was good and our program presentations were outstanding. Nancy Blair, our vice president of programs, already has several speakers lined up for 2022, and they will be excellent. An outstanding slate of board members will be serving our organization in 2022, and it will be my honor to serve as president for one more year. Fingers crossed that we will be able to resume in-person meetings and our popular add-a-dish in January. There will be a presentation on house plants by Tyler Taylor with Memphis Botanic Garden that you won’t want to miss. In February, we will celebrate accomplishments of members for 2021 and will welcome new certified members who are graduating interns.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

Knocking around Nacogdoches
....Carol Reese

I may have known more than the average Joan because of my farm background and family’s love of plants, but still, I am a relative newcomer to the world of plant geeks. I formally took up the study of horticulture in my mid-thirties and had a lot of catching up to do. Luckily, plant folks love to share plants and knowledge and I was greedy.

Around the circles of welcoming hard-core enthusiasts floated the names of horticultural giants that have moved the needle of plant collecting/sharing, and of striving always to educate anyone with an interest. Dr. David Creech is one of those giants. Even a brief summary of his lifetime would swallow this page, but Google him up and gawk! His impressive career at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas started in September, 1978 and he “ain’t done yet”! (My colloquialism, not his!)

Though I’ve met him a few times at conferences around the country and had a little correspondence with him over the years, I didn’t know the half of his contributions until my recent good fortune to be invited to the SFA Gardens to lecture to its enthusiastic and diverse supporters.

He is the noted woody ornamental guru I expected, but I had no idea of his work in fruits. He is THE blueberry expert in Texas, and maintains a collection of varieties at the SFA gardens along with a beautiful muscadine vineyard, a field of seventy different cultivars of figs, and an extensive planting of kiwi that has successfully cropped for several years now - with just a couple of weather-related missed years.

I expected to see an overwhelming number of rare plants from his many collecting trips overseas and in Mexico over the years, but somehow had missed that he had amassed an enormous repository of Taxodiums (bald cypress). Hundreds lined the waterways that drained through the campus, serving both as bank stabilization anchors, but also as a place to evaluate and select interesting variants on this genetically diverse plant for growth habit, foliage density and color, or general vigor and tolerance of challenging weather.

I was shocked at the number of Japanese maple cultivars that were prospering in the shadier regions of the extensive and varied SFA gardens. Did they not know that Zone 8b should have restricted their numbers to very few? I realized that this assumption of mine had to be reconsidered and now consider this to be a goldmine of information for those hoping to expand their collections in the deep south.

The plants were interesting enough, but their backstories created many entertaining moments of awe, humor, or even dismay about who profited when they were successfully introduced to the commercial trade. I am not known for being quiet, but on this occasion, I struggled to have the good sense to be quiet and listen. Dr. Jared Barnes gave me two hours of precious time that day, as he was just finishing classes and preparing for a horticulture student party/bonfire at his home that evening. He is one of our own, and the youngest of the master gardener interns ever to turn up in the classes I taught in west Tennessee over the years. At age 15, he begged his mother to take him, and she decided to sign them both up. All these years, I thought the reverse. After Jared finished his doctorate at the prestigious horticultural mecca of North Carolina State University (home of the Raulston Arboretum) he accepted a position at SFA and rapidly shot into the ranks of rising horticultural stars and has already assembled many prestigious awards. His high-energy, creative presentations have put him in deservedly high demand across the nation.

His leadership and the work of his enthusiastic students have led to his development of the Plantery, and the Sprout Garden. Foodscaping is a focal point they have created a deliciously beautiful vegetable garden. The immaculate state of these gardens and greenhouses reflect the beauty of the students ‘energy and passion. I smile yet when I think of their glow, and bold, clever questions.

The town of Nacogdoches is small and picturesque, easy to navigate, and has plenty of diverse food and entertainment options because of the sprawling university. The gardens are in its midst and many of its citizens were seen walking or having lunch at outdoor seating scattered through throughout, taking in the art and beauty provided as freely as air. https://www.visitnacogdoches.org/things-to-do/

There was much left unexplored, especially for the different seasons of interests that would spotlight different collections in the gardens, so I do hope this visit won’t be my last.

https://www.sfasu.edu/academics/colleges/forestry-agriculture/research-outreach/sfa-gardens

This and That

➢ According to The Old Farmer’s Almanac, the frost date is the average date of the last light freeze in the spring or the first light freeze in the fall. The classification of freeze temperatures is based on the effect on plants:
Light freeze 29o to 32 o F – tender garden plants are killed

Moderate freeze 25 o to 28 o F – widely destructive to most vegetation Severe freeze 24 o and colder – heavy damage to most garden plants
➢ There is still time to plant spring bulbs for them to get the winter chilling they need.
➢ In the event of wet snow, brush it off evergreens as it accumulates, or as soon as possible after the storm. Use a broom in an upward, sweeping motion. Serious damage can be caused by heavy wet snow.

➢ Avoid using salt to melt snow and ice from your walks and driveway, as it can be harmful to your plants and pets. Several environmentally friendly products are available at home improvement stores.

➢ As long as the ground is not frozen, you can continue to plant new trees and shrubs, just tuck them in with a 2- or 3-inch layer of mulch. Remember to keep the mulch away from the trunk.
➢ Pansies will benefit if you pinch off their withered and cold-damaged blooms.

Recipes

Apple Coleslaw (a Southern Living Recipe)
1⁄4 cup apple cider vinegar 2 (10 oz. ) pkg of coleslaw mix
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 4 green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp. honey 2 celery ribs, sliced
1⁄4 teasp. Salt 2 small Gala apples, chopped
1⁄4 teasp. Black pepper Garnishes: Dried Cranberries
1⁄4 cup canola oil almonds
Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Gradually add canola oil in a slow steady stream, whisking constantly until blended. Stir together shredded coleslaw mix and next 3 ingredients in a large bowl. Add vinegar mixture, tossing to

coat. Makes 8 servings. We also like it the next day

Roasted Sweet Potato Dip
3 cups chopped, peeled sweet potato (about 1 lb.) 21⁄2 cups chopped onion
11⁄2 cups chopped carrot
1 tbsp. olive oil

1⁄4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
1⁄4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Place mixture on a jelly- roll pan. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until sweet potatoes are tender. Combine sweet potato mixture, tahini, salt, and pepper in a food

Cranberry Balsamic Chicken
1 T. olive oil
1 lb. skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs 2 T. butter
1⁄2 cup fresh cranberries
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced 6 sprigs rosemary
2 tsp. thyme leaves
1 tbsp. brown sugar Zest of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 325° F. In a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat, heat olive oil. Add chicken skin side-down and cook until the skin is golden and crispy, about 4 minutes. Remove chicken from heat and place on plate, skin side-up. Melt butter in the same skillet then add cranberries, vinegar, garlic, brown sugar, and orange zest.

Return chicken to skillet and scatter herbs all around. Simmer until the liquid begins to thicken and the cranberries start to soften, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer to oven and cook until the chicken thighs are cooked through, 18 to 25 minutes more. Makes 6 servings.

Cranberry Fruit Tea (2 quarts water)
1 cup sugar
1⁄4 cup lemon juice 1⁄2 quart apple juice

1 quart cranberry juice 2 cups orange juice
2 cups strong tea

Boil water and sugar into a medium syrup. Mix all ingredients and chill. Makes 16 (8 oz) glasses.

President’s Message

It was great to see a lot of you at the fall plant sale and Bicentennial Heritage Festival last month. The plant sale spanned over three days and was extremely successful. A special thanks to the many volunteers who worked the sale. It wouldn’t be a success without your help.

After the plant sale ended on Thursday, we enjoyed a beautiful evening outdoors for our monthly meeting. Celeste and Jason provided a twilight tour of the UT Garden, and the weather couldn’t have been more perfect. The Heritage Festival the following Saturday celebrated 200 years of history, culture, and community. Madison County was established by the Tennessee Legislature on November 7, 1821, and was named after founding father and fourth president of the United States, James Madison. Our fellow Master Gardener, Elaine Christian, serves as the Bicentennial Celebration Committee
Chair.

As a final reminder, the deadline for posting volunteer and education hours into the database is Friday, November 12.

Our November meeting will feature a plant and seed swap. See you there!

Charlotte Jaquet,
President

PROGRAM NOTES
from Nancy Blair

Our November program will be an informal seed and plant swap and election of officers for 2022.

Seed and plant swap: bring any collected seed ready to distribute with basic label of plant name, planting and growing conditions. Several members have expressed wanting to give away plants rather than overwinter. If you have plants you would like to part with, this is your opportunity. Again, label with plant name and any instructions for basic care.

Officer election: A slate of officers will be presented and nominations will be accepted from the floor. If you know someone or if you would like to serve the club in an officer role, consider nominating at the November meeting.

No December meeting, we hope to resume a more normal meeting schedule in January.

Nancy Blair Vice President,
Programming

Impact survey 2021

It is that time of year when I ask y’all to provide me with honest feedback concerning Horticulture Programs from the current year. I ask that EVERYONE (no matter how active/inactive) take 5-7 minutes to answer these 10 questions for me. I can not impress upon you how important it is that we get as many responses as possible. This information is used to PROVE the value of Extension programs in our county (including the TEMG Program). I also use these responses to guide my planning for NEXT year. I want to know your thoughts and suggestions. This survey is open to ALL who have participated in any type of horticulture related education provided by Madison County Extension.

This includes but is not limited to: Website Use, Gardeners Toolshed Classes, Master Gardener Programs/Meetings/Classes, Facebook LIVE sessions, Zoom Classes, In-person classes/workshops, Plant Sales, Community Events, ect.....

Follow this link to continue on to the survey:
https://utk.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_81WbxxLR8nZ2LaJ

Reporting for 2021

It’s time to round up those service & education hours and get them into the TEMG Reporting Database. I realize that it has been more than a year since we have done this, but I think it’s going to be like riding a bike (you’ll remember how to do it when you get in there!) We are shooting for a reporting deadline date of Friday Nov. 12. I know that seems far away, but it will be here before you know it!! The FAQ below are from our MCMG Guidelines, and I think they will answer many of your questions about reporting. You will also find instructional steps to the 3 Major parts of using the TEMG Database. These are straight from the reporting ‘Cheat Sheet’ that I sent everyone in late October. If you still have questions, please contact one of the Tech Team members (contact information below). Please Please Please report ALL hours...even those beyond your requirements for service & education as they are ALL positive reflections of our work within the community!!

Hour Requirements

Interns pursuing certification: 40hr Service & 8hr Continued Education
Certified Members: 25hr Service & 8hr Continued Education
Certified Members 10yr Service & Above: 15 hours any combination of Service &/or Education
Emeritus Members: No Reporting

Deadlines

Year-end reporting of volunteer service and continued education hours will be due on the second Friday of November each year (November 12, 2021). You may guesstimate what time will be spent on volunteer service and education for the months of November and December, and INCLUDE those in the report. *In the past, we have reported in mid-December. However, deadlines for agents to report IMPACT have been moved forward, and I need to include the Master Gardener information in this program report. The only way to accomplish this is to move up the Master Gardener reporting deadline.

Volunteer Service: What Counts?

Any time spent working on Official MCMG Projects count towards service hours. In addition to Official Projects, members may contribute time to Civic/Community/Non-profit organizations on their own. These may include but are not limited to: City or County Government Buildings and Properties, Schools, Community Centers, Boys & Girls Clubs, Other Youth Organizations, Parks, Churches, etc...
*Participating in project work days is the BEST way to get to know one another, and I encourage everyone to pick at least 1 project that is close to your heart and support it. As long as our main projects are receiving adequate attention, we will not institute specific hour requirements spent on Official Projects as suggested by TEMG Guidelines.

Continued Education: What Counts?

Any event, class, lecture, tour, or trip that you participate in and contributes to your knowledge of horticulture is acceptable for continued education units. Research and study of an area of new interest to you as a gardener would also qualify. Please do not include watching TV Gardening shows that are not educational in nature. Gardening in the Mid-South with Chris Cooper is an excellent example of a TV Show that promotes education. Each monthly Master Gardener meeting that you attend also counts as 1 CEU hour.

Reporting Step-By-Step

Sign-In:

https://temg.tennessee.edu/
Click Sign In
Enter email
Enter password
Click Log-in
CEU Tab Navigation: Report Education Hours
Click CEU icon at the top of the menu bar
Click Log CEU Hours
Enter Program Name ex: Monthly MG Meeting
Enter Description ex: Carol Reese Native Plants
Select a Category from the drop down box. Doesn’t have to be exact.
Enter Hours spent learning
Select Program Date
Click Submit

*If the hours were successfully submitted, a message saying “CEU Report Saved” will appear on screen in green.

Project Tab Navigation: Report Service Hours

Click Project icon at the top menu bar
click Log Project Hours
select project from drop down list
click the green magnifying glass to open project
enter Hours, Miles, Project Date
click Submit

*If the hours were successfully submitted, a message saying “Report saved for the project titled: ____________” will appear on your screen in green!

Teach Team Members

Charlotte Jaquet (TEAM Chair)
731-394-6528
cjaquet@gmail.com

Jamie Boone
7312252991
Boonejc@hotmail.com

Susan Bosco
214 406-5952
sebosco@msn.com

Terri Bowling
3176036038
hogwash1954@sbcglobal.net

Don Cartwright
7314263763
doncartwright@live.com

Trish Dycus
7314991176
trishdycus@gmail.com

Don Jaquet
731-394-1243
djaquet@charter.net

Marie Kyper
731-414-8264
reeree@click1.net

Jane Anne Lane
731-686-8425
janeannlane98@gmail.com

Manuel McKnight
731-217-2740
a1saws@bellsouth.net

Anita Medley
9012625172
anitamedley@yahoo.com

David Nailing
(731) 499-2494
n4jdn1@gmail.com

Celeste Pope
731-300-0521
celpope@aol.com

Stephen Pope
7314154984
scpope53@gmail.com

Ken Stumpenhorst
731-225-1246
stumpenhorstk@bellsouth.net

Jane Ann Davis
731-988-6360
janeanndavis@charter.net

SIGN UP NOW FOR OUR SPECIAL FALL SMART YARD SERIES FOR EXTENSION MASTER GARDENERS

Join Extension Master Gardeners from around the state for three Tuesday morning sessions all about the Tennessee Smart Yards Program. Tuesdays at 10 eastern/9 central on Nov. 2nd, 9th, and 16th.
On Nov. 2nd, we'll focus on Smart Landscapes - application in your own backyard
On. Nov. 9th, we'll focus on Smart Communities with insights and snapshots from Franklin, TN efforts
On. Nov. 16th, we'll dive into how the Smart Yards program can be used for EMG outreach and connect with new efforts in Knox County.
These sessions are all free and open to EMGs across TN- simply sign up here on this Google form: https://forms.gle/iFhusbusfTtoYFMn7

November MCMG Monthly Meeting
- Seed & Plant Swap!!
- This will be our last meeting of the year
- Announcements, Elections, and SEED & PLANT SWAP!!
-More information to come, but start collecting your seed NOW ☺

November Tasks

Fruits and Vegetables

Plant garlic
Harvest cool season plantings
Clean up remains from warm season plants
Note first killing frost date
If you haven’t already planted, consider a cover crop for your garden space
Late month is okay to prune dead or diseased fruit tree limbs
November is a good month to document varieties that did well, any pest ordisease issues, any other notes that will be useful for next year.

Flowers and Ornamentals

November is ideal for planting or transplanting trees, shrubs, and fruit crops
Keep heavy layers of leaves removed from the lawn. Mowing light layers will mulch and add nutrients to the lawn
November is time to apply herbicide to control wild onion if a problem in the lawn
Cut off asparagus tops and mulch
Spraying fruit trees with a dormant horticultural oil will help control wintering pests and diseases
Secure raspberry and blackberry canes
Force bulbs for indoor blooming. Start paperweights in late November for Christmas blooming
Ideal time to plant spring flowering bulbs
Clean up dormant perennials, mulch will stabilize soil temps and prevent winter plant injury.

Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Blondies

Prep Time 15 minutes | Cook Time 25 minutes | Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter
• 1/2 cup pumpkin butter
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Add the butter to a medium pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown, until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir often. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the pumpkin butter and brown sugar. Let cool 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, mixing until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the dough out into the prepared dish.
3. Evenly sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough (if desired), then add a handful more of chocolate chips. Bake for 25-30 minutes, just until set in the center. Let cool. Cut into bars…snack and enjoy!

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming fall plant sale and Bicentennial Heritage Festival. Make note that our monthly meeting on Thursday, October 7, will begin 30 minutes earlier than usual. We will start at 6:00 p.m. to be able to enjoy a tour of UT Gardens led by Celeste and Jason. Bring a chair to gather around and visit after the tour. The end of the year is almost here. As a reminder, all volunteer service and continued education hours should be entered into the TEMG database by November 12. Please guesstimate hours that will be achieved through the months of November and December and include those with your report. Annual minimums are 25 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of continued education. Those who have been certified as Madison County Master Gardeners for more than ten years require 15 hours of combined volunteer and/or continued education annually. The reporting deadline will be here before you know it, so be sure to log on

and update your information. https://temg.tennessee.edu

Charlotte Jaquet,
President

PROGRAM NOTES from Nancy Blair
October 7 - Meeting Announcement

Our plans have changed regarding our October meeting. We had invited Susan Martin from Holland, Michigan to come, actually last October, but Covid happened and we rescheduled her for this October. Due to the recent surge in Covid cases locally, we made the decision to postpone her once again and look forward to seeing her next year. Because of the surge in cases, we will be meeting October 7 at 6pm, and outside. We want to encourage folks to distance while our own Celeste and Jason take us on a tour of our UT Garden at the WREC. Many of us will be there helping Jason and Carson with the plant sale. Feel free to bring your own food and a chair, maybe even a lantern, and we will have an opportunity to enjoy OUR garden and visit with each other.

We will tour first then do announcements and visit. Sunset is at 6:30 that night so we will start at 6. Pass the word along and plan to join everyone for a relaxed evening in the garden.

November meeting: Our November meeting will include a plant and seed swap. Now is prime seed gathering. Again, we will be aware of the situation with Covid and plan accordingly

Nancy Blair Vice President, Programming

---

OCTOBER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Tuesdays at 9 a.m.: Facebook Live with Celeste and Jason. View on UT Gardens Jackson page.

SIGN UP NOW FOR OUR SPECIAL FALL SMART YARD SERIES FOR EXTENSION MASTER GARDENERS
Join Extension Master Gardeners from around the state for three Tuesday morning sessions all about the Tennessee Smart Yards Program. Tuesdays at 10 eastern/9 central on Nov. 2nd, 9th, and 16th.

On Nov. 2nd, we'll focus on Smart Landscapes - application in your own backyard
On. Nov. 9th, we'll focus on Smart Communities with insights and snapshots from Franklin, TN efforts
On. Nov. 16th, we'll dive into how the Smart Yards program can be used for EMG outreach and connect with new efforts in Knox County.

These sessions are all free and open to EMGs across TN- simply sign up here on this Google form: https://forms.gle/iFhusbusfTtoYFMn7

Talk of the Town
Celeste Scott, Horticulture Extension Agent

I wanted to go ahead and let everyone know that we have changes to our Oct. 7th MCMG Meeting schedule. The time is being moved UP to 6:00pm. We will be OUTSIDE in the garden at the WTREC and the sun will be fading quickly at that point, so be sure to bring a lantern or flashlight! We will take a short twilight tour of the annual trials, and then have association updates and fellowship.

Please bring a camp chair or blanket as well as a sack lunch or picnic. If you like! Come experience the garden in a new perspective during twilight and darkness ! ! I hope to see you there!

Gardeners ToolShed Series- This educational series will wrap up in September so don’t miss our final sessions!

- September 27th - Preserving Flowers
Join via ZOOM
- If you missed previous sessions, they can be found on our website http://madisoncountymg.org/ under the Videos tab.

Fall Plant Sale & Lecture Series
- UT Gardens Jackson @ West TN Research & Education Center
- Thursday October 7th
▪ Lectures tentatively at 10:30am & 6:30pm FREE and open to the public
▪ Plant Sale Noon-6pm o Friday October 8th
▪ Plant Sale Noon-6pm
Bicentennial Festival
- Saturday October 9th 10am-4pm
- West TN Research & Education Center o Plant Sale Continues 10am-4pm
November MCMG Monthly Meeting
     - Seed & Plant Swap!!
     - This will be our last meeting of the year
     - Announcements, Elections, and SEED & PLANT SWAP!!
     - More information to come, but start collecting your seed NOW☺

Gardening Tip - Allow plants to finish the summer growth cycle in a normal manner. Never encourage new growth with heavy applications of fertilizer or excessive pruning this late in the season. The plant will not properly harden off, and an early freeze can injure new growth

October Tasks

Vegetable and Fruits

• Early fall is the driest time of the year in Tn. Be prepared to meet crop water needs
• Most cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower should be transplanted by mid-month
• Row covers can reduce insects on your cool season crops
• It’s time to select fruit cultivars for fall or early spring planting
• September through November is time to plant garlic
• Remove warm season crops as they finish producing. If the plants were healthy, they can go into the compost pile
• Fast growing fall crops may need a side dressing of fertilizer after established

Lawn and Ornamentals

• Plan fall pot planting of ornamental cabbages, kale, pansies and violas • Keep dead-heading blooming flowers to ensure continued bloom
• Collect seed from annuals and perennials for sharing or next year sowing. Store in paper instead of plastic
• This is not a time to fertilize and encourage new growth. Allow plants to naturally harden off and prepare for colder weather
• watch for pest on pumpkins, gourds, squash, and melons. Cucumber beetles can be controlled with Sevin
• Harvest pumpkins when the color deepens and skin hardens. Wash fruits in a weak bleach solution and store in a cool dry location until ready for use
• Gourds are better left on the vine until the vine starts to die back
• Order and purchase bulbs before October 1. Store in cool, dry location until planting

A new Madison County Master Gardener training class started on August 17. The 19 interns are from different areas of West Tennessee and have varied backgrounds and interests. I’m excited for them to join us and be a part of our wonderful organization.

As always, a big thank you goes to the volunteers who have been diligently working on projects around town. Please check out the Madison County Master Gardener website for volunteer service opportunities.

Don’t miss this month’s meeting. Mark Carter from Carter’s Nursery, Pond and Patio will be discussing water features. Mark and his team have designed and built two water features for us, and they provide a peaceful and tranquil setting in our landscape. He will also give us details on their upcoming Moonlight Pond Tour scheduled for September 18.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

PROGRAM NOTES from Nancy Blair

September Speaker: Mark Carter, Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio Program: Water Features
Mark Carter lives and gardens in Jackson. Mark is the owner/operator and lead designer of Carter’s Nursery, Pond & Patio, a 7-acre nursery/garden center and landscape design/build firm here in Jackson, Tennessee. Mark has been designing beautiful water features and landscapes all around the mid-south since 1989. Mark was one of the founding board members of the Certified Aquascape Contractors Program, is an accomplished writer and speaker, and does a live weekly radio garden segment on Fridays from 9-11 a.m. on WNWS 101.5 FM in Jackson. You can contact Mark at his nursery office by phone at 731-424-2206 or online at www.cartercountry.com

Nancy Blair Vice President, Programming

September Educational Opportunities

Tuesdays: 9:00 a.m. Facebook Live in the UT Garden with Jason and Celeste
9/3 9:00 a.m. Facebook Live with Celeste. Season Extension in the Veggie Garden. Madison County Master Gardener Facebook page
9/17-9/18 Western Region TEMG Conference, Clarksville, TN Register at https://secure.touchnet.com/C21610_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp? PRODUCTID=1671&SINGLESTORE=true
9/20 12:00 noon Gardener Toolshed with Celeste. Seed Collection and Storage. Register for Zoom or catch on Facebook
9/24 10:00 a.m. Friday Focus. Zoom tour Lebanon, OH Arboretums. Register https://extension.Tennessee.edu/MasterGardener/
9/27 12:00 noon Gardener Toolshed with Celeste. Pressing and Preserving Flowers. Register for Zoom or catch on Facebook

Talk of the Town - September 2021
Celeste Scott Horticulture Extension Agent

I hope everyone enjoyed the August MCMG Monthly Meeting. Jason and I had a blast and I could not be more impressed with the arrangements that you all put together that very next day at our Flower Arrangement Workshop. We incorporated flower material from the local wholesale florist with accents and fillers from here at the UT Gardens, and the results were truly stunning. We had enough supplies for participants to design an arrangement to take home, as well as one to donate. In total, we took 42 individual fresh flower arrangements to a local nursing home/rehabilitation facility, Maplewood Health Care Center, where they were distributed among the residents. This was truly a fun and rewarding effort!!

I keep looking forward to the arrival of Fall and all of the horticulture projects and activities that come along with the season, but Summer and its unrelenting heat just WILL NOT let go! Nevertheless, I want to share with you all of the plans that are in store.

• Fall Gardeners Festival
   - Tuesday August 31st @ 9am-3pm
   - UT Gardens Crossville at the Plateau AgResearch & Education Center
   - Free! More information HERE

Gardeners ToolShed Series- This educational series will wrap up in September so don’t miss our final sessions!
   - Friday September 3rd- Season Extension in Veggie Gardens
Join via Facebook Live from the Madison County Master Gardener group page
   - September 20th- Seed Collection & Storage
Join via ZOOM Register HERE
   - September 27th- Preserving Flowers
Join via ZOOM Register HERE
   - If you missed previous sessions, they can be found on our website http://madisoncountymg.org/ under the Videos tab

Western Region TEMG Conference
   - September 17th, & 18th
   - Clarksville, TN
   - Conference Schedule, Lodging, and Details Register HERE

Fall Plant Sale & Lecture Series
   - UT Gardens Jackson @ West TN Research & Education Center
   - Thursday October 7th
- Lectures tentatively at 10:30am & 6:30pm FREE and open to the public
- Plant Sale Noon-6pm
   - Friday October 8th
- Plant Sale Noon-6pm

Bicentennial Festival
   - Saturday October 9th 10am-4pm
   - West TN Research & Education Center
   - Plant Sale Continues 10am-4pm

November MCMG Monthly Meeting
   - Seed & Plant Swap!!
   - This will be our last meeting of the year
   - Announcements, Elections, and SEED & PLANT SWAP!!
   - More information to come, but start collecting your seed NOW ☺

Join EMGs from across the western region and the state on September
17th and 18th for our Western Region TEMG Conference. Our hosts, the
Montgomery County Master Gardeners, have planned a great Friday and
Saturday of horticulture content and local activities to educate and
entertain! We'll have an afternoon tour as well a s dinner and speaker on
Friday evening the 17th at Liberty Park Then, on Saturday the 18th, we'll
have a full day of horticulture tours and teaching sessions all from
beautiful Freedom Point at Liberty Park
Registration deadline September 13
https://secure.touchnet.com/C21610_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=1671&SINGLESTORE=true

September Tasks

Vegetable and Fruits
• Early fall is the driest time of the year in Tn. Be prepared to meet crop water needs
• Most cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflower should be transplanted by mid-month
• Row covers can reduce insects on your cool season crops
• It’s time to select fruit cultivars for fall or early spring planting
• September through November is time to plant garlic
• Remove warm season crops as they finish producing. If the plants were healthy, they can go into the compost pile
• Fast growing fall crops may need a side dressing of fertilizer after established

Lawn and Ornamentals
• Plan fall pot planting of ornamental cabbages, kale, pansies and violas
• Keep dead-heading blooming flowers to ensure continued bloom
• Collect seed from annuals and perennials for sharing or next year sowing. Store in paper instead of plastic
• This is not a time to fertilize and encourage new growth. Allow plants to naturally harden off and prepare for colder weather
• watch for pest on pumpkins, gourds, squash, and melons. Cucumber beetles can be controlled with Sevin
• Harvest pumpkins when the color deepens and skin hardens. Wash fruits in a weak bleach solution and store in a cool dry location until ready for use
• Gourds are better left on the vine until the vine starts to die back
• Order and purchase bulbs before October 1. Store in cool, dry location until planting

Gardening Safety
Manuel McKnight

Avoiding or minimizing garden mishaps was the goal of this attempt at writing about garden safety. I have found that I need as much help being safe as anyone else. Maybe it helped you as well.

This final article will be about garden machinery.

Tillers are designed to rip and tear through soil. In the process, they can also damage our bodies. The shaking and jerking, especially when tilling virgin soil can cause soreness and pain in various parts of the body. The larger the tiller, the harder it can be to handle. Front tine tillers are the least desirable. Rear tine tillers are better. Rear tine tillers with counter rotating tines are the easiest to use on level ground. Adjustable handles will make the tiller fit you. High rear facing exhaust pipes could be a problem as the fumes could blow into the operator’s face on windy days.

Small tractors with mowers and PTO are extremely dangerous. The manufacturer adds many safety features to avoid injuries. Disabling or bypassing these features can cause harm or dismemberment or death. No man or woman is strong enough to counteract the forces of even the smallest tractor mower. The safety option most often bypassed is the seat switch. The seat switch will disengage the mower or kill the engine should the operator leave the seat. Getting a foot damaged by rotating blades is thus minimized. Making contact with a rotating shaft from the PTO is minimized because the engine cannot output power if it is not running. New tractor mowers are designed to be safer. Please read the operator’s manual.

Most manufacturers have developed battery operated versions of their tillers and garden tractors. These will be more prevalent in the market place as the reliability and run time increases. As of today, they can be purchased or researched online.

The board invites all Madison County Master Gardeners to submit articles to the newsletter. .
M. McKnight

PROGRAM NOTES from Nancy Blair

August 5th
Cut Flower Harvest, Handling, & Arrangement with UT Extension Agent Celeste Scott, and UT Gardens- Jackson Curator Jason Reeves

You don’t want to miss this month’s CEU opportunity at the MCMGs August meeting! With Summer well under way and flower blooms abounding, this is the perfect time to talk about Harvesting, Handling, and Arrangement of cut flower from the garden. We will have examples of various arrangement styles to view, as well as live demonstrations. This session will hopefully get many of you ready for a HANDS-ON WORKSHOP that will take place on the following day, Friday August 6th at the WTREC. We have approximately 60 slots available to MCMG Members only. This workshop is being sponsored by the MCMG Board of Directors and comes at NO COST! Flowers, Vases, and supplies will be provided. If you are interested in putting concepts learned from our meeting into practice, make sure to SIGN-UP ASAP by clicking this link

https://signup.com/go/uCUNqPG

This month’s speaker Celeste Scott

I grew up on a production row crop and beef cattle farm in what used to be a very rural area of south Gibson County. I was pretty much a daddy’s farm girl. I went to work with my dad whenever my mom would let me, and I still remember her warning me not to go in the hog houses unless I wanted to get my hair washed when I got home. I loved horses, which I still do, and got one of my own when I was 10. Each year I raised and cared for chickens, hogs, and a steer that I showed and auctioned in our county fair until the year I graduated high school. Even though my mom wasn’t much of a gardener, I somehow decided that I loved flowers!! I planted my first cut flower bed after seeing my Sunday school teacher’s garden and realizing that people grew plants for fun not just to eat! My family also grew a truck crop patch of tomatoes and sweet corn that my siblings and I each had an opportunity to care for and use the money made to help us with college expenses, but I was the only one ever referred to by the locals as the ‘Tomato Girl.’ I also worked at a local plant nursery during high school. On a side note (no pun intended) I love music! I play the piano, flute, and was in high school marching band color guard. I loved band so much, that I joined the ‘Band of Blue’ at MTSU, and to be truthful, that is the real reason I decided to go to college in Murfreesboro. I LOVED their band!!

At MTSU I majored in Plant & Soil Science with a minor in Biology and was a leader in the School of Agriculture and College of Basic & Applied Sciences at MTSU. After graduation, I joined TN Farmers Co-op as a management trainee, and went on to work for First Farmers Co-op in Lexington, TN as their showroom manager. I have now been with UT Extension as a county horticulture agent for 7 years and have enjoyed helping Extension carry out their mission of providing “Real.Life.Solutions.” to the residents of TN in the area of horticulture through outreach & education. My husband and I live on my family’s farm in Gibson County with our two children Lane 6 and Ellie RaeLynn 3. Life is fun and full of surprises!!

August Tasks

Fruit and Vegetables

• Scout and manage weeds. It can help this year AND next • Select seed for fall seeding of cool-season crops
• Get those “best of show” crops ready for the county fair • Order seed for winter cover crops

• Winter squash is harvest ready when the rind hardens • Continue watering when drought conditions exist

Flowers and Ornamentals

• Collect seeds from annuals and perennials for next year’s garden. Place in paper bags and label • Cut the spent blooms from Vitex to encourage another flush of bloom
• Fertilize roses one last time. Avoid fertilizing most trees and shrubs from August to November • Mow at a higher level during dry spells

• Make photos of your garden to help remember what worked and what didn’t. During the winter, make decisions about making changes

• Gather herbs and flowers for drying and preserving

• Divide and transplant bearded Iris this month • Dig and divide day lilies during August

• Stop watering amaryllis late this month and place in a dry location. After leaves turn yellow, remove the foliage and store the bulb in a cool, dark, and dry place for about 2 months.

• Order spring flowering bulbs to plant in October and November.

August Educational Opportunities

o Tuesdays: Facebook Live with Celeste and Jason in the UT Gardens. 9am
o August 9: noon; Fall Gardens in the South Start NOW. REGISTER on madisoncountymg.org\August

20: 9am, Facebook Live; Indoor Plant Selection and Care
o August 23:noon;photographyintheGarden.REGISTERonmadisoncountymg.org

Register now for the Western Region TEMG Conference in Clarksville, September 17-18

UT Gardens, Knoxville Garden Trip to Nashville Tuesday - Wednesday, September 14 - 15, 2021

Registration Deadline is Wednesday, August 11 (or until we reach 49 registrants) Strictly limited to 49 registrants, but we will have a waitlist.

Don’t miss this opportunity to join the UT Gardens as we visit the horticultural side of Music City! This overnight trip includes a night's stay in the horticultural gem Opryland Conservatory Hotel, visits to private and public gardens, the world's largest African violet grower, and several special nurseries and garden centers. We will even eat lunch at the famed Loveless Cafe where you can enjoy one of their legendary biscuits

For more info: https://ag.tennessee.edu/utg/Pages/nashville_trip_2021.aspx

Join EMGs from across the western region and the state on September 17th and 18th for our Western Region TEMG Conference.

Our hosts, the Montgomery County Master Gardeners, have planned a great Friday and Saturday of horticulture content and local activities to educate and entertain!

We'll have an afternoon tour as well as dinner and speaker on Friday evening the 17th at Liberty Park Then, on Saturday the 18th, we'll have a full day of horticulture tours and teaching sessions all from beautiful Freedom Point at Liberty Park

https://secure.touchnet.com/C21610_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=1671&SINGLESTORE=true

Union University Master Gardener project by Donald Collomp

I enrolled in the Madison County Master Gardener training in 2019 and was certified in the Spring of 2020 just before Covid Pandemic set in and many events ceased.

One day I was walking on the Union University campus in March 2021, (which I am an alumnus of (1993), and I noticed that there were two triangular shaped beds that were not really improved except a few flowers at the end corners and around the tree trunks. These few flowers were planted by a parent of a student from what I was told. They were not taken care of and many were dead or dying and got no more care for than what Mother Nature gave them. I wanted to really enhance and beautify these two triangular flower beds for the enjoyment of all who walked past them and hopefully inspire people.

I contacted the Union University Maintenance dept and asked if I could improve the two specific triangular flower beds since I am a Master Gardener and alumni. The Union Maintenance supervisor asked a few questions and wanted to let the Administration know of my plans.

That’s when the real work started, the planning and layout of creating a from scratch flowerbed. I asked Celeste Scott and Jason Reeves their opinions of design and types of flowers for the beds before starting but ultimately the project was all on me. The designing, all of the ground prep work, planting and caring for all plants and upkeep of the beds.

I first started on 14 April 2021 by spraying the odd and end grasses that had started taking over in both flowerbeds. I had to spray again two days later and then started tilling a day afterwards. There were a lot of weeds and grasses that I raked up and disposed of out of these two beds after the spraying. I purchased a load of compost and took a load of new dirt to both beds and mixed them together with my tiller. After tilling the compost and new dirt, I started shaping the contour of the beds. This gave it a tiered look for my various plants and raised the plants higher than the sidewalk levels. I planted some annuals (wide varieties) on the lower but also on the upper level according to the size of plants I choose to plant. I planted some perennials (Cannas, Irises and Spiraea bushes). I used a load of red colored mulch on one of the flowerbeds to differentiate an upper level of plants and also with some brown mulch to finish around the edges of the whole flowerbed. I also wanted to incorporate in one of the flowerbeds, the Union University initials which I planted using Red Leaf Wax Begonia’s with a white aluminum frame surrounding them.

I have thirty-five hours of prepping the soil, putting in new compost and dirt, tilling, contouring the beds, planting and mulching the two beds from start to finish. There are roughly 250 plants that I planted from April to late May. I encourage anyone to go take a walk along the Great Lawn Sidewalk and the two triangular beds that are located on the main walkway between the Logos Library, Jennings and Providence Halls. I already have plans on changing up the plantings of the beds for a different look next year!

Gardening Safety

Manuel McKnight
August 2021
Gardening Safety Slips, Trips and Falls

Although nothing can be done about some of the incidents that causes one to slip, trip or fall, we can limit the incidents that cause us to abandon our normal upright position. Using good shoes or boots that are designed to help prevent slipping is a good starting point. Footwear designed to help prevent slipping are now lightweight, cost less and are more reliable than in the past. They are not as comfortable as other footwear. Some of them combine too many features. The pair I have are also waterproof. They have no vents to let sweat out or cool air in. So, I rest a lot (with my shoes off) and wash them every week. So far, they have held up well over the two years that I have owned them. Washing them every week only occurs during the weeks that I actually use them. If you don’t have footwear that helps to prevent slipping, you may want to invest in a pair.

Trips can occur when who know what presents itself around our feet, ankles or legs without us being aware that a problem exists. In an instant, we are headed toward the ground looking for something to grab or hang on to. Often, we see what caused the trip as we are falling. If we survive without any damage, we promise ourselves never to make that mistake again. The main problem for gardeners is we have so many things we use that can cause serious trips. Tools with long handles that we or our helpers leave laying on the ground. Tools with short handles that can flip up or to the side when stepped on, that can trip us up and lacerate us. Even leaning against a wall, a tool can be a danger. I have found that it is best to voice my opinion about keeping tools out of the walkway. Sometimes my opinion is listened to and sometimes not. The sad reality is that it is my duty to make sure I know that my walkway is clear.

Slips and trips are included in falls. But so is losing balance when trying to maneuver over rough terrain, sideways on hillsides, up and down stairs and ladders and all the other things that make gardening a challenge. Here once again, the soil and our structures are our friends and our enemies. When I go to a strange location, I often wonder should I wear an indestructible body suit. Of course, I would never do that. But every location has its quirks that should be learned as the gardener repeatedly works it. We should not blindly go and assume that there are no irregularities. Holes hidden under grass where a tree was removed and not filled in. Loose concrete and bricks. Any sudden elevation change can cause an injury, especially if the gardener is carrying something and not expecting their next step to be different than the last one. During my life, I have had so many sprained ankles and sore butts from slips, trips and falls that it’s a wonder I’m not using a cane. Be careful, watch your step, make an extra trip, don’t try to carry it all at once if it’s too heavy or blocks your eyesight. Take your time, be mindful of your steps and be safe!

M. McKnight

It was so exciting to see everyone in person for our June monthly meeting. We had 112 in-person attendees and 14 Zoom attendees. I am glad we could offer virtual attendance for those who could not join us in person.

Jason Reeves took this picture as we were getting started with the meeting. Look at all those smiling faces!

Manuel McKnight, Vice President of Projects, has been working hard to make sure our projects are running smoothly. We will be adding new volunteer opportunities at various projects, both old and new, so please keep checking the Sign Up page on the Madison County Master Gardener website to sign up and participate in those events.

There will not be a July meeting, but we will see everyone on August 5th at 6:30 p.m. Celeste will make an announcement closer to the meeting date regarding the bring-a-dish portion of our meeting and whether the meeting will be offered virtually.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

PROGRAM NOTES from Nancy Blair

No July Meeting

July is such a busy month and we are usually very busy getting ready for the Summer Celebration plant sale, so we don’t meet in July. Check out the Educational Opportunities for a list of many learning opportunities being offered in July and the registration for virtual Summer Celebration. Never fear, we are already making plans for August-November meeting programs. August program will be our own Celeste Scott and will include a day of workshops. Be watching for more information and signups for a hands-on workshop experience. More about that later! Let me know of any additional meeting ideas or suggestions for next year’s programs you might like to have. We are already making plans!

Nancy Blair Vice President, Programming

Summer Celebration 2021

Join Us Online for Summer Celebration 2021This year, Summer Celebration is coming to your home. Join us online for a LIVE TOUR of the UT Gardens-Jackson, followed by educational presentations covering a variety of landscaping, ornamental, and horticultural topics. Live Content Begins on Thursday July 8, 2021 at 9am.

Preview the program and register now (https://westtn.tennessee.edu/summer- celebration-2021/),then use this same link to attend!
•Presentations will cover landscaping for pollinators, moss lawns, mushrooms in the

yard, watering tips, medicinal herbs, and much, much more! •Special guests include UT Ag Research Dean Hongwei Xin, UT Extension Dean Ashley Stokes, and Mr. Morgan Adcock, TN Nursery and Landscape Association president.

July Tasks

• Pumpkins should be planted by early July
• Order seed for Fall-Cool season planting
• Keep weeding!
• Record your harvests and keep up with better producing varieties
• Late July, start seeding for fall cool-season transplants
• Remove blackberry floricanes after fruiting
• Monitor for diseases, lots of harvest if plants remain healthy

Grass and Ornamentals

• Propagation of many ornamentals by layering is an easy way to expand the garden. Hydrangea, viburnums, weigela, and climbing roses are a few ornamentals that layer easily. Fasten a limb to the ground with a brick or other heavy object and cover with soil
• Deadhead hydrangea arborescens for continued bloom
• Raise the height of the mower to reduce stress on your lawn
• Keep pinching chrysanthemum and asters till mid month
• Deadhead perennials to lengthen bloom time. Remove fading flowers to a leaf node or new bud Cut-back by 1/3 annuals that are getting leggy. Give them a shot of fertilizer to help them bloom into fall.
•Cut flowers for bouquets in the early morning and immediately place in water

Gardening Safety
Manuel McKnight
July 2021

It’s time to address the most dangerous safety issue that can affect gardeners. That issue is heat related illness. In the past, there were 5 issues. There are now seven. I will list them in order from the most serious to “you’ve probably had the symptoms already and you recovered”. All of the information for this article comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) website.

The most serious is Heat Stroke which can be fatal if not recognized and treated immediately. Symptoms: Confusion, altered mental status, slurred speech, loss of consciousness, hot dry skin, profuse sweating, seizures, very high body temperature (103F or higher) First aid: Call 911 and stay with gardener until EMS arrives, get the gardener to shade, fan to keep cool, DO NOT give them anything to drink.

Heat Exhaustion can occur when the gardener has an excessive loss of water and salt through sweating. Gardeners who are older with high blood pressure working in hot conditions are most prone. Symptoms: Headache, nausea, dizziness, weakness, irritability, thirst, heavy sweating, change in skin tone and decreased urine output. First Aid: Call 911 and stay with gardener until help arrives, move to cooler place, give frequent sips of cool water.

Heat Cramps can occur when the gardener sweats a lot during strenuous activities. Loss of salt causes painful cramps similar to heat exhaustion. Symptoms: Muscle cramps, pain or spasms in the abdomen, arms or legs. First Aid: Drink water, have a snack, drink a sports drink, avoid salt, get medical help if the gardener has heart problems or the symptoms do not go away in 1hour.

Rhabdomyolysis can occur when heat stress and prolonged physical exertion results in the rapid breakdown, rupture and death of muscle. When muscle tissue dies, electrolytes and large proteins are released and can cause irregular hear rhythm, seizures and kidney damage. Symptoms: Muscle cramps, weakness, abnormally dark urine, unable to exercise, symptoms may not present themselves immediately. First Aid: Stop activity, increase water intake, go to nearest medical facility and ask to be checked for rhabdomyolysis.

Heat Syncope is a fainting episode or dizziness that can occur with prolonged standing or sudden rising from a sitting or lying position. Symptoms: Dizziness, fainting, light-headedness. First Aid: Sit or lie down in a cool place. Slowly drink water, clear juice or a sports drink.

Heat Rash is a skin condition caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather. Symptoms: A red cluster of pimples or small blisters appears on the neck, upper chest, groin and/or elbow creases. First Aid: Go to a cooler, less humid location. Keep the area dry, Do not use ointments or creams .

Sunburn occurs when the skin becomes irritated from too much sun exposure. Symptoms: Blisters on any part of the exposed skin and/or painful, red warm skin. First Aid: Stay out of the sun, take a cool bath or shower, do not break blisters, apply moisturizing lotion to the sunburned area. This entire article was condensed from the cdc.govwebsite. At the website you can find a Heat Related Illnesses Poster to print or just save the website to your phone. Some of the illnesses are very similar and deal with specific body temperatures. If you have an emergency that you suspect is heat related and you don’t know how to classify it, call 911. Better safe than sorry!

Be safe, stay cool, garden during the early morning or late afternoon.
M. McKnight

June 2021

President’s Message

Another successful plant sale is in the books. Madison County Master Gardeners were able to see a net profit of $10,927.44 from this year’s sale. Thank you to everyone who helped make that happen. The plants donated by our members were healthy and beautiful and sold out quickly. The plant sale team once again made it look easy, but the work and planning that goes into the sale is amazing.

Our fundraising efforts allow us to give back to the community. We have awarded a $2,500 scholarship to this year’s winner, Nicole McRae, a senior from South Side High School in Jackson. Nicole has been active in her school’s agriculture programs and will be attending JSCC and then UT Martin to pursue a degree in agriculture.

Remember to check out volunteer and education opportunities at madisoncountymg.org. Interns who attended classes in the fall of 2019 and 2020 need to make sure they are making plans to complete their 40 hours of volunteer service and 8 hours of continued education before the end of this year. Our Growth Team will be reaching out to interns to answer any questions they may have and to guide them along in their journey to become certified Master Gardeners.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

PROGRAM NOTES from Nancy Blair

June Program: Flavor in the Fence Row

June Program Speaker, Carol Reese is the UT Extension Horticulture Specialist for the western region. She's spoken at many gardening symposia across the US, blending equal parts gardening knowledge, natural lore, and quirky humor. Her B.S. and M.S. in Horticulture are from Mississippi State University, and she could also add her PhD. if she “had ever written that damn dissertation!” There she taught classes in Plant Materials, and co-taught Landscape Design for non LA majors alongside a “real” landscape architect.

She is a prolific writer and has produced innumerable newspaper columns and magazine articles, and was the Q&A columnist for Horticulture Magazine “back in the day”. She attributes her love of horticulture to being raised on a farm by generations of opinionated plant nuts, including a grandfather who dynamited his garden spot each spring to “break up his hard pan”.

Carol’s very personal appreciation of natural lore is at least partially a result of her near daily rambles through the wild areas near her home with her motley collection of mutts, aka known as the strong-willed breed of “Amalgamations”. Yes, they are a hunting breed, mostly of newly planted bulbs.

June Program: Flavor in the Fence Row. Foraging for wild food may be seen as extreme, but if it is tasty as well as easy to gather and prepare, why wouldn’t you? Garnishing and flavoring cuisine with wild flowers and berries is a longstanding tradition in many cultures, and has largely been forgotten in today’s kitchens, yet can make your dish the talk of the potluck. Learn how to identify and harvest tasty edibles in the wild through stories of Carol’s own fence row foraging exploits.

June Educational Opportunities

Tuesday’s 9 am: Jason and Celeste FB Live In the Garden. Join live on the UT Gardens Jackson FB page

June 7 and 21: Gardeners Toolshed, Noon. June 7, Native Plants for Downspouts and Rain Gardens. June 21, Pollinator Party. Register from the link on madisoncountymg.org web page

June 18: Weekend Warrior 10 am. Rain Barrels Hosted from the Madison County Master Gardener FB page. No registration

June 24: TEMG 3rd Thursday with Plants, What is a Sustainable Landscape? Register from the TEMG web page

Continuing Education By Jenifer Trimble

It is getting that time of year when people start getting cabin fever. You are itching to get out and explore. How about attending a garden symposium of conference outside of Tennessee? Bonus is that you can also earn continuing education units. Here is what is found in happening in 2021

June 2021
American Public Garden Association Virtual Conference June 7-10. Registration begins in March. https://www.publicgardens.org/professional-development/events/2021- virtual-annual-conference

July 2021
National Children & Youth Garden Virtual Symposium July 7-9. Cost $80 for non members https://ahsgardening.org/gardening-programs/youth-gardening/ncygs/ncygs- 2021/

Cultivate'21 July 10-13. Columbus, Ohio Cost $499 for Non American hort members.
Registration open in March. https://www.cultivateevent.org/registration#Packages

Hybrid National Virtual Symposium. July 27-29. https://perennialplant.org/page/attendees

September 2021
International Master Gardener Virtual conference September 12-17.
Registration opens in April. https://www.internationalmastergardener.com/

America in Bloom Virtual Conference & Award. September 29-October 1.
Registration opens in spring https://americainbloom.org/programs/symposium-awards-celebration/

November 2021
Northeast Greenhouse Conference & Expo. November 3-4. Cost $130. Boxborough, Massachusetts.
Registration open in July. https://www.negreenhouse.org/

Is a greenhouse or cold frame worth it?
by Jenifer Trimble

Last year I started volunteering at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center (WTREC). I was so excited to work in the greenhouse because I am thinking about getting a greenhouse. The WTREC has a greenhouse and a cold frame. Here is what I have found out.

I did not realize that there is a difference between a greenhouse and a cold frame. I thought all structures that have a door to grow plants are a greenhouse. Well, there is a difference. Greenhouse is a structure that can be heated or cooled. A greenhouse is a micro climate. Cold frame is a structure that is not heated or cooled. A cold frame is used to extend a growing season by a few weeks. It also protects plants from adverse weather (usually excessive cold) or wetness.

The cost A greenhouse could be expensive. The cost depends on how big the greenhouse will be, the materials used, heating and cooling methods. How tall, how long, how wide will the greenhouse be? How many door and windows will your greenhouse have? What type of flooring will you have? Will you use gas, solar, or electricity to cool or heat the greenhouse? A cold frame usually cost less and require less maintenance. You will need to consider the size, material just as you do for the greenhouse.

What will you be growing You have to decide if you only want to grow plants from one zone different than where you live or to start or extend the growing season by a few weeks or to store potted plants over winter, a cold frame might work for you. Growing plants that are more than one growing zone from the zone you live in or you want to grow plants year-round or start seeds early, a greenhouse might be what you want.

Other considerations Since cold frames usually don't have power, you will need a way to release the heat: will you have windows or doors? Since a green house has power you can have automatic windows and fans to help control the temperature. What type of flooring will you have: concrete, pavers, dirt, or maybe landscape fabric? How will the water drain from when you water the plants? I have realized that a flat floor does not let the water run off. My recommendation is to have the floor slightly sloped to allow the water to run off. Standing water can also cause mold and other unwanted stuff growing on the floor. On a sunny, cold day, a greenhouse can get really hot. The sun makes a big difference on how it feels inside a structure where the ambient air temperature is raised from the sun’s radiation. I was shocked that on cold days and the sun was-shinning on the greenhouse, that I was sweating. On cold and overcast day, the greenhouse stayed comfortable.

Examples of cold frames

Examples of a greenhouse

Gardening Safety 3

Sometimes when I start to write this article, it is about something that I have thought about for almost a month. This month, it is about insects in the garden that are not necessarily pests, but they are. We usually think of pests as something that crawls, flies, is born or is wind blown into the garden. Something that will cause harm to our plants in one devastating way or another. Very rarely has anyone mentioned a threat to personal safety as a pest. The top contender on the list of living things found in the garden considered a threat is snakes. Not all snakes are a threat. But to some, any snake is a threat. “I don’t want to get close enough to tell if it is poisonous or not” is the most common reply. Another one is “Am I supposed to ask the snake if it’s eyes are cat-like or not”. And I can’t count the times I’ve heard “He has teeth and crawls on his belly, that’s all I need to know”. If we know how many snakes are in or have been in our gardens or yards, some of us would scream and not go outside until someone came over and checked the yard or garden all clear.

The thing we least suspect as a threat to personal safety is the ant. They come in all varieties and sizes. Most just want to take care of the queen and grow more ants. But some are very defensive. They will do whatever they can to defend their queens and eggs. The fire ant is the most defensive against all intruders.

The fire ant is ferocious. They have no middle ground. They are either one of the thousands of ants in their nest or they are attacking any and everything that disturbs them. These little things can attack by the thousands in a matter of seconds. They do not run from aggression, they attack it. If you encounter them in your garden and you do not have the means to eradicate them 100%, call a professional as soon as possible. I might also mention that their bite is not their sting. They bite to hold on and then they sting. Each fire ant will deliver two injuries. If a couple thousand of fire ants cause injuries over any part of your body, you will probably need medical attention.

Another small threat to safety might be a spider. Most of the spiders in our gardens will not hurt you, but help you, by eating other insects. The spiders that can hurt you hide in the dark inside of closets, storage sheds or under anything that hasn’t been moved for several months. You know them as the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow. But with the warming climate tread, we should be aware that some spiders that could not survive our winters might adapt enough to be able to survive. We have wood piles next to our houses, we put wood in raised beds. As the wood decays, it warms the surrounding area enough for eggs to survive enough to hatch young spiders. People are constantly releasing their caged-in or glassed-in pets into the civilized areas. Some of them could be poisonous spiders such as a trap door spider. Make sure you know what’s in that hole in the ground in your yard or garden. Be careful looking under your plants, the snake might slither away, but the ants and spiders

might not. There are many more things that can cause small injuries and bites. Alcohol, hydrogen peroxide or any number of specialized insect sting medicines will probably be able to reduce pain and swelling until your body’s defense mechanisms can take over. But if the pain and swelling does not reside over time, seek medical attention. Even if it is nothing more than a phone call to a medical professional, your well-being is worth it.

As always, we invite our members to share their garden experiences (good or bad) with us through the newsletter. Until the next time, Be Safe!

Garden Safety
Manuel McKnight
June 2021

Tree Trivia

How old is the oldest tree in the United states?
A 750 Years Old B. 1 Million C. 50 Million
How many people rely on forests for clean drinking water in the United States?
A 180 Million B. 1 Million C. 50 Million
How many species of trees are there in the United States?
A. 850 B. 375 C. 2,000
How many trees does the average American use each year in paper, wood, and other tree products ?
A. 1 B. 7 C. 15
Baseball bats are made out of wood from which species of tree?

A. Ash B. Oak C. Pine

How Many gallons of maple sap are needed to make one gallon of maple syrup?
A. 5-7 B. 10-15 C. 30-40
At what rate will most tree seedlings grow per year?
A. 6 inches B. 1 foot C. 2 feet

8. What is the biggest tree in the world in terms of overall height and circumference?
A. Giant Sequoia B. Douglas Fir C. White Oak

May 2021

President’s Message

It’s a wonderful time to be a gardener. Springtime is beautiful as the plants awaken, and we are blessed with warmer weather and longer days to enjoy the outdoors.

Plant sale time is upon us. Thank you to the members who have been readying their plants for our biggest fundraiser of the year. As always, our Plant Sale Team and their volunteer members are behind the scenes making sure the sale comes off without a hitch.

Our project leaders are busy organizing and scheduling work days, so be sure to check our website www.madisoncountymg.org for volunteer opportunities that are available.

Come Unity Café garden in downtown Jackson is the class project for the 2020 Master Gardener interns. The café recently received a donated greenhouse from Lowe’s and some of the interns were on hand to help with the construction.

Jack Baudo and Tammy Buchanan held a cleanup day at Liberty Park Garden on April 10. The event was well attended, and we appreciate everyone’s participation.

If you haven’t paid your $20 dues payment for this year, please send that to our treasurer, Mary Nenarella, 245 Henderson Road, Pinson, TN 38366. Make your check payable to MCMG. You will receive an email receipt unless you request a receipt by mail. REMEMBER: Interns and those who are working toward certification DO NOT pay dues.

Charlotte Jaquet, President

Program Notes
from Nancy Blair

Melody Rose is the Horticulture Extension Agent in Greene County and coordinator of the Big Spring Master Gardener Association. She has experience with Burly Tobacco Production, Fruits & Veggies Production, and Adult Leadership and Volunteer Development. A few of her many interests include Appalachian Natives, Woodland habitats, Viticulture and Oenology.

Melody will be sharing a presentation with us titled ‘The Power of Plants’ This discussion takes a deeper look at the chemical pathways that plants possess and how they have been put to use throughout history.

May Task Reminder

Home Vegetable Garden

* Harvest cool season crops

* Prepare beds for transplants

* Transplant warm season crops and plan for succession seeding of direct sown seed

* Peppers and eggplant like warmer soil they will be happier if planted a week or 2 ```behind tomatoes and other transplants

* Young transplants need water and a starter boost of fertilizer

* Set up stakes, trellises, cages or other supports now to be ready for future growth.

* Weed, weed, weed

Yard and Flowering Gardens

* Plant dill, parsley, fennel, butterfly weed and others to encourage butterflies and pollinators to your garden

* Plant vinca and caladiums after night temps are above 60. They like warm soil.

* Prune early flowering shrubs such as azalea, forsythia, flowering quince, and loropetalum. Only prune if needed and select branches down in the shrub rather than prune to look like meatballs

* Early May is a good time to cut back on rosemary, lavender, rue, artemisia, and Santolina.

April: Virginia Bluebells

Submitted by Jason Reeves, horticulturist, UT Gardens, Jackson

From the moment the blue green mouse-ear shaped leaves break the soil in the spring until they disappear in the summer, these plants provide immense pleasure," says Allan Armitage in his second edition of Herbaceous Perennial Plants. I could not agree more! I fell in love with Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) the first time I saw them more than 30 years ago. The gardener shared some plants with me, and I haven't been without since. My home garden would not be complete without Virginia bluebells or our native columbine, Aquilegia canadensis. These two wildflowers have become my favorites because they thrive and naturalize with little or no care while putting on a great spring show.

Garden Puzzle

Five friends have their gardens next to one another, where they grow three kinds of crops: fruits (apple, pear, nut, cherry), vegetables (carrot, parsley, gourd, onion) and flowers (aster, rose, tulip, lily).
1. They grow 12 different varieties.
2. Everybody grows exactly 4 different varieties
3. Each variety is at least in one garden.
4. Only one variety is in 4 gardens.
5. Only in one garden are all 3 kinds of crops.
6. Only in one garden are all 4 varieties of one kind of crops.
7. Pear is only in the two border gardens.
8. Paul's garden is in the middle with no lily.
9. Aster grower doesn't grow vegetables.
10. Rose growers don't grow parsley.
11. Nuts grower has also gourd and parsley.
12. In the first garden are apples and cherries.
13. Only in two gardens are cherries.
14. Sam has onions and cherries.
15. Luke grows exactly two kinds of fruit.
16. Tulip is only in two gardens.
17. Apple is in a single garden.
18. Only in one garden next to Zick's is parsley.
19. Sam's garden is not on the border.
20. Hank grows neither vegetables nor asters.
21. Paul has exactly three kinds of vegetable.

Who has which garden and what is grown where?

*Answer at the end of the May newsletter.

Garden Safety

To get into the aspects of being safe while gardening does not focus solely on the home garden.

As Master Gardeners, we should take into consideration gardening at public places. Our methods are tried and true. We can make things grow. We can make a garden space beautifuland neat. But are we thinking about the public’s use of the garden space and what that truly entails?

In reality, we probably should be wearing dish washing gloves in public gardens, especiallywhile working the soil. I am not going to use words that might offend or disgust anyone.

We’ll start with the animals that might traffic a public garden. Most of us will not touch a wild animal in a zoo. One that has been cared for and confirmed free of any problems that mightcross over to humans. We will however, readily stick our bare hands into soil that is not sterileand has been crossed and used many times by any number of wild animals. Probably within the last 12 hours.

Then we consider the possibilities of the human use factor. One scenario is the person who needs a cool place to sit down at 1am after a few too many at the local pub. There’s nothing wrong with a public location for resting. There might arise a need for one to rid oneself of some of things ingested from the pub that the body wants to eliminate. A possible place could be into the soil of the darkest area of the location. The soil is strong and quickly absorbs most of the things and the plants quickly use some of it. The rest resides in the soil. There is also the possibility that an animal might take it in and move it to another place in the same location.

When it comes to digging in the dirt, I’m going to be one of the first in line. But I’ll be there with my gardening protective gear and practices. As I’ve learned to garden in locations other than my own yard, there are certain things a gardener needs think about to protect the largest organ - the skin. My assessment today contains 3 elements - location, animal usage and human usage.

My protective gear is a good pair of gloves and plenty of hand sanitizer. My practices include keeping my hands away from my eyes, nose, mouth and ears. I hope this wasn’t to graphic and no one will be turned off from gardening. It’s like driving.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, we’re going to be ok. As long as we take a few precautions and be aware of some problems that could be introduced into the soil. Most of which, we can avoid with knowledge and preparation.

M. McKnight

APRIL 2021

President’s Message

Spring is here!! It won’t be long now until we will be putting annuals in the landscape and planting our vegetable gardens. Be on the lookout for plants from your garden to add to our plant sale. Thanks to David and Carol Sams for generously allowing a “dig day” at their house to provide plants for the sale.

Due to COVID restrictions, our sale will look different this year and will be held over the course of three days at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center. On Thursday and Friday, April 29th and 30th, the sale will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. On Saturday, May 1st, the sale will begin at 7:00 a.m. and go until 11:00 a.m. Please help spread the word by sharing the sale information with friends and neighbors. Be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page for more information along the way.

Sign-ups are available through the Madison County Master Gardener website for upcoming projects, so check back often to see where you would like to help.

Charlotte Jaquet,
President

PROGRAM NOTES from Nancy Blair

Garden Heroes
Let’s face it, some plants are just better than others! With his extensive experience in gardens and landscapes, Jason has identified proven performers. In the plant world, new is not always better. This talk will have you racing to our plant sale to try out these champions of the garden that include old standbys and newer established players. These annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees are sure to please.

Jason Reeves grew up on a farm near Huntingdon, where he fell in love with the plant world. He received his Master’s Degree in Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In 2002, he became a research horticulturist and curator of the University of Tennessee Gardens located at the West Tennessee Research and Education Center in Jackson, Tennessee. Jason’s colorful plant combinations and unique garden art, made by recycling everyday objects, draws several thousand people each year to the Center's annual lawn and garden show, Summer Celebration. His past experiences include work at the Opryland Conservatories in Nashville, Missouri Botanical Garden, Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania, and in private gardens in New Zealand. When he’s not bringing the grounds to life with his imaginative garden displays, he’s evaluating hundreds of new and unique plants for the state’s green industry; speaking at gardening symposiums or traveling the world leading gardening tours, and serving as a contributing editor to Fine Gardening magazine. He is also a landscape designer and consultant whose influence may be seen in landscapes across Tennessee in the form of distinct plant combinations and his signature garden art. You can follow him on Facebook at Jason Reeves – in the garden.

Talk of the Town

Celeste Scott April 2021

2020 Spring Plant Sale Plant Insights

Over the past several years, we have been taking note of plants that fly off the shelves, which ones sell after an intercom plant introduction, and which tend to be slow movers even though they are valuable landscape plants. We have compiled this information in the table below, and hope that you can use this as a guide when planning your Plant Sale contributions.

Overall, let’s make sure that the plants we contribute are of good quality, free of pests and disease, and are clearly labeled.

A good time to prune woody perennials, just before they put on new growth.

Prune early blooming shrubs such as azaleas, forsythias, flowering quince and loropetalum AFTER they bloom. Selectively cut old or unruly branches by reaching as deep as you can into the shrub.

Prevent azalea lace bug and spider mite infestations by applying a one-time dose of imidacloprid. This early application in liquid form should remain effective throughout the growing season.

Direct sow annuals and vegetables after danger of frost this month. Jackson's average frost date is around April 15. Look at the 10-day forecast. There could be cold weather predicted. We had an early May frost last year.

Time to freshen up mulch. Don't pile around tree trunks or shrubs. Better to form a bowl than a volcano. If using a pre-emergent herbicide, be sure to apply under the mulch to decrease breakdown by sun exposure.

April is a good time to fertilize with a balanced, granular fertilizer scattered on the soil surface.

Begin purchase of warm season vegetable garden transplants. Watch soil temps and for possible frost.

Beans and corn may be direct sowed before a frost-free date, but the soil temp needs to be warm.

Safety is one of the things in life that some of us take for granted. We don’t really take it seriously until something happens. For me, since I’ve been a certified gray-haired person, safety is a real thing, a thing that comes first and foremost in 90% of everything I do. I am striving for 100% and accidents still happen to me.

On a daily basis, I am reading warnings on bags of fertilizer, various chemicals that I use to control scale, mites and other infestations that could happen. Even though most things seem to be harmless at first site, when reading the cautions and warnings on the packages, it is clear

that most packaged gardening products should be handled with caution. I urge you to read the packaging. This should be done with any new product that you try and any old product that you might be familiar with that has a new redesigned package.

Gloves and masks are a dime-a-dozen and should be used. I am guilty of not wearing gloves and enjoying the feel of dirt and some gardening chemicals only to experience itching or minor swelling several hours later. I have also had nasal irritation after a day of gardening with no mask on windy days. I’ve got to do a better job of protecting myself. Sometimes, I wonder if the medicine I take could react with gardening chemicals or even insect repellent through the moisture and oil on my skin. Unfortunately, medicine interaction is not tested on any garden chemical that I am aware of. And if it was, we could not afford to buy it. It’s up to us to think ahead and take precautions.

We are at the beginning of the annual push to clear our yards of weeds and repair our gardens from the winter weather and early spring rains. Some of us will use chemicals. Some of us will use muscle along with hand tools and machines. Chemicals could influence our blood chemistry in ways that may take time to reveal the damage done. Machines, in my opinion, are the most hazardous and any injury is almost always immediately painful and could require a visit to a doctor. Hand tools can hurt also, but in most cases, they are not as painful or as long term as a machine injury. Machines and hand tools can cause overexertion of muscles and joints and can be very painful and also require a trip to the doctor. Pay close attention to the manufacturer’s warnings labels on hand tools and machinery. Check your tools for broken or cracked wood handles. Also check how secure the working end is to the handle.

Hopefully, this will serve as a reminder to my gardening friends and myself that we should be aware that a new year brings new successes. But also brings new challenges to be safe so that we garden in comfort and suffer no ill effects from it.

Our Board invites all of our members to share their gardening successes and product hit-or-miss experiences through the newsletter. I will explore more safety objectives in the future as I learn more to share with you. In the meantime - don’t rush, enjoy gardening and be safe.

M. McKnight

Organ and Tissue Donation Facts

. In 2020, 39,035 transplants brought renewed life to patients and their families and communities (from 12,588 decrease and 5,728 living donors).

. More than 107,000 men, women and children are waiting for a lifesaving transplant. Over 3,000 are Tennesseans!

. Another person is added to the national organ transplant waiting list every 10 minutes.

. On average, 20 people will die each day because the organ they need are not donated in time.

. More than 80% of patients on the waiting list are waiting for a kidney. The average waiting time for a kidney from a decreased donor is 3 to 5 years.

. One organ donor may save up to 8 lives with their gift of organs: Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Pancreas, Liver, and Intestines.

. One tissue donor could improve the lives of up to 75 people with their gift of tissue: Eye tissue, Skin Tissue, Heart Valves, Nerves, Pericardium, Veins and Blood Vessels, Bone and Connective Tissues.

. Each year, there are approximately 30,000 tissue donors and more than 1.75 million tissue transplants; the surgical need for donated tissue is steadily rising.

. More than 85,000 corneas are provided for sight-restoring corneal transplants each year.

. To register your decision to save and improve lives, visit:

DonateLifeTN.org
BeTheGift.com
Apple Health App/RegisterMe.org
Department of Safety/DMV
Advance Directives/Living Wills

William (Bill) Lee Bobbitt

Mr. William (Bill) Lee Bobbitt of Lexington, TN passed away on February 20, 2021, at the age of 85. He was born December 19, 1935 in Jackson, TN, to the late William Luther and Ione Thompson Bobbitt. He was married to Frances (Buck) Bobbitt on September 9, 1961 in Lexington, TN.

Bill graduated from Lexington High School in 1953 and graduated from the University of Memphis with a B.S. degree. He briefly taught school in Henderson County, and later moved to Memphis where he was employed by the National Bank of Commerce. He left banking to become an insurance adjustor for State Farm and then Ohio Casualty. As an employee of Ohio Casualty in 1969 he moved with his family back to his beloved hometown of Lexington. Later in his career he returned to teaching and was employed by Henderson County and the Lexington City Systems. He was an avid sports fan and a loyal supporter of the Memphis Tigers basketball and football teams. High school football was a passion. He officiated high school games throughout West Tennessee for 50 years. He loved baseball, particularly the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bill was a member of Lexington First United Methodist Church. He served in many leadership positions, volunteered at the food pantry, and traveled with the mission team for many years.

One of Bill’s hobbies was growing orchids. He enjoyed sharing the blooms from his plants with friends for numerous occasions. Upon retirement he, along with his wife Frances, became Master Gardeners with the Madison County group. Together they were selected as Master Gardeners of the Year in 2015. One of Bill’s greatest joys was traveling. He and Frances traveled extensively in the United States and all over the world.

Bill is survived by his wife Frances of Lexington; two sons William (Alla) Bobbitt, Jr. of Silver Spring, MD; Robert Bobbitt of Jackson, TN; two grandchildren, Arthur Bobbitt and Olivia Lemieux; and a brother John (Linda) Bobbitt of Lexington.

Our friend Bill was loved by all who knew him, and he will be missed by our entire Master Gardener community. Notes to Frances can be mailed to 125 Poplar Lane, Lexington, TN 38351.

Jenifer Trimble is a Retired Air Force Veteran with 20 years of logistics experience and working alongside other branches of the military. Jenifer was born at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana in March of 1972. So, you can say the military has always been in her blood from birth. Jenifer has a Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University and an Associate in Applied Science Logistics from the Community College of the Air Force. Jenifer and her husband, Richard, who is also retired military moved to Bells, Tennessee back in 2016. In her free time, Jenifer likes to garden with her three cats by her side. After years of only being able to grow weeds, she decided to continue her education and take the Master Gardener class to cut down on the weeds and increase the garden's crop yield. Besides gardening, Jenifer also volunteers at the Crockett County Senior Center. She also enjoys crocheting and quilting.

Marion Cone
I was born and raised in Middle Tennessee where I taught school for 30 years. We moved to Jackson 20 years ago for my husband's job. In the early 2000s, I went through MG training. Because life got in the way, I didn't complete the required service and education hours. Thank goodness I returned! I can't express my gratitude enough for everything I gained from Celeste's leadership!

Union University Master Gardener project by Donald Collomp

I enrolled in the Madison County Master Gardener training in 2019 and was certified in the Spring of 2020 just before Covid Pandemic set in and many events ceased.

One day I was walking on the Union University campus in March 2021, (which I am an alumnus of (1993), and I noticed that there were two triangular shaped beds that were not really improved except a few flowers at the end corners and around the tree trunks. These few flowers were planted by a parent of a student from what I was told. They were not taken care of and many were dead or dying and got no more care for than what Mother Nature gave them. I wanted to really enhance and beautify these two triangular flower beds for the enjoyment of all who walked past them and hopefully inspire people.

I contacted the Union University Maintenance dept and asked if I could improve the two specific triangular flower beds since I am a Master Gardener and alumni. The Union Maintenance supervisor asked a few questions and wanted to let the Administration know of my plans.
That’s when the real work started, the planning and layout of creating a from scratch flowerbed. I asked Celeste Scott and Jason Reeves their opinions of design and types of flowers for the beds before starting but ultimately the project was all on me. The designing, all of the ground prep work, planting and caring for all plants and upkeep of the beds.

I first started on 14 April 2021 by spraying the odd and end grasses that had started taking over in both flowerbeds. I had to spray again two days later and then started tilling a day afterwards. There were a lot of weeds and grasses that I raked up and disposed of out of these two beds after the spraying. I purchased a load of compost and took a load of new dirt to both beds and mixed them together with my tiller. After tilling the compost and new dirt, I started shaping the contour of the beds. This gave it a tiered look for my various plants and raised the plants higher than the sidewalk levels. I planted some annuals (wide varieties) on the lower but also on the upper level according to the size of plants I choose to plant. I planted some perennials (Cannas, Irises and Spiraea bushes). I used a load of red colored mulch on one of the flowerbeds to differentiate an upper level of plants and also with some brown mulch to finish around the edges of the whole flowerbed. I also wanted to incorporate in one of the flowerbeds, the Union University initials which I planted using Red Leaf Wax Begonia’s with a white aluminum frame surrounding them.

I have thirty-five hours of prepping the soil, putting in new compost and dirt, tilling, contouring the beds, planting and mulching the two beds from start to finish. There are roughly 250 plants that I planted from April to late May. I encourage anyone to go take a walk along the Great Lawn Sidewalk and the two triangular beds that are located on the main walkway between the Logos Library, Jennings and Providence Halls. I already have plans on changing up the plantings of the beds for a different look next year!

President's Message

2024.10President's Message

2024.9. President's Message

MCMG September 5 Meeting

Fall In The Gardens

Fall planting in Tennessee

2024.9President's Message

Plans for the September 5th Meeting

2024 Plant Sale Information

Section dividers provided by Freepik.com

2024.7 President's Message

SUMMERTIME IN WEST TENNESSEE

‘Silver Stitch’: Resilient in Summer Sun and Drought

2024.6President's Message

Thank you!!

2024.5President’s Message

Additional Opportunity To Contribute

PLANT SALE Coffee SHOP

Liberty Garden Park Attacked?

At the end of the day, Liberty Park won the battle. With its lovely flower beds, gazebos, and memorials, the people of Jackson and elsewhere can enjoy a peaceful break to walk, run, picnic, and just think.

The Madison County Master Gardeners and the Liberty Garden Park Conservancy appreciate the arduous work of all the volunteers. Hard work and new friends – a terrific way to spend a crisp, sunny Saturday morning!

Article: Jennifer Daniel and Linda Rizzuto

Photographs: Jennifer Daniel and Linda Rizzuto

2024.4President’s Message

2024.3President’s Message

Go To: https://www.tectn.org/tennesseetreeday.html

2024 February Newsletter

President's Message

TENNESSEE TREE DAY – March 16, 2024

Reserve Your Native Trees Now Through March 4th, 2024. ​

You will pick up your trees on March 15th or 16th and plant them on Tree Day: March 16th ​.

Here's how to reserve your trees:

Go To:

https://www.tectn.org/tennesseetreeday.html

1) Use the map below to select a pick-up location near you

2) Click on the pinpoint to see the address and hours you can pick up your trees

3) Click "reserve trees at this link."

2023.12President's Message

2023.11

From Celeste

2023.10President’s Message

Message from the President

Meeting Notes

October 5, Meeting Madison County Master Gardeners bringing a dish for the Oct 5th pot luck dinner should bring a little extra as we will be feeding several guests.

Additional Bar B Que will be provided

From Celeste

From Jason

2023.9President’s Message

2023 Road Trip

Fall Gardener’s Festival Field Day UT Gardens, Crossville

2023.8President’s Message

From Celeste

2023.6President’s Message

June Speaker - Carol Reese

The Surprising Benefits of Moths in Your Garden

2023.5President’s Message

It’s Finally Spring Time (or is it?)

Meeting Notes

Volunteer Sign-up

From Celeste

Pictures of Hard Working Master Gardeners Beautifying Downtown Planter Boxes and the end results!

2023.4 President's Message

Meeting Notes

April Speaker:

Spring Plant Sale

Some recipes you might like to try for Easter

Creamed Garden Potatoes and Peas

12 servings

Directions

Some of the Beautiful People, Table Settings and Food at the MG Banquet

Madison County Master Gardener Dues $20.00

2023.3 President’s Message

Meeting Notes

Spring Plant Sale

2023.2 President’s Message

Meeting Notes

Thank you to all the volunteers for the Chipping of the Greens

February To Do List

Just FYI

Egg substitutes for baking

Reserve Your Native Trees Now Through March 4th, 2024.

You will pick up your trees on March 15th or 16th and plant them on Tree Day: March 16th .