Newsletters
Master Gardener Update
January 9, 2004

Announcements and news for ISU Extension staff, Master Gardeners, and faculty

IN THIS ISSUE

• VOLUNTEER SERVICE HOUR SUBMISSION
• EPA WEB SITE OF POTENTIAL INTEREST
• WINTER GARDEN FAIR
• GREEN THUMB PRINTS
• WEB-BASED GRAFTING COURSE
• SUBMITTING YOUR NEWS

VOLUNTEER SERVICE HOUR SUBMISSION

The volunteer service hours continue to grace my email box. It is a good start in the process of letting others know that the Master Gardener program does make an impact across the state. Thanks for your diligence in collecting as many hours as possible and submitting them!

EPA WEB SITE OF POTENTIAL INTEREST

If you are curious about creating a more environmentally friendly
landscape, check out the web site below.

GreenScapes Program (Environmentally Beneficial Landscaping)

WINTER GARDEN FAIR

The second annual fair will be held on Saturday, January 24, 2004 in Cedar Rapids features fascinating horticultural photographer David Cavagnaro from 10:30 - noon in Ballantyne Auditorium at Kirkwood College in Cedar Rapids. Mr. Cavagnaro’s FREE lecture will show his extensive collection of flower images and share his knowledge of "Painting with Flowers".

The Fair is brought to the community by Iowa State University Extension Master Gardeners of Linn County and Kirkwood Community College Continuing Education. In addition to Mr. Cavagnaro’s session, 22 class sessions will be offered during the day. Early registration is recommended to ensure classroom space although registrations can also occur the day of the event. For a complete list and registration call Kirkwood College at 800-332-8833 or register online at www.foryourlifetime.com. Tuition for most sessions is $9.

Additional highlights of this year’s fair include a session by Karmin Mullins, the Fine Gardening first place winner of unusual container gardens, talking about "Planning a Cutting Garden Using Perennials". Also, Wava Schmidt, third place winner on television program Victory Garden, instructs "Planning an Herb Garden".

Other classes include: Daylilies (2 classes), Perennial Basics, Gardening 101, Pruning Trees and Shrubs, Building Backyard Ponds, Ornamental Grasses for Fall and Winter, Phalaenopsis Orchids, Tender Summer Flowering Bulbs, Small Fruits and Berries for the Home Gardener, Weed and Pest Control, Creating a Backyard Habitat for Birds, Turfgrass, Clematis, Terra Cotta Patio Fountains, Veggies 101, Starting Garden Transplants, Adding Herbs to your Life.

GREEN THUMB PRINTS (by Anne Finch)

My husband, Denis, and I were in the local mall the Saturday before Christmas, ringing bells for the Salvation Army, when it dawned on me how much fun we were having. For the last three years, three or four times a season, along with our daughter Emily, we go together to ring bells. It started out as a project to get our daughter to do some volunteer work and see how easy it is to give something back to the community. It has been fun to watch her grow in her confidence in interacting with people as they come to put money in the bucket.

I have noticed some very similar experiences with Master Gardener’s. The first night of class, most people are a bit nervous, listening to the introductions and filled with excitement and anticipation. As they have become involved in the program, they open up and blossom (so to speak), with knowledge and confidence. Volunteer work is what Master Gardening is all about.

Now here we are - 2004. It’s a new year. We have new opportunities to start over, to start fresh. Not only is it a time to start an exercise program or time to begin eating better, but also time to decide what is important in our life. I think volunteer work for our various Master Gardener programs is important. We have ample opportunities for each of us to get involved. Everything from working at the farmers market, helping coordinate programs, being a class coordinator, answering questions in the Extension office, working on a garden tour, working in the greenhouse when it is too cold to be outside! There are lots of opportunities for us to decide how we want to spend our time. Lots of chances to give back to our communities.

We are extremely fortunate to be part of the ISU Master Gardener program where we can be a part of something so positive. Now it is time to dream for warmer weather, exercise, eat better, take in a class or two and start planning how to gather MG volunteer hours. Happy New Year everyone!

(Anne Finch, chairperson, ISU Extension Polk County Master Gardeners)

Thanks Anne for leaving a positive green thumb print in your community!!

WEB-BASED GRAFTING COURSE

10-week web-based course starts March 15, 2004.

ITHACA, N.Y. - If you've ever wanted to learn how to graft plants, here's your chance. The award-winning, hand-on distance education course The How, When, and Why of Grafting for Gardeners will teach you chip budding, T-budding, and top-wedge grafting. By focusing on the principles as well as the practices, you can apply what you learn to other species and methods, allowing you to propagate plants that don't root easily, graft several fruit varieties onto a single tree, or create unusual growth forms, such as tree peonies and arborisculpture.

The non-credit course, developed by Dr. Ken Mudge, professor in Cornell's Department of Horticulture, includes web-based multimedia lectures, video demonstrations, hands-on grafting with live plants, on-line quizzes and interactive discussions.

The course runs from March 15 to May 23. (Registration deadline is March 8.) Cost is $300, which includes shipment of live hibiscus plants used in laboratory exercises, plus grafting knife and supplies. For more information, visit www.hort.cornell.edu/grafting or contact Craig Cramer, Communications Specialist, Department of Horticulture by email cdc25@cornell.edu or by phone 607-255-5428.

SUBMITTING YOUR NEWS

Master Gardener Update is newly published Friday afternoons by the Iowa Master Gardener Coordinator. Please send your news via email to James Romer (jromer@iastate.edu). For questions, call (515) 294-2336.