From The President. In This Issues. The Bridge to Knowledge Volume 86, Issue 12

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1 20 16 The Bridge to Knowledge Volume 86, Issue 12 In This Issues 1 President s Message 2-7 MCMG Corner Upcoming Events MG Member articles 8 Meeting Notes From The President Dear Master Gardeners, It has been a great two years as your president and I have enjoyed every minute of it. We have had some really amazing successes over the last couple of years thanks to all of you who have so willingly given of your time. One of the truly outstanding efforts each year is the Spring Plant Sale. This is our big fund raiser each year that helps us support horticultural education. An all time record was set in 2016 for income from this sale thanks to all the plants you donated and the time you spent potting, cleaning, hauling, selling and hauling yet again out to customer s cars! We have recently donated funds for the SouthSide high school horticulture program to purchase a germination chamber. This will be used to train students on its use and to produce plants that the students can sell to fund their program into the future. We have experimented over the last couple of years with new formats for our meetings such as visiting local MG projects and seeing some of our own Master Gardener s beautiful home gardens. A plant swap was added to our November meeting and proved very successful. We visited Liberty High School for one of these meeting and got to see their impressive greenhouse/aquaponics set up and of course, some of us bought plants! These ideas were all proposed by members and board members so I can t take any credit but I do feel it has added an extra element of enjoyment to our organization. I would like to give special thanks to my fabulous board and Celeste Luckey for all of their ideas, support, and hard work over the last two years. They have been a truly wonderful team to work with and I really cannot thank them enough. Remember there is no December meeting so on January 5th we will meet at the UT Ag Research center (WTREC) at 6:30 with your new president, Elizabeth Edwards! Thank you all for two wonderful years! Mary Nenarella, President Madison County Master Gardeners 1

2 Congratulations to the 2017 Madison County Master Gardeners Officers President- Elizabeth Edwards 1 st Vice President/Programs- Christine Warrington 2 nd Vice President/Projects- Glenn Fesmire Secretary- Mary Kay Havranek Treasurer- Tammy Overby Board Members Wayne Gerler John Havranek Susan Luckey Bill Wyatt Due to circumstances beyond my control involving scheduling of the Extension Auditorium, we will be moving the date and location of our Decorating with Live Greenery Class. Date: Friday Dec. 2 nd Time: 2pm-4pm Location: WTREC Room B on Airways Blvd.(the room immediately to your right when you enter the building)i am so sorry for this change. If you can no longer attend and have already RSVP d please let me know. For those who haven t signed up, you still have time. Just give me a shout! We will still be demonstrating several different styles of wreaths, live garland, mailbox adornment, and Bow making tutorials. Please bring your own ribbon if you would like to learn! This will be a really fun way to kick off the Christmas Season with music, snacks, and friends. I look forward to seeing everyone there! Carol Sams, long time MCMG, was in a car accident earlier this week. She has a broken sternum, but is at home recovering. Please pray for speedy healing and comfort! Cards and notes are welcome! Carol Sams 16 Lakewood Circle, Jackson, TN

3 Celeste Luckey Scott December 2016 At the November meeting we were able to update everyone on changes within the TN Master Gardener Program, review reporting for 2016, enjoy our first ever MCMG plant swap, and most importantly elect officers for What a wonderful way to wrap up our 2016 year, reflect on our accomplishments, and enjoy each other s company. I would like to thank all those who served on the Board of Directors for MCMG in 2016, project leaders who organized work days in an effort to maximize the impact of our projects on the community, and finally all those who assisted in any way with our major fundraising events, the Spring Plant Sale and Summer Celebration. Without everyone s hard work and cooperation, we would not be the strong successful organization that we are today. There are big plans in store for We will continue to try new things, bring in interesting educational speakers, improve our existing projects, and look for new opportunities. If you have ideas, please let us know, and we will get that to the Board of Directors. Just to give you a teaser, in 2017 we are looking at another destination monthly meeting, a possible Pre-Sale event for the Fall Plant Sale, a Western Region MG Meeting in Shelby County, and several other happenings. I enjoy shaking things up and getting away from the status quo. My hope is that we are able to keep things entertaining, interesting, and educational not only to attract new members, but for those who have been involved with the organization for quite a while and might feel like they have seen it all. The magical allure of gardening is that nature is ever changing. You will likely never see the same thing twice! I feel that TN Extension Master Gardener s goal is to not only educate and disperse information, but engage those who participate in our programming. I am happy to be a small part of Madison County Master Gardeners and wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!! And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10-11 Sorry for the sudden influx of e- mail messages the past few days! I promise this will be the last one for the week! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to complete the annual Master Gardener Program survey. I have about 70 responses already. I am hoping to hit 100. If you haven t already, please take a few minutes to answer these 5 questions in relation to what the program has done for you over this past year. ID=SV_8j0ybkM3qYKaViB The veteran s memorial program and gazebo dedication at Liberty Garden Park this morning was wonderful. I was glad to see so many MCMG s in attendance. Please make some time to visit the park and admire the new gazebo, as well as the Freedom Plaza, Veteran s memorial wall, and children s learning center. If you have grape and or muscadine vines that you would like to put to good use, please consider donating them to Liberty Park. One of our fellow MCMG s Frankie Brown will be meeting workers at Liberty Park on Wednesday Nov. 16 th at 9:30am. He is donating his vines to the park, and they will be using them to create a larger than life sized bird s nest for the children to play in at the learning center portion of the garden! I am sure it will require quite a few. 3

4 David W. Sams December 2016 Weather: We have not had a frost here as of today (November 15) but one is expected next week end. I have many plants in the garage and cold frames and will bring more in soon. The 20 or so H. macrophylla plants will not come into the garage until after they drop their leaves. If I keep them in pots and bring them into the garage after the first frost they flower profusely every year and are worth the trouble so long as I am able to physically move them around. The remondant varieties flower dependably whether or not they are brought in. I may cut our gingers off a foot high and bring them in the night before the first frost. I am trying neem oil to prevent spider mites and other pests on the plants I bring in this year. Drought: It is the middle of November and we have had less than an inch of rain in the last two months. We have azaleas in the woods which have been there for several years and now have wilted leaves. Continue to water newly planted plants or plants with obvious need of water until we have adequate soil moisture Plant Sale: Carol and I potted about 100 plants, mostly ferns, for our next plant sale last weekend. It s a good thing too as the car accident that she was in probably means that no more will be potted this fall. I will likely have some arborvitae ferns and a few Northern maidenhair ferns in the 2017 sale and fewer total plants. I don t believe that either plant has ever been offered in the sale before. MG Elections: Once again we are blessed with competent leadership in our group. Our organization has now reached 200 members and is increasingly complex to guide with its ever expanding list of projects and increasing annual income. Monthly meetings: There is none in December. The allover quality of our meetings remains very high. I think that I would like to do a program for our group once again. November meeting: The plant swap went well and is probably worth repeating. I tried giving away elephant garlic bulbs and blackberry lily seed. All of both were gone at the end of the meeting so I may try distributing seed of another plant or two this coming spring. Do Now: Mulch those tender perennials such as amaryllis, cannas, crinums, pineapple lily and pineapple sage immediately. I usually use leaves ground with my lawnmower for mulch but pine needles or straw also work well and this year I may use wood chips. The idea is to keep the soil around the plants from freezing. Yes, I know that pineapple sage is not supposed to be hardy here but my 7-year old plant doesn t know it. It is also time to winterize irrigation systems. I use a combination of automatic drains and layers of mulch. I will also cover the outside faucets on the house soon. Harvests: We are still harvesting broccoli. The fall broccoli crop can be grown without worms if treated with an insecticide once or twice after planting. We even harvested a handful of raspberries last Sunday and continue to have an occasional flower or two in the kitchen. Microclimates: Microclimates continue to interest me as I enjoy growing a number of zone 8 plants. Plant placement can significantly affect minimum winter temperature as well as exposure to drying winds. I planted my 2 large cycads in the ground last spring. Will a combination of plant placement and minimal plant protection allow them to survive in our climate? In South Africa their leaves freeze completely off and the plants grow back out. What if I cut the frozen leaves off and then cover the main portion of the plant? We will see 4

5 I also wanted to pass along this great tool being promoted by UT Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Agents. I is designed to help us keep the weight off during the Holiday Season! Sometimes it helps just to know that we are holding ourselves accountable!! From Thanksgiving to New Year's, there are many festivities and favorite foods to enjoy. Life can be fast and furious, and we tend to skip the "best laid" fitness plans. Maintain. Don't Gain! is about enjoying favorite holiday foods and celebrations, but being sensible about portion sizes and mindfully choosing what to eat. Want some accountability to enter 2017 with no added holiday weight gain? Join the Ma Challenge. During the challenge, you'll check and record your weight at least at the start and end of the challenge. You'll get weekly tips and encouragement through . At the end of the challenge, you'll report whether you maintained, lost or gained at the end. You won't be asked to share your weight. Click here to sign up today for this personal challenge that runs Monday, November 21, 2016 to Sunday, January Let the countdown to a healthful 2017 begin! 5

6 Did You Know? All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts.[ According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221- foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington. According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.[ The traditional three colors of Christmas are green, red, and gold. Green has long been a symbol of life and rebirth; red symbolizes the blood of Christ, and gold represents light as well as wealth and royalty Christmas trees usually grow for about 15 years before they are sold. Alabama was the first state in the United States to officially recognize Christmas in Christmas wasn t declared an official holiday in the United States until June 26, 1870 Santa Claus is based on a real person, St. Nikolas of Myra (also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker, Bishop Saint Nicholas of Smyrna, and Nikolaos of Bari), who lived during the fourth century. Born in Patara (in modern-day Turkey), he is the world s most popular non-biblical saint, and artists have portrayed him more often than any other saint except Mary. He is the patron saint of banking, pawnbroking, pirating, butchery, sailing, thievery, orphans, royalty, and New York City. President Teddy Roosevelt, an environmentalist, banned Christmas trees from the White House in The first person to decorate a Christmas tree was reportedly the Protestant reformer Martin Luther ( ). According to legend, he was so moved by the beauty of the stars shining between the branches of a fir tree, he brought home an evergreen tree and decorated it with candles to share the image with his children.[] Now you have a bunch of random facts to rattle off to your family when you run out of things to talk about 6

7 To Fans and Supporters of the A&G Show, Tickets for the 2017 Antiques & Garden Show of Nashville are now on sale! Please visit us at to see 2017 s exciting line-up of national speakers and events. And be among the first to find out who s coming to Nashville next February! Tickets

8 Wanted!! Articles for the Newsletter 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, or condensing a gardening article you read. December Meeting No Meeting Happy Holidays! Keep contributing. Keep reading. Keep sharing. Please send your contributions to: Liz Whitsitt lizv@tds.net Pam Stanfield pamstanfield@gmail.com Board of Directors Check Out UT Gardens Jackson On Facebook! Lots of great info being shared there, and you don t have to wait for a monthly newsletter! The Bridge to Knowledge The University of Tennessee Extension Madison County 309-C North Parkway Jackson, TN Phone Fax cscott52@utk.edu (Celeste Scott) Mary Nenarella, President Wayne Gerler, 1st Vice President Glenn Fesmire, 2nd Vice President Mary Kay Havranek, Secretary Tammy Overby, Treasurer Board Members: Elizabeth Edwards, John Havranek, Susan Luckey, Bill Wyatt Non-voting members : Pam Stanfield, Newsletter Liz Whitsitt, Newsletter Master Gardener financial standing information is available upon request.