February 2017 Turnip News
Master Gardeners Prince William
Editors: Rebecca Arvin-Colón Maria Stewart
Inside this issue: MG President’s Message Upcoming Events and MGPW 3 Meetings - At a Glance FEEDBACK. Over the past year, in these notes, we have dis- Teaching Garden Workdays Starting! 4 cussed that the Master Gardeners of Prince William (MGPW)
Mt. Cuba Center—Conserving Native 5-6 is a feedback-based organization. Most major issues consid- Plants ered by the Board of Directors have been in response to your Greener Gardens with Barbara W. 7 input. To continue this idea, as mentioned in last month’s Ellis Turnip News, you will be receiving five feedback questions The Basics of Gardening 8 with instructions via an email from Nancy Berlin in Febru- Upcoming Events and MGPW 9 Meetings ary. Please take a few minutes to answer. Your thoughtful Master Gardener Photo Directory 10 comments are our way into the future.
2017 Sustainable Vegetable 11 One of our major projects this year, driven by your feedback, Gardening Series was to develop a MGPW Strategic Plan to help guide our ac- VCE—Prince William Drinking Water 12 Clnic tions over the next few years. Below is an extract from the Get to Know a Critter 13 first page of the Plan that describes its purpose. If anyone is PUZZLER 14 interested in the details of goals, measures, and other finer points please check www.MGPW.org or contact me at the email address below and I will send you a copy of the complete Plan.
STRATEGIC PLAN EXTRACT. “This Plan provides the
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MGPW Board of Directors with benchmarks to help accomplish our organization’s mission and vision. It highlights that the Board’s decision making is enriched by seeking feedback from our MGPW Association members. It also puts forward measurable steps to increase our environ- mental outreach to the greater Prince William community. The Plan provides a means to look critically at and measure what we are doing well, what we are doing poorly, and then trying to improve.
As the Board implements this Strategic Plan, we should be able to communicate better with our stakeholders. Over the duration of this Plan and beyond our reputation for being a high per- forming organization that is dedicated to excellent environmental education can flourish.”
“The Mission Statement1 of the Master Gardeners of Prince William (MGPW) is to pro- vide current research-based, horticultural/ environmental outreach and education programs for Prince William area residents.
The Vision Statement2 of the MGPW is to develop a culture of environmental steward- ship within the Prince William area through education, outreach, and volunteering.” Notes: 1. The Mission Statement describes what we do. 2. The Vision Statement describes that to which we aspire.
RECERTIFICATION. Please remember to mark your calendars for “Recert” Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., March 7th at the Kelly Leadership Center, 14715 Bristow Rd., Manassas, VA 20112. Photos for the MG Directory will be taken at this event, starting at 6:00 p.m. More to follow from Nancy.
-Larry Lehowicz, President, MGPW, [email protected]
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Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings - At A Glance
February
SATURDAY SUNDAY TUESDAY THURSDAY 11 12 14 16 Basics of Greener Gardens MGPW Board Piedmont Gardening Barbara W. Ellis Meeting Landscape Seminar SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY 18 18 18 25 Pruning Basics of EcoSavvy Basics of Workday Gardening Symposium Gardening
March
TUESDAY SATURDAY TUESDAY 7 11 Save the Date: SNOW DATE: 14 Recertification Basics of MGPW Board Gardening Meeting
SATURDAY SATURDAY MONDAY 18 25 27 Sustainable Sustainable Drinking Water Vegetable Vegetable Clinic Kick-off Gardening Gardening
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Teaching Garden Workdays Starting Tuesday, March 14! Here’s the full schedule for the season:
July Every Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - noon March (11th, 18th, 25th) Every Tuesday starting the 14th, Every Thursday 6:00 p.m. - dusk 9:00 a.m. - noon (14th, 21st, 28th) (6th, 13th, 20th, 27th) Saturday March 25th 8:00 a.m. - noon Saturday, 8th, 8:00 a.m. - noon
April August Every Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - noon Every Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - noon (4th, 11th, 18th, 25th) (1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th) Every Thursday 6:00 p.m. - dusk Every Thursday 6:00 p.m. - dusk (6th, 13th, 20th, 27th) (3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st) Saturday, 15th and 29th, 8:00 a.m. - noon Saturday, 12th, 8:00 a.m. - noon
May September Every Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - noon Every Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - noon (2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th) (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th) Every Thursday 6:00 p.m. - dusk Every Thursday 6:00 p.m. - dusk (4th, 11th, 18th, 25th) (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th) Saturday, 6th and 27th, 8:00 a.m. - noon Saturday, 2nd, 8:00 a.m. - noon
June October Every Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - noon Every Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - noon (6th, 13th, 20th, 27th) (3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st) Every Thursday 6:00 p.m. - dusk Saturday, 14th, 8:00 a.m. - noon (1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th) Saturday, 10th, 8:00 a.m. - noon November Every Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - noon (7th, 14th)
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Mt. Cuba Center – Conserving Native Plants by Abbie and Vincent Panettiere
e had a fruitful conversation with Nancy Berlin at a Master Gardener With this as a background, the Mt. Cuba Center W event a few months ago, and among began with Lammot du Pont Copeland, the the topics she mentioned was the Mt. Cuba Cen- great-great-grandson of E.I. du Pont, and his ter. When we looked for information about the wife, Pamela Cunningham Copeland. They mar- center, it became apparent that its history is de- ried in 1930, moved to Delaware, and bought pendent on the du Pont family. The du Pont Mt. Cuba, which was a 250-acre estate, in 1935. family and their company, surprisingly, have had a very close connection with horticultural They built a home there, which was finished in and farming matters throughout much of the 1937, and lived an active life. Mr. Copeland company’s history. graduated from Harvard University in 1928 with a degree in industrial chemistry and joined This was not true at the beginnings of the the DuPont Company fresh out of college. He DuPont company, at the Eleutherian Mills near worked at various positions until he became its Wilmington, Delaware. Then, horticultural or president from 1961 through 1971. even peaceful activities were not in sight. Éleuthère Irénée du Pont and his family, their During the 1950s, they became concerned with lives at risk after the French Revolution, left land conservation and the encroachments of France in 1800. Two years later, in 1802, he commercial development. Mrs. Copeland was founded DuPont using funds raised in France particularly concerned with the survival of na- and machinery for the making of gunpowder, tive plants in the surrounding area as these be- which he had imported from France. He had came threatened. They bought 17.72 acres ad- seen that the newly formed United States lagged joining their property to develop naturalistic behind Europe in the making of gunpowder and gardens, which became Mt. Cuba Center. In saw a need and an opening. 1989, Mt. Cuba Center was incorporated as a foundation. Mrs. Copeland, in the online site for The company was successful and prospered in the Center, is quoted on their intentions for it: many fields through the nineteenth and twenti- eth centuries, going into the development of dy- “I want this to be a place where people namite, smokeless powder, and products involv- will learn to appreciate our native plants ing cellulose chemistry, lacquers, and other and to see how these plants can enrich non‑explosive products. They have an impres- their lives so that they, in turn, will sive history of inventions including: neoprene, a become conservators of our natural synthetic rubber; the first polyester superpoly- habitats.” mer; nylon; and Teflon among others. Their concern was for native plants, particularly As a side note, the company, in 1910, promoted of the Appalachian Piedmont. Their collection, the idea of “Farming with Dynamite.” The represented informal to naturalistic gardens, thought was that if you used dynamite to re- has more than 6,500 plants of 2,200 taxa (taxa is move tree stumps and other obstacles, it would a taxonomic category, as a species or genus), and certainly be a good deal easier and quicker than their research concentrates on Coreopsis, Heu- any other method you might be using for those chera, Baptisia, Monarda, and Trillium. Their purposes. collections of wild ginger (Hexastylis) and tril-
5 Turnip News lium are considered a “national collection.” prepare individuals for a job in the field of bo- tanical gardens. Our goal is to seed public gar- The Center offers quite a few educational cours- dens with talented individuals who are inspired es and a Certificate in Ecological Gardening. by native plants so conservation can take root.” The variety of educational opportunities is im- There are internships in “Greenhouse Produc- pressive. They offer many classes, in both single tion,” “Native Plant Curation,” “Natural Lands,” and multiple sessions, on topics ranging from and “Public Engagement.” “Plants with Winter Interest” (single session) to “Environmental Landscape Design” (multiple The 12-week summer program is offered for sessions). There is “...college undergraduate the option to com- students or recently grad- plete all of the clas- uated students majoring ses to gain the cer- in horticulture, landscape tificate or to take architecture, ecology, or only those classes related plant science which are of inter- fields.” Students obtain est or importance to hands-on experience and you. education to help them ex- plore the possibilities open Perhaps the most to them in their future ca- impressive offer- reers. Subjects include ings are the two “Arboriculture,” types of internships the Center offers. There are “Ecological Gardening,” and “Greenhouse and twelve-week summer programs intended for col- Research.” lege undergraduates or recent college graduates and one-year programs intended for recent col- A visit to the Center, if you’re curious to see it lege graduates. for yourself, would have to wait until it is sea- sonally reopened on April 1st, but until then The year-long internships are open to graduates their website, http://mtcubacenter.org/, offers with degrees in environmental or plant-related many appetite-whetting images, including a subjects and, in their words, “These internships virtual tour.
Mt. Cuba Center Information: https://goo.gl/DVM2pp Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739 - http://mtcubacenter.org/ 1817) Mt. Cuba Center CosmoLearning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mt._Cuba_Center https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuPont Mt. Cuba Center DuPont Wikipedia Wikipedia https://goo.gl/ktBAEo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DuPont_Pioneer Copeland family papers DuPont Pioneer Manuscripts and Archives Department Wikipedia Archival Collections Hagley Museum and Library http://www.dictionary.com/browse/taxa Taxon Dictionary.com 6 Turnip News
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Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings
February 14th, Tuesday, MGPW Board of Directors Meeting: 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Virginia Cooperative Extension Office, Room 102 D (8033 Ashton Ave., Suite 105 Manassas, VA) As always, all Master Gardeners and Master Gardener Interns are welcome and encouraged to attend!
February 16th, Thursday, Piedmont Landscape Seminar: 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at The Para- mount Theater Charlottesville, VA The exciting line-up includes Dr. Allen Armitage, Nancy Ross Hugo, and Maymont's Peggy Singleann. Please visit http://piedmontlandscape.org/seminar.html for more information.
February 18th, Saturday, Pruning workday at the Teaching Garden: 1:30 p.m. (9535 Lin- ton Hall Road, Bristow VA) Dress for the weather and bring tools (saw, bypass pruners). Brenda Hallam and Leslie will lead the workday. Please RSVP to Extension Horticulture Help Desk (so we know how many to expect) 703-792-7747 or [email protected].
February 18th, Saturday, The 13th Annual EcoSavvy Symposium: Cultivating Biodiversity in the Home Garden, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Green Spring Gardens, Alexandria Plant and animal life biodiversity is critical to a healthy ecosystem. Learn from renowned public designer Bill McLaughlin of the U.S. Botanic Garden and expert local naturalist and environmental educator Alonso Abugattas how to create a home landscape that provides an oasis for birds, pollinators, and other wildlife through the use of native plants. A panel discussion on the use of native plants in the landscape follows the presentations. $56/person. For more info go to this link http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring/events.htm
March 7th, Tuesday, SAVE THE DATE: Recertification: 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Edward Kelly Leadership Center (14715 Bristow Road Manassas, VA 20112) All Master Gardeners should plan to attend. Recertification is a method of reviewing accomplishments and unveiling plans, goals, and opportunities for the coming year, as well as reconnecting with Master Gardener friends. We have a memorandum of understanding with Prince William County Public Works with specific deliverables and are constantly tweaking our work plans to accommodate shrinking budgets and growing priorities. We also try to incorporate some aspect of risk management in the session, as our schedule allows. Recertification serves as a social, education, and motivational event in our annual calendar. Recertification counts towards continuing education hours. RSVP to Extension Horticulture Help Desk 703-792-7747 or [email protected].
You will be receiving the recertification survey and an online questionnaire by the first week of February. We need one from everyone by March 7th – please return in a timely manner since we have a quicker turn around this year.
March 14th, Tuesday, MGPW Board of Directors Meeting: 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Virginia Cooperative Extension Office, Room 102 D (8033 Ashton Ave., Suite 105 Manassas, VA) As always, all Master Gardeners and Master Gardener Interns are welcome and encouraged to attend!
For Seminars at Merrifield Garden Center: https://www.merrifieldgardencenter.com/events/
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Master Gardener Photo Directory
Ever Wonder, Who Was that Mystery Master Gardener? I Just Can’t Recall the Name…?
You’re not the only one!
We will be updating our Master Gardener Photo Directory, located under the members only, password protected section of www.MGPW.org.
If you’d like to participate, we will be taking photos at Recertification on March 7th, or send a clear photo of your beautiful face, preferably one that will also show clearly as a small, thumbnail size to: Maria Stewart, [email protected].
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Get to Know a Critter: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus)
Did you know?
♦ The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is the state insect of Virginia. Their range includes Eastern North America from Ontario to the Gulf Coast, west to Colorado and central Texas.
♦ They can be seen in deciduous wood- lands, woodland edges, river valleys, and suburbs feeding on wild flowers and garden flowers such as wild cherry (Prunus), lilac (Syringa vulgaris), milkweed (Asclepias), and Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium) from spring through fall.
♦ The males and some females are yellow with black stripes on their forewings. Other females are almost completely black or dark gray with yellow spots on the rear of the fore-wing with mostly blue hind-wing. The dark female is often confused with the Spicebush Swallowtail.
♦ Females lay their eggs singly on tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera), wild black cherry (Prunus serotina), sweetbay (Magnolia), basswood (Tilia), birch (Betula), ash (Fraxinus), cottonwood (Populus), mountain ash (Sorbus), and willow (Salix).
♦ Eastern Tiger Swallowtails typically have three broods in the south, over- wintering as chrysalides. photos by Jason Alexander
Sources: Prince William Conservation Alliance, https://goo.gl/reb0eQ Butterflies and Moths of North America, https://goo.gl/hNfNsn
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PUZZLER
Do you know what this is? See next month’s Turnip News for the answer!
Last Month’s Answer: African Violet (Saintpaulia ionantha)
African Violet: “Once found only in the coastal woods of east Africa, African violets...are now among the most popular indoor plants.” / “Available in many flower colors, they produce flowers year-round un- der the proper growing conditions. Individual flower clusters may last three to six weeks under good conditions.” / “One of the most common problems of African violets is excessive watering. African violets are very susceptible to crown and root rots. They may be watered from the top or bottom. When watering from the top, apply enough water to thoroughly saturate the soil. Al- low excess water to drain from the bottom of the container. Cold water that comes in contact with the leaves of African violets can cause white blotches. To water the plant from below, place the container in a tray containing about 1 inch of water. When the soil surface becomes moist, remove the pot and discard excess water.” Source: UGA Extension, https://goo.gl/pZu425; Clemson Cooperative Extension, https://goo.gl/0VXW7P
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