Vol. 23, No. 12 Editors: Jean Murray/Lisa Slattery/Julie Stark December 2013

MG EVENTS Interesting Facts about Holiday This article was originally published 02/09/09 Steering Committee Mtg. The poinsettia, Christmas , and Extension Office mistletoe can be found in many homes December 3 • 6:30 pm during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. The poinsettia and Christmas cactus are prized for their colorful flowers. Mistletoe is hung in the home

for those wishing for a kiss. While the Winter Garden Fair Previews poinsettia, Christmas cactus, and Extension Office Conf. Rm mistletoe are recognized by nearly everyone, many individuals aren't Thursday, December 5 aware of interesting facts about these 6:00 - Straw Bale Gardening plants. 7:00 - Beautiful Bulbs All Year Long Poinsettia Monday, December 9 The poinsettia is native to Mexico and 5:00 - Fabulous Foliage cultivated by the Aztecs. The colorful Monday, December 16 bracts were used to make a reddish 5:00 - Extending Growing Season purple dye and the milky sap was used 6:00 - Hybrid Lilies to treat fevers. Poinsettias were first Tuesday, December 17 introduced in the U.S. by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the U.S. Ambassador to 6:00 Plants Deeply Rooted in Mexico from 1825-1829. Poinsett History Thursday, December 19 (article continued page 2) 7:00 - Successful Hanging Baskets and Containers What’s Inside... 8:00 - Green with Envy  Interesting Facts About Holiday Plants— pages 1-2

 Did You Know… —page 3

 Lowe Park Greenhouse Update—page 4 "The gardening season officially begins on January 1st, and  Report Your Hours—page 5 ends on December 31st."  Winter Gardening Fair Previews ~ Marie Huston Scheduled—page 6  Coordinator Comments—page 7  Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine—page 8  Holiday Gardening Gift Ideas—page 9

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(continued from page 1) had plants sent to his home in South Carolina where he gave them to horticultural friends and botanical gardens. The colorful part of the poinsettia, (the 's flowers), are actually modified leaves or bracts. The true flowers are yellow to green, button-like objects located in the center of the bracts. Poinsettias are short-day plants as they grow vegetatively during the long days of summer and produce flowers when days become shorter in the fall. In order for poinsettias to flower for Christmas, they must receive complete darkness from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. each day from early October until the bracts show good color, usually around early December. The poinsettia is not poisonous, however, it is not intended for human or animal consumption. One potential health problem associated with the poinsettia occurs when individuals develop skin irritation from the milky sap that oozes from the plant’s stem if it is cut or broken.

Christmas Cactus Holiday cactus is a more accurate name as a plant purchased during the holidays may be a Christmas cactus ( bridgesii), a Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata), or a hybrid. Christmas and Thanksgiving cacti are similar in appearance. However, the stem segments on the Christmas cactus have scalloped edges, while the stem segments on the Thanksgiving cactus have 2-4 pointed teeth along their edges. Schlumbergera bridgesii and Schlumbergera truncata are native to the mountainous forests of southeastern . Holiday cacti are epiphytes-they grow in the crotches of trees and derive water and nutrition from rain, decaying organic matter, and filtered sunlight. The stems of holiday cacti are composed of flattened stem segments or phylloclades which carry on for the plant. Day-length and temperature control the flowering of both Schlumbergera species. Like the poinsettia, holiday cacti are short-day plants and will not bloom properly if exposed to artificial light at night. Flowers may also fail to develop if the plant is exposed to temps above 70 degrees F. Night temps of 60-65 degrees F with slightly warmer day temps are ideal for flower formation.

Mistletoe Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant with small, leathery leaves and small, white berries. Mistletoe plants manufacture their own food, but must obtain water and minerals from the host plant. American mistletoe (Phoradendron serotinum) is found growing in deciduous trees from New Jersey and southern Indiana southward to Florida and Texas. It is the state flower of Oklahoma. Mistletoe sold during the holiday season is from the wild and most are harvested in Oklahoma and Texas. Mistletoe fruit is poisonous so for safety reasons, most companies have replaced the fruit with artificial, plastic berries. The scientific name Phoradendron is Greek derived and literally means "thief of the tree." As you gaze upon the poinsettia, Christmas cactus, and mistletoe this holiday season, enjoy the beauty and traditions of these holiday plants. However, don't forget some of the interesting facts about these unique plants.

By: Richard Jauron, Department of Horticulture

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Did You Know… Have plastic plant pots around the house that you want to recycle? You can always return them to the nursery, or put them to good use around your home:  Clean Fruits and Veggies: Place stuff you pick from the garden in clean pots and rinse off dirt with water from your outdoor tap. Let the water drain out the bottom holes before storing your bounty.  Displace Dirt in a Larger Pot: When repotting a plant, turn a plastic pot upside down in the new, larger container and add soil around it. When you're done, pull out the plastic pot and there will be plenty of room inside the bigger container to place your plant's root ball  Protect Blades: Flip seedling trays upside down and use the crevices to store saws or workshop knives so that the blades don't get damaged in storage.  Lift a Paint Project Off the Ground: Use four or more pots to prop up a cabinet door, piece of trim, or other item you're painting so that you can reach every nook and cranny.  Keep Twine Untangled: Put a ball of twine in a plastic pot, and pull the end through a hole in the bottom to keep it neat when using.  Store Holiday Ornaments: Keep small decorations segregated by enclosing them in seedling trays: Place items in the bottom tray, invert the second tray on top of it, and seal with packing tape. For very small items, place in a single tray, top with a scrap piece of cardboard, and tape closed.  Sift Salt Onto an Icy Spot: Stack two plastic pots, holding them so that there's an inch or so of space between their bottom surfaces, and fill the top one with rock salt. Shake the pots over the surface of your driveway or walkway. Using two pots prevents the salt from falling through the bottom holes too quickly.  Encourage Kids to Save: Give your kids clean seedling trays and have them sort spare change: one section each for pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters  Organize Hardware: Use seedling trays in drawers or on workbench to sort and store nuts, bolts, nails, and odds and ends. Article taken from: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20293256_20649536,00.html

Want to contact a fellow Linn County Master Gardener or update your personal profile? http://mgquickfind.info/

December 3

Lowe Greenhouse Update—”Saturday Under Glass” By Phil Pfister

The final Saturday Under Glass Workshop for the 2013 season at the Lowe Park Greenhouse was held on Saturday, November 16, 2013. The event was a hands on make a ‘Holiday Arrangement’ Workshop, where participants made arrangements using evergreens, and a variety of natural and painted dried plants and foliage, including various grasses, hydrangea blooms, sedums, heathers, dusty miller, holly and many other plants that can be found in our gardens, along the roadside, and at the park. Fifteen people participated in the workshop. Shelby Foley and Phil Pfister led the workshop, and Larry Dawson assisted. This was a fun event, and several asked that we repeat it again next year.

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Report Your Hours From: Iowa Master Gardener Newsletter—November 2013 For 2013 the Master Gardener volunteer hours requirement to remain active has increased from 6 to 12 hours per year. By the end of 2013 all active MGs must complete at least 12 hours of volunteer service annually. The MG continuing education hour requirement has not changed from 6 hours required yearly. The average number of hours volunteered by Iowa Master Gardeners in 2012 was 41, so for most the expanded requirement should not be a concern. Recently the National Extension Master Gardner Task Force recommended establishing minimum national standards for Master Gardener service and continuing education. The recommendations are for 20 hours of service and 10 hours of continuing education annually. As you can see, Iowa currently does not meet those standards, even with the increase this past year. The State Master Gardener Advisory Committee is considering this recommendation, and would like your input on whether Iowa should adopt the proposed national Master Gardener service standards. In comparison to our neighbors, Iowa is lagging in Master Gardener volunteer service and continuing education. Here are the numbers for 2012:

Iowa Illinois Minnesota Wisconsin # of active 2436 3400 2445 3064 MGs # volunteer 99,946 200,216 131,000 207,324 hours Ave. volunteer 41.0 58.9 53.6 67.7 hrs/MG Total Cont. ed. 20,042 42,660 34,000 67,094 hours Ave. cont. ed. 8.2 12.5 13.9 21.9 hrs/MG

The numbers reported in Iowa are at least 25% less than our neighboring states in the Upper Midwest--both for volunteer service and continuing education hours. Let's make sure that ALL your hours for 2013 get reported! I suspect that many of you don't report everything that you do for the Master Gardener program. It's important that we provide a full picture of Master Gardener service to the state of Iowa when reporting to university administrators and the legislature. As of late November nearly 60,000 volunteer service hours and more than 12,500 continuing education hours have been reported here in Iowa for 2013. That's a good start, but we have a long way to go to surpass last year's totals.

December 5

Winter Gardening Fair Previews Are Scheduled!

Presentation Previews for the February 15, 2014 Winter Gardening Fair will be held in the large conference room at the Linn County Extension Office. It's a great way to complete your education hours for this year, or start on hours for next year.

Thursday, December 5 6:00 - Melanie Brown/Barb Wing - Straw Bale Gardening 7:00 - Jean Murray - Beautiful Bulbs All Year Long Monday, December 9 5:00 - Lori Bailey - Fabulous Foliage Monday, December 16 5:00 - Phil Pfister - Extending the Growing Season 6:00 - Charlene Woeste - Hybrid Lilies Tuesday, December 17 6:00 - Judy Stevens - Plants Deeply Rooted in History (or her Yard and Garden Art presentation) Thursday, December 19 7:00 - Deb Walser - Successful Hanging Baskets and Containers 8:00 - Deb Walser - Green with Envy Thursday, January 9 5:00 - Thea Cole - Garden Ferns 101 6:00 - Karen Stewart - Restoring Prairies; a Labor of Love 7:00 - Beula Dvorak - Starting from Scratch 8:00 - Mike Anderson - Outstanding Shrubs for the Midwest Garden (or his tree presentation) Saturday, January 11 9:00 - Nancy Sutherland - Growing Succulents in the Midwest 10:00 - Debbie Main - Colorful Cottage Gardens 11:00 - Debbie Main - Tasty yet Tasteful Landscapes 12:00 - Jay McWherter - Iowa Tropicals 1:00 - Jay McWherter - The Shade Garden

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Coordinator Comments By Michelle Kenyon-Brown Hello Everyone! It is the season of giving and gardeners can’t be left out! Plan ahead and your gifts could come from your own garden, from local quality garden centers and farmers. Here are a few gifts available at the Linn County Extension office. Proceeds go directly to gardening education programs. The Wonder of Trees 2014 Calendar COST: $8 (pick up at ISU Extension & Outreach Linn County office)+$2 (for shipping and handling) The 2014 calendar celebrates the wonderful gifts that trees provide for other living things. In addition to striking photos, find monthly garden tips, tree-planting instructions, Iowa's state forests, vignettes of historical trees, and quotes that trees inspired. "The calendar's photographs highlight the various aspects of trees including flowers, foliage, fruit, shape and structure," said Richard Jauron, ISU Extension and Outreach horticulture specialist, who helped prepare the calendar. Jauron explained the calendar's helpful tips are timely with the seasons, giving dates for pruning oak trees, hand thinning of fruit trees, checking for insects and many more. The last two pages of the calendar describe the proper way to plant a tree and gives facts about the state forests of Iowa and their location in the state. Makes a great gift and a handy garden journal too! Terra Cotta Coffee Mug This uniquely designed coffee mug features the colorful Master Gardener logo. Limited supply available. COST: $12 (pick up at ISU Extension & Outreach Linn County office) Getting Your Hands Dirty and Your Feet Wet Again COST: $20 (pick up at ISU Extension & Outreach Linn County office)+ $5 (for shipping and handling of 3 books or less) The Linn County Master Gardeners' Getting Your Hands Dirty and Your Feet Wet Again is a compilation of gardening information, personal experiences, and answers to common garden questions. Over 40 Linn County Master Gardeners participated in writing and editing this book. Book chapters focus on the four seasons, edibles, and the world of nature. Proceeds from the sale of these items will be used to fund ISU Extension & Outreach Linn County educational programs. Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday Address: 383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201; Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Volunteer Opportunities: Write articles, submit pictures and/or contribute ideas to the Germinator Promote MG events throughout the community via Social Media Volunteer to staff our display at a community event Get on 2014 Hortline schedule Become a Mentor to one or more of our MG Interns Create a gardening education game for the Prize Wheel Contact me for information on these opportunities: [email protected].

December 7

Emerald Ash Borer Quarantine In Effect

Officials with the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship have announced a quarantine of 25 counties in Eastern Iowa, to help prevent the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). The quarantine includes Linn County. EAB infestations have been confirmed in four Eastern Iowa counties: Allamakee, Des Moines, Jefferson, and Cedar. The Emerald Ash Borer kills all ash species and is considered to be one of the most destructive tree pests ever seen in North America. The regulated articles under the quarantine include EAB at any living state; entire ash trees; firewood of any hardwood species; any cut or fallen material of the ash; non-heat treated ash lumber with either bark or sapwood attached; and hardwood wood or bark chips larger than one inch in two dimension. The quarantine orders that the regulated articles cannot be moved from a county included in the quarantine unless a permit has been issued by either the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship or USDA Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) or if the article has been treated to exterminate any pests under the supervision of USDA and the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship. All Iowans are strongly cautioned not to transport firewood across county or state lines, since the movement of firewood throughout Iowa or to other states poses the greatest threat to quickly spread EAB even further. Most EAB infestations in the United States have been started by people unknowingly moving infested firewood, nursery plants or sawmill logs. Identifying EAB’s: An EAB may have been present 5 years before it is identified. The path the larvae makes in the cambium layer is serpentine. The bark has to be carefully stripped to see that damage. Emerald ash borers will begin to infest a tree starting at the top canopy. As the infestation becomes more developed, consecutive generations of EAB will work down the tree to ground level, which will eventually kill the tree. For more information on the Emerald Ash Borer, check this link on the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture website: http://www.iowatreepests.com/ eab_home.html. (Photos in this article are from the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture website.)

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Holiday Gardening Gifts By Becki Lynch

The holidays are fast approaching, and once again I am looking for something for the gardeners in my family. I have an aunt in her 80’s, and a nephew in his 20’s, so what are some ideas that will appeal to ALL ages? For any gardener, there are certain gifts that are ALWAYS welcome. First, I recommend picking up the 2014 Wonder of Trees Garden Calendar available at the local Iowa State University Extension office. For only $6, this year's calendar celebrates the wonderful gifts that trees provide for other living things. In addition to striking photos, find monthly garden tips, tree-planting instructions, Iowa's state forests, vignettes of historical trees, and quotes that trees inspired. Second, see if there are any magazines that your favorite gardeners love and renew their subscriptions, or begin new subscriptions for them. These gifts are usually $20 or less. If your gardener has a particular interest, such as vegetables or roses, google to see if there are any specialty publications related to their interest. Try to go beyond the generic publications, and your gardener will appreciate it. Nothing is better to while away the winter months than planning over the ideas in a gardening magazine. Third, any gardener will love having a cleanser for any poison ivy, oak, or sumac that we might get into – and we always do. And since we get into trouble before we realize it, we need a product that works AFTER the fact. To have a product easily on hand at the beginning of the season is a great gift, and a product called Tecnu Outdoor Skin Cleansor is highly reviewed, inexpensive ($10-15), and effective for decontaminating skin, tools, clothes, and pets. It works up 8 hours after exposure – check it out. Other products are also available. Fourth, for the young gardener, the Root Viewer gives him/her a project for RIGHT NOW, not spring – which is too long to wait. Budding botanists will love watching root vegetables grow from the tops up and the roots down. Carrots, radishes and onions are grown from sprouts to full harvest right before their eyes! Includes seeds and growing instructions. For $10, everything needed comes in the package. Available online, there is still time to get it. Finally, since most gardeners have their own preferences in tools, gloves, and even brands of bulbs and plants, a great gift for any season is a gift card to a local nursery. We have many quality greenhouses in our community, and they all have a wide selection of plants, tools, artwork, and plant materials from which to choose. Just pop on over and pick up a card from one of them over the next few weeks, and you’ll know your favorite gardeners will be happy.

December 9

November 2013 Steering Committee (Abridged for Germinator; Committees not listed had no report) Attended: P. Brackey, W. Carew, L. Dawson, C. Fixmer, L. Harn, J. Murray, B. Roof, J. Schildroth, S. Usher, D. Walser, B. Wing, J. West, J. Baumhauer. Excused: K. Stewart. Guest: M. Kenyon-Brown. Approval of Minutes: Oct. 1 minutes unanimously approved as submitted. Announcements: 2014 officers will be nominated at the Dec. meeting. Committee Reports: Noelridge (Jean Minehart/Phyllis Olson): Cuttings continued at through mid- Oct. Elizabeth Ward visited Oct 8. The Noelridge MG Committee met Oct 16. Phyllis Olson is taking a hiatus from the MG Program after Dec. Diane Stevens will be the herb garden morning maintenance lead and Kathy Rhodes will continue as afternoon lead. Kathy Rhodes will replace Phyllis as Co-Chair. Noelridge is pairing with Goodwill Day Rehab; contact Jean if you would like to volunteer with mentoring a group. Becky gave presentation highlighting activities held in conjunction with Blue Zone activities. Of note, the AAS garden is not a MG garden but a partnership of Noelridge Park & Greenhouse, City of CR Parks Dept., Willow Glen Nursery, MG and Blue Zone. MG Herb Garden Committee agreed to hold educational activities at the garden the same time as activities at AAS Partnership Garden NewBo Learning Garden (Lori Klopfenstein): On 10/26 paths between the beds were completed by a crew assembled by Eagle Scout candidate, Chris Elliott. They look fantastic! The beds are cleared for winter. Ideas are now being discussed for 2014 plans and we anticipate submitting budget request by Jan. Thanks to MG support, this project happened; a sign acknowledging this support is being planned. Expert Education (Linda Hayward): Working on 2014 schedule; bus trip tentatively planned for August 2014. From the Ground Up (Pam Bracke): We are in our 4th school for the year. We will be taking a short break and start again in Jan. Curriculum changes will be discussed at November meeting. Garden Walk (Kay McWhinney): The 2014 event will be held Sat., July 12. In response to 2013 evals, all five gardens are in SE quadrant CR. Gracious hosts are: Doris Hardt, Barbara Brown, Gene Nassif, Louise Harn and Barbara Wing. Thanks to all MG who volunteered (or were coerced). Greenhouse (Phil Pfister): 16 MG and interns added a hoop house to the campus used for storage in winter and to demonstrate how to extend seasons. The Marion Parks Dept. donated three cattle panels; the remainder materials cost approximately $300. The 2014 Marion Parks & Rec Programs Guide will include Lowe Park MG projects and describe MG program. Heritage Project (Dora Bopp): Thanks to Heritage Home Gardens MG team of Paulette Montague, Gene Nassif, Teri Ilten, Kim Mikus, Beckey Woodard Cole, Marti Garrison and Dora Bopp for another successful year of vegetable gardening. Heritage is thrilled with the partnership with MG and very appreciative of the team's efforts. The raised bed and in-ground gardens are cleared and ready for winter. Hortline (Doug Smith): New stereoscopic microscope/dissecting scope from Scope Shoppe, Inc. has arrived; training will begin soon. Book inventory done in Oct.; two are unaccounted for. Recommended to purchase two additional books. About 10 publications we didn't have would be useful; 3 were priced at $11 total and single copy of the others were downloaded,

10 Germinator copied and place in files. Index updated and three copies run off; one copy is in file drawer, one on scribe’s desk and one in flat file on scribe’s desk. New publications are marked with an * mark. New intern Hortline training will hopefully be in Jan. PR (Debbie Main): Table was at Duane Arnold Energy Center Health Fair 10/10 and partial table was at Newbo 10/31. Displays in the Extension Office conference room are changed to correspond with intern's classes. A display of priced publications is in Hortline office; purchases go thru Lisa Klees. MG logo patch samples are being collected. Project Independence (Karla McGrail): A good gardening season with many annuals/vegetables enjoyed by residents; spring blooming bulbs were added. MG participants were: Karla McGrail, Polly Tsamis, Brenda Garbe, Dave Mahlke, Laurie Azeltine, Judy Stevens, Carol Sears, Gloria Johnson- Jackson and Joan West. Speaker's Bureau: 20-40 people have attend presentations; there were about 50 at Oct. 30 presentation. Winter Gardening Fair (Jane Schildroth/Karla McGrail): Planned for Sat., Feb. 15 with good variety of topics and featured speakers. Since we cannot have a keynote speaker this year (due to construction at Ballantyne Aud.) we are offering an extra session of classes. Brochures are in production and preview presentations will start soon. Plant Exchange (Kay McWhinney): Held Sept. 28 at Lowe Park Greenhouse. 18 MG’s attended and everyone went home with “new to them” plants. Coordinator's Report: Statewide MG Advisory Council is considering raising the annual hour requirement for all MGs from 12 to 20. Victoria Wims, Office Assistant, has resigned. Finance Committee is meeting in Nov. Budget process will begin early this year in order to ensure our budget is included in the Linn County Extension Council Budget Report. Whether Spring MG training will be offered is still uncertain. Old Business: Project Chairs Handbook Committee: Work is continuing on this project. Fiscal Year End Discussion: Work is continuing on this project; Nov. 14 was the predetermined meeting date. Steering Committee Member Nominating Committee: Beula Dvorak was nominated to fill the vacant position for 2014. Motion to accept nomination was passed with unanimous approval. Gardening Craft Vendors at Selected Events: Barb Brown is committee chair with Deb Walser, Wil Carew, Sue Usher and Debbie Main; meeting will be soon. New Business: None Date of next meeting: December 3, 2013. Meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted: Louise Harn, Secretary

Linn County Extension Master Gardeners 383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 ph (319) 377-9839 • Hortline (319) 447-0647 • www.extension.iastate.edu/linn

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964.

December 11

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402 Rapids, Cedar Suite 201 NE, Collins Road 383 Extension County Linn ISU Master Gardeners

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