Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes March 2015 March To Do List … • Trees, shrubs, and berries can be pruned now. These Tip: If garden soil sticks to your shoes, it is too wet include grapevines, raspberries, currants, to work. gooseberries, fruit trees and most shade trees. • Visit greenhouses, see what is available and compare • Temperatures above 40 degrees, spray fruit trees with prices. dormant oil to prevent scale insects and spider • Cold-frame fans, plant lettuce, spinach and radishes. mites later. • Tip: Add copper pennies or pieces to water and add • Begin planting trees and shrubs. cut tulips. They will remain upright! • Start spring cleanup. Rake leaves and pick up trash • and broken limbs, etc. Gardening In Iowa And Surrounding Areas by Veronica • Gradually remove winter protection from roses but not Lorson Fowler with The Federated Garden Clubs of Iowa mounded dirt yet. The same goes for climbing roses. Rose Tonic recipe: 2 tsp baking soda, 2 qts water, 1/2 tsp liquid soap or Murphy's Oil MG Steering Committee Meeting Soap. Keep a bottle filled and ready to battle Wednesday, March 11, 7:00 pm powdery mildew or black spot. Just shake well Johnson County Extension Office. before spraying. Note: Soap increases the All are invited to attend! moisture on plant leaves so spores are unable to germinate. Thymes Deadline • Early-month, start onions, leeks, broccoli, cabbage Thymes information should be sent to Jan Denehy at and cauliflower from seed. [email protected] Please send news, volunteer • Mid-month, plant peppers, eggplant and parsley from opportunities, stories, pictures, etc., for the April issue seed. no later than Wednesday, March 25. • Cool-loving plants including pansies, godetias, snapdragons and violas are mid-month seeds to 2015 Johnson Co. Master Gardener Education Day plant. March 15, 2015 1-5pm (Snow date March 22, 1-5pm) • Late-month, plant tomato seeds. Johnson Co. Extension Office, 3109 Old Highway 218 S, • How do you determine when to remove mulch? Iowa City, The educational sessions are free and open to Gently rake away part of the mulch. If you see current Johnson County MGs. Those interested in new, green growth, it's time to remove mulch registering for the event are required to select Track A and add to the compost pile. or Track B for each session. There are only 25 slots • Can't wait to begin playing in soil? Be careful working open for each educational track, so sign up early. Light soil that is too wet. It can dry in large, hard refreshments will be provided. To register contact clumps and ruin the texture of the soil. Shannon Bielicke at [email protected], 319-337-2145 1 1-2pm Session WHITE HOUSE GARDENS by Betty Kelly A. Mark Vitosh- District Forester. Basic Tree President Obama inherited an 18.9-acre garden when Identification. Knowing what kind of trees you have in he became president in 2009. But what is the history of your yard or woodland is key to helping you make the this oldest continuously maintained landscape? best management decisions. While earning to identify In 1791, George Washington and Pierre Charles trees takes time and patience, this class will teach the L'Enfant mapped out the "President Park" to include basic characteristics needed to get you off to a good reflecting pools and terraced gardens patterned after start. Versailles. Today the landscape is about one fourth the size Washington envisioned. President Thomas Jefferson B. Jan Pettus- Seed Saving 101. She has been (1801-09) and his surveyor of public buildings, Benjamin saving seeds for ten years and has extensive knowledge Latrobe, undertook the first extensive landscaping on an of genetics. expanse of unpromising tobacco depleted clay soil with a malaria swamp. Throughout the 19th century, much 2-3pm Session effort was devoted to filling in the marshy area now A. Phil Pfister-Linn Co. Master Gardner. Growing called the Ellipse. Although Jefferson's trees are gone, in a Hoop House. Are you looking for a way to extend his plans for the South Lawn remained until after the the growing season? One option is a hoop house, Civil War. arelatively inexpensive way to get an early start on John Quincy Adams (1825-29) solicited plant vegetables and extend the growing season well into fall specimens from foreign consulates and established and winter. In this discussion, Phil Pfistr will provide uniquely American species. The oldest surviving trees ideas for materials needed, plants that work well, and are two southern magnolias planted by Andrew Jackson. growing and insect management tips. Rutherford B. Hayes (1827-81) began the presidential tradition of planting trees in honor of home states or B. Slyvia Kelly-Linn Co. Master Gardner. Orna- past presidents. About four-dozen such commemorative edibles-Pretty enough to eat. Simple ideas to grow food trees are now labeled on the grounds. and flowers in combinations that are front yard beautiful James Monroe (1817-25), named the first "Gardener and healthy to eat. Take steps towards sustainable living to the President of the United States," Charles Bizet, and for every life style --apartments, condos, and houses big paid him a salary of $450 a year. The current gardener, and small, from a container to the whole front yard. Dale Haney, is in his 35th year at the White House. These horticulturalists are long-employed and not 3-4 pm Session changed with presidents. A. Lucy Hershberger- Forever Green Nursery. Andrew Jackson built the first White House orangery Storm water management is in the news lately with in 1835. Citrus fruits shared space with exotic species cities creating new rules and helping pay for practices to and provided flowers to decorate the White House. help prevent flooding and reduce pollution in our rivers, Beginning with Franklin Pierce (1853-57), the president's lakes and streams. Homeowners can make a different hothouses were part of the craze for rare plants and the with landscape practices that not only improve water botanical spoils of Commodore Perry's adventures in quality but are beautiful, low cost and easy to maintain. China and Japan. However, the champion of national Some of the practices covered will be rain gardens, soil parks and the National Forest Service, Theodore quality restoration, native planting and rain barrels. Roosevelt (1901-09) dismantled the green houses to make way for office space for today's West Wing. B. Jeff Smith – Topic to be confirmed at a later date. Frederick Law Olmstead's plan was commissioned by Franklin Roosevelt in 1935 to provide a flexible but 4-5pm Session unified overall concept. The South Lawn remains park A. James Martinek- Iowa Beekeeper and 2014 like with flower beds and gardens sequestered against Master Gardener Intern. the house. Few trees and sunken driveways create a view of the Jefferson Memorial. President Kennedy B. Scott Koepke- Soil mates 51%. More than half of (1960-65) placed the Park Service in charge of garden what we ate today wasn’t grown in Iowa, and over half maintenance in 1961 and ordered the Rose Garden lawn of what we threw away today was potential compost. expanded to accommodate 1,000 guests, beginning the Scott Koepke will speak about the economic, political tradition of garden site presidential addresses. In 1965, and cultural reasons why we import most of our food, the Rose Garden and East Lawn were dedicated to why we waste the green and brown source ingredients Jacqueline Kennedy by Lady Bird Johnson. for compost and what is being done to reverse those Some presidents have installed specific recreational behaviors. areas on the White House lawns; Harry Truman (1945- 53) had a horseshoe pit: Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61) put in a putting green; Gerald Ford (1974-77) built a heated outdoor pool; Bill Clinton (1993-2001) added a 2 recycled rubber track, and George W. Blush hosted T- Ball games for little leaguers. The annual Easter Egg Hunt was actually begun 1878 on the Capitol Grounds, but so much damage occurred that it was moved to the White House lawn. Today over 7,200 eggs are used in the event. Garden maintenance has changed over the years. Sheep mowed the grass under John Quincy Adams; now 13 National Park Service staff keeps the grass at three inches. Protecting the historic trees is a top priority with a regularly fed cocktail of fertilizers. Motion detectors, infrared sensors and hidden microphones and video cameras thwart security breaches. Jefferson ordered the executive residence open to the public, but today tours are monitored. Frequent calls for ecological responsibility come to the White House, such as the Rodale Institute requesting White House Rose Garden synthetic pesticides be removed from the rose garden. In 2009, Michelle Obama and 25 Washington, D.C., elementary students broke ground for a vegetable and herb garden on the South Lawn in an effort to encourage healthy eating habits. How will the White House gardens change when a new President takes office in 2016? White House Vegetable Garden Wind Dancer – Fundraising Workshop Everyone was too busy to do this workshop in December, but I will try to offer it in March. If you are interested or have any questions/suggestions, let me Salvia in White House Garden know so I can get an idea of time availability and if you would be open to doing the workshop in my shop so we would have all the supplies on hand. Barb Krug, 431- 5865, [email protected] White House Rose Garden Wind Dancer 3 Gardener’s Birthday Cake shared by Jan Denehy Thursday and Friday, May 14 & 15. We accept donations My daughter had this amazing birthday cake made for from MG members, friends, family & public.