Dodge County Master Gardener Association May 2018 Issue 54 Digging in Dodge Trout lily (Erythronium americanum) Inside this issue: Annual Plant Sale Cancelled Upcoming Meetings 2 It is with regret that we announce the can see how easy it would be to inad- Virginia Bluebells 3 cancelation of our 2018 spring plant vertently spread these through donated Help Line 3 sale. plants. Bleeding Hearts 4 An invasive Asian You can help. Learn to identify these State Conference 4 earthworm worms and report their locations to the 2018 Certified Master 5 (Amynthas spp.) Wisconsin DNR at Gardeners commonly called [email protected]. the jumping worm, 2018 Leven 1 Training 5 Amynthas differ from the European crazy worm or earthworms we are familiar with in sever- Master Gardeners in 6 snake worm, is very prolific having been al ways. They are darker in color, do not Action first spotted in Dane county in 2013 it produce body slime being dry to the Bumble Bee Flight 7 has since spread to 17 counties. The touch, darker on the dorsal side and light Season worm is easily spread in soil, mulch, on the ventral and are considerable more compost and plant materials. To slow active withering when handled or trying this advance, we thought it prudent to to escape. The most prominent differ- suspend our sale until effective protocols ence is in the clitellum, the band that are developed to ensure we are not inad- earthworms have around their bodies. vertently aiding the spread of this pest. The clitellum on Amynthas is nearer the Why is it a problem? Amynthas lives on head end. It completely circles the body or near the soil surface quickly devouring and is very light in color, almost white. any organic matter destroying soil tex- This gives greater contrast between the ture. Soil effected by these worms have clitellum and the body than found on a course coffee grounds texture that other worms. Unlike other worms where does not support plant growth. Amynthas the clitellum is raised saddle like, on is parthenogenic, producing eggs without Amynthas it is smooth with the rest of the the need for mating, so a single individu- body. al can turn into a colony. They reproduce For more information on Amynthas: fast, so even though adults do not ap- http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/ pear until late June or early July they forestmanagement/documents/pub/FR- produce two generations a season. 550.pdf or https://arboretum.wisc.edu/ Adults die off in fall. The worms over win- news/arboretum-news/research-update- ter as hard egg casings called cocoons, jumping-worms-and-sleeping-cocoons/ that are from 1 to 3 mm in diameter. Since adults are not present at planting John Schellinger time and cocoons are difficult to spot you Certified Master Gardener. Pa ge 2 Digging in Dodge I ssue 54 Upcoming Meetings Anyone with an interest in gardening is welcome to attend the following free programs. Master Gardener meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of the month. Unless otherwise noted, the meetings are at 6:30 p.m. in the Administration Building, 127 E. Oak Street, Juneau. May 24—Lifelong Gardening by Marilynn Cech. Marilynn is a Southeast Wisconsin Master Gardener. Her presentation will cover tips and techniques for gardening with ease, protecting your joints, preventing injuries and to enhance your well-being. Learn how to garden throughout life, despite physical challenges—whether you are young in age or just young at heart, by selecting the correct tools, techniques and plants. June 28—Better than Sex? - Plant Propagation by Dr. Loretta Ortiz-Ribbing. UW-Extension Crops & Soils Area Agent. She will discuss ways plant reproduce with and without sex. The focus of the talk will be on asexual plant propagation, and why this method is used? What are some methods of asexual plant propaga- tion, and how can you can easily use them to propagate some plants? Come and find out. July 26—Off -site tour. Available to Dodge County Master Gardener Volunteers Only*. Pat Clark will host a tour of his restored prairie in the township of Westford, that took root in 1989. He will go through the history of his land and the trials of trying to restore the land to its original state. He will give a guided tour and talk about the 180 native Wisconsin species that have been restored there. It will give members of the Master Gardener Association a glimpse into the ecological healing process of prairie restoration and what our Wis- consin and Dodge County landscape was like prior to European settlement around 1840. He will also discuss changes in the soil, the flora and fauna and himself, as well as, given his experiences over the last 27 years of dealing with this challenge. *Off site meeting is for Dodge County Master Gardener Volunteers Only. Not open to the public. Master Gardener Websites http://www.wimastergardener.org/ https://wimga.org/ http://dodge.uwex.edu/master-gardener/ Master Gardener E-mail [email protected] Digging in Dodge I ssue 54 Pa ge 3 Virginia Bluebells In the spring, Virginia bluebells established they don't care to be disturbed. Deer and (Mertensia virginica), create a beau- rabbits generally tend to leave it alone. tiful spring flower display for the shade garden. When these native In the perennial border, Virginia bluebells mix well wildflowers emerge, you will notice with yellow or orange spring bulbs such as daffodils or dark purple spikes. As the leaves pink tulips. Maidenhair fern and Virginia bluebells are expand, they change to a blue to a nice combination for a more formal shade garden. gray-green oval shaped leaves. For the spring woodland or wildflower garden it com- The plant will grow to a height of up bines well with bleeding heart, celandine poppy, and Virginia bluebells to two feet and about one foot wide. Trillium grandiflorum. Being a spring ephemeral, it with Lungwort The sky blue trumpet shaped flow- will die back leaving a bare space in the garden. To ers open from pink buds and have a fill the gap, plant Virginia bluebells with other shade delicate sweet fragrance that will last many weeks. loving perennials that will expand and cover the gap While in bloom, the flowers attract pollinators, includ- as the growing season progresses. Hostas, astilbe, ing long tongued bees, butterflies, hummingbird Solomon seal, ferns, sedges and wild ginger are a moths and hummingbirds. After the plants are done few options for companion plants. blooming, they will die back and go dormant for the summer to reappear again the following spring. Virginia bluebells make a welcome addition to shady woodland, wildflower, or native plant gardens. The Hardy in zones 3 – 9, Virginia Bluebells prefer moist pastel colors of the flower and foliage are soft and well drained soil and part to full shade, and don't toler- soothing for a shaded area. When planted in mass, ate sunny dry locations. They naturalize readily by they make an impressive show. self seeding and by spreading by underground rhi- zomes. The plants have a long taproot, so once Chris Jacobs, Certified Master Gardener 2018 Ask A Master Gardener Helpline May 1st – September 6th Tuesdays: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. Thursdays: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. Come in To Have Your Gardening Ques- tions Answered The Certified Master Gardener Volunteers will be located at the Dodge County Administration Building, Juneau Website: http://dodge.uwex.edu/master-gardener Email: [email protected] Phone: 920-386-3790 Pa ge 4 Digging in Dodge I ssue 54 Bleeding Heart: A Late Spring Ornamental The common Bleeding Propagate new plants by making stem or root cuttings Heart (Dicentra spectabilis) after flowering. If the plant itself needs to be is an herbaceous perennial transplanted, do so carefully in the fall. Water with dangling, dainty pink, regularly for the first month to establish the new plant. red, or white heart-shaped In addition to the elegant pink blooms and fern like blooms. The blooms may foliage, bleeding heart is available in a few other be dainty, but the plant is varieties. ‘Alba’ has all white blooms and is more heat quite hardy, making this tolerant than its pink cousin, however it is not as spring bloomer a long-time garden favorite. hardy. ‘Pantaloons’ also has white flowers and is Bleeding Heart grows well in zones 2–9, requiring hardier than ‘Alba’. partial shade, well-drained, damp, but rich soil. It will ‘Gold Heart’ has the same pink blooms as other grow 2–4 feet tall and spreads 1–2 feet, is non- Dicentra spectabilis, but has unique bright gold aggressive, although some will self-seed in very moist foliage. This foliage does, however, fade in the areas. Few pests are a concern, although aphids will summer sun. occasionally feed on the flower stems and slugs may find the foliage a tasty treat. Another species is Eastern or fringed bleeding heart, Dicentra eximia, native to eastern North America. It is In late spring new foliage will sprout with a reddish smaller and more delicate, growing only about a foot color that deepens to a medium green as it matures. tall, has a longer growing season, and retains leaves The leaves have a fern-like, medium texture. Heart longer. shaped blooms with pink outer petals and white inner petals that form the heart’s point appear on arched Such a well-behaved, easy-care, spectacular plant stems. has a place in nearly every garden. A bit of afternoon shade, some extra moisture, and this plant can be As the summer progresses, when temperatures climb right at home.