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March 1, 2018 Page 1 of 8
The Waller County Master Gardeners
THE PRESIDENT’S CORNER
As you know, February in Texas is almost always a busy
month for gardeners - pruning roses, planting seed potatoes,
preparing garden beds for planting seeds and transplants. Our
members besides working on their gardening projects have
been busy as well.
We started off the year with seven Master Gardeners seeking
Master Gardener Specialist training, an advanced specialized
training supporting or expanding specific county educational
programs – examples such as Rainwater Harvesting,
Irrigation Efficiency, or Greenhouse Management.
Steve and Roger attended the Plant Health and Diagnostic Education training in Gonzales, while Deb and
Nora attended the Earth-Kind® Landscaping training in Bastrop. Attending the Junior Master Gardener
training in College Station and having a great time were Teresa, Toni and Cheryl.
I am very excited about the increasing number of members seeking specialized training and the wide
variety of WCMG specialists we are adding to our roster. A special thanks to all who continue to assist
us in growing Waller County.
Happy Gardening!
Suzanne
THE WALLER COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS
THE INSIDE DIRT
MARCH 1, 2018
VOL. 1, ISSUE 2
Officers for 2018
President: Suzanne Anderson
Vice-Pres.: Connie Holub
Secretary: Cheryl Thomas
Treasurer: Kathy Marrack
Newsletter
Editor: Connie Holub
March 1, 2018 Page 2 of 8
The Waller County Master Gardeners
I like to think of March as the “anticipation month,” anticipation of healthy new foliage and beautiful
luscious blooms. With the concentration on preventive spraying, fertilization and mulching, you should
get just that.
Finished Pruning?
If you haven’t, it’s not too late. February has been a cold and rainy month for all of us. In fact, I didn’t
get mine pruned until the very end of February. Once you finish pruning, check for dieback canes. That
is, those canes turning brown or black. Prune these back to a healthy eye or cut out totally. Then it’s clean
up time. Then it’s the final cleanup of the rose beds.
New Plantings!
This is a great time to take out those rose bushes that are dead or are down to one or two stems and look
scrawny. It’s time to replace them with new healthy rose bushes. Grafted roses are not always the best
choice because their life span is short, about five years. Earth-Kind roses, however, are always a great
choice. Remember do not fertilize new roses after planting them until they go through their first bloom
cycle.
Spraying Time!
Fungus prevention should start right after pruning. Blackspot is your most prevalent fungus. The spores
are always around and with our rainy winter and now rainy spring weather will only help to incubate and
spread them more. To decimate blackspot spray with ‘Mancozeb.’ (Remember to always read directions
before using.) Spray the top and underneath the leaves and also the ground around the rose bush. Watering
the rose bush before spraying will keep the leaves from spray damage.
Feeding Time!
Fertilization is very important. However, you want to avoid burnt toes. Roses eat with their feet. Watering
before fertilizing is very important. With all the rain we have had though, I would check my beds first.
They may be wet enough to go ahead and fertilize. Watering before and after fertilizing will keep the rose
Rose Ramblings By Connie Holub
March 1, 2018 Page 3 of 8
The Waller County Master Gardeners
bush from taking up the food too quickly, thereby, keeping it from burning its roots. For a good fertilizer
recipe for Spring and Fall try:
(Mix well. Each normal size rose bush gets a gallon whereas the smaller roses get half a gallon.)
Dress Up Time!
New mulch dresses up a rose bed and makes the rose bushes stand out. Get the mulch on as soon as you
can after you fertilize so as not to damage your new foliage. Mulch serves two purposes. One, it will
suppress weeds and two, it will keep the roots cool during the summer heat.
Finally, enjoy those beautiful flowers once they come. You will find that all the extra work will pay off
with healthy looking foliage and beautiful luscious blooms.
ROSE OF THE MONTH
Mutabilis
Mutabilis, also known as the butterfly rose, is a medium to large shrub rose. It is an Earth-Kind® old
garden rose dating back to the late 1800s. Its 6’x6’ stature is great for informal gardens where there is
SUPERthrive Fertilizer Recipe
2/3 cup Epson Salt
2/3 cup liquid seaweed
1Tbsp SUPERthrive
5 gallons of water
March 1, 2018 Page 4 of 8
The Waller County Master Gardeners
plenty of room. Single blooms emerge yellow, changing to pink and then crimson as they age giving the
plant the appearance of being covered with butterflies. The rose bloom is not fragrant.
March in the Vegetable Garden
Tomatoes Rule!!!!!
By Connie Holub
Tomatoes Rule! At least in my garden, tomatoes
are queen. They are looked after, pampered and
talked to on a daily basis. No other vegetable in
my garden gets more attention. Once thought
to be poisonous as well as an aphrodisiac, today
it’s considered to be the second most consumed
vegetable in the country behind the potato.
Now, how many people do you know swoon
over potatoes? Not in my garden.
There are literally hundreds of types, varieties
and colors of tomatoes to choose from.
However, not all of them do well in our neck of
the woods. You have to remember that Texas
has a short growing season. Once the heat
starts, the larger tomatoes stop setting fruit.
Therefore, we need to look at varieties with a
short days-to-harvest interval. In other words,
tomato varieties that are listed as no more than
60 to 65 days to harvest.
If you are looking for a good hybrid tomato to
plant, you can’t beat ‘Celebrity’. It is my favorite
fall back to tomato in case all else fails. There
are quite a few hybrids such as ‘Better Boy,’ ‘Big
Girl,’ and others that are considered to be ‘old
faithfuls’ also.
Heirlooms are great if you are looking for flavor,
odd shapes and wonderful colors. My favorite
heirlooms are ‘Cherokee Purple’, ‘Black Krim’,
and ‘German Johnson’. ‘Cherokee Purple’ has
become very popular among many gardeners
and can now be found almost anywhere they sell
transplants.
Paste type tomatoes are well worth growing.
They are great for canning, making tomato sauce
and using in salads since they are meaty, have a
small seed cavity and are not as jelly/juicy as a
large tomato. Several varieties I like to plant are
‘Roma’ and ‘Viva Italia.’
Then there are the small fruited tomatoes who
are not so picky about fruiting in the heat. Of
the more common type to choose from are the
cherry and the grape tomatoes. They are the
perfect size for salads and just popping in the
mouth. Some of the more popular are the
‘Sweet 100’ (cherry) and the ‘Juliette’ (large
grape).
Since childhood, tomatoes have always been my
favorite. My mother planted the usual hybrids.
I started venturing out trying different varieties
after my husband and I were married and put in
March 1, 2018 Page 5 of 8
The Waller County Master Gardeners
our first garden. My usual Spring garden will have up to thirty tomato plants with ‘old faithfuls’ and new
varieties of heirlooms each year.
Plants in the WCMG Butterfly Garden
Friends are the flowers in life’s garden.
By Helen Quinn
Achillea millefolium – Common Yarrow, nosebleed plant, old man’s pepper, devil’s nettle, sanguinary,
kmilfoil, soldier’s woundwort, thousand-leaf, and thousand-seal. The generic name comes from the Greek
Warrior Achilles, who is said to have stemmed bleeding during the Trojan War and made a poultice to heal a
wound to his heel during same war (Achilles Heel!).
Achillea millefolium is a flowering plant in the family Asteraceae (the daisy family.) It is native to temperate
regions of the Northern Hemisphere in Asia, Europe, and North America. It has been introduced as a feed for
livestock in places like New Zealand and Australia. However, it is a weed in those places and sometimes also in
its native regions.
If you were a twelfth-century knight at arms, you’d probably carry a pouch of fresh yarrow leaves with
you as nature’s own first-aid kit, but these days you be more likely to grow it as a decorative border plant
in your garden! Yarrow is a great insect repellant - use it splashed over the body in the tea form or rub
the flowers on the body to repel mosquitoes while you are in the garden. Small amounts of the flowers
can be used in anticold, perspiration-inducing teas with ginger, peppermint, elderflower and ginseng. It
also helps to cleanse the liver. Yarrow tea makes a good mouthwash for canker sores. It should not be
used by pregnant women. The pungent leaves counteract oily skin or hair and aid the healing of skin
March 1, 2018 Page 6 of 8
The Waller County Master Gardeners
abrasions. Simmer 1 tablespoon dried leaves in 1 cup water and use occasionally to rinse hair, splash an
oily face, or apply to minor cuts and scrapes. Avoid repeated use, which may cause skin sensitivity or
irritation. Yarrow has almost no use in the kitchen.
Yarrow is a favorite in the perennial garden, the 2- to 3- foot tall plant has an airy feel, due to its feathery
foliage, which gave it the old name of milfoil, or “thousand leaves.” The white flowered species, which
escaped from gardens to grow wild, is a pretty plant for borders and cottage gardens. Newer cultivated
varieties bloom in soft salmon, pink, coppery red, and pale or butt yellow. Yarrow flowers add lasting
color to dried wreaths, bouquets, and potpourri, and in companion planting, Yarrow is said to repel
Japanese beetles, ants and flies. One reference (The Rodale Herb Book) states that when using the white
medicinal variety, it should be moved annually because it excretes a toxin to the soil that eventually will
defeat even its own growth. This could be why it tends to die out after growing several years in the same
spot. Prefers full sun tolerates part shade. The flat flower surface makes an excellent landing pad for a
multitude of types of butterflies.
Beauty is the Mistress, the gardener her slave.
Mike Garofalo
Arbor Gate Classes for March
Advanced Class Hours
March 10, 2018 9:00 am Pam and Leah Gunter, Gunter’s Heirloom Vegetables
March 10, 2018 10:00 am Ann Wheeler, Log House Herb Farm, “Looking Back, Looking
Forward”, Herbs
March 15, 2018 10:00 am Linda Crum, Texas Bluebird Society, “Bluebirds to the Garden.”
March 22, 2018 10:00 am Dr. David Creech, Prof. of Horticulture at SFA University,
Nacogdoches, TX, “Best Trees for the Gulf South.”
March 24, 2018 10:00 am Dr. Bill Welch, TAMU; Chris Wiesinger, The Southern Bulb Co.
March 25, 2018 11:00 am Angela Chandler, The Garden Academy; Matt and Kelly Brantley,
BZ Honey, The Bee Forum.
March 1, 2018 Page 7 of 8
The Waller County Master Gardeners
March 28, 2018 12:00 noon Jeremy Kollaus, Swiss Alp Growers, “From seed to table, Jeremy
will share his knowledge and experience on producing a bountiful
harvest." “Lunch and Expert”
April 5, 2018 10:00 am Rand Hopkins, “What’s New Wand Unique in the Plant World.”
April 7, 2018 10:00 am Angela Chandler, The Garden Academy; “Plant Power! Gardens that
survive and thrive in Gulf Coast Extremes.”
Martha’s Bloomers Class Schedule for March
Advanced Class Hours
March 31, 2018 11:00 am Gaye Hammond, “Earth Kind and Low Maintenance Roses”
2018 Specialist Training
March 23-24 Propagation Hosted by Tarrant Co.
March 23-24 Irrigation Efficiency Hosted by Dallas Co.
April 30-May 2 Rainwater Harvesting Hosted by Dallas Co.
May 23-25 Greenhouse Management Hosted by Hill Co.
September 18-20 Texas Superstars Hosted by Smith Co.
April 4-6 2018 Texas Master Gardener Conference College Station
Annuals -live fast and die young
WCMG: Taking Care of Business
1. Don’t forget to log in your volunteer hours for the month of March. It is a good
idea to log in after each meeting or event. The person with the most hours for the
first quarter will find themselves going home with a surprise at the April 14th,
meeting.
March 1, 2018 Page 8 of 8
The Waller County Master Gardeners
2. The April meeting will be held Saturday, April 14, 10:00 am, at the Hempstead
Masonic Lodge. A pot-luck lunch will follow to recognize the new Interns. A
barbecue brisket will be served, so bring your favorite barbecue side-dish or
dessert.
3. If you are interested in going on the field trip to the Antique Rose Emporium,
Thursday, April 19, please let me know by email. We will meet at the extension
office at 8:30. I will remind everyone at the meeting April 14, and send out an
email reminder for those who cannot attend the meeting.
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