grand gardeners' gazette · 2017. 6. 28. · grand gardeners' gazette winter 2012 issue...

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PRESIDENT'S NOTE...Jerry Roberts Becky and I were talking the other morning over coffee that we found it hard to believe 2012 is almost gone. Time goes by so fast the older you get! The holidays are here; mark your calen- dar to attend our Holiday Dinner on Tuesday evening, November 27th. Fam- ily and friends are invited; just bring enough food to cover these extra folks. Again this year, we will be decorating a room at Atalaya on Saturday, December 1st as one of our community projects. We really need your participation. Con- tact Crystal Lemmons for more informa- tion. [email protected] Our Yard Sale on October 6th was a BIG success. We raised over $450 for our scholarship program! Thanks for all of you who assisted. We had a 40% participation; we sold a lot of plants and other stuff; and we had a great time doing it. I hope you and your family have a joy- ous holiday season and a happy and healthy new year. See you November 27th. WINTER CALENDAR 11/13/12 - Brookgreen Dirt 'n Details - 12 noon - Low Country Center - free with ad- mission to the Gardens. "Identifying Common Garden Pests" by Dr. J. C. Chong, Professor of Entomology, Clemson University. 11/27/12- 6 pm - GSMGA Holiday Dinner. Bring food, family, friends, food (!), and participate in the fun. Church of Christ Grand Strand, 2212 Glens Bay Road, S'side. 12/1/12 - Atalaya Holiday Open House. 11 am - 4 pm. (PLEASE NOTE: Crystal Lemmons will be holding a planning meeting soon, so email her of your in- terest in either setting up and/or staff- ing the room during the open house hours.) Our room is a bedroom, so we will be doing flower "beds" to decorate. Set-up begins around 7 am on 12/1. Be assertive; email Crystal [email protected] . *No GSMGA meeting in December. See you on January 22, 2013!* BLOOM DATES 11/14 - Charlotte Powell 11/22- Wanda Hall 12/26 - Valerie Moliterno Grand Gardeners' Gazette Winter 2012 Issue Grand Strand Master Gardeners Association Horry and Georgetown Counties, SC Shall I not rejoice also at the abundance of weeds whose seeds are the granary of the birds? Thoreau

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Page 1: Grand Gardeners' Gazette · 2017. 6. 28. · Grand Gardeners' Gazette Winter 2012 Issue Grand Strand Master Gardeners Association ... Amaryllis bulbs make a bold and showy statement

PRESIDENT'S NOTE...Jerry Roberts

Becky and I were talking the other morning over coffee that we found it hard to believe 2012 is almost gone. Time goes by so fast the older you get! The holidays are here; mark your calen-dar to attend our Holiday Dinner on Tuesday evening, November 27th. Fam-ily and friends are invited; just bring enough food to cover these extra folks.

Again this year, we will be decorating a room at Atalaya on Saturday, December 1st as one of our community projects. We really need your participation. Con-tact Crystal Lemmons for more informa-tion. [email protected]

Our Yard Sale on October 6th was a BIG success. We raised over $450 for our scholarship program! Thanks for all of you who assisted. We had a 40% participation; we sold a lot of plants and other stuff; and we had a great time doing it.

I hope you and your family have a joy-ous holiday season and a happy and healthy new year.

See you November 27th.

WINTER CALENDAR

11/13/12 - Brookgreen Dirt 'n Details - 12 noon - Low Country Center - free with ad-mission to the Gardens. "Identifying Common Garden Pests" by Dr. J. C. Chong, Professor of Entomology, Clemson University.

11/27/12- 6 pm - GSMGA Holiday Dinner. Bring food, family, friends, food (!), and participate in the fun. Church of Christ Grand Strand, 2212 Glens Bay Road, S'side.

12/1/12 - Atalaya Holiday Open House. 11 am - 4 pm. (PLEASE NOTE: Crystal Lemmons will be holding a planning meeting soon, so email her of your in-terest in either setting up and/or staff-ing the room during the open house hours.) Our room is a bedroom, so we will be doing flower "beds" to decorate. Set-up begins around 7 am on 12/1. Be assertive; email Crystal [email protected].

*No GSMGA meeting in December. See you on January 22, 2013!*

BLOOM DATES

11/14 - Charlotte Powell

11/22- Wanda Hall

12/26 - Valerie Moliterno

Grand Gardeners' Gazette Winter 2012 Issue

Grand Strand Master Gardeners Association

Horry and Georgetown Counties, SC

Shall I not rejoice also at the abundance of weeds whose seeds are the granary of the birds? Thoreau

Page 2: Grand Gardeners' Gazette · 2017. 6. 28. · Grand Gardeners' Gazette Winter 2012 Issue Grand Strand Master Gardeners Association ... Amaryllis bulbs make a bold and showy statement

AGENT'S CORNER...Gary Forrester

With the summer winding down and cooler temperatures invading our gar-dens, it is time to relax before the win-ter gives way to spring. It will be here before you know it. I have seen quite a bit of disease in local lawns this fall, so it is important to keep any disease in your turf under control. Brown patch quickly can get out of hand in the fall. Remember, the healthier the grass is going into winter dormancy, the health-ier it will be coming out of dormancy. Winter is also a good time to attack any scale problems you may have on your shrubs. Applications of a dormant oil still remains the best control measure for these insects.

If you are a vegetable gardener, the use of a cover crop this winter will help build your soil with both nutrients and organic matter. Be sure to clean your garden of any plant debris as this can be a host site for insects to overwinter.

Another problem we are starting to get calls on is the infamous kudzu bug. As soybean fields are dying down, we are getting calls on the bug moving to

homes. Kudzu bugs are attracted to large white objects in the fall as a site to overwinter. This means homes may be invaded by large numbers. Pyrethrin insecticides offer fairly good control. Be sure to eliminate any avenue the bug may use to get in the house, especially doors, windows and chimneys. You don't want to come home to a house full of kudzu bugs!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and joyous holiday season and enjoys time off from the arduous gardening chores during the hot summer.

Editor' Note: More on the Kudzu Bug

In the event you have not seen these Asian invaders, most recently from At-lanta (!), Kudzu Bugs really are bugs, not beetles, so they have pierce-sucking mouth parts. They are about 1/6"-1/4" long, olive-green with brown speckles. Here's what one looks like on a dime:

and on your screen

and your porch post.

If you decide to spray outside, be sure to avoid the chemical dropping on you

Page 3: Grand Gardeners' Gazette · 2017. 6. 28. · Grand Gardeners' Gazette Winter 2012 Issue Grand Strand Master Gardeners Association ... Amaryllis bulbs make a bold and showy statement

or objects around, so remove or cover chairs, toys, etc. Wear protection to keep the chemical off your skin, hair, and eyes, and spray downwind. If the bugs get in the house, vacuum them, but NOT with your good vac. Use a shopvac and do not dump them outside because you likely will see these same guys again. Use insecticide soap to kill them in the canister. Last piece of advice that I have learned is that the next time you paint your house or buy a car, consider something other than white! They love it!

Resources: Clemson Factsheet/Kudzu; NCSU Insect

Note ENT/rsc-37; University of Georgia's Kudzu

Bug Alert.

DOING WHAT WE DO BEST...

The INLET SQUARE PLANT PROBLEM CLINIC submits the following summary of their season: The Master Gardeners started off the season with a great program on 3/31 at Inlet Square Mall. There were about 200 people to enjoy the presentation given by Gary Forrester, Becky Roberts, Barbara Murray, Valerie Moliterno, Barbara Mar-shall, and Charlie Pineda.

Our plant clinic started the following Thurs-day, 4/5 and ended 9/27. We helped 215 people and handled 34 soil samples. Our most-asked questions were about lawn prob-lems on Centipede, St Augustine, and Ber-muda grasses. We were asked to identify a lot of weeds that people found in their lawns. A lot were heat related issues.

We had questions about fruit trees, knock-out roses, and various flowers and general landscaping issues.

We were stumped on Ambrosia Beetles and Sumac, BUT WE DID IDENTIFY DODDER!

We will be back at Inlet Square Mall on 4/4/13!

The "Fearless 8": Joan Barnaba, Cleora Everett, Charlie Pineda, Jean Willacy, Judith Daugherty, Valerie Moliterno, Gary Forrester, and Pat Hiter.

Editor's note: So, do you know dodder?

Here's a picture from the following website: www.se-eppc.org/southcarolina/EDRR-factsheets/EDRRFactsheetTJapDodderdoc

.pdf Dodder has many names: Devil's Hair, strangleweed, etc. It has been quoted as "a plant from a horror movie, a parasite that uses fangs to suck life of of its plant host." Some

plants are suggested as resistant: grasses, including grains such as corn; vegetables such as lettuce, broccoli, and cauliflower; monocots such as lilies, irises and orchids; soybeans. But beets, carrots, chrysanthemums, garlic, pota-toes, eggplant and tomatoes are dodder-susceptible! It's an annual that can stay in the soil for more than 20 years!

If you see any, send a digital photo to John Nelson at the USC Herbarium: [email protected] and/or call the Clemson Department of Plant Industry at 864-646-2130 to report the GPS site.

Page 4: Grand Gardeners' Gazette · 2017. 6. 28. · Grand Gardeners' Gazette Winter 2012 Issue Grand Strand Master Gardeners Association ... Amaryllis bulbs make a bold and showy statement

PREPARING FOR THE HOLIDAYS

That means decorating and cooking, among other things. Here are some ideas from our very own members.

Deck The Halls... Becky Roberts

It is time to "dress" the house for the holidays! With a little pre-planning and Do-It-Yourself ideas, you can make this task easy and fun.

A living Christ-mas tree is a way to get the most for your

money. Purchase the tree now for decorating and add it to your landscape later. Live trees can be used inside or outside your home. The porch is a per-fect place to display a live tree, but it can be used inside up to 7-10 days with proper care and handling. Put it in a galvanized tub or bucket and wrap it in burlap. KEEP IT WATERED WELL. Decorate as usual. Red cedar, Virginia pine, and spruce work well in this area.

Forcing bulbs is a form of Advent Calen-dar that everyone can enjoy. Watching the bulbs grow, and eventually bloom, helps add to the anticipation of the long awaited holiday!

Amaryllis bulbs make a bold and showy statement. But allow plenty of time for these large beauties to grow and bloom. Generally, they need 65-70 degrees

minimum temperature and a bright room to bloom. Rotate the container to keep the stems from leaning toward the light. Amaryllises may need some help standing as they continue to grow. Bamboo stakes or branches from your yard will work just fine. Wrap the stakes with twine or raffia and secure to the ama-ryllis stem to keep the stakes straight. I like these bulbs in terra cotta pots and grouped for a huge bloom impact!

Narcissus papyreceus bulbs,"Paper Whites," are easy to care for and grow. They are frilly and lively with a fra-grance all their own. They will liven up those dreary days of winter! Allow 4-6 weeks for full bloom-ing. They may be forced in water and in a tall cylinder vase. Put about 2" of decorative marbles or river rock in the bottom of the con-tainer to elevate the bulbs. Add enough water to cover just the bottom of the bulb, making sure the tip of the bulb is exposed. Putting three or four bulbs per container works well. If you choose a low shallow container, follow the same directions. As the bulbs grow, tie them together with raffia or ribbon to help keep them upright. Place blooming con-tainers along mantles or tables. They look stunning massed together or march-ing down the center to the dining table.

Bromeliads are long-lasting tropical plants that work well at holiday time in this area. They add a modern "twist" to holiday decorating. Their vivid col-

Page 5: Grand Gardeners' Gazette · 2017. 6. 28. · Grand Gardeners' Gazette Winter 2012 Issue Grand Strand Master Gardeners Association ... Amaryllis bulbs make a bold and showy statement

ored blooms and "spiky" foliage "pop" a table or mantle. Various cultivars placed at varying heights on a table will give great interest to your decorating. Placing these plants on small mirrors will double your impact of color and texture. After the "mother" plants bloom, the "pups" may be divided and replanted for blooms next season.

I hope I have inspired you to look be-yond the Poinsettia for holiday decorat-ing! With a little planning and that "Do-It-Yourself" attitude, you can have some different and unique plants for the Holiday Season!

Nantucket Cranberry Pie - Joan Barnaba

2 Cs. raw cranberries

1/2 C. chopped walnuts

1/2 C. sugar

Grease 10" pie plate. Rinse and pick over cranberries and place in pie plate. Sprinkle with walnuts and sugar.

1 C. sugar

1 C. flour

2 eggs

3/4 C. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat eggs well; add sugar, melted but-ter, flour and vanilla. Pour over cran-berries. Bake at 325 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Serve with whipped cream. (There is no baking powder in this rec-ipe.)

Festive Sweet Potatoes - Wanda Hall

3 Cs. cooked, mashed sweet potatoes

1/2 C. sugar

1/4 C. milk

1/3 C. melted margarine

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 beaten eggs

Combine these ingredients, mixing well. Spoon into a lightly greased 8" square baking dish.

1 C. flaked coconut

1 C. firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 C. all-purpose flour

1/3 C. melted margarine

1 C. chopped pecans

Combine these ingredients and sprinkle over the top of sweet potato mixture. Bake at 375 degrees about 25 minutes or until golden brown. 8-10 servings.

Editor's Note...Well, maybe you knew this..

...but I did not. Do you know where we got the name for the poinsettia? Not to make a pun, but it has South Carolina roots! Joel Roberts Poinsett (born in Charleston, SC in 1779 and buried in Statesburg, SC in 1851) served in many legislative and other important positions from the state level to the interna-tional. While he was educated in medi-cine, military science, and law, he was

Page 6: Grand Gardeners' Gazette · 2017. 6. 28. · Grand Gardeners' Gazette Winter 2012 Issue Grand Strand Master Gardeners Association ... Amaryllis bulbs make a bold and showy statement

also an amateur botanist. So, when President John Quincy Adams appointed him as a special envoy to Mexico in the 1820s, he introduced the American elm tree to Mexico and brought a beautiful red-flowering shrub home to his green-house in South Carolina. Eventually, it was named for him - the Poinsettia - which graces our title page for this is-sue. And then there is the Poinsett State Park, the Poinsett Club in Green-ville, etc. All related!

Some Views From Our Yard Sale!

There were books and pots and pocket-books and you name it,,,

And Sue Craddock selling plants!

And one for the record!

As you grow your cabbages, keep this as your goal:

Editor's Note...

This ends the maiden year for the Grand Gardeners'Gazette - 2012. We got in three issues. It has been both a learning and fun experience for me. You have been very patient with my new role! I propose that in 2013 we publish an is-sue in alternate months, starting in January.

I, too, hope you have a wonderful holi-day season, however you celebrate it. I wish for you memory-making moments and belly-filling dishes followed by rest and dreams of a peaceful New Year!

Rachel Dedmon

[email protected]