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Johnson County Master Gardener

Thymes

June 2016

MG Steering Committee Meeting Wednesday, June 8, 7:00 pm; Johnson County Extension Office. All are invited to attend! Thymes Deadline Thymes information should be sent to Jan Denehy at janice-denehy@uiowa.edu Please send news, volunteer opportunities, stories, pictures, etc., for the July issue by Monday, June 27. Taste of Plum Grove Heritage Gardens July 20, 2016 marks the 21st year this event will be held. Contact Beth Fisher, 321-8378; scrabblegirl2@gmail.com, if you would like to make a dish for the tasting. Cooks and helpers to serve the food for the evening event are needed. Helpers are also needed to set up the tables and chairs Wednesday morning and to make flower bouquets. Time spent cooking, travel, and helping at this event can be counted as core hours. Contact Beth Fisher 321-8378, scrabblegirl2@gmail.com; Joanne Leach, 351-4722, Jleach@Jlgardens.net; or Carolyn Murphy 541-7079, carolyn-murphy@uiowa.edu; with questions. Plum Grove Heirloom Tomato Tasting Mark your calendar for August 21, 2016. If you would like to spend your Sunday afternoon tasting and learning about heirloom tomatoes, come and help. You can assist with set-up, cutting samples, demonstrations, or preparing an heirloom recipe ahead for guests to sample. Let Joanne Leach 351-4722, Jleach@Jlgardens.net; or Carolyn Murphy 541-7079; carolyn-murphy@uiowa.edu know if you are interested. This is a core project.

Project Green Garden Tour Saturday, June 25, 3-8 p.m. (rain or shine) Master Gardeners volunteering to help at this event can earn volunteer hours for their time.

We Need Your Help July 25-28 at the Butterfly House for the Johnson County Fair Master Gardeners, Johnson County Agricultural Association and Lucy Hershberger of Forever Green Nursery, lucyh@forevergreengrows.com, are hosting the Butterfly House July 25-28 at the Johnson County 4-H Fair. We will have a butterfly house filled with native Iowa butterflies in different life stages. This is a fun way for kids of “all ages” to learn about and interact with butterflies. Volunteers will help visitors, answer questions about butterflies, butterfly gardening, care for the butterflies, and garden displays. Don’t worry if you are not a Lepidopterist, you will have plenty of opportunities to learn. Lucy will hold a class on butterfly gardening, butterfly identification, life cycles and Monarch migration on Saturday, July 23h, from 9-11 at the Butterfly House. We would like you to attend the training session as we will be having on hands training and details on how the house will operate during fair. We need your help to make this event a success. Six to seven volunteers per shift will be needed for each of the four days. We are especially in need of more volunteers for each shift on Tuesday, “Kids Day”. Shifts have been set up for 10:00-1:30, 1:30-4:30, and 4:30-8:00. Your hours and travel time will count towards core hours. Contact Carolyn Murphy, 319-541-7079, candmmurphy@aol.com, to sign up for which day(s) and shift(s) you would like to help. If you would like to help but times are not set up for your schedule, let me know what times you are available. If you have any questions, please let us know. Carolyn Murphy, Barb Krug kbjfarm@yahoo.com, 857-4569; Mike Murphy 319-351-6345.

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Monarch Butterfly in Butterfly House

Entry to Butterfly House Buckets of Flowers Reminder Master Gardeners and 4-H members are invited to participate in this Johnson County Fair project. This involves planting flowers or ornamental plants in a 5-gallon bucket for display at the fair, July 25–28. The buckets are placed by the entryways of the various venues to add interest and color. The bucket should have drainage holes, and the bottom half of the bucket must be filled with Styrofoam peanuts or empty plastic water bottles to decrease the weight. (Very Important!) Your bucket may be picked up after the fair. MG Marilou Gay will award ribbons in three categories: most colorful, most unique, and best use of plants. To be considered in the judging you must use a 5-gallon bucket with a handle, not a decorative planter or other container. More information about when and where to deliver your bucket will be in the July Thymes. June is a good time to plan your bucket while the best selection of plants is available. This is a great project that you can enjoy all summer and share with the community during the fair. Let’s show the creativity of our MGs at the fair! Contact coordinator Lavon Yeggy, 330-0952, lavon47@Lcom.net if you have questions.

June Birthdays • 1 Anne Kent-Miller • 2 Michelle Wichman • 4 Kristel Saxton • 6 Mary Hensley • 6 Hazel Seaba • 7 Diane Allen • 10 Bob Oppliger • 15 Nan Marquardt • 16 Mary Lowder • 20 Pat Sippy • 24 Vicki Siefers • 26 Katy Carlson • 27 Nancy Lynch • 27 Delta Richardson • 28 Sherry Moore Johnson County MG Continuing Education Day On March 20 the second annual continuing education day took place at the Johnson County Extension Building from 1 to 5pm. The educational sessions were free to master gardeners. This year we invited MGs from the surrounding counties who completed their initial educational training to participate in the continued education day. Gardeners interested in registering for the event were required to select speaker Track A or speaker Track B. There were 25 slots open for each educational track and gardeners were encouraged to sign up earlier. We had roughly 20 gardeners in attendance. Topics included: water in the garden, gardening with grasses, starting seeds, birds in the backyard, vermaculture, honeybees in the garden, cover crops and native and trees. Our strong attendance record and positive feedback is encouraging us to continue offering these educational sessions in the spring again. If there is a topic area that you would like to see covered or if you would like to speak, please let me know as I am looking for speakers for next year. Nicole Pearson, nicole-pearson@uiowa.edu; 507-251-0902 Straw Bale Gardening Many gardeners are discovering the ancient technique of gardening in straw bales. As the popularity of this technique grows, there are many gardeners sharing their experiences and pictures of their gardens on YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook and in blogs. Some of these gardens consist of one or two bales grown by the beginning straw bale gardeners in small spaces; others are quit large. Straw bale gardeners often describe them as easy to manage because they are closer to reach than in-ground gardens. They also can be grown where there is poor soil or inadequate drainage; one

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gardener wrote about putting one in her driveway! For many it is the fun of experimenting with something new. (Search for “Images for Straw Bale Gardens” to see the wide variety and complexity of Straw Bale Gardens). Straw Bale Gardening takes quite a bit of planning and preparation before planting. The bales need to be conditioned (fertilized) and watered regularly weeks before planting. After planting, it is important keep the bales moist. Since straw does not provide all the nutrients needed for plant growth, regular fertilizing is essential. The bales are generally used only one growing season, then recycled in a compost pile. There are helpful DYI books on Straw Bale gardening, as well as websites which outline the steps taken when planning, planting and growing. Straw Bale Gardens by Joel Karsten, the Straw Bale Garden guru, would be an excellent resource for the would-be Straw Bale gardener, as well as the many websites on the topic. A good introductory website is from Modern Farmer, http://modernfarmer.com/2013/07/straw-bale-gardening/

Small Straw Bale Garden

This gardener had such success she had her husband go out and buy four more bales. (Facebook)

Larger Straw Bale Garden (Pinterest)

“Best Tomatoes I ever had!”

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Articles needed for the Thymes Newsletter I would like to encourage MGs to submit short feature articles (300-500 words) of interest for the newsletter. These articles can be seasonal, something of special interest to you or a topic of interest to MGs. You might want to write an article related to a MG project you worked on or a topic you would like to learn more about. If possible, include a photo or two (jpg with at least 100 dpi) related to your article. The newsletter is published 10 times a year (there are no issues in January and August) and is distributed via email or USPS for those who prefer a hard copy. Each issue is about 7-8 pages in length and includes a variety of regular features such as announcements of upcoming MG events and meetings, special events of interest to MGs, a monthly birthday list, and a list of committee members and volunteer opportunities. If you are interested, please let me know. If you have an idea for an article or need help in putting an article together, contact me and we can discuss the topic and format. You will receive MG core volunteer hours for your work on the Thymes. Deadlines are listed in the Thymes. I look forward to hearing from you and working with you on the Thymes. Jan Denehy, Thymes Editor, Janice-denehy@uiowa.edu

A listing of programs offered by organizations in our area that may be of interest to MGs.

June 2016 Backyard Abundance http://backyardabundance.org/ Wednesday, June 1, 2016 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Gardening With Spirit. Connect with the spiritual side of nature through playful monthly gatherings that enhance public and private landscapes. This month’s gathering is at Harvest Preserve, 1645 N. Scott Boulevard. Ponder what are effective responses to the Pope’s Eco-Encyclical, an urgent call for personal actions that mitigate climate change followed by a light work period after meditation. Registration and fee information at http://backyardabundance.org/. Friday, June 3, 2016 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Clear Creek Watershed Bus Tour. Join the Johnson County Soil and Water Conservation District for a bus tour featuring urban and agriculture conservation practices to enhance water quality and reduce flooding in the Clear Creek Watershed. RSVP Required-dmarskek@coralville.org or 319-248-1720.

Monday, June 6, 2016 6:00 p.m. to 9: p.m. Master Naturalist Program. Iowa Master Naturalist training provides 40 hours of classroom work plus field trips exploring Iowa landforms, soil ecology, watersheds and wetlands, woodlands, prairies, ecological concepts, basic birding, wildflowers, insects, nature interpretation, amphibians and reptiles and much more. The program trains adult volunteers to serve communities by promoting awareness. Email KMorrow@co.johnson.ia.us. Wednesday, June 8, 2016 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Edible Shrub Propagation. Join us for a hands-on class that provides expert instruction and gives you confidence to propagate edible shrubs. You will take home 3-5 plants. Some may include Bush Cherry, Aronia Berry, Elderberry, and Gooseberry. Pre-registration required. Fee $35 ($30 for Backyard Abundance members). Earl May Garden Center. Contact http://backyardabundance.org/. Thursday, June 9, 2016 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Green Drinks, a place to meet and exchange ideas with other green-minded folks in a cozy environment. Held the second Thursday of every month. Share Wine & Small Plate Bistro, 210 S. Dubuque St, Iowa City. Sunday June 12 , 2016 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wildcraft Game Afternoons hosted by Gaia’s Peace Garden and Happy Bees Herb Network 2066 Bristol Dr., Iowa City. Learn about how herbs can be used for common ailments, in a local botanical sanctuary setting. Gather with us and play Wildcraft, a cooperative board game designed by herbalists. Fun for all ages. Meeting on the second Sunday of the month, from April through September. Inquire Mandy (mooninjuneherbs@gmail.com) or Blair (bfrankecorev@gmail.com). Saturday, June 18, 2016 2:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tour a Certified Wildlife Habitat. Tour a forested residence that provides sanctuary for people, birds, bees, butterflies and other wildlife. The numerous shade gardens contain a wide variety of hostas and native forest plants. Blossom Shaw’s landscape is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Wildlife Habitat. The tour is free and open to everyone between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday, June 18, 2016. Saturday, June 25, 2016 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Taste of Summer Solstice Celebration. Celebrate a taste of summer at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market and see how the Edible Classroom is growing. Free tours at the Robert A. Lee Rec Center of the new in-progress Outdoor Edible Classroom. Wednesday, June 29, 2016 All Day!! International Mud Day is when children and early childhood professionals all over the world celebrate nature and the outdoors by getting real muddy. Share your muddy stories and learn more:

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http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/working-groups//nature/international-mud-day/. Blue Zones www.bluezones.com https://iowa.bluezonesproject.com/activities Bur Oak Land Trust (formerly Johnson County Heritage Trust) info@BurOakLandTrust.org Saturday, June 4, 2016 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Hora Woods Work Day led by Seth Somerville 4 miles NW of West Branch at 5397 Vincent Avenue. General invasive species removal. Park at the first driveway as you reach the property. Contact Seth at seth@buroaklandtrust.org or 319-400-5511. Closed toe shoes and heavy pants required. Sunday, June 5, 2016 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Multiple Location Work Day led by Seth Somerville. Butterfly habitat enhancement planting workday. Meet at the parking lot at the old HyVee on North Dodge Street. Contact Seth for information at seth@buroaklandtrust.org or 319-400-5511. Closed toe shoes and heavy pants are required. Tuesday, June 7, 2016 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Shimek Ravine Workday led by Seth Somerville. General invasive species and trash removal. Meet at the parking lot at the old HyVee on North Dodge Street, Iowa City. Contact Seth for information and sign-up at seth@buroaklandtrust.org or 319-400-5511. Closed toe shoes and heavy pants required. Sunday, June 12, 2016 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Benefit Sunday at Devotay, 117 N. Linn St. Bur Oak partners with Devotay and a portion of the proceeds go to Bur Oak Land trust. Enjoy relaxing dining. Reservations at 319-354-1001. Tuesday, June 14, 2016 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Turkey Creek Preserve Workday led by Seth Somerville. General Property upkeep and beautification. Meet at Turkey Creek Preserve parking lot. Contact Seth for more information at seth@buroaklandtrust.org or 319-400-5511. Closed toe shoes and heavy pants required. Coralville Lake http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/CoralvilleLake/CoralvileLakeCalendarofEvents.aspx.aspx Saturday, June 25, 2016 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Sixth Annual Turkey Vulture Festival. Hinckly, Ohio celebrates them, and Coralville Lake does, too. Family event with crafts, games, entertainment, Funny Face Designs by Lori, and spotting scopes available to use compliments of the Iowa City Bird Club members. East Overlook of the Coralville Dam.

Eastern Iowa Bird Watchers/IC Birds http://icbirds.org/newsletter.html Wednesday, June 1, 2016 8 a.m. Kent Park Bird Walk. Meet at the Kent Park Conservation Education Center. Contact Rick Hollis, 319-665-3141 for more information. Sunday, June 12, 2016 7:30 a.m. Linn County Areas for summer breeding residents. Karen Disbrow, 319-430-0315. Wednesday, June 15, 2016 8 a.m. Kent Park Bird Walk. Meet at Kent Park Conservation Education Center. Contact Rick Hollis, 319-665-3141 for more information. Saturday, June 25, 2016 8:00 a.m. to Noon. Turkey Vulture Festival at Coralville Dam East Overlook sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Family event with crafts, games, entertainment, Funny Face Designs by Lori, and spotting scopes available to use compliments of the Iowa City Bird Club members. East Overlook of the Coralville Dam. Karen Disbrow, 319-430-0315. Saturday, June 25, 2016 6:30 a.m. Indiangrass Hills in Iowa County for grassland birds such as Henslow’s Sparrow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Sedge Wren and Bobolink. Mark Brown, 319-358-8765. ECO Iowa City http://www.icgov.org/?id=2256 Check website for events.

Iowa State Extension http://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ Wednesday, June 8, 2016 7 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Johnson County Master Gardener Steering Committee meeting. Johnson County Extension & Outreach. 3109 Old Highway 218 S. Shannon Bielicke, 319-337-2145. Iowa Water https://www.facebook.com/iowa.city.stormwater.volunteers?sk=wall Monday, June 6, 2016 See Back Yard Abundance calendar for Master Naturalist Summer Training information. Johnson County Conservation http://www.johnson-county.com/conservation salgreen@co.johnson.ia.us Wednesday, June 1 and Wednesday, June 15, 2016 8 a.m. Kent Park Bird Walk meets at the Conservation Education Center at F.W. Kent Park. Saturday, June 4, 2016 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Yoga in the Park. Johnson County Conservation partners with Serenity Yoga & Pilates Studio to combine the benefits of yoga and outdoor exploration. Participants meet at the Conservation Education Center, F.W. Kent Park for a naturalist-led

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warm-up hike followed by a Vinyasa Flow Yoga Class. $7/person. Go to http://www.syp-studio.com or call 319-541-4997 to reserve your spot. Monday, June 6, 2016 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Iowa Master Naturalists: Landforms of Iowa. Conservation Education Center, F.W. Kent Park. Jean Prior, geologist and author presents on why land looks like it does across, crisscrossing, and under the surface of Iowa. Free presentation. Contact info@iowamasternaturalists.org for more information. Wednesday, June 8, 2016 6:00 p.m. Prairie Walks at Ciha Fen, 145th St NE, Lisbon, IA. Enjoy a beautiful summer evening searching for blooming prairie plants lead by Johnson County Conservation staff. Registration not required and all ages welcome. Strollers not recommended. Cancellations due to weather will be posted on the Johnson County Conservation Facebook page. Saturday, June 18, 2016 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Family Bird Walk at Conservation Education Center, F.W. Kent Park. Seasonal naturalist Eric Miller leads a kid friendly walk. No registration required. For questions, email inaturalist1@co.johnson.ia.us. Wednesday, June 29, 2016 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Nature Buds is a program for children ages 3 to 5 and June’s theme will celebrate International Mud Day. This series requires one adult to every two children. Conservation Education Center, F.W. Kent Park. Email kmorrow@cojohnson.ia.us to register for this free program. Thursday, June 30, 2016 8:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Night Sounds Discovery Hike at Conservation Education Center, F.W. Kent Park. Join Johnson County seasonal naturalist Eric Miller and find out what goes bump in the night near the center. You will no longer be in the dark about nature’s nighttime noises! Registration is required for this kid-friendly hike. To register, email inaturalist1@co.johnson.ia.us. Johnson County-ISU Extension http://www.extension.iastate.edu/johnson/ Wednesday, June 8, 2016 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Master Gardener Steering Committee Meeting. Johnson County Extension & Outreach. 3109 Old Highway 218 S. Shannon Bielicke, 319-337-2145. Linn County-ISU Extension http://www.extension.iastate.edu/calendar/ShowList.asp?County=Linn&CountiesScope= Wednesday, June 22 through Monday, June 27, 20162016 Linn County Fair.

New Pioneer Coop http://www.newpi.coop/new-pi-classes-and-community/2015-02/

Check the website for events and activities. Project Green Garden Tour Saturday, June 25, 3-8 p.m. (rain or shine) Master Gardeners volunteering to help at this event can earn volunteer hours for their time. http://www.projectgreen.org/ and https://www.facebook.com/www.projectgreen.org Seed Savers http://www.seedsavers.org/Education/ Check the website for events and activities. Trees Forever http://www.treesforever.org/Events Thursday and Friday June 23 and 24, 2016 2016 Quad Cities Pollinator Conference. Pollinators: From Row Crop to Right-of-Way. It is geared toward agricultural, municipal, state and federal government, landowners, homeowners, urban dwellers, beekeepers and educators. Fees required. www.qcpollinatorconference.org. 100 Grannies http://100grannies.org http://100grannies.org/calendar/next-meeting/

Oaknoll-MG Volunteer Matching Program MG volunteers are matched with Oaknoll residents to assist with planting and maintaining their small garden spaces at Oaknoll. Please contact Marilou Gay at 466-3047 or rmlgay@aol.com or Vicki Siefers 331-1798 or vsiefers@mchsi.com if you have any questions or would like to volunteer. Solon School Gardens

Solon School Gardens can use your help! We are in need of MG's that would like to work on this Core project

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on their own time schedule, Work in these gardens is primarily pruning, weeding and moving plants. There are periodic group work events. Please contact Tracy Hufford at 624-3342 or tracehuff@aol.com Speakers Bureau

Master Gardeners, are you interested in earning hours being a speaker? If so, please contact Sharon Jeter, or leave your name, number, and topics of interest and Sharon will contact you.

Also, if you give presentations for the Speakers Bureau please contact Sharon to inform her of your work. She records the information for her annual report. Contact Jackie Wellborn, 512-8382, jackiewe@mchsi.com

If you are interested in learning more about or helping with a project listed below, contact one of the chairperson(s) listed for that project. Thank you!

Attended Displays: Sharon Rude, 319-331-3042; momrude@gmail.com Butterfly House at Fairgrounds Carolyn Murphy 541-7079; carolyn-murphy@uiowa.edu, Barb Krug, 431-5865; kbjfarm@yahoo.com; Mike Murphy, 351-6345 Coralville Historical School House: Cindy Parsons, 400-7179; cparsons@icialaw.com Ecumenical Towers: Jane Zukin, 339-9127; Janezukin@aol.com Demo Garden: Sherlyn Flesher, 541-4277; khyber71@aol.com; Jon or Kristel Saxton, (515) 460-2415, kristel.saxton@gmail.com

Downtown City Gardens (Newly-approved core) Linda Schreiber, 319-936-8600, lnschreiber@gmail.com Fair Grounds Beautification: Rain Garden: Lavon Yeggy, 330-0952, lavon47@Lcom.net, Mardi Rasmussen, 624-4090, martharasmussen@yahoo.com Fair Grounds Flower Beds: Joan Dinnel, 338-2434, jdinel@aol.com, Barb Krug, 857-4569, kbjfarm@yahoo.com Firefighters’ Memorial: Barb Schintler, 651-5174, barbjschintler@hotmail.com

Fundraising/Flea Market: Barb Krug, 431-5865,

kbjfarm@yahoo.com

Hortline: Esther Retish, 351-5011, eretish@mchsi.com; Joy TenEick, 319-626-2080; jteneick@gmail.com Hospice Garden at Willow Creek Park: Melanie Haupert, 351-1149, melaniehaupert@gmail.com Intern Class/Training: Nicole Pearson, (507) 251-0902, nicole-pearson@uiowa.edu Johnson County Fair / 4-H Buckets of Flowers, Scarecrow: Marilou Gay, 466-3047, rmlgay@aol.com Lavon Yeggy, 330-0952, lavon47@Lcom.net Mark Twain People’s Garden (Non-core): Julie Hegmann, 337-3607, Julie@hegmann.net Oaknoll Garden Project (Newly-approved core): Marilou Gay, 466-3047, rmlgay@aol.com Plum Grove: Betty Kelly, 351-4903, blkiowa@gmail.com; Joanne Leach, 351-4722, Jleach@Jlgardens.net; Lavon Yeggy, 330-0952, lavon47@Lcom.net; Carolyn Murphy, 541-7079, candmmurphy@aol.com Raptor Center Gardens: Alice Linhart, 621-8073, mikeandalice@southslope.net; Karole Fuller, 338-3561, jnkfuller@live.com Speakers Bureau: Jackie Wellborn, 512-8382, jackiewe@mchsi.com Social Events: Steering Committee, Beth Fischer, 319-321-8378, scrabblegirl@gmail.com; Lavon Yeggy, 337-6327, lavon47@Lcom.net Solon High School: Tracy Hufford, 624-3342, TraceHuff@aol.com Steering Committee Chair: Lavon Yeggy, 330-0952; lavon47@Lcom.net, Sharon Jeter, 631-2148, sharonjeter@gmail.com; Barb Krug, 431-5865; kbjfarm@yahoo.com Thymes: Jan Denehy, 338-7493, janice-denehy@uiowa.edu

Treasurer: Loren Leach, 351-4722, lleach@jlgardens.net

Volunteer Hours/Secretary: Shannon Bielicke, 337-2145, bielicke@iastate.edu

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The Johnson County Master Gardener Thymes is published monthly, except January and August. It is distributed under the auspices of Iowa State University. Mail can be sent to: Johnson County Extension Service Attn: Master Gardener Newsletter 4265 Oak Crest Hill Road SE Iowa City, IA 52246

Send email to: janice-denehy@uiowa.edu