June

MG EVENTS

Steering Committee Mtg. Extension Office

June 2 • 6:30 pm

Pollination Team Meeting—

all welcome! Extension Office

June 9 • 6:30 p.m.

Expert Ed Tree Walk

Noelridge Park

June 16 • 6:30—8:30 pm

Garden Walk

June 27 • 10:00 am—4:00 pm Lowe Park

4500 N. 10th Street, Marion Knott Garden

215 W. 33rd Avenue, Marion

Whitmore Garden 365 Woodbine Dr., Marion

Anderson Garden

223 Teakwood Lane NE, CR Walser Garden

3934 Falbrook Drive NE, CR

Milden Garden 271 Lamplite Lane SE, CR

International MG Conf.

Standard Registration

June 2-30

“All bulbous plants are tenacious of life” - Theophrastus, 371-287 BC Greek “father of botany”

Vol. 25, No. 6 Editors: Jean Murray/Lisa Slattery/Julie Stark June 2015

Garden Walk in Final Preparations! By Sam Krumbholz

The Garden Walk is this month on Saturday, June 27th! I hope you can come and enjoy these fabulous gardens.

Shelby Foley, Phil Pfister, and many Lowe volunteers have been hard at work getting thts gardens showcase ready. Also working hard getting their gardens ready are Mike Anderson, Jan Knott, Rose Milden, Bev Whitmore, and Deb Walser. Letters have been mailed out to volunteers who have signed up to help on the day of the Garden Walk

Continued Page 2

What’s Inside...

Garden Walk Information—Pages 1-2

International MG Conference—Page 3

Plant Sale Wrap-Up—Pages 4-5

News From Iowa State University—

Page 6

Coordinator’s Comments—Page 7

News from Noelridge—Page 8-9

Expert Ed—Page 9

Why Do Some Plants Change Their

Color—Pages 10-11

Community Outreach Gardens—Page

12

Steering Committee Notes—Pages 13-

15

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and also help the host/hostesses with tasks that need to be done before the big day! If you have not signed up to help it is not too late to pitch in; contact Sam Krumbholz (319-350-8493) or Diane Stevens (319-270-3832). It is always amazing to see the gardens of Master Gardeners who love what they do and how talented and creative they are.

Please support them as they open their beautiful gardens up for everyone's viewing pleasure.

Below is a peek at three of the six gardens on this year’s walk:

Jan Knott’s gardens

Deb Walser’s gardens

Lowe Park garden

Continued From Page 1

tel:%28%20319-350-7290tel:%28319-270-3828tel:%28319-270-3828

June 3

The International Master Gardener Conference

The International Master Gardener Conference, co-hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension, will be Sept. 22–25 at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs. The 3-day event, called Horticultural Horizons in the Heartland, features nearly 100 educational and hands-on workshops, 9 tours of nearby gardens and attractions, and a gardener’s trade show. The conference is open to the public.

“We expect approximately 1,000 master gardeners and state or county coordinators from all over the U.S., Canada and South Korea to attend this bi-annual event,” said Denny Schrock, horticulturist with ISU Extension & Outreach. “If you want to learn about gardening, volunteer management and educational resources, this conference is for you!”

Seven of the 67 presenters are from Iowa

Lisa Orgler, professor of horticulture with Iowa State University and recipient of the 2015 College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Excellence in Teaching by Lecturers and Adjunct Faculty Award: hands-on workshops for drawing the garden

Denny Schrock, horticulturist with ISU Extension and Outreach: “From Poster Postmortem to Presentation Pizzazz”

Cynthia Haynes, ISU associate professor of horticulture and extension consumer/urban horticulture specialist: “There’s an App for That!”

Laurie Taylor, master gardener and foods coordinator with ISU Extension: showcase the local food system projects in northwest Iowa and offer ideas to engage consumers, community partners and producers

Susan DeBlieck, master gardener specialist with ISU Extension: “School Garden 101”

Susan Appleget Hurst, Polk County master gardener: “From Plant to Plate: Growing and Using Herbs”

Gary Whittenbaugh, Fayette County master gardener: hands-on workshop about trough gardening

Keynote speakers bring a variety of experiences related to gardening: Gary Oppenheimer of AmpleHarvest.org, from New Jersey, an organization connecting growers to local food pantries in an effort to make fresh food accessible in 50 states; Mark Hirsch, a Wisconsin photographer documenting the life of a lonely 160-year-old bur oak tree near Dubuque with the project That Tree; and Michigan's J Schwanke of uBloom.com, will speak about his personal passion for flower arrangements.

Registration

Early bird registration by June 1 is $330; standard registration June 2-30 is $385; cost after July 1 is $440. single-day registration is available. All fee options include lunch and registration closes Aug. 31. For more information or to register, visit http://mastergardener.unl.edu/imgc2015.

http://mastergardener.unl.edu/imgc2015

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2015 Plant Sale—A Resounding Success! By Phil Pfister The 14th annual Linn County Master Gardener Plant Sale was a resounding success. Seventy Master Gardeners volunteered between Thursday through Saturday to receive, groom and price the plants, set up the sale area, move plants from the second floor conference room (staging area) to the sale area, assist customers, tend and water plants, and then clean everything up to return it to normal operating environment. Twenty-nine Master Gardeners donated 1908 perennials. Thanks to the efforts of Karen Woeste, 645 of these came from the gardens of Charlene Woeste. Charlene’s commitment to the plant sale through the donation of plants will live on.

The blooming side of the greenhouse, under the growing expertise of Head Grower, Shelby Foley, produced 629 plants, including flowers, herbs, container plants, hanging baskets, and arrangements. The veggie side of the greenhouse produced 574 tomatoes and peppers, 12 hanging basket tomatoes and a few cell packs of various vegetables.

Thanks to Kathy Wimer, our coordinator, for all her help and support, and Johanna Rahbush for taking care of the credit card sales.

We named the Plant Sale “The Charlene Woeste Plant Sale”, in honor of Charlene Woeste, the founder and chair of the Plant Sale for 13 years. Charlene passed away last year, but her legacy lives on through the

Photo left: Doug Smith was lead at Wildflower table; photo right: Gene Nassif was lead at Vegetable table.

June 5

contributions of plants and time from the Master Gardener volunteers, and the enthusiasm for the sale from the community.

The Plant Sale is one of the major fundraising initiatives to support the Linn County Master Gardener education and outreach programs. Due to the contributions of many Master Gardeners, the Plant Sale was a huge success, with a net profit of $9002.

Photo left: Plant Sale Chairs, Karen Woestel and Phil Pfister; photo right: cashier, Louise Harn

Photo left: Plant Doctors, Ellen Skripsky and Zora Nonan; photo right: Johanna Rahbush relaxes in front of the new plant sale sign in remembrance of Charlene Woeste.

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News From Iowa State University: Oak Wilt

Oak wilt is a serious disease that can infect many oak species. It is caused by the fungus, Ceratocystis fagacearum. Red oaks are very susceptible to the oak wilt fungus and can die within 4-6 weeks. White and bur oaks are moderately resistant to the disease. Trees can be infected by the fungus through root grafts or by beetle vectors that carry spores to newly wounded trees. When a tree is infected it tree tries to protect itself by producing gummy material called tyloses which can clog the water conducting vessels. Water is prevented from moving to the canopy and leaves begin to wilt. Leaves of infected oaks can wilt, turn brown at the edges, and fall off. The outermost ring of sapwood sometimes turns brown and appears as streaks when the bark is peeled; or as a ring when the branch is cut in cross-section. Because oak wilt is often confused with other disorders, positive identification requires recovery of the causal fungus from the tree.

Avoid wounding or pruning oaks from April through July since sap attracts the beetles that carry the oak wilt fungus. Severing root grafts connecting infected and healthy trees up to 50 feet apart can be used to prevent spread. Fungicide injections are now available to protect healthy trees from the disease. Infected trees can also be treated, but a tree with more than 20% crown loss has little chance for survival.

How to Submit Plant Samples for Plant Problem Diagnosis

The Plant and Insect Diagnostic Clinic (PIDC) is available to all Iowans to help diagnose plant problems, identify insects, mushrooms and weed plants. As the growing season has started, check out how to submit plant samples to the clinic at http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/info/submit/plant.

You will find sampling and scouting tips as well as detailed information on submitting specific samples. Not all samples are the same, so check out our different sections for field crops, fruits, vegetable and annual ornamental crops, herbaceous plants, turfgrass, weeds and woody plants.

Quality digital pictures can provide important information during the diagnosis process. Check our new guidelines on how to take better pictures for Insect Diagnosis at the short url http://bit.ly/1efkqR4 and digital photography for Plant Problem Diagnosis, Mushroom or Plant ID at the short url http://bit.ly/1Gnoeur. If you want to send us pictures of a physical sample you have sent us via the mail, attached you digital pictures to an email to pidc@iastate.edu and make sure to include in the subject of the email the submitter last name, crop and sample submission

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/info/submit/planthttp://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/info/files/documents/page/264/467.pdfhttp://bit.ly/1efkqR4http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/info/files/documents/page/262/466.pdfhttp://bit.ly/1Gnoeurmailto:pidc@iastate.edu

June 7

Coordinator’s Comments By Kathy Wimer

May was a wonderful month for Master Gardeners with a very successful Plant Sale, held on May 16. Special thanks to Plant Sale Chairs, Phil Pfister and Karen Woeste, for a job well done. Thank you as well to all of our hard working volunteers who helped raise over $9,000 this year!

Some recent staff changes at the Linn County Extension office include Linda Bigley, hired as our interim director at the May Extension Council Meeting. In addition, Lehia Erger has been contracted to provide graphic design services for Extension programming. We are thankful for their assistance in preparing for our upcoming Garden Walk on June 27. For more information about the Garden Walk, please visit this link: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/linn/news/garden-walk-2015

The “Early Bird” registration rate for the International Master Gardener Conference is now extended to June 1. If you are interested in attending the September 22-25 conference in Council Blufffs, please go to our MG state office website: http://www.mastergardener.iastate.edu/

Planning is underway for our upcoming fall intern classes. The date for the intern orientation is September 15 with evening webinars starting September 29 and running through November 17. Classes on campus will be on Saturday, October 10 or October 24. Intern application materials will be available in the Extension office in early June, with an interview selection committee meeting in early August. Please let me know if you have an interest in helping with our fall classes this year!

Hard to believe that starting in June, I will now be with the Master Gardener Program for a full year. I can’t thank you enough for all of your patience and support as I’ve been “learning the ropes” of this amazing program. I’m in awe of all of the wonderful projects MG’s provide our community. Thank you for all that you do!

Warmest Regards, Kathy

Upcoming MG Volunteer & Education Opportunities: *Administrative help needed at the Extension Office, such as putting together mailings, organizing the MG storage room, etc. *Attend upcoming Expert Ed events, including the Tree Walk on June 16 *Volunteer at upcoming Garden Walk on June 27 or June 28 (rain date) *Write articles, submit pictures and/or contribute ideas to The Germinator *Promote MG events throughout the community via Social Media *Join a MG Project, such as the Lowe Park or Noelridge Demonstration Gardens, Community Outreach Gardens, the New Bo Market Project, Project Independence, Heritage Project, etc. *Get on July’s Hortline Schedule. Email your availability to MG volunteer Sylvia Kelley (skelley313@aol.com or call 319-377-7136 / 319-721-4152)

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/linn/news/garden-walk-2015http://www.extension.iastate.edu/linn/news/garden-walk-2015http://www.mastergardener.iastate.edu/mailto:skelley313@aol.com

8 Germinator

News From Noelridge By Jean Minehart

Mother’s Day Preparation and Mother’s Day Event

The week before Mother’s Day was a very busy week for all Noelridge employees and all volunteers, including Noelridge MG Project members. Not only did we groom the plants in the greenhouses but we also cleaned, swept, and organized.

Event Day, Mother’s Day, Sunday May 10 was a grand day (photos right). Attendance at the event was 1919 people. All who stopped at the Master Gardener table to visit were ready to get into spring planting and wanted information on planting. Also, many were especially interested in the pollinators material we had and shared. Of course since free milkweed plants were being given away, that created a lot of interest and questions about the Monarchs!

At 5:00 pm drawings for prize winners began. Tim Gilbertson agreed to draw the ticket for winner of the beautiful handmade quilt made by volunteer Sona Christianson. Jean Minehart was the lucky number drawn to win the quilt. Other prize winners were Becki Lynch, who received the “Old Fairy” award/garden.

Other News

Becki announced that planting of the AAS garden was started, and completed, on Tuesday, May 19 by many volunteers including Goodwill DayHab clients, Mary Kramer, Esther Olsen, Cindy Garlock, Diane Stevens, Linda Eggleston, and Darlene

Scott Federer and Tim Wilkinson

Polly Tsamis and Kathy Rhodes

Becki Lynch and Diane Stevens

Continued Page 9

June 9

McGovern. She says “we're still setting the towers, staking, and finally positioning the art frames in July”. Becki invites you to stop by and see the beds – she believes they are beautiful already.

Noelridge Master Gardeners will be planting the herb garden on Thursday, May 21 beginning at noon. Plans for that day also include setting the plant markers and painting the herb recipe box that we have at the garden and stock with recipes using herbs for the public to take. We will be mulching the garden in early June. Master Gardeners invite you to stop by and see

Expert Ed—Tree Walk at Noelridge Park By Linda Hayward

Conducted by Mark Vitosh, Department of Natural Resources District Forester

Tuesday, June 16, 2015 from 6:30 – 8:30PM.

Mark will explain how trees are identified. He will point out and discuss some of the health problems such as Oak Wilt disease and other issues to which broadleaf and evergreen trees are exposed. He will give suggestions as how the stress on these trees could be reduced.

Meet at the north parking lot of Council Street near the Noelridge Greenhouse. This will be a walking tour so wear comfortable shoes.

REGISTRATION open for 30 people: Registration open first to Master Gardeners from May 1 to May 29. Then registration will be opened to the public from June 1 through June 15. Register by calling Linn County Extension Office at 319-377-9839 or email kwimer@iastate.edu.

Continued from Page 8

mailto:kwimer@iastate.edu

10 Germinator

Why Do Some Plants Change Their Colors? By Jean Murray

You have a lovely hosta with white leaves trimmed with green, and you notice one day that the leaves are sharing the plant with a green leaf. What’s going on?

Hostas (photo right) are one of a number of types of plants, usually variegated plants, that are susceptible to a process called reversion. You can see the reversion on this common euonymus (photo below).

The Royal Horticultural Association defines reversion as "the name given when a cultivar known for a particular leaf shape, colour, or other striking characteristic ‘reverts’ back to a different form found in the plant’s parentage. The term is often used to describe a variegated shrub or tree that produces non-variegated shoots." Charles Dickens talked about reversion (also called "throwing back"), in humans and animals. He also called it "atavism" (derived from atavus, an ancestor).

Variegation loss in plants may be due to lighting, seasonality, or other factors. It’s not possible to reverse reversion loss, but you can usually keep it from taking over an entire plant. Variegation loss in plants could also be spurred by changes in heat or cold. If the weather is unfavorable to a particular plant, it may revert just to get a competitive advantage. Once the leaves revert to all green, the plant can increase its harvest of solar energy, which in turn gives it more fuel to produce bigger and stronger growth. Waterlogged plants may also turn back and new shoots often come out green.

Variegated plants are less vigorous than green specimens. The tendency for reversion of variegated leaves is a protective adaptation that allows the plant to return to a more successful form. Variegated plants growing in shady or semi-shady locations are really at a disadvantage. Not only do

Continued Page 11

June 11

they have low levels of chlorophyll, but they are not even exposed to adequate light. This scenario lends itself to reversion of variegated leaves.

The reverted portion of the plant will generally be more vigorous than the rest of the plant. If allowed to remain on the plant, reversions may eventually outgrow and overtake the desirable cultivar.

Most plants will only revert on stem, branch or other area. You can cut these off to try to prevent the entire plant from reverting. You can also prune out the reverted portion of the plant. Prune back to a portion of the plant displaying normal characteristics of the cultivar. This usually works to slow the production of green leaf cells.

Some gardeners suggest you dig up the plant to see if it's a two-in-one plant or a shoot (sometimes called a "sport"). Or you could just let it go and tell people you're starting a "reversion garden."

Reversion in hosta “Touch of Class”.

Reversion in a blue spruce.

Join the Planning for Pollinator Presentation Team! By Jean Murray

A few good Master Gardener speakers are needed to help us get the word out about the need to plant for pollinators. The new "Planting for Pollinators" Linn County Master Gardener group is developing a PowerPoint that can be presented at libraries, to garden groups, and at gardening events. Now all we need are some presenters.

If you are interested, please plan to attend a meeting on Tuesday, June 9 at 6:30 p.m. at the Extension office. We will preview the presentation and have a general discussion about how to inform the public about the need to plant for pollinators, how/what/when to plant, and about the ISU consortium studying this issue.

Continued from Page 10

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Community Outreach Gardens Project By Beula Dvorak

The Community Outreach Gardens Project is off to a great start for this 2015 growing season.

Thanks to the leadership of Phil Pfister, Jordan Carr, and Sara Mentzer, 6 raised beds have been built, filled and planted as part of the Marion Blue Zones Community Garden. Radishes, spinach and lettuce are ready to be harvested and will be given to the Marion Food Pantry for distribution.

Thanks to the leadership of Diane Wiesenfeld, Mike Anderson, Peggy Green and Shirley Thornton, along with volunteers from Trans America, 12 raised beds (of 3 different heights) have been built and filled as part of the Catherine McAuley Community Garden (photos right). Additional MG volunteers working will be working with the Catherine McAuley clients to plant the beds.

Educational workshops will begin on Thursday, May 28, 6-7pm, at the Catherine McAuley garden site and continue throughout the summer twice monthly.

We invite YOU to become a part of this exciting MG garden project. If interested, contact Beula Dvorak (bdvorak4@aol.com; 895-8206).

mailto:bdvorak4@aol.com

June 13

May 2015 Steering Committee—Draft

(Abridged for Germinator; Committees not listed had no report)

Present: Steve Bartlett, Larry Dawson, Beula Dvorak, Cindy Fagan, Darrell Hennessy, Linda Hinzman, Gene Nassif, Beth Roof, Jane Schildroth, Pam Scott, Linda Shepard. Absent: Jackie Baumhauer, Deb Walser, Jean Wilson. Guests: Kathy Wimer, Karla McGrail. Quorum established. Minutes of the April 7, 2015 approved.

Announcements: Reminder that only MG endorsed projects volunteer hours are eligible to be recorded on the MG Service Form. Volunteering in non-endorsed activities cannot be counted.

Financial Report: Review of the budget as of 3/31/15. WGF expenses were lower than budgeted, 2015 WGF expenses have been met. This fiscal year will have two Garden Walks. Reviewed proposed 2015-2016 budget. 2016 Awards Banquet funds adjusted to previous arrangements; subsidy of the banquet to be determined later in the year. Funding for required background checks was based on 15 interns - $900 expense. Funding requirements for non-intern MGs on-hold per Extension Office direction. Budget approved for next fiscal year.

Project and Committee Reports

Awards Banquet: Eighty-nine diners attending the annual awards banquet on April 9; 58 master gardeners and 31 guests.

Brucemore: Peggy Green new co-chair.

Community Outreach Gardens: The Marion Blue Zones Garden is off and running. Volunteers, led by Jordan Carr and Phil Pfister, constructed and filled 6 raised beds in April. Cool weather crops have been planted and a couple of hoops for vining vegetables. Plans for the coming workday at Catherine McAuley Gardens are complete. Volunteers from United Way Day of Caring will assist residents and MG, led by Diane Wiesenfeld and Peggy Green, construct and fill 12 raised beds in the garden area. Victoria Fernandez and a crew of brave volunteers had a workday at the Kenwood Gardens on April 25. Beds were revitalized and cool weather plants were planted. Educational/training sessions are being scheduled at the Catherine McAuley gardens beginning May 28. Community Gardens need more MG volunteers as this project continues to grow, providing consultation and educational support to more and more gardens. Contact Beula Dvorak (bdvorak4@aol.com) to get involved in this fascinating MG project.

Demo Gardens Lowe Park: The garden recovered from the fall shearing better than expected. The first work session was well attended, and several groups worked on the ABC Garden, the rose bed and the xeric bed. The caterpillar is taking shape and can be crawled through to imagine it covered in vining plants by summer. The head and stripes will be added soon. In the xeric garden a Czech crevice bed area is being developed, and will be planted shortly. This is only garden of this type in the area. New Bo: The group will be available at “Rock the Block” events two Fridays/month through the summer. In May, the first Plant of the Week of rhubarb will be celebrated and visitors will enjoy rhubarb crisp May 8 from 5-8.

mailto:bdvorak4@aol.com

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Expert Education: Thirty-five people attended “More Popcorn and Plants” in April. Thirty people attended Patrick O’Malley’s “Tomato Tech presentation. District Representatives from various Linn County Garden Clubs met April 22 at the Extension Office. Present were from Cedar Rapids Garden Club, Palo/Shellsburg Garden Club, Good Earth Garden Club, Vinton Cottage Garden Club and Linn County MG. A July 7 meeting is being planned at Lowe Park from 9:30-11:00am with plans to have discussion topics at the tables, a speaker and tour of Lowe Park Greenhouse by Phil Pfister.

Financial Planning: The committee met and prepared a tentative budget to present to the Steering Committee.

From the Ground Up: We finished the school year with our new curriculum. There were some glitches that we will address, but the students in 15 schools and 4 school districts enjoyed the classes immensely due to the skill and dedication of our MG volunteer teachers.

Garden Walk: A meeting was held with Hosts/Leads to go over needs and responsibilities. A volunteer form has been sent to all MG. Posters/brochures are printed to hand out at the Plant Sale. A meeting is scheduled June 1 to coordinate helping the Hosts in June and on the day of the Garden Walk. We are also looking for new ways to advertise.

Greenhouse: We will have a great selection of geraniums, potted arrangements, herbs, hanging baskets, tomatoes, and other vegetables for the Plant Sale. We will also have a number of tomatoes plants for donation to the food pantries. Volunteers have been working Monday- Thursday on potting, transplanting, plant maintenance, and creating plant arrangements for the Plant Sale and the Lowe Park Demonstration Gardens. The amendment with the City of Marion for the 50/50 utility share has been through review by legal on both sides and is now ready for signature at the next Linn County Extension Council meeting May 7. After signing it will go to the City for signature by the Marion Parks Board.

Lowe Park Demonstration Orchard: A mix of 10 apples, cherries and plum trees were planted just west of the greenhouse on April 21. The orchard is a partnership with Transamerica, the City of Marion, Linn County Master Gardeners and Marion Blue Zones. Attendees included Master Gardeners Devon Dietz, Doug Smith and Phil Pfister. Other attendees were the Marion Mayor, a Marion Council member, Trees Forever, including the founder and CEO; Marion Parks Dept. employees, Marion Blue Zone, a Mount Vernon resident. Additional trees, including nut trees, will be planted this fall.

Heritage Center Project: On April 28, I met with Cathy Miller, our Heritage contact, along with Judy Schwarz, a MG, and Kate Kendall, a MG Intern. After viewing the 6 raised beds and the large in-ground area, Cathy told us what vegetables and where the residents would like to have them planted. We are cleaning beds, planting seeds, and tilling to plant tomatoes, peppers, etc. MG volunteers will meet to set up a work schedule for the year. Dora Bopp, who has been lead at Heritage, will be able to help us again this year.

June 15

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Many materials can be made available in alternative formats for ADA clients. To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964.

Linn County Extension Master Gardeners

383 Collins Road NE, Suite 201 • Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

ph (319) 377-9839 • Hortline (319) 447-0647 • www.extension.iastate.edu/linn

Hortline: Client calls have increased significantly. Copies of the 2015 Midwest Tree Fruit Spray Guide PM 1282 and the Midwest Small Fruit and Grape Guide for 2015, PM 1375 were received. The spray schedule is posted on the bulletin board. The entire guide can be found http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6010.

School Projects: Hiawatha: Pat Kadlec, MG Intern, provided a truckload of compost and added it to the raised beds. Phil Pfister, Michele Jones, Jo Dillon and Connie Lorenz assisted students as they planted seeds. The Compost Club (5th grade students), has been assisting with a compost program. Radishes kale, peas, lettuce and sunflowers are already peeking up from the rich black soil!

Winter Gardening Fair: The committee for the 2016 WGF has met.

Coordinator’s Report: The state office confirmed that MGs need to complete background checks by Dec. 31, 2016. Background checks for all Master Gardeners must be completed before training in the fall for new MG interns - and once every three years for active MG. Kathy has registered for the International Conference and looks forward to attending the sessions designed for MG Coordinators. Fall intern class dates are scheduled by the state office with orientation the week of Sept. 14 and then intern webinars will be Sept. 29 through Nov. 17. Applications are available June 1 and need to be turned in by Aug. 1. Kathy will be out of the office June 3-15 and June 30-July 6 and will have limited access to email during that time. For any MG related issues or questions during that time, call Mary Dlouhy or Linda Bigley (319-377-9839; Extension office).

New Business: Karla McGrail, representing the WGF Committee, reported the committee’s search to move the conference from Kirkwood. An extensive research of options proved Coe College to be a viable option. Karla reported on the pros/cons of moving the conference. Following questions/answers the SC unanimously supported the committee’s continued research of the Coe option. Plant Sale co-chairs, Phil Pfister and Karen Woeste, proposed naming the Plant Sale after Charlene Woeste to honor her years of dedication to the project. A banner will be displayed at the sale and future sales “The Charlene Woeste Memorial Plant Sale”; motion carried.

Meeting adjourned 7:25 pm. Next meeting June 2, 2015. Agenda items should be submitted to the Executive Committee before May 21, 2015.

Respectfully submitted, Beth Roof

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6010http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6010

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