The Lowdown

WSU Spokane County Extension Master Gardeners March 2019 The Lowdown

Inside this issue:

Foundation News 2

Book Review 4

Grant Information 6

Garden Fair 7

Grant Application 11

Self-study Quiz 12

Upcoming Events 14

Extension Information

Tim Kohlhauff 477-2172

Horticulture Coordinator

tkohlhauff@spokanecounty.org

Jackie Sykes 477-2193

Clinic Coordinator

jsykes@spokanecounty.org

Master Gardener County Site

http://extension.wsu.edu/

spokane/master-gardener-

program

Master Gardener Foundation of

Spokane County

http://www.mgfsc.org/

WSU Master Gardener Site

http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/

HortSense Fact Sheets

http://hortsense.cahnrs.wsu.edu/

Home/HortsenseHome.aspx

On Line Timelog Reporting:

http://ext.wsu.edu/Volunteers/

logon.aspx

Announcement!

New Educational Grant

The Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County is pleased to announce the creation of an Educational Grant Policy and Fund.

Individuals eligible for educational grants include:

a. Staff members of the Spokane County Master Gardener Program.

b. Spokane County Master Gardener volunteers to include Active,

Intern, Trainee, and Emeritus.

c. Applicants to the WSU training program for new Master Gardeners.

Membership in the MGFSC is not required. Grants will be awarded on an objec-tive and nondiscriminatory basis according to our policy guidelines.

(More details on pages 6, 8-10)

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Foundation News By Cathi Lamoreux

It’s March! It must almost be spring…. Whoops! It’s still winter.

I did look back at my seasonal notes for the past couple of years, and winter had returned with a fresh snow cover and cold temperatures both years as the calendar rolled into March. No matter how much snow we have right now, it’s guaranteed to be spring sometime soon!

Spring means that two of our events are coming up soon. First up is Cabin Fever, “Back to our Roots.” It is right around the corner on March 30. This is our 10th anniversary year for this event. In honor of that milestone we have rolled back the registration fee to the original fee of $65 ($60 for foundation members.) It will be held at CenterPlace in Spokane Valley. Once again, we have 12 great speakers, a raffle for two wonderful items, door prizes, gently used books, lunch and freebies! We will also have a room full of vendors. New this year, Master Gardeners will be selling all types and sizes of succulents – just the thing to get your green on! The registration deadline is March 22. Registration information can be found at our website, mgfsc.org.

Less than a month later, here comes Garden Fair & Plant Sale on April 27. This is our larg-est fundraiser of the year. This event is part education, part fundraiser, and part commu-nity outreach. It takes everyone participating to make this a successful event.

All of our events support the MG Program. It is important that the community is made aware for these events to be successful. Tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers, and family. Share Facebook posts and emails widely. Most importantly, bring them to all the events!

At the last Foundation Board of Directors meeting we approved the 2019 Fall Banquet budget. The banquet will be held this year on October 10 at the Spokane Convention Center with TV and Internet host, Joe Lamp’l, as keynote speaker. The banquet is a great way to round out another successful gardening season. What could be better than a fun, festive celebration? We expect brisk ticket sales, so plan to attend and invite your friends to join you!

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We are so glad you are with us!

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Foundation membership is also a way that you can support the Program. It costs $10 for Master Gardeners and trainees, and $25 for an associate membership. At the time of this writing, there are 82 MG members, 8 associate members. If you have not already done so, please consider joining. It’s easy. Just go to our website. You do not have to join to receive a discount card for nurseries and garden-related businesses, but we hope you will. If you want a discount card without committing to join the Foundation, please contact Matt Ve-

lasco, mrvelasco06@gmail.com, to request one.

New this year is the Foundation-sponsored Educational Grant Program. We have created a fund to support educational opportunities for Program staff, Master Gardener volunteers, and people applying to attend the MG training. For further information, read the separate article in this month’s Lowdown.

I am closing with a reminder that all Foundation members are welcome to attend our Board Of Directors meetings held on the second Monday of the month at 10 a.m. at the Extension building. You don’t even have to let us know you are coming unless you want to request an agenda item. Our agendas are posted 8-10 days prior to the meeting on the password-protected, members-only section of the Foundation webpage. You received the password when you joined the Foundation. That is also where you can read minutes from past meetings.

See you all at Cabin Fever!

Lee-Bradley Dori 3-Jan

Mewhinney Joy 10-Jan

Stewart Cathy 25-Jan

Bowman Sharon 12-Feb

Evans Gloria 3-Mar

Odell Geri 5-Mar

Adams LeAnn 7-Mar

Newton Carole 11-Mar

Meyer Kathleen 23-Mar

Richardson Susan 25-Mar

Jeremiah Peggy 29-Mar

Oops! We forgot to include some January & February Birthday’s!

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A Book Review by Susan Mulvihill

The Budget-Wise Gardener by Kerry Ann Mendez

(St. Lynn’s Press, 2018, 176 pp., $19.95)

We gardeners love to save money, don’t we? After all, by stretching our dollars, we can spend even

more on our passion right?

Before I started reading The Budget-Wise Gardener, I envisioned it would be about starting your own plants from seed, recycling products, going to plant sales, and so on. Well, I was only partially correct.

Author Kerry Ann Mendez goes so much deeper than that, especially into plant selection and design strategies to ensure our money has been well-spent.

The title of chapter one drew me right in: “How to Score Great Plants for Less... or Free!” It’s filled with tips to help gardeners get the most bang for their plant-purchasing buck. And Mendez knows many inside tips because she has worked in the horticulture industry for many years. We readers get to benefit from that insider knowledge.

As she writes, “My job as your tutor is to build you into a sophisticated plant geek able to track down elusive deals while getting the highest quality for your money.”

Mendez wants us to do a good job of assessing if a plant should be added to our gardens. Toward that goal, she shares tips relating to the many plant sources we have, be it a nursery, catalog, plant sale, or generous neighbor.

Each tip is well thought out, such as avoiding buying certain variegated perennials as they are prone to reverting to solid green.

She lists early, mid- and late season cultivars of allium, astilbe, daylily, peony, phlox, and iris to keep the bloom going.

This book includes ways to get your money’s worth from perennials, biennials, ornamental grasses, bulbs and corms, annuals, and flowering shrubs. While reading, I learned all sorts of new details about many plants I’ve grown or have been wanting to add to my garden.

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In chapter two, “Plant Sources and Treasure Maps,” the author begins with garden centers and nurseries. When it comes to dealing with mail-order companies, Mendez recommends going to The Garden Watchdog site (davesgarden.com/products/gwd/) for reviews of each company, and she includes tips for placing online orders.

Mendez is known for her landscape design talents and plant selections skills. In chapter 3, “Design Secrets That Save Money & Time,” she profiles several types of gardens that are stunning yet require little effort on our parts, other than selecting the correct plants for the site. These include living rugs (using mixes of drought-tolerant groundcovers blended with annuals and/or bulbs), xeric gardens (with suggestions of types of plants that are ideally suited for dry areas), and gravel gardens in which one mulches dry areas with gravel or pea stone.

For the “right-size meadow garden,” she details a downsized version that is more practical, and uses wildflowers and ornamental grasses; again, she emphasizes the importance of choosing the right plants for your setting, and suggests drought-tolerant natives. The author highlights “vine-yard” gardens where one uses vines for more than just vertical interest. And her “3 season garden trifecta” designs revolve around the use of knock-out perennials, ornamental grasses, and flowering shrubs to give color and interest throughout the spring, summer, and fall. There are plant sugges-tions based on differing light conditions.

Chapter four, “Regal Containers on a Dollar-Store Budget,” focuses on how to create stunning container plantings. She suggests choosing perennials rather than annuals to truly get your money’s worth. Those living in colder climates will appreciate how Mendez includes winter storage of those containers as well.

It’s refreshing that the author focuses on sustainable practices throughout the book -- something all gar-deners should think of first.

The Budget-Wise Gardener really gets down to the essence of gardening -- choosing the right plant for the right place -- so we can all spend our money wisely and enjoy our gardens for a very long time.

The Lowdown Page 6

New Educational Grant

The Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County is pleased to announce the creation of an Educa-tional Grant Policy and Fund.

Individuals eligible for educational grants include:

a. Staff members of the Spokane County Master Gardener Program.

b. Spokane County Master Gardener volunteers to include Active, Intern, Trainee, and Emeritus.

c. Applicants to the WSU training program for new Master Gardeners.

Membership in the MGFSC is not required. Grants will be awarded on an objective and nondiscrimina-tory basis according to our policy guidelines.

Educational grant funds may be awarded for any of the following:

Tuition/registration fees for conferences, classes, seminars, webinars, and other qualifying ed-ucational offerings pre-approved by the Spokane County Master Gardener Program. The content of the qualifying educational offering must add to the recipient’s knowledge perti-nent to the goals of the Spokane Master Gardener Program. Events pertinent to the Master Gardener Program include the following:

Cabin Fever, Master Gardener state and regional conferences, and the Washington State University training program for new Master Gardeners. These events have standing approval by the Master Gardener Program.

Other events approved through the standard process for Continuing Education credit outlined in the Master Gardener Handbook.

Other events determined by the Master Gardener Program staff to be relevant.

Course materials such as books and manuals required by the educational event

Travel/lodging to the educational event will not be funded. Funds may be available under spe-cial circumstances.

For complete details, please read the policy and application on the MGFSC web-site at: www.MGFSC.ORG. For more information, please contact Cathi Lamoreux, Educational Grant Committee Lead, at cathi.l@comcast.net.

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Less Than Two Months Until Garden Fair

By Tim Stiess

tstiess@outlook.com 540-557-7992

A fellow Master Gardener recently asked me why we don’t have longer hours for the Garden Fair or why

we don’t make it two days instead of one. It made me think. What I came up with was this…

*Our largest challenge with the Garden Fair is our limited space. We don’t have

a big, centralized space that we can maintain and hold plants for a long period of time.

We don’t have a big greenhouse to help the herbs, veggies and other plants along. We

don’t have a large, secure holding area near the Garden Fair site to casually nurture,

label, and organize plants in preparation for the sale.

*What we have is plants in people’s homes and in their gardens. We have two days of set-up at the

Extension Office to get the plants to the site and prep them for the sale. It is amazing how much is done in

such a little amount of time. It takes many hardworking, dedicated, caring people and many, many hours

to turn a classroom and a parking lot into a FAIR in just two days.

*As if two days of set-up is not enough, the next day is Garden Fair. During which, eve-

ryone is working extremely hard to make sure that our guests and our fellow MGs are having a

great experience. It is no wonder that by 2 p.m. on Saturday afternoon most Master Garden-

ers are more than ready for the event to be done.

*Perhaps one day, we will have a large, centralized area that we can grow and prepare plants for a

longer Garden Fair or other sales. What we do have is amazing volunteers, which I will take any day over

more space.

If you haven’t signed up for volunteering at the Garden Fair, please look over all the volunteer opportuni-

ties at the following link. Either sign up on line or contact the lead(s) of the booth/area directly. Please do

it soon to ease the stress on the amazing leads of these booths/areas as the Garden Fair quickly approach-

es.

Link to Garden Fair volunteer guide: https://1drv.ms/w/s!Aob6ph1bnIECgrxTk-nukAa7Q-9AHA If the link does not work (like in the last Lowdown), you can find the link in Happy Mondays or

in other past emails.

Thank you!

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MASTER GARDENER FOUNDATION OF SPOKANE COUNTY EDUCATIONAL GRANT POLICY

1. Purpose

The Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County (MGFSC) enhances the efforts of the Master Gardener Program and the community through fundraising, public awareness and educational activities. The Foundation can lend such support by granting funds to the Program staff and Master Gardener volunteers for educational enrichment. This policy sets out guidelines for providing this financial support.

2. Scope

Educational grant funds may be awarded for any of the following:

Tuition/registration fees for conferences, classes, seminars, webinars, and other qualifying ed-ucational offerings pre-approved by the Spokane County Master Gardener Program. The content of the qualifying educational offering must add to the recipient’s knowledge perti-nent to the goals of the Spokane Master Gardener Program. Events pertinent to the Master Gardener Program include the following:

Cabin Fever, Master Gardener state and regional conferences, and the Washington State University training program for new Master Gardeners. These events have standing approval by the Master Gardener Program.

Other events approved through the standard process for Continuing Education credit outlined in the Master Gardener Handbook.

Other events determined by the Master Gardener Program staff to be relevant. Course materials such as books and manuals required by the educational event Travel/lodging to the educational event will not be funded. Funds may be available under spe-

cial circumstances.

Grants must be for a specific purpose which the applicant must describe on the application form, de-tailing how this experience will enhance the applicant’s knowledge and thereby benefit the Spokane County Master Gardener Program. Grants will be awarded for a definite period of time specified in the grant award.

3. Eligibility of Recipients

Individuals eligible for educational grants include:

Staff members of the Spokane County Master Gardener Program Spokane County Master Gardener volunteers to include Active, Intern, Trainee, and Emeritus Applicants to the WSU training program for new Master Gardeners

Membership in the MGFSC is not required. Grants will be awarded on an objective and nondiscrimina-tory basis according to the procedures outlined in this policy. Current voting members of the MGFSC Board of Directors are not eligible to receive educational grants.

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4. Procedure Applicants for educational grants are required to submit a completed application form in which the date and purpose of the educational activity are specified. It is the responsibil-

ity of the applicant to obtain Spokane County Master Gardener Program approval before completing the grant application. Applications received without Program approval will not be considered. The application must include a statement of how this activity will improve or enhance the applicant’s knowledge pertinent to the goals of the Spokane County Master Gardener Program.

The application must be submitted to the Foundation Board of Directors Educational Grant Committee 30 days prior to the registration date of the activity. The Educational Grant Committee will review applications and submit its recommendations at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Foundation Board of Directors. The Foundation Board of Directors will vote on all recommended grants. The Lead of the Educational Grant Committee will notify applicants of the Board’s decisions in a timely manner following the meeting. The Foundation Board of Directors reserves the right to award partial amounts of the requested funds. All decisions are final.

Recipients are eligible to receive an educational grant only once a calendar year. If grant funding is re-ceived, then the recipient may not apply the following calendar year but may apply in subsequent years. If grant funding is not received, the applicant is allowed to apply again during the same calendar year for a different educational activity.

Upon completion of the educational activity, the grant recipient will be required to submit a written report to the Foundation Board of Directors within 30 days after the completion of the educational activity ex-plaining how this experience enhanced their education thereby benefiting the Spokane County Master Gardener Program. This information may be shared with the Master Gardener Program, other Master Gar-deners, and the public via the Lowdown, the MGFSC website, or other public media.

If the grant recipient does not attend the specified educational offering for which grant funds have been received, the Foundation Board of Directors must be notified in writing of non-attendance and all grant funds must be returned.

5. Educational Grant Committee The Educational Grant Committee will consist of 3 or 5 members and should include at least one member of the Finance Committee, at least one member of the Liaison Committee, and at least one member of the Executive Committee. The representatives from these committees shall be different individuals. The ap-pointment of the members of the Educational Grant Committee shall be for a one-year term with re-appointment for additional terms possible upon approval by the Foundation Board of Directors.

Funds available for educational grants shall be decided by the Foundation Board of Directors when the an-nual budget for the following year is created and approved. The budgeted funds will be divided into quar-terly amounts.

The Educational Grant Committee will meet at least one week prior to a regularly scheduled Foundation Board of Directors meeting if there are applications to be reviewed. Once the total funds in any one quar-ter have been allocated, any non-funded applications will be reviewed in the following quarter. Any funds not disbursed during a quarter will be carried over to the next quarter.

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6. Selection Criteria The following will be taken into consideration by the Educational Grant Com-mittee in awarding educational grants:

a. How this educational experience will benefit the Master Gardener Program b. Willingness to share the education acquired with other Master Gardeners and the public c. Educational grants awarded to the applicant in the past

The Educational Grant Committee is tasked with developing a form for reviewing applications, assign-ing points to the different selection criteria.

7. Administration of Grants Funds will be paid to the recipient via check within 10 days following approval of the application by the Foundation Board of Directors. It is the recipient’s responsibility to pay for all expenses directly to the educational entity sponsoring the activity. Adopted 11/05/2018

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PURPOSE: In the space below, briefly describe how this educational activity will improve/enhance your knowledge as it pertains to the goals of the Spokane County Master Gardener Program and how you will use this knowledge to educate Master Gardeners and the public. (more space given on actual application) Will you allow your name to be made public with respect to this educational activity? Yes No (Circle one) Choosing to not allow your name to be used publicly will not impact your eligibility. I understand that upon completion of this educational activity, I am required to submit a written report about my experience to the MGFSC Board of Directors within 30 days after the educational activity has been complet-ed. SIGNATURE OF APPLICANT: ______________________________________________DATE_______________ Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County Non-Discrimination Statement

It is the policy of the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, ancestry, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical disability, veteran’s status, political ser-vice or affiliation, color, religion, or national origin.

For committee use only:

Approved: _________

Denied: ____________

Date: ______________

Signature: _______________________________________

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MASTER GARDENER FOUNDATION OF SPOKANE COUNTY EDUCATIONAL GRANT APPLICATION

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING APPLICATION: 1) Read the Educational Grant Policy document before completing the applica-

tion. You can find it at MGFSC.ORG. 2) Complete the application IN FULL prior to submitting to the MG Program Coordinator, Tim Kohlhauff. 3) Attach any additional, relevant information about the educational program to the application. 4) Keep in mind submission deadlines as your application must first go to the MG Program Coordinator be-fore being submitted to the MGFSC Educational Grant Committee. The Program Coordinator will forward the application to the committee. NAME: ____________________________________________________________DATE: __________________

ADDRESS: _________________________________________________________________________________

PHONE: _____________________________EMAIL: ________________________________________________ PREFERRED MODE OF CONTACT: Home Phone Cell Phone Email (Circle all that apply) MASTER GARDENER STATUS: Active Intern Trainee Emeritus (Circle one)

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY AND LOCATION: _______________________________________________________

ORGANIZATION SPONSORING THE ACTIVITY: ____________________________________________________

DATE OF THE ACTIVITY: ___________________________REGISTRATION DUE DATE: _____________________ FUNDS REQUESTED: (Specify amounts in each category) Tuition or Registration Fee____________________________________________________________________ Books or other Required Materials_____________________________________________________________ Travel Expenses____________________________________________________________________________ Lodging___________________________________________________________________________________ TOTAL:____________________________________________________________________________________

MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM APPROVAL RECEIVED: Yes No (Circle one) SIGNATURE OF MG PROGRAM STAFF GRANTING APPROVAL: _______________________________________

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March 2019 Quiz

1. What new opportunity for continuing education has the MG Foundation created?

2. Does a person have to be a Master Gardener to benefit from this opportunity?

3. What is the first fundraising event for the MG year?

4. When and where is it going to be held?

5. How can you help make all MG fundraising and awareness raising events successful?

6. What is the cost to a non-MG to join the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County?

7. Name one benefit of joining the MGFSC that you can acquire, even if you do not join the Founda-

tion.

8. Who do you contact to get that benefit?

9. Where do you find agendas for the Foundation Board of Directors meetings?

10. Which book does Susan Mulvihill suggest if you are looking for ways to save money on your gar-

dening passion?

11. What is the goal of this book, according to the author?

12. Who is that author?

13. Describe how this author proposes you create a ‘living rug’ in your landscape.

14. What is a ‘vine-yard?’

15. According to Tim Stiess, what is the largest challenge of Garden Fair?

16. Where do we currently have plants for Garden Fair ‘stored’?

17. How many days does it take to set up Garden Fair?

18. Garden Fair leads are still looking for volunteers. Have you signed up

yet?

19. What is the purpose of the new MGFSC Educational Grant?

20. What is the basic procedure to apply for an MGFSC Educational Grant?

21. Where can you find the details of the MGFSC Educational Grant (besides this issue of the Low-

down)?

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Quiz Answers February 2019 Quiz

1. March 30, 2019

2. $60

3. Marilyn Lloyd

4. The MG Program

5. Time to remind MGs to join the MGFSC

6. $10

7. A nursery discount card

8. Matt Velasco

9. The annual Garden Fair and Plant Sale

10. April 27, 2019

11. All Master Gardeners!

12. Through the Amazon Smile Foundation donations

13. Yes, Fred Meyer

14. Make purchases through them and join their donation programs in which you can indicate that the MG

program is the one you want to receive a donation

15. Cool Plants for Cold Climates: A Garden Designer’s Perspective

16. No

17. Brenda C. Adams

18. Mass plantings

19. Assess the environment in your garden for compatibility with your plant choice: look at light, soil, expo-

sure to the elements as well as the more sheltered areas

20. Contact Karen Whitehead and donate them to the sale!

21. This link to a ‘shared’ document that details Garden Fair specifics:

https://1drv.ms/w/s!Aob6ph1bnIECgrxTk-nukAa7Q-9AHA

22. Tim Stiess

Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on nondiscrimination regarding race, sex, religion, age, color, creed, national or ethnic origin; physical, mental, or sensory disability; marital status, sexual orientation, or status as a Vietnam-era or disabled veteran. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local Extension office.

Calendar of Events

Friday 1 Plant Clinic Opens! 9 am –1 pm

Saturday 2 ‘Beginning Gardening’ 9-noon, Classrooms

Saturday 2 ‘Vegetable Gardening for the INW’ 12:30pm—3:30pm Classrooms

Thursday 7 ‘Vertebrate Pests’, 9am—noon, Classrooms

Saturday 9 ‘Berries & Small Fruits’ 9am –noon Classrooms

Saturday 9 ‘Herbaceous Landscape Plants’ 12:30-3:30pm Classrooms

Monday 11 MG Foundation Board Meeting, 10 am, Extension Classroom E

Tuesday 12 MG Program Board Meeting, 3 pm, Extension Conference Room

Thursday 14 ‘Urban Forestry/Firewise Landscaping’, 9am—noon, Classrooms

Saturday 16 ‘Raised Bed Gardening’ 9am —noon, Classrooms

Saturday 16 ‘Home Greenhouses’ 12:30pm—3:30pm

Thursday 21 ‘Home Orchards’, 9am—noon, Classrooms

Saturday 23 ‘Pruning Woody Landscape Plants’, 9am—noon, Classrooms

Monday 25 ‘Frequently Asked Questions April Plant Clinic’ 5:30pm—7pm Classroom C

Thursday 28 ‘Composting, Plant Nutrition, Fertilizing’, 9am—noon, Classrooms

Saturday 30 Cabin Fever, 7:30am—3:30pm, CenterPlace in Spokane Valley

Thursday 4 ‘Plant Problem Diagnosis’ 9am—noon, Classrooms

Monday 8 MG Foundation Board Meeting, 10 am, Extension Classroom E

Tuesday 9 MG Program Board Meeting, 3 pm, Extension Conference Room

Thursday 25 Garden Fair Set Up, all day

Friday 26 Garden Fair Set Up, all day

Saturday 27 Garden Fair & Plant Sale, 9am—2 pm

Saturday 27 Garden Fair Clean Up, 2 pm until finished (need volunteers!)