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January
February 2014 At the Garden Gate
Extension programs are available to all without regard to race, color, national origin,
religion, sex, age or disability.
Inside this Issue:
Master Gardener Meetings 2
Hours Reminder 2
Growing Heirloom Tomato Speaker 2
Grow Your Own Garden classes 2
Lil & Junior Gardeners 2
Tree Pruning Workshop 3
Bee Keeping classes 3
Garden Calendar available 3
ISU Extension Publications 3
Gardening Guide 4
Speaker Series 5
Upcoming Events 6
It is not too late! Enrollment for Iowa State University
Extension and Outreach’s Master
Gardener training is due Jan 10, 2014.
Participants may enroll
(with a $25 late fee) until
the Orientation class
which is Jan 16.
Mahaska County’s training in winter
2014 will be held Thursday evenings
January 16– April 10.
Also, enrolling in Master Gardener
training is one way to accomplish that
“New Year’s” resolution to have better
landscaping!
Emerald Ash Borer:
It is in Iowa. Now what? The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a small beetle
that kills all species of ash trees, including
green, white, black and blue. This federally
regulated insect has been found in four Iowa
counties and has the potential to spread across
the state. There will be two informational meetings concerning the
presence of emerald ash borer (EAB), an exotic, destructive insect of
ash trees, which is spreading in Iowa.
The meetings will be held January 14, 2014 at the Mahaska County
Extension Office. Meetings are FREE and no registration is
required.
A Green Industry Meeting will be held 1-4 pm and is directed towards professionals in the tree service and landscaping industry. A Public Meeting will be held 6:30-8 pm and is directed towards
homeowners and other concerned citizens. If you have questions,
call Mahaska County Extension at 641-673-5841 visit the website
www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska or email [email protected].
Attendees will learn how to identify EAB, how to identify an ash tree,
signs of EAB infestation, if the tree is safe, if a tree is a candidate for
treatment, EAB treatment options, how the spread of EAB is being
restricted, bark peeling—how to find EAB in Tree (Green Industry)
and Ash Tree replacement options (Public meeting).
EAB was first discovered in Iowa in May 2010 when an infestation
was reported in Allamakee County. The beetle this year was also
positively identified in Des Moines County in July, Jefferson County in
August, Cedar County in October and Union County in December.
Twenty five counties in Iowa are now quarantined. The regional
quarantine is designed to prevent the spread of this insect.
The meetings will be presented by a panel of Experts: Nick Witt
Oskaloosa City Forester; Ben Hoskinson Mahaska County Integrated
Roadside Vegetation Manager; Jeremy Cochran Iowa Department of
Natural Resources District Forester; Mike Kintner EAB Outreach and
Regulatory Coordinator with Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land
Stewardship; and Mark Shour Iowa State University Extension and
Outreach Entomologist.
At the Garden Gate Page 2
Grow Your Own Garden Gardening Classes The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Master Gardeners
of Mahaska County are offering classes for beginning gardeners to
gain the knowledge and skills to become successful gardeners. The
classes are designed for beginners; however, any interested gardener
is encouraged to attend.
Classes will be held Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm at the Mahaska
County Extension Office. Participants may attend one, two or all
three classes. Cost for each class is $5; or $10 for all three.
Registration is due one week prior to the class.
Dates and topics for the classes are: February 11—Flowers;
February 18—Vegetables; and February 25—Garden Tools
Many ISU Extension horticulture publications will be utilized as
handouts. These publications are
also available at our office or
downloadable from the website
www.extension.iastate.edu/store .
For more information or to
register, please contact Suzette
Striegel Mahaska County
Extension Horticulturist by email
[email protected] or phone at
641-673-5841 or visit our website
www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska.
Lil Gardeners Clover Kids &
Junior Gardeners 4-H Club Lil’ Gardeners Clover Kids and Junior Gardeners
special interest 4-H Club will have a sessions on
Tuesday, January 21 and Monday, February 10 at the Extension
Office. January theme is “Seed Starting” and February theme is
“Fruit and Vegetable Mania”. Lil’ Gardeners Clover Kids will
meet at 5:30 pm and Junior Gardeners special interest 4-H Club will
meet at 7 pm. To insure we have enough supplies, please RSVP by
Noon the work day before the session if you plan to attend.
Lil’ Gardeners and Junior Gardeners are special interest 4-H clubs.
If you are already a member of one Clover Kid or 4-H club in
Mahaska county, you do not pay an additional
enrollment fee to join. If only joining one of
these 4-H groups, you will need to pay the
enrollment fee ($15 for Lil’ Gardeners and $30
for Junior Gardeners). For more information,
please contact Suzette Striegel at the MCEO.
Master Gardeners Meetings Mahaska County Master Gardeners
have scheduled these monthly business
meetings:
Tuesday, January 7 at 6 pm will be
our Celebration! It will begin with a
potluck meal , followed by Garden
White Elephant Exchange and our
monthly meeting.
Tuesday February 4 at 6 pm. It will
be followed at 7 pm by “Growing
Heirloom Tomatoes” with Susan
Gilland, Monroe County Master
Gardener.
Tuesday, March 4 at 6 pm. It will be
followed at 7 pm by a the first speaker
of the annual speaker series: Jim
Kesseler, “Why Native Plants Matter”.
Reminder: Master Gardeners need to enter their
hours into the online reporting system
ASAP.
Master Gardeners without internet
access or those who wish may turn
their hours into Suzette Striegel to
enter. Contact Suzette for more
information and/or questions.
Growing Heirloom
Tomatoes presentation Come learn about Growing Heirloom
Tomatoes on Tuesday, February 4 at
7 pm. Susan Gilland, Monroe County
Master Gardener will be the presenter.
Anyone who is interested is welcome
to attend.
Susan has grown Heirloom tomatoes
since 1999, growing over 100 different
varieties. She has presented about
Heirloom Tomatoes in the past,
including at the 2009 All Iowa Hort
Expo.
At the Garden Gate Page 3
ISU Extension & Outreach
Publications of Interest IC 407 Insect Pests of Stored Foods
IC 472 Household Insect Pest
Management
PM 212 Landscape Plants for the
Midwest
PM 607 Suggested Vegetable
Varieties for the Home Garden
PM 713 Indoor Plants
PM 874 Starting Garden
Transplants at Home
PM 1429f Power Lines and Trees
PM 1913 Perennials for Shade
PM 1914 Perennials for Sun
PM 1942 Annuals
PM 1958 Pruning Ornamental
Shrubs
PM 1966 The Garden Guide to
Midwest Annuals and Perennials
PM 2004 Home Landscape Design
RG 105 Garden Tips-Guidelines to
Seasonal Chores
RG 316 Poinsettia Care
RG 325 Language of Flowers
RG 402 Lighting and Houseplants
SUL 5 Pruning Trees and Shrubs
These publications (as well as many
others) are available to purchase at county
Extension office or at the ISUE online store
https:/store.extension.iastate.edu. Many
of ISUE publications are available for
download at the same site.
Tree Pruning Workshop Many homeowners have trees or plant trees in their landscape and often
are unsure about the proper pruning of them as they grow. Mahaska
County Master Gardeners and Trees Forever will host an opportunity to
learn about tree pruning. Ben Hoskinson, the Mahaska County
Integrated Vegetation Roadside Manager (IVRM) will demonstrate tree
pruning methods on Monday, February 24 at 5:15 pm.
Attendees may bring their pruning tools, and may have an opportunity to
utilize the skills learned on trees planted at the site.
Anyone interested in learning about tree pruning is welcome to attend
this demonstration. Attendees are also encouraged to dress for the
weather.
The workshop will begin at the Mahaska County Shop, 2074 Old
Hwy 163, Oskaloosa. If weather is inclement, the workshop will be
postponed to March 24. Please listen to 104.9 KBOE radio for
cancellation information.
Beekeeping Classes Mahaska County Extension Office will be a site for
beginning beekeeping classes. The seven classes
will be offered on Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm
beginning January 23, 2014. To enroll or obtain
information about the classes, please contact Craig
Greene at 641-891-3179; cell 641-891-3179 or
Garden Calendar Available Gardeners, both novice and experienced, will be inspired by Iowa State
University Extension and Outreach’s 2014 garden calendar. It celebrates
the wonderful gifts that trees provide for other living things. The
full-color, 12-month calendar is filled with stunning photography and
information including tree-planting instructions, Iowa's state forests,
vignettes of historical trees and quotes that trees inspired.
Each month has several gardening activities and chores listed, so
homeowners can easily stay on task as they plan, prepare for, plant and
take care of their 2014 garden. “Some gardeners also use the calendar as
a journal to keep notes from their garden,” Cynthia Haynes, ISU
Extension and Outreach horticulture specialist. said. “We hope the
calendar provides new gardeners with information that helps them
improve their gardening practices, while helping experienced gardeners
find new and different things to try.”
The back of the calendar provides plenty of other Extension and
Outreach resources. “Many people buy calendars because they are very
(Continued on page 4)
At the Garden Gate Page 4
Gardening Guide January—
Recycle Christmas tree
Remove dead or hazardous trees
Hike or cross country ski in the
woods after a winter snow.
February—
Inspect trees for damage after ice
Storm.
Begin pruning fruit trees.
Attend Shade Tree Short course in
Ames February 25-27
These items were taken from the 2014
ISU Extension and Outreach Garden
Calendar “The Wonder of Trees”.
Iowa One Call
1-800-292-8989
www.iowaonecall.com
Call 48 hours
BEFORE YOU DIG!
Printing and Postage
costs are increasing... ...and our office would like to insure
all recipients of the newsletter want
to receive it. If you would like to
continue to receive this newsletter (and
be notified of horticulture programming
in Mahaska & surrounding counties),
please indicate this to our office. This
can be a phone call (641-673-5841),
email ([email protected]), or by mail
(212 North I Street, Oskaloosa IA
52577).
If we do not hear
from you, your name
will be removed from
the mailing list for
the March/April
pretty to look at,” Haynes said. “This calendar is very visually
appealing, and it also provides helpful hints and tips that gardeners
can sometimes forget. This calendar is a great resource.”
“The Wonder of Trees – 2014 Garden Calendar” (PM 0815) is
available for $6 from the ISU Extension and Outreach online store at
www.extension.iastate.edu/store or from local extension offices,
including the Mahaska county office.
Trees and Shrubs with Winter Color An excellent way to brighten the winter landscape is to plant trees
and shrubs that possess ornamental characteristics, such as colorful
fruit or exfoliating bark. Horticulturists with Iowa State University
Extension and Outreach describe shrubs and trees that add color to
the winter landscape. To have additional questions answered,
contact Hortline at 515-294-3108 or [email protected].
Which shrubs have colorful bark in winter?
One of the most beautiful sights in winter is the bright red twigs of
the redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea) set against a backdrop of
newly fallen snow. Native to Iowa, the redosier dogwood grows 6 to
10 feet tall. Several colorful cultivars are available. ‘Cardinal’ has
bright, cherry red stems. ‘Alleman’s Compact’ is a red-stemmed,
compact cultivar that grows 4 to 5 feet tall. Arctic Fire™ is a
red-stemmed, 3- to 4-foot-tall shrub. ‘Flaviramea’ is a 5- to 6-foot-
tall shrub with yellow stems.
There are also several cultivars of willow that possess colorful bark.
The ‘Flame’ willow (Salix ‘Flame’) has reddish orange stems. The
stems of the coral bark willow (Salix alba ‘Britzensis’) vary from
yellow-orange to orange-red.
The redosier dogwood and willows should be pruned on a frequent
basis as young shoots possess the brightest colors. ‘Flame’ and coral
bark willows should be pruned annually. Cut back plants to near
ground level in late winter. The redosier dogwood requires less
pruning. In late winter, remove approximately one-third of the oldest
stems near ground level.
Which trees have attractive bark?
Selecting trees with attractive bark is an excellent way to add
interest to the winter landscape.
A widely planted tree that possesses attractive, exfoliating bark is
the river birch (Betula nigra). The exfoliating bark varies from
salmon-white to reddish brown. Often planted as a multi-stemmed
specimen or clump, the river birch may eventually reach a height of
50 to 60 feet.
Two small ornamental trees with exfoliating bark are the paperbark
maple (Acer griseum) and Amur chokecherry (Prunus maackii). The
(Continued from page 3)
(Continued on page 5)
At the Garden Gate Page 5
If you want more information about
any of the Mahaska County Extension
horticulture events or have horticulture
questions, please contact Suzette
Striegel, Mahaska County Extension
Horticulturist by calling 641-673-5841
or emailing [email protected].
paperbark maple grows 20 to 30 feet tall, possesses cinnamon to
reddish brown exfoliating bark, and is hardy in USDA Hardiness
Zones 5 to 8. The bark characteristics of the Amur chokecherry are
highly variable. Bark color varies from brownish yellow to reddish
brown to cinnamon red. Some exhibit little or no bark exfoliation,
while others exfoliate heavily. The Amur chokecherry grows 30 to 35
feet tall.
Other trees with showy bark include the lacebark pine (Pinus
bungeana) and Chinese or lacebark elm (Ulmus parvifolia). The bark
of both trees exfoliates in patches revealing a kaleidoscope of colors.
The multi-colored bark of the lacebark pine contains splashes of
green, white, brown and purple, while the Chinese elm is spotted with
brown, gray, green and orange.
Which trees and shrubs have colorful fruit in winter?
While crabapples (Malus spp.) are usually planted for their flowers,
many cultivars also possess colorful, persistent fruit. Crabapple
cultivars with red fruit include ‘David,’ ‘Donald Wyman,’
‘Mary Potter,’ Red Jewel™ and Sugar Tyme®. ‘Indian Magic,’ (Continued on side)
(Continued from page 4) ‘Professor Sprenger’ and ‘Snowdrift’
have reddish orange fruit, while Har-
vest Gold® and Golden Raindrops®
are yellow-fruited crabapple cultivars.
Hawthorns (Crataegus spp.) are another
group of small, flowering trees that
possess attractive fruit. Hawthorns
produce white flowers in spring. In fall,
their small (one-fourth to one-half inch
in diameter) fruit turn red and persist
into winter. Two hawthorns noted for
their excellent fruit displays are the
Washington hawthorn (Crataegus
phaenopyrum) and ‘Winter King’
hawthorn (Crataegus viridis ‘Winter
King’).
Shrubs that possess attractive fruit in
late fall and winter include red choke-
berry (Aronia arbutifolia), cranberry
cotoneaster (Cotoneaster apiculatus),
winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Meserve
hybrid hollies (Ilex x meserveae) and
American cranberrybush viburnum
(Viburnum trilobum). All of the
aforementioned shrubs have red fruit.
Snowberries and coralberries
(Symphoricarpos spp.) have white, pink
or purplish red fruit.
The brightly colored fruit of most of
the aforementioned trees and shrubs do
not remain throughout winter. Very
cold temperatures in winter eventually
cause many fruit to turn reddish brown
or black. Hungry birds and squirrels
may also devour the fruit. However, the
fruit display in late fall and early winter
can be spectacular.
ISUEO news release 12/13/2014
Mahaska County Master Gardeners
Education Series All sessions to be held at the Mahaska County Extension Office.
They are free and open to the public.
March 4– Why Native Plants Matter
with Jim Kesseler
March 11– Invasive Plants
with David Pealer, Marion County MG
March 18–Thirteen Things Every Lily Garden Needs
with Sue Williams, Iowa Regional Lily Society
March 25 – Basics of Growing Fruit Trees
with Patrick O’Malley, ISUEO Commercial
Horticulturist
Suzette Striegel, Horticulturist
Amy Brainard, County Youth Coordinator
Natalie Spray, Program Coordinator
Codi Workman, Educational Program Assistant
Lea DeCook, Office Assistant
Nathan Crane, Regional Extension
Education Director
~Office Hours~
Monday—Friday
8:00 am—1 pm, 1:30—4:30 pm
*All events are at Mahaska County
Extension Office UNLESS indicated.
~Mahaska County Office Staff~
Mahaska County Extension 212 North I Street
Oskaloosa IA 52577
Phone: 641-673-5841 Fax: 641-673-0559
January
1 Office Closed for New Years Day
7 Master Gardener Celebration 6 pm
Potluck Followed by Meeting
14 Emerald Ash Borer Program
For Green Industry 1 pm
For Public 6:30 pm
21 Lil Gardeners 5:30 pm
Junior Gardeners 7 pm
February
4 Master Gardener Meeting 6 pm
Growing Heirloom Tomatoes speaker 7 pm
10 Lil Gardeners 5:30 pm
Junior Gardeners 7 pm
11 Gardening Class-Flowers 6:30 pm
18 Gardening Class-Vegetables 6:30 pm
24 Tree Pruning Workshop 5:15 pm
At Mahaska County Shop
25 Gardening Class-Garden Tools 6:30 pm
Upcoming Events*