D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 Fall Garden InfoFestFall Garden ...txmg.org/denton/files/2011/01/2010_dec_rototeller.pdfI am a hair stylist/facialist and I enjoy my ‘job’. I enjoy beauty

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

FALL GARDEN

INFOFEST 1

NEW KIDS on the BLOCK...

2

RAINWATER

HARVESTING 4

LOCAL MG

RECEIVES TOP

HONORS

5

DECK THE HALLS 6

MINUTES 8

ASK THE MG 9

BAYLESS SELBY HOUSE

10

NEWSY NEWS 11

GENERAL MEETINGS

12

PRESIDENT’S CORNER

14

THE DiG 16

BOOK REVIEWS 17

RIDING THE RAILS 18

2010 BOARD/ COMMITTEES

19

SURVEY SAYS? 20

DCMGADCMGADCMGADCMGA

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E X I I , I S S U E 4

page 1

The 2nd day of October bought a

gorgeous fall day filled with tons of

gardening facts. All around were

educa�onal booths that covered

Water Conserva�on, Trees and Turf,

Vegetable Gardening and Green-

houses. Scores of folks listened to

gardening topics that covered

Drying Fruits and Veggies, Turf isn't

Tough, Earth-Kind Landscaping

Principles, and What’s Bugging my

Oaks.

The total count of visitors to the

2010 Fall Garden InfoFest hit 354

local residents having a great �me,

asking tons of ques�ons, learning

lots about gardening, ea�ng great

food provided by 4-H, and shopping

non-stop . They enjoyed thirteen

DCMGA educa�onal booths, nine

other organiza�ons’ educa�on

booths and twenty-six vendors.

As always, none of this could have

been accomplished without the 70+

DCMGA volunteers that came, put it

all together, stayed around, helped

our visitors and then cleaned it all

up.

We extend our deepest apprecia�on

to the Denton Bible Church for

extending their hospitality and

le=ng us use

their facili�es

and to Gene

Gumfrey for all

his help. See ya’ll next fall!!!

2011 Dues are due and your membership

renewal form.

Fall Garden InfoFestFall Garden InfoFestFall Garden InfoFestFall Garden InfoFest Gardening for Pleasure and the Planet

New Kids on the Block... Lots of new faces running around DCMGA-here are a few of their stories...

Barbara Russell

Denton

I have been a Realtor 41 yrs in Denton. I sell homes and some commercial property.

Anything that has color — flow-ers, berries, leaves.

A friend.

To garden as I have been, but with the knowledge I have gained.

Eugene, Oregon, you did not have to deal with the heat and extreme cold.

-

One that attracts butterflies and birds and has color.

Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening different there than here?

What are your plans for your garden after you complete Master Gardener class?

When you are not in the garden, where can you be found/ what are you doing?

What interested you in becoming a Master Gardener?

What is your favorite plant(s) and why?

What has been your greatest gar-dening success?

Briefly describe your personal, ideal garden:

Barb Nebrig

Flower Mound

Boating, sailing, scuba diving, flying, camping, hiking.

Hydrangeas, azaleas and roses

Love of gardening and interest in volunteering for my community, especially working with children.

We live on an acre, mostly shade. We plan to renovate and rejuve-nate the whole back yard.

Grapevine, gardening was the same.

Hydrangeas

I would love a garden of beautiful roses outlined with miniature car-pet roses that are bug and dis-ease and weed free and waters itself.








Kathi Randolph

Denton

I am a hair stylist/facialist and I enjoy my ‘job’. I enjoy beauty in all forms.

“Passion for perennials” I love to see the babies come up in the spring. WHAT A JOY! New life is so cool.

I have ‘holes’ in my learn-ing...thought this would be a great place to turn “swiss cheese” into “cheddar”.

Keep planning/planting. I have outgrown my yard, so am headed to the community to garden. “Watch out Denton County!”

Grew up in Dallas County, lived in Denton County for 25 years.

Getting clearance plants and bringing them back to life...sometimes they just need water.

ALIVE! Keeping the garden alive in the summer in Texas.

Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening dif-ferent there than here?







Barbara Sloan

Lewisville

Love making things with my hands, especially decorative crosses. I volunteer for the Lewisville police department and Christian Community Action in Lewisviille.

Iris — Special volunteers and friends over the years have introduced me to the iris and shared them with me. They’re hardy, beautiful, perennial, grow well in Texas.

A DCMGA has been helping CCA and its participants (I am one) with our community garden preparing the soil and composting. I would like to know what he does and help the community as he does.

Increase my community garden production and space. Redo my patio garden space.

I lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl for 5 years. I felt like I had died and was in Heaven. Growing up in Ohio with snow and cold, I fell in love with the year round growing climate. Up north — house-plants.

Passion vine — I tried for years to get it to grow in my yard. I changed the variety from the purple to the blue and it took off.

Lots of trees and vines (overgrown) “private” loaded with plants of all kinds — walkways, pond, fountains, lots of birds and bird houses; lots of rustic yard art and arches.








page 2

New Kids on the Block... Lots of new faces running around DCMGA-here are a few of their stories...

Martha Smith

Lewisville

I volunteer at church, am a caregiver for an elderly uncle, enjoying my grandchildren and watching old movies.

Anything that blooms and comes back year after year.

I have always enjoyed beautiful yards and desire one — I have many plants from my mother, grandmother and relatives. I want my garden to tell a story.

Hopefully it will be self-sustaining with lots of perenni-als.

Abilene — my dad did all the gardening — I was young so gardening was not something I was interested in, but I do see me following in my dad’s foot-steps — composting, worms and plants.

I wouldn’t consider myself a successful gardener!

An English garden with Texas plants.


What are your plans for your gar-den after you complete Master Gardener class?




What has been your greatest gardening success?


Sandra Kay Smith

Runaway Bay

In my kitchen or sewing room.

Drought tolerant and natives.

Wanted to become more knowledgable.

The master gardener class will be used in educating other gardeners. I don’t know what kind of impact it will have on my garden.

I live in Wise County. I have lived in Dallas and Colorado Springs, Co.

One package of wildflower seed produced a number of years of showy blooms en-joyed by the whole town. I lived on a very busy corner.

Nature xeriscape.








Pat Strickland

Denton

Volunteering at church, craft room doing stained glass, refinishing furniture and crafts.

Tomato — looks good, tastes good, can be used in many ways, mostly hardy plant.

Knowledge of what they do. Visiting community gardens in Lewisville and Denton.

More beautiful yard by using native plants. Better vegetable garden.

Wise county — not very dif-ferent.

Vegetable gardens, tomatoes, squash, peppers.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, jalapenos, onions, melons.







Lou Todd

Flower Mound

At church, involved in some-thing with grandkids, Canton, buying plants. I belong to two Bunco groups and, last but not least, cleaning my house.

Probably my plumaria plants or my camellia plant. I love the bloom on both.

I had seen them at home and garden shows and I have a friend that went through the program last year.

Since I’ve had all my flower beds cleaned out, I have a clean slate to start. I’ve got to select shrubs and develop a plan for the area.

First 18 years of my life I lived in Comanche, TX. We moved to Denton County in 1972. Prior to that we were in Germany. They grew awesome gardens there. They were very green before it was popular.

Growing and wintering plu-maria because I wasn’t sure I could.

I like a well manicured garden, but you said ‘ideal’ and mine are not! I would like a garden that doesn’t outgrow itself and stays weedless and bugless.









page 3

The Denton County Master Gardener Associa�on hosted the Texas AgriLife Research and

Extension Urban Solu�ons Center Rainwater Harves�ng Specialist Training June 28-30. Eleven

trainees aCended including our own Diane Almand, Mar�n Richards and Sue Hudiburgh. Billie

Kniffen, rainwater harves�ng educa�on expert, DoCy Woodson, extension program specialist

– water resources, and her staff conducted the training.

Mar�n explained, “The level of training was very high. Far beyond the other classes I had

aCended. Very intense!” He con�nued, “The most useful lesson I learned was how to do the

calcula�ons for a par�cular rainwater harves�ng applica�on and how different applica�ons

vary.”

Texas Master Gardener specialist training not only teaches subject content but also

teaches par�cipants how to educate others about the subject. “The informa�on and materials

we received prepared me to talk about rainwater harves�ng in prac�cally any venue and I look

forward to doing so in public,” said Mar�n.

Trainees came from as far away at Victoria County to par�cipate. Mar�n explained,

“Having students from all over Texas brought their prac�cal experience and exper�se to the

discussion.”

The majority of the training was held in the conference room. Trainees and staff visited

the DiG loca�on and the rainwater harves�ng system installed at the Denton County building

under construc�on. Trainees capped off the training by building a rain barrel to take home.

I volunteered to be the DCMGA contact with the Urban Solu�ons Center. As host organi-

za�on, we were responsible for iden�fying the loca�on(s), providing conference room set up,

and purchasing and serving snacks and lunches.

Denton County Master Gardeners invited the trainees and staff to a no host supper at

the Sweetwater Grill Tuesday evening. All Denton County Master Gardeners were invited to

aCend. Six trainees, Do=e Woodson and Janet Laminack joined members Mary Morrow, Judy

Riley and me. We had a great �me, capped off with live jazz.

Mar�n concluded, “I recommend this course to any Master Gardener who is interested

in an alterna�ve method of providing water to gardens, landscapes, lawns and wildlife. It is

really an eye-opening learning session and is so important to the future of the state of Texas

and the na�on as a whole.”

page 4

I joined the Denton Quilt Guild about 5 or

6 years ago. In 2007, I aCended a hand-

appliqué class. ANer that, I enrolled in a

year-long Bal�more Album Quilt class. I

mainly signed up for it to learn about the

history of the Bal�more Album Quilts,

which originated in Bal�more in the

1850's. I completed the quilt in 2009.

Then I had it machine quilted. I submiCed pictures of the quilt to Elly

Sienkiewicz (whose Bal�more Album block paCerns were used in the

class). Elly is sponsoring the Bal�more Album Quilt revivalist move-

ment, and is in charge of the exhibit, Bal�more Album Review II: Bal�-

more Daughters--Friends S�tch Past to Future. That is the exhibit in

which my quilt is being exhibited. It was in the Houston Interna�onal

Quilt Show and will be exhibited in Cincinna� and Long Beach before

it is returned to me in August 2011.

In the aCached picture, is the quilt I am currently working on. It is a

Christmas Bal�more Album quilt. Of course, it will be next Christmas

before it is finished. I have really enjoyed learning to quilt, and I am

very surprised that my quilt was selected to be in this exhibit.

The International Quilt Show Houston

Baltimore Album Review II:

"Baltimore's Daughters - Friends Stitch Past to Future" This wonderful exhibit is presenting the many regional Baltimore style appliqué quilts created over the past several years spearheaded by Elly and organized by Mary Tozer. Many of you have blocks and more - in the Baltimores Daughters quilts. We'll be milling around them, admiring their intricute details, trying to hear who made what, and meeting each other. A contingent is also going to the luncheon where Elly is the speaker and our beloved Mary Tozer will be introduced.

Along with these quilts, for your viewing pleasure, will be approximately 30 additional Baltimore style appliqué quilts juried into the Baltimore Album Review II by Quilts Inc. We were told the jury was wowed by the entries and the competition was extraordinarily stiff! Congratulations to:

The International Quilt Show Houston 2011

Maker/Owner Quilt Title Marie-Anne Coadic Butterflies Flew to Baltimore Cynthia Collier Grace's Wedding Quilt Pat J. Collins Conway Album Joan Dorsay Quilt More Patricia K Drennan Albuquerque Album via Baltimore Kathy Dunigan Think of Me, Dear One Mary A Herndon Black Beauties Cheryl L Kerestes Wyoming Album Dawn Licker Metropolitan Museum Baltimo

Fran Lopes On the Way to Baltimore - Fran's Way Won (One)

Melinda E Lowy Deco Album Marge Lydecker Our Summer Journey Kim McLean Vases, Birds and Other Things Sandra L Mollon Garden of Unity

Judy L Morton Miss Refrigeradorable's Album Quilt

Maker/Owner Quilt Title

Marjorie A Nelson Marjories Album - The Beauty of One Common Thread

Marjorie A Nelson Baltimore Album on the Shores of Lake Michigan

Karen Pessia My Baltimore Journey

Adele M Petty Sunny Days Aneda Phillips West of Baltimore Marsha D Radtke The Pastor's Attic Jerre C Reese Cutwork Applique June McCauley Ross Georgetown Album Quilt Connie Teplitsky Threads of Inspiration Mary Tozer Verdant Hearts Janice Vaine Amuse-Bouche Rita Verroca The Big Parade Jackie West Baltimore Album

LOCAL MASTER GARDENER RECIEVES TOP HONORS

page 5

Christmas has always been a whirlwind of emotions, warm fuzzy memories, anticipation, decorations, worship and traditions, held together by the centrifugal force of my faith and family. As our kids have grown up and moved out, a Classic, Worry-Free, LED pre-lit, preassembled tree has replaced the aromatic Noble Fir. And my husband and I have returned to the Advent wreath of our youth. And that, of course, includes holly. I have always loved holly, but I never realized how meaningful it is until I Googled it in preparation for Christmas. Holly was a big deal to the ancient Celts, who incorporated it into their celebrations of summer and winter solstice. Because holly is an evergreen, they wore it in their hair to ward off evil spirits and always kept some in their home to provide shelter for fairies. The Druids saw holly as a symbol of fertility and eternal life. So naturally cutting down a holly tree brought bad luck. Keeping some holly at home, on the other hand, promised good luck, as well as protec-tion from lightning. Unacquainted with any ancient Celts or Druids, I moved on to Christian symbolism. “The circle of the wreath and the evergreens that make it up both signify God’s endless mercy and un-dying love.” Wow! That reminded me of a favorite verse that says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans1:20) I would love it if, when people visit my garden, they are reminded just for a moment of God’s love and amazing qualities. The sharp points of the holly leaf also symbolize the crown of thorns, and the vibrant red berries are a reminder of the blood Jesus shed for the sins of mankind. Botanically, holly is the genus Ilex. There are more than 400 species, mostly evergreen, in addition to hy-brids! And they range in height from one to fifty feet. So you can pick the perfect holly for any size spot. While hollies tolerate most soils, they prefer a slightly acidic pH. And since they’re not too picky about sunlight, they’re perfect for our hot, dry Texas summers. They do, however, need to be well watered the first year. Overall, hollies are comparatively low maintenance, needing pruning only to shape them or re-move broken branches. Hollies can be male or female. And some are self-fertile and do not need to be near a male. Hollies are remarkably versatile plants. They are among the best screening plants and are effective as foundational plantings or along a fence. They’re perfect to anchor the corners of your house or garden. Since there are both shrub and tree forms, they work as a specimen, too. And they can be shaped into topiaries, if you’re so inclined.

Deck the halls (and plan the beds)Deck the halls (and plan the beds)Deck the halls (and plan the beds)Deck the halls (and plan the beds) Annie BrackinAnnie BrackinAnnie BrackinAnnie Brackin

Among the best hollies for Texas are:

· American Holly I. opaea, 4-5 feet · Chinese Holly I. corunta 3-12 feet · Yaupon I. vomitoria 2-15 feet · “Nellie R. Steven,” 10-30 feet · Ilex decidus, Possomhaw Holly, 8-15 feet · Ilex x attenuata, ‘Fosteri’ 20-30 feet · Ilex x meserveae, 4-8 feet · Ilex x “Mary Nell,” 10-15 feet · Ilex x attenuate “Savannah,” 8-15 feet

You’ll want to avoid the English and Japanese varieties, because they don’t take the Texas drought and heat. I’m not a holly expert, but I hope there’s enough here to encourage you to consider adding some hollies to your garden plan. And if by chance, the next time you look at holly, you recall the words of Tiny Tim who told his father that it might be pleasant for the people at church who saw him “to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see,” so much the better. Have a holly jolly Christmas. And God bless us, every one!

Judy Riley wondered what wandered her gardens at night.

Her hubby, Jack, gave her a nanny cam for her birthday and here are

some of the criCers that roam the night.

page 7

Follow Denton County Master Gardener Associa�on on

DENTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION

BOARD MEETING

November 3, 2010, 10:00 A. M.

I. CALL TO ORDER: Mee�ng chairman Linda Williams called the Board of

Directors mee�ng to order at 10:04 A.M. at the Texas AgriLife

Extension office in Denton, TX. In aCendance were Zoe Broxson, Susan

Cosio, Jenny Estes, Janie Farler, Wally Gehrke, Sue Hudiburgh, Janet

Laminack, Susan Loos, Diana McMillin, Shirley Manfredi, Mary Morrow,

Carolyn Tinner, Laurel Wallace, Linda Williams, and Donna Wolfe.

II. MINUTES: Minutes for the October board mee�ng had previously

been forwarded to the board via email by the Secretary. The minutes

were accepted as presented.

III. TREASURER’S REPORT: Copies of the financial report and an itemized

list of expenses and income for InfoFest were provided at the

mee�ng. Shirley reviewed the reports. InfoFest had fewer expenses

and more income than had been expected. There was discussion

about tax-free days and about income and expenditures for the DiG.

Shirley said she had received dues for 2011 from 11 members and re-

newal forms from all but 1 of those. We will remind everyone at the

general mee�ng that dues are due and to please fill out a renewal

form.

The Treasurer’s report was accepted as presented.

IV. Linda received a thank you note from the Chaparral 4H club for asking

them to work at InfoFest.

V. COMMITTEE REPORTS

A. Project Administra�on – Brenda Wellenreiter

1. Brenda was unable to aCend due to jury duty.

2. The project review mee�ng is scheduled for 11/15 from

10-12. All members who want to learn about the pro-

jects can come; an RSVP to Brenda is requested.

3. The nomina�on commiCee has selected a new set of

candidates for next year for the board and most com-

miCee chairs. We will hold the elec�on of board mem-

bers at the next general mee�ng.

B. Ways and Means – Sandy Read

Sandy was unable to aCend.

C. Communica�ons – Janie Farler

Website: Two mee�ngs were scheduled for today to discuss

issues, some of which came from the retreat. We will work

on fixing current problems and then review the site with the

members and survey for sugges�ons.

D. Programs – Carol Fitch

1. Carol was unable to aCend

2. November’s speaker will be Marilyn Sallee, speaking

about invasive plants.

E. Member-at-Large – Zoe Broxson:

Zoe provided a report about the retreat, where we discussed

the recent member survey. We had 40 responses to the

survey, which were reviewed and categorized by an outside

consultant, Peggy Atkerson. Peggy presented a summary and

her recommenda�ons at the retreat. Following her presenta-

�on, aCendees separated into breakout groups to discuss

issues and make recommenda�ons. The next step is to docu-

ment the breakout recommenda�ons to present at the No-

vember general mee�ng. Members will vote on which ideas

we should implement.

F. Report by County Coordinator – Janet Laminack

1. A leadership training mee�ng with Jayla Fry is planned

for 12/15. The new 2011 board and possibly commiCee

leaders will be invited.

2. Mary Karish men�oned to Janet that Gene Gumfory

would like to move the veggie show to the Denton Bible

Church. He es�mates that there are at least 60 garden-

ers from the DBC garden who would par�cipate. The

loca�on was discussed. The consensus was that the

current loca�on (the park near the Bayless-Selby House)

has historic and community significance to Denton, so

maybe we need to think about ways to get the DBC

gardeners to par�cipate at the current loca�on. Sugges-

�ons were signs in the DBC garden or aCending Gene’s

monthly mee�ng to talk about the show and how to

prepare. We should also ask Gene for his ideas about

how to publicize the show to his group.

3. One of the commissioners contacted Janet about land-

scaping at the Sandy Jacobs government building in

Carrollton, looking for someone to make recommenda-

�ons for improvement. Helen Marsee was suggested;

Janet will check with her.

4. Linda said she is interested in ge=ng together a group

to work on landscaping at the Copeland building in Den-

ton. On February 26 next year, Janet will host an Earth-

Kind symposium at the Copeland Center. We might be

able to use that to work on the Copeland landscaping,

having par�cipants plan soil prep, plant selec�on, and

drip irriga�on. The county will pay for and do the work.

G. Volunteer Coordinator – Donna Wolfe

Nothing new this week.

H. Christmas Party – Brenda Wellenreiter

CCA has been selected as the charity for our party. They are

interested in both food and new toys. Evelyn McMillan has

suggested another possibility. Linda will send addi�onal

informa�on.

I. Class of 2011—Zoe Broxson

1. Round-Up: We had good par�cipa�on. Thanks to those

who brought food, decorated and spoke.

2. Field trips for the class: the EarthKind garden in Farmers

Branch and the Dallas MGs demo garden.

3. Applica�ons/Interviews: The review of applicants will

be on December 15 at 1:15. 29 ac�ve applicants are

being interviewed, so we might be able to take them all.

Clarice is the new mentor coordinator.

4. The team is looking for someone to help create presen-

ta�ons for brown bags, using a standard format. This

year brown bag presenta�ons will be more strictly lim-

ited to 30 minutes.

5. The tui�on is $175 and can be paid over �me. We have

a couple of applicants who are being sponsored by UNT.

J. RotoTeller – Mary Morrow

The next deadline is Nov 19. There has been discussion

about doing a monthly newsleCer, but sending out a weekly

or monthly calendar or list of events might solve that issue.

From the survey, members would like more calendar infor-

ma�on and fewer emails. Project Managers may soon be

able to update the member events calendar. We need to

meet to discuss all of the above. Donna, Mary, Zoe, Jenny,

and Sue said they would like to par�cipate, and it was sug-

gested that Susie Cook also be invited.

(Minutes con�nued on the next page)

Board Mee�ng Minutes can now be found under

Mee�ngs in Member Info on the dcmga.com web site.

Click on the notepad in the right column next to the

desired month.

page 9

Sun scald results in frost cracks. With our past icy winter and a long,

hot summer with liCle rainfall, homeowners are calling the help line for assistance with this

problem.

Sunscald is rarely fatal to trees, but could lead to further damage. In late winter and early

spring, water in the bark and wood expands and contracts when temperatures rise and fall.

Damage is usually located on the southwest side of the tree. These cracks may heal in the

summer only to occur again in the winter.

To prevent sunscald, homeowners can try wrapping the tree with a white wrapping product

(not burlap) specifically made for this purpose, or using white tree paint. These products may

prevent the extreme warming effects of the sun.

ANer damage occurs, the loose bark can be removed from the damaged area to speed healing.

Tree wound tars and paints are not recommended, they do not aid in healing. For more infor-

ma�on, go to hCp://www.ivmamansask.com/publica�ons/FOCUS%20Spring%202006.pdf.

Informa�on and research provided by Martha Ahearn.

VI. ANNOUNCEMENTS/GROUP DISCUSSION

A. President’s Recogni�on Award – Sue Hudiburgh

Sue described the President’s Volunteer Service Award as a possible award for our members who contribute more than 100

hours of volunteer �me per year. It was moved, seconded and approved that Sue should pursue registering the DCMGA as a

‘cer�fying organiza�on’. We will present the idea at the general mee�ng.

B. Life�me Member Nominee – Donna Wolfe

Donna suggested one of our members for the Life�me Member award. It was moved, seconded and approved that we nomi-

nate that person for the award.

C. Demonstra�on Garden

1. The inspector approved, and the greenhouse was built by members during an AT class. A rose propaga�on AT

class was also conducted. Lasagna gardening AT is coming up next week. (Janie wil lead that.) Other workdays

are planned.

2. There will be a fundraiser at Sweetwater Grill at 4:00 on November 13. Volunteers are needed to set up and to

make centerpieces and craNs to donate for sale. There will be T-shirts for sale, and Carolyn Tinner will do holiday

arrangements and take orders for sale. A cookie bouquet has been donated. Jimmy and Karen are dona�ng food,

linens, and tables. There might be other business dona�ons.

3. There was a ques�on about dona�ng some old things from Garden Shoppe, with profit going to the DiG. Shirley

said that there is currently no inventory price on those things. It was moved and seconded that we allow the

Garden Shoppe to make a dona�on to the DiG. Discussion followed, and there was some concern about favoring

one project over another. Is this a bad precedent? In any case, we’d need to value the merchandise and make

adjustments in the budget. There was a vote, and the mo�on failed.

D. Awards -- Nominees

1. Vo�ng for awards is to take place at the Christmas Party. Nomina�ons will be taken at the November general

mee�ng. There was a ques�on about who received awards last year, and Linda said she would put that infor-

ma�on on the ballot.

2. Projects for State Awards and Others: The state awards package is available now. Linda would like input and Zoe

said she would help with the submissions.

3. It has been suggested that we buy a bench for Denton Bible Church as a giN for allowing us to do InfoFest there.

E. Gradua�on events.

We are s�ll looking for a speaker. We can offer them lodging and an honorarium Sugges�ons were:

1. Stephanie Briggs’ husband, who spoke about presenta�ons recently.

2. Flo Oxley, from the millennium seed bank. Perhaps Flo could talk to us about volunteerism. We could also see if

she might do an AT presenta�on the next day.

3. Felder Rushing.

4. Carolyn suggested Jerry Parsons from San Antonio. Janet will check on Jerry.

VII. OPEN DISCUSSION

A. The Golden Gnome luncheon (for the class with most �cket sales for the Garden Tour) will be on November 16 at Mary’s.

Members of this year’s board are asked to bring food.

B. Jenny presented a report on Riding the Rails. She pointed out that we do Riding the Rails twice a year. Hodge Elementary

paid for busses for the kids. The principal asked for lesson plans to review with bilingual students.

C. Educa�on report: Twenty-seven people aCended the greenhouse build at the DiG. The Presenta�ons program was aCended

by 16 people. Volunteers are needed for the Ask an MG booth at the Super Bowl Tree Plan�ng next Saturday.

D. Susan Loos expressed her apprecia�on for the (unofficial) party held in her honor and giNs to help her replace flood-

damaged belongings.

E. Donna said many people have signed up for Sunshine group.

The mee�ng was adjourned at 11:59 A.M.

Next mee�ng: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. at Linda Williams’ house.

Bayless-Selby House

317 West Mulberry

Denton, Texas 76201

Museum Open: Tues – Sat 10:00 am – 12:00 am, 1:00 pm -3:00 pm

940-349-2865, www.dentoncounty.com/bsh

Bayless-Selby House Gardens Project:

The Denton County Master Gardens are helping to create an authen�c Victorian Landscape around

the Historic Bayless-Selby House Museum. The house was built in 1899, and was donated to the Den-

ton County Historical Commission in 1998. It was moved to its present loca�on, restored and is the

centerpiece of a planned historic county park. The park is adjacent to the historic district and central

to downtown Denton and the Court House on the Square.

Educa�on of the public is the focus of the gardens, demonstra�ng to the public that these plants used

in this area at the turn of the last century, are s�ll available and prove how durable they are in the

North Texas area. The gardens are an excellent educa�onal opportunity for the public to tour the

gardens, to learn about family gardens in Denton during the turn of the 20th century.

Volunteers Needed: Docents - The Project Manager will ask for volunteers when docents are needed for

Events and group tours of the gardens.

“Programs From the Porch” – The summer of 2011, Master Gardeners and the Denton

County AgriLife office partnered to present programs and tours at the Bayless-Selby House

Garden on the second Saturday of the month in the summer from 10:00 - 12:00. Would you

like to share with the public?

BS Herb and Vegetable Garden – MG team to plant and maintain Herb and Veggie garden at the BSH.

Please call if interested

Any�me workday - Volunteers may work in the gardens on their own �me.

Project Manager: Carolyn Gold, 940-484-4942, [email protected]

page 10

CARES MELT WHEN YOU KNEEL IN YOUR

GARDEN...

On May 26th, Dorothy The]ord, Master Naturalist,

Na�ve Plant Society Of Texas and wildflower

extraordinaire , shared her knowledge of wildflowers

with several Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists.

They walked the trails at Clear Creek Natural Heritage

Reserve in Denton enjoying the scenery and learning all

about the na�ve wildflowers that are found in

abundance throughout the Reserve.

Peggy Durrett would like to share some hyacinth bean seeds.

page 11

My name is Andrea Milton and I am a Denton County Master Gardener; Class 2009. I was recently appointed to the

Town of Flower Mound’s Parks Art and Literature Board (PALs.) The town is entertaining the thought of a community

garden. We would first like to gauge the resident’s interest in a community garden. The first thing we need to know

from our residents is do you want a community garden? If you are a Flower Mound resident and would you like to

par�cipate in a community garden and/or have ques�ons please email me at:

[email protected].

We have not worked out the logis�cs at this �me. We are merely trying to assess the need and/or want for a

community garden in Flower Mound.

Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists came together

in a joint venture in November. Fouad Jaber, PhD, led a

class on rain gardens. Once the class was completed,

aCendees were invited to the City of Denton landfill to put

into prac�ce the knowledge acquired in the class. The City

of Denton made plans with extension to construct a

commercial sized rain garden to handle some hard surface

runoff at the Mayhill landfill.

The joint venture of all par�es could not have been a

beCer situa�on. Dr. Fouad provided the educa�on, the

City of Denton provided the space, machinery, and

materials, and the Master Gardeners and Master

Naturalists provided the willingness to learn hands-on by

spreading materials used in the layering of a rain garden,

laying a drain pipe, and plan�ng na�ve plants which can

withstand a large amount of water in �mes of rain.

Future plans were made to revisit the site to design an

area for strolling and si=ng for employees who work in

the adjacent buildings. This may include enlarging the

planted area, adding more plants, a pathway, and si=ng

area.

Jill Peak,

Project Leader

You are invited to come celebrate in the joy and spirit of Christmas.

Please bring your favorite holiday casserole, vegetable, or dessert to share. A baked ham and drinks will

be provided by DCMGA.

DOOR PRIZES The Lewisville CCA was selected as

this year's Christmas Charity. If you would like to participate, please bring a new unwrapped toy or non-perishable items for the food pantry.

PLEASE RSVP BY DEC. 1 on EVITE

Wednesday December 8th

11:00AM Ben E Keith Company

2801 S Interstate Hwy 35 Denton

Educator Award: Someone who has shared their knowledge with the rest of our group or the

public at large. Is generous with time and knowledge. NOMINEES:

Project Manager Award: A project manager who stands out as organized, keeping projects

moving, meeting goals, available to those serving be that public or other members. Someone who

you would like to learn from when it comes to leading a project. NOMINEES:

Special Merit Award: Someone who always seems to be there doing the right thing at the right

time – doesn’t necessarily take a leadership role, but who you can count on.

NOMINEES:

Special Educator (INTERN): NOMINEES:

Project Manager (INTERN) NOMINEES:

Special Merit Award (INTERN) NOMINEES:

Community Partner Award: A person or organization in one of our communities who stands out as

a partner of DCMGA and who works with us to advance our mission. NOMINEES:

Long Term Service Award: NOMINEES:

page 12

page 13

DCMGA MEETINGS

February 9th, 2011 9:00 AM

RAIN GARDENS

Dotty Woodson (this picture is of the Rain Garden installation at the City of Denton Reclamation Center on Mayhill Rd)

2011 DCMGA ANNUAL DINNER

AND GRADUATION

CELEBRATIONS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12TH

(more details to follow)

page 14

Well, it is once again the �me of year when gardening typically takes a backseat to family,

friends, and tradi�ons. There is no doubt that all of our yards are already winterized as we are

off to have fun.

As the Season takes hold and it is �me to reflect….I hope that each of us takes the �me to measure our

growth over the past year. Growth of character, knowledge, friendship and commitment, these are a

few of the ways that we grow each year. Master Gardeners is not much different as an organiza�on

than the reflec�on of its members.

Hopefully there will be some �me to project…An�cipa�ng how we might grow in the next year, both in

advanced educa�on and being able to share knowledge. There will be new friendships with the interns

of the class of 2011. Hopefully, we can project and focus on commitment to a beFer DCMGA. We can

maybe add some new projects that will broaden our outreach in the community and allow for growth.

There is a new Board of Directors coming to DCMGA – they are going to bring growth and character

right along with them. There is a deep pool of knowledge and commitment in this group and they will

have fun along the way. Here is hoping that everyone finds something to get on board with and a way

to enjoy the ride as never before. These folks want to make sure that you are heard – they want to do

what is best for as many people as possible – and they want to have fun.

So, as the year comes to an end……thanks for your help, pa�ence, friendship, knowledge and

commitment. Have a great Holiday Season…..will see you soon...

Looking forward to growing with you next year.

Linda

MEMBER’S CALENDAR: go to dcmga.com,

click on Member Info, go to Members Calendar for the most recent updates. December 01, 2010

Wednesday 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Board Mee�ng -- Linda Williams home

December 08, 2010

Wednesday 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM MG Christmas Luncheon -- Ben E Keith, 2801 S Interstate Hwy 35E,

Denton, TX PLEASE RSVP BY DEC. 1 on EVITE.

January 05, 2011

Wednesday 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Board Mee�ng -- Denton County AgriLife Extension Office

January 12, 2011

Wednesday 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM Annual Dinner and Gradua�on -- Celebra�ons, 2380 FM 407, Highland

Village, TX

February 02, 2011

Wednesday 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Board Mee�ng -- Denton County AgriLife Extension Office

February 09, 2011

Wednesday 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM MG General Mee�ng -- Denton County AgriLife Extension Office, Denton,

TX . 'RAIN GARDENS' by DoCy Woodson.

page 15

COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR

SUSAN COSIO

EDUCATION DIRECTOR

MONIQUE GOODHART

MEMBER AT LARGE

ZOE BROXSON

We will be holding elec�ons for the

2011 Board of Directors

on Wednesday, December 8th at our

Annual Christmas Luncheon.

PRESIDENT

JENNY ESTES

VICE PRESIDENT

DIANE ALMAND

SECRETARY

LAUREL WALLACE

TREASURER

WALLY GEHRKE

2011 Spring Garden Tour

and Plant Sale Gardening for Pleasure and the Planet

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR MAY 8, 2011?

DOES YOUR GARDEN HAVE SOMETHING TO TEACH?

DO YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR GARDEN WITH OTHERS?

DO YOU LIKE WORKDAYS WITH OTHER MASTER GARDENERS?

IF YOU ARE FREE ON MAY 8, 2011 AND ANSWERED YES TO AT LEAST ONE OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE THE PERFECT GARDEN FOR OUR 2011 SPRING GARDEN TOUR.

CONTACT SUSAN LOOS OR LAUREL WALLACE AND VOLUNTEER YOUR GARDEN TODAY!

AND ALL YOU OTHER FOLKS GET READY FOR THE 2011 SPRING PLANT SALE!

KICK-OFF MEETING IS PLANNED FOR JANUARY 2011, SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND

GET READY!

page 16

There have been wonderful things buzzing at the DiG… not just bees! We encourage members to drive by and check our progress. Accomplishments: Raised Bed Boxes: 3 boxes built Veggie Bed (2) – Fall veggies planted Rose Garden – Partially filled w/dyno soils Rose Propagation Class: Hope to use some of these rose plants Lasagna Layers in Entry Gardens: Preparing ground for spring Greenhouse: Held AT Training Class “How to build a Greenhouse” Fundraiser: Garden Party II @ Sweetwater Grill & Tavern DIG t-shirts: Long sleeve/tan/DIG logo. Available for purchase $15. Tool Shed: Applied for IBM grant… waiting on results. Budget News: Estimate for Dyno Soil: $1008. Actual costs: 638.18 Dump Truck: 200 Savings: $169.87 Water Line & Install estimate: $1000 Actual costs: 570 Savings: $430 Next Steps: December: Prepare/Plant Rose Garden

• Workdays to be announced Review ideas to relocate “Children’s Garden” to the DIG January: Build Raised Bed Gardens: Butterfly Garden/Herb Garden/Xeriscape Garden February: Build Raised Bed for Focal Garden Requests: Grant writer: Need grant writer to apply for “Fiskars Grant” & Keep Denton Beautiful Grant.

GREENHOUSE BUILD

LASAGNA

GARDENING

GARDEN PARTY II F

UNDRAISER

SWEETWATER GRILL

Homegrown Vegetables,

Fruits, and Herbs

By Jim Wilson

Crea�ve Homeowners

Press, 2009

Jim Wilson has been the co-host of The Victory Gar-

den South on PBS. This book covers vegetables,

herbs and fruits. In planning and preparing to have a

successful garden, the author provides many sugges-

�ons for organic materials, cover crops, and fer�liz-

ers that are safe to use. He also provides a few

chemical op�ons. One sec�on on growing each plant

is on con�nuing care to get the best possible results

over the longest period. The book also includes

many photos illustra�ng the topic of the wri�ng. My

favorite chapter by far was “The Three “E”s: Ease,

Economy and Enjoyment. There are sugges�ons and

hints on reducing weeds, maintaining the beds, and

keeping your garden an aCrac�ve addi�on to your

yard.

Starter Vegetable Gardens:

24 No-Fail Plans for Small

Organic Gardens

By Barbara Pleasant

Storey Books, 2010

If you are thinking of beginning a

vegetable garden and want to

plant an organic garden so you have fresh food

outside your back door, then this is the book for you.

The author walks you step-by-step on how to create

your vegetable garden by leading you from lawn to

garden. She also eases you into the garden by

star�ng small and increasing the size and variety

over a three year period. Included also are great �ps

on adding color to the vegetable garden. My favorite

sec�on is the three year conversion of the front yard

to vegetables and herbs. So even if you have that big

dog in the backyard you can s�ll create a space for a

vegetable garden. For those of you with a big space

there is a chapter en�tled “Family Food Factory

Garden” to help you plan a year-long garden of fresh

produce.

BOOK REVIEWS BRENT BLOECHLE

page 17

The Kitchen Garden

By Alan Buckingham

DK Publishing, 2010

Purchasing locally grown food has become very important for many

people. You cannot get any more local than your own backyard. The

author provides easy to follow instruc�ons to get you started plan�ng,

growing, and harves�ng your vegetables and herbs. Alan Buckingham

lives in England, so some of his seasonal plan�ng sugges�ons are not appropriate for North

Texas. The book is a good guide to star�ng a vegetable and fruit garden that will provide your

family with a locally grown harvest. There is a crop planning sec�on with an extensive

selec�on of plants to read about in deciding which will be best for your garden. I found the

informa�on on the space required for each vegetable or herb very helpful.

Connec�ng Reading, Math & Science

RIDING THE RAILS is a cross curriculum field trip designed to teach science, reading and math

through an outdoor learning environment. It began in the spring of 2007. It has expanded to

eight learning sta�ons with each learning sta�on using the JMG ac�vi�es as a guide.

A total of 118 students ( 80/3rd graders and 38/2nd grade bilingual) from 3 different elementary

schools in Denton County aCended the Riding the Rails field trip on Oct. 26 and Oct. 29, 2010.

The schools represented were Hodge, Savannah and Providence. There were 6 teachers from

Denton County par�cipa�ng.

Riding the Rails is a collabora�ve effort between Denton County Master Gardeners, Master

Naturalists, 4-H and Denton ISD that supports teachers and students in their endeavor to raise

science test scores. A total of 66 volunteers par�cipated in this project. Many Master

Gardeners helped with the prepara�ons and the 2 field trip days - Carol Arment, Sandy

Faciane, Carolyn Gold, Leah Knack, Diane McMillin, Dee Payne, Peggy Widmer, Betsy Faulkner,

Connie Johnson, Susan Kilpatrick, Evelyn McMillan, Barb Nebrig, Diane Pence, Sandy Read,

Martha Smith, Linda Williams, Judy Guthrie, Jill Hoenig, Dee Payne, Connie Youngblood and

Joe Bendzick.

Mark your calendar now for our next Riding the Rails adventure, May 17th - 20th, 2011.

If you are interested in helping, please contact:

Jenny Estes

[email protected]

940-271-1402

Dear Joe,

Your volunteer service of drilling holes in over 500 pill boCle caps has tremendously helped us

in our endeavor to supply a free field trip to our Denton ISD and Denton County students.

Thank you for your con�nued support of this Denton County Master Gardener Project.

Truly the Suck-A-Bug learning sta�on would not survive without you!

ALL ABOARD FOR THE SPRING TRIP

MAY 17,18, 19, 20, 2011

RIDING THE RAILS

page 18

PRESIDENT LINDA WILLIAMS

VICE PRESIDENT BRENDA WELLENREITER

SECRETARY SUE HUDIBURGH

TREASURER SHIRLEY MANFREDI

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION WALLY GEHRKE

VOLUNTEER DIRECTOR DONNA WOLFE

PUBLICITY/COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR JANIE FARLER

DELEGATE-AT-LARGE ZOE BROXSON

PAST PRESIDENT LINDA WILLIAMS

PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR

BRENDA WELLENREITER HOSPITALITY CLARICE LUCE

WAYS AND MEANS BRENDA WELLENREITER SPEAKERS’ BUREAU ANNIE BRACKIN

RESOURCE ROOM JILL PEAK AWARDS LINDA WILLIAMS

WEBSITE JANIE FARLER SCHOLARSHIP ADELE PETTY

ROTO TELLER MARY MORROW TECHNOLOGY TBD

PROGRAM CAROL FITCH PUBLICATIONS MARY MORROW

ADVANCED TRAINING MARY KARISH JMG JENNY ESTES

AUDIT PEGGY WIDMER PHOTOGRAPHY MARY MORROW

MENTOR MAURINE LEBEAU HELP DESK JANIE FARLER

CHILDREN’S EDUCATION LISA VAN HORN ADULT EDUCATION MONIQUE GOODHART

2010 COMMITTEE LEADERS

2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ROTO TELLER STAFF

Annie Brackin............................... Class of 2001 Peggy Durrett............................... Class of 2000 Jenny Estes.................................. Class of 2007 Carolyn Gold.................................Class of 1996 Andie Milton..................................Class of 2009 Jill Peak.......................................Class of 2005 Adelle Petty..................................Class of 2003 Cindy Reese..................................Class of 2006

Brent Bloechle.............................Class of 2003 Susan Cosio.................................Class of 2010 Janie Farler.................................Class of 2003 Mary Morrow............Editor.............Class of 2001

We hope you enjoyed your Quarterly ROTO TELLER; let us know what you like and don’t like— E-mail the Editor at [email protected]. Also send suggestions, comments, or questions.

page 19

PLEASE CHECK THE ARTICLES/ITEMS YOU ENJOY THE MOST:

In 2011, look for:

Member’s Calendar - 3 month snapshot.

Design Challenge - Jill Peak will pick a spot around the county that needs help

and create a landscape design to share with us.

Sunshine Spot - Members share what is going on in their other lives, new

puppy dog, loss of a loved one, vaca�on news, etc. In addi�on how the

‘Sunshine Gardeners’ are helping out other members where needed. Donna

will be the contact person and this informa�on will only be shared/printed with

the member’s permission.

Please return to Mary Morrow at the Christmas Luncheon or to Donna at

the Extension Office. (Just print page 20 for a hardcopy). I will be sending

this under a separate email for those that would like to email it to me at

[email protected].

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK________

PROJECTS ARTICLES__________

GARDEN-RELATED ARTICLES FROM MG____

MINUTES________

ASK A MASTER GARDENER_________

NEWSY NEWS___________

DCMGA MEETINGS_________

PRESIDENT’S CORNER__________

BOOK REVIEWS__________

FAVORITE WEB SITES_________

PASS-IT-ALONG__________

CRITTER IN YOUR YARD_________

Documents

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 Fall Garden InfoFestFall Garden ...txmg.org/denton/files/2011/01/2010_dec_rototeller.pdfI am a hair stylist/facialist and I enjoy my ‘job’. I enjoy beauty