April 2020 Volume 27, Issue 4

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Suzanne Ford

MISSION In support of the University of Tennessee mission and the University of Tennessee Extension missions, the Master Gardener Program promotes environmental stewardship through a network of volunteers who provide research-based information and education to Tennessee communities in home gardening and related areas. As part of our mission the program supports the continued education and development for committed volunteers.

In This Issue

2 Officer Reports 3 Education News 4 Spring Garden Tour 5 Tom’s Tidbits 6 April Gardening 7 Officers/Chairpersons

APRIL MONTHLY MEETING April 16, 2020

6:00 PM Check your email for link.

CHANGE NOTICE: Send change of ad-dress, phone number and email address-es to mghcdirectorychanges@mghc.org. By using this email address it will affirm your new information will be updated in the MGHC records. To send a “news item” to everyone doing publicity or com-munications, i.e. website, newsletter, etc. for MGHC send it to this email address: mghcpublicity@mghc.org.

HAMILTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS

Hello MGs! Well, here we are: self-distancing in our homes and gardens. Who could have imagined that our world would be turned upside down in a few short weeks?! At this point, it’s not clear when things will return to normal, and when we’ll be able to resume our activities together. We can assume that we will most likely be separated for April and perhaps into May. So many activities have been canceled or postponed to a later date. We already made the difficult and disappointing decision to cancel our annual Expo. But we’re waiting to see what happens with the Garden Tour in June. Let’s hope this can go on as planned. We’ll need it! However, we have been using this opportunity to be creative and forward thinking! Tom has jumped right in using ZOOM conferencing technology to keep our meetings and classes going without a break. He immediately began producing online presentations for both the MG Training Class and Beginner & Newcomer Class. On short notice, we had an amazingly successful March meeting with nearly 70 MGs signing in and engaging in a lively discussion. Then we held our first “virtual” 3rd Saturday Class adding to the advance sign-ups by inviting MGs, as well as reaching out to the general public through our Friends Newsletter. Tom’s “Tree Talk” attracted over 70 online attendees – plus lots of great feedback! Save The Date for our next “virtual” monthly meeting on Thursday, April 16 at 6 p.m. Let us know if you need help with the technology. We’ll share our news and catch up! Mostly, let’s stay safe and healthy until we resume our usual activities. Until we “meet” again…! Suzanne

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We started out the March board meeting with a visit from Holly Martin, a Master Gardener from the past. She presented her start-up non-profit called Chattanooga Sustainable Food Center which addresses the needs of people with food insecurities. She requested the MGHC involvement with the educational aspect. We embrace this opportunity and look forward to sharing as opportunities arise in the future. During the reports from officers and committee chairs, it became very evident that MGHC is embracing technology more and more. There is a team working on our webpage to make it visually appealing and to hide the members only section from the public. It was also evident that several people are thinking outside the box where our Hotline is concerned to make this department more efficient. You are keenly aware of the benefit of technology in light of our “sheltering in place” due to the Coronavirus. We have used Zoom with great success, not only for our remote members meeting on March 19th but also the Beginner and Newcomer classes, the remaining MG Classes on Monday and Tuesday, and the 3rd Saturday class. We have had many positive comments showing appreciation for these opportunities from both Master Gardeners and the public alike. We are making good progress adding PayPal to our website as a way for people (members and non-members) to purchase tickets online to our events. We are also exploring ways to take donations online. Finally, we started using SignUp for the 3rd Saturday class registration, making tracking and communication so much easier. This came in very handy when changing to the Zoom meeting. Shirley Stewart

PLEASE CHECK THE MGHC WEBSITE OR YOUR FAVORITE

VOLUNTEER GROUP FOR APRIL MEETING UPDATES.

FROM THE SECRETARY

FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT

Tune in on Zoom, April 16, at 6:00 p.m. to hear my talk about container

gardening. I will point out advantages and disadvantages of containers,

cover the soil content, talk about fertilizers, how to take care of the

plants through the summer, and show examples of container gardens

through a PowerPoint.

Connie Giles

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Our biggest event of the year for education is the

Expo. Not getting to have it this year will be a loss

to our community and to us but life will go on. We

look forward to next year and will make it a BIG

one.

As it stands now under UT rulings, we will have all

education activities cancelled through the month of

April, and that also include our Teacher’s Prep

Workshop. We will reschedule as soon as we can

after the current crisis has passed. The intern

classes, Beginner/Newcomer classes, and our3rd

Saturday classes have been and are being held

online at this time. Take advantage of them for

your CEU’s. You don’t even have to dress for them,

and no one will know if you are still in you PJs.

Meanwhile, Spring is here even if we are inside for

most of it so far. If not for the rain, but for a virus

also, we can still plan and plant at home. The

daylilies, iris , hosta, and ferns are making a show

and the leaves are coming out on the trees and

shrubs.

Thinking about this might be a good time to let

everyone know who to go to if you need

information about some of these and other special

plants. While most of our education activities have

been called off, at least from gathering, you might

contact one of our many expert speaker/teachers

for any advise or help with some of your plans or

plants for the garden this year. The contact

information is in our directory with email or phone

numbers. IF you do not have a directory, the

information is on our website in the members only

section.

A partial list is included, and we will add more next

month. Keep on hand as a reference.

Daylilies - contact George Gannaway or Peggy Dyer

Iris or Dahlias - contact Holly Colf

Shrubs and Trees - contact Lisa Lemza or Tom

Stebbins

New raised beds and bluebirds - contact Carlton

Mathes

Attracting wildlife - contact Ron McKitrick

Container gardening - contact Connie Giles

Pollinator advise - contact Ann Brown

Soil Testing or Disease Information - contact Tom

Stebbins

Until we can gather again, stay well, enjoy a

staycation, and think Summer.

Carol Mathews Education Committee

education news

Bertha Livingston at the County Fair

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TOM’S TIDBITS By: Tom Stebbins

UT/TSU Extension Agent for Hamilton County

PHOTO BY BEEKEEPER ,KEN DALE

Low Pollen Plants Are Nothing to Sneeze At

The allergy season has just begun. First comes the abundant pollens of ash, birch, elm, hickory, and other trees. Late spring and summer brings problems with grasses. Summer and fall continues the distress with numerous weeds such as dock, ragweed and amaranth. The wide variety of native plants plus the many invasive ones com-bine with the mountains and ridges to keep the Tennessee Valley full of pollen. Chattanooga is a huge natural pollen bowl.

Avoid Pollen Producers

Pollen is produced only by the “male” parts of a plant. The first step toward allergy-free gardening is to know which plants introduce abundant pollen into the air. Many trees, grasses and low-growing weeds have small, light, dry pollen that are well-suited for dissemination by wind currents. This is the pollen that triggers allergy symptoms. Wind-pollinated trees that cause the worst reactions in the greatest number of people are mulberry, sycamore, walnut, birch, hackberry, elm, oak, poplar, sweetgum, and willow.

Pollen can travel from miles away and still aggravate some people. However, keeping these offenders out of the immediate landscape reduces the chances for exposure. For most wind pollinated trees and shrubs, two thirds of all pollen is distributed within 60 feet of the tree. For most grasses or other herbaceous plants, dispersal is still more concentrated, with most pollen falling within a few feet of the host plant.

Choose low pollen plants

Plants that are insect pollinated are usually considered safer for allergy sufferers. Flowers that are pink, red, or-ange or blue indicates that they rely more on insects than the wind for pollination. Large and brightly colored flowers with fragrance and nectar attract insect pollinators. Examples are hibiscus, snapdragons and alyssum. Tubular or trumpet-shaped flowers indicate butterfly or hummingbird pollination. Perfect-flowers with both male and female parts in the same flower means they don’t have to distribute their pollen far distances. Good examples of these are daylilies and night-blooming jasmine.

For shade, choose hostas and variegated-leaved ajugas as well as impatiens and tuberous begonias. Annuals for sunny beds include petunia, periwinkle, zinnia and snapdragon. Other low pollen choices include azalea, butter-fly bush, forsythia, hydrangea, lantana, crape myrtle, saucer magnolia, peony, tulips, and pansies. Roses, usually do not trigger allergies because the large, waxy pollen grains are carried from plant to plant by bees and other insects.

Good indoor plant choices include cacti, succulents, and African violets. These plants rate low on the allergy causing scale.

Other tips to avoid allergens

There's no such thing as a completely allergy-free landscape but there many actions that will help. The goal should be to minimize the specific allergens that bother you the most. Change air filters more often during heavy pollen seasons. Replace high pollen producing grassy lawns with flower beds. Keep the landscape as weed-free as possible to aid in eliminating pollen producers. Reduce areas of grass near the house with stone or gravel ter-races. Shower immediately after working outside, and then change into clean clothing. Garden on cool, calm, cloudy days to avoid pollen overload. Pollen counts are low just after a steady rain. Mow the grass and weeds before they flower and go to seed. Better yet, hire someone to mow your lawn, then leave the house or stay in-doors during cutting.

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APRIL GARDENING

Shrubs and trees

• You can prune summer flowering shrubs like Crepe Myrtle after the last extremely cold weather but be-fore they leaf out significantly.

• Prune spring flowering shrub like forsythia, weigela, Japanese quince, and lilac within 2 to 3 weeks after the last petals have dropped. Prune these shrubs at the base, near the ground to help rejuvenate its growth and keep it flowering heavy.

• Fertilize shrubs and trees if this wasn't done in February or March. Use an acid type fertilizer to feed ever-greens, conifers, broad leaf evergreens, rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. Use an all-purpose ferti-lizer to feed roses and other deciduous trees and shrubs. If you use granular type fertilizers, be sure to water it in thoroughly.

Perennials, annuals, and bulbs

• Prune any semi-woody perennials like Salvia greggii, Lavender, Sage, Artemisia, and Careopteris.

• Prepare your annual planting beds now so they are ready when you want to plant. The addition of well-rotted manure, processed manure, peat moss or compost are good additives for building compost humus in the soil. I recommend not planting annuals until after April 15th, our average last frost-free date.

• Plant tender bulbs and tubers (gladiola, lilies and dahlias). You may continue planting additional bulbs every two weeks until mid June to ensure a continuous source of bloom.

• Deadhead or remove spent flowers from spring blooming bulbs. Don’t remove foliage until it yellows or freely pulls loose when slightly tugged.

• Fertilize spring blooming bulbs just after blooming. A complete fertilizer such as 5-10-10 at a rate of 2 pounds per 100 sq. ft.

• If you noticed smaller blooms on your bulbs this spring, divide crowded planting as blooming finishes (especially daffodils).

• Watch for iris borer on your iris. For control, use Dimethoate (Cygon 2E) when the new growth is 6-9 inch-es in height and then as needed.

• Stake now, any perennials which lodge or fall over from the weight of their heavy blooms in late spring or summer. Staking now will allow plenty of time for new growth to hide your support structures, preventing them from taking away from the beauty of your perennials.

• Stake clematis and any other vines which could use the added support as new growth emerges and they begin to flower.

Lawn care

• For warm season grasses such as zoysia or Bermuda grass, April 15th marks your fist application of ferti-lizer. Use 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft.

• Until April 15th, its an ideal time to apply a combination of slow-release fertilizer and pre-emergent herbi-cide for crabgrass control to your cool-season (fescue) lawn. You want to apply this combination before dandelions reach the puff-ball stage. The fertilizer will boost the growth of your lawn and have it looking great for summer and the herbicide will prevent crabgrass. Numerous brands are on the market and which ever you select, be sure to follow label directions.

Odds and ends

• Edge your garden beds.

• Clean your pond or water feature and remove winter debris. Cutback and remove all dead plant debris from your potted aquatic plants. Begin feeding fish around mid-April.

• Pull weeds now while the task is easy and the weather is pleasant. You may find it easier to use a chemi-cal like Round-up to “spot” spray weeds in a flower bed. Be careful when using such chemicals to not spray it on desired plants. Round-up and its related chemicals are not selective herbicides and work by killing anything green.

• Its good to maintain a layer of 3"- 4" of mulch around your plants in your garden. Now is a great time to add any needed mulch to your garden getting it ready for the possibly hot and dry summer.

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GARDENGIRLS.TENNESSEE

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2020 MGHC OFFICERS President · Suzanne Ford Vice President · Connie Giles Secretary · Shirley Stewart Treasurer · Sunni Jodoin Asst. Treasurer · David Robinson Past President · Bertha Livingston Certification Officer · Fran Geier Communication Officer · Holly Colf Projects Officer · David Gardner 1 Year Board of Governors Delora Henderson Ron McKitrick Gretchen Rominger 2 Year Board of Governors Ed Dreier Cate Mueller AnneHayes Pearce 2020 New Class Representatives Peter Markovich · (Mon) Janet Suber · (Tues) MG Coordinator/Extension Agent · Tom Stebbins

COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Archives · Gretchen Rominger Bonny Oaks Arboretum · TBD Budget/Finance Committee · Sunni Jodoin County Fair · Carlton Mathes Education Committee 3rd Saturday Workshops · Bev Fowler Speaker’s Bureau · Carol Mathews Events Coordinator · Marian Mosel Food Bank Garden Tour · Holly Colf Garden Expo · Lisa Clark Historian · Nancy Williams Hospitality Committee · Lori Ashton Hummingbird/Butterfly Garden · Mike Payne MGHC Friends · Dorothy McDuffie Membership Directory · Pam Paulin Mentor Coordinators Cindy Rutledge · (Mon. PM) Shirley Stewart · (Tues. AM) Intern Hours Coordinator · Diane Moore MGHC Hotline: Bill Apps · (Mon./Wed.) Newsletter Editor · Connie Giles Nominating Committee · Lisa Clark Rain Barrel Committee · Bill Apps Scholarships · Tyler Sanderson/Patsy Boles Website/Google · Holly Colf

Send contributions for the May publication by the 25th of April. Articles may be edited or delayed due to time and/or space. Send to the editor at conniegiles@epbfi.com

VISION

To provide innovative, research-based, progressive home horticulture education to all Tennessee communities...