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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
FALL GARDEN
FESTIVAL 1
FGF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
2
FGF SHOPPING 3
CRITTER IN
YOUR YARD 6
BOOK REVIEWS 7
ROSE PROPAGATION
8
MINUTES 9
ASK A MG 10
NEWSY NEWS 12
PRODUCE DONATION
13
GENERAL MEETINGS
14
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
15
AGENT’S JUNCTION
16
HERBAL BRANCHES
17
HB CALENDAR 18
MYSTERIOUS HERBS
19
2011 BOARD/ COMMITTEES
23
FAIR OAKS 11
FGF SPEAKERS 5
MISS ‘NITA’ 22
DCMGA SURVEY 20
DCMGADCMGADCMGADCMGA
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 1 V O L U M E X I I I , I S S U E 3
I hope you have the Fall Gardening Festival on your calendar: Saturday October 1. It is going to be a great event this year! Sandy Read has absolutely outdone herself by bringing in 43 Vendors to complement our 13 Master Gardener booths. The exciting list of the booths and vendors is included in this issue of the Rototeller. Be sure to check it out. The festival will be in the same location as last year, on the Southwestern portion of Denton Bible Church’s campus: West of Nottingham, North of Mingo, and South of University. It is easy to get to, and provides plenty of convenient parking.
We have four speakers talking to our ‘Locavore’ theme – obtaining your food locally –
within 150 miles. Executive Chef Charles Youst will speak on how the Chefs Pantry Garden at the Classic Café, Roanoke, enhances his menu; Sue Newhouse and Trish Percy will talk about growing for others and yourself; Gene Gumfory is speaking on Community Gardens; and Dr. Maggie Jover is talking about what to do after the harvest.
Don’t forget, you can get AT time by attending the seminars. The Fall Gardening Festival is a major event for us. It is a chance to give back to our community and have a good time. We will have live music, 4-H concessions, a face painter, kid’s activities, and some of the most interesting booths you’re likely to run into. There’s everything from antique farm equipment to local organic farm raised produce, farm fresh eggs, beef, chicken, lamb and pork. There are flyers at the extension office so be sure to pick some up to hand out. If you would like to help with this exciting event, there are plenty of volunteer opportunities. Contact Sandy Faciane, [email protected] or Dale Powell, [email protected]. Article submitted by Dale Powell. (Pictures from the 2010 FGF)
Fall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden Festival Saturday, October 1, 9:00 a.m.— 3:00 p.m.
Gardening for Pleasure and the Planet
For up-to-date information
go to dcmga.com
Other areas in need of assistance: Drivers to bring over supplies from the Extension Office.
Loan canopies, orange traffic cones, sawhorses or cinder blocks Contact Dale Powell at [email protected]
Fall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden Festival Saturday, October 1, 9:00 a.m.— 3:00 p.m.
Gardening for Pleasure and the Planet
Looking at the Fall leaves brings fond memories of cool weather and gives us all something to look forward to.
Some of those memories in this part of Texas are a�ending
the State Fair and other fes vals in the area.
The Fall Garden Fes val Commi�ee is pu"ng together the biggest yet community event this year and we need your help.
You can work all day, part of the day, help set up and a�end the Locavore
presenta ons, or just help clean it all up at the end of the day.
Opportuni es for volunteers include:
Set up, from 3 pm - 6 pm Friday, Sept 30, and again on Saturday, Oct 1 from 7 am - 8:30 am,
Tear down, star ng at 3 pm on Saturday, Oct 1.
Master Gardener Booths
(Relieve one of your buddies and let them do a li�le shopping, some booths are s ll in need of help) Day of Event Director - Dale Powell
Speakers - Brenda Wellenreiter Parking/Booth Director - Joe Bendzick
Photography - Mary Morrow & Kere Post Ambassadors - Donna Wolfe
Set up/Tear Down - Dale Powell & Sco� Kilpatrick (4-H) Welcome - Monique Goodhart
Ask a Master Gardener & Firewise Landscape– Monica Chaffin Bees – Shelby Kilpatrick
EarthKind Landscaping– Shirley Manfredi & Ruth Bain Fall Vegetable Gardening – Larry Legg & Cindy Reese
Garden Shoppe – Sandy Read Drip Irriga on – Monica Chaffin
Landscape Design Team -- Monique Goodhart & Jill Peak Propaga on – Carolyn Tinner & Lynda Harvey
Rainwater Harves ng - Aimee Bisse� & Mar n Richards Trees – Mary Morrow & Jill Peak
Turf – Wally Gehrke Silent Auc on - Pat Strickland
Door Prizes - Tracy Durmick & Barbara Brown
If you haven’t already signed up to help out with the Fall Garden Fes val, please contact
Sandy Faciane at [email protected] or Dale Powell at [email protected]
Fall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden Festival All Pro Pest Control - Environmentally friendly services featuring EcoSmart products.
Aus�n Smith, 380pestcontrol.com
Backyard Concepts Water features, outdoor kitchens, aqua�c plants.
backyardconcept.com
Beaty Farms - Frozen All Natural Beef. Mary Lynn Beaty, beatyfarms.com
Blooming Concepts, Inc. - Landscape design and installa�on by Steve Huddleston, author
of Easy Gardens for North Central Texas. Steve Huddleston, [email protected]
Cardo's Farm Project - An educa�onal model of a sustainable farm, summer camps and
a.er school programs, adult workshops. Daniel Moon, cardofarmproject.wordpress.com
CC's Eye - Earth Art. Cheryl Christopherson, [email protected]
CrossRoad Farm - Farm Fresh eggs, vegetables and herbs.
Candi Pardue, crossroadfarm.blogspot.com
Denton County 4-H - Lunch Concessions and refreshments.
Susan Kilpatrick, h4p://texas4-h.tamu.edu/
Denton County An/que Tractor, Farm Equipment & Primi/ve Club - An�que tractors
and various engines and equipment on display. Chris Coleman, President,
Denton Florist - Flowers for every occasion. Chris�ne Dear, dentonflorist.com, located at
2916 E. University Drive, Suite 103
Earthwise Produce - Fresh local produce & honey.
Ryan Crocker, [email protected]
Faces by Darlene - Face pain�ng and balloon ar�st, fun for birthday par�es. Darlene
Floyd facesbydarlene.com
Flewharty's Cra3s - Raw and cra.ed gourds. John Flewharty, [email protected]
Fran's Fryers - Cage free chickens, no chemicals and no preserva�ves - be4er than all
natural, also chicken sausage, co-ops available. Fran Sweet, fransfryers.com
Freedom Green, Inc. - Organic lawn products, yard maintenance, business property
management, landscape plan�ng service. Charlie Meurer, FreedomGreenLawnCare.com
Go Texan - Literature and brochures on Texas products: wineries, turf, Texas Tuff plants,
and many others. Darrell Dean, [email protected], gotexan.org
Chas Thornhill Woodturning - Hand turned bowls, vessels, pla4ers from Texas wood.
Chas Thornhill, chasthornhill.com
DCMGA Garden Shoppe - Accessories for decora�ng your home and garden.
SSSS HHHH OOOO PPPP PPPP IIII NNNN GGGG
page 3
Fall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden Festival Grapevine Grains - Granola, muesli, rolled oats, whole grain mixes, stone ground organic
corn muffin mixes. Vicki Smolek, grapevinegrains.com
Inspired Crea/ons by Be8y Hood - Beau�ful crosses with Texas polished stones and wire
wrapped jewelry. Be4y Hood, inspiredcrea�onsbybe4y.com
Invisible Fence of Greater Dallas - Pet containment, pet toys and leashes. Bobby Swan,
invisiblefence.com
Leaves of Tea - Tea and tea accessories. Philomena Carr, leaveso.ea.com
Les Jardins de Pascale - Handmade metal garden art. Pascale Pryor,
lesjardinsdepascale.com
Living Earth - Landscape materials, soils, mulch. Sco4 Bort, livingearth.net
Longhorn Solar Screens - Energy saving solu�ons. Jeff Rinehart,
longhornsolarscreens.com
Not Just Canvas - Concrete stepping stones, coasters, glass magnets. Diana Dupre',
notjustcanvas.com
Outdoor Wooden Furniture - Handcra.ed benches, swings, chairs, picnic tables,
gliders, bar sets. Stan Poole, [email protected]
Painted Flower Farm - Texas tough perennials and Texas na�ve plants. Wendy Steward,
Paintedflowerfarm.com, [email protected]
Shem's Impeccable Products - Olive oils, vinegars, pastas. Sheila Moore,
Sloans Creek Farm Heritage breed sustainable family forage farm featuring beef,
chicken, pork, lamb, and sausage. Nathan Melson, sloanscreekfarm.com
Stones and Cabinets - Concrete stepping stones, garden room cabinets and metal
cut-outs. Berniece & David Pa4erson, [email protected]
The Home Saver System Fire suppression system using your swimming pool.
Paul Claffey, thehomesaversystem.com
The Rain Barrel Connec/on - Rain barrels, parts, and color wraps. Rex Arnold,
therainbarrelconnec�on.com
Trale Mix Organic dried fruit and nuts. Liza DeLacruz, tralemix.com
SSSS HHHH OOOO PPPP PPPP IIII NNNN GGGG
page 4
page 5
Fall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden FestivalFall Garden Festival SPEAKERSSPEAKERSSPEAKERSSPEAKERS
10:00 a.m. - Execu/ve Chef Charles Youts,
Classic Café, Roanoke, will speak about how he
incorporates vegetables from his ’Chef’s Pantry Garden’ into his menu.
The garden has vegetables and herbs and is
maintained by the restaurant.
11:00 a.m. - Gene Gumfory, DBC Community
Gardens, what you don't know may hurt you,
you can make a difference! Lets talk about seed saving!
Gene will share ‘The Good, Bad and Not so Ugly’
on crea�ng your own community garden.
12:00 p.m. - Sue Newhouse, Aunt Sue’s Barn,
and Trish Percy, Feed Texas First, are presen�ng
‘Growing for Yourself, Growing for Others’.
Some�mes we think that if we don't have lots of room,
we can't have a garden...not true! Growing in small
spaces and in containers can be just the solu�on to a
balcony, a shady lot or a pa�o. Come learn how to
make a self-watering container that will give you lots
of flexibility!
1:00 p.m. - Dr. Maggie Jover, AgriLife Family and
Consumer Science Agent, presents ‘A3er the Harvest’
and will provide safe ways to preserve foods from the home
garden. Fall garden fruits and vegetables will be highlighted
– the program will cover methods of food preserva�on,
equipment needed, and quick and easy recipes.
...and more at the Fall Garden Fes/val
911 Wildlife
Carabella Farm
City of Denton
Denton County 4-H concessions
DBC Community Garden, Shiloh Field
Denton County Farm Bureau
Denton Organic Society
Flashpoint Musicians
Keep Denton Beau/ful
Master Naturalists, Elm Fork Chapter
Keep up to date on dcmga.com.
Submi4ed by Carol Rowley
My Mom and our older son came for dinner Sunday 5/29/11. On the way in our son no�ced a
lizard buried up to its neck in the dirt outside our front entrance, so Dave and I went out to
see this, camera in hand. The lizard became nervous and ski4ered off into the Indian
Hawthorne but le. the hole behind. When we looked in we saw 11 eggs lying there. We took
pictures and went inside for 3 hours. When our guests le. we no�ced that the hole was
completely covered up with dirt and very carefully laid mulch. If you hadn’t seen the hole
earlier you would never no�ce it now. The mommy lizard had disappeared completely into
the trees.
Descrip/on
Texas spiny lizards
are 7.5-11 inches
in length, and are
typically grey in
color with black,
white, or red-
brown blotching down the back.
Pa4erns vary greatly by locality, but the
colors and pa4ern typically serve to be
adequate camouflage against the bark
of trees in its chosen habitat. The un-
derside is usually uniformly light grey in
color, but males typically have blue patches
on either side of their belly. Their scales have
a dis�nctly spiny texture to them. They have
long toes, and sharp claws suited to climbing.
Due to their spiny appearance, they are some-
�mes mistaken for horned lizards.
Behavior
The Texas Spiny Lizard is diurnal and
arboreal. Their preferred habitat is
mesquite trees, over areas with a
significant amount of
ground leaf li4er, but they
are o.en found in
suburban areas basking
on fences or climbing
telephone poles. Typically
shy and nervous, when
approached they will
usually retreat up a tree
or flee noisily through leaf li4er on the
ground. They are insec�vorous, and eat a
variety of beetles and other insects. Breeding
occurs throughout the spring and summer
months, and clutches of eggs can be laid as
many as four �mes a year.
The Texas spiny lizard also has a peculiar habit
when challenged by another male for their
territory. The two males will have a push up
contest, or so it seems. Both males will begin
doing push ups un�l one of them gives up and
runs away.
page 6
The Edible Front
Yard: The mow-less, grow-more plan
for a beau/ful, boun/ful garden
By Ive8e Soler, Timber Press, 2011
Does “I don’t have space for a garden” sound
familiar? Ever think of using the expanse of yard
siRng in front of your house? I’m sure the lawn uses
too much water and fer�lizer, especially during the
hot dry summer months, not to men�on the �me
spent mowing. This book provides many op�ons for
moving from a big, boring lawn to a colorful, edible
landscape. If the first thing that comes to mind is
rows of corn, that is not what this book is about. The
book guides you in designing a well laid out
landscape that replaces lawn, annual flowers and
other non-produc�ve plants. The ideas in the book
replace what you have with a wide selec�on of edible
plants with a broad mix of colors, textures, and sizes.
This book has many plant sugges�ons that I didn’t
realize are edible. The author also explains what part
of the plant is edible. This is important once you
move beyond the basics of tomatoes, peppers and
onions. Included also are diagrams of suggested
landscape designs with complementary plan�ngs, to
get you started. Good ea�ng!
NOTE: Mary Karish’s ar�cle, How the HOA was won:
The Story of my Grass Free Yard, in the June 2011
edi�on of the RotoTeller will be published in Texas
Gardener.
How Does My
Garden Grow? Grow plants for food
and fun-packed projects
By Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff,
2011
This is a fun children’s book full of ac�vi�es that
children and adults can do together. There are �ps
for easy to grow plants, so that the children will have
a good chance of being a successful gardener. For
each plant there are step-by-step instruc�ons for
plan�ng which are accompanied by photos. The
really great part about the book is the suggested
cra. or recipe that goes with each plant grown.
Some of the projects are: making paper from corn
husks, a lavender buddy (think sock monkey filled
with rice and lavender flowers), topiary man with ivy,
and loofah sponges. I want to try some of the
recipes which include herby cheese muffins, potato
or carrot chips, and pepper hummus. The en�re
book is filled with photos to help the child easily
understand the instruc�ons.
BOOK REVIEWS BRENT BLOECHLE
page 7
Earn advanced training hours, jumpstart your spring garden, and help the
DCMGA raise funds, all in one exci�ng event. The Propaga�on Team will guide
you through the techniques of rose propaga�on. The $10.00 registra�on fee
covers all materials, and you will take home all of the cuRngs you prepare.
The class is limited to 25 par�cipants, so sign up early to ensure your spot.
Registra�on fees are due at the Extension Office no later than
September 28th
. Contact Suzie Cook for more informa�on.
(New Dawn)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Bu8er and flour a loaf pan.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup bu4er, so.ened at room
temperature
4 oz. cream cheese, so.ened at room
temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
small pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 T. lemon thyme leaves
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
Combine flour, salt, thyme leaves, and lemon
rind. Set aside.
Beat bu8er and cream cheese un/l creamy.
Add sugar and beat well. Add the eggs 1 at a
/me, bea/ng only un/l blended. Gradually
add the dry ingredients, bea/ng only un/l
blended. Beat in vanilla.
Spoon into prepared loaf pan. Bake about an
hour and 15 minutes, but start checking on
the cake at about 50 minutes. Cake is done
when a toothpick inserted into the middle of
it comes out clean. It is easy to over bake this
cake, so watch closely a3er 50 minutes.
Remove from oven and let stand in pan for
10 minutes. Invert onto plate, and when cake
is just past the too-hot stage, cover with foil
to keep it moist.
If you like a plain pound cake, try this recipe
without the lemon rind and lemon thyme.
Increase vanilla to 2 tsp. and make as
directed.
page 8
DENTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION BOARD MEETING
July 6, 2011 10:00 A.M. County Extension Office
I. CALL TO ORDER: Meeting chairman Jenny Estes called the Board of Directors meeting to order at 10:05 A.M. In attendance were Diane Almand, Zoe Broxson, Sharon Coleman, Susan Co-sio, Jenny Estes, Wally Gehrke, Monique Goodhart, Sue Hudi-burgh, Karen Jackson, Janet Laminack, Larry Legg, Diana McMillin, Kay Tomberlin, Linda Williams, and Donna Wolfe. Secretary Laurel Wallace was unable to attend, so minutes were taken by Sue Hudiburgh.
II. MINUTES: Minutes for the June board meeting had previously been forwarded to the board via email by the Secretary. Printed copies were available at the meeting. The minutes were accepted as presented.
III. TREASURER’S REPORT: Copies of the financial re-port were provided at the meeting. Wally Gehrke reviewed the report. We currently have a balance of approximately $19,500 in our checking account. Wally pointed out that the Hospitality committee budget ($150) was set arbitrarily low at the beginning of the year, and should be increased due to additional activity and responsibility. It was moved, seconded, discussed and ap-proved that the hospitality committee may go over budget. Wally noted that Denton Farm Bureau donated $300 for the DiG. He said he will be looking into a way to accept credit cards for future events such as the Garden Tour and Plant Sale.
The Treasurers Report was accepted as presented and will be filed for audit.
V. COMMITTEE REPORTS A. Project Administration – Diane Almand
• The Veggie Show had 14 adult entrants (52 entries), and 15 youth (44 entries). Ask a Master Gardener booth had lots of questions and people came prepared with plant samples. Diane said that the city had agreed to pay for the ribbons, so we need to look into getting reimbursed. Due to the windy day, we had additional expense for cinder blocks and heavier plates. It was suggested that we store the blocks in the shed at the DiG. Diane is trying to get the city of residence of each winner for publicity.
• We have a new project initiation form for the Herb Study Group from Connie Watts and Marti Wall. It was moved, seconded, discussed and approved that the Herb Study Group become an official project.
B. Communications – Susan Cosio • Susan has reviewed, updated, and reformatted the hand-
book, and Zoe has reviewed it. It was suggested that we review it once a year. In addition to corrections and clarifications, changes were made to the following sec-tions:
o Grant committee was added. o Technology committee was moved under
the Education Director. o Under Communications, added Signage,
Documentation and Publications. • Monique had questions about inactive members—how
to become active again. She suggested that we clarify that.
• It was suggested that we be consistent in references to “Agent Laminack” or the “Horticulture Agent” for clar-ity.
• It was noted that “discretionary AT” is new, but “discretionary volunteer hours” is not.
• We need to clarify Hospitality committee responsibili-ties (see below).
C. Education Committee – Monique Goodhart • Jacqueline Carney was unable to attend, so it was decid-
ed to table discussion of the Children’s Garden until later.
• Zoe said that the 2012 class planning committee will meet tomorrow. Zoe has received 27 surveys from 2011 interns, all of which met or exceeded expectations. Fees need to be determined, considering cost recovery and anticipated expense increases, and a preliminary schedule drafted.
• SWaT report: very successful, with 33 teachers graduat-ing L1, and 8 completing L2.
D. County Coordinator - Janet Laminack: Nothing to report at this time. E. Volunteer Coordinator – Donna Wolfe: Nothing to report at this time.
F. Report from Hospitality – Diana McMillan • There was discussion about when to send cards or flow-
ers. Jenny suggested that we add a policy to our hand-book. Linda said that historically we sent flowers for death of member or immediate family, and cards other-wise.
• The discussion was tabled. Jenny, Clarice, Diana, Don-na, Linda and Larry will get together and come up with a policy to put in the handbook by the August meeting.
• There was discussion about printing vs. buying cards for hospitality. It was agreed that Susan’s expenses for
expenses for ink for printing cards could be put under hospitality.
G. Report from Scholarship Scholarship presentation will be ready for the July meeting. Teddy Bloechle is the recipient.
VI. ANNOUNCEMENTS – GROUP DISCUSSION A. Report on JMG Specialist Training Online and Formstack –
Sue Hudiburgh • We have 7 people signed up for JMG training so far. • It was moved, seconded and approved to upgrade
Formstack to professional level to allow additional forms to be converted to online. This expense will fall under the website budget.
B. Fall Garden Festival Report – Linda Williams The next meeting is tomorrow. The location will be DBC. Speakers being finalized and vendors are signing up. Good shape overall. Linda said that Upper Trinity has a need for docents to ex-plain plants and the history of the gardens. Girl Scouts may come through soon (July 19?) and a teachers tour on Sep-tember 20. Linda would like permission to recruit. The Board agreed. Donna will put out an email.
C. Report on January graduation banquet – Diana McMillin There has been some research on sites. Jenny asked that Joe, Connie Johnson and Diana get together to discuss. The date is January 11, 2012.
D. IBM Grant: Who should receive for next year? Zoe has a list. Some suggestions: Enviroscape ($1400); Design committee could use software for landscape design and to share with the public; Some-thing to promote children’s education for SWaT or the Chil-dren’s Garden; Screen for the Speakers’ Bureau; Interpre-tive signs for the DiG; Something for the Enabling garden.
E. Survey Approval – Zoe Broxson Zoe handed out a proposed annual member survey. Donna asked that we ask why expectations were not met, if they were not. The Board decided to go ahead with the survey.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:37 P.M. Next meeting: Wednesday August 3, 2011 at 10:00 A.M.
page 10
When curb appeal is given careful thought, an ordinary house can be transformed. The pictured houses are architecturally similar and serve as a general example of how landscape design has the ability make a dated house look more interesting and inviting. In established landscapes, it is not always what you can add but what you can remove from a landscape for improvement. In the photograph on the left, removing a couple of shrubs from either side of the walkway would open the patio space and make it appear taller. The addition of pots or plants of contrasting texture such as ornamental grass would soften lines and angles while
also adding visual interest and a year around backdrop to bold bright blooms. The development of a focal point at the entryway is key. Once the eye has been drawn to the entryway focal point, deep sweeping beds beckon the eye to move through the space rather than a quick swipe from one end to the other. In the house pictured on the right, the wall height of the house is 8 feet so the beds are 8 feet deep at the walkway. This 90 degree angle keeps the beds in proportion to the house giving ample space for the layering and grouping of evergreens, seasonal color, display of garden decor or accents and a path or sitting area. Notice that the plantings on either side of the entrance are not the same. Symmetry is not always required in entryway designs. The two sides contain different plant types but carry the same visual weight and space. If one side of the house is longer, larger, or less adorned that side may be able to support a specimen plant. A small interesting tree or garden ornament can add height and visual appeal creating a secondary focal point. The ends of the bed are most interesting when they sweep a wide deep arc around the corner of
the house. In this same area, plants at the height of the roof line or slightly taller soften corners and help integrate the house into the landscape like an anchor tying the building down to the landscape. Large trees in the back yard aid in anchoring the house as well. This gives the home and landscape the appearance of being one unit rather than two floating pieces. By using taller plants on the outside of the design which gradually slopes down to shorter plants at the entrance will help guide the eye to the front door, the focal point.
Do you have an armadillo, raccoon, or skunk digging up your yard? - Go to this link for the differences in
critter digs...h4p://icwdm.org/inspec�on/gardengrass.asp#Diggingingrass
Changes are coming to Fairoaks this next year.
I will no longer be the Project Manager at
Fairoaks but will remain a helper and adviser.
Dale Powell has agreed to take over as Project
Manager. He has worked �relessly at Fairoaks
this year and had taken on the role as leader
when I was out of town this summer (during
the heat and while the sprinklers were not
working!) He has fresh ideas and the residents
like him and look for him each week. I hope
you give him the same support you have given
me for the past five years.
The vegetable garden was a success this year. We have several residents who are taking more
of an interest in the weeding, watering and picking the produce than in years past! We had
tomatoes, squash, peppers and pole beans. Now the okra and cantaloupe are doing well and
ready to be harvested. We grew the cantaloupes on trellises this year and they did beau�fully!
But there is always room for improvement. Fairoaks will need someone to be the lead MG for
the vegetable garden next season, to plan, plant and oversee the vegetable garden, and help
water and weed. If this is something you would consider please let Dale or I know.
With a few small changes in the way we had done things at Fairoaks the gardens are much less
�me consuming. Using lots of mulch and applying a pre-emergent a.er weeding has reduced
the number of weeds by 3/4 at least. The perennials we have planted over the last 5 years
have not only grown but are spreading and we have been able to transplant them to other ar-
eas. Several residents have begun to work in their own gardens. One resident not only takes
care of her own garden but her neighbor’s as well. The trees we have planted over the last
five years are growing well. We only have 6 that are s�ll on the once a week deep watering
schedule.
September and October we will be busy add-
ing mulch to all of the flower beds, compost to
the vegetable garden, and plan�ng a few
plants in one new garden area. In early Octo-
ber I hope to plant fall annuals in the residents’
flower pots to end the season.
Each year brings changes to Fairoaks. As much
as I dislike change in general, this change is a
good one not only for Fairoaks but for me too!
page 11
Joe and Tina Bohn’s gardens were named
Yard of the Month by Keep Argyle Beautiful. A story about their gardens was featured in
the August 2011 edition of the Cross Timbers Gazette and also in
Arts and Life Section of the Dallas Morning News on August 18th.
Mother Nature ordered up Hail, Heat and Hoppers this summer. If the hail didn't get it and the heat didn't get it, the hoppers did!
page 12
EXTRA! EXTRA! You are needed.
Nominations for the 2012 Board of Directors are being accepted.
Contact Diane Almand if you are interested at [email protected]
A list of favorite websites related to gardening: dandlfarmandhome.com
backyardheirloomseeds.net kitchengardeners.org nhg.com hobbyfarms.com hydrangeashydrangeas.co auntsuesbarn.com foogs.org animalvegetablemiracle.com (also the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle A year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, with Stephen Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
If you have a favorite gardening website you would like included please send to
My wife, Mary, and I were invited to tour the Denton Salva�on Army facility on June 23rd
and were shown through by Sgt. Carol Hernandez. Sgt. Hernandez and her husband, Sgt.
Carlos Hernandez, are the current officers who oversee this facility.
When a client comes into the shelter, they are given a breathalyzer test; breakfast and
dinner are served each day at no cost to the client. A failed test doesn’t prevent the client
from ea�ng, but they must take their tray and eat outside.
There is a dining room that will seat 34 people that doubles as a space for sleeping on cots
should there not be enough bunk space for that night. Each client is allowed to stay 5
days, they have a bunk and space underneath for personal items. There are sleeping areas
for men, women and families.
Kitchen and food prepara�on areas rival a restaurant; all areas we viewed were very clean.
They buy food products locally and from the Tarrant County Food Bank. Recently they
purchased 800 lbs. of food for $70.00, ‘pennies for pounds’. They also purchase from local
vendors for the items that are not found at the Food Bank. My wife and I asked, “Do you
accept local produce”? Sgt. Hernandez’ enthusias�c response was “Yes, we do”.
I men�oned that I belong to the DCMGA and perhaps some of our members might be
interested in dona�ng excess produce from their gardens and community gardens to
them. Sgt. Hernandez indicated they would be pleased to receive it.
Our Daily Bread (Soup Kitchen) at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church on Oak St provides a
noon meal, no ques�ons or qualifica�ons. The Salva�on Army also have no qualifica�ons
for breakfast or dinner. They serve not only shelter clients but community clients as well
for both meals.
Mary and I have been supporters of the Salva�on Army for a long �me, a very big appeal
to us is that they serve with no cost to the client; their administra�ve expenses are among
the lowest of chari�es.
Programs at the Salva�on Army are to help clients to become and stay clean from
addic�ve substances. Job counseling is provided, along with classes on resume wri�ng,
scripture study and communica�ng, those things designed to help a client get back into
the real world.
Please consider suppor�ng the McKinney Street Salva�on Army with your
excess produce from your gardens or community gardens. You can reach
Sgt. Carol Hernandez by email: [email protected]�onarmy.org.,
or at 940.566.3800. The loca�on of the Salva�on Army, Denton Corps, is
1508 East McKinney St.
Thank you, Joe and Mary Bendzick
page 13
Page 14
DCMGA MEETINGS
Wednesday, Sept. 14, *6:00 p.m.* AgriLife Extension Office
‘Water-wise Gardening for
North Texas’
Chrissy Cortez-Mathis,
Dallas County Master Gardener
Speaker’s Bureau
Wednesday, Nov. 9, 9:00 a.m.
AgriLife Extension Office
Brent Farler
'All the BUZZ about BEES’
Wednesday, Oct. 12, 9:00 a.m.
AgriLife Extension Office Tim Allsup , Dallas County Master Gardener Speaker’s Bureau
‘Essen/al Gardening Tools
& Their Maintenance ‘
Photo by LKS Designs in Dallas
page 15
So.. my friends, the neatest thing happened this morning! I woke up early and thought, "What I really
need is a Starbuck's Coffee to get my mental engine running. " So out the door I go to Starbucks, through
the drive thru, wait in line with 6 other cars filled with sleepy headed people, get to the window, receive
my order and hand over the payment. Then for the surprise, the young man says, "Oh there is no bill,
the car in front paid for you!" O.K. I immediately came out of my morning brain fog and a huge smile
came over my face. Just what I needed today! Isn't it amazing how one random act of kindness can
frame the rest of your day?
It is with this frame of mind that I look towards the next few months and the many projects that need to
be completed. Now the good news is that as always the Master Gardeners are busy!!
We are preparing for the JMG Specialist Training which our County is sponsoring on September 15-
17. Thanks to Sue Hudiburgh, Wally Gehrke and Zoe Broxson our registra�on for this event as well as our
2012 Intern Class is on-line through Formstack.
Our Fall Garden Fes�val is October 1 and proves to be growing each year. Some of our All-star organizers
for this event are Linda Williams, Dale Powell and Sandy Read. Many of you have already volunteered to
have a booth. Please check with these members if you can help with this event. It is our main
educa�onal event of the year and is free of charge to our community. Spread the word!!
Susan Loos is heading up Cool Shade for 3rd Grade again. Dolores Payne and Mar� WIngo are already
working on our Christmas Party! Diane Almand is heading up our nomina�ons commi4ee for our 2012
officers and I'm working on our January Gradua�on Awards Celebra�on.
Hope to see you at our next DCMGA mee�ng! By the way, give a word of thanks to Evelyn McMillan and
Debbie Van Ness for finding us engaging speakers for our monthly mee�ngs!
Jenny Estes
DCMGA Goal for 2011
Working Together to:
• blend talents of our members
• view differences as strengths
• encourage each other
• cover our weaknesses with others strengths and communicate
to build strong friendships as we further the common goals of DCMGA.
page 16
Cooking with Gas
Don’t you just feel like we are cooking with gas these days? To put it in more
“appropriate” terms the Master Gardeners are certainly not going to seed, you might even
say that everything is coming up roses. The mission of Extension and Master Gardeners is
educa�on. In the past year, I have seen the educa�onal efforts of this program grow in
wonderful and crea�ve ways. Many of you have developed special interest groups that
consist of teaching each other and yourselves as you go in a hands-on learning format.
Some examples are the plant propaga�on team, the newly formed and thus far not
officially named herb group and the landscape design group. I love it! Some of these
groups are developing plans to educate the public and the rest of the Master Gardener
community. Even be4er!
I feel like overall we have stepped up our educa�onal efforts in so many avenues. The
speakers’ bureau has taken it up a notch, our web page con�nues to bloom, and we are
looking to get into social media in a more concentrated way. It excites me to work with
volunteers so talented and dedicated to our mission!
I challenge you to con�nue finding ways to share your passion for hor�culture and
educa�on with the community. A huge avenue for sharing our passion that we need to put
some energy into right now is our very own demonstra�on garden: The DiG. We need a
team that will look at using that garden to educate the community. It’s a lovely space and
the community is eager to learn. So, please consider sharing your talents in this effort to
create a DiG Educa�on Team. We will have our kick-off mee�ng on Monday, September
12 at 10:30 am at the Extension office. Hope to see you
there (with bells on)! Janet.
Monica Chaffin offers this tip for preparing your beds: Greg Thompson Landscape RR 1 Pilot Point, Texas 76258 972-238-2466 | phone He composts horse manure and sometimes it's a little hotter than I would like..... but it's cheap... $25.00 a pickup truck full.....He is also a good source for mulch. Followed by a testimonial from Claude and Shirlee Singer: We picked up vegetable garden soil and horse manure compost last spring from Greg Thomp-son. The garden soil was a mixture of sand-mulch-horse manure compost. Our cantaloupe and basil did remarkably well in that soil!!
A group has formed for the study of herbs in Denton County
Master Gardener Associa�on. We are excited to see so many
interested people, and the mee�ngs so far have exceeded
everyone’s expecta�ons. Mee�ngs are an hour to an hour and
a half, with approximately half of the mee�ng devoted to a
presenta�on on the herb that is being studied for that month
and the rest of the mee�ng for ques�ons, sampling herb recipes
and socializa�on. Handouts, recipes, and resources and other
valuable �dbits discovered during research on the herb are
available. Each mee�ng counts as educa�on hours for the amount of �me for the presenta�on and
ques�ons, and service hours for the rest of the mee�ng.
The presenta�ons focus on an herb or group of related herbs,
including informa�on about the herb, propaga�on, plan�ng,
harves�ng, use, history and companion plan�ng. Some of the
herbs were selected to be presented at the �me it’s best to sow
seeds. Zoe Broxson gave a very nice presenta�on on ‘Growing
and Cooking with Herbs’, filled with basic informa�on about
herbs and answered numerous ques�ons. She finished with a
demonstra�on on how to make her famous basil pesto. The
mee�ng finished with refreshments made using fresh herbs to
enhance their flavors. Besides the basil pesto, Mar� Wall made lavender lemonade and pound cake with
sliced fresh strawberries seasoned with fresh basil sauce and whipped cream, and Connie Wa4s brought
grilled Alaska Salmon and Dill Sour Cream Sauce.
Carolyn Tinner presented a deligh\ul program on Lemon-Scented Herbs at the Jul 25th
mee�ng. She brought
cuRngs and plants of lemon basil, lemon thyme, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemon grass and lemon-scented
geranium.
In addi�on to the research results Carolyn shared with us, we learned the
following: Lemon basil (Ocimum basilicum ‘Citriodorum’ and others) should be grown
like other basils. It is best to start plants from seed and do successive
plan�ngs. The best way to preserve basil is to freeze it. The lemongrass most used in cooking is Cymbopogon citratus. It is a Zone
10 plant, but one of our members has grown it successfully outdoors in a
sheltered loca�on for several years.
The secret to growing lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) in our part of Texas is good drainage and (at least)
a.ernoon shade. It can become a pest when given condi�ons it likes. Lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) can be difficult to grow. Carolyn grows it between a rose and garlic
chives, and she takes the plant into the greenhouse in the winter. It will drop leaves when repo4ed. It
blooms best when rootbound. Lemon-scented geranium (Pelargonium) can be propagated from cuRngs. Take cuRngs the day before
you plan to pot them up to give them �me to form a callus. Keep the leafy por�on of the cuRng in a
baggie. Newer por�ons of the plant are easier to start from cuRngs than older por�ons.
We had Lemon Balm Baked Apples and Lemon Thyme pound cake for refreshments. (Recipe on page 5)
Take a look at our mee�ng schedule, which is also posted on the Members’ Calendar on the DCMGA website.
Join us: you may be en�ced into trying some new and wonderful plants in your garden and in your kitchen.
page 17
DCMGA HERBAL
BRANCHES
DCMGA HERBAL
BRANCHES
page 18
DCMGA HERBAL
BRANCHES
DCMGA HERBAL
BRANCHES
Here is some trivia about some ‘not so common’ herbs. Match the picture and mysterious trivia for each Herb.
HERB NAME PICTURE TRIVIA
I. STEVIA
A B C D E
1 2 3 4 5
A. 1. Potential suitors have died trying to harvest the plant from dangerous seaside cliffs all in the name of love.
II. RUE
A B C D E
1 2 3 4 5
B. 2. Offers a biodegradable alternative ink for inkjet printers.
III. DITTANY OF CRETE
A B C D E
1 2 3 4 5
C. 3. Native Americans used the herb to remove ghosts from homes.
IV. WOAD
A B C D E
1 2 3 4 5
D. 4. It is given to couples on their wedding day to give them clarity in their marriage.
V. ANGELICA
A B C D E
1 2 3 4 5
E. 5. After being convinced by artificial sweetner companies, the FDA banned its sale in the US.
Attribution wil be provided in the next issue of the RotoTeller, if I list it, you will have all the answers in one spot - what fun is that?
page 19
Last summer the Denton County Master Gardener Associa�on conducted a survey to find out
members’ thoughts about DCMGA current prac�ces and how to improve member sa�sfac-
�on. 38 members responded and results were used at annual Retreat to help set the course
for the new year. Ac�on items were developed based on member opinions and plans were
made to implement various changes. The current status of topics our members told us were
important to them is found below.
Leadership Changes:
DCMGA members responded by stepping up to fill board posi�ons or commi4ee chair posi-
�ons. 6 of 9 of the 2011 board members have not served on the board previously (of the re-
maining 3 posi�ons, 1 is past president and 1 is extension coordinator). Many members
stepped up to accept commi4ee chair posi�ons.
Communica/ons:
Website is new and improved with new so.ware and a fresh look. It con�nues to evolve.
Online calendar on website provides comprehensive schedule of mee�ngs, events and work
days.
Weekly email of upcoming ac�vi�es has streamlined communica�on process and reduced
email load for membership.
DCMGA is part of extension pilot to test online hours input and tracking of volunteer and
training hours.
Mee/ngs:
Increased use of mee�ng agendas has helped mee�ngs stay on track and be more effec�ve.
Mee/ng space:
Team was formed to seek out and evaluate possible alterna�ve monthly mee�ng loca�ons to
extension office. Requirements were central loca�on, ability to schedule 12 months out, per-
mission to bring refreshments and li4le or no cost. They looked at libraries, government
buildings and churches. Denton libraries didn’t have sufficient space and government build-
ings were not able to accommodate schedule. One of the churches provided sufficient space
but couldn’t accommodate Wednesday night mee�ngs. There was also a small fee required
by the church which would have added a few hundred dollars to the annual budget. Team’s
recommenda�on was to keep mee�ngs at extension office.
Training:
Effec�ve presenta�on training has been developed and presented by the Speakers Bureau
team.
page 20
(con�nued)
Road trips:
2011 road trips have included an iris hunt at Jenny Estes’ farm and bus tour to Fort Worth
Weston Gardens and Tarrant County MG Demonstra�on Garden.
Sunshine Commi8ee:
New commi4ee that is headed by Evelyn McMillan supports members who are ill with food
deliveries and other support. The Hospitality commi4ee, led by Diane McMillin, con�nues to
send cards to members who have lost family members.
The 2011 Member Sa�sfac�on Survey will be conducted in September. Please par�cipate and
provide feedback on DCMGA programs and ac�vi�es (what should we con�nue, what should
we start and what should we stop). Results will be compiled and used to set the agenda for
2012 planning retreat.
page 21
CONGRATULATIONS TEDDY BLOECHLE!
recipient of the
2011 DCMGA Tom Harpool
Hor�cultural Scholarship.
Teddy was honored at our DCMGA mee�ng
in July. He will be a4ending Iowa State
University and working toward an
agricultural degree in plant breeding and
gene�cs. Many of you may remember him
at our Fruit, Vegetable, Herb and Flower
show. Teddy won many ribbons and even
Best in Show for vegetables and flowers he
grew in his Dad’s gardens. Dad is our very
own Brent Bloechle, class of 2003.
Brenda Wellenreiter, Scholarship
Chair, joins parents, Brent and Marie
Bloechle, in congratula�ng Teddy on
his recent achievement.
Anita Maynor, Class of 2006, passed away Monday, August 29. Anita had passion,
energy, enthusiasm and a spirit to be envied. No ma4er what project or event you
volunteered for, you were most likely to see Anita. She volunteered at LISDOLA, Argyle
Acres, Fair Oaks, Cool Shade for 3rd Grade, Denton Children’s Arbor Day, DCMGA
“Veggie” Show and always the Garden Tour and Plant Sale. She opened her garden
to the public for our 2008 Garden Tour and Plant Sale. Her garden was also the site
for the Plant Sale. Recently her passion was our DCMGA Demo Garden, The DiG.
She was instrumental in making the dream of our own demonstra�on garden a
reality. She loved The DiG and she loved being a Master Gardener and a part of the
Denton County Master Gardener Associa�on. We loved that she was a part of
DCMGA! She will be missed and her absence felt. If you wish to send your
condolences to her husband, John, and their family, the address is 355 Oak Trail
Drive, Double Oak, 75077 – Donna Wolfe
The following was issued by The Town of Double Oak:
A Memorial Service for Anita Maynor will be held Tuesday, Sept. 6th at 5:30 p.m.,
at the Town Hall Pavilion, with a recep�on following at Town Hall.
The family has requested, in lieu of flowers, to please donate to the Double
Oak Women's Club in memory of Anita; the funds to be used for community
support and beau�fica�on. Dona�ons may be sent to: DOWC, c/o Judy
Messe4, 215 Double Oaks Dr., Double Oak, TX 75077
Anita was a past president of the DOWC and is responsible for the center
median garden and the container plan�ngs in front of the Town Hall, as well
as gracious involvement and support for many other Double Oak community and
DOWC events. She was loved by all and will be greatly missed. Our deepest
sympathy and prayers go out to her husband, John, and their family.
The following is from the Cross Timber Gaze4e:
Anita Maynor passed away quietly in her sleep this morning a.er a year
long struggle with small cell lung cancer.
From her husband, John:
"Anita would want to be remembered as someone who went back and
finished college late in life, gradua�ng from Dallas Bap�st in May, 1995.
She then spent ten years working with learning differenced children in
the private environment. We moved to Double Oak in 2005 and she
re�red from teaching. She was very ac�ve in our town, serving two
terms as President of the Double Oak Woman's Club. She was also
involved in Denton County Master Gardeners and their "DIG" project
located next to the courthouse in Denton. At the end, she was very well
a4ended by her friends from the Double Oak Police Department and the
Double Oak Volunteer Fire Department."
page 22
PRESIDENT JENNY ESTES
VICE PRESIDENT DIANE ALMAND
TREASURER WALLY GEHRKE
SECRETARY LAUREL WALLACE
EDUCATION DIRECTOR MONIQUE GOODHART
VOLUNTEER DIRECTOR DONNA WOLFE
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR SUSAN COSIO
MEMBER-AT-LARGE ZOE BROXSON
PAST PRESIDENT LINDA WILLIAMS
PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR
DIANE ALMAND HOSPITALITY DIANA MCMILLIN
WAYS AND MEANS TBD SPEAKERS’ BUREAU STEPHANIE BRIGGS
RESOURCE ROOM JAN HODSON AWARDS LINDA WILLIAMS ZOE BROXSON
WEBSITE SUE HUDIBURGH Public MARY MORROW Members
SCHOLARSHIP BRENDA WELLENREITER
ROTOTELLER MARY MORROW TECHNOLOGY JAN HODSON WALLY GEHRKE
PROGRAM EVELYN MCMILLEN DEBBIE VAN NESS
PUBLICATIONS MARY MORROW
ADVANCED TRAINING
WAYNE FARLEY LYNDA HARVEY
JMG/SWAt SUSAN KILPATRICK
AUDIT BRENDA WELLENREITER PHOTOGRAPHY MARY MORROW
MENTOR CLARICE LUCE HELP DESK JANIE FARLER
PUBLICITY PAT PAPE GARDEN SHOPPE SANDY READ
2011 COMMITTEE LEADERS
2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ROTO TELLER STAFF
Joe Bendzick--—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-Class of 2008 Brent Bloechle-————————————--Class of 2003 Zoe Broxson—- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Class of 2006 Barbara Burgin-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—Class of 2007 Suzie Cook— - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Class of 2003 Jenny Estes- - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -Class of 2007 Janet Laminack-—-—-—-—-——-—-—-—HEA Jill Peak-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—--Class of 2005 Dale Powell- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Class of 2011 Carol Rowley- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --Class of 2008 Connie Watts- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Class of 2009
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.
