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Gardener News Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities

March, 2013

GARDENERNEWS.COM

TAKE ONE No. 119

Time to Start Thinking About Annuals in New Jersey

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Garden impatiens (Impatiens walleriana) before the downy mildew disease has infected them.

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture Garden Impatiens are among the most popular bedding plants in North America. Spring, summer and fall, all across New Jersey, homes and businesses are abloom with a rainbow of colors of these beautiful plants.

A true “utility� plant,

garden Impatiens can be grown in partial sun in northerly areas, but excel in providing a variety of easyto-care-for white, red, pink, violet, coral or purple flowers in shaded areas. Impatiens also are useful in container gardens, hanging baskets or window boxes.

But last year, many people found their impatiens did not fare so well. This was due to impatiens downy

mildew, a destructive foliar disease of garden Impatiens -- balsam impatiens, garden balsam, or rose balsam-- and native wild impatiens known as jewelweed.

Downy mildew does not threaten New Guinea impatiens or other flower or vegetable crops.

While there have been sporadic reports of this disease in production greenhouses in the United

States since 2004, widespread regional outbreaks of impatiens downy mildew were observed for the first time in North American landscapes in 2011. The first reports of impatiens downy mildew in New Jersey came in late-June 2012, largely in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

As the summer of 2012 progressed, the disease devastated garden impatiens

beds in many areas throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, and nationally from Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina in the south, throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut in the north, and westward to Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin, and in southern coastal California.

By October 2012, impatiens downy mildew had been confirmed in landscape beds and/or (Cont. on page 20)

2 March, 2013

Garden Center direCtory

Gardener News

Gardener News

March, 2013 3 Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Happy Easter

Two shows and a gardening school

The Keystone State.

The PHS Philadelphia Flower Show will open a new chapter in its 184-year history by adding an extra day to the show’s run in 2013 to provide greater opportunity for visitors to see the nation’s premier horticultural event. For the first time, the show will open on a Saturday and will include two full weekends.

Inspired by the majestic beauty and creative genius of Great Britain, “Brilliant!” will be presented March 2 through 10 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Magnificent floral and garden exhibits, special programming and new attractions will pay tribute to centuries of influential British culture, culminating in the urbane style of 21st-century London.

The Flower Show will introduce an exciting variety of new features in 2013.

New “Make & Take” workshops will offer opportunities for visitors to design, craft and take home their own fashionable “fascinators” – stylish hats popularized at the Royal weddings -- or other creative projects.

A new attraction especially for guys will be “The Backyard,” a room devoted to outdoor living, featuring decks and patios, grills and fire pits, new garden tools and techniques.

The entrance of the 2013 Flower Show will focus on the sophisticated design sense of London and how it has influenced the modern world. For “Brilliant!,” traditional British icons will be given contemporary interpretations.

The scent of English roses will welcome visitors at the Royal palace gates, which will open to an allée of regal birch trees, leading to the show’s centerpiece: a sculptural, digitally enhanced rendition of Big Ben, featuring a light and sound show every half-hour.

Major exhibits will explore Britain’s heritage and culture, from Royal events to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, sunny cottage gardens to foggy London streetscapes, and Sgt. Pepper’s band to Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel.

Visitors will stroll past rolling British hillsides, a manicured cricket club, and a floral presentation of the Crown Jewels.

The Garden State.

The 17th annual Springfest Garden Show will take place March 14-17, 2013, at the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, New Jersey.

This year, Springfest will be showcasing the newest trend in outdoor living – Designer Sheds: Living in Your Garden. You will see a transformation of a garden shed into a “Garden Guesthouse/Home Office,” “Your Pooch’s Poolside Palace,” and a “Mancave.”

You will also find an all new expanded show this year, making room for a Bonsai Display & Demonstration Garden. Watch experts clip and style what was once a shrub into the beginnings of a magnificent miniature tree, while learning about their care and history.

Arborists, outdoor lighting and irrigation specialists are also among the expert service exhibitors. Educational displays offering information and advice include the Garden State Gardens Consortium folks, and the Rutgers Master Gardeners. And I can’t wait to see all the friendly faces of the Sussex County Master Gardeners. There will be various birding and plant societies as well. You can even meet the folks from New Jersey Deer Control.

Much anticipated, year after year, is the Kids Plant Your Own Zone, where your children can discover the enjoyment of gardening. Another popular feature for your children is the Treasure Hunt.

This North Jersey show is well known for showcasing flower-filled garden displays under glass, designed to inspire you with the latest trends and ideas for your own home landscape.

You can learn more about this show by visiting their website at www.springfestgardenshow.org Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

The Rutgers NJAES Office of Continuing Professional Education (OCPE) will hold its 37th Annual Home Gardeners School on March 23, 2013 in New Brunswick, N.J. Featuring 35 workshops covering a variety of topics related to gardening and landscaping, this is a wonderful opportunity for both novice and experienced home gardeners to receive expert instruction, learn new horticulture skills, and connect with others who share their interests.

This full day event will feature speakers from the OCPE’s commercial horticulture and landscape design programs, along with Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) and School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) faculty and staff. These highly energetic and knowledgeable speakers will share their gardening wisdom and give attendees practical information that can be used to enhance existing gardening practices or implement new techniques. Students will leave with the know-how to prepare their gardens for the spring and beyond.

The 35 gardening workshops will cover a wide range of topics, including composting, irrigation, lawn care, tree care, beekeeping, and pruning techniques. Some workshops include hands-on activities, such as building a water garden, creating a terrarium or learning the art of fresh flower arranging.

This year’s Home Gardeners School also includes 16 brand new workshops covering topics ranging from gardening using social media to bird-friendly landscapes to shade-loving plants. Attendees can create their own schedules by selecting the workshops that are most relevant to their gardening interests for a truly exciting day of learning!

The Saturday program will be held in Hickman Hall on the Rutgers University Cook/Douglass Campus. Coffee/ tea and registration begin at 8 a.m., and workshops will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break at noon.

Registration for this Home Gardeners School is available by calling 732-932-9271 or by visiting http://www. cpe.rutgers.edu/HGS. As always, I hope you find the information in the Gardener News informative and enjoyable.

Until next time…Keep the “garden” in the Garden State.

-Tom Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

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4 March, 2013

Gardener News

As someone who grows different types of tree fruit, I am often asked for advice on caring for various types of fruit trees. Especially at this time of year, people will ask questions about how they should prune the fruit trees in their backyard orchard. And while this may seem like a simple question to ask, the answers are generally quite a bit more complex.

One question I often hear is “Your trees look great, how do I prune mine to look like yours?” I wish there was a simple answer that I could give people, but the fact of the matter is that there are so many variables that come into play that it is virtually impossible to give any type of a concise but yet meaningful reply. One important factor to consider is that pruning should be undertaken as a means to implement a system of growing fruit. And this system, whatever it may be, will entail many other factors, including but not limited to spacing, support, desired shape, desired height, rootstock, and overall yield potential. It is also critical that this system be started

above them.

Inferior sunlight will lead to inferior fruit. It is also important that the individual branches (and the entire tree for that matter), are sturdy enough to support themselves with a full load of fruit on them.

Excessively long branches or those with poor crotch angles will tend to break or bend excessively, and these situations should be avoided as well. The overall goal of pruning is to end up with a healthy tree. So, for quality fruit, start with a good system early and then stick with it.

Good Luck!

The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

Fruit Tree Pruning Tips

before the trees are even planted! Also, remember that it is much more practical to bend or train a limb to grow where you would like it. This process is much better than cutting off unsatisfactory limbs and then hoping that one grows where you would like it. A couple of small tweaks early can save a lot of headaches down the road.

There are a few helpful hints that I can give about the physical task of pruning, however. When considering the time of year to prune, late-winter and early-spring are generally good times of year to trim most fruit trees.

They can also be trimmed during the late-spring and into the summer. The latesummer and fall should generally be avoided. This is the time of year the trees

are sending energy from the tree back into the roots and pruning during this time of year will upset that cycle and should be avoided.

On our farm, because we have so many trees and it takes so long to complete all of them, we start with apple trees in early- to midJanuary (starting with the oldest trees first), and then move to peaches and other stone fruit after the apples are finished. Early is not necessarily better, however.

Any pruning wound has to heal and trees will heal better when they are actively growing, so if time is not a factor, it might be wise to wait until later in the spring.

The equipment that is used for pruning is also very important. Sharp shears, loppers and saws should be

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

It’s in the news

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Dr. Robert L. Barchi, the 20th and current President of Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, a respected educator and academic innovator, looks over the February Gardener News just after addressing the delegates at the 98th annual New Jersey State Agricultural Convention in Atlantic City. Barchi was appointed to the position on April 11, 2012 to succeed Richard L. McCormick. Barchi, a neuroscientist and clinical neurologist, has served as president of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, nationally regarded as a top university dedicated to health sciences education and research. Prior to Jefferson, he was provost and chief academic officer of the University of Pennsylvania, an Ivy League institution founded in 1740. Barchi was born in Philadelphia but spent his formative years not far from Rutgers in Westfield, N.J.

used without exception. Dull implements will leave ragged wounds that will take longer to heal and will be a potential vector for disease and insect damage. While pruning, it is important to make cuts that are flush and to not leave any type of stub, as these will not heal quickly either.

When pruning a tree, there are a few obvious things to look for. First of all, prune off any dead or diseased or broken limbs.

The next and probably the most important factor to consider is that you want to maximize light interception by the branches of the tree.

This means that all of the fruiting branches of the tree should be fully exposed to sunlight. There should not be fruiting branches that are shaded by other branches

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is a current member of the Tewksbury Township Committee, and a former Mayor of Tewksbury Township. He also served as a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is a past president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Peter has also been featured on NJN, News 12 New Jersey and on the Fox Business Network.

Gardener News

March, 2013 5

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6 March, 2013

Gardener News

It is very important to Sandy and me to keep the feeding stations full of food for our feathered and furry friends. Yes, it does cost $30 to $40 a month, but it is so worth it.

For us, we are extending the timehonored, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” to our backyard friends. I always think to myself, “What if I were a finch or a squirrel?

I sure would like to see a wicked yummy food source set up for me.”

Ergo, there it is for them.

Over at the inland house, the feeding stations are; a hanging from a tree limb house that is loaded with sunflower seeds, a hanging from a tree limb tube station that is loaded with wild bird food, two suet baskets and a corn cob station mounted to the fence. I also put a pile of seeds on the back porch for the doves and other large birds that can’t fit on the house and the tube feeder closes when any weight is put on it. That is for the chickadees, finches

small holes that keep the squirrels out, and I have seen them leap from quite a distance to land on a squirrel-proof feeder and really go to town on the bird food.

They pack their cheeks full and off they go, right into the greenhouse where they have set up a winter camp.

No outdoor cats and plenty of food have created quite the thriving environment for their backyard friends.

But, living on the edge of a tidal marsh, there is no doubt in my mind that owls and other winter raptors, along with foxes and who knows what else, will take notice of a large population of fat and sassy rodents to naturally balance the ecosystem once again. Thanks for reading and see ya next month.

By the time you read this, I hope spring has arrived, trees will be budding, birds chirping and the Jersey Shore has made great progress toward repairing itself from Sandy. We all love the sound of the roaring engines when they announce the beginning of a road race, but have we ever thought of all of the preparation the racing team has done to get ready for the big race day? Does Tiger Woods just show up at the Masters and expect to win every time? No! Would you go out on your lawn this spring, fill the spreader and go to town without a plan? I hope not.

The first thing you want to do is clear all debris from your lawn and garden beds.

Does the whole lawn need a good raking to remove matted leaves? Do you need to level out problems or fix drainage spots from the storm? What about your mower? Have you had it serviced, and is the blade sharpened? Is it ready to go? You should have serviced the mower last fall after your last mowing!

So, put that spreader away until you figure out your

The Miscellaneous Gardener

By Richard W. Perkins Freelance Writer

“Winter Time Feeding Stations”

and other tiny birds. The hanging house is primarily for the squirrels. They hang upside down while holding on to the roof and typically there are doves or bluejays on the ground beneath it, waiting for the squirrel to throw some seeds down to them.

Over at the other house, we purchased a three-foot-long, V-shaped cedar deer feeding trough that we fill with sunflower seeds, and we will have as many as seven squirrels at a time vying for positions on and under it. Their acrobatic actions totally amuse Sandy and me, plus fascinate the cats, Greta and Emma, that are glued to their respective windows. In the backyard garden, I made and

installed a five-foot-tall wooden plank station that has a suet basket on one side and a corn cob feeder on the other.

I built small shelves so the birds and squirrels can sit comfortably while they peck and pull. I wire the suet basket door shut because a very smart and muscular squirrel we call the Hulk, opened it in the past and made off with the entire suet cake. Nothing but a few suet crumbs left on the ground elicited a big wow from both of us!

Sandy was wondering if the squirrels would be able to get up there and was pleasantly surprised to see them effortlessly shoot up the plank to the shelf. Knowing squirrels as well as I do, I knew

they would not have any problems whatsoever getting to their delightful smorgasbord. We have really fat squirrels and my guess is that they need the extra layer to keep warm and they also give birth twice a year, so fat and or pregnant equals some big squirrels. They all look really healthy and I was told that the suet helps to make their coats shiny and thick.

My mom and older sister Kathleen embrace the same philosophy, and they have a number of creative contraptions to keep the squirrels out of some of the feeders so they aren’t quickly depleted. But, they also have chipmunks that can squeeze through the

Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

On your mark, get set, spread…. first application, whether it will be to apply grass seed or fertilizer. Remember, in New Jersey you cannot apply fertilizers before March 1.

What about your spreader in the shed?

Did you do preventative maintenance each time you used it last year? You need to wash it down with a hose after each use and spray a small amount of lubricant on the wheels’ axles and on other moving parts to keep them from seizing up for your next use. I would rather you apply an early-spring application of regular lawn fertilizer in March than apply any pre-emergent crabgrass controls. This will help the lawn wake up from its long winter’s nap, changing the lawn from sick yellow to a

nice green color, provided the daytime temperatures are above 50 degrees for a number of days after your application. If you need to do some seeding, earlyspring is best. You want to get the seed in the ground and well-established before the summer’s potential heat and drought come along.

I want to delay our pre-emergent crabgrass application until later in the spring after any grass seed has germinated and been mowed three or four times.

Crabgrass has been a real problem in past years due to excessive spring rains that have delayed crabgrass germination. Remember, crabgrass seeds can germinate until mid-summer and applications later in the spring will provide better

summer crabgrass control, provided you use Dimension as your choice of control.

Dimension herbicide can control crabgrass even after it has germinated up to the three-leaf stage. Excessive heat and drought during summer months tends to shut down grass growth in order for the plant to conserve energy and survive. When these conditions arrive and the lawn stops growing, crabgrass has a great chance of taking over your sunny areas of your yard. You noticed I said the “sunny” areas, because crabgrass does not grow in “shaded” areas. So why would you put crabgrass preventer in shaded areas of your lawn?

Why not save the money and preserve the environment in shaded areas?

Editors Note: Richard Perkins is an avid horticulturist, a member of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and the Seacoast Writers Association.

He can be reached at perkinsphoto7@aol.com You should not have to use your sprinkler system until late-spring, normal spring rains usually provide enough moisture in the ground for healthy lawn growth. Without the hot, dry summer heat, the ground does not tend to dry out quickly in spring.

Remember to think your way through lawn problems this year, not just guess or thrown down a few applications if you are not sure of the proper timing.

Visit your local lawn and garden dealer or hardware store for advice if you are not sure what to do next.

Your plan during the year may have to change based on the weather patterns that Mother Nature provides.

Be flexible and be open to change to achieve the best lawn you’ve ever had.

Good luck this year with your lawn.

Editor’s Note: Todd Pretz is Vice President of Jonathan Green, a leading supplier of lawn and garden products in the northeast. For more information, please visit: www.jonathangreen.com

Gardener News

March, 2013 7

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A Fragrant Forsythia

March has weather patterns to satisfy every gardener.

Typically, it has a leonine start, marked by cold temperatures and strong winds, followed by a warmer, gentler finish.

Granted, the month does not always cooperate, but in general it marks the start of the long-awaited spring flowering season.

Finding a plant that can tolerate the vagaries of March’s weather and still provide an attractive floral display is always the challenge. Many years back, I read about White Forsythia or Abeliophyllum distichum and how its flowers can brave the March weather.

The image of a white-flowered Forsythia did not appeal to me until I realized this plant has a totally different appearance and garden application. Suddenly, my interest was piqued!

Like Forsythia, Abeliophyllum is in the Oleaceae or Olive family. It is a monotypic genus, meaning

that there is only one named species within this genus.

Abeliophyllum is a relatively recent introduction, first described in 1919 by the Japanese botanist Takenoshin Nakai (1789-1826). It was discovered in a mountainous region of the Korean peninsula named Chinchon Hills, and was found growing in association with Quercus accutissima, the Sawtooth Oak and Pinus densiflora, the Japanese Red Pine. It has become increasingly rare in the wild, due in part to the illegal harvesting of the plant for its astringent medicinal applications. The name of Abeliophyllum means that it has a leaf that resembles Abelia. Abelia is a Chinese shrub that reaches heights of five to seven feet and was named after the physician and naturalist Clarke Abel (17891826).

The “Abelia-like” leaves are arranged oppositely along the stem, appearing in pairs along the stem. The species epithet comes from the Greek disticho, which means “two ranked” and refers to the paired leaf arrangement.

Like Forsythia, Abeliophyllum is a multistemmed, arching shrub, but it only matures to a height of three to four feet. The flowers appear in late-February to early-March and are individually 3/8 to 5/8 of an inch long. The flowers resemble miniature Forsythia flowers in shape, but they are white with a yellow center and often pink markings on the back of the petals. They appear in clusters along the stems. The previous year’s stem growth is often deep maroon in color and the pink tinge of the flowers looks great in combination with the stems. Some populations have a distinctly more enhanced pink coloration to the flowers and have received the cultivar status of “Rosea” or “Roseum.”

The pink coloration fades slightly as the flowers age, but it remains noticeably different from the normal populations.

The flowers also have the fantastic trait of being sweetly scented. Several years back, Rutgers Gardens used a block of Abeliophyllum in a garden display at the New Jersey Flower & Garden Show. Most

everyone that passed through the garden wanted to know the origin of the heavenly fragrance wafting about the garden. They were amazed that such a small flower could produce such a heavenly scent. The flowers will persist for upwards of three weeks if the temperatures remain cool – in fact I have often seen Abeliophyllum blooming with mounds of snow still on the ground. The floral display is also best when the plants are located with a dark evergreen backdrop, which allows the small flowers to visually jump forth and really sparkle. Like Forsythia and other members of the Olive Family, the plants are also reasonably deer proof, although I have seen them browsed when the pressure is severe.

As in the wild, the plants are best located in an area that is well drained – but not droughty – in either full sun or light shade. After several years, the plants can start to look unkempt and should be rejuvenated by cutting the stems back two to three inches after flowering.

The plants will then reflush,

yielding a much tidier and more attractive plant. The plants are also scarce to produce seed, minimizing any likelihood of it becoming invasive!

Unlike many spring bloomers, Abeliophyllum does not scream for attention.

Rather, this fragrant Forsythia gently reminds the gardener that spring is here and makes a wonderful companion plant for the March garden.

Editor’s Note: Bruce, foremost a lover of plants since birth, is director of the Rutgers Gardens, an adjunct professor in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, an instructor for Rutgers NJAES Office of Continuing and Professional Education and chairperson of the Garden State Gardens group. He is a member of the Garden Writer’s Association and the New York Hortus Club. He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu

8 March, 2013

Gardener News

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Gardener News

March, 2013 9

When designing a landscape, one very important consideration is often overlooked – the future.

Unlike interior design, where your living room, dining room and family room pretty much remain the same over time, your outdoor rooms can change dramatically. It is for this reason that you need to be very familiar with the growth habits and mature sizes of the plant material you are planning to use in your landscape.

Although an Alberta Spruce and Norway Spruce are both conical evergreens, one is very slow growing, relatively manageable and will grow to about 10 feet (if it doesn’t get infected by spider mites) and the other can grow to 50 to 60 feet (or more). One of these could be a nice accent plant that flanks your front steps and the other is ideal for an evergreen screen. If you don’t know which is which, you could wind up planting the wrong one too close to your home and eventually have a tree that can literally crack the foundation of your home. Conversely, if your goal was to create an evergreen screen to give you privacy from the noisy kids next door, you

Now I don’t want to leave you with a feeling of hopelessness as the spring starts to approach, so here is what I recommend. The simplest and easiest thing to do to get a quick education is to just read the little tags on the plants at the nursery. They are chock full of information including mature height, preferred lighting conditions and overall habit. Although they are no substitution for true experience, they will certainly get you in the ballpark.

This month, National Horticultural Therapy Week will be celebrated March 17-23, the week of promotion of Horticultural Therapy and the good work of horticultural therapists nationally and locally.

This week also germinates the official start of spring.

Horticultural Therapists are trained to evaluate the abilities and needs of each individual (commonly referred as the client). By matching the person’s interests, skills and needs with appropriate plant-related activities, the therapist can help the individual reach goals. Two examples might be the goal of increased muscle strength or improved socialization skills.

Horticultural therapists are typically part of a treatment team. In a clinical setting, for example, the team would consist of a clinical or medical director, a counselor and, a social worker. In a rehabilitative setting, the team might consist of a doctor, orthopedist, a nurse, an occupational or speech therapist, and a social worker. Treatment teams vary depending on the client and the setting. (www.ahta.org).

Celebration activities are in the works in Central New Jersey

Creating Outdoor Spaces

By Jody Shilan, MLA Landscape Designer

You can’t go back to the future

better know which evergreen to select. Otherwise, those kids will be in college long before you get any privacy.

The same concept applies to deciduous trees. If one of the goals of your landscape plan is to provide shade on your patio, then you need to make sure that you are looking at maples, oaks and lindens, which can grow to 40 or 50 feet (or more). However if your goal is to have a focal point or to filter the sun a little bit, then birches, shadblows and dogwoods, which grow to approximately 15 to 20 feet, are a better choice.

For those of you who think you’re immune to this because all you’re doing is planting some shrubs this year, I’ve got some bad news. This article applies to you too. Throughout my career, I have removed

thousands of overgrown shrubs from properties all because they were the wrong plant (or variety) in the wrong place.

Had the previous homeowner or contractor planted a spreading and low growing variety of juniper (blue rug, Andorra, etc) instead of a pfitzer juniper, all we would have needed to do was a little hand pruning.

Unfortunately, they didn’t. So everything had to be ripped out.

In addition to factoring in the mature sizes of the plants, you also need to be aware of the habit of the plant itself, or you may run into other problems.

The habit of the plant refers to “the way it grows.” Is it upright or spreading, columnar or arching, clump or single stem, requires shearing or remains true to form? Pick the wrong plant or variety and that cute little five-gallon cypress

will, one day, overgrow your front walkway while providing the neighborhood squirrel population direct access to your roof and gutters.

Now let’s look at the opposite scenario. What if you wanted some shrub material and needed a little height and color?

While you’re at the garden center, you see some pretty pink and white flowering azaleas and decide to buy them to help cover up the ugly concrete foundation of your home. Unfortunately, you weren’t familiar with this particular variety of azalea and didn’t realize that although it had a really cute name, “gumpo,” azaleas are slow-growing and typically do not get much higher than 18 inches. This of course does not solve your problem because you have a little over 42 inches of foundation that you’re trying to hide.

Horticultural Therapy

By Laura DePrado Specialist

Celebrate National Horticultural Therapy Week at Rotary Rutgers Enabling Garden sites that continue to form in order to accommodate a broad spectrum of audiences with varying and diverse limitations and ages. Activities may be year-round, indoors or outdoors. Activities may take place in a greenhouse, a garden or in a designated space that is accessible, barrier-free and designed for maximum safety, participation and development of the individual. Activities may include the growing of plants, outdoor clean-up and preparations for spring planting, nature crafts and floral design, garden maintenance from weeding to watering to pruning (www.rotarynj.org click on Club and Community Service).

On March 9, the MidAtlantic Horticultural Therapy Network, Inc., will host a meeting and workshop for its

members entitled “Explore the Growing Field of Horticultural Therapy” at Temple University at the Ambler Arboretum/Ambler Campus from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, contact MAHTN President Sheila Major, sheila3M@mac. com. MAHTN is the regional association made up of HT professionals and students in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Its mission is to support the integration of HT programs within the therapeutic and rehabilitative practices and promote professional development standards.

Horticultural therapists are trained to use plants and the cycles of nature to teach life skills. Nature and plant life cycles have built-in and unending benefit to people. In working with clients, therapists explain and implement social

and psychological concepts.

Concepts like nurturing, responsibility, the importance of strong “roots” and the value of rejuvenation. Horticultural therapists provide any needed support, including adaptive devices, tools, or physical assistance.

Here are 10 things you can do this month to connect with nature safely: Attend a flower show, visit an arboretum, local greenhouse, or walk through a park. Paint and/or decorate an old flower pot. Paint a stone with a positive affirmation.

Place fresh flowers where you can see them. Browse through seed catalogs. Start herbs for your kitchen window.

Visit a local store and explore all of the different seed packets and seed-starting kits available. Start plants from seeds. Some of my common-

Editors Note: Jody Shilan is the owner of Jody Shilan Designs in Wyckoff, where he provides landscape design and consulting services for homeowners and landscape contractors. He earned his bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture from Cook College, Rutgers University and his masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Currently, he is Executive Director of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA). He can be reached at 201-783-2844 or jshilan@gmail.com. name favorites are Hibiscus, Columbine, Celosia, Petunia, Butterfly flower, Jupiter’s Beard, Coreopsis, Nastursium, Basil, Ornamental Peppers, Basil, Oregano and Rosemary.

Make a pinecone bird feeder.

Place seeds in a coffee filter. Roll the pinecone in peanut butter and then roll the pinecone over the seeds and hang it outside.

Bird activity is guaranteed to keep the birds busy and you occupied watching them. Cut stems from flowering shrubs and trees outside. Bring them indoors, place in water, keeping it fresh and force the blooms.

Editors Note: Laura DePrado, HT Practicioner, is owner of Final Touch Plantscaping, LLC, connecting people, plants and programs through customized activities for individuals and groups 909-872-8387, laura@ finaltouchplantscaping.com Laura is the founder and Co Coordinator of Rotary Rutgers Enabling Garden Initiative, “Growing Lives One Seed at a Time” in central New Jersey and 2012 Paul Harris Fellow Award Recipient.

10 March, 2013

Gardener News

New Jersey 2012 Fruit Summery and Vegetable Report (TRENTON, NJ) ― The four major fruit and berry crops grown in New Jersey are apples, blueberries, cranberries, and peaches. The warm weather throughout the spring prompted early blooms and fruit buds. A late frost in April, along with rainstorms and high winds in the summer months, all affected fruit development for many growers. As the season concluded cranberries had higher production, while apples, blueberries, and peaches had lower production.

Value of utilized production of these crops totaled $178.8 million, down one percent from the 2011 total of $180.8 million.

Peaches: Growing conditions for peaches were ideal throughout the spring. Tree bloom and fruit sets were earlier than usual, starting the harvesting period sooner. Peach sizes and quality rated mostly good to excellent throughout the season. Overall production totaled to 30,000 tons, down 6 percent from 2011. The season average price, at $1,320 per ton (66.0 cents per pound), was $100.00 higher than the previous year’s price. Value of utilized production was $39.6 million in 2012, 8 percent more than in 2011.

Apples: Warm spring weather presented good prospects for a full crop of apples. However, a late frost in April damaged budding fruit. Some orchards had smaller than normal fruit sizes as a result. Overall quality was still good. Total apple production, at 35 million pounds, was down a million pounds from 2011. The season average price, at 83.9 cents per pound, was 16.7 cents more than in 2011. Value of utilized production was $28.5 million in 2012 compared with $23.5 million in 2011.

Blueberries: A late frost during bloom in April caused significant damage to the blueberry crop in some areas. A few fields also suffered wind and hail damage from strong storms in late June. Blueberry production totaled 54 million pounds, a decrease of 13 percent from the previous year. The season average price, at $1.57 per pound, is up 4 cents from last year. The value of utilized production for the 2012 blueberry crop was $80.8 million, a decrease of 15 percent from 2011.

Cranberries: Cranberry total production was 550,000 barrels, up 8 percent from the 510,000 barrels produced in 2011. The season average price was $54.40 per barrel, up $3.40 from last year. The value of production for the 2012 cranberry crop was $30 million, up 15 percent from 2011. The cranberry crop’s bloom, set of fruit, and fruit size were reported to be average, however excessive rain in September caused severe flooding in a few bogs.

There are 18 fresh market vegetables in the USDA-NASS, New Jersey Field Office estimating program. Area planted for these fresh market vegetables in 2012 totaled 38,300 acres with 36,200 acres or 95% harvested. This compares to 37,800 acres planted in 2011 and 33,900 acres or 90% harvested.

Production amounted to 6.09 million hundredweight, an increase of 16 % from the 5.24 million hundredweight produced in 2011. Overall yield in 2012 averaged 168 hundredweight per acre, up 13 hundredweight from the previous year. Season average price, at $32.60 per hundredweight, decreased 13% from $37.50 in 2011.

Among the fresh market vegetables, only tomatoes harvested declined from a year ago. Asparagus, cabbage, cucumbers, lettuce, parsley, bell peppers, pumpkins, spinach, summer squash, and sweet corn all had higher harvested acres in 2012 than in 2011. Collards, eggplant, escarole/endive, herbs, kale, snap beans, and winter squash acres remained unchanged. Despite lower season average prices, the total value of fresh market vegetables showed an increase of 1.2% from $196.4 million in 2011 to $198.8 million in 2012. The increase in value was due to much higher production levels as compared to last year.

Ranking New Jersey’s fresh market vegetables in terms of value of production, the top four vegetables remained unchanged from last year. Tomatoes ranked first at $30.9 million, bell peppers were second at $28.9 million. Sweet corn and cucumbers were third and fourth at $23.1 million and $15.7 million respectively. Summer squash ranked fifth at $15.2 million, replacing herbs.

Source: USDA/NASS/NJFO On January 4, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed new rules that are part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) signed into law by President Obama in January of 2011. The FSMA shifts food safety from responsive to preventative.

This is a big change in a system that has been reactionary instead of proactive. FSMA itself is reactionary due to the many outbreaks of foodborne illnesses in the past 15 years or so in addition to the heightened awareness of food security after September 11, 2001.

In 2006, the produce industry was hit with one of the largest foodborne outbreaks when tainted raw spinach caused three deaths and left more than 200 people ill. E.Coli 0157:H7 was the culprit. This particular strain of E.coli was not known or even required to be reported to the health departments prior to 1982.

It was subsequently reported in all states after 1993, when a national restaurant chain had an outbreak attributed to tainted hamburger that killed four children and sickened more than 600. That outbreak changed the way the food industry looked at foodborne illness.

Passionate About Produce

By Paul Kneeland The King of Produce

Keeping Fresh Produce Safe At the time, the meat industry was focused on eliminating salmonella from poultry. They looked at all processes and brought it down to an almost zero trace on the growing and producing side.

Now their challenge was to do the same on the beef side.

NASA and Pillsbury jointly came up with a system that now permeates through the food business called Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, or HACCP for short (pronounced has-sup) in the industry.

HACCP looked at every process in the system of bringing beef to the consumer and identified all the points where there was a change and contamination could occur. In a HACCP plan, all these points are documented and specific actions are taken at each point to ensure the safety of the product. To their credit, the

meat industry adopted HACCP and all but eliminated E.coli from occurring in the food system. Although this was a reactionary move, it became proactive in other parts of the food business. In the end, it most definitely saved hundreds of lives.

On January 29, 2013, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report showing that fresh produce accounted for more than 46 percent of foodborne illnesses from 1998 to 2008.

It should be noted that the CDC has done a much better job recording the foodborne illnesses and health care professionals have done a much better job connecting illnesses to the source. It also should be noted that there has been an increase in food-related recalls in recent years. This has been commonly viewed as a bad thing by media and consumers,

but truly a sign that the system is working.

Many measures have already taken place after the spinach outbreak. Growers have put in place stringent HACCP plans and stricter controls on the supply chain. Equipment, field conditions and placement, water sources, refrigeration and staff training have all increased exponentially. The Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement was formed and has enlisted 99 percent of leafy greens growers in California to reduce potential sources of contamination and handle and sell product in accordance with food safety practices. Buyers are more cognizant of the issues and most will only buy from certified companies. But more must be done.

FSMA will alter the handling of fresh produce further. In the end, the industry will be better, stronger and

safer. The industry must work with the FDA and USDA to make rules that are more stringent and which make fresh produce safer, and not work to lessen rules to make it easier to grow and market fresh produce.

Consumers have a responsibility as well.

Refrigerate fresh produce that requires it, use separate cutting boards for fruits and vegetables and for meats, store fresh vegetables separately from raw meats, and always wash your hands before handling fresh produce.

Fresh produce is a good thing. It is healthy, tastes good, and is the most nutritional thing you can get for your body. We have a responsibility to continue to make it safer for all of our sakes and we will.

Editor’s Note: Paul Kneeland is the Vice President of Floral, Meat, Produce and Seafood for Kings Food Markets, 1st Vice President of the Eastern Produce Council, and a newly elected board member of the Produce Marketing Association. He holds degrees in Business Management from Boston College as well as Northeastern University.

He can be reached at pkneeland@kingssm.com.

Gardener News Before you sign your next landscape maintenance or design/build proposal with just any contractor, first ask them if they’re a proud member of :

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If you are a landscape contractor and not a member of the NJLCA, become a member today!

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Gardener News is Now Accepting Nominations for its

2013

Person of the Year Award.

Do you know someone in the “Green Industry” whose contributions deserve recognition?

This person must be from the landscape, nursery, garden center or gardening industries who best epitomizes concern for, involvement in, and dedication to those pursuits. Or a person who performs exemplary outstanding service to the green industry.

The deadline for receiving nominations for 2013 is November 1, 2013.

Gardener News annually bestows our “Person of the Year” Award in our January edition.

To download the form, please visit www.GardenerNews.com and click on the “Person of the Year” link on the left side.

Thank you!

March, 2013 11 The Professional Grower

By Tim Hionis Greenhouse Specialist

Color is back

The greenhouse industry has been buzzing this winter about how the 2013 season will fare.

There is still much to be done with all the devastation of last year’s tragic events. My heart goes out to any of you that have suffered. The Garden State is strong. I can assure you that as spring begins to emerge, my industry (the greenhouse farmers) will do everything in our power to provide you with color where it’s needed most.

Here we are in March, a pivotal month to get color back to our landscape. By mid-March, the presence of pansies, violas, primrose, and spring bulbs will be emerging into the landscape. “Spring is on its way when the crocuses come popping out” will be the phrase I will hear the most. March is also a great time to start mapping out the flower beds. It’s also a great time to start cleaning up perennial gardens.

You can also apply granular fertilizer to perennials, spring bulbs, and flowering shrubs to help them break dormancy and emerge healthy into the growing season. Make sure you read the label carefully for application amounts. You can also start your cool-weather vegetables like lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage and kale. Start them indoors and bring them out when the nighttime temperatures become more stable.

This year, Easter falls at the end of March. Sunday, March 31 is the exact date. Easter is a major plant holiday full of Easter Lilies, tulips, and hyacinths.

The cultivar most widely grown today for greenhouse potted Easter Lily production is called “Nellie White.” This selection was made by a lily grower named James White, and was named after his wife. The cultivar “Nellie White” has large, white, trumpet-shaped flowers.

Growing Easter Lilies is a very tricky process since Easter falls on a different day each year, dependent upon celestial bodies. The first Sunday that follows the first full moon after the vernal equinox, Easter can be any day between March 22 and April 25. Crop scheduling and timing is critical. The flowers must bloom exactly when they’re supposed to, with no margin for error.

Two of the greatest delights of the Easter Lily are form and fragrance, so look for high-quality plants that are aesthetically pleasing from all angles. Select medium-to-compact plants that are wellbalanced and proportional in size.

For the longest possible period of enjoyment in your home, look for plants with flowers in various stages of ripeness. For example, the best selection would be a plant with just one or two open or partly open blooms, and three or more puffy, unopened buds of different sizes. The ripe puffy buds will open up within a few days, while the tighter ones will bloom over the next several days.

As the flowers mature, remove the yellow anthers before the pollen starts to shed. This gives longer flower life and prevents the pollen from staining the white flowers. When a mature flower starts to wither after its prime, cut it off to make the plant more attractive while you still enjoy the fresher, newly-opened blooms.

In the home, Easter Lilies prefer moderately cool temperatures. Recommended daytime temperatures are 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit, with slightly cooler night temperatures. Avoid placing plants near drafts, and avoid exposure to excess heat or dry air from appliances, fireplaces or heating ducts. The lily will thrive near a window in bright, indirect natural daylight, but you should avoid exposing it to glaring, direct sunlight.

Easter Lilies prefer moderately moist, well-drained soil. Water the plant thoroughly when the soil surface feels dry to a light touch, but avoid over-watering. If the pot is wrapped in decorative foil, be careful not to let the plant sit in trapped, standing water. For best results, remove the plant from decorative pots or covers, take it over the sink and water thoroughly until water seeps out of the pot’s drain holes to completely saturate the soil. Allow the plant to air for a few minutes and discard the excess water before replacing it back into its decorative pot cover.

Potted tulips are also a favorite Easter flower. Greenhouse farmers have also done all of the work and preparation for you to enjoy. When your potted bulb garden arrives home, simply water well and place in a bright location. If kept in a cool room (40 to 60 degrees is ideal) the garden will stay shorter and bloom a little slower. Keep the garden moist but not saturated. Remove the flowers as they fade.

For the most intoxicating scent of Easter, we have the hyacinth. Hyacinth is the common name for approximately 30 perennial flowering plants of the genus Hyacinthus (order Liliales, family Liliaceae) of the Mediterranean region and Africa. Hyacinths are flowering bulbs with long, narrow leaves that are folded lengthwise. The flowers bloom in dense clusters. They are available in a multitude of beautiful colors. Care for them as you would potted tulips.

Hyacinth bulbs are also poisonous. That means they are ok to place outside if you have a deer problem.

By the way, spring begins with the vernal equinox at 7:02 a.m. (EDT) on March 20, 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere.

Editor’s Note: Tim Hionis has been growing plants for over 20 years, and is co-owner of Hionis Greenhouses and Garden Center in Whitehouse Station, NJ. He can be reached by calling (908) 534-7710.

12 March, 2013 In our neck of the woods, we have certainly endured a myriad of weather events and even climatic changes. Look at our average temperatures and the swings from high to low, as well as from dry to wet weather. Sprinkle in a few catastrophic events and you have the weather in the MidAtlantic region. So how do we help our landscapes survive the weather that we often would rather stay indoors to miss?. Simply stated, let’s get our plants in the best health possible and create a good living environment for the root systems supporting these plants.

Using this as our plan moving forward, increasing the use of organics should be implemented. Any fertility program, and especially a natural organic approach, must begin with an investigation into the environment surrounding the plants to be cared for. This environment starts with the soil. The first step in any program will be a soil test. There are many sites available where tests can be done. A comprehensive test needs to show soil texture, PH, organic matter content,

Gardener News The Landscaper

By Evan Dickerson Landscape Professional

How Do We (As Well As Our Landscapes) Survive The Weather? salinity and nutrient levels (including Phosphorus, Potassium, Nitrates, Iron, Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur and other trace elements). As we have said many times, collect your samples at a time when normal soil moisture exists, not saturated or drought stressed. When the test results are received, a plan of action can be created. There will be many individual levels listed in the results and they need to be properly interpreted to be able to set up recommendations for the test areas.

The pH needs to be managed and your location and soil texture will also affect the pH recommendation.

In our area, the soils are predominantly acidic and therefore a limestone product would be recommended.

Many times, a high-calcium

limestone product is warranted.

Soil texture will refer to the class of the soil. Sandy soils have lower water- and nutrient-holding capacities, and soils with high clay content tend to be poorly drained and subject to compaction. The addition of organic matter will help to amend these soils.

These practices will increase the availability of nutrients and oxygen to the plants as the root system’s density increases and overall health improves.

Measuring organic matter content gives another view of the soil tilth, or physical condition. Usually higher levels of organic matter are desirable. Organic matter will increase microbial activity, provide nutrients for plant growth, as well as amending the soil texture. When you cannot physically till in

organic matter, the use of natural organics will start to amend the soil.

When the soil test samples are taken, compaction problems can be identified.

Scientific ways to determine compaction are the use of a penetrometer or small diameter sampling. These instruments may only indicate a layer of compaction. Digging a series of holes to analyze the soil inch by inch and exposing root depth in these areas may reveal possible compaction. Efforts to improve pH readings, amend the texture of the soil and increase organic content will all help alleviate compaction.

Since we have had many weather events which impact our landscapes, we can also look at replacing some of our damaged specimens with smaller-stature trees and

shrubs which may have more substantial root systems due to our improving the medium they are growing in. There are also many native plants which will adapt more rapidly and will be hardier in our area. Taking a coordinated approach will help create a more sustainable landscape in the future.

If any of this information seems overwhelming, using a systematic approach which details your every move will help with soil testing and the appropriate recommendations.

With the growing season near, now is the perfect time to set up a soil-testing program for your landscape and make additional plans to implement a holistic approach to plant healthcare.

Changing to this approach, increasing the use of natural and organic methods and making sound plant choices will help us achieve this goal.

Editor’s Note: Evan Dickerson is owner of Dickerson Landscape Contractors and NaturesPro of North Plainfield. He has been pioneering the organic approach to plant health since 1972. Evan can be reached at 908-753-1490

Warm Feelings for Agriculture

(ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) ― The 98th Annual State Agricultural Convention was a huge success. The convention is the largest annual gathering of the state’s agricultural industry, which includes agribusiness leaders, representatives of county agriculture boards, breed and commodity organizations, granges, and other members of the agriculture community.

The first day of the two-day convention began on Wednesday, February 6, with New Jersey State Board of Agriculture President Jim Giamarese welcoming the delegates and guests, followed by New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher’s State of the State of Agriculture address. Fisher spoke about the changing and evolving agriculture in New Jersey and the challenges and opportunities facing our farmers.

At the dinner that evening, Governor Christie praised Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher for his leadership and assistance in the recovery from Hurricane Sandy.

“No one doubts for a second who’s in charge of the agricultural industry in the state of New Jersey, who’s the guy in charge of running the show each and every day, as their largest cheerleader and a person to get things done and that’s the Secretary of Agriculture. He’s done an extraordinary job,” said Governor Christie.

Governor Christie also praised the industry for helping to feed students around the state through the Department’s school breakfast program and announced that the state has preserved it’s 200,000th acre of land through the Farmland Preservation Program.

“We are the Garden State and the only way we’ll remain that way is to work closely with farmers in this state to make sure we preserve farmland all through the state of New Jersey,” the Governor said.

In Governor Christie’s closing remarks to the 610 agricultural representatives in attendance, he said, “Please know as long as I have the honor of sitting in the Governor’s chair, you will have a friend and an ally for this industry in Trenton.”

Rutgers President Dr. Robert Barchi; Bob Goodman, executive director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, and executive dean of the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; and Larry Katz, senior associate director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, also spoke to the agricultural community.

Over the course of the two days, convention attendees discussed issues affecting the industry, help set agricultural policy for the coming year and determined the new members of the State Board of Agriculture.

Several awards were also given out during the two-day convention. Noble McNaughton, President of the New Jersey Agricultural Society, presented Beth Feehan of the New Jersey Farm-to-School Network and organizer of the West Windsor Farmers Market, with the Phillip Alampi Industry Marketing Award for her contributions to the marketing and promotion of New Jersey’s ag industry. During the past 10 years, Feehan has volunteered full-time in multiple capacities to increase the demand for locally grown produce in New Jersey. Alampi was a former New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture.

Sun Valley Orchards and the Marino Family were awarded the Patrick Mullen Jersey Fresh Quality Grading Award. Mullen was the Director of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Division of Marketing and Development and developed the Jersey Fresh Quality Grading Program, which inspects produce to ensure it is of the highest quality. Each year, Jersey Fresh Quality Grading Program inspectors recognize a farm that works hard to supply top-quality produce. Sun Valley Orchards in Swedesboro was founded in the early 1970s and has grown into one of the largest fruit and vegetable growers, packers and shippers in New Jersey. The 1,200-acre farm is operated by Russell Marino and his sons, (Continued on page 21)

Gardener News

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CASE FILES

From the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County Garden Help Line

By Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Union County Agricultural Agent and Master Gardeners, MC Schwartz and James Keane

Q. Could you give me some advice on growing my own vegetable seedlings? Garwood Gardener A. Starting your vegetable plants from seed is a great way to cool down that spring fever we gardeners get this time of year. Anxious for the warm weather, it’s nice to see something starting to grow and anticipate that first harvest. Rutgers Cooperative Extension has a selection of fact sheets on vegetable gardening topics. “Starting Vegetable Seeds Indoors” FS787 and “Planning a Vegetable Garden” FS129 are two that can help you get a start on your vegetable garden.

The first step is planning. Decide what types of vegetables you would like to grow and will enjoy eating. Based on your selection, you should check if the specific vegetable grows best if it is directly seeded into the ground or needs the head start of you starting it indoors. Some plants, such as snap and lima beans, beets, carrots, collards, peas and watermelons, prefer to be directly seeded into the ground.

Wait until the weather conditions and soils are warm enough for planting.

Some plants, such as tomatoes and peppers, require a longer time to produce fruits. These vegetables are good candidates for starting indoors, so when the weather is warm enough for planting (after the last frost, which varies from late-April to late-May in New Jersey) they are a few weeks ahead of schedule for producing fruit. The seedlings are hardy enough to compete with insects, diseases and weeds that may be lurking in the outdoor garden.

Avoid starting your seeds too soon! Seedlings eventually get leggy, pale green and weak if kept in seed-starting containers too long. Timing is everything to produce a stocky plant that transplants well into the outdoor garden.

You will need to start different vegetables at varying times. For example, cool season crops can be planted in early-spring before the frost date for your area. Brussels sprouts are a cool-season crop that can be started six to seven weeks before they are ready to be transplanted in early-spring, about mid-April, so Brussels sprouts can be started indoors in early-March.

Warm season crops should not be transplanted until after the last frost date in your area. Tomatoes also need six to eight weeks to grow before transplanting, but since they cannot be transplanted outdoors until after the local last frost date, let’s say mid-May, tomatoes should not be started indoors until midMarch or April. The RCE fact sheet FS787 includes a table with information that will help you with the timing aspects of starting vegetables from seed.

So how do you get the healthy, stocky transplant you are looking for? There are several types of containers that can be used for starting seeds. To name a few: plastic cell packs that fit into trays; plastic pots; clean paper cups, peat pots and peat pellets. Any container that you use must have a drainage hole to prevent overwatering and disease problems.

It is very important that the container is clean to prevent disease problems. Plastic containers can be sterilized with a solution of one part bleach to 10 parts water. Soak the containers for 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly with clean water and let dry before planting.

Soil is another consideration. The easiest to work with is a commercial soilless potting mix that contains peat moss, perlite and vermiculite. Some products have fertilizer in the mix. These soilless mixes are sterile, reducing the risk of soil-borne disease, especially “damping off” disease, a common problem. Using soil from the garden is not recommended for starting seeds indoors as it may harbor insects, disease organisms or weed seeds.

Plant the seed at the appropriate depth in the container. Depths range, so it’s best to follow the recommendation on the seed packet. Also, check for information on how far apart to plant the seeds from each other in the container. If you are using a flat style container, the seedlings can be transplanted into individual pots after germination. Keep the container in a warm spot. There are heating mats designed for seed starting that can be used to hasten germination.

Keep the soil moist when the seeds are germinating. Watering from the bottom of the container is preferred, as overhead watering may be too strong for the tender new seedlings, or accidentally wash away small seeds! Covering the container with a clear plastic storage bag or clear lid helps maintain soil moisture until the seedlings emerge. Once the new plants appear, the covering should be removed.

Move the seedlings to a sunny window or place four to six inches below a fluorescent plant light.

A week before you plan on transplanting the seedlings into your outdoor garden, you can help them acclimate to the new growing conditions by placing the containers outdoors in an area protected from winds, and gradually expose them to longer periods of sunlight daily. Cut back on the watering during this “hardening off’ period. Tomatoes are very sensitive to cool temperatures, so skip the gradual outdoor sun exposure and just cut back on watering until they are transplanted after any danger of frost has passed. Happy planting!

Editor’s Note: The Union County Master Gardener’s HELP LINE fields hundreds of citizen inquiries a year – offering assistance with their indoor as well as outdoor gardening and pest control questions. Responses to resident phone calls and on-site visits comply with current Rutgers NJ Agricultural Experiment Station recommendations. Union County residents can call (908) 654-9852 or email mastergardeners@ucnj.org for assistance. A complete listing of Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) offices where you can contact a Master Gardener in your area can be found on page 26 of the Gardener News. Free RCE fact sheets are available at www.njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs.

March, 2013 17

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18 March, 2013

Gardener News

Christie administration honors animal emergency personnel for superstorm Sandy response (TRENTON, NJ) ― The New Jersey Department of Agriculture recognized the achievements of the state’s County Animal Response Teams in 2012 during a ceremony Saturday, February 2 at the Middlesex County Fire Academy and Emergency Services Center in Sayreville.

The recognition ceremony took place during the Animal Emergency Working Group’s annual review of County Animal Response Teams (CART) activities. Superstorm Sandy and the subsequent damage presented the state with unprecedented emergency challenges, including the need to evacuate and house hundreds of pets, as well as rescue hundreds more that were left behind or lost during the storm. The CARTs were activated by their county Offices of Emergency Management in preparation for the storm and some had continuing mission for almost 4 weeks.

Recognized CARTs activated during Sandy included: Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Essex, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Somerset, Sussex, and Union.

Some of those highlighted during the event for their actions above and beyond the call of duty during the response to Sandy were: Bergen CART: Gidget Petry – CART Director – Petry organized the evacuation of animals from flooded towns in Bergen after a levee was overtopped and then organized the sheltering of those and other animals.

Burlington CART: Elaine Sullivan – CART Director, Matthew Edson and Rebecca Boncheck – CART Veterinarians – In addition to caring for animals initially sheltered in Burlington, they received and cared for more than 40 animals from Ocean County. During this time, they also helped reunite people with their pets that had been left behind during evacuation and then rescued by the Humane Society of the United States. The three also traveled to Monmouth and Ocean counties after their shelter closed and helped care for animals there.

Camden CART: Chuck Bell – CART Director and Veterinarian – During the hurricane, Bell, one of the founders of the CART movement in NJ, and his team sheltered some animals in Camden for a few days. When these animals went back home, he organized his team to give assistance to Burlington and with very little warning, set up a shelter for Ocean as a snow storm approached and they faced further evacuations.

Monmouth CART: Christine Seminerio – CART Director – Seminerio single handedly ran the Monmouth County shelter for nearly four weeks. Prior to Sandy, Monmouth was still organizing a CART, and Christine was involved. As Sandy approached, she went to the former Arthur Brisbane Child Treatment Center in Wall and set up to receive animals whose owners were being sheltered in other parts of the building. She ran the shelter completely alone and unassisted for the first four days. After that, help came but she continued to stay as shelter manager for the duration of the shelter activation.

Ocean CART: Sandy Grey – CART Director and Shelter Manager, Helen Ferraro – CART Shelter Manager and John Bergman – CART ACO – Sandy and Helen ran two separate shelters for almost 12 days. During that time, more than 500 animals passed through their doors. Each one of them averaged over 100 hours of volunteer time during that period. John participated in the Search and Rescue of animals that had been left behind during evacuation of shore communities. In addition to rescuing these animals, he worked at ensuring they were reunited with their owners and even drove some of them across the state to make sure this happened.

Sussex CART – Karen Dashfield – CART Director and Veterinarian – Dashfield organized and ran the Sussex shelter where many people came to find power and heat. She also helped place animals that were given up for adoption when the owners could not care for them.

The Animal Emergency Working Group (AEWG) is a cooperative interagency committee of governmental agencies, animal owners, livestock enterprises, veterinarians, non-profit animal groups, and the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association, and other animal organizations, collaborating to develop and implement a coordinated animal emergency response. AEWG members, along with CART leadership and CART volunteers, were in attendance.

Hispanic and Women Farmers and Ranchers Claims Must be Postmarked by March 25 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) ― U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack reminds Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers who allege discrimination by the USDA in past decades that there are a few days remaining in the filing period closing March 25, 2013.

“Hispanic and women farmers who believe they have faced discriminatory practices in the past from the USDA have 45 days left to file a claim in order to have a chance to receive a cash payment or loan forgiveness,” said Secretary Vilsack. “USDA urges potential claimants to contact the Claims Administrator for information and mail their claim packages on or before March 25, 2013.”

The process offers a voluntary alternative to litigation for each Hispanic or female farmer and rancher who can prove that USDA denied his or her application for loan or loan servicing assistance for discriminatory reasons for certain time periods between 1981 and 2000.

As announced in February 2011, the voluntary claims process will make available at least $1.33 billion for cash awards and tax relief payments, plus up to $160 million in farm debt relief, to eligible Hispanic and women farmers and ranchers. There are no filing fees to participate in the program.

The Department will continue reaching out to potential Hispanic and female claimants around the country to get the word out to individuals who may be eligible for this program so they have the opportunity to participate.

Call center representatives can be reached at 1-888-508-4429.

Claimants may register for a claims package (by calling the number or visiting the website) or may download the forms from the website. All those interested in learning more or receiving information about the claims process and claims packages are encouraged to attend meetings in your communities about the claims process and contact the website at any time or call center telephone number Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Website: www. farmerclaims.gov. Phone: 1-888-508-4429

Gardener News Pruning shrubs is just as important as pruning trees, but with shrubs, more focus is placed on maintaining the shape and form of the shrub and creating a desirable and long-lasting landscape effect.

I suggest that most established shrubs should be inspected and lightly pruned on an annual basis to keep the plant contained and its growth vigorous. Too often, pruning is ignored, leaving the shrub to become overgrown and weak. Drastic pruning is then necessary to reduce plant size, which may result in disfigurement and loss of vigor. Drastic or incorrect pruning may also increase plant susceptibility to insects, diseases and environmental adversities and may reduce flowering and fruiting. It is always better to do a little bit of pruning on your shrubs each year.

As with large-tree pruning – and most everything else for that matter – we should begin with the end in mind.

Shrub pruning usually is undertaken to improve the appearance and maintain or increase the vigor of the planting.

March, 2013 19 style. Pruning saws are necessary for cuts over threequarters of an inch in diameter.

Select a saw with a coarse set of teeth to prevent gumming of the blade.

As with all tree care, the proper knowledge, technique and tools will help you meet the goals you have set for pruning Pruning Ornamental Shrubs – In the Winter of your flowering shrubs.

Most shrubs are planted in insect and disease infestations. on your shrubs, be careful not As always, I hope you confined locations as foundation Maintaining a reasonably thin to prune off the flower buds. learned something! plantings or adjacent to other crown also minimizes demands By the way, it is often best to …..’Till next month plants. Periodic pruning is for water and nutrients on the avoid late-summer pruning on necessary to confine the plant root system. Removing dead, most, if not all shrubs. Pruning Editor’s Note: Robert to a specific size and eliminate diseased or broken branches in the late-summer encourages graduated from SUNY College the necessity of rejuvenating will help maintain vigor, as well new growth to develop, which of Environmental Science large, overgrown specimens. as increase the attractiveness may not harden off sufficiently and Forestry and Syracuse Pruning also can shape shrubs of the plant. Pruning also for winter. This increases the University with degrees into a desired artificial form can rejuvenate old shrubs danger of winter injury. in science education and as with hedges, screens, and (especially forsythia and spirea) Using high-quality and forest biology. He is an ISA topiary and espalier plantings. and restore them to a young, sharp pruning instruments is Certified Arborist and a New Pruning out faded flowers, old natural growth habit. very important. Here are some Jersey Certified Tree Expert. fruit and weak branch growth Evergreen shrubs, both essential pruning tools no Robert is currently teaching (i.e. suckers) will improve the broadleaved and narrow-leaved gardener should be without: AP Environmental Science, appearance and flowering on types, are best pruned in late- Hand pruners are used for Biology and Chemistry at many shrub species. Removing winter or early-spring before cutting branches up to one- Liberty High School in PA., and undesirable branches such as new growth starts. Pruning at half inch in diameter. Loppers on staff at Temple University suckers and dense growth will this time will enable the plant to are intended for cuts up to one teaching Horticulture. He channel the plant’s energy fill in quickly, which minimizes inch in diameter. They provide delivers many short courses to the remaining branches, that “just pruned” look. Early the leverage necessary for cuts and seminars at various thereby encouraging strong spring, pruning can also facilitate on large, woody stems. Hedge outdoor education facilities. growth. Periodically thinning removal of winter-injured shears are used to shear formal He is available for talks and the crown will allow greater branches, a common occurrence plantings. They are not intended consultations in both NJ and light and air penetration, which on evergreens. If you are doing for cutting large branches or PA. Robert can be reached by reduces the possibility of annual maintenance pruning pruning shrubs in an informal calling (484) 560-5744.

New Jersey Agricultural Society Hosts Annual Gala (TRENTON, NJ) ― The New Jersey Agricultural Society will be hosting its Annual Gala on Friday April 5th at 6:00 pm at the Forsgate Country Club in Monroe, NJ. The New Jersey Agricultural Society is a 501(c) 3 non-profit dedicated to preserving and enhancing agriculture, farming and related activities and businesses in New Jersey through educational, informational, and promotional programs. The Gala is a special night to come together to support the Agricultural Society’s three programs: New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger, Learning Through Gardening, and the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program.

New Jersey Farmers Against Hunger (FAH) was started in 1996 by farmers who wanted to see their surplus produce go to good use by feeding those in need.

Today the program collects an average of 1.3 million pounds of fresh produce per year, and distributes it free of charge to over 70 community organizations. FAH utilizes the help of over 1200 volunteers every season to help harvest surplus produce.

Learning Through Gardening (LTG) provides New Jersey elementary schools with financial, educational and agricultural resources to create a school garden which is used a living learning laboratory. Teachers are encouraged to use the school garden to teach their standard curricula, including math, science, social studies and language arts. More importantly, students will have the opportunity to learn how healthy, nutritious food is produced and the importance of including fruits and vegetables in their diets.

The New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program (NJALDP) is a two year professional development opportunity, which is designed specifically for individuals in farming and agribusiness to become informed, articulate leaders.

The vision for the program is to develop articulate, knowledgeable, and skilled leaders who encourage positive change on key issues, policy and economics to advance the New Jersey agricultural industry.

Last year, over 250 people attended the Gala, consisting of a cocktail hour, open bar, buffet stations, silent auction, palm readers, casino, raffle, and award ceremony. The event is open to the public, and the Ag Society encourages anyone interested in supporting their mission to attend. The Ag Society also offers Table Sponsor, Ad Journal, Silent Auction and Donation opportunities. To register or send a donation, please email: semprebellaevents@hotmail.com.

A heartfelt thank you

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Leslie Parness (left) the newly elected president of the Garden State Gardens Consortium (GSGC), presents a plaque to Bruce Crawford, the outgoing founding and first president of the consortium, as James Avens, the organization’s treasurer, looks on at their reorganization meeting, which was held at the NJ Plants Show in January. GSGC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization representing 20 public gardens and arboreta in the Garden State.

20 March, 2013

Gardener News New Jersey Horseperson of the Year 2012

(TRENTON, NJ) ― New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher awarded the 2012 Governor’s Award for Horseperson of the Year to Linda Toscano, one of harness racing’s most successful trainers, at the 56th annual Breeders’ Luncheon in Eastampton on January 27.

Toscano, who lives in Freehold, trained the 2012 Standardbred Horse of the Year, Chapter Seven. Over the course of her career, Toscano has had 1,439 wins and $34 million in purses. This year she won a career best of $6.71 million.

“Linda Toscano is a committed and passionate advocate for the harness racing industry in New Jersey,” said Secretary Fisher. “Through her hard work and dedication, she has contributed to the success of several Jersey Bred horses, bringing great pride to the Garden State over the years.”

On behalf of the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board, a committee of past Horsepersons of the Year chose to recognize Toscano, who, in August, became the first female trainer to win the prestigious Hambletonian with Jersey-bred Market Share. She began her career by working summers at the stables at Roosevelt Raceway in Westbury, NY. During her career, she worked with veteran trainer Buddy Regan and Hall of Famers Buddy Gilmour and John Campbell.

In addition to the Governor’s Trophy, the annual Breeder’s Luncheon celebrated the state’s best in the equine field in 2012. Other awards presented at the event were: Secretary of Agriculture Award for New Jersey-bred Thoroughbred Horse of the Year: Javerre. Owned by Smith Farm & Stable and trained by Cal Lynch, Javerre was a winner of four of his seven starts this year. He won his first three races of the year at Monmouth Park, quickly becoming one of the more talked about horses during the early portion of the 2012 Monmouth Park meet. The son of Outflanker captured the $60,000 New Jersey Breeder’s Handicap on September 15 at Monmouth Park in his fifth start. Bred in New Jersey by Gunsmith Stables, Javerre finished the year with $158,170 in earnings. Javerre is the product of a New Jersey broodmare family bred by Gunsmith Stables that goes back to the multiple graded stakes winner, Avie’s Fancy. Avie’s Fancy, the third dam of Javerre, earned $402,909 during her career.

Secretary of Agriculture Award for New Jersey Standardbred Horse of the Year: Chapter Seven. The New Jersey-sired son of Windsong’s Legacy was bred in the Garden State by Richard Banca of Franklin Lakes. The 4-year-old won eight of his 10 starts this year and tied the world record of 1:50.1 by winning the Nat Ray Invitational at the Meadowlands. He also won the $600,000 Breeders Crown Open Trot. Chapter Seven is co-owned by Richard Gutnick, Southwind Farm and Jerry and Theresa Silva and was trained by Linda Toscano. He earned $1.02 million in purses New Jersey Sire Stakes -- Premier Horse of the Year: Sarandon Blue Chip. Daughter of Western Ideal, Sarandon Blue Chip was the winner of the two biggest races for three-year-old pacing fillies in New Jersey-sired competition this year at the Meadowlands. She earned $188,509 in purses in 2012 for co-owners Casie Coleman Stables of Ontario and Tom Hill of the United Kingdom. She is trained by Casie Coleman. Green Acres Horse of the Year: Aunt Mel. The three-year-old trotting filly was winner of five NJ-sired races at Freehold Raceway in 2012, earning $52,085 of her $139,420 overall 2012 purse money in New Jersey. The daughter of Yankee Glide is owned by Mary Jane Anderson of Long Grove, IL and trained by Erv Miller.

New Jersey Equestrienne of the Year: Katie Washart, Seaville. Washart, 18, a freshman pre-med student at Washington College in Maryland. Washart received a $250 scholarship and was chosen based on her ability to communicate and her knowledge of horses, as well as being well-versed in many phases of the horse industry.

New Jersey Agricultural Achievement Award: Kristie VonThun, Monmouth Junction. VonThun was awarded a $500 scholarship, sponsored by Amy Butewicz, a former New Jersey Equestrian of the Year who wanted to give back to the community. She was selected based upon her essay, which answered the question: “How has your involvement within 4-H helped to shape your future career choice?”

Sara Dubinin Scholarship: Juliana Isnardi, Plainsboro. Isnardi was the winner of a $1,000 scholarship in memory of Sara Dubinin, a Sayreville equestrian who was the victim of a car accident in 2007. She was selected based on her essay on “How horses have affected my life and how horses figure into my future.”

Bell Scholarship: Monica Smetts, Brick. The scholarship is named for Ernest C. Bell, a horse breeder and one of the founders of the Equine Advisory Board. Smetts, a Rutgers University senior, received a $1,000 scholarship to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

Time to Start Thinking About Annuals in New Jersey greenhouses in 32 states and Washington, D.C. The organism that causes downy mildew is a type of “water mold,” formerly referred to as a fungus. Downy mildew can be spread by two different types of spores; one type is easily airborne and remains viable for just a short time. The other type is a zoospore, which moves through a film of water.

Downy mildew symptoms on infected plants begin with leaf stippling, downward curling of leaves and leaf yellowing. A white, downylike growth may be present on the underside of yellow leaves, but also can be found on the underside of green leaves. As the disease progresses, leaf drop occurs, resulting in bare, leafless stems. And infected stems become soft and plants collapse under continued wet and cool conditions During the 2012 growing season, plant growers in New Jersey applied fungicides to protect the plants from downy mildew throughout their

production cycle, but that protection only lasts a few weeks after the plants leave the greenhouse or garden center.

For 2013, plant growers in New Jersey will continue to produce garden impatiens, and will again protect the plants with fungicides prior to sale.

However, indications are only a limited supply of impatiens plants will be available.

If you choose to use impatiens again in your garden, avoid using impatiens in the same flowerbeds planted with

(Continued from Page 1) impatiens in 2012 to avoid a reoccurrence of the disease due to overwintering.

I have been told that New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawker) have a high resistance to this disease.

While garden impatiens have been hugely popular, plant growers are recommending that gardeners explore a wide variety of other annual plants that will be available at your local garden center. With proper guidance, gardeners will notice no difference in the ability to create a dazzling

Tom Castronovo/Photo

display as in other years.

Sunpatiens bloom from spring through fall, in both sunny and shady spots with two- to three-inch flowers on bushy plants. Begonias have a mounding habit and are shade- and drought-tolerant with bronze or green foliage with assorted hues of whites, pinks, or reds. Browallia has white or shades of blue or purple flowers. Caladium (Angel-wing) also provides colorful, large leaves. Coleus provides an assortment of colors and unique foliage.

Bicolored red, purple, pink, or white Fuchsia does well in containers or hanging baskets, and upright varieties can do well in the landscape, too.

Lobelia, or cardinal flower, prefers partial, not full shade.

Spreading varieties have blue, pink, or white flowers, whereas upright varieties often have red or white flowers.

Salvia prefers partial shade and usually has red, pink, or white flowers.

And do not forget to look for the Jersey Grown logo to

ensure the plants were grown here in our Garden State. The Department of Agriculture has finalized its program expanding Jersey Grown to include annual bedding plants so consumers know they are getting healthy, pest and disease-free plants.

Check out your local garden center, ask questions and try something new this spring!

For nursery and garden center listings, visit www.jerseygrown.nj.gov.

Editor’s Note: Douglas H. Fisher is New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture.

He is the department’s executive officer, secretary to the State Board of Agriculture and a member of the Governor’s cabinet.

Secretary Fisher fulfills executive, management and administrative duties prescribed by law, executive order or gubernatorial direction. He can be reached at 609.292.3976. For more info, please visit: http:// www.state.nj.us/agriculture

Gardener News

March, 2013 21

Warm Feelings for Agriculture (Continued from page 12)

Russell Jr. and Joseph, and their families.

The New Jersey Agricultural Society awarded Ron Fisher of Ron’s Gardens in Hammonton with the Tony Russo Farmers Marketing Award for excellence in promoting New Jersey’s agricultural products.

VonThun Farms, of Monmouth Junction, was honored with the Neil Robson Farmers Against Hunger Award. The award was established in memory of Robson, a leading Burlington County farmer who died suddenly in 2006, to recognize farmers who make outstanding contributions to the fight against hunger by providing fresh fruits and vegetables to help feed the hungry. Bob and Cindy VonThun have donated more than 30,000 pounds of produce to Farmers Against Hunger, a gleaning organization that collects donated Jersey Fresh produce and distributes it to emergency feeding organizations throughout the state.

The New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association honored Steve Wagner of Brock Farms in Bridgeton as Nurseryman of the Year.

The Garden State Seafood Association posthumously honored Barnegat Light Sea Captain Jimmy Mears by presenting his brothers, Dan and Rick Mears, with the Commercial Fishing Industry Award on his behalf. Mears was lost in an accident at sea 10 miles off of Long Beach Island in January 2012.

Also, Roger Kumpel, a hay, long straw, grain and vegetable farmer in Southampton Township, Burlington County, was honored with a Distinguished Service Citation to New Jersey agriculture from the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Governor Chris Christie receives a Jersey Fresh fleece for his unwavering support toward the agricultural community in the Garden State from New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher just before the State Agricultural Convention and the Vegetable Growers Association dinner Wednesday, February 6, at Trump Taj Mahal Casino Hotel.

April is for Arboretum!

A n n uA l B A r t o n A r B o r e t u m l e c t u r e

historic gardens of philadelphia Saturday, April 13, 11:00 am | Medford Campus Theater | No Charge

Jenny Rose Carey, Director of the Landscape Arboretum at Temple University Ambler, will share her passion for local gardens of the early 20th Century and the women who developed them.

Light lunch and Arboretum tours follow lecture. RSVP requested. e v e n i n g i n t h e A r B o r e t u m — t h i r d A n n uA l B e n e f i t Saturday, April 27, 5:00 - 9:00 pm | Medford Campus | $85/person

Wine tasting, hearty hors d’oeuvres, silent auction, arboretum tours.

Proceeds benefit the Arboretum. Paid RSVP deadline: April 14, 2013

V i s i t o u r w e b s i t e f o r d e ta i ls o r ca l l 6 0 9 - 6 5 4 - 3 5 27 to r sV P.

the barton arboretum and nature Preserve of medford Leas

w w w. m e d f o r d l e A s . o r g

A nationally accredited, not-for-profit community, guided by Quaker principles, for those age 55+, with campuses in Medford and Lumberton, NJ Member: American Public Gardens Association • Greater Philadelphia Gardens • Garden State Gardens

22 March, 2013

Gardener News

Rutgers Professor Recognized for Revolutionizing Agriculture

By Robin Lally Joachim Messing, among the world’s top experts in molecular genetics, became famous for developing a genetic engineering technique used in laboratories to create plants that have produced disease-resistant crops considered vital to feeding the world’s population.

Instead of cashing in on his discovery, he gave this scientific blueprint – which revolutionized agriculture and helped to crack the genetic code of plants like rice and corn – away for free to his fellow scientists around the world.

Messing, director of Rutgers University’s Waksman Institute of Microbiology, chose to share his research because he believed it could result in more sustainable crops that would help to end hunger and conserve the environment.

“When I look at the products that have been made today, it is clear they were dependent on the tools that were developed many years ago,” said Messing, the Selman A. Waksman Chair in Molecular Genetics at Rutgers. “I thought it was important to be generous and make this freely available without restrictions so biotechnological innovations could move forward.”

For his contribution to humanity, Messing has been recognized by the Wolf Foundation of Israel and awarded the 2013 Wolf Prize in Agriculture. The Wolf Prize honors scientists and artists whose “achievements are in the interest of mankind and friendly relations among peoples.”

The professor of molecular biology – who teaches undergraduates and mentors students in his laboratory – is being recognized for innovations in recombinant DNA cloning, more commonly known as genetic engineering, and for deciphering the genetic code of crop plants. He will share the $100,000 prize with Jared Diamond of the University of California –

Los Angeles, a scientist and Pulitzer Prize winner, who has written several best-sellers, including Guns, Germs and Steel.

Messing is among only eight recipients worldwide chosen to receive the prize awarded annually in agriculture, chemistry, mathematics, medicine/ and or physics as well as the arts. He will receive the Wolf Prize in May from Israel President Shimon Peres at the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament in Jerusalem.

The Wolf Foundation was established in 1975 by the

recognition is coming here to Rutgers because I am very proud of the work that is being done at our university.”

For Messing, who came to Rutgers in 1985 to oversee research at the Waksman Institute, finding innovative methods that will allow for the development of superior crops with higher yields and nutritional quality – either through traditional breeding or genetic engineering – has been a priority.

“Since I was born, the world’s population has doubled,” said Messing, 66, whose published research

in agriculture but also in the development of new pharmaceuticals and the diagnostics of diseases.

Rutgers President Robert L. Barchi, a neuroscientist and neurologist, said he used many of the techniques pioneered by Messing in research he has conducted on the structure and function of voltage-gated ion channels in nerve and muscle, and on the role these critical molecules can play in human disease.

“This work could not have been done without Joachim Messing’s seminal contribution,” Barchi said.

late German-born inventor, diplomat and philanthropist Ricardo Wolf, who served as the Cuban ambassador to Israel from 1961 to 1973.

“I am honored but this news was really a surprise,” said Messing who received a phone call from Israel’s Minister of Education on New Year’s Day to tell him he had been selected. “I think it’s important that this

became the most frequently cited among all of science in the 1980s, according to The Scientist, a national magazine covering life sciences and innovations. “This means we need more food on less land with less water.”

The genetic engineering technique he gave away for free instead of patenting has been critical for the early biotechnology industry

“We at Rutgers are proud to count him as a colleague and faculty member.”

The results of Messing’s work are a tribute to his life’s research. Today, his work focuses on providing more sustainable, healthy and productive sources of food for the world’s population and extracting biofuels for energy from plants like carbon-cycling duckweed

and drought-tolerant sorghum, that grow either on water or marginal land and do not compete with land used in food production.

“After watching the acreage of crops with reduced toxic chemical applications grow over the last 15 years, you can see the positive impact that these techniques have had on the environment and health of people,” he said.

Messing joins two former Rutgers faculty members chosen to receive the Wolf Prize and is the second to receive the prize in agriculture. Israel Gelfand, a Soviet mathematician, won the prize for math in 1978 while teaching at Rutgers followed by Karl Maramorosch who was awarded the prize in agriculture in 1980 and was one of the first people Messing reached out to after receiving the news.

“It was so wonderful that I could share this news with him,” said Messing who is described by those who have worked with him as having contagious enthusiasm that spreads throughout his laboratory creating positive synergy among the team.

“He has the mentality that whatever you are doing can be done,” said Marja Timmermans who worked with Messing as a lab technician and a graduate student from 1987 to 1996 and is now a professor at Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory in New York.

“He’s happy and enthusiastic and that excitement rubs off and creates a really positive, creative environment.”

Besides his recognition as a Wolf Prize winner, Messing has been inducted as a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, the oldest continuously existing scientific association in the world. Membership in the academy is among the highest honors accorded for scientific accomplishments.

Editor’s Note: Robin Lally works for the Rutgers Office of Media Relations. She can be reached at (732) 9327084 or by emailing rlally@ ur.rutgers.edu

Gardener News

March, 2013 23 Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

Planning Ahead

ATTENTION NEW JERSEY

HOMEOWNERS PROPERTY OWNERS PROPERTY MANAGERS Does Your Landscape Professional Have The Following?

NJ Home Improvement Contractors Reg. No. NJDA Plant Dealer Certificate NJ Fertilizer Certificate (If Applicable) NJ DEP Pesticide License (If Applicable) Liability and Worker’s Comp Insurance Municipal Landscapers License (If Applicable)

These are all required by law!

ASK THEM FOR A COPY BEFORE THEY BEGIN TO WORK ON YOUR PROPERTY THIS SEASON

I have spent the better part of the winter educating myself, attending trades shows, seminars, garden tours, private gardens and surfing the net all to better prepare myself for the upcoming year. I learned a long time ago that no one can learn every plant… there’s simply too many. That said, I am eager to learn as many as possible and I am constantly adjusting my favorite plant list. My personality has me making lists, setting goals and attacking projects whenever I can. When customers come into our garden center, and they have been all winter long, with their special plant requests, I’d like to think I’m ready. The question is… are you?

A little background about the green industry and the way it works. Orders are placed for plant material as early as last summer for the coming spring and acknowledgments for those orders from suppliers go out soon after. The beginning of the new year, confirmations are sent out confirming total counts and availability of plants. Barring any catastrophic storms or unforeseen circumstances, these confirmations are accurate and true. What all this means is that there is a race, almost a fight, to get premium, unique, rare and well-groomed plants. Not all plant material is created equal! I wrote an article about this in the Gardener News back in May 2006.

Cultural practices such as grafting, pruning, fertilizing, spraying, tissue culture, air layering, planting mediums and growing environments are just a few things quality growers know and implement to develop their premium plant material. It is not by accident that good-looking plant material arrives at your independent garden center.

And while there are many growers in the world who may grow rhododendron, to pick a commodity most have heard of, not all of them are finished the same way.

Consider if you will, the wine makers who use the grape cabernet sauvignon, a widely recognized red grape variety that is grown in nearly every major wine producing country. Diverse climates from Canada to Lebanon show the adaptability of this grape, yet their finished tastes can be quite different. The French have a word that loosely translates as “a sense of place.” The terroir “is the set of special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place, interacting with the plant’s genetics, express in agricultural products such as wine, coffee, chocolate, tomatoes, heritage wheat and tea” (Wikipedia). Plants like the aforementioned tomato, coffee, chocolate, wheat and tea all embody “the sum of the effects that the local environment has had on the production of that product.” (Wikipedia). Compound all of this with the mechanics of pruning, fertilizing, staking and grafting, just to name a few, and you can begin to understand that simply dropping a small plant into a pot and waiting for your return is much more complicated than that.

To the point of this article, Planning Ahead, you should consider an outline for your garden projects now so you will be better prepared next month when fresh plant material starts arriving at your local garden center. Do your research, whether it’s for the skeletal bones of your project like boxwoods, laurels and azaleas or for a unique specimen plant like a Japanese maple, dwarf conifer or any number of deciduous beauties, plants come and go quickly in the spring. Given the limited opportunity to dig trees out of the ground in late winter and early spring, should you want larger caliper specimens, my advice is to visit early and often your preferred garden center this year. The buzz at all the trade shows this past winter was that plants are in short supply right now. Even pedestrian plants like Alberta spruce and arborvitae are limited this year. Contributing factors include the economic downturn and recent storms. Production, by growers, has been rolled back over the years and is now coming to a head.

The best growers in the country understood, years back, when there was a surplus of plants, that growing quality plants is all about rotation. When their numbers were deep, only the disciplined made the harder decision to destroy crops and continue on to avoid future loss. Today, those who had that foresight and discipline have “the goods” while others who choose to salvage an already floundering crop have more of the same in their pipeline. This spring, scrutinize your selections, ask thoughtful questions and engage professionals to help plan your gardens. Remember, planning ahead will save you time, money and potential disappointment this spring.

Editor’s Note: Bob LaHoff is co-owner of Hall’s Garden Center and Florist in Union County, a member of the Union County Board of Agriculture, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, the American Boxwood Society, the European Boxwood Society, a members of the Reeves-Reed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society, a member of the NJ Plants Trade Show Advisory Board, and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers. He can be reached at (908) 665-0331.

24 March, 2013

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March, 2013 25

Magnolia Photo Contest Announced: Deadline April 30th.

(CHESTER, NJ) ― This Spring, the Willowwood Foundation at the Willowwood Arboretum located in Chester Township has planned a new photo contest. The subject of this photo contest is Willowwood’s Magnolias, which have long been a prized horticultural theme at Willowwood. In the past two years, the collection has been photographed and verified by John Beirne, a well-known Magnolia Expert and many new and unusual specimens were planted and should be in bloom this year.

Willowwood’s rolling meadows which were used as farmland in the 1700’s were developed into gardens at the turn of the century by Robert and Henry Tubbs, two brothers whose shared passion included growing rare and unusual plants which were bought and imported from around the world to create the distinctive plantings that surround us today. Magnolias were clearly one of their passions and the Willowwood Arboretum Magnolia Collection is diverse and varied. Venerable specimens that abound throughout the gardens have been recently joined by new and exciting cultivars, hybrids and species and the number of documented accessions is now well over 150. The Willowwood Arboretum’s Magnolia Collection is now one of the resplendent jewels of the arboretum, paying tribute and deference to the arboretum founders and their vision as well as becoming a prime destination for Magnolia enthusiasts.

The top 10 photos will be displayed at the Willowwood Arboretum on Mother’s Day, May 12, 2013 and at the Lilac Party, May 19, 2013. Attendees will vote and the winner will receive a prize as well as have their photo displayed on the website: www. willowwoodarboretum.org.

Rules: Magnolias (dependent on Mother Nature, of course, generally in bloom mid-March into April). All photos must be taken at the Willowwood Arboretum, a facility of the Morris County Park Commission in Chester, NJ. Photos from the past or this year will qualify. Submit jpegs (no more than 3 per email) to wwfoundation@willowwoodfoundation.com.

Questions? More Information? Please email wwfoundation@ willowwoodfoundation.com.

A real tree leader

Tom Castronovo/Photo

The New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association (NJCTGA) elected Chris Nicholson, owner of Hidden Pond Tree Farm in Mendham, Morris County, N.J., as their new president during their reorganization meeting on February 12, 2013. The NJCTGA is a statewide organization of growers, professionals and allied industry leaders dedicated to the advancement of the latest information in the production, promotion and marketing of Christmas trees and related products. The association was organized on September 19, 1950, in Cranbury, N.J., and incorporated in 1967. The group is comprised of over 200 members throughout New Jersey and the United States.

An Array of Gardens & Garden Events

By Jeannie Geremia Garden Club of New Jersey We’re in that breathless anticipation mode as a new gardening year is on the horizon and we’ve been privy to an array of gardens lovingly executed in the New Jersey Flower and Garden Show with more exotic colors and plant combinations to consider inserting into our own gardens.

Now it’s onto the fabulous Philadelphia Flower Show, “Brilliant,” featuring my favorite English gardens with borders of fox glove, hellebores, roses, iris, alliums spilling over each other. Whether it’s in an English cottage garden or a more formal garden setting, the love of gardening is evident everywhere. Following on the heels of Philadelphia, our North Jersey shines with the Springfest Garden Show at the Sussex County Fairgrounds, illuminating garden displays with new plants guaranteed to dazzle our senses.

Now to the task ahead for all of us in the Garden State who have suffered some kind of loss from Superstorm Sandy. As Bob LaHoff so succinctly put it in his February column in the Gardener News – “When Life Gives You Lemons…” we are about to make that lemonade.

The good news is for many public gardens and community gardens throughout the state, the GCNJ has already started that process by awarding $23,000 to various garden projects throughout the state thanks to a grant the GCNJ received from the USDA’s 2013 Specialty Crop Block Grant through the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. We made the initial awards to 28 gardening projects throughout the state, totaling $23,000, on Sunday, February 17, at the New Jersey Flower and Garden Show. We were also pleased to be able to award trees, shrubs and plants totaling some $6,000 donated by the NJ Plants Trade Show for distribution to our grant recipients, plus over

$6,000 worth of seeds, and $750 in gardening supplies donated by Gardeners Supply Co. of Vermont, that we gave out to our grant recipients and donors to our Natural Disasters Fund. All monies realized from the donations to our Natural Disasters Fund will be earmarked to help restore public gardens in New Jersey damaged by Superstorm Sandy.

The GCNJ Community Gardens/Jersey Fresh/Jersey Grown Project is the most rewarding project I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of. Imagine being on the committee and reviewing all the wonderful projects that communities, garden clubs and volunteers are doing to promote gardening, and encouraging school children and the public to grow healthy food and plants, including vegetables, fruits, perennials, and annuals.

Our citizens coming together and beautifying public parks by restoring the damage done by Sandy and making a difference throughout out Great State just doesn’t get better than that.

We will continue to showcase our Jersey Fresh and Jersey Grown produce and products as our way of helping to keep our agricultural industry vibrant and strong, keeping the Garden in the Garden State.

Some of the noteworthy projects that we have been able to help in these stilltough economic times are four gardening projects in Ridgewood, including a children’s butterfly garden.

The Women Gardeners of Ridgewood were delighted with the financial help we provided them as they were digging plants up from their own gardens to keep Ridgewood green and beautiful. Another project involving approximately 100 children is the “Roots, Shoots, and Bulbs” project with All Seasons Garden Club in Morris Plains, working with Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts (ages 6-10) planting daffodils

in three to four public parks and planting vegetables in a raised outdoor bed at the local elementary school, and the expansion of Branchburg Township’s Whiton School Master Gardener’s “Seed to Salad” vegetable garden. We have several new community gardens receiving assistance: Long Valley, Red Bank, Bridgeton, Phillipsburg and the renovation/expansion of existing community gardens in Maplewood, Montclair, Edison, Raritan Township, Freehold, Demarest Northern Valley High School, Chatham, Jersey City, Tiger Patch Learning Garden in Atlantic Highlands, Frenchtown, and Morris County, the restoration of a public garden in Westfield that was shady before Sandy to a sunny, butterfly garden, and restoration of the Edith Duff Gwen Gardens in Barnegat Light. We also awarded grants to Garden Education Projects: the Keyport Garden/ Walk Garden Education Days on June 8 and 9, 2013, a “Celebrate Jersey Fresh and Jersey Grown” Educational Program at Duke Farms with Executive Chef Peter Pascale presenting a program of healthy menus using local produce, and The Children’s Garden Quilt Program and Garden Education in Tewksbury Township. Check out our grant application on our website listed below. Get Out There and Make a Difference!

Editor’s Note: Jeannie Geremia is the Horticultural Chair and NGC Accredited Judge for the Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., GCNJ Community Garden Chair and Central Atlantic Region Community Garden Chair of National Garden Clubs, Inc. She can be reached by emailing jeannieg42@earthlink. net Garden Club of New Jersey’s website is: www. gardenclubofnewjersey. com and phone number is: 732-249-0947.

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26 March, 2013

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$1,000.00 Scholarship

RutgeRs CoopeRative extension phone DiReCtoRy

The Firman E. Bear Chapter offers a $1000.00 scholarship to full-time students in good standing at any New Jersey accredited college, or a resident of New Jersey attending any accredited out-of-state college; Students must also have successfully completed, or will complete by the award date, at least two semesters of study; and be an undergraduate enrolled in a curriculum related to natural resources including but not limited to: agriculture, agronomy, conservation, ecology, environmental science, fisheries, forestry, geography, journalism, plant science, soil science, and/or wildlife. Other areas related to conservation may also qualify.

The application must be postmarked by April 19, 2013.

The award will be announced by May 31, 2013.

Scholarship will be awarded in memory of Edward R. Hall and Robert R. Hanna.

Learn more at www.njswcs.org

THINK SPRING!

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Union Co. Master Gardeners Robin Lally

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March, 2013 27

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28 March, 2013

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