Gardener News January 2014

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Gardener News

January, 2015

Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities GARDENERNEWS.COM

TAKE ONE No. 141

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor

Tom Castronovo/P Castronovo/Photo

Gardener News proudly bestows our 2014 “Person of the Year” to New Jersey Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R- Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset), for being very passionate and protective toward the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities. And for helping to keep the “garden” in the Garden State.

Senator Bateman, a life-long resident of New Jersey enjoys visiting farmers markets to support the hard working farmers in the state. He can be seen often at the Somerville Downtown Farmers Market in Somerset County and the Branchburg Community Farmers Market, also in Somerset County. He visits the farmers markets to supplement his own vegetable garden. In 2014, there were over 150 farmers markets throughout New Jersey. Senator Bateman can also be seen at garden centers and greenhouses with cart loads of annuals and perennials for his planting beds. He is a true supporter of the Jersey Fresh, and Jersey Grown (Continued on Page 6)

2 January, 2015

GARDEN CENTER DIRECTORY

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We Do… & Calcium, Snow Shovels, Firewood & Propane.

Hall’s Garden Center & Florist 700 Springfield Avenue, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 908.665.0331 | www.hallsgarden.com

Thank you for a wonderful 2014 season.

See you in March!

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Gardener News

January, 2015 3 Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Five Miles of Lights and a Great Show I woke up on Wednesday, December 3, to a rainy morning. This was a big day for me. On my schedule was visiting two very special events in the Big Apple, also known as New York City.

After checking several weather websites, listening to the radio and watching television, I decided to make the trip from New Jersey under the river via the Lincoln Tunnel to the city that never sleeps. All of the forecasts predicted the rain would end by early evening. I had my fingers crossed.

My first stop was indoors, so I wasn’t that worried. I parked my SUV at the New York Hilton Parking Garage on West 54th Street. This garage is very convenient to Rockefeller Center. And it’s very easy to return to the Lincoln Tunnel from there.

My first stop was the New York Produce Show and Conference at the Javits Center, located on 11th Avenue between 34th and 40th streets. You are probably trying to figure out at this point why I parked so far away for the Javits Center. In a few short sentences I’ll explain. The show was presented by the Eastern Produce Council and Produce Business magazine. These two industry leaders joined forces to present an exciting, world-class event for the produce industry.

The three-day event included networking opportunities, a trade show of over 400 companies, a retail “thought-leader” panel hosted by “Perishable Pundit” Jim Prevor, educational microsessions and tours of the region’s vibrant industry, including the local retailers, wholesalers, foodservice distributors and urban farms and unique eateries.

One of the chief reasons I attended the New York Produce Show and Conference was the opportunity to meet and interact with the industry’s finest produce and floral suppliers, as well as the industry’s leading service providers.

What an afternoon to be in New York City!

At the end of the show, along with two of my good friends, we headed toward Rockefeller Center. My second stop was the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting festivities. I was excited.

Rockefeller Center is one of the most recognized commercial properties in the world. It encompasses the six square blocks between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas from 48th to 51st Streets, rising 70 stories above beautiful Midtown Manhattan.

The landmark property consists of 12 Art Deco buildings, with unique, internationally recognized architectural features. Rockefeller Center is not only a place of business but also a premier destination for world-class shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues.

If you have never been to Rockefeller Center, I highly recommend visiting this park-like setting in Manhattan. During the winter months, you can even skate on their ice rink. The center is very clean and I feel very safe there. The public restrooms are the cleanest I’ve ever been in. Rockefeller Center is also home to the Rainbow Room, Top of the Rock, Radio City Music Hall, and the “Today Show” on NBC. We stopped by a Country Western bar called Johnny Utah’s on West 51st Street to see their mechanical bull, get a bite to eat and have a beer. We then headed back outside; the rain had stopped. I thought to myself that magic of the night was starting to happen. After a short walk over toward 6th Avenue, we arrived in Rockefeller Center around 6 p.m. to a crowd of thousands. Giant white light-silhouetted snowflakes on the buildings greeted us. We found our spot under the tree. The hospitality that the Rockefeller Center folks offered us was incredible.

True professional hosts.

It turned out that the location we chose was where the star-studded Christmas spectacular was hosted by “Today Show” anchors Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker. They were very friendly folks, interacting with everyone who wanted to say hello.

The spectacular featured performances by Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, Cyndi Lauper, Seth MacFarlane, Idina Menzel, Pentatonix, LeAnn Rimes, Trisha Yearwood, Mariah Carey, Prince Royce, Darius Rucker and the Rockettes.

After spending a good part of three magical hours being entertained, and to a moon lit sky, the tree was lit. I can’t even explain the feeling. It was breathtaking.

What a night to be in New York City!

The giant Norway spruce Christmas tree can be viewed each day from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. until January 7, 2015. It has 45,000 energy-efficient multi-colored LED lights adorning it on five miles of wire.

Thank you again to the great folks at Rockefeller Center, the New York Produce Show, the Eastern Produce Council, Produce Business magazine and the weather forecasters for making December 3 a memorable one.

I sincerely hope each and every one of you reading this column has a happy, prosperous and a healthy New Year!

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.

Lyric Wild Bird Food

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2014 NJ Flower and Garden Show Award Winning Water Display Garden

4 January, 2015

Gardener News

Planning is going well for this year’s New Jersey State Agricultural Convention and Trade Show being held February 3-5 at the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City. There is great excitement building for this annual event.

The first New Jersey State Agricultural Convention was held in 1916, following the creation of the State Department of Agriculture. That makes the 2015 convention the 100th gathering of the state’s agricultural community along with the State Board of Agriculture.

Of course, agriculture has changed quite a bit since 1916.

During that time period, 53.5 percent of New Jersey’s land was dedicated to farming. There were 33,487 farms on 2,573,857 acres. Manual labor of the entire family and the use of horses dominated farm life. Railroads enabled transportation of more perishable goods, enabling New Jersey farmers to produce more fresh fruits and vegetables for trade and opening up New Jersey to competition from other states. Over the years, what was raised and grown in the state changed, and gradually New Jersey’s agriculture grew from predominantly livestock, grain and meat to vegetables, poultry and dairy products.

representatives offering a wide range of agricultural products and services.

In addition to all the business that is conducted, the New Jersey State Agricultural Convention is always a time to meet with fellow farmers and share experiences. People are able to network and learn from each other what works and what doesn’t work. They share resources that have helped them grow their businesses, work together to solve problems and look for new opportunities.

One of the many things I’ve learned from my years as Secretary of Agriculture is that there are no more generous people than our state’s hardworking farmers and agriculture industry members.

NJ Dept. of Agriculture

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

The 100th NJ State Agricultural Convention Today, New Jersey still has over 9,000 farms on 715,000 acres, which accounts for 15 percent of the state’s land mass.

This valuable acreage boasts some of the most productive lands in the United States. New Jersey ranks fourth in the nation in value of market products sold per acre, more than three times the national average. The horticulture industry, such as nursery, greenhouse, sod and Christmas trees, is the largest sector of state agriculture, followed by fruits and vegetables and field crops.

Over the last 100 years, our population has grown and our citizens value our bounty of local farm products. In just the past 10 years, the number of community farmers markets has increased five-fold. We rank nationally in the production of many fruits and vegetables: third for cranberries; third for bell peppers; third for spinach;

fourth for peaches; fifth for blueberries; fifth for cucumbers; sixth for squash; sixth for sweet corn; seventh for tomatoes; and eighth for snap beans.

We are an agricultural powerhouse and we show it by holding the largest annual gathering of the state’s agricultural industry, attended by representatives of county agriculture boards, granges, breed and commodity organizations, USDA, Rutgers University and other members of the agriculture community.

While the agenda is still being formulated, we expect to have several “learning sessions” on topics important to New Jersey farmers. We will have a presentation on the Jersey Fresh Farm to School program.

A new program was started in 2014, the Jersey Fresh Farm to School Recognition Program, to encourage and promote schools and farmers who connect to

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

It’s in the news

Tom Castronovo/Photo

American show business professional Tony Orlando, best known as the lead singer of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early 1970s, looks over the Gardener News during a recent New Jersey visit. Orlando’s major hits include “Candida,” “Knock Three Times,” “Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose,” and “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.” His group also hosted a variety program, “The Tony Orlando and Dawn Show,” on CBS from 1974 to 1976. Orlando remains one of America’s best-loved personalities. He has been a recipient of three American Music Awards and a People’s Choice Award. For outstanding achievements to the entertainment industry, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1990.

bring local fruits and vegetables to school students and teach them about how their food is grown. We also will hear from the New Jersey Restaurant Association on how farmers and chefs can work together to bring restaurant patrons local fare.

In addition, the delegates will discuss issues affecting the industry, help set agricultural policy for the coming year and determine two new members of the State Board of Agriculture.

As in past years, we expect to hear from Rutgers, FFA and 4-H. Awards will be given out, there will be a youth reception and a delegates’ dinner on February 4.

In addition, the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey will host educational sessions focusing on the latest in production and marketing techniques. At the same time, a trade show will take place, highlighting vendors and

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

January, 2015 5

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6 January, 2015

Gardener News Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

A Cunning Conifer

2014 Person of the Year (Continued from page 1) brands, as well as the state's green landscape.

Senator Bateman is also a member of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee. As a committee member, he works tirelessly to ensure that the environment in New Jersey stays safe for all to enjoy, both now and into the future.

One of the many outstanding pieces of legislation that Senator Bateman crafted and sponsored was Senate No. 480. This bill requires school districts to notify parents within 10 days when soil contaminated with pesticides or other chemicals is discovered at a school. Senate No. 480 was signed into law in 2010.

Senator Bateman also crafted and sponsored Senate, No. 939. This bill designates the Black Swallowtail butterfly as the official State Butterfly of New Jersey. This large, black, yellow and blue butterfly is indigenous to New Jersey and can be found in each of the state’s 21 counties. The Black Swallowtail is both beautiful and beneficial, pollinating many cultivated flowers and crops. For generations to come, New Jersey school children can raise Black Swallowtails and other butterflies in their classrooms as they have done for years, thus gaining a valuable appreciation for natural science. By designating a State butterfly, New Jersey joins a majority of states that have made such a designation. It also recognizes the important role that butterflies and other pollinators play in agriculture and the ecosystem. Senate No. 939 has a companion bill, Assembly No. 2913.

On October 16, 2013 Senator Bateman presented a joint resolution from the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey Assembly to the Garden State Gardens Consortium during the non-profit organization’s 5th Anniversary meeting.

The organization’s mission is to increase public awareness of and appreciation for New Jersey’s public gardens by promoting their horticultural, (Cont. on page 16)

One of my favorite trees in the world has very little presence here in New Jersey. A tree native to central and southern China, this tree has captivated my attention for decades.

A coniferous evergreen, this intriguing conifer has leaves that are spirally arranged and is often confused with another conifer, Florida Gopher Wood, Torreya taxifolia. Chinafir, Cunninghamia lanceolata has a presence up and down the Eastern seaboard, with an outstanding example close to home.

Hidden on a private estate in Watchung, N.J., sits a 30-foot specimen accentuating all the finer points this tree has to offer. Well on its way to an anticipated height of 60 to 70 feet, 150 feet in the wild, this pyramidal tree has slightly pendulous branches, giving the appearance of a rather exotic or prehistoric-looking tree.

A medium growing conifer, the bark on Chinafir is brown and peels off in long irregular strips, exposing its reddish inner bark. Bright green to blue-green leaves will weather to a bronze-green in our colder months. These softly spined, leathery, stiff needles are one to two inches long. Two white or greenish-white stomatal bands underneath, and sometimes above, on the foliage are a helpful plant identification. “Hardy” in zones 6-9, I have seen magnificent specimens in Oregon, Florida (Disney World) and North Carolina (the Biltmore Estate).

The cones of this unique tree are seldom seen solitarily, usually several together.

Globose, pendent- shaped cones have been likened to that of an artichoke. Chinafir, not a true fir by the way, is able to tolerate excessive heat and drought and appreciates full sun to part shade. Being mindful of avoiding windy areas and providing moist, well-drained, acid soil for this tree contributes to its happiness.

The genus name Cunninghamia is believed to have come about honoring Dr. James Cunningham, a British doctor, and botanist Allan Cunningham, who introduced this species into cultivation. Incidentally, Allan Cunningham is also commemorated in two other conifer families, Araucaria cunninghamii and Podocarpus cunninghamii, both also having a flare for the exotic.

A prized timber tree in China, Cunninghamia produces soft, yet highly durable, scented wood similar to Coast Redwood and Cryptomeria. “It is used in particular for manufacture of coffins and in temple building where scent is valued” (Wikipedia). House building, indoor carpentry, masts and planking are all solid uses for this wood, as it is extremely rot resistant.

The genus is traditionally said to contain two similar species, lanceolata and konishii.

However, molecular genetic evidence suggests they are the same species. There are a few noteworthy cultivars to seek out, if I still have your attention. “Glauca” is said to be more “hardy” than the species. Unique waxy deposits on its needles display a more prominent bluish hue. Expect heights of 50 to 60 feet tall and about 30 feet wide on this one. “Chason’s Gift” is a more compact, conical-pyramidal type, with glossy dark green leaves. Introduced by Johnson’s Nursery in North Carolina, this beauty has a strong central leader at a young age and will need plenty of room to grow as well. Cunninghamia konishii “Little Leo” is truly a rare, unique gem. This slow growing, dwarf conifer from Australia forms a round, flat bun of short, dark green needles. Purplish-bronze markings are prominent throughout the winter. An excellent candidate for trough or rock gardens, this little gem will appreciate being kept out of harm’s way, such as winter winds. As with all other Chinafir types, well-drained soil is key to its success. Prune out any branches with faster growth to maintain a tight bun shape.

Perhaps one of the most fascinating qualities of Cunninghamia is its ability to resurrect itself. Large specimens that have been cut down flush to the ground have reportedly resprouted with vigor within a few short years. A clever designer can architect thoughtful and inspirational design with this tree. Imagine, if you will, mixed in between two deciduous conifers, Baldcypress, Taxodium and Dawn Redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides. Trees that have been around for ages, used hand in hand with Chinafir help define a prehistoric park in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, an awesome sight where plants were selected and used brilliantly.

Finally, it has been suggested that Cunninghamia’s gray-blue needles, on certain cultivars, could rival or even surpass the best blue spruces on the market. While I do not totally agree with that, I will say that this would be a gorgeous alternative to brighten up your landscape and a fine candidate to add to your deer resistant plant list, too.

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, Reeves-Reed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers. He can be reached at (908) 665-0331.

Gardener News I am reading my Maine Sunday Telegram and my eye catches this strange little article on Page 10. It cracked me up for two reasons. I look out my window and see snow on the ground and the article concerns one of my favorite warm-weather things in the whole world.... amphibians!

As scientists explore ever further into the deepest of seas and to the tops of the highest mountain crags on the planet, sometimes the next new species is in.... New Jersey! A Rutgers University researcher and a team of co-authors have discovered a new species of frog that had been hiding in plain sight along the East Coast, according to a new paper published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE. The Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog makes its home in the Meadowlands, the Great Swamp and wetlands along the Jersey Shore and up and down the I-95 corridor. “The discovery of a new frog species from the urban Northeast is truly remarkable,� said Jeremy Feinberg, a doctoral candidate in Rutgers’ School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, who said

January, 2015 7 The Miscellaneous Gardener

By Richard W. Perkins Freelance Writer

Weird Discoveries... in New Jersey?! the discovery “was really an accident.�

Feinberg was studying the disappearance of another species, the southern leopard frog, on Long Island several years ago when he came across a chorus of frogs on Staten Island. A colleague noticed something different about them, he said. “Frogs have a very particular type of call that doesn’t really vary within the species. If you’re in Florida, California, New Jersey - if it’s the same species, you’ll hear that same call,� Feinberg said. “Pretty much within 10 seconds of hearing the calling (on Staten Island), we said, ‘Something is really weird here.’�

Wildlife officials in New Jersey, meanwhile, were also puzzling over the calls, a kind of “chuck, chuck, chuck� that they encountered while doing

another study on blue-spotted salamanders in the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in 2003, according to Brian Zarate, a zoologist with New Jersey’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and a co-author of the new paper. It wasn’t until Feinberg commented on a YouTube video Zarate had posted looking to identify the frog that they realized they were asking the same question: What’s up with that frog call?

Feinberg enlisted the help of Catherine Newman, an evolutionary biologist who had studied the southern leopard frog and was able to identify distinct genetic markers. According to the paper the three published along with five others, the Atlantic Coast Leopard Frog is a “cryptic species,� hard to distinguish from other leopard

USDA Provides Greater Protection for Fruit, Vegetable, Floriculture and Other Specialty Crop Growers :$6+,1*721 ' & ĘŠ *UHDWHU SURWHFWLRQ LV QRZ DYDLODEOH IURP WKH Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program for crops that traditionally have been ineligible for federal crop insurance. The new options, created by the 2014 Farm Bill, provide greater coverage for losses when natural disasters affect specialty crops such as vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, floriculture, ornamental nursery, aquaculture, turf grass, ginseng, honey, syrup, and energy crops.

Previously, the program offered coverage at 55 percent of the average market price for crop losses that exceed 50 percent of expected production.

Producers can now choose higher levels of coverage, up to 65 percent of their expected production at 100 percent of the average market price.

The expanded protection will be especially helpful to beginning and traditionally underserved producers, as well as farmers with limited resources, who will receive fee waivers and premium reductions for expanded coverage.

More crops are now eligible for the program, including expanded aquaculture production practices, and sweet and biomass sorghum. For the first time, a range of crops used to produce bioenergy will be eligible as well.

To help producers learn more about the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program and how it can help them, USDA, in partnership with Michigan State University and the University of Illinois, created an online resource. The Web tool, available at www.fsa.usda.gov/nap, allows producers to determine whether their crops are eligible for coverage. It also gives them an opportunity to explore a variety of options and levels to determine the best protection level for their operation.

If the application deadline for an eligible crop has already passed, producers will have until Jan. 14, 2015, to choose expanded coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. To learn more, visit the Farm Service Agency (FSA) website at www.fsa.usda.gov/nap or contact your local FSA office at offices.usda.gov. The Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers the program, also wants to hear from producers and other interested stakeholders who may have suggestions or recommendations on the program. Written comments will be accepted until Feb. 13, 2015 and can be submitted through www.regulations.gov.

frogs at first glance. The call, though, is a big giveaway. The frog makes very un-froglike sounds. It groans and makes coughing noises rather than typical croaking sounds. The other is the distinct pattern on the backs of its legs, described as “mint-grey to light olive green with medium to dark spots.� The new species claim, initially made in 2012, is supported by additional DNA and acoustic evidence outlined in the paper.

Feinberg says their presence outside the so-called wild places, in urban areas outside New York City for example, also makes the Atlantic Coast leopard frogs unique. “We see these leopard frogs in pockets throughout the Meadowlands,� he said. “That’s a great story. They’re a sensitive species, but we’re

finding them in industrial wetlands.�

Wildlife officials are in the middle of a regional survey of the animal’s range in New Jersey and neighboring states, long thought to be the sole domain of the southern leopard frog. “There’s still a lot we don’t know,� Zarate said, adding that in the course of researching the frog’s presence, they came across records suggesting that another similar species, the northern leopard frog, may also call the state’s northwestern reaches in Sussex County home. “New Jersey went from just knowing about this one species, the southern leopard frog, to the possibility of three,� he said. “Is there the potential that there are other species?�

I hope so!

Healthy amphibians mean a healthy environment. Sick or dying amphibians means the environment they live in is toxic to them... and to us!

Thanks for reading and see ya next month.

Editors Note: Check out Richard’s photography at; rwperkinsphotography.com

8 January, 2015

Gardener News

Support NJ Agriculture JERSEY GROWN

Nursery Stock JERSEY GROWN

Sunflower Birdseed JERSEY GROWN

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JERSEY GROWN

When you’re shopping for JERSEY GROWN nursery stock, you know the trees, shrubs, plants and flowers are checked for quality, disease, are pest free, and accustomed to the Garden State’s climate and soil conditions.

Annuals & Perennials Made With JERSEY GROWN

Wood Birdhouses & Bird Feeders

Governor Chris Christie Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher

jerseygrown.nj.gov

Gardener News

January, 2015 9

2015 GCNJ Flower Show/ “A Garden of Authors”

By Jeannie Geremia Garden Club of New Jersey We’re bringing the New Year in with high anticipation of enriching all of our lives with the fabulous New Jersey Flower & Garden Show, to be held at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center, 93 Sunfield Avenue, Edison, February 12-15, 2015.

This is the 13th year, and each and every year sees the show expanding with marvelous speakers, guests, gardening schools, cooking events, the garden marketplace, all capped off by spectacular spring gardens created by our nurserymen and garden centers bringing the newest in plants, trees and shrubs and the latest in gardening technology to the thousands who are counting down to spring. We wish a Happy 100th Anniversary to the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association and thank them for all their good works throughout our great Garden State. Stop by their booth and add your own congratulations.

The Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc. is delighted to be part of this huge welcome to spring by staging our inspired GCNJ State Standard Flower Show entitled “A Garden of Authors,” partnering with MAC Events’ theme “The Great American Novel.”

Every year, our shows have gotten bigger and better, and this year is an absolute “show stopper.”

We’ve been hard at work since last summer to showcase the beauty and diversity of our gardens, parks, schools, community gardens and homes, which benefit from volunteers and garden club members throughout New Jersey.

The public is always welcome to participate in our flower show and you can view our flower show schedule, giving all the guidelines to entering the three divisions which include: Design, Horticulture and Special Exhibits, at www. gardenclubofnewjersey. com. Pam Sutton, our vice chair and schedule writer,

has outdone herself with this exceptional, fascinating schedule featuring acclaimed American authors and their books that challenge our exhibitors to new heights of artistry.

We are showcasing pollinator-friendly gardens erected by Rutgers students under the able guidance of Bruce Crawford as you enter our flower show. Garden Club members will be front and center in welcoming you at our Membership and Butterfly& BeeGAP tables with the spotlight on a brand new GCNJ garden club, Gardeners of Parker at Stonegate, demonstrating their floral design interpretations of “The Age of Innocence” by Edith Wharton. I had the pleasure of doing a program on the GCNJ Butterflies & BeeGAP Project for the residents of The Francis E. Parker Memorial Home, Inc. at Stonegate, an assisted living home in Highland Park. Their Horticultural Specialist, Lee Shahay, saw my article on monarchs in the Gardener News last summer and knew we’d be perfect together. They have since formed a new garden club, joined the GCNJ and are bringing horticulture specimens, as well as their designs, to our flower show.

Gardening is for all ages, the ticket to keeping us young and involved.

Our youth are taking center stage in this year’s show, led by the GCNJ Youth Chair and resident Pied Piper, Bob Markey.

Bob blew us away with his proposals at a joint meeting with MAC Events and our flower show committee, and we can hardly wait to incorporate these plans into a show that will inspire and create lasting memories for our young people and adults alike. We will have the entire Youth Section, “Reading by Flashlight,” written by Diana Kazazis, and accompanying youth oriented displays in the main room covering a space of about 2,600 square feet. The youth schedule is a “mini” version of the adult

schedule and includes an Educational Exhibit entitled “A Million Monarchs Munching Milkweed and a Goose,” written by Leesa Beckman. It is Exhibit 7 “Got Milkweed?” with description as follows: “The Karen Nash Memorial Butterfly Garden Junior Gardeners and 6th grade students of Memorial School present the importance of planting milkweed corridors to save the Monarch Butterfly.” How very cool is that?!

Featured in the Youth area will be a fabulous Great Zucchini Race Track and Races “Grow’em, Race’em, Eat’em.” Saturday/Sunday Racing Teams of three to be GCNJ Youth only with prerecorded videos showing the Great Zucchini Race held in Rahway each August and youth gardens using the square foot garden method.

Bob’s plans include Master Chef Granieri and his Great Zucchini Recipes, Master Musician Brien McVernon, creator of the Great Zucchini Race song, programs by Dr. Jim Conroy, the Tree Whisperer and author of “Messages from Trees.”

Come participate in a craft extravaganza with Diana and Mike Dove, Environmental Education Specialists, sponsored by a grant from Clean Communities with a message about not littering in New Jersey’s habitats where pollinators are found.

Check the calendar at MAC Events’ website!

Editor’s Note: Jeannie Geremia is the Community Garden Chair and the Butterflies & BeeGAP Chair for the Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., and is a National Garden Clubs, Inc., Accredited Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is the GCNJ 2015 State Flower Show Chair and can be reached by emailing jeannieg42@ earthlink.net Garden Club of New Jersey website is: www.gardenclubofnewjersey.com and phone number is 732-249-0947.

Gingerbread Wonderland

Tom Castronovo/Photo

In Morris County, N.J., a kingdom made of gingerbread, chocolate and gumdrops really did exist. From Friday, December 5, through Sunday, December 14, 2014, over 15,000 visitors were delighted and captivated by a plethora of brilliant, handmade and one-of-a-kind edible creations at the 23rd annual Gingerbread Wonderland and Craft Show, held in the Haggerty Education Center at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township. All the entries received a Participation Ribbon. A Green Ribbon was awarded for entries with horticultural or environmental themes.

10 January, 2015 In the spirit of the holiday season, the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association once again, sponsored its Landscape Achievement Awards and Holiday Gala dinner at Macaluso’s in Hawthorne, N.J., on December 2, 2014. This is a very special event for our members and their guests as we celebrate the award-winning work that is designed, built and maintained by our members. We also use this opportunity to swear in our new officers and to say goodbye to those that have served their terms.

Our evening began with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, giving everybody the opportunity to socialize. After about an hour, our guests were seated and we began our program. We started with some opening remarks and thank-you’s, followed by the swearing in of our new board members by Dr. Bruce Clarke, Department Chairman and Director of the Center for Turfgrass Science, at Rutgers University.

Justin Flatow of Green Meadows Landscape accepted a two-year term as our newest contractor board member and Ed Slaska of Wayne Wholesale Supply joined us as an associate board member.

Like many organizations, there are always those few people at our companies that always go above and beyond, exemplifying what it means to be a great NJLCA member and a good citizen.

Every year, we like to recognize

As our holiday seasons are now past, we may suffer through green-thumb anxiety.

We want to get into our gardens, but the weather is preventing it. If so, we can turn our attention to planning how we may improve our landscapes. Looking over the plants we have and how they have performed this past growing season. If not as well as expected, maybe we need to address environmental or site issues.

Have there been changes which have impacted the growth of some of our plants?

The loss of shade or partial shade can have a huge impact on their performance. Given the amount of storm damage done these past few years, many of our ornamentals may need a change in scenery. If there is a major change in sunlight, looking at what varieties will thrive in the sun versus shade will give us the opportunity to develop changes in the landscape. Lawns, too, will need to be adapted to fit the current exposure. Bluegrass, rye and turf type tall fescues can be used to replace the shade-loving varieties.

Consequently, where trees

Gardener News The NJLCA Today

By Jody Shilan, MLA Executive Director

2014 NJLCA Landscape Achievement Awards & Holiday Gala these people for their outstanding commitment to the NJLCA and to their fellow members. This year, Joe Bolognese was the recipient of the Volunteer of the Year Award for his dedication to the NJLCA and his willingness to always lend a hand> Whether it was working as a board member, running our certification exam or flipping burgers at our picnic, Joe is always there.

The Contractor of the Year award is always a difficult decision to make. That’s why this year we are honoring two companies with this coveted award: Green Meadows Landscape was chosen for their consistent volunteerism and participation in the renovation of the Charles Mastik Little League Field in Little Ferry; American Beauty Landscape Design was selected for their ongoing commitment and support of our certification exam. Our Associate of the Year award went to Middleton & Company for their outstanding record of attendance at our membership meetings, trade

show and golf outings.

After a wonderful dinner, the highlight of the evening is our Landscape Achievement Awards, presented by our own Lenny DiTamso of Landscape Perceptions.

The entries are divided into maintenance and design/build, and include both residential and commercial work.

The most popular and competitive category is residential design/build.

Our awards are not structured like the traditional first, second and third prize model, but are awarded based on the quality of the work, the attention to detail and overall appearance. Therefore, we use the designations of Excellence, Distinction and Merit. That’s why some categories may have only one winner selected while others can have multiple winners. This year, the work was absolutely incredible, making it extremely difficult for our seasoned panel of judges. The projects were exceptional and oftentimes surpassed the judging criteria.

And the winners are: Residential Design/Build $0 - $25,000: Distinction - Limone Farm and Gardens, Merit – Landscapeworks Inc.; Residential Design/Build $50,000 - $100,000: Distinction – Canete Landscape Inc.; Distinction – Young’s Landscape Management, Inc.; Merit – Vander Sluys Landscape Design; Merit – Scenic Landscaping Residential Design/Build $100,000 - $200,000: Excellence - Wicklow and Laurano Landscape Contractors, LLC; Excellence – Cipriano Landscape Design; Distinction – Genesis Landscape Contractors, Inc.; Distinction – Sponzilli Landscape Group; Distinction – Young’s Landscape Management, Inc. Residential Design/Build $200,000 and Up: Excellence - Wicklow and Laurano Landscape Contractors,

The Landscaper

By Evan Dickerson Landscape Professional

Mid-Winter Landscape Blues have developed and are now casting more shade may be a factor affecting the growth of our ornamentals. The same theory applies. Looking at the optimum exposure for our landscape plants will afford us the opportunity to develop changes to our overall landscape plan.

Social changes need to be taken into account as well.

Are there play areas which have been grown out of. This may be the case where an outdoor sitting area or even a garden pond or fountain may fit the space and be better served. In extreme cases, we may be looking at removing a pool, which will have a huge impact on our plan. A lot of detailed planning will need to go into these changes.

When adding features to areas of our properties

which have had completely different uses, we need to look at the perspective of these sites. Take a look at how these features will be viewed from all sides, as well as the view from the interior of the dwelling. A pleasing view from our windows can improve our overall demeanor.

In some cases, screening may be needed to provide privacy from the outside view. When installing these features, we need to keep in mind that the play and similar areas usually result in compacted soils and will need amending when the planting stages of these projects begins.

Cultural practices should also be taken into consideration.

Moving toward more maintenance-free landscapes has come into vogue recently.

You may want to substitute

ground covers or perennials for lawn areas which require weekly maintenance. Again, the soil structure and tillage need to be taken into account so that proper preparation can be accomplished prior to planting.

Now that our ideas have been hatched, it is time to put everything on paper. Using a blank sheet of paper, we can develop a plan. Start by plotting the existing structures and major trees and plants, which we will not touch. Then add in the different areas of your property. Where are the entrances and exits, walkways, driveways and open areas?

Then identify each section of the property. Where are the shady areas, as well as the places the sun bakes? Once this is completed, we can fill in the blanks as to how we

LLC; Excellence - Scenic Landscaping; Excellence Landscape Techniques; Excellence – Cipriano Landscape Design; Distinction -Ken Steenstra Landscaping, Inc.; Distinction – Genesis Landscape Contractors, Inc.; Distinction – Landscape Techniques, Inc.; Distinction – Monello Landscape Industries; Distinction – Town and Gardens, Ltd.; Merit – By Design Landscapes, Inc.; Merit - Siciliano Landscape Company; Merit – JML Landscaping Commercial Design/Build: Merit - Scenic Landscaping Residential Maintenance: Excellence - Wicklow and Laurano Landscape Contractors, LLC; Distinction - Sponzilli Landscape Group; Merit - Scenic Landscaping.

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 201-7832844 or jshilan@gmail.com.

will use the different spaces. A formal entry, a flower garden, a shade garden, a rain garden or any of the features we have previously discussed. As you can see, the possibilities are endless. They are only limited by our imaginations.

This is the time when we can have some fun with our planning. Picking plants that will fit the site, exposure and use. Looking through various magazines and cutting out pictures, which will visualize our ideas, can be very helpful. The time has come to incorporate our ideas into a feasible plan for our properties. Your local landscape designers and architects are an invaluable resource you can call upon to help as well. Either way, this can be a wonderful way to combat the mid-winter landscape blues.

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

Gardener News

January, 2015 11

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Gardener News

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Euphorbia pulcherrima New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher, left, stopped by to visit with Doreen, center, and Tom Deckenbach, owners of Hamilton Farms Greenhouses and Farm Market in Boonton Township, Morris County, N.J., on December 12, 2014, to help celebrate National Poinsettia Day. On July 22, 2002, the U.S. House of Representatives created Poinsettia Day, passing a resolution, H.R. 471-107th Congress, to honor Paul Ecke Jr., who is considered the father of the poinsettia industry. It was Paul Ecke’s discovery of a technique which causes seedlings to branch that allowed the Poinsettia industry to flourish. According to the 2013 USDA Floriculture Statistics report, the Garden State had 49 commercial poinsettia producers who sold 1.545 million pots. That year, 92 percent of those sales were wholesale, with a farmgate Tom Castronovo/Photo value of $7.331 million.

Gardener News

January, 2015 15

Native Plant Spotlight: Broomsedge

By Kathleen Salisbury Whether you are driving along sand roads in the Pine Barrens, along roads through the horse farms and meadows of central New Jersey or hiking on a trail among the rocky outcrops of the Highlands, you will see this grass.

Thriving along roadsides, in fallow fields and on rocky outcrops, Broomsedge is a perennial native grass to get to know and start to ask for at the garden centers.

As ornamental as any other ornamental grass, Broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus) is a standout in the January landscape. Some may be familiar with Broomsedge’s more popular cousin, Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), a major component of prairies and meadows of the Northeast, according to Donald Leopold in his book Native Plants of the Northeast.

Shorter than its cousin, Broomsedge shares the trait I thought that I would take this opportunity to revisit some of our more successful ventures of 2014, and also touch on a few things that did not work out so well.

As with most growing seasons, 2014 was one that was defined by the weather. As most of you can probably remember, January, February and March were marked by colderthan-normal temperatures and above-average snowfall.

This weather held on into the early-spring and got us off to a later-than-normal start to the growing season. Then temperatures got back to normal and we had adequate precipitation throughout the remainder of the year, with the exception of a little dry spell which occurred during the later part of the summer.

Our cherry crop was one of our biggest disappointments of 2014.

Unfortunately, during one of the more severe outbreaks of cold temperatures in February or March, the cherry buds were damaged.

We are not sure exactly when this damage occurred, but it was significant enough where our cherry crop was almost a

of deep orange color in fall color. Growing to only four feet tall, this perennial grass is very drought resistant once established. This grass prefers full sun and dry conditions.

It isn’t too picky about soil.

Soils containing clay, sand, gravel or rocks will do just fine, which explains why you can find it throughout the great Garden State and why this plant will make a terrific landscape plant as well. According to www. illinoiswildflowers.info, “this grass tends to colonize open areas with infertile soil that have been subjected to a history of disturbance, whether from occasional wildfires, grazing or other causes.”

Chances are in New Jersey, we are dealing with the “other causes” – development, road construction, RV disturbance and the like. To find it in the wild, look in these places first.

How do you know it when you see it? The reason this grass is so perfect to write about in January is the fall

foliage standing up straight and tall even through the snowy winter weather. It doesn’t flop, no need for staking. Don’t cut this one back in fall. Leave it up for its architectural addition to your landscape and for the wildlife it will support.

A surprising variety of insects feed on Broomsedge.

As we all know, insects are the bottom of the food chain, just above plants. If you want to attract beautiful songbirds to your yard, plant plants that will attract the insects they eat. Don’t be afraid to plant bug-attracting plants! When the bugs find your plant to eat, the birds will find them and if all goes as nature intended, a balance in your garden will keep pests in check while engaging you with beautiful wildlife.

According to www. illinoiswildflower.info, in addition to the leafhoppers, various species of butterflies, skippers and grasshoppers find this plant of value. This is also a bunching grass species.

Planting this in quantity helps to create perfect habitat for ground nesting birds like bobwhite quail. As we learned in an NPSNJ conference a few years ago, the bobwhites are in serious decline in this state, due in great part to a lack of habitat. Bobwhite quail (and our native Wild Turkey) need bunches of grass with room to run, in between, in order to escape predators. A wildflower meadow will just not do.

All those pretty wildflowers filling in the gaps between grasses are too difficult to run around. A Broomsedge meadow will suit that small bird just fine. Not just for cover and nesting, juncos and sparrows have been found to eat Broomsedge’s windblown seeds but, like many ornamental grasses, the deer don’t seem to prefer this at all.

But if you, like so many others out there, are trying to convert some of your lawn space to a wildflower meadow, try Broomsedge in the mix. The bunching habit

The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

The Highs and Lows of 2014 total loss. What was curious about this, however, was that the trees actually flowered in the spring, but then aborted soon after bloom leaving us with nothing more than a tree full of leaves.

Our strawberries were also a little off this year.

While we still harvested a fair amount, their overall yield was impacted by the colder winter temperatures, which killed some of the buds. With all of this, we were able to harvest approximately twothirds of a normal crop.

We also suffered a little bit with our peaches.

Again, the extreme cold weather was to blame, as it damaged some of the buds during dormancy. Unlike with our cherries, where the entire crop was devastated, only certain varieties were

damaged during 2014, while the majority of our peaches had a full crop. And true to form, the varieties which originated in cooler regions of the country, such as New Jersey and Michigan, fared much better than those from more temperate areas such as California and Georgia. I am sure that as we move forward with new plantings in the next few years, we will take note of these varieties’ susceptibility to cold temperatures and adjust our plantings accordingly.

And now it is time for some of the high points of 2014. Our tomato crop was outstanding this year. We were able to produce a very large crop of excellent quality tomatoes and there are a couple of reasons for this.

First of all, during the time period when the plants were

blossoming, which is late-June through August, we had very moderate temperatures. In years where we get excessive heat (temperatures over 100), the plants will get stressed and as a protection mechanism they will drop some of their blossoms, thereby decreasing their overall yield. So this year that was not the case.

Also, we had a nice dry period during the time when we were harvesting most of our tomatoes. This dryness helped to increase the sugars in the fruit, which led to better overall flavor. Due to the dry weather, there was very little disease pressure, which means that we had only minimal losses which further led to higher than normal yields.

And finally, I will touch on our pumpkin crop. Let me just say that I have never

leaves room for wildflowers to thrive, whereas other perennial grasses may form a sod through which wildflowers may not be able to grow and certainly will not be able to thrive.

If you find yourself with a sunny area or a space with bright shade and dry soils, you may want to try some Broomsedge in the space.

Whether you are planting it for wildlife food and cover, or for the copper color through fall and winter, you will be pleased.

Editor’s Note: Kathy Salisbury is a Horticulture Educator and the President of the Native Plant Society of New Jersey (NPSNJ).

The NPSNJ is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting the appreciation, protection and study of NJ’s native flora. To learn more about the Native Plant Society please visit www.npsnj.org or contact Kathy directly at president@npsnj.org. experienced a crop like we had in 2014. All of the stars must have aligned this year because, at least with our pumpkins, we had perfect conditions from start to finish.

From adequate moisture at planting, to good pollination weather for the bees, right on up to good sales weather in October, everything went right for our pumpkins in 2014.

Those are just a few observations on the 2014 growing season and I hope that everyone else’s growing season was as successful as ours. Happy New Year!

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.

16 January, 2015

Gardener News

Connecting Farm Fresh with Healthy Living 2014 Person of the Year

By Nurgul Fitzgerald

What comes to your mind when you hear the words “farm fresh” or “farmers market”?

Wholesome, fresh, local, healthy food is the very first thing that comes to my mind.

Then I think how lucky I am to be living close to multiple farmstands and farmers markets that make it possible for me to enjoy buying fresh fruits and vegetables in season. Not everyone has this luxury.

For example, the city of New Brunswick, rich with its public and private organizational resources, has also been home to a large segment of residents who struggle to access and afford nutritious foods for their families. In addition to limited family incomes, a limited number of nearby supermarkets, absence of farmers markets, and lack of a variety of fresh, affordable high-quality produce in the smaller neighborhood stores paints a bleak picture for these families. That was the picture about six years ago.

Many of us who worked within the Rutgers Cooperative Extension system knew very well about the limited availability of local, affordable, fresh produce in New Brunswick, and in 2008, we got together to do something about it. Our solution was to establish a farmers market in the city.

A collaboration between Rutgers, Johnson & Johnson, and the City of New Brunswick made this solution possible, and the New Brunswick Community Farmers Market (NBCFM) opened its doors (or should I say, tents?) to its first customers on a perfect summer day in 2009. Those tents proved to be quite problematic when some of them took flight on windy days. But thankfully, we later were able to build a pavilion to

shield farmers and customers from rain and sun.

The NBCFM indeed increases access to fresh produce, but it is also designed as a place to engage the community and stimulate a healthy living environment.

To this end, a diverse group of community stakeholders serves as an advisory committee to tailor the market to the community’s interests and needs. Through these communications, a community garden and a hoop house have been added to the primary market location. In addition to the garden beds that are fully used by the community members every year, a teaching garden draws in children to learn about foods and plants in an engaging and welcoming environment.

The market also serves as a community gathering place through events such as health screenings by local (mobile) screening centers, organized senior center visits, or by participating in the cultural events of the community.

When we were developing the NBCFM, there was one more concept (in addition to the fresh, local, healthy food) that popped in my head: why don’t we provide food and nutrition information to the customers? This way, not only would they buy the foods, but they would also learn healthier ways to prepare them. Can you blame a professor for trying to teach? Long story short, this has been a true learning experience both for the customers and the students.

Rutgers students serve at the Market’s nutrition stand where they develop and deliver nutrition messages for the customers. It is a winwin situation as customers learn about nutrition and health or pick up new recipes, and students become more competent in working directly with the community members. Built-in surveys also enable us to monitor the community’s needs and

on-going contributions of the NBCFM to the food environment in the city.

To help with the Market’s primary focus on increasing access to healthy and affordable fresh produce among individuals with limited resources, we have been using a “Market Bucks” system, which allows customers to buy 50-percent more produce when they use their federal assistance program (such as SNAP, WIC or Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program) vouchers.

Since 2013, the NBCFM has been accepting (SNAP) EBT cards as well.

Now, the Market is looking at taking on an even bigger role in improving the food environment to support healthy lifestyles in New Brunswick.

Preparations are under way for a mobile kitchen to conduct cooking demonstrations. We are also investigating ways to get more produce from local farmers into the neighborhood stores and schools.

The NBCFM has grown from its primary location on 178 Jones Avenue to a second location in Kilmer Square in downtown New Brunswick and a third location on the Rutgers campus (see www. nbcfarmersmarket.com).

The next time you find yourself at a farmers market, enjoy the bounty and don’t forget to thank a farmer for it.

(Continued from page 6) educational, historic and artistic value, and to facilitate the collaboration of allied professionals in order to promote public garden visitation, stewardship and support.

“The Garden State Gardens Consortium is grateful to Senator Bateman for his support of New Jersey’s public gardens,” said Lesley Parness, president of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. “His October 2013 Joint Legislative Resolution, which commended our organization for its work in promoting the value of these cultural resources, shows not only his keen interest in the environment, but also his understanding of the economic benefit New Jersey’s public gardens provide to our tourism sector and their role in the vitality of our communities and the fabric of our society. We congratulate Senator Bateman on being named Person of the Year by Gardener News.”

Senator Bateman also crafted and sponsored Senate Joint Resolution No. 12 This joint resolution designates the third full week in March of each year as “Horticultural Therapy Week” in New Jersey to increase public awareness of the importance of horticultural therapy in improving the quality of life for all and increasing opportunities for each individual to experience the endless benefits of the people-plant connection.

The joint resolution directs the Governor to issue a proclamation recognizing the third full week in March of each year as “Horticultural Therapy Week” and calling upon public officials and the citizens of this State to observe the week with appropriate activities and programs.

To date, this resolution has passed the full Senate and is awaiting a companion measure in the Assembly.

(Continued on page 21)

Editor’s Note: Nurgul Fitzgerald, PhD, RD is the co-Project Director of the New Brunswick Community Farmers Market. overseeing nutrition education and research. Dr. Fitzgerald is an Associate Professor of Nutrition at Rutgers, is a founding partner of the New Brunswick Community Food Alliance and conducts community-based nutrition projects such as the Healthy Corner Store Initiative in New Brunswick. She can be reached at nurgul. fitzgerald@rutgers.edu.

2015

Gardener News is Now Accepting Nominations for its

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 2015 is November 1, 2015.

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!

Gardener News

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Gardener News

Fargesia for 2015!

With the New Year come those New Year resolutions.

One resolution I hope many gardeners will consider is expanding their design palette into new or little-used genres of plants. Bamboo is one of those plant groups that often instill fear and disdain amongst the gardening world. However, not all bamboos are aggressive, and one very garden-worthy bamboo is still much overlooked – the genus Fargesia!

Like all bamboos, Fargesia is a member of the Poaceae or Grass Family. This genus name was scribed in 1893 by Adrien René Franchett (1834-1900) of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, honoring the French missionary and botanist Paul Guillaume Farges (18441912). Farges discovered the genus during his rather lengthy stay in China from 1867-1912.

Among bamboos hardy to New Jersey, what is unique to the genus Fargesia is the refined manners by which it conducts There’s a lot of planning and preparing to do. With the blink of an eye, it’ll be here. Materials are already coming in. Spring bulbs have been planted for months now, and it’s only a matter of time before they need to come out of the coolers and be put out in the greenhouse to grow.

Spring bulbs make for some nice color in the house; as we wait for the weather to improve and spring to come.

Spring bulbs help clear away the winter doldrums. They are inexpensive and help add color and fragrance for a couple weeks. Live plants offer many benefits to indoor environments, both physically and mentally. They provide oxygen and clear the air of toxins to help physically.

Mentally, they help increase mood and improve productivity in people’s psyche.

Back to prepping for spring. Easter lilies are growing and are being forced to be timed for the week of Easter.

Timing the Easter lily is so crucial. They need to be timed perfectly. One week too early or one week too late could spell disaster for a grower.

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itself in a garden. Fargesia is a pachymorph bamboo, meaning that it is clump-forming, as compared to a leptomorph, or spreading bamboo.

In leptomorphs, both the rhizome and the culm have alternating hollow internode and solid, ring-like nodes, with the internodal regions of the rhizome several inches in length.

In pachymorphs, the internode segments of the rhizomes are often solid and are, comparatively, very tightly spaced. This variation in internode lengths allows leptomorphs to spread upwards of 12 feet or greater in a season, while pachymorph clumps increase by a mere one to two inches.

The nodes in the rhizomes are also the site of root and culm development, while in the culms, nodes are the site of bud formation for branch and leaf production. Interestingly, and with a few exceptions, when the culms initially emerge from the ground, they appear at their ultimate girth and never get any larger in diameter with growth. At emergence, the culms also appear as a “spear”

of overlapping leaf sheaths.

These leaves are connected to the culm at the nodes. Leaf sheaths provide protection during culm elongation as the emerging and elongating culm is structurally rather weak and is easily damaged. The leaf sheaths slowly drop from the culm once each internode’s elongation is complete.

Clearly, bamboo morphology can be a bit confusing. Regardless, Fargesia has upwards of 80 attractive species, with numerous entertaining facts for the gardener. Fargesia is typically found in high, mountainous elevations, often growing in coniferous forests from China south to the Himalayas. It is also the preferred food for panda bears. Typical to many bamboos, the flowering period is often delayed by upwards of 120 years, but once it flowers and sets seed, the plants die. In fact, the flowering of Fargesia nitida during the 1990’s resulted in a subsequent crash in the panda bear population. Since it is an uplands understory plant, Fargesia prefers shade, as the

leaves will curl in sun and plants will not thrive in regions where evening summer temperatures remain above 70. They are also evergreen, zone 5-6 winter hardy, drought tolerant once established AND, they are deer resistant!

Fargesia nitida, the Blue Fountain Bamboo, is a wonderful garden plant for the shade. Nitida is Latin for shining and the epithet was chosen by the British diplomat and botanist, Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford (1837-1916) for the shiny, dark purple appearance of the internodes.

The slender culms arch down under the weight of the foliage, generating both the fountainlike appearance and the common name. Interestingly, the firstyear culms do not produce leaves and stand upright throughout the first season. At maturity, the arching culms reach nearly 10 feet tall and slightly wider.

Fargesia dracocephala “Rufa” provides yet another great garden addition. Similar in size to the above, the “dragon head-like” leaf sheaths drop to reveal attractive rufous or red culms that are particularly

The Professional Grower

By Tim Hionis Greenhouse Specialist Spring is on the horizon any excuse why it should be otherwise. The crop has to be perfect for Easter week.

Spring plants are now on benches getting ready.

Geraniums and New Guinea impatiens and the all-new Sunpatiens are being planted now and will continue to be planted all the way until spring.

Many of the premium annuals that are propagated by cuttings are being brought in so they can get established in time for when the weather breaks.

This is also the time to figure out, plan and forecast what the trends and needs of people will be for the upcoming year. Figuring it out properly is the difference between a successful year and a not-so-successful one.

One of the greatest ways to do this is to communicate with clients to find out what

their needs are and in which direction they are looking to go. Being in the industry for as long as I have, I truly believe having an open relationship and communicating with clients and addressing their concerns and being able to address them is a great way to prepare everybody for the season ahead. I believe that more communication is not only crucial but is a great forecaster, which reduces surprises for the supplier and the buyer. By communicating early on, it allows the supplier or grower to have the product ready and available for the buyer.

This has become an everchanging industry. Without communicating between every step of the process to ensure customer satisfaction, the end result is failure. And

customer satisfaction leads to increased business and a better reputation. Today’s customer wants to have the knowledge of their surroundings.

People want to enhance their surroundings, but they also have little tolerance for failure. So it is up to the professional to educate them.

Customers would not be going to professionals if they were not searching for a way to enhance their environment.

Right now, with most home and business heating systems being dry, keep in mind that your houseplants like humidity. A humidifier is the simplest and most obvious solution. The added moisture benefits most houseplants.

And it benefits furniture and people, too. If you don’t want to buy a whole-house or room humidifier, try setting a small

attractive in June into July. It is also more tolerant of sun, and the selection Green Panda™, which was first introduced from the Chinese province of Gansu in 1995, has both improved vigor and a more attractive leaf presentation.

There are many additional garden-worthy species available.

Hopefully, Fargesia will be included as one of your New Year’s garden resolutions in 2015!

Editor’s Note: Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth; is the managing director of the Rutgers Gardens, a 180-acre outdoor teaching classroom, horticultural research facility and arboretum; an adjunct professor in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; regularly participates in the Rutgers – Continuing Education Program; and the immediate pastpresident of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu vaporizer near plants.

Grouping plants helps, too, because moisture released by one plant can be picked up by another. Keep in mind that despite their love for humidity, plants need good air circulation to ward off disease. Leaves of individual plants should not touch. This isn’t always possible, but you should try to give each plant breathing room.

Contrary to popular belief, over-watering house plants is more often the cause for a plant’s problems than underwatering. Since roots cannot absorb more water than the plant needs, the excess water will take the place of oxygen in the soil. Plants need oxygen just like we do. Soggy soil suffocates the roots and leads to rot.

Remember…A healthy plant is a happy plant.

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.

Gardener News Beautiful, but cold.

That’s why we are going to soup for this month’s recipe.

More specifically chowder, or “chowda,” which they say in New England.

Well, no matter how you say it, one thing is clear, chowder is a rich and hearty soup that is perfect anytime of the year, but even more so on a cold winter’s night.

Chowders are basically seafood or vegetable stews that usually contain potatoes and/or milk or cream.

Sometimes, though, they are tomato-based, as in the case of Manhattan-style clam chowder, which is what we will be making. The version we will be making is slightly different from that of the restaurant. We are going to use bacon fat while cooking our vegetables, as well as adding a little cooked bacon back into the soup. Other than that, it is basically the same as the restaurant. The recipe includes potatoes, celery, onions, herbs, tomato and, obviously, minced clams, as well as their juices.

I realize that often around this time of the year, Sour and spicy are in, and bland is out for good.

Flavors top the 2015 Food Trends and the good news is that it will tempt and tease your palate while challenging your thoughts about food in general. Sure, there are some mainstays in the trends and there are definitely some things from the past. Besides, history has a way of repeating itself, yes?

Eating patterns and routines are tough to change.

The good news, however, is that as you get older, you tend to try new things more and more. It’s not so much a “What the heck, I will try it” thing, but a sense of adventure into places you may have never gone before. It’s a voyage to the flavor world beyond what we know.

Serious chefs who like to play with food (against their parents’ wishes, I would imagine) have spent time travelling the world looking for the next best thing. Then they bring back ingredients, rearrange the flavors and come up with some creative dishes that make us all jump online to see how to make it. It is inspiring, to be sure, and with

January, 2015 19 From the Deep

By Craig Korb Executive Chef Happy New Year and Greetings from the Cold Jersey Shore! many of us are looking to start off the year a bit healthier, hence the reason for the Manhattan version of the soup rather than the heartier, creamy New England version, which is my personal favorite between the two versions.

While on that note, there is a version in which both styles are actually put into the bowl simultaneously, side by side, which is really the best of both worlds, the way I see it. I am obviously now on a bit of a chowder rant, which wouldn’t be complete without the mention of corn chowder, often made with chances of chicken. Being from Jersey, I just felt it necessary to mention the corn version. A good way to enjoy this version is to remember to save some of

our state’s great summer corn by cutting it from the cob and freezing it.

Well, best of luck and look forward to some more hearty recipes for the remainder of winter.

Manhattan clam chowder (serves 2-4) 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes and their juices 1 8-to-0 oz. can of minced clams in their juices, does not have to be perfect measurement 1 cup of chicken broth 1 small onion, small diced 2 stalks celery, diced small 1 carrot, diced small 2 potatoes, diced small 3-4 strips of bacon, lay out on a sheet pan, frozen, and cut into small strips width wise

1 tsp. dried parsley 1/2 tsp. dried garlic (garlic powder) salt and fresh black pepper to taste 1 bay leaf method-in a medium sauce pan using medium heat, render (or cook) bacon strips until almost crispy -strain and reserve bacon bits, as well as bacon fat -put bacon fat back into pan and add all the vegetables as well as the potatoes -cook until just soft, then add dried parsley, garlic and bay leaf -add clams and juice, tomatoes and juice and the chicken stock -bring to a boil and season to taste with salt and pepper

Passionate About Produce

By Paul Kneeland The King of Produce

Sweet and Sour Take Over these creative people out there, foraging for the next new, we develop a new pattern, a new routine and a new outlook of open-mindedness about food.

We also get insight into where it’s from, how it’s grown, what is its history, who uses it, all in a single snapshot.

Spicy spices are one of the top trends of 2015. Get that bottle of water ready, your taste buds will tingle with spices, including chili peppers and sriracha sauce. Movies like “The 1000 Foot Journey” brought together spices from a few different cultures – India and France. Could it be more than how we mix spices, but how we mix food from many cultures?

Working with the spice theme, Asian cuisine has also become main stream. Asian restaurants are everywhere,

each with its own taste twist that makes it unique. Across most Asian cuisines, we find a type of rice, depending on the area, beans and seafood as proteins. In the U.S., Asian vegetables can be found regularly in grocery stores in your neighborhood. Now they have become convenient – bok choy and napa cabbage leaves for sale with no waste.

It is part of the culturalizing of food.

Asian cuisine also prompts the sour taste, another hot trend for 2015.

Kimchi, generally defined as fermented vegetables, are a good example. Shoppers had to locate a specialty store in the past to find kimchi, generally a Korean grocer or Asian market. Now it is found in any grocer and in many restaurants. Common additive

to a burger, rice or with other proteins, kimchi is an eclectic taste.

Spanish cuisine will also be a hot trend in 2015. It seems the multi-cultural connection between Asian and Spanish is shared in the rice and spice groupings. However, food is also slow-cooked and savored in both cultures. Concentration of vegetables in both is large.

Culturally, eating for these two groups is a celebration of family, friends and life. The food really has to be as good as all three.

Conversely, proteins without much added flavor will also be a hot trend. Purists will argue the best way to eat red meat or poultry is to leave it unspiced, maybe using a little salt and pepper, but moving away from sauces and spices and oils to meet the

-simmer until potatoes are cooked through, remove bay leaf and serve with saltine or oyster crackers Editor’s Note: Craig Korb is executive chef at The Crab’s Claw Inn, Lavallette, New Jersey. He has an Associates degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelors degree in Food Service Management from Johnson and Wales University. For more information visit www.TheCrabsClaw.com or phone (732) 793-4447.

Recycle the

Gardener News show it to a friend! purist’s needs and enjoy the flavor of the protein itself.

Ugly is also in. Yes, ugly.

Fruits and vegetables that are not perfect will soon be a trend and could end up on supermarket shelves. In an effort to curb food waste, produce with imperfections are already moving off shelves in France. Generally the produce is fine, tastes just as good, and just doesn’t look too good.

It’s all good! Following the new food trends is fun and exciting. You choose to play with what you want to play with. You choose to try new things and different things and things you never thought you would. That’s what life is about anyway. Savor it.

Editor’s Note: Paul Kneeland is the Vice President of Floral, Meat, Produce and Seafood for Kings Food Markets, President of the Eastern Produce Council, and a 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

20 January, 2015

Gardener News

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Gardener News This past July, sod growers came from all over the globe, over 500 attendees, to the summer meeting of the Turf Producers International (TPI) and New Jersey sod growers had a chance to show off their farms.

Jannie van der Schyff of Africa Lawns and Organics, near Johannesburg, South Africa, traveled over 8,000 miles to attend their third TPI conference.

Other countries represented were Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. The opportunity to learn from each conference is invaluable.

Each summer and winter, TPI meets somewhere around the globe for a chance to exchange farming methods, recruit new members and attend continuing education seminars to improve the sod industry.

One speaker at the conference said: “We all have a passion for natural grass.

We strive for better color, shade and traffic tolerance, whether it is a home lawn, ball field or golf course.” There was a discussion about the differences between natural turf and artificial turf. Many

January, 2015 21 Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Sod growers invade New Jersey schools feel their maintenance problems will go away with artificial turf, but this is not so and the sod grower community needs to continue promoting the benefits of natural turf grass.

The formal meetings were held at the Ritz-Carlton in Philadelphia. The fiveday conference included TPI business meetings, tours of historic Philadelphia and the Lincoln Financial Center football stadium in South Philly and a golf tournament held at Cobb’s Creek Golf Club, the site of the first public golf course in the Greater Philadelphia area.

Barry K. Green II is part of the fifth-generation of Jonathan Green, Inc., who are major suppliers to sod growers all across America. “We are not just selling grass seed or sod

lawns,” Green said. “We are selling picnics, ballgames, time spent with family, time away from the daily stress of life.”

The highlights of each conference are the field day and picnic and farm tours. This is where New Jersey sod farms shined. New Jersey has 35 sod farms, and New Jersey is called the “Garden State” for good reason. New Jersey produces large quantities of corn, string beans, tomatoes, blueberries, cranberries, lettuce, spinach, soybeans, squash and bell peppers. Hundreds of farms and thousands of acres of New Jersey farms contribute greatly to our economy. And while this was a sod grower conference, many sod farmers in New Jersey grow trees, shrubs and annuals too. While on a bus tour, one of the New Jersey sod growers announced, “Welcome

2014 Person of the Year

(Continued from page 16) Senator Bateman was also a prime sponsor of Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 84, which passed in all 21 New Jersey counties on November 4, 2014.

This constitutional amendment is the first chapter in a new environmental success story. Passing this resolution was critical to replenishing the open space and farmland preservation funding and to protecting land from being developed.

The resolution will fund State parks and forests, local government parks, buyouts of flood prone properties, farmland preservation and historic preservation.

This is common-sense legislation that preserves dedicated funding, at somewhat lower levels. And perhaps most importantly, this resolution is strictly “pay as you go” – it specifically prohibits any open space funds from being used to pay off debt.

As of December 4, 2014, the state has 212,129 acres of preserved farmland.

Senator Bateman has served the 16th District in the Legislature since January 1994, when he was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly, where he served seven consecutive terms, ending in 2007.

In 2008, he was elected Senator and currently serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, the Joint Committee on Public Schools and the Joint Committee on Housing Affordability.

This paper now salutes Senator Bateman for being a pro-environment leader on clean air and water, for helping to preserve farmland, for supporting New Jersey’s public gardens and arboreta, bringing public awareness to Horticultural Therapy, fighting to keep toxins out of our schools, for launching legislation to name a state butterfly, and for sponsoring numerous other environmental-reform measures.

Gardener News began the annual “Person of the Year” cover story in 2008. Gardener News will annually bestow our “Person of the Year” award to a person who performs exemplary outstanding service to the agricultural, gardening and/or landscaping communities.

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.

to the eggplant capital of the world.” Rutgers University data ranks New Jersey the third largest in the USA and the U.S. is far beyond many other countries in the world, but we do produce a large amount of eggplant.

Coombs Farms in Elmer, N.J., is 2,000 acres with 300 in sod production. A tour of their vegetable packing plant was impressive. Many sod farms rotate their crops and grow potatoes, too. Sod likes potatoes, and potatoes like sod.

They complement each other because the organic matter sod leaves benefits the potatoes while the sod does well with the residual fertilizer left by the potato crop.

The main field day and picnic was hosted by Johnson Farms in Deerfield, N.J. The farm consists of a total of 1,600

acres, with sod production on 800 acres. Dave Johnson indicates that they also produce trees, perennials, shrubs and ornamental grasses and ship products to over 20 states.

A large tent for exhibitors and loads of farming equipment were displayed on over 10 acres of inviting sod. Every possible piece of equipment and farm inputs you might need for sod production were represented, including graders, sod harvesters, grass seed, fertilizers and biological products.

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Doulas Fisher was on hand to welcome the growers to New Jersey. The New Jersey sod growers association had a bi-plane flying overhead with a streaming message, “Welcome TPI to the great state of New Jersey.” Impressive indeed.

We hope to be able to host this great event sometime again here in New Jersey. Happy New Year!

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

22 January, 2015

Gardener News RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION PHONE DIRECTORY

National Ag Day Essay Contest Announced 29(5/$1' 3$5. .6 Ę&#x160; 7KH $JULFXOWXUH &RXQFLO RI $PHULFD $&$ FDOOV RQ QLQWK WR 12th-grade students to submit an original, 450-word essay or a two-minute video essay about the importance of agriculture. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theme is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Agriculture: Sustaining Future Generations â&#x20AC;? and the deadline is January 30, 2015. The ACA asks teachers and parents to encourage student participation.

The theme, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Agriculture: Sustaining Future Generations,â&#x20AC;? presents an opportunity for students to address how the agriculture industry is an endless source of opportunity for growth and development.

Entrants may choose to either write an essay and/or create a video focusing on how todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growers are overcoming challenges to provide a safe, stable food supply and sustain the significant role agriculture plays in everyday life. â&#x20AC;&#x153;CHS enthusiastically supports rural youth and is proud to showcase their ideas,â&#x20AC;? says Annette Degnan, marketing communications director, CHS Inc., one of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s essay contest sponsors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The essay and video contests provide an engaging platform for their voices, vision and dreams to be shared with a broader audience.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

The national written essay winner receives a $1,000 prize and round-trip ticket to Washington, D.C., for recognition during the Celebration of Ag Dinner held March 18 at Whitten Patio at the USDA. During dinner, the winner will have the opportunity to read the winning essay as well as join with industry representatives, members of Congress, federal agency representatives, media and other friends in a festive ag celebration. The video essay winner wins a $1,000 prize, and the winning video will play during the Celebration of Ag Dinner.

This is the 42nd anniversary of National Ag Day. The goal of the ACA is to provide a spotlight on agriculture and the food and fiber industry. The ACA not only helps consumers understand how food and fiber products are produced, but also brings people together to celebrate accomplishments in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

The Ag Day Essay Contest is sponsored by CHS Inc., High Plains/Midwest Ag Journal, National Association of Farm Broadcasting, National Agri-Marketing Association, Country Living Association, Farm Progress Companies and McCormick Company.

All written entries should be sent to: 2015 Ag Day Essay Contest, Agriculture Council of America, 11020 King Street, Suite 205, Overland Park, KS 66210, or submitted by e-mail to essay@agday.org. Students may upload video essays at http://agday.leapfile.net and follow the directions on the page, or students may choose to mail video entries on a compact disc to the address above. Visit www.agday.org to read official contest rules and for more details regarding entry applications.

Gardener News The Premier Gardening Monthly Newspaper Number 141 Published Monthly Contact Information Phone: 908.604.4444 Website: www.GardenerNews.com E-Mail: Mail@GardenerNews.com Staff Executive Editor/ Publisher . . . .

Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Tom Castronovo Justin Kukuc Tom Castronovo

January Columnists Tom Castronovo Tim Hionis Evan Dickerson Paul Kneeland Craig Korb Douglas H. Fisher

Todd Pretz Jody Shilan Bob LaHoff Peter Melick Richard Perkins

Contributing Writers Bruce Crawford Jeannie Geremia

Kathleen Salisbury Nurgul Fitzgerald

Gardener News is published monthly by

Gardener News, Inc. 16 Mount Bethel Road #123 Warren, NJ 07059 Subscription Information Subscription: One year by mail $26.00 The Gardener News invites correspondences on gardening subjects of interest. Gardener News, Inc, and its Publisher reserve the right to accept, refuse, or discontinue any editorial or copy, and shall not be liable to anyone for printing errors, misinformation or omissions in editorial or copy. The information contained in articles herein represents the opinions of the authors and, although believed to be accurate and complete, is not represented or warranted by Gardener News, Inc. to be accurate or complete.

All advertising is subject to the Gardener News advertisement rates, and must be PAID IN FULL at time of submission. Publisher reserves the right at its absolute discretion, and at any time, to cancel any advertising order or reject any advertising copy whether or not the same has already been acknowledged and/or previously published. In the event of errors or omissions of any advertisement(s), the newspapers liability shall not exceed a refund of amounts paid for the advertisement.

NOTE: All editorial, advertising layouts and designs and portions of the same that are produced and published by Gardener News, Inc., are the sole property of Gardener News, Inc. and may not be reproduced in any form unless written authorization is obtained from the publisher. POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to: Gardener News, 16 Mount Bethel Rd - #123, Warren, NJ 07059. (c) 2015 Gardener News, Inc.

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Now is a great time to have your trees inspected for safety and tree health. Pruning for safety removes branches that could fall and cause personal injury or property damage. Pruning for tree health removes diseased or insect-infested wood, thins the crown to increase airflow and reduce some pest problems, and removes crossing and rubbing branches. Removing broken or damaged limbs encourages wound closure and prevents diseases from entering the tree. Pruning also encourages trees to develop a strong structure and reduces the likelihood of damage during severe weather.

Gardener News

January, 2015 23

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24 January, 2015

Gardener News

inspiration strikes

Spinach Frittata Find your inspiration with the healthy recipes at kingsfoodmarkets.com/healthy

UNEXPECTED WAYS TO EAT HEALTHY IN EVERY AISLE At Kings, healthy eating is anything but ordinary. You’ll find organic produce, non-GMO ingredients and exciting new foods to try around every corner.

With a vast array of hormone- antibiotic- and pesticide-free options, it’s never been easier to explore your culinary range with smart choices.

Start off a truly inspirational New Year at your neighborhood Kings today.

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