Gardener News December 2016

TAKE ONE

Gardener News

December, 2016

Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities GARDENERNEWS.COM

TAKE ONE No. 164

Tiny Christmas trees for kids!

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Emma Nicholson and her father, Chris Nicholson, shear a four-foot Meyer spruce tree on the family Christmas tree farm in Mendham, Morris County, N.J.

Emma Nicholson (9), whose father, Chris Nicholson (50), owns Hidden Pond Tree Farm in Mendham, Morris County, earned the top spot in the 2016 New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association (NJCTGA) Annual Contest, placing first in the Table Top category for growing an award-winning four-foot Meyer spruce. The contest took place at the Middlesex County Fair this past August.

Her father took second place in the full-size spruce category.

Growing up on the family farm has helped Emma learn what it takes to plant and nurture Christmas trees to their full potential, instilling the time-honored values of traditional family farming, said Chris.

After winning the Table Top category, and after having a four-foot Christmas tree in her bedroom each holiday season, she approached her father, and with her inspiration, created a whole new category of “tiny trees” at her family’s farm for the 2016 season. Emma wants kids of all ages to be able to experience the real fresh scents and first-hand care of their own personal Christmas tree. Emma says the best place for a kid’s tree is in the corner of the room, and away from the bedroom door. She (Cont. on Page 19)

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December, 2016 3

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4 December, 2016 In botany, pure and simple, it is known that an “Evergreen” is a plant that leaves throughout the year and is always green.

There is no time the tree is bare; the leaves are always gradually renewing.

Christmas trees were first grown as a commercial crop in New Jersey. We were the first state in the nation that saw such evergreen production. A fellow named William McGalliard planted Norway spruces as Christmas trees on his farm in Hamilton Township, Mercer County, N.J. That first-recorded instance of a “Christmas tree farm” (also referred to as a “plantation” in some documents) spawned what today is a sector of agriculture that sees approximately 26 million “real” Christmas trees a year sold, at a value of $1.32 billion, as opposed to 12.5 million “artificial” or “fake” trees, at a total value of $854 million. (source: National Christmas Tree Association) Like so many other amazing, accidental and serendipitous beginnings for other farming and horticultural enterprises, the story of New Jersey’s (and the nation’s) first Christmas tree farm is no exception.

GardenerNews.com NJ Dept. of Agriculture

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

O! Christmas Trees You see, on McGalliard’s farm just outside of Trenton, one particular 10-acre plot was gravelly and not suited for growing the higher-value crops he cultivated elsewhere on his property.

A Trentonian story about the state’s pivotal role in Christmas tree lore said that 10 acres “positively defied his best efforts to grow a worthwhile crop. About ready to give up in desperation, one day McGalliard noticed that a spruce hedge growing directly in front of his house was thriving in soil much like that in his problem field.

Since spruce trees were popular for the holidays, he decided to plant the entire 10 acres” with them.

The answer to McGalliard’s quandary was right under his nose. It turned out to be a gamble worth taking, that article stated,

because “with that decision, though he didn’t realize it at the time, he pioneered Christmas tree farms in this country.”

Right here in the Garden State, we grow over 70,000 choose-and-cut trees, and there are Christmas tree farms in almost every county, north to south. Most are of the chooseand-cut model, which has a very sustainable aspect to it, since new trees are planted each year to replenish the stock that residents cut and buy.

Selecting a tree at these farms is a treat and an activity that brings the family together as the holidays approach. Once families get into the tradition, we have found, in most cases it is an activity that is handed down generation to generation.

And isn’t that a perfect slice of life that we can strive to keep in our hearts in these complex

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

times in which we live?

Every year, as New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture, I get the privilege and honor to cut the ceremonial tree that kicks off the season for our state’s Christmas tree growers. It is a harbinger of the family fun that our residents will enjoy as they spend a winter’s day seeking out that perfect specimen.

Our growers take great care in providing only the best trees for their customers. Each year, they have a competition for the “grand champion” in the state. One of our growers, John Wyckoff, even had his awardwinning trees including in the holiday decorations at the White House a few years back.

Of course, there is always so much more you can do once arriving on the many farms in our state. I’ve said many times in the Gardener News that

every farm in our state is special and unique. There are always discoveries to be made on the lands our producers cultivate and harvest.

Sometimes, those discoveries are of a historical nature, like the nation’s first commercial Christmas tree farm, or orchards that spring up on a Revolutionary War battlefield.

Sometimes those discoveries are botanical, like things that grow especially well in our extraordinary micro-climate.

Go out and take in our farms, even in December, and experience all they offer, right under our noses. Just like Mr. McGalliard did.

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

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It’s in the news

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Michael Paré, who is best-known for his film roles as Eddie Wilson in Eddie and the Cruisers (1983) and its sequel Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives! (1989), looks over the November Gardener News while visiting the Garden State. Paré has also appeared in Streets of Fire, The Philadelphia Experiment, Moon 44, Bad Moon, The Lincoln Lawyer, Assault on Wall Street, Bone Tomahawk, and many others.

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December, 2016 5

6 December, 2016

RUTGERS NJAES/RCE

Reducing Fertilizer Runoff from New Jersey Farmlands The Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) Water Resources Program, in partnership with the New Jersey Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is working with New Jersey farms to reduce fertilizer runoff from farmland. The goal of the project is to retro-fit tile drains on farms throughout the state with nitrogen reducing wood chip bioreactors.

In the mid-19th century, agricultural fields with wet soils were often drained with long sections of perforated pipes called tile or tile drains. These pipes drained excess water from the fields to create conditions more suitable for growing crops.

Tile drains have helped create productive farmland all over the country. Although records of tile drain installation have not been kept and the location of these systems is uncertain, the RCE Water Resources Program, through geographic information system (GIS) analyses, estimates that approximately 36,000 acres of farmland in New Jersey is likely drained by these 100+ year old underground pipe systems.

As agricultural practices have evolved over time, fertilizers containing the nutrients phosphorus and nitrogen have become a mainstay in modern cultivation. These fertilizers, while they have increased yields, can affect water quality. Phosphorus and nitrogen are required for plant and animal growth, but too much in agricultural runoff, especially from tile drains, can result in environmental and health concerns.

In Burlington County, Specca Farms has partnered with the research team to develop and test a nitrogen reducing wood chip bioreactor. The bioreactor is designed to intercept the agricultural runoff flowing through tile drains and to filter it through a trench filled with wood chips. The perfect environment for denitrification will be created in the large trench for bacteria to reduce nitrate concentrations by 15-75%. The designs for the installation of the bioreactor will be completed over the winter, and the installation is scheduled for the early spring of 2017. We are excited to be working with the New Jersey NRCS to help farmers stay productive and also decrease their environmental impact.

Hampton Township’s McKeown Elementary School Receives its own Rain Garden!

Through collaboration with the school and other partners, a rain garden was designed by the RCE Water Resources Program. Once approved by the Hampton School Board of Education, the site was excavated by the Hampton Township Department of Public Works. Students were educated about the importance of the rain garden in the classroom throughout the planning process and were given a chance to see each phase of construction and participate in the planting that took place on October 24th. This gave them a sense of ownership and appreciation of the rain garden while they look forward to help ensure the long-term use of the rain garden.

One kindergartner stated, “Now all McKeown Elementary students will be the guardians of the garden!”

The rain garden at McKeown School is designed to intercept, treat, and infiltrate stormwater runoff from the building’s disconnected downspouts, the asphalt driveway/ parking lot, and adjacent sheds. Rain gardens reduce the volume of stormwater runoff, reduce local flooding, and reduce nonpoint source pollutants from reaching into our waterways. The RCE Water Resources Program is thrilled to be a part of Hampton Township’s first green infrastructure project and hopes that this project will act as a springboard for the community to implement additional projects.

This project was made possible through a partnership between the RCE Water Resources Program, Sussex County Municipal Utilities Authority – Wallkill River Watershed Management Group (SCMUA-WRWMG), Hampton Township Department of Public Works, and the McKeown School and was funded in part by NJDEP 319(h) Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Grant Program and the William Penn Foundation Delaware River Watershed Initiative.

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From the Director’s Desk

Rutgers Outreach Provided by Larry S. Katz, Ph.D. Director

Getting the Best from the Fall Harvest of Vegetables Fall comes with an array of cool-season vegetables, each unique and all chock full of nutrients.

Most of the vegetables are available at your local farmer’s market or the produce section of your supermarket. Almost all produce can be grown somewhere year-round. This may mean trucking produce across the country or even across the world. Buying seasonal produce from your local farmer’s market not only potentially reduces our carbon footprint, but it goes a long way to support your local farmers and may also result in more nutritious produce.

While many of these vegetables are available fresh from either market, many of them are available from your supermarket as frozen and will be just as nutritious. Here are a few to try: Pumpkin.

The bright orange color of pumpkins indicates they are full of an important antioxidant, betacarotene. Beta-carotene is one of the plant carotenoids that converts to vitamin A in the body. In the conversion to vitamin A, beta carotene performs many important functions in overall health.

Current research indicates that a diet rich in foods containing beta-carotene may reduce the risk of developing certain types of cancer, heart disease and may promote healthy vision. Numerous varieties of pumpkins are available and you might like to try a variety like cheese pumpkin, which makes excellent pies.

Squash Fall/winter squash include small to medium hard-skinned squashes such as the acorn, small and large Hubbard’s, miniature pumpkin and spaghetti types, as well as butternut squash, among others. These low-calorie winter vegetables provide numerous health benefits that may help reduce the risk of disease, including cancer and heart disease. They contain high levels of alpha and beta carotene, which converts to Vitamin A. They are a good source of Vitamin C and potassium, and are a healthy source of fiber.

Kale Kale is a super food because of its nutrients. Kale still is a fall vegetable and is at its peak at this time of the year. Kale hails from the cabbage family, which also includes broccoli, cauliflower, and collards. Kale is a very hearty cooking green and the cooler weather keeps it sweet. You can also use kale in a salad. Fall greens like kale, mustard greens, collard greens and Swiss chard all have some fiber, folate, and a wide range of carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which are good nutrients for vision. Laboratory research has found that the carotenoids in dark-green leafy vegetables may inhibit the growth of certain types of cancer cells.

Sweet Potatoes Sweet potatoes are a powerhouse of nutrients, flavor, and one of the best sources of vitamin A; a large one contains more than 100 percent of the daily recommended intake of Vitamin A, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Vitamin A may contribute to cancer prevention and the maintenance of good eyesight. You can microwave sweet potatoes in about 10 minutes and have a powerhouse vegetable for dinner. Sweet potatoes are adaptable to many recipes, soups, stews, mashed, roasted, all are a great fall treat.

Brussels Sprouts Brussels sprouts, mini cabbages, make a great fall side dish. They are packed with vitamins A and C. They also contain high concentrations of cancer-fighting glucosinolates, which also gives these little cabbages their distinctive flavor. Glucosinolates are important plant nutrients for our health because they are the chemical starting points for a variety of cancer-protective substances.

There are numerous ways to enjoy Brussels sprouts, one of the best is to just roast them in the oven with some olive oil.

Cranberries Cranberries are another superfood! They have vitamin C and fiber, and are only 45 calories per cup. In disease-fighting antioxidants, cranberries outrank nearly every fruit and vegetable.

Cauliflower Cauliflower is at its freshest in the fall and it is frost-tolerant once it is mature. Cauliflower has many of the same health properties as the other cruciferous vegetables. Like Brussels sprouts, both glucosinolates and sulforaphane are present in cauliflower, which can have the potential to be cancer-fighting nutrients. It has antioxidant power in the Vitamin C, K and manganese that also works to keep the body healthy. There are various ways to cook cauliflower, one unique way is to have “mashed” cauliflower; cook and mash it like potatoes. It tastes good cooked on its own, or added to soups or stews, or roasted.

The 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage individuals to consume at least three vegetables and two fruits each day. Choosing some of these fall vegetables can be a great way to enhance your fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as adding those beneficial nutrients. Be sure to check out a local farmer’s market near you for the freshest fruits and vegetables.

Editor’s Note: This month’s column is written by Kathleen T. Morgan, Dr. M.H. NDTR, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Chair, Family and Community Health Sciences.

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RUTGERS NJAES/RCE

December, 2016 7

Bromeliads add Holiday Cheer!

December in New Jersey can be described as a rather calm, perhaps even a drab, month for the garden. Most outdoor plants are in a sound slumber, forcing the color-starved gardener to turn their attention indoors for some seasonally festive colors. If you have become bored with Poinsettias, here are two Bromeliads that provide an attractive and long-lived addition for your December festivities.

Bromeliads are found within the family Bromeliaceae and features 51 genera with over 3,450 species – talk about an extended family for the holidays! Father Charles Plumier (1646-1704), a French botanist and Franciscan Brother honored his friend, the Swedish physician and botanist Olaf Bromelius (1639-1705) in 1703 with the family name.

Of the 51 genera available, Aechmea provide selections that not only have colorful foliage, but also an ironclad

constitution. Aechmea fasciata or Urn Plant is prized for its foliage with attractive silver highlights. Aechmea is from Greek Aichme meaning spear, referring to the spear-like barbs that line the leaf margins. The species epithet is from the Latin fascia for a band or stripe and refers to the banding or mottling of silver and green along the foliage.

Aechmea species are also described as a “tank plants,” since the radiating rosette of foliage overlaps so tightly at the base that it forms a watertight urn and hence, the common name. They have adapted to numerous nutrientpoor environments throughout Central and South America and are not only terrestrial, but have adapted to epiphytic or treetop environments, as well as lithophytic or stone cliffs. Its key to survival is the “tank.” It becomes a swimming pool for a veritable cocktail of creatures that not only urinate in the water, but also perish, releasing nitrogen and other important nutrients in the process and allowing the plant to survive in

these nutrient deserts.

Urn Plants also produce an exquisite three- to fourinch diameter flower through the center of the tank, which features a rosette of pink bracts with deep blue flowers appearing at the base of each bract. The flowers are very effective for upwards of three months. As they fade, so fades the mother plant, but she is replaced by two to three small offsets or pups at the base of the plant. When the pups reach a minimum of six inches tall, they can be separated via a sharp knife and replanted.

If you prefer a splash of red, consider Aechmea lueddemaniana “Mend.” The species was originally described by the German botanist Karl Heinrich Emil Koch (18091879) in honor of the French horticulturist H. Lüddemann.

The straight species typically has green foliage with red highlights, reaching 20 inches tall by 36 inches wide. “Mend” has foliage with brilliant red or salmon margins and a deep green center – a perfect centerpiece for the Holidays.

It receives its name from the first initials of those that helped to develop the plant.

M is for Mildred Merkel, who named the plant; E is for Edward Ensign, who sowed the seed; N is from Julian Nally, who gave the seed to Ensign; and the D is in memory of the bromeliad collector and breeder, Ralph Davis.

This past summer I planted “Mend” in containers with various other stalwart annuals.

Unfortunately, the containers went untended and unwatered throughout a very hot and dry August. Most of the plants looked absolutely haggard, if not dead, while the Aechmea looked just as perfect as the day it was planted. This is one tough plant!

Aechmea plants develop their best leaf coloration in morning sun or day-long dappled shade. They can tolerate full sun, but the leaves often scorch or discolor in the relentless sun. The soil should be high in organic matter and allowed to drain well in between waterings. Obviously, the plants will even endure

periods of drought. During the summer, the tanks should be filled with water, but left dry during the winter to prevent decay.

If you are color-starved and in search of something different this December, both the Urn Plant and Mend Bromeliad are excellent substitutes for Poinsettias, providing cheer for the holidays and for the years to come.

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 past-president of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu

Rutgers Master Gardeners Honored by State Association The Rutgers University Master Gardener Program, a volunteer organization of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, annually recognizes the outstanding work accomplished by members of each county organization by presenting Awards for Excellence.

The conference, “Food for Thought”, took place on October 1st at the Cook Student Center of Rutgers University. For Somerset County, the Individual Award for Excellence was given to Judy Pfister for outstanding long term contribution across multiple disciplines in support of the goals of Master Gardening program.

The Hours Team, co-chaired by John Hosmer and Ed Robinson, received the Team Award for Excellence for their dedication to recording, categorizing, and tabulating the many hours of all the Somerset County Master Gardener volunteers.

The Rutgers Master Gardeners are incredibly proud of the accomplishments of their fellow Master Gardeners. Those interested in more information about the Rutgers Master Gardener program in Somerset County can contact the NJAES Rutgers Cooperative Extension Office of Somerset County at 908-526-6293 press option 4.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity program provider and employer. Contact your local Extension Office for information regarding special needs or accommodations. Contact the State Extension Director’s Office if you have concerns related to discrimination, 848-932-3584.

Rutgers on Your Plate For the past decade, a familiar scenario has been playing out on farms and in gardens across the U.S. A healthy, fragrant crop of sweet basil begins to display yellowing leaves.

Upon closer inspection, the undersides of the leaves show signs of a menacing grayish sporulation. It is only a matter of time before the basil plant and others in proximity succumb to this new disease of basil downy mildew.

Rutgers New Use Agriculture & Natural Plant Products Program, working with the NJAES vegetable pathologist, and cooperating with New Jersey basil farmers, sought to address the problem by identifying basils from any species that exhibited tolerance or resistance to downy mildew. Once resistance was identified in the other basil types, the researchers made hundreds of crosses to get the desired traits of a true sweet basil along with downy mildew resistance. Plant breeding is an art, science and craft – with the basil, the breeders focus not just on disease resistance, but also breed for high yield and field performance, aroma, taste and the plant’s visual appearance. The new resistant basils will be released over the next few years.

5ඎඍ඀ൾඋඌ &ඈඈඉൾඋൺඍංඏൾ (එඍൾඇඌංඈඇ 3ඁඈඇൾ 'ංඋൾർඍඈඋඒ Atlantic County Phone: 609-625-0056 Bergen County Phone: 201-336-6780 Burlington County Phone: 609-265-5050 Camden County Phone: 856 216 7130 Cape May County Phone: 609-465-5115 Cumberland County Phone: 856-451-2800 Essex County Phone: 973-228-2210 Gloucester County Phone: 856-307-6450 Hudson County Phone: 201-915-1399 Hunterdon County Phone: 908-788-1339 Mercer County Phone: 609-989-6830

Middlesex County Phone: 732-398-5260 Monmouth County Phone: 732-431-7260 Morris County Phone: 973-285-8300 Ocean County Phone:732-349-1246 Passaic County Phone: 973-305-5740 Salem County Phone: 856-769-0090 Somerset County Phone: 908-526-6293 Sussex County Phone: 973-948-3040 Union County Phone: 908-654-9854 Warren County Phone: 908-475-6505

8 December, 2016 USDA Begins National Agricultural Conservation Survey The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is surveying 16,000 farmers and ranchers across the country through February 2017 about their conservation and production practices on cultivated and non-cultivated farmland. The results of the 2016 National Resources Inventory-Conservation Effects Assessment Project (NRI-CEAP) survey will further document on-farm conservation accomplishments and develop science-based solutions that help farmers and ranchers improve the environment.

The survey will measure the environmental benefits associated with installing and using conservation practices on agricultural land,” said NASS Administrator Hubert Hamer. “Responses to the survey can directly benefit producers themselves by helping leaders focus on what producers need to install conservation practices that are best for their operations environmentally and financially.”

Over the past several months, NASS contacted 25,000 farmers and ranchers to determine if their land meets the criteria to be included in the survey. Now, NASS representatives are contacting those with eligible agricultural land to schedule in-person interviews.

The survey asks for information on conservation practices installed, nutrients and pesticides applied, cropping history, irrigation, and grazing for the 2014-2016 production years. Those responding should expect that the survey will take about an hour to complete, depending upon the size and scope of the operation and conservation practices. Having records on hand will help shorten the time needed to complete the questionnaire.

NASS conducts the NRI-CEAP survey under a cooperative agreement with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. NRI-CEAP results help determine the effectiveness of existing conservation practices and what resources farmers may need to further protect the soil, water and related resources in selected watersheds, and to document on-farm conservation accomplishments. The results guide USDA conservation policy and program development and help conservationists, farmers and ranchers more efficiently and effectively conserve natural resources.

The privacy of all respondents is safeguarded, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified, as required by Federal law. Additional information visit http://www.nasss.usda.gov

GardenerNews.com N.Y. State Agriculture Commissioner Congratulates New York Future Farmers of America Leader Ashley Willits on Being Elected to Serve as a National Officer Willits is the 13th Member from New York to Hold a National Office and is the First Female Member to be Elected State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said, “We have so much to be proud of here in New York State—from our exceptional growers and producers who rank in the Top 10 in dozens of commodities and feed our school children, our communities and the world, to the great work our State’s farmers do in protecting our land, water and other valuable natural resources. All of these contributions have led to a strong agricultural industry that drives the New York State economy, but perhaps the most valuable asset we have here in New York State is our inspiring future generation of farmers and agricultural leaders.

I would like to, on behalf of New York State and the Department of Agriculture and Markets, extend my sincerest congratulations to Ashley Willits on this exciting accomplishment. As a past New York State Future Farmers of America President, Ashley has supported New York’s efforts in agricultural education. With this new honor, as the Eastern Region Vice President, Ashley will now bring her hard work, dedication and passion for agriculture to a national stage as one of only five FFA National Officers who will conduct important outreach, training and policy making for tomorrow’s FFA leaders.

Ashley has a tremendous job ahead of her this year but I have no doubt she will continue to be an excellent role model for both current and new FFA members and an avid spokesperson for New York agriculture.

I also commend Tara Berescik and Jeff Kirby, who each received an Honorary American Degree at the convention. This is the highest honor that the National FFA can present to a member or supporter.

It is given to individuals who provide exceptional service on a national level to agriculture, agricultural education, or FFA, and both Tara and Jeff are extremely deserving of this honor.

In her sixteen years as an agricultural educator at Tri-Valley Central School and as an FFA Advisor, Tara has played a crucial role in supporting the next generation of farmers in New York. Through her knowledge and experience, Tara offers her students a unique educational opportunity that helps prepare them for success not only in agriculture, but also in life.

As Executive Director of the New York Farm Bureau and former State FFA Officer, Jeff has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to New York agriculture. Throughout his career, Jeff has worked tirelessly to find solutions to the challenges facing our farmers and to strengthen the industry.

In doing so, he has helped paved the way for countless new farmers of tomorrow.

In addition, I’d also like to extend my congratulations to the nineteen American Degree recipients from across the state. The work of the New York State Future Farmers of America organization is critical to the success of the industry and I am tremendously proud of all those who represented our great state at the National Convention.”

U.S. National Arboretum Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Its Bonsai Museum

By Sharon Durham Public Affairs Specialist This year marks the 40th anniversary of the U.S. National Arboretum’s National Bonsai & Penjing Museum in the nation’s capital. The museum began in 1976 when Japan donated 53 bonsai and 6 viewing stones to the people of the United States to commemorate the U.S. Bicentennial.

The terms “bonsai” and “penjing”—Japanese and Chinese, respectively, for “pot-cultivated”— refer to the art of designing and maintaining miniature living trees or shrubs, long considered the ultimate in gardening skill.

Japanese bonsai, and its precursor, Chinese penjing, are steeped in ancient Asian traditions.

Branch placement, styling, and even the pot usedthese elements all work in harmony to convey deep symbolism and reverence for nature.

The National Bonsai and Penjing Museum has one of the largest collections of these masterpieces in North America. According to museum curator Jack Sustic, “The collection continues to grow steadily with the addition of pieces from around the world.

Today, 3 pavilions house about 150 plants.”

The Exhibits Gallery is a focal point that celebrates the related art forms of “viewing stones,” or stone appreciation, and “ikebana,” Japanese flower arranging.

The Special Exhibits Wing features the work of local bonsai enthusiasts and pieces from the permanent collection with seasonal interest.

A historically significant point in U.S.-Japanese relations is commemorated by a special bonsai in the collection: a 390-yearold specimen from Japan that survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

“The tree, donated by bonsai master Masaru Yamaki, was part of the 53-specimen gift to the United States for its 1976 Bicentennial,” says Sustic.

The collection also features the most famous bonsai in the world, Goshin, created by John Naka, a JapaneseAmerican bonsai master.

Meaning “protector of the spirit,” Goshin is a “forest planting” of 11 junipers, representing Naka’s 11 grandchildren at the time the bonsai was created.

According to Sustic, bonsai did not become popular in the United States until after World War II. “Many American soldiers stationed in Japan saw bonsai and brought that interest back home with them.”

The National Arboretum also has a North American bonsai collection, and one of the specimens is a bald cypress bonsai created

by Vaughn Banting of

Louisiana. Native to North America, the bald cypress develops a flat top as it ages.

Changes to the exhibit are under way during the museum’s 40th anniversary year.

According to Scott Aker, research leader of the National Arboretum’s Gardens Unit, “The main difference will be in the way we display the bonsai. Generally, they are displayed on wooden tables or benches. Our new displays place them on granite boulders and carved granite plinths that are topped with hardwood.”

The ground will also be different. “Where we once had gravel, we now have a mosaic of low groundcovers and an automated misting system at ground level, which will help to counter the extra heat buildup from the boulders. This is a beautiful and functional new way to display bonsai.”

Bonsai is not only an art form but also a philosophy, according to Sustic. “Bonsai allows us to connect with nature at a very intimate level.

It teaches us respect for nature, and it teaches us patience, and because of that, it makes us better people. Bonsai is popular because it has such a positive impact on both the viewer and the artist.” “Bonsai allows us to connect with nature at a very intimate level.

It teaches us respect for nature, and it teaches us patience, and because of that, it makes us better people. Bonsai is popular because it has such a positive impact on both the viewer and the artist.”

Editor’s Note: Sharon Durham works for the USDA Agricultural Research Service. She can be reached at 301504-1651 or by emailing Sharon.Durham@ars.usda.gov

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December, 2016 9

Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Happy Holidays

Hello Everyone, Look Who Read the Gardener News in 2004.

Fruit Baskets

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I must say, that it is an extreme honor to have one of our monthly featured “Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News Celebrities” elected as President of the United States.

Donald J. Trump will take the oath of office as the 45th President of the United States on Jan. 20, 2017 at the U.S. Capitol.

I hope all of you have a Happy and a Blessed Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Joyous Holiday Season!

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.

10 December, 2016

GardenerNews.com

Deck The Halls

By Hubert Ling It’s time again to deck the halls with boughs of holly.

When the Pilgrims landed in 1620, during Christmas, they were greeted by the American holly, Ilex opaca, which is very similar to the European holly. Holly has been used for centuries to celebrate Christmas: the thorns remind us of Christ’s crown of thorns and the bright red berries represent His shed blood. Because of its decorative uses, American holly has been very popular since the time of European settlement.

George Washington loved this tree; more than a dozen of those that he planted are still flourishing.

Holly is pollutionresistant, is slow-growing and rarely exceeds 30 feet in cultivation. This evergreen is long-lasting, with contrasting persistent

berries, and has a conical shape. The tallest known wild holly tree, which reaches 99 feet, is in South Carolina. Holly is moderately resistant to drought, floods, deer and disease but has occasional minor problems with red mites, leafminers and scale.

About 1,000 cultivars of this very popular plant have been developed and residents of Northern New Jersey are sometimes surprised to find that holly is also a common, wild, native understory tree of the New Jersey Pinelands.

Holly can be propagated by seed, but germination is a problem; germination times are 16 to 48 months. Some suggest simply planting the seeds as soon as they turn red and others suggest a onehour soak in concentrated acid or scarification prior to planting to hasten germination. Holly can also be propagated by cuttings.

Success is generally good, especially when a rooting hormone (IBA) is used.

American holly is found naturally in the U.S., from coastal Maine to Florida (zones 5-9) growing in sandy, moist, acid soil in full sun or partial shade.

However, it also does well in a variety of growing conditions, but is not very tolerant of fire, high wind or salt spray. This small tree has small white-greenish flowers in New Jersey in late-May and early-June, which are an important food source for wasps, ants, moths and bees; holly nectar makes an excellent honey.

Male and female flowers are borne on separate trees, so you need a female tree to get the red “berries” and a male tree must be nearby.

American holly is an ecologically significant plant: in New Jersey, American holly are the principal host for the larvae of Henry’s Elfin butterfly. The berries are also an emergency food for deer, squirrels and birds, including doves, turkeys and many songbirds.

Flocks of robins, goldfinch and cedar waxwings can completely strip a tree of all its berries in seconds. In years with mild winters, the fruits persist into spring.

Holly trees retain their leaves for three years and the foliage is very thick; Birds frequently use holly as a secure, protected nesting site. Most animals avoid the sharp needles of the leaves, but during harsh winters, deer have been known to browse the foliage.

Because of the toxic properties of the berries, Native Americans used holly as a strong laxative, emetic and diuretic (your body really needs to get rid of it). Tea from the leaves was used externally for sores and itchy skin.

Holly berries can be very dangerous to small children and ingesting only a few berries can lead to violent vomiting.

Holly wood is finetextured, dense and stable.

It therefore is useful for engraving blocks, cabinet

work, carvings, handles and rulers. It can be stained black and is used to replace ebony. Holly is one of the whitest known woods and it still remains very pale after being varnished and after aging. In this regard, it is very useful for creating lightcolored areas in the art of marquetry, where beautiful pictures are “painted” with pieces of veneer.

The American holly is small enough to fit in almost every garden. It will grace your yard 365 days a year. Most people consider holly to be a fine asset, even though they may release an “expletive deleted” when pricked by the leaves. Those of you in Northern New Jersey can find American holly flourishing at Rutgers’ Cook Gardens and at Sandy Hook.

Editor’s Note: Hubert Ling is the Horticulture Chairman for the Native Plant Society of New Jersey. He can be reached at milhubling@verizon.net

Sharing native plants and seeds

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Hubert Ling, who has a PhD in Biology, is a columnist for the Gardener News and a current board member and a horticulturist for the New Jersey Native Plant Society. He shared his knowledge and interest in propagating native plants at the New Jersey Native Plant Society’s annual conference on Saturday, November 5, at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg, Somerset County.

Ling’s goal is to help conserve native plants by propagation, and to keep butterflies, bees, birds and wild animals thriving in the Garden State. He also encourages others of like mind, on a daily basis, to share the native plants and seeds that they grow in their yard with others.

GardenerNews.com

December, 2016 11 USDA to Collect Final 2016 Crop Production and Crop Stocks Data (TRENTON, NJ) – As the 2016 growing season comes to an end, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact producers nationwide to gather final year-end crop production numbers and the amount of grain and oilseed they store on their farms. At the same time, NASS will survey grain facility operators to determine year-end off-farm grain and oilseed stocks.

“These surveys are the largest and most important year-end surveys conducted by NASS,” explained NASS New Jersey State Statistician Bruce Eklund. “They are the basis for the official USDA estimates of production and harvested acres of all major agricultural commodities in the United States and year-end grain and oilseed supplies. Data from the survey will benefit farmers and processors by providing timely and accurate information to help them make crucial year-end business decisions and begin planning for the next growing and marketing season.”

The information will be compiled, analyzed and then published in a series of USDA reports, including the Crop Production Annual Summary and quarterly Grain Stocks report to be released January 12, 2017.

“Responses to the survey will be used in calculating county yields,” explained Mr. Eklund. “USDA uses county yield information from the survey to evaluate and administer vital farm disaster mitigation and insurance programs such as Price Loss Coverage (PLC) and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC). Farmers who receive this survey are not included in the County Agricultural Production Survey, therefore this is their only opportunity to be included in the calculation of New Jersey’s county yields.”

These and all NASS reports are available online at www.nass. usda.gov. For more information, call the NASS Northeastern Regional Field Office at 1-800-498-1518.

“Not A Creature Was Stirring, Not Even a Mouse….”

By William A. Kolbe B.C.E. December is here and if the weather experts get it right, we should be in for a pretty hard winter here in New Jersey.

Plenty of snow and cold weather and creatures like the house mice, field mice and white-footed mice will all be snug in their beds (nests) waiting out the winter, right? Wrong.. sort of! Pest management professionals typically deal with “commensal rodents.”

The word commensal means, “Living in a relationship in which one organism derives food or other benefits from another organism without hurting or helping it.” Also “eats at or shares food with humans.” Inside homes and buildings, we deal mostly with Norway rats and the House mouse. Field mice (Peromycus spp.) are rodents that prefer to live outside.

These are the deer mice and white-footed mice.

House mice (Mus musculus) are the primary mouse found inside our homes here in New Jersey.

House mice will also live outside and around our homes and structures. These animals are extremely successful and adaptive creatures. Like most wild animals they prefer to be outside, but over the years the house mouse has adapted more towards “living with man” than its cousins the field mice.

Noted PhD Rodentologist Dr. Robert Corrigan (yes he got his PhD in Rodentology) states, “In my opinion house mice are the most successful animal on earth”. Bobby (as we know him in the industry) has labeled house mice as “kleptoparasites.” They are parasitic on humans and steal from us. If you want to see how successful house mice are, just go to youtube and search house mouse infestations. Some of the videos are incredible.

Enough about the house mouse. Let’s talk about their cousins the field mice.

Deer mice are associated with Hantavirus and Lyme disease. Most of you have read about these diseases and are familiar with them.

Gardeners need to take precautions to keep ticks off during tick season as the Black-legged tick is the one that transmits Lyme disease to humans.

Hantavirus is spread by inhalation of the hantavirus that is in the urine, dry droppings and nesting material of field mice. If you happened to be working your garden over the winter and come across nesting material or mouse droppings, take precautions. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has precautions to follow on their website.

Basic recommendations are to disinfect with bleach and water and during clean up wear protective gloves and a respirator. It is better to be safe than sorry when dealing with droppings you find outside in the garden or in outbuildings. We often find field mice in sheds,

detached garages, wood piles and in crawl spaces.

For some reason, field mice (deer and white-footed) do not like to be around humans inside homes. We are not quite sure why. My guess is because house mice are more aggressive, territorial and more combative than the field mice; hence field mice tend to stay outside away from structures.

How do field mice survive outside in the winter? Well, they have been doing that long before man build structures.

Rodents (rats and mice) are primarily seed feeders and that is their preferred food. So during the summer months, they are busy fortifying their outside nests by digging a little deeper down and storing seeds and nuts in the colony as well as caches close by.

So how do you tell if you have house mice or field mice? House mice are typically gray to gray/ brown in color. Young mice can have more brownish hair than adults. Field mice (deer and white-footed) are

usually more brown and they have a very defined white underbelly, larger eyes, and extremely Roman nose. The eyes of field mice are much larger than those of house mice. White-footed mice look almost identical to deer mice, and the only real way to tell them apart is to look at the tail: a deer mouse has a long, multicolored tail, and a white-footed mouse’s tail is one color.

And be careful when you go to get those Holiday ornaments out of storage!

Uno Who may be nesting close by!

Editor’s Note: William A. Kolbe, BCE is a Board Certified Entomologist for Viking® Pest Control based out of Warren, NJ. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Entomology with a minor in Ecology from the University of Delaware (Class of 1974) Bill is a member of The Denville NJ Community Gardens.

He can be reached at 800-618-2847 or visit www.vikingpest.com

12 December, 2016

GardenerNews.com

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December, 2016 13

Congratulations to the 2016 Award Recipients

Hall of Fame: William Schlupp, Cinnaminson Nurseries, Inc. Nurseryman of the Year: Dan Mayo, Waterford Gardens This award is given to someone who is recognized for outstanding contributions to the commercial horticulture industry in New Jersey. To be qualified, the individual must by a member of the association, and can represent any segment of the industry, nursery, landscape, greenhouse, or retail.

Young Professional of the Year: Katie Posten, Halka Nurseries, Inc. An individual, who is a member of the association and can represent any industry segment, that is under the age of 40, who has made outstanding achievements and represents the best aspects of the future of the industry in New Jersey.

Retailer of the Year: Timothy’s Center for Gardening Any retail garden center operation, who is a member of the NJNLA, that has demonstrated outstanding commitment and forward thinking in the advancement of the garden retail industry in New Jersey.

Distinguished Service Award: Jim Johnson, Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Cumberland County Available to members or non-members, this award recognizes the contributions of an individual that has given their time and resources to support and grow the horticulture industry in New Jersey.

The NJNLA is an organization whose vision is to be a passionate advocate for the nursery and landscape industry in New Jersey and drives successful initiatives that have high impact on improving the business environment for their members. They are a go-to resource for high-value, relevant and timely information for industry professionals. They have a robust and diverse community of members and maintain a high retention rate by consistently delivering and communicating value in membership.

The association was first organized in 1915 as the New Jersey Association of Nurserymen. In 1935, the group incorporated under the same name.

Around a similar time, a group of North Jersey plantsmen founded the Metropolitan Nurseryman’s Association. In 1988, the association saw a continued increase in membership from the landscape industry, and the board voted to rename the organization. The name became the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association and it remains that today. In 2008, the NJNLA merged with the Professional Landscape Alliance of New Jersey.

For more information about the New Jersey Nursery & Landscape Association, please visit njnla.org or call 609-291-7070.

Every few years, a new trend seems to emerge in agriculture which becomes the hot new way to market fruits and vegetables.

Back in the late-’80s and early-’90s, “pick your own” became very popular with growers and consumers alike.

It gave customers the chance to pick their own produce right there on the farm. At the same time, it allowed the farmers the opportunity to sell their products for retail prices while giving the consumers an education in modern farming practices.

A few years later, community farmers markets started to gain favor. These were temporary markets (usually only one or two days a week during the growing season) where farmers would bring their produce to an urban or suburban area and sell their products directly to the consumer.

While these types of markets have existed in some form dating back hundreds of years, they really started to catch on and become more organized in the middle- and late-’90s. While this movement had started earlier with the Green Markets

The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

Asparagus to Zucchini Flowers in New York City, it quickly spread over into New Jersey, where there are many markets that are still going strong.

The next notable phase that took off was the rise in popularity of Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs) or Crop Share Plans. In their most basic form, the way in which these models operate is simple. Basically, a farmer will have a piece of land which he or she intends to grow produce on. They will then sell “shares” to consumers who, in return for their monetary support, will receive regular allotments of produce from the farm over the course of the growing season.

So, if 100 shares are sold, each week the total output from the farm is divided up 100 ways and distributed to the shareholders throughout

the year. Using this model, the farmer is able to cover his or her expenses up front.

The consumer, by investing in the farm, is able to share in the normal ups and downs of growing fruits and vegetables.

And this might mean a box overloaded with corn and tomatoes one week when growing conditions are good, followed by much more meager offerings when the weather does not cooperate.

Of course, not all CSAs operate in such a strict manner.

Most have modified over the years so that both the growers and the consumers can take advantage of the benefits of the arrangement while not being subject to some of the obvious potential pitfalls.

These fads and trends have helped to shape our farm into what it is today. We

were fortunate in that we were able to take advantage of the popularity of “pick your own” produce. Because we had already been growing apples, peaches and pumpkins, with just a few minor modifications, we were able to jump in with both feet. We did not have to wait eight to 10 years for an orchard to come into production. And developing relationships with our new customers (many of whom lived in some of the more urban and suburban areas of New Jersey), only helped us when we started selling our products at some community farmers markets.

And selling at these markets made us better growers as well. Not only did the increased direct feedback from the consumers help to shape our offerings, but so

did the rules that governed these markets. With a very few exceptions, anything that we sold at these markets had to be grown by us on our farms. So if we wanted to sell more, we had to grow more. So we did.

And these new and different offerings, from asparagus to zucchini blossoms, really helped us when we started to offer crop share plans to our customers.

Because of the wide range of fruits and vegetables that we currently grow, we are able to offer a weekly share that is as diverse as it is plentiful. So where is the next trend going to take us? We are always open to suggestions…

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is currently the 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.

14 December, 2016

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16 December, 2016 For those of you who don’t know, the New Jersey Contractors Landscape Association has been advocating against a leaf blower ban in Maywood, N.J., which began on June 1 and ran through August 31, 2016.

The town’s resolution bans only commercial lawn maintenance businesses from using both gas and electric commercial leaf blowers on public or private properties.

(Residential use of leaf blowers is not banned by this resolution).

This was a pilot program that was initiated by Deputy Mayor Nancy Adams. At the end of the pilot, the town will evaluate the program and discuss whether to institute it again going forward or possibly a full-time ban all year long.

The town maintains that leaf blowers are too noisy and blow off top soil, dirt, allergens, dust and grass into the air and into the streets. On October 18, 2016, NJCLA Executive Director Jody Shilan, Director of Operations Gail Woolcott, Director Joe Bologinese and Associate Member Ken Cerull attended the second town hall meeting to discuss the commercial leaf blower ban that ended in August.

As often told feel-good stories, although therapeutic in nature, can be found in many disciplines in our society.

They may be classic forms of literature, short stories, movie screenplays, stage plays, even television shows and musical numbers.

Another form that makes a feel-good story is using horticulture and gardening programs to help people heal and persevere.

You may feel that this is an existentialist philosophy, and some would say you are right. Others would say anything that helps the healing process is a step in the right direction. This is not a new idea, and in fact you can find instances in history as far back as you would like to go where working with nature was part of curing and restoring health.

There are many programs across the country that deal with sickness and health both physical and mental as well as those incarcerated and in substance-abuse programs, and many educational outlets, schools and senior programs.

Since these therapy programs do not have to be certified

GardenerNews.com The NJLCA Today

By Nelson Lee Association President

Exhausting leaf-blower ban issue Jody was asked to speak to their “green” sub-committee so that they could better understand who the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association is and what its goals and objectives are. The town did not even realize that there was an association of professional landscapers in the state and was curious about what we had to say.

During the open town meeting, there were contractors who stated why they thought the ban was unfair. Some of the contractors have worked in the town for 20 to 30 years and couldn’t understand the need for the ban. There were also residents in attendance who were supportive of the ban and some against the ban.

It seemed like the residents were torn between instituting and not instituting the ban. The town plans on holding another meeting to discuss the future

of the leaf blower ban at a later date.

The ban raises a lot of concern for our industry in the state of New Jersey. If one government official in one town can initiate this type of a ban and target only our industry, who is to say other towns won’t follow suit? The fact that the ban targets only our industry while other industries may still continue to use them (i.e. construction companies, tree companies, masons, asphalt contractors, line stripers, sweeping companies and the town’s residents), appears to be an unfair and biased attack on the landscape maintenance contractors in our state.

We, as landscape professionals, need to join together and help find a way to give our clients the finished product they are expecting and paying for in a safe, efficient and economical manner so

towns will allow us to continue business as usual. Governing bodies should be more tolerant and understanding and work with landscape professionals to develop approved means by which both parties are satisfied and the residents of the town can have their needs met.

Other New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association happenings: Gail Woolcott celebrated her 10-year anniversary with the New Jersey Contractors Association in November. We thank Gail for all of her hard work and dedication to the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association Officers, as well as to the Board of Directors and all of its members.

New Jersey Landscape Contractor Association University begins the first week of December with educational classes including 1) Snow and Ice Management, 2)

The Landscaper

By Evan Dickerson Landscape Professional

Horticulture Is A Feel-Good Science or regulated, it is hard to put a number on them per se, but now certain colleges and universities offer classes and even degrees in horticultural therapy.

These wide-ranging programs start with what would be called “horticultural therapy,” involving trained therapists using interaction with plants as part of a formal treatment plan. They continue with vocational horticulture, which can integrate folks into jobs in the plant industry, therapeutic horticulture, which involves working with plants and plant-related programs to improve people’s wellbeing, and social horticulture, which uses community gardens and groups to improve fellowship through the gardening experience.

The actual physical gardens can be as intricate or simple in design as are any of the gardens we see on an everyday basis. This is why hospitals, schools and universities, communities and even private properties incorporate plantings of color, fragrance and texture into their landscapes. Water features, from large and small ponds to fountains and even tabletop bubblers, add to our auditory and visual experience. Not only the use of plants and water, but statues and various structures, increase our interest and enjoyment.

Garden paths and benches and sitting areas increase our accessibility and give us a reason and purpose for being in the garden if for nothing else than to enjoy its natural beauty, which will

tweak our senses and thereby improve our overall health.

How often have you entered a garden setting, whether a formal display garden or even someone’s back yard, and walked away feeling more peaceful and at ease?

I venture to say more often than not.

Let us try to cite examples of how horticultural therapy has affected our own lives.

I recall certain places I’ve visited which evoke peaceful memories. Fishing on an upstate lake, which had a park with private picnic groves cut into the woods. Here we were able to clean and cook fish we had caught and enjoy the fruits of our labor in a natural setting, which had native plants installed to define each area. Or after a particularly taxing day to sit near a water

Landscape Designs, Graphics and Sales, 3) OSHA Training, 4) Budgeting, Estimating and Project Management and 5) Pesticide Training for Operators.

Register soon before classes fill up.

The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association has its Annual Trade Show on March 8, 2017 at the Meadowlands Convention Center in Secaucus, N.J. We have a great show planned this year, so make sure you preregister to avoid waiting on those long lines, and save a few dollars as well. This year’s theme is sports, from auto racing to golf and everything in-between. Become a member of the New Jersey Landscape Contractor Association and your employees can also join at a 25-percent discount.

Wishing everyone a joyous holiday season!

Editor’s Note: Nelson Lee is president of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA). He is also Founder and President of Landscapeworks, Inc., Advanced Mulch Services, Inc. and Advanced Hauling.

Lee can be reached at nlee@landscapeworks.net or by calling the NJLCA at 201-703-3600.

feature and listen to the flow of water as it nurtures our well-being. And even having the certain fragrance of a plant helping us recall a happy time in our lives. A particularly poignant one for me is the scent of geraniums, which remind me of being at the shore as a kid, since one of my chores was to dead-head the geraniums planted around my aunt’s house. I’m sure we can all recall instances of our own version of horticultural therapy.

This is the basis of gardening and horticulture as a therapeutic medium.

As we have said, the chore of working with plants and the soil, as well as making areas which extend our living spaces into the natural landscape, and of course enjoying just being in it, is beneficial to our health.

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

GardenerNews.com

December, 2016 17

18 December, 2016

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JOY in Nature

By Jeannie Geremia Garden Club of New Jersey Sharing is the operative word that I have embraced since joining my garden club back in 2003.

In becoming a member of the Neshanic Garden Club, I vowed not to take away from my own gardens and sought to limit myself to only being part of one committee, that of horticulture. That, my gardening friends, didn’t last long at all, as I had fallen head over heels in love with Hellebores, and had nothing to do but share it with everyone I came in contact with.

Their sheer beauty when the landscape was cold and barren brought absolute joy. It was mind-boggling that there, in the midst of winter, even before the snow drops showed their dainty white heads, that this ethereal bouquet could arise from the frozen ground and melt my heart. I was like a woman possessed in alerting my garden club members and district garden club members to this remarkable but, at that time, rare plant.

I shared photos and articles, and bought even more species of Hellebores, and the payback has continued to this day. I still have garden club members and friends gush over their Hellebores and the joy that growing them has brought to so many. Yes, I know they are not native to North America, but they have adapted here so readily and provide early nectar for hungry bees emerging on a warm winter’s day to joyfully find the food they desperately need. A case can be made for being inclusive in one’s life and garden.

Sharing my joy in butterflies, bees, birds and by extension, nature, has brought so much richness to my life and I hope to others in this new century trying to remain optimistic but realizing, as

pragmatic gardeners, that we may be the last generation to see and inhale the sheer beauty and joy of myriad species of wildlife.

The predictions are dire and already we know the loss of abundance of butterflies and bees that we experienced as kids. Actually, back then, I can remember distinctly feeling that man is on a path of self-destruction. Yes, we are the most fortunate of humankind for living at a time of miraculous cures, of inventions, and of instant knowledge, but it has all come at lightning speed and seemingly without natural checks and balances. We seem to be “takers,” not “givers.” Oh, I hope I’m wrong as I ache for our future generations who may never know the beauty, the majesty, the delight, nature has to give.

My gift to you is a book of love, of joy, of wonder that is entitled “The Moth Snowstorm.” This book was reviewed on October 22 in the New York Times, and I immediately sought it out as the author Michael McCarthy lays his heart out more eloquently and soulfully than most in the spirit of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson and George Perkins Marsh. He speaks of the dazzling beauty and joy he felt at age s7 of seeing a plethora of butterflies on Buddleia davidii in a neighbor’s yard in England in 1954.

The book is magic as he makes the case for nature by relating the inherent value to our psyche that it has given us over 50,000 generations.

That is the measuring stick we need to embrace instead of or in conjunction with the attempt to put a price on development versus sound ecosystems.

McCarthy’s description of the loss of the Saemangeum, South Korea’s tidal mudflats to a concrete

sea wall for the development of industry and agriculture is an eye opener for the world.

It was a crucial stop in one of the world’s eight flyways and its destruction has left 50 million wading birds at peril. McCarthy shows that in an eagerness to feed the world by reclaiming vast swaths of nature, results have in many cases boomeranged by creating a more expensive solution and/or unforeseen horrific consequences.

The butterflies that McCarthy encountered at age 7 propelled him to a lifelong love and joy in nature and resulted in his initiating a summer series on British butterflies as a journalist for the Independent.

Readers were invited to join in a quest McCarthy had set for himself of viewing all 58 species of British butterflies in a single summer. The lengths he and others went to in achieving this goal were breathtaking.

His description is not to be missed of finding the Duke of Burgundy, the Swallowtails, and the most memorable of all, the Heath Fritillaries.

As rare as they were, he came upon hundreds, even thousands “dancing in the dappled light.”

JOY in nature, indeed. Lucky us.

Editor’s Note: Jeannie Geremia is the Community Gardens Chair, the Butterflies & BeeGAP Chair and the Backyard Wildlife Habitat Chair for The Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., and is a National Garden Clubs, Inc., Accredited Life Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is a member of Neshanic Garden Club and her email address is: jeannieg42@earthlink.net The Garden Club of New Jersey website is: www. gardenclubofnewjersey.com and phone number is 732-249-0947.

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December, 2016 19

Tiny Christmas trees for kids!

(Continued from page 1)

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Emma Nicholson drives around her family’s Christmas tree farm on her father’s golf cart, personally inspecting the agricultural crop of trees.

also says to make sure it has a fresh cut and not to let the tree stand dry out.

This year’s Grand Champion for growing an award-winning eight-foot spruce is Andy Alpaugh, who owns the Evergreen Valley Christmas Tree Farm in Washington Township, Warren County.

New Jersey can boast of having the first Christmas tree farm in the country.

In 1901, W.V. McGalliard planted 25,000 Norway spruces on his farm in the White Horse section of Hamilton Township, Mercer County. Seven years later, they were marketed for one dollar each to customers who chose their trees in the field, cut them, and brought them home. Arrangements were also made to allow tagging prior to the season and for delivery by a horsedrawn wagon.

Since that first cutting in 1908, the tradition of chooseand-cut farms has grown and prospered to well over 200 intensively managed operations in New Jersey.

The need to organize became apparent years later because the industry and markets were changing, along with customer demands.

In order to compete in the marketplace, Christmas tree

growers had to produce a variety of quality trees at a reasonable price, and then effectively promote this product to the public.

Thus, out of necessity, the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers’ Association was organized.

Today the NJCTGA is a State 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 NJCTGA’s contest is open to members, both children and adults.

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.

20 December, 2016 The holiday season is upon us and it’s time to do some decorating!

Swapping out our planters filled with “Mums” and cabbage and exchanging them for something more thoughtful than just Alberta Spruce. Maybe you’ll use some holiday greens like Red pine or Fraser fir?

Maybe you’ll think outside the box and cut some Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica, and find some white birch sticks for vertical lift?

Whatever you decide to use, remember many of your holiday greens that make up your planters, wreaths and garland come from plants. The obvious ones are Douglas fir, Fraser fir and white pine trees that give us the more pedestrian answers. However, what about a plant that grows on the ground and gives us a different kind of look?

Princess pine, Lycopodium obscurum, is commonly known as a clubmoss or ground pine.

A different kind of roping or garland, offering a unique texture, princess pine is native to the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. Japan, Taiwan, Russia and Korea are also home to other Lycopodium.

Roots are one of the leastunderstood parts of a tree, mostly because they are not seen and are difficult to study.

They are also the part likely to incite neighbor disputes and complaints to community foresters, as they lift sidewalks and driveway aprons, push into foundations, and come to the surface in lawns, creating trip hazards and preventing lush lawn growth.

Not as easy to prune away – like a branch – they cause a lot of angst for homeowners.

Yet they are perhaps the most important overall structures of a tree. They anchor the tree in the ground and help to prevent it from falling. They control the uptake of minerals and nutrients, aerate the soil as they grow, die, and decay, and most important, they are the primary source of water absorption.

Like branches, roots have an outer bark, a vascular cambium producing xylem and phloem… but that is where the similarities end. The vascular bundles are surrounded by a layer of tissue called the endodermis, and its cell walls are cemented together by the Casparian strip.

Whereas plant cell walls

GardenerNews.com Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

Princess Pine Prince’s pine, another of its nicknames, grows in the understory of deciduous and coniferous forests. When I was younger, there was a colony of this near where I grew up in Roseland, N.J. Every year I would pick a small amount and help my mother make a wreath for our front door. Of course, we had the permission of the landowner, who we also made a wreath for. We would use princess pine, small cones from a dawn redwood, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria, and large leaves from a southern magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, to make our wreath. Clearly this is where my love for plants began.

Rarely more than six inches tall, this uncommon plant reminds one of a conifer, or a fern for that matter. Its main stem is actually a subterranean,

creeping rhizome, which grows a few inches below the ground.

Historically harvested from the wild for Christmas greens, it also has helped satisfy another retail market. The spores of this plant have been used for flash powder.

In fact, excessive harvesting has threatened the plant and states like Indiana and New York have it protected by state law. Today, harvesting is only allowed by permit in certain areas, thus making it even more of a rarity than other traditional garland types.

Lycopodium’s Greek epithet, dissected, describes a diminutive wolf’s foot, because of the resemblance of clubmoss leaves to a wolf’s paw. “Lycopods are flowerless, vascular, terrestrial or epiphytic plants, with widely branched, erect, prostrate or creeping stems, with small, simple,

needle-like or scale-like leaves that cover the stem and branches thickly (Wikipedia).”

These “Fern Allies” are a marvel to see in the midst of winter. A welcome perennial evergreen groundcover that, when not hidden by a fresh coat of snow, is a real horticultural treat to see. Worldwide, there are some 10 to 15 genera and nearly 400 species of clubmoss.

“Clubmosses or Lycophytes evolved some 410 million years ago as one of the earliest groups of vascular plants (Virginia Native Plant Society).” The unique candles held above its conifer-like stems have always captivated my attention.

Whenever I am lucky enough to stumble upon them, in their native habitat, I always take the time to appreciate them.

Ground pines do best in moist locations and are

Tree Notes

By Steve Schuckman NJ Certified Tree Expert

Getting to the Root of it All are cellulose and lignin, and porous intercellular spaces allow passive flow of water, the Casparian strip contains suberin, which prevents passive flow.

Think of it as mortar between bricks. Normally, water and dissolved nutrients freely pass within the intercellular spaces via osmosis. But in roots, the vascular tissue is contained within the endodermis and the Casparian strip prevents passive flow, which means water and dissolved minerals and nutrients must be ACTIVELY “pumped” into the vascular tissue by live cells. The root controls what gets in and what gets out.

Roots also have an intimate relationship with another organism: mycorrhizae fungi.

These are beneficial fungi that have developed a symbiotic relationship with their host tree species. Unlike decay

or saprophytic fungi, these organisms attach themselves to roots and provide protection and increased water absorption by increasing the overall available surface area. Some penetrate the root cells – endomychorrizae – and others simply wrap around the root – ectomycorrhizae. These fungi are also the source of many sought-after “mushrooms,” the reproductive structure of the fungus. Morels and truffles are both fruiting bodies of mycorrhizae fungi.

Mycorrhizal fungi have been and remain extensively studied. One can buy at your local garden center inoculants and fertilizers containing spores of these organisms, but due to host specificity and poor natural history understanding, these products may simply be more hype than help. Better to

let the plant develop its own mycorrhizae associations; the spores are already out there.

So, roots are responsible for water and nutrient uptake, and they do so in a more complex way than we expect. They also hold the tree up. But not as you may think.

At a conference years ago, a well-known arborist/scientist said this: “Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tap Root!” The point being, most trees – there are some exceptions – do not have a carrot-shaped central root. We have all seen uprooted trees following storms. Ever see a tap root?

No, because a few years after establishment, any tap root produced from seed goes away.

Trees are held up by a system of roots that radiate from the buttress like the spokes of a wheel, and these roots – most

commonly found in woods, thickets and clearings.

Important to note that, because of their extremely slow growth and delicate life cycle, princess pine may be difficult to find this holiday season.

Furthermore, it may be prudent to say, this interesting plant may be better left untouched and appreciated on your next nature hike, rather than over your mantle.

However, should you be fortunate enough to find a coil or two that was responsibly harvested this holiday season, misting or plunging clubmoss in water helps reinvigorate the plant and carry it through the holiday season.

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. not much more than three to five inches in diameter – flex and pull and keep the tree up.

They don’t go deep, they spread out and create a web of roots in the soil, a big net that “clutches” the Earth to keep the tree from falling. Like an eagle clutching its prey.

That addresses the big issue with roots in the urban environment. Residents often request tree species that have roots that won’t stay at the surface but go down, to avoid competition with turf and sidewalks. Or roots that stay at the surface, to avoid conflicts with sewers and other pipes.

Neither is the case entirely, and we will address these and other “tree myths” next month.

Editor’s Note: Steve Schuckman is owner of First Mountain Aboriculture, which provides horticultural consulting and community forestry services. He is currently the consulting forester for Bloomfield, Hawthorne, Maplewood, and Montclair, in New Jersey. He is also a New Jersey Certified Tree Expert.

He can be reached at smschuckman@verizon.net

GardenerNews.com

December, 2016 21

Farm market pies for the holiday season Whether you’re craving apple, apple caramel walnut, apple crisp, blueberry, cherry, coconut custard, lemon meringue, pumpkin, peach, pecan, strawberry rhubarb, or very berry, every family member has a favorite pie flavor or two.

There is nothing more satisfying than an oldfashioned, hand-crafted pie crust that is light and flaky, bursting at the seams with home-made ingredients and delicious produce.

And, the smell that fills the house when you’re warming it in the oven is heaven, too.

Pies might just be the most important part of the dessert table.

Farm market stands around the Garden State offer freshly baked pies of all kinds to suit all tastes.

Order one, or two, today and support your local farmer.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Rebecca Melick, co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick, Hunterdon County, takes a tray of freshly baked pies out of the oven in her farm market’s kitchen.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Tom Deckenbach, owner of Hamilton Farms in Boonton, Morris County, gets ready to sample a warm pumpkin pie in his farm stand kitchen

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Debbie Closson, co-owner of Homestead Farm Market in Lambertville, Hunterdon County, proudly presents an apple and a berry pie in her farm market.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Joe Smith, owner of Smith’s Farm Market in Wall Township, Monmouth County, places a cherry pie on his front counter in his farm stand store.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Rob Bardy, owner of Bardy Farms in Warren Township, Somerset County, adds a strawberry rhubarb pie to his farm’s bakery display counter.

22 December, 2016 Have you been good to your lawn or a Scrooge this year? How will Santa’s reindeer rank your lawn, “The best lawn in town” or, “You look like you just don’t care”?

Perhaps some lawns in your neighborhood are still green at this time of the year. This would indicate the homeowner feed their lawn this fall, unlike many lawns that are starting to fade to a lightgreen-yellow color.

Did you put your Christmas list together yet? Did you ask for all of the lawn products you’ll need to make your lawn great again?

Grass seed of great quality is the most important part of your lawn. Your lawn can only be as good as the seed you sow. Great grass seed will pay dividends for many years to come. If it snows, you can try “snowseeding.” Apply grass seed after a snow cover and it will work its way into the soil with the freezing and thawing action of the soil. You can sow seed Still can’t believe that it’s December again. Unbelievable being that just yesterday it was summer. Not really, but it sure goes fast anymore.

As much as I love Jersey, I can do without the weather during the first three months of the year. I don’t mind a couple snowy days here and there, but it’s just when it’s cold, gray and it’s dark out at like 5 p.m. No Bueno!

So I have been thinking recently that I can’t remember the last Christmas I had without my mother-in-law’s Christmas day staples.

Those being Christmas pie and Christmas casserole.

The Christmas casserole is this delicious baked egg dish, similar to a frittata, that has peppers, sausage and cheese.

IT’S AWESOME! The Christmas “pie” is more of a cream cheese based spread in the shape of a pie. Also AWESOME!

GardenerNews.com Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Santa’s coming to town in winter even if snow is not on the ground. Grass seed actually likes the cold weather to help it break dormancy. Once warm, spring weather arrives, it will germinate, filling in bare spots that weeds might invade.

While it is hard to ask Santa for quality soil, you can certainly take the steps necessary to create better soil to grow grass in. Is your soil hard and compacted? Does it have a soil pH value between 6.2 and 7.0? Did you get a soil test this year?

Have you been removing the leaves from the lawn before winter sets in? Santa cannot perform miracles if your soil is poor.

Did you fix the drainage problems or address the

moss problem on the back part of your lawn in the shade? Maybe you should ask for a new chainsaw so you can get more sunlight to shaded areas of your property so your lawn has a better chance of growing thick and healthy.

Many times, lawns are not growing thick, green and healthy because of poor soil conditions.

Some of you may get coal in your stocking.

Coal will not help out your lawn, but if you apply humates to your lawn, you will start to create a better soil environment to grow grass. Humates are included in some lawn products that are available on the market for improving soil health.

Humates are derived from

plant and animal deposits from the Ice Age. The agricultural and lawn and garden markets use humates to improve soil quality and water holding capacity.

If humate deposits are left alone for a few millions more years, they will turn into coal and then diamonds., So humates are good!

Maybe you need a new lawnmower and Santa will bring you a big riding tractor? If you are so lucky to get a lawn tractor, be sure to ask for some other attachments, like an aerator and snow plow.

Make sure to keep the blade sharp and alter your mowing patterns so you do not add to compaction problems. Fancy mowing patterns on the lawn look

From the Deep

By Craig Korb Executive Chef

Happiest of holidays to all my Jersey people out there!

Hopefully she either doesn’t read this article or my wife doesn’t tell her that I stole/borrowed two of her classics. The Christmas pie can be made ahead of time, like the night before, if you want, and the casserole needs to be made the night before.

Well, these two recipes will probably take up most of my space, I hope you enjoy them half as much as we do and again have a happy, healthy and safe holiday season! Enjoy!

Christmas pie (serves several people depending how hungry they are) 8 oz. cream cheese

mixed with 2 Tbsp. milk 2 1/2 oz. dried beef, chopped 2 Tbsp. chopped onion 2 Tbsp. chopped green pepper 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans method-mix all of the above together and put into baking dish or pie plate -sprinkle with the chopped nuts on top and bake 15-20 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees -serve with small slices of rye and/or pumpernickel bread C h r i s t m a s (breakfast) casserole

(serves approximately 6-8) 1 pkg. bulk sausage, pref. Jimmy Dean 1 lg. onion, chopped 1/2 green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 6 slices of white bread (4 cups), pref.

Pepperidge farms 6 eggs 1 1/2 cups low fat milk 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese method-crumble sausage into non-stick skillet and start browning -add chopped onion and continue browning -add chopped peppers to skillet

great, like the ones you see on TV during Major League Baseball games.

Maybe Santa’s elves will bring you some much needed practice golf balls to improve your chipping for next year. You have to have a good lawn to show your neighbors your great swing., Watch out for the windows!

Make plans for a great lawn this year; don’t get stuck with coal in your stocking! Perhaps you already have a great lawn.

Santa isn’t the only one who deserves some hot cocoa and cookies. Get into your favorite chair near the roaring fire; turn on a holiday movie while you watch the wonders of snow and flickering lights outside in your neighborhood. It’s okay if you fall asleep.

Happy Holidays!

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 -cook together until sausage is nicely browned -slice bread into cubes -spray 8-by-11 pan with Pam and put bread cubes into pan and then add sausage -whisk eggs and milk together and pour over sausage mixture -use a fork to press bread and sausage into milk until it is all moist -sprinkle cheese on top and cover with foil - r e f r i g e r a t e overnight -uncover and bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes 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.

GardenerNews.com Part Two, from my previous column: There are beekeepers at nearly every farmer’s market, selling their honey and other products. There are two at our market, both 100-percent raw organic and they usually have informative materials on how to help our bees.

Don’t be shy, have a conversation with them.

Find out what they are doing to their hives, and how they are keeping their bees happy. If they are thoughtful, respectful beekeepers who keep their bees in a sustainable, natural way, then make a new friend and support them!

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR SPRING: Bees are thirsty. Put a small basin of fresh water outside your home. You may not have known this one, but it’s easy and it’s true! If you have a lot of bees starting to come to your new garden of native plants, wildflowers and flowering herbs, put a little water basin out. A bird bath with some stones in it for them to crawl on works very well. They will appreciate it!

December, 2016 23 The Miscellaneous Gardener

By Richard W. Perkins Freelance Writer

“Without Them, Our Planet Is Doomed! – Part Two” What’s true for honey generally holds true for the rest of our food, so buy local, organic food from a farmer that you know.

Buying local means eating seasonally as well, and buying local from a farmer that you know means you know if that food is coming from a monoculture or not.

Our local farmers have greenhouses so we keep getting fresh organic food year-round! Our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms have indoor gardens as well.

Keep in mind, USDA Organic Certification can be expensive and you may find many great farmers and beekeepers with excellent food and honey that isn’t USDA certified simply because they don’t

produce a high quantity or opt for the expense of certification. Don’t let this get in the way of supporting them, and if you’re worried about their products, have a conversation with them.

A huge challenge for beekeepers is to keep their bees in an area where there is no chemical spray within three miles, as this is really what is required to guarantee truly organic honey. All the more reason for us all to avoid the use of harsh chemicals.

If you want to learn how to be a beekeeper, the local bee association may offer wintertime classes.

Understand that honeybees aren’t out to get you.

Honeybees are vegetarians.

They want to forage pollen and nectar from flowers

up to three miles from their hive and bring that food back to provide food for themselves and the beehive.

Contrary to what the media might have us believe, they are not out to purposely sting us. Here are a few tips to avoid getting stung. 1.

Stay still and calm if a bee is around you or lands on you. Many bees will land on you and sniff you out. They can smell the pheromones that come with fear or anger and it can be a trigger for them to sting you. 2. Don’t stand in front of a hive opening, or a pathway to a concentration of flowers.

Bees are busy running back and forth from the hive, and if you don’t get in their way, they won’t be in yours.

3. Learn to differentiate

between honeybees and wasps. Honeybees die after they sting humans (but not after they sting other bees!), wasps do not. Wasps are carnivores, so they like your lunch-meats and burgers.

Honeybees are vegetarians.

There are so many fun ways to hear about and help bees. Local beekeepers talk at community meetings, at conferences, in schools and at universities. You should also let Congress know what you think. Change has to happen from the top-down as well as from the bottomup.

Lots of “Save the Bees” websites have pages where you can sign petitions and find the latest ways to lend your voice and vote.

Additionally, you can join newsletters and become Facebook and Twitter fans to talk with others that are also interested in saving our bees on a national and global level. It has to be done!

Thanks for reading and see ya next month.

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

Bill establishes a pilot program that will allow three third-party vendors to administer the test required to obtain a commercial driver license.

Legislation sponsored by Senator Steve Oroho (R-Sussex, Warren, Morris) to speed up the process of getting a commercial driver license by using private third-party vendors to administer the test was passed by the New Jersey Senate on November 14, 2016.

“Drivers with commercial licenses are in huge demand, but New Jersey can’t keep up with new federal guidelines because our reliance on state-administered tests has created a massive backlog of people waiting to get their licenses,” Senator Oroho said. “This is a common sense solution to speed up the process and get these drivers to work.”

Drivers in New Jersey have some of the longest waits to get their CDL, with some people waiting three months or longer. In the 39 other states that already allow private third-party testing, the wait time is as short as one week.

The legislation, S-2364, establishes a Commercial Driver License Testing Pilot Program and would allow three private, third-party vendors to administer the knowledge and skills tests for commercial licenses. One vendor would be located in the each of the southern, central and northern parts of the state.

Current New Jersey law already allows for third-party testing, but no such program exists because the State never implemented any regulations. This legislation will institute a pilot program until regulations can be formally adopted. Nine months after the pilot begins, the chief administrator of the Motor Vehicle Commission would be required to submit an evaluation to the Governor with recommendations that will facilitate the permanent use of third-party vendors.

“A three-month wait to take a test is too long,” Senator Oroho said.

“These drivers have spent the time and money to get the training they need, and we just have get them to take the test in a reasonable amount of time so they can begin their careers. Other states are already seeing major reductions in those wait times, so it only makes sense for us to test it out and see if it’s a viable solution for New Jersey.”

24 December, 2016

GardenerNews.com

84th Annual Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The second-largest Rockefeller Center Christmas tree ever, a 94-foot tall, 56-foot in diameter, 14-ton Norway spruce, was harvested in Oneonta, N.Y. on Thursday, November 10, at 7:45 a.m. at the home of Angie and Graig Eichler. The tallest tree was from Killington, Conn., in 1999, at 100 feet.

Two cranes, a Tadano ATF 400G and a Liebherr LTM 1100.4, moved the approximately 90- to 95-year-old tree onto a large custom-made flatbed truck for the 140 mile trip to Manhattan.

It was erected in Rockefeller Center in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Saturday, November 12, under a crystal clear blue sky by a Liebherr LTM 1220 crane, where it will stand throughout the holiday season.

In 1931, construction workers building Rockefeller Center put up a Christmas tree, the first ever Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The first formal tree lighting ceremony took place in 1933.

Beginning December 1, the tree will be lit each day from 5:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.; all day (24 hours) on Christmas; and from 5:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. The last day to view the tree is January 7, 2017.

Over 2,500,000 people are expected to view the most famous Christmas tree in the world this year in the heart of Manhattan, N.Y. 2016 marks the 13th year the Swarovski Star will adorn the tree with 25,000 crystals and one million facets.

After the tree is taken down, it will be milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

New York Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball, left, and Erik Pauze, the Head Gardener at Rockefeller Center, look over the tree stump right after it was harvested in Oneonta, N.Y.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Two cranes, a Tadano ATF 400G and a Liebherr LTM 1100.4, get ready to set the tree on the custom-made flatbed truck in Oneonta, N.Y., after it floated above the Eichler house at 72 Country Club Road.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

The Eichler family’s donated Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in the process of being erected in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Graig Eichler, right, shares some happy memories of the giant spruce with his son Brock in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza right after the tree was erected.

GardenerNews.com

December, 2016 25

Vegetable Growers Association of NJ to Host Educational Sessions and Trade Show The Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey, in cooperation with Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension and the New Jersey Department of Agricultural, will host their annual N.J. Agricultural Convention and Trade Show in Atlantic City on February 7-9, 2017.

This is one of largest grower–farmer conferences on the East Coast!

Growers from around the region are invited to attend sessions focusing on the latest in production and marketing techniques for vegetables, presented by University faculty, government agency staff, as well as other farmers.

Highlights from this year’s program include sessions on drones in agriculture, high tunnel production, new plant health technologies, and farm brewery crops. Crop sessions will focus on sweet corn, pepper, tomato, wine grape and blueberry production and an organic session will feature a panel on transitioning to organic production.

In-depth workshops on food safety and sprayer technology will allow attendees to gain valuable insight on these important topics. Food safety is always a major topic and farmers attending this meeting can learn how to comply with the latest Food Safety requirements. There will also be an all-day session for Food Safety Modernization Act training.

One of the East Coast’s largest trade shows highlights vendors and representatives offering a wide range of agricultural products and services. It runs concurrently with the educational program. Additionally, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture will be hosting its State Agricultural Convention, where representatives from over 100 agricultural organizations meet to set policy for the coming year.

Learn more at www.njveggies.org

APHIS Adds All Cut Flowers and Greens to the Exempted Host List for the Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) in California Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is extending the exemption of select cut flowers and succulents to include all commercially produced cut flowers and greens for the light brown apple moth (LBAM) exempted host list. The exempted host list is posted at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/planthealth/lbam.

“Exempt host commodities” are exempt from the conditions required in the LBAM Federal Domestic Quarantine Order for interstate movement of regulated articles. The exemption is applicable only to commerciallyproduced commodities based on the pest mitigations provided through industry standards of production, harvesting, and packaging practices for each of the exempted commodities. Commodities that are not produced using these industry practices remain subject to the program requirements for interstate movement. New commodities added to the list are in bold font.

APHIS, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and local county agricultural commissioners, maintains its survey and regulatory framework to prevent the artificial spread of LBAM to other states or trading partners.

LBAM is native to Australia and has established populations in New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Hawaii. The host range for LBAM is broad and includes more than 250 plant species.

A map of the federal quarantine area is at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ planthealth/lbam_maps

Did you know that December 12 is National Poinsettia Day?

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Full Moon, December 13, 2016 Eastern Daylight

TIP OF THE MONTH

Be sure your poinsettia is well wrapped from the place of purchase when you take it outside on your trip home. Exposure to low temperatures for even a short time can injure leaves and bracts.

Unwrap the plant as soon as possible. Give your poinsettia bright, indirect light and water when the soil starts to feel dry. As with most houseplants, avoid overwatering, and drain the saucer, so the plant’s roots won’t rot. Poinsettias do not tolerate warm or cold drafts, so keep them away from radiators, air registers and fans, as well as open windows or doors.

26 December, 2016

GardenerNews.com

GardenerNews.com

December, 2016 27

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28 December, 2016

GardenerNews.com

INSPIRING 80 YEARS OF

warm family holidays

Start your family traditions with the season’s best…from Kings!

Let every meal this holiday season take center stage. We offer superior meat, seafood and organic produce to prepare a delicious celebration. Or, take the guesswork out of the busy season and select from our Chef Prepared classics and Catering favorites. Whether it’s a beloved family food tradition or an inspired new recipe, let Kings complete your holiday festivities in grand fashion.

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