Maycompost2018finalv4

Cover photo: Karen Harper

Iris

You Can Propagate Memories The photo in last month’s newsletter was an immature mulberry taken from a mulberry tree that I propagated years ago. Below is an article about that tree.

clothes. I liked the berries and still do. I have fond childhood memories about the tree.

tree was still there. It was during mulberry season. I enjoyed a few mulberries. I took about eight or ten cuttings from the tree. About a year after my visit, the property sold. The new owner bulldozed the tree. The old tree survived lightning, fire and kids climbing throughout its branches. It did not survive the bulldozer.

But because of the cuttings that I rooted, the tree still lives – and not just in my emories can be propagated. There memory. The trees produced by those cutare a number of plants in my landscape tings are genetically the same as the parent tree. Essentially, they are clones. The one in my backyard produces mulberries.

The tree was old when I was a young My children now climb and enjoy eating child. I remember a lightning storm and a the fruit from the same tree that I enjoyed loud, close strike of thunder at night when when I was their age.

I was about ten. The following morning, You too can propagate memories. Not all my twin sister and I found the tree split in plants can be propagated from cuttings half. It was a pleasant surprise to see the but many can be rooted. Sometimes trial tree survive that. It continued to grow and error is necessary to learn proper timwith one half its massive trunk lying on ing in taking cuttings. But most reliable the ground toward the east and the other references will provide the time of year to half lying toward the west. This made the take cuttings based on the plant species. that bring back fond memories – plants tree more fun to play on for kids in our that I propagated. small town. A number of years later an old barn in close proximity to the tree burned Larry Williams There’s a mulberry tree in my backyard to the ground. The well-seasoned timber is a horticulture that I rooted years ago. I took the cuttings extension agent produced a hot fire. The tree survived from an old mulberry tree in my small for the that, too. hometown in Middle Georgia. As a boy, I University of climbed the tree, got in trouble once for More than 20 years ago I visited the propFlorida coming home with mulberry stains on my erty adjacent to my childhood home. The

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Congratulations to everyone that was recognized at our Awards Program. So many individuals give a tremendous amount of effort and time to make our organization successful. It takes all of us to move our program forward.

Kent Beck certainly moved our program forward with the newsletter. I want to personally thank Kent for the marvelous job on the first edition of The Compost Pile for 2018. Please continue to send articles and photos to Kent.

A big thanks to everyone working in our nursery.

If we receive some warm nights the plants should really begin to grow. There is no question but what our plant sale will be a huge success.

Our new class of Master Gardeners are to be congratulated for completing the course. All of us look forward to working with our new group of trainees.

Our first plant clinic was a success. Many individuals in our area brought in samples of plants to be identified. Joe Michetti stayed busy working the soil samples. We could use more Master Gardeners to assist with our plant clinics.

I appreciate each person in our organization and the effort you put forth to make a positive difference in our community. Thanks for all you do.

Dave Gordon

Blue eyed grass and false Hosta

photo: Andy Donatelli

Editor: Kent Beck Send contributions to: Shalimarkent@cox.net

Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are XL. The things that come to those that wait, are probably things left by those who got there first.

Humor: Scott Berry

Photo: John Sweda 3

May 2nd-Landscape Workday @Crestview Extension Office9:00am-You are welcome to start earlier if you like.

May 4th-Plant Sale Setup @Annex

May 11th-Plant Clinic @Annex-9:00-12:00 •

If helping with the clinic, please arrive before 9:00am

May 16th-Lecture Series @Annex

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Begin at 9:00am

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10-11:00am

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Bring a cart to move plants if you have one

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Speaker-Karen Kirk-Williams

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Carts are not needed on Saturday.

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Topic-Cottage Gardening

May 5th-Plant Sale @ Annex

May 18th-Study Group @Annex

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Arrive at 7:30am to prepare for sale

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Please wear your name tag

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Deadline for articles and photos for Compost Pile

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Park at the Gulf Power Parking Lot

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Email for Kent Beck-shalimarkent@cox.net

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Water will be provided-snacks are appreciated

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Sale-8-12

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Cleanup-12-1:00pm

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Bring a smile and plenty of energy

May 20th

May 23rd-Master Gardener Monthly Meeting •

9:00am @Shalimar Baptist Church

May 7th-Power Point Workshop @Crestview Extension Office10:00am-Marg Stewart will lead May 9th-Board Meeting @Annex-9:00am 4

Mountain Laurel The mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) is a rare member of the state’s flora and is known primarily from the central panhandle westward. Many times it is a bushy shrub but

sometimes can be a small tree. What a beautiful bloom is found on the mountain laurel. The individual petals are fused together and range in color from white to several shades of pink. There are pink dots found along the petals. Whenever the plant is in bloom, there is an impressive array of color. On the older plants, the trunk of the plant has a unique twist.

They prefer a cool area that has sufficient drainage. On our property in Darlington, the mountain laurels grow on the east side of Chestnut Creek that slopes downward. They can be found growing down to the water’s edge.

All parts of the plant are toxic to humans and domestic animals. Honey made from the plant’s nectar has a repulsive on the evergreen leaves. Mountain laurel is considered someodor and may induce cramps, vomiting, and a host of other what rare in the state of Florida. problems. Native wildlife appear to be unaffected by the Dave Gordon plant’s toxicity, and white-tailed deer will sometime browse Photos: Dave Gordon

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Web Art in the Woods With cool, foggy mornings you may have noticed the large number of spider webs hanging on low vegetation. Some of them have unusual shapes. One of the most notable is the bowl and doily spider. This spider (Frontinella pyramitela) is a species of sheet web weavers found throughout the United States, including Northwest Florida.

It is a small spider, about 34 mm (0.16 in) long, boldly marked with black and white stripes on the abdomen, a brown cephalothorax, and brownish legs. They weave a fairly complex shaped webs only a few inches across, usually well off the ground and stretched between twigs or other objects. Webs consist of an inverted dome-shaped web, or “bowl”, suspended above a horizontal sheet web, or “doily”, hence its common name. The webs are approximately circular when viewed from above, where there is a tangled scaffold “knock down” threads of silk invisible to flying insects. The webs are commonly seen in weedy fields and in shrubs.

Small flies, gnats and other small insects crash into the strands of barrier silk and fall down into the non-sticky webbing. The spider hangs from the underside of the “bowl”, and bites through the web, pulling the prey through in

order to consume them while resting comfortably on the “doily”.

Bowl and doily spiders serve a very important ecological role by controlling human-biting and plant damaging insects.

Among web-building spiders, bowl and doily spiders (Frontinella pyramitela) are unusual because both males and females often cohabitate. The males rarely build webs, however, and so depend upon females ‘ snares for food. These cohabiting males capture about 32% of the prey that hit the web despite the female’s efforts to capture the same prey.

Mating in this species occurs on the underside of the bowl of the female’s web and is preceded by a complex vibration- and chemical-mediated courtship during the late summer. Eggs are laid in silken sacs in the web or hiding in leaf litter on the ground. Both eggs and adults have been known to overwinter.

Like all spiders, bowl and doily spiders develop through simple metamorphosis: spiderlings look like tiny adult spiders (but with lighter coloration), and shed their outer skin in order to grow.

Most sheet web weavers live only one year.

by Sheila Dunning 6

Mary Grace Evors

Plant Clinic Report

Silver Sands School Project

We held our first Plant Clinic of the year on Friday, April 13. The morning started out very slow but by 10:00 am, we were swamped. Clients had a wide variety of questions ranging from lawns, fertilizer, weeds, herbicides, plant diseases and plant identification. Joe Michetti also stayed very busy doing soil tests.

Several Master Gardeners worked with Lee and Sheila, moving and planting the seashore plants at the Silver Sands school on Wednesday, April 11, 2018. About 350 plants now have a new home. The extra space at the nursery is helpful and hopefully the plants will get the kids ready for the propagation. Thank you to all who helped.

We had a very good turn out of volunteers and I appreciate all CLL Classes who were there. During our busiest period, we could have used several additional helpers to handle our clients who had We have received a $150 check from the Center-for Lifelong to wait but, overall, it was a very successful Plant Clinic.

Learning for the winter session.

Our next clinic will be on Friday, May 11 from 9:00 to Noon.

Please come by 8:30, if possible, to help set up and be ready for our early bird clients.

Lecture Series: Karen Kirk-Williams In the second of our Lecture Series Linda Timothy gave an excellent presentation to 48 people about vegetable gardening in various types of containers including raised beds. Following the lecture a mini plant sale was held featuring tomatoes and peppers and the nursery sold almost all of its tomato investment as a result of Linda’s presentation.. I t was well received.

The next lecture will be Wednesday May 16, at the Annex in Fort Walton Beach. Karen Kirk-Williams will give a presentation on Cottage Gardening. We will once again have a mini plant sale following this presentation.

Mary Grace has committed OCMGA to offer the Gardening in the Florida Panhandle Class in the fall CLL session. Classes will be on Mondays from 10;15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at the annex beginning on September 10th and ending October 29th. She will be scheduling speakers soon.

Can you identify this?

Larry will reveal the answer next month

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Trigonella foenum-graecum or fenugreek is an herb native to the Mediterranean and western Asia. It is an annual and not at all frost tolerant. Easy to grow in a container and very easy to start from seed, it must be direct sown as fenugreek absolutely hates transplanting.

Marg Stewart

Fenugreek is used medicinally to treat a wide range of maladies. It is reported to help with loss of appetite, upset stomach, constipation and gastritis.

There are also some studies that indicate a positive impact on menstrual cramps and obesity. Other research has claimed relief from mouth ulcers, boils, bronFenugreek prefers full sun and wellchitis, cellulitis, chapped drained soil. It does best in a neutral to lips and many others. Fenslightly acidic pH. You must allow the ugreek may also be used as soil to dry out between watering to a poultice to treat local pain avoid root rot. Unlike other herbs, fenuand swelling, leg ulcers and eczema. It appears to slow the absorption of sugars in the stomach and stimulate insulin--both of which lower blood sugar in the case of diabetes.

As a food, the seeds and dried leaves are commonly used in spice blends. The leaves may be used as a vegetable and fenugreek seeds may also be used as a flavoring agent when maple syrup isn't wanted or available.

greek does best in fertile soil so be generous with the compost NOT the fertilizer! Fertilizing your herbs will make glorious plants with no flavor. Fenugreek is also relatively pest free.

The leaves are ready to harvest within 20 days and have a flavor similar to spinach. When harvesting, leave the twigs as they will grow again over the course of about 15 days. You may harvest this way up to four times. Seed pods will take 2-4 months before they are ready. The seeds have a distinct maple flavor and aroma so don't be surprised if you have a hankering for pancakes when you are working near this plant.

Note: As with all herbal preparations, medicinal use has not been approved by the FDA and no herbal preparation should be used in place of medication prescribed for you by your doctor. Herbal supplements are not regulated and care should be exercised when purchasing. Only purchase those products from reputable sources. Always check with your doctor before taking any herbal supplements and make sure to provide a complete list of herbal supplements you are taking to your medical provider.

I thought about making a fitness movie for folks my age and call it 'Pumping Rust'.

Humor contribution: Scott Berry

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The Dwarf Tomato Project

Go Small or Go Home

I first stumbled on an article about this project back in 2014,

So, your garden is space-challenged or, like me, your soil is full

know how Facebook likes to remind you of your memories?

of tree roots and not very amenable to being dug up and con-

Well, in January of this year they showed me that post from

posted it to my Facebook page and then forgot about it. But you

verted to growing space. Whatever the reasons, many of us do a 2014 and I decided it was time to get with it. I ordered seeds lot of our gardening, including growing tomatoes, in containers. from the Victory Seed Company. You can browse their dwarf I use very large containers (25 gallon) that are permanently sit- tomato varieties here: https://www.victoryseeds.com/ uated and are extremely heavy and I get at least 75 pounds of ossi.html. I started out trying to be scientific in my choices and great tomatoes every year for canning and eating fresh from

to get varieties that I thought would do well here and produce

about 24 plants. But what if you can only devote a few 5-gallon

the kind of tomatoes we like (generally large and red). But to be

containers and your heart is set on growing tomatoes with good honest about it, I ended up picking my trial varieties mainly heirloom flavor? How does a dwarf tomato crossed with an based on their Aussie names. I mean who can resist a stout litheirloom tomato sound? Enter the Dwarf Tomato Project. It

tle plant with a name like Adelaide Festival? Or Coorong Pink?

was an enterprising Aussie, Patrina Nuske, and a dedicated

Or Dwarf Bendigo Dawn? Or Dwarf Franklin County? So, those

North Carolinian, Craig LeHoullier, who started doing such

four are what I started with and, as it turns out, all have small

crosses in the early 2000’s and eventually developed several

fruit except for one and it is pink. But if this goes well, next

varieties of productive (and adorable) little plants that can in-

year I’ll force myself to choose varieties based on what they ac-

deed live their entire lives in a 5-gallon container without

tually produce (although Kookaburra Cackle and Loxton Lass

much, if any, support, and are capable of producing good-sized

will probably be in my containers no matter what size fruit they

and tasty tomatoes. For a synopsis of the Project see: https://

produce because, yeah, they have cute names). So, I set aside 8

www.dwarftomatoproject.net/about/. And for a more detailed

spaces under my seed-starting lights and space for 8 small con-

description see: https://www.craiglehoullier.com/dwarf-

tainers (I’m using 7-gallon size for these dwarfs) in my garden

tomato-breeding-project/. And if you’re a true tomato nut,

and started two of each variety. The seeds were inexpensive,

check out this forum which has more than you ever wanted to

extremely viable, and germinated quickly and from the get-go

know about growing tomatoes: http://www.tomatoville.com/

the seedlings looked different from their leggier brethren. They were squatty and very sturdy and had the crinkly leaf form known as rugose.

Photos : Karen Harper

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Photo 3. By April 18 they were thriving.

Photo 1 and 2.

I planted them out about April 2. Here they

are on planting day, with their taller siblings in the background.

Photos : Karen Harper

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Photo 4. The stems are thick and the leaf form is very different from standard tomatoes.

den, including all vegetables and herbs as well as my raspberries and citrus trees, supplied with drip irrigation instead of relying on overhead sprinklers, and I believe the steady, reliable supply of water to the roots is really going to pay off.

I should note that the Dwarf Tomato Project folks are not the first to develop down-sized tomato varieties. UF/IFAS has developed some micro tomato varieties which are tiny plants with small fruit: http:// ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/IR/00/00/27/26/00001/HS22400.pdf. Of the varieties mentioned in that article, the only one for which I’ve seen commercially available seeds has been Micro Tom: https://www.totallytomato.com/P/00468/Micro+Tom+Tomato .

There has also been a commercially-available stocky little patio cherry tomato for some years which I have grown myself. But to my knowledge, this is the first attempt to grow dwarf tomatoes that can produce large tomatoes.

Photo 5. I expect them to get about2’ tall and, while they are not supposed to require support, I have some old tomato cages ready to stick in their containers and give them a bit of structure if they need it. I’ve got them on the same fertilizer regimen I use for the bigger guys, which is Tomato-tone organic fertilizer every couple of weeks while they’re small and then at three- or four- week intervals as they start setting tomatoes.

If you are in search of a great tomato fertilizer, I highly recommend Tomato-tone.

It promotes sturdy growth, lots of blossoms, good fruit set and has completely solved the calcium deficiency problems I’ve had in the past with my tomatoes. It can be hard to find locally so I grab it when I see it, or I buy it from sellers on eBay. This year I have all my food gar-

And so my small part in the Dwarf Tomato Project begins. I will report back later this summer as to how it turns out. One of the questions I have is whether these dwarf tomatoes will have good disease resistance.

If you’ve grown tomatoes in Florida for long, you will know that you don’t get far with them unless they have good resistance to spotted wilt virus, fusarium wilt and bacterial spot (among others) and this is why I generally restrict my efforts to a few select varieties that have proven their disease resistance in my garden, among those being Bella Rosa, Amelia, BHN 602 and BHN 444, Homestead, Tropic and Atkinson. My fingers are crossed that these charming little Aussie tomatoes will continue to show the strength and fortitude they’ve displayed so far!

By: Karen Harper

Photos : Karen Harper 11

Master Gardener Webinars Webinars provide a convenient and free professional development option for people who want to learn new strategies and tools without taking time off work and paying travel expenses. Each hour-long session will be recorded and available on our website to view whenever you'd like.

Back row: Don Launsbury, Jerry Dye, Marsha Palmer, Pat Spieker, Nancy Worley,

Stan Peterson Front row: Donna Stuart, Kathy Foster, Laura Stevens, Kim Kildow, Connie Wood, Deborah Bruning, Not pictured: Margaret Wagner

As of July 1, 2017, webinars will be be facilitated in Zoom. For help, see "Getting Started" on Zoom.com. Webinars that were recorded prior to this date were in Adobe Connect and must be converted for you to access them. Please bear with us as we make the transition.

Mentor: Karen Kirk-Williams We are excited to welcome most of our new 2018 Master Gardener Interns to our meeting today.

Twelve of the trainees in the 2018 MG Training Classes completed the classes and took the final exam on August 17. One trainee had to miss the final class due to a medical issue and will make arrangements with Larry to finish the course and exam when possible.

The class elected Debbie Bruning to serve on the OCMGA Board as their New Class Representative. Unfortunately, Debbie is unable to attend the meeting today due to a prior commitment.

Several in the class have already begun their training and all are working on, or have already turned in, their final projects.

I hope our veteran MG’s will take the opportunity to meet and welcome our new Interns to our organization.

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Publicity: Joyce Waters-Smith

Field trips: Jennifer Yelverton

A 2- page spread about OCMGAs was published April

Next opportunity is May 24. The program is “Day Lilies”;

21 in the Destin Log. One page was about the plant

speaker is Randy Fleming at Daylily Farm in Panama City

sale, with 2 pictures, and the facing page had all of our Award winners, with 3 great pictures taken by the Fabians. All the MGs were listed for their years of service and their hours of volunteerism.

Here is a closeup of English Dogwood

Philadelphus inodorus with “Peggy Martin” antique rose (double quotation marks are correct here because this is a

Landscape: Stacey Taylor Next maintenance day is May 2

temporary name for this rose until the actual name can be determined) and annual Cleome in the background.

Studies Group: Lynda Penry Next meeting is May 18. Subject: Beneficial insects.

Hospitality : Margaret Stewart

There is a sign-up sheet for office training of new interns; sign-up sheet for landscape work day; sign-up sheet for PowerPoint training; sign-up sheet for at home phone training ..

Photo: Karen Kirk-Williams

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Kimchi Refrigerator Pickles

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds cucumbers

6 slices crispy bacon, chopped

3 tsp. sea salt

6 medium red potatoes, cubed

2 Tbs. Korean chili paste with garlic

3 green onions, sliced

1 Tbs. minced ginger

5 Tbs. butter

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 1/2 cups milk

2 Tbs. fish sauce

1/2 cup sour cream

3 scallions cut into 1" lengths

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese 1/4 cup flour

Directions:

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Trim ends of cucumbers and cut into spears. Place in a large bowl and toss with all remaining ingredients except for the water.

2. Place into glass jars and add water to cover.

3. Cover jars tightly and let sit on counter for 24 hours.

4. Move jars to refrigerator and serve after a few days.

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.

Whisk in flour and stir constantly for about 1 minute.

Gradually whisk in milk and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened. Add in potatoes, green onions and 3/4 of the bacon.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Stir in cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, add more milk until desired consistency.

4. Garnish with green onion, cheese and remaining bacon.

Serve immediately.

Pickles - photo credit Real Simple

Loaded Potato Soup - photo credit Life Made Simple

RECIPES: MARG STEWART

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What to Plant

cy. SeeGardenias at a Glance: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep338

Annuals/Bedding Plants: Plants that can take summer heat include salvia, angelonia, wax begonia, and ornamental pepper.

See Annuals:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_annual_landscape_plants Bulbs: Planting early-, mid-, and late-blooming varieties of daylily ensures months of color from these low-maintenance plants.

SeeDaylilies: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_daylilies and Bulbs for Florida: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_bulbous_flowers Herbs: Continue to plant heat-loving herbs, including basil, oregano, Mexican tarragon, and rose-

mary.

See Herbs: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_herbs

Vegetables: Swiss chard will take the heat as well as okra, southern pea, and sweet potato. See Vegetable Gardening in Florida: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_vegetable_gardening

Oleanders: Inspect chewed or ragged leaves for oleander caterpillars at work.

See Oleander Pest

Management:http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_oleander_ipm Lawn insects: Watch for damage from chinch bugs in

St. Augustinegrass and begin scouting for newly hatched mole crickets in bahiagrass lawns.

See Turfgrass Pest

Insects: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_turf_pest_insects Tomatoes: Watch for pests, disease, and nutritional disorders on tomato plants.

See Home Tomato

Gardening: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_tomato_gardening

New plants: Produce more plants by air layering, grafting, division, or cuttings. See Seeds and Propagation (Lawn and Garden): http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_garden_propagation Trees: Prepare for hurricane season by checking trees for damaged or weak branches and pruning if needed. Hire an ISA-

What to Do

certified arborist.

See International Society of

Pests: Insects become more active in warm weather. Watch for

Arboriculture: http://isa-arbor.com/ and Pruning Landscape

thrips, scales, and mites on ornamental plants. See Landscape

Trees and Shrubs: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_tree_pruning

Pest Management: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ Lawn Mowing: Encourage healthy growth and discourage in-

topic_landscape_pests

sects, weeds, and diseases by mowing correctly.

See Lawn Gardenias: Yellowing of older leaves is usually normal; yellow- Mowing: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_lawn_mowing ing of new growth usually indicates a micronutrient deficienSource: EDIS

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Updated publications and interesting links: Interesting links: Saving the planet, one pencil at a time: https://weather.com/science/nature/video/sustainable-pencils-grow-intoplants USDA will not regulate CRSPR crops: https://newatlas.com/usda-will-not-regulate-crispr-gene-editedplants/54061/ A TED talk on the secret lives of plants: https://www.ted.com/playlists/356/the_secret_lives_of_plants? utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=playlist&utm_term=sci ence Updated publications: Degree-Days: Growing, Heating, and Cooling. 5-page document discusses growing degree-days, use of the AgroClimate website and much more. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae428 Biology and Control of Cogongrass http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fr411 How likely is a 100-year rainfall event during the next ten years? http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ae523 Swimmer's Itch - 3-page document to avoid this itchy skin rash. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1200 Other informative links: An uphill battle for the leyland cypress http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/2018/04/09/an-uphill-battle-for-theleyland-cypress/ Ice Age tree in peril (thanks to our own Ann Foley's Master Naturalist project!) http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/ nat/2018/04/14/ice-age-tree-in-peril-florida-torreya/ Making your own cleaners at home http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/fcs/2018/04/10/making-your-own-cleaners-issafe-and-inexpensive/ Reducing food waste at home http:// nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/fcs/2018/04/10/ whats-hot-reducing-food-waste-at-home/

Compiled by : Marg Stewart

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OKALOOSA COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS spring

testing is offered at the Crestview office on Monday morn-

plant sale will help you bring bright colors to your garden fol-

ings. For further information, or to schedule a home visit by

lowing our cold freeze winter. We will feature Mexican Flame

a team of master gardeners, call 689-5850.The following are

vines, Giant Tithonia Sunflowers, Copper Canyon daisies, Ev-

websites provided by the University of Florida (IFAS) with-

ergreen Gloxinia, red and white Salvia, and Fire Spike just to

gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/master gardener

name a few. Many other plants will be available at the sale on

by Joyce Waters-Smith

Saturday, May 5, from 8 am to Noon at the Okaloosa Exten-

sion Annex located at 127Hollywood Blvd NW in Fort Walton Beach. The sale is indoors and goes on rain or shine. All plants (except large potted plants) are $5, or 5 plants for $20. All plants are labeled for sun or shade, and Master Gardeners will be on hand to help you select the best plant for your garden and to suggest companion plants. In addition, Master Gardeners are available at the Fort Walton Beach Annex to answer your questions every Friday morning (except holiday weekends). You may bring a sample leaf or stem of your plant, grass, or weed problems to be identified; and for solutions and suggestion son best gardening practices. For residents living closer to our Niceville office, we have Master Gardeners available to identify your plants or plant diseases, conduct soil sample testing, or give you advise for your lawn care or vegetable growing on Mondays (except for holidays)

from 11 am to 1 pm at the Niceville Youth Center, 200 Campbell Drive. Our Crestview office is located at 3098 Airport Road, and often has master gardeners are available at that location during business hours, but be sure to call 689-5850 to be sure a master gardener is available before going. Soil

Flier: Karen Kirk-Williams

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Plectranthus Plectranthus is hardy to zone 10 where it is easily grown in humusy, regularly even medium moisture, well-drained soils in part shade. In our zone 8b, it is normally used as an annual although, after mild winters, the plant may recover the following spring. It may also be potted into a large pot and used as a house plant which will last for years if watered, fertilized and repotted at regular intervals.

Trim off the ends of new stem tips regularly to retain compact shape. Remove flower spikes after bloom. Genus name comes from the Greek words plectron meaning spur and anthos meaning flower in reference to the spur-shaped flowers of the genus.

This Plectranthus is a vigorous, upright, rounded, bushy perennial or hardy annual that typically grows to two feet tall and two feet wide. This plant is primarily grown for its attractive lavender flowers which appear over a long bloom period. It is the result of a breeding program carried out in the late 1990s in South Africa. Parents of this hybrid are P. saccatus (seed parent) and P. hilliardiae (pollen parent). Tubular, two-lipped, lavender flowers bloom in spikes to six inches long. Glossy, ovate, dark green leaves are attractively purplish below.

This plant will be available at the Master Gardener plant sale on May 5.

by Lee Vanderpool Photos : Lee Vanderpool

A recently bloomed reminder of Amy Jo, from one of her planters adopted by a master gardener Smiling is infections You catch it like the flu When someone smiled at me today I started smiling too I walked around the corner And someone saw me grin When he smiled I realized I had passed it on to him I thought about the smile And then realized its worth A single smile like mine Could travel round the earth So if you feel a smile begin Don't leave it undetected Start and epidemic And get the world infected!

by Spike Milligan

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HELL’S BELLS! How did you get that name?

threw his bouquet of beautiful blue flowers to his love as he was swept away forever. (2) In ancient lore ladies wore this Colorful and ordinary names for flora occur and change by flower to symbolize their faithfulness and enduring love. (3) region, customs and culture. There are many stories concernWhen the Lord had finished naming flowers, a small blue ing the origin of plant names-fact, fiction or fancy. I wonder flower piped up and said ”forget-me not”. who named Mother-in-Laws Tongue or Naked Ladies. Here SPANISH MOSS: It’s neither Spanish or a moss, but it is a are a few. flowering bromeliad,. closely akin to the pineapple. Once NAMES WORT ME!. WORT: In this wonderful world of upon a time there was a bearded Spanish brute who bought wisdom-what is a WORT? The wise wizards of words tell us an Indian maiden for a bar of soap. She was so frightened “wort is another word for plant”. Most wort words are associand distraught that she scaled the highest tree to escape the ated with human body parts (liverwort, lungwort, toothwort). grisly Spaniard. But to no avail, the brute perused her with An exception is spider wort whose name was probably determination. The light footed maiden escaped but alas, the derived from its shape. The association of plants and body brute perused but his beard became tangled and he died. parts was apparently due to the use of these plants for mediHowever, his beard lived on as Spanish moss. cal or herbal remedies for body ailments or the shape of the HELL’S BELLS:A native of Mexico was known for its plant resembled the shape of the body organ. hallucinogenic properties. AKA thorn apple, trumpet weed, “My name is WORT and this is my WORD.” devil’s breath, devil’s weed, Jamestown weed, Locoweed. G. JOE PYE WEED: Joseph Pye was a Mohegan Indian who Autry sang “The Lonely Jimson Weed. lived in Massachusetts in the late 1700. As a herbalist he *OF NAKED LADIES AND FORGET ME NOTS recommended this plant as a treatment for typhoid fever. The plant induced sweating and was used for treatment of a numAs the polar bear said as he sat on a block of ice ber of ailments.

“My tale is told.” ( Lockey, of course ) QUEEN ANN’S LACE: In the early 1700s tatting was the thing to do. Queen Ann of England, who reigned from 1702 to 1714, was known for her tatting skills. This flower reminded her subjects of her handwork.

By Lockey Buhrow

BATCHELORS BUTTON: In Victorian England young men wore a blue flower in the buttonhole of their jacket to allow the young ladies to know that they were unattached. That’s how we got the bachelor’s button.

FORGET-ME NOT: Which story do you like? (1) The last words of the young lover who while crossing a rapidly running stream to be with his true love, lost his footing and 20

CAT STEW

This about sums up my month. Cleaning up the kitchen, hear a noise and suddenly Master Walter has decided that he wants to imitate a pot roast! Yes, I cleaned it out and no, it wasn't hot. Mister nosey cat just never met an off-limits area he didn't like!

Cue Walter removal and finish up with the cleaning. Get the phone call that the sleep study results are in. You will all be happy to know that according to their records I am definitely either a Zombie or the alternative is that I'm experiencing alien abductions (or something like that).

The result is that I am now the proud owner of an APAP machine. For those of you with CPAPs (constant positive airway pressure) the APAP is automatic positive airway pressure. Personally I think the acronym stands for aggravation potential automatically presented. I'm giving it the old college try though. I was told it would take a period of time to get used to it.

They didn't mention, however, having Happy Hubby standing over me saying,

"Give me the #@&!(% mask! You're leaking like a sieve!" (at 4 am). The mystery will be can a side sleeper find happiness with a full face mask? Time will tell. I'm just waiting for the "I feel so much better" phase to happen...I'm still at the "Lord help me just sleep for 4 hours tonight!" phase.

was I'm tired of multiple readers for different things. Distance vision is fine--my arms have just gotten shorter over the years. So on top of everything else I'm getting used to tri-focals. At least I haven't tripped over any curbs....yet.

HH had to have a tooth extracted. That meant soft food for a day or so. I figured I would be a good wife and make him homemade chicken soup. It turned out great--even with the 3rd degree burn. Not HH, me. Went to get the chicken breast out of the broth so I could shred it nice and fine...breast slipped from the tongs, hit the broth and the broth hit me. There's a reason you should always wear an apron and I'm proof of what happens when you don't. Broth hit the shirt and I couldn't get it away from me fast enough. Nice half -dollar sized burn on my stomach.

What can I say? It's been an expensive (and painful) month. For Walter's fans-he is happy and healthy. Happier now that the lizards are back out. He wasn't happy that mama removed the snake from the potting bench (that's another story), but happy for the sunbeams and lizards.

The car windshield need to get replaced.

Had a chip that I was going to fix-Spring has sprung (finally). That means literally the next day. Only mother nature the weeds are self-multiplying in the decided that it should be really cold durlawn. The seeded area of the veggie patch ing the night then zoom the temperature are currently under siege from the treeup. Temperature fluctuation gradient was rats (aka squirrels aka fuzzy tailed @#$ obviously more than the windshield could %!) More seeds are sprouting in the handle and viola! instant crack across my greenhouse, including the set of pots that line of sight. Sigh. Insurance only covers I forgot to label. Nothing more fun than replacement if you have full coverage.

12 mystery pots. I have NO idea what they Who the heck would have full coverage on are at this point. an 18 year old car????

HH and I both had to get our eye checkup and we both needed glasses. My case

So in parting, enjoy a good night's sleep, wear your apron, check your insurance coverage and get your eye exam!

Plentiful Plantings Margaret Stewart

Photo: Margaret Stewart

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