In Season - Summer 2018

In Season

SUMMER 2018

A publication of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program and the Virginia Tech Department of Horticulture Volume 32, Number 5, August 2018

Dave Close State Master Gardener Coordinator John Freeborn Assistant Master Gardener Coordinator Devon Johnson Communications Project Coordinator Sue Edwards Master Gardener Program Development Gabrielle Sanderson Program Support and Implementation Intern

Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State University, Petersburg.

Table of Contents Letter from the State Coordinator

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2018 Master Gardener College “From the Eyes of a First-Timer�

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10 Facts About Millennial Gardeners 9 NSV Master Gardeners Word to Restore Corhaven Graveyard

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Parasitic Plants Offer Insight into Plant Communication

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Summer Gardening Tips

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Endowment Match Letter

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Letter From The State Coordinator Greeting from the State Coordinator’s Office, As we move into fall, the Extension Master Gardener State Coordinator’s Office is embarking on a number of exciting new initiatives. Be sure to read our special announcement regarding the Coordinator Endowment on page 15.

We will be working to redesign our website and update some of the resources and materials available to you all.

We will continue our monthly webinar series with exciting new guests, including Scott Douglas, Director of the Hahn Horticulture Garden, on September 13. You can find more information on our webinar series on our website here.

Dave Close, State Master Gardener Coordinator

This fall we will also offer a number of Leadership Development Training meetings throughout the state. We have held a number of these meetings in the past and find that they are a great opportunity to share updates and information with Extension Master Gardeners. These meetings will include presentations from a variety of speakers and will offer information on marketing and communications for your program, State Office updates, and more! We will also offer time for open discussion with the State Coordinator’s Office staff.

2018 Leadership Development Training dates: • November 2, Northern region • November 7, Central region • November 15, Southeast region

If you can and you’re interested, please plan to join us at one of these meetings! Check your email and the biweekly update for more information on these meetings as they approach. If you are interested, please watch for a registration survey link and ask you local Extension agent.

Dave Close 4

Dave Close

Master Gardener Coordinator

Sherry Graham at 2018 Master Gardener College

2018 Master Gardener College “From the Eyes of a First-Timer” By: Sherry Graham Spotsylvania Master Gardener Sherry Graham shares her experience of Master Gardener College 2018.

I was beginning to worry, as the reminder emails began to arrive, that it might be “too late” to register for the Master Gardener Event at Virginia Tech. I had heard that “classes fill up quickly” and I wasn’t sure that I could commit. So it was late May before I signed up. And yes some classes were full and I took classes that may have not been my first choice but am quite happy that I did go to them.

Honestly there are so many choices that you cannot really take them all at one event. So the answer to the BIGGEST question is – “will I go again? =YES”.

Please take note that it is true that is entirely worth the money to stay on campus –and not just to enjoy the time with other Master Gardeners. It really did help ease my nerves by staying in the “EMG herd”

on campus; rather than having to leave campus for meals or things that you had forgotten in a hotel room. They tell you to bring a blanket. Well I think you need to bring two thick blankets and a mattress pad (or yoga mat), fuzzy towels and a small clock radio. They say the food on campus is good – OMG YES IT’S GOOD =Made to order omelets, every day rows of American, Italian, Asian, Hispanic, Vegan, salads, fruits, veggies, and SAVE ROOM FOR DESSERT. Better yet start with dessert……

Virginia Tech Campus is enough reason to visit the Blacksburg area but I will admit at first, I was quite intimidated by its enormous size and sidewalks in every direction. But thankfully, there were great Master Gardener local favorites to help 5

find my way around and keep me on time to meals, events. Funny but somehow I still never made to class on time LOL. I was given maps and a PIN to wear to show that I was a 1st timer and probably lost. We even received gifted plants. There are many things to see while you are there, so time management is important and using the Hokie Helper App will tell you which sidewalk to take or give yourself time to wait for the shuttle service.

If you have bad hips, knees, ankles etc… take the shuttle otherwise your friends will have you walk a mile to the farmers market only to giggle as you walk into class 10 mins late because you are the short-legged one in the bunch.

One of Sherry’s photos taken at the Hahn Horticulture Garden

My favorite thing to do while I stayed at Virginia Tech, was taking walks through the Hahn Garden; many-many times during the 3.5 days I was there. I took anyone who would go with me, to see the little area that my 1st class was given as an inspirational area to design/discuss as a group project. We (including the fun-loving Kelley Gaske) eventually came up with “Alice’s Special Place – The Rabbit Hole”. That class in itself is a story of its own…..

On Thursday we also had options to do tours of different area attractions including Dixie Caverns, Belliveau winery, the VT greenhouses, canoe trip 6

down the New River, and many other garden tour opportunities. I toured the VT labs to see how our samples are processed. It is amazing the technology that is used to identify disease and how simple it is to find nematodes. I also visited the offices where bugs are identified, like the new Spotted Lanternfly and Longhorn tick. Then we all met at the dining hall again for a yummy dinner and to share our adventures of the day. For the evening event, we enjoyed a great speaker – Dr. Holly Scoggins who discussed how to tell fact vs. fiction in the muck of the internet. Researched based information is not hard to find if you know how to look. Afterwards we attended the Milestone awards with a cake & ice cream reception.

Friday seemed more like serious business as we met early after breakfast for Joe Murray, our morning speaker. For those who don’t yet compost – after one talk with Joe – you will be. I then took a course on growing Mushrooms from Mark @ Sharondale Farms. This was such an informative class. I took so many notes that I began writing on the backs of handouts. I hope to visit his farm in the future and get some mushroom spores to grow at home.

Did you know that mushrooms are good source of vitamin D and be grown indoors or outdoors in the stumps or even old cotton rags? After lunch was a class on Backyard Fruit Management that I got to enjoy our wonderful Gwen Potes company. We received a lot printed material from the extension website that gave me some “good reading” for late at night. Friday afternoon was a presentation from Alex Niemiera regarding the little details of a plants and “taking a closer look”. His handout that went with his slideshow became my new highlighted wish list. This was definitely a fun way to get excited into trying different plants. After dinner most people went to tour town for music and crafts, or stayed for the movie “Hometown Habitat” but Linda Kline and I decided we would use the down time to check out the old growth forest in Stadium Woods.

It really was a great night to be out, and the hike through the massive trees was fun- but the skunks thought so too…and so Linda & I ran as fast as we

could to the impressive stadium and laughed all the way back to the dorm.

for inviting LIFE into your yard. My take away from this class:.

Saturday I could tell we had some changing in the group, as some went home Friday night and others who had worked came in for the weekend events. Breakfast was delicious and we were all sharing garden stories again. During our morning keynote with Jeanine Davis, everyone was writing down her seed suppliers for the fabulous varieties of unusual edibles. She even has a truffle farm.

The classes I took for the day included one of my favorite speakers with Eric Wiseman on Tree Risk liability, funny thing was I didn’t remember that I had heard him speak before at a tree workshop.

But as soon as I saw him I knew that this was going to be an amazing class. He really is an interactive speaker with hands on displays. I think everyone learned a lot with this class and I am happy to have his contact information to share with our local Tree Stewards. And after lunch, I learned about Permaculture. This class has confirmed my beliefs

1. Soil is alive. Soil has its own food web. Dirt is Inert IS WRONG. 2. Living Mulch: use green plants instead of brown mulch. Like: comfrey, sorrel, sedum, lambs ear, bloody dock, etc 3. Read the weeds: dandelion shows compaction and chickweed shows loose soils…..

4. Plant Diversity. Many layers. Lawn is a monoculture = BAD 5. Nature thinks in wholes not individuals.

6. Put Animals to work – chickens, ducks 7. Put plants to work – radish to loosen soil, nitrogen fixers, bug repellent /attractant, companion plants 8. Success all depends on many things - nothing is magic

Master Gardeners at the Saturday night milestone award ceremony. Photo by Riley Schmitt

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9. Most important is to work with what you have and make the most of it. HOA restrictions can be unreasonable but where there is a will there is a way…..and it helps your community understand Permaculture is needed for a healthy environment.

For the Saturday evening event we were given a presentation on Maymont Garden in Richmond by Peggy Singlemann. Maymont is truly a gem, both for its historical attributes and currently as a playful place to bring the whole family. There are so many wonderful activities and gardens to enjoy as well as the petting zoo. It should be on everyone’s to-do list. After dinner there was a VMGA meeting that informed everyone what has been accomplished with the VMGA organization and the future plans like hosting the International Master Gardener College. We were then treated to a live band with cash bar and fun bingo meet & greet game for door prizes.

A Master Gardener in the Hahn Horticulture Gardeners.

Photo by Sherry Graham.

Our last morning was spent looking for breakfast as the dining hall unexpectedly had no power to cook – not even coffee! We finally were given doughnuts, bagels, fruit & cereal, with juice.

Coffee was made in the Educational hall, just for us, prior to our 1st speaker. Many packed up and left early but missed amazing speakers and barbecue lunch in the Hahn’s garden. John Seiler asked us all 10 questions about our forests in Virginia that we thought we knew. Wow were we surprised with many of the answers. Like 62% of Virginia is 8

A speaker presents at Master Gardener College 2018.

Photo by Sherry Graham

forested which is actually an increase since 1940.

Or that our forests’ most dominant tree is the Tulip poplar. And the most important learned fact= is that the future rests in the soil beneath our feet.

Dennis Dimick was our last keynote speaker and he truly put everything into a larger perspective. I am a local lady who likes to help within my own community. When I came home and began to talk about all the wonderful things I had learned and the grander scale of things, even my husband asked what had gotten into me. Dennis Dimick and his speech on “The Human Age: Our Anthropocene Conundrum” moved me to tears. This beautiful planet we all call home is being ruined by our industrial needs. We seriously need to think bigger planning for future crops and saving our resources.

We have only one planet. I love it and can no longer be part of the problem. So I will no longer be buying into societies need for fertilizer, pesticide, herbicide, or over using resources and energy. I am so happy to have my own property to experiment with and hopefully show the ways of gardening that I learned while away at Master Gardener College-Pollinators, Permaculture, Mushrooms, better tree assessment, and unusual textured plants and unusual edibles.■

10 Facts About Millennial Gardeners Compiled from the 2018 National Gardening Survey

Millennials occupy 29% of all gardening households.

The number of millennial households participating in the gardening industry reached an all-time high in 2017.

Millennials accounted for a staggering 48% of all purchases of gardening information.

Approximately, 10 million millennial households utilized gardening apps and digital services and for accessing gardening information.

33% of millennials state that they are interested in legalizing cannabis for personal use and 39% mentioned that they would grow it if it was legal.

Millennials are big spenders on houseplants, insect control, fruit trees, ornamentals, herbs, and water for their gardens.

46% of millennials indicated that they are more likely to purchase garden products when they are labeled “organic.”

Younger gardening generations spent more money on food preservation purchases (canning, freezing, food drying) than older generations.

Houseplants are a “classic entry product” for millennials.

Younger gardening households are more likely to hire others to complete yard chores than older generations. *Millennials in this list refers to adults aged 18-34 NATIONAL GARDENING SURVEY - 2018 EDITION. (2018). Conducted

by Research Now SSI for GardenResearch.com.

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An obelisk stone in Corhaven Graveyard

NSV Master Gardeners Work to Restore Corhaven Graveyard By: Gabrielle Sanderson

Northern Shenandoah Master Gardeners are collaborating with members of the community to help restore plants in a local historic slave cemetery

Sarah Kohrs, a Northern Shenandoah Extension Master Gardener, attended a workshop for the Corhaven Slave Cemetery called “Honoring the Forgotten” and immediately jumped on the opportunity to apply for the Corhaven Graveyard to become a project through the Extension Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners. The mission of the Extension Master Gardener Program is to share knowledge and empower communities, and through the Corhaven Graveyard project, Northern 10

Shenandoah Master Gardeners illustrate the power of this mission.

The original name of the slave graveyard, the Sam Moore Slave Cemetery, named for local slave owner Sam Moore, stems from a historical study from Duane Lyle Borden’s Tombstone Inscriptions of Shenandoah County and Bordering Counties in 1984. Today, the Corhaven Graveyard is one of only three acknowledged and found slave cemeteries in Shenandoah county. The

Corhaven Graveyard matches descriptions of slave cemeteries as described by Dr. Lynn Rainville, who is an anthropological archaeologist studying the everyday life of ordinary people in the past, in her publication Hidden History: African American Cemeteries in Central Virginia. Some of the characteristics are field gravestone markers, a high elevation, distance from a manor house, along a fence line with water nearby, and certain animals.

One characteristic that first got Kohrs thinking that Extension Master Gardeners could help with this important restoration project at Corhaven Graveyard is that plants were often integrated into slave cemeteries to be used as grave markers.

“According to several resources, I learned that native perennials and trees were often used as memorial markers in slave cemeteries, since writing on the fieldstones (if there were any) was nonexistent due to laws prohibiting literacy among the enslaved,” mentions Kohrs.

Mayapple in the Corhaven Graveyard

After clearing out debris surrounding the stones, Northern Shenandoah Master Gardeners studied the perennials found at the Corhaven Graveyard to determine whether the site held any intentional plantings. They discovered that the burial ground already had an abundance of pale violets and a

200-year-old grape vine. In order to preserve the site and restore how it may have looked in the mid 1800s, Extension Master Gardeners proceeded to incorporate a multitude of other native perennials historically found in slave cemeteries. For example, native redbuds, ferns, and spicebushes were planted for erosion control within the graveyard.

Members of the Corhaven Graveyard committee was interested in creating a tribute garden space to welcome visitors to the site. “By creating a space that serves the purpose of a foyer people can learn from an information kiosk, explore native perennials and plants often gleaned by those enslaved on plantation,” explains Kohrs. “We’ve added yucca in the tribute space; in July regal spires jut up from these shrubs and, traditionally, they are common features in African American cemeteries.”

In addition to preserving an important part of American history, the graveyard also plays host to a variety of hands-on educational opportunities and chances for collaboration among different groups.

Recently, the EMG program worked hand-inhand with a local Girl Scout Troop by helping to maintain the plants in the progressively changing tribute garden space and by creating a monarch garden way station. “We have incorporated native perennials typical for a monarch way station, from creeping phlox to menarada, boneset to tansy to rudbeckia,” states Kohrs. Through this the Extension Master Gardener volunteers were able to help educate the girls about the importance of choosing native perennials.

“Some groups just want information, so we are in the process of creating a web feature on corhavengraveyard.org that describes the plants in the tribute garden and burial grounds,” states Kohrs. “Visitors will be able to use their phones to follow Quick Response (QR) codes to specific webpages that connect them with more information on the plants, as well as any information the EMG program offers regarding planting guides for those plants.” Whether they are educating about best gardening practices, helping with erosion control in a riparian buffer zone, or just contributing to a 11

positive community project, the Extension Master Gardeners are interacting with the community around them to care for a historically significant site.

According to Kohrs, one Extension Master Gardener that worked on the project stated, “I feel like this is one of the most meaningful projects the Northern Shenandoah Master Gardeners have ever taken part in. Congratulations on all your hard

effort and getting so many groups and individuals involved.”

“That’s what is so meaningful about the project,” says Kohrs. “We are finding a unique and compassionate way to connect with the community.

It’s an ‘out-of-the-box’ kind of project that strives to touch the lives of others and weave together a wide variety of non-profits, individuals, and other community groups in an empathetic way.” ■

Parasitic Plants Offer Insight Into Plant Communication By: Devon Johnson Parasitic plants offer interesting clues to how plants communicate

You might be familiar with carnivorous plants (like the Venus fly trap) that feed on insects, but have you heard of parasitic plants that feed on other plants?

Parasitic plants aren’t much of a problem for home gardeners in Virginia, but they do have very important lessons to teach us about the ways that plants communicate with and sense one another.

For example, dodder, a relatively common parasitic plant in Virginia, germinates and then grows towards a host plant that it will latch onto in order to steal water and nutrients. Dodder has evolved a sophisticated set of sensory adaptations that allow it to find appropriate host plants without being able to “see” what’s around it.

According to Dr. Jim Westwood, professor of PPWS and an expert on dodder and parasitic plants, dodder seedlings sense the location of potential host plants by recognizing chemical vapors emitted by the plants around them and, potentially, by 12

recognizing the color of surrounding material, for example identifying a green stem among brown, non-plant materials.

Parasitic plants in the family Orobanche provide another amazing example of adaptation to their surroundings. Orobanche seeds will not germinate until an appropriate host plant is nearby.

An example of doddder

Seeds may lie dormant in the soil for many years until stimulated to germinate by compounds emitted by the nearby roots of a suitable host.

After germination, Orobanche seedlings attach to the roots of this host in order to steal water and nutrients.

In addition to dodder, gardeners and plant lovers in Virginia might encounter a few other parasitic plants. Different types of mistletoe (the common name for many different species of parasitic plants) grow on a variety of host trees in Virginia. Conopholis americana (also known as squaw root or cancer root) is also common in the Like Orobanche plants, dodder is deficient in Virginia mountains. chlorophyll and must latch onto a host plant for water and nutrients. However, Dr. Westwood’s “If you hike in the woods in the mountains you recent research shows that dodder shares even can find Conopholis americana growing under oak more with its host than previously thought. trees. It has a small cream-to-brown flower and it doesn’t do damage to the oak trees it grows on,” says Dr. Westwood.

While it might appear as if all the plants in an ecosystem–or your home garden–exist independently from one another, these highly adapted parasitic plants illustrate that plants are more aware of their surroundings than you might think.

Dodder from Virginia Tech Weed ID Guide https:// oak.ppws.vt.edu/~flessner/weedguide/cvcca.htm “Dodder has open connections with the host plant. They fuse so well it’s like a seamless graft,” says Dr. Westwood. “They exchange lots of molecules, including microRNA–which people used to think didn’t even leave the cell.”

What is microRNA? DNA is the set of genetic instructions, common to every cell in an organism, that directs growth and development. MicroRNA helps regulate which parts of DNA are silenced or expressed in a particular cell, for example allowing for the formation of different types of cells (e.g. bone or blood cells) within an organism.

Conopholis americana from: https://oak.ppws. vt.edu/~flessner/weedguide/conam.htm Next time you’re out for a hike or examining the weeds in your home landscape, check for Conopholis americana or dodder and think of the many scientific insights about our world that these highly adapted plants can offer.

For more information on dodder, see Dr. Westwood’s research page: https://www.ppws. vt.edu/research/westwood-lab.html ■ 13

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Summer Gardening Tips

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If your footprints are showing up in your lawn, it is thirsty! Footprinting is one of the first signs of wilting! http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_ edu/430/430-010/430-010_pdf.pdf Swipe your ripe tomatoes before they rot! A lot of water is demanded by ready produce, so harvest your crop regularly to reduce the stress on the plant. https:// pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/426/426-418/426-418_pdf.pdf Keep your pollinators happy to keep your flowers happy! The Orchard Mason Bee, which visits approximately 60,000 flowers in its lifetime, is perfect to have in your outdoor living space. They are docile and rarely sting, yet are very efficient! https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/ENTO/ENTO-151/ ENTO-151-pdf.pdf Plant flowers that are great for cutting, so you can bring the beauty of your garden inside! One example of a stunning flower to cut is Alstroemeria, also known as the Peruvian Lily. https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_ edu/2906/2906-1370/2906-1370_pdf.pdf Mulch to prevent those pesky annual weeds from peeking through. Make sure your layers are thick! https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_ edu/426/426-364/426-364_pdf.pdf If you have cool season grasses such as Kentucky Bluegrass, Ryegrass, or Fescue, then you should raise the height of your lawn-mower blade. https://pubs.ext. vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/430/430-532/430-532_pdf.pdf Find plants that can take the heat! Some great examples would be Marigolds, Lima Beans, and Madagascar Periwinkles. https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/ pubs_ext_vt_edu/426/426-200/426-200_pdf.pdf

VIRGINIA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION

MASTER GARDENER PROGRAM COORDINATOR ENDOWMENT FUND

Match Met! The Extension Master Gardener State Coordinator’s Office is pleased to announce that our $25,000 matching challenge has officially been met!

As of August 2018, more than $26,000 has been contributed as part of our challenge. Your generous donations will support the Virginia Extension Master Gardener program in development of exciting new programs, including online training modules, educational video content, including series highlighting common diseases and pests in the landscape and garden available on YouTube, and graphic design and marketing efforts.

Watch your inbox for a more detailed letter coming next week!

Thanks to the dedication and generosity of our volunteers, we’ve met this challenge amount in only three months!

We would like to offer our sincerest thanks to everyone who donated during this period, as well as a special message of thanks to our anonymous friend for making this fundraising challenge possible!

Learn more about the Coordinator Endowment on our website!

Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State University, Petersburg.

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