d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 0 fall garden infofestfall garden...
TRANSCRIPT
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
FALL GARDEN
INFOFEST 1
NEW KIDS on the BLOCK...
2
RAINWATER
HARVESTING 4
LOCAL MG
RECEIVES TOP
HONORS
5
DECK THE HALLS 6
MINUTES 8
ASK THE MG 9
BAYLESS SELBY HOUSE
10
NEWSY NEWS 11
GENERAL MEETINGS
12
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
14
THE DiG 16
BOOK REVIEWS 17
RIDING THE RAILS 18
2010 BOARD/ COMMITTEES
19
SURVEY SAYS? 20
DCMGADCMGADCMGADCMGA
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 0 V O L U M E X I I , I S S U E 4
page 1
The 2nd day of October bought a
gorgeous fall day filled with tons of
gardening facts. All around were
educa�onal booths that covered
Water Conserva�on, Trees and Turf,
Vegetable Gardening and Green-
houses. Scores of folks listened to
gardening topics that covered
Drying Fruits and Veggies, Turf isn't
Tough, Earth-Kind Landscaping
Principles, and What’s Bugging my
Oaks.
The total count of visitors to the
2010 Fall Garden InfoFest hit 354
local residents having a great �me,
asking tons of ques�ons, learning
lots about gardening, ea�ng great
food provided by 4-H, and shopping
non-stop . They enjoyed thirteen
DCMGA educa�onal booths, nine
other organiza�ons’ educa�on
booths and twenty-six vendors.
As always, none of this could have
been accomplished without the 70+
DCMGA volunteers that came, put it
all together, stayed around, helped
our visitors and then cleaned it all
up.
We extend our deepest apprecia�on
to the Denton Bible Church for
extending their hospitality and
le=ng us use
their facili�es
and to Gene
Gumfrey for all
his help. See ya’ll next fall!!!
2011 Dues are due and your membership
renewal form.
Fall Garden InfoFestFall Garden InfoFestFall Garden InfoFestFall Garden InfoFest Gardening for Pleasure and the Planet
New Kids on the Block... Lots of new faces running around DCMGA-here are a few of their stories...
Barbara Russell
Denton
I have been a Realtor 41 yrs in Denton. I sell homes and some commercial property.
Anything that has color — flow-ers, berries, leaves.
A friend.
To garden as I have been, but with the knowledge I have gained.
Eugene, Oregon, you did not have to deal with the heat and extreme cold.
-
One that attracts butterflies and birds and has color.
Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening different there than here?
What are your plans for your garden after you complete Master Gardener class?
When you are not in the garden, where can you be found/ what are you doing?
What interested you in becoming a Master Gardener?
What is your favorite plant(s) and why?
What has been your greatest gar-dening success?
Briefly describe your personal, ideal garden:
Barb Nebrig
Flower Mound
Boating, sailing, scuba diving, flying, camping, hiking.
Hydrangeas, azaleas and roses
Love of gardening and interest in volunteering for my community, especially working with children.
We live on an acre, mostly shade. We plan to renovate and rejuve-nate the whole back yard.
Grapevine, gardening was the same.
Hydrangeas
I would love a garden of beautiful roses outlined with miniature car-pet roses that are bug and dis-ease and weed free and waters itself.
Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening different there than here?
What are your plans for your garden after you complete Master Gardener class?
When you are not in the garden, where can you be found/ what are you doing?
What interested you in becoming a Master Gardener?
What is your favorite plant(s) and why?
What has been your greatest gar-dening success?
Briefly describe your personal, ideal garden:
Kathi Randolph
Denton
I am a hair stylist/facialist and I enjoy my ‘job’. I enjoy beauty in all forms.
“Passion for perennials” I love to see the babies come up in the spring. WHAT A JOY! New life is so cool.
I have ‘holes’ in my learn-ing...thought this would be a great place to turn “swiss cheese” into “cheddar”.
Keep planning/planting. I have outgrown my yard, so am headed to the community to garden. “Watch out Denton County!”
Grew up in Dallas County, lived in Denton County for 25 years.
Getting clearance plants and bringing them back to life...sometimes they just need water.
ALIVE! Keeping the garden alive in the summer in Texas.
Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening dif-ferent there than here?
What are your plans for your garden after you complete Master Gardener class?
What interested you in becoming a Master Gardener?
What is your favorite plant(s) and why?
What has been your greatest gar-dening success?
Briefly describe your personal, ideal garden:
When you are not in the garden, where can you be found/ what are you doing?
Barbara Sloan
Lewisville
Love making things with my hands, especially decorative crosses. I volunteer for the Lewisville police department and Christian Community Action in Lewisviille.
Iris — Special volunteers and friends over the years have introduced me to the iris and shared them with me. They’re hardy, beautiful, perennial, grow well in Texas.
A DCMGA has been helping CCA and its participants (I am one) with our community garden preparing the soil and composting. I would like to know what he does and help the community as he does.
Increase my community garden production and space. Redo my patio garden space.
I lived in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl for 5 years. I felt like I had died and was in Heaven. Growing up in Ohio with snow and cold, I fell in love with the year round growing climate. Up north — house-plants.
Passion vine — I tried for years to get it to grow in my yard. I changed the variety from the purple to the blue and it took off.
Lots of trees and vines (overgrown) “private” loaded with plants of all kinds — walkways, pond, fountains, lots of birds and bird houses; lots of rustic yard art and arches.
Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening different there than here?
What are your plans for your garden after you complete Master Gardener class?
When you are not in the garden, where can you be found/ what are you doing?
What interested you in becoming a Master Gardener?
What is your favorite plant(s) and why?
What has been your greatest gar-dening success?
Briefly describe your personal, ideal garden:
page 2
New Kids on the Block... Lots of new faces running around DCMGA-here are a few of their stories...
Martha Smith
Lewisville
I volunteer at church, am a caregiver for an elderly uncle, enjoying my grandchildren and watching old movies.
Anything that blooms and comes back year after year.
I have always enjoyed beautiful yards and desire one — I have many plants from my mother, grandmother and relatives. I want my garden to tell a story.
Hopefully it will be self-sustaining with lots of perenni-als.
Abilene — my dad did all the gardening — I was young so gardening was not something I was interested in, but I do see me following in my dad’s foot-steps — composting, worms and plants.
I wouldn’t consider myself a successful gardener!
An English garden with Texas plants.
Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening different there than here?
What are your plans for your gar-den after you complete Master Gardener class?
When you are not in the garden, where can you be found/ what are you doing?
What interested you in becoming a Master Gardener?
What is your favorite plant(s) and why?
What has been your greatest gardening success?
Briefly describe your personal, ideal garden:
Sandra Kay Smith
Runaway Bay
In my kitchen or sewing room.
Drought tolerant and natives.
Wanted to become more knowledgable.
The master gardener class will be used in educating other gardeners. I don’t know what kind of impact it will have on my garden.
I live in Wise County. I have lived in Dallas and Colorado Springs, Co.
One package of wildflower seed produced a number of years of showy blooms en-joyed by the whole town. I lived on a very busy corner.
Nature xeriscape.
Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening different there than here?
What are your plans for your gar-den after you complete Master Gardener class?
When you are not in the garden, where can you be found/ what are you doing?
What interested you in becoming a Master Gardener?
What is your favorite plant(s) and why?
What has been your greatest gardening success?
Briefly describe your personal, ideal garden:
Pat Strickland
Denton
Volunteering at church, craft room doing stained glass, refinishing furniture and crafts.
Tomato — looks good, tastes good, can be used in many ways, mostly hardy plant.
Knowledge of what they do. Visiting community gardens in Lewisville and Denton.
More beautiful yard by using native plants. Better vegetable garden.
Wise county — not very dif-ferent.
Vegetable gardens, tomatoes, squash, peppers.
Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, jalapenos, onions, melons.
What are your plans for your gar-den after you complete Master Gardener class?
When you are not in the garden, where can you be found/ what are you doing?
What interested you in becoming a Master Gardener?
What is your favorite plant(s) and why?
What has been your greatest gardening success?
Briefly describe your personal, ideal garden:
Lou Todd
Flower Mound
At church, involved in some-thing with grandkids, Canton, buying plants. I belong to two Bunco groups and, last but not least, cleaning my house.
Probably my plumaria plants or my camellia plant. I love the bloom on both.
I had seen them at home and garden shows and I have a friend that went through the program last year.
Since I’ve had all my flower beds cleaned out, I have a clean slate to start. I’ve got to select shrubs and develop a plan for the area.
First 18 years of my life I lived in Comanche, TX. We moved to Denton County in 1972. Prior to that we were in Germany. They grew awesome gardens there. They were very green before it was popular.
Growing and wintering plu-maria because I wasn’t sure I could.
I like a well manicured garden, but you said ‘ideal’ and mine are not! I would like a garden that doesn’t outgrow itself and stays weedless and bugless.
What are your plans for your gar-den after you complete Master Gardener class?
When you are not in the garden, where can you be found/ what are you doing?
What interested you in becoming a Master Gardener?
What is your favorite plant(s) and why?
What has been your greatest gar-dening success?
Briefly describe your personal, ideal garden:
Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening different there than here?
Where did you live prior to Denton County? How was gardening different there than here?
page 3
The Denton County Master Gardener Associa�on hosted the Texas AgriLife Research and
Extension Urban Solu�ons Center Rainwater Harves�ng Specialist Training June 28-30. Eleven
trainees aCended including our own Diane Almand, Mar�n Richards and Sue Hudiburgh. Billie
Kniffen, rainwater harves�ng educa�on expert, DoCy Woodson, extension program specialist
– water resources, and her staff conducted the training.
Mar�n explained, “The level of training was very high. Far beyond the other classes I had
aCended. Very intense!” He con�nued, “The most useful lesson I learned was how to do the
calcula�ons for a par�cular rainwater harves�ng applica�on and how different applica�ons
vary.”
Texas Master Gardener specialist training not only teaches subject content but also
teaches par�cipants how to educate others about the subject. “The informa�on and materials
we received prepared me to talk about rainwater harves�ng in prac�cally any venue and I look
forward to doing so in public,” said Mar�n.
Trainees came from as far away at Victoria County to par�cipate. Mar�n explained,
“Having students from all over Texas brought their prac�cal experience and exper�se to the
discussion.”
The majority of the training was held in the conference room. Trainees and staff visited
the DiG loca�on and the rainwater harves�ng system installed at the Denton County building
under construc�on. Trainees capped off the training by building a rain barrel to take home.
I volunteered to be the DCMGA contact with the Urban Solu�ons Center. As host organi-
za�on, we were responsible for iden�fying the loca�on(s), providing conference room set up,
and purchasing and serving snacks and lunches.
Denton County Master Gardeners invited the trainees and staff to a no host supper at
the Sweetwater Grill Tuesday evening. All Denton County Master Gardeners were invited to
aCend. Six trainees, Do=e Woodson and Janet Laminack joined members Mary Morrow, Judy
Riley and me. We had a great �me, capped off with live jazz.
Mar�n concluded, “I recommend this course to any Master Gardener who is interested
in an alterna�ve method of providing water to gardens, landscapes, lawns and wildlife. It is
really an eye-opening learning session and is so important to the future of the state of Texas
and the na�on as a whole.”
page 4
I joined the Denton Quilt Guild about 5 or
6 years ago. In 2007, I aCended a hand-
appliqué class. ANer that, I enrolled in a
year-long Bal�more Album Quilt class. I
mainly signed up for it to learn about the
history of the Bal�more Album Quilts,
which originated in Bal�more in the
1850's. I completed the quilt in 2009.
Then I had it machine quilted. I submiCed pictures of the quilt to Elly
Sienkiewicz (whose Bal�more Album block paCerns were used in the
class). Elly is sponsoring the Bal�more Album Quilt revivalist move-
ment, and is in charge of the exhibit, Bal�more Album Review II: Bal�-
more Daughters--Friends S�tch Past to Future. That is the exhibit in
which my quilt is being exhibited. It was in the Houston Interna�onal
Quilt Show and will be exhibited in Cincinna� and Long Beach before
it is returned to me in August 2011.
In the aCached picture, is the quilt I am currently working on. It is a
Christmas Bal�more Album quilt. Of course, it will be next Christmas
before it is finished. I have really enjoyed learning to quilt, and I am
very surprised that my quilt was selected to be in this exhibit.
The International Quilt Show Houston
Baltimore Album Review II:
"Baltimore's Daughters - Friends Stitch Past to Future" This wonderful exhibit is presenting the many regional Baltimore style appliqué quilts created over the past several years spearheaded by Elly and organized by Mary Tozer. Many of you have blocks and more - in the Baltimores Daughters quilts. We'll be milling around them, admiring their intricute details, trying to hear who made what, and meeting each other. A contingent is also going to the luncheon where Elly is the speaker and our beloved Mary Tozer will be introduced.
Along with these quilts, for your viewing pleasure, will be approximately 30 additional Baltimore style appliqué quilts juried into the Baltimore Album Review II by Quilts Inc. We were told the jury was wowed by the entries and the competition was extraordinarily stiff! Congratulations to:
The International Quilt Show Houston 2011
Maker/Owner Quilt Title Marie-Anne Coadic Butterflies Flew to Baltimore Cynthia Collier Grace's Wedding Quilt Pat J. Collins Conway Album Joan Dorsay Quilt More Patricia K Drennan Albuquerque Album via Baltimore Kathy Dunigan Think of Me, Dear One Mary A Herndon Black Beauties Cheryl L Kerestes Wyoming Album Dawn Licker Metropolitan Museum Baltimo
Fran Lopes On the Way to Baltimore - Fran's Way Won (One)
Melinda E Lowy Deco Album Marge Lydecker Our Summer Journey Kim McLean Vases, Birds and Other Things Sandra L Mollon Garden of Unity
Judy L Morton Miss Refrigeradorable's Album Quilt
Maker/Owner Quilt Title
Marjorie A Nelson Marjories Album - The Beauty of One Common Thread
Marjorie A Nelson Baltimore Album on the Shores of Lake Michigan
Karen Pessia My Baltimore Journey
Adele M Petty Sunny Days Aneda Phillips West of Baltimore Marsha D Radtke The Pastor's Attic Jerre C Reese Cutwork Applique June McCauley Ross Georgetown Album Quilt Connie Teplitsky Threads of Inspiration Mary Tozer Verdant Hearts Janice Vaine Amuse-Bouche Rita Verroca The Big Parade Jackie West Baltimore Album
LOCAL MASTER GARDENER RECIEVES TOP HONORS
page 5
Christmas has always been a whirlwind of emotions, warm fuzzy memories, anticipation, decorations, worship and traditions, held together by the centrifugal force of my faith and family. As our kids have grown up and moved out, a Classic, Worry-Free, LED pre-lit, preassembled tree has replaced the aromatic Noble Fir. And my husband and I have returned to the Advent wreath of our youth. And that, of course, includes holly. I have always loved holly, but I never realized how meaningful it is until I Googled it in preparation for Christmas. Holly was a big deal to the ancient Celts, who incorporated it into their celebrations of summer and winter solstice. Because holly is an evergreen, they wore it in their hair to ward off evil spirits and always kept some in their home to provide shelter for fairies. The Druids saw holly as a symbol of fertility and eternal life. So naturally cutting down a holly tree brought bad luck. Keeping some holly at home, on the other hand, promised good luck, as well as protec-tion from lightning. Unacquainted with any ancient Celts or Druids, I moved on to Christian symbolism. “The circle of the wreath and the evergreens that make it up both signify God’s endless mercy and un-dying love.” Wow! That reminded me of a favorite verse that says, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans1:20) I would love it if, when people visit my garden, they are reminded just for a moment of God’s love and amazing qualities. The sharp points of the holly leaf also symbolize the crown of thorns, and the vibrant red berries are a reminder of the blood Jesus shed for the sins of mankind. Botanically, holly is the genus Ilex. There are more than 400 species, mostly evergreen, in addition to hy-brids! And they range in height from one to fifty feet. So you can pick the perfect holly for any size spot. While hollies tolerate most soils, they prefer a slightly acidic pH. And since they’re not too picky about sunlight, they’re perfect for our hot, dry Texas summers. They do, however, need to be well watered the first year. Overall, hollies are comparatively low maintenance, needing pruning only to shape them or re-move broken branches. Hollies can be male or female. And some are self-fertile and do not need to be near a male. Hollies are remarkably versatile plants. They are among the best screening plants and are effective as foundational plantings or along a fence. They’re perfect to anchor the corners of your house or garden. Since there are both shrub and tree forms, they work as a specimen, too. And they can be shaped into topiaries, if you’re so inclined.
Deck the halls (and plan the beds)Deck the halls (and plan the beds)Deck the halls (and plan the beds)Deck the halls (and plan the beds) Annie BrackinAnnie BrackinAnnie BrackinAnnie Brackin
Among the best hollies for Texas are:
· American Holly I. opaea, 4-5 feet · Chinese Holly I. corunta 3-12 feet · Yaupon I. vomitoria 2-15 feet · “Nellie R. Steven,” 10-30 feet · Ilex decidus, Possomhaw Holly, 8-15 feet · Ilex x attenuata, ‘Fosteri’ 20-30 feet · Ilex x meserveae, 4-8 feet · Ilex x “Mary Nell,” 10-15 feet · Ilex x attenuate “Savannah,” 8-15 feet
You’ll want to avoid the English and Japanese varieties, because they don’t take the Texas drought and heat. I’m not a holly expert, but I hope there’s enough here to encourage you to consider adding some hollies to your garden plan. And if by chance, the next time you look at holly, you recall the words of Tiny Tim who told his father that it might be pleasant for the people at church who saw him “to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see,” so much the better. Have a holly jolly Christmas. And God bless us, every one!
Judy Riley wondered what wandered her gardens at night.
Her hubby, Jack, gave her a nanny cam for her birthday and here are
some of the criCers that roam the night.
page 7
Follow Denton County Master Gardener Associa�on on
DENTON COUNTY MASTER GARDENER ASSOCIATION
BOARD MEETING
November 3, 2010, 10:00 A. M.
I. CALL TO ORDER: Mee�ng chairman Linda Williams called the Board of
Directors mee�ng to order at 10:04 A.M. at the Texas AgriLife
Extension office in Denton, TX. In aCendance were Zoe Broxson, Susan
Cosio, Jenny Estes, Janie Farler, Wally Gehrke, Sue Hudiburgh, Janet
Laminack, Susan Loos, Diana McMillin, Shirley Manfredi, Mary Morrow,
Carolyn Tinner, Laurel Wallace, Linda Williams, and Donna Wolfe.
II. MINUTES: Minutes for the October board mee�ng had previously
been forwarded to the board via email by the Secretary. The minutes
were accepted as presented.
III. TREASURER’S REPORT: Copies of the financial report and an itemized
list of expenses and income for InfoFest were provided at the
mee�ng. Shirley reviewed the reports. InfoFest had fewer expenses
and more income than had been expected. There was discussion
about tax-free days and about income and expenditures for the DiG.
Shirley said she had received dues for 2011 from 11 members and re-
newal forms from all but 1 of those. We will remind everyone at the
general mee�ng that dues are due and to please fill out a renewal
form.
The Treasurer’s report was accepted as presented.
IV. Linda received a thank you note from the Chaparral 4H club for asking
them to work at InfoFest.
V. COMMITTEE REPORTS
A. Project Administra�on – Brenda Wellenreiter
1. Brenda was unable to aCend due to jury duty.
2. The project review mee�ng is scheduled for 11/15 from
10-12. All members who want to learn about the pro-
jects can come; an RSVP to Brenda is requested.
3. The nomina�on commiCee has selected a new set of
candidates for next year for the board and most com-
miCee chairs. We will hold the elec�on of board mem-
bers at the next general mee�ng.
B. Ways and Means – Sandy Read
Sandy was unable to aCend.
C. Communica�ons – Janie Farler
Website: Two mee�ngs were scheduled for today to discuss
issues, some of which came from the retreat. We will work
on fixing current problems and then review the site with the
members and survey for sugges�ons.
D. Programs – Carol Fitch
1. Carol was unable to aCend
2. November’s speaker will be Marilyn Sallee, speaking
about invasive plants.
E. Member-at-Large – Zoe Broxson:
Zoe provided a report about the retreat, where we discussed
the recent member survey. We had 40 responses to the
survey, which were reviewed and categorized by an outside
consultant, Peggy Atkerson. Peggy presented a summary and
her recommenda�ons at the retreat. Following her presenta-
�on, aCendees separated into breakout groups to discuss
issues and make recommenda�ons. The next step is to docu-
ment the breakout recommenda�ons to present at the No-
vember general mee�ng. Members will vote on which ideas
we should implement.
F. Report by County Coordinator – Janet Laminack
1. A leadership training mee�ng with Jayla Fry is planned
for 12/15. The new 2011 board and possibly commiCee
leaders will be invited.
2. Mary Karish men�oned to Janet that Gene Gumfory
would like to move the veggie show to the Denton Bible
Church. He es�mates that there are at least 60 garden-
ers from the DBC garden who would par�cipate. The
loca�on was discussed. The consensus was that the
current loca�on (the park near the Bayless-Selby House)
has historic and community significance to Denton, so
maybe we need to think about ways to get the DBC
gardeners to par�cipate at the current loca�on. Sugges-
�ons were signs in the DBC garden or aCending Gene’s
monthly mee�ng to talk about the show and how to
prepare. We should also ask Gene for his ideas about
how to publicize the show to his group.
3. One of the commissioners contacted Janet about land-
scaping at the Sandy Jacobs government building in
Carrollton, looking for someone to make recommenda-
�ons for improvement. Helen Marsee was suggested;
Janet will check with her.
4. Linda said she is interested in ge=ng together a group
to work on landscaping at the Copeland building in Den-
ton. On February 26 next year, Janet will host an Earth-
Kind symposium at the Copeland Center. We might be
able to use that to work on the Copeland landscaping,
having par�cipants plan soil prep, plant selec�on, and
drip irriga�on. The county will pay for and do the work.
G. Volunteer Coordinator – Donna Wolfe
Nothing new this week.
H. Christmas Party – Brenda Wellenreiter
CCA has been selected as the charity for our party. They are
interested in both food and new toys. Evelyn McMillan has
suggested another possibility. Linda will send addi�onal
informa�on.
I. Class of 2011—Zoe Broxson
1. Round-Up: We had good par�cipa�on. Thanks to those
who brought food, decorated and spoke.
2. Field trips for the class: the EarthKind garden in Farmers
Branch and the Dallas MGs demo garden.
3. Applica�ons/Interviews: The review of applicants will
be on December 15 at 1:15. 29 ac�ve applicants are
being interviewed, so we might be able to take them all.
Clarice is the new mentor coordinator.
4. The team is looking for someone to help create presen-
ta�ons for brown bags, using a standard format. This
year brown bag presenta�ons will be more strictly lim-
ited to 30 minutes.
5. The tui�on is $175 and can be paid over �me. We have
a couple of applicants who are being sponsored by UNT.
J. RotoTeller – Mary Morrow
The next deadline is Nov 19. There has been discussion
about doing a monthly newsleCer, but sending out a weekly
or monthly calendar or list of events might solve that issue.
From the survey, members would like more calendar infor-
ma�on and fewer emails. Project Managers may soon be
able to update the member events calendar. We need to
meet to discuss all of the above. Donna, Mary, Zoe, Jenny,
and Sue said they would like to par�cipate, and it was sug-
gested that Susie Cook also be invited.
(Minutes con�nued on the next page)
Board Mee�ng Minutes can now be found under
Mee�ngs in Member Info on the dcmga.com web site.
Click on the notepad in the right column next to the
desired month.
page 9
Sun scald results in frost cracks. With our past icy winter and a long,
hot summer with liCle rainfall, homeowners are calling the help line for assistance with this
problem.
Sunscald is rarely fatal to trees, but could lead to further damage. In late winter and early
spring, water in the bark and wood expands and contracts when temperatures rise and fall.
Damage is usually located on the southwest side of the tree. These cracks may heal in the
summer only to occur again in the winter.
To prevent sunscald, homeowners can try wrapping the tree with a white wrapping product
(not burlap) specifically made for this purpose, or using white tree paint. These products may
prevent the extreme warming effects of the sun.
ANer damage occurs, the loose bark can be removed from the damaged area to speed healing.
Tree wound tars and paints are not recommended, they do not aid in healing. For more infor-
ma�on, go to hCp://www.ivmamansask.com/publica�ons/FOCUS%20Spring%202006.pdf.
Informa�on and research provided by Martha Ahearn.
VI. ANNOUNCEMENTS/GROUP DISCUSSION
A. President’s Recogni�on Award – Sue Hudiburgh
Sue described the President’s Volunteer Service Award as a possible award for our members who contribute more than 100
hours of volunteer �me per year. It was moved, seconded and approved that Sue should pursue registering the DCMGA as a
‘cer�fying organiza�on’. We will present the idea at the general mee�ng.
B. Life�me Member Nominee – Donna Wolfe
Donna suggested one of our members for the Life�me Member award. It was moved, seconded and approved that we nomi-
nate that person for the award.
C. Demonstra�on Garden
1. The inspector approved, and the greenhouse was built by members during an AT class. A rose propaga�on AT
class was also conducted. Lasagna gardening AT is coming up next week. (Janie wil lead that.) Other workdays
are planned.
2. There will be a fundraiser at Sweetwater Grill at 4:00 on November 13. Volunteers are needed to set up and to
make centerpieces and craNs to donate for sale. There will be T-shirts for sale, and Carolyn Tinner will do holiday
arrangements and take orders for sale. A cookie bouquet has been donated. Jimmy and Karen are dona�ng food,
linens, and tables. There might be other business dona�ons.
3. There was a ques�on about dona�ng some old things from Garden Shoppe, with profit going to the DiG. Shirley
said that there is currently no inventory price on those things. It was moved and seconded that we allow the
Garden Shoppe to make a dona�on to the DiG. Discussion followed, and there was some concern about favoring
one project over another. Is this a bad precedent? In any case, we’d need to value the merchandise and make
adjustments in the budget. There was a vote, and the mo�on failed.
D. Awards -- Nominees
1. Vo�ng for awards is to take place at the Christmas Party. Nomina�ons will be taken at the November general
mee�ng. There was a ques�on about who received awards last year, and Linda said she would put that infor-
ma�on on the ballot.
2. Projects for State Awards and Others: The state awards package is available now. Linda would like input and Zoe
said she would help with the submissions.
3. It has been suggested that we buy a bench for Denton Bible Church as a giN for allowing us to do InfoFest there.
E. Gradua�on events.
We are s�ll looking for a speaker. We can offer them lodging and an honorarium Sugges�ons were:
1. Stephanie Briggs’ husband, who spoke about presenta�ons recently.
2. Flo Oxley, from the millennium seed bank. Perhaps Flo could talk to us about volunteerism. We could also see if
she might do an AT presenta�on the next day.
3. Felder Rushing.
4. Carolyn suggested Jerry Parsons from San Antonio. Janet will check on Jerry.
VII. OPEN DISCUSSION
A. The Golden Gnome luncheon (for the class with most �cket sales for the Garden Tour) will be on November 16 at Mary’s.
Members of this year’s board are asked to bring food.
B. Jenny presented a report on Riding the Rails. She pointed out that we do Riding the Rails twice a year. Hodge Elementary
paid for busses for the kids. The principal asked for lesson plans to review with bilingual students.
C. Educa�on report: Twenty-seven people aCended the greenhouse build at the DiG. The Presenta�ons program was aCended
by 16 people. Volunteers are needed for the Ask an MG booth at the Super Bowl Tree Plan�ng next Saturday.
D. Susan Loos expressed her apprecia�on for the (unofficial) party held in her honor and giNs to help her replace flood-
damaged belongings.
E. Donna said many people have signed up for Sunshine group.
The mee�ng was adjourned at 11:59 A.M.
Next mee�ng: Wednesday, December 1, 2010 at 10:00 A.M. at Linda Williams’ house.
Bayless-Selby House
317 West Mulberry
Denton, Texas 76201
Museum Open: Tues – Sat 10:00 am – 12:00 am, 1:00 pm -3:00 pm
940-349-2865, www.dentoncounty.com/bsh
Bayless-Selby House Gardens Project:
The Denton County Master Gardens are helping to create an authen�c Victorian Landscape around
the Historic Bayless-Selby House Museum. The house was built in 1899, and was donated to the Den-
ton County Historical Commission in 1998. It was moved to its present loca�on, restored and is the
centerpiece of a planned historic county park. The park is adjacent to the historic district and central
to downtown Denton and the Court House on the Square.
Educa�on of the public is the focus of the gardens, demonstra�ng to the public that these plants used
in this area at the turn of the last century, are s�ll available and prove how durable they are in the
North Texas area. The gardens are an excellent educa�onal opportunity for the public to tour the
gardens, to learn about family gardens in Denton during the turn of the 20th century.
Volunteers Needed: Docents - The Project Manager will ask for volunteers when docents are needed for
Events and group tours of the gardens.
“Programs From the Porch” – The summer of 2011, Master Gardeners and the Denton
County AgriLife office partnered to present programs and tours at the Bayless-Selby House
Garden on the second Saturday of the month in the summer from 10:00 - 12:00. Would you
like to share with the public?
BS Herb and Vegetable Garden – MG team to plant and maintain Herb and Veggie garden at the BSH.
Please call if interested
Any�me workday - Volunteers may work in the gardens on their own �me.
Project Manager: Carolyn Gold, 940-484-4942, [email protected]
page 10
CARES MELT WHEN YOU KNEEL IN YOUR
GARDEN...
On May 26th, Dorothy The]ord, Master Naturalist,
Na�ve Plant Society Of Texas and wildflower
extraordinaire , shared her knowledge of wildflowers
with several Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists.
They walked the trails at Clear Creek Natural Heritage
Reserve in Denton enjoying the scenery and learning all
about the na�ve wildflowers that are found in
abundance throughout the Reserve.
Peggy Durrett would like to share some hyacinth bean seeds.
page 11
My name is Andrea Milton and I am a Denton County Master Gardener; Class 2009. I was recently appointed to the
Town of Flower Mound’s Parks Art and Literature Board (PALs.) The town is entertaining the thought of a community
garden. We would first like to gauge the resident’s interest in a community garden. The first thing we need to know
from our residents is do you want a community garden? If you are a Flower Mound resident and would you like to
par�cipate in a community garden and/or have ques�ons please email me at:
We have not worked out the logis�cs at this �me. We are merely trying to assess the need and/or want for a
community garden in Flower Mound.
Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists came together
in a joint venture in November. Fouad Jaber, PhD, led a
class on rain gardens. Once the class was completed,
aCendees were invited to the City of Denton landfill to put
into prac�ce the knowledge acquired in the class. The City
of Denton made plans with extension to construct a
commercial sized rain garden to handle some hard surface
runoff at the Mayhill landfill.
The joint venture of all par�es could not have been a
beCer situa�on. Dr. Fouad provided the educa�on, the
City of Denton provided the space, machinery, and
materials, and the Master Gardeners and Master
Naturalists provided the willingness to learn hands-on by
spreading materials used in the layering of a rain garden,
laying a drain pipe, and plan�ng na�ve plants which can
withstand a large amount of water in �mes of rain.
Future plans were made to revisit the site to design an
area for strolling and si=ng for employees who work in
the adjacent buildings. This may include enlarging the
planted area, adding more plants, a pathway, and si=ng
area.
Jill Peak,
Project Leader
You are invited to come celebrate in the joy and spirit of Christmas.
Please bring your favorite holiday casserole, vegetable, or dessert to share. A baked ham and drinks will
be provided by DCMGA.
DOOR PRIZES The Lewisville CCA was selected as
this year's Christmas Charity. If you would like to participate, please bring a new unwrapped toy or non-perishable items for the food pantry.
PLEASE RSVP BY DEC. 1 on EVITE
Wednesday December 8th
11:00AM Ben E Keith Company
2801 S Interstate Hwy 35 Denton
Educator Award: Someone who has shared their knowledge with the rest of our group or the
public at large. Is generous with time and knowledge. NOMINEES:
Project Manager Award: A project manager who stands out as organized, keeping projects
moving, meeting goals, available to those serving be that public or other members. Someone who
you would like to learn from when it comes to leading a project. NOMINEES:
Special Merit Award: Someone who always seems to be there doing the right thing at the right
time – doesn’t necessarily take a leadership role, but who you can count on.
NOMINEES:
Special Educator (INTERN): NOMINEES:
Project Manager (INTERN) NOMINEES:
Special Merit Award (INTERN) NOMINEES:
Community Partner Award: A person or organization in one of our communities who stands out as
a partner of DCMGA and who works with us to advance our mission. NOMINEES:
Long Term Service Award: NOMINEES:
page 12
page 13
DCMGA MEETINGS
February 9th, 2011 9:00 AM
RAIN GARDENS
Dotty Woodson (this picture is of the Rain Garden installation at the City of Denton Reclamation Center on Mayhill Rd)
2011 DCMGA ANNUAL DINNER
AND GRADUATION
CELEBRATIONS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 12TH
(more details to follow)
page 14
Well, it is once again the �me of year when gardening typically takes a backseat to family,
friends, and tradi�ons. There is no doubt that all of our yards are already winterized as we are
off to have fun.
As the Season takes hold and it is �me to reflect….I hope that each of us takes the �me to measure our
growth over the past year. Growth of character, knowledge, friendship and commitment, these are a
few of the ways that we grow each year. Master Gardeners is not much different as an organiza�on
than the reflec�on of its members.
Hopefully there will be some �me to project…An�cipa�ng how we might grow in the next year, both in
advanced educa�on and being able to share knowledge. There will be new friendships with the interns
of the class of 2011. Hopefully, we can project and focus on commitment to a beFer DCMGA. We can
maybe add some new projects that will broaden our outreach in the community and allow for growth.
There is a new Board of Directors coming to DCMGA – they are going to bring growth and character
right along with them. There is a deep pool of knowledge and commitment in this group and they will
have fun along the way. Here is hoping that everyone finds something to get on board with and a way
to enjoy the ride as never before. These folks want to make sure that you are heard – they want to do
what is best for as many people as possible – and they want to have fun.
So, as the year comes to an end……thanks for your help, pa�ence, friendship, knowledge and
commitment. Have a great Holiday Season…..will see you soon...
Looking forward to growing with you next year.
Linda
MEMBER’S CALENDAR: go to dcmga.com,
click on Member Info, go to Members Calendar for the most recent updates. December 01, 2010
Wednesday 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Board Mee�ng -- Linda Williams home
December 08, 2010
Wednesday 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM MG Christmas Luncheon -- Ben E Keith, 2801 S Interstate Hwy 35E,
Denton, TX PLEASE RSVP BY DEC. 1 on EVITE.
January 05, 2011
Wednesday 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Board Mee�ng -- Denton County AgriLife Extension Office
January 12, 2011
Wednesday 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM Annual Dinner and Gradua�on -- Celebra�ons, 2380 FM 407, Highland
Village, TX
February 02, 2011
Wednesday 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Board Mee�ng -- Denton County AgriLife Extension Office
February 09, 2011
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM MG General Mee�ng -- Denton County AgriLife Extension Office, Denton,
TX . 'RAIN GARDENS' by DoCy Woodson.
page 15
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
SUSAN COSIO
EDUCATION DIRECTOR
MONIQUE GOODHART
MEMBER AT LARGE
ZOE BROXSON
We will be holding elec�ons for the
2011 Board of Directors
on Wednesday, December 8th at our
Annual Christmas Luncheon.
PRESIDENT
JENNY ESTES
VICE PRESIDENT
DIANE ALMAND
SECRETARY
LAUREL WALLACE
TREASURER
WALLY GEHRKE
2011 Spring Garden Tour
and Plant Sale Gardening for Pleasure and the Planet
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR MAY 8, 2011?
DOES YOUR GARDEN HAVE SOMETHING TO TEACH?
DO YOU LIKE TO SHARE YOUR GARDEN WITH OTHERS?
DO YOU LIKE WORKDAYS WITH OTHER MASTER GARDENERS?
IF YOU ARE FREE ON MAY 8, 2011 AND ANSWERED YES TO AT LEAST ONE OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS
IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU HAVE THE PERFECT GARDEN FOR OUR 2011 SPRING GARDEN TOUR.
CONTACT SUSAN LOOS OR LAUREL WALLACE AND VOLUNTEER YOUR GARDEN TODAY!
AND ALL YOU OTHER FOLKS GET READY FOR THE 2011 SPRING PLANT SALE!
KICK-OFF MEETING IS PLANNED FOR JANUARY 2011, SO MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND
GET READY!
page 16
There have been wonderful things buzzing at the DiG… not just bees! We encourage members to drive by and check our progress. Accomplishments: Raised Bed Boxes: 3 boxes built Veggie Bed (2) – Fall veggies planted Rose Garden – Partially filled w/dyno soils Rose Propagation Class: Hope to use some of these rose plants Lasagna Layers in Entry Gardens: Preparing ground for spring Greenhouse: Held AT Training Class “How to build a Greenhouse” Fundraiser: Garden Party II @ Sweetwater Grill & Tavern DIG t-shirts: Long sleeve/tan/DIG logo. Available for purchase $15. Tool Shed: Applied for IBM grant… waiting on results. Budget News: Estimate for Dyno Soil: $1008. Actual costs: 638.18 Dump Truck: 200 Savings: $169.87 Water Line & Install estimate: $1000 Actual costs: 570 Savings: $430 Next Steps: December: Prepare/Plant Rose Garden
• Workdays to be announced Review ideas to relocate “Children’s Garden” to the DIG January: Build Raised Bed Gardens: Butterfly Garden/Herb Garden/Xeriscape Garden February: Build Raised Bed for Focal Garden Requests: Grant writer: Need grant writer to apply for “Fiskars Grant” & Keep Denton Beautiful Grant.
GREENHOUSE BUILD
LASAGNA
GARDENING
GARDEN PARTY II F
UNDRAISER
SWEETWATER GRILL
Homegrown Vegetables,
Fruits, and Herbs
By Jim Wilson
Crea�ve Homeowners
Press, 2009
Jim Wilson has been the co-host of The Victory Gar-
den South on PBS. This book covers vegetables,
herbs and fruits. In planning and preparing to have a
successful garden, the author provides many sugges-
�ons for organic materials, cover crops, and fer�liz-
ers that are safe to use. He also provides a few
chemical op�ons. One sec�on on growing each plant
is on con�nuing care to get the best possible results
over the longest period. The book also includes
many photos illustra�ng the topic of the wri�ng. My
favorite chapter by far was “The Three “E”s: Ease,
Economy and Enjoyment. There are sugges�ons and
hints on reducing weeds, maintaining the beds, and
keeping your garden an aCrac�ve addi�on to your
yard.
Starter Vegetable Gardens:
24 No-Fail Plans for Small
Organic Gardens
By Barbara Pleasant
Storey Books, 2010
If you are thinking of beginning a
vegetable garden and want to
plant an organic garden so you have fresh food
outside your back door, then this is the book for you.
The author walks you step-by-step on how to create
your vegetable garden by leading you from lawn to
garden. She also eases you into the garden by
star�ng small and increasing the size and variety
over a three year period. Included also are great �ps
on adding color to the vegetable garden. My favorite
sec�on is the three year conversion of the front yard
to vegetables and herbs. So even if you have that big
dog in the backyard you can s�ll create a space for a
vegetable garden. For those of you with a big space
there is a chapter en�tled “Family Food Factory
Garden” to help you plan a year-long garden of fresh
produce.
BOOK REVIEWS BRENT BLOECHLE
page 17
The Kitchen Garden
By Alan Buckingham
DK Publishing, 2010
Purchasing locally grown food has become very important for many
people. You cannot get any more local than your own backyard. The
author provides easy to follow instruc�ons to get you started plan�ng,
growing, and harves�ng your vegetables and herbs. Alan Buckingham
lives in England, so some of his seasonal plan�ng sugges�ons are not appropriate for North
Texas. The book is a good guide to star�ng a vegetable and fruit garden that will provide your
family with a locally grown harvest. There is a crop planning sec�on with an extensive
selec�on of plants to read about in deciding which will be best for your garden. I found the
informa�on on the space required for each vegetable or herb very helpful.
Connec�ng Reading, Math & Science
RIDING THE RAILS is a cross curriculum field trip designed to teach science, reading and math
through an outdoor learning environment. It began in the spring of 2007. It has expanded to
eight learning sta�ons with each learning sta�on using the JMG ac�vi�es as a guide.
A total of 118 students ( 80/3rd graders and 38/2nd grade bilingual) from 3 different elementary
schools in Denton County aCended the Riding the Rails field trip on Oct. 26 and Oct. 29, 2010.
The schools represented were Hodge, Savannah and Providence. There were 6 teachers from
Denton County par�cipa�ng.
Riding the Rails is a collabora�ve effort between Denton County Master Gardeners, Master
Naturalists, 4-H and Denton ISD that supports teachers and students in their endeavor to raise
science test scores. A total of 66 volunteers par�cipated in this project. Many Master
Gardeners helped with the prepara�ons and the 2 field trip days - Carol Arment, Sandy
Faciane, Carolyn Gold, Leah Knack, Diane McMillin, Dee Payne, Peggy Widmer, Betsy Faulkner,
Connie Johnson, Susan Kilpatrick, Evelyn McMillan, Barb Nebrig, Diane Pence, Sandy Read,
Martha Smith, Linda Williams, Judy Guthrie, Jill Hoenig, Dee Payne, Connie Youngblood and
Joe Bendzick.
Mark your calendar now for our next Riding the Rails adventure, May 17th - 20th, 2011.
If you are interested in helping, please contact:
Jenny Estes
940-271-1402
Dear Joe,
Your volunteer service of drilling holes in over 500 pill boCle caps has tremendously helped us
in our endeavor to supply a free field trip to our Denton ISD and Denton County students.
Thank you for your con�nued support of this Denton County Master Gardener Project.
Truly the Suck-A-Bug learning sta�on would not survive without you!
ALL ABOARD FOR THE SPRING TRIP
MAY 17,18, 19, 20, 2011
RIDING THE RAILS
page 18
PRESIDENT LINDA WILLIAMS
VICE PRESIDENT BRENDA WELLENREITER
SECRETARY SUE HUDIBURGH
TREASURER SHIRLEY MANFREDI
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION WALLY GEHRKE
VOLUNTEER DIRECTOR DONNA WOLFE
PUBLICITY/COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR JANIE FARLER
DELEGATE-AT-LARGE ZOE BROXSON
PAST PRESIDENT LINDA WILLIAMS
PROJECT ADMINISTRATOR
BRENDA WELLENREITER HOSPITALITY CLARICE LUCE
WAYS AND MEANS BRENDA WELLENREITER SPEAKERS’ BUREAU ANNIE BRACKIN
RESOURCE ROOM JILL PEAK AWARDS LINDA WILLIAMS
WEBSITE JANIE FARLER SCHOLARSHIP ADELE PETTY
ROTO TELLER MARY MORROW TECHNOLOGY TBD
PROGRAM CAROL FITCH PUBLICATIONS MARY MORROW
ADVANCED TRAINING MARY KARISH JMG JENNY ESTES
AUDIT PEGGY WIDMER PHOTOGRAPHY MARY MORROW
MENTOR MAURINE LEBEAU HELP DESK JANIE FARLER
CHILDREN’S EDUCATION LISA VAN HORN ADULT EDUCATION MONIQUE GOODHART
2010 COMMITTEE LEADERS
2010 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ROTO TELLER STAFF
Annie Brackin............................... Class of 2001 Peggy Durrett............................... Class of 2000 Jenny Estes.................................. Class of 2007 Carolyn Gold.................................Class of 1996 Andie Milton..................................Class of 2009 Jill Peak.......................................Class of 2005 Adelle Petty..................................Class of 2003 Cindy Reese..................................Class of 2006
Brent Bloechle.............................Class of 2003 Susan Cosio.................................Class of 2010 Janie Farler.................................Class of 2003 Mary Morrow............Editor.............Class of 2001
We hope you enjoyed your Quarterly ROTO TELLER; let us know what you like and don’t like— E-mail the Editor at [email protected]. Also send suggestions, comments, or questions.
page 19
PLEASE CHECK THE ARTICLES/ITEMS YOU ENJOY THE MOST:
In 2011, look for:
Member’s Calendar - 3 month snapshot.
Design Challenge - Jill Peak will pick a spot around the county that needs help
and create a landscape design to share with us.
Sunshine Spot - Members share what is going on in their other lives, new
puppy dog, loss of a loved one, vaca�on news, etc. In addi�on how the
‘Sunshine Gardeners’ are helping out other members where needed. Donna
will be the contact person and this informa�on will only be shared/printed with
the member’s permission.
Please return to Mary Morrow at the Christmas Luncheon or to Donna at
the Extension Office. (Just print page 20 for a hardcopy). I will be sending
this under a separate email for those that would like to email it to me at
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK________
PROJECTS ARTICLES__________
GARDEN-RELATED ARTICLES FROM MG____
MINUTES________
ASK A MASTER GARDENER_________
NEWSY NEWS___________
DCMGA MEETINGS_________
PRESIDENT’S CORNER__________
BOOK REVIEWS__________
FAVORITE WEB SITES_________
PASS-IT-ALONG__________
CRITTER IN YOUR YARD_________