read indicates that this method of gardening is used primarily for vegetables.

It takes about 10 days to prepare your bales for planting. The first 3 days water the bales thoroughly and keep them wet. Days 4-6, sprinkle the bales with ½ cup of ammonium nitrate (32-0-0) per bale, per day and water bales well so they will absorb the nitrate. Days 7-9, cut the ammonium ni-trate to ¼ cup per day. Day 10, stop the nitrate, but add 1 cup of 10-10-10 per bale. Again, water well. Day 11, planting day! Late in the afternoon transplant young vegetable plants into the hay cut-ting out a hole about 6 inches across and 8 inches deep. Place each plant in the hole, filling the hole with good gardening soil and potting soil. Water well and let sit for a few hours. You may need to add some additional soil at this time.

You may plant several plants in each bale depending on the growth pattern of the vegetable (or flower). It seems that peppers and squash may be ideal candidates for the bale garden. However, the planting of tomatoes, cucumbers

Publication of Orangeburg County Master Gardeners

AS THE GARDEN GROWS Nov. - Dec. 2011

Nov. 18 10:00 AM SC Botanical Garden Winter Vegetable Gardening Workshop

Dec. 2 Arbor Day

Dec. 6 12:00 PM

Christmas party for MGs

Zane Lake’s home

Feb 8, 2012

Master Gardener class begins

Herb BradleyHerb BradleyHerb BradleyHerb Bradley

Calendar & Volunteer Opp.

trailing down the side of bales, and melons are also suggested. The best way to water is with a soaker hose, placing the hose on top of the bale. You cannot water too much for the water drains well through the bale. Arrange bales however it is best for you. One of the joys of straw bale gardening for more “experienced” gardeners is that it is easier on the back.

If the bales start to sprout wheat or oat straw, don’t worry. If the grass bothers you, just whack it off with a knife or scissors. It does not take much time.

Can’t wait to hear from you about your successes with straw bale gardening. Want to share some of the fruits of your labor?

Bess HillBess HillBess HillBess Hill

Winter is a great time to read and research ideas for your 2012 garden. Earlier this year a high school class-mate of mine, Porter Kinard of Colum-bia and his wife, the former Mimi Speth of Orangeburg, were guests at our steak club. As any of us would do, we talked about old friends and the conversation got to discussing present interests. In talking with Porter, I men-tioned to him how much I was enjoying being a Master Gardener. Much to my surprise, he asked if I had tried straw gardening. Long story made short, Porter mailed me some info on this concept and I have become very inter-ested in exploring the idea. Thus, I have been researching the concept and am anxious to try it next spring.

Research indicates that the best straw bales for gardening are wheat, oats, rye or barley straw. Straw bales are better than hay bales. You may want to buy several straw bales. How many you pick really depends on how big you want your bale garden to be. A bale is usually 2 feet by 3 or 4 feet in size. Remember, don’t confuse straw bale gardening with using loose straw in your garden for mulch or compost. In this concept, we are talking about using the entire bale tied with twine and planting plants in the top. The bale is the garden! Most of what I have

In My Window Christmas cacti blooming next to my faux Christmas tree. In the Spring I repotted them and put them on the shady porch. They bloomed again.

At the Beach... ...And at Home...

You might wonder what this has to do with Christmas. Hard to believe but it was a four foot Christmas tree in our front box window not so many years ago. Several years later it dawned on me that if we kept using live trees, we would run out of space. As much as it doesn’t suit me, our window tree now comes out of the attic every year and we have a fresh cut Leyland cypress in the den. (They do come back out from the roots)

Helleborus niger Christmas rose blooming at Christmas

and for months after.

Page 2 AS THE GARDEN GROWS

Morgan’s Morgan’s Morgan’s Morgan’s

PerspectivePerspectivePerspectivePerspective

It’s hard to believe another

year has almost come and

gone! I’m very proud of the

work you as Master Garden-

ers have completed and par-

taken in this year and I hope

to see this continue in 2012.

I am planning another Master

Gardener class to begin in

February so please help

spread the word. Hopefully,

with your help, we can con-

tinue to grow the MG pro-

gram in Orangeburg County.

I hope everyone has a safe

and happy holiday season

and I look forward to what the

new year has in store!

Our holiday celebrations wouldn’t be

complete without including beautiful

bulbs in our live flower decorations.

Paperwhites are the stars of many

arrangements, but as they emerge

from the bulb, how do you keep them

from falling over? The problem with

paperwhites is they grow quite tall &

their weight is at the top. Research-

ers in the Flowerbulb Research Pro-

gram at Cornell University have come

up with an unusual solution to this top

heavy problem…... Alcohol!

When paperwhite bulbs are grown in a dilute solution of alco-

hol, the plants reach a height of 1/3 to 1/2 of their expected

growth, but the flowers remain normal size & last just as long.

Here is the suggested plan to stunt paperwhites with alcohol:

Plant your bulbs in stones & water as you normally would.

Once the roots begin growing & the green shoot on top

reaches 1-2”, pour off the existing water. Replace the water

with a solution of 4-6% alcohol, as described below. Con-

tinue to use the alcohol solution for future waterings.

How to make the alcohol watering so-

lution: The alcohol content needs to

be less than 10% or your plants will

overdose and severe growth problems

will occur. You can use any liquor or

rubbing alcohol. Do not use beer or

wine because they are too high in

sugar. Check the bottle for percentage

of alcohol. Many liquors are only la-

beled as “proof,” not % of alcohol. To determine %, divide the proof

in half. ( 80 proof is 40% alcohol.) Use the chart below to convert

existing alcohol to a 5% solution for watering.

10% alcohol use 1 part water to 1 part alcohol = 5% solution

15% alcohol use 2 parts water to 1 part alcohol = 5% solution

20% alcohol use 3 parts water to 1 part alcohol = 5% solution

25% alcohol use 4 parts water to 1 part alcohol = 5% solution

30% alcohol use 5 parts water to 1 part alcohol = 5% solution

35% alcohol use 6 parts water to 1 part alcohol = 5% solution

40% alcohol use 7 parts water to 1 part alcohol = 5% solution

The December meeting is scheduled for

December 6th

12:00 PM

Zane Lake’s house

77 Country Lane

St Matthews, SC

Everyone is asked to bring some sort of

finger food or dessert. Zane hosted a party

last year for her class, and this year has

opened the invitation to include all

Orangeburg Master Gardeners! Please put

the date on your calendar. Detailed

direction will be sent out by email.

Gail BoltGail BoltGail BoltGail Bolt

garden that fits your time and budget . The second section, “Making the Least of Garden Care,” tells how to install your lawn and garden, then how to save time and effort when caring for them. Sec-tion three, “Picking Unpicky Plants,” is a gallery of easy-care plants for weekend gardeners. It contains descriptions and growing guidelines for scads of weekend-worthy plants, including trees, shrubs, vegetables, herbs, perennials, an-nuals, bulbs and ornamental grasses. In the fourth section, “Easy Projects for the Weekend Gardener,” you’ll find garden pro-jects that you can finish in a week-end-or even a few hours. Projects include window boxes, trellises, pathways, compost bins, a patio

While many of us are planning fes-tive activities for the holidays and looking forward to decorating with Christmas cactus, poinsettias, nar-cissus, amaryllis, sprigs of ever-greens, Thanksgiving wreaths and Christmas trees, it’s also a time for planning for next year’s spring and summer gardens. Erin Hynes gives one all the tips and tricks that are needed to create a low-maintenance garden that’s not only easy to care for, but a snap to maintain. It’s the perfect book for busy people who have only a few hours or the weekend to tend to gar-den chores. Rodale’s Weekend Gardener is di-vided into four sections. The first section, “Creating Your Weekend Garden,” helps you plan a yard and

makeover, a dry stream and more! So, try to enjoy your holidays, with a look toward spring and summer with ease of garden-ing! Can be found in the O’burg County Library, ISBN0-87596-803-1.

Page 3 AS THE GARDEN GROWS

PERENNIAL PLANT OF THE YEAR

Book Review by Sandra Whetsell

Amsonia hubrichtii, 2011 Perennial Plant of the Year™

Pronounced am-SO-nee-ah hew-BRIK-tee-eye, this stand out carries the common names Arkansas blue star, Arkansas amsonia, thread-leaf blue star, narrow leaf blue star, and Hu-bricht’s blue star. In the spring, this all-season perennial has two- to three-inch wide clusters of small, light blue, star-shaped flowers borne above the ferny foliage. The feathery leaves remain a light bright green all summer and turn a beautiful golden-yellow in the fall. This Amsonia grows 36 inches tall and 36 inches wide in a mounded form. Amsonia hu-brichtii grows best in full sun and partial shade and in well-drained soil. Stems tend to open and flop if plants are grown in too much shade. Once well established, this blue star is drought tolerant and deer resistant, as well as resistant to disease and insect pests.

The foliage in spring and summer is one of the best for contrast with me-dium to large perennials or shrubs. Although the delicate light blue spring flowers are the inspiration for its com-mon name, the autumn color of the feathery leaves is a major reason that gardeners grow it. The stunning pale

pumpkin color of the foliage creates an excellent combination with

purple coneflower, elderberry and ornamental grasses. The ornamental qualities and three seasons of color and interest make Amsonia an ex-cellent choice for the perennial gar-den.

Amsonia hubrichtii may be propagated by seed, division or softwood cuttings. (Information gathered from www.perennialplant.org)

The Perennial Plant of the Year promotes the use of perennials in the

garden. Four perennials are selected by the Perennial Plant of the Year

Committee from an extensive list of nominations made earlier by PPA

members. Each year, members cast their vote for one of the four se-

lected plants with the following attributes:

• suitable for a wide range of climate types

• low maintenance

• easily propagated - easily comes true from seed or

vegetative propagation

• exhibits multiple seasonal interest

For complete information see www.perennialplant.org

Linda McGannon & Herb Bradley

Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service 1550 Henley St, Suite 200 Orangeburg, SC 29115

Phone: 803-534-6280 Fax: 803-534-5037 E-mail: orangeburgmastergardeners@yahoo.com

Orangeburg County Master Gardeners

The Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service

offers its programs to people of all ages regardless of race,

color, gender, religion, national origin, disability, political

beliefs, sexual orientation, marital or family status and is an

equal opportunity employer.

Many thanks to those who have written articles for the news-

letter this year. I am very appreciative of the time and effort it

takes to submit such thoughtful and informative items.

May you have a

joyous holiday and a blessed new year!.

If you are interested in contributing, please contact

Editor Linda McGannon at

orangeburgmastergardeners@yahoo.com

The first Arbor Day ceremonies took place over a hundred years ago in the Nebraska Territory. Arbor Day became a tradition through the work of one man - J. Sterling Morton, editor of Nebraska's first newspaper and later U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. "Arbor Day," said J. Sterling Morton "is not like other holidays. Each of these reposes on the past, but Arbor Day preposes on the future." Although Morton loved his home in Nebraska, he missed the green forests of his native New York. He found that Nebraska's high winds blew the soil away when he plowed fields on the open prairie; so he decided to plant trees as wind-breaks. Morton's successful tree-planting project encour-aged him to promote the idea throughout Nebraska, and on April 10, 1872, Arbor Day became a state holiday. Over a million trees were planted on that single day. Morton's idea quickly caught on in the rest of the United States. In 1883 the first Arbor Day school celebrations were held in Cin-cinnati. Today Arbor Day is celebrated in almost every state and U.S. territory as well as numerous foreign countries. Because ideal conditions for planting vary throughout the country, Arbor Day is celebrated on different dates, depending on the climate of the state. An Arbor Day for the State of South Carolina was created by legis-lation in 1934. We celebrate on the first Friday in December because that is the time in South Carolina when plants are dormant, there is plenty of rainfall, and a tree's roots suffer less from the shock of transplanting. Trees beautifully anchor and frame our landscape plantings. Trees make great gifts and memorials, If you decide to plant a tree this arbor day, re-member these guidelines:

• Choose young, healthy seedlings or saplings to plant - they stand a

better chance of surviving.

• Select your planting site carefully. Keep in mind that as your tree

grows, the roots and branches will spread; so allow adequate space for

future growth.

• Dig a hole at least twice the

width, but equal in depth to the size of the root system. Use the original soil removed from the hole to refill around the root system. Once filled, place mulch material such as pine bark, dead leaves, or some other semi-decayed material over the soil surface.

• Newly planted trees need regular

watering during the spring, summer, and fall of the first year. Evergreens, because they retain their leaves, need to be watered regularly in the winter too. Do not water every day. Instead, give your tree a good soaking once a week. Fertilizer is usually not needed in the first year. Some great performing trees for our area are Chinese Evergreen Oak (Quercus myrsinifolia), Carolina Silverbell (Halesia tetraptera- pictured), or one of the many new cultivars of Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum). If you don’t have the time, money or space to plant a tree right now,

perhaps this year take the day to learn about some of the many trees

that populate our neighborhoods. Or visit one of the designated ar-

eas in our state to learn about our native trees. Congaree National

Park has a beautiful stand of the familiar tupelo and bald cypress, but

identifying the other trees in the floodplain takes some practice, and

fall is the perfect time to start!

Be sure to include Arbor Day in your seasonal activities, making it a

part of your holiday celebrations!

Arbor Day—December 2 Clemson Forestry Leaflet 23/