|
LAST CALL: Half Off Master Gardener Shirts
|
|
The close-out sale of Master Gardener apparel runs through Wednesday, July 15th. You can get Master Gardener polo shirts, long-sleeve shirts, and t-shirts for half off (as low as $7.50)! Limited quantities and sizes are available. Get 'em while they last! To order, go to the Extension Online Store at the following link; discount is applied at check out: http://store.extension.iastate.edu/Topic/Yard-and-Garden/Master-Gardener-Program
|
|
Summer Webinars Continue
|
|
Join in a three-part webinar series this summer in towns across Iowa. In the second webinar, Water in the Garden, ISU Extension and Outreach horticulturist Denny Schrock along with Boone County Master Gardener Jamie Beyer, discuss various water saving techniques to apply to the garden and how to incorporate creative water features into the landscape. During the class, Schrock focuses on waterwise landscaping while Beyer speaks about water features. "We present the principles of xeriscaping, a system of low-water use landscaping, as well as which low-water-tolerant plants are adapted to Iowa landscapes," said Schrock.
Each two-hour-long webinar counts towards Master Gardener continuing education requirements. Contact your local Extension office to find out when the webinar is being shown in your area.
Locations offering the webinar include the following towns: Allison, Altoona, Atlantic, Bettendorf, Boone, Bloomfield, Cedar Rapids, Chariton, Charles City, Cherokee, Council Bluffs, Cresco, Decorah, Denison, DeWitt, Dubuque, Fayette, Fort Dodge, Fort Madison, Grinnell, Grundy Center, Guthrie Center, Hull, Ida Grove, Independence, Indianola, Iowa City, Le Mars, Logan, Marshalltown, Mason City, Mount Pleasant, Muscatine, Nevada, Newton, Onawa, Osage, Oskaloosa, Pocahontas, Sigourney, Sioux City, Tripoli, Wapello, Waukon, Webster City, West Burlington, and Williamsburg.
|
Hours Reporting Website Upgrade
|
|
Changes are coming to the Master Gardener Hours Reporting System. This September, the website will have a new look, and will be more user-friendly. The data for all current Master Gardeners will be automatically transferred from the current system to the new platform. The new system will make it much easier for you to track your volunteer and continuing education hours. Stay tuned for more details and the exact changeover date.
If you would like to see a video about a similar hours reporting system, watch this video from Georgia Master Gardeners.
|
|
Award Winning Master Gardener Project
|
|
Congratulations to the Johnson County Master Gardeners who won a 2015 Search for Excellence Award for their Downtown City Gardens project. In Iowa City, Master Gardeners partnered with local organizations to teach youth about planting and maintaining public gardens. If you have a youth-oriented garden project that you would like to submit as an award application for next year, click here to learn more. Applications are due March 15, 2016.
|
|
|
|
Register now for the Master Gardener training core course offered through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The cost is $195 for the 40-hour core training course and a certificate upon completion. After completing the course, Master Gardener trainees start their work as volunteers within the community. After finishing 40 hours of volunteer service, the master gardener title becomes official and they join thousands of other Iowa volunteers. Register by August 1st in one of the following towns: Albia, Altoona, Ames, Bettendorf, Bloomfield, Carroll, Cedar Rapids, Cherokee, Council Bluffs, Creston, DeWitt, Dubuque, Fairfield, Garner, Grinnell, Grundy Center, Ida Grove, Independence, Indianola, Iowa City, Knoxville, Logan, Maquoketa, Marshalltown, Mason City, Monticello, Mount Pleasant, Muscatine, Osceola, Oskaloosa, Pocahontas, Rock Rapids, Sac City, Sioux City, Tipton, Tripoli, Vinton, Wapello, Washington, Waterloo, Waukon, or West Burlington. |
|
Volunteer Engagement at the International MG Conference
|
|
The biennial International Master Gardener Conference will be held at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs on Sept. 22-25, 2015.
Co-hosted by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach and University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, workshops will provide opportunities to learn about building leadership and attracting volunteers to the program in addition to numerous gardening topics.
West Pottawatamie Master Gardener Diana Benzing will be presenting on welcoming and maintaining volunteers. "An organization is a living, breathing thing that needs to constantly renew itself by recruiting and retaining members or it will soon die." said Benzing. "Every Master Gardener should know how to recruit and retain members to keep their group effective and an important part of their communities."
The full conference registration fee through July 20 is $385. If you haven't yet registered, do so now to avoid a late fee. After the 20th, the fee increases to $440. If you have already registered, but haven't signed up for tours, don't delay any longer. Several of the tours have filled, but open seats remain on several others. Single-day registrations are also available for the conference. All fee options include lunch; registration closes Aug. 31. For more information or to register, click here: http://mastergardener.unl.edu/imgc2015
|
|
Say Cheese!
|
|
This summer, be sure to snap photos of your fellow Master Gardeners volunteering in gardens or while active in other Master Gardener projects. Download and send the entry form and three to five digital images by October 1st to be entered into the Master Gardeners in Action Photography Contest. Please note that the images should include at least one Master Gardener involved in a project or program. 
|
Super Sleuths
|
|
The mystery plant from June must have been more difficult to identify than those from other recent posts because we received only three correct responses. The Super Sleuths who recognized the plant pictured below were: Jack Robertson, Poweshiek County; Paula Winslow, Polk County; and Debby Keiser. The correct identity of the plant is Sanguisorba menziesii, Alaska burnet or Menzies burnet.
Denny Schrock
State Master Gardener Coordinator
|
Featured Plant from June
|
| |
Alaska burnet,
Sanguisorba menziesii
|
|
July Mystery Plant
|
| |
What am I?
In June and July this hardy shrub puts on quite a show as it opens its fragrant buttery yellow blooms in the landscape. However, even when not in bloom, the variegated foliage makes it a welcome addition to the garden. Here in Iowa it develops best color in full sun, but farther south partial shade may improve performance. It grows 2-3 feet tall with an arching, spreading habit. Occasional suckers develop, but this shrub will not become invasive.
Send your response including its common name and botanical names in your reply to Denny. In the next newsletter, we'll recognize up to the first 10 respondents that provide the correct identity of the mystery plant.
July Mystery Plant
|
|
Upcoming Events
|
What: Master Gardeners' Day Presentations
When: July 15, 10:00AM-2:00PM
Where: Clinton County Fair
What: Beginning Permaculture
When: July 15, 6:00PM
Where: Des Moines
What: Moth-Ers Day
When: July 18, 7:00PM
Where: Walcott
What: Garden Tour
When: July 21, 5:00-8:00PM
Where: Rock Rapids
What: Children's art in the garden When: July 21, 6:00PM
Where: Altoona What: Turfgrass Field Day When: July 23, 8:45AM-1:00PM Where: Ames What: How does a garden grow? Earth-friendly garden tips
When: July 23, 7:00PM
Where: Urbandale What: North American Fruit Explorers Annual Meeting
When: July 22-25
Where: LaCrosse, WI Who: Jerry Lehman, 812-298-8733 What: Webinar: Pollinators & Growing Herbs
When: August
Where: Locations across Iowa What: English Afternoon Tea When: August 1, 1:00-2:00PM Where: Moline, IL What: Plant Sale When: August 1 Where: Bremer County What: How does a garden grow? Art in the Garden
When: August 6, 7:00PM
Where: Urbandale What: Celebrate Vegetables
When: August 18, 6:00PM
Where: Altoona What: Summer Seed Saving School
When: August 28-30
Where: Seed Savers Exchange, Decorah
Price: $200 What: Master Gardeners' Art Show
When: August 31, 5:30PM
Where: Des Moines When: September 13, 1:00PM
Where: Altoona What: Emerald Ash Borer Workshop When: September 22, 5:30-7:30PM
Where: Muscatine
When: September 22-25 Where: Council Bluffs Price: $385 for full conference by July 1; daily registration also available Do you have other educational opportunities coming up? Email the state Master Gardener office with details.
|
|
