July 2016
What Types of Projects Qualify for Master Gardener Volunteer Hours? 
 
To provide answers to great questions about Master Gardener volunteer requirements, Master Gardener responsibilities, and the connection to Iowa State University Extension and Outreach we have created a Master Gardener Volunteer Manual. Please feel free to check out the Volunteer Manual and other great resources located on the For Volunteers section of our website.
Demonstrating Generosity
 
The Iowa State University Master Gardener Program has partnered with Human Sciences Extension & Outreach, and ISU Research Farms to plant demonstration gardens with produce which will be donated food banks. Master Gardeners are conducting citizen science research on which cultivars of vegetable crops in high demand by food banks will yield best. Volunteers are measuring how much is harvested (by number and by weight) of each type of vegetable in the demonstration gardens.

You can visit the demonstration gardens this July and August during the annual field days. Come for a tour of the garden and stay for conversation and fresh snacks. Learn more here: extension.iastate.edu/article/july-and-august-home-demonstration-garden-field-days-0


 Photo from ISU Northern Research Farm in Kanawha 
Gain Skills Thanks to Webcasts
 
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach county offices are hosting the seventh annual Growing Season webcast series at multiple locations across Iowa. Gardeners have been learning about growing native shade plants in the garden, diagnosing tree problems, and encouraging native insect populations in the garden. The series provides a total of 6 hours of containing education. Contact your local Extension & Outreach county office to find out when the recorded webinars will be offered near you. Learn more here.

  Log Your Volunteer Hours

Although the deadline to report your hours is still almost six months away, many Master Gardeners are already logging their 2016 volunteer hours. Thanks  to those of you who have done so! As of mid-July, Iowa Master Gardeners have logged more than 41,000 hours of volunteer service.

Remember that the minimum requirements to remain an active Master Gardener are 20 hours of volunteer service and 10 hours of continuing education annually. However, it helps when you report ALL of your volunteer service hours, even after you have met the minimum requirements. Thank you for submitting your hours on the Volunteer Reporting System
.

Photo of Cherokee Master Gardeners on a tour 
Register for Core Course Training by September 1st 
Encourage your friends to start their journey to become a Master Gardener by signing up for classes which will begin in September. This will be the only training class for the 2016-2017 school year.

Classes will be held on Tuesdays from September 27 through November 15, 2016, plus four additional locally scheduled classes and a Saturday class on the Iowa State University campus (either October 8 or 22). The training will be hosted in thirty eight locations. Contact your county ISU Extension and Outreach office for details.  
Calling All SFE Awardees

We are proud of the 12 Iowa Search for Excellence (SFE) award winners. Iowa State SFE winners are also eligible to apply for the International Master Gardener Conference (IMGC) Search for Excellence award, however, applications for the international award are not limited to state winners. If you have an outstanding local Master Gardener project that is innovative and has provided measurable impacts in your community, consider submitting an application for this award. (You can also submit for the state award next winter.) IMGC applications are due August 1, 2016. Submission guidelines can be found here.

The International Search for Excellence awards will be presented at the 2017 International Master Gardener Conference, July 10-14th in Portland, Oregon. Plan now to attend! 
Take a Trip to the Wisconsin Dells!

Registration is open for the 2016 Upper Midwest Regional Master Gardener Conference September 14-17 in the Wisconsin Dells. This biennial conference is open to Master Gardeners from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Canada, as well as their guests. The conference's theme this year is "Helping Nature Thrive," and will feature area garden tours, educational sessions, and expert speakers. The regional conference is a great way to interact with other Master Gardeners and to get your continuing education hours for the year.

Super Sleuths   

Congratulations to our Super Sleuths for June. We had a lot of responses guessing look-alike plants such as common forget-me-not (Myosotis) and Chinese forget-me-not (Cynoglossum). However, the details of the plant description ruled out those responses. Jack Robertson from Poweshiek County and Mary Baughman from Cherokee County correctly identified this short-lived perennial usually grown as an annual as Eritrichium canum, commonly called alpine forget-me-not, hoary forget-me-not or fairy borage. The particular cultivar pictured is 'Baby Blues', a compact form that grows just 6 to 12 inches tall
with a similar width. (The plant in the background is creeping thyme.)

The plant's common name, alpine forget-me-not, provides a clue that it requires good drainage. Although most alpine plants prefer cool temperatures, this one also thrives in the heat of summer,  blooming from June through August, especially if deadheaded. Allow some of the late season flowers to go to seed so that it will self-sow for next year's blooms. Eritrichium grows in full sun to light shade. One advantage that it provides over common forget-me-not is that it is powdery mildew resistant.

July Mystery Plant  
Equally at home trailing from a hanging basket or in the ground as a climbing, twining vine, the July Mystery Plant bears wine red, pink or white flowers from mid-summer onward. This native of Mexico is hardy to Zone 8, but grows well as an annual in Iowa although it can be overwintered in a greenhouse. The straight species grows up to 10 feet long, but more compact forms are available that are better suited for growing in hanging baskets. It grows best in full sun to part shade and prefers fertile, well-drained soil. The tubular flowers are attractive to bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. What is it?

Send your response including the plant's common name and botanical name 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. 
  Upcoming Events
What  
When
Where
 Water Garden Tour  July 16  Ames
 Home Demo Garden Field Day     July 19  Rock Rapids 
 Planting in the Shade  July 21  Urbandale
Growing Herbs   July 25  Rock Rapids 
Home Demo Garden Field Day  July 28  Lewis 
Composting Choices  July 28  Urbandale 
Turfgrass Field Day  July 28   Ames 
Home Demo Garden Field Day  August 2  Kanawha 
Art in the Garden - Small Container Challenge  August 4  Urbandale 
Home Demo Garden Field Day  August 4  Ames 
Webinar: Controlling Roaches  August 5   
Home Demo Garden Field Day  August 6  Nashua 
Cooking with Garden Veggies  August 9  Rock Rapids 
Home Demo Garden Field Day  August 9  Fruitland
Home Demo Garden Field Day  August 10  Crawfordsville 
 Cooking with Herbs  August 11  Rock Rapids 
Fruit and Vegetable Field Day   August 15  Ames 
Water Quality in the Discovery Garden  August 16  Des Moines 
All-Iowa Master Gardener Art Show  August 18-October 16  Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden 
Orchids for Beginners  August 20  Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden  
Webinar: Snake Identification  September 2   
 September 14-17  Wisconsin Dells 
 September 27  30+ locations