Gardener News 2020

TAKE ONE

Gardener News

Proudly Serving the Agricultural, Gardening, Landscaping & Nursery Communities

January 2020

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor Gardener News proudly bestows our 2019 “Person of the Year” to David DeFrange II, a Hunterdon County Landscape Contractor and Nursery business owner, for his diversity and

GARDENERNEWS.COM

David DeFrange II knowledge of cross-pollinating his landscape business with his nursery business, which enables him to integrate all facets of the landscape industry with the horticultural world

and for being nominated and elected by his peers, to serve as a member of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture.

DeFrange was sworn in as a member

TAKE ONE No. 201

of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture during the Board’s regular meeting held June 26, 2019 at The Horse Park of New Jersey.

DeFrange is an accomplished landscape nurseryman, with a business that has been successful for over 25 years. Operations are located in westcentral New Jersey (Cont. on Page 4)

2 January 2020

G a r d e n C e n t e r D i r e c t o r y GardenerNews.com

Got Rock Salt?

We Do… & Calcium, Snow Shovels, Firewood & Propane.

Hall’s Garden Center & Florist

700 Springfield Avenue, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922 908.665.0331 | www.hallsgarden.com

Thank you for a wonderful 2019 season.

See you in March!

The Biondi Family

Celebrating Our 74th Anniversary

601 Union Ave. Middlesex, NJ

GardenerNews.com

January 2020 3

Smith’s ACE Hardware of Chester, NJ

CHESTER SHOPPING MALL 91 W. Main Street, Chester NJ 07930

908-955-8600 We are ready for winter, are you?

We stock deicers in bags and jugs along with snow shovels, scrapers, snow blowers, gloves and the Snowcaster.

Now stocking NDS-Pro drainage products

What can we help you with this winter?

Battery Products

Our Other ACE Hardware Locations: Yardville Supply Co 47 Yardville-Groveville Rd Yardville, NJ 08620

ACE Hardware Princeton 301 N Harrison St #12 Princeton, NJ 08540

ACE Hardware Chatham 650 Shunpike Rd Chatham NJ 07928

Mercer ACE Hardware 318 NJ 33 Mercerville NJ 08619

Newtown ACE Hardware 2670 S Eagle Rd Newtown PA 18940

4 January 2020 It’s become synonymous with our state. It’s one of the first things New Jerseyans will hear from outof-staters when we mention we are from here.

“It” is Jersey Fresh.

Along with the long-standing nickname “The Garden State,” Jersey Fresh is one of those quick touchstones that connect this state with its agricultural industry, not just here on the East Coast, but nationwide and even into Canada.

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s 35-year record of promoting agricultural products from the state is a model that other states around the nation have followed.

Consumer surveys show the brand carries cache on the level of nationally recognized brands like Del Monte, Dole and Chiquita.

Consumers here seek out the brand when they’re in the produce aisle or at a community farmers market.

After the first time they buy our farmers’ branded products, they almost always become fans and ambassadors for Jersey Fresh.

Over the years, the label has been expanded to include Jersey Grown, for plant material propagated here, Jersey Seafood for fresh-caught and aquacultured products, and others in our state’s

GardenerNews.com NJ Dept. of Agriculture

By Douglas H. Fisher Secretary of Agriculture

Department of Agriculture talking Jersey Fresh

agricultural industry. New Jersey’s coastline seafood industry is famous for, among other products, ocean clams, known as “quahogs,” scallops, and squid, and oysters.

But it is the Jersey Fresh brand that started it all in New Jersey.

As the first such state-sponsored branding of agricultural products in the nation, it is fair to call it the progenitor of them all.

The success of the brand with consumers has inspired the Department to continually look for ways to tweak, to reinvent, and to improve the Jersey Fresh campaign year after year. The current campaign “Real. Local.

Jersey Fresh” drives home the point that the brand is the undisputed way to know for sure that the product in question comes from our state’s farms.

Even in the winter, some of the

remaining Jersey Fresh harvest can be found in stores. On top of that, the development in 2010 of the “Made With Jersey Fresh” brand, for products entirely or predominantly made with certified Jersey Fresh ingredients, has extended the reach of a brand that used to be more seasonal.

Canned, frozen, and bottled products made from recent Jersey Fresh harvests can be found in many stores. If you’re looking for them in your local grocery and you can’t find them, be sure to ask the manager and let them know.

They may not yet be aware of all the “Made With” products that are out there.

Those products include things like frozen corn and green beans, canned crushed tomatoes and peach cider, all from Jersey Fresh produce.

How much does the Jersey Fresh program mean to our farmers? If you check out our “Find Jersey Fresh” website (https:// findjerseyfresh.com/) you’ll find testimonials from an array of our state’s great growers about how they have used this recognized and respected branding to boost the success of their operations.

Rose Robson, a fourthgeneration farmer featured on the website, said the brand brings attention to her unusual U-pick cut flower operation (cut flowers come under the Jersey Fresh banner) and her grandmother’s peach cobbler recipe, which includes peaches grown at her farm.

Annual surveys show consumers have both high recognition of and appreciation for the brand, and that is a selling

point for our farmers to become involved in Jersey Fresh.

Heading toward this year’s State Agricultural Convention, which will be held February 5 and 6 in Atlantic City, we’ll be building toward a discussion of where the Jersey Fresh program build to even greater heights. After a successful first 35 years, we’re excited to see what the next 35 bring.

We look forward to the process, as always, working together with the farmers and fishers of the great Garden State.

Editor’s Note: Douglas H. Fisher is New Jersey’s Secretary of Agriculture.

He is the department’s executive officer, secretary to the State Board of Agriculture and a member of the Governor’s cabinet.

Secretary Fisher fulfills executive, management and administrative duties prescribed by law, executive order or gubernatorial direction. He can be reached at 609.292.3976. For more info, please visit: http:// www.state.nj.us/agriculture

2019 Person of the Year: David DeFrange II (Continued from p. 1)

where he runs a thriving maintenance and installation business, consultancy, and his most recent push to construct a nursery on over 65 acres of his farm.

DeFrange’s extensive experience in landscape and hardscape design, nurturing and growing plant materials, historical restorations, and green solutions has provided him a base of expertise to bring to his customers, his classroom at Mercer Community College (MCC) and the State of New Jersey.

Throughout DeFrange’s career, he has held leadership positions in organizations in New Jersey that pursue the education and advancement of landscape design and use of plant materials. He is a continuous learner and recently pursued the Natural Resources Conversation Servicer for advice on his own conservation plan.

He holds his CNLP, and is working with native plants and cultivars to build a next

generation of plant materials.

DeFrange has directed, managed the students, and played an instrumental role in the designs and installations for Mercer Community College as they competed in the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, wining bronze, silver, and gold, year over year respectively.

Additionally, DeFrange has consulted for local solar companies due to his knowledge in soils, to ensure the proper grasses and plant materials were used at the shore, in the southern part of the state, and locally in central New Jersey to ensure ecologically sound natural solutions that were sustainable and esthetically pleasing.

At his Copper Creek Landscape Management and Nursery Inc. he prides himself in the environment around him and he constantly performs several tasks like enhancement of organic soil replenishment, monitoring his nurseries carbon footprint, following

Integrated Pest Management programs in order to reduce the use of chemicals, so his growing operation maintains the highest standards of organic practices. He also uses his nursery as an experimental and educational testing ground to better understand the life cycles of all diseases and insects. He has established new generations of plant materials in his nursery that have been researched by Land Grant universities. These next generations of plant materials have been developed to be more resistant to insects and diseases. He prides himself on growing natives and the New Jersey State Tree, the Red maple (Acer rubrum).

DeFrange’s long-term goals are to turn his nursery into an arboretum (a living classroom of plants) so that he can provide education facilities for schools and communities to learn more about our natural environment.

The vast amount of plant material in the nursery allows

him to continuously study the plant materials growth habits in the ever-shifting environmental conditions.

DeFrange’s creativity allows him to make futuristic advancements in the nursery growing industry which in the Gardener News’ opinion will allow future-generation nurserymen to produce high end sustainable plant material.

DeFrange, who holds a BS in Bioscience and Ornamental Horticulture Environmental Design is a dedicated family man, married for 11 years, with two children whom he supports in their pursuits with sports, the scouts and 4-H. DeFrange is more than just a one-commodity person – he can speak on and pursue many facets of what is needed for the Garden State’s landscape and nursery industries.

The most recent data from the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service showed that the nursery, greenhouse, floriculture

and sod industry continues to be New Jersey’s leading agricultural sector, with sales at almost $500 million, an increase of $93 million from the previous census. New Jersey also has moved up to rank fifth in the nation in nursery stock sales.

The 2018 wholesale value of New Jersey floriculture crops is up 6 percent from the 2015 valuation. The total crop value at wholesale for all growers with $10,000 or more in sales is estimated at $216.2million for 2018, fourth highest nationally.

For the U.S., the 2018 wholesale value of floriculture crops is up 6 percent from the 2015 valuation. The total crop value at wholesale for all growers with $10,000 or more in sales is estimated at $4.63 billion for 2018, compared with $4.37 billion for 2015.

For 2018, the top-five States are: California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which account for $4.04 (Cont. on Page 20)

GardenerNews.com

January 2020 5

Support NJ Agriculture JERSEY GROWN

Nursery Stock JERSEY GROWN

Sunflower Birdseed JERSEY GROWN

Firewood

JERSEY GROWN

When you’re shopping for JERSEY GROWN nursery stock, you know the trees, shrubs, plants and flowers are checked for quality, disease, are pest free, and accustomed to the Garden State’s climate and soil conditions.

Annuals & Perennials Made With

JERSEY GROWN

Wood Birdhouses & Bird Feeders

Governor Phil Murphy Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher

jerseygrown.nj.gov

6 January 2020

R U T G ER S N J AE S / R C E

Give it a Grow!

Learn from the Experts at Rutgers Home Gardeners School Horticulture experts to offer a variety of learning opportunities for gardeners of all skill levels, including 40 workshops [25 new!] and hands-on demonstrations for a personalized day of learning Registration is open for the 44th annual Rutgers Home Gardeners School, which will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., at the Rutgers University Cook/Douglass campus in New Brunswick, N.J. The Home Gardeners School is made up of 40 individual workshop sessions that cover a wide array of horticulture topics. This format allows attendees to select the workshops that are most relevant to their gardening interests and create their own personalized schedule for a fun day of learning. Expert speakers from commercial horticulture and landscape design firms, as well as faculty and staff from Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), provide attendees with the opportunity to learn from highlyrespected professionals with a wealth of experience. These instructors will cover a whole host of practical topics designed to prepare participants and their gardens for the spring and beyond, including landscape design, common problems and solutions, annuals, perennials, vegetables, herbs, beekeeping, hardscaping, best management practices, deer control methods and much more!

With 25 new and three revised workshops, there are great options for both new and returning participants. The “Jam’in Basics” workshop will cover the fundamentals of making jam, jelly, and other spreads for shelf storage or the freezer, while the “Walkways, Pathways, and Stairways” session will cover entryways into the home and garden, including proper construction. A new hands-on session, “Potted Plant Creations,” will provide attendees with the opportunity to create and take home their own potted plant arrangement. Other new workshops include “The Wonderful World of Bulbs,” “Growing Organic NJ Tomatoes and Peppers,” “Trellises in the Edible Garden,” “Fertilizer and Pesticide Calibration,” “Deer Control Methods,” “The Cook’s Herb Garden” and so much more!

The registration fee for this event is $95.00, but a special early registration discounted price of $80.00 is being offered through February 29, 2020. An additional discounted fee of $70.00 is available for Master Gardeners (certificate required) through February 29. Participants can purchase a convenient $14 box lunch when registering or bring their own bag lunch. Pre-registration is strongly recommended as many workshops do sell out in advance.

Reflecting a commitment to giving back, the Home Gardeners School organizers invite attendees to bring food donations to the event. These items will be distributed to New Jersey families in need through Rutgers Against Hunger (RAH), a universitywide initiative working to address the issues of hunger across New Jersey.

Participants are also invited to bring donations for Scarlet Paws Rescue, a 501(c)(3) non-profit collaboration of Rutgers staff, faculty, students and community volunteers that rescues stray animals on the Rutgers campus.

For more information or to register for Home Gardeners School, visit www.cpe.rutgers.edu/hgs or call the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education at 848-932-9271.

GardenerNews.com

From the Director’s Desk

Rutgers Outreach Provided by Brian Schilling Director

A Look Toward 2020

I hope that the holidays brought joy and peace to all, and on behalf of Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE), I extend best wishes for a fulfilling 2020.

I am grateful to Tom Castronovo for the opportunity to share with Gardener News readers the many happening at New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES). Thinking about the year to come conjures many of the same sentiments I shared in previous columns. In the August 2018 column, I commented that “it is through the tireless and steady efforts of dedicated faculty, staff, and volunteers that RCE remains relevant and impactful, by providing credible information and resources that improve the lives of all in New Jersey.” At that time, I held a heartfelt belief that those words were true. With more than a year in this position, I know unequivocally that they are.

As the outreach arm of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES), county Cooperative Extension (RCE) offices and personnel are gateways through which the knowledge, research, and expertise of Rutgers University—indeed the resources of an entire national system of Land Grant universities—are made available to our State’s residents.

Whether it be providing guidance for leading healthy and active lives, supporting community and ecosystem resiliency, educating home horticulturalists, providing continuing professional education, fostering positive youth development, or serving the Garden State’s agricultural producers and aquaculturalists, we stand ready.

I believe the greatest testament to the importance of NJAES programs is found in the exceptional dedication of several thousand volunteers who offer their time to support Cooperative Extension programs.

Rachel Lyons, Chair of the Department of 4-H Youth Development, recently attended the national organization’s 2019 Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Washington, D.C., at which Frances Hagel was recognized for her outstanding commitment and leadership in New Jersey 4-H for, astoundingly, the past 67 years! To all RCE volunteers that give so generously of their time, energy, and passion—thank you! Simply put, NJAES faculty and staff cannot accomplish all that we do in service to our state without you.

It is with enthusiasm, and clear recognition of the work to come, that I look ahead to 2020.

The strong advocacy from the NJAES Board of Managers and a broad range of stakeholders has resulted in two consecutive years of much-needed state reinvestment in the experiment station and programs that allow us to modernize, adapt, and better support agricultural, environmental, aquaculture, marine and coastal, and business incubation programs, to name only a few.

I hope to carry this momentum forward and share a glimpse of what I see as lying ahead of us.

Falling under the category of “good problems to have,” I look forward to facing the reality that we cannot keep pace with the interest of young people wanting to participate in our wonderful Lindley G. Cook 4-H Camp in Branchville. Under camp director Ben Clawson’s leadership, we will continue moving ahead with plans to renovate and expand camp facilities to grow our capacity and provide lifelong memories and the values instilled by 4-H in even more campers.

Last November, the Rutgers Environmental Stewards graduated its largest class ever. I look forward to the continued growth of this program this year as programs come online in Mercer and Camden counties. Facing the environmental and sustainability challenges of our day requires us to work with dedicated volunteers and trained environmental stewards willing to roll up their sleeves and work on issues that may seem insurmountable—but they are not.

NJAES researchers and extension faculty stand ready to support growers interested in hemp production, which is presently in the process of being legalized in New Jersey. So, too, do I recognize the urgent need of NJAES engagement in matters related to wildlife damage and control. It is with these and many other objectives in mind that NJAES leadership continues to invest in and modernize our research farms’ infrastructure, equipment, and programming.

NJAES will also be working with the New Jersey Agricultural Society, New Jersey Farm Bureau, and New Jersey Department of Agriculture to recruit and train future leaders of the farming industry to join Class 11 of the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program.

The upcoming year will be marked by change. Looming faculty and staff retirements, senior leadership changes, and the continually evolving range of needs facing New Jerseyans will admittedly challenge us.

Throughout these changes, be assured that one thing will remain constant: the commitment of NJAES to develop and deliver practical research and science-based educational outreach and extension programs to improve our state, support our communities and industries, protect the environment and natural resources, and better the lives of those that call our great state home. It remains a privilege to work with you in these important endeavors.

Editor’s Note: Brian J. Schilling, Ph.D., is Director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, Senior Associate Director of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, and a professor of agricultural, food and resource economics.

GardenerNews.com

R U T G ER S N J AE S / R C E

January 2020 7

A Plant for Many Generations!

January, with its short days and cold temperatures, is a good month to turn to indoor gardening and expand upon your houseplant palate. However, simply because the plant is labeled as a houseplant does not mean it cannot go outside come next summer.

Haworthiopsis is a succulent that my mother propagated and distributed throughout the house and summer garden with abandon, but never attracted much of my attention. Having now “inherited” all of these plants, I have come to discover both its beauty and the carefree nature of this plant.

Haworthiopsis was originally described under the genus Aloe

by Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778) in 1753 and was originally classified within the Liliaceae or Lily Family. It has recently been reclassified under the Asphodelaceae or King’s Spear Family.

The genus name was changed

from Aloe to Haworthia in 1809 by the French physician and botanist Henri August Duval (1777-1814). The genus name honors the English botanist and entomologist Adrian Hardy Haworth (1767-1833) who described 21 species of the genus throughout his career, although he classified them as Aloe.

In 2013, the British botanist Gordon Douglas Rowley (1921-) split the genus, adding the genus Haworthiopsis. The new ending for the name is Greek for appearance, indicating these plants appear like Haworthia.

The most noticeable physical difference is the harder epidermis or outer covering of the Haworthiopsis leaf when compared with Haworthia.

Both genera are native to South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland and Namibia.

The most commonly grown species, and the plant my mother used with abandon, is the Zebra Cactus or Haworthiopsis attenuata. The species epithet is from the Latin attenuatus meaning diminished and refers to the form of the leaf, which

tapers or diminishes to a sharp point. The common name of Zebra Cactus comes from the ornamental bands of small white projections called tubercles on the dark green leaves that resemble the markings of a Zebra.

The plants are stemless and produce three to six inches diameter rosettes of foliage that develop offsets and eventually develop into sizable colonies.

White to soft pink flowers are occasionally produced during late fall and winter. The flowers are located along slender stems that bend like fishing poles under the weight of the flowers.

Not all the species form rosettes of foliage, as some have stems reaching up to several inches long. Haworthiopsis coarctata has a central stem, growing to nearly eight inches long with tightly clasping leaves appearing radially around the stem. The species was initially described by Haworth himself in 1824 and the epithet is from the Latin for crowded or close together, describing the densely overlapping nature of the foliage.

The tubercles appear as linear dots along the length of the stem and are not as distinctive as its cousin. In shade, the foliage is a dark green, although the foliage often turns to purplish-red in sun.

Haworthiopsis species are exceptionally easy plants to grow, providing you do not equate weekly watering with proper plant care. During the summer months, the plants are actively growing and are tolerant of our summer rainfalls, allowing them to be used in summer container arrangements or simply set outside for the summer.

In the regions where they are native, they typically grow in the shadow of a rock and prefer a similar, lightly shaded location as an ornamental. Fertilize with a half dilute houseplant food that has a higher phosphorus content, such as 5-10-5. Come fall, bring the plants inside and give them a windowsill with bright light or morning light. The key in winter is to let the soil dry out completely between watering, which translates into three to four weeks without the need for a watering can – something

that may prove very difficult for some gardeners.

As you enjoy the warmth of your home this January, hopefully planning additions to your garden for 2020, it is always nice to enjoy some houseplants that ask for so very little, yet provide interest and joy throughout the season.

Haworthiopsis is one such genus that will continue to provide joy not only throughout the year, but from one generation to the next.

Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth. He is the managing director of Rutgers Gardens, a 180-acre outdoor teaching classroom, horticultural research facility and arboretum, a part time lecturer in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences and regularly participates in the Rutgers Continuing Education Program. Bruce is also a pastpresident of the Garden State Gardens Consortium. He can be reached at bcrawf@sebs. rutgers.edu.

Rutgers Cooperative Extension Phone Directory Atlantic County Phone: 609-625-0056 Bergen County Phone: 201-336-6780 Burlington County Phone: 609-265-5050 Camden County Phone: 856 216 7130 Cape May County Phone: 609-465-5115 Cumberland County Phone: 856-451-2800 Essex County Phone: 973-228-2210 Gloucester County Phone: 856-224-8040 Hudson County Phone: 201-915-1399 Hunterdon County Phone: 908-788-1339 Mercer County Phone: 609-989-6830

Middlesex County Phone: 732-398-5260 Monmouth County Phone: 732-431-7260 Morris County Phone: 973-285-8300 Ocean County Phone:732-349-1246 Passaic County Phone: 973-305-5740 Salem County Phone: 856-769-0090 Somerset County Phone: 908-526-6293 Sussex County Phone: 973-948-3040 Union County Phone: 908-654-9854 Warren County Phone: 908-475-6505

8 January 2020

If You See This Invasive Planthopping Insect, KILL IT and REPORT IT! Delaware Department of Agriculture 1-302-698-4577 Maryland Department of Agriculture 1-410-841-5870 Massachusetts Department of Agriculture 1-617-626-1804 New Jersey Department of Agriculture 1-833-223-2840 New York Department of Agriculture 1-518-457-2087 Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture 1-866-253-7189 Virginia Department of Agriculture 1-804-786-3515

GardenerNews.com Spotted Lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula)

GardenerNews.com

January 2020 9

Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

Congratulations, Horticulture and Thank You!

First and foremost, I congratulate two Gardener News writers and two Gardener News associates on receiving awards from the horticultural community in December.

New Jersey Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling, Bob LaHoff, CJ Curcio from New Jersey Deer Control, and a posthumous award to Rich Imlay from Jonathan Green.

A big shout of thanks goes out to all of the Gardener News advertisers and sponsors who continually support this publication.

An even bigger thanks goes out to all of the Gardener News writers and contributors for their educational wisdom that they provide each month in their columns.

Horticulture is a very important part of this publication.

It gives me great pleasure to share with you that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct the 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties this winter to provide a comprehensive picture of the U.S. horticulture industry.

Survey codes have been mailed last month to more than

40,000 horticulture producers to respond online. Collected just once every five years, the Census of Horticultural Specialties is the only source of detailed production and sales data for U.S. floriculture, nursery, and specialty crop industries, including greenhouse food crops.

The 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties results will expand the 2017 Census of Agriculture data with information on horticultural crop production, value of products, square footage used for growing crops, production expenses, and more.

The deadline for response is February 5, 2020. Results will be available in December 2020. For more information about the 2019 Census of Horticultural Specialties, visit www.nass.usda.gov/go/hort.

I would also like to share a letter that I received from Kenneth M. Karamichael, director of the Rutgers Office of Continuing Professional Education and an associate director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

Kenneth M. Karamichael, Ed.M. Director, Office of Continuing Professional Education Associate Director, Rutgers Cooperative Extension New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station 102 Ryders Lane, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Appointments: Laura Boyd (848)932-7184 Web: ocpe.rutgers.edu njaes.rutgers.edu E-Mail: kenneth@rutgers.edu

December 3, 2019 Tom Castronovo Executive Editor and Publisher Gardener News, Inc. 16 Mount Bethel Road #123 Warren, NJ 07059 Dear Tom: As I read the recently released December 2019 digital edition of the Gardener News, I realized that you have reached a milestone many publications can only imagine – the 200th edition.

Congratulations, Tom! Your enthusiasm and passion for educating and disseminating the most up-todate information on all things gardening is quite commendable.

Need a Website? or Graphic Design Work?

I can recall – nearly 17 years ago – when you first started the paper and you called our office seeking stories, columnists and ideas for distributing the paper. You had a vision and a plan for providing the leading source of information for gardening across the state. Your initial vision has not only been realized, but has expanded to actively include the larger – Agricultural, Gardening, Landscaping and Nursery Communities. Excellent job!

Well received by all, your paper has become the monthly ‘go to’ within the Rutgers community, as well as hundreds of libraries, supermarkets, pharmacies, nurseries and garden centers across the state. I am proud to say that I was among your first cohort of Gardener News writers and contributors.

Unfortunately, life also has a weird way of colliding the good with the bad. On behalf of the entire Office of Continuing Professional Education, please accept our sincere condolences for the recent loss of your father. Your lovely tribute in this month’s edition must have been extremely difficult to compose. I am glad I was able to meet him over the years and wish you and the family the very best during this most difficult time. Your dad (Mr. C) was such a great inspiration to you and all those around him. I am confident that he is proudly celebrating your 200th Edition as well.

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I look forward to No.300!

Sincerely,

Kenneth M. Karamichael Director Cc: Robert M. Goodman, PhD, Executive Dean of Agriculture and Natural Resources Brian Schilling, PhD, Director, Rutgers Cooperative Extension

Thank you, Mr. Karamichael. I hope 2020 is a better year for all of us to grow!

Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

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10 January 2020 As we move into the new year, January is a good time to start taking stock of your fruit trees and to start preparing for the upcoming season.

The first thing to decide if you are a home gardener, is whether or not the trees are worth keeping. Were they productive last season?

If they weren’t, why was that? What has to be done differently this season? Will you, as the grower, have enough time and energy to devote to them during the upcoming season?

All of these questions have to be answered. And because trees do not usually magically take care of themselves, you should decide whether to keep them, or to cut them down.

Assuming you have decided to keep them, January is a good time to take a look at the overall health of your trees. If there are any dead or broken branches, they can be removed at this time. Make sure to cut back into healthy wood. You can also make a couple of major cuts to the trees if they are needed.

I would save some of the more detailed pruning

GardenerNews.com The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

Winter Fruit Tree Care

until March or early-April if possible. But when you do decide to complete your detailed pruning, remember that your main goal is to maximize the interception of sunlight by the tree. Get rid of any overlapping or repetitive branches. Try and envision the tree with a full canopy of fruit and foliage and make certain that there will be sufficient sunlight and air movement to prevent any disease from taking hold.

You also want to have a balanced tree that has good crotch angles. Try and remove any limbs that might be susceptible to breakage.

Also remember that over pruning a tree will stimulate excess vegetative growth and that is something that you want to try and avoid.

This is also a good time to look at your yard as a whole.

Many backyard orchards that I have seen suffer from a lack of sunlight. Fruit trees need to get as much sunlight as possible. Many times, I have seen fruit trees growing in the shade of other trees.

This will definitely not work.

Sure, they might survive for a couple of years, but they will definitely not be productive for any length of time. Any trees that shade the fruit trees should be cut back or removed entirely.

Another area that people often overlook is the area around the base of the tree.

There should be a two-footwide circle around each tree that is completely free of any vegetation. This is done so that there is not a suitable

environment for mice and voles to live in. If this area is overgrown, it will provide a safe habitat for these critters to live in and they may decide to start feeding on the bark of the trees. Mice and voles can kill a tree by girdling it in a very short amount of time, especially if we get a significant amount of snow cover and their other food sources are depleted.

It is important to ensure that the trees are protected from the deer as well. The winter months are prime time for deer feeding on fruit trees and you have to be especially vigilant at this time of year. I have seen deer take advantage of snow drifts and feed on areas of trees that they normally could not reach. Remember, all it takes

is one night for your trees to be devastated!

Now is also a good time to check the fertility of your soil. You can get a simple soil test done that measures the soil’s pH, and whether or not it is deficient in phosphorous, potassium, or nitrogen. Try and get your pH somewhere between 6.0 and 6.5.

If you need to add phosphorous or potassium, you can do that now. It is probably best to wait until the trees start to actively grow again in the spring to add the nitrogen. Good luck this season!

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is currently a Tewksbury Township Committee Member. He also served as a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau and is a past president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. Peter has also been featured on NJN, News 12 New Jersey and on the Fox Business Network.

USDA NEWS A New ARS Strawberry is a ‘Keepsake’ A new strawberry cultivar, Keepsake, was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). ‘Keepsake’ is a midseason, spring-bearing, or short-day strawberry (Fragaria xananassa Duch ex Rozier). The new strawberry is the first resulting from an increased effort by the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) at Beltsville, Maryland, to develop strawberries with improved shelf life.

Plant geneticist Kim Lewers, horticulturalist John Enns, and visiting scientist Patricia Castro, at the ARS Beltsville Agricultural Research Center’s Genetic Improvement of Fruits and Vegetables Laboratory, describe ‘Keepsake’ in the February 2019 issue of HortScience.

Compared with other current strawberry cultivars and breeding selections evaluated after 2 weeks in cold storage, ‘Keepsake’ had a low proportion of degraded and decayed fruits. The proportion of fruits degraded at one week was 29 percent, lower than for all the other cultivars, including Chandler (81 percent) and Camarosa (93 percent). These

Agricultural Research Service fruits have outstanding flavor with very high soluble solids (sweetness) and moderate acidity (tartness). They also have a pleasing texture and are juicy when eaten. ‘Keepsake’ is very closely related to ‘Flavorfest’, a strawberry plant also developed by this project in 2012, which is available for purchase and popular with commercial growers in the MidAtlantic and Northeast.

‘Keepsake’ fruits are attractive with good size, color, gloss, and a showy calyx, or cap. They are firm and tough enough for handling during harvest and packaging. It is expected that this berry will perform well for growers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States and adjacent areas.

‘Keepsake’ primarily fruits with midseason cultivars, and sometimes fruits with late-midseason cultivars. In Beltsville, Md., ‘Keepsake’s first harvest date ranged from May 10 to May 27.

Over nine years of testing, ‘Keepsake’s average total yield was 1.3 pounds/plant. This ranks ‘Keepsake’ yield

as slightly less than ‘Flavorfest’ and ‘Allstar’, and greater than ‘Camarosa’ and ‘Chandler’. Like ‘Flavorfest’, ‘Allstar’ and ‘Earliglow’, ‘Keepsake’ is resistant to anthracnose fruit rot, one of the most serious fruit rots world-wide. With no fumigation or fungicides in annual plasticulture at Beltsville, MD. ‘Keepsake’ total fruit rot decay was 14 percent, similar to that of ‘Flavorfest’ and lower than that of ‘Chandler’ at 16 percent.

‘Keepsake’ was approved for release in 2018, and licensing information can be obtained through the USDAARS Office of Technology Transfer. This strawberry cultivar was increased for distribution by Lassen Canyon Nursery, Redding, CA The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency.

Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

USDA Statement on U.S. Sugar Market Consistent with the Commerce Department’s Agreement Suspending the Countervailing Duty Investigation on Sugar From Mexico (the Agreement), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today notified the Department of Commerce (Commerce) of an additional need for sugar in the U.S. market of 100,000 short tons of refined sugar. Consequently, Commerce has increased the quantity of Mexican refined sugar

United States Department of Agriculture permitted to be exported by 100,000 short tons. This increase in Mexico’s refined sugar export limit will not change the total amount of total sugar imports from Mexico, just the mix between refined and other sugar.

In recent weeks, prospects for U.S. sugar production have declined significantly due to adverse weather in both sugar beet and sugarcane regions. In the November 2019 World Agricultural Supply & Demand Estimates

Report, the U.S. sugar production projection declined by 572,000 short tons raw value from the previous month, while ongoing weather concerns threaten further reductions.

USDA will continue to monitor the market to assess whether supplies are adequate. *Refined sugar of a polarity of 99.2 and above, as produced and measured on a dry basis.

GardenerNews.com Marijuana might be the hot topic of today’s politics, but the legalization of hemp - cannabis’ non-psychoactive cousin - is an issue of equal or even greater importance that’s mostly snuck under the radar.

That’s partly because hemp, unlike cannabis, is more suited to industrial than recreational use - and partly because, as of the 2018 federal Farm Bill and the 2019 New Jersey Hemp Farming Act, it’s now (mostly) legal.

If you’re not familiar with hemp, it’s a strain of the cannabis plant that is grown specifically for industrial use.

It doesn’t need a lot of rain or wet soil to thrive, and produces a much higher yield than cotton.

It’s naturally pest-resistant, and naturally aerates the soil with carbon dioxide as it grows.

It was one of the first plants that humans ever spun into usable fiber, and its applications today range from medicines to cosmetics, automobiles, furniture, textiles, food, beverages, and construction supplies. The biggest usage by far is the CBD (cannabidiol) oil that can be extracted from

January 2020 11 Agriculture and Natural Resources

By Eric Houghtaling New Jersey Assemblyman

Hemp Could Be the Garden State’s New Cash Crop

the plant, serving as a dietary supplement, an antioxidant, and more.

Containing no more than 0.3 percent THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis, hemp or its byproducts can’t get you high. Unfortunately, the widereaching net of the War on Drugs left a black mark on this helpful little weed, leaving it off-limits for American farms and factories while a worldwide hemp industry flourished.

These days, though, things are looking up. The federal 2018 Farm Bill, signed by President Trump, allowed states to start legalizing domestic production of hemp and hemp products. This past summer, our Assembly Agriculture Committee approved New Jersey’s 2019 Hemp Farming

Act - legislation that was then unanimously passed and swiftly signed into law, paving the way for Garden State farmers to enter this lucrative market.

New Jerseyan hemp farmers can now enjoy the same protections as conventional farmers, from crop insurance to legal interstate travel and banking services. Whether you need to access a hemp processor across state lines or obtain loans or capital investment for a new hemp farm, those doors are now open.

This versatile and profitable plant has a real potential to encourage new business development, boost our economy, and bolster the livelihoods of New Jersey’s farmers. Between climate change, trade wars, and a

shifting economy, a sustainable and flexible domestic crop like hemp can go a long way toward helping farmers keep up with our evolving agricultural landscape.

There’s one catch, though you need to be a proper (i.e., licensed) hemp farmer to grow this product. If you’re a homeowner or hobbyist, planting hemp seeds in your garden or greenhouse are offlimits for now. And if you’re looking to become authorized, you’ll have to wait for the wheels of bureaucracy to shift into motion.

That’s because, in order to authorize any new hemp farmers, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture needs to adopt new regulations governing the new law’s implementation. These rules have to then be approved

by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Still, if you think hemp looks like a good opportunity for you and your business, now might be a good time to start a conversation with business partners and legal counsel about whether hemp is right for you and if it is, what steps you’ll need to take in order to incorporate it into your current model. And if you have any questions about regulatory requirements, feel free to contact me - I’ll do my best to connect you with the right people.

As the Garden State, I know that New Jersey will be at the forefront of this new opportunity.

And in the meantime, I’m excited to see where this burgeoning industry will go.

Editor’s Note: Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling is Chair of the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee in the New Jersey State Assembly. He can be reached at 732-6953371 or AsmHoughtaling@ njleg.org, or by mail at 802 W Park Ave, Ste 221, Ocean Township 07712.

Mints Everywhere But In Our Gardens

By Hubert Ling There is mint in your toothpaste, mouthwash, candy, jelly, drinks, air freshener, and aromatherapy oils. However, are you afraid to plant mints in your garden because they may take over the world?

Well, fear not, native mints come to the rescue. The mint family, Lamiaceae, is widespread around the world with over 300 genera and over 7,000 species. In New Jersey, we have 15 genera and 41 native species of mint which are almost always well behaved in the garden.

Mints generally grow best in partially shady, cool, moist areas, frequently along the edges of woods.

However, many of them, especially the narrow leaved mountain mints, do well in full sun. Mountain mints were discussed in detail in a previous article in Gardener News. Here I will briefly

discuss a range of native mints and close relatives which fit well in city and urban landscapes, are easy to grow, and are readily available.

The mints are dearly beloved by the bees and butterflies because they produce numerous flowers which ripen slowly over a period of several weeks; thus they are a reliable source of nectar. In addition, the small mint flowers are perfectly designed for short bee tongues.

Another of these bee friendly mints is American or Canadian Germander which is one to two-and-a-half feet tall with cheerful purple flowers in late summer. It is perhaps the longest lived of our native mints.

In moist sunny locations with good soil it may be aggressive and it competes well with grass. Put it into a container or next to the grass and simply control it by mowing. It does not compete well with taller

shade-producing herbs.

The Mountain Mints are one-and-a-half to two-anda-half feet tall and can form large showy mats which verge on being aggressive.

However, they only last three to five years and you must allow them room to reseed or they are but a memory.

A real bright spot garden can be produced by growing bee balm, which is available commercially in many shades of scarlet and maroon. The original native plant is only found in very damp sunny areas, but many of the cultivars do well in semi-shade and in drier sites.

The plants are relatively long lived, are about two to four feet tall, and often visited by hummingbirds.

Wild purple field bergamot is a less conspicuous relative of bee balm, but around the same size and shape. The flowers are a pleasant light pink-purple and are a great favorite with the butterflies. If you have a clump of blooming plants just sit yourself down

and all the butterflies in the neighborhood will come to you and pose two inches in front of your camera.

The plant is very easy to propagate and grow, survives in relatively dry soil, and is long lived.

Another outstanding plant for the garden is Culver’s Root, a three- to five-foot tall, late summer blooming mint covered, with small white flowers. Since the plant may get tall, be sure to position it behind shorter plants in your garden. The airy spreading flowering branches are two to four inches long and produce a somewhat lacy background effect.

Two other spectacular mints are yellow and purple hyssop. Yellow hyssop commonly grows from three to six feet tall, with numerous spikes of flowers in mid to late summer. Purple hyssop is a slightly smaller version of the yellow with pale purple spikes blooming around the same time.

If conditions are just right,

they can self-sow, but each plant is relatively short lived (two to three years). Both of these plants are native to New Jersey but are uncommon here in the wild. They grow well in semi-shade or full sun.

If you have a very shady, damp area in your garden, you might consider the relatively unknown horse balm, which frequents such dark places that it is hard to photograph.

The plant grows about two to four feet tall, has large light catching leaves, and has relative large (for a mint) pale yellow flowers. This unusual mint is available from several commercial sources.

There is a unique native mint for every area of your garden. The bees will thank you for each one you plant.

Editor’s Note: Hubert Ling is the Horticulture Chairman for the Native Plant Society of New Jersey.

He can be reached at milhubling@verizon.net

12 January 2020 At the NJLCA’s 2019 Holiday Gala and Achievement Awards Dinner on December 3rd, our Vice President, Richard Goldstein announced that the association had given me a promotion to the Executive Director of the NJLCA. I cannot say how privileged I feel to be charged with this new position and the ability to unite the green industry in its professionalism.

If you had told me at my first NJLCA event, which was our 45th anniversary dinner, that I would have stood before over 200 people at our awards event, I believe I would have passed out right then and there.

Over the past 13 years, I have learned so much from so many people in the industry. I have been with many of you during your struggles with finding employees and keeping up with the ever-changing regulations in the green industry. I have celebrated your triumphs when you passed certifications or surpassed the million-dollar mark. I’ve even had the privilege of watching your families begin and grow.

I have to thank Rich Goldstein (Green Meadows Landscape) and Nelson Lee (Landscapeworks) for encouraging me to expand my horizons by telling me what they needed to see from me. It was just up to me to go get it.

And I have to thank Joe Bolognese for his unconditional support and inspiration and for urging me to push outside of my comfort zone.

I’d also like to thank Brian Pheifer

“Hmmm, that’s something you don’t see very often,” I thought as I turned my car into the parking lot at the hotel hosting the annual New Jersey Farm Bureau Convention.

Parked next to the ballroom entrance was a pink Farmall tractor.

Anyone involved in farming knows that most tractors come in two basic colors: green or red.

Upon entering the convention, the pink tractor’s significance became apparent. The theme of the 101st annual New Jersey Farm Bureau Convention celebrated “Women in Agriculture.”

For many, the term farmer usually conjures up a masculine image of a man in overalls, straw hat, denim shirt and work boots, usually astride a tractor, and certainly not pink. Through the lenses of nostalgia, the farm wife historically plays a supporting role - usually relegated to bringing a picnic lunch out to the hungry farm hands, churning butter, gathering eggs, all while contentedly tending to domestic duties. Thankfully, for the sake of agriculture and our nation’s complex food system, nothing could be farther from the truth.

The last time the USDA surveyed women in agriculture, statistics showed that, nationally, women comprise almost 30

GardenerNews.com The NJLCA Today

By Gail Woolcott Executive Director

I’d Like to Thank the Academy

(Growing 360 Landscape) and the 2006 Combined Board of NJLCA for seeing something in me that even I didn’t know I had when they met with me on a Saturday and hired me on the spot. And Jim Stewart for showing me how to run things with his master lists. Glen Bergemann (GCB Landscaping) and Michael Kukol (Horizon Landscape Co.) who made me work hard for months for a smile, teaching me tenacity.

Thanks to Lenny DiTomaso (DiTomaso Landscape Group), who was always in my corner, and Cece Peabody (NJ Turfgrass Association) for showing me how being myself was the way to go.

Dr. Bruce Clarke (Rutgers University Center for Turfgrass Science) was the first person to recognize and tell me that I could and was making a difference at the association. And Dr. Jim Murphy, his counterpart, for always making me feel at home when I’m with him.

I remember Skip Gallione, Skip Powers and Jack Caldwell, along with

Tony Defeo (some of our founding and charter members) talking with me about how things were in the “old days.” I took their knowledge and applied it to my work as what to do and what not to do.

I also thank New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher and Al Murray, Executive Director of the NJ Agricultural Society, for showing me that even people in high positions are just people and are available to listen.

And of course, my good friends New Jersey State Senator Kip Bateman and New Jersey Assemblyman Kevin Rooney, for helping us all to realize that there is a path to make a difference in politics.

As well as Tom Castronovo for helping me spread the word about how great our members are and for being a sounding board for ideas. Tim Hionis (Hionis Greenhouses) who makes everyone feel like they are part of their great family. Thanks to Pat Barckett (Bobcat of North Jersey) for recognizing the importance of associations and helping us

accomplish our goals.

Thank you to the Board for having the faith and confidence in me to lead our members and the day to day at the NJLCA. I must also give kudos to my backup at the office.

Maria Albuquerque and I have been a team for six years now and our latest hire, Tracey Houseman, is simply a powerhouse. The three of us can do anything we decide to with the support of the Board.

I could continue on for pages thanking all of the people, including past presidents, past board members and Executive Directors, and members that are no longer with us, for the knowledge and wisdom I’ve been able to take from their time here.

Just know that each of you left me with something that I continue to use today, and I wouldn’t be here without you.

I, of course, have to thank my parents for their support throughout my life and teaching me to be strong, caring and to keep fighting, despite the odds.

Editor’s note: Gail Woolcott is the Executive Director for the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association.

She was presented with a community service award from the Borough of Fairview for her assistance in leading the 9-11 Memorial Park project and the Legislative Champion of the Year award from the Federation of Employers and Workers of America. She is currently the State Licensee Chair on the National Association of Landscape Professionals International Certification Council.

tomb.” Today, there is a new and exciting dynamic that promises to help preserve agriculture’s viability.

Women entering the field

By Al Murray today may not come from areas Executive Director traditionally related to agriculture, but from sectors such as finance, marketing, management, and science – thus bringing a whole new way of doing business. its aftermath that forever changed of the work, however, was done They come into farming after our society and the norms we once by millions of women. The USDA college with multiple degrees. though constant.

Extension Service says 1.5 million They have new ideas and a fresh When World War II broke out non-farm women were placed in outlook. They are eager to strike many young men left farming agricultural jobs between 1943 and out and make a difference in an to join the military or to work in 1945, and at least that many were industry so vital to all of us. I find more financially lucrative wartime hired directly by farmers. that very exciting. industries. According to the Bureau As we now flash forward to of Agricultural Economics more present time, it’s no secret that Editor’s Note: Al Murray than 2 million men left farm jobs the average farmer is aging out is the Executive Director of between April 1940 and July 1942. of the industry. There is an ever- the New Jersey Agricultural By the time the war ended, that increasing number of farms and Society. Established in 1781, number had climbed to 6 million. farmers with no succession plan the Society is New Jersey's Despite this, U.S. food production and no one to take over after oldest organization whose had grown by 32 percent over pre- they’re gone. purpose is to advocate, war levels, according to the USDA. These farms and these farmers educate and promote on At first, it was the wives and represent a way of life that is behalf of New Jersey's daughters who stepped up to do in decline. They represent rural agricultural industry. Mr. what was needed on their home communities that are struggling Murray previously spent farms. Then, as the war effort to survive. Forty years ago, his entire career at the NJ required huge amounts of food former New Jersey Secretary of Department of Agriculture, and supplies, the government Agriculture Phillip Alampi used to serving as the Assistant brought in labor and assigned say in his speeches, that there are Secretary. He can be reached prisoners of war and furloughed only three ways to get into farming: at njagriculturalsociety@ military personnel to farm. Much “The womb, the groom, or the gmail.com

NJ Agricultural Society

Not Your Typical Farmer’s Daughter

percent of all farm operators. When broken down by sector, 25 percent of women farmed multiple crops, including hay. The second-largest segment was beef cattle farming and ranching. (I wonder what John Wayne would have thought!) The same survey showed women farm 62.7 million acres, while selling $12.9 billion in products.

Farming is also just one of 10 occupations in which women typically earn more than men.

According to the 2017 Bureau of Labor Statistics, women farmers, ranchers, and agricultural managers out earned their male counterparts with a median weekly salary of $1,114 compared to $963 for men.

In New Jersey, nearly one third of all farmers are women. This is up 10 percent from a decade ago.

So how did women gain such a prominent role in U.S. agriculture?

It began with World War II and

Last but definitely not least, thank you to my landscape contractors, nurseries, greenhouse growers, vendors and supporters for welcoming me into your lives and businesses.

And yes, I do consider you “mine,” because I feel my mission is to take care of you and teach the world the importance that you bring to the lives of everyone. I have the passion to continue learning and ask that you help to me help you by telling us what you need to further develop your businesses.

I’m looking forward to continuing to grow with you, fight for you, and educate you and your employees for many years to come.

Jack “Ramblin Jackson” Jostes!

GardenerNews.com

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January 2020 13

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January 2020 15

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16 January 2020

GardenerNews.com

And The 2019 The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association is excited to announce our 2019 Landscape Achievement Awards winners. The awards program designed to acknowledge landscape professionals who execute quality landscape projects. In sponsoring the awards program, the NJLCA strives to recognize superior landscaping projects and to encourage landscape contractors’ consistent use of quality materials and workmanship. The names of entrants are kept from the panel of judges, so as not to affect the decision-making process.

Maintenance: Commercial

Design/Build: Landscape Lighting

Native Fields Landscaping for Bear Brook Valley Site supervised by Erick Crespo Award of Merit

Exclusive Stoneworks for Hammer Lighting Designed by Rich Andreu Award of Merit

Green Meadow Landscaping Company for Mercedes Benz of Paramus Site supervised by Froylan Zuniga Award of Distinction

Monello Landscape Industries for Nighttime Pleasure Designed by Joe Monello Award of Distinction

Maintenance: Condo/Townhouse Canete Landscape for the Weehawken Site supervised by Joe Porta Award of Distinction Maintenance: Residential Siciliano Landscape Company for The Sycamore Drive Residence Site supervised by Julie Soleil Award of Merit Vander Sluys Landscape Development for The Leibowitz Residence Site supervised by Justin VanderSluys Award of Merit Design/Build: Commercial/Industrial Canete Landscape for the Glenpointe Designed by Artisan and David DaCosta Award of Excellence Design/Build: Condo/Townhouse Canete Landscape for The Duchess Designed by David DaCosta Award of Merit

Design/Build: Sustainable Landscape Sponzilli Landscape Group for the World Trade Center-Liberty Park-Green Wall Design/Build: Sustainable Landscape Award of Merit Monello Landscape Industries for the Marble Rooftop Observation Designed by Joe Monello Award of Excellence Landscape Installation without pool: Up to $25,000 Exclusive Stoneworks for The Marino Residence Designed by Rich Andreu Award of Merit Vander Sluys Landscape Development for The Missel Residence Designed by Justin VanderSluys Award of Distinction Landscape Installation without pool: $25,000-$50,000 Castle Point Landscape Design for the Lin Backyard Firepit and Patio Designed by Steve Graul Award of Distinction

GardenerNews.com

January 2020 17

Winners Are...

Landscape Installation without pool: $50,000-$100,000

Landscape Installation with pool: $250,000-$500,000

Castle Point Landscape Design for the Jennings Property Overhaul Designed by Steve Graul Award of Merit

Siciliano Landscape Company for the Oak Hill Farm Designed by Alan Tufts Award of Distinction

Green Meadows Landscaping Company for the Monroe N.Y. Project Designed by Scott Soehnel Award of Distinction Scenic Landscaping for the Summit Residence Designed Tracy Linton Award of Excellence Landscape Installation without pool: Over $100,000 Exclusive Stoneworks for the Hammer Residence Designed by Rich Andreu Award of Distinction Green Meadows Landscaping for the Upper Saddle River Project Designed by Scott Soehnel Award of Distinction Scenic Landscaping for the Wyckoff Residence Designed by Matt Jones Award of Excellence Exclusive Stoneworks for the Nerlino Residence Designed by Rich Andreu Award of Excellence Landscape Installation with pool: $100,000-$250,000 Sponzilli Landscape Group for the Pintabona Residence Award of Excellence Blu Sol Pools for the Rockaway Hybrid Pool Designed by Jeff Stolarik Award of Excellence

Scenic Landscaping for the Westfield Residence Designed by Tracy Linton Award of Distinction CLC Landscape Design for the Backyard Oasis Designed by Frank Thropp Award of Excellence Thomas Flint Landscape Design & Development for the Keefe Residence Designed by Andy Kosits Award of Excellence Blu Sol Pools for the North Caldwell Negative Edge Designed by Jeff Stolarik Award of Excellence Landscape Installation with pool: Over $500,000 Thomas Flint Landscape Design & Development for the Kunzweiler Residence Designed by Andy Kosits Award of Distinction Ditomaso Landscape Group for the Mahwah Residence Designed by Joshua Hampton Award of Distinction Landscape Techniques for the Stone Eagles Manor Designed by Brian Koribanick Award of Distinction Monello Landscape Industries for the Waterworld Fantasy Designed by Joe Monello Award of Excellence Scenic Landscaping for the Bergen County Residence Designed by Tracy Linton Award of Excellence

18 January 2020

GardenerNews.com The Garden Historian

By Lesley Parness Garden Educator

Jane Colden: America’s First Female Botanist

The subjects of my past two columns on historic New Jersey nursery and seedsman, were indeed all men. Lest you think I have forgotten the role that women played in American horticulture, let me introduce America’s first female botanist, Jane Colden (1724-1766).

Given that title by Professor Asa Grey in 1843, Ms. Colden’s book, “Flora -Nov Eboracensis,” is one of the most extensive botanical studies of a single region written at the time and yet was never published. And although she is the only woman botanist whose work was included in Linnaeus’s botanical Species Plantarum, her legacy to botany was not recognized until 1895, more than a century after her death, when James Britten published her biography in the Journal of Botany.

Jane was encouraged in the pursuit of botanical study by her father, Cadwallader Colden. A Scotsman trained as a physician, he gave up his medical practice after arriving in the New World to become Surveyor General of the Province of New York in 1718. In upstate New York, where Orange and Ulster counties meet, he built the family estate, Coldengham, on 3000 acres when Jane was four years old.

A botanist himself, Jane accompanied her father as he gathered, dried, pressed or planted plants on their property. Colden, a forgotten figure in colonial American history (quite probably because he was an ardent loyalist) was an early advocate of Linnaean taxonomy and taught Jane the Linnaean system by translating it from Latin to English for her.

Cadwallader believed the study of botany to be particularly well-suited to women. “Their natural curiosity and the pleasure they take in the beauty and variety of dress seems to fit them for it.

And more so for Jane - “I have a daughter who has an inclination to reading and a curiosity for natural history.”

He wrote to several scientists volunteering Jane’s services in procuring and exchanging seeds and dried plants. Soon, she found herself corresponding with the leading botanists of the day as part of the international Natural History Circle.

John Bartram visited

Coldengham, reviewed her manuscript and declared, “I read it several times with agreeable satisfaction, and it keeps company with the choicest correspondence.”

He sent his son William to study under Jane’s tutelage.

Swedish plant explorer Peter Kalm, her friend and correspondent, braved war and hardship to visit her. They exchanged seeds and plants.

British botanist Collinson wrote to Linnaeus in 1758 saying she “is perhaps the first lady that has so perfectly studied your system. You no doubt, will distinguish her merits and recommend her example to ladies of every country. She ought to be celebrated.” Misogynist that he was, Linnaeus did not.

In 1753, Jane began a project to sketch and classify all the plants around Coldengham. Although she was an accomplished watercolorist, the simple line drawings in Jane’s flora are not notable for their beauty. But her descriptions are detailed and precise, and the method she employed to classify the plants was revolutionary - incorporating Linnaeus’ binomial system, wherein each plant has two names - genus and species.

Most of the illustrations are simple line drawings done in pen and ink washes, but she also developed a technique for making inked impressions and rubbings.

The detailed essays include Latin and common names, noted the site where the plants grew, their color, time of blooming and fruiting.

She also included culinary, folkloric and medicinal properties of the plants. Between 1753 and 1758, she compiled a manuscript that included descriptions and illustrations for 341 plants.

“I believe she is the first lady that has attempted anything of this nature,” Collinson wrote to Bartram in 1756.

Bravely, Colden even disagreed with Linnaeus.

Concerning his description of Polygala senega, she suggested his leaf and floral descriptions were incorrect. “I must beg Leave to differ from him…”

Reading her plant essays is a refreshing dip in the turgid waters of plant morphology, for Jane possessed a true aptitude for descriptive botany, yet she did not name her manuscript. In

1801 Professor Ernst Baldinger added a title page and named it “Flora Nov.- Eboracensis” (“Flora of New York.”)

In 1759, Jane married Dr. William Farquhar. She became pregnant when she was 42. She and the child died in childbirth in 1766.

During the Revolutionary War, Jane’s manuscript and herbaria were taken by a Hessian military officer, himself a forester interested in American trees. He brought them to Germany, and they were later purchased by Sir Joseph Banks, the renowned British plantsman. Upon Bank’s death, the materials were given to the British Museum of Natural History, where they reside today.

How proud her father, a loyalist to the end, would have been.

In 1963, the Garden Club of Orange and Duchess Counties published a selection of 57 of Jane’s 341 native plant illustrations and descriptions. Drew University has a copy and reprints are at Amazon. The same clubs were instrumental in the formation of The Jane Colden Native Plant Sanctuary at the Knox’s Headquarters State Historic Site in Vails Gate, NY. Named in her honor, visitors can walk happily amidst the beautiful native plants Jane catalogued so carefully more than two centuries ago.

Editor’s Note: Lesley Parness has taught horticulture and environmental education around the world for the past four decades. Retired from her post as Superintendent of Horticultural Education at the Morris County Park Commission, her focus now is garden history and botanic literature. She is a past President and Founding Member of the Garden State Gardens Consortium, and a member of the Herb Society of America and The Council on Horticultural and Botanic Libraries. Lesley lectures throughout the tri-state area. She can be reached at www.lesleyparness.com, where a complete listing of her presentations and workshops may be found.

This column will appear in the paper every other month.

Four students named beneficiaries of Spring Meadow Proven Winners HRI scholarships Spring Meadow Nursery and the Horticultural Research Institute (HRI) are pleased to announce the recipients of 2019-2020 Spring Meadow - Proven Winners® Endowment Fund scholarships.

Dale & Liz Deppe established the Spring Meadow - Proven Winners® Endowment Fund with HRI in 1999 with the belief that bright, well-trained, qualified people are essential to the green industry and that backing motivated students plays a vital role in protecting and growing the industry. Through HRI, the AmericanHort Foundation acts as the administrator of endowments that help students to obtain the education necessary to successfully pursue horticultural careers.

“Our team has been blessed by this industry and the mentors who’ve helped us along the way. These scholarships represent our commitment to continue the encouragement of emerging professionals,” said Dale Deppe. “We are pleased to be able to support these students in such a direct way.”

Horticulture students Noah Brown, Jacklyn Stupienski, Amber Lancaster, and Mary Tuski were each awarded $2500 scholarships for the 2019-2020 granting period, bringing the total amount of awards distributed through the fund to $83,750. The students were chosen from a competitive national applicant pool for their academic achievements, exemplary leadership abilities, and commitment to pursuing careers in horticulture.

Noah Brown is a junior at North Carolina State University where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in agricultural business management. After graduation, he hopes to study agritourism in the Netherlands and eventually plans to work toward obtaining a management position in the horticulture industry. Noah is a members of the NC State horticulture club and has interned at Greenleaf Nursery Company in Tarboro, NC. Jacklyn Stupienski is entering her second year of a 2-year horticulture program at Naugatuck Valley Community College in Waterbury, CT. She has received the CT Horticulture Society Scholarship, and a merit scholarship for outstanding GPA and achievement. Jacklyn’s interests include design, propagation and growing, and last year she was accepted into the summer internship program at Monrovia. After she graduates, she hopes to apply for opportunities that involve growing, propagation, or sales.

An outstanding student, Amber Lancaster just started her senior year at the University of Arkansas Fayetteville and is especially interested in propagation, breeding, and grafting of fruit trees to find the most disease-resistant cultivars for Northwest Arkansas.

She is currently an intern at the University of Arkansas in the Plant Pathology department where she is learning about types of pests and pathogens that can affect the plants in both field and greenhouse production. Amber has been a member of Gamma Beta Phi, Phi Theta Kappa, Baptist Collegiate Ministry and the on-campus Horticulture Club.

Currently a senior at Michigan State University, Mary Tuski is working toward her bachelor’s degree and plans to pursue a master’s degree in nursery production with a career goal of working in woody and tree production after she graduates. Mary is a member of the Michigan State Student Horticulture Association where she has served as vice president and now is the president of the organization.

She also has attended the CareerUp program at Cultivate for three years and has gained hands-on experience in the horticulture industry working as a landscape laborer, a farm intern, and multiple stints as a research assistant in the MSU horticulture lab.

A total of 33 Spring Meadow-Proven Winners® endowed scholarships have been awarded to students since 2004. Scholarship applications for 2021 will open in April, 2020. Individuals who are interested in applying for a scholarship can check the HRI website or contact Jennifer Gray, HRI Administrator, at (614) 884-1155 for more scholarship application details.

The Horticultural Research Institute, founded in 1962, has provided more than $8 million in student scholarships and research grants for projects covering a broad range of production, environmental, and business issues important to the green industry.

Nearly $11 million is committed to the endowment by individuals, corporations, and associations.

Learn more at https://www.hriresearch.org

GardenerNews.com

January 2020 19

Let Me Count the Ways

By Jeannie Geremia Contributing Writer

So many ways to make a difference in our environment, and as we begin this New Year full of promise and hope, let’s examine the ways we can, in fact, help our threatened flora and fauna and our very existence by focusing on our own particular strengths and passions and directing them in common sense, doable goals.

We only have to look at so many valiant and extraordinary people and examine the roles they played and how impactful their lives were, are, and will continue to be. When I contemplate all the gardeners, horticulturists, biologists, naturalists, and wildlife advocates, it is just mind boggling as to how many people throughout the centuries have played a vital role in educating the public and how selfless and dedicated to their particular subject they were.

My own particular inspirations came initially from my Grandfather Lake and my Grandma Kinney, as they both instilled a love of nature, gardening, and reading that was infused into my very being. Helpful, too, was growing up on a farm, surrounded by farm animals, cats, dogs, and wildlife. We always had the banks of the Raritan River, meadows, fields and woods to explore.

Besides the daily interaction with the outdoors, I was transported in my youth by newspapers, books on history, birds, the wild west (my Grandma’s particular passion, especially any and all books by Zane Grey), and books about dogs written by Albert Payson Terhune, and Jack London.

I’m still impacted by authors who are able to open up a whole new world to me through their passion usually acquired at an early age. At present, I’m totally enthralled with and in love with Gerald Durrell. Yes, my gardening

friends, I know many of you have seen The Durrells in Corfu on Masterpiece Theater as have I these past few years. The last season has just finished airing and I confess I could watch each and every episode (all 26) many times over.

How lucky the British and Greeks were to have this memorable family in their midst, but Gerald or Gerry, the youngest of the four Durrell siblings was the standout for me from the beginning. It’s mind blowing to know that they actually moved from England to the Greek island of Corfu in 1933, as their widowed mother was searching for a way to keep her rambunctious family together in difficult times. Gerry was 10 during the initial move to Corfu and had from the age of 2, a love of the animal kingdom that knew no bounds.

It was he who chronicled his family’s years in the magical island that has resonated to this day, and as author of several novels, delighting millions of readers worldwide, enabled him to establish the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust.

Gerry, like Saint Francis of Assisi, and Dale Shields, the Pelican Man of Florida, had an uncanny affinity for and ability of attracting wild animals and nurturing them.

His family homes in Corfu became zoos, much to his siblings’ consternation and his mother’s indulgence.

His descriptive powers of the beauty of the flora in Corfu, of the villagers, the peasants, and all the critters inhabiting this paradise is without parallel.

He treats every living thing with dignity, respect and affection. The success of his novels enabled Gerry to impact the world as an adult as he enlightened zoos worldwide by having them focus on their animals by providing them with semblances of their natural habitat. He went on to save many endangered species

through the establishment of his The Wildlife Preservation Trust International, which is now the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, www. durrell.org.

The focus of this organization is a breeding program designed to preserve nearly extinct species at the private sanctuary located on the English Channel Island of Jersey. The goal is to reintroduce these species into the wild when suitable habitat is found.

Here in our own Garden State, we have many committed to preserving our environment and wildlife for us and for future generations, and one such notable person is David Wheeler, Executive Director of Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey and author of Wild New Jersey, Nature Adventures in the Garden State.

David, in this seminal book, takes the reader along with him as he explores our great state teeming with wildlife from High Point State Park to Cape May and so many urban, suburban, rural areas in between. David writes with compassion, humor, admiration for fellow conservationists, and his love of nature and wildlife shines like a beacon as he describes in fascinating detail many close encounters with snakes, bears, raptors, and other critters. Pursue your own passion, make a difference!

Editor’s note: Jeannie Geremia is The Garden Club of New Jersey President-Elect, GCNJ Wildlife Habitat Chair, and a National Garden Clubs, Inc. Master Flower Show Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is a member of Neshanic Garden Club, The Raritan Township Historic Committee and the Raritan Township Board of Health.

Jeannie’s email address is: jgeremia42@gmail.com

Toro Announces Winner of 2020 Super Bowl Sports Turfgrass Training Program

Toro has announced this year’s winner of the annual Toro Super Bowl* Sports Turfgrass Training Program. Conlan Burbrink is a student at the University of Tennesee, majoring in Turfgrass Science and Management, and was selected to assist the grounds crew in field preparations for Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. Since 1967, Toro has partnered with the National Football League (NFL) to provide equipment and expertise to help prepare the game field and multiple practice fields leading up to the biggest professional football game of the year. In 2003, Toro and the NFL established the Super Bowl Sports Turfgrass Training Program. Developed to recognize one student each year who has shown exemplary leadership in turfgrass management, the program encourages emerging professionals to further grow their knowledge base by assisting the grounds crew for this high-profile game.

Burbrink will work alongside NFL field directors Ed Mangan, George Toma and the Super Bowl grounds crew at Hard Rock Stadium on turfgrass maintenance, logo painting, field preparation for media day, halftime preparation and field cleanup.

Burbrink will graduate from the University of Tennessee in the spring of 2020. After his undergraduate studies, Burbrink plans to pursue his Master’s and Ph.D. degrees to further explore how soil characteristics impact the lower extremities of football players and ball interactions in various other sports.

“I believe there is a need to more accurately understand how a field contributes to the fatigue an athlete undergoes, especially in football,” said Burbrink. “This will help provide information for all athletes and help educate coaches, administrators and others on why field maintenance is crucial for the health of players at all levels. The overall goal is to provide the athletes with the best surfaces possible, and to mitigate most of the injuries related to the playing surface, while increasing overall safety and enjoyment of the sport.”

Apart from his focused studies in turfgrass science and management, Burbrink is also heavily involved at his university and has held several internships, including at the Oval in England, Orlando City SC and the Cincinnati Red’s Urban Youth Academy. He currently works as a student assistant for softball and soccer at the University of Tennesee. Burbrink also works at the university’s Center for Athletic Safety to research lower extremity injuries.

To be considered for the program, entrants had to undergo a comprehensive application process. Burbrink was selected from a large pool of talented candidates due to his interest in pursuing a career in turfgrass science and management, his determination to continue further education related to turfgrass safety for athletes and the impressive involvement he has shown to acquire internships pertaining to his career.

Applicants must be enrolled in at least the second year of a two-year turfgrass program, or in at least the junior year of a four-year turfgrass program.

“We know that Conlan is going to have a fantastic experience learning alongside some of the biggest names in the industry working to prepare the field for the big game,” said Boyd Montgomery, CSE, CSFM, regional business manager for sports fields & grounds, North America at Toro.

“Conlan has shown a profound dedication to his studies in turfgrass science and has taken his interest to the next level by pursuing several internships, and we hope this experience helps him set a foundation for a fulfilling career ahead.”

The game will take place on February 2, 2020, and Burbrink will be on-site helping to prepare the field during the week leading up to the Super Bowl. * Super Bowl is a registered trademark of the NFL.

20 January 2020 Many times over the years, I have been asked this question: “Where does grass seed come from?” This actually is a twopart question, “How are grass seed varieties developed and where are they grown for sale to various markets?

Grass seed breeders including leading turf grass universities, collect and cross-breed desirable characteristics in an attempt to create and improve varieties of grass. Rutgers University is considered the world-leading turf grass researcher, with the first true improved Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial Ryegrass and Tall Fescue.

Doctor C. Reed Funk developed the first improved Perennial Ryegrass, Manhattan Perennial Ryegrass, with germplasm collected from Central Park in New York, thus the name.

He then created the first turf-type Tall Fescue in the 1980s, which was a major breakthrough since Tall Fescue has become the most popular cool-season species used in lawns today.

Turf breeders have traveled the world for desirable grasses that possess darker color, drought, heat and fungus resistance. Once many plants have been collected they

GardenerNews.com Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

Where does grass seed come from?

can then start the cross-breeding process to try and include all of the best traits in a new variety and create a uniform plant.

This can take many years and results in many failures along the way, similar to developing a new chemical or prescription drug for certain markets. There are a wide range of climates in the world, so trials are conducted on many sites in order to collect and analyze all rankings. Once a winner has been chosen, then it has to be reproduced to grow enough “breeder” seed to plant for certain markets. This also is quite challenging.

Most of the grass seed produced comes from the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho. Oregon is the world’s leading producer of cool-season forage and turf grass seed, often referred to as the “grass

seed capital of the world.” The Willamette Valley with its mild and moist winters and dry summers favors grass seed development and harvesting.

Grass seed was introduced in the 1920s as an alternative crop and Ryegrass was especially well adapted to the wet soils becoming an important crop. There are about 400 seed conditioning plants in the Valley to clean the seed after harvest each summer. Over $450 million of grass seed is produced in Oregon each year from 1,500 farms.

Over 600 million pounds are produced annually, that’s almost 15,000 truckloads of seed, wow!

This includes over 950 varieties of grass from eight different species grown on over 400,000 acres and that’s only in Oregon.

Grass seed for production

purposes is planted usually in the fall in the fields. Fertilizer and weed controls are applied as needed and again in the spring. In late spring, the grass seed grows three to five feet tall and Mother Nature starts the pollination process. Once the seed is formed, harvest starts in late June through the summer months, sometimes 24 hours at a clip on the combine harvester.

Bulk seed is then taken to the various cleaning houses, which screen out soil, chaff, weed and crop seeds in order to bag the seed for sale. Each lot of grass seed has samples taken to seed laboratories to analyze and perform a purity and germination test. Now the seed is ready for sale to various markets. Remember, seed sold in the spring of each year came from last summer’s harvest. This does not mean that the seed is “old,”

since each lot is tested for each season to comply with federal and states seed laws.

Quality grass seed is not just about fast germination after planting, but how well your lawn performs years down the road.

Choosing the correct grass seed mixture for the area you are seeding is important. Various brands of grass seed are put together with different species for sun or shade or heavy traffic areas.

Proper preparation of the area to be seeded is important. Most complaints I get from grass seed not germinating come from poor preparation techniques or no real preparation of the seeding soil surface at all.

Mother Nature will challenge the grass seed industry to develop the perfect grass and we’ll keep trying. When spring arrives it gives us all another chance to create the best lawn in town.

Happy New Year!

Editor’s Note: Todd Pretz is Vice President of Jonathan Green, a leading supplier of lawn and garden products in the northeast. For more information, please visit: www.jonathangreen.com

2019 Person of the Year: David DeFrange II (Continued from p. 4)

billion, or 66 percent of the total value.

The State Board of Agriculture comprises eight members who serve for four years. By law, at least four of its members must represent the top commodity groups in the state. Members serve without salary.

Members of the State Board of Agriculture are elected by delegates from the agriculture community to the legislatively established, annual State Agricultural Convention in February, then recommended to the Governor for appointment to the Board with the approval of the State Senate.

Jeannie Geremia, The Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc. President and the 2012 Gardener News Person of the Year extends her heartfelt congratulations to DeFrange on being the 2019 Gardener News Person of the Year!

She said, “This is truly an outstanding honor and I’m happy to see another

Hunterdon County resident receiving this distinguished tribute. As the President of The Garden Club of New Jersey, I am looking forward to seeing how we can work together to help restore native plants for pollinators and wildlife throughout this great state of ours in underutilized habitat such as utility rights of ways and out-of-play areas of golf courses. David’s expertise in nurturing native plants after being reintroduced and keeping invasive species at bay will be invaluable to our newly established ‘Brainstorming’ group that includes Rutgers Gardens, PSE&G, NJ Tree Foundation, New Jersey Audubon and The Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc.” Al Murray, executive director of the New Jersey Agricultural Society and the 2015 Gardener News Person of the Year congratulates David DeFrange on being named the 2019 Gardener News Person of the Year. David was a graduate

of the most recent class of the Society’s Agricultural Leadership Development Program.

He wasted no time immersing himself in becoming a leader of the agricultural community and now serves on the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture.

It is so gratifying to see the enthusiasm and commitment David shows towards New Jersey’s agricultural industry.”

Nelson Lee, the 2018 Gardener News Person of the Year, stated as that year’s recipient of the Person of the Year award, I’d like to congratulate David DeFrange on this same distinction. As a nurseryman and landscape contractor, he is a true representation of our industry.

He was recently appointed to the State Board of Agriculture and we wish him nothing but luck. His commitment to the green industry is what led us to choose David as the NJLCA’s Contractor of the Year and it is exciting news to hear he was also chosen as

the Gardener News’ Person of the Year. Congratulations from myself and the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association to David for this great honor.”

Plants are important in maintaining a healthy environment. They help control erosion and water pollution, and help to reduce air pollution. They improve the environment for human activities everywhere— especially the natural landscape and the architecturally designed landscape.

This paper now wholeheartedly salutes Dave DeFrange II for his outstanding ability and passion on educating this generation and for providing a platform for future generations to better understand how plants enrich our intellectual life and how they add to our knowledge about other life processes.

And, how the results of his research on plant systems teach us how to approach problems in agriculture, health, and the

environment.

Gardener News began the annual “Person of the Year” cover story in 2008. Gardener News will annually bestow our “Person of the Year” award to a person who performs exemplary outstanding service to the agricultural, farming, gardening, landscaping and/or Nursery communities.

Editor’s Note: Tom Castronovo is executive editor and publisher of Gardener News. Tom’s lifelong interest in gardening and passion for agriculture, environmental stewardship, gardening and landscaping, led to the founding of the Gardener News, which germinated in April 2003 and continues to bloom today. He is also dedicated to providing inspiration, and education to the agricultural, gardening and landscaping communities through this newspaper and GardenerNews.com.

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January 2020 21

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22 January 2020

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NORTHEAST DEPARTMENT DELAWARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Five Delaware farm families honored for a century of farm ownership

The Delaware Department of Agriculture honored five Delaware farm families for their continued commitment to farming the same land for a century or more.

“I don’t think many people realize how few farms there are across the United States that have actually have been in the same farm family for 100 years,” said Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael T. Scuse. “For us to have 148 farms after today, that is a tremendous accomplishment for any state, let alone a state the size of Delaware. I want to commend these families for being able to keep the farm in the family.”

The Delaware Century Farm Program was established in 1987 to honor farm families who have owned and farmed their land for at least 100 years. The farms must include at least 10 acres of the original parcel or gross more than $10,000 annually in agricultural sales.

Delaware Century Farm families receive a sign for their farms, an engraved plate, a certificate, and legislative tributes.

“This is an opportunity to recognize Delaware farm families who have persevered through not just one year of farming, which can be bad enough, but over 100 years of farming and all that goes with it. From drought to floods to bad prices to pests to inheritance taxes to try and figure out a way to pass a farm from one generation to another, all of these are challenges that these five farm families have faced over the past 100 or more years” said Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Austin Short. “In today’s society when so many small businesses seldom last as long as one or two generations, to see how these farm families have stayed in business and farming for over 100 years is quite an accomplishment and well worth celebrating.”

2019 Delaware Century Farm Awardees: Patricia Warren Carlson and Family (Felton, Kent County): The Carlson family is recognized for their 477acre family farm located in Mispillion Hundred.

In 1876, John M. Warren was the highest bidder at $3,600 purchasing his deceased father’s 477-acre farm after finding that no deed was ever recorded for his father’s farm. When John M. Warren died in 1880, the farm passed to his nine children-Charles, Angelica, Sarah, Florence, Ada, Mary, Ella, Albert and Cora. In 1941, Albert’s son, Albert D. Warren obtained full ownership of the entire farm which was left to his wife Elva G. Warren in 1982 before entering into a family

trust in 2011. Upon Elva Warren’s death, the farm passed to her daughter, Patricia Warren Carlson who subsequently placed the farm into her trust.

Over the last 100 years the principal crops grown on the farm are corn, wheat, barley, and soybeans. Research conducted by the family traced the land’s history to a land grant issued by Delaware’s colonial proprietor, William Penn.

Wayne C. and Nancy J. Carmean and Family (Millsboro, Sussex County): The Carmean family is recognized for their 50-acre farm located in the Indian River Hundred.

In 1919, John C. Carmean purchased this 50-acre parcel for $1,350. Mr. Carmean and his wife Stella had seven children – J. Oscar, Bonard, Hester, Gladys, Delbert, Herman and Barbara. Upon John’s passing in 1966, Stella transferred her interest to her seven children and her children’s spouses.

On January 21, 1977 Wayne C. Carmean (Delbert’s Son) and his wife Nancy J. Carmean purchased the farm from the remaining family members.

The farm has mainly produced grains during the Carmean family’s ownership, including corn, soybeans and wheat.

Granville L. and Dorothy B. Conaway and Family (Georgetown, Sussex County): The Conaway family is recognized for their 114-acre farm in Dagsboro Hundred, near Georgetown.

Minos T. Conaway purchased the original 115-acre farm at a sheriff sale in 1894 for $1,000. When Minos T. Conaway died in 1910, the farm was passed to his widow, Virginia, and their six children-Raymond, Fred, John, Minos, Elsie and Larry. In 1942, Minos’ son, Raymond and his wife, Vertia purchased the farm from his mother and the remaining family, except for one acre that was transferred to Cecil Reed (Hattie Reed). In 1957, Raymond and Vertia transferred the farm to their son Granville L. Conaway and his wife Dorothy.

The family has grown corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, watermelons, timber, and broilers. The Conaway family has grown their operation from the original land to encompass nearly 2,000 acres.

The Truitt Family (Seaford, Sussex County): The Truitt family is recognized for the 133 acres of farm land known as Lin-Lo Farms in Seaford Hundred.

In 1900, Harvey L. Truitt purchased 133 acres and 94 perches farm from Ann J. Williams for $1,500. Following Mr.

Truitt’s death, the farm transferred to his wife Mary for life, then to their son Fred for life, and then to Harvey and Mary’s grandson, Howard Melvin Truitt. After Fred’s passing in 1967 and Mary’s passing in 1982, Howard became the farm’s sole owner. In 1983, Howard transferred the 133-acre and 94 perches farm to Lin-Lo Farms, Inc. in which Howard and his two daughters, Linda and Lois are the members.

Over the years, the Truitt family has grown a variety of crops including: fruits and vegetables, wheat, corn, soybeans, barley, and hay. Over time the family has also raised chickens, cows, and hogs. The family has expanded this farm to more than 400 acres, with a focus on growing grain.

The Webb Family (Ellendale, Sussex County): The Webb family is recognized for the 34-acre farm located in Cedar Creek Hundred, west of Ellendale.

The family has owned the 34-acre wooded parcel since 1898, but It is believed to be part of a larger parcel of land the family has owned since before 1884. Records show that upon his death in August 1884, Henry Deputy transferred eight farms totaling 1,124 acres to his widow Sarah Ann and their five children – William Henry, Samuel, Anna, Jane and Mary – and it is believed that one of these farms contains the 34-acre woodlot described below; however, the family cannot yet verify this.

In 1898, Samuel Deputy and his wife Mary transferred the 34-acre woodlot to his older brother William H. Deputy.

When William H. Deputy died in 1920, this 34-acre woodlot, along with other land, were divided into five contiguous tracts of land and given jointly to his sons – William Henry and Charles Frederick. In 1962, the five tracts of land were split between the brothers and their families. William Henry and his daughter, Viva Webb and son-in-law W. Truitt Webb, received Tracts 1 and 2, and Charles Frederick and his wife Vina Deputy received Tracts 3, 4, and 5, with tract 5 being the 34-acre woodlot. In 1964, Charles Frederick transferred the three tracts to his niece Viva Webb and her husband.

In 1991, the entire farm was placed in to a family trust.

In 2018 the entire farm was transferred to Webb Family Farms, LLC, which is comprised of Viva Webb’s four greatgranddaughters.

The original 34-acre woodlot has remained in forestland throughout the family’s ownership producing timber.

NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Newton High School Ag Educator Finalist for National Award after Winning Region I Honor

The Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) has announced that Jenny Allen, a Teacher of Agriculture at Newton High School in Sussex County, is the 2019 ACTE Region I New Teacher of the Year and one of five finalists for the 2019 national award to be announced December 4.

The award recognizes new CTE teachers who have made significant contributions toward innovative and unique career and technical education programs and shown a professional commitment early in their careers.

“It’s a great honor to not only be the state winner, but to be the Region 1 winner is very exciting,” Allen said. “It means I’m doing what I need to do to make sure my students are getting what they need. To see their accomplished smiles and their accomplished work at the end of the day means that I am doing my job to the fullest. I greatly appreciate the support of the administration, which gives me the necessary tools for success.”

Allen is in her fourth year at Newton High School as the Introduction to Agricultural Technology, Introduction to Aquaculture, Floral Design I and II, Landscape/Turf Management Operations, and Landscape Design teacher. She is also one of two FFA advisors. After graduating from Delaware Valley University, Allen worked at Belvidere High School where she trained its Floriculture Career Development Experience (CDE) team for three years. After her final year there, the students won their first state Floriculture competition.

“Ms. Allen’s knowledge and enthusiasm has made a significant impact on our Ag Education students,” Newton High School Principal Jeff Waldron said. “She continues to find creative ways to connect with students and encourage them to strive to reach their full potential. Ms. Allen is a very integral part of the faculty at Newton High School. She is dedicated, resourceful, sets a wonderful example and is very deserving of this honor. We are excited for her to receive this recognition and know that she has a very bright future in education.”

After her hiring at Newton, where she became the school’s the first female agriculture teacher, Allen quickly began training her next state-winning Floriculture team, which won in her second year at the school. In 2018, she was named New Jersey FFA Advisor of the Year. Allen also received the 2017-2018 New Jersey Teachers Turn the Key Award from the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE).

“Jenny is a wonderful example of how an Ag Education teacher makes a remarkable and positive difference in the schools and in the lives of students,” New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher said.

Allen will attend the ACTE Excellence Awards Banquet in Anaheim, Calif, where the winning teacher will be announced.

The ACTE Excellence Awards recognize individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to CTE, programs that exemplify the highest standards and organizations that have

conducted activities to promote and expand CTE programs.

For more information about the ACTE Excellence Awards, visit https://www.acteonline.org.

This is the third consecutive year a New Jersey Ag Education teacher has been the ACTE Region 1 New Teacher of the Year.

The two previous winners were Salem County Technical School’s Keely DiTizio in 2017 and Woodstown High School’s Deanna Miller in 2018.

Salem, Burlington County Ag Education Teachers honored Two other New Jersey Ag Education were also honored recently.

Matt DiTizio, the agricultural mechanics teacher at Salem County Technical School, was selected for the NAAE “Teacher Turn the Key” program. It supports new teachers’ attendance to professional development workshops at the NAAE /ACTE conventions in December.

Dr. Robin McLean, the agriculture teacher at Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School, was recognized as the Region VI NAAE Teacher Mentor. This award is designed to recognize experienced teachers who have influenced and motivated beginning teachers to enter and stay in the teaching profession. Robin will be recognized at the 2019 NAAE Convention in Anaheim, Calif.

GardenerNews.com

January 2020 23

OF AGRICULTURE NEWS PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Pennsylvania Adds 29 Farms, 2,450 Acres to Nation-Leading Farmland Preservation Program

Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Land Preservation Board safeguarded 2,450 additional acres on 29 farms in 16 counties through the state’s nation-leading farmland preservation program. The state board, in partnership with county boards, ended the year by preserving 209 farms (17,505 acres)– the highest number of farms in a decade.

“This collaboration of state, county, local, and federal government combines with the farmer’s commitment to safeguarding our land to help secure a future for agriculture and the world our industry feeds, clothes, and fuels,” said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “Preserved farmland represents an investment in our best agricultural land for not only our state economy, environment, and food supply, but for our generations to come.”

The 29 farms preserved today are in Adams, Blair, Bradford, Bucks, Butler, Chester, Dauphin, Erie, Lancaster, Lehigh, Northampton, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Washington, Westmoreland, and York counties. Since the program began in 1988, federal,

state, county, and local governments have purchased permanent easements on 5,636 farms totaling 577,092 acres in 59 counties for agricultural production.

The farms preserved today include crop, equine, fruit and vegetable, vineyard, timber, dairy, horticulture and nursery, and livestock operations.

Notable farmland preserved includes the Brad, Beth and Caleb Cooper bicentennial farm from Butler County which is a recognized crop farm that has been in the Cooper family since 1796. The family safeguarded the 164-acre operation.

Jeffrey and Donald Buchholz and Joyce Sepulveda preserved their 49.05-acre fruit and vegetable farm in Northeast Township, Erie County. More than 3,000 acres of prime farmland are now protected in the Northeast Township, which fronts Lake Erie, supporting the regions thriving wine industry.

Previously at a risk for development, 171.27-acre dairy operation owned by Richard and Colleen Shaffer of Bradford County was preserved. The dairy adjoins Wyalusing Borough’s growth area and is also next to

another preserved farm.

The Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program, as it is formally known, is dedicated to slowing the loss of prime farmland to non-agricultural uses. Funding allows state, county, and local governments to purchase conservation easements from owners of quality farmland. State, county, local, and federal funds committed at the meeting are allocated to county programs to purchase development rights to preserve farms on county waiting lists.

Investments in preserving farmland for future production are being further enhanced by investments Governor Wolf signed through the PA Farm Bill. It created the Agriculture Business Development Center to support business planning, marketing, diversification, and transition planning for Pennsylvania farmers.

The bill package also included a realty transfer tax exemption for the transfer of preserved farmland to a qualified beginning farmer.

To learn more about Pennsylvania’s Farmland Preservation Program, visit agriculture.pa.gov.

NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

New York FFA Recognized at National Conference for Membership Increase in 2018-19 School Year, Up 60% from Previous Year

New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball congratulated the New York FFA on its significant growth in membership since 2017, helping to further agricultural education and strengthen the state’s future workforce. The New York FFA is a youth organization that helps middle and high school students become leaders in a variety of career fields, including agriculture. Under Governor Cuomo’s leadership, New York State dedicated nearly $5 million over the last three years to support agricultural education programs. A record $3.6 million was invested in the 2017-18 Budget to support the New York FFA, New York Agriculture in the Classroom, and to expand the number of agriculture teachers. In November, the New York FFA received national recognition for its membership increase in the 2018-19 school year, a 60% increase from the previous year and the highest increase in the nation.

Commissioner Ball said, “It is such an exciting time for New York FFA, which is experiencing substantial growth and leading the nation in program expansion. I want to congratulate New York’s FFA members and thank its leadership for their passion and dedication to building the future of agriculture, and our Governor and Legislature for continuing to support this important program at record levels.

FFA is a powerful program that helps our young people learn more about the industry and obtain the skills they need to succeed in meaningful careers in agriculture and related fields. The program is clearly a model for the nation, shining a spotlight on the many strengths of New York agriculture.”

The New York FFA currently has 7,084 members across the state, up from 4,300 in 2017. As part of the growth in young people joining the FFA, the number of new FFA chapters is also on the rise across the state. This year, the New York FFA celebrated the addition of 13 new chapters in high schools across the state, for a total of 41 new chapters added since 2017. The New York FFA is on track to meet its goal of developing 100 new chapters statewide.

In his 2017 State of the State address, Governor Cuomo prioritized investments in agricultural education to support workforce development and ensure that agriculture remains a valuable and vibrant industry in New York State. More

than $1.6 million is supporting the creation of new FFA chapters through start-up grants, the expansion of the New York Agriculture in the Classroom program, and the increase of the number of certified agricultural educators in the state. These programs help meet the growing demand for agricultural education across New York.

FFA Educational Center Under Construction The 2017 State Budget also included $2 million to build a state-of-the-art test kitchen and food science lab at the New York FFA Leadership Training Foundation’s Oswegatchie Educational Center in Croghan, New York. The facility, which is currently under construction and expected to open this summer, will offer instruction in food safety, basic food preparation skills, and agricultural-related careers in food processing. It will also provide space for producers to test new processed food products. Training will be available to FFA members, agricultural educators, farm owners, beginning farmers, and other members of the public.

By educating current and future New York farmers about emerging trends in food safety, the test kitchen will serve as a valuable resource to increase participation in the New York State Grown & Certified program. In order to participate in the program, farmers must be located in New York and have food safety and environmental stewardship plans in place on their farms. More information about New York State Grown & Certified is available here.

NY FFA State President Peyton Fontaine said, “The 19-20 NY FFA State Officer Team set a goal at the beginning of this year to increase our membership and the number of chapters throughout the state to give students the opportunity and experiences that agricultural education and FFA can offer. We were very excited to be a part of this extraordinary achievement for New York FFA. We are working to sustain this growth by continuing to provide the resources and education to individuals that may not know about these programs. Although we have made significant progress, we still have room to grow and more students to reach!”

NY FFA Director Derek Hill said, “We are excited that more students across our state have the opportunity to learn more about an industry that we all rely on and develop skills

that will last them a lifetime through agricultural education and FFA. The exponential growth that we are seeing has never happened before and it is still trending upwards. We truly appreciate the support that we have received from the Governor, the Legislature and the Department of Agriculture and Markets. This would not be possible without their support.”

Shari Lighthall, Director of Agricultural Education Outreach said, “Agricultural education develops our future leaders and agriculturalists that will help feed the world’s growing population. Agricultural education is the catalyst for our youth to become educated and inspired to enter the industry and become informed consumers of our state’s food and fiber systems.”

Kathryn J. Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the Cornell College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, said, “I’m so pleased with the ongoing growth of the NYS FFA program and the partnership with Cornell’s agricultural education team. Providing high school students with youth development, leadership and team building skills is vital to today’s youth. The FFA program provides a gateway for students from all of NY’s diverse urban, rural, and suburban neighborhoods to experience leadership building with an agricultural sciences and food system focus, helping to recruit the next generation of farm, food system, and natural resources entrepreneurs.”

About NY FFA Administered by Cornell University, NY FFA develops premier leadership, personal growth, and career success through activities and opportunities nationwide. Future Farmers of America was founded by a group of young farmers in 1928. Their mission was to prepare future generations for the challenges of feeding a growing population. They showed that agriculture is more than planting and harvesting– it’s a science, it’s a business and it’s an art.

FFA continues to help the next generation rise up to meet challenges by developing their own unique talents and exploring their interests in a broad range of career pathways.

Learn more about NY FFA at www.nysffa.org.

24 January 2020

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January 2020 25 Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

78 Days & Counting…

“In 2020, the spring equinox (also called the March equinox or vernal equinox) falls on Thursday, March 19” 78 days from the publication of this issue of the Gardener News. “This event marks the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.” (almanac.com).

In other words, gardening season is open…weather permitting? So what do gardeners have to look forward to this year?

There is no doubt that hydrangea have been one of the hottest plants for residential landscapes over the past few years. The amount of new varieties being thrust into the marketplace is staggering and, quite honestly, difficult to keep track of.

Notwithstanding, hydrangea seem to appear in every trade publication, gardening magazine and are strewn across the Internet and social media outlets alike. Hydrangea “Everlasting® Crimson,” Hydrangea “Hortmagicri” Everlasting Crimson, has been described “like a chameleon changing from green to red.”

An amazing selection that seems ideal for most any garden space. Apple green, lacy flowers open with a tinge of red, quickly advancing to a cherryred fireball. Perhaps the most acclaimed red variety in the Everlasting line, this garden gem also has strong stems and dark green leaves.

As summer capitulates to autumn, “Everlasting®Crimson” “ages to green with red highlights.” Hardy in zones 5-9 and only standing three feet tall and wide, this Hydrangea should work well in garden containers, too.

Blooming on new wood and old wood, the guesswork of when to prune has been made easier… it doesn’t matter much.

However, many stewards in the industry suggest pruning older stems, right after flowering, in the fall. A plant selection brought to us by Plants Nouveau, “Everlasting®Crimson”

certainly has my attention. Yet another selection of big leaf hydrangea from Kolster BV in the Netherlands, originally bred for the cut-flower market.

A plant that I am seldom enamored with is Leucothoe. I love the academics of the plant, a broadleaf evergreen, that is deer resistant, shade tolerant and flowers. However, I just don’t see many in residential landscapes thriving. Rather, I see many lackluster examples, eventually “petering out” in the landscape.

Perhaps it’s the heavy clay soil in our part of New Jersey or maybe the ones I have seen have been sited in too wet of a soil, whatever the reason, many don’t look better than the day they were purchased. Of course, there’s always the exception, and when I see that “one” performing in a textbook manner, it gives me hope.

Leucothoe “Little Flames,” Leucothoe hybrid Leafscape™ “Little Flames”PP25, 246, I am hoping, will change my opinion of this plant. Introduced as a tidy, compact, garden candidate, this “hardy” evergreen shrub needs no pruning. Leucothoe “Little Flames” only grows 20 inches tall and 12 inches wide, perfect for garden planters and small garden nooks. This American native is naturally disease-, pest- and deerresistant, has fiery leaves and fragrant spring blooms. Great things are expected from this mini botanical wonder Glossy, olive-green leaves yield to fire engine red highlights in cooler months. Finally, “Little Flames” foliage is expected to remain upright and pointed, always looking fresh.

The last introduction to talk about, this month, is Viburnum carlesii “Spice Island.” “Spice Island” Koreanspice viburnum seems to be a plant with amazing flowers and features.

Intoxicatingly fragrant flowers are touted as only being outdone by the plant’s sheer abundance of flowers, certain to capture the attention of many gardeners.

One could imbibe this

plant, taking in all its comforts, choosing it as a single specimen or a hedge. Fragrant, pink buds open to small snowballlike clusters, sometimes being mistaken for hydrangea. This plant also blooms fully clothed with leaves. As the days become shorter and the nights longer, “Spice Island’s” foliage turns brilliant shades of burgundy and glowing reds.

Compact in its appearance, four to five feet tall and wide, and hardy in zones 5-9, this “little engine that could” should perform admirably where there is adequate sun. “A provocative blend of spices and vanilla” (plantsnoveau.com/plant/ viburnum-carlesii-spice-island), this small, deciduous, garden gem could be one of the most fragrant ornamental plants on the planet. And remember, prune your spring blooming viburnums after they bloom, for best results.

Exciting new plants abound this coming spring! Companies like Proven Winners, First Editions®, Bushel and Berry®, True Bloom™, Raymond Evison® Collection, Chick Charms® Collectable Hens & Chicks and Plants Nouveau are just a few horticultural companies regularly introducing new plants.

And while the waters may get “muddied” from time to time with redundancy and new plant introductions being thrust into the market too early, the aforementioned are sure to have their roots deeply embedded into many American landscapes.

Editor’s Note: Bob LaHoff is co-owner of Hall’s Garden Center and Florist in Union County, a member of the Union County Board of Agriculture, the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association, Reeves-Reed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers.

He can be reached at (908) 665-0331.

U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCTS SAFETY COMMISSION NEWS Yamaha Recalls Portable Generators Due to Fire and Burn Hazards

Description: This recall involves model 2018 and 2019 Yamaha EF2000iS portable generators, with serial numbers range 4543288 through 4553706. The blue generators have Yamaha and the model name printed on the control panel. The serial number can be found on a label below the exhaust outlet on the left side.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled generators and contact a Yamaha Power Products dealer to schedule a free repair. Yamaha is contacting all registered owners directly.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported Sold At: Exclusively at Yamaha Motorsports dealers nationwide from June 2018 through October 2019 for about $900.

Manufacturer(s): Yamaha Motor Powered Products Co., Shizuoka Japan Distributor(s): Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A. of Kennesaw, Ga. Manufactured In: Japan Recall number: 20-710

Briggs & Stratton Recalls Snapper Rear Engine Riding Mowers Due to Injury Hazard

Description: This recall involves Snapper Rear Engine Riding Mowers with rear engines and a 33 inch mower deck. The riding mowers are red and black. Model number 2691526, Briggs & Stratton and 33” are printed on a white label the back of the mower. SNAPPER is printed on the front of the mower.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled riding mowers and contact Briggs & Stratton for a free inspection and repair.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported Sold At: Authorized Snapper dealers nationwide from March 2019 through May 2019 for about $2,650.

Manufacturer(s): Briggs & Stratton, of Wauwatosa, Wis. Distributor(s): Briggs & Stratton, of Wauwatosa, Wis. Manufactured In: United States Recall number: 20-021

Kawasaki Motors USA Recalls Lawn Mower Engines Due to Burn and Fire Hazards

Description: This recall involves Kawasaki engines used in riding lawn mowers sold under the Ferris brand name with mower model numbers IS® 700Z ZTR and ISX™ 800Z ZTR. The recalled engines are model year 2018 and 2019 Kawasaki FT730V-EFI series, including models FT730V-AS41 with serial number range FT730VA00107FT730VA00593 and FT730V-BS41 with serial number range FT730VA02330-FT730VA05073. “Kawasaki FT730V EFI” is printed on the engine air filter cover. The engine model and serial number are located on the engine fan housing.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using mowers with the recalled engines and contact Kawasaki or a Kawasaki dealer to schedule a free repair. Kawasaki is contacting all known purchasers directly.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported Sold At: Kawasaki dealers and lawn and garden stores nationwide from November 2017 through September 2019 for about $8,000 for mowers with the engines.

Manufacturer(s): Kawasaki Motors Manufacturing Corp. U.S.A., of Maryville, Mo. Manufactured In: United States Recall number: 20-705 The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard.

CPSC’s work to help ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals -– contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 40 years.

Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC’s Hotline at 800-638-2772 or teletypewriter at 301-595-7054 for the hearing impaired.

26 January 2020

Gardener News is Now Accepting Nominations for its

2020

Person of the Year Award.

Do you know someone in the “Green Industry” whose contributions deserve recognition?

This person must be from the landscape, nursery, garden center or gardening industries who best epitomizes concern for, involvement in, and dedication to those pursuits. Or a person who performs exemplary outstanding service to the green industry.

The deadline for receiving nominations for 2020 is November 1, 2020.

Gardener News annually bestows our “Person of the Year” Award in our January edition.

To download the form, please visit www.GardenerNews.com and click on the “Person of the Year” link under Awards.

Thank you!

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The Premier Gardening Monthly Newspaper Number 201 Published Monthly Reserve Ad Space Phone: 908.604.4444 Website: www.GardenerNews.com E-Mail: Mail@GardenerNews.com Staff

Executive Editor/Publisher . . . . Tom Castronovo Art Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Susan F. Kessel Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tom Castronovo Tom Castronovo Todd Pretz Gail Woolcott

January 2020 Columnists Brian Schilling Al Murray Peter Melick Lesley Parness

Bob LaHoff Douglas H. Fisher Eric J. Houghtaling

January 2020 Contributing Writers

Bruce Crawford

Jeannie Geremia

Hubert Ling

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16 Mount Bethel Road #123 Warren, NJ 07059 The Gardener News invites correspondences on gardening subjects of interest. Gardener News, Inc, and its Publisher reserve the right to accept, refuse, or discontinue any editorial or copy, and shall not be liable to anyone for printing errors, misinformation or omissions in editorial or copy. The information contained in articles herein represents the opinions of the authors and, although believed to be accurate and complete, is not represented or warranted by Gardener News, Inc. to be accurate or complete.

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Full Moon January 10, 2020 Eastern Daylight TIP OF THE MONTH

If you use a tube feeder to feed the birds, hang just one feeder. Choose a model with metal ports around the seed dispensers to deter squirrels. Hang it at least 5 feet off the ground, and 3 feet (or 30-plus feet) from a window to avoid bird collisions.

The seeds that attract the greatest number of bird species are black-oil sunflower. These seeds have a high meat-to-shell ratio, they are nutritious and high in fat, and their small size and thin shells make them easy for small birds to handle and crack.

Unfrozen water can be as hard for birds to find in winter as food. Birds need water not only to drink, but also to bathe in—clean feathers provide the best insulation. A dependable supply of fresh water will even attract to your yard birds that wouldn’t ordinarily come to your feeders.

Clean your feeders about once every two weeks, more often during times of heavy use. Scrub them with soap and water, then dip them into a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water. Rinse them well and allow them to dry thoroughly before refilling them with birdseed. Another important maintenance activity is to periodically rake up birdseed hulls beneath your feeders.

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