Gardener News November 2013

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Gardener News Serving the Agricultural, Gardening and Landscaping Communities

November, 2013

GARDENERNEWS.COM

TAKE ONE No. 127

NJ Public Gardens and Arboreta Receive Legislative Recognition

Tom Castronovo/Photo

New Jersey Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman, center right, (R-Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer and Middlesex), presented a joint resolution from the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey Assembly to Leslie Parness, center left, President of the Garden State Gardens Consortium on Wednesday, October 16, during the non-profit organization’s 5th anniversary meeting at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township. All of the members present received official copies as well.

By Tom Castronovo Executive Editor Garden State Gardens Consortium, a non-profit organization whose members include 22 New Jersey public gardens and arboreta, received recognition from

the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey Assembly on the occasion of their 5th Anniversary.

The organization, whose mission is to increase public awareness of and appreciation for New Jersey’s public gardens by promoting their horticultural, educational,

historic and artistic value and to facilitate the collaboration of allied professionals in order to promote public garden visitation, stewardship and support, was incorporated in 2008. New Jersey Senator Christopher “Kip” Bateman, (R-Somerset, Hunterdon, Mercer and Middlesex) who

was selected as the “2013 Legislator of the Year” in the Senate by the Constitutional Officers Association of New Jersey, presented a joint resolution from the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey Assembly, co-sponsored by Bateman, Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli

and Assemblywoman Donna Simon on Wednesday, October 16, at 10:30 a.m., to the members of the Garden State Gardens Consortium at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morris Township.

“The members of the Garden State (Cont. on pg. 8)

2 November, 2013

GARDEN CENTER DIRECTORY

Gardener News

Gardener News

November, 2013 3 Around The Garden

By Tom Castronovo Gardener News

My personal endorsements

This is the first time I have ever endorsed political candidates in the paper. I’m also not political in any way. I don’t look at these folks as one party or the other. I look at them as real people My endorsements are bipartisan. I stand behind folks that I think do the right thing for the cause.

The folks I whole-heartedly endorse below are those I consider my friends and most of all, friends of the agricultural, gardening and landscaping worlds. I also consider them friends of the environment, which I am a fan of protecting. Below is a short summary as to why I like them, in the order that I have met and worked with them.

Sen. Christopher “Kip” Bateman (R- Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset). I have known Sen. Bateman since I met him when he was an Assemblyman in the late ’90s. Since that first day, I have known him as a champion of the gardening world. As I traveled around to garden centers and nurseries looking for specimen trees and shrubs when I had my landscaping business, I used to run into him looking for the same thing. We are both very passionate about supporting the Jersey Grown brand. I still run into him often perusing through nursery stock as his cart is loaded with annuals and perennials for planting beds. Sen. Bateman enjoys visiting Farmers Markets to support the hard-working farmers in the State. I often see him at the Somerville Downtown Farmers Market. Sen. Bateman also supports the Jersey Fresh brand. He visits the Farmers Markets to supplement his own vegetable garden. Sen. Bateman is also a member of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee. As a committee member, he ensures our environment stays safe for all to enjoy, now and in the future. Sen. Bateman recently presented a joint resolution from the New Jersey Senate and the New Jersey Assembly to the Garden State Gardens Consortium. (Please see cover story.)

Sen. Nicholas P. Scutari (D - Middlesex, Somerset, Union). I met Sen. Scutari when my good friend Skip Stabile was his chief of staff. Sen. Scutari sat down with me to discuss my concerns of potential pesticide exposure during lawn and garden applications. After listening, he wrote a bill that requires every commercial pesticide applicator to use uniform silver flags to mark areas on which pesticides have been applied. The flags must be silver in color, must be a uniform size and type, must provide information in English and Spanish, and must stay in place for a minimum of 72 hours after the pesticide application. Also, the bill would prohibit the use of silver flags to mark anything likely to be confused with a pesticide application. The exclusive color requirement is intended to distinguish pesticide flags from, among other things, those used for invisible dog fences, underground utility lines, septic tanks and underground piping. This bill is in the hands of the Assembly, waiting on a vote. Sen. Scutari received the Gardener News “Person of the Year” award in 2009 for his friendship and support toward the landscaping and gardening community, and for his dedication to protect and help every New Jerseyan.

Sen. Bob Smith (D – Middlesex, Somerset) Sen. Smith, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Energy Committee, has also supported the Silver Pesticide Legislation since day one. Without hesitation, he moved this bill through his committee favorably. When I visited Sen. Smith’s office, I was very surprised to see an entire wall filled with Jersey Fresh posters depicting New Jersey’s finest fruits and vegetables. Sen. Smith also created a fertilizer bill to help save and revive the health of the Barnegat Bay – an ecological jewel in New Jersey. Gov. Christie signed this bill into law on January 5, 2011. If you read my column regularly, you know how much I love the Jersey Shore. Sen. Smith is also a very easy person to approach and talk to. He truly listens and really cares. A true environmental leader.

Assemblyman John F. McKeon (D – Essex, Morris) Assemblyman McKeon is also a strong supporter and friend of the environment. He sponsored an identical fertilizer bill in the Assembly. Along with Sen. Smith, I call these two gentlemen the environmental dynamic duo. I’m a big fan of helping the bay become jellyfish-free. Assemblyman McKeon also took time out of his busy schedule to attend the second annual Jersey Fresh and Jersey Seafood dinner at the Crab’s Claw Inn in Lavallette. He presented the Hammer family, owners of the Claw, with a letter of recognition from his office. Assemblyman McKeon also presented the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association with a joint resolution from the New Jersey Senate and Assembly on their 44th anniversary, officially saluting and recognizing the association for advancing the integrity, proficiency and continued growth of the landscaping, nursery and garden center industries. Assembly McKeon also sponsored an identical Silver Pesticide Flag bill in the Assembly. It is currently waiting for a vote.

Gov. Chris Christie (New Jersey’s 55th Governor) Gov. Christie declared October “Fall Gardening Month” in 2011, because “fall is the best time of year for planting new trees and shrubs, as well as establishing new turf grass and planting bulbs for spring impact.” He also urged everyone to look for the Jersey Grown label when purchasing plant material. Horticulture is a large sector of New Jersey’s agricultural industry and contributes greatly to the state’s economy, bringing in $1.2 billion in revenue in 2011. According to the 2009 USDA Census of Horticulture, New Jersey ranks eighth in the nation in total horticultural production, sixth in nursery stock, fifth in potted herbaceous plants and fourth in cut flowers. The 2012 census numbers have not been released yet. New Jersey’s green industry, from production and distribution to retail and installation, is seventh in the nation in total employment, with its 47,000 businesses providing 68,000 full- and part-time jobs in the state. As far as floriculture goes, in 2012 New Jersey ranked seventh in the nation in expanded wholesale value of floriculture crops with a value of $183 million. The total crop wholesale value for all New Jersey growers with $100,000 or more in sales was estimated at $174 million, up 3 percent from $169 million in 2011. Since Chris Christie became governor, he has attended and addressed, each year he has been in office, the delegates and members of the agricultural community at the State Ag Convention in Atlantic City. This governor clearly has Jersey agriculture on his mind. His lovely wife Mary Pat recently cut the opening ribbon at the New Jersey Flower and Garden Show. Gov. Christie is the Garden State. I also liked the way he handled the recovery of the Jersey Shore after superstorm Sandy. He governed for all the people. Gov. Christie received the Gardener News “Person of the Year” award in 2011. All I can say now is, make sure you get out to vote on November 5.

As always, I hope you find the information in the Gardener News informative and enjoyable.

Until next time…Keep the “garden” in the Garden State.

-Tom 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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Gladly Accepting SNAP EBT Cards

2013 NJ Flower and Garden Show Award Winning Water Display Garden

4 November, 2013

Gardener News

Christmas In New Jersey, Part I It is a great pleasure to write a two-part column in the Gardener News about what I do for a living. My name is Christian Nicholson and I am the owner of Hidden Pond Christmas Tree Farm in Mendham, New Jersey. I am also the elected President of the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association.

In your world, Christmas is just around the corner. In my world, Christmas never ends, and that is a good thing.

I began growing Christmas trees on my farm in 1998. What I thought would be an easy task due to my horticultural background and my love of evergreens, turned out to be just the opposite. After three years of constant struggles, I knew something had to change in my approach to growing quality trees for discriminating consumers.

Where can I find help? Who

has the answers I am looking for? Will anyone share their knowledge with me? My trees needed help, and so did I. I found the NJCTGA, the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association, and joined the organization in hopes that I may find some answers. It was the best decision I ever made.

Simply put, if you grow Christmas trees in New Jersey or have any interest in how they are grown, you are cheating yourself if you do not have a membership in this wonderful organization.

The NJCTGA was formed in 1950 and is composed of nearly 200 members throughout New Jersey and the United States.

A grassroots organization, it consists of industry leaders helping each other effectively grow and market Christmas trees in our great state. Helping each other is what the NJCTGA does for its members. Their help was just what I needed to grow

great trees and market them.

Each year, the NJCTGA hosts many events that focus on cutting-edge growing techniques.

The winter meeting is a gathering of industry experts from throughout the country who are brought in to speak to our members. Pruning, weed control and pest problems are just a few of the many lecture topics that are covered.

The twilight spring meeting is a hands-on seminar hosted each year at a different host farm of one of our members. It is a great way to meet other Christmas tree farmers and to “talk shop.� It is a tremendous opportunity to learn new techniques. This meeting is always attended by many staff members of Rutgers University. Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, is a tremendous resource for our membership. Their knowledgeable and friendly professors are always just a phone call away to help any of our members. Dr.

Look Who’s Reading the Gardener News!

Mark Vodak, who sits on our board of directors, is not only a longtime professor at Rutgers, he also grows Christmas trees on his own farm in southern New Jersey.

What a nice feeling it is to have a specific problem and have Dr. Mark there to help you succeed in growing a quality tree.

Our summer meeting is another learning experience.

This year’s meeting was held at Evergreen Valley Christmas Tree Farm in Washington, New Jersey.

The meeting was attended by over 125 members who were eager to learn more tricks of the trade. Doctors Ann Gould and Pat Hastings from Rutgers were in attendance and helped our members stay in compliance with up-to-date pesticidesafety issues. Dr. Vodak gave the membership a shearing demonstration, which covered proper pruning and shearing techniques for various species of trees.

The NJCTGA holds an annual competition each summer to choose the best Christmas tree in New Jersey, the New Jersey Grand Champion. The competition is a tremendous tool used to promote the Christmas tree industry in the Garden State.

This year’s Grand Champion is Wyckoff’s Tree Farm, in Belvidere, New Jersey. The Wyckoff farm has also been crowned the National Grand Champion by the National Christmas Tree Association.

John Wyckoff will have

the distinguished honor of presenting the White House Christmas tree to Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States. This is a first for a New Jersey tree grower and a huge accomplishment that is reflective of the quality of trees grown by our members.

Please join me again in the December issue of the Gardener News. In it, I will discuss the types of trees that are grown and harvested in New Jersey, tree selection tips, and what to expect when you visit a real Christmas tree farm to cut your own tree. I will also discuss the proper care of your Christmas tree once it reaches your home and dispel some myths about real trees and how to take care of them.

Editor’s Note: Chris Nicholson is owner of the Hidden Pond Tree Farm in Mendham, Morris County, New Jersey, a special place where Christmas grows all year long. He is also President of the New Jersey Christmas Tree Growers Association, an organization of growers, professionals and allied industry leaders dedicated to the advancement of the latest information in the production, promotion and marketing of Christmas trees and related products.

Nicholson can be reached by calling 973-865-6362 or by emailing him at cnicho6345@aol.com

Christie administration receives federal grant to promote Garden State agricultural products

It’s in the news

Tom Castronovo/Photo

Alan Bauerle, CEO, President and Managing Partner of the Colorado CafĂŠ in Watchung, Somerset County, New Jersey, looks over the Passionate About Produce column, written by Paul Kneeland, in the October Gardener News, in his restaurant’s front dining room. Bauerle is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and an Honorably Discharged Vietnam Veteran. The Colorado CafĂŠ is a 14,000-square-foot venue with country line and partner dancing featuring a 3000-square-foot dance floor, which weekly hosts a combination of men and women dressed to the nines in casual to outrageous country attire. The CafĂŠ has three bars, a full-service banquet facility and restaurant with a patio and outside dining. The CafĂŠ also features “Buck-Off,â€? the infamous Mechanical Bull.

75(1721 1- ĘŠ 7KH &KULVWLH $GPLQLVWUDWLRQ has received a $777,044 Specialty Crop Block Grant to fund 13 initiatives to benefit Garden State crops such as fruits, vegetables, as well as horticulture and nursery.

The grants are part of the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) efforts to promote specialty crops in the nation and stimulate food-and agriculturallybased community economic development. Much of New Jersey agriculture falls into the specialty crop category, which account for $882.4 million in sales annually in the Garden State.

The New Jersey grant was recently announced by the USDA, part of $52 million in Specialty Crop Block Grants funding 694 projects throughout the nation for 2014.

Gardener Gard rde dener News News

November, No r, 2013 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 Chris Christie Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher

jerseygrown.nj.gov

6 November, No r, 2013

Gardener Gard rde dener ner Ne News New ws

CASE FILES

From the Rutgers Master Gardeners of Union County Garden Help Line

By Madeline Flahive DiNardo, Union County Agricultural Agent and Master Gardeners, MC Schwartz and James Keane

Student Scholarship Grants Available For Spring 2014 Term The GWA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable subsidiary of the Garden Writers Association, has committed funding to provide financial assistance to deserving students for the SPRING TERM 2014. Students must be enrolled in either of two categories: Community Colleges & Technical Schools (Freshmen through Senior):): The GWAF Kathleen Fisher Memorial Scholarship is made in recognition of Kathleen Fisher who was the editor of The American Gardener, the journal of the American Horticultural Society. It is given annually in the amount of $500 to any full-time or parttime post-secondary student, including technical schools and community colleges, majoring in Horticulture, Plant Science or Journalism, with an interest in garden communications.

Colleges & Universities (Juniors & Seniors): GWAF general scholarship grants are provided for college-level juniors or seniors enrolled as a full-time student majoring in Horticulture, Plant Science or Journalism, with an interest in garden communication, including garden photography. General scholarships are given annually and vary in number (2-6) and amount ($250-$2,000) depending on the earnings of the scholarship endowment.

It is beneficial for Horticulture or Plant Science majors to have taken courses in Journalism and vice-versa, although exceptions will be made.

Scholarships will be awarded directly to the institutions on behalf of students. Please refer to the enclosed Scholarship Guidelines. The deadline for scholarship applications is December 2, 2013. The Garden Writers Association Foundation Board of Directors will award scholarships and inform the selected institutions and students by December 20, 2013. Scholarship funds will be paid by January 6, 2014.

In recent years, over $79,000 has been awarded to outstanding students. Grants range from $250 to over $2,000 per student at the discretion of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. At a minimum, one $500 scholarship will be given under the GWAF’s Kathleen Fisher Memorial Scholarship. A total of up to $6,000 in general scholarship funding for variable grants is available for the Spring Term of 2014.

Learn more at http://www.gardenwriters.org/html/ gwafoundation/pdfs/gwaf_scholarship_13.pdf

Q. I planted spectacular chrysanthemums in my garden this fall. Is there any way I can get them to bloom again next year? -Mummy in Mountainside A. Chrysanthemums are a popular fall plant, as their bright colors and interesting flowers bring a final hurrah of color to the fall landscape. The National Chrysanthemum Society, www.mums.org, classifies the types of chrysanthemum flower blooms into 13 classes, based on the size and shape of the flowers. Classes include “Pompon,” “Spoon” and “Quill.”

Chrysanthemums are perennials belonging to the Asteraceae family. Some closely related annual flowers include cosmos, marigolds, sunflowers, and zinnias. Perennial relatives include Asters. Fall planted chrysanthemums are often treated as annuals and removed from the garden after the first hard frosts.

The best time to plant chrysanthemums is actually in the spring, as it gives the plant time to establish a strong root system, but there are some actions you can take to help a fallplanted chrysanthemum through the winter. The first action is to choose a good location for the chrysanthemums to grow. Location considerations are important and the planting advice is the same, whether you are planting in the spring or fall. Chrysanthemums prefer a sunny location with at least five to six hours of direct sunlight. Morning sun is preferred as it helps keep leaf surfaces dry earlier in the day, which helps prevent the spread of fungal leaf diseases.

Mums need a well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter, such as compost or peat moss. Apply fertilizers based on a soil-test recommendation. If the site has had a problem with Verticilium Wilt or Phytophthora, avoid planting chrysanthemums in the area, as they are very susceptible to those diseases.

Mums should be planted one-and-a-half to two feet apart. Larger cultivars may need to be spaced 30 to 36 inches apart to allow good root development. Plant them at the same depth they were growing in the pot.

After hard frosts have killed off the flowers, pinch off the spent flowers and remove any dead stems. Not cutting the entire plant back to the ground may help the plant over winter. Wait until the last spring frost to prune the plant back. Cover the mums with a three- to four-inch layer of mulch after the ground has frozen to prevent frost heaving.

Some good mulch options are weed-seed free straw (salt hay), pine needles or evergreen boughs.

When spring arrives and new growth begins, apply a fertilizer based on a soil test recommendation. The spring fertilization will encourage root growth and flower bud development. Generally 5-10-5 or 5-10-10 fertilizer can be applied at the rate recommended on the product label. Dry granular fertilizers can be gently raked into the surrounding soil, or water-soluble fertilizers can also be used according to the label rate. Stop fertilizing the chrysanthemums after July 1, to avoid cold injury to succulent new growth.

The key to having a compact plant with many buds is to regularly pinch the new shoots as they grow. Some newer cultivars of chrysanthemums have been bred to grow low to the ground and produce flowers without the need for pinching. For cultivars that do benefit from pinching, start in the spring when the new shoot reaches three to four inches in length. Simply pinch the stem just above a leaf node. Be sure to leave two or three leaves on the shoot. Taller growing cultivars may be pinched after they reach a height of six inches, just pinching out the top inch of growth. Typically, pinching will take place two or three times during the early/mid-growing season. Stop the pinching process in mid-July, so that flower buds can begin to form and bloom before the first hard frost.

When the flower buds form, you can “disbud” the plant to produce less, but larger, flowers. All the flower buds along a stem are pinched off, except for the largest flower bud at the top of the stem. “Disbudding” is often practiced by gardeners who intend to show their chrysanthemums in a competitive show or use them in floral arrangements.

Chrysanthemums needs about an inch of water a week during the growing season.

During flower bud formation and blooming, you may need to water them more frequently, depending on the weather. So, hopefully, with your attentive care, next fall your chrysanthemums will be back in their full glorious color!

Editor’s Note: The Union County Master Gardener’s HELP LINE fields hundreds of citizen inquiries a year – offering assistance with their indoor as well as outdoor gardening and pest-control questions. Responses to resident phone calls and on-site visits comply with current Rutgers NJ Agricultural Experiment Station recommendations.

Union County residents can call (908) 654-9852 or email mastergardeners@ucnj. org for assistance. A complete listing of Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) offices where you can contact a Master Gardener in your area can be found on page 22 of the Gardener News. Free RCE fact sheets are available at www.njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs

Gardener Gard rde dener News News

November, No r, 2013 7 From the Deep

By Craig Korb Executive Chef

Greetings from the Surviving Jersey Shore!

That “small catastrophe” in Seaside Heights is yet another hurdle in the past two years that will be overcome. Yep, no doubt about it, it was a major shot to the gut of an area trying to get back on its feet post-Sandy. The adage says, “Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!”

Whilst I agree I still have my moments of “why?” All over the world, bad stuff is going down, but we will persevere, Jersey Strong is no joke, folks! My amazement lies within the people of this great state. I feel as if these types of situations inevitably create a bonding of the great citizens of the Garden State. I didn’t even want to go to Seaside to view the newest devastation in our area. I know it exists, I just don’t feel the need to see it with my own eyes. I am not trying to be morbid, just realistic. I am, in most ways, very optimistic. We will be back, I know this to be true.

Every day I speak to business owners, homeowners, truck drivers, salesmen, etc., all with positive thoughts and smiles for a bright future. I would really like to send out the biggest “THANK YOU” for everyone who has so little as donated, visited or supported any business, homeowner, community and so forth that was affected by the wrath off Sandy and/or the Seaside fire. Jersey pride is at an all-time high. Take this pride with youu as you go shopping. “Think globally, act locally” may be old or clichéd, but rings a bell.

A huge one. Communal support is the key to it all.

Now it’s chicken time! chicken! chicken time!. Gotta love the bird. Beef is, at recent, an all-time high. Fish is always awesome, for me at least, but good ol’ chicken seems to kind of teeter-totter on the fence. Chicken wings are now pricier than chicken breasts!

They used to give them away! God bless Buffalo chicken and all its glory. Come football playoff time, wings go sky high. (*note-so do avocados).

Think the alternative, less pricey, tastier and less desired for some unknown reason.....

All hail the chicken thigh! Tastier, fattier, non-drying-outtinger, chicken splendor! Oh, my bad, and really cheap. This is the best part of the chicken, save the liver. You cann do so much with this chicken part/piece. Fry it, bake it, stew it, make a stock with it, orr my personal favorite, BRAISE BABY, BRAISE! Simply flour, salt, pepper, brown andd throw in a bunch of herbs, wine, vegetables, broth, etc. Let it simmer for a few hours and VOILA! a dish is born. So easy, comforting, inexpensive, and fun to make. Not to mention a pretty friggin’ good house smell to come home to!

I do have to actually recommend a decent free-range, natural bird such as Bell andd Evans. However, it honestly makes a difference and is only slightly more dinero. This is one of the types of proteins you can actually just experiment with. FUN cooking, friends!

Sear off the lightly seasoned thighs with a handful of flour and a touch of salt and pepperr with a little olive oil, remove the thighs after lightly browning over medium heat for a few minutes, add some veggies such as onions or leeks and sauté until soft. Throw inn some garlic and sauté for an additional minute until fragrant. Carefully add some wine, preferably white or white vermouth, red is fine too. Reduce until heavy alcohol smell has dissipated. Add fresh herbs such as bay leaf, parsley or preferably fresh thyme, a couple cups of chicken stock (enough to cover by about two-thirds).

Next open a can of good San Marzano crushed, or peeled and blended at home tomatoes and pour those in. Throw in another pinch or two of salt and pepper, a bay leaf and bring to a simmer and continue for about 45 minutes to one hour. Once thighs are starting to easily come off the bone, remove from heat and let sit. While chicken is resting, boil up some nice egg noodles, lightly buttered and get ready for some good stuff!

By the way, add at least a tablespoon of chopped, cold, salted butter to the chicken, lightly swirling to incorporate before serving over the egg noodles.

Braised chicken thighs (serves 2) -3 chicken thighs -1 lg. can chicken stock -1 bunch chopped and cleaned leeks or lg. diced white onion -2 sprigs fresh thyme -1-2 bay leaves -1 tbsp. whole, salted butter, cut into small cubes -1 large can of whole or crushed San Marzano tomatoes -1 cup of AP flour -salt and black pepper to taste -light olive oil, as needed -1 pkg. egg noodles, cooked to specifications -1 cup white, vermouth or red wine Method (see above) Kind of flip-flopped the recipe a bit, reading it first is actually my preference. Formatt is slightly different, but makes more sense. Good luck and Enjoy!

Editor’s Note: Craig Korb is executive chef at The Crab’s Claw Inn, Lavallette, New Jersey. He has an Associates degree in Culinary Arts and a Bachelors degree in Food Service Management from Johnson and Wales University. For more information visit www.TheCrabsClaw.com or phone (732) 793-4447.

8 November, No r, 2013

Gardener Gard rde dener ner Ne News New ws

NJ Public Gardens and Arboreta Receive Legislative Recognition (Continued from Page 1)

Gardens Consortium deserve much credit for their commitment to sharing New Jersey’s beautiful public gardens and arboreta with the public,� said Senator Bateman. “The consortium’s success over these past five years is evidenced by the countless residents who have visited its members’ gardens and learned of their significant place in the state’s culture and identity.� Bateman also said that the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey are pleased to honor and salute the Garden State Gardens Consortium, a highly admired nonprofit organization. And that the strength and success of the State of New Jersey, the vitality of our communities, and the effectiveness of our American society depend, in great measure, upon concerned and dedicated organizations such as the Garden State Gardens Consortium.

In autumn 2005, a small and arboreta of New Jersey. the Rutgers Gardens at and Tom Castronovo, group of public garden They were Jim Avens, Rutgers University, Lesley Executive Editor and and media professionals Manager of Horticulture Parness, Superintendent Publisher of the Gardener News. Following up in the spring of 2006, Lesley Parness put out a statewide invitation to many of New Jersey’s public gardens and arboreta to attend a meeting at The Frelinghuysen Arboretum.

This meeting was held on May 19, 2006 and the ideas generated there sparked the interest of the numerous attendees.

The group continued to meet until the Garden State Gardens Consortium name was chosen and, with a seed grant from the New Jersey Committee of the Garden Club of America, incorporated on October 30, 2008. On February 17, 2009, the Garden State Gardens Consortium received their tax-exempt status. Membership in Tom Castronovo/Photo Garden State Gardens Senator Bateman reads the joint resolution has continued to grow. met to discuss how they for the Somerset County of Horticultural Education Currently 22 public could better promote the Park Commission, Bruce for the Morris County gardens and arboreta Commission are (Cont. on pg. 20) beautiful public gardens Crawford, Director of Park

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November, No r, 2013 9 Unique Plants

By Bob LaHoff Nursery Specialist

Autumn at Wave Hill Just over the George Washington Bridge and up the Henry Hudson Parkway a few exits is one of the most beautiful public gardens around. Wave Hill has long been a favorite, particularly in the autumn, because of its location.

Often I talk about how I love to look at water. Oceans, lakes, rivers, streams…it doesn’t matter to me. Wave Hill sits, with its 28 acres, overlooking the Hudson River and the Palisades of New Jersey.

“The scale of the gardens evokes the sense of a private estate, while the artistry of the design encourages exploration of the grounds” (Wave Hill). And while exploring these grounds you will be amazed at the massive collection of plant material they have and how well done their design is. All this sits just minutes from Manhattan, within a residential neighborhood.

As you meander around the grounds of Wave Hill you are treated to several styles of gardening. The Marco Polo Conservatory is stuffed with tropicals, cactus and succulents.

The Paisley Bed is a whimsical garden design that changes every year. Presently it is a knot garden with shades of silver, yellow and blue. The T.H. Everett Alpine House has diminutive rock garden plants inside. Durable little buggers well suited for life on top of windswept mountains. The Aquatic Garden was my personal favorite this visit. Tropical and hardy water plants and grasses helped frame this formal garden, creating a soothing space to relax and enjoy. Framing the outside were pleached hedges of European Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus.

And while the architecture of their buildings and gardens is brilliant, it’s the plants that frame the grounds that captivate my attention. A gorgeous mass of groundcover that screamed “look at me” was a variegated Lily of the Valley, Convallaria majalis “Striata.”

A beautiful striped version that swept, en masse, some deciduous beauties. This beautiful perennial brought memories, if only for a moment, of Rohdea japonica “Variegata,” a personal favorite. Perhaps it was the broad strap-like leaves or the thin, variegated margins, believe me variegated Lily of the Valley is infinitely easier to find than variegated Rohdea.

Turkey Oak, Quercus cerris, is a larger deciduous oak of the White Oak group. Native to southern Europe, you don’t see many Turkey Oaks in your everyday travels. Wave Hill’s specimen had moved well beyond the slender habit of its youth, thus becoming the broad pyramid form they are known for. Small, dark green leaves represent three to eight pairs of entire or toothed lobes.

A plant that caught my attention, from a distance farther than a sizable foot race, was a Baneberry, Actaea alba syn. Actaea pachypoda (Doll’s Eyes). Baneberry or Bugbane is a genus of flowering plants native to eastern North America. Closely related to Cimicifuga, a perennial I have grown to admire thanks to my friend and colleague Eileen Ferrer, this particular Bugbane has awesome white fruit only to look at. The berries are said to be harmless to birds, however Baneberry fruit is highly toxic to people. Oddly enough, the fruit were once sewn in as eyes to rag dolls long ago. Traveling off the “beaten path” I saw single specimen plants on individual pallets wrapped in a most peculiar burlap style. Cercis canadensis “Vanilla Twist” is a new weeping Redbud that is so rare, the Internet doesn’t even have much on it. Characterized by light green leaves and white flowers, it is these characteristics that help distinguish “Vanilla Twist” from all others.

Clearly, Wave Hill is connected to “the pipeline” of the new, the rare and the proven… solidifying itself as one of the best public gardens ever! Finally “an iconoclastic biological specimen” (Michael Dirr), whose notoriety has escaped many, if not most, mainstream gardeners is the Igiri Tree, Idesia polycarpa. A somewhat rounded tree with large, five- to 10-inch-long, deep green leaves. Bright red panicles, eight inches long, look like small cherries dripping from the female trees in our colder months. A grove of these was planted in 1989 to honor Francis H. Cabot, Jr., the founding chairman of Wave Hill’s Friends of Horticulture Committee. A stunning tribute whose display left me in awe!

The Herbert and Hyonja Abrons Woodland was a great little trek for our family, particularly our daughter. A half-mile trail ambles down their woodland slope. Our destination here was the Woodland Gazebo, which is just feet away from the sounds of the Metro-North Railroad and Hudson River. The Kerlin Overlook was my personal favorite as I could enjoy “unencumbered views of the Hudson River from this sunny plateau” (Wave Hill). When you visit Wave Hill you’ll see why many consider it to be “one of the greatest living works of art” (Wave Hill).

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, the American Boxwood Society, the European Boxwood Society, a members of the Reeves-Reed Arboretum Buildings and Grounds Committee, a lifetime member of the Conifer Society, a member of the NJ Plants Trade Show Advisory Board, and past member of the retail council for Monrovia Growers. He can be reached at (908) 665-0331.

10 November, 2013 As the temperatures cool this fall and we start our holiday planning, we need to look at our landscape plants to assess what can be done to help them survive the stresses of the winter. The long range forecasters say we will be back in a more severe winter than last year. I guess that’s not really saying much, but still there are many factors which influence plant survival.

Garden sanitation cannot be ignored. We need to clean out old leaves and other garden debris which may be the habitat for disease spores and over-wintering insects.

This does not mean we have to scourer the ground or remove all of the leaves from our ground covers. It does mean that we need to remove the overabundance of debris. Organic matter which is in the decaying state can actually benefit our ground covers and some perennials. Usually, a good-sense approach is to remove debris which normally would create a nuisance or is an eyesore.

When we choose plants for our gardens, their cold hardiness should be an important factor. As a transitional zone, there are many areas in which the winters will kill some plants that are marginal growers. These plants need particular attention and protection.

Planting them in exposed areas is a recipe for failure and they won’t survive.

Gardener News The Landscaper

By Evan Dickerson Landscape Professional

So They Say it will be a More Severe Winter Since we are now in the throes of an extended dry spell and we have had a more moist spring and summer currently, proper hydration or the amount of water that the plants are holding going into the winter is of paramount importance. A careful inspection of your landscape will determine where supplemental water is needed. Since our wet periods in New Jersey this season, it hasn’t taken long for our soils to dry out and currently some of your plants may not be taking up enough moisture.

The best way to investigate this is to use a soil probe or just a thin spade to investigate below the soils surface to see if moisture is getting to the root zone. If there are multiple layers of plants in close proximity, some may not be getting an adequate supply.

Since there are different water requirements between varieties, some may be stealing water from their neighbors. A look at the soil around your plants as well as the amount of mulch can provide clues to the water-holding capacity involved.

Layering of different types of soil and mulch, as well, can prevent enough moisture from getting to your plants in proper volume. If layering is a problem, cultivating these areas to break up and mix these layers before watering will be beneficial. A simple investigation will determine which plants need water and this problem can be easily solved. Keep an eye on these dry areas into the winter as well.

Getting your plants into the best possible health is a big help in weathering the winter. After watering to be sure all of your plants are not in any water stress, fertilizing with a good slow-release organic fertilizer is a good choice. A dormant application of fertilizer which feeds the root system will aid in strengthening plants’ winter-hardiness. Our lawns will also benefit from a properly applied organic fertilizer application as well as a pelletized high calcium limestone product application, which will adjust the pH. As always, a soil test is needed to assess the exact

requirements. The grass plants’ root system will strengthen from this approach and the lawn as a whole will green up earlier and more naturally next spring.

With our plants properly hydrated and fertilized, we can look into providing them with additional wind protection. Many shallowrooted plants such as Skip Laurel, Rhododendrons or some azaleas, cypress and laurel, will benefit from a light late-season mulch application. At this time of year it may even be a more appropriate use of our time to apply mulch as it will help in winter protection and will help our plants in the spring by holding more consistent moisture through the winter.

Even though your plants may be in the best health that they can be, winter winds can still take their toll. Extreme temperature swings, which are common in New Jersey, can also be detrimental. On some landscape plants the only way to prevent this desiccation is to install

a wind break of burlap or similar woven materials. North- and westfacing plants are more susceptible to wind burn and may need staked burlap to completely surround the planting area. South- and eastfacing plants are more susceptible to sun damage and a burlap screen, as well as wrapping the bark of newly planted trees, can help prevent this type of occurrence.

The use of anti-desiccant sprays can be helpful in the prevention of winter leaf injury as well. These many products are sprayed on the full leaf and needle surface and will provide protection from the drying effects of winter winds, particularly on sunny days.

These products will most likely need to be reapplied on a warm mid-winter day to provide better protection until spring. Follow the label instructions to be sure you are applying properly.

Your landscape professional and local garden center are always available to help you and your landscape plants survive the stresses of the winter season.

Editor’s Note: Evan Dickerson is owner of Dickerson Landscape Contractors and NaturesPro of North Plainfield. He has been pioneering the organic approach to plant health since 1972. Evan can be reached at 908-753-1490

Far From Sour to the Eye! With the onset of November, everyone starts to think about the Holidays and suddenly our focus passes from the colors of autumn to the events beyond. It is unfortunate, since November in Central New Jersey often features many trees with great fall color. One tree that I consistently find enjoyable for its fall color, yet missing from many a garden is Sourwood, otherwise known as Oxydendrum arboreum.

Although Sourwood is rather exotic in appearance, it is actually native to the East Coast, extending from Pennsylvania south to Louisiana. A member of the Ericaceae or Heath Family, it was originally named Andromeda arborea

by Carl Linnaeus, since the flower is deceptively similar to Andromeda polifolia, a plant he discovered in Lapland and initially named in 1732. It was reclassified as Oxydendrum arboreum in 1839 by the Swiss

botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle (1778-1841). Oxys is Greek for sour, referring to the taste of the foliage while Dendron means tree, as in fact does the species epithet of arboreum!

Indeed, it is a tree, typically with a pyramidal habit and easily growing to 50 feet in the wild, but a more refined 20 feet in a garden. The leaves are lanceolate or canoe-shaped, glossy and deep green. In June and July many of the branches are tipped with pendulous flower racemes, consisting of clusters of three stems up to 10 inches in length that are covered with small bell-shaped flowers.

The flowers are white with a faint yet very pleasant scent.

As attractive as the summer floral display is to behold, it only gets better come autumn!

In late-summer and throughout the fall, the flower structure remains unchanged, but the flowers are replaced by light yellow seed capsules. As fall proceeds, the deep green foliage turns to deep red, providing a dramatic backdrop for the seed

capsules. A totally awesome, jaw-dropping display!

For the winter, Sourwood also has an interesting branch outline.

Unusual to most trees, Oxydendrum does not have terminal buds. Rather, the closest lateral bud to the stem apex assumes the role for developing the leader. This creates a rather interesting zigzag branching habit and an interesting winter outline.

The drawback to this stem morphology is the tendency for the tree to develop two or more main leaders, referred to as co-dominant branching. This is an inherently weak branching habit and the removal of one of the leaders should be conducted as soon as this structure becomes evident.

Sourwood is most commonly found along the Appalachian Mountains in soils that are well-drained and gritty, typical of steep mountain slopes or stream banks. In the garden, it is certainly tolerant of average garden soils, but it has proven to be intolerant of moist soils.

I have planted Sourwoods in

moist locations only to have the plants languish until transplanted to a drier location, reaffirming their desire for good drainage. Typical of Ericaceous plants, Oxydendrum thrives in acidic soils with a pH range of 3.7 and 6.5, making it an ideal companion for Rhododendrons.

In fact, one of the closest genetic relatives to Oxydendrum is Pieris, commonly known as Andromeda, which is typically planted in combination with Rhododendrons. For the garden, this tree is best used as a small to midsize tree. Over a 30-year period at Rutgers Gardens, the plant has slowly grown from a rather unimpressive specimen of four feet into a 25-foot- tall by 15-foot-wide showstopper!

From a design standpoint, Sourwood is best used in the garden where a blunt-nosed exclamation point is of need or a narrow columnar plant is required to soften architectural details. For the unknowing gardener, its appearance as a young containerized plant at a garden center does not belie its appearance in 20

years in the garden! From a plant lover’s standpoint, its offerings of summer blooms with their attractive fragrance, blazing autumn color with contrasting seed capsules and the ensuing attractive winter habit, Sourwood is a tree that no garden should be without.

Indeed, this “Sour” plant can provide many “sweet” offerings to the garden and the gardener!

Editor’s Note: Bruce Crawford is a lover of plants since birth; is the managing director of the Rutgers Gardens, a 180-acre outdoor teaching classroom, horticultural research facility and arboretum; an adjunct professor in Landscape Architecture at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences; regularly participates in the Rutgers – Continuing Education Program; and the immediate past-president of the Garden State Gardens Consortium.

He can be reached at (732) 932-8451. For more information, please visit www.rutgersgardens.rutgers.edu

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Somerset County Sheriff Frank J. Provenzano, Sr., a lifelong resident of Somerset County, New Jersey, recently visited with Michael Maris, center, and Nicole Snow at the Country Farm Stand from Washington, New Jersey, at the Somerville Downtown Farmers Market. He spoke to them about how important it is to continue supporting New Jersey farmers by visiting community farmers markets around the county, many of which operated through the end of October. New Jersey had 141 community farmers markets this season, eight of which were new. These markets feature Garden State farmers who sell their just-picked produce directly to consumers. Many accept vouchers from the Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program and WIC (Woman Infant and Children) Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program administered by the Department of Health and Senior Services. Eating Jersey Fresh fruits, vegetables and other agricultural products can go a long way to improving overall health. Eating locally also is a good choice for protecting our environment by reducing the miles a meal travels between farm and fork, lessening fuel consumption. In addition, choosing locally grown products helps keep New Jersey farmers on their land, preserving the Garden State’s quality of life. The downtown Somerville Farmers Market features Jersey Fresh fruits and vegetables, artisan cheeses, artisan breads, organic raw nuts, dried fruit, fresh cut flowers, fresh poultry and eggs, baked goods, honey, handmade soaps and more. It is located adjacent to the Somerset County Courthouse Green and in the heart of Downtown Somerville’s shopping and dining district.

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(COLUMBUS, OHIO) — The Association of Horticulture Professionals (OFA) and the American Nursery and Landscape Association (ANLA) have voted in overwhelming support of the consolidation of the two organizations into a new, national trade association to serve the entire horticulture industry.

The announcement on September 28 followed a 30-day open ballot and an in-person vote for OFA’s members, held in Columbus, Ohio.

The new trade association, named the American Horticulture Association, will be known as AmericanHort, and will begin operations by January 1, 2014. The mission of AmericanHort is to unite, promote and advance our industry through advocacy, collaboration, connectivity, education, market development, and research.

The new organization will represent the whole of the plant industry, including breeders, greenhouse and nursery growers, garden center retailers, distributors, interior and exterior landscape professionals, florists, students, educators, researchers, manufacturers, and all of those who are part of the industry supply chain. The association will have its primary office in Columbus, Ohio and an office in Washington, DC to facilitate government relations and research activities.

Questions or comments about the consolidation efforts may be directed to their chief staff executive, Michael Geary, CAE, at michael@ovoi.org.

Gardener News Fall has arrived, brrrrrrrrrrr! The past few months of weather have been somewhat unusual.

First we experienced a wetter-than-normal June, a hot, dry and fungus-ridden July, a relatively mild August, and a beautiful September and October.

I am pleased to see many lawns are being re-seeded this fall, the best time of the year to establish and re-seed lawns is during fall months. The good news is it is not too late to successfully seed and fertilize your lawn.

Imagine the great root systems you can create by seeding and fertilizing now and have your lawn stand up to whatever next summer’s weather brings!

The ground is still warm, rainfall is plenty and there is a lot of moisture in the ground, allowing grass seed to thrive. If you have had problems growing a great lawn, try to think why you are having trouble.

Perhaps you had too much crabgrass and weeds.

If this is the case, you first need to get healthy One of the unsung heroes of my fall garden is my ornamental cabbage and kale. Although there are large differences in appearance, kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kohlrabi, and broccoli are all within the same species: Brassica oleracea. The main differences between these plants are in traits that have come from thousands of years of cultivation and selective propagation.

In the wild, Brassica oleracea is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe, and is a small, leafy plant that produces golden flowers. They are particularly important in colder regions due to its resistance to frost. Once domestication of plants began, people grew “cabbage” as a leafy vegetable. Varieties with larger leaves would be selected, as well as those that had their leaves in clusters or heads. In 19th-Century Scotland, “kail” was used as a generic term for the word dinner. Preference for ever-larger-leaved plants had led to the development of the vegetable we now know as kale. The correct botanical name for kale is Brassica oleracea var. acephala, which

November, 2013 15 Turf ‘s Up

By Todd Pretz Professional Turf Consultant

There’s still more to do grass growing in these areas so weeds do not have as much of a chance to take over. Excessive weeds may mean your lawn soil is poor, which allows weeds to grow. Take a soil test to determine if you have a low pH value, which is common in weed-ridden soils. Add some calcium products to raise your pH value or sulfur-based products to lower pH in the soil. Grasses thrive best with pH values between 6.2-6.8.

Incorporate calcium, gypsum, humates or mix good topsoil into the existing soil after aeration with a new seeding-type fertilizer. This is a great way to create a better environment to grow grass. Perhaps you need to fix drainage problems

or you are experiencing soil compaction. Rent an aerator with a few neighbors for the day. Your lawn will love it! The better the soil quality, the easier it is to grow grass to achieve a great looking lawn.

I continue to hear from many homeowners that their tall fescue-based lawns are holding up very well. Tall fescue is one of the most forgiving lawn species. They hold up well in full sun areas, withstand heat and drought very well, tolerate a wide range of soil types and also do quite well in the shade, almost too good to be true! You also can reduce watering bills and decrease fertilizer requirements with tall fescues and your lawn can still look good. When you

purchase grass seed, look for genetically superior varieties for the best longterm results.

Crabgrass in your lawn should be dead by now. After the first frost, the leaves turn purple and then straw-brown after a few weeks. If you are seeding this fall, rake the debris away before you re-seed. You can seed right into these dead crabgrass patches.

If crabgrass has been a continual problem over the years, consider applying a second application of crabgrass preventer in late-spring or early-summer next year.

This is known as a splitapplication program. This will allow a longer period of control and ultimately little, if any, crabgrass

translates to “cabbage of the garden without a head.”.

More recently, cabbage and kale varieties have also been selected for their ornamental merit. They are known as flowering cabbage and kale, but it is actually the rosettes of colorful leaves that create the show, not the flowers. These varieties have been selected for leaves that can range in color from purple to pink to white.

The leaves of these plants start out green, but as cooler night-time temperatures arrive, the plants start to produce a pigment called anthrocyanins.

Just as in the leaves of deciduous trees in fall, the pigment chlorophyll departs, which makes secondary pigments much more prevalent.

They can survive temperatures as low as 5ͼ F, which means they will persist in the garden

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

of olive oil, one teaspoon of sea-salt, one tablespoon balsamic vinegar, and about a half-teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Place these into the oven for about 40 minutes. I

By David Williams checked them every 10 minutes Plant Enthusiast and shook the pan. They turned into crisp, light leaves that were fantastic. This recipe may work Garden, Good Enough to Eat with the ornamental cabbage throughout the winter. They on the cabbage and kale in as well, but I like the crinkly look great in late-fall/winter my garden. Little did I know, texture of the kale leaves. I containers planted around an I had been missing out by not think it would be better to use Alberta spruce. Sometimes actually trying to eat them the purple-leaved varieties if the fall temperatures are sooner. instead of the white ones, too warm, they will drop the Although considered because the white leaves will bottom leaves, but this is not a biennial, meaning that the turn brown after being cooked. something to be concerned second year the plant goes to about. You can either plant seed, I personally trimmed the Editor’s Note: David is a them deeper, covering the flowers off of my kale this year, fourth generation partner stems, or you can use them and it has grown almost three at Williams Nursery in like small trees and plant under feet tall and has spread out Westfield. He is a member of them with pansies. It’s OK to to about three feet wide! Now the New Jersey Nursery and put the pansies on top of the that we have been getting some Landscape Association, and cabbage root and add some cooler evenings, I have started the Union County Board of soil. The one thing that seems picking leaves and making Agriculture. He has served to shorten their winter life kale chips. Note: This is the as a board member for the span is a season that has large same way that I make roasted Friends of Mindowaskin Park, fluctuations of temperature. Brussels sprouts, but the taste the International Garden Going from temperatures in the and texture turns out completely Center Association, and the teens to a week of 50 degrees different. Pre-heat the oven to Rutgers Board of Managers. will finish their winter show.

400ͼ F. Pick off as many leaves He recently finished a two For years, I would as you can and put into a bowl. I year term as President of sometimes joke that I could go had picked enough to cover two Garden Centers of America out into my fall garden with a cookie sheets. Then coat the (GCA). He can be reached at jar of salad dressing and nibble leaves with three tablespoons (908) 232-4076.

The Great Plant Escape

My Fall

plants next summer.

If you have not fertilized your lawn this fall with a winter lawn fertilizer formula, you should have.

For homeowners in New Jersey, your cut-off date is November 15 to apply lawn fertilizers. It is getting late to apply broadleaf weed controls effectively.

If weeds are actively growing, follow label directions and apply as needed. Keep mowing as long as there is growth into late-fall. Have you had your irrigation system closed down?

Also, write a note on your calendar to “winterize” your lawnmower after Thanksgiving.

If you follow these directions above, then you can go watch some football!

A big thank you to Tom Castronovo and the Gardner News for the nice story about Jonathan Green.

16 November, No r, 2013 20 3 Local designer wins Gold Award The Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD), an international organization, has awarded one of its highest awards to Paul Smith, a New Jersey landscape designer.

Smith, a retired director from Duke Farms and owner of P’ In E’ Landscape Planning in Hillsborough, New Jersey, designed the community gardens (CG) for the Duke Farms Foundation (DFF). He had originally designed the gardens with the intent of it becoming the largest CG in the Northeast.

With over 400 plots, there is now a waiting list to get a plot at these esteemed gardens, for which Smith received the prestigious Gold Award in the Specialty Project Design category.

Smith has been an active member of the APLD for about five years and finds it to be one of the most worthy organizations he belongs to. He says that all landscape designers should become members and participate. The benefits are numerous and the networking exemplary.

Smith designed the gardens to accommodate a real need for local people to get back to nature and grow their own food. The CG was created with the intent of maintaining an organic system wherein people know they can safely grow food suitable for consumption without the worry of pesticides on their food from conventional growing practices.

You can visit the site by going to Duke Farms, located on Dukes Parkway West in Hillsborough, N.J. You can hike and bike over 1,000 acres of open space set aside for all to enjoy. Just ask at the Visitors Center where the garden is and take a look. It’s an awesome sight to see during the growing season when everyone is out tending to their gardens.

Gardener Gard rde dener ner Ne News New ws 2013 GCNJ Community Gardens Grant Recipients

By Jeannie Geremia Garden Club of New Jersey We’ve had a grand year thanks to the generous grant the Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., received from the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s 2013 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant program.

Since we have exhausted all the funding of the $40,000 that we received from Secretary Douglas H. Fisher of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, I thought it was time to acknowledge all the grant recipients and give a glimpse as to the many parks, community gardens, public gardens and garden education days these grants have helped statewide.

The GCNJ has eight districts throughout the state, so we’ll go district-by-district to illustrate the impact this project has had statewide. First to implement this program, the GCNJ Community Gardens/Jersey / Fresh/Jersey Grown Project committee decided to award mini-grants of up to $1,000 to worthy grant applicants, with the grant application and reporting forms available to all on the GCNJ website: www. gardenclubofnewjersey.com, under Community Gardens.

These grants were open to all gardening-related projects, but each project had to have a sponsoring garden club.

Being able to bestow these grants has been one of the most rewarding projects we have ever undertaken and it is with pride that we list the results below.

Starting with District I: Ramapo-Palisades, received $4,000 for six projects.

The Women Gardeners of Ridgewood sponsored four projects including their “Green Kids” Program in a new butterfly garden, developing a native plant garden, improvement of a public garden at the Ridgewood Library and planting of the raised-bed garden in historic Van Neste Park. Demarest Garden Club sponsored two projects at Northern Valley High School in their garden, and a garden education day at Demarest/Davies Arboretum.

District II: South Mountain-Eagle Rock received a total of $5,070.34, dispersed among six projects. Town & Country Garden Club of Chatham sponsored Chatham

Borough’s Community Garden Project. Montclair Garden Club sponsored the Montclair Community Farms Project. Rutherford Garden Club sponsored two projects – Secaucus Community Garden and the Rutherford Green Team Teaching Garden.

Maplewood Garden Club sponsored MapleFood Garden, a community garden. District II sponsored the Bergen Point Community Garden Project.

District III: Lakeland received a total of $2,850 for four projects including All Seasons Garden Club’s “Roots, Shoots, and Bulbs” Project. Rockaway Valley Garden Club sponsored Morris County Parks’ restoration of the Hammond Wildflower Trail, which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Florham Park Garden Club sponsored their Campfield Community Garden Project.

Central Sussex Garden Club sponsored the Hopatcong Community Garden’s Project.

District IV: Skylands received $11,384 for 13 projects, including community gardens in Frenchtown, Phillipsburg, Raritan Township, Long Valley, Hillsborough, the Roving Nature Center’s Children’s Garden Quilt Program and vegetable garden, Morris County Park’s Project at the community garden at Frelinghuysen Arboretum, the Center School in Branchburg’s “Seeds to Salad” Project, Garden Education Day with Warren County schoolchildren, the “Seeds to Salad” Program at Whiton Elementary School in Branchburg Township, a Celebrate Jersey Fresh/Jersey Grown Garden Education Program and the Karen Nash Butterfly Garden’s Project in Warren County. Sponsoring Garden Clubs included: Garden Club of Long Valley, Phillipsburg Garden Club, Neshanic Garden Club, Chester Garden Club, Hunterdon Hills Garden Club, Warren Garden Club, and District IV. District V: Watchung received $3,156 for four projects sponsored by Rake & Hoe Garden Club and Westfield Garden Club: A new Butterfly Garden in Shadowlawn Park, a Children’s Veggie Garden at Reeves-Reed Arboretum, two projects of Girl Scout Troop 40056, including “Honoring the Brave” and Sensory Garden Project.

District VI: Foothills received $2,830 for four projects sponsored by the Rahway Garden Club and Terra Nova Garden Club.

They included the Memorial Park Community Garden Project in Historic Jersey City Cemetery, Youth Community Garden at Triple C Ranch, Rahway Historical Society Garden Project and the 2013 Jersey Fresh/Square Foot Gardening Initiative.

District VII: Delaware Valley received $5,000 for five projects, including Bridgeton Community Garden and Project Grow with the Boys & Girls Club of Vineland sponsored by Countryside Garden Club of Millville, Rancocas Nature Center Community Garden Project sponsored by Mount Holly Garden Club, Haddon Township Community Garden sponsored by Haddonfield Garden Club, and Katzell Grove Project at Medford Leas-Barton Arboretum & Nature Preserve sponsored by Pinelands Garden Club.

District VIII: Shore received $5,700 for seven projects sponsored by five clubs, including Red Bank Community Garden, Freehold Community Garden, Tiger Patch Learning Garden by GoSprouts Project, Restoration of Edith Duff Gwenn Gardens in Barnegat Light, Keyport Garden Walk garden education weekend, Sea Bright Beach Planting/Restoration Project, and Borough of Sea Bright’s Post-Sandy Beautification Project. Clubs involved were Navesink Garden Club, Garden Club of Long Beach Island, Shrewsbury Garden Club and Garden Club of Fair Haven.

Editor’s Note: Jeannie Geremia is the Community Garden Chair and the new Butterflies & National Garden Clubs BeeGAP Chair for Garden Club of New Jersey, Inc., and is a National Garden Clubs, Inc., Accredited Judge for the GCNJ. Jeannie is also Program Chair for Neshanic Garden Club and can be reached by emailing jeannieg42@earthlink. net Garden Club of New Jersey’s website is: www. gardenclubofnewjersey. com and phone number is: 732-249-0947.

Gardener News

November, 2013 17

There are Jobs in Agriculture Agricultural careers are hot if you still want to eat.

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher, front left, joined in a program geared toward getting the word out that there are jobs in agriculture and students can enroll in high school and college agricultural-science courses to set them on the road to making agriculture their careers.

The New Jersey Agricultural Advisory Council met Thursday, October 17, in the Horticultural Technology Building at the Somerset County Vocational Technical High School in Bridgewater, focusing on the theme of “Marketing Today’s High-Tech Agriscience Programs” to meet the needs of the agriculture industry.

Also attending the meeting were representatives from the State Ag Education Program; the New Jersey Farm Bureau; Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey; the Somerset County Board of Agriculture; the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture; Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders; Somerset County Business Partnership; FFA students; and the administration of the Somerset County Vocational Technical High School.

According to the most recent USDA/Purdue University study on employment opportunities for college graduates in food, renewable energy, and the environment, the agricultural, food, and renewable natural resources sectors of the U.S. economy will generate an estimated 54,400 annual openings for individuals with baccalaureate or higher degrees in food, renewable energy, and environmental specialties between 2010 and 2015. Seventy-four percent of the jobs will be in business and science occupations; 15 percent in agriculture and forestry productions; and 11 percent in education, communications and government services.

New Jersey agricultural education programs are focused on high-technology agriscience courses that prepare students for professional agricultural careers where there currently are jobs available.

There was an overview of a High-Tech Ag Science Class/lab, a demonstration (and discussion) of CASE (Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education) equipment by students, and a Round Table Discussion by all the stakeholders present. Some of the topics discussed were: How do we help meet employment demand in the science, business and technology of agriculture? How do we better communicate the agricultural science focus of secondary agriculture instructional programs? How do we better communicate FFA’s premier leadership and career success to potential students, parents and partners? How do we better recruit students who are interested in and want to pursue careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture?

Now that the days are considerably shorter and we have finally had some cool weather and most of the current year’s crops have been picked, there is still plenty of activity on farms throughout the Garden State.

For many grain farmers, harvest is in full swing with combines running whenever weather conditions will allow, in order to get the crop harvested before winter sets in. At this point in the season, most of the state’s fruits and vegetables have been harvested with only a few of the most cold-hardy varieties still in the field. But while the pace of harvest may have slowed considerably, there is still plenty of activity on farms across the state.

One of the largest tasks facing farmers is getting the soil ready to face the onslaught of winter and early-spring.

This is usually accomplished with residue management and the establishment of cover crops. Many crops, if they are handled correctly, will leave a nice root structure in the soil, and residue on top of the soil that will protect it

Tom Castronovo/Photo

The Town Farmer

By Peter Melick Agricultural Producer

Getting Ready for Winter from erosion throughout the winter. Corn, soybeans, hay and tree fruit are excellent examples of such crops.

Other crops however, will need a little assistance.

For instance, certain vegetable crops that are grown using plastic mulch usually need the help of a cover crop. This is so because after the crop is harvested and the plastic mulch has been removed from ground, there is a relatively large percentage of soil that is left completely exposed to the elements. And if we plan on using that soil again next year (and most farmers are), then it is a good idea to plant a cover crop such as winter wheat or rye. This cover crop will then germinate relatively quickly in the fall and then establish some cover and a

root system that will hold the soil in place for the rest of the winter and spring. And, if it is managed properly in the spring, this cover crop will also add valuable nutrients and organic matter that will be very beneficial to next year’s crop.

Another job that has to get done before the weather gets too cold is that everything has to get winterized.

And on most farms, this is no small task. All of the permanent irrigation lines and pumps have to be opened and flushed out.

All of the temporary lines have to be picked up and put away. Sprayers have to be drained and winterized. And since many farm buildings and packing sheds are only used seasonally and would be too costly to heat year-

round, they must be taken care of as well. Also, before tractors are put away, the antifreeze levels should be checked to ensure that their engine blocks do not freeze as well.

This time of year is also a good time to address any equipment maintenance issues that may have surfaced in the preceding season. Often, it is a good idea to fix equipment while the problems are still fresh in your mind. I have had plenty of instances when during the heat of planting or harvest season, a piece of equipment will break, and one of the first thoughts that come to mind is “Oh yeah, I remember that giving me some trouble last year!”

So although you still have the winter ahead of you to

make repairs and to service equipment, any head start that can be obtained now will pay dividends down the road.

And last but certainly not least, the farmer him or herself may need a little maintenance as well. Maybe it is time to get that achy knee or sore back looked at.

Take the family someplace for some much-needed rest and relaxation, even if it is only for a day or two. Or heck, just head into town and get a haircut. Next season will be here before you know it!

Editor’s Note: Peter Melick is co-owner of Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick and a 10th-generation New Jersey farmer. Peter is a current member of the Tewksbury Township Committee, and a former Mayor of Tewksbury Township. 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.

18 November, 2013

Gardener News

By now, any tropical or tender plants that needed protection from the upcoming winter should have been addressed. The eleventh month is here and it is time to prepare for the upcoming season.

November is the time to plant your spring bulbs. Get them in the ground before the ground freezes. By the end of this month, they should all be in the ground and establishing their root systems. The ideal soil temperature to help them establish is around 55 degrees. Most folks ask me how far apart they should be planted. Well, it depends on the bulb. It is ideal to plant seven to 10 tulip bulbs per square foot. For hyacinths, plant six to eight bulbs per square foot; daffodils five to seven bulbs per square foot; and smaller bulbs like crocus and muscari, nine to 12 bulbs per square foot.

Another thing to consider when planting bulbs is the location. Bulbs need sunlight to bloom for multiple years.

Keep in mind that it is OK to plant bulbs under most deciduous trees because there will be enough light for the

period. Paperwhites are very fragrant and have attractive flowers. It is ideal to plant fuor to five bulbs in a sixinch container. Plant the fatter part of the bulb down, with the tip up and out of the soil.

Use a loose potting media for success. Both Paperwhites and amaryllis do not require much watering. Just water when the soil media is dry to the touch. Paperwhites are the original “Just Add Water� plant. While paperwhite bulbs can be planted in soil, more commonly they are grown in pots or dishes with some stones or marbles to anchor them in place and a little water. Flowers bloom within about three weeks of planting, for almost instant gratification.

A little preparation now helps ensure a beautiful blooming year tomorrow.

The Professional Grower

By Tim Hionis Greenhouse Specialist

To avoid dim bulbs, don’t be one bulbs to get energy to store for consecutive years. When bulbs bloom, the canopies of the trees have not yet leafed out.

Drainage also is very important to your flowering bulbs. They must have adequate drainage for survival. Do not plant them in areas where water collects.

If the soil conditions are not favorable, for instance, in clay, add organic soil or compost to the area to help their success.

Make sure to loosen soil around the plantings to help roots grow easily and obtain water and nutrients.

It is always best to add some bone meal to the soil, keeping in mind that it will use the nutrients to help promote the blooms for the following year. Here’s a tip on what to do with bulbs after

they bloom in the spring. It is important to cut the flowers when they are over-bloomed or spent. Make sure you do not cut the leaves. The leaves will absorb energy for the next year’s flower. Do not tie up the leaves. This will cut off the path for the energy to shoot into the bulb. Allow the leaves to yellow and wither on their own. It usually takes about a month or two for the leaves to wither away.

Now is also the time to plant your amaryllis bulbs to get them in time for the holidays. It normally takes approximately eight weeks for them to bloom when you plant them. When purchasing your bulbs, make sure to buy nice, firm bulbs. Avoid bulbs that feel soft to the touch, because they are most likely rotted and will not produce

anything. Be careful, many bulbs may still have the skin on them and that should be included in your testing. It is OK for them to still have their skin.

I recommend planting these bulbs in a standard size container, which means one that is taller than normal containers, like those you would find a lily plant in.

Plant the bulb so the top of the soil level just meets the neck of the bulb. Be careful with the roots of the bulb, do not crush them when putting in the soil. Crushing them will hurt the bulb and may reduce the brilliance of the blooms.

Narcissus paperwhites are also available around this time. These bulbs are easy to force indoors, since they don’t require a chilling

Editor’s Note: Tim Hionis has been growing plants for over 20 years, and is co-owner of Hionis Greenhouses and Garden Center in Whitehouse Station, NJ. He can be reached by calling (908) 534-7710.

New Jersey Nurseryman Ken Osterman Wins National Friend of Extension Award 1(: %5816:,&. 1- ʊ (SVLORQ 6LJPD 3KL (63 KRQRUDU\ IUDWHUQLW\ UHSUHVHQWV H[WHQVLRQ DJHQWV LQ + DJULFXOWXUH DQG UHVRXUFH PDQDJHPHQW family and consumer health sciences, and environment and natural resources, and is dedicated to fostering standards of excellence in the Extension system and developing the Extension profession. Each year ESP’s award program pays tribute to Extension professionals who have exhibited leadership and excellence in Extension programming. In addition, ESP recognizes individuals who have contributed to the support and success of Extension programs across the country. The contributions these individuals make are extremely important in the states and communities where they provide assistance.

This year there were nineteen individuals that were nominated by the ESP chapter in their state and four applicants were selected from the nineteen to receive the prestigious Friend of Extension Award for 2013. Ken Osterman, who received the 2013 Friend of Extension award from the New Jersey chapter, Alpha Xi, was one of the four national winners.

In May , the New Jersey Chapter of the ESP announced its 2013 awards, recognizing over a dozen Rutgers Cooperative Extension (RCE) faculty and staff. The 2013 State Epsilon Sigma Phi award winners automatically qualified as nominees for the regional and national ESP awards, which were presented at the annual ESP National Conference held at Galaxy IV in Pittsburgh, PA, September 16-20, 2013.

The National ESP program acknowledged the role Osterman has played in New Jersey agriculture. As a true Friend of Extension, Ken Osterman has consistently and repeatedly offered his insight, initiative, and leadership in supporting and expanding the efforts of Rutgers Cooperative Extension at the county, state, region, national, and even international levels. From local agricultural and programmatic efforts to much more broadly defined advocacy, outreach, and business incubator issues, Osterman is a recognized leader at Rutgers Cooperative Extension and throughout New Jersey’s agricultural and Land Grant College communities. He has led funding efforts to build up a local scholarship for undergraduate students and colleagues to begin or expand their studies and careers in the agricultural sciences. Osterman had chaired several local and state advisory boards vital to Rutgers Cooperative Extension’s present and future efforts in meeting our mission in all program areas. He has also advised and advocated for innovation and business development utilizing Cooperative Extension’s outreach model and unbiased research-based approach to the many challenges facing new, small, or growing agribusinesses.

In addition to Osterman’s national award, three New Jersey winners also received regional awards as part of the Northeastast Region: Sharon Kinsey, Camden County 4-H agent, received the Early Career Service Recognition for exhibiting leadership and excellence during the first 10 years of her career.

The International Service Recognition was awarded to Robin Brumfield, extension specialist in agricultural economics and marketing, for contributing significantly to the development and/or expansion of an Extension program in other countries through in-state and/or overseas work.

Daniel Kluchinski, chair of the Department of Agricultural and Resource Management Agents, received the Visionary Leadership Recognition for significant accomplishments resulting in leading Extension forward in new directions.

Also, the Alpha Xi Chapter received the Chapter of Merit – Gold Award and the Achievement in Chapter Membership Platinum Award.

Source: School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS) and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.

Gardener Gard rde dener News News On a balmy, b l sunny, midid 70s fall day, after Sandy and I got a couple hundred yards into the woods off Spirit Pond in Phippsburg, Maine, we had a thick swarm of mosquitoes around us like I have never seen before. Out by the roadside we had sprayed our pant legs for ticks but nothing else. After we heated up, our long-sleeved shirts came off and if you stopped for five seconds you would have five on each arm - Whoa!

Well, I do not remember this type of fall mosquito action, so I visited my neighbor, Rick, the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Warden, who shared this information with me: There are currently 49 species of mosquito identified in Maine, 200 in North America and over 2,500 species worldwide. Of the species in Maine, less than half feed on humans and livestock. Female mosquitoes require protein to produce their eggs and obtain this protein from the blood of humans and other animals.

Since male mosquitoes do not lay eggs, they do not require protein. Only the female mosquito requires a source of protein, ergo that is who is Th There is i a common misconception by both homeowners and contractors alike that the only requirement to be a landscape contractor is a pick-up truck, a lawnmower and a weed whacker.

Although admittedly the barriers to enter into our industry have always been quite low, it certainly takes much more than a truck and some equipment to be a professional contractor. Like any other industry, professional landscape contractors are educated, experienced and are constantly striving to improve themselves and their businesses.

They do this by obtaining college degrees in majors such as landscape architecture, landscape management or ornamental horticulture and by obtaining and maintaining the necessary licenses required by the state of New Jersey.

Depending on what types of services a landscape contractor provides, he might be required to maintain one or all of the following: a Pesticide License, a Fertilization Certification, an NJDA Plant Dealers License, a Home Improvement Contractor Certification (HIC) and a Landscape Architects Registration.

Another way to determine if you are working with a true professional is by checking to see

November, No r, 2013 199 The Miscellaneous Gardener

By Richard W. Perkins Freelance Writer

Guess What We Encountered On Our Fall Hike biting you 100 percent of the time - not the boys.

Most adult mosquitoes wind up as food for birds, dragonflies, or spiders. Others succumb to the effects of wind, rain and drought. Those that don’t may persist for as long as two to three months, and adults that hibernate can live as long as six to eight months.

Mosquitoes are cold-blooded creatures and do not generally bite in temperatures below 50 degrees F. In Maine, some adult mosquitoes become inactive with the onset of cold weather (Huh, that’s what I thought?!) and enter into hibernation before the first frost. Other mosquitoes die in the fall but leave winterhardy eggs, which hibernate as embryos.

And, that is why the girls were biting us - to lay their

winter-hardy freakin’ eggs.

Boom - question answered. If I go on a hike this weekend, the DEET spray is going on my exposed areas and with me in my backpack! Anyway, Warden Rick went on to tell us how we can keep the little blood sucking girls under control. Around the home, you can reduce their numbers significantly by minimizing the amount of standing water available for breeding by disposing of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, tires, etc. that have accumulated on your property. Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left out of doors. Clean clogged roof gutters on an annual basis, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to plug up the drains.

Turn over plastic wading pools

when not in use. Turn over wheelbarrows and do not allow water to stagnate in birdbaths.

Change water in birdbaths and wading pools on a weekly basis. Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being used.

Be aware that mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on swimming pool covers or in trash cans that have lids askew.

I asked Warden Rick if our DEET just repels them or kills them. He told us that most “insecticide sprays or roll-ons” are designed to kill adult mosquitoes within five to 30 minutes of contact. When contact is made, insecticides are approximately 90-percent effective, so some mosquitoes do survive. And, it is not designed to kill mosquito

Creating Outdoor Spaces

By Jody Shilan, MLA Landscape Designer

Professionalism makes a difference if they are Landscape Industry Certified. This is not required by the state of New Jersey, which is why being certified is so impressive and also why so many people are unaware of its existence. My goal this month is to raise your awareness of this certification and explain why it is so important when shopping for landscaping services.

To be industry-certified, a landscape contractor must take the Landscape Industry Certified Exam and pass both the written and practical portions of the test. The reason that I am so familiar with this is because my association, The New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA) administers this exam at Bergen Community College every fall.

Candidates can specialize in one of the following designations: Hardscape Installation, Softscape Installation, Turf Maintenance and Ornamental Maintenance, or get certified in all four. The

goal of the exam is to prove that a candidate has a general understanding of the their chosen designation and can physically perform the tasks that are typically associated with each specialty. In addition to this, each test taker must show that they know how to safely operate the various types of equipment utilized in our industry to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.

Landscape maintenance contractors need to show core competency with: lawnmowers, weed whackers, edgers, trimmers, aerators, roto-tillers and blowers.

They need to show that they have a firm understanding of the proper usage of this equipment while always operating in a manner that protects themselves and the general public. Any safety violation can result in an immediate disqualification of that particular station or module, requiring the candidate to wait an entire year to re-take that test.

They must also prove that they know how to properly prune plant material, and calibrate spreaders to apply the proper rates of products like fertilizers and pest controls.

On the construction side of the business, candidates must show that they can safely and competently operate: demolition saws, plate compactors, chainsaws, surveying tools and larger equipment such as skid steers. In addition to this, candidates are required to perform sample planting installations, proving that they understand how to read a landscape plan, correctly space the selected plant material and properly install the plantings. They also need to successfully pass other softscape modules, including properly identifying various trees shrubs and perennials and installing sod correctly.

For the hardscape and more technical side of the industry, candidates must know how to

larvae, so non-adult mosquitoes will not be affected and new hatches of adults typically need to be addressed.

Speaking of hatches, this summer, at dusk, I was outt back grilling some steaks andd – Wow! – was attacked by quite a few of the hungry little girls wanting my blood to help them propagate more of the little flying vampires. I wentt in the house, sprayed down and came back out with one of those electrified mini tennis rackets with brand new batteries. I swept it back andd forth at my feet, just above the grass line, as I walked and fried hundreds of them. I continued to grill as my buddy continued to swat and fry them around me. Needless to say, the mosquito is not one of my favorites.

Thanks for reading andd see ya next month.

Editors Note: Richard Perkins is an avid horticulturist, a member of the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance and the Seacoast Writers Association.

He can be reached at perkinsphoto7@aol.com properly l ddetermine i elevations, l i appropriately grade and drain a specified area and be able to install a four-foot paver walk in underr an hour. Becoming a Landscape Industry Certified Technician in one or all of the designations is a significant accomplishmentt for a landscape contractor andd is something that homeowners should look for when looking for a landscape professional to hire, whether it is for design/buildd work or maintenance.

You may find that contractors who are certified, licensed andd insured are also typically members of a state association, like the NJLCA. Editors Note: Jody Shilan is the owner of Jody Shilan Designs in Wyckoff, where he provides landscape design and consulting services for homeowners and landscape contractors. He earned his bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture from Cook College, Rutgers University and his masters degree in Landscape Architecture from the University off Massachusetts, Amherst.

Currently, he is Executive Director of the New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association (NJLCA). He can be reached at 201-783-2844 or jshilan@gmail.com.

20 November, 2013

Gardener News

Stacking wood and working the splitter

Tom Castronovo/Photo

The drier your wood is, the better and cleaner it will burn, and the less creosote buildup you will have, says Paul Mellen, owner of Paul’s Firewood in Warren Township, Somerset County. Firewood should be seasoned outdoors for at least six months before burning it. Properly seasoned wood is darker, has cracks in the end grain, and sounds hollow when smacked against another piece of wood. He recommends the following woods for their clean burning, low creosote, low smoke, high heat and fragrant properties: apple, ash, beech, birch, cherry, elm, hickory, locust, maple, and oak. Mellen’s Washington Valley Road business carries a wide variety of wood including: stove wood, chiminea wood, all sizes of regular fireplace wood, and smoking wood. Mellen also says that a full cord of split wood is 4’ x 4’ x 8’. And a face cord is an 8’ x 4’ pile of split firewood.

NJ Public Gardens and Arboreta Receive Legislative Recognition (Continued from Page 8)

members.

Membership criteria includes that the garden be open to the public; the garden functions as an aesthetic and/or educational display and/ or for research purposes; the garden maintains plant records; the garden has at least one professional staff member (paid or unpaid); garden visitors can identify plants through labels, guide maps or other interpretive materials; that the organization is a non-profit entity and that horticulture is central to their mission.

Garden State Gardens members participate as a group at numerous garden shows, maintain a website (www.gardenstategardens. org) and a Facebook page. A one-hour-long PowerPoint presentation about the public gardens and arboreta of New Jersey can be scheduled for groups looking for an entertaining and informative talk by contacting the webmaster at the website.

“We have accomplished a great deal in just five years,” said Lesley Parness, current President of the Garden State Gardens Consortium.

“And yet there is still far more to do. Over 1 million guests visited our member gardens in 2012. Whether for gardening ideas, a class, special event, or simply a quiet walk, New Jersey’s public gardens and arboreta are important cultural resources and valuable tourism attributes.

We greatly appreciate this recognition by the New Jersey Senate and Assembly brought to us today by Senator Bateman.”

“As people become more distanced from plants by computers and other technological advancements, Public Gardens will increasingly be relied upon for providing an opportunity of seeing, touching and learning about plants,” said Bruce Crawford, director of the Rutgers Gardens, and

immediate past president of the Garden State Gardens.

“I have been very happy with the growth of Garden State Gardens as a medium to attract more people to visit the Public Gardens of New Jersey and especially delighted today to receive this recognition from the New Jersey Senate and Assembly.”

“As one of the founding members of the Garden State Gardens Consortium, I am very proud of the recognition we have received from the State Senate and Legislature, and of the accomplishments we have achieved over the past five years in marketing New Jersey’s outstanding public gardens,” said James Avens, the horticulture department manager of the Somerset County Park Commission.

The following 22 public gardens and arboreta are currently members of the Garden State Gardens Consortium: Bamboo Brook Outdoor Education

Center, Far Hills; Barton Arboretum and Nature Preserve at Medford Leas, Medford; Branch Brook Park, Newark; Colonial Park Gardens, Somerset; Deep Cut Gardens, Middletown; Duke Farms, Hillsborough; Greater Newark Conservancy, Newark; Greenwood Gardens, Short Hills; Laurelwood Arboretum, Wayne; Leonard J. Buck Garden, Far Hills; Morven Museum and Garden, Princeton; New Jersey State Botanical Garden, Ringwood; Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, Upper Montclair; Richard W. DeKorte Park, Lyndhurst; Reeves-Reed Arboretum, Summit; Rutgers Gardens, New Brunswick; Sister Mary Grace Burns Arboretum at Georgian Court University, Lakewood; The Cross Estate Gardens, Bernardsville; The Frelinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown; Thielke Arboretum, Glen Rock;

Van Vleck House and Garden, Montclair; and Willowwood Arboretum in Far Hills.

Some of these wonderful places reflect our history. Some began life as a private oasis, while others have always been a part of our public lands.

If you haven’t visited one lately, or at all, now is the time to plan a trip.

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.

Gardener Gard rde dener News News

November, No r, 2013 211

Th Aff The Affordable d bl Care C Act A (ACA) will alter the way we use insurance here in America, to be sure. Although no one is quite sure of its long-term effects, one thing is quite clear; healthcare will change. Hopefully, it will not get worse, but governmentcontrolled programs have an uncanny way of being mismanaged. Don’t worry; the fact that the IRS will be running the program should put us all at ease.

If you remember, Congress passed this act in order to find out what was in it, according to Rep. Nancy Pelosi. It may take full implementation before we really find out the repercussions. Big questions remain on Medicare and Medicaid and the ability to fund the act in general. As we stand, the United States is several trillion dollars in debt to countries in Europe and Asia and continues to fund several rogue countries billions of dollars a year to protect democracy?

It is a noble cause to ensure healthcare to those who need it, certainly, especially those who cannot afford it and need it. I am guessing g g that the

Passionate About Produce

By Paul Kneeland The King of Produce

Healthcare will surely change intention was to improve the American way of living. But how can we be so blind when there are so many examples of universal healthcare in so many countries?

People from all over the world come to cities in America like New York and Boston to get treatment that they cannot get anywhere else.

Research in these hospitals and medical schools has increased the quality of life and prolonged the life span of all of us. Preventative medicine is commonplace. Cancer diagnosis is no longer a death sentence for many millions of people. How will this change when the motivation for being a doctor or healthcare specialist is reduced?

Some Americans may believe this act gives them free ee healthcare. ea t ca e. Itt does not. ot.

It provides for insurance marketplaces where recipients can choose coverage based on their income levels. All of it needs to be paid for by the recipient. Those who choose not to be covered will be fined.

The first two years will be nominal; the third year the fine will exceed the cost of coverage, thus forcing people to insure themselves.

Insurance companies need more healthy people paying into the plan than unhealthy people. That is how they can maintain their companies.

Insurance is like banking, if you take out more than you have in, a loss ensues. How long can companies operate in that position? Once these insurance companies get in the “red,� who will bail them out?

Will they be deemed too big to fail? a ?

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Government programs will also decide which treatments are paid through the ACA insurance system and which are not. We have already seen litigation on people waiting for transplants. In June of 2013, a Philadelphia 10 year old was put on the adult transplant list after a judge intervened, otherwise she would have remained on the children’s list and the story could have turned out quite different. What will happen once this act takes effect?

Now we see the brakes coming on for certain measures of the act. Large and small business exemptions are in place for a year. However, individual users must still pay into the system. It is ironic that members of Congress are exempt from using the system.

Maybe aybe the t e coverage cove age iss better bette

than what they have and they want to take less than the American populous? I doubt it.

There are a great many questions yet to be answered.

Apparently it is too late to step back and decipher before the law takes effect.

Healthcare should be justt that. Take care of your health.

Prevention is the best antibody.

Nobody will do that part of itt better than you. Eating healthy foods and getting exercise daily helps. Being active in mind andd body will help us all live a long time. So eat your fruits and vegetables. Exercise daily, even if it is taking a walk. Overr the next few months, we will try to find out what the ACA A really has in store.

Editor’s Note: Paul Kneelandd is the Vice President off Floral, Meat, Produce andd Seafood for Kings Foodd Markets, President of the Eastern Produce Council, and a board member off the Produce Marketingg Association. He holds degrees in Business Managementt from Boston College as welll as Northeastern University.

He can be reached att pkneeland@kingssm.com

Morven Museum & Garden awarded New Jersey Historical Commission’s 2013 Award of Recognition 35,1&(721 1- ʊ 7KH %RDUG RI 7UXVWHHV RI Morven Museum & Garden are pleased to announce that the New Jersey Historical Commission has honored the museum with its 2013 Award of Recognition.

The award is given every year to “individuals and organizations that have helped to preserve New Jersey History and have increased public awareness of and appreciation for that history.� The prize committee lauded Morven’s efforts as “exemplary,� naming Morven one of “New Jersey’s leading cultural assets.�

Morven has fully restored its mansion, buildings, and gardens with a decades-long, multi-million dollar effort in a landmark public/private partnership, setting an example of the highest standards. It is currently nearing groundbreaking on an Interpretive Center to welcome visitors and prepare for the future. Morven’s energetic programming, including many award-winning exhibitions and catalogues, brings thousands of visitors each year. Its attendance increased over 100% in the past year, building on steady previous increases and on track to break records yet again with nearly 7,000 visitors viewing its most recent exhibition “Coastal Impressions: Painters of the Jersey Shore, 1880-1940.� Its annual collaborations with over 100 regional organizations and businesses make it a true community resource.

A National Historic Landmark, Morven is situated on five pristine acres in the heart of Princeton, New Jersey. This former New Jersey Governor’s Mansion showcases the rich cultural heritage of the Garden State through regular exhibitions, educational programs and special events.

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TIP OF THE MONTH

It’s easy to over-water or under-water your plants and to want to water different plants the same amount, but over-watering is a common cause of killing plants, just as under-watering can be. Too much water makes the soil too wet and can cause root rot and disease. If you under-water your plants, then your plants will not get the nutrients they need from the water or the soil. So be sure to understand the watering needs of each individual houseplant to ensure it receives the proper hydration. To waterr your plants, simply add water until it drains out of the bottom of the pot (this helps remove any excess minerals, salt or fertilizer). Don’t water the plant again until the soil is nearly dried out (check to see how dry it is with a finger every couple of days). And try to water your plants in the morning.

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