...for discerning weeders MEET MR. MORRILL
INSIDE THIS ISSUE News!
2-3
Plants on Vacation
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Weed of the Month
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Updates and Info
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Coordinator’s Corner
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Wildlife Happenings
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There’s an App for That!
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Invasive Update
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Recipe Roundup
9
Out and About
10
Book Review
11
We Need You!
11
Last Word
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HAVE YOU LOGGED ON TO VMS LATELY? DON’T FORGET TO KEEP YOUR HOURS UP TO DATE!
Justin Smith Morrill was denied a college education because his father couldn't afford to send all his sons to college and didn't think it was fair to send just one. He was born in 1810 and raised in the tiny town of Strafford, VT where his father was a blacksmith. He was very bright and became a self-educated man but considered the lack of a college education a great disadvantage. He was forced to leave school at 15 and became devoted to learning. One of his favorite subjects was architecture. He designed his Gothic revival-style home and his gardens, mapping out an intricate pattern of flower beds, other plantings, fruit gardens, and orchards. He was so successful in business that he intended to retire at age 38 as a gentleman farmer, reading, watching over his investments, and experimenting with horticulture. His retirement was cut short in 1854 when his political friends pressed him into service, sending him to Washington as one of the state's representatives. He served in the House until 1866, during which time he sponsored the groundbreaking legislation that bears his name. When President Lincoln signed the Morrill Land Grant Act in July 1862, it was the beginning of a profound change in the college and university system in this country, creating equal opportunity. Until then, most colleges were private, expensive, and elite beyond the reach of most young people despite their abilities. Traditionally, training was focused on doctors, lawyers, teachers, military leaders and clergy. Justin envisioned a system of colleges where the practical skills needed by farmers, mechanics and other laborers would be taught. He proposed establishing at least one college in each state. Others had similar ideas but did not gain traction until Justin became the advocate. The Morrill Land Grant Act established that each state would be granted 30,000 acres of
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by S. Olsen federal land for each senator and representative from that state. The sale of that land would provide endowments to be used to operate the colleges. The land grant bill had a timeline of 5 years but because, in 1862, the nation had other priorities it took much longer for many of these colleges to take root. In 1867 legislators passed the Hatch Act which provided money for agricultural research stations in each state. In 1890 the Second Morrill Act passed, again with Justin's sponsorship (by then he was a Senator). It increased the endowments for the land grant schools and required that, in order to continue to receive federal support, each state must fulfill the bill's original intent, by allowing blacks to attend their institution or by creating and supporting equally a black land grant college. The 1890 act also required that land grant colleges be co-ed. Today, every one of us has access to the resources created through the land grant system and has access to the cooperative extension service, created in 1914, when Congress passed the Smith Lever Act. Justin served on the Board of Regents for the Smithsonian from 1883 until 1898. He served on the city's Board of Public Works and under his tenure underground sewers were installed, streets were paved, parks were built, and 60,000 trees were planted. He successfully advocated for the construction of a separate Supreme Court building and for a new Library of Congress building to replace the original destroyed during the War of 1812. Justin passed away in 1898. At that time he was the longest serving legislator in American history. August, 2014
Click on the images to open up a link to the specific event page.
You can find even more events by going to the member web site: www.ocmgamembers.org and click on the calendar page. Events throughout the Panhandle are listed. Simply click on the event and you’ll see all the pertinent information!
The board of Okaloosa County Master Gardener Association have voted to participate in this Home Show. This is not the BIA fall home show that we normally participate in. That show has been cancelled for Fall 2014. We will have our normal booth, inside the area where we will host garden seminars, inside the foodcourt room. Our area will be separated by pipe and drape, although we will have walls on two sides. In addition, we have the opportunity to host a plant sale out on the patio if we decide we want to take that opportunity. As big, or as small as we wish. The booth, the seminar room, and the patio space are offered to us FREE OF CHARGE. If we incur some incidental expenses for a microphone (we have a hand held microphone being provided, along with speakers), our Outreach budget will cover the expense. Here’s what I need from you now…. SAVE THE DATES. Contact Joyce or Jane to participate! We would like to have gardening seminars with the following schedule – Saturday
Sunday
11:00 am 1:00 pm 2:30 pm 12:30 pm 2:00 pm
__________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________
Would you like to present a gardening topic relative to the fall? Last spring our seminars were packed, standing room only. Let’s do that again. We’ll have seating for about 40. This is an outstanding opportunity to reach alot of people in our county. Please let me know what topic and time you would be interested in. Please save the dates to help work at the booth and/or the plant sale. We’ll have 3 hour shifts, including shifts on Friday to set up and Sunday after the show closes for take down. Jane Montgomery is in the process of redesigning our booth, and that will be exciting to come see. We will need approximately 3-4 master gardeners to work each shift, and I want to be sure we have “old timers” assisting our newer master gardeners with the difficult questions, and that we all have fun and learn. The Outreach Committee will be organizing the booth and the seminars. We will not be responsible for a plant sale, but if someone else in the OCMGA or the nursery staff want to organize that, we’ll certainly help get the volunteers lined up, include the information in our press releases, and be as helpful as possible to ensure our OCMGA success. Please let me know if you are interested in making that happen. You can view the Home Show Flyer on our member web site: http://www.ocmgamembers.org/uploads/home_show.pdf
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August, 2014
District Master Gardener Conference October 9th (pre-conference tour) October 10th conference Click on the images to open up a link to the specific event page.
Milton, FL More information will be posted as it becomes available
The Annex is Open! The office will be open on Friday’s and the nursery is still going strong! Schedule a Friday to head on down and lend a hand!
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August, 2014
PLANTS ON VACATION So you're off on vacation soon and you're busy making plans for the care of your pets, your newspaper and your mail during your absence. But before you go shopping for your new cruise wardrobe, you might also want to give some thought to the needs of your plants while you're away. A little advance planning can help them survive your temporary absence in good shape. Ideally, you can get a neighbor or friend to check on your yard and your indoor plants and trouble-shoot any problems for you. If that's not possible, there are still some steps you can take to help ensure that you don't return to a plant disaster scene. LANDSCAPE: For flowering plants, do some deadheading before you leave. This will cause the plant to send much needed water and nutrients to buds that have yet to bloom so that you will have flowers to enjoy when you get back. Harvest all ripe or nearly ripe fruits and vegetables. This will keep the plant producing well while you're gone. Do a thorough job of weeding. Weeding eliminates a major source of competition for your landscape plants’ nutrients and water that may be in short supply during your absence. And there's the side benefit of not being overwhelmed by weeding chores when you return to the harsh reality of real life after vacation.
by K. Harper the lines of tubing that comes with drip holes already punched at various intervals, according to your needs. The pre-punched tubing is easier to use from the standpoint of the initial set-up. I thought it might clog more readily than the micro-emitters but I have not had that problem with it. Before you leave, be sure your outdoor containers drain well in case heavy rainfall and/or your irrigation system provide more water than needed during your absence. I've found that a cut-to-fit piece of fine screen mesh in the bottom of each container does a great job of permitting good drainage while keeping the soil in the container where it belongs. And the screen doesn't add to the weight of the container, another plus if your tend to move your containers around often. Mine might as well be on conveyor belts since I frequently get inspired with better arrangement ideas for them. :) Move your containers to a shady spot before you leave. This will slow down the moisture loss so your plant sitter needs to make fewer visits. It also increases the odds that your plants will survive if you don't have a plant sitter.
Self-watering containers are available. These containers have a reservoir at the base of the pot to hold water for the plants to use “Water your landscaping thoroughly before you leave” isn't real- for several days to two weeks. In theory, they're a great idea but in practice I haven't had a great deal of success with these. For ly helpful advice for many of us with very sandy, porous soils, whatever reason, the reservoir hasn't drained well and I've endparticularly during hot, dry spells. We can 'water thoroughly' ed up with a muddy mucky soil mess in the reservoir and plants and have plants that are dangerously wilted after just a day or two of our intense summer heat. And we also know that summer that sit with unhealthy 'wet feet' and no obvious ability to draw the needed moisture up from the reservoir. I've ended up rethunderstorms are often of the hit-or-miss variety, leaving your yard either soaked or dry as a bone. This means that some type moving the reservoir and just using them as regular containers. of automatic irrigation is a necessity, whether you use a sprinkler You may have better luck with them than I've had. system, drip irrigation or a combination of the two. Be sure your HOUSE PLANTS: Plants kept indoors require special considsystem is equipped with battery back-up so that it will continue eration. Before leaving home, place your house plants in a room to function in the event of one of our frequent summer power which receives indirect sunlight to keep them from drying out flickerings or outages. Also be sure your system has a rainfall too quickly. And, just before you depart, be sure to water your sensor that will turn it off if we have adequate rainfall while house plants thoroughly. They should be fine for a few days. If you're gone. This not only makes you a better steward of our you are going to be gone longer than that, you might consider precious water resources, it will also help ensure your plants placing your houseplants in the bathtub and covering them don't drown from over-watering as they might if they get douloosely with plastic to minimize evaporation. I have actually bled up on water via both rainfall and irrigation. done this with house plants, back when I used to grow house CONTAINERS: Your outdoor container plants are sure to need plants. The bathtub method works but does create kind of a some extra help if you're going to be gone more than a few days. mess in the bathtub. After we moved to Florida there have been If there is no one available to hand-water them, consider invest- large dogs, kids and persistent whitefly infestations all conspiring in an inexpensive drip irrigation system with a timer. I have ing to keep me doing all of my gardening outdoors. If you are a proficient indoor gardener, you might be interested in these a couple of these so-called 'patio' systems with micro-emitters more detailed suggestions for caring for house plants while you and each one can water at least 10 containers. They're very adaptable to almost any situation. You can buy complete kits or are away: http://www.gardenguides.com/79890-care-plantsvacation.html buy individual parts and create your own system. They're not difficult to set up. I have used both the micro-emitters as well as An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
Have fun and see you in September! 4
August, 2014
WEED OF THE MONTH
by L. Morris
Scleranthus annuus, commonly known as Knawel or German knot weed is a winter annual pest. The 1/2-inch-long leaves are narrow, almost like those of a tufted grass or creeping phlox. It blooms in the spring and continues most of the summer. It prefers dry, sandy or gravelly soils and is most commonly found in the eastern half of North America and along the west coast. It grows from a fibrous taproot. Pull or hoe this pest out of the ground before it sets seed. It may also be controlled by using a pre-emergent in early spring. The pictures are courtesy of www.pestid.msu.edu. You can see how the flowers are green in color and blend in with the overall picture of the plant.
Above—Agapanthus, ginger, and pitcher plants—courtesy of B. Buckellew. To the right—Datura double yellow—courtesy of D. Hickenbotham An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
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August, 2014
UPDATES AND INFO
by Editorial Staff
A reminder to check out the Master Gardener program on Crestview Television! More programs should be getting done very soon! http://www.cvctv.info/channel.cfm?category=The% 20Master%20Gardener&id=4430
may be revolutionizing industry. http:// www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/curran.html Wouldn’t it be nice if you could head out into your garden and pick and apple, peach, and pear...all from the same tree? There is such a tree. Actually there are several of them—The Tree of 40 Fruit. http://sciencealert.com.au/news/20142107-25892.html
UPDATED PUBLICATIONS Here is a guide of the popular pepper varieties used in Florida. This 15-page fact sheet was written by Monica Ozores-Hampton, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, November 2014. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1244
Check out a greenhouse in a hospital! http:// www.henryford.com/body_wbloomfield.cfm?id=58194 Amazing pictures from the International Mosiaculture Exhibition—Summer 2013. http:// myvirtualgarden2.blogspot.com/2013/09/mosaicultureexhibition.html
Southern Highbush Blueberry Cultivars from the University of Florida, Written by J.G. Williamson, J.W. Olmstead, G.K. England, and P.M. Lyrene, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, April 2014. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ hs1245
Not that we need any encouragement...but how about yet another reason to grow native plants in your landscape? http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/ beautyberry-natural-insect-repellentzmaz09amzraw.aspx#axzz38RhehYOI
University of Florida Potato Variety Spotlight: 'Elkton' — This 3-page fact sheet was written by Lincoln Zotarelli, Douglas TIPS AND TRICKS Gergela, Kathleen Haynes, and Dana Fourman, and published by the UF Department of Horticultural Sciences, April 2014. Here’s a tip for you. Hate shucking corn and never getting all those strings off? Use the microwave! http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs1237 Mole Cricket IPM Guide for Florida. This 20-page guide will help you identify mole cricket infestations and manage them effectively and economically while minimizing environmental impacts. Written by C. R. Kerr, N. C. Leppla, E. A. Buss, and J. H. Frank, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, May 2014. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1021
Take your corn and cut off the stalk end a few rows from the bottom (use a good, sturdy knife). Place the cut ear of corn in the microwave and cook on high for 2 minutes. Remove corn. CAUTION it will be hot! Use oven mitts or a towel. Hold the corn by the un-cut end and give it a shake. Ta-Dah! A freshly shucked ear of corn, with no silks. The kernels will be softer but the corn won’t be cooked through. The original link (and video) is here: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=35TsFXYfpB0
American Lotus, Yellow Lotus: Nelumbo lutea. This 3-page fact sheet was written by Warner Orozco-Obando and Lyn Gettys, and published by the UF Department of Agronomy, March 2014. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ag380 Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Concerns about Water Quality Issues of Master Gardener Program Volunteers. This 7page fact sheet was written by Tatiana Borisova, Michael Smolen, Maria Pilar Useche, Jon Calabria, Nickola Sochacka, Damian Adams, Diane Boellstorff, Jason Evans, and Robert Mahler, and published by the UF Department of Food and Resource Economics, May 2014. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe942
Rum rascal Cajun hibiscus courtesy D. Hickenbotham
Managing Mexican Petunia (Ruellia simplex C. Wright) in the Home Landscape. This 6-page fact sheet was written by C. A. Reinhardt Adams, C. Wiese, L.C. Lee, S.B. Wilson, A. M. Smith, and R. Freyre, and published by the UF Department of Environmental Horticulture, April 2014. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep498 INTERESTING ‘STUFF’ Idio(t)-syncracies
Did you know that you can now go fishing with a carrot? Well, maybe not the carrot itself, but you can certainly obtain a fishing pole that is made out of carrots. Check out Curran and how it An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
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August, 2014
COORDINATOR’S CORNER As I’m writing this article, I’m at a National conference. It’s the annual meeting and professional improvement conference for Extension Agents involved with agriculture. Most land grant universities from around the country are represented. I was able to attend part of a presentation given by P. Allen Smith. It was informative and interesting. He spoke very knowledgably and positively about Master Gardeners and was very familiar with the history of the Land Grant University system and Extension. I attended a presentation provided by Bayer Advanced concerning honey bees. Bayer Advanced/Bayer Crop Science has been proactive with their efforts to protect bees. You may want to visit their Bee Care website by going to beecare.bayer.com and clicking on “Bayer Bee Care.” The speaker talked about the new EPA Bee Advisory Box that appears on some pesticide labels. You need to become familiar with this. Here is a link with more info. (http://www2.epa.gov/pollinator-protection) We’ll be talking more about this. By the way, the speaker was a Master Gardener prior to becoming employed with Bayer Advanced. Update on Office Faculty (Agent) Positions Thankfully, the 4-H Youth Development Extension Agent position was posted by UF and we had a good number of applicants. Those are going through a screening committee. And, at some point in the near future, I’ll travel to Gainesville to assist with the interviews. Also, the Family & Consumer Sciences Extension Agent position is currently posted and will follow the same format as the 4-H position.
by L. Williams Update on Extension Annex and Nursery Thankfully, work was completed at the Extension Annex and Master Gardeners and Home and Community Educators were able to begin the job of moving back in and setting up shop on July 10th. Unfortunately, On Saturday, July 19 as I was en route to a National conference, Andy Donatelli contacted me and informed me that there was a leak in the Extension Annex auditorium. At the time, we were having heavy rain. It is an older building. The soggy saga continues… (Ed. Note: As of this printing, the Annex is open for business!) Reminder on Upcoming Event Don’t miss the “Month-by-Month” (A N.G.C. Tri-refresher and Advanced Master Gardener Training) on August 14 & 15 in Milton. This will count toward your MG recertification hours. Details are available at http://wfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/events, including the registration form.
WILDLIFE HAPPENINGS
courtesy of http://www.wec.ufl.edu/
August continues the traditional Florida summer afternoon rains Invertebrates: and sticky heat, but the wildlife don’t mind and there are some Corals along the Keys spawn at the full moon. stellar activities for you to see. Here are some interesting things to look for in August: Birds: First flocks of blue-winged and green-winged teal arrive to winter on Florida lakes and wetlands. Yellow warbler migration begins. Mammals: Two-year old black bear cubs will wean from their mothers. Short-tailed shrews will begin a second round of breeding for the year. Reptiles: Young sea turtles are hatching so watch where you’re walking on the beach. Insects: Thousands of great southern white butterflies can be seen migrating through coastal areas.
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August, 2014
THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT!
by M. Stewart The other ’app’ is the Florida-
In case you missed them, there are a couple of new ‘apps’ out there. The first one is a new mobile website, Landscape Pests. It is intended to support the diagnosis and information content for common insect and mite pests found in Florida. Users can search for pests using menus based on plant host or damage symptom(s), as well as by common or scientific name. http://pest.ifas.ufl.edu/
Friendly Landscaping Plant Guide. This is a subscription based app and is available for mobile and web with a 1-year subscription for $1.99. Visit: https:// ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/plants
NO CHOPSTICKS WITH THIS INVASIVE
by D. Stever guish from one another, include: common privet (L. vulgare L.), glossy privet (L. lucidum Ait. f.), Japanese privet (L. japonicum Thunb.), and Chinese privet (L. sinense Lour.). Chinese privet is thought to have been introduced in 1952. The Ligustrum species easily escape cultivation to invade adjacent areas, where they can form dense monoculture thickets. As a result, they now are established throughout the eastern part of the country.
The privets as a group are so widespread that they have been omitted from US and regional noxious species legislation. In the southeast, Chinese privet is included in all state invasive species lists. It is considered one of the top ten weeds in AL and Ligustrum sinense (Chinese Privet) GA, a severe threat in KY, SC, and TN, a Category One invasive Chinese privet was introduced into the United States from China plant in FL, and is included in the state invasive plant lists of MS and VA. http://www.gri.msstate.edu/ipams/species.php? for ornamental planting. Having escaped from cultivation, it is now naturalized throughout the southeastern United States. The CName=Chinese%20privet. greatest threat posed by this species is large-scale ecosystem Alternative plants for the landscape if you prefer native would be modification due to its ability to successfully compete with and Florida anise (Illicium floridanum) and Firebush (Hamelia patdisplace native vegetation. Chinese privet plants mature rapidly ens). Non-native substitutes include Camellia (Camellia spp.), and are prolific seed producers. They also reproduce vegetatively Chinese Holly (Ilex comuta) and Sweet Viburnum (Viburnium by means of root suckers. Once established, Chinese privet is odoratissimum) difficult to eradicate because of its reproductive capacity. http:// plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/pg_lisi.pdf Several species of privet have been introduced in the US since the 1700s, as garden plants and hedges, for which they are very effective. These non-native shrubs, which are difficult to distinAn Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
Gargoyle, n. Olive-flavored mouthwash. 8
August, 2014
RECIPE ROUND-UP No Pectin Peach Jam—courtesy of L. Vanderpool It is time for jam and jelly making. Stone fruits are readily available and not too expensive right now so take advantage of this plethora of fruit to make biscuit and PB & J toppings. Many of these preserves may also be used as topping for that evening treat of ice cream or toast, scones, muffins and other breakfast items. 8 large ripe peaches (about 4 lbs.) 3 cups sugar 3 tablespoons lemon juice (fresh or bottled) 1/2 cup water
Honey Oatmeal Raisin Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies—courtesy of M. Stewart Here’s a recipe that guarantees that you will not be able to let these cookies sit around very long!
Ingredients: ½ pound butter, softened ½ cup sugar 1 cup honey (local if you can get it!) Peel peaches. (An easy tip: submerge peaches in boiling water for 2 eggs one minute, remove and cool in ice water. Peels should slip off or 1 tsp. vanilla may be removed easily.) Halve peaches and remove pits then 1 tsp. baking soda slice and dice into 1/2 inch chunks. Mix peaches and lemon juice 1 tsp. cinnamon in a large bowl and let set for a few minutes. ½ tsp. salt 1 cup coconut flour Place peaches and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse to ½ cup all-purpose flour reduce peaches to small chunks. Do not liquefy. 2 ½ cups old-fashioned uncooked oats (NOT quick oats!) 1 ½ cups shredded coconut Place water and sugar in a large pan over high heat. Completely 1 cup raisin dissolve sugar stirring constantly. Add peach puree to sugar wa1 cup semisweet chocolate chips ter, bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10-12 minutes until peaches become clear. Skim foam occasionally. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make sure you have a rack on the top Remove from heat and immediately put in 1/2 pint jars. (Jam will be very thin when put into jars but will thicken and set as it cools and, after a period of several days, will become thick.) Should make about six 1/2 pints.
slot of the oven. Yes, I said the top slot.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer (or beater), beat together butter, sugar, honey, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt until combined and creamy. Add the coconut flour and allpurpose flour and stir until well blended. Add the oats, shredded Cool on your kitchen counter and store in refrigerator until used. coconut, raisins, and chocolate chips and stir well. (Be daring and add your favorite spices to jams and jellies. I addDrop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined cookie ed 1/16 teaspoon of clove powder and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla sheet. extract to this recipe. You could also try ginger or allspice for enhanced flavor, depending upon your taste preferences.) Place into oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on cookie sheet for at least 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool. These cookies are soft and will fall apart if you try to move them before fully set up. Makes about 2 dozen cookies. Do you have a favorite recipe? Send it in!
DON’T FORGET! We now have a full calendar on our member web-site! Click on the event and any additional information will be posted for that event. This calendar is updated constantly so check back often. www.ocmgamembers.org/Calendar.html An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
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August, 2014
OUT AND ABOUT
Congratulations to S. Gerber and T. Whitmoyer on achieving their Master Gardener status!
Night blooming cereus courtesy of D. Hickenbotham
2013 Continued Training Conference group photo. Hey! How’d that other guy get in there? R. Fultyn, M. Stewart, E. Fabian, L. Fabian and one very large chocolate chip cookie.
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August, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
by M. Stewart around your Florida home. From raccoons to roaches, from pillbugs to pigeons, this fully-illustrated book covers the biology, habitat, and control of the most familiar pests in the sunshine State. Includes sections on:
Biting and bloodsucking arthropods Stinging and venomous arthropods Pests around food Pests of fabric and wood Occasional invaders Turfgrass pests Pests of landscape and ornamental plants Vertebrate pests 326 pages. Price $30.00 Available at the UF/IFAS Bookstore
NOTE: Region-specific sets of Invasive and Non-native plants are discontinued! They will be available while supplies last for $20.
Pests In and Around the Florida Home SP 134 This handy guide gives you a colorful, comprehensive look at insects and other pests that may creep, crawl or fly in and
Northwest Florida set, SP 437
WE NEED YOU!
by Editorial Staff Hopefully you noticed our little boxes of humor scattered throughout this edition. Thank you to S. Berry for volunteering to be our Joke Editor. We had a few more pictures submitted as well as a new article writer! Thank you!
With that in mind, we are sending out the call for action. If you don’t think you would be able to write an article, send us an idea that you may have. Is there something that you are curious about? Is there something you want to know more about? Send those ideas in! If you do write an article, don’t sweat the small stuff. We are more than happy to provide editing assistance if/ when it’s necessary. We still need someone who would be willing to tackle our monthly book review. As you may have noticed from past issues, the book does not always have to pertain to horticulture. A book that interests you just may interest someone else!
This newsletter is for YOU! The editorial staff tries to keep things up-to Found something on the world-wide-web that you think would interest our group? Send that in as well! -date and provide you with the latest news that The more submissions we get, the better The Compost Pile will we can get our hands on. be! You may email your submissions, ideas, and photos to our editor at mgstewart2008@yahoo.com. Please make sure that However, it is a lot of work to come up with the ideas and artiyour pictures are in a jpeg format. Thanks! cles. An Okaloosa County Master Gardener Publication
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August, 2014
M. Stewart —Editor S. Farrell , K. Harper and S. Berry—co-editors
Have pictures or an idea for an article? Send it in! Articles and pictures are always welcome.
Your member site: www.ocmgamembers.org
The Foundation for the Gator Nation.....An equal opportunity institution.
LAST WORD The other night I was watching TV and there was a short interview with Sir Ian McKellen. For those of you who don’t know this actor...you really should. At any rate, he was talking about a not that had been returned with a jacket he had sent to the dry cleaners. The note read: “We are sorry to return something that is not perfect.” Sir Ian stated that he loved that sentiment so much he intends to have it on his tombstone! As for me, I got to thinking about some of the crazy stuff that folks have put on tombstones. There are books written on the subject (I have a couple of them...yes....I’m weird). I wondered why write something you won’t see? Well, you might know what is written on there if you came up with it and if you happened to upset your relatives too much you might NOT want to know what was written there. Still, why do folks do it? It has to be so everyone else can see it. So really, those epitaphs are written for anyone else who happens along. After such deep ponderings I took a stroll out to the front yard, mostly to bring up the garbage can that had been forgotten and I noticed the front gardens. These gardens are trimmed neatly, adhere (mostly) to guidelines that the HOA sometimes enforces and generally are fairly bland. Don’t get me wrong they look nice. The plants are cared for and there is a nice balance of color and texture. What I noticed was that you really cannot see all of this from INSIDE the house. You see all the design features from the street! In other words, the garden/landscape out there wasn’t necessarily done for me, it’s for whoever happens to pass by. Compare that to my back yard. No grass (I ripped it out), pie wedge shaped planting areas, garden
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By M. Stewart gnomes...and all of it visible from INSIDE the house. Look out any window and you may come face-to-face with a deranged gnome or perhaps a gargoyle. Anything goes in the back yard. It’s still relatively neat and the plants are cared for but if a garden says something about its creator...the straightjackets may be headed for my address! Folks have seen my back yard and most are polite enough not to call me crazy (well at least not to my face). What matters in the back yard is that what goes in there pleases me...if I don’t like it...it goes. The purple flamingo makes me smile so he stays...the Spanish needle...I’m still fighting to rid myself of that thing. And I thought again of the sentiment that Sir Ian liked so much...’we’re sorry to return something that is not perfect.’ Is anything ever really perfect? Should we even try to achieve perfection? I know folks who are constantly redoing their homes and yards because ‘it’s just not perfect.’ I had a relative who knitted. I actually never saw her finish anything because she was always ripping out the work...’it’s not perfect’ she would say. Perhaps, just perhaps, we should not think in terms of perfection. Maybe, our goal should be to achieve and strive for what makes us happy. What do we want out of our gardens? Our lives? What is a realistic level of satisfaction that we need? Like the tombstones, I’ll keep the front yard in a state that keeps me out of the doghouse when it comes to the HOA folks and the backyard I will keep in its happy state of imperfection. Next time you’re in the neighborhood stop by for a glass of tea and a seat on the back porch. We’ll keep the purple flamingo company and enjoy and imperfectly, perfect time.
August, 2014