In Season
Winter 2020
A publication of the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Program and the Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
Volume 34, Number 1, February 2020
Dave Close Master Gardener Program Director Kathleen Reed State Master Gardener Coordinator Devon Johnson Communications Project Coordinator Sue Edwards Master Gardener Program Development John McBride Program Support and Implementation
Virginia Cooperative Extension programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. An equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia State University, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture cooperating. Edwin J. Jones, Director, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; M. Ray McKinnie, Administrator, 1890 Extension Program, Virginia State University, Petersburg. Cover photo by Heather Gilla on Unsplash. State coordinator letter background photo by Peyman Farmani Unsplash. Ageless Gardener bottom photo by Réka Mátyás on Unsplash.
Content Letter from the state coordinator Kathleen Reed shares our exciting preparations for College, IMGC, and Giving Day.
Wet weather contributes to decline in Virginia’s oak tree population
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Last year’s wet weather may cause browning and death of some VA oaks
Update: EMG College 2020 & IMGC 2021
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Halifax EMG coordinator named VCE employee of the month
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Congratulations to Bill McCaleb!
EMG Coordinator Endowment updates & Giving Day 2020
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Giving Day 2020 is March 18 at noon through March 19 at noon.
College 2020 Preview
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Letter From the State Coordinator Hello from the State Coordinator’s Office, Though the plants are still dormant outside, our office is anything but! We are hard at work preparing for Master Gardener College 2020, Giving Day, the International Master Gardener Conference (IMGC) in 2021, and more! Master Gardener College 2020 is back in Blacksburg this year from June 25 -28. We have new and exciting tours and workshops planned and have secured some great keynotes and concurrent session speakers. The advanced training this year is Land Care Steward Training. Keep an eye out for registration opening in mid to late April. We look forward to seeing folks on campus in June! Another upcoming endeavor from our office is our engagement with Giving Day, a 24-hour giving campaign that runs from noon on March 18 to noon on March 19. We have two generous donors who have added matching challenges to our Giving Day campaign, one for $1,000 and the second for $2,000. All donations will go directly toward our unrestricted operating funds – those help fund leadership trainings, resource development, and more! Please consider supporting our Giving Day campaign or sharing information with others! It truly is an exciting time for our office as we work to plan IMGC 2021. We are not alone in this endeavor, we have a great team of EMG volunteers to help us pull off what will be a unique and transformative week in Norfolk in September 2021. Visit the conference website, internationalmastergardener.com, to see keynote speakers, a preliminary schedule, and additional details about our conference location. As part of IMGC preparations, we are currently calling for proposals for our 60-minute concurrent sessions and our 120-minute workshops at IMGC. If your unit has hosted a particularly amazing speaker, please forward them our Call for Proposals and help us round out our lineup of dynamic concurrent session speakers! The Call for Proposals can be found on the IMGC website listed above. Kathleen Reed State Master Gardener Coordinator
Wet weather contributes to decline in Virginia’s oak tree population Years of stress and predisposing factors, coupled with last year’s unusually wet weather, have resulted in sudden browning and death of some of Virginia’s oaks.
By: Devon Johnson Adam Downing, a forestry and natural resources agent with Virginia Cooperative Extension, has passed a big, healthy white oak tree on his drive to work. This summer, he noticed as two-thirds of the tree’s foliage turned brown in just a few days, and the tree looked like it was dying. Within a month, the tree had been removed.
oak and people report that it suddenly looks dead.”
“I can’t say I’ve ever seen an otherwise healthy-seeming tree brown out like that,” said Downing. “My experience is consistent with other calls we’ve gotten from around Virginia this year. It’s almost always a white
According to Downing, while a combination of factors contributes to oak decline, our unusually wet weather through last summer into the spring likely stressed many Virginia oaks and may have caused this year’s
Is some mysterious new disease or pest killing old, otherwise healthy-seeming oak trees? Probably not.
This page & next page: Dead oak tree. Photo courtesy of Lori Chamberlin, Virginia Department of Forestry. In Season | Winter 2020 | 5
increase in oak mortality.
urban heat islands.
“Last year’s wet weather is the only thing that seems different,” said Lori Chamberlin, a forest health program manager with the Virginia Department of Forestry. “Oak decline is happening in the background for a lot of trees, and it’s likely been accelerated by the extreme weather we’ve had.”
Homeowners concerned about their oak trees can promote tree health by practicing basic maintenance, including reducing or preventing compaction of soil around the tree, watering during periods of dry weather, and providing proper mulching. Good practices like these can help extend the life of a tree, even if it’s already in a gradual decline.
Predisposing factors, such as poor soil or old tree age, reduce an oak tree’s ability to fight off pests and make it more susceptible to inciting factors, such as frost or defoliating insects that may initiate oak tree decline, according to Chamberlin. An oak tree may be in decline for years or even decades, and contributing factors like secondary insect pests or diseases that ultimately lead to tree death are just the last nail in the coffin. The biggest routine stress most urban trees face is the urban environment, according to Downing. Urban trees deal with factors like competition from turfgrass, compaction of soil by foot traffic and vehicles, and even
“If your oak tree did die this year, don’t be afraid to plant another oak tree!” Downing recommends that property owners keep vigilant by taking a monthly walk around to look for problems. “For a lot of tree-health things, if you catch it early, you can help the tree,” he added. Tree owners also need to remember that oaks have a finite lifespan. “If your oak tree did die this year, don’t be afraid to plant another oak tree!” said Downing. “Don’t be afraid of oaks because they’re slow growing. They have so much value in the food chain and they’re great trees.” If the small size of a newly-planted oak tree deters you, think of it as planting an “oak bush” instead, Downing added. To learn about planting trees in parking lots or areas with pavement, see this Extension publication. To learn about planting trees in hot sites such as next to buildings, see this Extension publication.•
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Update
College 2020 & IMGC 2021 Master Gardener College 2020 will be back in Blacksburg. Planning for IMGC 2021 continues. College 2020
IMGC 2021
Extension Master Gardener College returns to the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia for 2020.
Planning for International Master Gardener Conference 2021 continues. We have chosen our keynote speakers, including Brie Arthur and Joseph Tychonievich--a favorite from last fall’s Master Gardener College. For a full list of speakers, monitor: www. internationalmastergardener.com/speakers/
June 25-28, Blacksburg, VA We look forward to a new cast of speakers, including Erin Ling (Virginia Household Water Quality Program, Virginia Tech), and Fred Turck (Virginia Department of Forestry). For the first time, the EMG College Advisory Team has arranged speakers for EMGC, and they have chosen a great assortment of new additions and perennial favorites!
Registration EMGC 2020 registration will open spring 2020. Watch your email for the “College” edition of In Season, which will contain an advance copy of the EMGC 2020 program. Stay up to date with EMGC 2020:
www.mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/college
As more details about IMGC 2021 become available, we will share them on our conference website here: www.internationalmastergardener.com
CALL FOR PROPOSALS We have opened our call for proposals for IMGC 2021. We are looking for speakers for: • 60-minute concurrent sessions • 120-minute hands-on workshops If you know of a great speaker (perhaps someone your unit has invited to speak), please let them know about our call for proposals! If you are a great speaker, please submit your proposal! Learn more & submit your proposal: www.internationalmastergardener. com/2020/01/28/call-for-proposals/
Assistant, he leads the Southside Master Gardener Program. He always has the EMGs on his mind with ways they can better serve the community and the schools with programs. He works tirelessly and spends way more time doing for others than he does for himself.”
Halifax EMG coordinator named VCE employee of the month William “Bill” McCaleb has served as the EMG coordinator for Halifax for 21 years and was named VCE’s January employee of the month. Longtime Halifax EMG coordinator Bill McCaleb was recently honored as VCE’s January employee of the month--a well deserved honor for one of the longest serving EMG coordinators in the commonwealth! “I took the EMG course in early 1997 and began officially as the Coordinator on September 1, 1998 after a short two-month stint as ‘volunteer coordinator,’” said Bill. Bill was nominated for this honor by Rebekah Slabach, Halifax ANR agent, who said, “Bill is one of the hardest working ‘retired’ men you will ever meet. As an ANR Program
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“I have seen Bill take an hour to coach someone who has walked in to the Extension office with a question about a plant or tree,” said Slabach. “ I have also seen him work with plenty of novice producers with questions and problems with getting a garden or farm started. He not only directs the best resources for beginning the project, but he also follows up with dozens of helpful articles and snippets of advice.” Bill is also a passionate gardener himself. “Bill cares about the science of horticulture and always strives to provide accurate, timely information to citizens who bring in plants to identify. He loves growing things, has the best tomatoes in his neighborhood - and shares his passion with everyone he encounters,” said Slabach. Bill was also a founding member of the group that formed the Healthy Harvest Community Garden and was instrumental in its design and planning. “He contributed his years of agricultural experience toward the vision of planting a sustainable, mostly organic garden that would benefit the community with healthy vegetables,” said Slabach. “One of Bill’s signature qualities is his determination to “show up” no matter the time or day,” said Slabach. The EMG State Coordinator’s office extends our congratulations to Bill for this well deserved honor! •
EMG Coordinator Endowment updates & Giving Day 2020 In 2019, the EMG Coordinator Endowment supported programs to slow the spread of invasive species, office staff transitions, and
What did the coordinator operating fund support this year? Staff transition In 2019, the EMG coordinator operating fund supported the state office during a period of staff transition as Kathleen Reed, our new state coordinator, came on board and Dave Close took a new title as EMG program director.
lanternfly continue to spread throughout the commonwealth, additional units may use these materials as well.
Why give to the EMG program? The EMG coordinator operating fund supports special state office projects, like the development of online training modules or marketing efforts. Should state-level budget
The operating fund allowed us to hire a student worker for additional hours through the summer of 2019 to perform the important tasks of mailing certificates, answering email, and preparing for Master Gardener College. These funds were vital to maintaining office function during this period of staff vacancy. In addition, operating funds made it possible to replace aging technology so we can remain in compliance with Virginia Tech IT requirements. Spotted lanternfly materials Operating funds also supported the development of educational pop-up banners with information on the invasive spotted lanternfly. The state office purchased three banners, which were made available to EMG units located in areas where the spotted lanternfly has been found. Should the spotted
A spotted lanternfly banner at Master Gardener College 2019
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restraints ever make it necessary, the EMG coordinator endowment could be used to fund the EMG state coordinator’s salary and keep the program functioning as normal. Ted Dempsey, a Virginia Beach emeritus EMG gives to the EMG coordinator endowment to ensure the program has stable funding at the state level. “If we don’t have direction and support from Virginia Tech, the local programs could wither and disappear in certain areas,” said Dempsey, “So I felt that the need to have firm funding at Virginia Tech for the program was important enough for me to make a contribution.”
Giving Day Virginia Tech’s second annual “Giving Day” event will occur March 18 at noon through March 19 at noon. Giving Day is a 24-hour university-wide fundraising effort during which donations can be made to different Virginia Tech and VCE departments, including the EMG program. Donations are tallied and ranked on the Giving Day website. From Virginia Tech: “Giving days are 24-hour online fundraising challenges that universities and nonprofits
use to rally their alumni or friends and inspire donations. Multiple goals are established and numerous tactics are employed to motivate donations, such as hourly giving challenges or matching gift offers. Giving days provide an otherwise scattered community of supporters to come together to make an impact.” During giving day, donations to the EMG operating fund can be made online! Plan now to post on social media about 2020 Giving Day! As Giving Day approaches, we will make a direct link to our donation page available to you via email. For more information on Giving Day social media, including templates for posts, email Devon at dvj@vt.edu. Giving Day Challenge For giving day 2020, we have received two generous challenges: • $1,000 matching challenge
• $2,000 matching challenge that will be unlocked when we reach $1,000 (for a total of $3,000 matched) Giving Day donations will go into our unrestricted operating fund. •
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The Ageless Gardener “A little studied negligence is becoming to a garden” — Eleanor Perenyi in “Garden Thoughts” (1981)
By George Graine, Fairfax Master Gardener This story originally appeared on the Farifax Extension Master Gardener website, as well as in the Virginia Master Gardener Association (VMGA) newsletter. VMGA is a statewide association of Extension Master Gardener volunteers whose mission is to “foster communication, education and fellowship among Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener volunteers.” Learn more about VMGA on their website: http://vmga.net/ For the past several years some authors of garden books have honed in on writing what can best be described as adaptive gardening or gardening for a lifetime. This makes a lot of sense once you realize that by year 2020, more than 46 million baby boomers will be 65 and older. The most recent book in this genre is “The Lifelong Gardener: Garden with Ease & Joy at Any Age” by Toni Gattone (Timber Press, 2019). A couple of other examples include “Late Bloomer: How to Garden with Comfort, Ease and Simplicity in the Second Half of Life” by Jan Coppola Bills (2016) and “Gardening for a Lifetime: How to Garden Wiser as You Grow Older” by Sydney Eddison (2010). The key point made by all these books can be summed up as recognizing your ability to create a landscape of beauty that supports your lifestyle. Indeed, your new landscape can be inspirational, beautiful and perhaps most importantly, functional all at the same time.
It seems reasonable to accept some of the objectives of adaptive gardening as noted by Gattone: • To raise awareness of adaptive techniques that enable gardeners to re-think how and when they garden for greater ease • To describe ways gardens can be changed or modified to ensure the safety and comfort of the gardener
Cover of “The Lifelong Gardener” by Toni Gattone
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• To modify favorite tools to increase their usability or to replace them with more ergonomic options Another way to think about gardening is that if you garden smarter, it will take less time to do more. In simpler terms, as one ages or has some kind of physical disability, knowing how to garden smarter will help to keep you more physically fit than most other activities. You need proactive solutions when you have physical challenges. “The Lifelong Gardener” is all about three T’s — tips, tools and techniques. In the chapter “You and Your Body,” the key is to identify what you can control. Keep your attitude in check and be realistic regarding any mobility issues. In other words, find a way to maneuver about so that you will conquer pain with joy — adapt! Regardless of age and aging, gardening is about how you feel, so again adapt. This becomes the new normal and enables you to garden more comfortably and without or with little pain. Your attitude is showing when you are able to recognize some limitations, that is, your abilities and disabilities when you are gardening. Take note that age is just a number although age may be important when you are looking for bargain prices. Otherwise, does it really matter? In the end, aging and attitude should not be a deciding factor for a gardener; however, it is important to understand your limits. Mark Twain said, “Aging is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” Gattone has a message relative to your comfort zone. She says, “It is important to strengthen our resilience to discomfort, as a path to inner peace.” If you can achieve that, you will not regret that resilience is a critical skill that goes along with caring for your body.
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As one ages you need to rethink how even simple gardening chores can be achieved regardless of some malady that heretofore limited your activity in the garden. The Dali Lama noted, “Pain can change you, but that doesn’t mean it has to be a bad change. Take that pain and turn it into wisdom.” This chapter includes a compilation of why and how you can maintain your physical fitness for working in the garden. The critical aspect is to accept your own reality. In other words, change your attitude and recognize your limitations more commonly called — STOP! As your body changes you can expect to see changes in balance, stamina, mobility and reaction time. This will become your new normal as noted above. The second chapter is about “Your Garden.” It is akin to attending a lecture on adaptive gardening and how you can garden for a lifetime. Here is where you might want to give serious consideration as to how to make
“Garden smarter, not harder and never give up.” some changes to your garden. In order to help with a garden transition, Gattone has included an excellent multi-page worksheet called “An Adaptive Gardening Action Plan.” This starting point is invaluable as it helps plan your garden on paper and “forces” you to be honest with yourself. You can put into practice every point she makes because sufficient words and color photos from previous reading provide a DIY perspective. The last chapter is about “Your Tools.” Where would you be without some of your favorite gardening tools? Are they still serving the original purpose? Human factors engineering
or the more familiar term ergonomics comes to the rescue. This is especially true for those with weaker hands, arthritis, achy joints, loss of muscle, bad back, etc. More than likely, just as the need to adapt a garden is paramount, one also needs to find tools that “work.” Fortunately, a number of tool manufacturers are listening to the plight of aging gardeners. They have developed garden tools that recognize how ergonomically designed tools can be a difference maker for gardeners and are more suitable for their needs. These days, it is a lot easier to find quality tools and helpful products such as kneeling seats, carry tool seats and pot lifters for moving heavy containers. This is a win-win for the tool purveyor and the gardener. Many of these new tools will help you to stay in the garden longer. Also, look for tools that serve multiple purposes. Consider adapting tool handles with a bicycle handle grip or the type of tape used on tennis rackets for a better grip and ease. Do not shortchange on quality. The marketplace has many lookalikes, and it is better to personally check what is
available instead of making a purchase over the internet. One last point is about gloves. Although this may seem like a rather mundane topic, it is actually a practical consideration for every gardener. You need to protect your hands. Today you will find a confusing array of gloves, so look for those labeled as “bionic,” with padding, reinforced fingertips and wellconstructed seams. Gloves come in all price ranges and with many different types of materials. Try before you buy. Consider the type of gardening that you do as this may dictate your glove selection. For example, long leather gloves (costly) are if you work with roses, but inexpensive “mud” gloves with a cotton-poly back and latex coated fingers and palms may be very serviceable for lots of gardening chores. A few last words …. Garden smarter, not harder and never give up. Continue to stay in the garden for as long as it provides you with so much pleasure. •
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College 2020 Preview
Changes and updates for EMGC 2020: • Registration will open spring 2020 • We anticipate holding speakers and sessions in Torgersen Hall
A team of EMGs is busy planning our College 2020 schedule, which features some exciting new additions as well as perennial favorites.
• Housing available on campus in air conditioned dorms ; dining at D2, an award-winning on campus buffet-style dining hall.
College 2020 returns to Blacksburg, Virginia for our 33rd annual conference. This year’s event will host perennial favorites, including Holly Scoggins and Alex Nimeria, as well as new faces like Fred Turck who will address firewise landscaping.
• Evening events including: VMGA silent auction, milestone awards ceremony, VMGA night
Concurrent topic preview: • Ants
• Hydroponics
• Gardening history
• We will be certifying Land Care Stewards
SAVE THE DATE: June 25 -28, 2020 More info: https://mastergardener.ext.vt.edu/college
• Marketing
• Showy woody plants • Ticks
• Forestry
• Vegetable gardening
Tours and workshops preview:
• Catawba Sustainability Center
• Lab Tours with Eric Day and Mary Ann Hansen • Fair Judging
• Virtual Reality Studio Experiences • Floral Design • Winemaking
• NRV Garden Tours Building on the Virginia Tech campus.
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