THE MEG MEADOW MAKEOVER: MG ENVIRONMENTAL …mgofmc.org/Private/newsletters/mgnews0708.pdf · larva) on roses; noctuid caterpillars on new rhododendron leaves; sap beetles in ripe

July/August 2008 Volume 15 Number 6 Ruth Tomlinson, Editor Kathleen Yurwit, Layout

THE MEG MEADOW MAKEOVER: MG ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS

WHY ARE WE DOING THIS? The 32,670sq ft (3/4 acre) area between Federal City Road and the main MEG site is currently a wetland meadow. Probably because of its past usefulness to farmers as a hay crop, the dominant plant in the meadow has been the alien, invasive perennial reed canary grass (Phalaris arundina-cea). Significant areas of invasive purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) have recently appeared as well. Both of these alien invasive plants grow in large colonies. The dense mats they form inhibit the return of water into the ground and exclude the growth of native wild flowers and grasses that have an evolutionary relationship with native wildlife. Since 1998, Master Gardeners of Mercer County have regularly presented educational programs to county residents at the MEG site to em-phasize responsible gardening, including plant and wildlife interdependence, often with specific emphasis on butterflies, birds and native plants. This project will remove the alien invasive plants and restore the wet meadow with clump forming native plants to create a bird and butterfly friendly habitat that is also attractive from the roadside. In doing so, it will also increase the educational aspect of MEG, Mercer Educational Gardens, by including native habitat for wildlife.

HOW DID WE GET STARTED? The big makeover of the MEG meadow began in October 2007 when a grant application, co-authored by Nora Sirbaugh and Nancy Putnam, was submitted to the Holden Grant Committee of the Washington Crossing Audubon Society. In Janu-ary 2008, the grant committee posed several questions regarding the effects on aquatic life of the proposed herbicide, Ro-deo. After securing substantial references and expert testimony from Barbara Bromley and several Rutgers faculty mem-bers, Nora Sirbaugh submitted our responses to the questions. On March 14, 2008, a WCAS Holden Grant in the amount of $3,940 was awarded for MEG Meadow Restoration. WHAT WAS THE TIMETABLE? Project coordinator, Nancy Putnam recorded the following events: • March 22, 2008: Herbicide ordered through Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve. • March 25, 2008: With guidance from Barbara Bromley and Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, preliminary plant list submitted to North Creek Nurseries. • March 26, 2008: Notices regarding herbicide spray contents and application schedule are posted in several locations at MEG meadow. • March 27, 2007: MEG meadow soil sample is submitted to Rutgers Soil Testing Laboratory. • March 28, 2008: North Creek confirmed order for 3,488 plant plugs to be delivered the week of May 27, 2008. (continued on page 9)

Table of Contents Meadow Makeover……. P. 1 BJB Buzz………….…... P. 2 Critter Corner...…..……. P. 3 Habitat Homes.……….. P. 4 Wishing for Wisteria.…. P. 5 Insect Festival….……... P. 6 July/Aug Expectations… P. 7 Committee News……..... P. 8 More Makeover……… P. 9 Calendar………………… P.11

Cooperating Agencies: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and County Boards of Chosen Freeholders,. Rutgers Coopera-tive. Extension, a unit of the Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experimental Station, is an equal opportunity program provider and employer.

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Nancy Putnam and her many teams have accomplished the miracle of the Meadow Renewal Project at MEG. Nancy got the County to spray Rodeo in the meadow/wetlands to kill off invasive non-native grasses and forbs, got a grant to cover the expense of over 3200 native plant-lings, and pulled together teams to get the planting, ID stakes, and deer repellent sprays done. And she did all of this so that the installation was the day before a good rainfall. Was that great planning or what? Thank you, Nancy, for an incredible job!

Thanks to Ishrut Batjer who has served on the Newsletter Committee for several years and is retiring from that committee to pursue other MG interests. She has been a quiet but driving force at producing our wonderful newsletter each month. The calls that we have had in the office include critters and problems almost too numerous and varied to men-tion. Office samples of pathogen-caused diseases include anthracnose on sycamore, oak, ash, and Japanese ma-ple; fire blight on ornamental and fruiting pears; Botryosphaeria canker on many ornamentals; and red thread on turf. Arthropods include 4-lined plant bug on many herbs and perennials; thrips, aphids, and rose slug (a sawfly larva) on roses; noctuid caterpillars on new rhododendron leaves; sap beetles in ripe strawberries; black, pink, green, and other-colored aphids on many plants plus the beneficials that eat them; more spiders than is usual for June, eriophyid mite injury in some tree leaves; Andrenid ground nesting bees; and carpenter bees. We have had a fair number of ticks to ID as well, including deer tick nymphs, and American dog ticks. We are still hav-ing problems with woodchucks and rabbits in many county gardens. Naturally, we are still seeing a wide variety of abiotic stresses to all kinds of plants. These are diseases caused by human error, over- and underwatering, improper planting, poor pruning practices, physical injury, hot mulch, and lasting stresses from past years (drought, injury to roots, improper plant placement, etc.) I haven’t seen too much nutrient deficiency and air pollution injury yet, but I am also patient. They will come. Congratulations to Greenie Neuburg and Virginia Link who recently celebrated landmark birthdays. Con-gratulations also to Candace Preston who is the new Chair of the Board of the Stony Brook Millstone Water-shed. Congratulations to Luci DiPolvere on being honored by her college as a distinguished alumna. Best wishes to Barbara Vannerson who is dealing with some serious health issues and to Joyce Lathbury who has broken her humerus (upper arm bone – not funny!) Best wishes to Kelly Thompson who is recovering after surgery for a throat obstruction. Welcome back to our favorite snowbirds Evy Roberts, Sandy Robinson, and Carole Armel who have re-turned from wintering in Florida to spend the summer in New Jersey. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you for vol-unteering your time on the Helpline and at the counter. These busy days provide a wonderful educational op-portunity to see current problems. To those of you who have not been in lately, c’mon back. We would love to see you. Until next month!

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PREVENT AND PROTECT by Doris Petruska

A mild winter followed by a wet spring—sound familiar? One thing this situation encourages is a large mosquito population. The number one insect carrier of disease worldwide is the mosquito. Some of the transmittable diseases are dengue fever, yellow fever, St. Louis encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, West Nile virus, and chikungunya virus. From this list, West Nile gets most of the press as it can be transmitted by at least 36 mosquito species and is capable of causing neurological complications or severe muscle weakness. It cannot, however, be passed person to person by a single mosquito. The fear of chikungunya is that it can. This virus can cause crippling joint pain, and neurological damage.. With more commonplace travel and shipping throughout the entire world comes the easy distribution of assorted problems that would not have traveled very far any

other way. The tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) did not exist in New Jersey until 1995 when it hitched a ride in wet tires from Asia. West Nile virus remained a relatively mild disease in Africa and the Middle East for centuries until it hit New York City in 1999. It then took only four years to spread across the United States. Mosquito species number over 3500 worldwide. Of that number, 166 can be found in North America, 65 in New Jersey, and 40 in Mercer County. How did we get so lucky? However, even with all the possible diseases and Mercer’s large variety of mosquitoes, most people react only to that annoying, itchy bite. While we do not have to panic, we should take precautions. Since a mosquito generally travels only a couple hundred feet from where it hatched in order to feed, clearing your yard of standing water is important. Every seven to ten days empty or clean and replace water in flower pot saucers, toys, pool and equipment covers, discarded tires, bird baths, pet dishes, clogged rain gutters or anything that can hold a bit of water; and get your neighbors to do the same. For a water garden, use fish or Bacillis thurin-gensis israelensis and a feature that keeps the water moving. If you conserve with a rain collection system, make sure all openings are tightly covered with window screening. For self protection, the advice to stay away from mosquito-heavy areas at dawn and dusk is good but not always practical, so what can be done? Cover up and use some type of repellant over every inch of exposed skin. The most effective repellant is still DEET, which is safe if used as directed. Studies show its benefits reach a peak at the 30 percent concentration range. DEET-based products have an oily feel, which helps prevent the skin from emitting chemicals mosquitoes love. Note: never apply DEET to an infant under two months. For those who wish not to use DEET, currently oil of lemon eucalyptus seems to be the next best ingredient to check for, followed by Picaridin, both now endorsed by the CDC. The University of Florida sponsored a study which showed OFF! Deep Woods with DEET (23.8%) gave 5-hour protection, Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellant worked for 2 hours, Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus with Picaridin lasted 23 minutes, Natrapel with citro-nella (10%) stopped at 20 minutes, and Herbal Armor with an herbal blend was close with 19 minutes**. The im-portant thing is to use something. Also, mosquitoes do not like wind, so being in a breeze or under a ceiling fan is helpful. Products that either do not work or only repel a very short time or distance include ultrasonic devices, bug zap-pers, vitamin B, sulfur powder, citronella plants or candles, eating garlic or any other food, or sunscreen with re-pellant included. If you are covering up for protection, realize mosquitoes can bite through tight clothing, even jeans! Choose loose, light clothing, which makes it tougher for them to take a nip. Have a fun, healthy summer. **Information in Gardening How-to, May/June 2008, page 60 *“West Nile” by P. Jaret in Reader’s Digest, June 2003 *“County Take Bite Out of Mosquito Invasion” by J. Remaly in The Times, October 15, 2007

4 MGs Landscape Four More Habitat Homes by Ilse Goldfarb and Linda Potter

The Master Gardeners of Mercer County landscaped three Habitat for Humanity houses in Trenton, and our third house in East Windsor, on Saturday, May 17, totaling six that we have done in all. Seeing the hardpan converted to soil and landscaped with healthy shrubs on planting day was gratifying. Working on the design and choosing plants with the homeowners, then seeing their pride and pleasure with the finished job was best of all. Ilse Goldfarb led the team of MGs and homeowners to finish the three houses near the intersection of Clinton and Olden Avenues in Trenton. We had originally expected to

do that landscaping last spring but waited until the last of the three homes was dedicated this May. Nancy Issler finalized the design and got several nurseries and businesses to donate the plants and landscaping materials. Ilse met with the three families and explained the plan to them and how to care for the plants once in the ground. Suz-anne Keeler and her daughter, Ishrut Batjers and Debbie Simmons worked with us on planting day.. Habitat’s vol-unteers included five students from Peddie School and Rider University. In East Windsor, Marion Norman and Linda Potter designed the landscape plan with the homeowner and her daughter earlier in the spring. On planting day, the family and three Youth United teens from Princeton High School turned the hardpan around the house into soil and put in the plants. When we finished, the homeowner said that, now she and her kids know what to do, they can really take care of their new plantings. Next fall, MGs will begin working with five more Trenton families to landscape their new row houses which are directly across the street from the three we just completed. This means that a whole block, a neighborhood, of gar-dens will have been created and several gardeners born. Barbara Bromley has volunteered to give a class to Habi-tat homeowners at the Trenton Habitat neighborhood center on topics applicable to urban gardeners in the fall. ORGANIZATIONS THAT DONATED THE PLANT AND PLANTING MATERIALS: In Trenton: Mapleton Nursery, Ostrich Nursery, Quaker Bridge Gardens, Shannon’s and Nancy’s own Forever in Bloom for plants, and Robert Seekman for gravel. In East Windsor: Tony’s Nursery, Cornucopia, and Home Depot. Please check the MG website in the next couple of weeks for ‘before and after’ pictures of all six of the Habitat for Humanity homes MGs have collaborated on. Here’s a really important lesson we learned and want to share. Some people who say they don’t like to garden really mean they don’t know what to do, or they worry they will kill their plants, or they can’t afford the plants especially when they are trying to furnish the inside of their house. We think we erased all of those fears and concerns and working with MGs to landscape the front of their houses makes their houses welcoming outside as well as inside.

September on the Hudson On Wednesday, September 17, 2008, the MGofMC are off on a bus tour of Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate in Sleepy Hollow, New York. For more than two hours, tour the formal gardens of the estate dotted with the Nelson Rockefeller collection of contemporary sculpture. After lunch, move on to the dairy barns of the estate that have been converted into an agricultural environmental center. Here learn about the operation of the non-profit organization funded by the Rockefellers to promote organic gardening and sustainable agriculture. Be-fore you leave, sneak a peek at the famous Blue Hill at Stone Barns restaurant housed in the dairy barn and promise yourself a return trip for a dinner or Sunday brunch. If you wish to be part of this tour, email Pat Lagunas at [email protected]. Follow up your email with a check for $65.00 to Pat Lagunas, 440 Franklin Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08540. The fee includes bus transporta-tion, a tour of the gardens and an insider view of the environmental center. The deadline for registration ex-clusive to Master Gardeners is August 10, 2008. Following that date, guests may be registered to fill the re-maining seats on the bus. Don’t wait too long to register for half of the tour has been sold.

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By Kathleen Yurwit Ever since we went to Charleston, SC and saw glorious wisteria on a garden tour, I just had to have one in my yard. Beloved husband built the required pergola and we purchased two plants from a local nursery and patiently waited for them to bloom. Twenty years later we are beginning to think they are sterile. As foliage goes they are on a continuous rampage. They have a craving to crawl up our neighbor’s Norway maple tree. We have learned that fences make good neighbors but wisteria does not. We also planted it too near the house and notice it eagerly reaches for the gutters, roof and back door. It’s a little like living with the “Little Shop of Horrors” plant. When left unattended for a few days, it tries to attack us as we exit the back door. Not a good thing. Perhaps we are doing something wrong here. It doesn’t help at all that a neighbor across the street has the perfect specimen that devilishly drips in blooms each

spring before the leaves come out. Grr. The wisteria is a member of the Pea family, Fabaceae (formerly Leguminoseae) and genus Wisteria. There are ten spe-cies of this deciduous climbing vine, of which two are native to the southern United States. They are hardy, vigorous, and prized for their large pendulous flower clusters that occur in the spring if you are lucky. Colors vary from white, pink, lilac-blue, bluish purple, or purple. Plants that are grown from seed remain in a juvenile stage for 10-15 years or longer. Plants that are propagated by grafting, cuttings, or layering usually flower earlier. Two species are typically grown in home gardens: Chinese wisteria and Japanese wisteria. The Chinese wisteria grows to a height of 25 feet and blooms all at once before the foliage has expanded. Japanese wisteria blooms as the foliage is expanding and opens gradually. The Chinese wisteria wins the popularity contest, since the overall effect is so dra-matic. Wisteria require full sun, moist soil with a preferred Ph of 6.0-7.0, and a support system, such as wires, trellises, arbors or pergolas. The use of trees and roofs for support is somewhat discouraged. Wisteria can girdle a tree and wreak havoc with your house gutters. Pruning a wisteria is a must to prevent landscape strangulation, homescape destruction, and cranky neighbors, as well as to promote flowering. The biggest frustration facing gardeners is when wisteria has a longer than average juvenile period, like some young adults who will go nameless. This is usually due to lack of full sunshine, excess fertilization that encourages vegetative growth, and improper pruning. A heavy application of super-phosphate (0-20-0) in early spring, severe pruning of new growth in late spring or early summer, or root pruning in the late fall may stimulate non-blooming vines to flower. Maybe, maybe not. Now I know we have made every mistake in the book. Apparently wisteria does not like living under a maple tree. That is probably why it is trying to kill the tree. It also is too close to the house, gets little sun, and has been pruned all wrong. I’m now thinking about hanging silk wisteria flowers from the pergola; I hear there is a sale at Michael’s. On the other hand, I’m also considering the axe treatment. It is a close call. Be careful what you wish for.

2008 NOMINATING COMMITTEE At the Executive Board meeting held on May 29, 2008, a quorum voted approval of the candidates for the Nominating Committee, which is composed of:

Barbara Anuzis, 2003 Chair Kathy Easton, 2006 Sally Flynn, 1995

Catherine Horgan, 2005 Betty Scarlata, 2003

All active Master Gardeners are encouraged to contact any of these five committee members with recommen-dations for the slate of 2008 Officers. Recommendations will be considered once Barbara holds the first Nominating Committee meeting.

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INSECT FESTIVAL SATURDAY,

SEPTEMBER 13TH

The 6th Annual Insect Festival is coming in September so mark your calendar and sign-up for this fun and educational event. Look for the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the Master Gardeners’ office. As we teach the children about insects we are also educating the adults who have brought them to the festival. It’s never too late to learn how important insects are in our world.

This summer we are organizing two new groups to learn about insects.

1. In July we are forming a group to raise caterpillars. Our first meeting will be on July 15 at 1:00PM at Barbara Anuzis’ house to learn how she raises all her caterpillars. Barbara’s garden contains every host plant for all the NJ butterflies. Then, in late July or early August, we will go to local fields to find monarch caterpillars on the wild milkweed. Remember you still have time to plant parsley, fennel and dill in your own gardens to attract swallowtails to lay their eggs on these plants. This morning, I checked my bronze fennel and found 4 eggs on it. If you go to a nursery to buy these plants, some of them will already have eggs and caterpillars on them so check all the plants before you buy them. This is an easy way to start raising caterpillars. Call Evy Roberts(609-644-2662) to participate.

2. The second group will learn to ID insects. All summer we ask all Master Gardeners to save DEAD

insects. Swimming pool filters are a great place to find them. Put them in a plastic container, bring them to extension and put them in the freezer part of the refrigerator in the meeting room. Then we will try to ID these insects. This task is a real challenge and we are always grate-ful to rely on Barbara Bromley. Again call Evy Roberts (609-644-2662) to sign up.

Of course, we will continue to make the bees and binoculars for the children. At the festival, the children will pollinate paper flowers with their bees and look for insects through their binoculars. A THOUGHT TO PONDER

Insects out populate all other living taxonomic groups on earth. There are over 1,000,000 insects spe-cies today. Entomologist, Edward O. Wilson, suggests that if all the insects were to disappear, human-ity probably could only last a few months. Yet when most people see an insect, they step on it…… But NOT THE MASTER GARDENERS. We sponsor Insect Festivals! So save those insects, sign-up for

the festival and have fun teaching the public about insects. Insect Festival Co-chairs: Harri Nowrey, Suzanne Keeler and Evy Roberts PS: We are so excited to have Suzanne Keeler from the Class of 2008 join us as co-chair.

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Barbara J. Bromley’s

JULY & AUGUST GARDENING TIPS

Reprinted and abbreviated from Horticultural Activities & Expectations

THINGS TO DO IN JULY: ° Maintain high mowing height on lawns ° Sow seeds for biennials, such as Canterbury bells,

wallflower, sweet William ° Divide and replant iris ° Prune climbing roses when flowers fade ° Pinch chrysanthemums for the last time by mid

month ° No pruning or fertilizing woody plants after 7/15

° Apply Merit for grub control in lawn, if needed ° Start spraying early in the month for powdery mil-

dew, if needed

THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN JULY: ° Lone star tick and deer tick nymph activity; dog tick

nymph peak activity

° Heat and drought stress – over watering may be a problem

° June, Japanese, Oriental and Asiatic garden beetle peak activity

° Increasing yellow jacket activity

° Chinch bug injury [continues in hot dry years]

° Tomato fruit set problems in very hot weather

° First evidence of blossom end rot on tomatoes in dry years

° Slime molds in mulch and turf

° Stinkhorns and other fungi

° Air pollution injury to plants

REFER ALL TICK ID TO BJB

THINGS TO DO IN AUGUST: ° Turf:

◊ Begin process for lawn renovation ◊ Control weeds, selective or non-selective, for renovation [early to mid-month] ◊ Seed [late] ◊ Fertilize zoysia grass for last time ◊ Control grubs [mid to late month for most products; apply Dylox and carbaryl to 8/15 ◊ Watch for sod webworm injury to turf ◊ Watch for chinch bug injury that becomes evident in hot dry weather

° Plant lettuce, spinach for fall crop ° Finish replanting iris ° Control poison ivy ° Control crickets and grasshoppers ° Peak activity for dog tick nymphs, deer ticks and

lone star tick larvae ° Growing yellow jacket and hornet populations may

become noticeably aggressive ° Cicadas and cicada killer wasps

THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN AUGUST: ° Peak Scoliid [digger] wasp activity ° Hummingbird [hawk] moths on flowers ° Spider activity ° Air pollution [especially ozone] injury to plants ° Powdery mildew on some ornamentals ° Nutrient deficiencies noticeable on under-

fertilized annual flowers and vegetables ° Partial defoliation of trees damaged by spring-onset

leaf spotting diseases [caused by cedar-apple rust, anthracnose, etc.]

° Bud set on spring blooming woody plants

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CHILDREN’S BUREAU The Children's Bureau has a few more upcoming library events. On July 9th we will travel to the Hickory Corner Branch of the Mercer County Library and August 5th will find us at the West Windsor Branch. Both programs will be in con-junction with the Summer Reading program theme of "Bugs". These events typically attract a lot of school age children and families. We will have plenty of insects on hand for all to examine and then the children will create their own egg carton insects. Please continue to save your styrofoam egg cartons for this craft as our supplies are dwindling. New class members are welcome. Participation counts toward our Mercer County Hours requirement. Please consider joining us. For any questions or to sign up with us, please email Trish at [email protected].

COMMUNITY EDUCATION PROGRAM There are thousands of insects out there in your garden, eating away - do you know the good guys? It is such a shame to realize that you might have just killed a beneficial insect - the good ones that consume your aphids or mealy bugs. Come to our July 19th Community Education program at MEG to hear Barbara J. Bromley talk about "Beneficial Insects", what they do and how to attract them at 10:00-11:00 AM. There will also be a Q&A from 9:30 to 11:30 AM so you can bring your garden questions. Join us after the MEG Work Day. After the summer heat, drought and traffic on your lawn, it may be looking very thin and worn. August is the perfect time to start renovating the lawn. Come to Barbara J. Bromley's talk on "Fall Home Lawn Maintenance and Renovation" at the Extension on Wednesday, August 13 at 7:00 to 8:30 PM. She will tell you how to reseed and which is the best fer-tilizer to improve that green turf and much more. We can all use a little refresher on turf.

HELPLINE June is the last month with pink helpline spaces reserved for the Class of 2008. Starting in July, all spaces are open to anyone and everyone on a first-come basis. A further clarification: Until each monthly meeting, folks may sign up ahead of time in only three slots per month. But after the calendar has been passed around at the monthly meeting, folks can sign up whenever they see vacancies.

BARBARA BROMLEY AND MERCER COUNTY RESIDENTS NEED YOU! YOU! YOU!

PROGRAM On Monday, July 7th we will have our Visit MGs Gardens Day. Our tour begins at 10 AM in Pat Lagunas’ garden in Princeton. The second garden we will visit is Linda Potter's near a lake in the Grovers Mill section of Princeton Junction. And, just a few miles from Linda’s home is Lee Nissen's garden, the last garden we will visit. Each garden has its own personality and is completely different from one another. Our business meeting will start promptly at Lee’s at noon and after the meeting, Lee suggests boating on the lake near her after the meeting.

AUGUST MEETING & PROGRAM, or...GO TAKE A HIKE! On August 4th at 10:00, all MG’s may join Amy Weaver and Bay Weber for a tour of the Stony Brook-Millstone Water-shed Reserve, at 31 Titus Mill Rd., Pennington, to be followed by a brief MG monthly business meeting. Amy is the Pro-gram Coordinator for the River-Friendly Certification Programs. Dress for hiking trails and meadows; bug/tick repellent will be useful. Park anywhere in the two gravel parking lots. For directions, and more about the Watershed Association, visit www.thewatershed.org

SAVE THE DATE

October 4, 2008 is the day of the STATE FALL CONFERENCE. At this time the speakers include Ann Raver, the NY Times Garden columnist, and Leslie Jones Sauyer. Watch the September newsletter and our website for more information about this interesting day.

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Meadow Makeover (Continued from page 1) • April 9, 2008: Kevin Bannon of Parks Commission approved Barbara Bromley’s request to proceed with the MEG meadow restoration and assigned a licensed Parks employee to spray herbicide. • April 10, 2008: Rutgers reported MEG meadow pH is 5.8. Barbara Bromley advised 20lb/1000sq ft. of lime. • April 11, 2008: Barbara Anuzis and Marie Rickman met with Nancy Putnam at MEG to develop plans for how planting will proceed. • April 17, 2008: Parks applied first application of herbicide. • April 25, 2008: Jack Piepszak applied 15 bags pelletized lime to MEG meadow. • May 5, 2008: Sixty MG’s signed up to help plant plugs. Ed Gibson volunteered to make markers from donated venetian blinds. • May 14, 2008: Fifteen MGs agreed to take on added responsibilities for the planting (Plug-In) Day. (12-- Team leaders, 1-- Troubleshooter, 1-- Refreshments, 1-- Music). • May 23, 2008: Parks applied second application of herbicide. • May 28, 2008: Approximately fifty mature native plants from the Anuzis family meadow were transplanted by Alison and Christopher Anuzis. The wet area at the roadside untreated with herbicide was covered with wet newspaper and black plastic by Marie Rickman and Nancy Putnam. They also roped off the meadow into 12 planting sections. • May 29, 2008: North Creek delivers 3,216 plugs, and they were stored overnight in the Equestrian Center barn. May 30, 2008: Team leaders arrived for orientation at 8:30am. Music and refreshment tables were set up. Flats of plants, dig-ging tools and flags were distributed to team leaders. Forty five MGs begin planting at 9:30am. Planting, flagging and applica-tion of deer repellent spray was completed by 12:30pm. • May 31, 2008: Mother Nature delivered 3/4inch of rain. • June 1, 2008: A tiger swallow tail butterfly was puddling in the mud, the frogs were croaking, the bluebird and tree swal-lows were guarding their houses, and the plants all looked secure and ready to begin a spurt of new growth. June 2008-2010: MG teams will continue to monitor the health of the new plantings for the duration of the growing season this year. Also, after the invasive non-native reed canary grass at the roadside –now covered with wet newspaper and black plas-tic—has been sufficiently smothered, we will be planting native sedges into that area. It will take approximately two years for the plants to reach maturity, but we’re off to a wonderful start! WHAT WAS PLANTED? Grasses (60%) Wildflowers (40%) (Forbs)

Andropogon virginicus (Broom sedge) Asclepias incarnata (Swamp milkweed)

Juncus effusus (Common rush) Helenium autumnale (Helen's flower; Sneeze weed)

Panicum virgatum (Switch grass) Pycnantheum muticum (Mountain mint)

Chasmanthium latifolium (Sea oats) Rudbeckia laciniata (Green headed coneflower)

Senecio aureus (Golden ragwort)

Solidago graminifolia (Lance-leaved goldenrod)

Verbena hastata (Blue vervain)

Vernonia noveborocensis (New York ironweed)

Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver's root)

Tradescantia virginiana 'Purple Profusion' (Spiderwort)

Physostegia virginiana 'Miss Manners' (Obedience plant)

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Betty Lou Allen, Team F leader Barbara Anuzis, Planning, Trans plant, Music Doris Arents, Team E leader Ishrut Batjer Carol Bencivengo Pam Betterton Ann Calder Sally DeSantis Kathy Enquist Sally Flynn Ed Gibson, Flag cutter Gayle Henkin, Bob Holmes, Team G co- leader Catherine Horgan Nancy Hunter Suzanne Keeler Carol Kleis, Team I leader Priscilla Knight Teresa Knipper Jane Kraska, Refreshments Elena Kyuchukova Pat Lagunas, Team Q leader Tina Leone, Team A leader Teresa Licholai Jim Lodge, Team K leader Susan Magill Agnes Naughton, Team C leader Greenie Neuburg Marie Olsson

John Piepszak, Planning, Preparations, Troubleshoot Linda Potter, Team B leader Nancy Putnam, Project Coordinator Andrea Rabitz Marie Rickman, Planning, Preparations, L leader Evy Roberts Betty Scarlata Joe Scarlata Debbie Simmons Nora Sirbaugh, Team G co- leader Kathy Smithgall Dave Soncrant Ruth Tomlinson, Team D leader Mary Jane Trimmer Lan-Jen Tsai Theodora Wang, Team H leader Eunice Wilkinson Karla York Project Sponsors: Master Gardeners of Mercer County Mercer County Parks Commission Funds provided by Washington Crossing Audubon Society Holden Grant Special Helpers Alison Anuzis Christopher Anuzis

Meadow Makeover (Continued from page 9)

WHO DID THE PLANNING, PREPARATION AND PLANTING?

The meadow is a joy to behold. Van Gogh had his poppies, but we have our multi-colored flags. It already is a work of art, thanks to our wonderful volunteers and superb leadership.

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EVENTS CALENDAR Helpline Sub List

Cindy Dixon 737-3446 Gayle Henkin 443-3669 [email protected] Ruth Tomlinson 882-7991 [email protected] Louise Witonsky 924-2752 [email protected] MJ Trimmer 883-6739 [email protected] Phyllis Al Roy 530-0231 [email protected]

7/4 Extension Closed 7/5 Community Outreach Event - Mercer County 4-H Fair 7/7 10:00AM MG Monthly Meeting Garden Tour 7/15 10:00AM Herb Garden Committee Meeting 7/16 Tour - Chanticleer 7/16 10:00AM Perennial Garden Committee Meeting 7/19 8:00AM MEG Workday 7/19 9:30AM Community Ed - Beneficial Insects & Summer Gardening Q&A 7/21 10:00AM Information Resources Committee 8/1 10:00AM MG Executive Board Meeting 8/2 10:00AM Butterfly Walk at Bowman's Hill with T. Knipper 8/2 9:00AM Middlesex MG MEG Tour/Weed Learn More 8/4 11:00AM MG Monthly Meeting at the Watershed Association 8/4 Noon Program - Amy Weaver on the RIVER FRIENDLY PROGRAM 8/7 Tour - Bartram and Shofuso 8/13 7:00PM Community Ed - Fall Home Lawn Maintenance & Renovation 8/16 8:00AM MEG Workday 8/17 8:30AM Garden Photography 8/18 10:00AM Information Resources Committee Meeting 8/19 10:00AM Herb Garden Committee Meeting 8/20 10:00AM Perennial Garden Committee Meeting 9/1 Extension Closed 9/6 10:00AM Butterfly Walk at Bowman's Hill with T. Knipper 9/8 10:00AM MG Executive Board Meeting 9/8 11:00AM MG Monthly Meeting 9/8 12:30PM Program - John Gyer on TRILLIUMS 9/12 9:00AM MEG Workday 9/13 1:00PM 6th Annual Insect Festival 9/15 10:00AM Information Resources Committee Meeting 9/16 10:00AM Herb Garden Committee Meeting 9/17 Tour - Kykuit and Stone Barn 9/17 10:00AM Perennial Garden Committee Meeting 9/20 7:30AM Pleasant Run Shopping Spree 9/21 2:30PM Fall Folic 9/25 10:00AM First Class for MG Class of 2009 9/26 8:00AM Butterfly Committee Trip - Cape May 10/3 10:00AM MG Executive Board Meeting 10/3 Noon ID&D Lunch-n-Learn: Detective Work 10/4 8:30AM MG State Fall Conference 10/7 6:30PM MG Monthly Meeting - Refreshments 10/7 7:00PM Program - Susan Gange on Orchids 10/7 8:00PM MG Monthly Meeting 10/13 Extension Closed 10/15 10:00AM Perennial Garden Committee Meeting

Address Changes All changes of address must go to the following:

Master List Barbara J Bromley 989-6830 [email protected]

Email / OneList Tom Miller 838-7443 [email protected]

for Mailing Kelly Seeds Booz 989-6831 [email protected]

Correction Executive Board List

Corrected Email:

Nancy Putnam

[email protected]

12 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE MG NEWLETTER

Send to the editors of Master Gardener of Mercer County

NEW DEADLINE: Friday after the MG Monthly Meeting

Rutgers Cooperative Extension

NJ Agricultural Experiment Station Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

New Brunswick

Distributed in cooperation with the US Department of Agricultural in furtherance of the Acts

of Congress in May 8 and June 30, 1914. Rutgers Cooperative Extension work in agriculture,

family, and community health sciences, and 4-H youth development. Karyn Malinowski,

Director of Extension. Rutgers Cooperative Extension provides information and educational

services to all people without regard to race, color, national

origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or

family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Rutgers Cooperative

Extension is an Equal Opportunity Program Provider and Employer.

Free for active volunteers or by subscription

Published by:

Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Mercer County 930 Spruce Street

Trenton. NJ 08648-4584 609-989-6830

Brian M. Hughes, Mercer County Executive Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders

Chad Ripberger, County Department Head

RUTGERS COOPERATIVE EXTENSION NEW JERSEY AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY 88 Lipman Drive, Martin Hall New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8525 _________________________ Official Business