Wyandotte County Master Gardeners

Saving Your Holiday Christmas Cactus - Dave's Garden Which Christmas cactus is the true Christmas cactus? And how do you keep yours in blooming health for next year?

Free Admission Day is tomorrow, December 5! 🤩 Discover the calm beauty of the season, take a quiet walk and enjoy the unique charm of the gardens, all at no charge on the first Tuesday of the month.

From the Missouri Botanical Garden

December Gardening Tips, Tasks, and Problems

Houseplants

During the winter, houseplants typically need less water than in the summer due to reduced hours of sunlight. Err on the side of caution and use tepid water instead of cold water. Overly wet soils can lead to increased numbers of fungus gnats that lay eggs in the wet soil.
When purchasing houseplants during the winter, be sure to protect the foliage from the cold on the trip home. Place plants in a cardboard box or other protective covering to prevent damage to leaves.
On extremely cold nights, move houseplants back from icy windows to prevent chilling injury.
Holiday poinsettias do best with bright, indirect light and night temperatures in the 50-60's. Keep plants away from drafts, registers, and radiators. Let the soil dry only slightly between thorough waterings. Ensure the water can drain and evaporate; punch holes in the decorative foil if needed.
Be sure to check houseplants often for common pests: aphids, spider mites, scale, mealybugs, whiteflies, and thrips.

Trees & Shrubs

Only female hollies bear the red berries. There must be a male tree nearby for pollination and fruit production to occur.
Branches of apples, pears, and other rose family plants that were infected with fireblight can be safely pruned off now. Another option is to wait until a dry period during mid-summer.
Be sure the root zones of shrubs are thoroughly mulched. Any organic material will do.
Live Christmas trees hold needles longer when you make a clean, fresh cut at the base and always keep the trunk standing in water.
Hollies may be trimmed now. The cuttings can be used in holiday decorations.

Miscellaneous

Monitor overwintering dormant plants, bulbs, and tubers by ensuring they are not completely dried out or rotting.
Check to see if any seeds purchased for the next season require stratification in order to germinate. The seed packet should indicate if this process is needed. Some common seeds that require stratification include Asclepias, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, and Baptisia. Mimic cold stratification as needed by placing seeds in the refrigerator at 33-400F for 1-3 months.

Christmas Holly History - Dave's Garden The holidays mean decking the halls with fresh greenery and the iconic red berries and evergreen leaves of the holly are a familiar symbol of the season. However, holly has a long and strange histo...

Here are some more pictures of our 2023 Master Gardener Banquet. A big thanks to our President Naomi Ruff and crew for putting on such a great banquet. We also would like to congratulate our new certified master gardeners! A big thanks to Roger Miller, magician extraordinaire, for the great entertainment!

Thanks to Don Crim and Steve Stalker for providing these great pictures!

Attracting Backyard Birds in Winter - Dave's Garden This holiday season, take the time to start making a few fine-feathered friends of your own.

https://kansashealthyyards.org/all-videos/video/choosing-the-best-poinsettia

Choosing the Best Poinsettia If you're planning on purchasing poinsettias to decorate for the holidays, and you want them to look their best for Christmas, you'll need to inspect the plant for maturity. This segment explains the difference between a mature and an immature poinsettia. Produced by the Department of Communications...

🎋Mine seem to be agnostic ;-)

𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐛 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡 - 𝐑𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲

One of what I like to call the "Scarborough Fair" must-haves in your herb garden ...

>>While 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑠 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑠 has long been the botanical name for rosemary, DNA research has revealed that the plant characteristics are more closely aligned with plants in the Salvia genus.

Therefore, the scientists at the Royal Horticultural Society in London have reclassified rosemary as 𝑆𝑎𝑙𝑣𝑖𝑎 𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑠.

Before bird feeders were sold in stores, seed-eating birds got their seeds from the dormant indigenous plants of North America. Audubon says plant native for the birds! READ HERE: https://www.audubon.org/news/grow-these-native-plants-so-your-backyard-birds-can-feast

Did you know that today is Mickey Mouse's Birthday? While we like that mouse, there are many reasons why we don't like them in our garden!
Here are the 4 important steps to effective rat and mouse control:
1. Elimination of shelter or harborage
2. Rodent-proofing structures
3. Elimination of food and water
4. Killing rodents
https://extension.wsu.edu/snohomish/garden/gardening-resources/principles-of-vertebrate-pest-management/
You may also consider attracting birds of prey for rodent control as well.https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/ec1641.pdf
Picture and more information on rodents: https://homegarden.cahnr.uconn.edu/factsheets/field-rodents-mice-voles-chipmunks-moles/
ab&sl

🌿Sage (Salvia officinalis): The Herb of Thanksgiving...
Ever wonder why we put sage in stuffing?
Today we understand that sage is an antibacterial herb. Our ancestors also knew that to insure food safety, it was best to add an abundance of sage to the stuffing or 'belly pudding', and rub the bird inside and out with salt before filling the cavity (where we know today bacteria is most likely to form). Scientific studies can now help us understand why many of our 'classic flavor combinations', demonstrate that our ancestors knew a great deal about preserving food, food quality and health - leading to the old adage that 'The cook is half a physician'.
Sage is also synonymous with wisdom. In fact, it might be said that many an 'old sage' gained her wisdom from the use of sage. "As far back as 1597, herbalist John Gerard wrote that sage was 'singularly good for the head and brain and quickeneth the nerves and memory.' Half a century later, Nicholas Culpeper, claimed the herb 'heals the memory, warming and quickening the senses".
The Latin name for Sage is Salvia which translates to "Life"...so add some life to your holiday foods this season with Salvia officinalis or our common perennial garden sage!
*(I just made a great batch of cornmeal, apricot, sage cookies, and a pot of sage tea to ring in the beginning of the baking season. Sage cookie recipe in the comments below...) What's your favorite way to use sage?

Sage Woodcut - Leonhart Fuchs 1501–1566

Save the Date!! Our garden symposium is now taking reservations. This event has limited seating and fills up fast! You can register on line via the below link. We hope to see you in February!

https://tinyurl.com/2024MdCEMGSymposium

The USDA has just released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map, the first new version since 2012. The map is based on 30-year averages (1991 to 2020) for the lowest annual winter temperatures. The new data, along with the addition of more temperature stations and better mapping techniques, shifted about half the country into a warmer half-zone (such as Zone 6a to 6b). Find your current zone by entering your ZIP code on the map at this link: https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/

The second trend that is anticipating is a move towards a naturalistic planting that is slightly wilder, with a softer aesthetic and less manicured appearance. What are your thoughts on this approach to design? Click here to read more>>> pwwin.rs/Trend2

How to Create a Healing Garden Imagine your garden as an outdoor retreat. This article includes specific suggestions for making your garden beneficial for your health.

𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 - 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐄𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Some useful science and history surrounding the folklore that the morphology of tiger moth caterpillars can predict the severity of the upcoming winter.

>>The woolly bear caterpillar's coloring is based on how long caterpillar has been feeding, its age, and species. The better the growing season is the bigger it will grow. This results in narrower red-orange bands in its middle. Thus, the width of the banding is an indicator of the current or past season's growth rather than an indicator of the severity of the upcoming winter. Also, the coloring indicates the age of the woolly bear caterpillar. The caterpillars shed their skins or molt six times before reaching adult size. With each successive molt, their colors change, becoming less black and more reddish. In addition, there are approximately 260 species of tiger moths (the adult of the woolly bear caterpillar) in North America, and each species has slightly different color patterns and hair coverings. As a result, some of the color and hair variations that we see each fall are a result of these different species. ~rce

https://www.weather.gov/arx/woollybear

https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/news/stories/2023/11/horticulture-picking-up-leaves.html?fbclid=IwAR3rN04AyjYJJtKH4gUVJ7jb_mA_0UofILJFRM5Lsb0JF7aQ16Scyut2OTU

It’s Fall, and leaves are everywhere K-State horticulture expert Cynthia Domenghini shares tips for managing leaves in the fall.

Thanks to the crew who worked hard getting the vegetable garden cleaned up at Ag Hall.

Kansas's first Apply Free Days will be held on November 7-9th, 2023, for Kansas residents! During these three days, any Kansas resident, regardless of age or income can apply for free at any of our 7 public universities, 19 community colleges, 6 Technical colleges, and the 21 private member institutions of the Kansas Independent College Association. Visit for more information:
https://www.kansasregents.org/students/apply-free-days

Our EMGs Jean Tinberg and Lynn Wild showed us how to make outdoors holiday containers at our Advanced Training on November 2nd.

https://www.gardendesign.com/trends/2024.html?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=Garden+Design+Trend+1&fbclid=IwAR0kUXLGYrGk1enX3j89jncTLwWjXnybdPcSet6wtNs7Bxd1OfdqPIHgMLc

Top Garden Trends for 2024 - Garden Design We share 9 gardening trends on the rise in 2024.

November Garden Tips

Take a soil test and make needed adjustments in the fall

Till garden soil and add organic matter

Remove frost-killed annuals

Fertilize bluegrass and fescue lawns with a quick release high nitrogen fertilizer to promote root development and early spring green up

Mow bluegrass and fescue lawns to 2 to 2 ½ inches at the last mowing

Mulch fallen leaves into the lawn to prevent winter suffocation and provide habitat for beneficial insects

Clean and oil garden tools, sprayers, and other equipment. Store them for winter

Drain garden hoses and sprinklers and store indoors for increased life. If you decide to leave them outside, unscrew them from faucets

If fuel is to remain in power equipment, add fuel stabilizer. Otherwise, drain gas from power equipment for winter storage. Make any needed repairs

Start a compost pile with leaves

Turn compost pile to hasten breakdown

Today is November 1st and that means it's time for our Monthly Hortiscope.

Gardeners born under the sign of the cornucopia are generous with information, and can steer you to the cheapest source of anything from compost to petunias. They also hold strong opinions, so gardening friends and neighbors soon learn to avoid contentious issues such as peat moss and pesticides.

Plants for this sign include pinks, lime, mulberry, ash, oak, and birch, especially the silver birch, Betula jacquemontii, which shimmers in the frosty, pale winter sunlight.

Many famous influences on botany and horticulture were born this month, including Georg Eberhard Rumphius, German botanist, Charles Antoine Lemaire, French horticulturist, Stephen Elliott, American naturalist, Claude Oscar Monet, painter and gardener, Georgia O'Keefe painter, Asa Gray, American botanist, Anders Celsius, Swedish scientist, Gertrude Jekyll, British landscape architect, James Vick, seedsman, Frances Hodgson Burnett, English-born author, Penelope Hobhouse, English garden writer, designer and television host and Henry Mitchell, American author.

Yesterday, the Master Gardeners helped with the Jack O Lantern Jamboree held at the Agricultural Hall of Fame. We had over 200 people visit our table.

Don’t wait to perform garden equipment maintenance K-State horticulture expert Cynthia Domenghini shares tips for winter equipment and tool preparation.

The New MG Class completed their classroom phase of their training on Tuesday, October 24th. We celebrated the New MG Class completing this phase of their training with a luncheon at Ten & Two in Bonner Springs. Congratulations to the Wyandotte County New MG Class of 2023.

Beautiful dahlias at Anne Vogelweid Garden at Ag Hall.
Photos courtesy of Lynn Loughary