December 2019 WMGA Newsletter . . . in honor of Evelyn...
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1 December 2019 Dear Friends, I love Christmas….the colors, the smells, the music, the joy and excitement I see on children’s faces. I especially love the memories I have of Christmas as a child…sitting on the steps to our family room where our tree proudly stood, adorned with all of the orna- ments that Mom and Dad collected over the years. This sweet swan was on my Dad’s first Christmas tree in 1914. The wings it had are long gone. But…the memories it holds! It now hangs proudly on my brother’s tree. My sister and brother and I were truly blessed to be raised by parents who loved us uncon- ditionally. As an adult, I have come to realize what a true blessing that was…and is, because that love con- tinues to sustain me. I wish each of you, my gardening friends, a truly loving and joyous holiday season – however and wherever you celebrate it. May your memories grow and bring smiles to your heart. See you at our WMGA Meeting and Christmas Party 6:00 pm, Tuesday, December 17th at the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens With many thanks, Jan Lunch and Learn 2020 Dues Master Gardener Course Lisa Lopez Dig INSIDE . . . . . . in honor of Evelyn Isbell WMGA Newsletter “I believe in people and their hopes, their aspiraons and their faith; in their right to make their own plans and arrive at their own decisions; in their ability and power to enlarge their lives and plan for the happiness of those they love.” – Extension Creed
Transcript of December 2019 WMGA Newsletter . . . in honor of Evelyn...
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December 2019
Dear Friends, I love Christmas….the colors, the smells, the music, the joy and excitement I see on children’s faces. I especially love the memories I have of Christmas as a child…sitting on the steps to our family room where our tree proudly stood, adorned with all of the orna-ments that Mom and Dad collected over the years. This sweet swan was on my Dad’s first Christmas tree in 1914. The wings it had are long gone. But…the memories it holds! It now hangs proudly on my brother’s tree. My sister and brother and I were truly blessed to be raised by parents who loved us uncon-ditionally. As an adult, I have come to realize what a true blessing that was…and is, because that love con-tinues to sustain me. I wish each of you, my gardening friends, a truly loving and joyous holiday season – however and wherever you celebrate it. May your memories grow and bring smiles to your heart.
See you at our WMGA Meeting and Christmas Party 6:00 pm, Tuesday, December 17th at the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens With many thanks,
Jan
Lunch and Learn
2020 Dues
Master Gardener Course
Lisa Lopez Dig
INSIDE . . .
. . . in honor of Evelyn Isbell WMGA Newsletter
“I believe in people and their hopes, their aspirations and their faith; in their right to make their own plans and arrive at their own decisions; in their ability and power to enlarge their lives
and plan for the happiness of those they love.”
– Extension Creed
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Dec ................. Gardens Aglow Fridays in Dec until the 27th, DABG 5-8 pm
Dec 17 .............. Monthly Meeting, DABG Holiday Meeting 6 pm
Jan 6 ............... Greenhouse Workday, DABG, 8:30 am
Jan 7 ............... Lunch and Learn, Favorite Gardening APPS Hou Co Library, noon
Jan16 ............... Master Gardener Course first day, Extension Office 8:30 am
Jan 21 .............. Monthly Meeting, Highland Park 6 pm
Jan 25 .............. Seed Swap, Landmark Park 1 pm
Do you have an event you’d like added to our monthly calendar? If so, send it to Chuck McManus ([email protected])
Lunch ‘n Learn—Favorite Gardening
APPS
Don’t miss our Lunch ‘n Learn program for January. Grab a friend
and bag lunch and meet us at the Houston-Love Memorial Library @
12 noon January 7th for Favorite Gardening APPS. Drinks are provid-
ed.
Gardens Aglow Gardens Aglow is a walking tour to see the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens lit up for Christmas! The dates will
be the four Friday nights between Thanksgiving and Christmas (Nov. 29, Dec 6, 14 and 20) and the Friday
night after Christmas, December 27. Strollers, wagons and wheel chairs are welcome but bicycles, skate-
boards and roller skates are not permitted. The times are 5-8 p.m. each night.
Note: Gardens Aglow is moved from the 13th to the 14th due to weather.
Seed Swap
On Saturday January 25, from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. the Wiregrass Master Garden-
ers will host a Seed Swap in the Stokes Activity Barn. Similar to a potluck
dinner, gardeners are encouraged to bring samples of their favorite heir-
loom seeds to exchange with others. Admission is free with paid gate fee
($4 for adults, $3 for kids and free for members). A small portion of seeds
distributed will be placed in our Seed Bank for future generations.
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Garden Checklist
Winter December
Fruits and Nuts
Plant young pecan and other deciduous fruit trees and grapes.
Select budwood.
Start dormant pruning of established fruits.
Protect all young trees from rabbit damage by placing wire around the base of the tree.
Put on dormant oil sprays for scale.
Shrubs
Planting is still the main activity but delay in case of freezing weather.
Annuals and Perennials
Plant hardy annual seed without delay. Have you tried violas?
Bulbs
Continue spring bulb planting.
Miscellaneous
Shrubs, trees, and indoor plants make excellent gifts.
Roses
Add plants to rose garden.
Mulch all plantings.
January
Fruits and Nuts
Set out apples, peaches, pears, and grapes.
Start grafting pecans. Prune dormant trees.
Shrubs
Plant shrubs and trees, including broadleaf, nar-rowleaf, and deciduous.
Graft camellias in south Alabama.
Spray all deciduous shrubbery with a dormant spray to control diseases and insects.
Spray when weather is on warming trend.
Roses
Visit nurseries and garden centers to select varie-ties.
Start planting.
Annuals and Perennials
Plant hardy annuals.
Bulbs
Late plantings of Dutch bulbs will flower if plant-ed now.
Lilies of all types, except Madonna, may be planted.
Check stored bulbs and discard rotten ones. Make indoor plantings of amaryllis, callas,
and gloxinias.
Miscellaneous
Prune winter-damaged limbs.
Give houseplants a bath in lukewarm water to remove dust.
To keep poinsettias that have finished flowering, turn pots on their sides and let them dry com-pletely.
Cut them back lightly.
Keep in a temperature of 55 to 60 degrees.
Vegetable Seed
Plant hardy vegetables, root crops, roots, and tubers in southern-most areas.
Plant lettuce, cabbage, and broccoli in cold frames.
Lawns
Soil test before setting up fertilize program.
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Decorating Workshop at Land-
mark Park
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Dig At Lisa’s House
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Membership Dues
It’s time to renew your WMGA membership. The WMGA
membership dues for 2019 remain the same as last year —
$20.00. $10 covers local dues and $10 for state dues.
Dues must be paid by December 1, 2019 so that WMGA can meet the AMGA due date of January 1, 2020.
Dues for any member who has AMGA Life Memberships
remains at $10.00 for WMGA dues and due and payable by December 1st also.
Dues for any member that has WMGA Life Membership remains at $10.00 for AMGA membership, if de-
sired and due and payable by December 1st also.
Checks would be preferable as it is a record for you and WMGA; however, we will be happy to take
cash as well.
Questions? Contact Tom Boyle, Membership Chair @ [email protected]. Please mail your dues to:
WMGA, PO Box 9376, Dothan, AL 36304 or give them to Cathy Bruce, WMGA Treasurer.
Fun Facts About Plants
1. Torenia, a shade-loving annual, is called the wishbone flower. Look for tiny wishbone-shape sta-
mens inside the purple, blue or burgundy petals.
2. The world's tallest-growing tree is the coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), which grows along
the Pacific Coast of the United States, mainly in California. Interestingly enough, it's not the world's
oldest-growing tree; that award goes to a bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata).
3. Bamboo is the fastest-growing woody plant in the world; it can grow 35 inches in a single day.
4. Tomato juice is the official state beverage of Ohio, honoring the part A. W. Livingston of Reyn-
oldsburg, Ohio, played in popularizing the tomato in the late 1800s.
5. Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that grapes were grown to make wine about 8,000 years
ago in Mesopotamia (today's Iraq), although the ancient Egyptians were the first to record the process
of making wine about 5,000 years ago.
From Better Homes and Gardens, https://www.bhg.com/gardening/yard/garden-care/fun-facts-
about-plants/ By Deb Wiley
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Our Mailing Address: Wiregrass Master Gardeners Association
P.O. Box 9376
Dothan, AL 36304
ACES
Lucy Edwards
Home Grounds Regional Agent
Dale County Extension
Office: (334) 774- 2329
Mobile: (334) 329-1672
Plant Parent Directory
Annuals: Devonne Ellis............................... 205-739-9865
Bulbs: Judy Clardy ................................... 334-797-9580
Jan Shirley .................................... 334-790-2778
Perennials: Cheryl Hatcher......................... 334-798-1034
Faye Carnley ...........................803-270-8757
GrCovers/Vines/Grasses: Barbara Jowers ........ 334-618-6657
Herbs: Caitlyn Clark .................................334-796-6076
House Plants/Tropicals/Succulents:
Barbara Knight ................................334-446-8846
Shrubs: Phyllis Poole ................................334-790-7685
Trees: Don Lassiter .............................. 334-701-5408
Tom Heisner ............................... 334-714-0355
Vegetables: Helen-Sue Kemp ...................... 334-671-9879
Charon Hodges........................ 334-714-6251
2019 WMGA Board of Directors
https://www.facebook.com/WiregrassMGA
WMGA Contacts
DISCLAIMER: The Wiregrass Master Gardener Association (WMGA) believes this information to be correct and accurate. Neither the Association nor its mem-bers accept responsibility for errors or omissions that may be made. The WMGA makes no warranty expressed or implied with respect to the material within.
Officers: President: .............................Jan Shirley ...............334-790-2778 .......... [email protected]
Vice President ........................Linda Isley ................334-655-3123 .......... [email protected]
Secretary ..............................Cathy Hinesley ..........334-714-0775 .......... [email protected]
Treasurer: ............................Cathy Bruce .............334-793-6737 .......... [email protected]
Board Members: Board Member at Large: ............Judy Clardy ..............334-797-9580 .......... [email protected]
Membership Chair:...................Tom Boyle ................334-794-2094 .......... [email protected]
Ways & Means Chair: ................Jan Shirley ...............334-790-2778 .......... [email protected]
Communications Chair ..............Chuck McManus ..........334-714-2759 .......... .........................................William.mcmanus34@gmail.com
Programs Chair .......................Phyllis Poole .............334-790-7685 .......... [email protected]
Lunch and Learn .....................Linda Isley ................334 -655-3123 ......... [email protected]
Projects Chair ........................Faye Carnley .............803-270-8757 .......... [email protected]
Immediate Past President ..........Devonne Ellis.............205-739-9865 .......... [email protected]
Visit our website @
www.wiregrassmga.org
Landmark Park Coordinator Tom Boyle 334-794-2094
