www.txmg.org/wichita

Volume XII, No 3, March 2020

Local Events

March 3, 5:30 pm: The Wichita County Master Gardener Associa-tion meets at Rolling Meadows, 3006 McNiel, in the Media Center upstairs. Our program will be pre-sented by Dr. Dariusz Malinowski.

March 7, noon: Benson Iris Society meeting, Jason’s Deli, Parker Square back room. Program by Bonnie Nichols, Regional Vice President. Questions contact Mary Rhoads, 940-704-5606 or Mary.rhoads1948@gmail.com

March 20, 9:30 am: The First Afri-can Violet Society of Wichita Falls meets at University United Meth-odist Church.

March 19, 5:30 pm: The Burkbur-nett Garden Club meets at First Bank in their community room. Rob Cherry will be bringing the program titled Africanized Bee safety.

March 26, 6:30-8:00pm. Texoma Water Garden Society, Inc,. Cov-ered dish supper followed by brief business meeting and program on revamping an old or existing pond.

Enter your volunteer (15) & Training (6) hours in the MG

volunteer management system https://texas.volunteersystem.org/

Association Contacts: Mary Rhoads, President, 940-704-5606; Jeff Blacklock, Vice-president, 940-867-0310;

Georgia Spoonemore, Secretary, 580-467-4696; Dennis Dohrer, Treasurer, 940-692-9022.

State Directors: Dennis Dohrer and Beth Turlington; alternates: Anne Dohrer and Peggy Scarlott.

WCMG Webpage: Beth Turlington, administrator Newsletter & Facebook: Gail Elmore, editor/admin

Educational programs of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service are open to all people without regard to race, color,

religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status. The Texas A&M University System,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating.

WICHITA MASTER GARDENERS PRESIDENT NOTES By the time you receive the newsletter, the Home and Garden Show will have come and gone. Since it is still at the “come” stage, details will have to await the April newsletter. I know that Jeff Blacklock has been hard at work, and Sandra Ledy has been working her mag-ic with a paintbrush. I can’t wait to see the finished product! The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in the Media Room (2nd floor) at Rolling Meadows, 3006 McNiel Ave, Wichita Falls, TX at 5:30 p.m. Our program will be presented by Dr. Dariusz Malinowski, who is in charge of the hibiscus experiment program at the Vernon AgriLife Experimental Station. Although we cannot get the hibiscus donated for a fundraiser, I think many of us will want to incorporate them in our landscaping. What better way to learn of the care and cultivation of these beautiful flowers than the person who “invented” them. He will be able to tell us what local store(s) will be carrying the Summer Spice series of the plants which have been patented and are available through J. Berry Nursery and through local distributors which they supply. These plants legally may not be propagated other than through license agreement with J. Berry Nursery, so please don’t plan to buy one plant and create a yardful. Don’t forget the Master Gardener Community Classes which will be conducted on Tuesday evenings from 7-8pm in the Media Room at Rolling Meadows March 10-31. These classes are being conducted free of charge for the public. Master gardeners are welcome to attend, of course, and the classes count as education hours; but please remember these are classes for the interested public. Please give them preferential seating. March 10 will be “Getting a Head Start on Plants and Seedlings” conducted by Kristin Hoskins; March 17 will be “Rainwater Harvesting” conducted by David Graf; March 24 will be “Landscaping with Native Plants” conducted by Jeff Blacklock and Marie Hoover; and March 31 will be “Compost” con-ducted by Ernie and Marilyn Putthoff and Mary Alfert. Also, please remember the Learn, Grow, Eat, Go presentation by Heather Simpson on Satur-day, March 14 from 9-12 in the Library at Rolling Meadows. This presentation will cover what is offered in this program and those eligible to receive it free of charge. If you are working with children or adults who qualify for this program, please plan to attend to learn more about it. We will have a signup sheet at the March meeting. If you are unable to attend the meeting but are interested in attending the LGEG program on March 14, please contact Heather at Heather.Simpson@ag.tamu.edu. (Continued on Page 2)

WICHITA MASTER GARDENERS PRESIDENT NOTES (continued from page 1) INTERNS—Please remember that all your volunteer hours must be completed and logged by April 30, 2020. You must have com-pleted and logged 50 volunteer hours by that date. If you have not completed and logged the hours, you will not be eligible to become a Master Gardener this go-round and will have to retake the class as well as complete 50 volunteer hours at a later date. If you are having trouble finding something for which to volunteer, please contact me and I will try to put you in touch with an activity which needs help. A starting point is to contact any of the project chairs to see if they need help with their projects. Remember that Marilyn Putthoff has asked for assistance in starting plants to give away at the Farmers Market. The first Master Gardener Saturday at the Farmers Market this year will be May 9. The Master Gardeners have a table the second Saturday of each month through September. If you are interested in doing more than starting plants for this event (they will need plants to give away all summer, but there may be different areas of focus), contact Marilyn Putthoff for details at er-nieputthoff@gmail.com. Marilyn and her crew can also use seeds to hand out. This starts our busy time of year. I’m sure David Graf could use help in his office answer phone inquiries. Have fun gardening and stay ahead of those pesky weeds. Mary Rhoads, President

This is the MG Booth after we finished at noon. They added more yesterday morning but it was so crowded with people that I couldn’t get a picture of just the booth. Jeff said we had over 625 stop at the booth yesterday; so you know what I mean by crowded! Very nice audience reception!

Center, Left: Completed Booth this morning with Marie Hoover and Rob Cherry. Right: Interns at Home and Garden Show Booth. James Seigler, Rob Cherry, Gloria Leonard, Marie Hoover (MG), and Diane Seigler. Bottom, Right: Kristin Toulan planned and executed this children’s activity in the AgriLife Room at the Home and Garden Show. The kids LOVED it. More than planting the bean seeds I brought. I’m thinking of giving my granddaughter a tub of soil for her birthday! Photos & comments by Mary Rhoads

JMG

Notre

Dame

JMG VEGGIE VALENTINE PARTY

On Feb. 13 the students in the Notre Dame JMG program hosted a Vegetables and Valentine party for their parents. The students went to their garden picked their broccoli, Brussel sprouts, turnips and lettuce. After a good washing the veggies were ready for cooking. Since we are limited to a 2 burner hot plate the broccoli, Brussel sprouts and turnips were given a quick boil while the lettuce was made into a very large salad. Big pots of cheese sauce and melted butter were presented to add to the veggies.

The children also enjoyed showing off their almost empty garden to their guests. The parents enjoyed the event and one mother even mentioned how much she enjoyed the turnips - a veg-gie she had never tried! Photos & comments from Marilyn Putthoff.

Amazing Plants!

Top: This prostrate rosemary has been blooming since fall (which is why I didn’t count it as the first bloom of the new year). It is outside on my patio. Signs of spring & second flowers of the year—narcissus. Photos & comments from Mary Rhoads. Center: Current blossoms. Pho-tos & comments from Sandy Ledy

Bottom, Left: For those who want year round color, this is a picture of a Sunshine Ligustrum. The more sun it gets, the more chartreuse the leaves get. In the shade it is just normal green. Photo & comment from Mary Rhoads. Right: Photo from Jeff Smith.

I didn't know how well Snow-drops (Galanthus) would do here, so I planted five tiny bulbs a couple years ago to try them out. They are starting to natu-ralize, and they are a delight in the winter garden. So this fall, I'll add a bunch more. And the bees love them!

The late winter blooms of jewel-toned pansies along with daffo-dils (Narcissus 'Sweetness') make me smile.

Photos & comments from Michelle Howard.

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Home & Garden

Thanks to Elsie Berry & Georgia

Spoonemore for the photos! Gail

Activities!

Master Gardener Community Classes

March 10 Getting a Head Start on Young Plants & Seed

lings—Kristin Hoskins, MG Intern

March 17 Rainwater Harvesting—David Graf, County

AgriLife Extension Agent

March 24 Landscaping with Native Plants—Jeff Blacklock & Marie Hoover,

Master Gardeners

March 31 Compost—Why & How—Ernie & Marilyn

Putthoff & Mary Alfert, Master Gardeners

These free classes will meet from 7—8 pm at Rolling Meadows, 3006 McNiel,

in the Media Center, main building, upstairs. Please register at wcmgare-

serve@gmail.com leaving your name, class(es) attending & any specific inter-

ests.

“Texas A&M AgriLife Extension provides equal opportunities in its programs and employment to all persons, regardless of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.” “The Texas veteran A&M University System, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commissioners Courts of Texas Cooperating” “Individuals with disabilities who require an auxiliary aid, service or accommodation in order to participate in an Exten-sion sponsored activity are encouraged to contact the County Extension Office at 940-716-8610 1 week prior to each session to determine how reasonable accommodations can be made.”

March 14, 9 am - 12:00. Learn, Grow, Eat, Go, Library at Rolling Meadows.

Contact Heather.Simpson@ag.tamu.edu