1. The Real Dirt November 2011 Table of Contents President’s Corner Page 2 Coordinator News Page 2 Nominations for 2012 Page 3 Christmas Party Page 3 Kudos Page 3 State Foundation News Page 4 Want Ads Page 4 MG Committees Info Page 5 Workshops & Classes Page 5 Demo Gardens Page 8 Craft Committee Page 9 Recycler/Composters Page 9 November in the Garden Page 10 Key Contacts Page 10 November Calendar Page 11 December Calendar Page 12 Hospitality Sign ups Page 13 Home & Garden Show Page 13 Christmas Tree Recycle Page 13 In the Spotlight Page 14 Plant of the Month Page 16 Book of the Month Page 16 WSU Master Gardeners of Lewis County 351 NW North Street Chehalis, WA 98532-1900 360-740-1212 http://lewis-mg-mrc.org/ Mon. –Thurs. 9-3 or by appointment “Helping You Put Knowledge to Work” 1 NOVEMBER 15, 2011 Our guest speaker will be Harold Buren, a landscape designer who specializes in low maintenance landscape and hardscapes. He will discuss landscape design - where to start & what to consider. He will share his ten favorite landscape plants. You don’t want to miss this! Social hour: 6 PM Educational hour: 7 PM Business meeting: 8 PM WSU Extension programs and employment are available to all without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may be reported through your local WSU Extension office.

2. 2 The days are getting shorter and gardening season is over for most of us but there are still many things to do. I’ve added Tuesday afternoons from 12 to 3 for plant clinic days as we still continue to get questions for the plant clinic. Any clients who come in or call in will be advised that Master Gardeners will be on duty on that day so they need to save their questions until then. If you need plant clinic hours, this will be an additional opportunity for you. Information has gone out to over 165 people who have indicated an interest in the 2012 Master Gardener training program. That doesn’t mean they’ll all want to take it, but it is considerably more than we’ve had in the past. Training will be held on a monthly basis again and will start on January 11 th. The hands-on classes will be held on the second Wednesday of each month except for December when it will be the first Monday of the month. If you know of people who might be interested, contact me with their names and contact information or have them get in touch with me directly. The deadline for accepting applications is November 30 th. The new training format hasn’t lent itself to traditional mentoring for trainees, but next year we would like to try something a little different. The role of mentors for each trainee will be to help them get involved in various activities, bring them to meetings, work with them in the demo gardens, answer questions about the Master Gardener program and their role in it, and help them to get integrated into the organization. There will be a sign-up sheet at the November meeting for anyone interested in being a mentor. We will also try to put photos in the directory so it will be easier to match names with faces. Debbie Burris Master Gardener Program Coordinator Master Recycler Composter Coordinator 351 NW North Street Chehalis, WA 98532 (360) 740-1216 Office hours: Mon-Tues-Weds 9-3 http://lewis-mg-mrc.org I just updated my volunteer hours and corrected another discrepancy between my own records and the online records. Mary Ann Albenesius reminded us at our October membership meeting that she is willing to work with anyone who has any problems entering their hours, even to the extent of coming to their home to help. In mid-November, the hours will be calculated for 2011 to determine if we have each met our volunteer hour requirements to maintain active status. I think there may be some of us who don’t fully understand the different categories of hours. For instance, some have very few continuing education hours; this is easily met by attending monthly membership meetings with educational programs, such as the Rain Gardens Program on October 25, and a few of the special Extension educational programs, such as Gardening for Everyone and Digging and Storing Dahlias. So, if your hours need attention, please contact Mary Ann for help. I was very glad to hear Patty Brown announce at the October meeting that she is willing to take on the State Foundation Representative again for 2012. She has been an excellent representative of our Lewis County Master Gardeners for the past several years. We had only two field trips this year and both were enjoyed by the attendees. If you know of an interesting garden, nursery, or program of interest to gardeners, please let Pat Bower know. I encourage each of you to read the minutes of each meeting that are e-mailed to you. The minutes of the October 25 meeting are full of activities. Opportunities to assist in our many functions are presented and need our assistance. Our November 15 meeting will again consist of an educational program and a business meeting where we will elect officers and approve the budget for 2012. I encourage all to attend, especially our trainees. Chuck Stanfield, veteran since 2008

3. The nominating committee for the election of the 2012 officers consists of: Sherry Pearson, Ed Schroeder, and Mary Jo Christensen Currently, the slate of officers for 2012 is: President…Chuck Stanfield VP Membership…MaryAnn Albenesius VP Education Outreach…Sandy Parr VP Resources…Bertha Saldana Secretary…Pat Bower Treasurer…MaryJo Christensen State Foundation Rep...Patty Brown If you are willing to run for an office, please contact one of the members of the nominating committee. All positions are open for interested people. The election of officers will be held at the November 15th business meeting. Be there! 3 KUDOS TO: Ken Common for his donation of labor, material and installation of new gutters on the new Borst structure. (Common Gutters) Thanks to Marie and John Panesko for their time and material in putting on the final coat of paint on the Educational Building. OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY! What: The Master Gardener Holiday/Awards Potluck Party When: December 13 th, Doors open at 5:30, Pot Luck begins at 6:00 PM Where: Borst Park Kitchen #1 Dress Code: Casual Program: Master Gardener of the Year and MG Trainee of the Year will be announced. Hour awards and length of service awards will be given. Bring: Your favorite pot luck dish and a guest (no children). Anyone who wishes to donate a door prize may do so. Just bring it with you. Committee Chair: Mary Ann Albenesius

4. 4 I want to bring you up to date with what was discussed at the last Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State (MGFWS) meeting. It was held at the TRAC Convention Center in Pasco which will be the location of the 2012 Advanced Education Conference. We had a tour of the building and the Holiday Inn Express next door which will also be used for classroom space. There are only 85 rooms for overnight guests so special rates will also be available at a Red Lion and Best Western. I will keep you informed as registration approaches next spring. In 2010, MGFWS and the WSU Foundation agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to raise funds for the WSU Master Gardener Program. This fundraising program will kick off on November 1, 2011 with a goal of $2 million. Our first choice for use of this money is for advanced diagnostic training of veteran MGs. Our hopes are that the training can be regional and area specific. We are also looking into the possibility of having regional conferences every 2-3 years. A committee was formed to examine it. I'm also happy to announce that we have a new president, Christine Bailey. You may recognize her name as she has served on the board in various capacities. I have great confidence in her and am excited about the opportunities the Foundation will be working on for the benefit of all county programs. This leads me to my final announcement which is to say that I have volunteered to continue to serve as Lewis County's representative for 2012. Patty Brown, State Foundation Representative CHECK IT OUT! The Washington State Master Gardener Foundation Newsletter link for November: http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/mgfws/newsletters.htm DONATIONS: multiple wooden hanging baskets (without the wires) multiple less than gallon round pots See Bob Taylor NEEDED: Need: 4 x4” untreated and unpainted wood scraps 6” or longer 2 x 6” untreated and unpainted wood scraps 4” and longer 2 x 4” untreated and unpainted wood scraps 4” and longer ½” and 5/8” plywood 12” x 14” or larger See Bob Taylor WANTED: a writer for the "Spotlight" column in our newsletter. Christina Trosper's last column will be December, 2011. Please consider taking this position beginning January, 2012. Talk to Chris if you have questions.

5. The MG Board officer job descriptions are listed in your Policies and Procedures. What has not been published in the newsletter is the list of committees that are required to get the work done. Each officer facilitates several committees. Below is a list detailing this. The purpose of publishing this is to make everyone more knowledgeable about the committees themselves, what the expectations are to serve on each one, and the needs not being met. We hope this will give you information you can use and you will find one that suits your talents or interests. If you are interested in one of these, contact the officer that will be overseeing that committee. It takes everyone to get the work done. Reporting to the President: Chuck Stanfield Media: Planning publicity for upcoming events. Newsletter: Editing the newsletter, or helping with printing and distribution. Public Relations and Marketing: Find opportunities to enhance the visibility and reputation of the organization in the community. Reporting to the Vice President of Educational Outreach: This officer will change in January. Currently it is Nancy Palmer. Gardening for Everyone: Spring. Six people would be nice for this committee. Sherry Pearson will head this up for the coming spring. Debbie Burris has a detailed list of tasks for this event to give you a running start. Gardening for Everyone: Fall. Need six people. In general, these committees are responsible for presenting GFE. Working with the Coordinator, Debbie Burris, they ensure that a venue is secured; that keys, services, and facilities provided. MG responsibilities need to be spelled out and accomplished. These committees begin meeting with adequate lead time to select topics and speakers, and follow through until a definite schedule of six speakers has been confirmed. They work with the speakers to determine and provide the support they need for their presentations (such as audiovisual, PowerPoint, and photocopying). They provide a timely list of topics, speakers, and brief descriptions of the presentations for publicity purposes. These committees determine what displays will be featured at the site, both by MG and other groups, and ensure that adequate space and support are provided. The committees are also responsible for producing sign-up sheets for the membership that list jobs to be filled (including plant clinic, room monitors, and setup and cleanup crews) and the start and finish times for each. It is also necessary to work with the Hospitality committee to provide refreshments at GFE. Monthly Programs: Two people are needed. This committee works with the V.P. and the Coordinator to help schedule speakers and programs for monthly membership meetings. Committee members are expected to keep abreast of current issues, problems, and interests that should be addressed in MG monthly meetings. This committee also determines the venue for each meeting, ensures that necessary preparations are made, and provides a written description to the newsletter editor by each month’s deadline date for publication. Speakers Bureau: Four people needed. Working closely with the V.P. and the Coordinator, this committee will process requests from community organizations for MG speakers. They help individual MGs become willing and able public speakers, through mentoring, as well as training in the many online and other resources that are available to assist with research and presentation. continued…… 5

6. 6 Reporting to the V.P of Resources: This is Chris Trosper but will change in January. Plant Sale: Needs at least six people. The coordinator is Barbara Eastman. This large committee is responsible for the planning and execution of the annual plant sale. They arrange for a location and facilities. They coordinate the growing of plants by members and friends, including guidance as to types of plants, helping set up digging and potting parties, helping to provide pots and soil as needed, issuing timely tips and reminders, responding to requests for assistance. They make a duty roster of jobs to be done in connection with the sale, such as ensuring enough people sign up for each job and shift, including setup and cleanup. They ensure an adequate supply of all necessary materials to be used at the sale (such as table coverings, labels, signs, pens and notebooks, price markers, tools, reference books, etc.). They make sure the sale is publicized as widely as possible. They work with the Crafts committee concerning the sale of craft items and raffle tickets, in accordance with state and local regulations. They coordinate the delivery of plants to the sale. This is a huge undertaking and our primary money maker. All are needed to make this successful. Tree Recycling: Two people are needed for this. This committee works with the V.P. and the Coordinator and in cooperation with Lewis County Solid Waste and Master Recyclers/Composters. They ensure that the Christmas tree recycling program has enough volunteers for each work shift and that the volunteers have any necessary instruction and support they need. Extra workers are required on chipping days, and the committee takes the lead in providing workers and making an effort to find people who want to haul chips home. Crafts: Three people are needed for this committee. People with an interest in woodworking and other handicrafts are encouraged to be involved in the work of this committee, coordinating production of hand-crafted, garden-related items that can be sold at the plant sale and other events. Grants and Partnerships: Need people experienced in grant writing. Grant writers are needed to pursue opportunities for obtaining financial grants. Reporting to the V.P. of Membership: Mary Ann Albenesius MG Records Maintenance: Two people can do this work. This committee assists the V.P. in compiling and tabulating volunteer hours, based on time sheets submitted by members, and in accordance with Lewis County MG guidelines. They prepare monthly summaries. Friends of MGs: Two are needed for this committee. This committee assists the V.P. in pursuing community contacts to recruit associate members for the organization. Recruitment: Three people are needed for this committee. The purpose of this committee is to publicize the MG training program, seek out opportunities to identify prospective MGs, and keep in touch with community members who have expressed an interest in MG training. Reporting to the Treasurer: Mary Jo Christensen Library: Two people are needed for this committee. They keep the MG office library and the off-site plant clinic libraries up to date with current WSU publications, keeps the office library well organized and in cooperation with the MG Coordinator, makes recommendations to the membership on new books to add to the collection. The committee prepares a budget for each year’s library needs. continued…

7. 7 Hospitality: This committee could use four people. The duties are to ensure that there are sufficient volunteers signed up to bring refreshments for each monthly meeting, and for other events as requested. They are to ensure that coffee, tea, and possibly other beverages are available at monthly meetings and other events together with cups/plates/cutlery/creamers, and sugar, etc. This includes the Christmas Party, all potlucks, GFEs and some classes. This committee is to prepare the meeting room and make sure it gets cleaned up afterwards. They are to also keep adequate stocks of hospitality supplies on hand, buying more when necessary. They are to prepare a budget request sufficient for the year’s supply purchases. Book Sales: Two are needed for this committee. This committee pursues opportunities to partner with publishers to offer high-quality gardening- related books to MGs and possibly the public, at discounted prices and with a percentage of proceeds going to the organization. The committee evaluates books and their applicability, orders and stores books, delivers them to customers, and collects payment. The committee also keeps detailed records in a form determined by the Treasurer, and provides the records to the Treasurer on a regular basis. Reporting to the Secretary: Pat Bower Field Trips: It needs 2 people to serve. This committee ascertains the preferences of the membership regarding the frequency, travel range, and interest areas for field trips. Committee members research possible destinations; make appropriate arrangements for tours and meals, and regularly inform MGs through the newsletter about upcoming trips. Historian: It needs one person. A MG with a strong interest in institutional history and research is needed for this job, to compile a record of the Lewis County MG organization and its activities going back through the years. Reporting to the Immediate Past President: Bob Taylor Home and Garden Show: It needs 4-6 people. This committee is responsible for MGs participation in the annual H & G Show, in March. Duties include determining a theme for the MG booth; deciding on specific displays and assigning volunteers to create them, if appropriate, and soliciting donation or loan of ornamental plants from local vendors to decorate the booth. The committee should obtain conifer-tree seedlings, if available, for giveaway during the Show, and ensure that they are properly wrapped and stored. The committee prepares a signup sheet listing duties and shifts, including setup and cleanup; ensures that all jobs and times are covered; and provides detailed, written instructions on site so that each new shift during the show knows what to do and where everything is. Reporting to the State Foundation Representative: Patty Brown Southwest Washington Fair: This committee needs 4-6 people. This committee will work with the Board, the Coordinator and the County Agent to determine the nature and location of the MG display and the Foundation’s involvement with the Fair. This occurs during the summer. They ensure that all exhibits are prepared, installed, and taken down in a timely manner, that all work shifts are covered, and that admission and parking passes, if any, are distributed to volunteers. You may volunteer at any time to get started on a committee. As you can see from the selection, there are many needs. Call the Board member that oversees the committee you are interested in and say you want to help!

8. 8 Providence Place Garden 350 SE Washington Ave., Chehalis Work parties: Mon. 9-12 Contact: Bob Taylor Carol Wood Salkum Library Garden 2480 US Highway 12, Salkum Work parties: Tues. 10-12 Contact: Barbara Eastman Sherry Pearson Borst Park Garden Borst Park, Centralia Work Parties: Wed. & Sat. 9-12 Contacts: Mike Stedham Ed Schroeder Gaylend Wilmovsky 8 If interested in working any of our demo gardens, call (360) 740-1212 or the contact person for that garden. You will find their numbers listed in the directory. Here is the link to our current WSU Lewis County Master Gardener site: http://lewis-mg-mrc.org/demonstration_gardens Information on each garden and how to book a tour is provided. We continue the winterizing process and are looking forward to the 2012 catalogs for new flowers and ideas. Almost all of the residents have harvested what they planted and are starting to plan what and when to start seeds for the Spring. For 2012 we’ve changed the day for our work parties to Tuesdays from 9 to 12. Bob Taylor, Demo Garden Co-Coordinator Fall is in the air. Trees and many plants are showing off their fall finery especially in the arboretum. It is time to begin our annual task of raking leaves. The gardens will be covered with them during the next few weeks. It’s hard to believe how many leaves are produced from two oak trees. We hosted an open house Nov 5 th, at 1 PM. Marie Panesko made a pitch to the Centralia City Council, inviting the mayor, counselors, and others from the Parks Dept. to attend. We also held our final class of the year on Nov. 5 th, at 10 AM, where we demonstratde digging, cleaning, cutting, and storage of dahlias. It was held under our covered education center. Come rain or shine we were protected. Gaylend has been busy collecting seeds from various plants and Mike has cleaned up the Heirloom garden. He has planted some cover crop as well as garlic, but it doesn’t look like he will be able to harvest any of the Bloody Butcher corn this year; silks are still drying. The corn this year reached a height of approximately 13 feet, a far cry from the heights reached in previous years. Sally Wheeler has added some new plants to the border perennial garden. Most of the other gardens are being put to bed for the winter. Come visit us. We’re always happy to have visitors. Until then, Happy Gardening! Mike, Gaylend and Ed Our regular weekly work parties are over for the year. Thanks to all the workers who helped refresh and maintain the garden. A special thank-you to Sharon Tipping for designing our beautiful new grape arbor and leading the construction crew. We're looking forward to 2012 and hope to have lots of MG veterans and trainees bringing their energy and ideas to the Salkum garden. Barbara Eastman and Sherry Pearson

9. 9 Now that winter is here it is a good time to have craft parties. These are gatherings of fellow Master Gardeners and others who enjoy spending some time together making a variety of craft items. Craft items can be made from any type of material. We have found that our biggest sales coincide with our Plant Sale. With that in mind, we generally focus on garden theme items, which can be cutesy or practical. Many donated craft items can be made at home where there’s space; there you can work at your leisure. To augment these efforts we have scheduled three “party events” where we can get together and have some fun, produce a variety of things, and pass along techniques and ideas. Patty Brown is graciously providing a large heated workspace but we need to bring our own tools, tables, and materials. The three dates and times for this winter will be from 9:30 AM–1:00 PM on the following dates: Saturday, November 12. Focus will be on making wooden deck boxes for a variety of oblong plastic containers; the wooden parts have been gathered but need to be cut to exact sizes and assembled using pneumatic tools. We located a portable air compressor but are still in need of a table-top table saw. Please let me know if we can use your small table saw. Saturday, January 21. Focus on making bat houses, both single and multiple chambers. Monday, February 20. Focus will be on various bird houses. Since these parties require packing up a bunch of materials and tools, I really need to know in advance which date(s) you plan to attend. If no one responds I will cancel that date. Our craft inventory is low so we really need to produce a variety of items and then we should be able to meet our financial contribution goals for 2012. Bob Taylor, Committee Chair The 2-liter pop bottle green house now has two complete walls, 65% of the roof, and the door filled with bottles. Everyone that has contributed empty bottles gets a big “thanks.” This project continues to draw lots of interest and invariably, we encounter individuals who stop by to see where their empty bottle contributions go. We still need more bottles. Please ask your neighbors for their empties. Thanks to contacts made at the Southwest Washington Fair we will now be doing two sessions with the three 2 nd grade classes in Napavine covering recycling, and doing a reuse/recycle bird feeder project using 2-liter bottles. These are always fun events. Call me if you would like to participate. Bob Taylor, MRC President

10. November in Your Garden From: http://gardening.wsu.edu/text/calnov.htmhttp://gardening.wsu.edu/text/calnov.htm Garden essentials: Finish garden cleanup and weeding; leave some seeds on flowers for birds. Mulch roses, making sure mulch is at least a couple of inches away from the crown, but don't prune severely now. Move container plants into winter shelter Veggies year-round: Plant out onion transplants sown in July; they'll be ready next June. Spread dolomite lime over beds that haven't received lime or wood ashes for the past two years. Pile fall leaves over unplanted areas and over any root crops saved for winter eating. Lawn care: Late in the month, apply winter fertilization, which is vital to maintain turf in good health. Mow when ground condition permits. Grass grows slowly throughout the winter. KEY CONTACTS Office: 351 NW North Street, Chehalis, WA 98532 360-740-1212 http://lewis-mg-mrc.org/ Hours: 9-3 Mon. –Thurs. or by appointment. MG Coordinator: Debbie Burris debbie.burris@lewiscountywa.govdebbie.burris@lewiscountywa.gov 740-1216 WSU Extension Director: Sheila Gray sheila.gray@lewiscountywa.govsheila.gray@lewiscountywa.gov 740-1214 Office Manager: Janet Trotter janet.trotter@lewiscountywa.govjanet.trotter@lewiscountywa.gov 740-1212 10 mulching garden beds with leaves in fall MG Foundation Board President: Chuck Stanfield crs141@hotmail.comcrs141@hotmail.com V.P., Membership: Mary Ann Albenesius maryann@dishmail.netmaryann@dishmail.net V.P., Resources: Chris Trosper rick_bpg@hotmail.comrick_bpg@hotmail.com V.P., Educational Outreach: Nancy Palmer gardens4110@q.com Secretary: Pat Bower pat.les.bower@gmail.compat.les.bower@gmail.com Treasurer: Mary Jo Christensen christensenmj@comcast.netchristensenmj@comcast.net State Foundation Rep: Patty Brown yellowdog@toledotel.comyellowdog@toledotel.com Past President: Bob Taylor bobandkitty@reachone.combobandkitty@reachone.com Article Submission Deadlines: December 5 January 2 February 6

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13. 13 Below is a list of the snack signups for the remaining month of this year. If you need to make a change, let me know. I will call each of you with a reminder. The November date is the 15 th, two weeks earlier than usual. Judy Wilson, veteran 2001 NOVEMBERLinda & Gary Gorremans Coy Thompson Mary Ann Albenesius DECEMBER Christmas Potluck Dinner The Home and Garden Show has changed its dates to March 23 rd, 24 th and 25 th, with the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds as the location. Set-up for us will be in the Exposition Building on Thursday, March 21 st. More details will emerge. The Master Gardener organization will need to provide five speakers in order to get the booth rental fee returned. At this point we are open to suggested topics and speakers. Each presentation is about 30 minutes and can either be a live demonstration or PowerPoint. With this much advance notice we have plenty of time to do a first-class job. Bob Taylor, Committee Chairperson Not really trying to rush the holiday season but…it is time to sign- up for the tree recycling event. Tree recycling starts on December 26, and continues until January 8, 2012 at the Centralia Landfill. Times are 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily. The chipping dates are Monday, Jan. 2, and Monday, Jan. 9, 2012. Both the Master Gardeners (MG) and the Master Recyclers/Composters (MRC) participate in this event. When you sign-up please indicate which organization you are working for. While looking in the old MG photo albums, I found three pictures of the first tree recycling event. It was held at Yard Birds in December, 1993. Note the Centralia-Chehalis Elks building in the upper left corner of two of the pictures. A total of 650 trees were recycled. Barnett Implement Company supplied the chipper. MaryJo Christensen, Chair of Tree Recycle, Historian

14. 14 CHARMAINE GILL – NOVEMBER 2011 Becoming an architect was Charmaine Gill’s dream. A school counselor steered her away from it and so her creative abilities were used in other ways. Charmaine and her husband, Forest, have been creating their charming home and garden for thirty-one years. Forest built the house on his ancestral property before they were married. Twenty-two acres of grassland and forest surround their flower and vegetable gardens. It took years to collect and install the unique columnar basalt edging along their planting borders. It all looks incredible. Charmaine grew up about five-hundred yards down the road from Forest and inherited her love for flower gardens from her grandmother. Forest helped her expand her vegetable gardening interest. She wanted to continue learning so she is now taking the Lewis County Master Gardening training program. But, according to her, “Who knew it would include bugs and spiders?” I think that she is just fine tuning, because her gardens are worthy of a spot in a garden tour. Shade and sun plants, annuals and perennials are all found in wonderful combinations. Birdhouses and other ornaments add the finishing touches. A short walk out of the garden area brings one to a pond with a boat and fish. Charmaine would like to add more shade plants and about another ten feet of a sun area for delphiniums and hollyhocks. She likes free flowing borders with texture, various heights, and all shades of pink and blue. Favorite plants include peonies, lilies, ferns, hostas, astilbes, and impatiens. Her garden tip is to weed meticulously in the spring and mulch well. This will hold back weeds for a long time. She has toured gardens in Europe, but enjoys these local gardens: Lakewold in Lakewood, WA, Butchart in Victoria, BC, and DeGoedes in Mossyrock, WA. She also likes to tour other peoples’ gardens. Maybe a Lewis County garden tour is in order. Favorite reads include The Bible, history of Rome, Country Garden Magazine, and garden sites online. Charmaine volunteers at the Food Bank, United Way, and is a designer at “Festival of Trees.” She works as an accountant. She has great skill in creative folk art crafts, knitting, crochet, and embroidery. She has sold her creations all along the west coast. Charmaine has given lessons, and has sold knitting machines, and natural yarn in her own shop, “The Sweater Loft.” She is also an excellent cook, as her husband, three grown children, and grandchildren can confirm. Her daughter called for cooking advice while I was visiting her. Charmaine is nearing the end of the MG training year, but wants to keep learning, and get further training in pruning ornamentals and trees. She has enjoyed finding all the plant clinic information online, has worked at the May Plant Sale, helped with Gardening for Everyone classes in the spring and fall, and volunteers at the Borst Demo Garden. I know she was willing to do extra duty there in addition to her class project. Continued…

15. 15 She sees what needs to be done and offers to help. She watered my garden project when I was gone. She loves all the garden seasons which is evident by her own well maintained garden. Maybe Charmaine should have been a garden architect. “Come, ye thankful people, come, Raise the song of harvest home; All is safely gathered in, Ere the winter storms begin.” --Alford I’m thankful for you Master Gardeners, Christina Trosper The progress as of October 18 on the pop bottle greenhouse at the Centralia Transfer Station-keep sending in those bottles! We need 2 liter size. Bring them to the office or drop off at the transfer station.

16. 16 Italian Arum Arum italic Height: 1 to 1.5 feet Spread: 1 to 1.5 feet, plant this where you want it as it does tend to spread. Bloom Time: April to May Bloom Description: Creamy white spath Sun: Part shade to full shade Water: Medium Maintenance: Medium Flowers: Showy Flowers Fruit: Showy Fruit, greenish to brilliant orange/red Tolerates: Wet Soil, Dense Shade Uses: Rain Garden, Will Naturalize Best grown in medium moisture, consistently moist, organically rich soils in part shade to full shade. Not reliably winter hardy throughout USDA Zone 5 where it should be planted in a protected location. New leaves emerge in autumn and are evergreen in warm winter climates. However, in cold winter climates such as the St. Louis area, the leaves die in winter with new leaves emerging in early spring. In all climates, foliage goes dormant in summer. Carrots Love Tomatoes Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening By Louise Riotte Louise Riotte wrote 12 books in her lifetime and this book shows her warm, witty writings on companion planting and gardening lore. I was amazed at how she introduced me to new ways of thinking of my garden spaces as “rooms” where plants have to get along. Sounds like a family doesn’t it? To make accessing information easier, the chapter content is alphabetized. Did you know that parsley planted with asparagus gives added vigor to both? That onions and all the cabbage family get along well with each other? They also like beets, strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, summer savory, and chamomile (sparsely), but DO NOT like peas and beans. Basil helps tomatoes overcome both insects and disease, also improving growth and flavor. Dry herbs in paper bags hung in an airy place. Horsetails are the remainder of the huge trees of the carboniferous forests. Marigolds planted near apple trees or between rows of nursery stock will benefit trees used in grafting and budding. Petunias defer beetles. Daphne bark, leaves, and fruit are fatal. A few berries can kill a child. Corn likes potatoes, peas, beans, cucumbers, and pumpkins but does not get along well with tomatoes. These are just a few of the tips I have learned this past week reading this wonderful book. Hope you like it as much as I did. This can be found on our table book for only $15.00. Pat Bower