February 2016

Turnip News Master Gardeners

Prince William Editors: Rebecca Arvin-Colón Maria Stewart

Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings - At a Glance

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Thomas Rainer Lecture - Planting in a Post Wild World 3

Growing Bonsai Trees 4-6

News from the Communications Committee 7

Important Conservation Legislation 8

Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings 9-10

Teaching Garden Workdays Starting 10

Get to Know a Critter 11

PUZZLER 12

Inside this issue:

MG President’s Message By the time you read this message, “Blizzard 2016” will be a distant (I hope) memory. On the positive side, it certainly was fun to watch from the safety and warmth of my home. It was also fun to track where the deer, rabbits, squirrels, and birds traveled on my property. I hope that all of you came through the storm without any problems.

If you are still making “New Year’s Resolutions,” please consider making it a priority to record your Master Gardener volunteer and education hours in a timely manner. Recording hours once a month might be a goal we all can achieve. This will be a big help to Nancy and those taking care of the bookkeeping. If you already keep up with recording your hours, Congratulations, this is one New Year’s Resolution you will keep!

Master Gardeners of Prince William, Inc. is asking for your help in creating a logo for our organization. The logo would be used on letter-head, forms, business cards, etc. Ideally the logo would help to explain what MGPW is and its relationship with Virginia Cooperative Exten-sion. The design should be simple, clear, and understandable no matter how it is reproduced. Details will be presented at Recertification.

As we get closer to the beginning of spring, we get closer to the new season in the Teaching Garden. I want to give a big THANK YOU to Leslie and all that she does in the garden. Leslie holds the garden to-gether and without her tireless work and leadership, the TG would not be the success that it is. If you can, try to get out to the garden in 2016 to help out on workdays and to admire the beauty of the surroundings.

Happy Winter, Jane Wyman, President, MGPW, Inc., president@mgpw.org

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Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings - At a Glance

Turnip News

February SATURDAY 20

Basics of Gardening /Pruning Class

SATURDAY 27 Basics of Gardening

SATURDAY 6 Sustainable

Vegetable Gardening

SATURDAY 13 Sustainable

Vegetable Gardening

SUNDAY 21 Thomas Rainer

Lecture

March SATURDAY 12

Basics of Gardening

SATURDAY 5 Sustainable Vegetable

Gardening

SATURDAY 19 Snow Date:

Basics of Gardening / Teaching Garden

Workday

SATURDAY 26 Snow Date:

Sustainable Vegetable Gardening

THURSDAY 31 Clinic Training

MONDAY 28 Water Quality

Kick-off Meeting

TUESDAY 15 1st Teaching Garden

Workday

TUESDAY 9 MGPW, Inc. Board of

Directors Meeting

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Come Hear Thomas Rainer,

Planting in a Post-Wild World!

Don’t forget,

this event is open to the

public, so

invite your family,

neighbors, and friends!

Free presentation by Thomas Rainer, co-author of Planting in a Post-Wild World: Designing Plant

Communities for Resilient Landscapes, based on this book. Mr. Rainer is a landscape architect, university

professor, and writer. Copies of this book, published by Timber Press and co-authored with horticulturalist

Claudia West, will be available for purchase and signing by Mr. Rainer. The book was reviewed by

The Washington Post on December 3, 2015. Please register, 703-792-7747 or master_gardener@pwcgov.org. Please click here to register.

This event is sponsored by the Master Gardeners of Prince William, the Prince William Wildflower Society, and the

Prince William Conservation Alliance.

Sunday February 21st at 2:00 p.m. Manassas Park

Community Center 99 Adams Street,

Manassas Park, VA 20111

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Growing Bonsai Trees by Abbie and Vincent Panettiere

Turnip News

A s part of the Master Gardener belief system is the axiom: if you want to grow it, bigger is always better. That’s why

when my sister gave me a bonsai kit this Christmas, sisterly affection forced me to rethink what had been an eternal truth, and I felt an unexpected enthusiasm as I unwrapped the present. Inside the cardboard carton, I found a stainless steel box and lid; the box had holes in the bottom for drainage and the lid serves as the plate to keep excess water from destroying the furniture. Along with a generous bag of potting mix, there was an envelope with dawn redwood seeds (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) and a small tin of moss seed to make the finished product look more like an actual forested place. I had never thought to grow bonsai since I’m extremely thankful if any seed germinates for me, and historically, my entire effort has been to help the resulting plant grow as large as possi-ble. But, my worldview broadened as I became aware of the many reasons given for growing bonsai, such as giving the viewer peace of mind, as an aid to meditation, and my favorite, allowing the viewer, with sufficient suspension of disbelief, to imagine that he might be small enough to fit into his bonsai installation. Also, finding out how one put a bonsai tree, forest, or landscape together, made it a very interesting project. The Japanese bonsai (“bon” means tray or low-sided pot and “sai” means plantings) is actually a relative latecomer to the field of styl-ized trees and landscapes grown in small pots, though its history goes back one thousand years, and the Japanese have developed their own methods and terminology. The term bonsai is thought to have been taken from the Chinese term penzai, and the original plantings of small trees and shrubs in shallow pots are believed to be of Chinese origin, where the art was called penjing (“pen” means pot or container and “jing”

means landscape or scen-ery). The earliest records of these plantings date to the Han and Qin Dynasties (221 BC to 220 AD). Plantings might be of three sorts: tree penjing, generally one tree; landscape penjing, which might conjure up a forest to the observer; and penjing with water and land, a landscape. It is thought that Buddhist monks were the first to bring penjing to Japan during the Heian period (794 to 1191 AD), and these plants were part of a rich cultural influence brought by the Chinese and enjoyed by the Japanese wealthy and the aris-tocracy at that time. The Japanese are credited with bringing bonsai to the west. Bonsai were shown at exhibitions in France in 1878, 1889, and 1900, and a major ex-hibit was opened in London in 1909. The end of World War II brought bonsai to greater attention in the U.S. as servicemen brought home plantings with them when they came back to America from Japan. Both penjing and bonsai used the basic classifi-cation of three sorts of arrangement: one tree, several trees (forming, perhaps, a forest), and landscape. However, the field widens there. As an example, there are five types of single tree arrangements: straight, either formal or informal; the tree at a slant; and then two sorts of cascade, one in which the tree is made to appear as if it’s partially leaning over a cliff and finally where the tree is leaning all the way over a cliff. As you can see from the picture, the kit is intended to provide a group of trees, or forest, and should not need shaping with wires unless you decide to take on the subject in greater detail. I was surprised to find how many forms these plantings took: there are small, medium and large-sized plantings. In Vietnam, for example, size became more extreme: penjing became Hòn Non Bo, which might be translated to mean

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“imitating the way the scenery looks in minia-ture.” Plantings were arranged outdoors to grace the house and grounds of the wealthy and, while individual plantings might be one to two feet in height, royalty built larger ones that might be twenty to twenty-five feet high. It is important to note that bonsai are generally intended to be kept outdoors since the trees or shrubs in use are from temperate climates and need the change in season to survive. They are displayed for special occasions indoors, but are kept in the unnatural conditions for only a day or so since the bonsai will not thrive in the dry hot air they find in-doors. Material of tropical origin, tropical and sub-tropical tree species, may be suita-ble for use as indoor bonsai and will fare better than temperate trees if their special needs are addressed. In the kit, I was given an envelope of seeds. In constructing bon-sai, seeds are not used often. Cuttings, seedlings, or small trees or shrubs that produce true branches and can sur-vive the process of pot confinement and crown and root pruning needed to produce the result desired are more usually employed. They also have the advantage of look-ing more like mature trees, which helps the grower to achieve the desired result in a shorter time. The seeds provided were for dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), which are one of three redwood species and the one remaining living species of the genus Metasequoia. They

are a deciduous conifer, native to western China, fast growing, and are considered critical-ly endangered. The species was thought to be extinct until several specimens were discovered in 1943, in the midst of World War II, for which reason they were not studied or described as a new living species until 1948. In the wild, only one forest of 5,400 trees is known to exist. Dawn redwoods have become, however, very popular trees outside their native home. It is for

this reason, perhaps, that in searching to find the fullest infor-mation on growing the tree, I discovered that wherever I searched, the in-structions given would differ from the instructions found elsewhere. There did seem to be a few points on which all sources agreed: if the medium the seeds are planted in is allowed to dry out, the seeds will quick-ly die; the trees are considered to be quite difficult to grow even if they

come up; and the seeds have a germination rate approaching 20%. In other words, good luck. The instructions on the kit had me plant the seeds in pots, cover in plastic wrap, and put in a warm area out of direct sunlight. A gentleman from a firm in Britain that grows the trees sug-gested: “At this stage many people recommend treating them in a manner called ‘stratification’ in order to improve the germination rate. This involves placing them in cold storage, such as a household refrigerator, for a period of time from several weeks to six months or so.” Quite a few sources suggested that stratification was neces-

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sary from periods ranging from 30 days to the above-mentioned six months. Many suggested that the seeds be soaked in warm water for anything from an hour to twenty-four hours. Another grower suggested starting them on a heat mat in damp potting mix. The kit providers suggested putting an amount of their potting mix in three (provided) pots, soaking it with water, dividing the seeds provided among the three pots, pressing the seeds down, and cover-ing with a very thin layer of soil. You were then to cover with plastic to keep the seeds from dry-ing out and place it in a warm place out of direct sunlight, keeping the soil moist. Trees were expected to germinate in about fifteen to thirty days. Given the number of different methods suggest-

ed for growing dawn redwoods, I’ve decided on using the old reliable scattershot method. I’ve got seeds downstairs on a heating mat with a fluorescent bulb; there is a plastic zip-lock bag of seeds in damp potting mix in the refrigerator having a nice winter for itself, which may last from one month to four months when the last frost has definitely passed and it’s warm enough outdoors that seeds should germinate; and I’ve got a few seeds in a pot of damp potting mix cov-ered with plastic and sitting in a warm place. If any of these seeds are kind enough to germi-nate, I shall be forever thankful and will reward them by bringing them outdoors, in their bonsai pots, since dawn redwoods are hardy from Zone 5 to Zone 8, they should be quite comfortable in Zone 7A. That is, if they come up.

Bonsai Information http://goo.gl/huINBo Bonsai & Penjing Collection Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum University of Michigan http://goo.gl/vjgThn Omiya Bonsai Village Saitama https://goo.gl/29QVYK History of Bonsai All About Bonsai https://goo.gl/g65gYz Hòn Non Bo Wikipedia http://goo.gl/n0iJkB How to Grow Metasequoia Glyptostroboides From Seed, Donald Miller SFGate Home Guides

http://goo.gl/ez87wQ How to Germinate Dawn Redwood Seeds Jessica Westover SFGate Home Guides http://goo.gl/bg7BLc Dawn Redwood (mestasequoia glyptostroboides) Tree Seed Online Ltd. http://goo.gl/MOjygd Growing Your Own Giant Redwood Redwood World: Redwoods in the British Isles http://goo.gl/OT2azt How to Grow Conifers From Seed Richard Schmidt September/October 1982 Mother Earth News

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Turnip News

Expanding the Master Gardener Directory: The Communications Committee will be expanding our existing MG

Phone Directory (located under the members only, password protected section of MGPW.org) to include a headshot and class

year for each Master Gardener who would like to participate.

Just send a clear photo of your beautiful face, preferably one that will also show clearly as a small, thumbnail size to Maria Stewart, communications@mgpw.org.

Don’t have a photo of yourself? Not to worry, Maria Stewart will be available to take snap shots at

Master Gardener Recertification.

News from the Communications Committee

MGPW.org Website Opportunity: 1 or 2 volunteers with website/tech skills to focus on

updating and maintaining MGPW.org

Interested? Contact Nancy Berlin or Maria Stewart, communications@mgpw.org

Teaching Garden Blog Opportunity: 1 or 2 volunteers to continue the fabulous Teaching Garden blog started by Bev Veness. Blog about what’s happening

at the Teaching Garden, including a few photos. Bev has graciously offered to train her successor to use a simple

WordPress blog. Interested? Contact Bev, Nancy Berlin or Maria Stewart,

communications@mgpw.org

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Turnip News

Note from Leslie Paulson: Important Conservation Legislation

Pending in Richmond

Issues: Budget Amendment to increase funding for the

Natural Heritage Program Two bills relating to invasive species

click here to learn more and take action http://goo.gl/IeCMQW

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Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings

Sustainable Vegetable Gardening Series: Saturdays, February 6th, 13th, March 5th, SNOW DATE: Saturday, March 26th, 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Chinn Library (13065 Chinn Park Dr., Woodbridge, VA 22192) Growing our own food, using nature as a guide and incorporating sustainable practices is good for our bodies and good for the earth. Taught by the Master Gardener Cook’s Garden Team, these 3 classes cover the essential topics — planning the garden, using organic sustainable techniques to develop healthy productive gardens, and growing good garden soil. These practices are on display at our Teaching Garden and showcased in our Saturday in the Garden programs. There is no charge for these classes, but class is limited to 60, please register by contacting the Horticultural Help Desk at 703-792-7747 or email master_gardener@pwcgov.org. MGPW, Inc. Board of Directors Meeting: Tuesday, February 9th, 5:30 p.m., at McCoart Government Center, Occoquan Room (1 County Complex Ct, Woodbridge, VA 22192) All members are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Basics of Gardening: Saturdays, February 20th, 27th, March 12th, SNOW DATE: Saturday, March 19th, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Powell’s Creek - McCoart Building (1 County Complex Court, Prince William, VA 22192) Through instruction by Master Gardeners and Extension Staff, students will learn some of the science behind gardening, plant culture, and pest and disease solutions. The series will focus on research-based knowledge of plant resistance, problem avoidance and the most effective control strategies. Please call the Horticultural Help Desk at 703-792-7747 or email master_gardener@pwcgov.org. $5 per class or $10 for the series. Click here for a Basics of Gardening brochure (http://goo.gl/s3fmY5).

Pruning Class, Saturday February 20th,1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Teaching Garden (9535 Linton Hall Road, Bristow) Taught by Rachel Habig-Myers, MS, MPS. Learn best practices for timing, and techniques for pruning trees and shrubs. This class includes classroom and hands-on information. Dress for the weather. Space is limited. This class is free, but registration is requested; please call the Horticultural Help Desk at 703-792-7747 or email master_gardener@pwcgov.org.

VCE - Prince William Drinking Water Clinic, Kick-off Meeting: Monday, March 28th, 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Results Interpretation Meeting: Wednesday, May 11th, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Old Courthouse, Manassas (9248 Lee Avenue, Manassas) Do you know what’s in your drinking water? While public water supplies are tested daily for contaminants, most private water supplies, like wells and springs, are rarely tested. It is recommended that well owners test their water at least annually for bacteria, nitrates. Regular well testing allows you to detect and fix problems early. Basic well testing can cost over $250, but through the Virginia Household Water Quality Program (VHWQP) an array of tests only costs $55. The goal of VHWQP is to improve the water quality of private water supplies by offering low cost water sampling and information about possible treatment options. The kick-off meeting introduces water quality concerns in our area; kits will be provided. The interpretation meeting will explain the report, include a discussion

Turnip News

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Upcoming Events and MGPW Meetings

and answer questions on dealing with water problems. For more information on this statewide program please click here. How much does it cost? $55. NO CASH PLEASE - CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS ONLY! Fee will be collected at the KICK OFF MEETING 3/28/16. Sample Drop-off March 30th, 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Extension Office; Water Samples MUST be dropped off between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. at the VCE - Prince William Office 8033 Ashton, Suite 105, Manassas, 20109.

Clinic Training, Thursday March 31st , 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Development Services Building, room 107 - next to the McCoart Government Center (5 County Complex Court, Prince William, VA, 22192) Get ready for spring clinics! All Master Gardeners signed up for clinics are encouraged to attend. Seasonal topics and resources will be covered. Registration is requested; please call the Horticultural Help Desk at 703-792-7747 or email master_gardener@pwcgov.org.

Turnip News

Teaching Garden Workdays Starting Tuesday, March 15th! Come out and join us when you can. We always have a good time!

Here’s the Full Schedule for the Season

March Every Tuesday starting the 15th, 8:30 a.m. - noon (15th, 22nd, 29th)

Saturday March 19th, 8:30 a.m. - noon

April Every Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.- noon

(5th, 12th, 19th, 26th) Every Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. or

dusk (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th) Saturday, 9th and 30th, 8:30 a.m.- noon

May

Every Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.- noon (3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st)

Every Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. or dusk (5th, 12th, 19th, 26th)

Saturday, 14th, 8:30 a.m.- noon

June Every Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.- noon

(7th, 14th, 21st, 28th) Every Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. or

dusk (9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th) Saturday, 4th, 8:30 a.m.- noon

July Every Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.- noon

(5th, 12th, 19th, 26th) Every Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. or dusk

(7th, 14th, 21st, 28th) Saturday, 9th and 30th, 8:30 a.m.- noon

August

Every Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.- noon (2th, 9th, 16th, 23rd, 30th)

Every Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. or dusk (4th, 11th, 18th, 25th)

Saturday, 13th, 8:30 a.m.- noon

September Every Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.- noon

(6th, 13th, 20th, 27th) Every Thursday, 6:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. or dusk

(1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th) Saturday, 10th, 8:30 a.m.- noon

October

Every Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.- noon (4th, 11th, 18th, 25th)

Thursday evenings are done Saturday, 8th and 29th, 8:30 a.m.- noon

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Turnip News

Get to Know a Critter:

Northern Cardinal

(Cardinalis cardinalis)

Did you know?

♦ The female cardinal is one of only a few female North American songbirds to sing. She often sings while on the nest. A mated pair shares song phrases, but the female may sing a longer and more complex song than the male.

♦ Both males and females are known to attack their reflection during the spring and summer -

sometimes for hours at a time. It is believed they are vigorously defending their territory, and when hormones subside, the attacks diminish.

♦ Northern Cardinals primarily eat seeds and fruits from such plants as dogwood, wild grape,

buckwheat, grasses, sedges, mulberry, hackberry, blackberry, sumac, tulip-tree, and corn. They also supplement their diet with insect such as beetles, crickets, katydids, leafhoppers, cicadas, flies, centipedes, spiders, butterflies, and moths. Nestlings eat mostly insects.

♦ Although males sometimes supply nesting materials, the female builds the nest. It takes about

3 to 9 days to build, and they usually only use the nest once. ♦ Generally, Northern

Cardinals have benefitted from the development of human backyards over the last 200 years. However, at the edge of their range in southeast-ern California, they are experiencing pressure due to habitat loss.

Source: The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds, https://goo.gl/qzEwjT

Photo by Jason Alexander

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Last month’s answer:

Amaryllis

(Hippeastrum)

Amaryllis: “Because they can produce flowers in mid-winter, they are prized for the color they add to indoor land-scapes.” / “The secret to successfully growing amaryllis is to keep the plants actively growing after they have finished blooming. After the flowers have faded, cut them off to prevent seed formation. Do not remove the flower stalk until it has turned yellow; it will help manufacture food that will be stored in the bulb.” Growing and Caring for Amaryllis, Carl Hoffman and Mary Meyer, University of Minnesota Extension: http://goo.gl/ThuouJ

Do you know what this is?

See next month’s

Turnip News for the

answer!

PUZZLER

Turnip News