1

them. In a couple of

weeks I will be heading to

Alabama with my hus-

band to visit his family

and any idea what I will

be doing along the way?

His older brother is a gar-

dener so I will be right at

home.

The McMurry Green-

house project will be

turned over to our project

committee when I get

home from Wisconsin.

They will do what they do

to get it started and will

let everyone know when

they need help. Mary

Sue’s property is moving

forward and we are

attempting to set up the

management structure

for our Policy and Proce-

dures. I want to thank

everyone for supporting

these two projects, they

should keep us busy for

quite a while. Stay Cool!

When I travel it always

amazes me how the land-

scapes change, and some-

times quickly. I find my-

self trying to identify the

flora along the way, even

when I am the one driving

and that is probably equal

to texting and driving for

a gardener. At the time

of this writing, we are in

Oshkosh, Wisconsin

attending Airventure. I

have driven this route up

and down many times,

first when I was stationed

at K I Sawyer AFB in the

Upper Peninsula of Michi-

gan and several times

when I worked Airventure

as a controller. Wisconsin

has always been one of

my favorite places this

time of year because it is

so beautiful! Where our

plants are struggling to

survive the heat, theirs

are thriving in the cooler

and moist environment.

Around the towns, every-

where you go, you see

planters, big and small

with a variety of luscious

plants in them. The farms

have fields and fields of

green crops and beautiful

big old red barns. I love

visiting here and if the

winters were not so long

and cold, I would proba-

bly live here. By the time

this gets sent out, we

should be home in the

heat again. I hope my

plants have survived even

with my son watering

Charlotte Rhodes, BCMGA President

The Garden Thymes

August 2017

Big Country Master Gardener Association Newsletter Bcmgtx.org mgardeners@yahoo.com

Upcoming

Events

8/8 MG Executive Committee Meeting, 6:00 pm, Extension Office

8/15 MG Associa-tion Training 7:00 pm and Business Meeting 8:00 pm, Extension Office

8/19 Demo Gar-den Workday, 9:10 am – 11:00 am, Extension Office

Workdays at the Meditation Garden located at N 4th and Beech , 9:00 am – 11:00 am, every Monday and Thurs-day

Check the website calendar and watch emails for dates and times of additional events and projects.

WELCOME TO OUR NEWEST MASTER GARDENERS

• Linda Fulford

• Jackie Lee

• Treva Shott-Gozashti

• Susan Trice

Congratulations on your accomplishment!

2

Master Gardeners Invest Time and Expertise at Swenson House

Page 2 The Garden Thymes

Did You Know?

The Swenson House in Abilene was built by

W.G. and Shirley Swenson on fifty-eight

acres? In 1928, the Swenson’s completed a major remodeling of the home, adding the Grape Arbor and many Spanish

Colonial revival architectural features.

Among several new projects in which BCMGA has expanded

its reach in the community this year is the project involving, as a

first phase, establishing three demonstration gardens at Swenson

House, located at 1726 Swenson Street in Abilene. Swenson House

is an historic mansion, built in 1910, owned by the Abilene Preser-

vation League. Martin Jensen, the very capable overseer of the

property, provided plants obtained through a grant and a great

team of Master Gardeners planted demonstration gardens includ-

ing a pollinator garden, a rose garden and an herb garden in June.

In July, the newly planted gardens were the site for an Advanced

Training opportunity for our members, attracting 17 people! Patty

Esposito did a fantastic job teaching the rest of us to install a

drip irrigation system.

Because the grounds of Swenson House are large, this site of-

fers many opportunities for Master Gardeners to apply their skills

and talents to benefit this local historic treasure. Ideas are so-

licited, whether they involve new gardens, educational opportuni-

ties or community events! Go by and look at the property, think

about what you would like to do there and write up a proposal for

the Project Committee. Sandy Shaw, Committee chairperson, has

been actively hands-on through the development and execution of

the first project and will be happy to help you with the proposal.

And, from our experience, many, many generous

Master Gardeners will be there to support you!

3

BCMGA Pro ject Committee

Page 3 Big Country Master Gardener Association Newsletter

The purpose of the Project Committee is to review

proposed projects, helping bring them to fruition,

keeping all participants informed of place, time

and plan and providing guidance for gathering of

supplies and most of all-the participants!

Our projects are as varied as talking about plant growth to Wylie Elementary second

graders, to harvesting grapes while learning about viticulture, at Trails End Vineyards.

This season, BCMGA has built a number of Keyhole Gardens at churches, schools and spir-

itual centers and re-planted landscape “boxes” at Dyess Elementary in preparation for a

historical marker ceremony. We have planted a histor-

ical limestone in-ground star, pre-WWII , at Pioneer

Methodist Church near Merkel; are collecting and

identifying insects; planning a highway beautification

project sowing wildflower seeds provided by TxDot;

and are finishing a two year garden build at ‘Faith

Works’ with the mosaic tiling of a table in that garden.

For the first

time, we have secured agreement for three part-

nerships; the Abilene Preservation League-Swenson

House, First Central Presbyterian Church-

Meditation Garden, and the Greenhouse care-

McMurry University. These partnerships enable

BCMGA to reach our

community with many

learning opportunities. We are excited with the prospects of

participation for all, working with like minded members of our

organization, neighbors and friends, new and old. Please feel

welcome to suggest or propose your project to this commit-

tee– we look forward to your ideas. Thanks to all for volun-

teering– keep up the good work!

Sandy Shaw, Project Committee Chairman

4

BCMG 2017 FALL GARDENING SYMPOSIUM

Date: Sept. 30

Time: 8:00-3:00

Place: Southern Hills Church of Christ 3666 Buffalo Gap Road

Guest Speakers:

1. Larry Womack Womack Nurseries Topic: Trees

2. Steven Chamblee Topic: Ornamental Grasses in the Land-scape

3. Dr. Masabni ( Texas A&M Agrilife Research & Extension Center) Topic: Fall Veggies / Raised Beds

4. Regina McVey McVey Native Nursery Presentation and Workshop on Succulents

“When Watering pots

and/or hanging baskets, set

them in a kid ’s swimming pool

or a bucket/container of wa-

ter. This lets the pots/baskets

absorb water from the bottom

up, and will stay hydrated

longer.”

MONTHLY

TIP

5

MASTER GARDENER SPOTLIGHT

New MG-Susan Trice

My family helped settle the Ft Phantom Hill area of Abilene in the early 1800’’s. I was

born in Abilene, a few years after that, so moving back here from the Metroplex was com-

ing back home. After teaching with Richardson ISD for almost 20 years, I joined my hus-

band of 10 years (Dan) in his business. We now travel about Texas, NM and Oklahoma set-

ting up and selling our “wares.” (Come see us at the WTF&R.) Together we have 6 children,

five of whom live and work in the Metroplex and one who works at FB in San Francisco. Our

grandchildren range in age from 2 to 27. I came to MG to learn. Gardening here is much dif-

ferent than in the Metroplex. When gardening in the cool morning, it frees my mind from

thoughts or emotions and I become open to everything.

(You won’t see me out there in this heat. )

What is something different to do with okra and corn while it is in season? Is there some way to use them later? Freeze them and use them in this recipe from Southern Living 40 Years of Our Best Recipes.

Spicy Okra-Tomato-Corn Sauté

½ small onion, chopped 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 lb frozen okra, thawed 1 tsp sugar

1 cup frozen corn, thawed 3/4 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

1 10-oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained

Sauté chopped onion in hot vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender. Add okra. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Stir in corn and remaining ingredients, and cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

Tips:

This recipe works just as well with fresh okra and corn. If you prefer, you can use cut okra.

6

seed, you need to

get rid of competing

weeds and grass.

Glyphosate sprayed

twice in five-day

intervals should do

the trick. If you

don’t want to use

chemicals, you can try

solarization

(smothering the

weeds with cardboard

or plastic.) Be aware

that Bermuda grass is

very difficult to

Wildflowers don’t

have to be used only

to beautify roadsides

and prairies. Bring

them into the home

landscape to enjoy the

beauty and benefits

they provide. They

are easier to maintain

either planted alone

or with prairie

grasses.

Before you can plant

eradicate quickly

using organic methods.

the very top layer of

soil. You can begin to

broadcast your favor-

ite wildflower seeds

this month. If you

continue to plant

through the fall

months, you can elon-

gate the spring bloom-

ing period. Once the

seeds are broadcast,

Time for Planting Wildflowers

August Top Three Garden Tips

If you can ’t spend the month up north, here are some things you can do in the garden:

Turf grass- You can plant 4-inch plugs in patchy areas that will establish before the end of the growing season. Water well, then continue to irrigate daily for a week, slowly decreasing the frequency. You can fertilize with a water-soluble fertilizer, but don ’t feed the rest of the lawn.

Woody weeds- This is a great time to use chemicals to eradicate them, according to Robert “Skip” Richter in Month by Month Gar-dening: Texas. Cut the main stem and paint the stub to minimize the amount of pesticide you have to use. If you choose to dig them out, make it easier by watering a day or two ahead of time. Get ready for fall- Add compost or other organic matter to the soil for a better autumn vegetable garden. Organic fertilizers can be applied now, but avoid chemical fertilizers except on pot-ted plants. Many cool-season vegetables can be planted now for what many say are the most delicious crops of the year. And remember, August, too, will pass!

After broadcasting,

firm the soil around

them. Water to

ensure good soil-to-

seed contact. Sit back

and wait for the spring

show!

*Two great resources

for native wildflower

seeds and information :

“Native American Seed” at www.seedsource.com

*Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin. www.wildflower.org