Secrets Of Redesign

Friday Five: The Master Gardener

Have you heard the term Master Gardener but wondered what it meant? Heres a quick look at what a Master Gardener does.

1. A Master Gardener is someone who has participated in a Master Gardener program, offered through the extension service at the state university and become certified as a Master Gardener.

2. Master Gardeners must complete basic coursework that covers the fundamental principles of home gardening, including growing and caring for perennials, shrubs, and woody ornamentals, pest control, and soil science.

3. Master Gardeners must complete a voluntary internship of anywhere from 20 to 30 to 40 hours. The internship involves helping the community in which he or she lives by answering questions about home gardening projects.

4. Master Gardeners work on a variety of community based projects such as giving presentations to community gardening groups, answering questions on a garden hotline, working in community and urban gardens.

5. Master Gardeners are not so much about being masters of garden techniques as they are about helping the community learn and manage gardening problems and issues including plant pests and diseases, fruit and vegetable production, lawn management, and invasive plant control.

To find a Master Gardener visit: Master Gardeners

Wednesday What’s New: Sustainable Sites Initiative

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), The University of Texas at Austin’s Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden announced recently that they had developed a new rating system for sustainable landscape design, called the Sustainable Sites Initiative. Similar to the LEED rating system, the Sites Initiative measures the sustainability of designed landscapes of all types, including public, commercial, and residential projects.

Sustainable sites and landscapes have the potential to increase biodiversity, reuse waste water, reduce the urban heat island effect, filter pollution from site runoff, and reduce energy consumption. The Sustainable Sites Initiative states that there are five components to a successful sustainable site, including hydrology, soils, vegetation, materials, and human well-being. Here is their definition of a sustainable site:

“A sustainable site links natural and built systems to achieve balanced environmental, social and economic outcomes and improves quality of life and the long-term health of communities and the environment. Sustainable landscapes balance the needs of people and the environment and benefit both.”

For more information visit: The Sustainable Sites Initiative

Thursday Tips & Techniques: Dividing Perennials

The rule of thumb is that spring and summer flowering perennials should be divided in the fall and that fall blooming perennials should be divided in the spring.

Some perennials are best divided in the fall, others in the spring. The rule of thumb is that spring and summer flowering perennials should be divided in the fall and that fall blooming perennials should be divided in the spring. Many perennials benefit from being divided every 4 to 5 years. Lamb’s Ears, bellflowers, and yarrow should be divided more frequently, generally every 2 to 3 years. Others like chrysanthemums should be divided every year, and some plants such as peonies don’t need to be divided at all.

September is the recommended month for dividing your spring and summer blooming perennials. Flowering should be complete at this time of the year and after dividing, the plants can put their energy into developing their root systems and leaf growth. Check the weather forecast before dividing your perennials. Cloudy or overcast days are best. Light drizzle is fine too, but avoid days that are expected to be sunny and hot.

There should be a reason to divide perennials as well–unless of course you’re planning on sharing a particular plant with another gardening enthusiast–for instance plants that have become too large for the space they occupy and lack the room for proper growth. In this case you might see flowers that are smaller than usual. Another good reason to divide perennials is when you notice that the clumps have hollow centers or foliage at the bottom of the plant is dying or yellow meaning that it’s probably not getting enough light.

Tuesday Products: Powdery Mildew

A whitish powdery looking coating on the leaves is the most obvious sign of powdery mildew, a fungus that affects many plants.

It’s that time of the year, when powdery mildew, a fungus (Microsphaera penicilliata) that affects many plants, makes an appearance in many parts of the country. Powdery mildew can affect just about any plant but lilacs, roses, bee balm, phlox, and members of the squash family like pumpkins seem to be most susceptible.

Plants growing in shady areas or crowded together with poor air circulation along with overcast skies, higher than usual amounts of rain, and higher humidity levels (at the microclimate level as well) make powdery mildew a common problem even in arid climates like New Mexico and Colorado.

A whitish powdery looking coating on the leaves is the most obvious sign of powdery mildew. In severe cases the leaf may become deformed and the stems and flowers may also be affected. While powdery mildew may mar the appearance of your plants, it doesn’t really harm them. In most cases, it’s not even necessary to treat it since most of these plants will be shedding their leaves in a month or two anyway. Just be sure to remove the leaves and affected parts and destroy them to lessen the chances of the spores re-infecting your plants. Do not compost infected leaves!

If your plants are affected by a mild case of powdery mildew and you’d like to treat it with a homemade remedy, try spraying the leaves with a solution of one tablespoon of baking soda in one quart of water. It may take a second application. A solution of one-part milk to 9 parts water may also work. There are also fungicides, many containing sulfur, on the market that can be applied as well.