The Dirt – November 2, 2018: MG Meeting: Fall’s Herbal Delights

What’s Inside:

New Master Gardener Homepage and Volunteer Portal, Mt. Auburn Visit, URI’s New Visitor Parking System, Food Summit Save the Date, Help Wanted, Continuing Education

New Master Gardener Homepage and Volunteer Portal

The URI Master Gardener Program homepage (https://web.uri.edu/mastergardener/) is beta testing a new layout that incorporates HTML to look good on desktop computers, as well as on mobile phones and tablets. If you have comments or concerns about what you see, please email Jeanette Chin at jeanette_chin@my.uri.edu.

There is also a new and improved Master Gardener Volunteer Portal (https://web.uri.edu/mastergardener/portal/) for all things URIMGP. On the portal you will find this week’s issue of The Dirt and all prior issues in an archive there, plus the continuing education calendar, Volgistics login and user guide, 2019 volunteer renewal form, a volunteer directory and pin replacement information, and much more. Let Kate know if you have comments or concerns with the layout or contents at kate@uri.edu.

A Visit to Mt. Auburn

By Betsy Polhemus, URIMGP Class of 2011, and Pat Moore, URIMGP Class of 2004
Photo by Margaret Parsons, URIMGP Class of 2009

On October 20, 2018 Master Gardeners visited the beautiful grounds of Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA. Our guide, Jim Gorman, Botanist and Certified Arborist, gave us a tour of their collection of over 5,500 trees, which include Ginkgo biloba, Seven-Son Flower tree (Heptacodium miconioides), European Larch (Larix decidua), and Japanese Stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia).

At the entrance to the cemetery stands a European Weeping Beech (Fagus sylvatica) that’s over 100 years old. As the sun peeked through the fall clouds, we wandered among magnificent trees, shrubs and gardens with asters, Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), and Beauty Bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis) still in bloom. On our way to the highest point in the cemetery to visit Washington Tower (a memorial to George Washington), we passed the tombs of Julia Ward Howe, Buckminster Fuller, Fannie Farmer, and Asa Gray (Botanist), just to name a few. From the Tower we looked over the city of Boston as the earliest settlers did in the 1800’s. It was truly a wonderful visit and we hope you all will consider joining us on our next trip. Stay tuned for more information, coming soon in The Dirt.

NEWS & INFORMATION

URI Visitor Parking Online Registration

URI’s Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center officially opened at the end of September and with the new building come changes to campus visitor parking locations and procedures. Visitor parking is available behind the Higgins Welcome Center. Visitor parking spots are designated but visitors are permitted to park in any spot in the lot.

Prior to arrival on campus, guests must register their car in the University’s online parking system. According to the URI website:

All visitors parking a vehicle on the Kingston Campus between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday must register their car in the University’s parking system before arrival. Visitor passes are not required on weekends, holidays or from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. on weekdays.

Consult the updated campus map for designated parking lots and keep the new visitor parking process in mind when attending URIMGP meetings and events!

Seeking Vendors for Spring Symposium 2019

It’s already time to think spring! Plans are underway for the annual URI Master Gardener Program Spring Symposium, slated for Saturday, March 2, 2019. Garden related vendors and crafters are needed as event exhibitors from from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm. The fee is $25 for a 6 foot table. This event is limited to 10 vendors; spaces will fill quickly! If interested, please contact Karen at KCKFlynn@aol.com by November 2.

November MG Meeting: Fall’s Herbal Delights

Saturday, November 3, 2018   9:00 am–12:00 pm
Swan Hall, 60 Upper College Road, University of Rhode Island

Avid gardener and cook Linda Fleming will teach us about “Fall’s Herbal Delights.” During this wonderful time of year, celebrating an herbal bounty is a perfect time to turn our attention to gifts using our harvest. Learn how make herbes de provence croutons, jalapeno pepper jelly, herbed pickles, herb salts, herbal fireplace starters, simmering potpourri, and bouquets garnis. Linda will address how to store herbs for the fall and winter, propagation tips, and which herbs to winter inside.

In the spirit of gifts and giving, we will also be hosting a food drive for URI’s own Graduate Village. Residents of the URI Graduate Village are mostly foreign students with families, and many could use our help with food donations, such as red/green lentils, brown/white rice, beans, chickpeas, flour, pasta, oil, coffee/tea, tomato sauce, salt, sugar, snacks (nuts, pretzels, and the like), peanut butter, and oatmeal/cereal. Anything MGs can bring would be much appreciated!

Finally, we will be holding an awards ceremony for those who have earned new pins! To be recognized at the event, volunteer hours should have been submitted by October 6.

Note that MGs receive Continuing Education hours if they attend and one volunteer service hour if they bring a potluck item to the meeting. If you are interested in attending, please register through Volgistics.

Mishnock 4-H Alumni and Friends Barn Blast

Every year, the RI 4-H Club Foundation sponsors a 4-H Friends and Alumni Event called the Mishnock Barn Blast.  It’s a great afternoon of country line dancing, a fabulous buffet,and a raffle of all the prizes in our annual “40 for 4-H” raffle. This year the Barn Blast will be held Sunday, November 18 from 3:00 to 7:00 pm.  Tickets are only $23 per person. You can also register online through the Foundation website.

2018 URIMGP Annual Poinsettia Sale

Friday, November 30 I 11:00am-4:00pm
Saturday, December 1 I 9:00am-12:00pm
URI East Farm, Rt 108, Kingston, RI

Each year, the URIMGP participates in the North American poinsettia trials, assisting two breeders (Beekenkamp and Dummen) who send around 25 varieties of poinsettias to be grown in our East Farm greenhouses. URIMGP  growing notes report our results to the breeders and include information about growth stages, leaf structure, bloom, and color. This year, we have over 2,000 individual plants of 25 varieties for sale! Plants are sold on a first come, first serve basis while supplies last.

 

Save the Date: Rhode Island Food System Summit

Friday, January 18, 2019  
9:00 am–2:00 pm (Formal program) & 2:30 pm–5 pm (Optional tours)
URI’s Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences

The University of Rhode Island will once again host the third annual Rhode Island Food System Summit in early 2019 and registration opens in November. Join government, business, and community partners as we discuss the implementation of the Rhode Island Food Strategy and how we can support the food sector and our state into the future. The event takes place at URI’s Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences and will include a panel discussion and break-out sessions to discuss the key areas of the state’s food strategy. The formal program runs 9:00 am–2:00 pm with lunch provided, followed by optional tours of food-related businesses from 2:30 pm–5 pm. Stay tuned for the full schedule and agenda!

For more information or to sign up for future event announcements, please contact Gus Cantwell at 401-874-2596 or at angus_cantwell@uri.edu.

MG Quick Tip: Fall Houseplant Care

Photo of Red Leaf Aglonemea by Rosanne Sherry, URI Extension Horticultural Educator

  • Bring houseplants in before frost threatens.
  • Inspect for insects.
  • Keep from drafty areas.
  • Water regularly and fertilize at least monthly.

For more information take a look at the University of Minnesota Extension site on house plants.

HELP WANTED

Poinsettia Sale Crew Member

Come support the Poinsettia Project and its crew members with their Poinsettia sale. Start the Holiday season by volunteering a couple of hours, pick up a poinsettia or two and spread some holiday cheer. What better way to start the holiday season than spending time with friends and other Master Gardeners. Sale hours Friday, November 30, 11:00 am–4:00 pm, and Saturday, December 1, 9:00 am–12:00 pm. Contact Kathy Larson at klarsonrn@cox.net if interested.

Roger Williams Park Edible Forest Garden Co-Leader

Jaime Nash, the project leader for the Edible Forest Garden at Roger Williams Park, just below the Botanical Center greenhouses, is looking for a co-leader to help him with organizing volunteer work sessions and activities, participating in project leader events and meetings, coordinating project reporting and outcomes, and representing the EFG project at MGP events as needed.

The Edible Forest Garden is a habitat-rich, food-producing, urban ecosystem designed around permaculture ethics and principles. It features unconventional plants, such as hardy kiwis, hazelnut, and American Chestnut trees and demonstrates permaculture techniques, including herb spirals, a keyhole garden, and hugelkultur gardening. Master Gardeners interested in this opportunity, please contact Jaime Nash (401-447-8100).

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Rare Plants of New England and their Conservation
Saturday, November 10 | 2:00–4:30 pm
University of Rhode Island, 7 Greenhouse Rd., Pharmacy Building 170

Bill Brumback, Conservation Director, New England Wild Flower Society, will talk about  rare species of the region, reasons for their rarity, and the actions we can take to conserve them. Among other topics, he will discuss efforts to manage rare plant populations, bank seeds of rare species, and augment wild populations.

Bill Brumback began his work with native plants as the Propagator for the New England Wild Flower Society and has been the Conservation Director since 1990, focusing on conservation of the endangered plants of the region, including seed banking and invasive species management. His work has included propagation and transplanting of Robbins’ cinquefoil (Potentilla robbinsiana) in the White Mountains of New Hampshire as part of the successful effort to remove this species from the U.S. Endangered Species List; development of the regional list of plants in need of conservation (Flora Conservanda 1996 and 2012); production of the recent field manual for plants of the region (Flora Novae Angliae); and Go Botany, a Society website for the identification of the region’s plants. He has been studying the rare native orchid, small whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides), for 30 years and still doesn’t understand it.

Please RSVP for this event at www.RIWPS.org.

Drip Irrigation
Wednesday, November 14 | Time TBD
Beechwood Center for Life Enrichment, 44 Beach St., North Kingstown, RI

URI Master Gardener Rudi Hempe will discuss how to water plants efficiently through drip irrigation and the environmental benefits of this system. If interested in attending, please contact Rayna Wilcox, Volunteer/Program Coordinator, at The Beechwood Center for Life Enrichment at 401-268-1594; or email her at RWilcox@northkingstown.org.  These programs are offered to members and the public at no charge.  Master Gardeners receive education credits for attending.

UMASS Extension Fall Wrap-Up
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 | 8:30 am–4:00 pm
Hadley Farms Meeting House, Hadley, MA

Join UMass Extension Specialists for a look at the challenges and problems of the 2018 season. Attendees can choose to attend either the morning or afternoon sessions or go for the entire day. Please see http://ag.umass.edu/landscape/events/fall-wrap-up.

MORNING SESSION – Woody Ornamentals. Topics include Invasive Insects in Massachusetts; 2018 Updates; What We Saw in the Plant Diagnostic Lab in 2018; and Managing Tough Landscape Weeds.

AFTERNOON SESSION – Turf. Topics include Best Management Practices for Managing Grassy Weeds in Turf; Strategies for Managing Turf Damaging Pests in an IPM System; and BMPs that Maximize Turfgrass Tolerance to Stress and Pests.

Go to http://ag.umass.edu/landscape/upcoming-events or contact UMass Extension at (413) 545-0895 for registration.

Ecological Landscape Alliance Webinars

November 2018

All webinars have a small fee, so be sure to read the description and register through the ELA site.

More upcoming URIMGP Continuing Education.

Have something you’d like to see in The Dirt?

Please email us at thedirtnewsletteruri@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you! Have a submission related to the URI Master Gardener Program? Send it to us (in email or MS Word ONLY please) by Tuesday at 8:00 pm to include in that week’s newsletter!

Questions?

Do you have questions about the URI Master Gardener Program? Please find our leadership directory in the documents page. This will point you in the direction of the proper council member, MG leader or staff member who can answer your question.  

Stay Connected with the URIMGP!

Follow @URICoopExt on Facebook and Instagram. Not into social media? Visit the MGP website for our event listing.

November 3
9 am – 12 pm		 URIMGP Meeting
URI Kingston
March 2, 2019
9 am – 3 pm		 URIMGP Garden Symposium
URI Kingston
June 17-21, 2019
TBD		 International Master Gardener Conference
Valley Forge, PA
June 29 & 30, 2019
TBD		 URIMGP’s Gardening with the Masters Tour
Gardens statewide