Three interns completed their hours in July and are certified University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners. They are Sue Lowry (not pictured), Thomas Rollinger, and Loren "Bill" Wasson.

Happy summer to you all! Here is an update of MG activities:

Garden Walk: THANKS to all those who helped-it was a wonderful and gorgeous day ordered by co-chairs Ruth Walker and Carolyn Purcell. "Gold Medals" to you all who helped. This is our main moneymaker to support all our activities. Ticket numbers sold & tallied so far are: 1,236 (470 presales, 326 on site, and 428 from vendor's sites). So far we took in $10,537- way to go everyone! Next year's co-chairs: Carolyn Purcell and Nancy Mulvany. The garden search is on for next year's walk. Please feel free to give them garden site suggestions and any other suggestions for the walk to ensure its continued success.

Advisory committee: Jim Hayes, Heather Miller, and Rita Weisiger have kindly volunteered to be on the nominating committee for MG officers this year. Please submit names to them or Christine Martinez in the Extension office for the office slate for this fall's elections. The candidates must be active MG's, willing to serve, and willing to work for the good of the group. The names on the slate need to be in 2 newsletters prior November- so submit names soon.

Idea Garden: Brochure for IG to be revised soon. Thanks to all local nurseries that gave us discounts on plants! **Those of you working in the IG that used donated Euro American plants in your area; please keep track of how they are doing so we can report back at the end of the season to EuroAmerican. (They help us by supplying hundreds of plants; we need to help them with evaluations). We will need to have the IG spiffy for the Illinois State MG meeting in Sept so help is still needed tending the garden. "Gardening requires a lot of water- most of it from perspiration."

Community Gardens: Advisory committee discussed inviting select groups to the community garden open houses next year such as: C-U Garden Club, Herb Society, and members of the county board to showcase these gardens and all the work our members do.

Input Needed: ("I think, therefore, I yam"–Ratbert) Please email me (dermgood@aol.com) or Christine Martinez (cmartinz@uiuc.edu) with any ideas you have to keep interest up for interns and other MG's. We are all busy this time of year and have to divide our time among different things. We'd like suggestions as to how to keep people involved.

I hear excited interns saying, "Only 3 hours more left in the Idea Garden!" We are so happy many of you are near or HAVE completed your hours (yay!!), but please keep in mind that even though your official quota of hours is up, there are still gardens that need weeding & care, hotline questions answered, and committees that need your help. Help us keep the public inspired by keeping up our activities! "The garden is a ground plot for the mind"–Thomas Hill, 1577.

State MG Meeting Decatur Sept 9-11:

Hope many of you are planning on going! These are usually wonderful experiences and this year's location is close by with our county acting as one of several hosts! Registration forms are available in the office or online at: http://www.extension.uiuc.edu/mg/

Volunteers needed: We would love volunteers for thing such as room hosts (introduce speakers by reading their bios, keeping things on time), volunteers Friday morning for helping sell T-shirts, volunteers to help sell books by a few of the speakers, and a few volunteers to ride along on the tour bus Thursday that goes to the U of I locations (our very own Idea Garden will be one stop!). We have people at most of the other locations in Champaign to give the tours of the areas such as the Japan house, etc- you only need to ride on the bus. Email me or Christine Martinez (see above) and I will pass your name along if interested. We also need people to volunteer to be "on call" in between their classes and workshops to help relieve the other volunteers.

Flowers needed: Fresh, dried flowers or herbs needed for Diane Noland's workshop on flower arranging for Friday morning Sept 10th. Bring some from home if you can, and take them to the hospitality suite in the Holiday Inn, Decatur where the meeting is being held.

Door Prizes and Silent Auction Items needed: If you can help donate or get items for either of these, please let us know.

If you haven't seen the program in the latest Imagine newsletter, here is what is on tap:

Keynote speaker: May Berenbaum who has won national entomology awards AND is an entertaining speaker (she also runs the Insect Fear Movie festival each year on campus) – will be speaking on "Insects- Aliens from Planet Earth".

Tours: lots to pick from: A very special lecture AND demonstration of tree planting called "20 minutes in the Life of a Tree"; Allerton Park with private Monticello gardens; U of I related areas including the Japan House, Hartley Gardens, Idea Garden. Also: Mari-Mann Herb (complete with tour and sampling), and another to ADM hydroponics.

Wide variety of lectures:

–Workshops: floral design, salsa making, candle making with pressed flowers.

–Nationally known speakers/ authors: Janet Machunovich comes back (she is a dynamite speaker with so much useful information!) & will talk on Garden Design and viburnums. Pat Lanza will speak on "Lasagna Gardening".

–Plant lectures: new annuals & perennials, fall perennial (&evaluations from Chicago Bot. Gardens), diagnosing plant diseases, tree ID, shrubs, tropicals, pumpkins, native plants, lawn weeds, & more

–Garden related: hardscaping: paths, drip irrigation, landscape lighting, and gardening related internet info.

"The best way to garden is to put on a wide brimmed straw hat and some old clothes. And with a hoe in one hand and a cold drink in the other, tell somebody else where to dig."

Registrants are responsible for their own hotel reservations. The designated conference hotel is the Holiday Inn Select, Decatur, IL. (217-422-8800) A block of rooms has been reserved at a special conference rate of $75. Reserve your room by August 16 to assure availability at the conference rate. Indicate that you are with the IL Master Gardener conference. Check-in time is 4 pm and check-out time is Noon. A holding room for luggage will be provided for those who arrive before check-in time. For additional rooms, or if the Holiday Inn is full, The Days Inn is just down the road. (217-422-8800) For further information, consult the Decatur Area Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.decaturcvb.com, or call 217-423-7000.

Conference enrollment is open to Master Gardeners and one adult guest. Each attendee must complete their own registration form. Registration deadline is August 16. The registration fee of $180 includes all classes, tours, bus transportation on tours, as well as two lunches, two dinners and two breakfasts. Lunch on tour day as well as some workshop fees are additional. Single day registrations are available for $90 per day and include all classes, tours and meals (except tour lunch) for that day. A late fee of $25 will be assessed for registrations received August 17 through August 25. No registrations will be accepted after August 25. If they so desire, award winners may register only for the Thursday awards banquet and bring adult guests ($25 each).

Please register using the attached form. Indicate your first, second and third choice of classes as well as the meals and tours you will attend. While every attempt will be made to accommodate first preferences, space in some classes is limited. Register early to assure a spot in your favorite classes-first come first served. Conference schedules and maps to the Holiday Inn will be sent after August 30.

The registration fee includes the Thursday awards banquet and Friday dinner as well as lunches and breakfasts on Friday and Saturday. Breakfasts will include fruit, juice, cereals and breads. Vegetarian meals will be available (please indicate this preference on the registration). For the Thursday evening awards banquet there is a choice of 2 entrees. Please select either flank steak or broiled salmon.

Enjoy your summer! –Ann Tice

- Ann Tice, MG president

Mix up a little Portland cement with sphagnum peat moss, fold in some perlite and a pinch of synthetic fiber and you have a pie you can sink your favorite plants into. On Tuesday, August 17 at 6:00 p.m., at the Horticulture Research Farm on south Lincoln Av. across from the dairy barns, the Master Gardener monthly program will feature a hands-on how-to workshop on how to make a Hypertufa container. These rustic looking pots can be made into almost any shape so the possibilities are limitless.

They have an "old" look and attract mosses and lichens; this natural look easily fits into conventional garden areas. Being porous, they also act as reservoir, providing moisture for the plant cetween waterings and still allow air to reach the roots, which plastic and terra cotta pots do not allow. Another feature is that they can be moved to different ares of the garden as the light changes, or as the RV travels.

There will be a $10 fee to cover the cost of materials. You will need to bring a container to use as a form for your pot. Items that can be used are: small plastic wash tubs or buckets, an old metal roasting pan, a stiff plastic or clay flower pot (not too small), an old Tupperware container. You could also make your own container by duck taping together pieces of styrofoam. A small or medium size card board box would also work. A smooth surface on your container will work best as it may be harder to remove the form if there are too many indentations or ridges. Try to visualize how big you want your pot to be and bring a container to match. But remember – you have to carry it home!

- Siska Kallio

The growing season is at its mid-point, a logical time to identify plants to be divided and bulbs to be planted before cold weather arrives. From late July into the fall, you can start to take care of the following in your garden:

" Check now for evidence of borers in both bearded and Siberian iris. Remove yellowed or damaged foliage and rhizomes and destroy any borers still feeding.

" Divide and transplant irises by mid-September at the latest (allow at least 30 days for root system to become established before cold weather sets in).

" Finalize selection of spring-blooming bulbs to be planted in October. Choose bulbs with different flowering times to extend the season. Plan displays of bulbs in masses of one type or color.

" Order spring flowering bulbs in August. If critters are a big problem in your garden, select bulbs that are least tempting: Squirrels and rabbits avoid daffodils and hyacinths; deer generally don't favor crocus, daffodil, grape hyacinth, and snowdrops.

" In August/September, revive Amaryllis bulbs for flowering by placing them in a cool area for two months. Stop all watering. Bring them out of storage and start watering 8-12 weeks before you want them to flower.

Sources and for more information on bulbs:

• http://plantfacts.osu.edu/faq/index.lasso
• http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/tips/archive.html
• http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/champaign/homeowners/index.html
• http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/bulbs/

- Sue Mauck

The Centennial High School Courtyard has been a Master Gardener project since 2001. Surrounded on three sides by school buildings and on the fourth side by a gate facing east toward Crescent Drive, the courtyard originally consisted of three large berms, with several trees planted on each, and a walkway to each building dividing the berms. The setting results in a common Central Illinois gardening challenge: it gets extremely hot and the beds dry out very quickly. Thus the plantings were chosen to be tough, aggressive, and relatively drought tolerant. The three round free-standing beds are now planted in annuals with Panicum vergatum 'Heavy Metal' ornamental grass centered in each one.

Site preparation proceeded through several stages. Mowing the grass (mostly weeds) on the largest berm became a problem so we decided to eliminate all of the grass and weeds, build a retaining wall to stop the soil from eroding away from the trees, and plant aggressive ground covers and perennials to hold the soil in place.

Two high school classes joined the Master Gardener crew for lots of workdays preparing the site and leveling the edges so the retaining wall would also be level. This was no small task!

The gazebo had been a class project several years earlier but the landscaping was not yet completed. Again the site needed lots of preparation before the edging stone could be put in place and the compost brought in to build suitable soil for perennial plants.

The school had little financial resources to contribute, so the money for the wood (provided at a discount from Alexander's Lumber), edging stone, and compost came from the Master Gardener fund, costing just under $1500 to establish. Many of the plants were donated from several Master Gardeners' own yards, with "The Flower Shop" (in the Round Barn Shopping Center) donating some for the initial planting.

We do an initial Spring clean-up and gather for a day to plant annuals started by the Master Gardener greenhouse crew. Regular watering and maintenance is done on a weekly basis with four Master Gardener teams rotating one work day a month. Teams decide their dates and times. We also have a Fall clean-up day.

If you would like to join the Centennial High School group to apply towards your community service hours, please contact Elizabeth Scholebo at 217-598-2328 or by email (glenn@wolfram.com).

Thanks to all who have helped at the Centennial High School Master Gardener Project in 2004

• Team A: Sharon Hecht and Margena Worley
• Team B: Margaret Ford and Micky McAfee
• Team C: Janet Glaser and Chris Tarant
• Team D: Elizabeth Scholebo, (Chair), Laura Friedman and Carolyn Ogen

- Elizabeth Scholebo and Sue Mauck

Bill MacDonald, class of 2002

In the 1950's William MacDonald was serving in the Air Force and was stationed in Taiwan. During his time there he began learning Mandarin Chinese, a skill that he would eventually continue to pursue on his way to a Ph.D. in Chinese literature. Bill received his degree at the University of Washington in Seattle before coming to the University of Illinois in the late 60's. At the U. of I. Bill was a professor of East Asian Languages and Cultures. For many years he taught a survey course of Japanese, Korean and Chinese literature. He also used his knowledge of Chinese to translate some short stories and political and scientific documents that were sent to him from various governmental agencies. Other than his time in Taiwan, Bill says he only made it to mainland China once a few years ago. He is now retired from the U. of I.

Bill and his wife settled in the Garden Hills area of Champaign when they first came to town and Bill started to develop a vegetable and fruit tree garden. He is especially fond of asparagus, which he still grows. He has grown some Chinese vegetables such as daikon, bok choy and snow peas but feels the amount of work involved in growing them outweighs the results. His vegetable gardening these days, except for asparagus, is limited to container boxes.

A member of the 2002 MG class, Bill was recruited early on by his Garden Buddy, Kathy Marshak, to work at the Crisis Nursery garden. He continues to work there and is also the Licensed Pesticide Applicator for that garden as well as the Children's Garden and part of the borders at the Idea Garden. Bill says he has found the pesticide training very interesting and feels he has improved his bug identification skills.

Aside from time spent in the garden, Bill also enjoys building ship models. He builds mostly sailing ships from the early 20th century and has also built some Chinese vessels. The models are around 18 to 24 inches long. Bill says he has given most of them away since he doesn't have space to display all of them. In the past, Bill has used his woodworking skills to build furniture and cabinets. His interest in model ships is also reflected in one of his other pastimes, reading the novels of Patrick O'Brian. He saw the movie 'Master and Commander' and felt the filmmakers did a good job of replicating all the details of the ships from the book. He also enjoys reading mysteries set in Florida and is revisiting stories by John D. MacDonald. (Perhaps he feels an affinity with the author's name?) Carl Hiaasen is also a favorite author.

Bill grew up outside Boston and his family lived in New Hampshire, New Brunswick and Maine. Since many of his family members still live on the east coast, it is a favorite vacation destination. He also enjoys visiting one of his daughters in Tampa, Florida. Another daughter lives locally.

- Siska Kallio

After the spring clean-up, we were left with one completed compost bin from the 2003 crew. This was sifted and added to the compost pile that was delivered by the Landscape Recycling Center. Bin number 1 has just been chipped and shredded and the other key ingredients (soil, horse manure and water) have been added. Bin number 2 is about 6 weeks old and has reached a temperature of 105 degrees. Cooking temperature is 120 degrees and the wet summer weather will be helping that along

Since most people don't have chippers and shredders, in the wooden bins on the north side we started a home compost demonstration. We are adding excess garden debris and letting it cook unattended. There is also a rolling bin home composting demonstration. In the other two wooden bins on the north side, we ask master gardeners to place woody materials (except rose thorns) in one bin and green cuttings and deadheaded plant material in the other bin.

Please don't place root balls, tropicals, or weeds in the bins. You ask, "What do we do with the rose cuttings, tropicals and root balls? We will have a container in the storage bin area that these can be dumped into. The compost crew will appreciate the extra effort on everyone's part on keeping these separate. And remember, orange string placed across a compost bin means no entry.

The compost area is a demonstration area in the Idea Garden. We will try to keep up with the clippings you pass along from the other areas in the garden. Composting takes about 6 to 8 weeks to complete if the ingredients and temperature are perfect.

- By the 2004 Compost Crew: Marsha Hall, Ann Chan, Ed Rawls and Ron and Jimmie Nell Duden

Propagating plants by whatever means is always an interesting challenge to gardeners. Besides being a gardener, I helped teach genetics to undergraduates for about ten years. Curiosity as to what new plant will develop with what characteristics plus the phrugality of producing your own plants rather than buying them has always intrigued me.

Hence, when I think of a plant, I first think how I can acquire it and the nursery catalog is just one of the alternatives that comes to mind. Is there one growing in the wild? Does a neighbor or friend have one? Can I divide the ones I have? Can I save seed from some source? Is it possible to graft or root it from cuttings or layering? Do I want it to be a true breeder?

There are many books and other sources of information to give you a start on how to do it. In the case of trees, it's quite easy to gather seeds or nuts or other fruits and plant them and wait. Oak acorns can be gathered and planted in groups of threes in hopes that one will grow before the squirrels get them; if more than one grows you can transplant or cut them out. Black walnuts and hickories can be planted in the same way, keeping in mind it may take a few years before they germinate. Some trees like Kentucky coffee trees and locusts produce a seed pod with hard bean-like seeds that may require soaking in concentrated sulfuric acid for several minutes or breaking the seeds mechanically. Peach seeds can also remain dormant for a year or so. Apple seeds will grow but not necessarily resemble the parent tree.

The main reason to eat cantaloupe is because they taste good. The conditions under which they grow influence the palatability but the genetics has much effect too. I save seeds from those that taste best and plant lots of them and thin out the seedlings. Watermelons are also interesting to grow from seeds that you have saved from a particularly tasty one.

I save seeds from Siberian Iris, narcissus, daylilies, amaryllis, climbing cardinal, dames rocket, celosia, columbine, marigold and many others We propagate ferns from the trailing roots, bulblets from a variety of bulb flowers, forsythia from layering, junipers and yews from cuttings, lilacs from little spouts, raspberries and blackberries from sprouts and rooting tips...the list could go on and on. For me the phrugal pharmer, half the phun in gardening is in trying to see what can be done by producing your own

- Phil the Phrugal Pharmer

I live on a major flyway for Japanese Beetles. Those happy hummers are feeble fliers, but they take advantage of every wind tunnel and convection current to find my garden. They careen and frolic in the Summer breeze on their way to visit plants for breakfast, lunch, dinner and multiple meals in between.

A trio of pussy willows acts as a beacon for any wayward or stray beetles. The main body of their troop movement often dallies on these willows. The Japanese Beetles give new meaning to the scientific name of Salix discolor for pussy willow. Discolored is an apt description for the effects of their munching. An even more modern mantle may become, "What a Dis."

I publicly pine for Japanese Beetles to have predators. Most experts say there are none with the exception of a black wasp. A single, solitary wasp once visited my garden and blocked out the sun. Several weeks later I reluctantly returned home from the stroke unit of a local hospital. Those creatures are scary. Don't know its scientific name, but I call that wasp yes sir or yes maam. Didn't get close enough to determine sexual orientation.

I use about twenty different tools to combat beetles as part of an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. The bad news for gardeners is none of the individual approaches offer much help. Taken together? Nope. Bad news and bad news.

I mostly attempt an organic gardening approach of hand picking beetles and dumping them into a bucket of deadly and caustic chemicals. But then what? None of the how to manuals describe what to do with the bucket of dish soap. A toxic waste dump? How do I get a comprehensive license for transport to anywhere other than my garden? The more macho of you scream, "spray the suckers!" Hmmm. Ever smell a bunch of dead beetles on the ground? Wonderful contribution to a rose garden though.

I have an idea! Traps are available! But wait! Didn't some obscure technical article describe how the devices attract more beetles than they trap? Shhh. Don't tell anybody. Should be great presents for the neighbors. Actually, I would never practice such devious methods. I immediately and directly send ALL available money to a Linden tree development project several streets away.

Everybody has an opinion and a solution. Democracy at its best. A groundskeeper at a local arboretum explained how Japanese Beetles are traveling from west to east and California no longer has them. Shouldn't be a problem in a few years. Yeah right. Didn't stand too close to the idling heavy machinery. Surely there was a conflict with his medication. Where are those beetles headed, Atlantis?

I could continue, but the wind is blowing harder. Time to shake my plants and let the wind send beetles up, up and away. Important for us gardeners to share, right? Or should I begin to write about how I am on a major flyway for Canadian Geese? Nah! That's another story.

- Robert Shoop, MG intern

Today I dug the first of the garlic. When several leaves turn brown, it is time to dig. I tied the stalks together and hung them to dry in a room with good air circulation. After several weeks, the stalks will be cut off and the garlic will be stored in a cool area in net bags (or in old panty hose).

The basil is looking good but it will not be dried. Neither basil nor parsley retain good flavor when dried. Basil can be used in pesto and frozen. It can be frozen in ice cubes after being blended with water. It can be used to flavor oil, butter, or vinegar. But more about oils and vinegars in the next newsletter.

Many other herbs such as dill or savory or mints or rosemary can simply be hung to dry. HOWEVER, you will have a better product if you follow the Top Ten Herb Dying Tips:

1. Harvest for leaves before the plant flowers.

2. For seeds such as dill or anise or caraway or coriander (the seed version of cilantro) wait until seeds are mature (brown) and cut stalk and let finish drying over a brown paper grocery sack. When dry, simply shake and rub seeds off stalk into the sack.

3. Harvest mints, basil, parsley, and other leafy herbs when aromatic oils are concentrated but plant is not parched–between 10AM and noon.

4. Hose plant off the night before or early in the morning and the plant will be clean for your harvest.

5. Tie or use rubber bands to attach small bunches of herbs to dry. Hang in a warm place with good circulation until dry. One friend hung them in her van that was parked in the shade. Keep the herb bunches out of the sun.

6. It is also possible to dry herbs on a clean dry cloth on a flat surface (like a guest bed). I often dry lavender and rosemary this way.

7. To remove leaves or seeds from the stalks, I use cotton gloves (old gloves from handbell choirs are perfect) to protect the skin from sharp bark, etc.

8. Enjoy the fragrance when you are removing the leaves from the stems. Make a cup of tea with some of the herbs. I love lavender and a touch of mint. Lemon balm makes a wonderful iced tea–make a concentrate and add a sparkling water.

9. The larger the herb the longer it retains flavor. Grind just before using.

10. Label the jar with the date. Herbs last longer in dry cool storage. Avoid storing in sunlight.

Enjoy the summer harvest!

- Marcia Eischen, MG intern

Now is the time to prepare for the storage of those non-hardy bulbs we have been enjoying all summer. Gladiola, dahlia, canna, elephant ears and caladium are the most common and popular, but not the only non-hardy bulbs. Fortunately, all the non-hardy bulbs have the same storage requirements.

We need to begin planning now because we need to mark the location of those plants that may die down and lose their foliage before harvest. We also need to keep the spent flowers cut off from late July on because the plant will not quit growing and go dormant if it is producing seed. It is desirable to have the plant going dormant so that there is not so much foliage to contend with during harvest.

These bulbs will freeze if they are not harvested before 40 – 32o soil temperatures hit, so there are several simple rules to successful harvest and storage.

1. Harvest before the air temperature goes below 45o for 4-5 hours per night.

2. Do not cut off green foliage. Bulbs that still have green foliage should be spread out in a dry area until the foliage dries. A few days should so the trick.

3. Remove the dried foliage, soil and roots.

4. Put in breathable containers: paper bags, cardboard boxes, bushel baskets, yard waste sacks, etc. that block all light.

5. Use many containers so that air can circulate to minimize the risk of rot.

6. Put these containers in a cool, 40-50o, dry location. Maintain this temperature throughout storage.

7. Inspect the bulbs every 3-4 weeks. If they are mushy, smelly, soft or rotting, they are too moist and must be moved to a drier location or a dry, absorbent material must be added to the container. Shredded newsprint, peat moss or paper towels work well for this job. If the bulbs are too dry they must be moved to a moister site or slightly moistened material must be added to the containers. Paper or peat moss work well.

8. The bulbs must be stored in this fashion until the air temperature is above 50o for 4-5 hours at night.

The bulbs can then be planted and enjoyed for another season.

One of the virtues of being a gardener is our patience, but if it should wear a little thin, we can get a jump on the season by putting out stored bulbs in containers. The bigger the bulb, the bigger the container. Do not put these bulbs in the ground until night temperatures are closer to 60o.

Feed, water and exercise proper sanitation and pest control, and these bulbs can be stored for many years.

- Judie Fair, MG 1992