Attention all Yard and Garden readers. The following is a very important message for you. It is once again time to apply for the Extension Master Gardener program. The Master Gardener program is for people who have none, some, or much gardening experience and are eager to learn more. It is for people who enjoy working and communicating with other people.

Beginning in January 2009, Master Gardener training will be offered for residents of Coles County and surrounding areas. The Master Gardener program is a volunteer program which provides an extensive course in Horticulture in exchange for a donation of volunteer hours to share your gardening knowledge with others through Extension-sponsored activities.

Training will be held on 12 consecutive Wednesdays. The starting date is January 14 and ends on April 15^th. The time is from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the 4 H Extension Center on the fairgrounds in Charleston. You will have a half hour lunch break. Class topics include Botany, Fruits & Vegetables, Flowers, Trees & Shrubs, Insect and Disease management. New topics to be introduced this session are Wild Life Control and Forest Tree ID.

The classes will be conducted by Extension Specialists from the University of Illinois campus. There also will be Extension Educators from Mt.Vernon, Effingham, Champaign, and Edwardsville contributing to the instruction. There is a fee of $175.00 to cover the cost of the manual, speaker's mileage and training facilities. Class size is limited.

Any adult over the age of 18 is encouraged to apply. Applicants selected (and the key word here is—"selected") to the program, agree to volunteer 60 hours back to projects sponsored by their local county Extension office. These may include such projects as a local demonstration garden, Master Gardener's speakers' bureau, answering requests for gardening information at the local office or working with children or the elderly. If you are interested in being considered as a Coles County Extension Master Gardener trainee, please call 345-7034. Completed applications should be returned to the office by Friday, November 21. Interviews will be conducted by early-December. Even if you have applied in the past—try again. Please note—these application deadlines are for Coles County residents. The Master Gardener program is also available in surrounding counties so contact your local extension office to get their times and dates for applying. Even though classes are conducted in Coles County, you still must complete the application process through your own county. There's even on-line training available for those unable to attend in person. Details are on the Coles County web site.

You all know how much I enjoy being a Master Gardener. I am staring on my 11^th year. It has really gone by very quickly. I learn something new almost everyday. In becoming a Master Gardener—it is not the destination but the journey.

Our group has really accomplished so much—just in the eleven years I have been a part of this great organization. We started the "Idea Garden" at the west side of Sarah Bush Lincoln Hospital along with the "Plant a Row" gardens on the north side. We have provided 100's of pounds of vegetables for the area food banks each year. We have held several open-air seminars at the Idea Garden. These have consisted of pruning trees, planting bulbs, dividing perennials and dead-heading plants. These gardens also give you ideas "duh" for your own areas.

Along with these programs—we have gardening programs for our youth at the Mattoon Middle School and Lake Land Summer College for kids. We help do judging for the 4-H projects at the Coles County Fair.

It is just a very rewarding opportunity for us to help ourselves and others get in tune with 'Mother Nature". As the saying goes—we don't want to fool with Mother Nature… so why not give it a try. If you have any questions please feel free to contact any of us Master gardeners or the Extension office. We want you to be a part of this great organization.

Since I do not have enough space to get into any great number of questions and answers—I thought I might touch on a few that I am sure will be of interest. For one thing don't be alarmed by needle drop on evergreens. Under normal conditions, needles are produced in the spring and live three or more years. When sufficient new growth has taken place at the tips of the branches, the older needles in the center drop off, having served their purpose of photosynthesizing carbohydrates for the tree. Normal needle drop is often not noticed because of the density of new growth hiding it.

If you notice needles turning yellow or brown on evergreens, take a closer look. If the browning is occurring on the interior of the plant, and the current season's growth at the tips of the branches is healthy and normal, don't be alarmed.

Check for plump green buds at the tips of the branches for next year's growth. If new growth is weak or is turning brown, root injury or canker disease may be involved and a tree expert should be contacted. We still need to water young trees and other plants. Who would believe that at this late date it still has not frosted? Don't place any mulch on your plants until we have a killing frost. This means a frost is cold enough to make the plants die. Delay up to this point helps to harden off the plants somewhat and also encourages rodents to find winter quarters elsewhere. With these warm temps it can cook the roots of the plants if we place the mulch on them now.

You can remove all dead plant debris from the annual and vegetable beds. We can also go ahead and divide some of our perennials we did not get a chance to do earlier. It is still not too late to plant some bulbs. Then after the ground has frozen you need only about 3 inches of mulch for covering your areas. Be sure and keep it away from your tree trunks—this just makes a heaven for the little varmints to be in. As with anything there are some plants which do not need to be mulched. Peonies and bearded iris should not be covered in winter. This favors rot to the plants. I personally like to place several layers of newspapers on the areas before I put the mulch down. Peat moss is not a good mulch.

If you have any horticulture questions, call the U of I Extension office 345-7034. Volunteer

Master Gardeners are in the office on Monday from 2 to 4 p.m.

This column is based on information and materials at the University of Illinois Extension office, located at 707 Windsor Road, Suite A., Charleston, 61920; phone 345-7034; or web site: www.extension.uiuc.edu/coles/