Happy New Year to all of you from the staff of Cook County/North Suburban Unit! 2005 is rapidly moving along and we are looking forward to a great new year in gardening. There are many new programs on the horizon that we will inform you about in the coming months.

This is the last bi-monthly issue of Hort Happenings. We will resume our regular monthly issues in March – just in time for early bulbs and starting seeds. In the meantime, keep reading those garden catalogs!

An informational note: Program Coordinator, Todd Byrd, has left University of Illinois Extension to pursue other interests. We wish him well.

Source: University of Ohio website http://www.units.muohio.edu/dragonfly/snow/snow.shtml

All precipitation (rain and snow) comes from water vapor in the air. If the air is warm, the frozen droplets melt and fall to the earth as rain. If the air is cold, however, the water vapor crystallizes around a speck of ice or dust and falls to the earth as snow. If there is no dust for the water vapor to crystallize on, it will remain in the air as a cloud, even if it gets as cold as – 40ºCelsius. (Note: - 40ºCelsius = - 40ºFahrenheit).

There are many different types of snow that can be found due to the many different shapes of snowflakes that exist.

Why is some snow better for skiing and other types of snow better for making snowballs? Depending on the shape of the snowflakes and the amount of air space left between the flakes when they fall on top of each other, the snow has different consistencies. The type of snow that skiers like best is called powder snow. This type of snow is good for most snow sports. Powder snow is usually dry or slightly moist. Its density has to be less than 200 kilograms for every meter of snow. The density of something indicates how much it is compacted (or condensed). Snow that is more densely packed (and where some of the snowflakes have been crushed and formed small amounts of ice) makes better snowballs.

Why is snow white? Snow crystals reflect the full spectrum of light, which we see as white. However, some snow is red, green, blue, or black. This occurs because of beautifully colored fungi that are rarely found in snow.

Did you know that freshly fallen snow is much lighter than water? The reason is that there is a lot of air between the flakes! In very dry areas, one centimeter of water will produce 20 centimeters of snow. In very moist areas, six centimeters of snow will melt down to only one centimeter of water. Because it is compressed, older snow has less air between flakes and contains much more water. Glaciers are formed from the compression of snow over many years.

Another "fun fact" is that it takes more energy to eat snow than it is worth. You use more energy eating it than you gain by hydrating (adding fluid to) your body. So, if you ever find yourself stranded in the snow and getting hungry, put the snow in your mouth and let it slowly melt. We hope this never happens to you!

You can learn more about the phenomenon we call snow by logging onto the following website: http://www.units.muohio.edu/dragonfly/snow/snow.shtml

The holidays are past and if you did not get the new shovel, shear, hoe or trowel to replace the worn one in your garage, then attending one of Sam's seminars may be all that you need. Last month, Sam Darin a Master Gardener and Chicago Botanic Garden Volunteer gave a seminar at Friendship Park on the methods of garden tool care and re-vitalizing worn and dull garden tools.

We found that by following some minor steps, our worn garden tools can be back in "like new" condition. Using a file, EZE-Lap diamond sharpener, stones, bench grinders, and/or Dremel sharpening tool to sharpen the shovel today, next spring your tasks will be much easier in the garden.

Sam's sharpening kit includes several files. From the mill bastard file that sharpens at a less aggressive cut to the multiple use EXE-Lap diamond files, all have their special uses. Remember safety first! Files and tools can slip when one is sharpening the surface of the tool. Use of a vise and workbench is important in holding the tool stationary.

First, Sam demonstrated the method to sharpen the shovel or spade (also applies to a trowel or garden hoe). Use an 8" Handy file with the shovel (scoop side facing you) securely fastened in the workbench. Grip the tip of the file between your thumb, forefinger, and middle finger of one hand. Wrap the other hand around the file handle, extending your forefinger on top. Put the file on the edge of the shovel and start filing across the face. Use light pressure. Always file towards the tool handle. File across the entire face of the tool, from one side to the other. Remember to lift the file and start over – never go back and forth with the file (this will ruin the teeth of the Handy file). When you have a sharp edge – STOP!

Next, Sam moved to the hand-pruning shears. There are two kinds: bypass and anvil. Both pruners have their special uses, but the bypass pruner is the choice of most gardeners since they do not crush the plant material.

The pruning shear may be sharpened without taking the tool apart, but for best results, one should remove the parts, piece-by-piece. Remember the order in which you take the shear apart, and after sharpening, replace in the reverse order.

Using a magic marker, color the beveled side of the blade. Then use a 6" knife file or EZE-Lap file. Place the file on the colored edge and take a light stroke, from the sharp edge upward. File across the entire cutting edge of the blade, do not draw the file back and forth or you will damage the blade. After you have removed all the magic marker coloring, it is time to check the back side edge of the blade. You should feel a fine raised edge called a "burr." If the burr did not develop, turn the blade over and continue to file a little more.

Once the burr is felt, reassemble the pruning shear. After all the pieces are together, squeeze the handles together. Turn the pruning shear over and feel the blade, the burr is gone. Re-adjust the blades by tightening the nut on the side of the pruning shear.

When is the last time your mower blade was sharpened? The blade should be sharpened at least once a month during mowing season to prevent grass blade damage. Again the Handy file is used. The blade has two (2) cutting edges. The blade should be removed and filed with an equal number of strokes on each side of the blade. It is important that the blade is then balanced prior to re-assembly in the mower.

Another major part of the any garden tool is the handle. Clean the wood with soap and water, once dried, apply a coat of "boiled linseed oil" to the wood surface.

Now that the blade or shovel has been sharpened and cleaned, do not forgot to disinfect the blade with a 9 part to 1 part solution of water to bleach. Finally, oil the moving parts with oil or WD40.

After all the demos, Sam then offered the group a chance to purchase a number of files that he had brought. If you missed this opportunity you may contact Sam at his email address sdarin@mindspring.com.

- by Mike Karch

The end of September, 2004 brought a delightful Fall Fun Fest to the North Suburban area. Kinsch Village Florist and Greenhouses in Palatine hosted their first annual Fun Fest. They brought in animals for rides (a camel and ponies), animals to look at and enjoy (lemurs, a parrot, turtles, sheep, a LARGE snake – ugh, and even a lion was there on the weekends). They had a variety of rides and various programs for children – among them one run by some of our Master Gardeners.

This very first endeavor by Kinsch was not without some "glitches" but it promises to be a worthwhile project for the future.

Ken Kinsch remarked that he felt the Fest was a success due in part to our Master Gardener participation. The Master Gardeners that volunteered said they enjoyed working with the children and the whole idea of the Fun Fest.

We are looking forward to next September and again having the opportunity to participate in such a rewarding program. Any of you Master Gardeners who were thinking of participating last September but let the chance slip by, please mark your calendars for September of 2005 as an opportunity to do something extremely worthwhile while enjoying yourselves too.

- By Eileen Witt, Master Gardener Office

Chicago Flower and Garden Show
March 12-20, 2005
Monday-Saturday: 10 am – 8 pm
Sundays: 10 am – 6 pm

A message from Greg Stack: Once again, University of Illinois Extension will be presenting a garden display at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show to be held March 12-20, 2005 at Navy Pier's Festival Hall. The area we have been given will be developed into a display titled, "Tropical Punch" which will feature the use of tropical plants incorporated into annual flower beds. The idea is to show how tropicals can be used in Midwest gardens to give them a whole new and exciting look and how they are easy to use and over-winter for use in following years. This is a trend that is being seen and used in a lot of areas of the country. The garden size has been increased to over 2600 square feet (56'x46'). The location is just to the left of the main entrance that visitors will be using to enter the show floor.

As with anything of this scale, it takes a lot of people to put it together. In the past, you and the Master Gardener volunteers have been very eager and helpful in wanting to assist with this effort. Listed below are several descriptions that pertain to volunteer opportunities for garden set-up and information booth staffing. I would appreciate having you inform Master Gardeners about these opportunities. Their help is valuable in presenting this garden. Please have them call the Matteson Center with their preferences. Please keep in mind that we will be taking calls for times on a first come first served basis but will make every effort to accommodate everyone wishing to help. I would like to get these assignments filled by the second week of February so I have time to get a master work assignment sheet out to all volunteers.

Information Table Staffing

We are looking for volunteers to staff our information table at this year's Chicago Flower and Garden Show. The table will be located within the garden area where show visitors can ask horticultural questions, get information about the garden, and get other information as it relates to Extension and the Master Gardener program. There will be resource material available to help in answering questions. Two people will be needed to staff the area during each time block:

Mon.-Sat. " March 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19
10 am – 2 pm " 2 pm – 6 pm " 6 pm - 8 pm

Sundays " March 13 and March 20
10 am – 2 pm " 2 pm – 6 pm

All time blocks are for 4 hours except for the late evening weekday hours, which are only two hours.

As a volunteer, you will be given free admission to the show. You may come early before your shift or stay late after your shift to enjoy the show. Transportation to the show and parking are at your own expense.

If you would like to help at the information table, please call the Matteson Center at 708-720-7520. Tell the secretary what day and time block you would like to work. Please leave your name, address, and phone number. You will be sent a final work assignment sheet along with other instructions toward the end of February.

Garden Construction, Set-up and Tear Down
March 7-11 and March 20

Construction of the garden will begin on Monday, March 7. Outlined below is an approximate work schedule with the type of work to be done along with the number of people needed.

• Monday, March 7 and Tuesday, March 8: Setting stone block walls, installing hardscape, filling beds with sand. Could use 4-5 people each day starting about 9 am. Be prepared for lifting and getting dirty. Bring good gloves and work clothes.
• Wednesday, March 9: Finish with bed construction, off loading plant material and start setting plants into the garden. Could use 4-5 people starting about 9 am
• Friday, March 11: Placing signs, finishing last minute details, clean up. Could use 3-4 people starting about 9 am Garden needs to be complete by 11 am
• Sunday, March 20: Garden tear down. Garden dismantling will start at 6 pm Dismantling amounts to removing plant material from beds, and getting hardscape and saved plant material back onto truck. Could use 6-8 people.

If you are interested in helping with construction and/or teardown, please call the Matteson Center at 708-720-7520 and tell the secretary which day you would be available to help. Please leave your name, address and phone number.

Telephone company repairman Greg Bartoshuk was on his way to a call one summer evening when he stopped his truck and gazed in awe. A yard and parkway in front of a house two blocks from his destination was completely filled with daylilies. "I thought I'd died and gone to heaven," Bartoshuk says.

The owners saw him staring at their yard and engaged him in conversation. When Bartoshuk showed them the daylily catalogues on the front seat of his truck, they invited him to a meeting of the Chicagoland Daylily Society. Bartoshuk eagerly joined the organization.

Bartoshuk's fascination with daylilies began about 18 years ago. For a number of years, his Park Ridge backyard had been filled with 135 rosebushes. "The winter of 1987 was absolutely horrid," he recalls. "It rained and then it froze. I had about a 70 percent mortality rate on all those beautiful rosebushes."

He began searching for flowers to fill the void, and was attracted to daylilies, so he ordered some from a seed company. Bartoshuk soon had 50 or 60 varieties in his backyard. "I thought I was the only one in the world who absolutely was crazy about daylilies," he says.

Bartoshuk found out differently the day he and his daughter rode their bikes to the Chicago Botanic Garden. The North Shore Iris and Daylily Society was presenting a show that day. He discovered that many other people share his passion, so he joined that organization.

After getting involved with those two daylily societies, Bartoshuk began hybridizing plants. Now he's hooked on the thrill of creating brand new varieties. His list of accomplishments is impressive.

Last year, Bartoshuk won "Best Seedling in Show" at the Chicagoland Daylily Society. He clinched that same title this year with the North Shore Iris and Daylily Society. Bartoshuk was also the sweepstakes winner as the result of earning the most blue ribbons. "And I did it with all of my own seedlings," Bartoshuk says.

Retired for 10 years, Bartoshuk declares that hybridizing daylilies is "my life." He refers to his backyard as his laboratory. That's where he can often be found, on his hands and knees, talking to his latest "specimens." "My neighbors are used to it," Bartoshuk laughs.

But maybe they think he needs to get out of his yard now and then. After all, it was his next door neighbor who showed him an article about the Master Gardeners in 1997. That program has turned out to be a perfect match for the gregarious gardener.

Bartoshuk's favorite volunteer activity is sharing his expertise with garden clubs and other groups by doing presentations on the science of hybridizing. He also shares the fruits of his creativity, giving audience members either daylily seedlings or daylily seeds. Bartoshuk even teaches a class in doing presentations for other Master Gardeners.

"I come from a long line of gardeners," Bartoshuk says. Both of his grandfathers grew grapes. His father's dad had huge vegetable and flower gardens, and his mother's father grew peaches on the lot of the family's two-flat in Chicago.

It's obvious that Bartoshuk is a nurturing person. In addition to his impressive achievements in the garden, he has bred and raised guppies and goldfish. His dog show accomplishments include showing 36 American Kennel Club champions.

Apparently growing plants is easier than raising pups, though. "You don't have to walk them," Bartoshuk jokes. "But you do have to talk to them!"

- by Myrna Petlicki

Mark your calendars for the University of Illinois Extension winter gardening series. The winter series marks the beginning of the 2005 gardening series. This is the first of four seasonal offerings for gardening enthusiasts. Flowering Trees & Shrubs for the Home Landscape, Care & Re-blooming of Holiday Gift Plants and Low Input Ground Covers will be presented.

Flowering Trees & Shrubs for the Home Landscape
February 15, 2005 " 1 pm
David Robson, Horticulture Educator, will discuss ways that flowering trees and shrubs can fit into the landscape as well as offer a selection of common and not-so-common plants that you might want to consider. You will be introduced to spring and summer bloomers.

Care and Re-blooming of Holiday Gift Plants
March 1, 2005 " 1 pm
Greg Stack, Horticulture Educator, will tell you how to get the most from your flowering gift plant and give you tips on how to get it to rebloom.

Low Input Landscaping Using Ground Covers
March 15, 2005 " 1 pm
Barb Bates, Horticulture Educator, will tell you how you can enhance your landscape with plants that will out-perform grass, require less input and solve landscape problems. She will share the how, where, and what of selecting from a broad palette of leaf colors, blooms and textures for the landscape.

We hope you will join us at University of Illinois Extension Administration Office, Ste. 500, 1699 Wall Street, Mt. Prospect, IL 60056, 847-437-6449 for one or more of these excellent telenets.

Please call at least ONE week in advance to make your reservation for the telenet of your choice.

Call Serita at 847-437-6449 to reserve your seat. Hope to see you there.

Dear Frugal Gardener,
My wife likes to grow vegetables but I like to grow flowers. I tend to tease her quite a bit and call her "Farmer." I never suspected any friction until she recently announced she wants to get Agrimony. Should I be worried? Should I expect divorce papers? –Farmer's Husband

Dear Husband,
Agrimony is not what you pay a farmer after a divorce . . . that's alimony. Agrimony is a sweet smelling plant popular with Old English monks. Their infirmaries made it into a gargle for monks who had lost their voices. The herb was in plentiful supply, so the monks also used large bunches of it to make a wine to help relieve insomnia. (I thought any wine did that, but you learn something new every day.) Agrimony was also infused as a tea for the relief of skin and liver disorders–a common problem in winter when their diet was lacking in fresh fruit. (Professor Hortie's History, 1997)

Look up Agrimony and try to find some in the fields or woods, or find a catalog or Internet source that sells Agrimony and get her some. And yes, maybe you should worry about teasing her too much. This is a woman who can probably identify poisonous plants. So ease up on the acrimony before she starts thinking about harvesting some Monk's Hood or Night Shade for you! – FG

Happy New Year everyone. Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday season.

Our next meeting will be on Wednesday, February 2 (Ground Hog Day) at 12 noon at The Egg Factory. A few people at our November meeting said they didn't like the food and wanted to meet elsewhere. We will take a vote on this at the Feb. meeting.

Please call me at Eileen at 847-818-2901 at least a few days before the meeting so I can reserve the back. I am looking forward to seeing you all then.

- by Carol Bean

As most of you have probably heard, our fellow Master Gardener, Phil Hiller, who co-authors a column "Ask A Master Gardener" in the Daily Herald, has been undergoing chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. He has been hospitalized since January 4 and has several more weeks to go.

Phil would enjoy receiving any phone calls and cards that you would care to send his way. Please call Eileen at 847-818-2901 for his address and phone number at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

Phil is such an upbeat, caring person. Please show him how much we care about him too.