With summer officially here, we are now beginning to take a closer look at our own garden to see where it might be improved. One "tool" I find helpful is my Season of Bloom Grid - a chart I use to record the bloom dates of everything. Create a simple chart, with the months across the top of the sheet (even the weeks if you want to be more specific) and the plants along the left side column. Then fill in the spaces when each plant blooms. This becomes a handy, easy-to-read reference and will play a key role in my future plant purchases. Of course, I will always find a place for a plant I "really don't need" too!

MG Marketing Team: As I am writing this note, all of the Marketing Team has picked up their Extension materials. Thank you for your enthusiasm to help inform community members about our resources.

New Kiosk at the Naperville Community Garden Plots: I am excited to announce we have Extension's gardening information on display at the new kiosk that was recently installed by the Naperville Park District, located at the Naperville Community Garden Plots on West Street. Special thanks to Terri Gregory for creating the display and MG's Ron Ory and Deb McCullough for taking on the project. The 4 ft. by 4 ft. information board is perfect for highlighting monthly garden tasks and marketing our MG Help Line and office location.

MG Training for 2005: It's hard to believe, but I am already making plans for our new MG Intern Class. I am considering moving the training location to Oak Brook. I will keep you posted. We have a large number of people interested and I hope to begin interviewing candidates in October. I will be contacting those of you who have helped in the past on my Interview Committee, and hope that you will be able/willing to assist again this fall.

Graue Mill Historical Garden Reclamation Project: Thank you to Carol Garrett-Strelecky and her team of MG's who have been volunteering at this site. You have made progress already, in spite of all the rains! I'm so glad to know the path has been installed and plants such as Hosta, Jabob's Ladder andDay Lily have been transplanted. There's much more to do, but we do have time. This is a large area, with lots of tree roots, so it will take a lot of effort to accomplish the task at hand.

Time fora Check-Up

Summer is upon us, and we're now about halfway through the growing season. This is a good time to check to be sure you're on track with your volunteer hours and enrichment training.

Enclosed with this newsletter you should find your Volunteer Hours report and your Enrichment Training report. These reports are generated only for Master Gardeners who have turned in hours. So, if you do not have two reports, you already know you are lacking hours.

Please take a moment to look over your reports and be sure they are accurate. If you find a discrepancy, please call the office and speak to Joan. She will be happy to work with you to correct any errors.

If you have not turned in all of your reports for hours worked or training taken, please do so as soon as possible. We would appreciate having them turned in on a monthly basis. At the very least, please try to turn your reports in by the newsletter deadline (see the last page of this newsletter). That will enable us to provide you with up-to-date reports in the newsletter mailing.

Last, if you think you may come up short on hours, please contact the office as soon as possible so that we can try to work with you. Problems of this nature will be much easier to solve now, rather than later in the season.

We need someone to transport the display from the Extension Office to the Fairgrounds and set it up during the afternoon or evening of either Monday, July 19 or Tuesday, July 20.

Someone is also needed to take the display down on Sunday night, July 25 between 7 and 8 p.m. and return it to the Extension Office on either Monday, July 26 or Tuesday, July 27 during business hours.

Friday, July 23

• 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - 2 people needed
• 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - 1 person needed
• 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - 1 person needed

Saturday, July 24

• 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - 2 people needed
• 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - 1 person needed
• 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - 1 person needed

Sunday, July 25

• 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - 1 person needed
• 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. - 1 person needed

Please call the office if you would like to volunteer for any of the above opportunities.

The State MG Conference will be in Decatur this year on September 9-11.

In order to make it easier for MGs to attend, please let the office know:

1. If you plan to attend
2. If you would like to carpool
3. If you would like to share a room

We can then put you in touch with each other so that you can make your arrangements.

The Illinois Exotic Weed Act was amended in 2003 to restrict the sale offive buckthorn species and kudzu vine. The act already restricted the sale of Japanese Honeysuckle, Multiflora Rose and Purple Loosestrife. No varieties, subspecies or cultivars of any of these listed exotic species can legally be sold in Illinois; this statute might be contrary to purple loosestrife varieties you may have seen in local nurseries. Besides these "bad guys," the Department of Conservation has warned about these plants and crown vetch, autumn olive, white sweet clover, giant teasel, black locust, garlic mustard and purple winter creeper as non-native weeds that are overrunning native Illinois plants. Some of these plants may be surprising to you.

It is also surprising to learn what other plants are causing problems in other parts of the country. Connecticut has listed all forms of barberry, euonymus and Norway maple as invasive.

Along with these "official weeds," exotic invasive plants have become a topic of concern to the landscape trade and to organizations involved in ecological issues. Garlic mustard was identified as a problem in the 1980's, and we all know what a pest it is today. I recently was surprised to learn that some Eastern states are having problems with the widely used ornamental grass, Miscanthus sinensis, and perhaps with some of its cultivars. You might know this grass as Maiden Grass, Japanese Silver Grass, Zebra Grass and many other common names.

The National Park Service has funded a study about Miscanthus and concluded that the species is a problem plant, but that the cultivars do not readily set seed and may not be invasive.

Since I have grownfive or so Miscanthus cultivars for up to 20 years without seeing any self-seeding, the National Park conclusions might be valid for our area. However, I have seen wild clumps of Miscanthus sinensis in several local out-of-the-way damp areas. There are examples of this near Clarendon Road south of 55^th Street and on 63^rd Street close to Clarendon Road.

The whole subject of invasive exotic plants is becoming more important, and plants that might have been recommended by authorities in the past have now become recognized as problem plants. As Master Gardeners, we can use information on invasives when we have the opportunity to discuss plant choices with the general public.

- Don Obuch

Things Could Go ALIEN

Remember the movie "Alien"? - "Alien II"?? - Okay, "Alien III"??? Now that I have your memories jogged, do you remember the scene when all the astronauts are in the dining area having some kind of heated celestial discussion. When one of them started feeling bad (really bad), the camera pans down to his stomach. His stomach starts to move (big time). It starts to change in shape and then . . . . (scary music). . . , an Alien literally explodes from his stomach! Well, this scenario is similar, (although not quite as graphic) to what happens when a mosquito has dinner on a bird that is infected with West Nile Virus (WNV). Although the alien had a plan to take over the world, the mosquito is just looking for a blood meal. Still, if that meal was a bite of WNV, things could go …Alien.

Once the virus has entered its host (the mosquito), the virus undergoes a reproductive cycle. It passes through the mid-gut wall, multiplies in many tissues and accumulates in the salivary glands of the mosquito. The female mosquito is the biter. She cannot lay her eggs til she has had a blood meal. The mosquito salivates every time it's about to bite, transmitting the virus to the next unsuspecting victim. It can spread the virus 10 - 14 days after feeding on an infected bird. Once bitten, the virus is in YOU!…And most humans have no symptoms. Severe cases of the WNV develop in less thanone percentof infected people and can lead to death, especially in those people over 50 years old. There are many symptoms, but there isn't one that says you've got it. Symptoms may be a high fever, headache, neck stiffness, convulsions, paralysis, disorientation, tremors, or coma. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately.

We all have been playing outside, enjoying the "no-mosquito" time of year. However, with all the recent rain, that time of year is now over. So, protect yourself against bites and …possible alien behavior. Wear long sleeves and repellent when going out. Especially at dusk. Go on bug patrol. Make sure screens and windows are "bug tight." Use proper lighting outside- incandescent lights attract mosquitoes whereas florescent lights neither attract nor repel mosquitoes. Empty any standing water, keep gutters clean anddrill holes in the bottom of your recycling bin. You need to eliminate standing water to fight the invading mosquito. If a mosquito has bitten a bird infected with West Nile Virus, "Alien IV" could be coming to that breeding pool near you.

- Ambi Pellegrini

From the Herbert Hoover Library

Have you heard the legend of the birds' nest? Good luck is supposed to come to a household that has a nest in its Christmas tree.

There is even a legend suggesting that when the Three Wise Men were on their journey to Bethlehem, they summoned the birds of the woods to follow them. It is said that all of the birds immediately took flight except for the owl who kept muttering, "Who? Who?" as if demanding to know who would dare ask him to leave his comfortable nest to fly off to an unknown destination. This legend goes on to say that the owl refused to go and that every night he still asks, "Who? Who?"

More Fun Bird Lore

Ben Franklin did not want the bald eagle to be our national bird. He felt the bald eagle had a bad moral character; "too lazy to fish for himself and is a rank coward…he is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest of America." Instead Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be our national bird

Cardinals got their name from the red robes that Roman Catholic Cardinals wear all around the world.

It is believed that Naturalist Laura Martin may have brought about the chickadee or "snowbird's" name when she described the bird's coloration as "leaden skies above, snow below."

Besides foretelling the coming of spring, legend has it that the robin got its red breast from blood when it plucked a thorn from Christ's crown and so it is believed that good luck will come to those homes where a robin has chosen to build its nest.

Blackbirds sitting together in rows on telephone wires means rain is coming.

Thrushes feeding upon the berries of the hawthorn indicate the approach of a very cold winter.

Interesting Bird Facts

If a baby bird falls from the nest, you can pick it up and place it back in the nest. It's an old wives' tale that the mother will abandon its baby if it detects the human scent.

Often when you find a baby bird hopping about on your lawn, it is not abandoned. The mother is watching from a distance and may have been giving her baby "flying lessons."

Water is vital for birds; both for drinking and bathing. Baths should be no more thanone totwo inches deep with a rough bottom surface for solid footing. A water source in winter is especially important.

Birds retire or roost at dusk. Dense evergreens are a favorite sleeping place. Woodpeckers and chickadees find tree cavities to roost in winter. Cardinals like to roost in tangled vines, such as Sweet Autumn Clematis.

The best time to put up birdhouses is in late winter (January or February). Houses are best mounted with entrance holes facing east; to stop cold north winds.

Cats are estimated to kill as many as a million songbirds each year.

Many songbirds pair up for life, including wrens and finches. Hummers will mate with any hummer that comes along.

Crows do a tremendous public service. As scavengers they rid streets of road kill, thus helping to eliminate the spread of disease. They also scare off hawks by mobbing. "Mobbing" is a technique in which crows get together as a large group and screech at the offending hawk until it leaves the premises.

Birds rustle their feathers in dust to keep them in shape and reduce excess oil. This ritual is also believed to control parasites.

Suet is a great source of food for most bird species. The cardinal and the oriole especially enjoy "fruit flavored" suet.

Birdhouse gourds are one of the most favored houses for swallows, purple martins, chickadees and wrens. Unfortunately, squirrels are very good at destroying these gourd homes!

Open areas such as lawns are very appealing to birds like robins, flickers, starlings, and grackles, which are searching for worms and grubs. This is something to contemplate if you use herbicides and/or pesticides on your lawn.

- Eileen Kostock

Do you have a plant to share with your fellow Master Gardeners? How about a piece of equipment you would like to sell or trade (or donate)? Is there a plant you are looking for that one of us might already have? We'd like to put you in touch with each other. Contact Pat Kosmach at Pkosmach@aol.com. She will take the information and put all of it together for the next newsletter.

Water Iris: I have Iris virginica "Pond Lilac Dream." Will growtwo feet tall and about as wide a season. Blooms in early June. I also have goldfish in various sizes up to about eight inches long. I can be reached at Pkosmach@aol.com.

Plants needed: Joyce Ernst is looking for plants to landscape a bare space at her church that was formerly occupied by a very large Spruce tree. If you have extra divisions this spring, please contact her at joyceme03@aol.com

July 27: Susan Renwick will discuss "Composting" at the Men's Garden Club of Villa Park.

August 2: Sandy Lentz will present "Integrated Pest Management" for the Darien Park District Garden Club.

August 14: The Willowbrook Wildlife Center Butterfly Garden will be having an open house on Saturday, August 14. Two of our Master Gardeners will be giving talks as they tour the garden. Susan Renwick will speak on "Perennials" at 10:00 am and Pat Miller will talk about "Butterfly Gardening" at noon. All are welcome.

Number of years as a Master Gardener: Since 2001.

What prompted you to become a M.G.?

A love of gardening and gardening with children.

Occupation: Currently a Preschool Teacher, formerly a recreational therapist.

Favorite annual: Calibrachoa ‘Million Bells' for planters and elephant ears, blue lobelia and dwarf ladybird cosmos in the garden (not necessarily planted together).

Favorite perennial: I love perennials and cannot pick just one. I rarely meet a perennial I don't love! Lenten rose, Trillium, Celandine poppy, Corydalis, Dicentra, Japanese anemone, Hardy Hibiscus, Delphinium, Aquilegia, Hepatica, Thalictrum, Tiarella, Tricyrtis - I could go on forever.

My most humbling garden experience: Taking the Well-designed garden series at Morton Arboretum and trying to put on a landscape plan what I have done in gardens for years with just a shovel and a hose.

Greatest gardening accomplishment: Nurturing a love of gardening in the children I work with.

Best garden tip: Don't garden unless you love it. If you don't find peace and renewal working in the garden, it can become a stressful burden.

If I am not gardening, you will find me: Hugging or talking to my children, working on theme based learning activities for preschoolers, reading.

Personal hero: My daughter. She has had tremendous challenges in her life and has always handled them with grace.

Something about me not too many people know: I don't eat fish or seafood.

Outside of M.G., other gardening involvement and studies: I take classes at the arboretum and visit arboretums while traveling. I do all the gardening at my church, preschool, my children's grammar school and for lots of family and friends as well as my own yard and my neighbors.

- Pat Miller

I added a plant of valerian (Valeriana officinalis) to my herb patch this spring. This is an ancient medicinal herb whose name is derived from the Latin word "valere" which means "to be in good health." Its dried roots (rhizomes, really) were soaked in water; the resulting liquid was used as a sedative as recently as World War I, when it was used to treat shell shock. In addition, the scent of valerian root is reputed to attract rats; the Pied Piper of Hamelin was said to carry it to lure the rats, his music being only a decoy.

This herb grows well in full sun, but will tolerate some shade and even prefers cool roots. It grows two to three feet tall, spreading slowly by creeping rhizomes. The young plant has shiny light green stems and leaves not yet dissected. As it grows, the leaves are narrow, toothed and darker green, with a sharp scent reminiscent of horseradish. The stems are round, hollow, and deeply grooved. Its mineral-rich leaves are good additions to the compost pile. This plant is even said to increase earthworm activity in its vicinity!

Valerian's flowers are borne in fragrant clusters of small, pinkish-white tubular blooms along the upper stems in midsummer. The rhizomes can be divided in spring or fall, when the plant begins to show signs of decline, generally every three years. I'm looking forward to watching this plant grow. (If anyone remembers, back last fall I potted up a curry plant and brought it inside for the winter. After six months under the grow lights, it had become very leggy, so I pitched it. Verdict: don't bother trying to winter this one over. The big, woody rosemary, however, is back outdoors, looking splendid after a haircut.)

- Sandy Lentz

If you have an event you want everyone to know about, please contact Deb McCullough. I need the info one week before material is due in the office.

Many of these events require advance registration and/or fees. For more information or directions to these locations, please call them..

July 11
Morton Arboretum-Ready, Set...Let's Grow!: Simple Construction Techniques for Gardens Garfield Farm- Prairie Walk. 9am-Noon. See nature's fireworks as the prairie puts on a show of flowering plants. Reservations Required

July 15
Cantigny Park-Twilight Walk in the Garden

July 17
Chicago Botanic Garden-Pruning Principles

July 19
Cantigny Park- Evening Cart Tour of the Gardens

July 21
Cantigny Park-Garden Accents: Creating Ornamental Leaves with Cement

July 24
Chicago Botanic Garden-Roses for the Beginner

July 26
Cantigny Park-Twilight Cart Tour of the Golf Course Flowers

July 31
Chicago Botanic Garden-Herb Gardening for the Beginner

August 7
Cantigny Park- Answers to Your Plant Problems and Garden Questions
Chicago Botanic Gardens-Mulches and Compost

August 8
Garfield Farm- Prairie Walk. 9am-Noon. A taste of the old prairie as tall grasses gain their full glory. Reservations Required

August 12
Cantigny Park- Twilight Walk in the Garden

August 14
Chicago Botanic Garden-Basic Water Features

August 15
Morton Arboretum- Ready, Set...Let's Grow!: Landscape Water Features

August 19
Garfield Farm- Illinois Soil. This Fireside Talk features the natural resource that drew countless Americans to Illinois in the first half of the 19th century. Learn what made the Prairie State the richest agricultural community in the world.

August 27
Cantigny Park- Tomatoes: The Good ,The Bad, and The Ugly 10:00 am to 12:00 pm

August 21
Chicago Botanic Garden-Plants from Cuttings

August 28
Chicago Botanic Garden-Discover Ornamental Grasses

August 29
Garfield Farm- Heirloom Garden Show. Rare and specialty fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs are displayed and sold by Midwestern growers.

- Deb McCullough

"The Garden Thymes" is the official newsletter for DuPage area MG's. If you misplace your copy, it can be found at our DuPage County Extension website. From time to time, you may have something you would like to share with fellow MG's or perhaps include an article of your own. We would love to hear from you!! As always, your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

1. Issue #5 - August 21
2. Issue #6 - October 29

July 9

MG Help Desk
Wheaton Junior Women's Club Garden Walk

July 18

MG Help Desk - Elmhurst Garden Faire

July 10, 17, 24, 31

MG Help Desk - Naperville Farmers Market

July 21

4H Horticulture Judging

July 21-25

County Fair

August 7, 14, 21, 28

MG Help Desk - Naperville Farmers Market

September 18

DEECA Bulb Sale Pickup

September 18

MG Help Desk - Naperville Farmers Market