Well, summer is winding down and gardening has been a challenge lately considering everyone is dealing with the heat, rain, fallen trees, mosquitoes and now "itch mites". As soon as we get a definitive identification on the mites you will be informed and we will issue a press release. There is a good fact sheet on the IL Department of Health site at:

http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/press07/8.17.07_ItchMites.htm

Sarah and I are looking forward to planning next year. There will be many of the same volunteer opportunities, but also some new ones, such as hosting the 2008 MG Conference and having an exhibit at the "Old House New House Home Show" in early February.

2008 MG Re-certification: An invitation to return in 2008 will be sent to MGs in good standing in early November. We hope ALL of you will return!! Remember that the Master Gardener year ends on December 31^st this year, but don't wait until the last minute to fulfill your volunteer hours since opportunities decrease greatly in the month of December.

New Master Gardener Items for Re-sale: Due to a Master Gardener Intern taking a medical leave of absence we have some brand new (never worn) Master Gardener apparel for re-sale. If you are interested in any of the following items please call the office to check their availability and we'll give you the details on how to obtain them. These will be sold on a "first come" basis.

1 Short Sleeved Denim Shirt- Size: XL $29.00
1 Long Sleeved Denim Shirt- Size: XL $31.00
2 Violet T-shirts - Size: XL $18.00

SAVE THE DATE: We will be hosting a "Just Desserts" Graduation and Accomplishment Celebration on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2007, 7:00 – 9:00 PM. This event will include a graduation ceremony of our interns, a speaker, and certificates of accomplishment awarded to our great group of Master Gardeners. Mark your calendars now...invitations to follow.

Reporting Your Hours: Make sure ALL of your completed volunteer and continuing education hours are entered into the database or your yellow forms are turned into the office. These are the numbers we use to see who is in good standing to complete their Master Gardener volunteer requirements. If you don't report your hours, we don't know how hard you have been working and we can't report your contacts. If we think you are in danger of not completing your hours, we have to send you a reminder letter. Please help us save time, paper and postage by reporting your activity!

Telenets Available for Home Viewing: The PowerPoint presentation and audio from previous telenets are available for checkout from the office. You may checkout 2 folders at a time for a 1 week period. Each telenet counts as 1.5 continuing education hours. Please call the office to let Joan know you will be coming to checkout items from the "telenet library" and to make sure that items are available.

Volunteer Opportunities

The Terrace, West Chicago 1:30 – 3:30 pm

1 add'l person needed: Tuesday, Oct. 16^th
1 add'l person needed: Tuesday, Oct. 30^th

Butterfly Education Garden

1 add'l person needed: October 8^th
(Butterfly team member only)

Call the office if you can fill any of the openings

Spring planting frenzy and summer rabbit wars have passed--autumn offers the time to become reacquainted with your perennials. Look closely at the health and aesthetics of your plants, and consider the following maintenance practices to make next year's garden even better.

Division: Recommended frequency of division varies by plant variety and conditions, but the best rule is to let your plant tell you when division is needed–flowers get smaller, clump becomes a crowded mess of tangled stems and branches, a dead space develops in the center of the crown, plant loses vigor or flops, or an overly ambitious plant outgrows its space and threatens to "eat" its companions. A common approach is to divide all spring bloomers in fall, but if you wait until next season and divide right after flowering, the plant has the advantage of a long growing season to reestablish before winter stress. So, consider dividing only fleshy rooted perennials (peonies, irises, daylilies) now--and be sure to take notes on additional plants to divide next year.

Before you divide your peony, stop and consider that it may repay your efforts with 3-4 years of sulking. If you decide to go ahead with division, be sure to cut foliage down to 4", leave at least 3-5 healthy eyes (dormant growth buds) and a healthy set of roots per division, and to replant so that buds are exactly 1-2" below the soil surface. Remember–your peony will be happy if you put off this task for 50-100 years. If you feel the need to divide–go ahead and play with your daylilies–they won't mind at all!

Cleanup: Definitely remove and discard all diseased and insect infested perennials. Focus on perennials that are particularly vulnerable to hardy pests: e.g. Monarda/Mint Family (four-lined plant bugs and mildew), Phlox (mildew), Peonies (Botrytis), Bearded Iris (borers), and Hostas (slugs). Clean up plants that blacken or turn to mush with frost (e.g. Veronicas, Geraniums). Also remove general debris–leaves, fallen deadheads, weeds, etc. that provide winter quarters for pests. Don't remove foliage from marginally hardy perennials (e.g. Aster x frikartii 'Monch', tender ferns, mums) because it provides insulation for the crowns. Finally, consider leaving evidence of plants that are late to emerge in spring (e.g. Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, Leadwort) to avoid digging them up by mistake!

At this point, consider packing up your pruner and readying the stack of unread garden magazines by the recliner. As Piet Oudolf states, "there is nothing in nature to cut down wild perennials in the autumn, every autumn. The rule [of cutting down all perennials] then seems to have nothing to do with success or failure in cultivation; instead it is more to do with intolerance of nature's untidiness." The finches, chickadees, and cardinals appreciate the bounty of Echinacea, Heliopsis, and Rudbeckia seeds and will find winter shelter in remaining plants. Black Swallowtail, Red Admiral, and Viceroy Butterflies don't join the Monarchs on their winter escape–they overwinter here so you may be discarding next year's generation with the garden debris. And you might just be awed by transformation of frost crystals on Russian Sage in the depths of winter.

- KC Swininoga

The Phlox genus is one of the most important building blocks for the spring and summer perennial garden. The genus is almost entirely native to North America and includes short woodland plants, prostrate rock garden plants, and taller meadow plants. We can also divide them into spring flowering perennials, summer flower perennials, alpines and annuals (Phlox drummondii). Mildew is less of a problem with the spring bloomers than with garden phlox, Phlox paniculata, but only Phlox pilosa is totally immune according to an article in American Horticulture by Thomas Christopher.

Even though the family has great beauty and utility, they are largely unknown except for 2 or 3 species – moss or creeping phlox, garden phlox and types similar to garden phlox. Perhaps you can consider some lesser-known spring phlox next year and move beyond the ubiquitous moss phlox, Phlox subulata.

Phlox subulata is the mostly evergreen, mat-forming plant that is the typical patch of hot pink or magenta by the foundation of many homes. Shearing back creeping phlox after blooming will keep it in a mound form if you prefer to keep the plant from creeping. In the right site – good drainage with lots of sun – this phlox is reliable and quite a sight in April and May. There are colors and varieties that are less strident than the usual hot pink types, but why not consider some of the lesser-known phlox?

A terrific garden and woodland plant that is somewhat known is the woodland phlox, Phlox divaricata. This plant is described as a minor character in many gardening books, but it is a major player in my garden. I grow it tucked between and under larger, later-blooming perennials and mulch it with compost. It gets early spring sun and is later shaded by the surrounding taller perennials. Woodland phlox blooms for about 4 – 5 weeks, April into May. It makes outstanding soft blue mounds that make a large impact since not too much is blooming at that time. It stands about 10 inches tall in bloom, and it can be sweetly fragrant. There is a variety 'laphamii' that differs by having larger flowers with entire petals rather than those with a notched end and is, reportedly, more tolerant to sun and drought. Woodland phlox is also available in white and in frosty blue.

A lesser-known prairie or savanna phlox that can be substituted for moss phlox is Phlox pilosa, downy phlox. This mound-former has bluish narrow shiny foliage and blooms May through June with attractive soft pink to lavender flowers. When the flowering period is over, the plant has a nice mound shape and the foliage can turn a good yellow in the fall. In appearance, it looks like a larger and later Phlox divaricata with rosy-purple flowers.

Another native phlox that is somewhat similar to Phlox pilosa is Phlox glabberima, smooth phlox. The primary difference (besides being smooth, not pilose) is in its habitat, which is wetter than the dry woods preferred by downy phlox.

A direct substitute for Phlox subulata is yet another little-known native, Phlox bifida, sand phlox. As the common name indicates, well-drained to sandy soil in sun is best (this phlox is native to the Indiana Dunes). Also, as the specific name indicates, the flowers are bifurcated or mostly divided into halves; the white or lavender petals then look like ten petals which give a sparkly effect. Sand phlox blooms April into May.

The last spring phlox reported here is Phlox stolonifera, a creeping shade-tolerant phlox. It prefers high shade and summer moisture to succeed. I've had the least success with this phlox and much prefer the easier Phlox divaricata. It's reported that it can be vigorous enough to be called weedy – but that's in Appalachia, not here.

I have grown all of these phlox and encourage you to expand your pallet beyond Phlox subulata for spring color.

- Donald Obuch

Naper Settlement Garden Project

One of the newest projects for DuPage Master Gardeners is located in a place that depicts one of the oldest developed areas of DuPage County, Naper Settlement. Stephanie Dalton and KC Swininoga, two Master Gardener interns, are the co-chairs of this committee.

Stephanie and KC took the Master Gardener classes this spring. Both work at nurseries during the year, and, since their free time is in short supply during spring and summer, they wanted to work on an independent project. Stephanie had worked at Naper Settlement in the past and knew there was potential there. Susan Grupp, Sarah Navrotski, Stephanie and KC met with the facilities coordinator, Sharon Hinkle, to discuss what the Master Gardeners could do.

Naper Settlement has 13 acres of land in which it depicts 19^th century community life. The gardens and landscaping have been tended to over the years, but they are not the focal point of the museum. KC and Stephanie wanted to extend the historical accuracy of the museum to its grounds. They went to the archives at the Settlement and researched the landscape of the late 1800s. Although they found no landscape plans, they did find photographs and even a Farmer's Almanac from the period. In this way they found what plants were common to gardens at the time.

The DuPage Master Gardeners decided to renovate an herb garden next to the Martin Mitchell Mansion. Although it was added to the property in 1940 by the Naperville Garden Club and did not originate with the family that owned the property, it has been there a long time. The co-chairs felt that it was a good starting point, as it had become overgrown. Working within the constraints of the original footprint of the herb garden, they divided it into four quadrants, each with its own quality: a section for plants of culinary use, medicinal use, bath and tea, and fragrance.

At the beginning of August, their committee spent two days working in the garden. They weeded out plants that were not historically appropriate to the area and moved other plants to be used elsewhere. They discovered some wonderful specimens of sage, valerian, and older herbs that were saved, and they planted perennials among them.

Since Naper Settlement has its own grounds crew, Stephanie and KC envision the role of the Master Gardeners to be working with the marketing and education people to develop walking tours or talks about the gardens that would increase interest in the gardens themselves. They hope to work on recreating a garden next to the Martin Mitchell Mansion that they spied in old photographs, again trying to make it as historically accurate as possible.

And who knows? With the efforts of these two and their committee, the entire 13 acres at Naper Settlement could someday be used as a giant outdoor classroom for gardens and their historical significance.

- Debbie Heinz

When your landscaping and garden needs that something extra...just add water! Water gardening, that is. The art of water gardening and ponding has become a very popular hobby for many gardening enthusiasts and homeowners.

Once you build or install a water feature into your landscape, you see what the hubbub and excitement is all about. A water feature can be created in any yard, large or small. It can be any size, from 10 gallons to 10,000 gallons, or featured in something as simple as an interesting container. So no matter what the size of your yard or garden area, you too can experience the pleasure of nature in a whole new way through water gardening.

Today's sophisticated high tech pond liners, pumps and filters take much of the effort out of water gardening, and it can be a fast installation, big or small. It only takes a few days for a team of experienced pond builders to construct a paradise in your own back yard.

Your backyard pond or water feature will attract and benefit many types of wildlife, like butterflies, dragonflies, birds, frogs and even ducks!! It can be a great place to relax and ease the stress of our hectic daily lives. Of course, adding fish creates yet another interesting dimension to your pond. They can bring the water to life as they aimlessly frolic about. I think you'll agree, they are the epitome of relaxation.

It's also a wonderful opportunity to experiment with new plants and flowers that you may never have considered including in your existing garden. The greatest aspect to aquatic plant materials is that it never needs watering, and the variety of plants span beyond the expected water lily and stand of cattails. You'll be surprised how successful of a gardener you can be. And everyone knows the sound of water calms the soul. With every changing season, your water garden changes too. There is nothing more serene than a snow covered water fall or the birds feeding off the plumes of grasses left from the summer.

Now's the time to put your design ideas together, sketch out your plans and begin studying about the art of water gardening. By spring you'll be ready to call your favorite pond builder for installation! Happy Ponding!!!

- Jan Hanson

Rain Gardens

Nigel Dunnett and Andy Clayden (Timber Press)

ISBN# 978-0-88192-826-6 $34.95

The idea of installing rain gardens for environmentally sound ways to channel and reuse rain water has been starting to get more attention in both commercial and residential settings. I have attended two lectures this year on the topic and both have focused on creating a rain garden in a very specific way via a planted depression in the landscape designed to utilize rainwater run-off.

Dunnett and Clayden have created a comprehensive guide to doing just this with practical ideas to create rain gardens. The book answers the whys of this being an important concept, provides the methods for garden design in an easy to understand manner with drawings and photographs using actual examples from the U.S. and Europe along with a directory of suitable plants. Then they move beyond this concept into other elements that can be implemented to capture water run-off. Additional projects include green roofs, permeable paving, bioretention ponds and alternatives to downspouts such as rain chains with interesting outflow ideas to improve the aesthetics of the landscape.

1001 Gardens You Must See

Before You Die

Rae Spencer-Jones (Barron's Publications)

ISBN# 978-0-7641-6005-9 $34.95

What could be more fun for a MG than a guide to plan visits to unique gardens while on vacation? This book has compiled an inspired selection from around the world of well known public gardens along with smaller or privately owned gardens that are open for visits. Each garden listing has concise information on style, size and unique features as well as the garden's history and the designer's vision. Most have an accompanying photo of the garden. This is a thick book at 960 pages with sections on North America, Europe, Asia, Central & South America, Africa, Islands, and Australia & New Zealand.

But this book has some flaws. It's a bit heavy to take along when you travel. The Europe section takes up about two-thirds of the book. There is no information on open days, hours or costs for each garden. The Garden Directory section lists only addresses, so you will either have to write each garden directly or search out other means of contacting them via the internet. There is one page called "Useful Addresses" that contains listings with phone number and web address of organizations that might be helpful in getting more specific details or contacts for the listed gardens.

- Debbye B. Simpson

Dill is one of those plants that, once you have it in your garden, you'll always have it. Unless you are in a pickle-making frenzy and cut off absolutely every dill flower head before a single seed is set, dill will self-seed with abandon. Which, from my perspective, is a good thing, because dill, Anethum graveolens, is an herb of many virtues. Dill is easy to grow, free of diseases and pests, wonderfully flavorful, and a prime attractant of beneficial insects. Humans have used it for thousands of years: it was included in a 5,000- year-old Egyptian list of useful herbs.

While an annual in our climate, its self-seeding habit brings a reliable batch of new plants in the spring. Since the plants are relatively short-lived, letting just one flower head go to seed can provide a welcome second crop later in the summer. Succession planting of dill seeds every two weeks or so in late June and early July will do the same job. So, if you like dill, it's easy to keep around. It's also easy to control, uprooting unwanted seedlings after a rain.

Growing up to three feet tall with fine, ferny, blue-green leaves, individual plants can be gawky; in drifts or among the tomatoes dill is graceful. Dill likes what tomatoes like – full sun, warm summers, even moisture. Leaves can be harvested young, a practice that can keep the plants a little shorter. Its hollow stalk branches at the top to produce a mass of small yellow flowers (dill is in the Umbelliferae family) beloved of butterflies and other beneficials. The small, round, flat brown seeds follow in copious quantities.

Dill's fragrant leaves are beloved of cooks: wonderful with fish, especially salmon (dill's the herb in the Scandinavian marinade that turns salmon into gravlax), as well as a stalwart in most potato salad recipes, in scrambled eggs, and of course in dill and other kinds of pickles.

Dill is one of the few green herbs of summer that can be preserved for winter. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or parchment; lay the dill leaves on it, and then freeze. Gather the frozen sprigs into a freezer bag, press out the air, and return to the freezer until needed. The leaves will keep their color and flavor for six months.

Dill is not bothered by most pests and diseases. In July, however, I saw munching on the leaves of one of my plants a big green caterpillar with a white-spotted black band on each of its segments and two small orange "horns" (which differentiate this caterpillar from the similar-looking, but single-horned, tomato hornworm). I left it alone; it would become a beautiful black swallowtail butterfly. Besides, I have a LOT of dill.

- Sandy Lentz

"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. Please note the change in issue numbers to reflect our program year.

· Issue #1 for 2008 - November 28, 2007
· Issue #2 for 2008 – February 27, 2008
· Issue #3 for 2008 - May 28, 2008
· Issue #4 for 2008 - August 27, 2008

September 6-8
State Master Gardener Conference
Crowne Plaza, Springfield

Telenets

Household Insect Pests
September 25, 2007 12:45-2:30 pm
September 27, 2007 6:45-8:30 pm

Growing Backyard Grapes
October 16, 2007 12:45-2:30 pm
October 18, 2007 6:45-8:30 pm

October 26
Open House
2:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Naperville Office

December 6
Graduation & Accomplishment Ceremony
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

DuPage County Extension Office
1100 E. Warrenville RD - Suite 170
Naperville, Illinois 60563
Telephone: 630-955-1123
FAX: 630-955-1180

www.extension.uiuc.edu/dupage

The Extension Service of the University of Illinois provides educational programs and unbiased research-based information to help Illinois residents improve their quality of life, develop skills and solve problems, by helping you put knowledge to work.

The Illinois Extension Service provides equal opportunities in programs and employment.