Incredible Edible Flowers will introduce you to a different menu choice. Have you ever looked at your garden flowers and thought, "These look good enough to eat?" This isn't just a daydream. Edible flowers add color, taste and fragrance to even the most common of foods. From appetizers to desserts, edible flowers add a unique quality to meals that will make everyone think you are quite a chef.

Let Sandy Mason, Horticulture Educator, show you which flowers are edible, which ones to leave in the garden and even a few recipes To get you started in the incredible, edible world of flowers.

The program will be Tuesday, Aug. 15 at 1 p.m. & repeated Thursday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m.

Minor Spring Bulbs will introduce you to some of the not-so-common spring-blooming bulbs that can be used in the home landscape. Susan Grupp, U of I Extension horticulture educator will present the program which is offered at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 12 and again on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.

The Midas Touch offers suggestions on how to add color to gardens and containers without all the work of deadheading and pruning. Martha Smith, U of I Extension horticulture educator, is the program presenter. She will focus on yellow and gold foliage plants. The program will be presented on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m. and again on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m.

How Insecticides and Miticides Work. Raymond Cloyd, U of I

All programs will be held in both the Jo Daviess and Carroll County extension offices. Advance registration is requested and there is a $3. charge. To register, call the Jo Daviess County office at 1-815-858-2273 and in Carroll County call 1-815-244-9444.

The programs use the University of Illinois Extension telenet system and local computer PowerPoint presentations, allowing live discussion between the instructor and gardeners throughout the state.

Blossom-end rot is a dry, leathery brown rot of the blossom end of the fruit that is common in some seasons on tomatoes. It is caused by the combination of a localized calcium deficiency in the developing fruit and wide fluctuations of soil moisture. The problem is especially bad in hot, humid weather.

Soil applications of calcium seldom help, though foliar calcium sprays may minimize the occurrence of the problem.

Make sure the formulation is designed for foliar application, or severe damage could result. Pruning causes stress to the plants that may increase the incidence of blossom-end rot. Some tomato varieties are much more susceptible to this condition than others. Mulching and uniform watering help to prevent blossom-end rot. Once the blackened ends appear, affected fruits cannot be saved. They are best removed and destroyed so that healthy fruit setting later can develop more quickly.

Fall webworm, as the name implies, usually occur later in the season becoming especially noticeable in August and September. They build large, protective nests (webs) that usually start on the ends of branches. Nests increase in size as caterpillars feed. They do not leave the nests until they are ready to pupate.

Heavily infested trees can be completely covered with nests up to three feet long. Fall webworm feeds on over 120 different species of deciduous trees including crabapple, ash, oak, elm. Maple, hickory, sweet gum, and black walnut. They generally don't feed on conifers.

As you start to notice the nests, you can be well assured they are feeding. If you are inclined to use an insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki sold as Dipel or Thuricide is effective, especially on young caterpillars. Use high spray pressures to break up the web and get the insecticide inside to the caterpillars and the leaves.

Tearing out or pruning out the webs and their resident caterpillars from the tree can also control webworm Once on the ground, you can burn the nests and their contents.

Later in the season, you may want to get up close and personal to make sure they still are feeding before applying any insecticide. At that point just good tree maintenance including watering during drought periods is recommended. Although it doesn't look great, late season defoliation of deciduous trees as with fall webworm is usually not life threatening.

If you've been thinking about becoming a Master Gardener, now is the time to give it serious consideration. The 2007 training sessions will begin in January so registrations need to be completed by Dec. 1. The training this year for our area will be held in Freeport which makes it a lot easier for folks in Jo Daviess and Carroll Counties.

Master Gardeners participate in 60 hours of daytime training on all aspects of gardening such as soils, insects, trees and flowers. All sessions are taught by University of Illinois Extension staff. Once training is completed, Master Gardener interns have many opportunities to complete the required 60 hours of internship to become Certified, Master Gardeners.

All you need is an interest in gardening, some time to volunteer in the community and a desire to share your knowledge with others. You don't have to already be a gardening expert to become a Master Gardener. The program is more about connections...connecting people with other gardeners, with their community and with reliable resources for information. Volunteer time fits the specific interests and strengths of the Master Gardener with the programming needs of the county residents.

Because the exact dates of the training have not been determined, call your local extension office and they will put you on a list to be notified once the information is available.

Thank you...

To all the folks who participated in any way during our third annual "A Walk in the Garden"

From the Carroll County Master Gardeners

Jo-Carroll Unit Website Address:

http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/jdc/

September means a second chance for gardeners to do all those things we didn't get around to in the spring. If you feel the urge to work in the garden but are not quite sure what to do, this list should help. Now if the sight of this list makes you shudder, then you need to put down your pruners, sit down on that garden bench you never sit on and breathe in the last moments of summer. I have never met a gardener who had everything done on their "to do" list. Enjoy the process.

Flowers

• Transplant and divide most perennials.
• This is the best time to divide peonies. Be sure to have 3-5 eyes per division. Replant so eyes are no more than two inches deep.
• Replant areas with frost tolerant plants such as pansies and flowering kale.
• Plant mums into well-drained areas. Planting on a slight mound may help to provide proper drainage to get mums through the winter.
• Prepare houseplants for return trip indoors. Scout for insects. Thoroughly rinse leaves and container.
• Begin 2-3 month dormancy for amaryllis. Do not water. Place in cool, dark place. Dormancy begins once leaves yellow.
• Purchase spring flowering bulbs for October planting.
• Discontinue fertilizing roses.

Herbs

• Harvest herbs by hanging clean stems upside down in dark space.

  · Pot chives, oregano, basil or rosemary for winter use indoors.

  Lawn

  · Mow and water as necessary. Mowing height may be lowered to two inches as temperature decreases.

  · Fertilize in early September. This is the most important application of the year.

  · Reseed bare or thin areas with improved cultivars. Consider renting a slit seeder to get seed down into soil of existing lawns.

  · Reduce thatch if more then one half inch by using core aerifiers or vertical mowers.

  · Core aerifiers may be used to reduce soil compaction.

  · Establish turf by seed (best time). Prepare soil properly and get good seed-to-soil contact. Select turf mixes and blends appropriate to the site and to maintenance practices. (For Northern Illinois August 15 – September 7.)

  Vegetables

  · Continue harvesting vegetables to keep plants productive.

  · Pumpkins and winter squash should have hard rind before picking, otherwise storage may be compromised.

  · Seed bare areas with winter rye or barley for a winter cover crop and to add organic matter to the soil.

• Spinach and other leafy crops may still be planted for a fall crop.

Trees/Shrubs

• Plant most trees and shrubs. Be sure not to plant too deep. Check for trunk flare.
• Water trees and shrubs. Plants, especially evergreens, should be well hydrated entering winter.
• Avoid severe pruning now if possible. Wait until March for most trees and shrubs. Spring bloomers should be pruned right after bloom.
• Pick bagworms from evergreens. Pesticide sprays are not effective at this time.

General

• If you are planning to plant blueberries or rhododendrons, it is best to prepare the soil now for a spring planting. A soil test will indicate how much sulfur to add to lower the pH. Adding it now will give it time to react with the soil. Also add planting of organic matter such as leaf compost.
• Add plant debris to compost pile as you clean flower and vegetable areas. Debris will decompose faster if it is shredded or chopped. Also layer with soil or compost.
• Add compost or shredded leaves to open areas in the garden.

- Sandra Mason, Unit Edcator, Horticulture & Environment