KeyWee's Blog

MG Class #6 ~ Perennials (my favorite!)
Sep 29, 2007 | 5:31 AM PST

It's hard to believe that my adventures in Master Gardening class are almost half over ~ I am enjoying it SO much!  Today's topic was the one I looked forward to the most.  If anyone can bore someone into a complete stonecold coma, it's me and perennial-pratter.

The hand's down best part of this class was the dig-n-drop session in the university extension's flower gardens.  The instructor took us on a tour of the eight acres of perennials and he carried a small pitchfork.  Wherever we paused for a moment, he would dig plants and then just drop them on the ground and move on.  Guess who was the first person with their hand out?  Shy gets you nada.  I came away with trilliums, bath-pink dianthus, Churchill Downs iris, fall asters, and lychoris (surprise lilies).  What a haul!! 

For today's class, it was my turn to make the lunch.  Since we have 8,000 pounds of ground beef in the freezer, I made Italian Sloppy Joes for thirty people.  Served with a nice relish tray (yes, with jalapenos) I believe I made some friends out of the I-hate-to-cook crowd.  All during the morning session, I could see my classmates floating on a wave of simmering garlic.  By noon, they were MINE!!

MG Class #5 ~ Bugs!!!
Sep 23, 2007 | 10:44 AM PST

It was with some trepidation that I entered the classroom on this date.  One of the scariest things about making a move further south than Z5 was the thought of big creeping, crawling, flying, biting, stinging things the size of a Volkswagen.  Since I am still alive to talk about it, obviously my fears were (mostly) unfounded. 

The class on entomology was interesting and would have been even more so if the instructor (by his own admission) hadn't been such a bug-obsessed maniac.  There is nothing about the world of insects that he didn't find of the utmost fascination.  I guess this is as it should be for an expert in any field and while not entirely infectious, I did come away with a totally different attitude about the little fiends.  Let's just say that 90% of them are our friends and completely beneficial, and now I have some idea which ones those are.  That's not to say that I want a houseful of pets with a skeleton on the outside of their body any time soon.

In other news ~ the hummingbirds are still here but their numbers are diminishing daily.  The six months they are away are long ones and I will miss them when they go.  In the meantime, I am keeping my feeders filled until no little sweetlebees remain.

I found a likeable plant on the "buy me, I'm dead" rack at Lowe's and the price was right at $2.00, only to find out that the mysterious caryopteris I bought is little more than a fancy blue spirea.  Who knew and why didn't they just say so??  Well at least it's a fall-bloomer and the flowers are attractive little blue puffs of smoke ~ I'm happy (unless someone tells me different).

 

MG Class #4 ~ Lawns
Sep 15, 2007 | 8:54 AM PST

OoooWheeee!  Can you feel the excitement?  If you can't, then you know how much I was looking forward to this class ~ not.   The only thing I really wanted to learn about grass is how to get RID of it.

Well, color me surprised ~ the class was pretty darn interesting.  The instructor had a hilarious dry wit that kept us all guessing (is he kidding or not) the entire class.  His references to his "fashionable and fabulous bachelor pad" (now fondly known as the FFBP) and "explosive cursing" in the attempt to make use of certain tools, chemicals, and other obnoxious items, had us all literally rolling on the grass all day.

So, let me see ~ what did I learn?  How to take a soil sample and then make sense of the pH levels and what amendments are required.  How to choose the proper grass seed for any given area in Zone 6b.  When to water, weed, feed, treat, and generally became a major grass-o-holic.  How to mow and to maintain the equipment to do so.  I did gracefully bow out of the spreader competition (seeing how fast and efficiently you could spread five pounds of expensive chemicals on your lawn to change the color).  When the instructor asked me why I chose not to give it a try, I told him "because I ain't ever gonna do it".  Apparently he hasn't seen the pictures on my Profile Page (yet).  Do I look like Joe Lawn??

In other news ~ hey, it's seed-gatherin' time.  Someone tell the person who wants free seeds in the forum that they ARE free ~ right now, wherever you paste your eyes.  I have collected enough zinnia seeds to cover the entire state.  My only challenge is beating the birds to it.  I have noticed that they are visiting the seed feeders again though, so winter can't be far over the horizon.  My morning walk was a nippy 51 degrees ~ tomorrow I break out the gloves!

MG Class #3 ~ Botany
Sep 9, 2007 | 10:41 AM PST

Who knew that at age 53, I would make the journey back to elementary science class?  Can you say "Are you smarter than a fifth grader"?  And the answer to that would be "no". 

Our instructor did everything right. In other words, he was able to reduce the basics of botany to non-spring-chicken level without talking down to us ~ much appreciated.  That's not to say he didn't use a glove shaped like a giant bumble bee and a huge working model of a flower with all the required parts to demonstrate pollination.  Also much appreciated, as most students are dependent upon some type of sight-enhancing devices.  Suffice it to say that I now can name most plant parts, identify leaf types, tell the difference between a corm, bulb and tuber, and disect a flower to find the "good parts".  Just another few stepping stones to Master Gardener Land.

In other news ~ WE GOT RAIN.  It may have been only an inch or so, but every doggone drop was needed.  I was able to pull some weeds for the first time in weeks.  Needless to say, grass had taken over my new daylily patch, so that got a major pull-out on Saturday.  Was able to get my Golden Rain tree in the ground at last ~ no dynamite required.

All in all, my gardens are still beautiful.  I have blooms, colors, and hummingbirds ~ who could ask for more???  Well ~ ok ~ a million dollars would be nice.

 

 

Master Gardener Class #2
Sep 1, 2007 | 8:45 AM PST

Thursday 8/30/07 ~ Class #2 ~ Princeton, Kentucky

University of Kentucky Experimental Farm ~ 1700 acres of tests and trials to see what will do best in Zone 6b.

We spent the better part of the day in the blazing sun (yes, I have a rather odd-looking spot on my arm that I'm going to keep an eye on) inspecting maple trees for disease and desirability.  Since the trees were all the same age and planted on the same day, it's amazing how some adapt and some give up the ghost.  The trees are not babied, but allowed to "sink or swim" as conditions prevail.  This way, the best tree wins and others are eliminated for sale to local greenhouses.  I never knew there were so many kinds of maple tree and one was definitely a favorite of mine, just because it was so different-looking (I like weird).  It was called a hedge maple and the expert said it is practically immune to disease and pests, but does not grow as tall or have the large desirable canopy.  I loved it for its small, close-to-the-branch curly leaves.  So there you have it ~ my pick for the week!

Onward to the vegetable garden (yes, we had to travel by vehicle ~ 1700 acres is not walkable).  Here they were testing the effects of herbicide on tomatoes.  I know I can just hear you ~ HOW interesting!!  But it was, and we were allowed as many maters as we could carry.  Even though I have my own, I had to take some for "taste comparison" ~ mine are just as good haHA!

Wait, we're not finished ........ on to grapes, apples and bramble berries.  I have to admit I have never seen such large blackberries in my life. 

All in all a productive day and I feel I am learning something for my $80 ~ the doorstop manual alone is probably worth the cost.