Yoga in the Garden with a therapeutic dog and baby goat will be presented on Monday, July 8th from 4-5:30 p.m. and again on Tuesday, July 9th from 9:30-11 a.m. at the Spooner Display Gardens on Orchard Lane just off HWY 70. Instructor is Deb Nebel. Please bring a towel for your child.

Kids yoga may help your child keep focused, build comprehension, and problem-solve effectively. Many of our "Little Learners"  face extreme challenges. We hope to see great results from our students in the classroom and in their personal relations.

Kids In the Garden is a free program sponsored by North Country Master Gardeners as part of our educational offerings to the public. Yoga in the Garden is the third in a five series Summer program that was started in 2018. Please see our full schedule for Kids in the Garden.

Fruit and Herb Infused Water
For a fun way to stay hydrated, try infused water. It is easy to do.
Here are a few fun ideas.

Blueberry and Lemon Verbena
Strawberry and Chocolate Mint
Cucumber and Peppermint
Orange and Basil

Just add the fruit and herb to your water, let it sit for a few hours or press the leaves for more flavor.
Add ice cubes and enjoy.

Join us at the Annual Twilight Tour to see our herb garden. 
We will be sharing recipes, giving out samples and much more.

Annual Twilight Tour in the Teaching and Display Garden
Tuesday, August 13, 4:00 to Twilight
Featuring guest speakers, demonstrations, displays, vegetable tastings

The vegetable beds have been planted and the display beds are beginning to show evidence of the creativity intended by the gardeners.   The vegetables are doing well in colorful grow bags and the straw bale bed. 

The All-America Selection display beds have been completed by the trainees in the just completed Master Gardener Level 1 training.  In a few weeks you will be able to see what is intended with the Recycle, Repurpose, and Re-imagine theme for 2019.  

The Teaching and Display Garden is open for self-guided tours during day light hours daily from mid-May through mid-September.    Meet Me in the Garden series starts on July 16 at 6:00 pm - we hope you plan on attending. 

Author and photos by Sue Reinardy, UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

It is always great to get plants at reduced prices at yard sales, flea markets and the local garden club plant sales. It's even better to get them free from friends and neighbors but there are a few things you should know to protect your gardens, ensure success and avoid wasting your time and money.

1. Make sure the plants look healthy. Examine dead or dying leaves for signs of disease (see link below). If no disease seems apparent, pinch back any dead or dying leaves and flowers to see what you have left. If the plant does not appear to be in good health (no new leaf shoots or flowers buds), don't buy it even if you think it needs a good home and can be nursed back to health. You could be bringing disease into your garden and endangering your other plants.
2. Pop the plant out of it's pot. How root bound is it? A plant that's looking a little haggard would be just so root bound there is no longer any soil in the pot. This plant will probably not do well even when freed from the pot as it will have been starved of nutrients for too long. If you do take it home, you will want to free those roots when planting by cutting through the mat of root matter and even cut away a lot of the old roots. You will need to baby such plants in the garden to ensure they get a good start with new root growth.
3. Be wary of plants with too little root matter, they may have been recently potted up and not have adequate roots to survive. I recently bought a blueberry plant at a flea market. By the time I got it home it was completely wilted even though the soil was moist. I unpotted the plant only to find it had virtually no roots.
4. Buying plants that have been dug up from other gardens or getting plants free from other gardens come with the possibility that you could be bringing disease or pests into your garden along with the plant. Check the plant thoroughly, especially the underside of leaves, for bugs, leaf spots and signs of ill health. Check the roots for growths clinging to the roots (possible  nematode infection) or root rot. You will want to discard any plants infested with bugs or with leaf disease or root infection into the trash not the compost.
5. When planting any new plants in your garden, check for foreign roots like creeping charlie or grass rhizomes. Remove these and watch the plant closely over the first few weeks after planting to be sure nothing unwanted spring up in your garden. Treating the soil with a pre-emergent such as Preen can guard against weed seeds germinating in your garden with the new planting.
6. Be sure the plants you are bringing into your garden are not on your state's invasive species list. Such plants can take over your gardens and spread into adjacent properties and cause you many headaches and unhappy neighbors. Thistle is one example of an invasive species that you could be battling for years to come if you introduce the wrong species into your garden.  (See link below for more information).
7. Know how the plant will reproduce in your garden and where you should plant it. If the plant will spread readily from the roots like evening primrose or lily of the valley, give it enough room to spread or put it in a confined space where its spread will be checked by hard boundaries. If the plant will readily reseed like cone flowers be sure to harvest the flowers before seeds form or harvest the seeds before they broadcast to avoid unwanted seedlings throughout your garden the following spring.

Helpful guide in diagnosing plant health
https://extension.psu.edu/diagnosing-poor-plant-health

Invasives in Wisconsin
https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/Invasives/what.html
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/topics/other/weedsinvasive-plants/

Where to find free and cheap plants
https://www.thespruce.com/get-cheap-free-garden-plants-2736879

Article and photos by Pam Davies, North Country Master Gardener Volunteer.

​If you are traveling in the Philadelphia area I highly recommend this list of gardens, all quite different.  Seeing woodland spring ephemerals in different settings taught me a new appreciation for what I tend to take for granted here at home.   Anytime during their long growing season these gardens will teach, display and provide pleasure to their visitors.  

​Morris Arboretum – As the name implies the arboretum is a teaching and research facility of the University of Pennsylvania.  It is set on the historic grounds of the summer home of John and Lydia Morris.  They have informative displays of trees, shrubs, and woodland perennials.  

​Longwood Gardens – One of many du Pont family gardens in the area.  The gardens are spread about on 1,100 acres of highly manicured display gardens.  We were there for six hours, more than enough time to see almost everything and spend time in their excellent garden shop.  According to their website they raise 75 percent of the plants used in their displays onsite producing about 110,000 plants of 1,000 different varieties.  Nearby is Kennett Square, a tidy small town with many retail shops and restaurants. 

​Mt. Cuba Center – The Center is set in the rolling hills of the Delaware Piedmont near Wilmington.   The property was developed by Mr. and Mrs. Lammot du Pont Copeland.  Mrs. Copeland is quoted in their intention for the property: “I want this to be a place where people will learn to appreciate our native plants and to see how these plants can enrich their lives so that they, in turn, will become conservators of our natural habitats.”.  If you go, I recommend scheduling a tour by one of their very knowledgeable tour guides.  If you can’t go to Mt. Cuba Center, you can still learn much by going to their website.  I have bookmarked as one of my favorites the native plant finder.  

​Winterthur – The home of Henry Francis du Pont, the 1,000 acres near Wilmington, DE includes 60 acres naturalist gardens, a research library, shops, museum, and the mansion chock full of American textiles and furniture.  The gardens are more in the background of Winterthur given all the other attractions of this property.  

​Chanticleer  - This garden was the last we visited, and I think the best.  Chanticleer is set on 47 acres of the former home of the Rosengarten family, members of the family still guide the foundation that manages the property.  This unique property employs seven Horticulturists who are each responsible for an area of the grounds.  Chanticleer advertises itself as a pleasure garden and definitely lives up to that name.  We felt as if we were invited guests, the horticulturists and grounds staff were about the grounds ready to answer our questions.  

What a treat to have visited these gardens, each one unique in its own way.  And the Winnebago Master Gardener Volunteers are wonderful traveling companions.  

​Author:  Sue Reinardy, UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer

County fairs are the highlight of the summer season in NW Wisconsin rural communities. They bring folks together like no other events and provides a showcase for area agriculture--the economic engine that makes rural life possible. From farm animals and machinery to home canning and crafts, the county fair is a great place to see what's happening in your community. Exhibiting and competing is not just for 4H kids. Everyone can get involved. And the more involved you are, the more fun it is.  If you have never exhibited at your local county fair, you don't know what you are missing!

 Now is the time to get started while deadlines are still a ways off. There are many divisions and categories to choose from from livestock and pets to clothing, arts, photography, woodworking, computers, food and nutrition and of course veggies, plants and flowers!  The open divisions allow adults to enjoy the fair experience and some friendly competition.  Not only can you share your gardening prowess, and enjoy the entries of your fellow gardeners, there are often cash premiums awarded for ribbon winners. And then there are the bragging rights!!

To get started, check-out the county specific information listed below.   For gardeners, you may be especially interested in the agricultural divisions of Plant & Soil Science or Flowers & House Plants.  Check out these publications available through UW Madison Extension Learning Store (http://learningstore.uwex.edu) A3306  “Exhibiting and Judging Vegetables"  and A2935 “Evaluating and Judging Flowers and Indoor Plants” for guidance and helpful tips. 

Entries are judged on freshness, uniformity, and quality.  Entries should be precisely the number and type listed in the Exhibitor’s Handbook for each fair.   An entry form is required by a due date specified for each fair.  Fair books with the entry forms are available online at the sites listed below. They can also be found locally at various stores and businesses.

Burnett County Fair/ Grantsburg August 22-25, 2019  (deadline for pre-registration August 8)
Central Burnett County Fair/ Webster September 20-22, 2019 (deadline for pre-registration September 12)

• Download (links below) or pick up a free Fair Book  (same for both fairs) at Burnett County banks; Burnett County Library in Webster; Burnett County Sentinel and at Burnett Dairy.   Entry forms must be submitted by the due date specified in the fair book.  Exhibitors must either reside or own property in Burnett County.
•  Fair Book available soon at:    https://grantsburgfair.com/      http://cbcfair.org/

Sawyer County Fair August 22-25, 2019 (check website  for due dates)

• There is a single entry fee of $10 for as many items as you wish to exhibit.  A fair entry form must be submitted by the due date.  All exhibitors get the benefit of a fair exhibitor pass with their entry.  
• Check website for entry due date:   http://www.sawyercountyfair.org/ 
• Fair Book:   http://www.sawyercountyfair.org/contestants--exhibitors.html

Washburn County Fair July 25-28, 2019

• Open class non-animal entries will be accepted through entry day but pre-registration is appreciated
• Fair Book: https://www.washburncountyfair.com/premium-books-forms
  

Article and photos submitted by Pamela Davies MGV

Planting Dahlias

1. Select a sunny garden spot with freely draining soil and prepare it thoroughly before planting.
2. To plant, dig a hole 4-6 inches deep and place the tuber on its side, horizontally with the growing eye facing up. Once in place, refill the hole with soil. Dahlias get quite large, so allow at least 12-18 inches of space between plants.
3. Dahlias require consistent water throughout the growing season.  Dahlias should not be watered until you see the first green shoots poking through the ground. Overwatering before shoots are visible can lead to tuber rot. After plants reach a foot tall, give them a hard pinch by snipping out 3-4 inches of the growing center to encourage low basal branching, which increases flower production and overall stem length.

Click on the below link for more information on tips and tricks with growing dahlias.
How to Grow Dahlias - Floret Flower Farm
www.floretflowers.com/resources/how-to-grow-dahlias/

The NCMG have a Dahlia garden starting to sprout.. come and visit the 
www.northcountrymgv.org/teaching--display-garden.html