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  North Country MGV

Make an entrance

Remembering Pat Johnson

2/28/2020

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Our fellow gardener, Pat Johnson of Birchwood, passed away unexpectedly on February 23, 2020.  She was an active member of North Country Master Gardener Volunteers, becoming a Certified Master Gardener Volunteer through the UW-Madison, Division of Extension in a few short months after her training.  She also  took on the Treasurer duties of our organization.  Pat loved to garden, spending time landscaping her yard and tending to crops in her greenhouse and many planters. 


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Left:  Pat providing information on Monarda (Bee Balm) to Master Gardener Volunteers.  
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Planning your 2020 Garden

1/20/2020

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"Happiness held is the seed;
happiness shared is the flower."

John Harrigan

It is that time. The seed catalogs are starting to arrive in the mail. We are starting to get out the pencil and paper to start our draft of what to plant where in the garden this season.
Something to think about in that planning is winter. What do you want to look out at during the winter months?
Each season I plant sunflowers and zinnias, I leave them in the garden during the winter for the birds and other critters surviving the winter. I also enjoy looking out at what the snow has created on the plants.


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As we wait for spring.. let us enjoy the beauty of winter in our gardens. Watching the birds eat the seeds, woodpeckers peck on our stems of the sunflowers and those bunnies who all of a sudden are cute.

If you had a real Christmas tree this season, think about placing it in the garden for a touch of color, protection and place to feed the wildlife in your yard.



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Photos and text .. by NCMGV ~ Carla TePaske
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2019 Year in Review

9/30/2019

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Check our photo gallery of this year's events. 
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Photo Opportunity

8/9/2019

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Photos by: NCMGV Sheila Squires of her sweet momma in the Sunflower Patch!


Photo Opportunity
Say "Sunflower" at the garden. Come on out to the Teaching and Display Garden and take your photo in the sunflowers.
A fun back to school photo.
A family Christmas card photo.
Memories of the Summer of 2019 photo
or
a just because photo.
Come on out and say "Sunflower!"

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Author

Carla TePaske ~ UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer
Photos ~ Sheila Squires

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A Stroll in the Garden

7/19/2019

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"Some old fashioned things like fresh air and sunshine are hard to beat."
Laura Ingalls Wilder


You never know what you are going to see at the Teaching and Display Gardens. I spotted this butterfly resting by a morning glory at the Straw Bale Garden.
The gardens are full of bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and more.
Take some time to come visit this summer.
Come on out and take a stroll in the gardens.



Author

Carla TePaske ~ UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer
Author and Photos by Carla TePaske

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In Memory of Katie Childs

6/28/2019

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Our friend and fellow Master Gardener Volunteer, Katie Childs recently passed away unexpectedly.   

She had a lot of wisdom and influence on our Master Gardener Volunteer group.  Her passion for monarchs, pollinators, native plants, and all things gardening was felt by all who met her.  She was a marvelous gardener.  She freely shared her knowledge and experience.  She did the Go Green presentation at Kids In the Garden this year. She charmed the kids into eating fresh lettuce. She was creative in reusing, recycling, and re-imagining all kinds of things that would go into her garden as well as the display garden.  

She was the driving force behind the renovation of the Teaching and Display Garden's perennial beds into a Monarch Way Station.  Her own  Gardens on Golden Pond was a Monarch Way Station as well.  

​She will be dearly missed.
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Katie in her Gardens on Golden Pond. 
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Springtime with Greater Philadelphia Gardens

6/11/2019

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Photos:  Sue Reinardy

​​A month ago, I joined the Winnebago Master Gardener Volunteers on a trip to the Greater Philadelphia gardens.  There is a concentration of well-known public gardens in this area of the upper Piedmont region (zone 7).  The Piedmont area is unique for growing plants familiar to both northern and southern gardeners.  I find it interesting that my upper Midwest garden has finally caught up with the springtime of our eastern seaboard four weeks later.  In early May the early bulbs were done; the azaleas were in bloom and the rhododendrons just starting.  Alliums, foxgloves, columbines, bleeding hearts, peonies, and other mid-spring flowers were in bloom.  
​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
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THE BUZZ…AT GARDENS ON GOLDEN POND

4/9/2019

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by:  Katie Childs, UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteer
The sap is running and the bees are buzzing...A big cheer for Spring as many of us have suffered from snow and cold fatigue. However, I have some good news to share about the beehives on Golden Pond.  Let me bring you up to speed with a bit of a review…
Last November I ‘blogged’ about “Project Honey,” an experimental operation whereby in May, a beekeeper installed a couple of hives near my Gardens on Golden Pond. The colonies not only survived, but thrived near an oasis of perennial beds, along with vegetable and fruit gardens, in an extreme woodsy environment. Over Labor Day, it was
time to harvest the honey from the hives; the process taking several hours, resulted in an abundance of liquid gold!
With the temperature dipping in the fall, the hives were prepped for winter readiness. Along with a honey reserve and protein packs to supplement their winter nourishment, each hive was bound securely with an insulated Mylar type wrap, foam insulation and duct tape. With the temperature falling to beyond minus 30 degrees at times, this
method proved to be sufficient to help maintain the hive temperature during the exceedingly harsh winter months.
Along with the outer protection, the bees had to do their part as well.

Let me explain - the worker bees form a “cluster” surrounding the queen to keep her warm and safe. With thousands of bees shivering and vibrating their wing muscles they can maintain the cluster temperature as follows: the optimal core temp in winter time is 95 degrees; 81 degrees is the average observed in the inside, while 48 degrees is the average temperature for a cluster exterior shell. Who knew, in the winter the workers insulate - in the summer they are a cooling agent.

While the calendar says its spring, our garden scapes and woods may be still covered with snow. However, with the melting well underway, we will soon be checking for daffodils, crocus and tulips popping up. On March 22 the temperature rose to 50 degrees and much to my surprise, I heard a buzzing in a very sunny protected spot a short
distance from the hives. I soon had a confirmation that a honey bee was out and about. On the 23rd - again a warm and calm day - dozens of ‘scout’ bees were seeking pollen and nectar, albeit a bit early. Had they been successful, they would return to the hive and  ‘dance’ on the honeycomb. The beekeeper came by to examine the hives and I am happy to report he was pleased at the colonies survival rate and overall hive condition. We are optimistically looking forward to another season of ‘cohabiting’ with honey bees at Gardens on Golden Pond!
HONEY BEE FUN FACTS
  • The honey bee is the only insect that produces food eaten by man. 
  • The bees’ buzz is the sound of their wings beating 11,400 times per minute.
  • The queen can live up to five years and can lay up to 2,500 eggs per day.
  • Suggested top ten flowers favored by honey bees are - pale purple coneflower, common yarrow, sunflowers, blue giant hyssop, monarda, purple coneflower, black-eyed Susan, asters, Joe Pye weed and goldenrod.
​FEED THE BEES PLEASE!
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Millions of Painted Lady Butterflies in California

4/5/2019

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Photo Credit: Carla TePaske

California is experiencing a fabulous Spring! California received rain, wonderful rain to make everything grow.
With that the painted ladies enjoyed a fantastic early season.
Do you remember Wisconsin's Autumn of 2017? We also had painted ladies visit our gardens as they took a break during the migration.
Continue to read on about the current butterfly news happening in California and some Wisconsin butterfly history.

Substantial rainfall in the deserts near the Mexican border, where the North American painted ladies lay their eggs, is the reason for the unusually large swarms. The rain caused plants to thrive, giving the painted lady caterpillars plenty of food to fuel their transformation, said Arthur M. Shapiro, a professor of evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis.

Source ~ The New York Times ~ click here to read more 

An unusually wet winter in Southern California has given way to a super bloom of wildflowers and an explosion of Painted Lady butterflies.
The black and orange insects usually keep a low profile as they make their annual migration from the deserts of western Mexico to their breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest. But this year, they're hard to miss. Scientists say that extra plant growth has allowed their population to boom into the millions.
 
Source ~ WBUR ~ Click here to read more 

September of 2017 Wisconsin was blessed with a similar event.  Our mild spring weather allowed for an early northward migration. In 2017 Painted Ladies were spotted in Iowa as early as March 10th, which is earlier than normal. With such an early arrival, the butterflies were able to have two generations instead of just one. 
For us Wisconsinites, the abundance of butterflies would not be visible to us, because they typically migrate at an elevation several thousand feet in the air to take advantage of favorable wind currents. Using the wind they can travel up to 100 miles a day, and reach speeds of nearly 30 miles per hour. September of 2017, Wisconsin had strong southern weather flow that brought the Painted Ladies down. It is not efficient for a tiny butterfly to try and fly against the wind, so they took a break and were busy refueling on Autumn flowers such as goldenrod, asters, zinnia and sunflowers. It truly was a magical September for Wisconsin and I am sure that is how California folks are feeling this Spring!
 

Author

Carla TePaske, NCMGV

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Northwest Wisconsin Barrens

3/1/2019

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During our North Country Master Gardener Membership Meeting on February 28th, Mark Nupren of the Friends of Namekagon Barrens gave a presentation.
Mark shared the beauty of the unique flowers, animals and birds that live in the Barrens.
Taking time to be with nature, looking close for new plants to identify and watching Sharp-tail grouse all can be enjoyed hiking in the Barrens.

www.fnbwa.org/
Click on the above link for more information regarding Northwest Wisconsin Barrens.
Maps, photos and stories about the Barrens can be found on the Friends of the Namekagon Barrens web page.

Thank you Mark for your presentation. We look forward to having the Friends of the Namekagon Barrens at the Annual Twilight Tour in the Teaching and Display Garden, Tuesday, August 13, 4:00 to Twilight, Features guest speakers, demonstrations, displays, vegetable tastings.


Author

Carla TePaske, North Country MGV

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Visit the Teaching & Display Gardens

The Teaching and Display Gardens  are a joint effort between the Spooner Agriculture Research Station, operated by the University of Wisconsin - Madison College of Agriculture and Life Science, the University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension and area UW-Extension Master Gardener Volunteers.  

Open to the public for self-guided tours during day light hours seven days a week mid-May through mid-September. 

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