February 2008 - Alabama Cooperative Extension System

The Prairie Mud
A Publication of Capital City Master Gardener Association
Montgomery, Alabama
Volume10, Number2 February 2008
THE GARDEN SCOOP
There are so many reasons why I love the month of February.
Daylight minutes seem to start adding up at the end of the day to
give us hope that Winter is on the downslide. Also, the first real
colors of Spring begin to show. As I made a quick tour of my yard
today, my heart was gladdened by the pinks and purples of Saucer
Magnolias; the yellows of Daffodils, Forsythias and Carolina Jessa­
mine; and the reds, oranges and pinks of Flowering Quince. It
always surprises me how quickly plants come out of dormancy after a
few days of warm weather at this time of year. Also, migrating robins can
be seen in abundance in our yards during February, which hints that
Spring is just around the corner. And, of course,
Valentine’s Day is in February.
With the mention of Valentine’s Day, I am reminded that it is time to prune
some of my flowering trees and shrubs. I always wait until the middle of
February to cut back my Roses and do a little maintenance on my
Crepe Myrtles. I hope that you read Shane Harris’ article in the
Montgomery Advertiser about proper pruning practices. It was very
informative and also mentioned the Pruning Workshop that will be
held at the Shakespeare Gardens and Grounds on February 23; from
9:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. Karen Weber will be assisting Shane in
conducting the workshop. If you would like to help with the workshop,
or just attend, contact the Montgomery County Extension Office.
In addition to assisting with the Pruning Workshop, CCMGA will be
manning a table at the Home and Garden Show hosted by South­
ern Homes and Gardens, at their Vaughn Road location, February 9
and 10. Also, on February 13, the Autauga County Extension Office
will host a seminar with presentations by Caroline Dean on “Wild­
flowers” and Dr. James Miller on “Invasive Plants,” open to
Master Gardeners by reservation only. At our
January meeting, Dianne Bush announced Arbor
Week will be held February 19 through 21, with
different activities on each day. As you can see,
CCMGA Officers
President­
Karin Carmichael
Vice President­
Maggie Stringer
Secretary­
Jan Gill
Treasurer­
Jane Shalhoop
Newsletter Staff
Lisa Lenox­ Editor
Betsy Coley­ Assistant Editor
Montgomery County Office
Two East Office Center
400 Eastern Blvd, Suite 107
Montgomery, Al. 36117­2043
334/270­4133
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February is a very busy month for CCMGA.
It is with a heavy heart that I write of Calvin Whitesell’s death. I spoke with him at the Christmas Luncheon
and he was so full of excitement about his certification as a Master Gardener. From speaking to some of his
2007 classmates, I learned that he had so much to offer and was going to be a wonderful CCMGA member.
He will be missed by many.
The CCMGA Board provided lunch for the first meeting of the MG Intern Class of 2008. Some of us met
with the group of twenty and in addition to introducing ourselves, explained a little about our organization
and invited them all to join us as members of CCMGA. Suzanne Reaves and Marie Tomlin are doing an
excellent job of managing the class. Cookie Ruth will relieve Marie when she gets back on her feet in a few
weeks.
I want to thank everyone who volunteered to chair a committee or activity for this year. Also, thanks go to all of
you who signed up to work on committees and special projects. Special appreciation goes to Dianne Bush for
her articles in the Garden Pathways and Yvonne Evans for her profiles in The Prairie Mud.
Without you all, we could not continue to grow and do the good work that we have agreed to do.
I hope to see you all at the February 26 meeting when we will have our first program, “Getting on Track:
Gardening and Your Health,” presented by Malissa Allen, a nutritionist and avid gardener.
Karin Carmichael
March 15: Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation
Spring Selma Garden tour
featuring Kathryn Tucker Windham in the Live Oak
Cemetery with participants, lecture, gardens, break­
fast and lunch. A fund raiser for the Trust.
In conjunction with the Selma Spring Pilgrimage, enjoy
many hours in unique Selma. $45/participant.
Preregistration required. Contact organizer
Dr. Gery Anderson at gadmd2@aol.com or
334.872.2686 for more information.
The 18th Annual Alabama Master Gardener
Conference will be held at Landmark Park in
Dothan, Al., March 6­8, 2008. Registration
forms were sent out in the Garden Pathways or
they can be found at the AMGA web site. This
year’s conference theme is “Down Home
Gardening” with lots of special activities planned
for this event. Fred Bassett, certified master
bird bander with the Hummer/Bird Study
Group, will be the keynote speaker Friday
morning. Breakout session subjects range from
Butterflies to Water Gardening. Vince Dooley,
former head football coach and Athletic Direc­
tor of the University of Georgia, will be the
speaker Friday night. Seminars are planned for
Thursday afternoon and a special Dinner
Theater presentation of “Grits on the Side” that
evening. Lisa Lenox will e­mail registration
information or Betsy Coley can mail forms by
USPS to members who do not receive e­mail.
If you haven’t registered already, do so soon.
Hotels are filling up quickly. Several of our
members are planning to attend. This should be
a wonderful time to meet MGs from around the
state and learn about other projects in which
we might become involved.
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January 22, 2008 Meeting Minutes
President Karin Carmichael called the January, 2008 meeting to order at 10:00
am at Vaughn Park Church of Christ. Sara Brown read a poem for the devotional.
Refreshments were furnished by Debbie Wakefield, Cathy Maddox, Dick
Hodges, Marilyn Harper & Anna Owen.
There was a correction to the December minutes. The correct date for the Alabama
Conference in Dothan, AL is March 6, 7 & 8. The minutes were accepted and
approved as corrected.
Jane Shalhoop gave the Treasurer’s Report. The beginning balance on 12/31/07 was
$4,200.l6. The adjusted balance for January is $3,875.l6. Checks in the amount of
$325.00 was written to AMGA. We have 70 paid members. $1,034.50 was made at
the December silent auction. The 2008 budget was presented. A motion was made
and passed that the budget be accepted as presented.
Old Business
Dues must be paid and membership forms submitted by 1/22/08 to have
your name in the main part of the directory. All members paying after that date
will go in the supplement in back with the interns.
Volunteer service report notebooks
were handed out to help members keep
track of their service hours and educa­
tional record. Remember meetings count
as 1 hour of volunteer and, if there is a
speaker, 1 hour of CEU. For interns the
meetings are all volunteer hours.
Membership forms for 2009 were
handed out so members could carefully fill
them out and include their talents and
project ideas. 2009 Dues and member­
ship forms will be due by October.
Alabama Master Gardener Annual
Conference in Dothan, AL is March 6­8.
Registration at the lower rate cuts off on
2/15/08. Go to the AMGA website to
get registration forms and information on
seminars and hotel.
Committee Reports
Suzanne Reaves asked Shane Harris
talked about the new class of interns. The
class is full with 20 participants. This is a
very good class with a diverse mixture.
Cecelia Terrell is in charge of arranging
lunches for the interns. She had many
creative ideas on serving sack lunches for
30, until there is a place where a full
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lunch can be served. A signup sheet was
passed around.
Cathy Maddox is the committee chairman for
projects. The following are approved projects:
1. Ordeman Shaw Garden ­ Lisa Lenox needs
help with maintenance and watering. Planting is
twice a year. The committee has to be creative with
the type of plants because of the heat from the
bricks.
.2. Governor’s Mansion Garden ­ Mary Eleanor
Hines reported the development part of the project
as complete with maintenance being the main focus.
Mrs. Riley thanked all the Master Gardeners.
3. Lily’s garden at Forest Ave. School ­ Lisa
Lenox reported this as a good opportunity for
volunteer hours. Earth­day, weeding several times
a
year and some trees need to be taken out.
4. Shakespeare Garden ­ Karen Weber needs
volunteers on Wednesday mornings from 9­12, all
year.
5. Plant sale ­ Suzanne Brookhart announced
the plant sale on Saturday, May 10th. $800 was
made last year with 42 members donating plants.
The goal for this year is $1000. Start rooting your
plants now. Some of the best sellers were
begonias, hostas, ferns, hanging baskets & herbs.
Details will be worked out later.
Please send any pictures taken while working on any project to Jan Scott. All other projects need to be
approved by the Montgomery extension office to qualify for service hours.
There is a free pruning workshop February 23, 9­12, at the Shakespeare Gardens. Sign up early and bring your
pruners. Call Lula at 270­4133 to register.
There is an advanced Master Pruner class in the works. Watch your emails for information.
.Lisa Lenox prepares and sends out the newsletter. The deadline for articles and snippets is
the 7th of each month. If you have not received your newsletter by the 14th, call and let Lisa
know.
.Sara Brown requested volunteers sign up for the Devotionals. She will call and remind you a
week before.
.Cecelia Terrell announced that Maggie Stringer’s husband had heart surgery, Judy
Youngblood had knee replacement surgery and Cookie Ruth had foot surgery. Cards will be sent.
.Nell Copeland has planned our trip for May 13 to Hills & Dales and Wilkerson Mills. The cost
will be round $40 to $50. She will begin the signup next month and start collecting money.
.Kathy Maddox is in charge of the 2010 State Master Gardener Conference.
Sign up sheets were available. It will take all of us to make the conference a success.
4

The Montgomery Tree Committee has
planned a week of events in celebration of
Arbor Day. Mayor Bobby Bright will pro­
claim February 19, 2008 as Arbor Day in the
City of Montgomery. The Montgomery Tree
Committee, Montgomery Clean City Commis­
sion, Alabama Cooperative Extension System,
Old Alabama Town, Alabama Forestry
Commission, and Maxwell AFB has planned
activities in support of this proclamation.
Arbor Week activities will take place through­
out the City. All activities are open to the
public, except the Forest Avenue and MAFB
school events.
March 13: Birmingham Botanical Gardens. James
Cothran,
2008 Spencer Lecture Series speaker. Author of
GARDENS AND HISTORIC PLANTS OF THE
ANTEBELLUM SOUTH (2004). Free, but
preregistration required.
205.414.3965 or
www.bbgardens.org . 5:30 reception, 6:30 lecture.
Minutes, continued
Shane Harris announced an ornamental workshop February 23
and a critter control workshop Tuesday, April 29 at 6:30 ­ Beard
Building, Dept of Ag &
Engineering, Coliseum Blvd. Helpline training will
probably be in March. Montgomery will be getting a new extension
agent in 2008.
New Business
*Home and Garden Show at Southern Homes and
Gardens February 9­10. We will have a table set up
with our banner to hand out pamphlets.
*A motion was made to donate $250.00 to Legacy
Trees dedicating one tree. The motion was seconded
and approved.
*The Red Cross Taste of the Garden will be May 8,
5­7:30 in the evening, at Southern Homes and
Gardens.
*The Garden show in Atlanta is January 30 th thru
February 3rd at the Georgia World Congress Center.
*Laurice Goorley announced the sustaining garden at
Cypress Creek Inlet was being designed by Piet Oudolf
from the Netherlands. There will be a reception for him March
26, from 5­7 at the Loeb Center. The cost is $10.
See Laurice for registration forms
Respectfully submitted,
Jan Gill, Secretary
In March, the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation
has a tour of gardens in Selma. This event is in con­
junction with the Selma Spring Pilgrimage, and features
meals, lectures and garden tours. Kathryn Tucker
Windham will join us at the Old Live Oak Cemetery.
In April, the Trust holds a picnic at Jasmine Hills in
Wetumpka. That day there are three historic gardens
open: Grace Church in Mt. Meigs, Old Lanark Planta­
tion in Millbrook, and of course, Jasmine Hills. If you
have never visited these gardens, do not miss this
opportunity to join our members.
More complete information is available in the attach­
ments. Information on the Alabama Trust is available at
the website: www.alabamatrust.info
5

MEET MAGGIE STRINGER
Helping children realize their full potential has always been important to Maggie Stringer, our 2008
vice president. Maggie began her career as a first grade classroom teacher, later serving as a Parents
Education Coordinator for five schools. She was Principal of Forest Avenue Magnet School in the years
prior to her retirement. Maggie’s favorite tree is the ginkgo biloba, because it is a survivor (from prehis­
toric times—200 million years ago!), and because of its fan­shaped leaves which turn into spun gold in
the fall. The sixth graders at Forest Avenue planted a ginkgo tree at the school in her honor when she
retired, much to her delight.
Maggie is a graduate of the 1999 Master Gardener Class and
a charter member of CCMGA. She has served on numerous com­
mittees and worked with many projects over the years. She takes
special pride in “Lillie’s Garden” at Forest Avenue Magnet School
which she helped to develop. It is a wonderful outdoor space which
is enjoyed not only by students and teachers there, but also by mem­
bers of the community. She is also proud to have helped with the
Governor’s Mansion Garden.
Maggie and her husband Clarence have three sons and one
grandchild. (Maggie would like lots more!) In addition to gardening,
her hobbies include crafts, sewing, and reading to school groups. She
is an active volunteer in things which make her community a better
place, such as garden clubs, Neighborhood Outreach, and Goodwill
Industries Volunteers. She is also in demand as a fashion model,
taking to the runway for Goodwill’s annual spring show and its Vin­
tage Fashion Shows.
Maggie likes perennials, and her garden specialty is herbs.
She is a Charter Member of the Old Alabama Town chapter of The
Herb Society of America. This group maintains the Herb Garden at
this historic site, and they sponsor an annual Herb Day in May. This
popular event is free and open to the public, and it features herb
workshops by local experts and an open­air market. In 2007
CCMGA participated in Herb Day with a successful plant sale which
we hope to repeat this year.
Maggie chuckles when she says, “I have every kind of herb in my garden. I feel so special when I can
harvest my own herbs to use in my cooking!” Her favorite culinary herb is rosemary because of its
hardiness and versatility. “I also enjoy artemesia in my perennial garden. It’s just so pretty and easy to
grow.” Maggie’s “gardening wish” would be to add a water feature to her home garden. She is excited
about the Carnivorous Plants session at our upcoming State Conference, since she also wants to add more of
those to her bog garden at the lake.
Maggie’s thoughtful inspirational messages at our monthly meetings have touched us all. This joyful
gardener, who can find beauty even in a weed, reminds us that “Gardening is a sharing thing. The more we
share our garden experiences with other gardeners, the more we enjoy our own gardens.”
Yvonne Evans
6

The American Red Cross of Central Alabama is proud to
announce it will be partnering with Southern Homes and
Gardens for an exciting event this spring. “Taste of the
Gardens” will take place Thursday May 8 from 5 ­ 7:30 p.m.
at the Southern Homes and Gardens location on Vaughn
Road. The evening will feature entertainment, hors d’oeuvres,
discounted shopping, a silent auction and the chance to win
fabulous prizes.
If you would like to help with this event, the American Red
Cross of Central Alabama is looking for volunteers to serve
on the “Taste of the Gardens” committee or to help secure
garden­related items for the silent auction. Please contact
Kelly Hodges at (334) 260­4016 if you are interested.
The Montgomery Tree Committee is pleased to announce Dutch landscape
designer who also studied to be an architect. Piet Oudolf became the founder of the New Wave
movement, which takes inspiration from nature but employs artistic skills in planting schemes. His
gardens are located in Hum­melo, The Netherlands, about 60 miles from Amsterdam. His garden uses prominent
sculpted hedges with herbaceous plants in drifts. This design meshes ornamental grasses with sculptured perennials to
create interest and drama throughout the year. Oudolf prefers native species. His designs emphasize form, texture and
natural harmony of plants. His emphasis on structure includes evergreen and deciduous hedges that create definition and
enclosures, but his hedges, while sheared, tend to undulate and provide sculptural interest year round.
His grounds are the testing site for his new ideas and new plants. He and his wife, Anja, have created new varieties of
plants in their greenhouses. His plants are consistently dependable, disease­resistant, easy to maintain and beautiful.
Oudolf won an international competition to design the perennial garden in the Lurie Garden at Millennium Park in Chicago
(millenniumpark.org ­ click on Arts and Architecture and then Lurie Garden). He also redesigned a park at the Battery in
New York, where he replanted The Gardens of Remem­brance which is dedicated to the victims of 9/11.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
5:00­7:00 p.m.
Loeb Reception Center
Old Alabama Town in Montgomery
Attendance: $10.00 each
Montgomery County Water Festival We need
volunteers! Please call Melissa Middlebrooks
at 334­394­4351 for information.
7

The Second Annual CCMGA Plant Sale Mother’s Day weekend. It is not too
early to start rootings and begin to determine what you can divide and
contribute. Begonias and coleus did very well last year, as did tomato and
herb plants. The success of the sale depends on YOU!
REFRIED BEAN SOUP
1small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. vegetable oil
1 (31 oz) can refried beans
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
1 (14 1/2 oz) can ready­to­serve chicken broth
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
6 corn tortillas
2 C (8 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (8 oz) carton sour cream
Cook onion and garlic in oil in a Dutch oven over medium­high heat, stirring constantly, until tender. Add
beans and next 3 ingredients, stirring until smooth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
Stir in cilantro. Cut tortillas into thin strips; spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350
degrees for 15 minutes or until browned, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool. Ladle soup into bowls; top with
tortilla strips, cheese, and sour cream. Serve immediately. Yield: 7 cups.
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