A Master Gardener's Journal

Hello! Thanks for stopping by. I'm delighted to have the opportunity to share my gardening reflections, experiences and knowledge with you on this new web page. So sit back, relax and join me as I explore life in the garden from the perspective of a Master Gardener. A few of the important and timely topics I plan to discuss are environmentally responsible gardening, how to cope with hungry deer, Lymes disease (something all gardeners need to know about!), xeriscaping, native plants (they're so EASY), invasive plants (they're so BAD) and composting (the very best thing you can do for your soil and plants). And I'll keep you up to date on what Master Gardeners in Delaware County have to offer the home gardener. So stay tuned!

Wondering what Master Gardeners are all about? We've completed Penn State University’s Cooperative Extension horticulture training program for the purpose of serving our community. We're a non-profit organization of multi-talented volunteers who are dedicated to sharing our gardening skills and knowledge. We educate, inspire and encourage the home gardener through a variety of affordable classes, workshops, projects & activities. And we're passionate about helping you to become a successful gardener!

You can find our Events Calendar at http://delaware.extension.psu.edu/MG/Default.html

Do you have a gardening question? Call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.

Ok Cynthia, let’s jump right in to every gardener's worst nightmare--hungry deer. Sure, they’re beautiful and graceful and they have adorable little fawns, but now THEY'RE DEVOURING OUR PRIZE PLANTS! If any of my blog readers haven’t had this problem yet, just wait till they eat your entire garden to the ground. We’ll hear the cry of anguish all over Delaware County. And it's only going to get worse as the land in our communities continues to be developed. Less available habitat + more deer (they’re still having babies) = deer dining in your garden.

How did we get into this mess? Here’s a statistic to make your hair stand up: Penn State University wildlife specialist Dr. Gary San Julian says “just five male and five female deer can produce up to 200 deer in just five years.” That's a shocker, isn't it? To compound the problem, suburban development has resulted in fewer natural enemies and less land for all those deer to roam. Some people feed the deer, which keeps them coming back. And while those moochers are there for the handout, they scope out the property for green delicacies.

A deer's fear of humans decreases and it becomes bolder as it adjusts to life in our suburban developments. A Master Gardener friend of mine has pictures of fawns on her front porch getting ready to ring the doorbell. Last fall I saw three deer on my driveway, scarfing down acorns just three feet from my front door.

What’s a devoted gardener to do? The only sure way to make your plants 100% safe is to put up a deer fence. Sorry, but it’s true. There are other ways to protect your greenery, but you’d need to work full-time at it. Deer are smart and adaptable (kind of like bird feeder-raiding squirrels). They can learn to tolerate just about any obnoxious odor or gadget you throw at them. And all those scents and gadgets are just a temporary fix. Combining two or three deterrents at a time could keep the deer on theirs toes, but in about two to three weeks, those crafty critters will adjust to all your efforts to deter them. If you’re willing to play that game on a regular basis, go for it. Otherwise, get an invisible deer fence. Or a dog. Or both. Deer won’t jump even a low fence if a dog is inside waiting for them. Oh, and there’s just one catch about the dog deterrent—the dog would have to be unleashed and outside when the deer decide to browse your garden (which means all day and all night).

If you can’t go the fence route or don’t have a dog, then go for a combination of nasty-smelling spray repellents and clever gadgets. You’ll need to keep changing to different repellents and gadgets every few weeks. And those malodorous scents need to be re-sprayed after a heavy rain. It would also help to plant “deer resistant” plants around the perimeter of your property, especially where the deer habitually enter.

When using the deer resistant plant strategy, keep in mind that no plant is completely deer-proof (sad but true). A starving deer will eat anything. And then there’s the problem of the maverick deer that just has to be different by enjoying a taste the others don’t. If your deer are not starving but only hungry, the following plants would probably cause them to move on to tastier fare:

all grey plants (dusty miller, artemisia, Russian sage)

all fuzzy leafed plants (lamb’s ears, yaku rhododendrons)

poisonous plants** (monks hood, foxglove, daffodils, datura)

most herbs (especially the strongly-scented ones)

**These plants are poisonous to people, too! Wear gloves when working with them. You might not want to plant them if you have small children.

Some plants are never safe around deer, no matter what you do. The following plants are considered deer candy:

Hostas, azaleas, daylilies, roses, tulips, yews, arborvitae, fruits and vegetables.

So in summary, your options are:

motion activated water sprayers

motion activated light & sound combo gadget

foul-smelling spray repellents

scented shock gadgets

invisible deer fence

“deer resistant” plants

Next time I’ll talk about deer behavior and habits so you can be prepared to protect your garden appropriately as the seasons change. Until then, happy gardening!

Don't forget to check out the Master Gardeners' Events Calendar at http://delaware.extension.psu.edu/MG/MGcalendar.html (scroll down to find the info)

We're offering a tour of our Smedley Park display gardens on July 14 from 10 AM to 12 noon. Check our website to register or call 610-690-2655.

Do you have a gardening question? Call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.

When you’re contending with the potential destruction of your lovingly tended garden, it’s good to know how the enemy thinks and behaves.

Deer are creatures of habit. They follow the same routine, walk the same trails and raid the same gardens every day. Deer are nibblers. They nibble at your choice greenery and beautiful blossoms as they amble along, occasionally pausing long enough to gulp down an entire plant—especially if it’s a hosta. (Hostas are deer candy, remember?)

Deer rely on their senses to warn them of impending danger. They have a very keen sense of smell, a great sense of hearing (they constantly flick their ears back and forth to pick up every little sound) and very sharp eyes that notice the slightest movement. This is information we can use to defend our gardens!

Deer get very nervous if anything interferes with their senses. Which is why we use smelly repellents, highly fragrant herb plants, sudden movements from a stationary object and sound & light shows to freak them out. And combining two or more tactics at the same time is more effective than using just one.

Home gardeners, beware. June is a dangerous month for your garden. You'll begin to see deer coming out of the woodwork. Most fawns are born in late May and begin weaning in just two to three weeks. This is when their mothers teach them how to eat your garden. Fawns taste-test EVERYTHING because they’re new to the game, so nothing is safe.

But June isn't the worst month. All kinds of situations combine to put your garden at extremely high risk in September! First, rutting season begins. (Make sure you stay out of a rutting buck’s way! When in rut, they are very aggressive and can be dangerous to humans.) Deer often go nuts at this time of year, so you may see some strange behavior. Last year a doe panicked and ran right through my closed and bolted fence gate. Twice. And that was the end of my hydrangeas. I responded by laying down six feet of chicken wire in front of the gate. The deer now stay away because they hate to walk on anything that might trip them (they have slender breakable legs.)

But there are even more reasons why September is a nightmare month. Deer become very active as shorter days trigger a feeding frenzy in preparation for winter. Decreasing temperatures also enable deer to travel greater distances, so you can expect even more deer traffic through your garden. Unfortunately, plants that suffer significant damage in September often won’t survive through winter. So now is the time to pull out all the stops with the deterrents and gadgets.

Nuts, berries and fruit trees are favorite foods in September, so take special precautions to protect your property. Those hungry herds will be swarming in like locusts. To make matters worse, bucks will use your small tree trunks to rub the velvet off their antlers. This behavior can damage tree bark and may even cause the tree to die. Protect your trees with tree guards!

September is also the beginning of hunting season. If your property is located next to hunting land, it may become a refuge for deer. And you wouldn’t want that to happen. Once they’re sleeping on your property, it’s very hard to evict them.

Here’s a statistic to give you nightmares: About 40 % of young does give birth when they are just one year old. A doe giving birth for the first time will have a single fawn. The following years she will have twins, triplets and even quadruplets. That’s a lot of deer! If you haven’t seen deer on your property yet, don’t worry—they’re coming. It’s only a matter of time. So plan your strategies now.

UPCOMING MASTER GARDENER EVENT

Smedley Gardens Tour

July 14 10 AM - 12 NOON Fee: $10.

Visit our website at http://delaware.extension.psu.edu/MG/MGcalendar.html.

Do you have a gardening question? Call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.

There’s absolutely nothing better than being out in the garden on a beautiful spring day with a bright blue sky above and the sweet scent of rich earth under our hands and knees. Communing with earthworms, bees and butterflies as the birds serenade us and flowers bloom around us in profusion --how idyllic is that? It's so heavenly that sometimes I lose all sense of time and forget to come in for lunch. Has that ever happened to you?

Nature repays us many times over for all the work we put into our little plot of land. When we come to the garden seeking rest and rejuvenation, it serves as our sanctuary—a treasured place we can go when the world becomes too much for us and we need to come back to our peaceful center. Being in the garden slows us down and brings us back to the present moment.

But if a gardening issue rather than life in the world has you frazzled, call on a Master Gardener! We are a great resource for the home gardener. Although we all have our own talents and specific horticultural interests, each one of us has a burning passion for gardening. And we love to share that passion. We can most likely talk your ears off about any gardening subject. Go ahead…put us to the test! If you have a gardening question you’d like us to answer, please contact us on Tuesdays or Thursdays (9 AM - 12 NOON) at our “hortline” number: 610- 690-2671

Trust me, you do not want this disease. It can be really nasty. I know, because I’ve had it four times. Lyme disease is epidemic in Delaware and Chester counties, so it’s very important to learn all you can about preventing deer tick bites. Here’s what I found out about deer ticks from my research…

Field mice and deer--two critters that we all have in our yards these days----are necessary for the deer tick’s life cycle and transportation. So it’s highly possible that you’ll have a tick encounter if you’re a gardener. Here are the facts on deer ticks:

They are most active between 6 AM & 9 AM and in May, June & July.

They need high humidity & shade to thrive.

They dry up and die in the sun.

They often sit on the highest point of grass or plants, waiting to jump on a warm body.

We can use this information to prevent tick bites. Here’s what to do:

Avoid tick habitats!

Avoid wooded and bushy areas with high grass and a lot of leaf litter.

Take extra precautions in May, June, and July! At this time of year, the deer tick is only the size of a poppy seed (i.e. very hard to see!) Unfortunately, this is also when they are most likely to transmit Lyme disease.

If you’re in a wooded area, walk in the center of the trail to avoid contact with overgrown grass, brush, and leaf litter.

Keep Ticks off Your Skin

An insect repellent with 23% - 30% DEET is recommended by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control). It can be sprayed on your skin and clothing to prevent tick bite (adults only, not children).

Permethrin (0.5% strength) is another good repellent choice recommended by the CDC. It kills ticks on contact! One application to pants, socks, and shoes typically stays effective through six washings. Permethrin should not be applied directly to skin.

Wear a hat, light-colored long pants, long sleeves, and long socks to keep ticks off your skin. Tuck pant legs into socks or boots and tuck shirts into pants to help keep ticks on the outside of clothing. If you’ll be outside for an extended period of time, tape the area where your pants and socks meet to prevent ticks from crawling under your clothes.

Don’t forget to protect your pets with flea & tick collars. And they need a full body check too!

Check Your Skin and Clothes for Ticks Every Day!

Remove ticks from your clothes before going indoors. To kill ticks that you may have missed, wash your clothes with hot water and dry them using high heat for at least one hour.

Do a daily tick check. Inspect all parts of your body very carefully including your armpits, behind your knees, hairline, scalp, belly button, and groin area. These are all favorite tick hiding places, but I've found them in other areas too. Leave no inch of skin un-inspected! A magnifying glass helps. If a tick gets on your body even though you've taken all these precautions, remove it immediately.

HOW TO REMOVE A TICK

1. Stay calm!
2. Using fine-point tweezers, grasp the tick’s head (not its body) as close to the skin as possible.
3. Avoid squeezing the tick--it may freak out and squirt infected body fluids into your skin.
4. Pull the tick straight out. Do not twist.
5. Place the tick in a jar of alcohol to kill it
6. Wash your hands with soap and water.
7. Apply an antiseptic to the bite site.

If a tick is attached to your skin for less than 24 hours, your chances of getting Lyme disease is small (and just how do we time that???). To be safe, check the bite area every day for signs of a bull’s eye rash and be alert for any symptoms of Lyme. See a doctor if you think there's any chance you may have Lyme.

After my third episode of this disease, I had a deer fence installed. That spring and summer, I noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of ticks in my yard (and a dramatic increase in green growth and flowering of my shrubs and perennials). I thought I was safe until the fourth bite occurred. That was when I became determined to never have this disease again. I did extensive online research in a quest to understand everything I could about deer ticks and Lyme. What I found out disturbed me.

Some people with Lyme disease have no symptoms and never realize that they’ve been bitten. Because they never receive treatment, the disease can become chronic and may cause many health problems (arthritis, chronic fatigue, heart palpitations, mental fuzziness, facial muscle paralysis to name a few)

The first sign of infection is usually a red circular rash that develops at the site of the bite. It begins 3 to 30 days after the bite and gradually expands over a period of several days. The rash can grow up to 12 inches wide and occurs in approximately 70-80% of infected persons. The center of the rash may clear as it enlarges, resulting in a bull’s-eye appearance. Other symptoms may include fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle and joint aches and swollen lymph nodes. Sometimes, these are the only symptoms of infection.

After my fourth episode of Lyme, I stopped gardening in the morning. I avoided tall grass. I created more sun in my back yard by changing the landscape (yes, this was a drastic measure, but I had to do it). I also installed a patio and walkway at the back of my house to create a safe area to garden. And I created new beds around the patio & walkway. I now restrict my gardening to the beds in my safe area. I do a full-body tick check every day. I use a permethrin spray on my gardening clothes. Extreme measures, you say? Not if you’ve had the disease four times. I consider myself very lucky to have been diagnosed and treated in the early stages of the disease.

The following web sites are great sources of information:

Lyme Disease Association of Southeastern PA: http://www.lymepa.org/
Offers lots of online information as well as monthly meetings with speakers, discussion and a support group in the Kennett Square, PA area.

Ron Hamlin, PhD offers a very thorough presentation entitled Avoiding ticks: property, personal and pet protection: http://www.lymepa.org/html/dr_hamlen_feb_2005_0.html

Centers for Disease Control www.cdc.gov

Do you have a gardening question? Call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.

We all know that gardening chores can be endless. So do yourself a favor—grow easy plants (a.k.a. natives). Then you won’t be spending all your time working in the garden, you’ll be able to rest and relax out there too.

What? You say you don’t know how to relax? Take a lesson from nature. Did you ever see an uptight bird or frazzled bee or burdened butterfly multi-tasking? Of course not, they’re too smart! Maybe you need some tutoring from your friendly neighborhood bees. Do you think they worry? They spend their days lazily floating from one delightful flower nectar to another, enjoying the sumptuous banquet that nature lays out for them.

OK, let’s get you started on the road to relaxation. Let’s talk about native plants. Here’s why they should be in your garden:

1. they’re easy to grow because they belong in your neighborhood
2. they take care of themselves (low maintenance!)
3. many are drought resistant (no lugging around a heavy hose)
4. they attract birds, bees & butterflies
5. they offer food and shelter to wildlife
6. success is practically guaranteed
7. they're beautiful!

Here's an example of a beautiful native plant, the Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum)...

By the way, a native plants garden is a great project for your kids. They’re never too young to start developing an interest in horticulture. Who knows, you may have a future Longwood Gardens director in your family.

If you'd like a list of native plants (trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals), call our Master Gardener hotline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays or Thursdays (9 AM- 12 NOON) and we’ll send it right out to you. We can also send you lots of information to help you create an environmentally friendly garden.

And when you're planning your garden, don’t forget the # 1 rule of gardening—the right plant in the right place. In other words, don’t put a shade lover in full sun or a moisture lover in a dry spot.

While researching for this article, I discovered a beautiful and informative website, Connecticut Botanical Society's Gallery of Wildflowers Check it out!

Here's a heads up on a great one day event--our annual Fall Fest at Smedley Park on Saturday, September 29. Save the date!

Would you like to attend one of our Second Saturdays classes? You can find our Events Calendar online at http://delaware.extension.psu.edu/MG/Default.html

Do you have a gardening question? Call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.

Ask me about my favorite plant and depending on the day of the week, you'll get a different answer. I'm so fickle! I'm constantly falling in love with a new little beauty. Today, it's White Bishop's Lace (Ammi majus).

My fascination with sun-loving WBL started last year when I drooled all over a gorgeous photo in Fine Gardening magazine. I wondered if they'd be easy to grow from seeds, so I picked up a packet at the Longwood Gardens plant shop this spring. The answer is yes! I planted the seeds on May 24 and they started blooming last week.

WBL looks like a regal and refined Queen Ann's Lace, but its flowers are much larger. The 4 to 5 inch pure white and perfectly formed blossoms look like fireworks on the fourth of July. And the foliage is airy and delicate. I don't even mind that they droop and flop after a rain--it just adds to their charm.

I cut one bloom to bring indoors and it's a stunner in a small green glass vase! This lovely 3 foot tall annual starts blooming in spring and doesn't stop till a fall frost ends its Queenly reign.

The picture above on the right, by the way, is one flower.

Here's a picture of a group of WBL...

The pictures don't really capture their charm or lovely foliage. They're much more beautiful in person.

Do you have a gardening question? Call our Master Gardeners hortline at 610-690-2671 on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 AM-12 NOON.