Blog

MGFKC Newsletter

KCMG Connection eNewsletterMGFKC Newsletter – The Foundation Connection
Read all about what’s of interest in the November-December 2021 issue!

  • KCMG Recognition Celebration & MGFKC Annual Meeting by MG Jim Olson, Foundation President
  • Annual Reapplications due Nov. 30 this year
  • 2021 Ellen A’Key Grant Awarded to Asotin/Garfield & Clallam County MGs by MG Trish Bloor, A’Key Grant Committee Chair
  • Cultivate More Knowledge:
    • Invite a Caterpillar to Lunch by MG Linda Shepherd
    • Heat Dome Effect on Trees by Richard Olmstead, LFP Tree Board
  • Meet MGF Board Member Tiffany Ng
  • Finn Hill Demo Garden Update by MG Sharon O’Grady
  • Email Clinic Answers Thousands of Questions by MG Penny Kriese, Clinic Lead
  • Spotted Lanternfly Alert from Mary Watts, Program Coordinator
  • Remembering MG Sue Hall by MG Suzi O’Byrne, MGF Board Member
  • Editor’s Letter by MG Heather Fuller, Editor, The Connection
  • Miller Library Selection: Design & Build Your Own Rain Gardens
  • Looking for MG Facebook page help
  • Contribute Content to our Master Gardener Facebook Page
  • KCMG Education Opportunities

…more …

This newsletter is sent monthly to King County Master Gardeners. Look for it in your email. Miss a past issue? Find it here.


Heads UP!

2021 Fall Heads Up! Diagnostics Lab Newsletter

Newsletter of the Master Gardener King County Diagnostic Lab

 

Read in the Fall 2021 issue:

  • End of Season Contemplations
  • Record Breaking Weather
  • Attack of Bay Laurel Psyllids
  • Sunburns, Scorches and Scalds
  • Consider Cover Crops
  • Iris-A Rainbow of Rhizomes
  • The Sawfly Exceptions
  • Useful Web Resources
  • Nerd’s Corner: Scat, Cat!
  • Twigga Mortis: Sun damage
  • Frankensquash

This newsletter is sent to Master Gardeners in King County during the active garden months from March to October. Look for the current issue in your email.

Miss a past issue? Find it here.


Cedar Flagging

Cedar flagging is a natural process that is often confused with a disease.  Evergreen plants, including conifers and broad leaf types, naturally shed some old foliage each year. Stress factors, such as insufficient water, hot winds, construction damage or other root disturbance, poor planting procedures, or recent planting can promote flagging.  It is being seen more often this year because it is more common when there is hot weather followed by cold weather.

Continue Reading »


Cool Plants/Hot Tips

Sep 12 2021 Cool Plants Hot Tips Plant Sale
Thank you to all who participated in the September 12 Fall Plant Sale. Despite the Seattle mist start, the throngs of excited gardeners descended on Bellevue Botanical Garden early on Sunday. Ciscoe Morris, Nita-Jo Rountree and Christina Pfeiffer joined the talented guides from the Bellevue Botanical Garden Partners to generously donate their time to help the Master Gardener Foundation of King County in this annual fall fundraiser.

2021 Ciscoe Morris and Nita-Jo Rountree

Ciscoe and Nita-Jo

We hope you had a chance to buy some fall plants from our local specialty garden vendors and take in a guided talk or enjoy the speakers. You can find the list of the plant vendors on our web page, and we appreciate your continuing support of these businesses through your patronage during the year.

The 500 plus King County Master Gardeners require a strong support system, and the Foundation finances their demonstration gardens, plant clinics and classes. You can find answers to your gardening questions year-round via email at Ask a MasterGardener.

Thank you again for supporting the Master Gardener Program with your generous donations and participation in our events. You may still donate on the Foundation website at MGFKC.org/donate year-round. We look forward to seeing you next year.

 


Propagation Notes

Dividing dahlia tubers

Photo Credit: F D Richards

 

 

Spring is a good time to divide established plants, and many herbaceous perennials need to be divided every few years anyway to stay healthy.

Plan to dig on a cool morning, preferably one with cloud cover – not too hard around here.  Learn about:

  • Dividing Fibrous-rooted Plants
  • Dividing Fleshy or Woody Crowned Plants
  • Dividing Suckers from Plants
  • Dividing Plants with Rhizomes
  • Dividing Plant with Tubers
  • Dividing Plants with Offset

Continue Reading »


Master Gardener Conferences for You

WSU MG Advanced Ed Conference
This year our statewide conference is going virtual from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2. Registration is now open and you can save by registering before July 31. There are over 30 class sessions to choose from for CE, visual tours, keynote speakers, and even the marketplace. Learn more & register at  https://mglearns.org/

2021 WSU MG Adv Education Conference

International MG Conference
If you want to wander farther from home, try the International MG Conference from Sept. 12-17. It is a virtual conference this year as well with six days of workshops and programs. If you can’t make six days in a row, the recordings will be available for 6 months post conference for you to view at your convenience.
Learn more & register at https://www.internationalmastergardener.com/.

2021 International Master Gardener Conference


2021 Online Plant Sale

2021 A Blooming Success of a Plant Sale

Thank you for supporting the Master Gardener Foundation of King County and our Master Gardeners.

Your purchases and generous donations made this year’s sale a grand success! Thank you for being there with us at this year’s online sale. Thank you for letting friends know about this sale.
Thank You - MGFKC
Happy gardening in 2021! We hope you have a wonderful year in the garden.

We are already looking forward to seeing you in person at next year’s CUH Master Gardener Plant Sale April 22-23, 2022. Save that date!

Don’t forget to pick up your plants!

Check the plant sale page for reminders about picking up your plants.

 


Online Education Series

Learn to be a better gardener and improve your gardening knowledge and skills in 2021. The Master Gardeners in King County are offering a couple of online series that will help new or experienced gardeners better maintain their gardens. These classes also offer continuing education for Master Gardeners as they act as horticultural advisers and serve as resources regarding sustainable gardening for home gardeners.

BDG Workshops.
Bellevue Demo Garden Workshops
These Saturday workshops have moved online in 2021 and feature presentations on a broad range of topics by speakers with expertise in plants and methods that work in the Pacific Northwest. Topics will vary from vegetable to ornamental cultivation to vegetable gardening emphasizing science-based information and techniques. See https://mgfkc.org/education/bdg-workshops for workshop topics, dates and links to register.

Growing Groceries.
Growing Groceries logo
This integrated series of classes focuses on learning essential gardening practices to grow your own healthy food. Class content is taught at the appropriate time of year when it can be immediately applied in the garden and covers the major groups of vegetables and cultural strategies. See https://mgfkc.org/education/growinggroceries  for details about class topics, dates and links to register.


Touch Base with Your Tillandsias

TillandsiasYou don’t have to strike out with Tillandsias.  These epiphytes stand out in many shapes, sizes and psychedelic colors.  My local nursery tells me they are a big favorite of the people living in all the new developments in the area because they can grow indoors so easily.   DispIay them creatively: glue a cluster of them to a piece of wood or a single one onto a small piece of driftwood, pop one in a teacup or hang them in various houseplants.

The best location to keep them is in a room with bright, filtered light.  I had a cluster of them for many years playing hardball and refusing to bloom.  I started experimenting with putting a small one outside in the summer hanging on a nail on my east-facing front porch.  It received some early morning sun (on the days the sun came out.)  Otherwise, it just got a good dose of bright light.

Read the full article by Wendy Lagozzino as published in the December 2014 The Dirt, MGF newsletter


WSU Ext Offers Home Horticulture Training

Home Horticulture TrainingLearn to be a better home gardener and steward of the environment this winter with Washington State University Extension’s new online Home Horticulture Training program. Training is open to Washington state residents 18 years of age and older. No gardening experience is needed.

This training focuses on a wide range of horticulture topics taught online by WSU faculty, staff, Master Gardeners, and other regional experts on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon starting Jan. 9 and continuing weekly through Apr. 24. See the FAQ, Syllabus and the Topics and Schedule for more information.

Those wishing to earn a Certificate of Completion will need to participate in weekly online quizzes, a final, and attend most classes. Homework is expected to average 3-5 hours a week. Completion of this course does not lead to becoming a Master Gardener. If you are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, please consider waiting until our next regular WSU Master Gardener King County Training planned for Winter 2022.

Master Gardeners, you can help promote this online opportunity to meet the increased demand for gardening education. Here is a flyer (for print or to post) to publicize this training to your local community.

Continue Reading »


« Older Entries



Click here to Ask Gardening Questions.

Help if you are having trouble signing in. Extension programs and employment are available to all
without discrimination. Evidence of noncompliance may
Website issues? Contact the Webmaster. be reported through your local Extension office.


Copyright © 2021 Master Gardener Foundation of King County, All Rights Reserved. Web Design by FWD»