June 2009 Archives

Q: We have an established maple tree in our backyard whose roots are showing on the surface. I would love to plant under the tree (shrubs, perennials, etc.)and wonder what the best way to do this without damaging the tree would be. If we add topsoil, will the roots just come to the surface again and would it weaken the tree? I saw a raised bed where there was a ring of stone wall about a foot from the trunk of the tree,(keeping the dirt from touching the trunk),with another stone wall on the outside forming the raised bed- sort of like a donut around the trunk. But this was done around a small ornamental tree. Thank you for your time and any suggestions.
Connie

Q: We have just discovered some beautiful Dogwood trees on our property. We would like to transplant them. We live in Maine, any suggestions for a successful relocation of the trees?
Kristin

Worms, birds and bees, these are a few of my favorite things. As a gardener and nature lover, I can’t imagine life without these three creatures. Each plays such an important role in creating healthy ecosystems and biodiversity. Without them, life wouldn’t be the same or possibly even exist. It sounds like a bold statement I know, but take the bee for example. It is single-handedly responsible for one third of the food we eat, including coffee and chocolate. Bees are directly responsible for the pollination of the plants that make them. What would I do without my bees?

Yet honeybees are in grave danger. A yet unexplained phenomenon known as “Colony Collapse Disorder” is decimating honeybee colonies around much of the world. The source of the problem has yet to be determined but it is strongly suspected that pesticides play a significant role.

On a related note, our beloved backyard birds are a welcomed addition to our gardens and landscapes. Their brightly colored plumage and melodic songs are the perfect complement to the plants and flowers we enjoy so much in our gardens. But in addition to the pure pleasure they provide to us personally, birds too play a vital role in maintaining biodiverse habitats. Many of our native plants are propagated each year thanks to seed-eating birds that randomly disperse them through ecosystems across the world. Birds are also a wonderful natural pest control since they eat millions of pest insects each year from our gardens and lawns. Unfortunately, according to the National Audubon Society, about seven million of our feathered friends die annually across America from eating insects poisoned by pesticides.

And then there is the lowly worm. Not so lowly really if you consider all that they do. They provide some of the most essential benefits to what happens below the surface of any garden or lawn. Known as “nature’s plow”, earthworms create a network of tunnels and pockets underground that allow air and water to circulate and roots to grow. Moreover, their castings (manure) are five times higher in nitrogen, seven times higher in phosphorus, and ten times higher in potassium than ordinary garden soil. A single acre of healthy earth may contain over a half million worms. But that number can fall rapidly when salt-based, synthetic fertilizers are added to the soil. Worms are very sensitive to adverse changes in soil chemical or physical makeup and will relocate to more hospitable environments.

All this to say that we gardeners and weekend warriors hold the key to protecting some of the most important guests we can ever have visit our gardens and landscapes. In order to provide the most inviting and sustainable environment for these vital creatures, understanding what attracts, repels and harms them will have a great deal to do, not only with the health and vitality of our own little corner of the world, but collectively, with the health of the planet as well.

If you really want to get those gardening questions answered, ask a Master Gardener. We’ve all heard the reference before and many of us have utilized this valuable free service. But just what is a Master Gardener, and how does one achieve such a designation?

Master Gardeners are volunteers. Above all, they have one thing in common. They’re passionate about gardening and horticulture and want to share their time and knowledge with others. It might surprise you to know that most of them are not professional gardeners or horticulturists. In fact, many come into the program as novices. Others have been gardening all their life.

In the United States, Master Gardener organizations are active in 48 of them and in four provinces in Canada. Yet surprisingly there is no overall governing body or authority so the requirements vary. Each state or province’s university system is responsible for managing and administering its own program. Yet overall the guidelines are set up to provide a win-win for the volunteers and university system. In exchange for an extensive and comprehensive training program by University Staff and expert volunteers, Master Gardener candidates agree to give back between 25 - 50 hours of volunteer time each year. For many programs, a majority of those hours are spent manning the phones at their respective County Extension office to answer the plethora of calls that comes in on a variety of questions related to gardening.

Once volunteer candidates have completed their training (which includes subjects such as integrated pest management, arboriculture, vegetable gardening, pest and disease control and identification, wildlife management and more), passed a few exams and logged the requisite volunteer hours, they earn their official title as Master Gardener. To maintain ‘active’ status in subsequent years, Master Gardeners must continue to volunteer a required number of hours.

In addition to the invaluable resource they provide, the monetary value Master Gardeners return to the University system is staggering. When you add up the total time given back by volunteers, millions of dollars are saved by not having to hire staff to perform the same duties. Across the United States and Canada, Master Gardener volunteers perform a wide variety of services from answering questions, to installing and maintaining public and community gardens, hosting plant doctor clinics and putting on community outreach programs and so much more.

One would think, with all the volunteer time required to give back to the program, extension offices would take every qualified applicant. But sadly that’s not always the case. Due to limited resources for training, classroom space, and subsequent support, getting into the program can be a long and disappointing process. It was for me. Even though I had formal training in horticulture and a lifetime of experience, due to space limitations, I wasn’t even interviewed for my county program until I had applied for three consecutive years! But from the moment I was accepted, it has been one of the greatest associations that I’ve ever been involved with. To have the opportunity to learn from top experts, meet new friends, bond with kindred spirits and give back to the community through a subject you are passionate about, is as good as it gets. I encourage anyone who has a desire to learn more about the program to contact your local county extension service. And for everyone else, if you want a trusted friend to give you a knowledgeable answer to your question, ask a Master Gardener! You can find the number for the office closest to you by visiting this web site: http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/.