There are many public places in Collin County and nearby areas that offer outstanding lessons for gardening within our region. We are continuing our profiles of different garden sites in the area, and this public garden is brand new, in the northwest part of McKinney. At the Earth-Kind™ Perennial Research Garden in Myers Park, you can learn about plants that return each year as well as sustainable landscape practices.

Earth-Kind™ Perennial Research Garden at Myers Park

By Dave Spadoni, Collin County Master Gardener

Something new and exciting is happening at Myers Park in McKinney, Texas! The open-to-the-public, first-of-a-kind Earth-Kind™ Perennial Research Garden is now planted and set up to show you an easier way to garden.

When you visit this garden, you will see Earth-Kind principles at work. These principles have been developed by Extension faculty of the Department of Horticulture Sciences at Texas A&M University to minimize the need for fertilizer, pesticides, and

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The Texas AgriLife Extension Service’s Horticulture Program will present a specialized short course entitled Advanced Horticultural Studies. This year’s program, on September 16-17, provides a unique opportunity for two exciting days of training devoted exclusively to the selection, use, and care of

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Places of Interest: Earth-Kind ™ Peren-nial Research Garden Perennial Classes 1

Pest Check 4

Blue Princess Verbena 5

Garden Education 6

Pink Flare Hibiscus 7

Collinsworth Cemetery 8

Bulbs to Buy 9

Greens & Reds: Vegetables for fall 10

Gardener Journal: Living Memories 11

herbaceous perennials in Texas landscapes. With presentations from seven top-flight horticultural experts, this intensive short course will be taught in a manner that both intermediate as well as experienced gardeners will enjoy. It is designed to serve as cutting-edge professional development for members of the

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In this issue:

Perennial Research Garden has lots of lessons for you and your landscape.

Learn the basics of perennials at a TAMU class

Bagworms and crickets are active.

Blue Princess Verbena is virus-free and hardy.

Pink Flair Hibiscus puts on a bright show.

Collinsworth Cemetery shines.

Collin County Master Gardeners sell hardy bulbs.

It’s time to grow green and red lettuce.

A family cemetery offers living memories.

Photo by John Worley

supplemental water in landscapes. Basically, it shows how you can have beautiful, productive landscaping without having to labor over it for hours every week.

The Earth-Kind™ Perennial Research Garden consists of 16 planting beds for a total of 8,880 square feet. While the garden currently has a variety of 69 perennials in full bloom, an additional 105 varieties will be added in the coming weeks and next spring.

Every plant is being closely scrutinized. While each species and cultivar has been selected for hardiness, the research data will identify those plants that have responded best to Earth-Kind™ principles and practices. You can visit the garden and see for yourself which ones have happily made it through our hot summer months. Bring your notebook and camera so that you can take your own records.

From a scientific standpoint, the trial uses a randomized complete block design with four replications of each species. The beds have been amended with finished plant-based compost that was tilled into the existing natural Houston Black Clay. After the installation of the plants, three inches of hardwood mulch was added and will be maintained throughout the three year study. You can also learn about the rainwater harvesting system that has been installed. This system provides most of the water needed to irrigate the plants through two 1,500 gallon capacity polyethylene tanks that collect rainwater from the roof of the Farm Museum building situated just south of the garden.

The Earth-Kind™ water conservation approach utilizes a drip irrigation tubing application. Thanks to the generous donation of Rain Bird Corporation garden, Master Gardener volunteers have installed four of the newest types of drip tubing available on the market.

Now that everything is in place, the plants are being evaluated for:

Specific maintenance requirements Disease incidence and severity Insect population and damage Nutrient deficiency incidence and severity Drought and heat tolerance Plant size Flowering vigor and persistence. As the garden has matured over the past three months it has come alive with activity. From early morning until late in the evening, there has been an explosion of butterflies, hummingbirds, dragonflies and bumblebees. They move in harmony among the flowers collecting nectar and pollinating the plants. Visitors in the morning hours will likely see colorful peacocks from a neighboring farm strolling throughout the gardens.

A visit to this garden promises to be a great day trip experience and an opportunity to expand your gardening knowledge. There is something for every member of the family!

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Earth-Kind™ Perennial Research Garden (Continued from page 1)

How to get to the Garden: Hours: Monday-Friday, from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Also Saturday-Sunday 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. only if there is an event in progress. Otherwise, no weekend hours. Take Highway 75 to the 380 / University Drive

Exit. Turn left at 380, heading west. Turn right at Lake Forest Rd./Farm Rd. 1461 After 3 miles, CR 166 is a right turn and Farm

Rd. 1461 veers to the left. Take the slight right to go to CR166.

Myers Park & Event Center is 1 mile, on your left.

Map available at: http://www.co.collin.tx.us/parks/myers/MyersCC.pdf

For a list of plants you will find at the garden, see page 3.

Photo by John Worley

Photo by John Worley

Photo by John Worley

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Earth-Kind™ research-proven techniques

What are the objectives?

To combine the best organic and traditional gardening and landscaping principles to create a new horticultural system based on real-world effectiveness and environmental responsi-bility.

The principle goals of Earth-Kind™ include:

Water Conservation

Safe use and handling of fertilizers & pesticides

Reduction of yard waste entering urban landfills

Landscaping for Energy Conservation

IT’S ALL ABOUT CONSERVING AND PROTECTING OUR VALUABLE NATURAL RESOURCES.

Scientific Name Common Name 1 Achillea 'Moonshine' 2 Agastache 'Apricot Sunrise' 3 Anisacanthus quadrifidus Flame Acanthus 4 Aster oblongifolia Aromatic Aster 5 Baptisia australis 'Big Burly' False Indigo 6 Berlandiera lyrata Chocolate Daisy 7 Calylophus drummondianus berlandiera Texas Primrose - Compact Gold 8 Chrysactinia mexicana Damianita 9 Chrysanthemum leucanthemum Ox-eye Daisy 10 Eupatorium greggii Gregg's mistflower 11 Datura wrightii Angel Trumpet 12 Delosperma cooperi Ice Plant 13 Dianthus 'Firewitch' Cheddar Pink 14 Dianthus 'First Love' 15 Echinacea purpurea purple coneflower - Kim's Knee High 16 Echinacea 'White Swan' white coneflower 17 Engelmannia pinnatifida Englemann Daisy, cutleaf daisy 18 Eupatorium purpureum Joe Pye Weed 19 Gaura lindheimeri 'Siskiyou Pink' 20 Gaura lindheimeri 'Pink Cloud' 21 Gaura lindheimeri 'White Fountain' 22 Hemerocallis 'Little Business' daylily 23 Hemerocallis Stella d'Oro Stella D'Oro daylilly or others 24 Hesperaloe parviflora red yucca 25 Hesperaloe parviflora with yellow flower yellow flowereed yucca 26 Lantana x hybrida 'New Gold' New Gold Lantana 27 Leucanthemum 'Becky' Shasta Daisy 'Becky' 28 Liatris spicata floristan gayfeather 29 Malvaviscus arboreus 'Pam Puryear' Pink Turk's Cap 30 Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii Red Turk's cap 31 Melampodium leucanthum Blackfoot Daisy 32 Nepeta x faassenii 'Walker's Low' Catmint 33 Pavonia brazziliensis Brazilian rock rose 34 Pavonia Iasiopetala Rock Rose 35 Perovskia atriplicifolia Russian Sage 36 Phlox paniculata 'David' summer phlox David 37 Phlox paniculata 'John Fanick' John Fanick Phlox 38 Physostegia virginiana fall obedient plant - vivid 39 Poliomintha longiflora Mexican Oregano 40 Rosmarinus officinalis prostratus prostrate rosemary 41 Rudbeckia hirta 'Goldstrum' Black-eyed susan 42 Ruelia brittoniana Dwarf Mexican petunia 43 Salvia farinacea 'Augusta Duelberg' Augusta Duelberg sage 44 Salvia farinacea 'Henry Duelberg' Henry Duelberg sage 45 Salvia guaranitica 'black and blue' anise sage 46 Salvia leucantha Mexican Bush Sage 47 Salvia leucantha 'Santa Barbara' Dwarf Mexican Bush Sage 48 Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips" Hot Lips salvia 49 Salvia nemerosa 'Caradonna' Black and Blue S 50 Salvia transylvanica 'Blue Cloud' Transylvanian Sage, Roumanian S. 51 Salvia x Mystic Spires Mystic Spires salvia 52 Scabiosa columbaria 'Butterfly Blue' pincushion flower 53 Scuttelaria suffrutescens pink skullcap 54 Stachys coccinea Texas Betony 55 Tagetes lucida Mexican mint marigold 56 Tecoma Stans Esparanza, yellow bells 57 Tetraneuris scaposa Four nerve daisy 58 Verbena bonariensis Brazilian verbena

Scientific Name Common Name 59 Verbena canadensis'Homestead Purple' Homestead Purple verbena 60 Wedelia hispida Zexmenia 61 Agave neo mexicana New Mexico Agave 62 Artemesia 'Powis Castle' 63 Dasylirion wheeleri Wheeler's Sotol 64 Nolina microcarpa Bear Grass 65 Santolina 'Rosamarinifolia' Lavendar Cotton 66 Stachys byzantina Helen Von Stein' Lamb's Ear 67 Tradescantia pallida 'Purpurea Purple Heart 68 Yucca filamentosa 'Color Guard' 69 Yucca rupicola twist-leaf yucca

Eupatorium Yarrow

Earth-Kind™ Perennial Research Garden Plants: Numbers are marked on labels at the garden site.

horticulture industry, and as in-depth horticultural enrichment for Texas Master Gardeners and anyone interested in home landscape design. This course provides an opportunity for outstanding individuals to further distinguish themselves by mastering state-of-the-art horticultural principles and technology. For more information and to register contact the Extension office in Collin County at 972-548-4233 or see the following website: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/events/AHS_2010_Agenda_Registration_Form.pdf .

P e r e n n i a l c l a s s ( C o n ’ t f r o m p . 1 )

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Field Crickets Out and About Early This Year

As you may have noticed, the field crickets are showing their faces a little earlier this year. Crickets are normally an outdoor insect, usu-ally found under rocks, logs or any crack or crevice. However, they can sometimes enter our homes, mainly under doorways and win-dows. Crickets feed on all organic matter, including decaying plant material and fungi. Since crickets breakdown plant materials, they are considered beneficial by renewing soil minerals. They are also a food source for many animals such as spiders, ground beetles, birds, lizards and small rodents. However due to their large populations and the male’s mating song, some people wish to control them.

Some Control Options:

Non-Chemical Suggestions:

1) Caulk or seal cracks and gaps that are found in the foundation, around doors, windows, and garage doors.

2) Trim weeds and tall grass growing near the foundation.

3) Remove firewood, brush, rotting wood, boxes, bricks, stones and other objects from around the structure, in order to reduce the number of harborage areas.

4) For crickets found inside the home, vacuum or sweep up and then discard them.

Chemical Control Suggestions:

If a severe infestation exists, there are granular products that can be used for control, such as

those containing hydramethylnon. There are also chemicals that can be sprayed outdoors to provide a barrier around homes, such as those containing pyrethrins or bifenthrin. There are also products that can be applied in indoor and outdoor cracks and crevices, such as those containing boric acid. Remember to dispose of dead crickets to reduce the smell and decrease the likelihood of ants feeding on the dead crickets.

Earwax as an Insect Repellent?

Earwax, or actually the chemical cerumen found in earwax, could be soon made into an organic insect repellent. Cerumen is produced by glands that are located on the outer ear canal and it has a bitter taste. Some advantages of this insect repellent will be ease of produc-tion and the non-toxic effects on adults, chil-dren and animals. For more information, please visit: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/07/13/ncbi-rofl-nothing-like-a-thin-coat-of-earwax-to-keep-the-bugs-away.

Large Numbers of Bagworms Found on All Sorts of Hosts

This insect is usually first detected by observ-ing the larval bags made up of bits and pieces of host plant leaves and twigs that are woven together with silk. As the larvae grow and feed in the spring and summer, so do their bags. The bags can vary in length from ¼ to 2 inches. Many broadleaf and evergreen trees and shrubs can serve as hosts for bagworm species, including arborvitae and other orna-mental conifers, cedar, cypress, elm, fruit and nut trees, juniper, oak, locust, maple, persim-mon, pines, sycamore, willow and many other ornamental plants.

Although bagworm species vary slightly in habits and life cycle, the bagworm usually spends the winter months in the egg stage within the bag produced by the female from the previous fall. Very small larvae spin strands of silk and are carried by the wind onto other plants, or larger larvae can crawl to adjacent plants. Full grown caterpillars pupate within their bags usually in the late summer. The male moths emerge out of the bag. The male moths

are black in color with ½ inch clear wings and feathery antennae. The male flies to mate with a female. The females remain inside their bags and do not have eyes, legs, mouthparts or an-tennae. After mating, the females produce between 500 to 1,000 eggs inside their bag and then die.

Infested plants develop more bagworms each year since the female stage does not fly. When there are large populations, the larvae can defoliate plants. Heavy infestations over sev-eral years, especially when added to other environmental stresses, can lead to plant death.

Some Control Options:

Non- Chemical Controls:

If only a few small trees or shrubs are infested, handpicking and destroying bags is recom-mended. During the winter months, the bags contain eggs and during the late spring and summer, the bags will contain a larva.

Chemical Control Options:

When many small bagworms, less than ½ inches are present, then it is recommended to treat with an insecticidal spray such as those containing acephate, azadiractin, spinosad, Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki, perme-

thrin, or bifenthrin. G

P e s t c h e c k s : f a l l i s c r a w l i n g B y K i m b e r l y S c h o f i e l d , P r o g r a m S p e c i a l i s t - I P M

A field cricket, Gryllus sp. (Orthoptera: Grylli-dae). Photo by Dr. Bart Drees, Texas A&M Uni-versity. Bagworm, Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis (Haworth)

(Lepidoptera: Psychidae), larval "bag" on arborvitae. Photo by Bart Drees, Professor and Extension Ento-mologist, Texas A&M University.

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By Robert Burns

COLLEGE STATION -- One of the newest Texas Superstars, virus-free Blue Princess verbena is not like other princesses, said the executive director of the Texas Superstar board.

For one thing, the Blue Princess likes the heat; in fact, it thrives on the Texas summer sun, said Dr. Brent Pemberton, Texas AgriLife Research horticulturist. And the same goes for its sister plant, virus-free Rose Princess verbena, which also was named a Texas Superstar for 2010.

"Most people make the mistake of pampering it," Pemberton said. "It must be planted in the sunniest, best-drained spot in your landscape. It will not bloom profusely unless the plants get plenty of sunlight."

Plenty of sunlight means eight to 10 hours a day of direct "sunbathing sunlight," he said.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service and AgriLife Research personnel extensively test and designate plants as Texas Superstars that are not just beautiful but perform well for Texas consumers and growers. They also must be easy to propagate, which should insure that the plants are not only widely available throughout Texas but reasonably priced too, Pemberton said.

Using virus-free stock for cuttings is not a new thing. The practice dates back to the beginnings of the last century. Most plants are susceptible to plant viruses that reduce their vigor, he said.

"If they're not virus-free, they don't bloom and perform nearly as well as they do if they are virus-free," Pemberton said. "You don't do as well if you're sick as when you're healthy and well, and it's the same for plants. This is true of roses and everything else. They're just weaker if they're infected."

To produce virus-free stock, plants are carefully selected that have no disease symptoms. Once these plants are identified, they are grown in their own individual plots under "protected" conditions, he said. The

resulting stock, called the "mother stock," is continually monitored for disease symptoms, and any suspects are discarded. Cuttings are taken from the mother stock and increased. This process of selection may take years.

The original Blue Princess verbena Texas Superstar was brought back from the United Kingdom by Greg Grant, a former AgriLife Extension horticulturist who is now with Stephen F. Austin State University.

Grant, working with other AgriLife Extension and AgriLife Research horticulturists, made selections from the English stock that were adapted to the hot conditions of Texas.

"You wouldn't think a plant that came from foggy old England would be adaptable to the hard and mean conditions of Texas, but it was," Pemberton said. "We suspect, but we don't know, that it was so because it was originally brought to England from South Africa."

Not only was Blue Princes verbena heat tolerant, it was also more cold tolerant and produced larger flower heads than any previously available verbena, he said. The original was also more disease and insect tolerant as well, which lead to its nomination as a Texas Superstar.

The 1998 Texas Superstar description reads, "Blue Princess verbena is the most floriferous and vigorous growing variety in Texas when propagated from virus-free stock."

But the virus-free condition became a kicker. A few years later, the original Blue Princess mother stock became contaminated. A seedling selection from Blue Princess named Dark Lavender Princess was found and grown in virus-free conditions before it could be contaminated. The virus-free variety was

eventually sold as Blue Princess, Pemberton said.

Both verbenas produce brilliant blooms, but though they need not be pampered, keeping them bright and beautiful requires discipline on the part of the gardener, Pemberton said.

The problem is that many gardeners are hesitant to prune the plants when there are still blooms, he said.

"After the first spectacular bloom display, cut-shy people will be looking at ugly for the rest of the season and wondering why," Pemberton said.

After the first abundant bloom, when the plant appears to be shutting down, the answer is to perform a light pruning, which will produce another lush crop of flowers. But some people will not want to cut them back "as long as one pitiful-looking bloom endures," he said.

"People who cannot discipline themselves to shear old blooms periodically should not grow verbena," he said.

Texas Superstar is a registered trademark owned by Texas AgriLife Research. More information about the Texas Superstar program can be found at http://texassuperstar.com/.

T h e B l u e P r i n c e s s v e r b e n a r e g a i n s i t s T e x a s S u p e r s t a r c r o w n

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Collin County Master Gardener Resources

As a volunteer part of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, Master Gardeners reach out to the public with research-based, proven informa-tion to help with gardens, landscaping, and a wide variety of plant-related topics. From public speaking engagements to information tables and a dial-in/email help desk, you can get answers from Master Gardeners all over town!

PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS Date Topic Location Sat. Sept 11, 2 p.m. Spring Bulbs for N. Texas Wells Brothers, 5001 K Avenue, Plano Sat, Oct. 2, 12-2 p.m. Square Foot Gardening* Dallas Arboretum, 8525 Garland Rd., Dallas *$25 fee – contact www.dallasarboretum.org for information Sat, Oct 16, 2 p.m. Composting Wells Brothers, 5001 K Avenue, Plano INFORMATION TABLES Date Event Location Thu, Sep 23, 4:30-6 p.m. Educator Expo Allen Administration Building, 612 E. Bethany, Allen Sat, Sep 25, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Rainwater Harvesting Firestation # 7, 861 S. Independence Parkway/ McKinney Sat, Oct 9, 9:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Food Preservation Firestation #7, 861 S, Independence Parkway/ McKinney Sun, Oct 17, 10 a.m.-4p.m. Rose Dango Chambersville Tree Farm, 7032 County Rd. 971, Celina HELP DESK Master Gardeners are always happy to research your gardening questions or problems. You can call the Help Desk from at the AgriLife Ex-tension Office at (972) 548-4232 or Metro (972) 424-1460, x 4232. The Master Gardener Help Desk is not staffed 24 hours per day, so please allow a reasonable amount of time for us to research and respond to your inquiry. Or email us through the online form.

You are also welcome to visit the Collin County office of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in McKinney, especially if you need to show us a sample of the pest or plant disease you wish to identify. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Please call ahead to be certain that a Master Gardener or the horticulture agent is available.

G a r d e n E d u c a t i o n O p p o r t u n i t i e s

Native Plant Society Symposium Teaches How to Work With Nature

The Native Plant Society of Texas is all about those plants that thrive when they’re planted when, where, and how they would natu-rally occur. Their mission: is “to promote the conservation, research and utilization of the native plants and plant habitats of Texas, through education, outreach and example.” That gives you some hint at what the group’s 30th annual symposium will contain. With a theme of “Save Texas One Landscape at a Time: Our Native Plants Light the Future,” education will show people how to turn to na-tive plants for landscape solutions.

The 3-day symposium is full of experts speaking about varied topics, running workshops and doing tours. The program is diverse and sure to have something for everyone.

NPSOT Symposium October 7-10 Texas Woman’s University, Denton To register, visit http://www.npsot.org/symposium2010/home/index.shtml

On Friday, October 7th, Collin County Master Gardener and landscape designer Carrie Dubberley will be speaking about Rain Gardens at 11:30am with a follow-up workshop to install a local rain garden at 1:30pm. On Sunday she will lead a tour of rain gardens she has designed and installed in Plano, Texas to talk about on-going maintenance practices, issues and problems. Rain gardens are artificial depressions in the landscape used to store and filter stormwater runoff until it infiltrates into the ground, helping to increase and clean our water supply while reducing flooding. Plant-ing a rain garden with native plants helps restore lost habitat due to urbanization.

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By Robert Burns

COLLEGE STATION -- In the mid-1990s, Dr. Sam McFadden of Somerville, Tenn., a well-known plant breeder, developed a hi-biscus whose color he didn't like, one whose gaudiness actually embarrassed him a bit, according to a Texas AgriLife Research horti-culturist.

The best he could do was say it was the same color seen when a road flare is struck at night: a brilliant, hot florescent fuchsia, said Dr. Brent Pemberton, AgriLife Research scientist and chair of the Texas Superstar executive board.

But what might have been too gaudy for Tennessee would play well in Texas, espe-cially in the southwest part of the state where blindingly bright sun washes out more subtle colors, decided Texas Superstar board mem-bers.

Texas AgriLife Extension Service and Texas AgriLife Researchers extensively test and designate plants as Texas Superstars that are not just beautiful but perform well for Texas consumers and growers. They also must be easy to propagate, which should insure that the plants are not only widely available throughout Texas but reasonably priced too, he said.

In 1998, Flare along with Moy Grande, a red hibiscus variety with 12-inch diameter blooms, and Lord Baltimore, another red variety, were named Texas Superstars. All three became popular thanks to promotional efforts, Pemberton said.

But since 1998, two new colors, Pink Flare and Peppermint Flare, were found and named Texas Superstars for 2010.

But why name a variety as Texas Superstar a second time? Because the original Flare was not pink. It was fluorescent red, giving Texas gardeners further options for landscape de-sign, Pemberton said.

Though the colors of its sister plant, Peppermint Flare, are more subdued, it is directly related to the same "mother" Flare variety that was nearly aban-doned to ob-scurity in Ten-nessee because it was too scar-let. Peppermint Flare is true to its name, re-sembling a huge peppermint candy, only streams of fluorescent red in the center reveals the family ties to its more flamboyant sister, he said.

Like most hibiscus varieties, Pink Flare and Pepper-mint Flare are easy to grow, Pemberton said. Though the blooms grow 8 inches to 10 inches in diameter, the plants themselves remain relatively small, about 4 feet -- what horticulturists call "dwarfy."

Though dwarfy above-ground, hibiscus plants have an extensive root system, which means they can be grown all over Texas and survive the winter without mulching, he noted.

They are easy to grow and able to thrive with a modest amount of added nutrients. “It does well in any soil type,” Pemberton said.

The plants are also practically sterile, not producing seed, which encourages a "luxuriant" re-blooming, he said.

By practically sterile, it's meant they produce seeds but only rarely, he explained.

Texas Superstar is a registered trademark owned by Texas AgriLife Research. More information about the Texas Superstar pro-gram can be found at http://texassuperstar.com/ .

P i n k F l a r e h i b i s c u s m i g h t b e t o o g a u d y f o r s o m e , b u t n o t i n T e x a s

Above, Pink Flare Hibiscus is on the right. Left cultivar is Swanee.

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By Charlotte Carpenter Johnson

Near the intersection of Ohio Drive and West Parker facing Vermillion Drive in Plano, is a small Collinsworth family cemetery is nestled between two large homes in the Preston Lakes subdivision. The first burial was in May of 1895 when many of the Collinsworth family tragically died. A traveling salesman infected the family with smallpox while staying over-night in their home. The entire west portion of Plano, extending from the current Coit Road to Preston Road, and from Park Boule-vard to Spring Creek Parkway was quaran-tined.

Many individuals and organizations have worked together to protect and preserve the cemetery once hidden beneath the underbrush of time. During 2005, Toll Brothers, the de-veloper of Preston Lakes, anchored the ceme-tery's four corners with stone pillars, moved the original gate from a back alley to face Ver-million Drive, and enclosed it with iron fenc-ing. The area in front of the cemetery was landscaped for a park-like setting. In 2006, a large, historical sign was placed by the front gate, funded in part by the City of Plano and produced by the Plano Conservancy for His-torical Preservation.

In recent years, Candace Fountoulakis, of the City of Plano and the Collin County Master Gardeners Association, has contributed so much individually and facilitated the efforts of these organizations. The Preston Lakes HOA, its Cemetery club, and landscape committee have also continued to be involved and gener-ous.

The latest project, completed the weekend of July 17th, was led by Daniel Rosenfield, age 15, a 10th grader at Plano's Jasper High School. Daniel's Scout Troop 261 is part of the Great Plains District, Circle Ten Council, and was first chartered by Christ United Methodist Church in 1975. His troop leader is Roger London, and Troop 261 has a long history of helping youth develop into the leaders of to-morrow.

The key to a successful Eagle Scout Service Project is Leadership, as the Scout expands his service to others in the community. Daniel's

Eagle Project was to construct a walking path about 170 feet long at the cemetery made of decomposed granite, steel edging, and landscape fabric. Daniel and about 30 volunteer scouts and adults spent over 115 man hours constructing the pathway.

Daniel has completed all nec-essary merit badge and leader-ship position requirements, and will soon meet with troop and district officials for his final review. Daniel's family consists of proud parents, Andi and Stuart Rosenfield, and brothers, Evan and Adam. Daniel's dad and both brothers are also Eagle Scouts.

According to several residents of Preston Lakes, the construction proceeded very quickly as the result of Daniel's excellent plan-ning and leadership The Preston Lakes neighborhood helped Daniel raise approxi-mately $800 for supplies to construct the pathway. Lowe's and A-1 Grass in Prosper were very generous by providing discounts.

Kathy Nelson of the Preston Lakes Landscape Committee says, "I can't wait to take a stroll! The walking path is fantastic and it really looks great! The walking path will welcome visitors to the cemetery and allow visitors to view current and future beauty. The Collin County Master Gardeners and Cemetery club will have so much fun this fall as we can officially begin planting wildflowers and groundcovers in areas of the cemetery now defined by the walking path. We thank Daniel for selecting the walking path in Collinsworth Cemetery for his Eagle Scout project. I know the experi-ence was valuable for him. We thank him for creating a lasting contribution to our commu-nity and helping to preserve the historical Collinsworth Cemetery."

"The preservation, respect, love, and care by so many for has been amazing, and have finally brought peace and beauty to this small family cemetery," said Charlotte Carpenter Johnson, great-great-granddaughter of Farwick and Lucy Rowlett Collinsworth, who are buried there.

Collinsworth Family Cemetery: Tragic Beginning, now focal point of community

Cemetery Plants “Wildflower seed, iris, spring blooming bulbs and other traditional cemetery plantings can be used to enhance and protect heritage gravesites," said Master Gardener Candace Fountoulakis A word of wisdom, however: do not plant or dig in a cemetery without first getting per-mission!

Bulb & Rhizome Planting: Planting depths vary according to the bulb, but general guidelines are:

Crocus 3 to 4 inches

Leucojum 3 to 4 inches

Muscari Grape Hyacinth 3 to 4 inches

Narcissus (Daffodil) Trumpet, large-cupped 6 to 8 inches Miniature 3 to 5 inches

Iris rhizomes at or just barely below the surface

Wildflower Seeding: Choose a region-specific wildflower mix. (A good source of North Texas is Wild-flower Farms.) Then divide the seed mix in half, mix with gardener's sand, and scatter the seed mixture by hand or by hand-held spreader over the area. Repeat with the second half of wild flower seeds. The double seeding improves the chances of not leaving any bare spots.

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1. Cyclamineus Narcissi: Tete-a-Tete. Miniature buttercup yellow petals with darker cup. 2 to 4 flowers per stem. Good forcers. Early spring. Sun/part shade. 6-7” tall. 15 for $12.00

2. Tazetta Narcissi: Golden Dawn. Greenish yellow with white highlights & deep orange cup. 4 to 8 clustered flowers on multiple stems. Good forcers. Late spring. Sun/part shade. 15”-16” tall. 12 for $10.00

3. Jonquilla Narcissi: Quail. Long lasting fragrant multiplier. Bronze yellow with darker funnel shaped cup. 2-4 flow-ers per stem. Reliable favorite. Early spring. Sun/part shade. 12”-14” tall. 12 for $10.00

4. Double Narcissi: Tahiti. Has 4” soft yellow petals & double cup offset with shorter, frilled, orange cup segments. Late spring. Sun/part shade. 14” - 16” tall. 10 for $10.00

5. Dutch Iris: Blue Magic. Beautiful violet-blue with yellow blotch. Most cold resistant hybrid Dutch Iris. Long lasting cut flower. Late spring. Sun/part shade.

18” to 22” tall. 25 for $12.00

6. Kaufmanniana Hybrid Tulip: Shakespeare. Carmine red, edged with salmon interior with yellow center. Opens to show reveal multicolored inte-rior. Early spring. 8-10” tall. 12 for $10.00

7. Kaufmanniana Hybrid Tulip: The First. Carmine red with white petal edges and interior of ivory with yellow center. Opens to reveal multicolored interior. Early spring. 8”-10” tall. 12 for $10.00

8. Muscari armeniacum. Fragrance cobalt blue spikes with grape like long lasting blooms. Critter resistant. Good forcers. Early spring. Sun/part shade. 4'-6' tall. 25 for $12.00

9. Hyacinthoides Hispanica: Dainty Maid. 1994 award winner violet pink with bell shaped pendant flowers. Critter resistant. Sun/part shade. Late Spring. 12”- 15” tall. 20 for $12.00

10. Scilla siberica: Spring Beauty. Up

to 6 sky blue flowers on strong stems. Good multiplier. Critter resistant Sun/part shade. Early spring. 5” tall. 25 for $12.00

PLEASE NOTE: Each order is one set. For example, 25 Muscari for $12.00 is one set. If you order two sets, you’ll re-ceive 50 bulbs at a total price of $24.00. Sorry, we can only sell bulbs in the incre-ments shown.

ORDERS MUST BE RECEIVED By Oc-tober 4, 2010

Payment MUST Accompany Order.

Bulbs will be available for pickup at Ex-tension office October 29th from 9am till 3pm and Wells Brother's Farm Store at 5001 Ave. K, Plano, TX 75074 from Oc-tober 30th from 2pm till 5pm.

Bulbs not picked up by Nov. 13th will be donated.

2 0 1 0 C o l l i n C o u n t y M a s t e r G a r d e n e r S p r i n g B u l b

S a l e : G r e a t P l a c e t o b u y b u l b s

D o w n l o a d

o r d e r f o r m a t : h t t p : / / c c m g a t x . o r g /

d o c s / 2 0 1 0 - B u l b S a l e -

o r d e r f o r m - 9 . p d f

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This is an annual fundraiser for the Collin County Master Gar-dener Association. All bulbs have been chosen for hardiness in our area and are spring-flowering. The bulbs require fall planting.

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By the National Garden Bureau

Fall color isn't just for trees - your garden can show color, too.

There's always room - somewhere in the garden. We're not talking about setting aside a large area for fall. Although if you have that much space to spare, that's fine. All you need is some room amidst existing plants. Con-sider using available space in your flower garden or mixed border; fill in areas with edibles as you remove tired-looking annuals or prune back perennials. Of course, there is always room in the vegetable or herb garden.

For fall harvests you can start everything from seed sown directly in the garden. In spring, you can usually find a plethora of starts - cell packs or small potted plants at local nurseries, garden centers, and home stores. In summer, you won't find starts; you have to rely on seed you purchased.

Great Greens

Do you enjoy salad and other greens fresh from the garden? In season, they are fabu-lous, especially cut-and-come-again greens like leaf lettuces, arugula, mustard, and oth-ers. Yet have you seen the price of mixed greens - often called mesclun - at the grocery store lately? For what you would pay for two weeks worth of salad greens for a family of four, you can buy more than enough seed to keep you in salad all fall and well into win-ter. Look for greens that you would nor-mally plant in spring before the last frost date - those that can take some cold.

Since these are mostly "foliage plants," look for those that add a dimension of color in addition to "leafy green" when selecting varieties to add to your garden. If you don't segregate ornamentals from edibles, you will want the plants to add interest - leaf color, shape, size and plant form.

Choose from among the many leaf lettuces, including these All-American Selection win-ners: 'Red Sails,' 'Buttercrunch,' 'Ruby,' and 'Salad Bowl.' Romaines can take the cold; try 'Rouge d'Hiver' and 'Freckles' for good color. Mix in some 'Lollo Rossa,' 'Arctic

King,' 'Winter Marvel,' and 'North Pole' for an outstanding winter collection.

Mix it up

Sow each type of seed separately, or create your own personal mesclun blend. You can mix all the seeds together in a bowl and then scatter them on bare soil - thicker than nor-mal. Make an eighteen-inch-wide swath through a garden bed, or edge the path lead-ing from the sidewalk to your front door. The greens will come up in a colorful carpet. By the time the plants are a few inches tall they will need thinning. Pull up plants at random for an instant salad of baby greens. There is plenty to share with neighbors who seem to sense when picking time starts - and invite them to come over and help them-selves to fresh greens.

Since you will be planting in the heat of sum-mer, sow the seed in a partly shaded spot, or provide shade with spun polyester cloth to keep them cooler. Mist lightly during the day to refresh the seedlings and young plants. Otherwise, they require no different care than spring-sown seeds. Growing spinach in the spring can be a challenge, as it doesn't like the heat. In fall, it is happy with the cooling weather. Be sure to avoid any varie-ties that are labeled "summer" spinach. As with the other plants for fall harvest, sow the seed in a partially shaded area to keep the soil from getting too warm.

To many, the flavor of kale - like Brussels sprouts - is enhanced by frost. For diversity of leaf shape, color (from deep green to blue), size, and crunch, choose several kale varieties. Finely curled red-leafed 'Redbor Hybrid,' and bluish crinkle-leafed 'Winterbor' are amazingly hardy and can last through winter. 'Lacinata' holds its deep bluish-green leaves upright, while 'Red Rus-sian' with a mauve tinge to the leaves, has a more open habit.

Swiss chard is a must-have. Forget about the plain green leaves you knew as a child. Grow 'Bright Lights' (1998 AAS winner) to delight your eyes as well as your palate. With ribs that run the gamut from silver to gold, or-

ange, pink, red and green, a stand of Swss chard looks like stained glass with the early morn-ing or late afternoon sun glim-mering through it. It is so decora-tive in the garden you don't have to eat it.

Add some pizzazz

Other less common, yet more flavorful greens, add spice to the mix. Depending on your taste, include some piquant greens such as arugula and 'Osake Purple' mustard greens. 'Wrinkled Crinkled Crumpled' cress is unique for its savoyed leaves. Broccoli raab, a sprouting broccoli (also known by such names as raab, rapa, rapini, and spring broccoli) is sumptuous stir-fried in olive oil and garlic, served on pasta.

Other greens add interesting form and color, with their own unique flavors. Mache, (Valerianella locusta) also known as corn salad, has a sweet, nutty flavor. Endive and radicchio have slightly bitter taste. Curly endives, such as 'Tres Fin,' have finely dis-sected, curly leaves. Oriental greens round out the medley. From mizuna to tatsoi, pac choi, bok choy, and komatsuna and their cultivars, there is an assortment of new, vitamin-filled greens to try.

For more information on vegetable gardening, visit http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/lawn_garden/veg.html.

Fall and Winter Greens & Reds & More

N o v e m b e r

1 6 : A v e r a g e

f i r s t F r o s t

i n D a l l a s

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g a r d e n e r ' s j o u r n a l : l i v i n g m e m o r i e s

825 N. McDonald Street Suite 150

McKinney, Texas 75069

Phone: 972-548-4232 Metro: 972-424-1460, x. 4232 Email: mgcollin@ag.tamu.edu

Collin County

Extension

Horticulture

&

Collin County

Master

Gardeners

We’re on the Web! http://ccmgatx.org/

http://collin-tx.tamu.edu

Extension programs serve people of all ages regardless of socioeconomic level, race, color, sex, religion, disability, or nation origin. The Texas A&M University System, U. S. Department of Agriculture, and the County Commis-sioners Courts of Texas Co-operating.

County Extension Agent: Greg Church, Ph.D.

Email: gtchurch@ag.tamu.edu

Editor: Katherine Ponder Email: katherineponder@yahoo.com

Dutch Irises on the Montana

Prairie

By Sandi Seiser, Collin County Master Gardener

Long ago on the Montana prairie a seven year old girl – a member of a pioneering family – died of a burst appendix as the family tried to get her into the closest ranching community fifteen miles away for hospital care. This young girl was my Father’s youngest Sister, Clara, and would have been my ‘Aunt Clara’ if she had lived. This was June of 1926; she was buried in the small com-munity cemetery close to the railroad and ranch-ing community of Nihill, Montana. This small community has since disappeared, the railroad has long since moved to the next larger commu-nity and Black Angus cattle now graze the land.

The day of Clara’s burial my Grandmother planted a few miniature Dutch Irises on her grave – a grave now that has no marker – and can only be identified by the perfusion of Dutch Irises covering it, and naturalizing on to the next grave site. And so it has persisted since.

My Father’s original home place is still known as the “Old Lohse Place” and my family – aunts, uncles and cousins visited as much as possible over the years. My surviving cousins and I only visit now.

Feeling a connection with a young girl and aunt that I never got to know, my husband and I vis-ited her gravesite in 1996. We dug a few Dutch Irises and brought them home to grow in our garden in Plano, Texas. They thrived and bloomed the first year – in March – small but spectacular and bringing tears to our eyes. Cobalt blue, deep purple with a throat center of sunny yellow and white – all in remembrance of a young girl who lived a brief life of seven years. And each Spring since I watch and wait for their first bloom in a special space designated as “Aunt Clara’s Garden”.

And so, this July, we returned to Clara’s grave-site and as the pictures below show – we brought back more of Clara’s irises.

Transferring a cemetery rose or an iris on the

gravesite of a loved one, into your garden space is an honor and remembrance of the person buried below. It is comfort, memory, and respect.

Cemetery Sources

There are many hardy, heir-loom plants to be found in old cemeteries. They have en-dured for decades with little or no care, and yet serve as a re-minder of someone who was loved in his or her lifetime. There are serious protocols to follow if you want to look to a cemetery as a source of plant material. Always find out who either owns the property or oversees management of the cemetery and begin getting permission from that point. You may ultimately be sent to ask extended family members for permission.

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