January 2023 Master Gardener News

January 2023

THE YEAR IN FOCUS

There’s much ahead for Master Gardeners in 2023. What’s new? Master Gardeners are invited to help situate Suffolk County more clearly on the Pollinator Pathway. More on this below. In early summer, I’ll be piloting a new 5 week program on Coastal Gardening open to all interested Master Gardeners. More on this in the February newsletter.

Add these two new projects to our evergreen offerings: the 16 week Master Gardener Training March through June, our annual, in person Spring Gardening School & Plant Sale (Saturday, April 29), the 10 week Joy of Gardening course in its third session this fall, and at least 60 plus gardening programs at libraries and garden clubs sprinkled throughout the year. And, of course, tending to Master Gardeners matters: your hours at 100 plus different volunteer locations, meetings, recognition, site renovations and other issues. 2023 promises to be an engaging year! To bring the many initiatives into focus, we’re gathering in an annual zoom meeting on Wednesday, January 11 at 6:30 PM. Here’s the Zoom link. Here are the details for those dialing in via phone . Join us!

Saturday

FEBRUARY 4

10am-noon

423 Griffing Avenue

Riverhead

(Snow date: Feb. 11)

Many are aware of Doug Tallamy and his grassroots call to action to plant more native plants. HOMEGROWN NATIONAL PARK is an attempt to promote greater biodiversity. Click on the link to see this nationwide effort where MG Ellen Birenbaum was featured for her "Berries for Birds" program.

Pollinator Pathways is a kindred effort with a 3 part pledge to reduce the lawn, plant natives and eliminate pesticides. If you visit their website , select the subhead Pollinator Pathways and then select ‘New York Pathways.’ You will note towns throughout the state. With the exception of East Hampton, there are no other Suffolk communities mentioned.

It's true that Suffolk County formed a Task Force to explore pollinator activity on highway medians, parks and other county spaces. At least three of our Master Gardeners Alicia Whitaker, Joy Flynn and Mary Louise Cohen have been participating in these ongoing discussions.

It's also true that local groups are engaged on the pollinator front. You may be familiar with REWILD, changehampton, LINPI, DropSeed Native Landscapes, or the Group for the East End to name a few. How do we amplify these voices to encourage others, including Master Gardeners, to spread the word?

The Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators (SAP) has been formed for this purpose. The Alliance is a loosely organized coalition that we're launching on Saturday, February 4 at the Cornell Extension office. Representatives of key groups are coming to discuss how the Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators can best promote and extend their reach.

We need a community of folks to raise awareness. We need representatives from Town beautification committees and LI Homestead groups. We need representatives of local garden clubs, the Horticultural Alliance of the Hamptons, the Bayard Cutting Society, LI Master Gardeners and Cornell Gardeners. In short, we need many voices to amplify the message of the Suffolk Alliance for Pollinators.

Please extend an invitation to groups or environmental organizations you may know. If you’d like to attend the launch as a Suffolk Master Gardener or as a representative of another organization, please send an RSVP to MG Patty Collins, pcollins44@yahoo.com

Beyond the initial meeting in February, we as Suffolk Master Gardeners have a considerable role to play. Perhaps we can find a way to showcase existing public demonstration garden sites. Perhaps we can take a field trip to gardens on the Pollinator Pathway in Westchester. Maybe one or two MGs can show off their pollinator gardens?

Two Master Gardeners will serve as co-chairs of the Master Gardener SAP subcommittee: Susanne Jansson and Alicia Whitaker. Please drop them a note if you’d like to join them or have any good ideas. Susanne, dirigible@mac.com and Alicia, awhitaker196@gmail.com

In this context, I’m pleased to announce that Doug Tallamy will be joining us on September 30 as part of our year-long pollinator efforts. Save the date. Details to follow.

2022 MG VOLUNTEER HOURS are in

A New Record: OVER 10,000 hours

Congratulations!

The charts tell part of the story of your incredible individual and collective efforts in a variety of categories as active Master Gardeners in 2022. An extraordinary sum of 10,770 volunteer hours!!!!! As you may know, Suffolk County values volunteer activity at $29.95 an hour. When you do the math, that becomes a value of $322,561.50.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all that each of you do as Master Gardeners throughout the year.

Master Gardener

'Welcome Wagon'

MGs Carol Brown and Jane Corrarino have volunteered to welcome Master Gardeners joining us from other NY counties and states. We're grateful for their efforts!

Session leader needed

We need a Master Gardener who can lead a workshop session on gathering flowers together in a mason jar at Spring Gardening School on April 29 at Suffolk Farm. If that's you, please drop me a note as soon as you can.

Summer Camp, 2023

A number of Master Gardeners have been involved with the Summer Camp in the Children's Garden at Suffolk Farm. As 2019 was the last year camp was offered given pandemic concerns, some Master Gardeners moved on to other activities.

To offer a Summer Camp experience this year, the dedicated core of Master Gardeners ready to serve need backup support and assistance. Please drop me a note if you can assist as a helper or instructor this year.

MG Advisory Membership

MG Advisory is a group that meets once or twice a year to make sense of MG matters such as activities, social media access, approved sites, bylaw considerations and other MG concerns. As Advisory has a wonderful collective memory of prior practices, the group serving for the last three years has guided me very well. The new year is a moment for a new mix of members. Yes, those currently serving may stay on. Those who wish to focus on other MG activities, please take this opportunity to do so. And those who would like to join MG Advisory...

MGs staying or leaving Advisory, as well as those who would like to join, please drop me a note indicating your choice and class year.

"BARN RAISING"

Success!

Children's Garden

Although the December temperatures were cold, Suffolk Master Gardeners were not deterred. With the help of stone mason Charlie Schiatta, a team of Master Gardeners, working alongside Ken Phalen's Boy Scouts, installed a handsome dry stacked wall along the entire front of the Children's Garden on Saturday, December 10.

A special thanks to all who participated with the stone selection and stacking, soil moving and making sure the volunteers had plenty to nibble on all day long. Thanks again to MGs Reid Bielecki, Bill Weresnick and Pat Garry, who lead this effort. Kudos to all. What a terrific way to end the Master Gardener volunteer year!

$20,000 Donation for Long Island Cares, the Harry Chapin Food Bank

For the second year in a row, MG Pedro Yepes has made garden magic happen. Well done!

With coworkers at TTM/Telephonics Technology, Yepes developed and maintained the organic 'Garden on the Hill' community garden site in Huntington Station that provides fresh produce to local food pantries. TTM selected Garden on the Hill as the company's community service winner. The $20,000 award will benefit the Harry Chapin Food Bank of Long Island Cares.

That's MG Pedro Yepes in the green shirt in the front row of the TTM company photo with the check to be donated to the Harry Chapin Food Bank.

Continuing Education

WINTER SEED SOWING

In Person Workshops

Master Gardeners will be offering hands-on, in person workshops on Winter Seed Sowing this month. A couple of these will be programs for teenagers. As noted below, three of these will be Adult Library programs. If interested, please check with a library for pre-registration. These and other gardening programs, including a visit to the Chanticleer Garden, are mentioned on the CCE events webpage:

https://ccesuffolk.org/events

January 12, 2PM Southold Library with MG Nancy DePas Reinertsen

January 17, 7PM Huntington Main Library with MGs Hope Kranidis, Alexandra Carmicon and Carolyn Gee.

January 26, 1PM Lindenhurst Library with MGs Hope Kranidis, Alexandra Carmicon and Carolyn Gee.

CONTINUING EDUCATION

SYMPOSIUM

Evolution of the American Landscape:

Right Plant, Right Place

REVISITED!

Monday, February 27, 2023

BAYARD CUTTING ARBORETUM

Attend in-person or live stream!

Choosing the right plant for the right place is a long-proven concept. Changing cultural conditions now require new considerations. Dry land can become aquatic, canopies change in the forest, and well drained soils can become compacted. Presentations will address proper plant selection and mitigating the landscape in anticipation of these changes for garden design.

Updates and registration information at www.BayardCuttingArboretum.com/symposium

Questions? Contact MG Doreen Monteleone

doreenmn88@gmail.com

Tell a Master Gardener not receiving this newsletter that it's posted on our MG webpage:

Click here:

http://ccesuffolk.org/gardening/master-gardener-volunteers

If you have photos, events and news to share in the newsletter, please email me at rz378@cornell.edu

Happy Gardening!

Roxanne Zimmer

423 Griffing Avenue, Suite 100, Riverhead, NY 11901-3071

631-727-7850

Cornell Cooperative Extension is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EEO, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities and provides equal program and employment opportunities.

Cornell Cooperative Extension is funded in part by Suffolk County through the office of the County Executive, and the County Legislature.