Thanks to passionate UC Master Gardener volunteers, partners and friends, we raised $10,050 during #GivingTuesday!

#GivingTuesday provided an opportunity to raise awareness and talk about the UC Master Gardener Program and the incredible volunteers that make a difference across California's landscape. Funds raised will be used for both local county initiatives, school, community, demonstrations gardens, and statewide funds raised will be used to support advanced training opportunities to volunteers across the state in 2018. 

The UC Master Gardener Program plays a critical role in extending research-based information to the public and simply put, we could not do it without people like you. 

• Extend sustainable landscaping practices to more than 2.1 million people in California!
• Support more than 1,000 demonstration, community and school gardens around the state; creating beauty, outdoor classroom training opportunities, and increasing science literacy in schools, jails, hospitals, senior centers and more.
• Combat food insecurity in our local communities by giving people the skills and knowledge to grow their own healthy fruits and vegetables.
• Reduce pesticide use and inspired habitats for pollinators and other beneficial insects. 

Social media was buzzing with activity on #GivingTuesday, with volunteers and program supporters sharing reasons why they love the program. "UNselfies" or unselfish selfies were posted in support of the incredible impacts the UC Master Gardener Program makes across California. Check out the fun slideshow of #UNSelfies that were shared across social media on #GivingTuesday! 

With much gratitude,

Missy Gable
Director
mjgable@ucanr.edu
(530) 750-1266

It's a scary time of year! Plants are amazing life forms, coming in a wide array of forms, shapes, and colors. Here are some of my favorite Halloween plants that are sure to scare the living daylights out of you!

Doll's Eyes (Actaea pachypoda)

Devil's Claw or Ram's Horn (Proboscidea louisianica)

This unfriendly looking species is native to the South Central USA and sports a unique horn-shaped pod. In addition to its attention-grabbing visual appeal, pigments contained in the pod are used for black dyes by several Native American tribes.

Bleeding Tooth Fungus (Hydellum peckii)

White Ghosts or Indian Pipes (Monotropa uniflora)

These eye-catching specimens have bright white droopy flowers reminiscent of ghosts found in spooky dark, dank basements. They hide in shady spots and live in a symbiotic relationship with a fungus in their roots providing food.

Happy Fall!
Janet

Dedicated to Rascal Snowden.

Some of us garden for ourselves, others for our children and pets. When it comes to gardening for your fur friends, especially cats, catnip is the first thing that most people think of. Catnip (or catmint), Nepeta cataria, is in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Members of this aromatic family include many common herbs like rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, lavender and perilla. Nepetalactone is the compound in catnip that gives it a fragrance. Not all cats respond to nepetalactone but those that do are drawn to the garden to sniff, roll around and generally enjoy the plant.

Traditional catnip, Nepeta cataria, should be planted with caution. It re-seeds readily and therefore requires a fair amount of maintenance to keep the plant from getting out of hand. Fortunately, there are numerous kinds of catmint that a gardener can choose from, all with the same cat alluring nepetalactone.

 

Look for a catmint with valuable landscape qualities such as a long blooming period and maneagable growth habit. All Nepeta attract pollinators, are drought tolerant, rabbit and deer resistant, and according to the American Chemical Society may help repel mosquitos from the garden.

A common and favorite catmint is Walker's Low catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker's Low'). This particular catmint was the 2007 Perennial Plant of the Year and is an attractive garden showstopper with a soft gray-green foliage and bright lavender-blue flowers. It is suitable in Sunset zones 1-24 and does not reseed like other Nepeta racemosa.

Many gardeners use Walker's Low catmint as a groundcover although with flower spikes 2-3 feet tall, it can easily be placed farther back in a planting bed and still get attention. This easy to grow catmint tolerates full sun and morning sun with afternoon shade.

If you are looking to give your garden some “cattitude”, take a little time to look into the many catmints available and which one is most suitable for your space.

Thinking about planting a fruit or nut tree? Fall is the perfect time to start planning the steps for a new tree or trees, including variety selection, location in the landscape and planting plan.   Most gardeners use their taste buds during summer and fall harvest to identify fruit and nut varieties and cultivars that have desired characteristics.  Additional preparation in the fall can make for an easier and more informed process for winter procurement and planting of bareroot fruit and nut trees. 

Identify a location for fruit trees where they will receive full sun 6 or more hours per day during the growing season, too much shade will affect the quantity and quality of fruit produced. If you don't have loose, well-drained soil you may want to amend the soil and add compost, or fertilizers.

• Proper tree selection 
  Selecting a quality tree and caring for it increases the chances for success.  This begins with selecting a tree from a quality nursery.  At the nursery this winter, select bareroot trees that appear strong, healthy, and do not show signs of disease.
  
  
• Good planting techniques
  Planting of bareroot trees should take place in winter, between December and March.  Dig a planting hole just bigger than the depth and width of the roots, it is best to leave a “pedestal” or to leave the soil below the root system undisturbed to help prevent the tree from settling. Fruit trees should be planted high to help avoid crown rot disease.

Once your trees are in the ground, having a thorough understanding of how fruit and nut trees function for proper pollination, bud formation, and fruiting will help you more effectively care for your trees.

The UC Master Gardeners of El Dorado County have gathered an excellent team of experts to teach about tree factors and show you how to take advantage of pruning techniques that allow your trees to obtain better sun exposure, better airflow, and better structure for easier netting and pest prevention.

Join the UC Master Gardeners of El Dorado County, on Nov. 2 for a new workshop titled The New Backyard Orchard, at the Cameron Park Community Center.  The New Backyard Orchard workshop will help you choose the right tree varieties for your region, plant trees correctly, and shape trees to make them attractive, as well as high-bearing. You'll receive a thorough, scientifically correct understanding of how trees generate fruit, to help you understand how to manage your orchard.

When:  
Nov. 2, 2017
10:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Where: 
Cameron Park Community Center 
2502 Country Club Drive
Cameron Park, CA 95682

Speakers: 

• Phil Pursel, Specialist, Dave Wilson Nursery
• Ted DeJong, Professor Emeritus, Pomology, UC Davis
• Chuck Ingels, Farm Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension

Cost: 
$40 registration, light lunch included

Whether you have just a tree or two, or hope to expand your food supply through intensive backyard orchard development, this workshop is for you!

UC Master Gardeners who attend will earn four hours of Continuing Education credit. To learn more and to pre-register, please visit our website at http://ucanr.edu/mgedc-workshop  or register at http://ucanr.edu/mgedc-workshop-reg. If you have questions, please call (530) 621-5528.  

References:
Ingels, C.A., Geisel, P.M. & Norton, M.V. (2007) The Home Orchard: Growing Your Own Deciduous Fruit and Nut Trees UC Agriculture & Natural Resources, Publication 3485

The California Backyard Orchard, homeorchard.ucanr.edu