A tree said to be the “grandson” of one that was first planted nearly 150 years before the American Revolution will be dedicated at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, in the Master Gardeners of Greene County Demonstration Garden located in the Springfield Botanical Gardens at Nathanael Greene-Close Memorial Park, 2400 S. Scenic Ave.

Tom Meshek, president of the Endicott Family Association, will give a history of the tree at the dedication, and a reception will follow the brief ceremony.

“This tree has quite a story,” said Master Gardener Gail Wright, “as the original tree dates from 1632.” The Endicott Pear Tree, the oldest cultivated fruit tree in North America, is a semi-dwarf variety that can get as tall as 15 to 20 feet and as high at maturity. It was gifted to Master Gardeners by Springfield resident Gordon Harmon, a descendant of Massachusetts Governor John Endicott, whose ancestors planted the first tree.

Since 1997, cuttings of the Endicott Pear Tree in Danvers, Massachusetts, have been collected by a gene bank that preserves invaluable plant genetic resources of fruit and nut trees. A clone was grown at an Oregon facility and made available to the Endicott Family Association whose mission is to make sure that the tree continues to survive.

University of Missouri Extension Horticultural Specialist Patrick Byers will plant the Endicott Pear Tree in the southwest corner of the herb garden.

For more information, contact Gail Wright at 417.988-0756 or gailwright44@yahoo.com.

Master Gardeners of Greene County, in coordination with University of Missouri Extension located in the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center in Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Park, provides horticultural information and training to the gardening public based on proven research specific to the local climate, soils and plants. For information, call 417.414.0363 or e-mail at mg.greenecounty@gmail.com.

News Release Master Gardeners of Greene County, prepared by Jeanne Duffey.

You are invited to attend “Dinner at the Orchard” from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, June 14 at Sunshine Valley Farm near Rogersville. Thanks to the owners, Michael and Jan Wooten, 100% of all ticket sales will benefit Greene County Extension. (Their website www.sunshinevalleyfarm.com.)

Dinner includes appetizers, a meal featuring locally produced and grown foods, special music and special beverages. No speaker, no solicitations, just come and enjoy a relaxed evening of great food and conversation with people who have similar interests and a concern for Greene County Extension.

It promises to be a fun and relaxed evening. Learn more online at http://extension.missouri.edu/greene or purchase your tickets at this specific link: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6639048573

Seating is limited to the first 40 to order tickets, which are priced at $50 per person. All ticket sales benefit MU Extension programs and operations in Greene County. For more information call (417) 881-8909.

Go ahead and order your tickets online or bring your check to Lorri Winters in the Greene County Extension office.

Also, Greene County Extension is also hosting a day-long “Food Preservation Camp” on June 15. Attendees will receive detailed instruction and hands-on experience with the six basic types of food preservation. To order your ticket for this event use this link: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6634266269?ref=elink#

David L. Burton
Civic Communication Specialist | County Program Director
University of Missouri Extension – Greene County
2400 S. Scenic Ave, Springfield, Mo. 65807
Telephone: (417) 881-8909
Become a “Friend of Greene County Extension” online: http://extension.missouri.edu/greene/giving.aspx
YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/MUExtension417

Greene County Extension announced plans this week to host a “Food Preservation Camp” from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 15 at the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center in Springfield, 2400 S. Scenic Ave.

University of Missouri Extension nutrition specialists will be instructors for the classes and will use research-based curriculum to teach the most up-to-date methods of food preservation.

Participants that enroll for the camp (at $85 per person) will spend the entire day in sessions learning about pressure canning, dehydrating food, making salsa, pickling and jams and jellies.

Participants will learn to pressure can vegetables during the first session of the camp. During the “pack a pickled product” portion attendees will learn to quick pack dilled green beans and learn water bath canning basics including how to pickle other products. As part of “Salsa Made Easy,” participants will learn water bath canning basics used with tomato and fruit based salsas. During the “Jams and Jellies” segment instructors will cover both cooked and freezer jams, as well as water bath canning basics. The “Freezing and Dehydration” segment will address freezing for best quality and the basics of dehydration.

A boxed lunch will also be provided to participants.

“The full-day camp is a new way to present this information that is more convenient for participants. In the past this series has been spread out over five different ways,” said David Burton, county program director for Greene County Extension. “We are also offering a nice discount over taking these classes individually for $20 each.”

Advance registration is required in order to have the necessary supplies for the hands-on class. The class size is limited to 20 participants.

Registration materials are available on the Greene County Extension website: www.extension.missouri.edu/greene. Printable enrollment forms are posted for download and payment with a check or an online credit card enrollment option is also available. For more information call 417.881.8909.

Space for this MU Extension program in Greene County is provided by the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center, 2400 S. Scenic Avenue. Website: http://www.botanicalcenter.org.

Hilltop Newsletter: Knockout Roses
Hilltop Farm, May 20, 2013

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I didn’t get a letter out last week. It was such a crunch of a week. No sleep and no time to do extras. Every day we fell behind on what we expected/needed to get done. But we are alive to tell the story, so I guess we will live. Thank you, everyone, for your business, friendship, and encouragement. Onward…

Today Oscar and I are married 34 years. 30 of those years were spent working side by side in this greenhouse operation we started from “scratch” in December 1982. Can’t really say we celebrated today, just watered plants and potted up a little. We will celebrate this week with all of you! We have a special for you all: This week bring Oscar a can of your favorite food that comes in a can and/or bring Amy your favorite scripture on an index card along with a thumbtack or magnet to post it with and we will give you 34% off of any one item. This is meant to be fun and an outlet to show your creativity. But no matter, you save $$$.

On to Knockout Roses:

The Knockout family of roses was started in 2000. In that year the original Knockout won the All America Rose award. Now the Knockout roses are the most popular of all roses because of their disease resistance.

We grow our roses here at Hilltop Farm. We start them in early June from very small rooted cuttings we buy in. We grow them all summer til fall when they are big and full. Then we cut them back(!) and put them in a cool greenhouse for the winter. In the spring they go outside to an unheated cold frame.

We offer 5 of the Knockout family:

· Original Knockout – single (5 petals) in cherry red
· Double Knockout – many petaled cherry red.
· Pink Knockout – single (5 petals) pink like a wild rose.
· Pink Double Knockout – many petaled pink
· Sunny Knockout – Yellow fading to white, single, FRAGRANT

Care needed for a Knockout is minimal: Plant in a sunny spot and you are almost done! Please water your rose during dry periods in the summer. Each spring before they start to sprout, they can be trimmed to keep them full. The Knockout roses usually do NOT need to be sprayed for mildew; they are quite resistant. The roses can get to be 3-4’ tall and wide, so plan for it.

Where to plant: Roses like sun, so plant where they will get at least 6 hours of direct sun a day. Roses do NOT like wet feet, so if water puddles in a spot and remains after a rain, don’t plant there! Knockout roses bloom all summer, so plant them where you can enjoy them.

And the problem: Japanese beetles! Japanese beetles love roses, a lot! This is what we do here: When the beetles arrive we trim our roses back – the growing tips and all the blooms (that which the beetles favor). The beetles are less attracted this way. About the time the beetles are waning, the roses are in full bloom again. Problem solved!

Have a blessed week,

Amy & Oscar Cross
hilltop@ipa.net

If you would like to be added to the weeklyHilltop Newsletter distribution list just send Amy & Oscar a note.

Made it to the Springfield Botanical Gardens just in time!
By Sydnee Crain, FB post May 18, 2013

Made it to the Botanical Gardens just in time… Though I missed the blooming of the Siberian Iris, apparently, (darn! My favorites!) the bearded ones were dew-covered and happy… And the peonies – oh!! – both the ladybugs and I were in “Piney” (what Mama calls peonies) Heaven!! In fact, I was on olfactory overload, between the iris, peonies, roses and honeysuckle.

Wonderful morning, and so blessed to have such a place within a 30 minute drive. I’m so grateful to the many volunteer gardeners who make Nathanael Greene/Close Memorial Parks and the Botanical Center a place of astounding beauty, education, and opportunities for families to further bond. I know I sound like an actress in a commercial, but ya– it’s THAT awesome!

Didn’t make it to the butterfly house, because A) I got a headache B) The place got too crowded for my comfort… Some kind of festival going on. I arrived at 7 a.m., and it was just me, the geese and purple martins, a dog-walking couple, and two zealous joggers. By 10 a.m. it was like Disney World….  Sydnee

Reply from George: Sydnee, thanks for the comments… so glad you enjoy the gardens, the event was Young Sprouts in the Garden. A huge success! The yellow, white and dark red peonies were especially beautiful Saturday morning! By the way, two groups of Girl Scouts were also in the park helping plant annuals. By 10:00 it was packed.