Saturday, March 22, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
March 2008 Garden Gazette
Greetings from the President
Congratulations to Georgia Dulmovits and Arlene Lamberti and all the members of the Luncheon Committee for another fantastic event. This year’s event was the largest yet with 160 attendees and over 80 baskets donated and raffled. I know how much work goes into this yearly event, and everyone involved is to be commended.
We have secured a new meeting place for the remainder of this year. The Hagerman Fire Department has generously donated their large meeting room for our meetings. The room is well apportioned and the kitchen has state of the art facilities. The fire department will take care of the set up and breakdown of the tables and chairs. All we have to do is our refreshment setup. The department also has automatic doors that will allow us to enter the facilities without having to wait to be “buzzed” in.
The Hagerman Fire Department is located on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale Avenue in East Patchogue. (Approximately 5 traffic lights past the intersection of South Country Road and Montauk Hwy)
Directions from the village: Go east on Montauk Hwy. to Dunton Ave., turn right, cross the railroad tracks, and make an immediate left. The fire house is on the right. Enter the first driveway, park in the rear of the building, and enter through the visitor’s entrance in the rear. The meeting room is on the right side of the hallway. I want to thank all those who assisted in locating a new meeting place. I hope we will soon have a permanent home at the Winona cottage. Members of the board will be
visiting the cottage this week; we’ll present information at Tuesday’s meeting.
Carol Tvelia
President
Patchogue Garden Club
-----------
Mark the Date
Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 7 PM, membership meeting; see above for details. Jo Miller will speak about our club history.
Saturday, April 26, 2008, 9 AM, opening of the community garden at South Ocean Ave. and Terry St. Workers needed! Bring gloves, tools and energy!
-----------
Plant of the Month: Daffodil (Narcissus)
The Daffodil is the birthday flower of March, the month of the spring equinox. One of the first visible signs of spring, the earliest ones are in bud now and will bloom soon. Vigorous and long-lived, they thrive in sunny, well-drained places and multiply with little care. There are many uses for Daffodils,
including bedding, cutting, naturalizing, forcing, and showing.
The Daffodil is believed to have been brought to Britain by the Romans, who mistakenly believed that its sap could heal wounds. In fact, daffodil sap contains sharp crystals that prevent animals from eating the flower. While it did little to heal the Romans' wounds, it succeeded in further irritating their
skin.
Today people associate the bright, yellow daffodil as a symbol of rebirth, a sign of the new beginnings that come with spring. Daffodils are said to bring good fortune to the person who avoids trampling on them. Lest they bring unhappy vanity to the bride, Daffodils should never be present at a wedding.
So why write about Daffodils when we won’t be planting them until fall? Because now is the time to plan and save money in the bargain.
Order The Works by July 1st and save 10%! The normal pricing is $77 for 100 bulbs. Bulbs are shipped at the correct time for planting in the fall.
White Flower Farm’s Daffodil mix for naturalizing, The Works, is made up of top-sized bulbs of no less than 30 varieties, never more than 5 of each, and is blended to provide the widest possible range of color, form, and blooming time. Included are classic Trumpets in shades of yellow, gold, cream, and
white; Large Cups and Small Cups in great variety with wide petals and ruffled cups; members of the delicate and graceful Poeticus class; some Splitcoronas; fragrant Jonquilla hybrids holding smaller flowers; and Tazetta hybrids bearing clusters of sweet flowers on each stalk. These are recently named varieties, with nary a seedling nor a second in the lot, and they will bloom like nothing you have seen before.
While the mixture changes from year to year to take advantage of the market, it always represents the best that this glorious genus has to offer. The large bulbs produce more flowers with fewer misses their first year, then go busily about self-propagating in a site they like, actually adding to the show in future years. All they require is reasonable drainage and at least 6 hours of sun a day in spring to settle in as cheerful and permanent neighbors. Save 10% if you order by July 1, 100 for $69; save even more by going in with other gardeners, 200 for $128 or 400 for $242.
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/984310-product.html
More good news: If five months of effortless, effusive bloom appeals to you, interplant early, mid- and late season Daylilies (Hemerocallis) among the Daffodils. The emerging foliage of the easy-care Daylilies will hide the withering Daffodil leaves.
Wait until you see the club’s emblematic Daffodil show in the community garden this spring!
---------
Serious (and Not So Serious) Dirt from Richard Waldman
Old Wives Tales and Garden Folklore
Do you find yourself repeating a saying only to find out that it is an 'Old Wives
Tale'? Add the following to your repertoire:
· To ensure you will have a good crop, wet a hanky with rain on Easter.
[Ed: Be sure to save some rain in case none falls on Easter.]
· Placing rusty nails or old irons around your plants will help them grow.
· If you put fertilizer on the ground during the light of the moon, it will not
decompose and will do no good.
· Before planting peas, line the trench with holly leaves to prevent mice.
· In the last century in England, a bunch of violets worn around the neck
or on the lapel protected against drunkenness. [Ed: Finally, a use for
those pesky violets!]
· Sage thrives in the garden of a woman who rules her household and her
husband firmly [Ed: I thought it just tastes good, such a silly woman!].
· Red and white flowers in the same vase are unlucky, blue and orange
flowers are welcome in homes and hospitals as these colors calm the
nerves.
· Don’t plant potatoes during the dark part of the moon. [Ed: Or?...]
· Plant your garden on Good Friday. Don’t plant your garden on Rotten
Saturday; the seeds will rot. [Ed: Oops, too late for this year].
· An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.
----------
Sit up and Take Notice! $1,000.00 Fine!
Think again before you apply lawn fertilizer anytime between November 1st and April 1st in Suffolk County. Effective next January, a new law will go into effect that will attempt to reduce the nitrogen from fertilizers leaching into the groundwater that ends up harming marine life through an increase in algae in streams, ponds and lakes. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County suggests that fertilizers be applied to lawns only after the first flush of spring growth in late May. Stores will post signs announcing the new law along with brochures on proper lawn management. Suffolk County currently requires licensed landscapers to take approved courses in turf management. Suffolk County itself will ban fertilizers on many county properties.
---------
Cornell Coop Extension will be holding a Spring Gardening Symposium April 5th, 8:30AM to 4PM at the western campus of Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. Lecturers from Planting Fields Arboretum and Bayport Flower Houses among others will discuss flowering trees, organic turf management, organic vegetable gardening, designing a portable garden in containers and the new up to date techniques and products to use in 'earth friendly' gardening. The $65 fee includes access to all lectures, breakfast & lunch and handouts. For more information, contact Cornell Coop Extension of Suffolk County at 727- 7850 x 337 or go on line: www.counties.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk .
---------
Special Message from the Luncheon Committee Co-chairmen
Arlene and I would like to thank each and every one of you for all the hard work you did to make the Garden Club “Think Spring” Luncheon a success. You all played your part, and the puzzle fit together on March 13. [Ed: Who says 13 is unlucky?] We are looking forward to working with all of you again. Our thanks!!! Arlene and Georgia
Committee members, in no particular order:
Jo Miller, Barbara Aragon, Janet and Jack Heyer, Ruth Szuminskyj, Carolyn Young, June Petrucelli, Karen Ferb, Ann Rubbo, Gladys Heimburger, Barbara Bestafka, Pauline Carleton, Millie Zimmerman, Paula Murphy, Violet Mulligan, Marita Morello, Carolyn Savastano, Kathy McMahon, Babette Bishop, Marie Magnano, Joan Delaney, Ellen Brandt, Mary Ann Tchinnis
Contributors: Rosalie Coleman, Diane and Bert Voland, Barbara Bruce, Judy Zuck, Susan Toplitz, Ellen Scammon, Fred and Bonnie Bossert, Joan Kattau, Carol Tvelia, Sue Scala, Guy Vitale, Joanna Drake, Ruth Shackelford, Donna Ferraiuolo, Sandra Franco, Margaret Atkinson, Frank and Peg Densing, Heather Georgiou And a huge thank you to Georgia and Arlene from the committee, the contributors, and the club for a great job!
----------
Here's a little "tidbit" you may not know about Easter
Easter is early this year. Easter is always the first Sunday after the 1st full moon after the spring equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that the Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. Here's the really interesting part. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population has ever seen it this early (95 years old or older!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Just the facts, Ma’am: The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22,will be in the Year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So no one alive today has or will ever
see it any earlier than this year. [Thank you to Carolyn Savastano for sending this in.]
----------
FYI: The roots of euphorbia are a deterrent to gophers and moles.
----------
To follow through on the advice of the “Think Spring” luncheon speaker, Patti Wood of Grassroots, read "1001 Ways to Save the Earth" (Chronicle, $10, by Joanna Yarrow), a compact guide that offers simple, fun ideas for conserving water, composting at work, cleaning without chemicals and finding Fair Trade goods at the supermarket. Joanna Yarrow is a United Kingdom-based expert on sustainable living and a frequent media commentator on environmental issues. Her book is available via ILL from the Patchogue-Medford Library. [Thanks to Mary Ann Tchinnis]
-----------
Timely Tips
Sow seeds of warm-season annuals indoors
Prune out winter damage
Remove winter mulch, lightly cultivate soil if thawed
Sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables
Divide and replant summer- and fall-blooming perennials
Plant bare-root and container roses; prune roses
Congratulations to Georgia Dulmovits and Arlene Lamberti and all the members of the Luncheon Committee for another fantastic event. This year’s event was the largest yet with 160 attendees and over 80 baskets donated and raffled. I know how much work goes into this yearly event, and everyone involved is to be commended.
We have secured a new meeting place for the remainder of this year. The Hagerman Fire Department has generously donated their large meeting room for our meetings. The room is well apportioned and the kitchen has state of the art facilities. The fire department will take care of the set up and breakdown of the tables and chairs. All we have to do is our refreshment setup. The department also has automatic doors that will allow us to enter the facilities without having to wait to be “buzzed” in.
The Hagerman Fire Department is located on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale Avenue in East Patchogue. (Approximately 5 traffic lights past the intersection of South Country Road and Montauk Hwy)
Directions from the village: Go east on Montauk Hwy. to Dunton Ave., turn right, cross the railroad tracks, and make an immediate left. The fire house is on the right. Enter the first driveway, park in the rear of the building, and enter through the visitor’s entrance in the rear. The meeting room is on the right side of the hallway. I want to thank all those who assisted in locating a new meeting place. I hope we will soon have a permanent home at the Winona cottage. Members of the board will be
visiting the cottage this week; we’ll present information at Tuesday’s meeting.
Carol Tvelia
President
Patchogue Garden Club
-----------
Mark the Date
Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 7 PM, membership meeting; see above for details. Jo Miller will speak about our club history.
Saturday, April 26, 2008, 9 AM, opening of the community garden at South Ocean Ave. and Terry St. Workers needed! Bring gloves, tools and energy!
-----------
Plant of the Month: Daffodil (Narcissus)
The Daffodil is the birthday flower of March, the month of the spring equinox. One of the first visible signs of spring, the earliest ones are in bud now and will bloom soon. Vigorous and long-lived, they thrive in sunny, well-drained places and multiply with little care. There are many uses for Daffodils,
including bedding, cutting, naturalizing, forcing, and showing.
The Daffodil is believed to have been brought to Britain by the Romans, who mistakenly believed that its sap could heal wounds. In fact, daffodil sap contains sharp crystals that prevent animals from eating the flower. While it did little to heal the Romans' wounds, it succeeded in further irritating their
skin.
Today people associate the bright, yellow daffodil as a symbol of rebirth, a sign of the new beginnings that come with spring. Daffodils are said to bring good fortune to the person who avoids trampling on them. Lest they bring unhappy vanity to the bride, Daffodils should never be present at a wedding.
So why write about Daffodils when we won’t be planting them until fall? Because now is the time to plan and save money in the bargain.
Order The Works by July 1st and save 10%! The normal pricing is $77 for 100 bulbs. Bulbs are shipped at the correct time for planting in the fall.
White Flower Farm’s Daffodil mix for naturalizing, The Works, is made up of top-sized bulbs of no less than 30 varieties, never more than 5 of each, and is blended to provide the widest possible range of color, form, and blooming time. Included are classic Trumpets in shades of yellow, gold, cream, and
white; Large Cups and Small Cups in great variety with wide petals and ruffled cups; members of the delicate and graceful Poeticus class; some Splitcoronas; fragrant Jonquilla hybrids holding smaller flowers; and Tazetta hybrids bearing clusters of sweet flowers on each stalk. These are recently named varieties, with nary a seedling nor a second in the lot, and they will bloom like nothing you have seen before.
While the mixture changes from year to year to take advantage of the market, it always represents the best that this glorious genus has to offer. The large bulbs produce more flowers with fewer misses their first year, then go busily about self-propagating in a site they like, actually adding to the show in future years. All they require is reasonable drainage and at least 6 hours of sun a day in spring to settle in as cheerful and permanent neighbors. Save 10% if you order by July 1, 100 for $69; save even more by going in with other gardeners, 200 for $128 or 400 for $242.
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/984310-product.html
More good news: If five months of effortless, effusive bloom appeals to you, interplant early, mid- and late season Daylilies (Hemerocallis) among the Daffodils. The emerging foliage of the easy-care Daylilies will hide the withering Daffodil leaves.
Wait until you see the club’s emblematic Daffodil show in the community garden this spring!
---------
Serious (and Not So Serious) Dirt from Richard Waldman
Old Wives Tales and Garden Folklore
Do you find yourself repeating a saying only to find out that it is an 'Old Wives
Tale'? Add the following to your repertoire:
· To ensure you will have a good crop, wet a hanky with rain on Easter.
[Ed: Be sure to save some rain in case none falls on Easter.]
· Placing rusty nails or old irons around your plants will help them grow.
· If you put fertilizer on the ground during the light of the moon, it will not
decompose and will do no good.
· Before planting peas, line the trench with holly leaves to prevent mice.
· In the last century in England, a bunch of violets worn around the neck
or on the lapel protected against drunkenness. [Ed: Finally, a use for
those pesky violets!]
· Sage thrives in the garden of a woman who rules her household and her
husband firmly [Ed: I thought it just tastes good, such a silly woman!].
· Red and white flowers in the same vase are unlucky, blue and orange
flowers are welcome in homes and hospitals as these colors calm the
nerves.
· Don’t plant potatoes during the dark part of the moon. [Ed: Or?...]
· Plant your garden on Good Friday. Don’t plant your garden on Rotten
Saturday; the seeds will rot. [Ed: Oops, too late for this year].
· An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.
----------
Sit up and Take Notice! $1,000.00 Fine!
Think again before you apply lawn fertilizer anytime between November 1st and April 1st in Suffolk County. Effective next January, a new law will go into effect that will attempt to reduce the nitrogen from fertilizers leaching into the groundwater that ends up harming marine life through an increase in algae in streams, ponds and lakes. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County suggests that fertilizers be applied to lawns only after the first flush of spring growth in late May. Stores will post signs announcing the new law along with brochures on proper lawn management. Suffolk County currently requires licensed landscapers to take approved courses in turf management. Suffolk County itself will ban fertilizers on many county properties.
---------
Cornell Coop Extension will be holding a Spring Gardening Symposium April 5th, 8:30AM to 4PM at the western campus of Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. Lecturers from Planting Fields Arboretum and Bayport Flower Houses among others will discuss flowering trees, organic turf management, organic vegetable gardening, designing a portable garden in containers and the new up to date techniques and products to use in 'earth friendly' gardening. The $65 fee includes access to all lectures, breakfast & lunch and handouts. For more information, contact Cornell Coop Extension of Suffolk County at 727- 7850 x 337 or go on line: www.counties.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk .
---------
Special Message from the Luncheon Committee Co-chairmen
Arlene and I would like to thank each and every one of you for all the hard work you did to make the Garden Club “Think Spring” Luncheon a success. You all played your part, and the puzzle fit together on March 13. [Ed: Who says 13 is unlucky?] We are looking forward to working with all of you again. Our thanks!!! Arlene and Georgia
Committee members, in no particular order:
Jo Miller, Barbara Aragon, Janet and Jack Heyer, Ruth Szuminskyj, Carolyn Young, June Petrucelli, Karen Ferb, Ann Rubbo, Gladys Heimburger, Barbara Bestafka, Pauline Carleton, Millie Zimmerman, Paula Murphy, Violet Mulligan, Marita Morello, Carolyn Savastano, Kathy McMahon, Babette Bishop, Marie Magnano, Joan Delaney, Ellen Brandt, Mary Ann Tchinnis
Contributors: Rosalie Coleman, Diane and Bert Voland, Barbara Bruce, Judy Zuck, Susan Toplitz, Ellen Scammon, Fred and Bonnie Bossert, Joan Kattau, Carol Tvelia, Sue Scala, Guy Vitale, Joanna Drake, Ruth Shackelford, Donna Ferraiuolo, Sandra Franco, Margaret Atkinson, Frank and Peg Densing, Heather Georgiou And a huge thank you to Georgia and Arlene from the committee, the contributors, and the club for a great job!
----------
Here's a little "tidbit" you may not know about Easter
Easter is early this year. Easter is always the first Sunday after the 1st full moon after the spring equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that the Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. Here's the really interesting part. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population has ever seen it this early (95 years old or older!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Just the facts, Ma’am: The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22,will be in the Year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So no one alive today has or will ever
see it any earlier than this year. [Thank you to Carolyn Savastano for sending this in.]
----------
FYI: The roots of euphorbia are a deterrent to gophers and moles.
----------
To follow through on the advice of the “Think Spring” luncheon speaker, Patti Wood of Grassroots, read "1001 Ways to Save the Earth" (Chronicle, $10, by Joanna Yarrow), a compact guide that offers simple, fun ideas for conserving water, composting at work, cleaning without chemicals and finding Fair Trade goods at the supermarket. Joanna Yarrow is a United Kingdom-based expert on sustainable living and a frequent media commentator on environmental issues. Her book is available via ILL from the Patchogue-Medford Library. [Thanks to Mary Ann Tchinnis]
-----------
Timely Tips
Sow seeds of warm-season annuals indoors
Prune out winter damage
Remove winter mulch, lightly cultivate soil if thawed
Sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables
Divide and replant summer- and fall-blooming perennials
Plant bare-root and container roses; prune roses
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