Greetings from the President
Thanks to all those members who volunteered to put down the mulch in the garden this week. Your work is definitely appreciated. I am slowly working my way through 20 yards of my own mulch which is currently sitting on my driveway. Mother Nature is certainly playing tricks on us this month, searing heat, torrential downpours, a possible tornado if you live in East Moriches, and now a week of spring weather.
Summer officially arrives on Saturday with the summer solstice. The sun moves higher in the sky and we will receive more direct sunlight until the vernal equinox on September 20. Remember to cut your grass higher in the summer to help it survive the heat and humidity, mulch your beds to keep down weeds and to keep flowers and vegetables moist and cool. One inch of water a week is all your lawn and beds
need. Longer watering a few times a week is better for root growth than short daily bursts. Use tuna cans scattered around the yard to have an easy way to check on weekly water totals for both beds and lawns. After all this rain, check around your yard for standing water in pots, wheelbarrows, and other items; don't provide mosquitoes with natural breeding grounds. See you at Sandra's house for the meeting.
Carol
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Mark the Date
Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 6 PM, in Sandra Franco's delightful garden, 42 Bailey Ave., Patchogue, 289-2084. Take S. Ocean Ave. south to Baker St., turn left. Baker becomes Edwards at Rider Ave., then turn right onto Bailey Ave. Sandra is on the right.
Saturday, July 12, 2008, our 8th annual Garden Tour. Flyer enclosed with this newsletter. If you want to help, call Paula Murphy at 289-0234.
Sunday, July 13, 2008, 6:00 PM, annual post-tour potluck at Paula Murphys, 25 Smith St., between Rider and Bay, Patchogue. Bring a chair, a dish to share and beverage of choice; the club provides grilled fish and meats.
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Plants of the Month: Fastigiate Trees
Most of us don’t have space for many, if any very large trees. The landscape solution for the height specimens we’d like to have is fastigiate, or columnar, trees. One of the most popular is the eastern red cedar, Juniperus virginiana ‘Taylor’, growing to 20’ tall, but only 3’ wide. Taxodium distichum ‘Peve Minaret’ is a new introduction, 12’ x 2.5. Dr. August Kehr of North Carolina has developed Magnolia x 'Daybreak', an advanced cross between M. x 'Woodsman' and M. x 'Tina Duoro'. It blooms late, has a large, 10" diameter, fragrant, rose-colored flower, and is 30’ x 10’ at maturity. Prunus x cerasifera
‘Crimson Point’ is notable for its purple foliage and orange-bronze new growth. Its snow white flowers are striking against bare dark branches. Never more that 10’ wide, it tops out at 25-30’ at maturity. Along with several crabapple and cherry, look for: Pinus mugo ‘Columnaris’, 15’ x 4’; Picea abies ‘Clanbrassiana Stricta’, 10’ x 2.5’; Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’, 10’ x 3’; Thuja occidentalis ‘Unicorn’, 10’ x 2.5’; and Crataegus monogyna ‘Stricta’, 25’ x 8’
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Recipe of the Month: Watermelon Summer Salsa
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime rind 1 cucumber, diced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice 2 jalapenos, seeded & minced
1 tablespoon sugar 1/4 cup chopped red onion
3/4 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 cup fresh basil or cilantro
3 cups seeded, finely chopped watermelon salt to taste
Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Add next 5 ingredients, tossing to coat. Chill until ready to serve. Stir in salt just before serving. Serve with tortilla chips. YUMMY!
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Serious Dirt from Paula and Karen (Richard will return)
Our recent horticulturally focused trip to London was smashing! We took in Kew Gardens; their Chinese landscape installation in the forecourt of the British Museum (and as long as we were there, we visited the museum as well); the Chelsea Physic Garden; the Museum of Garden History; Battersea Park; and, last but not least by a long shot, the famed Chelsea Flower Show.
The world famous Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, are absolutely stunning. The new alpine house and rock gardens are especially impressive. Take the tour at http://www.kew.org .
Visit the Chinese exhibit with the garden plan and slides of its creation at http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/all_current_exhibitions/china_landscape/kew_at_the_british_museum.aspx
The Physic Garden, founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries for training apothecaries, continues to research the properties, origins and conservation of over 5000 species. The beds are laid out geographically, and the plants are labeled with their scientific and common names as well as their uses. There are two order beds, one for monocots and one for dicots; these are laid out in taxonomic order to show relationships between the plants. http://www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk has a wealth of information.
The Museum of Garden History is located in a wonderful old deconsecrated church. Captain Bligh is buried in the courtyard, as are several members of the Tradescant (as in Tradescantia) family, renowned explorers and gardeners. A wonderful boxwood knot garden was nearly destroyed by a local fox (London is full of them). It seems that boxwood, while smelling noxiously of cat pee to humans, is ambrosia to amorous foxes. Finally the fox died, of natural causes, we were emphatically told, and the boxwood has nearly recovered. There is a great collection of old and unusual gardening paraphernalia, including a cucumber straightener and pony boots for use when mowers were drawn by real equine horsepower. See http://www.museumgardenhistory.org for more. Battersea Park contains a subtropical garden that was originally installed in 1863. During and after World War II, when many men were off to the military, much of the park, including the garden, became allotment gardens to help feed local people. Restoration began in 1992 and was completed in 2004. Read about the park’s fascinating history at http://www.batterseapark.org .
The Chelsea Flower Show is the ultimate event of the gardening year in the UK.
The garden installations and shops were located outdoors. There was a gigantic tent, the Great Pavilion, full of displays from the floral exhibitors. See http://www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea/2008/index.asp for the full monty. The BBC link only works in the UK, but do watch the video clips about the display gardens.
We also visited (and shopped and ate at) the fabulous Borough Market in Southwark, http://www.boroughmarket.org.uk Historically important, it was established on the south bank of the Thames when Romans built the first London Bridge it has been on the present site for 250 years.
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Members Page
New! Please Contribute Your Ideas, Suggestions, and Special Information. Name may be held by request.
FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING:
PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:
1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:
1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:
1. Lettuce be faithful
2 Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another
NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:
1 Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another
TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:
1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends
WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN
BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.
Thank you, Mary Ann, for these words to live by. I especially like turnips. –Ed.
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Timely Tips for July
Don’t remove clippings from mowing; they return nutrients to the soil and do not contribute to thatch buildup.
Keep a close eye on houseplants outdoors. They need more water now.
Deadhead, deadhead, deadhead!!! Weed, weed, weed!!!
Water lawns once a week, 1-1 ½”. Frequent watering makes for shallow roots more susceptible to drought.
Keep newly established plants watered in dry weather, but do not overwater.
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And what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days;
Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly her warm ear lays;
Whether we look, or whether we listen,
We hear life murmur, or see it glisten.
~~James Russell Lowell~~
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