New Board of Directors

Right to left: Diane Riviello-Voland, June Petruccelli, Babette Bishop, Carol Tvelia, Arlene Lamberti, and Carolyn Savastano

February Newsletter

Greetings from the President

Hello Members,

Welcome to February, and the snow is still on the ground from the Christmas blizzard. Yes, it has been melting. I am finally seeing a circle of water in my pond, and below the ice, the fish are swimming! I'm so excited that they made it through the arctic month we've had. It seems as if spring is really trying to shove her way into our world. Let's all have a moment of silence and prayer that it doesn't snow again before she gets here. I've started some spring bulbs and seedlings in the shed. I'm very bad at getting little tasks done in a timely fashion, and this became necessary because I neglected to get them in the ground last fall before it became frigid, and the ground was not a hospitable environment. I trust that most all of you are more timely gardeners than I, and you are just waiting for that first tiny crocus to rear its head. May it become warmer sooner than later. My bones are aching for some sunshine, without the six layers of wool and scarves to shield me from the cold. Hope to see you all at the next general meeting......maybe without the scarves and hats?? We can dream, can't we? Diane

Mark the Date

Tuesday, February 22, 2011—Monthly Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
American Legion Hall, corner of Baker Street and South Ocean Avenue,
Patchogue. Please use the Baker Street entrance and park in the Village
Hall lot on the side of the hall, or across the street in the Old Brookhaven
Town Hall lot.

Thursday, March 31, 2011—Eighth Annual “Think Spring” Luncheon at the
Mediterranean Manor, 303 East Main Street, Patchogue. Tickets are $35.
You can make a reservation with a check at the meeting. (All checks are
due by March 28th.)

The Luncheon Committee has been off and running since
late August, putting together a Vintage Hat Exhibit and small
scented straw hat magnets for each person attending. Our guest
speaker, Marianne Annunziato Fulfaro, will present us with her
Vintage Hat Collection, topic, "Hats Through the Ages." So, catch
our spirit and join us with a friend. We encourage you to come
and wear your favorite hat.

All promised baskets and donations for the Luncheon will gladly be accepted at the February meeting. As you know, we need time to wrap and record all baskets, donations and gift certificates, so please have them in no later than March 21st. If you are a member who is participating in the Club Vintage Hat Exhibit, please bring your hats and hat boxes to the Mediterranean Manor, Wednesday, March 30 at 10 a.m.
Hope to see you at the luncheon. Your support is always appreciated. Georgia

March Birthdays

Janet Heyer, Frank Lerantini, Don Rubbo

Quote submitted by Mary Ann Tchinnis:

"I have grown a vegetable garden my whole life--heck, that was the only way we'd all eat. I remember folks thought that was so country! Now it's in style."
~ Loretta Lynn

January Meeting in a Flash

The Calendar of Events was presented. New member, Mike Burns, was introduced. We discussed participation in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Suggestions included pulling a wagon instead of making a float. The president expressed her wish to reach
out to the community, not just the Patchogue Village. A club donation to Veterans Memorial Park was discussed and tabled for a future meeting. Anyone interested
in helping with cleaning up the Shore Front Park Garden should contact Diane.

Patchogue Garden Club Calendar of Events—2011

February 22—Monthly Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
American Legion Hall, corner of Baker Street and South Ocean Avenue, Patchogue.
March 22— Monthly Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
American Legion Hall
March 27—St. Patrick’s Day Parade
March 31—Spring Luncheon, 10:30 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
Mediterranean Manor, 303 E. Main Street, Patchogue
April 9—Opening of the Garden (Rain date, April 10)
April 26—Monthly Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
American Legion Hall
May 14—Plant and Yard Sale (Rain date, May 15)
May 24—Monthly Meeting, 7:00
American Legion Hall
June 11—Breakfast in the Garden, 9 a.m. (Rain date, June 12)
Bring a breakfast item for several people
June 28—Monthly Meeting
July 9th—Garden Tour
July 26—Monthly Meeting
August 23—Monthly Meeting
September 27—Monthly Meeting
October 25—Monthly Meeting
Harvest Dinner (still undecided)
November 12—Closing of the Garden (Rain date, Nov 13)
November 22—Monthly Meeting
Decoration of the gazebo—still under discussion
Holiday party—still under discussion

Hostesses for the March Meeting

Lynn Kane, Carol Tvelia, Arlene Lamberti

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS
Peace of mind
Peace of heart
Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH
Squash gossip
Squash indifference
Squash grumbling
Squash selfishness

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE
Lettuce be cheerful
Lettuce be kind
Lettuce be patient
Lettuce appreciate one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS
Turnip for meetings
Turnip for service
Turnip to help one another

MAINTENANCE REQUIRES THYME
Thyme for each other
Thyme for family
Thyme for friends
Water freely with patience and cultivate with love,
for there is much fruit in your garden.

Submitted by Arlene Lamberti

Guy Vitale sent this article:

Gardeners Can Help Safeguard Imperiled Plants

Plants are pulling a vanishing act, and gardeners may have to play a larger role on the world stage if vulnerable species are to be preserved and restored. Imperiled animals and birds generally get top billing, says James Wandersee, a botanist and educator at Louisiana State University, who calls the appreciation gap between flora and fauna "plant blindness." But many plants also are threatened by extinction, he says. Overlooking the value of plants is costing us a bundle - some $384 million a year for the genetic contributions that disappearing strains of wild native sun- flowers make to cultivated varieties alone, federal officials say. And that doesn't include plants' inestimable aesthetic appeal or medical uses. At least 25 percent of all prescription drugs contain ingredients derived from plant compounds, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.

Habitat loss due to urbanization, the introduction of invasive species and climate change are causing most of the plant declines, said Kathryn Kennedy, president and executive director of the Center for Plant Conservation in St. Louis. "Breaking up habitat so that it's fragmented causes pollination problems, less genetic diversity and forces changes in temperature regimes," Kennedy said. "Non-native plants become so numerous that they repress native plants and alter the landscape. Global warming speeds the process. "The present threat of extinction is 30 percent of our plants by 2070," she said. The situation isn't all gloom and doom, however. The Maguire Daisy, a perennial herb with dime-size pink or white blooms, was removed from the list of threatened and endangered species on Jan. 18. That came after a 25-year conservation effort. "The population of the daisy was known to number seven plants when it was listed as endangered in 1985 but now numbers 163,000 plants within 10 populations," the Fish and Wildlife Service said. It was the 21st species to be delisted due to
recovery. Individuals can make a difference.

Here's how:
- Leave rare plants alone when you come across them in the wild. Take pictures rather than specimens. "They have more to offer us for the future in the wild and can more effectively be conserved there than by `nurturing' them in a backyard," Kennedy said.

- "Plant your property for diversity," said Mincy Moffett, a botanist and plant ecologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. "Try to have a wide variety of plants that produce a wide variety of food for wildlife."

- Work with your neighbors. "Figure out what kind of habitat was in your area before the heavy hand of man," he said. "Plant the species that should be there."

- Get involved in conservation activities. "Build more knowledge about plants," Kennedy said. "Develop more skill sets which can be brought to bear in the workplace. That could mean anything from data entry to planting plants in the wild or teaching people how to grow and protect them.
"There's a lot of work to be done but there also are a lot of opportunities."

Online:
http://www.centerforplantconservation.org.
http://www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation

Bellport Garden Club asked us to list their activities for 2011:

TUESDAY, March 8th
Bellport Village Community Center
Bell Street, Bellport
PUBLIC MEETING - 7:00 p.m.
Green Lawns/Blue Bay Program
Panel Discussion on how to fertilize our lawns without chemicals.
Guest panel includes: Tom Williams, Beth Fiteni, Tamson Yeh and
Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz

TUESDAY, September 13th
SMALL STANDARD FLOWER SHOW
Open to the public, 1 p.m.
Saint James Episcopal Church Parish Hall
Bay Road, Brookhaven

SUNDAY, December 11th
CHRISTMAS HOUSE
Bellport Village Location TBA

Question and Answer:

In the Horticulture Magazine, Feb/Mar 2011, a reader asks, “I love flowering bulbs,
but I hate their ratty-looking foliage after they bloom. Is there anything I can to do make it look better?"

For an answer, Paula Murphy directs us to this site:
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/combos/

Go to the site to see the MANY suggested combinations. Here are just a few:
Narcissus “February Gold” with Potentilla “Miss Wilmot”
Tulip “Don Quichotte” with Geranium pratense “Splish Splash”
Hyacinth “Jan Bos” with Penstemon “Husker Red”


Timely Tips for March

• Now is a good time to air-layer such houseplants as dracaena, dieffenbachia,
fatsia, and rubber plant, especially if they have grown too tall
and leggy.
• Gradually uncover, prune, and feed established roses.
• Now that the soil has started to warm up, begin moving or transplanting
trees and shrubs. Do not fertilize at planting.
• Apply fertilizer and lime (if not done last fall) to the vegetable garden
and incorporate.
• Sow radish and lettuce seed outdoors as soon as the ground can
be worked.
• Apply horticultural oil sprays to trees and shrubs any time after the
danger of freezing nights has passed, but before the buds begin to open.

Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint and the soil and sky as canvas. ~ Elizabeth Murray