Hello Members,
Can you believe it's April already? Where do the days go? I think we can safely say that it IS spring at last! The cardinals are back; the fish are swimming; and I witnessed a great white egret in my back yard, staring at my tiny fish yesterday. The fish may be tiny, but the egret was soooo majestic! What a breathtaking sight! A portion of my fence on the easterly side of my yard didn't fare very well through this past winter. It was, however,15 or more years old, and just fell apart under the cold snow that I thought we would still be looking at in May. New cedar sections six feet tall have been constructed by the husband and erected today by one in the same and my #1 and only son. Thank goodness all the snow is gone, and the daffodils, crocuses and dwarf purple iris are blooming, along with a multitude of other trees and plants. Aaahhhhhhh............the air is warmer, the sky is fairer, and the winter coats have been put away. Hope to see you all at this month’s meeting. Diane
Mark the Date
April 26—Monthly Meeting, 7:00 PM, American Legion Hall
May 14—Plant and Yard Sale (Rain date, May 15)
May 24—Monthly Meeting, 7:00 PM, location TBD
June 11—Breakfast in the Garden, 9 PM (Rain date, June 12) Please
bring a breakfast item for several people to share.
June 28—Monthly Meeting, 6:00 PM, location TBD
It might interest you to see where our Web site has been
read. Out of 2,441 page views: United States 1,307; Latvia 47; Germany 299; United Kingdom 46; Russia 132; China 28; Netherlands 89; France 27; Slovenia 85; Italy 26
April Hostesses: Joanna Drake and Diane Voland
April/May Happy Birthdays
April: Paula Murphy, Mark Jeffers, Carolyn Young
May: Carla Buchanan-Steward
BIG Luncheon Thank Yous!
On behalf of my co-chair, Arlene Lamberti,
many thanks to the Luncheon Committee 2011
for helping make this a very successful year.
Georgia
Margaret Atkinson
Barbara Bestafka
Babette Bishop
Pauline Carleton
Karen Ferb
Gladys Heinburger
Janet Heyer
Marie Magnano
Jo Miller
Marita Morello
June Petruccelli
Anne Rubbo
Carolyn Savastano
Carla Steward
Ruth Szuminskyj
Joan Tifford
Carolyn Young
Millie Zimmerman
Barbara Edsall
Co-Chairs—Arlene Lamberti and Georgia Dulmovits
Also a big thanks to Tom Savastano, Tony
Wenderoth , John Dulmovits, Bert Voland, Art
Coleman, Don Rubbo, Frank Densing
Those Who Made Donations to the 2011 Luncheon
Bert Voland
Diane Voland
Artie Coleman
Rosalie Coleman
Barbara Bruce
Janet Heyer
June Petruccelli
Joan Tifford
Marita Morello
Carolyn Young
Carolyn Savastano
Carla Buchanan
Anne Rubbo
Barbara Deal
Frank and Margaret Densing
Jo Miller
Karen Ferb
Mildred Zimmerman
Margaret Atkinson
Fred and Bonnie Bossert
Babette Bishop
Paula Murphy
Joanna Drake
Pauline Carleton
Barbara Bestafka
Gladys Heimburger
Ruth Szuminskyji
Anne Marie Coakley
Carol Tvelia
Richard Waldman
This year we have 18 members who
volunteered to work in the Garden:
Margaret Atkinson, Babette Bishop, Angelo
and June Petruccelli, Mike Burns, Michael
Mearkle, Arlene Lamberti, Carol Tvelia,
Loretta Filippelli-Kirby, Barbara Edsall,
Karen Ferb, Bonnie and Fred Bossert, Jo
Miller, Frank and Peg Densing, Joanna
Drake, and Lynn Kane
When I go into the garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel
such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been
defrauding myself all this time in letting others do for me what I
should have done with my own hands. -Ralph Waldo Emerson,
writer and philosopher (1803-1882) Submitted by Karen Ferb
March Meeting in a Flash
• Georgia said this is the best year for luncheon attendance so
far with 181 reservations.
• Opening of the garden will take place on April 9th. With the
completion of Art Space, there is now a handicap accessible
path in the back parking area. The parking spaces along the
garden are reserved for Garden Club members.
• More walkers are needed for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
• We discussed purchasing a projection screen for use at the
American Legion Hall. This is tabled for the time being.
• We discussed ways to increase our community outreach as a
club. One was to advertise our website with a question/
answer column for the public. The second was a study day or
workshop with speakers from within the club. This wouldn’t
be a money-maker, but it would be a free educational opportunity
for the public.
In Bloom Free Exhibit—April 6 through May 29
Islip Art Museum, 50 Irish Lane East Islip, NY 11730
Curated by Karen Shaw, this exhibit features imaginary
and real flowers and plants as envisioned by contemporary
artists. Show includes a garden tour and related lectures.
“Orchids in Bloom”—Tea, Talk, and Exhibit, $10.00
Special tea with talk by Bill Bianchi, Long Island orchid grower
May 5 from 1-3 p.m.
Islip Art Museum, 50 Irish Lane, East Islip
There will be orchids for sale.
Karen Ferb says that the woman who puts on the teas and
talks is Kathy Curran, formerly a curator at the Suffolk
County Historic Museum in Riverhead. Karen and several
other club members have gone to many of her teas and
have always had a nice time.
Carolyn Young
—is moving her daylily garden and selling all but 6-10 fans from 200-250 of her plants. Most will be $5.00. Size of division will vary. Most will be
dug when you come, so call her for a date and time at (631)345-6194. Earlier dates give you better selection and better chance of bloom this year.
Carolyn asks, “If you leave a number, say it slowly and clearly, so I can
call you back. I'll gladly reuse extra large shallow plastic pots.”
Earth Day serves as a reminder to show our care and appreciation for the planet's natural environment. It was founded by United States Senator Gaylord Nelson, and first held on April 22, 1970. To commemorate what in 2009 the United Nations designated International Mother Earth Day, here are some local events in need of volunteers to help better our surroundings and nurture the Earth. The Great Brookhaven Plant-In will be held at Shorefront Park in Patchogue on Saturday, June 4 at noon. The deck booth, pool, bandshell, bridges and playground will be beautified, and lots of fun is sure to be had by all. Join the Great South Bay Audubon Society for their Annual Spring Brookside CountyPark Cleanup on Sunday, May 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Brookside County Park located at 59
Brook Street in Sayville (rain date Sunday, May 29). A hearty and delicious continental breakfastwill be provided to jumpstart volunteers' energy.
Feel free to stay for an hour, or the entire day. Any amount of time will be appreciated,and everyone is welcome. This is a great opportunity for students to log in community servicehours. Please bring work gloves and gardening tools (rakes, clippers, etc.) if possible. For more information please contact Brookside director, Kathy Kozakiewicz at raykozak@rcn.com or call 631-567-2637.
Paula reminds us that we are Chamber members! Please try to attend.
Greater Patchogue Foundation
37th Annual Beautification Fundraiser
April 27, 2011, Pine Grove Inn, Lunch and dinner seatings
Call 207-1000 for more information.
Free Dahlia Workshop
Learn how to grow dahlias
May 15th, noon to 4 p.m., Islip Art Museum, 50 Irish Lane, East Islip, NY
For more info 224-5420 or visit islipartscouncil.org
What’s in the News?
1. Richard Waldman calls our attention to the following NPR
report about the history of the cherry blossoms in Washington D.C.
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/27/134882943/how-d-c-s-cherry-blossomsalmost-didnt-bloom
“The first group of trees arrived in Washington early in 1910.
They were inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and
found to be infested with “several kinds of pests, big bugs, little bugs,
and fungi, some of them unknown to this country and therefore extremely
dangerous.”
Japan sent 3,020 replacement trees, and… over the next few
years, more than 3,000 trees of 12 different varieties were added
along the Tidal Basin, around East Potomac Park, and on the
grounds of the White House.
As the second batch of trees traveled to D.C. from Seattle via
insulated freight cars, The Christian Science Monitor waxed poetic:
‘In the April sunshine, better still by moonlight, and best of all by the poet’s pale, pure light of dawn—the blooming cherry tree is the most ideally,
wonderfully beautiful tree that nature has to show, and its short-lived glory makes the enjoyment the keener and more poignant.’”
2. National Geographic questions why civilization veered toward
using annual grains, and suggests perennials might be the better
choice because of their longer root systems. Read about it here:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/big-idea/perennial-grains-text
3. Here’s an article, “Garden As If Your Life Depended On It,
Because It Does.” “There are at least five reasons why more of us
should take up the spade, make some compost, and start gardening
with a vengeance.”
http://www.alternet.org/story/150428/garden_as_if_your_life_depended_on_it %2C_because_it_does?akid=6755.114783.ECA3xJ&rd=1&t=5
5. Some beautiful photographs Paula found of the Netherlands in May
“At first glance, it looks like a giant child armed with a box of crayons has been set loose upon the landscape. Vivid stripes of [colors] make up a glorious patchwork. Yet far from being a child’s sketchbook, this is,
in fact, the northern Netherlands in the middle of tulip season.”
To see these beautiful photos and learn more about tulip season in the Netherlands,go here:http://cafezambeze3.multiply.com/photos/album/77#
6. Go to this CBS News site to read this
story on Brussels’ begonia carpet:
http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-501843_162-
4353128.html?tag=page
Get to Know A Fellow Gardener—Joanna Drake
Where were you born, and where have you lived?
Da Bronx. We moved out to Smithtown when I was two. It was the first
good night’s sleep I’d seen since I was in the womb!
Tell us about your family?
My husband, Russ, is the most patient man in the world—and I try his patience a lot! My 15-year-old Yogi is the bestest dog in the world! (Arf!)
What gave you your first interest in gardening?
I love to work with my hands and get into the dirt—it’s another creative
outlet.
Outside of gardening, what are some of your interests?
I enjoy playing guitar and piano, but mostly I love to sing. I’ve been with
BAFFA, a local amateur classical group, since 2001, but tunes from the 40s
through the 70s are fun to sing. I enjoy hosting music parties ‘cause lots of
my friends love to sing! I love to laugh. I’ve been collecting Comic Strips since the early 70s, and I am forever cutting out comics from the newspaper. My favorites include the extinct Calvin and Hobbes, The Far Side, and, more recently, Rhymes with Orange, Stone Soup, and, of course, Pickles! The best ones make me laughso hard I can’t breathe, and tears come to my eyes I’m laughing so hard. (Ha, ha, ho, chuckle..snort)
A television show you like?
Medical dramas! Grey’s Anatomy, Off the Map, House...Why? The drama,
the passion, and the unbelievable situations!
A book you’d recommend?
“Loves to Read” should be my moniker. Of the most recent books, "Eat,
Pray, Love"; "The Last Lecture"; "Greatest Generation"; and "The Bible"..always.
Your favorite dessert or food?
Anything chocolate :) mmmmm...good!
Something you keep postponing?
Organizing my photos—oh, there are just too many! I have dozens of full
albums that need “weeding,” and blank albums that need filing. I have finally learned how to download the digital photos to the computer, but I have yet to understand how to find them easily. (Is there a Bermuda Triangle forphotos?)
Anything else you’d like us to know about you?
My faith in God is very close to my heart. The Bible, the book of Truth, has
timeless wisdom. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. You
are the branches. If a man remains in me, he will bear much fruit. This is my command—to love one another.” John 15: 1-17
Below, Joanna picking her summer strawberries:
Information from Karen Ferb
Grow Weeds on Purpose? Are You for Real?
Lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album), aka wild spinach,
has nourished many cultures over the centuries and is
richer in protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and C, and some
B vitamins than spinach or cabbage. Its seeds are higher in
protein than wheat and produce a buckwheat-like flour.
Grown in good soil and pinched to promote branching, it
produces young leaves all season. These can be eaten raw
or cooked like spinach. Dandelion, purslane, chickweed,
chicory, plantain, burdock, wild onion, and stinging nettle,
are all wild foods with excellent culinary and health benefits.
Who knew Japanese knotweed was edible? It is said that it
tastes similar to rhubarb, only better, and heaven knows
Long Island is infested with enough of this invasive alien to
keep us all in pie for years to come. Seeds of select weed varieties are becoming available in catalogs. Also check out John Kallas’ Wild Food Adventures
at http://www.wildfoodadventures.com/johnkallas.html
and New York’s own Wildman, Steve Brill, at http://
www.wildmanstevebrill.com/ for ideas on wild foraging.
Timely Tips for May
• Prepare the soil in the vegetable garden and annual beds
• Sow seeds of garden peas, sweet peas and radishes.
• Fertilize fruit trees
• Examine houseplants-trim to reshape and repot as necessary.
• Prune early-flowering shrubs immediately after flowering.
• Control lawn weeds now through late May before temperatures get
too high.
• Continue planting herbaceous perennials until May and divide established
ones before growth is too far advanced
• Sow hardy annual seeds outdoors—cornflowers, larkspur, annual
poppies, etc.
• Plant new roses. Remove what is remaining of earth mounds and
prune established roses.
"A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit." --Greek proverb
