The Christmas House Tour is on!

Tickets will be available in November from Country Junque, Remember Yesteryears, and the Patchogue Chamber of Commerce.  For more info, call Mary Ann at 289-8122 or Karen at 758-2671.  Please, no children under 12 and no refunds.

This year's tour includes five homes and  a residential tour of Artspace and its holiday gift sale.

About Artspace

Artspace is America’s leader in arts-driven community transformation.  With headquarters in Minneapolis and offices in Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Washington DC, Artspace runs a network of 33 affordable arts facilities in 13 states.  Representing a $500 million investment in America's arts infrastructure, our facilities provide more than 1,100 affordable live/work units for artists and their families as well as a million square feet of non-residential space for artists, arts organizations, and creative enterprises.

Established in 1979 to serve as an advocate for artists’ space needs, Artspace effectively fulfilled that mission for nearly a decade. By the late 1980s, however, it was clear that the problem required a more proactive approach, and Artspace made the leap from advocate to developer. Since then, the scope of Artspace's activities has grown dramatically. Artspace is now a national leader in the field of developing affordable space that meets the needs of artists through the adaptive reuse of historic buildings and new construction.  For more information about Artspace and its projects, visit http://www.artspace.org/.

The Village of Patchogue began a renaissance in the 1990s when artists and creative businesses leased many of the vacant Main Street storefronts and the beautiful Patchogue Theatre for the Performing Arts was renovated. Housing for artists was a missing piece of this renaissance, so in 2006 Patchogue engaged Artspace to conduct development work that led to the Artspace Patchogue Lofts, a new mixed-use project in the heart of downtown.

Completed in 2011, Artspace Patchogue Lofts includes 45 units of affordable live/work housing for artists and their families plus nearly 2,500 square feet of space on the street level currently leased to two nonprofit arts organizations, the Patchogue Arts Council and the Plaza Cinema and Media Arts Center.

Civic leaders view Terry Street as a bridge between the commercial district along Main Street and the growing community of market-rate and affordable multi-family housing nearby. For Patchogue, the Artspace project represents both economic development and the opportunity to strengthen a growing arts community.

  

Thanks to a MetLife Foundation grant, Artspace was able to add solar panels to the building’s roof. Over time, these panels should significantly lower the project’s operating costs.

Patchogue Artspace Lofts and Gallery, Patchogue Arts Council Gallery, and Plaza Cinema and Media Arts Center at 20 Terry Street, Patchogue

Proceeds benefit Patchogue Village Beautification.

Patchogue Garden Club Presents

" Homes For The Holidays"

Sunday, December 8, 2013 1:00 PM - 5: PM

 

Tickets available early November  through December 8, 2013 at

Country Junque, Remember Yesteryear,

And The Patchogue Chamber of Commerce

$20 per person

Flyers are available now...Call Karen at 758-2671

This is a self-guided tour of various private gardens around Patchogue.  Saturday, July 6, 2013.  Gardens open at 10 AM and close at 3 PM.  Tickets are $20 per person on the day of the tour or $15 pre-sale.  Pre-sale tickets are available now at Fantastic Gardens, Avery Avenue, Patchogue and next week at the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce at 15 North Ocean Avenue, Patchogue.  Tickets may also be purchased  from any member of the Patchogue Garden Club, by calling Paula at 631.553-2928, or by sending a check, payable to the Patchogue Garden Club, to PO Box 3030, Patchogue NY 11772.  On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased at the Community Garden, corner of Terry Street and South Ocean Avenue, Patchogue.  Your ticket includes a map of the gardens.

While you are on our Web site blog, check our photos of past garden tours.

13th Annual Garden Tour Flyer

March Garden Gazette

All the dirt you need to know...and a lot more!

FROM THE PRESIDENT

Greetings fellow gardeners,

Well, Spring is upon us, finally. The squirrels are more playful, and the birds are singing to attract a mate – love is in the air!

As we are all busy spring cleaning inside and out, please remember that we open the garden on Saturday, April 6th at 9 a.m. (Rain date is Sunday, April 7th.)  If you can’t make it, we encourage you to come down when you have some time

to spare and do a little pick up and weeding. Angelo and I will be there in spirit as we are driving to Florida to spend Easter with the kids and grandkids. Mark has graciously volunteered to bring the coffee and bagels for the club, and Carol will
provide the tables. Thank you Mark & Carol.

A friendly reminder that dues are due by March 31st. Anyone paying after then will not be listed in the membership directory. The directory will be handed out at the April membership meeting.

If you have not purchased your tickets for our “Think Spring Luncheon” please do so by April 8th. Georgia and Karen will be working on the seating. Georgia, Arlene and their committee have been busy as bees with the preparations to make the luncheon the great success that it always is. Also, you won’t want to miss the patriotic performance by Mark Jeffers accompanied by Christine Atkinson on keyboard. Let’s all wear red, white and blue as we “Salute America”.

Our next membership meeting is Tuesday, March 26, 7 p.m. at the American Legion in Patchogue.

I look forward to seeing you all then.

Happy Spring!  June

 

MARK THE DATE

March 26, 2013: General Meeting, American Legion Hall, 7:00 PM.

April 6, 2913: Opening of the Garden, 9 AM

April 18, 2013: Think Spring Luncheon, Mediterranean Manor

March Birthdays

Linda Perniciaro—1

Don Rubbo—5

Frank Levantini—6

Janet Heyer—21

April Birthdays:

Paula Murphy—25

May your troubles be less—

Your blessings be more,

And nothing but happiness

Come through your door.

                                      ~Contributed by Ronnie Manfredi

 

COOPERATIVE EXTENSION CLASSES

The 31st Annual Spring Gardening School of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County will be held at The Academy of St. Joseph in Brentwood on April 6th, 2013, and at Riverhead Middle School on April 13th, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This day includes your choice of classes from four different sessions, with information for every level of gardener from beginner to advanced. Topics include:

· Pruning

· Soil Improvement

· Orchids, hydrangeas, azaleas, bulbs

· Shade Gardening

· Organic Vegetable Gardening

· Turf Management and Ground Covers

· And many more!

All classes are taught by Master Gardeners and Extension Educators. Included in your fee are free soil pH testing, plant diagnostic clinic, plant sale from some of the finest nurseries, continental breakfast, delicious boxed lunch, and door prizes. The fee is $60 per person.

The registration form with a full schedule of classes and their descriptions is available for download at www.ccesuffolk.org or contact Caroline Kiang at 631-727-7850, ext. 337.

                                                        ~Betty Baran

WHAT’S IN THE NEWS?

Spring Ephemerals— “These plants are fleeting. But the beauty of these mysterious beauties is that, unlike bulb plants such as daffodils and perennials such as hellebores, they don’t leave behind any unsightly foliage. They poke out of the ground, grow quickly, bloom and go dormant over the

course of just six to eight weeks, after which they disappear entirely, retreating under the soil so you can use that precious real estate for annuals or strategically planted later-season perennials such as hostas or ferns.” Samples of Spring Ephemerals line the side of these news articles.

http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/columnists/jessica-damiano/gardendetective-spring-ephemerals-1.4769096

 

Fringed Bleeding Heart  Dicentra eximia

Foamflower Tiarella cordifolia

Azure Bluet Houstonia caerulea

Bloodroot Sanguinaria Canadensis

Fairy Spud Claytonia Virginica

Winter Aconite Eranthis hyemalis

Calypso orchid Calypso bulbosa

Virginia Bluebells Mertensia Virginica

Rue Anemone Thalictrum thalictroides

Trout Lily Erythronium Americanum

Squirrel Corn Dicentra Canadensis

Twinleaf Jeffersonia diphylla

Marsh Marigold Caltha palustria

Dutchmen’s Breeches Dicentra cucullaria

Great White Trillium Trillium grandiflorum

Bleeding Heart Dicentra spectabilis

Here are some interesting articles sent in by Richard Waldman—

1. For Winter’s Gloom—a Healing Dose of Light in a Garden. “People come see me with marital problems, office problems—they don’t realize they have it,” said Ms. Spevack (speaking of seasonal affective disorder) who said she

believed that exercise and exposure to natural sunlight, even if it is cold, are good ways to ward off feelings of gloom. You can read more of this article here:  http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/21/forwinters-gloom-a-healing-dose-of-light-in-agarden/?ref=nyregion

Bees use an electrical “sixth sense” to help them find the nectar...Read about it here:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/22/flower_electric_signal_bees/

And here’s an article about bees and caffeine:

Bees’ Needs: Caffeine to Improve Memory—”A cup of coffee

doesn't just provide a jolt for people

in the morning. Bees may crave a buzz too. Scientists have

found that some plants, like the coffee plant (Coffea), use caffeine to manipulate the memory of bees. The nectar in their flowers holds low levels of caffeine that pollinators

find highly rewarding. Read full article

 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/

news/2013/03/130308-bees-caffeine-animalbehavior-science/

 

Here’s another article that encourages home owners to plant native plants in their gardens—for bees.

 

Native-pollinators_boost_crop_yields_worldwide

 

Extra Heat is turning Northern Latitudes Green “Scientists at NASA and the international team of university have found that extra heat on Earth is causing vegetation growth at Earth's northern latitudes and is turning them green. The research is based on a 30-year record of land surface data sets from satellites.

 

The team of scientist assessed relationship between changes in surface temperature and vegetation growth

from 45 degrees north latitude to the

Arctic Ocean.

 

The study was reported in the

journal Nature Climate Change. It asserted that northern latitudes have been undergoing a significant reduction

in temperature and vegetation seasonality. It is leading to increase in total amount of heat available in these areas of the planet.”

 

http://frenchtribune.com/teneur/1316622-extra-heat-turning-northern-latitudes-greenstudy

Jane Goodall Reveals Her Lifelong Fascination with...Plants? After studying chimpanzees for decades, the celebrated scientist turns her penetrating gaze on another life-form.

“Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we had eyes that could see underground? So that we could observe everything down there in the same way we can look up through the skies to the stars. When I look at a giant tree, I marvel at the gnarled

 

trunk, the spreading branches, the

multitude of leaves. Yet that’s only half of the tree’s being—the rest is far, far down, penetrating deep beneath the ground.” What an interesting article Jane Goodall has written. You can read more of it here:

 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/sciencenature/Jane-Goodall-Reveals-Her-Lifelong-Fascination-With-Plants-192136911.html

 

Pruning Trees and Shrubs

“It’s important to prune your trees, shrubs, and woody plants

while they are dormant and you can see what you are doing. Wait until they leaf out, and your view of the branches will be obstructed. Worse, pruning during the growing phase will stress plants, because energy that should be used for growing and forming leaves and flowers will be halfheartedly

redirected to healing. You might sacrifice vigor and blooms for the season, and the plants might not heal properly. So bundle up, grab your pruners and saws, and head out now. For lilacs and other spring bloomers, wait until after flowers

fall so as not to remove buds and spoil the season’s show. Forsythia should be pruned every year right after flowering.

Spirea and weigela should be pruned every two to three years. Clethra and cotoneasters should seldom be pruned. Butterfly bush (Buddleia) should never be pruned in the fall. Cut it all the way to the ground every year in the spring. Don’t worry; it’ll grow back quickly. Deadhead rhododendrons and mountain laurels only if they aren’t full enough, and do it immediately after flowering. Waiting even a week will defeat the purpose, and the plants will remain leggy.

Hydrangeas are in a class all of their own. To read more details, go to this site:

http://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/columnists/jessica-damiano/gardendetective-pruning-trees-and-shrubs-1.4717386

Richard Waldman says, “ I really wish each shrub would have dotted lines on them as to where to prune—boy, that sure would help!“

6. Anyone planning a trip to Dubai?

http://www.today.com/travel/giant-miracle-garden-dubais-latest-over-topattraction-1C8616900#giant-miracle-garden-dubais-latest-over-topattraction-1C8616900

7. Richard says, “This sort of has something to do with gardening. I’m sure quite a few garden club members

have bought and used Milorganite or possibly have seen it
at the garden centers and Home Depot, etc.”

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_efficient_planet/2013/03/recycled_sewage_biosolids_dillo_dirt_

and_compost_from_human_waste.html

A few years ago, I was with Habitat for Humanity building houses in Nepal. They were hooking up the toilets to use the wastes for fuel for the homes. This isn’t that

much different, I guess. mma

Edible Mulch

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2013/03/edible_mulch_throwing_seeds_at_the_garden

is_the_ultimate_low_effort_high.html

 

Richard wonders—”I drove by a park in Dix Hills a few weeks ago that is a holding station for trees that were taken down by the hurricane. I wondered what would be done with all of that and now I question why Newsday hasn't covered this problem.”

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/08/too-much-mulchafter-sandy/1974585/

By age 14, Emily Dickinson had assembled a prodigious herbarium, a well-labeled collection of pressed flowers and plants. At the time, this was a voguish hobby. ‘Most all the girls are making one,’ she wrote in a letter to a friend in 1845.” Read more about this here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/science/recent-developments-in-health-andscience-news.html?ref=science&_r=1&

East Steps to Orchid Growing Success:

http://www.scotts.com/smg/goart2/easy-steps-to-orchid-growingsuccess/19600066/1700014/21300005/7800023? campaign=&et_cid=20984033&et_rid=84114255&et_aid=4848532

Fifteen Months of a Forest’s Life Shown in a 3-Minute

Time-lapse:

http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/15-months-forests-life-shown-3-minute-time-lapse.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remember!

Our Think Spring Luncheon Salute America

Mediterranean Manor, April 18, 2013

Doors open at 10:15 a.m. The cutoff date for reservations is April 8th. You can mail reservations to: Patchogue Garden Club, c/o Karen Ferb, 270 West Ave., Patchogue, NY 11772

Or/ bring them to the March 26th General Meeting. Don’t forget to wear something red, white, and blue. Our Luncheon Committee thanks you all for your continued support, and we hope to see you at the luncheon.  Georgia

 

 

Garden Club Garage Sale

We need someone to organize a garage sale as a fundraiser for the Garden Club. The sale date would be set for sometime after Mother’s Day—perhaps the weekend after.

If you’d be interested in planning for this or helping with a sale, please let June Petruccelli know. Time is running out.  730-1091

Get to Know A Fellow Gardener—Carol Tvelia

Where were you born, and where have you lived?

Born Queens, NY, grew up in Mineola, Nassau Cty. Lived in

Ronkonkoma when I was first married, then Coram, and now East Patchogue.

 

Tell us about your family?

I have two children, a girl, Tracy, and a boy, Ricky, and five grandchildren: Ryan 11, Emma 9, Michael & Mackenzie 9 (twins),

Jason soon to be 11.

What gave you your first interest in gardening?

In the 1970’s when Earth Day was first announced and going green was all the rage. Living in two houses that needed landscaping work from scratch. I am self-taught through books and gardening magazines. I am currently enrolled in the Master Gardener program, graduating in May.

Outside of gardening, what are some of your interests?

Traveling, I treated myself to a retirement river cruise in September to Switzerland and then traveled the Rhine and Mosel from south to north stopping in France, Germany, Luxembourg, Netherlands, and Belgium, then spent three days in Bruges, Belgium before flying home. In addition, I am enjoying being able to read to my heart’s content since retirement, visiting places such as Longwood Gardens, Newport, and the Philadelphia flower show. I also enjoy decorating, both inside and out, going to museums and galleries and dining out, cooking for guests.

A television show you like?

There are many, but current favorites include Downton Abbey,

and any “mystery/crime” drama.

An accomplishment you are proud of?

My professional life in education as a teacher, principal, and

science mentor

An interesting place you’ve traveled to or visited?

The river Rhine and years ago the Soviet Union, four weeks before the fall of Communism.

A talent you have we may not know about?

I am a competent seamstress, at one time I made the majority

of my clothes and my children’s, I drove a school bus (60

passenger size, standard shift) for the Smithtown SD in the

early 70’s.

A favorite internet site? Not a big internet surfer.

Your favorite dessert or food?

Anything with macaroni, as we called pasta, when I was

growing up. As for dessert, anything with ice cream.

A book you’d recommend?

I am currently exploring books on the history of the Civil

War, being inspired by the movie Lincoln. Team of Rivals,

The Assassin’s Apprentice, and Mary Lincoln and Mrs.

Keckly are recent reads.

Favorite sport (to play/to watch)?

Not a sports fan at all, can tolerate watching hockey.

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Pay off my mortgage, buy a Corvette, and continue to travel

Something you keep postponing?

Cleaning out the basement and attic

An interesting job you’ve had?

I spent 37 years in education where every day was a new adventure

and never routine.

 

 

 

 

Ten Things You Can Do for Birds

Susan J. Tweit, Audubon

1. Make your yard a bird oasis. Start by providing the five basics: clean water, plants with flowers for nectar and insects (songbirds

feed insects to their young), fruit-bearing plants to provide fuel for migration and winter, layers of plants for cover and thermal protection, and nesting habitat and materials. Native plants are key

2. Become a scientist. Everyday bird observations provide crucial data for scientists studying the big and small questions about bird lives. Join the Great Backyard Bird Count.

3. Create communities. Share your passion for birds with family and friends and expand your patch of bird habitat into a larger urban oasis by working with neighbors and managers of nearby parks, golf courses, and farms.

4. Forgo pesticides. One particular lawn-care pesticide, diazinon, has been implicated in more than 150 mass bird die-offs. At the same time, U.S. researchers estimate that agricultural use kills 57 million birds each year.

5. Shop for the birds. Buy grassland-bird-friendly hamburgers. Conventionally produced beef comes from animals fed corn and soybeans, crops grown on what used to be the great American prairie. Buying grass-fed meat supports grassland birds.

6. Join “Lights Out.” Glass-fronted buildings with bright nighttime lighting may be architecturally pleasing, but they’re deadly to birds.

 

7. Save energy, cut carbon emissions. The coal that fuels many power plants in the eastern United States comes from Appalachia, where mountaintop removal mining has obliterated more than 750,000 acres of forests, destroying habitat in an area larger than Rhode Island.

8. Part with Plastics. Every ear the floating “bladders” of plastic bags kill hundreds of thousands of seabirds—along with sea turtles

and marine mammals.

9. Curb your cats. Keep your felines inside or in an outdoor “kitty condo.” America’s estimated 150 million outdoor cats kill serious numbers of birds—up to 3.7 billion a year.

10. Adopt a species. Pick a bird species from your flyway. Choose from a list at audm.ag/AudPlan.

March-April Tips for the Garden

•To extend the blooming period of gladiolus, plant early, middle and late season selections each week until the middle of June.

•Scatter annual poppy seeds in flower borders. The fine seeds need no covering. The plants grow rapidly and provide colorful flowers in early summer. In a sunny location with poor soil, plant nasturtiums for a colorful show.

•When chrysanthemums show signs of life, dig up and divide large plants. Discard woody portions and replant divisions 12 to 15 inches apart.

 

“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.”

~Gertrude Jekyll