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 willprovide 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:
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
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.”
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:
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
itat 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
is_the_ultimate_low_effort_high.html
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:
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