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~~
Visit www.PatchogueGardenClub.com
Friday, June 20, 2008
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
May 2008 Garden Gazette
Greetings from the President
Thank you to the approximately 25 members who gave their time to help “Open the Garden” a few weeks ago. This was the largest turn out ever, and we were able to finish around noon. Thanks to Guy for picking up the bagels and to Violet for the coffee. Thanks to Jack Heyer for repairing the shed door.
It’s finally time to plant, plant, plant! The last frost date for our area is May 15, so feel free to put in all those tender annuals and vegetables. When planting tomatoes, plant them deeply to get nice strong stems to hold up all those mouthwatering tomatoes, and don’t forget the cages or stakes. Check your hemlocks for wooly adelgid and use a horticultural oil to control them; left unchecked, your hemlock may be lost.
Don’t forget to put out water for the birds even if you don’t feed them; they always need a water source, especially during dry months. See you on the 27th!
Carol
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Mark the Date
Saturday, May 17, annual Plant and Yard Sale in the garden. Contact chairperson Carol Tvelia, sciencecat@optonline.net, for more information.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008, 6 PM, at the lovely home of Violet Mulligan, 899 Sipp Avenue, Patchogue, 758-1714. Turn south from Woodside Avenue just east of Hospital Road. Violet is a couple of blocks down on the left.
Saturday, June 7, 2008, 9:00 AM, Breakfast in the Garden; the club will provide bagels, coffee, tea, OJ. Bring a dish to share. Don't forget chairs!
The air is like a butterfly/ With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky/ And sings.
- Joyce Kilmer, Spring
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Plant of the Month: New Improved Syringa (Lilac)
Gardeners today have a splendid range of new Lilac species, selections, and hybrids for various uses. Much of the effort has been the breeding of smaller plants such as the very popular 3-4’ S. patula, ‘Miss Kim’ with ice blue flowers and 4-6’ S. meyeri ‘Palibin’ with mauve-purple flowers. Both have coppery russet fall foliage to boot. New cultivars are being seen in the trade now. One is S. vulgaris ‘Prairie Petite’, a four-footer with many big pink trusses of pink flowers. S.hyacinthiflora ‘Maiden’s Blush’ is 5’6’ with bright pinky-lilac flowers. ‘Ballin’ (aka ‘Thumbelina’) is 5-6’ with exceptionally clean foliage and a long bloom period of pink flowers. If you’re up for something bigger, look for S.pekinensis ‘Copper Curls’, just patented and introduced by North Dakota State University, Fargo ND. It is a 20-25’ single or multistemmed tree with showy coppery exfoliating bark, creamy flower trusses, and big long-lasting seed clusters. Lilacs like full sun and bloom on old wood, so should be pruned, if at all, right after flowering. Remember that cropping ends only reduces bloom. Remove the seed heads. If your bush is too tall for space, cut out the older branches near ground level.
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Recipe of the Month: Rhubarb Citrus Punch
Ingredients:
8 C. diced rhubarb, stems only
5 C. water
About 2 C. sugar
2 C. orange juice
3/4 C. lemon juice
1 Qt. chilled ginger ale
1 Qt. fresh strawberries (optional)
Rum or vodka (optional)
In pot, simmer rhubarb and water until rhubarb is mushy. Cool; strain through food mill. Add ¼ C. sugar for each cup of rhubarb, lemon and orange juice and return rhubarb only to the pot. Heat just to dissolve the sugar. Chill. Add the orange and lemon juices. Just before serving, add ginger ale and
strawberries, if desired. Pour over ice. Add rum or vodka if you’re that sort. Quantities for 2 ½ -3 gallons: 32 C. rhubarb, 20 C. water, 8 C. sugar, 12 Oz. lemon juice, 8 C. orange juice, 4 Qts. Ginger ale.
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Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman
Andre LeNotre, 1613-1700
You don’t have to fly to France (not that I would mind!—would you?) and walk through the gardens (translation: jardin, if you have already booked that trip and haven’t bought the Berlitz book yet) to understand the influence of a landscape architect who worked for King Louis XIV from 1645-1700. French landscape architecture in a simplified manner could be summed up to designs found in the garden layouts of this time. Formal gardens with an emphasis on geometry and perspective can be found in the landscape at Versailles. The city plan at Versailles also incorporates these design influences with its radiating boulevards that include the largest avenue in all of Europe, the Avenue de Paris. LeNotre came from a family where his father and grandfather were both responsible for the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris. His schooling included mathematics, painting, and architecture which shows in the work he did for the gardens at Chateau Fontainebleau, Chantilly, Vaux le Vicomte, and even St. James Park in London. So the next time you find yourself strolling along the Champs Elysee smoking a Gauloise and eating a croissant, remember to thank Andre LeNotre for his design.
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Take a Hike : Hofstra University Arboretum
When you need a suggestion for just the right tree, shrub, or perennial for that spot in your garden, do you pick up a plant catalog or book with closeup photographs that don’t show what the entire plant will look like once well established? Or do you go to the local nursery and hope they have more than the standard rows of azaleas and rhododendrons? You might want to consider a trip to Hofstra University in Hempstead, not to sit in a classroom but to walk the grounds of their beautiful campus that is also one of 430 arboreta in the US with 240 acres consisting of 625 different species and varieties of plant material. Also within the grounds is a two acre bird sanctuary with a clear walking path through this reclaimed site. Go to the Hofstra University website to see photographs of what is currently in bloom (www.Hofstra.edu) or call 516-463-6623 for additional information on self-guided tours.
----------
Members Page
New! Please Contribute Your Ideas, Suggestions, and Special Information. Name may be held by request.
Very Important Message!
Thank you for signing up to help at the Plant and Yard Sale. The sale is this Saturday from 9:00 AM—3:00 PM. We will need people to stagger their attendance if you cannot stay the entire time. We will begin setting up at 8:00 AM.
The Village is loaning us tables, but they must be picked up at the Beach Club, so if someone has a truck we can use, please be at the garden at 7:45 AM so we can meet Lori Devlin at the Beach club by 8:00 AM.
We will also need people at the end of the day to clean up and transport "leftovers" to the Salvation Army and/or Good Will in East Patchogue. Again, a truck would be helpful.
If you have never participated before, the day is basically helping customers and organizing the merchandise. Knowledge of perennials and their care is a bonus when people ask us for horticultural tips. Please e-mail me at sciencecat@optonline.net and let me know the times you can help.
The club will provide bagels and coffee for the workers. Thanks for making this annual event a success! Carol
Reminders: Farmingdale State College Garden Festival on May 31st and June 1st from 10 AM to 5 PM 2008, the Great Brookhaven Cleanup April 5 to May 31 and the Maynard garden June 1. See the April issue of the newsletter for details.
Sayville Garden Club Spring Luncheon and Raffle Boutique
May 19, 2008 at 10 AM Speaker: Mr. Art Wolk, “Garden Lunacy: A Growing Concern”, program and book signing Land's End, 80 Browns Rd., Sayville, NY 11782 Tickets: $40. Call Anne Wolstencroft at 589-1713.
Help Wanted!
One of our members, Heather Georgiou needs a recommendation for a landscaper to help her with her own garden clean up. If you know someone reliable, please e-mail her at markella12@aol.com.
Free Iris: Frances Barlow from the Bellport Spring Gardening School has Iris to give away. All you have to do is dig them up. Call her at 286-9151 after 4:00 PM to arrange a time. She lives in East Patchogue.
Dress Up Your Dirt
Violet Mulligan tells us if you don't find a good way to cover the ground, Mother Nature will, and you may not always like the results. She refers us to HDTV’s site for gracious groundcovers, including the beauty below. Thanks, Violet!
Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_plants_groundcovers/article/0,1785,HGTV_3608_5850064,00.html?nl=HGG_v082_5
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Timely Tips for June
Pinch back any plants getting leggy, chrysanthemums every 6” or so. Divide spring flowering perennials, sow perennial seed, buy a few new. Check roses for black spot, mildew, & aphids and correct immediately. Deadhead annuals to keep them flowering all summer. Prune spring flowering shrubs right after they bloom. Divide and move old clusters of daffodils if bloom has fallen off.
Thank you to the approximately 25 members who gave their time to help “Open the Garden” a few weeks ago. This was the largest turn out ever, and we were able to finish around noon. Thanks to Guy for picking up the bagels and to Violet for the coffee. Thanks to Jack Heyer for repairing the shed door.
It’s finally time to plant, plant, plant! The last frost date for our area is May 15, so feel free to put in all those tender annuals and vegetables. When planting tomatoes, plant them deeply to get nice strong stems to hold up all those mouthwatering tomatoes, and don’t forget the cages or stakes. Check your hemlocks for wooly adelgid and use a horticultural oil to control them; left unchecked, your hemlock may be lost.
Don’t forget to put out water for the birds even if you don’t feed them; they always need a water source, especially during dry months. See you on the 27th!
Carol
---------
Mark the Date
Saturday, May 17, annual Plant and Yard Sale in the garden. Contact chairperson Carol Tvelia, sciencecat@optonline.net, for more information.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008, 6 PM, at the lovely home of Violet Mulligan, 899 Sipp Avenue, Patchogue, 758-1714. Turn south from Woodside Avenue just east of Hospital Road. Violet is a couple of blocks down on the left.
Saturday, June 7, 2008, 9:00 AM, Breakfast in the Garden; the club will provide bagels, coffee, tea, OJ. Bring a dish to share. Don't forget chairs!
The air is like a butterfly/ With frail blue wings.
The happy earth looks at the sky/ And sings.
- Joyce Kilmer, Spring
---------
Plant of the Month: New Improved Syringa (Lilac)
Gardeners today have a splendid range of new Lilac species, selections, and hybrids for various uses. Much of the effort has been the breeding of smaller plants such as the very popular 3-4’ S. patula, ‘Miss Kim’ with ice blue flowers and 4-6’ S. meyeri ‘Palibin’ with mauve-purple flowers. Both have coppery russet fall foliage to boot. New cultivars are being seen in the trade now. One is S. vulgaris ‘Prairie Petite’, a four-footer with many big pink trusses of pink flowers. S.hyacinthiflora ‘Maiden’s Blush’ is 5’6’ with bright pinky-lilac flowers. ‘Ballin’ (aka ‘Thumbelina’) is 5-6’ with exceptionally clean foliage and a long bloom period of pink flowers. If you’re up for something bigger, look for S.pekinensis ‘Copper Curls’, just patented and introduced by North Dakota State University, Fargo ND. It is a 20-25’ single or multistemmed tree with showy coppery exfoliating bark, creamy flower trusses, and big long-lasting seed clusters. Lilacs like full sun and bloom on old wood, so should be pruned, if at all, right after flowering. Remember that cropping ends only reduces bloom. Remove the seed heads. If your bush is too tall for space, cut out the older branches near ground level.
----------
Recipe of the Month: Rhubarb Citrus Punch
Ingredients:
8 C. diced rhubarb, stems only
5 C. water
About 2 C. sugar
2 C. orange juice
3/4 C. lemon juice
1 Qt. chilled ginger ale
1 Qt. fresh strawberries (optional)
Rum or vodka (optional)
In pot, simmer rhubarb and water until rhubarb is mushy. Cool; strain through food mill. Add ¼ C. sugar for each cup of rhubarb, lemon and orange juice and return rhubarb only to the pot. Heat just to dissolve the sugar. Chill. Add the orange and lemon juices. Just before serving, add ginger ale and
strawberries, if desired. Pour over ice. Add rum or vodka if you’re that sort. Quantities for 2 ½ -3 gallons: 32 C. rhubarb, 20 C. water, 8 C. sugar, 12 Oz. lemon juice, 8 C. orange juice, 4 Qts. Ginger ale.
---------
Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman
Andre LeNotre, 1613-1700
You don’t have to fly to France (not that I would mind!—would you?) and walk through the gardens (translation: jardin, if you have already booked that trip and haven’t bought the Berlitz book yet) to understand the influence of a landscape architect who worked for King Louis XIV from 1645-1700. French landscape architecture in a simplified manner could be summed up to designs found in the garden layouts of this time. Formal gardens with an emphasis on geometry and perspective can be found in the landscape at Versailles. The city plan at Versailles also incorporates these design influences with its radiating boulevards that include the largest avenue in all of Europe, the Avenue de Paris. LeNotre came from a family where his father and grandfather were both responsible for the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris. His schooling included mathematics, painting, and architecture which shows in the work he did for the gardens at Chateau Fontainebleau, Chantilly, Vaux le Vicomte, and even St. James Park in London. So the next time you find yourself strolling along the Champs Elysee smoking a Gauloise and eating a croissant, remember to thank Andre LeNotre for his design.
----------
Take a Hike : Hofstra University Arboretum
When you need a suggestion for just the right tree, shrub, or perennial for that spot in your garden, do you pick up a plant catalog or book with closeup photographs that don’t show what the entire plant will look like once well established? Or do you go to the local nursery and hope they have more than the standard rows of azaleas and rhododendrons? You might want to consider a trip to Hofstra University in Hempstead, not to sit in a classroom but to walk the grounds of their beautiful campus that is also one of 430 arboreta in the US with 240 acres consisting of 625 different species and varieties of plant material. Also within the grounds is a two acre bird sanctuary with a clear walking path through this reclaimed site. Go to the Hofstra University website to see photographs of what is currently in bloom (www.Hofstra.edu) or call 516-463-6623 for additional information on self-guided tours.
----------
Members Page
New! Please Contribute Your Ideas, Suggestions, and Special Information. Name may be held by request.
Very Important Message!
Thank you for signing up to help at the Plant and Yard Sale. The sale is this Saturday from 9:00 AM—3:00 PM. We will need people to stagger their attendance if you cannot stay the entire time. We will begin setting up at 8:00 AM.
The Village is loaning us tables, but they must be picked up at the Beach Club, so if someone has a truck we can use, please be at the garden at 7:45 AM so we can meet Lori Devlin at the Beach club by 8:00 AM.
We will also need people at the end of the day to clean up and transport "leftovers" to the Salvation Army and/or Good Will in East Patchogue. Again, a truck would be helpful.
If you have never participated before, the day is basically helping customers and organizing the merchandise. Knowledge of perennials and their care is a bonus when people ask us for horticultural tips. Please e-mail me at sciencecat@optonline.net and let me know the times you can help.
The club will provide bagels and coffee for the workers. Thanks for making this annual event a success! Carol
Reminders: Farmingdale State College Garden Festival on May 31st and June 1st from 10 AM to 5 PM 2008, the Great Brookhaven Cleanup April 5 to May 31 and the Maynard garden June 1. See the April issue of the newsletter for details.
Sayville Garden Club Spring Luncheon and Raffle Boutique
May 19, 2008 at 10 AM Speaker: Mr. Art Wolk, “Garden Lunacy: A Growing Concern”, program and book signing Land's End, 80 Browns Rd., Sayville, NY 11782 Tickets: $40. Call Anne Wolstencroft at 589-1713.
Help Wanted!
One of our members, Heather Georgiou needs a recommendation for a landscaper to help her with her own garden clean up. If you know someone reliable, please e-mail her at markella12@aol.com.
Free Iris: Frances Barlow from the Bellport Spring Gardening School has Iris to give away. All you have to do is dig them up. Call her at 286-9151 after 4:00 PM to arrange a time. She lives in East Patchogue.
Dress Up Your Dirt
Violet Mulligan tells us if you don't find a good way to cover the ground, Mother Nature will, and you may not always like the results. She refers us to HDTV’s site for gracious groundcovers, including the beauty below. Thanks, Violet!
Verbena ‘Homestead Purple’
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_plants_groundcovers/article/0,1785,HGTV_3608_5850064,00.html?nl=HGG_v082_5
--------
Timely Tips for June
Pinch back any plants getting leggy, chrysanthemums every 6” or so. Divide spring flowering perennials, sow perennial seed, buy a few new. Check roses for black spot, mildew, & aphids and correct immediately. Deadhead annuals to keep them flowering all summer. Prune spring flowering shrubs right after they bloom. Divide and move old clusters of daffodils if bloom has fallen off.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
April 2008 Garden Gazette
Greetings from the President
Although the calendar said that spring arrived almost a month ago, the weather certainly hasn’t cooperated. I think we will have another one of those seasons where we “skip” spring and go right into summer. We still need a volunteer or two to help with the Community Summit at Patchogue- Medford HS on May 1 from 5-9 PM. If you can give just one hour, it would be much appreciated. Everyone is welcome to attend the summit starting at 6 PM. We will be opening the garden on Saturday, April 26 at 9 AM. Please bring clippers, bags, rakes, and shovels. The club will provide bagels and coffee. The rain date is Sunday, April 27. Remember the adage, “Many hands make light work”. Any time you can give will help the work go much faster. The Plant and Yard Sale will take place on May 17th. Price labels for donated yard sale items will be available at the April meeting. We will also have a limited number of pots for your plant donations. Please be sure that any items you are donating are pre-priced. Plants need to be identified by common names. We will need people to
set up and clean up as well as to sell during the day.
Carol Tvelia
President
Patchogue Garden Club
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Mark the Date
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 7 PM, membership meeting at the Hagerman Fire Department on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale Avenue in East Patchogue. From the Village, go east on Montauk Hwy. to Dunton Ave., turn right, cross the railroad tracks, and make an immediate left. The fire house is on the right. Enter the first driveway, park in the rear of the building, and enter through the visitor’s entrance in the rear. The meeting room is on the right side of the hallway.
Saturday, April 26, 2008 (Rain date April 27), 9 AM, opening of the community garden at South Ocean Ave. and Terry St. Workers needed! Bring gloves, tools, plastic bags and energy! Reward: Coffee and bagels.
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Plant of the Month: A Shady Standout
Ten years ago few gardeners knew about Brunnera macrophylla (formerly Anchusa myosotidiflora, meaning forget-me-not flowered), commonly known as Siberian/heartleaf bugloss or perennial/false forget-me-not. Its large, heart-shaped or oval leaves and masses of pure blue spring flowers are
endearing. It is extremely hardy and adaptable, producing mounds of 6” leaves that stay handsome all summer if given half to full shade and moist, humusy soil. It makes an excellent groundcover.
As beautiful as the species is, most in demand are cultivars with various leaf variegations. ‘Jack Frost’ has striking green-veined silver leaves. ‘Variegata’ has lovely gray-green leaves with irregular creamy edges. ‘Hadspen Cream’ has broad creamy borders on dark green leaves. ‘Langtrees’, aka ‘Aluminum Spot’, has unusual silver spotting and mottling on its foliage. The newest arrival is ‘Silver Wings’, with distinctive marbling. Occasionally you might find the white-flowered ‘Alba’ whose leaves are a deep green. Available at many mail-order nurseries, e.g., White Flower Farm, if not locally.
Recipe of the Month: Pasta with Asparagus
Southern asparagus is in the markets now, and soon we’ll be seeing the local product. Now is the time to haul out all your best asparagus recipes for the season. Timely hint: Store up your stems for cream of asparagus soup and garnish with a few fresh tips. If you have overwintered leeks, make the soup with them instead of onions.
1 lb. asparagus * 6 tbsp. butter * ½ c. finely sliced ham * 1 c. finely sliced
mushrooms * 1 lb. fettucine * 2 tbsp. olive oil * 2 cloves garlic, minced * 2 c.
light cream * ¾ c. Parmesan * salt & pepper * 2 beaten egg yolks * chopped
chives
Peel and roll-cut asparagus into 1-1 ½ “ pieces. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a saute pan and lightly saute the ham (omit for vegetarians) and mushrooms; set aside. Blanch the asparagus in a large pot of water until just cooked through; scoop out the asparagus, but save the water. Add the pasta and cook until done, then drain. In a large saute pan heat 4 tbsp. butter and the olive oil. Add garlic (you can use more if you like) and cook for a minute. Add the pasta and toss to coat with butter and oil. Stir in the cream and grated cheese and cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened. If you like, lower the heat and stir in the eggs. Toss for a minute to thicken the sauce. Add the asparagus, ham, and mushrooms and cook for a minute to heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives and pass more grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serves 4-6.
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Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman
Thomas Dolliver Church (1902 - 1978)
In the United States, modern residential landscape design began with a small group of influential designers, with Thomas Church, affectionately known as Tommy, being considered the founding father. He was born in Boston, but grew up in the Ojai Valley north of Los Angeles, and received his MA from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in city planning and landscape architecture in 1923. When he was 30 years old he opened an office and continued his practice from the same location until his retirement in 1977. The modern landscape design movement came to be known as 'California Style'. In his book, “Gardens are For People” (available through the Suffolk County Library system and in bookstores), he illustrates his four guiding principles for garden design. Unity (taking into account the scheme as a whole rather than disjointed parcels), function, simplicity and scale. Having designed over 2,000 private gardens and master plans for college campuses and commercial sites, Church did away with an emphasis on using a formal central axis and stated that gardens ‘should be pleasing when seen from any angle, not only from the house.’ In addition to his books that are still in print, he was also a longtime contributor to the magazines House Beautiful and Sunset. See Stanford Magazine’s article for more detail at http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2003/janfeb/features/church.html
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Arbor Day
Arbor Day, a Nebraska holiday since 1872, came from an idea of J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska. A pioneer from Detroit, he noticed that his new state lacked the green growth he was accustomed to. As a journalist he wrote of the importance trees have as windbreaks, for building materials and for shade. In numerous editorials he persuaded other civic organizations to jump on the band wagon. The first official national Arbor Day was celebrated in 1885 with great fanfare. In the following years, states passed Arbor Day legislation, typically observed on the national date of the last Friday in April, though that varies from state to state. In New York State, 379,036 trees were planted by 47,300 Arbor Day Foundation members in 2005 alone. See www.Arborday.org.
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Henry Moore Sculptures Arrive Fresh from England’s Kew Gardens!
A garden consists of more than just trees, shrubs, perennials and lawn. Some gardens include water features such as fountains or ponds, and in others you can find sculpture placed in strategic locations. From May 24th through November 2nd the New York Botanical Garden will be hosting an exhibit throughout their 250 acres of 20 major Henry Moore sculptures. Moore had taken inspiration for many of these pieces from his love of nature. With the monumental size of these works of art, the outdoors turns out to be one of the best places to be able to view them from all angles, in different light conditions and with the gardens as a backdrop. The Henry Moore Foundation, along with the New York Botanical Gardens, will be placing these sculptures for visitors to get close enough to touch them too. For more information go to www.nybg.org. For more on Moore, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Moore
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Around Town
More News on Arbor Day
The Village of Patchogue’s Tree Committee, headed up by Trustee Lori Devlin, is planning an Arbor Day celebration to be held in the municipal parking lot behind the Patchogue Theatre in the vicinity of the new American Elms. They will install the plaque that was awarded from Liberty Elm (the group that raises these Dutch Elm disease-resistant trees, http://www.libertyelm.com/) and John Cino will read from Seuss’ "The Lorax". If you have any ideas for additional content for this ceremony, please let Lori know at ldevlin@patchoguevillage.org . The date for the ceremony is April 29th at 10 AM. Children from Bay Avenue Elementary School’s Green Thumb Club will be there. Village of Patchogue Beautification Committee Fundraiser
The Greater Patchogue Foundation Beautification Committee, headed up by our own Paula Murphy, will host its Annual Eloise Staudinger Fundraiser on April 26th at the Pine Grove Inn at 1 Chapel Avenue in East Patchogue. This is the committee’s only fundraiser, so if the daffodils they planted blooming all over Patchogue make you smile—with tulips and flowering trees soon to follow—please make every effort to attend. Lunch, 11:30–3:00, Dinner, two seatings, 5:00–7:30 and 7:30–10:00. Call the office, 207-1000, for reservations. Lunch: $22, Dinner: $35. Prizes will be raffled off.
At Last, Copper Beech Village Sports a Real Copper Beech On Friday, April 11, around noon, a magnificent Copper Beech, Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’, was planted on the grounds of Copper Beech Village at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Gerard Street, thanks to Pulte Homes. We will look forward to seeing this beautiful specimen take off.
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Members Page
New! Please Contribute Your Ideas, Suggestions, and Special Information. Name may be held by request.
Learning Experience
Put down your trowel, hang up your rake and find your way to Farmingdale State College on May 31st and June 1st from 10 AM to 5 PM for the 2008 Garden Festival. Take a free tour of their teaching gardens where students from the Department of Ornamental Horticulture have been working the gardens into themed rooms since the 1930's.
You can shop their plant sale with assistance to help you locate the right plant for your garden and your own specific needs. There will be workshops, and Cornell Cooperative Extension will offer an analysis and diagnosis on soil samples brought from your garden. For more information: www.farmingdale.edu/horticulture or call 631-420-2075/2113. Thanks, Richard.
Pitch In!
Join good people doing great things: The Great Brookhaven Cleanup is April 5 to May 31. On May 10 there is a Shredding Event. Residents can bring old files, sensitive papers, etc., for free secure shredding and recycling (small businesses must register in advance) at the Town’s Materials Recycling Facility. The Great Brookhaven Plant-In will be held on May 17. Register online at www.Brookhaven.org or via Brookhaven’s Green Gazette, mail or fax. For information call 451-TOWN. Thank you Barbara Aragon!
John and Pepe Maynard’s Bedford NY Garden: A Very Special Road Trip
Pepe Maynard, a landscape designer, was a co-founder of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program and a principal in the restoration of New York City’s Central Park Conservatory Garden. Paula and Karen recently attended a program sponsored by Wave Hill at the New York School of Interior Design at which Pepe spoke about how her upbringing on a 2,000 acre farm in Kenya just south of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the natural African landscape informed her approach to landscape design. At the talk, Pepe invited people to stop by on June 1 to see their garden, which they have nurtured for 30 years—it’s now or never. Soon they will be retiring to their Maine home.
See http://gardening.lohudblogs.com/2008/01/24/pepe-maynards-garden-in-winter/ for photos and a link to news.
Let’s have a caravan; organize your carpool. Directions on request. Biochar? What’s the Buzz?
Biochar is a charcoal produced from biomass (secondary forest and crop residues). In some cases, the term is used specifically to mean biomass charcoal produced via pyrolysis (slash and char rather than slash and burn). Biochar is employed commonly as a soil amendment. There is evidence that low-temperature biochar produces robust growth in plants when compared to high-temperature biochar. It is speculated that it retains organic matter desirable to beneficial microbes resulting in higher nutrient availability to plants. Biochar is the main ingredient in the formation of terra preta, or Amazonian dark earth. Efforts to create these soils are being undertaken by companies, and research efforts are underway at Cornell, among other universities. One focus of this research is the prospect that if biochar becomes widely used for soil improvement, it will involve globally significant amounts of carbon sequestration, remediating global warming. Biochar has potential as an amendment for aquatic habitats, being able to absorb nitrate and phosphate which run off the land and into waterways. Also, rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are thought to be leading to increasing ocean acidity and potential harm to some forms of marine life. Biochar is able to absorb and neutralize
acids and toxins in the water which would lead to an increased ocean pH. For more details and scientific explanations, see http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/biochar/Biochar_home.htm and http://www.biocharinternational.org/aboutbiochar.html. Thanks to Barbara Aragon.
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Timely Tips
Treat yourself to at least 1 great new plant before the best selection is gone.
Deadhead spring blooming bulbs, but let the foliage grow until it yellows
Start digging that pond you’ve been talking about.
Keep an eye out for pests & fungal diseases. Control them before it’s too late.
Keep harvesting cool season crops like asparagus, peas, and spring lettuce.
If you’re not picking asparagus, get some planted for next year
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"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of
March."
- Robert Frost
Although the calendar said that spring arrived almost a month ago, the weather certainly hasn’t cooperated. I think we will have another one of those seasons where we “skip” spring and go right into summer. We still need a volunteer or two to help with the Community Summit at Patchogue- Medford HS on May 1 from 5-9 PM. If you can give just one hour, it would be much appreciated. Everyone is welcome to attend the summit starting at 6 PM. We will be opening the garden on Saturday, April 26 at 9 AM. Please bring clippers, bags, rakes, and shovels. The club will provide bagels and coffee. The rain date is Sunday, April 27. Remember the adage, “Many hands make light work”. Any time you can give will help the work go much faster. The Plant and Yard Sale will take place on May 17th. Price labels for donated yard sale items will be available at the April meeting. We will also have a limited number of pots for your plant donations. Please be sure that any items you are donating are pre-priced. Plants need to be identified by common names. We will need people to
set up and clean up as well as to sell during the day.
Carol Tvelia
President
Patchogue Garden Club
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Mark the Date
Tuesday, April 22, 2008, 7 PM, membership meeting at the Hagerman Fire Department on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale Avenue in East Patchogue. From the Village, go east on Montauk Hwy. to Dunton Ave., turn right, cross the railroad tracks, and make an immediate left. The fire house is on the right. Enter the first driveway, park in the rear of the building, and enter through the visitor’s entrance in the rear. The meeting room is on the right side of the hallway.
Saturday, April 26, 2008 (Rain date April 27), 9 AM, opening of the community garden at South Ocean Ave. and Terry St. Workers needed! Bring gloves, tools, plastic bags and energy! Reward: Coffee and bagels.
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Plant of the Month: A Shady Standout
Ten years ago few gardeners knew about Brunnera macrophylla (formerly Anchusa myosotidiflora, meaning forget-me-not flowered), commonly known as Siberian/heartleaf bugloss or perennial/false forget-me-not. Its large, heart-shaped or oval leaves and masses of pure blue spring flowers are
endearing. It is extremely hardy and adaptable, producing mounds of 6” leaves that stay handsome all summer if given half to full shade and moist, humusy soil. It makes an excellent groundcover.
As beautiful as the species is, most in demand are cultivars with various leaf variegations. ‘Jack Frost’ has striking green-veined silver leaves. ‘Variegata’ has lovely gray-green leaves with irregular creamy edges. ‘Hadspen Cream’ has broad creamy borders on dark green leaves. ‘Langtrees’, aka ‘Aluminum Spot’, has unusual silver spotting and mottling on its foliage. The newest arrival is ‘Silver Wings’, with distinctive marbling. Occasionally you might find the white-flowered ‘Alba’ whose leaves are a deep green. Available at many mail-order nurseries, e.g., White Flower Farm, if not locally.
Recipe of the Month: Pasta with Asparagus
Southern asparagus is in the markets now, and soon we’ll be seeing the local product. Now is the time to haul out all your best asparagus recipes for the season. Timely hint: Store up your stems for cream of asparagus soup and garnish with a few fresh tips. If you have overwintered leeks, make the soup with them instead of onions.
1 lb. asparagus * 6 tbsp. butter * ½ c. finely sliced ham * 1 c. finely sliced
mushrooms * 1 lb. fettucine * 2 tbsp. olive oil * 2 cloves garlic, minced * 2 c.
light cream * ¾ c. Parmesan * salt & pepper * 2 beaten egg yolks * chopped
chives
Peel and roll-cut asparagus into 1-1 ½ “ pieces. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a saute pan and lightly saute the ham (omit for vegetarians) and mushrooms; set aside. Blanch the asparagus in a large pot of water until just cooked through; scoop out the asparagus, but save the water. Add the pasta and cook until done, then drain. In a large saute pan heat 4 tbsp. butter and the olive oil. Add garlic (you can use more if you like) and cook for a minute. Add the pasta and toss to coat with butter and oil. Stir in the cream and grated cheese and cook for 1-2 minutes until slightly thickened. If you like, lower the heat and stir in the eggs. Toss for a minute to thicken the sauce. Add the asparagus, ham, and mushrooms and cook for a minute to heat through. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chives and pass more grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serves 4-6.
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Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman
Thomas Dolliver Church (1902 - 1978)
In the United States, modern residential landscape design began with a small group of influential designers, with Thomas Church, affectionately known as Tommy, being considered the founding father. He was born in Boston, but grew up in the Ojai Valley north of Los Angeles, and received his MA from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in city planning and landscape architecture in 1923. When he was 30 years old he opened an office and continued his practice from the same location until his retirement in 1977. The modern landscape design movement came to be known as 'California Style'. In his book, “Gardens are For People” (available through the Suffolk County Library system and in bookstores), he illustrates his four guiding principles for garden design. Unity (taking into account the scheme as a whole rather than disjointed parcels), function, simplicity and scale. Having designed over 2,000 private gardens and master plans for college campuses and commercial sites, Church did away with an emphasis on using a formal central axis and stated that gardens ‘should be pleasing when seen from any angle, not only from the house.’ In addition to his books that are still in print, he was also a longtime contributor to the magazines House Beautiful and Sunset. See Stanford Magazine’s article for more detail at http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2003/janfeb/features/church.html
----------
Arbor Day
Arbor Day, a Nebraska holiday since 1872, came from an idea of J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska. A pioneer from Detroit, he noticed that his new state lacked the green growth he was accustomed to. As a journalist he wrote of the importance trees have as windbreaks, for building materials and for shade. In numerous editorials he persuaded other civic organizations to jump on the band wagon. The first official national Arbor Day was celebrated in 1885 with great fanfare. In the following years, states passed Arbor Day legislation, typically observed on the national date of the last Friday in April, though that varies from state to state. In New York State, 379,036 trees were planted by 47,300 Arbor Day Foundation members in 2005 alone. See www.Arborday.org.
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Henry Moore Sculptures Arrive Fresh from England’s Kew Gardens!
A garden consists of more than just trees, shrubs, perennials and lawn. Some gardens include water features such as fountains or ponds, and in others you can find sculpture placed in strategic locations. From May 24th through November 2nd the New York Botanical Garden will be hosting an exhibit throughout their 250 acres of 20 major Henry Moore sculptures. Moore had taken inspiration for many of these pieces from his love of nature. With the monumental size of these works of art, the outdoors turns out to be one of the best places to be able to view them from all angles, in different light conditions and with the gardens as a backdrop. The Henry Moore Foundation, along with the New York Botanical Gardens, will be placing these sculptures for visitors to get close enough to touch them too. For more information go to www.nybg.org. For more on Moore, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Moore
----------
Around Town
More News on Arbor Day
The Village of Patchogue’s Tree Committee, headed up by Trustee Lori Devlin, is planning an Arbor Day celebration to be held in the municipal parking lot behind the Patchogue Theatre in the vicinity of the new American Elms. They will install the plaque that was awarded from Liberty Elm (the group that raises these Dutch Elm disease-resistant trees, http://www.libertyelm.com/) and John Cino will read from Seuss’ "The Lorax". If you have any ideas for additional content for this ceremony, please let Lori know at ldevlin@patchoguevillage.org . The date for the ceremony is April 29th at 10 AM. Children from Bay Avenue Elementary School’s Green Thumb Club will be there. Village of Patchogue Beautification Committee Fundraiser
The Greater Patchogue Foundation Beautification Committee, headed up by our own Paula Murphy, will host its Annual Eloise Staudinger Fundraiser on April 26th at the Pine Grove Inn at 1 Chapel Avenue in East Patchogue. This is the committee’s only fundraiser, so if the daffodils they planted blooming all over Patchogue make you smile—with tulips and flowering trees soon to follow—please make every effort to attend. Lunch, 11:30–3:00, Dinner, two seatings, 5:00–7:30 and 7:30–10:00. Call the office, 207-1000, for reservations. Lunch: $22, Dinner: $35. Prizes will be raffled off.
At Last, Copper Beech Village Sports a Real Copper Beech On Friday, April 11, around noon, a magnificent Copper Beech, Fagus sylvatica ‘Purpurea’, was planted on the grounds of Copper Beech Village at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Gerard Street, thanks to Pulte Homes. We will look forward to seeing this beautiful specimen take off.
---------
Members Page
New! Please Contribute Your Ideas, Suggestions, and Special Information. Name may be held by request.
Learning Experience
Put down your trowel, hang up your rake and find your way to Farmingdale State College on May 31st and June 1st from 10 AM to 5 PM for the 2008 Garden Festival. Take a free tour of their teaching gardens where students from the Department of Ornamental Horticulture have been working the gardens into themed rooms since the 1930's.
You can shop their plant sale with assistance to help you locate the right plant for your garden and your own specific needs. There will be workshops, and Cornell Cooperative Extension will offer an analysis and diagnosis on soil samples brought from your garden. For more information: www.farmingdale.edu/horticulture or call 631-420-2075/2113. Thanks, Richard.
Pitch In!
Join good people doing great things: The Great Brookhaven Cleanup is April 5 to May 31. On May 10 there is a Shredding Event. Residents can bring old files, sensitive papers, etc., for free secure shredding and recycling (small businesses must register in advance) at the Town’s Materials Recycling Facility. The Great Brookhaven Plant-In will be held on May 17. Register online at www.Brookhaven.org or via Brookhaven’s Green Gazette, mail or fax. For information call 451-TOWN. Thank you Barbara Aragon!
John and Pepe Maynard’s Bedford NY Garden: A Very Special Road Trip
Pepe Maynard, a landscape designer, was a co-founder of the Garden Conservancy’s Open Days program and a principal in the restoration of New York City’s Central Park Conservatory Garden. Paula and Karen recently attended a program sponsored by Wave Hill at the New York School of Interior Design at which Pepe spoke about how her upbringing on a 2,000 acre farm in Kenya just south of Mt. Kilimanjaro and the natural African landscape informed her approach to landscape design. At the talk, Pepe invited people to stop by on June 1 to see their garden, which they have nurtured for 30 years—it’s now or never. Soon they will be retiring to their Maine home.
See http://gardening.lohudblogs.com/2008/01/24/pepe-maynards-garden-in-winter/ for photos and a link to news.
Let’s have a caravan; organize your carpool. Directions on request. Biochar? What’s the Buzz?
Biochar is a charcoal produced from biomass (secondary forest and crop residues). In some cases, the term is used specifically to mean biomass charcoal produced via pyrolysis (slash and char rather than slash and burn). Biochar is employed commonly as a soil amendment. There is evidence that low-temperature biochar produces robust growth in plants when compared to high-temperature biochar. It is speculated that it retains organic matter desirable to beneficial microbes resulting in higher nutrient availability to plants. Biochar is the main ingredient in the formation of terra preta, or Amazonian dark earth. Efforts to create these soils are being undertaken by companies, and research efforts are underway at Cornell, among other universities. One focus of this research is the prospect that if biochar becomes widely used for soil improvement, it will involve globally significant amounts of carbon sequestration, remediating global warming. Biochar has potential as an amendment for aquatic habitats, being able to absorb nitrate and phosphate which run off the land and into waterways. Also, rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are thought to be leading to increasing ocean acidity and potential harm to some forms of marine life. Biochar is able to absorb and neutralize
acids and toxins in the water which would lead to an increased ocean pH. For more details and scientific explanations, see http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/biochar/Biochar_home.htm and http://www.biocharinternational.org/aboutbiochar.html. Thanks to Barbara Aragon.
-----------
Timely Tips
Treat yourself to at least 1 great new plant before the best selection is gone.
Deadhead spring blooming bulbs, but let the foliage grow until it yellows
Start digging that pond you’ve been talking about.
Keep an eye out for pests & fungal diseases. Control them before it’s too late.
Keep harvesting cool season crops like asparagus, peas, and spring lettuce.
If you’re not picking asparagus, get some planted for next year
---------
"The sun was warm but the wind was chill.
You know how it is with an April day.
When the sun is out and the wind is still,
You're one month on in the middle of May.
But if you so much as dare to speak,
A cloud comes over the sunlit arch,
And wind comes off a frozen peak,
And you're two months back in the middle of
March."
- Robert Frost
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
March 2008 Garden Gazette
Greetings from the President
Congratulations to Georgia Dulmovits and Arlene Lamberti and all the members of the Luncheon Committee for another fantastic event. This year’s event was the largest yet with 160 attendees and over 80 baskets donated and raffled. I know how much work goes into this yearly event, and everyone involved is to be commended.
We have secured a new meeting place for the remainder of this year. The Hagerman Fire Department has generously donated their large meeting room for our meetings. The room is well apportioned and the kitchen has state of the art facilities. The fire department will take care of the set up and breakdown of the tables and chairs. All we have to do is our refreshment setup. The department also has automatic doors that will allow us to enter the facilities without having to wait to be “buzzed” in.
The Hagerman Fire Department is located on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale Avenue in East Patchogue. (Approximately 5 traffic lights past the intersection of South Country Road and Montauk Hwy)
Directions from the village: Go east on Montauk Hwy. to Dunton Ave., turn right, cross the railroad tracks, and make an immediate left. The fire house is on the right. Enter the first driveway, park in the rear of the building, and enter through the visitor’s entrance in the rear. The meeting room is on the right side of the hallway. I want to thank all those who assisted in locating a new meeting place. I hope we will soon have a permanent home at the Winona cottage. Members of the board will be
visiting the cottage this week; we’ll present information at Tuesday’s meeting.
Carol Tvelia
President
Patchogue Garden Club
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Mark the Date
Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 7 PM, membership meeting; see above for details. Jo Miller will speak about our club history.
Saturday, April 26, 2008, 9 AM, opening of the community garden at South Ocean Ave. and Terry St. Workers needed! Bring gloves, tools and energy!
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Plant of the Month: Daffodil (Narcissus)
The Daffodil is the birthday flower of March, the month of the spring equinox. One of the first visible signs of spring, the earliest ones are in bud now and will bloom soon. Vigorous and long-lived, they thrive in sunny, well-drained places and multiply with little care. There are many uses for Daffodils,
including bedding, cutting, naturalizing, forcing, and showing.
The Daffodil is believed to have been brought to Britain by the Romans, who mistakenly believed that its sap could heal wounds. In fact, daffodil sap contains sharp crystals that prevent animals from eating the flower. While it did little to heal the Romans' wounds, it succeeded in further irritating their
skin.
Today people associate the bright, yellow daffodil as a symbol of rebirth, a sign of the new beginnings that come with spring. Daffodils are said to bring good fortune to the person who avoids trampling on them. Lest they bring unhappy vanity to the bride, Daffodils should never be present at a wedding.
So why write about Daffodils when we won’t be planting them until fall? Because now is the time to plan and save money in the bargain.
Order The Works by July 1st and save 10%! The normal pricing is $77 for 100 bulbs. Bulbs are shipped at the correct time for planting in the fall.
White Flower Farm’s Daffodil mix for naturalizing, The Works, is made up of top-sized bulbs of no less than 30 varieties, never more than 5 of each, and is blended to provide the widest possible range of color, form, and blooming time. Included are classic Trumpets in shades of yellow, gold, cream, and
white; Large Cups and Small Cups in great variety with wide petals and ruffled cups; members of the delicate and graceful Poeticus class; some Splitcoronas; fragrant Jonquilla hybrids holding smaller flowers; and Tazetta hybrids bearing clusters of sweet flowers on each stalk. These are recently named varieties, with nary a seedling nor a second in the lot, and they will bloom like nothing you have seen before.
While the mixture changes from year to year to take advantage of the market, it always represents the best that this glorious genus has to offer. The large bulbs produce more flowers with fewer misses their first year, then go busily about self-propagating in a site they like, actually adding to the show in future years. All they require is reasonable drainage and at least 6 hours of sun a day in spring to settle in as cheerful and permanent neighbors. Save 10% if you order by July 1, 100 for $69; save even more by going in with other gardeners, 200 for $128 or 400 for $242.
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/984310-product.html
More good news: If five months of effortless, effusive bloom appeals to you, interplant early, mid- and late season Daylilies (Hemerocallis) among the Daffodils. The emerging foliage of the easy-care Daylilies will hide the withering Daffodil leaves.
Wait until you see the club’s emblematic Daffodil show in the community garden this spring!
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Serious (and Not So Serious) Dirt from Richard Waldman
Old Wives Tales and Garden Folklore
Do you find yourself repeating a saying only to find out that it is an 'Old Wives
Tale'? Add the following to your repertoire:
· To ensure you will have a good crop, wet a hanky with rain on Easter.
[Ed: Be sure to save some rain in case none falls on Easter.]
· Placing rusty nails or old irons around your plants will help them grow.
· If you put fertilizer on the ground during the light of the moon, it will not
decompose and will do no good.
· Before planting peas, line the trench with holly leaves to prevent mice.
· In the last century in England, a bunch of violets worn around the neck
or on the lapel protected against drunkenness. [Ed: Finally, a use for
those pesky violets!]
· Sage thrives in the garden of a woman who rules her household and her
husband firmly [Ed: I thought it just tastes good, such a silly woman!].
· Red and white flowers in the same vase are unlucky, blue and orange
flowers are welcome in homes and hospitals as these colors calm the
nerves.
· Don’t plant potatoes during the dark part of the moon. [Ed: Or?...]
· Plant your garden on Good Friday. Don’t plant your garden on Rotten
Saturday; the seeds will rot. [Ed: Oops, too late for this year].
· An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.
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Sit up and Take Notice! $1,000.00 Fine!
Think again before you apply lawn fertilizer anytime between November 1st and April 1st in Suffolk County. Effective next January, a new law will go into effect that will attempt to reduce the nitrogen from fertilizers leaching into the groundwater that ends up harming marine life through an increase in algae in streams, ponds and lakes. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County suggests that fertilizers be applied to lawns only after the first flush of spring growth in late May. Stores will post signs announcing the new law along with brochures on proper lawn management. Suffolk County currently requires licensed landscapers to take approved courses in turf management. Suffolk County itself will ban fertilizers on many county properties.
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Cornell Coop Extension will be holding a Spring Gardening Symposium April 5th, 8:30AM to 4PM at the western campus of Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. Lecturers from Planting Fields Arboretum and Bayport Flower Houses among others will discuss flowering trees, organic turf management, organic vegetable gardening, designing a portable garden in containers and the new up to date techniques and products to use in 'earth friendly' gardening. The $65 fee includes access to all lectures, breakfast & lunch and handouts. For more information, contact Cornell Coop Extension of Suffolk County at 727- 7850 x 337 or go on line: www.counties.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk .
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Special Message from the Luncheon Committee Co-chairmen
Arlene and I would like to thank each and every one of you for all the hard work you did to make the Garden Club “Think Spring” Luncheon a success. You all played your part, and the puzzle fit together on March 13. [Ed: Who says 13 is unlucky?] We are looking forward to working with all of you again. Our thanks!!! Arlene and Georgia
Committee members, in no particular order:
Jo Miller, Barbara Aragon, Janet and Jack Heyer, Ruth Szuminskyj, Carolyn Young, June Petrucelli, Karen Ferb, Ann Rubbo, Gladys Heimburger, Barbara Bestafka, Pauline Carleton, Millie Zimmerman, Paula Murphy, Violet Mulligan, Marita Morello, Carolyn Savastano, Kathy McMahon, Babette Bishop, Marie Magnano, Joan Delaney, Ellen Brandt, Mary Ann Tchinnis
Contributors: Rosalie Coleman, Diane and Bert Voland, Barbara Bruce, Judy Zuck, Susan Toplitz, Ellen Scammon, Fred and Bonnie Bossert, Joan Kattau, Carol Tvelia, Sue Scala, Guy Vitale, Joanna Drake, Ruth Shackelford, Donna Ferraiuolo, Sandra Franco, Margaret Atkinson, Frank and Peg Densing, Heather Georgiou And a huge thank you to Georgia and Arlene from the committee, the contributors, and the club for a great job!
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Here's a little "tidbit" you may not know about Easter
Easter is early this year. Easter is always the first Sunday after the 1st full moon after the spring equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that the Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. Here's the really interesting part. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population has ever seen it this early (95 years old or older!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Just the facts, Ma’am: The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22,will be in the Year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So no one alive today has or will ever
see it any earlier than this year. [Thank you to Carolyn Savastano for sending this in.]
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FYI: The roots of euphorbia are a deterrent to gophers and moles.
----------
To follow through on the advice of the “Think Spring” luncheon speaker, Patti Wood of Grassroots, read "1001 Ways to Save the Earth" (Chronicle, $10, by Joanna Yarrow), a compact guide that offers simple, fun ideas for conserving water, composting at work, cleaning without chemicals and finding Fair Trade goods at the supermarket. Joanna Yarrow is a United Kingdom-based expert on sustainable living and a frequent media commentator on environmental issues. Her book is available via ILL from the Patchogue-Medford Library. [Thanks to Mary Ann Tchinnis]
-----------
Timely Tips
Sow seeds of warm-season annuals indoors
Prune out winter damage
Remove winter mulch, lightly cultivate soil if thawed
Sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables
Divide and replant summer- and fall-blooming perennials
Plant bare-root and container roses; prune roses
Congratulations to Georgia Dulmovits and Arlene Lamberti and all the members of the Luncheon Committee for another fantastic event. This year’s event was the largest yet with 160 attendees and over 80 baskets donated and raffled. I know how much work goes into this yearly event, and everyone involved is to be commended.
We have secured a new meeting place for the remainder of this year. The Hagerman Fire Department has generously donated their large meeting room for our meetings. The room is well apportioned and the kitchen has state of the art facilities. The fire department will take care of the set up and breakdown of the tables and chairs. All we have to do is our refreshment setup. The department also has automatic doors that will allow us to enter the facilities without having to wait to be “buzzed” in.
The Hagerman Fire Department is located on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale Avenue in East Patchogue. (Approximately 5 traffic lights past the intersection of South Country Road and Montauk Hwy)
Directions from the village: Go east on Montauk Hwy. to Dunton Ave., turn right, cross the railroad tracks, and make an immediate left. The fire house is on the right. Enter the first driveway, park in the rear of the building, and enter through the visitor’s entrance in the rear. The meeting room is on the right side of the hallway. I want to thank all those who assisted in locating a new meeting place. I hope we will soon have a permanent home at the Winona cottage. Members of the board will be
visiting the cottage this week; we’ll present information at Tuesday’s meeting.
Carol Tvelia
President
Patchogue Garden Club
-----------
Mark the Date
Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 7 PM, membership meeting; see above for details. Jo Miller will speak about our club history.
Saturday, April 26, 2008, 9 AM, opening of the community garden at South Ocean Ave. and Terry St. Workers needed! Bring gloves, tools and energy!
-----------
Plant of the Month: Daffodil (Narcissus)
The Daffodil is the birthday flower of March, the month of the spring equinox. One of the first visible signs of spring, the earliest ones are in bud now and will bloom soon. Vigorous and long-lived, they thrive in sunny, well-drained places and multiply with little care. There are many uses for Daffodils,
including bedding, cutting, naturalizing, forcing, and showing.
The Daffodil is believed to have been brought to Britain by the Romans, who mistakenly believed that its sap could heal wounds. In fact, daffodil sap contains sharp crystals that prevent animals from eating the flower. While it did little to heal the Romans' wounds, it succeeded in further irritating their
skin.
Today people associate the bright, yellow daffodil as a symbol of rebirth, a sign of the new beginnings that come with spring. Daffodils are said to bring good fortune to the person who avoids trampling on them. Lest they bring unhappy vanity to the bride, Daffodils should never be present at a wedding.
So why write about Daffodils when we won’t be planting them until fall? Because now is the time to plan and save money in the bargain.
Order The Works by July 1st and save 10%! The normal pricing is $77 for 100 bulbs. Bulbs are shipped at the correct time for planting in the fall.
White Flower Farm’s Daffodil mix for naturalizing, The Works, is made up of top-sized bulbs of no less than 30 varieties, never more than 5 of each, and is blended to provide the widest possible range of color, form, and blooming time. Included are classic Trumpets in shades of yellow, gold, cream, and
white; Large Cups and Small Cups in great variety with wide petals and ruffled cups; members of the delicate and graceful Poeticus class; some Splitcoronas; fragrant Jonquilla hybrids holding smaller flowers; and Tazetta hybrids bearing clusters of sweet flowers on each stalk. These are recently named varieties, with nary a seedling nor a second in the lot, and they will bloom like nothing you have seen before.
While the mixture changes from year to year to take advantage of the market, it always represents the best that this glorious genus has to offer. The large bulbs produce more flowers with fewer misses their first year, then go busily about self-propagating in a site they like, actually adding to the show in future years. All they require is reasonable drainage and at least 6 hours of sun a day in spring to settle in as cheerful and permanent neighbors. Save 10% if you order by July 1, 100 for $69; save even more by going in with other gardeners, 200 for $128 or 400 for $242.
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/984310-product.html
More good news: If five months of effortless, effusive bloom appeals to you, interplant early, mid- and late season Daylilies (Hemerocallis) among the Daffodils. The emerging foliage of the easy-care Daylilies will hide the withering Daffodil leaves.
Wait until you see the club’s emblematic Daffodil show in the community garden this spring!
---------
Serious (and Not So Serious) Dirt from Richard Waldman
Old Wives Tales and Garden Folklore
Do you find yourself repeating a saying only to find out that it is an 'Old Wives
Tale'? Add the following to your repertoire:
· To ensure you will have a good crop, wet a hanky with rain on Easter.
[Ed: Be sure to save some rain in case none falls on Easter.]
· Placing rusty nails or old irons around your plants will help them grow.
· If you put fertilizer on the ground during the light of the moon, it will not
decompose and will do no good.
· Before planting peas, line the trench with holly leaves to prevent mice.
· In the last century in England, a bunch of violets worn around the neck
or on the lapel protected against drunkenness. [Ed: Finally, a use for
those pesky violets!]
· Sage thrives in the garden of a woman who rules her household and her
husband firmly [Ed: I thought it just tastes good, such a silly woman!].
· Red and white flowers in the same vase are unlucky, blue and orange
flowers are welcome in homes and hospitals as these colors calm the
nerves.
· Don’t plant potatoes during the dark part of the moon. [Ed: Or?...]
· Plant your garden on Good Friday. Don’t plant your garden on Rotten
Saturday; the seeds will rot. [Ed: Oops, too late for this year].
· An acorn at the window will keep lightning out.
----------
Sit up and Take Notice! $1,000.00 Fine!
Think again before you apply lawn fertilizer anytime between November 1st and April 1st in Suffolk County. Effective next January, a new law will go into effect that will attempt to reduce the nitrogen from fertilizers leaching into the groundwater that ends up harming marine life through an increase in algae in streams, ponds and lakes. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County suggests that fertilizers be applied to lawns only after the first flush of spring growth in late May. Stores will post signs announcing the new law along with brochures on proper lawn management. Suffolk County currently requires licensed landscapers to take approved courses in turf management. Suffolk County itself will ban fertilizers on many county properties.
---------
Cornell Coop Extension will be holding a Spring Gardening Symposium April 5th, 8:30AM to 4PM at the western campus of Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood. Lecturers from Planting Fields Arboretum and Bayport Flower Houses among others will discuss flowering trees, organic turf management, organic vegetable gardening, designing a portable garden in containers and the new up to date techniques and products to use in 'earth friendly' gardening. The $65 fee includes access to all lectures, breakfast & lunch and handouts. For more information, contact Cornell Coop Extension of Suffolk County at 727- 7850 x 337 or go on line: www.counties.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk .
---------
Special Message from the Luncheon Committee Co-chairmen
Arlene and I would like to thank each and every one of you for all the hard work you did to make the Garden Club “Think Spring” Luncheon a success. You all played your part, and the puzzle fit together on March 13. [Ed: Who says 13 is unlucky?] We are looking forward to working with all of you again. Our thanks!!! Arlene and Georgia
Committee members, in no particular order:
Jo Miller, Barbara Aragon, Janet and Jack Heyer, Ruth Szuminskyj, Carolyn Young, June Petrucelli, Karen Ferb, Ann Rubbo, Gladys Heimburger, Barbara Bestafka, Pauline Carleton, Millie Zimmerman, Paula Murphy, Violet Mulligan, Marita Morello, Carolyn Savastano, Kathy McMahon, Babette Bishop, Marie Magnano, Joan Delaney, Ellen Brandt, Mary Ann Tchinnis
Contributors: Rosalie Coleman, Diane and Bert Voland, Barbara Bruce, Judy Zuck, Susan Toplitz, Ellen Scammon, Fred and Bonnie Bossert, Joan Kattau, Carol Tvelia, Sue Scala, Guy Vitale, Joanna Drake, Ruth Shackelford, Donna Ferraiuolo, Sandra Franco, Margaret Atkinson, Frank and Peg Densing, Heather Georgiou And a huge thank you to Georgia and Arlene from the committee, the contributors, and the club for a great job!
----------
Here's a little "tidbit" you may not know about Easter
Easter is early this year. Easter is always the first Sunday after the 1st full moon after the spring equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that the Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Based on the above information, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare. Here's the really interesting part. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population has ever seen it this early (95 years old or older!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Just the facts, Ma’am: The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22,will be in the Year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So no one alive today has or will ever
see it any earlier than this year. [Thank you to Carolyn Savastano for sending this in.]
----------
FYI: The roots of euphorbia are a deterrent to gophers and moles.
----------
To follow through on the advice of the “Think Spring” luncheon speaker, Patti Wood of Grassroots, read "1001 Ways to Save the Earth" (Chronicle, $10, by Joanna Yarrow), a compact guide that offers simple, fun ideas for conserving water, composting at work, cleaning without chemicals and finding Fair Trade goods at the supermarket. Joanna Yarrow is a United Kingdom-based expert on sustainable living and a frequent media commentator on environmental issues. Her book is available via ILL from the Patchogue-Medford Library. [Thanks to Mary Ann Tchinnis]
-----------
Timely Tips
Sow seeds of warm-season annuals indoors
Prune out winter damage
Remove winter mulch, lightly cultivate soil if thawed
Sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables
Divide and replant summer- and fall-blooming perennials
Plant bare-root and container roses; prune roses
Friday, February 15, 2008
February 2008 Garden Gazette
Greetings from the President
A boat yard on Sunrise Highway has a spring countdown calendar. Today, February 18, it said 32 days until the first day of spring. If you’ve been observant, you know that there is daylight almost twelve hours now, the sky is bright by 6:00AM and it doesn’t get dark until 5:45 PM or so. On the 21st of March the vernal equinox arrives, when we will have 12 hours each of day and night. Careful
inspection of the garden will show that the buds are beginning to swell on the deciduous trees; snowdrops and other early spring bulbs are showing tiny green shoots if they’ve been planted in a protected area. The birds are getting noisier, and the squirrels are friskier.
Phil Butler, one of our club members will be speaking at this month’s meeting. He will be discussing changes to Waverly Avenue, Greater Patchogue Lake, and the western end of Patchogue Village.
Remember that club dues are due this month, our membership year runs from March 1 to February 28. Dues are $15 per person or $20 per couple.
Carol Tvelia
President
Patchogue Garden Club
---------
Mark the Date
Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 7 PM, regular at Swan Lake Civic club house. Please bring your Chinese Auction baskets and other contributions to this meeting. You may also drop them at Georgia Dulmovits’ house, 168 E. Lakewood, Patchogue. Reservations will also be taken; bring check or cash. Speaker: Phil Butler on invasive weeds in Patchogue Lake.
Thursday, March 13, 10:30 am, annual “Think Spring” speaker, luncheon and raffle. Mediterranean Manor, tickets $32.00 For more information, call Georgia Dulmovits (289-0867) or Arlene Lamberti (289-3667). If you have a dietary problem, please let Georgia know so I can talk with the Manor and get back to you. I wish to thank you all for your help in donating baskets, other prizes, and gift certificates. To date we have 80, and several certificates and baskets are still out. This year we had 24 members on our committee and they worked really hard, great group! To all our members, thank you for your continued support. I hope to see you at the luncheon and the meeting.
Georgia
---------
January Meeting in a Flash
The 2008 calendar was distributed. A copy is included in this newsletter for those who were not in attendance.
---------
Perennial Plant of the Month: Geranium 'Rozanne'
It’s a new year, and that means there is a new 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year. The Perennial Plant Association has awarded the honor to Geranium 'Rozanne', a hardy geranium originally found in Somerset, England in 1989. In the United States it can be grown within the USDA hardiness zones 5
through 8. Violet blue flowers with white centers 2 1/2" wide bloom from late spring to mid-fall. This perennial reaches a height of 2’ and about the same in width. In moist well drained soil in either full sun to partial shade, 'Rozanne' is an excellent ground cover and can also be used alone as a specimen plant. Use it in conjunction with hostas, perennial salvias and short ornamental grasses for an interesting effect. Besides in the ground, opt for using it this year in your upcoming window box arrangements or patio containers. For more information, see www.PerennialPlant.org
---------
New Annuals to Look For
All America selections: Drought-tolerant Osteospermum ‘Asti White’, 18”H & W, with 2.5” blue-centered white daisies all summer. Viola ‘Skippy XL Plum Gold’, 6-8”H, plum purple flowers with gold center. Look at those whiskers! And in the vegetable category, look for winner Hansel, a miniature eggplant, a smaller-sized plant with finger-sized clusters of fruit. Reaching a height of less than 3 feet, the strong plant produces clusters of three to six fruit. They mature early — about 55 days from transplanting, 10 days earlier than a comparison eggplant. If left on the plant, they grow in size but remain tender and nonbitter, offering gardeners more flexibility in harvest. Hansel is highly
recommended for container gardening.
-----------
Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman
Fletcher Steele, American Landscape Architect
There is a good chance that many of us did not hire a well-known landscape designer to create our gardens, but we might have had our own outdoor spaces influenced by landscape architects and designers through writings and public gardens done in the past. One such influential designer, (John) Fletcher Steele, might not be a household name now, but his concepts and approach to design are felt through current designers today even though much of his work was done in the mid 1900's. Rather than doing a straight copy of an historic European garden to fit an American estate as had been the norm, he mixed classical designs and listened to the client’s wishes on how they wanted to use their gardens, their outdoor rooms. With two books and over 100 magazine articles to his credit, his topics ranged from historical design analysis; color in the garden; and how to bring landscape architecture to its well-deserved position as a fine art. In the early part of the 1900's he worked on large estates, incorporating staircase layout and railing design and experimented with new materials such as concrete block and tube railings. After World War II styles and tastes changed along with the advent of the suburban garden lot. The original gardens by Steele were on a large scale with major construction and high maintenance, supported by large staffs. The changes brought about were a demand for smaller tracts of land with less maintenance as found in his book, “Design in the Little Garden”. Many of his landscape creations done on large estates have been replaced by subdivisions and parking lots. Two of the gardens have been preserved and are open to the public in Stockbridge MA. The better known is Naumkeag which has been photographed and written about in numerous magazines. It took 30 years to create. See www.Thetrustees.org and click on 'Property Directory' for a tour of Naumkeag. Read a biography of Steele at http://www.esf.edu/la/research/Steele/FSbio.htm
----------
Road Trip: 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show
Mark your calendar, clear your schedule, it's time to book a trip to Philadelphia for the 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show from March 2 through the 9th. This years theme is 'Jazz it Up' with New Orleans, the French Quarter and the Roaring '20's as its inspiration. Designers will be thinking of wrought iron balconies, courtyards, and fountains and how gardens relate to it all. The premier flower show of the United States has been ongoing since1829, and this year’s show in the Convention Center will include in its ten acres a myriad of landscape designs, floral fantasies, and garden lectures and demonstrations along with an indoor marketplace. For more information visit www.Pennsylvaniahorticulturesociety.org . The Patchogue-Medford Library runs a bus trip. Tickets are $51, including admission, and are on sale at the main desk.
-----------
Did You Know? In the 17th Century in Ireland, royalty often used lavender instead of grass to create a lush and fragrant lawn. Upon discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, archaeologists were greeted by arrangements of leaves and flowers intact after more than 3,000 years! (Martha Stewart Living)
-----------
Information About the Winona Cottage
The Winona Cottage is a small house, formerly the caretaker’s cottage on the grounds of the old Winona Hotel, more recently known as Halcyon Manor. The hotel, now being renovated, was acquired by Patchogue Village to be the new home of the Village Recreation Center.
The reason we chose to donate the proceeds of the Christmas House Tour to the Winona Cottage is that the Village of Patchogue is giving the cottage to us, the Patchogue Garden Club, to use as we see fit. It has been discussed at several meetings and in the newsletter as well as in the brochure for the tour, but it has come to the attention of the Executive Board that there are still some questions about the allocation of funds to the cottage.
As discussed previously, having the cottage for our use will give us a permanent place to hold meetings, have seminars, do various garden-related crafts, in short, anything we want to use it for (within reason, of course). In addition, the grounds surrounding the cottage can be a horticultural learning center for the club and the community. We will also be doing landscaping on the grounds of the cottage. As the cottage nears completion, we will be discussing ways of using it with the membership. If you have any questions about the Winona, please bring them up
at a meeting.
----------
Another Road Trip
For many of us gardeners, digging in the soil is one of our true loves, but that doesn’t stop us from appreciating indoor plants and what we can grow on the windowsill or under UV lights. From February 23rd through April 6th the New York Botanical Gardens is hosting the annual Orchid Show right before the first green leaves appear on our shrubs and perennials. The Enid Haupt Conservatory will house thousands of orchids, many fragrant, and all beautiful. When you go through the exhibit there is an audio tour to point out the many different aspects of the orchids on view. The New York Botanical Garden will also host classes and workshops. The gift shop will be wellstocked and ready for you to make a purchase or two. www.nybg.org/tos
----------
New York Botanical Gardens Winter Lecture Series
You're never too old to learn, and the New York Botanical Garden is having their 2008 American Gardening Winter Lecture Series throughout February and March. Saturday March 1st offers a variety of classes geared to the understanding of the soil and how to modify it for different plant material. Or you might want to sit in and see what Spring Maintenance in the garden consists of. Later in the day it’s time to familiarize yourself with expanding your knowledge on early flowering bulbs and other plants or find out about dividing and transplanting what is in your garden now. The afternoon brings the option of learning what to prune and when or getting serious and beginning with seeds as the first step in plant production. March 29th has classes solely on Native Plants - perennials and
woody. Learning the difference and what makes some plants invasive is also offered. For more information, times and costs, you can go online at www.nybg.org or call 718-817-8747.
A boat yard on Sunrise Highway has a spring countdown calendar. Today, February 18, it said 32 days until the first day of spring. If you’ve been observant, you know that there is daylight almost twelve hours now, the sky is bright by 6:00AM and it doesn’t get dark until 5:45 PM or so. On the 21st of March the vernal equinox arrives, when we will have 12 hours each of day and night. Careful
inspection of the garden will show that the buds are beginning to swell on the deciduous trees; snowdrops and other early spring bulbs are showing tiny green shoots if they’ve been planted in a protected area. The birds are getting noisier, and the squirrels are friskier.
Phil Butler, one of our club members will be speaking at this month’s meeting. He will be discussing changes to Waverly Avenue, Greater Patchogue Lake, and the western end of Patchogue Village.
Remember that club dues are due this month, our membership year runs from March 1 to February 28. Dues are $15 per person or $20 per couple.
Carol Tvelia
President
Patchogue Garden Club
---------
Mark the Date
Tuesday, February 26, 2008, 7 PM, regular at Swan Lake Civic club house. Please bring your Chinese Auction baskets and other contributions to this meeting. You may also drop them at Georgia Dulmovits’ house, 168 E. Lakewood, Patchogue. Reservations will also be taken; bring check or cash. Speaker: Phil Butler on invasive weeds in Patchogue Lake.
Thursday, March 13, 10:30 am, annual “Think Spring” speaker, luncheon and raffle. Mediterranean Manor, tickets $32.00 For more information, call Georgia Dulmovits (289-0867) or Arlene Lamberti (289-3667). If you have a dietary problem, please let Georgia know so I can talk with the Manor and get back to you. I wish to thank you all for your help in donating baskets, other prizes, and gift certificates. To date we have 80, and several certificates and baskets are still out. This year we had 24 members on our committee and they worked really hard, great group! To all our members, thank you for your continued support. I hope to see you at the luncheon and the meeting.
Georgia
---------
January Meeting in a Flash
The 2008 calendar was distributed. A copy is included in this newsletter for those who were not in attendance.
---------
Perennial Plant of the Month: Geranium 'Rozanne'
It’s a new year, and that means there is a new 2008 Perennial Plant of the Year. The Perennial Plant Association has awarded the honor to Geranium 'Rozanne', a hardy geranium originally found in Somerset, England in 1989. In the United States it can be grown within the USDA hardiness zones 5
through 8. Violet blue flowers with white centers 2 1/2" wide bloom from late spring to mid-fall. This perennial reaches a height of 2’ and about the same in width. In moist well drained soil in either full sun to partial shade, 'Rozanne' is an excellent ground cover and can also be used alone as a specimen plant. Use it in conjunction with hostas, perennial salvias and short ornamental grasses for an interesting effect. Besides in the ground, opt for using it this year in your upcoming window box arrangements or patio containers. For more information, see www.PerennialPlant.org
---------
New Annuals to Look For
All America selections: Drought-tolerant Osteospermum ‘Asti White’, 18”H & W, with 2.5” blue-centered white daisies all summer. Viola ‘Skippy XL Plum Gold’, 6-8”H, plum purple flowers with gold center. Look at those whiskers! And in the vegetable category, look for winner Hansel, a miniature eggplant, a smaller-sized plant with finger-sized clusters of fruit. Reaching a height of less than 3 feet, the strong plant produces clusters of three to six fruit. They mature early — about 55 days from transplanting, 10 days earlier than a comparison eggplant. If left on the plant, they grow in size but remain tender and nonbitter, offering gardeners more flexibility in harvest. Hansel is highly
recommended for container gardening.
-----------
Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman
Fletcher Steele, American Landscape Architect
There is a good chance that many of us did not hire a well-known landscape designer to create our gardens, but we might have had our own outdoor spaces influenced by landscape architects and designers through writings and public gardens done in the past. One such influential designer, (John) Fletcher Steele, might not be a household name now, but his concepts and approach to design are felt through current designers today even though much of his work was done in the mid 1900's. Rather than doing a straight copy of an historic European garden to fit an American estate as had been the norm, he mixed classical designs and listened to the client’s wishes on how they wanted to use their gardens, their outdoor rooms. With two books and over 100 magazine articles to his credit, his topics ranged from historical design analysis; color in the garden; and how to bring landscape architecture to its well-deserved position as a fine art. In the early part of the 1900's he worked on large estates, incorporating staircase layout and railing design and experimented with new materials such as concrete block and tube railings. After World War II styles and tastes changed along with the advent of the suburban garden lot. The original gardens by Steele were on a large scale with major construction and high maintenance, supported by large staffs. The changes brought about were a demand for smaller tracts of land with less maintenance as found in his book, “Design in the Little Garden”. Many of his landscape creations done on large estates have been replaced by subdivisions and parking lots. Two of the gardens have been preserved and are open to the public in Stockbridge MA. The better known is Naumkeag which has been photographed and written about in numerous magazines. It took 30 years to create. See www.Thetrustees.org and click on 'Property Directory' for a tour of Naumkeag. Read a biography of Steele at http://www.esf.edu/la/research/Steele/FSbio.htm
----------
Road Trip: 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show
Mark your calendar, clear your schedule, it's time to book a trip to Philadelphia for the 2008 Philadelphia Flower Show from March 2 through the 9th. This years theme is 'Jazz it Up' with New Orleans, the French Quarter and the Roaring '20's as its inspiration. Designers will be thinking of wrought iron balconies, courtyards, and fountains and how gardens relate to it all. The premier flower show of the United States has been ongoing since1829, and this year’s show in the Convention Center will include in its ten acres a myriad of landscape designs, floral fantasies, and garden lectures and demonstrations along with an indoor marketplace. For more information visit www.Pennsylvaniahorticulturesociety.org . The Patchogue-Medford Library runs a bus trip. Tickets are $51, including admission, and are on sale at the main desk.
-----------
Did You Know? In the 17th Century in Ireland, royalty often used lavender instead of grass to create a lush and fragrant lawn. Upon discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922, archaeologists were greeted by arrangements of leaves and flowers intact after more than 3,000 years! (Martha Stewart Living)
-----------
Information About the Winona Cottage
The Winona Cottage is a small house, formerly the caretaker’s cottage on the grounds of the old Winona Hotel, more recently known as Halcyon Manor. The hotel, now being renovated, was acquired by Patchogue Village to be the new home of the Village Recreation Center.
The reason we chose to donate the proceeds of the Christmas House Tour to the Winona Cottage is that the Village of Patchogue is giving the cottage to us, the Patchogue Garden Club, to use as we see fit. It has been discussed at several meetings and in the newsletter as well as in the brochure for the tour, but it has come to the attention of the Executive Board that there are still some questions about the allocation of funds to the cottage.
As discussed previously, having the cottage for our use will give us a permanent place to hold meetings, have seminars, do various garden-related crafts, in short, anything we want to use it for (within reason, of course). In addition, the grounds surrounding the cottage can be a horticultural learning center for the club and the community. We will also be doing landscaping on the grounds of the cottage. As the cottage nears completion, we will be discussing ways of using it with the membership. If you have any questions about the Winona, please bring them up
at a meeting.
----------
Another Road Trip
For many of us gardeners, digging in the soil is one of our true loves, but that doesn’t stop us from appreciating indoor plants and what we can grow on the windowsill or under UV lights. From February 23rd through April 6th the New York Botanical Gardens is hosting the annual Orchid Show right before the first green leaves appear on our shrubs and perennials. The Enid Haupt Conservatory will house thousands of orchids, many fragrant, and all beautiful. When you go through the exhibit there is an audio tour to point out the many different aspects of the orchids on view. The New York Botanical Garden will also host classes and workshops. The gift shop will be wellstocked and ready for you to make a purchase or two. www.nybg.org/tos
----------
New York Botanical Gardens Winter Lecture Series
You're never too old to learn, and the New York Botanical Garden is having their 2008 American Gardening Winter Lecture Series throughout February and March. Saturday March 1st offers a variety of classes geared to the understanding of the soil and how to modify it for different plant material. Or you might want to sit in and see what Spring Maintenance in the garden consists of. Later in the day it’s time to familiarize yourself with expanding your knowledge on early flowering bulbs and other plants or find out about dividing and transplanting what is in your garden now. The afternoon brings the option of learning what to prune and when or getting serious and beginning with seeds as the first step in plant production. March 29th has classes solely on Native Plants - perennials and
woody. Learning the difference and what makes some plants invasive is also offered. For more information, times and costs, you can go online at www.nybg.org or call 718-817-8747.
---------
Timely Tips
Now is the time to do early garden chores. Organize your workspace.
Clean and sharpen your tools.
Make pruning cuts on deciduous trees, cut down your ornamental grasses and
butterfly bushes.
Cut some branches of forsythia, witch hazel, and pussy willow for forcing.
Sow cool-season crops (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, head lettuce, and so on)
indoors now. Grow cool; they will tolerate light frost outdoors after hardening off.
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