April 2009

The St. Pat's Parade Float

President Guy R. Vitale, Babette Bishop, Charlie & Carol Reitz-Butler


Guy’s Greetings

“April showers bring May flowers”, so the saying goes.
If this is true, don’t be blue: The showers will subside,
The flowers will arrive, and May will take away your blues….By Guy R. Vitale

I‘d like to thank Richard & Babette Bishop, Charlie & Carol Reitz-Butler, Paula Murphy, and Mark Jeffers for their participation in building and marching with our float last Sunday in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. It was truly the first beautiful spring day this season. Thanks to Kelleen Guyer and June Petruccelli for cheering us on from the side lines.
I hope to see everyone at our spring garden clean up. Remember, the more the merrier and we’ll get done that much faster.

Mark the Date

Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 7:00 PM, general meeting at Hagerman Fire Department, on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale. Our speaker will be LeeAnn Seeley. She will talk about organic gardening and products.
Saturday, April 25, 2009, opening of the Terry Street garden; rain date Sunday, April 26. Both days begin at 9:00 AM. Bring gloves, tools, and plenty of energy. The club will provide bagels, tea, and coffee to keep you going.
Saturday, May 16, 2009, 9 AM-4 PM, Annual Plant & Yard Sale. Clean out your attic and garage, pot up extra plants, and bring them to the garden with prices attached (Carol has stickers) at 8:00 AM. Workers needed; please contact Carol Tvelia. Rain date is Sunday, May 17, same time, same place.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 10:00 AM, Sayville Garden Club Luncheon and Raffle Boutique. Lands End, 80 Browns River Road, Sayville. Reserve by May 5, $40, payable to the Sayville Garden Club. Send to Pat Osarchuk, 144 Handsome Avenue, Sayville, NY 11782. Speaker: Floral designer Joan Smith.

March Meeting in a Flash

Joy Kaminski, self-proclaimed tree-hugger and proud of it, gave a very interesting and informative talk and slide presentation about the Bayard Cutting Arboretum. The club plans to apply for National Wildlife Habitat Certification from the NWF (nwf.org) for the Community Garden. Sandra Franco talked about HOG, the Hamlet Organic Garden, a Community Supported Agriculture farm located in Brookhaven Hamlet on Beaverdam Road. There are still shares available at the farm for pickup on Monday or Friday and in Bayshore. Visit http://hamletorganicgarden.org/ for details. Members Kathy McMahon, Ellen and Mike Scammon, and Arlene Lamberti all won tickets to the Patchogue Theatre that the club received through its membership in the Chamber of Commerce.

Thanks to all the club members who have signed on to care for the Community Garden this season: Fred & Bonnie Bossert, Peg & Frank Densing, Margaret Atkinson, June & Angelo Petruccelli, Babette Bishop, Carol & Charlie Butler, Carla Steward, Bert Voland, Lynn Kane, Sandra Franco, Carol Tvelia, Guy Vitale, Carolyn Savastano, Arlene Lamberti, Jo Miller, Karen Ferb, and John & Georgia Dulmovits.

Danger to Dogs of Cocoa Bean Mulch

If you’ve heard "Don't give your dog, chocolate it will kill him", you're probably wondering if it’s true. Yes, chocolate contains theobromine, toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. Cocoa bean mulch is pretty and smells great, but may have toxic concentrations of theobromine. Home Depot only sells a "cleaned" version of cocoa mulch (look for "pet safe" on any brand you buy; 2 are Mirana and Cocoa Mulch). If you suspect your pet has ingested chocolate contact your Vet immediately! They can help you determine the proper treatment for your pet. (Thanks, Guy)

Where’s the Beet?

Is there anyone out there who hasn’t heard the brou-ha-ha over the beet-free White House Garden? First it was Bush and broccoli, now Obama and beets. Our own Sandra Franco disliked beets until she had fresh ones prepared properly from Hamlet Organic Garden last year. Could Sandra be our emissary to the White House to show the prez the tasty nutritional powerhouse he’s missing?

Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman

Pinching Pennies?

Have you turned over the sofa cushions to look for loose change? As gardeners we know how to stretch a dollar by dividing perennials, but now the Wall Street Journal’s 'Cheapskate' column (April 16, 2009) agrees that growing a vegetable garden could help stretch the family food budget. A study sponsored by Scotts Miracle-Gro found that an average family could spend $70 yearly on seeds and supplies and reap about $600 worth of vegetables. Now that is an impressive return on investment! Of course, missing from the $70 tab is the initial outlay of any fencing, irrigation, soil amendments, etc., and nowhere is there any accounting for labor - how well we know about that! Weeding, insect control, and staying off the lounge chair with a cool drink in the hot summer sun until the garden is tended to are things we know all too well. But once we taste the difference in the vegetables grown in our own back yard compared to some of the wax coated supermarket replicas, we know that growing a garden is more than just a way to save money.

Anne Frank Saplings May be Planted in 10 US Cities

NEW YORK — Saplings from the tree Anne Frank used to measure the seasons while hiding from the Nazis could be planted in 10 cities around the United States. The Anne Frank Center USA wants to plant the trees in 10 U.S. cities to symbolize the growth of tolerance. The saplings would come from an ailing horse chestnut tree in Amsterdam. (New York Times, April 17, 2009)
Amsterdam had to cut down the 170-year-old chestnut tree that Anne Frank mentioned in her diary while she was in hiding during the Nazi occupation of Holland because it was attacked by an aggressive fungus and a leaf miner.

In “The Diary of Anne Frank”, the teenager looks at the tree through an attic window of the apartment, concealed in her father's factory, where she and her family hid from the Germans for more than two years. The factory and apartment where they hid, on the Prinsengracht canal, is preserved as a tribute to Anne Frank and to her book, which has been read by 25 million people worldwide.

"Nearly every morning I go to the attic to blow the stuffy air out of my lungs," Anne wrote on Feb. 23, 1944. "From my favourite spot on the floor I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree, on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, and at the seagulls and other birds as they glide on the wind..."As long as this exists, I thought, and I may live to see it, this sunshine, the cloudless skies, while this lasts I cannot be unhappy."

The tree was in an inner courtyard and one of the few green living things visible at a time when windows had to be blacked out to prevent neighbours seeing people moving through the apartment.

Anne died of typhus in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, spring, 1945.


Members Pages

Submit your pictures, stories, recipes, or other items of interest. Swap or sell. Whatever.


Peanut Butter Pie from the kitchen of June Petruccelli
15 minutes prep time, serves 8

4 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 package whipped topping mix
½ cup milk (skim or 2%)
1 graham cracker crust (9”)
¼ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Whip cream cheese until light and fluffy, beat in sugar and peanut butter. Prepare whipped topping with milk according to package instructions. Fold topping into peanut butter mixture, taking care not to break down topping. Pour into pie shell, top with chopped nuts. Chill until firm.

(Ed. note: If you are a diehard peanut butter cup fan—okay, I confess—decorate the top of this with chocolate sauce or chocolate curls. You could even chop up peanut butter cups and sprinkle on the top.)

thanks for sending the PGC site......if there is a spot for "old member news", I can report that I have joined the local Saturday New Baltimore Farmers' Market (www.newbaltimorefarmersmarket.com) & the Thursday Selkirk / New Bethlehem Farmers' Market & happily grow & sell herbicide- & pesticide-free veggies, berries, & fresh herbs up here near Albany from spring to fall...was always looking to have a road-side stand, even in Patchogue, but didn't have enough property to grow for sale.....here, all I have to do is remove all the rocks on these mineral-rich 3 acres, incorporate with truck-loads of compost & manure, mulch with hay/straw & I can plant what I want....picked my 1st 105 Red Haven & Belle of Georgia peaches last year & expect more this year, along with assorted plums & pears....specialty varieties are my aim so as to minimize competition at the markets....I miss my friends in Patchogue, but I now have exactly what I have been looking for....Love to all, Lynn G.

See the astonishing work of Frances Pelzman Liscio at http://www.punksandroses.com/. Originally a photographer of punk and country musicians, she has turned her lens towards no less romantic (but much prettier) subjects, photographing carefully-arranged and brilliantly-colored botanical collages. “I photographed the punks as if they were rare botanicals, and I photograph my botanicals as if they were vulnerable icons. What I attempt to underscore in both treatments is the fragile beauty that transcends our mortality—and the mortality that makes such beauty even more precious.” (Thanks to Carol Reitz-Butler)

Timely Tips for May

Plant dahlias, glads, cannas, and daylilies through the end of the month.
All annual flowers can be safely planted outdoors after mid-May.
Fertilize roses every 2-3 weeks and spray weekly with an all-purpose spray.
Stake perennial plants that may be damaged by wind before they’re too tall.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs immediately after blooming.
Apply summer mulches to perennial borders and beds.
Plant tuberous begonias and caladiums out in a shady protected area.
Sow beans, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, cukes, and squash outdoors.


My Mother's Garden
By Alice E. Allen
(Thanks to June Petruccelli)

Her heart is like her garden,
old-fashioned, quaint and sweet,
with here a wreath of blossoms,
and there a still retreat.

Forget-Me-Nots there linger,
to full perfection brought,
and there bloom purple Pansies,
in many a tender thought.

And in the quiet garden-
the garden of her heart-
song birds are always singing
their songs of cheer apart.

And from it floats forever,
o'ercoming sin and strife,
sweet as the breath of roses blown,
the fragrance of her life.

March 2009

Guy’s Greetings

Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! The Patchogue Garden Club hosted our 6th successful “Think Spring” luncheon. Congratulations and thank you to Georgia Dulmovits, Arlene Lamberti, and all the wonderful members on the committee for your tireless dedication to the luncheon’s success. In our shaky economy you managed make the luncheon grow in both attendees and the beautifully crafted baskets. Again, the accolades have been many, but the success is all yours.
St. Patrick’s Day was Tuesday, March 17th, and Patchogue’s parade is Sunday, March 29th at 1:00 pm. We start on Rider Avenue and finish with corned beef, cabbage, and a beer or two at the BrickHouse Brewery. Let’s show the village what makes the Patchogue Garden Club such a great service organization: our community involvement.
Historically, the average spring temperature in late March is in the mid 50’s, perfect weather for a Sunday stroll down Main Street and to get the blood flowing for another gardening season.

Mark the Date

Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 7:00 PM, general meeting at Hagerman Fire Department, on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale Avenue. The speaker will be Joy Kaminsky from Bayard Cutting Arboretum. The topic will be the history of arboretums, including cemetery arboretums, which will tie in with the idea of creating an arboretum cemetery on West Main Street where the cemetery restoration project is taking place. THIS IS NOT A GARDEN CLUB PROJECT!!!! Some members of the club are advisors.
Sunday, March 29, 1:00 PM, Patchogue St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Rider Ave.
Final dues closing date is March 31.
If anyone is interested in having a summer club meeting in your garden, please contact Paula. This invitation is offered to members' friends as well and does not have to be in Patchogue. Gardens are needed for June, July, and August.
April 4, 3:00-8:00 PM, Hagerman Fire House Spaghetti Supper fundraiser for Michael Vignato. See www.HagermanFD.com for details or call 654-2790 Ext. 200.
Saturday, April 25, 2009, opening of the Terry Street garden; rain date Sunday, April 26. Both days begin at 9:00 AM.

February Meeting in a Flash

Erik Meneses, Asian garden specialist, of Blue Monkey Asian Design and President of Eastern Suffolk Bonsai, made a presentation about bonsai which included a slide show and raffling off of the maple bonsai specimen he demonstrated. Marie Magnano was the happy winner. Eric also brought a beautiful specimen of azalea in flower. For further information about Eastern Suffolk Bonsai, email www.EasternSuffolkBonsai.org or call 363-6490.

Garden Conservancy Open Days: Plan Ahead!
More than 300 gardens participating in the Conservancy’s Open Days program will be open in 2009. You are invited to explore first-hand examples of outstanding design and horticultural practice that are growing in America’s gardens. The 2009 Open Days Directory is now available. The Suffolk County Open Days for May 2 are listed here. For details and directions, other dates, or if you happen to be traveling during the garden season, checks out the other gardens on the schedule at http://www.gardenconservancy.org/opendays/events.pl. For general information about the Conservancy, visit http://www.gardenconservancy.org/.
Abby Jane Brody. 44 Glade Road, East Hampton This is primarily a woodland garden in which the native oaks are the upper story. I am an inveterate plant collector with a special interest in rare or unusual flowering trees and shrubs as well as herbaceous plants. The half-acre site has something in flower, preferably fragrant, almost every day of the year. In early May, the last of the camellias and hellebores may be in bloom, as well as daphne, epimediums, and hundreds of other woodland plants.
Biercuk/Luckey Garden 18 Sayres Path, Wainscott. Our four-season woodland garden under a high oak canopy shelters a collection of rhododendrons, azaleas, kalmia, pieris, understory trees, perennials, bulbs, and tropicals in season. A mostly sunny rear corner contains a pool designed as a pond with a waterfall and is surrounded with plantings which peak mid-July through October. Winding paths and stone walls enhance a sense of depth and elevation change on a mostly flat acre. There is something in bloom every season.
Margaret Kerr. The garden, designed by Kerr, surrounds the house and studios on two acres that extend down to the wetlands of Accabonack Harbor. Kerr’s brick rug sculptures, inspired by tribal Middle Eastern carpets, are placed throughout the garden. One, a brick prayer rug, lies in a contemplative glade below her studio. Kerr collects plants grown in the Middle Ages in a courtyard around a fountain and lily pool highlighted with espaliered pear trees. In the spring, drifts of thousands of daffodils bloom in the fields around the house and are left unmown until late fall. Native grasses and wildflowers make islands of meadow during the summer.
Mrs. Donald J. Bruckmann. This seaside location emphasizes traditional and informal plantings of herbaceous borders, woodland, meadow, and rose gardens. Two ponds are surrounded by iris, asters, and other sun-loving plants. An ocean terrace and adjacent dune combine beach vegetation with bright annuals for an interesting contrast of the cultivated and naturalistic.

Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman

Roberto Burle Marx
At the New York Botanical Garden until April 12th is the Orchid Show featuring an exhibit designed by the landscape designer Raymond Jungles. He has used influences the well-known Brazilian landscape architect, painter, ecologist and naturalist Roberto Burle Marx (1909-1994). Jungles met Marx when attending a lecture while a student at the University of Florida; he subsequently made many trips to Brazil to view Marx’ design work. Landscape architects have been influenced by Marx through his many lectures and writings.
Marx was born in Sao Paulo, but it was in Germany as a student of painting that he became interested in Brazil’s native flora while visiting a local botanical garden. When he returned to Brazil in 1930 he began his extensive collection of native plants and two years later had his first commission for a landscape at a private residence. Years later his collection of native plants grew to be housed in a large estate outside of Rio de Janeiro that had been donated to the Brazilian government in 1985. The use of native species within his designs was very important in order to show off each plant’s characteristics. The use of water and pavements is also something that can be found in many of his designs such as in the Copacabana promenade.
If Roberto Burle Marx found influences in his work at a trip to a botanical garden, isn’t it time you venture out to the New York Botanical Garden yourself?

Economics 101
This is the garden club newsletter, not the Wall Street Journal, so I am not about to write about the current state of the economy. But I am reminded of Econ 10, reading about the cost of tulips and the havoc caused in the Netherlands back in the 1600's. A book written in 1841, “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds”, claims that investors in tulip bulbs were ruined in the dramatic rise and fall of bulb prices, with tulip contracts selling for more than ten times the annual income of a skilled craftsman at that time. Historians now disagree with author using with the term 'tulipomania' as it refers to an economic bubble. Tulips were introduced to the Netherlands from the Ottoman Empire in the mid-16th century. Within a short time tulips became status symbols. Previous thinking had the entire population speculating, causing the cost of tulip bulbs to rise. People felt this could last forever and had visions of wealth for all. In 1637 the traders weren’t able to get new buyers willing and able to pay the highly inflated prices, so the demand for tulips fell along with the price, and the bubble burst. Tulip speculators were now asking for aid from the government in declaring that contracts could now be voided by paying a 10% fee. According to the author, those who now held the tulip bulbs were left without any enforcement of their contracts since the judicial courts considered this gambling. Now it is thought that the tulipomaniacs were really just a small group of people, not the entire Netherlands as originally believed. Recent findings show trading in tulips was only by merchants and wealthy craftsmen, making the bubble very limited. During 1636-1637 there was a dramatic rise and fall in the cost of tulip bulbs, but not as dramatic a bubble as originally thought. Since the original book was highly popular and widely cited by other writers and economists (even up till the 1980's) the use of the term 'tulipomania' has remained. What will they say about today’s economic climate years from now? I just hope they keep the plant world out of it!

The 6th Annual “Think Spring” luncheon was a grand success, and a good time was had by all who attended. The Mediterranean Manor, as always, did not disappoint, and in fact was better than ever.

Many club members made donations for the raffle baskets. Those marked with an * were members of the committee who gave generously of their time as well. Those marked with & also participated in the Members’ Art Show, a first for the luncheon and a big hit. Let’s have a round of applause for all of these members!

Special thanks to co-chairs Georgia Dulmovits and Arlene Lamberti for a bang-up job yet again! In no particular order: Margaret Atkinson*, Babette Bishop*, Barbara Bruce*&, Rosalie Coleman&, Sandra Franco, June Petruccelli*, Carolyn Savastano*&, Diane and Bert Voland, Judy Zuck, Jo Miller, Fred and Bonnie Bossert, Peg and Frank Densing, Jim Tooher, Barbara Aragon*, Guy R. Vitale and Mark Jeffers, Joan Delaney, Ann Rubbo*, Marie Magnano*, Carolyn Young*, Ruth Szuminskyj*, Paula Murphy, Millie Zimmerman*, Donna Mujic&, Karen Ferb*&, Violet Mulligan*, Janet Heyer*, Carol Tvelia, Gladys Heimburger*, Joanna Drake, Marita Morello*, Joan Kattau, Mary Ann Tchinnis. Other members of the committee were Barbara Bestafka, Pauline Carleton, Carla Steward, Ellen Brandt, and Joan Tifford. Other members in the Art Show were Kathy Barthman, Carol Reitz-Butler, Kathy McMahon, and Tony Wenderoth. If I left anyone out, please let me know and accept my apologies. Ed.

Many businesses and organizations gave their generous support to our 2009 luncheon. We are ever grateful:

Jim Tooher Three Village Music Bayport Flower Houses
Friends of the Patchogue-Medford Library The Fish Store
Trendsetters Hair and Skin Care Blum’s
Town of Brookhaven Highway Dept. Nino’s Pizza
Long Island Statuary J&R Steak House
Waitress to Go Casino Clam
Fantastic Gardens Country Kitchen Restaurant
New York New Wave Hair Salon The Curry Club
Petite Pets Day Care and Boarding Swiftway Wine & Liquor
Finest Fitness Health and Sports Club The Pilates Studio at Bayport
Signs and Advertising Associate Prime Meat Market
Karl Ehmer Pork Store Advance Auto Parts
Time On My Hands Bissett Nursery
Bobbique Swan Cleaners
King Kullen Grocery Gallo Tropical Restaurant
BrickHouse Brewery and Restaurant The Good Steer Restaurant
Pura Vida Burrito Company Carvel
Panera Bread Painter’s
SunWave Liquors Alchemy Design
Tricia’s Hair Galleria Home Depot
Head Cutters Long Island Flower Garden & Florist
Quench Wine & Spirits Forever Young National Display Garden

Timely Tips for April
Prune forsythia soon after it finishes flowering for next year’s flowers.
Plant trees and shrubs. Plant new roses before growth begins.
The months of March, April and May are ideal for pruning evergreens. Remove all dead, diseased, and undesirable wood. However, do not prune back into the bare wood of the plant.
Plant summer flowering bulbs, but take care to wait until last frost for tender ones.
April is a great time to select and plant fruit trees and berry plants. Fruits and berries do best in full sun.
On Arbor Day, attend a ceremony and plant a tree.


If you ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it…
But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.
~Frank Lloyd Wright
Thanks to Diane Riviello-Voland for the quote.

February 2009

Guy’s Greetings
It’s February, and the holidays are over! Christmas, the New Year, and Groundhog Day, yes, Groundhog Day! On February 2nd the groundhogs told us we have six more weeks of winter. How can this be? We have seed packets in the stores, our daylight hours are growing longer, and the daffodils have broken ground. Mother Nature has even given us a peek (just a peek) of things to come with 60 degree weather. But the calendar is never wrong; it is still February. For me, when I see robins, I know winter is coming to an end and spring is around the corner.

As we look forward to the renewal of our gardens, our adventures, and our lives, we have to keep in mind how we got here and where we are going. The Patchogue Garden Club has grown over the years and evolved into an organization we can all be proud of. The accolades are many, but the success is yours. Remember our motto, “Come grow with us”. I invite everyone to join a committee, pull a weed, or share a story. But most of all, become involved, and we will become a stronger service organization
Thanks, Guy

Please Note: The policy of the Patchogue Garden Club is to use member contact information only for club business.

Mark the Date
Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 7 PM, general meeting at Hagerman Fire Department. Guest speaker: Erik Meneses of the Eastern Bonsai Society on "The Art of Bonsai". Please bring your luncheon baskets and other contributions to this meeting if you haven’t already done so. You may also drop them at Georgia’s house, 168 E. Lakewood, Patchogue. Reservations will also be taken; bring check for $32 payable to Patchogue Garden Club or cash. Karen Ferb is collecting payment. Please also pay your dues, $15 for an individual, $20 for a family.

Thursday, March 12, 2009, 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 me 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. This year we have 24 members on our committee, and they have been working 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
Our new president, Guy R. Vitale, thanked the outgoing officers for all the hard work during the past year. He is pleased and proud to have been elected to serve.

Club members voted with great community spirit to again participate in the March 29 Patchogue St. Patrick’s Day Parade for which we have won trophies in the past. So far, the members who have signed up are Guy R. Vitale, Mark Jeffers, Diane Riviello-Voland, Sandra Franco, Bonnie and Fred Bossert, JoMiller, Georgia Dulmovits, Carla Steward, Arlene Lamberti, Mary Ann Tchinnis, and Karen Ferb. Join the ranks and end the parade with the corned beef and cabbage at the BrickHouse Brewery and Restaurant on Main Street!

Calendar of Events for 2009:
Annual Think Spring Luncheon, Thursday, March 12, 2009,Opening of the Terry Street garden, 9 AM Saturday, April 25, 2009; rain date Sunday, April 26, 2009 Annual Plant and Yard sale, 9 AM to 4 PM, Saturday, May 16; rain date, Sunday, May 17, 2009 Breakfast in the Garden, 9 AM, Saturday, June 6, 2009 Annual Garden Tour, Saturday, July 11, 2009, Harvest dinner, 3 PM, Sunday, October 18, 2009, Closing of the Terry Street garden, 9 AM Saturday, November 7, 2009; rain date Sunday, November 8, 2009, Annual Christmas House Tour, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009

Who’s on first? Want to join a committee?
Contact the chairman.Newsletter, Karen Ferb; Web site, Kelleen Guyer & Karen Ferb; Design Committee for the Terry Street garden, Diane Riviello-Voland; Maintenance for the Terry Street Garden, Georgia Dulmovits; History and PR, Josephine Miller; Host/Hostess Committee, Arlene Lamberti; Nominating Committee, rotates yearly; Scholarship Committee, Guy R. Vitale; Membership, June Petruccelli; ‘Think Spring’ Luncheon Committee, co-chairmen Georgia Dulmovits and Arlene Lamberti; Plant and Yard Sale, Carol Tvelia; Breakfast in the Garden, Diane Riviello-Voland; Annual Garden Tour, Paula Murphy; Harvest Dinner, Guy R. Vitale; Christmas House Tour: Mary Ann Tchinnis; Summer Meetings in members’ or their friends’ gardens, please volunteer in advance for June, July, and August to Guy. Sign up at meetings or see the club membership list for contact info.

Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman
Saving ForestsHere on the northeast coast of the United States we have in the last few decades witnessed the disappearance of various tree species (e.g., Eastern Hemlock forests were wiped out by the wooly adelgid insect). Currently U.S. and Canadian researchers have noted trees in the western United States and Canada are dying quicker than in the past 30 years due to the rise in the average temperature in these areas. With an increase of little more than one degree, warmer temperatures are causing forests to be susceptible to attacks by pine beetles and other destructive organisms. Thinner and weaker forests are more vulnerable to wild fires and are stressed with prolonged droughts that hasten their demise. Various tree species at different elevations are dying faster than ever before.

Rather than just reporting on these new discoveries, scientists are now in the process of coming up with land use policies and are suggesting regulations to help forests survive. Reducing development in or near wild forest areas that are prone to fire risk will help these forests survive.

Are You Bats!?!
Ugh! I can't stand 'em. BATS! See? You too! There is something about them that makes you shiver and put your hands on your head and duck for cover. No love lost here. And what do they have to do with gardening, you ask? Just consider how many mosquitoes and other insects swarming in your backyard would increase to if it wasn’t for the bat’s voracious appetite. Along with bees and other beneficial insects, bats aid in the pollination of many plants. But now scientists are discovering that there is a deadly white nose syndrome that has spread in six northeast states (New York included) that has affected the bat population. The fungus that causes this syndrome makes the bat go through its body fat storage before spring while in hibernation, with the result that it leaves to search for food when the insect population is too low. A count of the dead bat population has been estimated in the hundreds of thousands. Researchers are considering a fungicide or a fungus killing bacteria that could spread from bat to bat to counteract this deadly problem. And who would have thought that you might feel sorry for a bat?!?

Right in Our Own Back Yard!
Following six months of research, nominations, and extensive voting by readers of the Long Island Press, Old Westbury Gardens has been named the winner in the Best Public Garden category in the Best of Long Island 2009 program. The garden was also named one of the world’s most beautiful by ForbesTraveler.com, “incredibly beautifully maintained and impeccably manicured”. Plan a visit after the April opening to celebrate their 50th anniversary. See more at http://www.oldwestburygardens.org. Take note too of the astoundingly gorgeous interior.

Members Page. Contribute anything you feel of interest. Want to swap? Want to buy? Want to sell? Share? Giveaway? Carpool? Here’s your soapbox, fire away!
From Betty Baran: The 27th Annual Spring Gardening School of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County will be held at Riverhead Middle School on April 4, 2009, Ward Melville High School on April 18, 2009, and Bellport High School on April 25, 2009, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. This day includes your choice of classes from four different sessions, with information for every level of gardener from beginner to advanced. Topics include:• Fundamentals of gardening• Low maintenance shade gardening• Floral design• Home composting• Low-water gardening• Gardening with children• Vegetable gardening• Herbs, dahlias, hydrangeas, bulbs, roses, and many more!

All classes are taught by Master Gardeners and Extension Educators. Included in your fee are free soil pH testing, plant diagnostic clinic, plant sale from some of the finest nurseries, continental breakfast, delicious boxed lunch, and door prizes. The fee is $55 per person; early bird registration is $50 before March 6, 2009. The registration form with a full schedule of classes and their descriptions is available for download at www.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk or contact Caroline Kiang at 631-727-7850, ext. 337 or 345.From Ellen Scammon: Is anyone was interested in playing Mah Jong during the day? Call me at 447-9027 or as emailescammon@yahoo.com.

From Josephine Miller and Paula Murphy, by popular demand, the recipe for the Pine Nut Cookies with Rosemary they baked for the Christmas House Tour Hospitality spread two years running:
Ingredients
• 3 1/2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted, plus more for topping cookies
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• Fine sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Finely chop rosemary in a food processor. Add pine nuts; pulse until coarsely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk in 2 cups flour, the baking soda, ginger, and salt; set aside.
2. Put butter and granulated sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in oil. Reduce speed to low. Mix in flour mixture. Add cream; mix until well combined, about 2 minutes. Mix in egg, then remaining 1/4 cup flour.
3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls, and space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Flatten slightly with fingers, and top each with a pine nut. Sprinkle with sanding sugar.
4. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, about 13 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes on sheets on wire racks. Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers up to 3 days. They freeze well too.

From Guy R. Vitale:
Two free websites that have great gardening information along with email only coupons are www.homedepot.com/gardenclub and www.learn2grow.com from Lowes. I think this is information worth sharing to get free gardening coupons. We all can all use some help saving money!

Timely Tip
Do you know that February is National Wild Bird Feeding Month? Celebrate by offering up tasty options for your feathered friends. If you're not sure which types of birds will be visiting your yard, your best bets are black-oil sunflower seed and suet, high-calorie energy sources for a variety of species. Cheaperversions contain large percentages of milo and rape seeds that most backyard birds don't like. Buy a somewhat pricier mix that contains plenty of sunflower seeds, millet, and cracked corn. Birds won't discard as much, your feeder won't empty as quickly, and you'll save money in the long run.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, February 24, 7:00 p.m., at the Hagerman Fire Department

"Every gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle ... a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dream."
- Barbara Winkler

PRESS RELEASE - The 27th Annual Spring Gardening School

The 27th Annual Spring Gardening School of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County will be held at Riverhead Middle School on April 4, 2009, Ward Melville High School on April 18, 2009, and Bellport High School on April 25, 2009, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. This day includes your choice of classes from four different sessions, with information for every level of gardener from beginner to advanced. Topics include:

· Fundamentals of gardening
· Low Maintenance Shade gardening
· Floral design
· Home Composting
· Low-water gardening
· Gardening with children
· Vegetable gardening
· Herbs, dahlias, hydrangeas, bulbs, roses, and many more!

All classes are taught by Master Gardeners and Extension Educators. Included in your fee are free soil pH testing, plant diagnostic clinic, plant sale from some of the finest nurseries, continental breakfast, delicious boxed lunch, and door prizes. The fee is $55 per person, early bird registration is $50 before March 6, 2009.
The registration form with a full schedule of classes and their descriptions is available for download at www.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk or contact Caroline Kiang at 631-727-7850, ext. 337 or 345.

Update Before Jan. 09 General Meeting

Hi Everyone,

1. If anyone has their luncheon basket completed, please bring it to the general meeting Tuesday evening. We will wrap it for you. You can also drop it off at my home... 168 East Lakewood St. Patchogue. Call for more info 289-08672. If anyone has a donation that we can use to put in our baskets it would be appreciated.

2. Karen will be taking reservations for the luncheon at the meeting.

3. Reminder that dues can be paid at that time.... $15 for one....$20 for family. If you can not attend, please send them to Patchogue Garden Club P.O. Box 3030 Patchogue, NY 11772......Before March 31

Many thanks...Georgia

January 2009

Guy’s Greetings Happy New Year!
I want to take this time to say thank you for your trust in me to be president of the Patchogue Garden Club and to welcome our new board members. They are Diane Voland, 1st Vice President; June Petruccelli, 2nd Vice President; Carol Tvelia, Treasurer; Babette Bishop, Recording Secretary; Carolyn Savastano, Corresponding Secretary; and Maryann Tchinnis, Parliamentarian.

I would be remiss not to thank Jo Miller for her continuing efforts in collecting, organizing, and maintaining the history of the Patchogue Garden Club and Carol Tvelia and her entire board for their guidance for the past two years.

As we look forward to the beginning of a new gardening season, we also look forward to the renewal of our government and the call of service. We are an organization of gardeners, but also of our community. I ask that we all become involved, no matter how small task. We can not do it alone. I look forward to serving the Patchogue Garden Club, but most of all, to bringing service to our community.

Mark the Date
Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 7 PM, general meeting at Hagerman Fire Department, on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale Avenue. 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 for $32 payable to Patchogue Garden Club or cash. Karen Ferb is collecting payment.

Thursday, March 12, 2009, 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 me 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. This year we have 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

October Meeting in a Flash
At the October meeting, Dick Richardson spoke very informatively about his hobby, Purple Martins, one of America’s best known and most desired birds. They are treasured for their graceful flight, social antics, gurgling song, and insect-eating habits. Purple Martins are a unique part of our natural history, managed by humans longer than any other species of songbird. They depend on human-supplied housing for nesting. For further information, see the Web site of the Purple Martin Conservation Association, www.purplemartin.org. We have a Purple Martin house, courtesy of the Rothsteins, to put up at the Winona Cottage when the time comes.
Gardening Accomplishments of 2008The gardening season of 2008 was a busy one for our Terry Street Community Garden. Beginning with the opening of the garden on April 26 and ending with the closing on November 1, our members continued to work on completing the garden extension and on making needed repairs to our lighting, missing bench, and shed as well as on maintaining the existing garden. Work on the extension included mulching, metal edging, sod installation, and replacing the shed door with an exterior version as well as performing ongoing maintenance.

Christmas House Tour 2008 Since the last newsletter we had our second Christmas house tour, which was very successful. The Historical Society participated by opening and decorating the Swan River School House, 150 years old in 2008. We have received a lovely acknowledgement from Anita Timm: “Once again the Garden Club has hit a homerun! The Christmas House Tour was wonderful again. The hosts were all so gracious, and each house beautifully and uniquely decorated. It is very exciting hat Patchogue has so many lovely homes and such nice people willing to share with us. I’m looking forward to the spring luncheon and then the summer garden tour. Congratulations on a job well done again, and best wishes for success in all your coming events. Hope you have your yard sale again.” Thanks, Anita!

Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman
Krulwich on Science by Robert KrulwichWho knew that NASA, charged with looking deep into space, also looks backward at us? For years, NASA satellites have been snapping photos of our oceans, mountains and forests and sharing them with ecologists and biologists.As a result, says ecology professor Nalini Nadkarni of The Evergreen State College in Washington, "Some of the finest forest ecology studies being carried out today are the result of NASA-funded multidisciplinary collaborations." For example, because of NASA, we can calculate roughly how many trees we have on Earth. Trees, both leafy and otherwise, reflect sunshine in very particular patterns, making it possible for satellites to map and computers to count strips of land where trees are. Biologists can then sample those places, assume a tree density, multiply by acre or hectare, and calculate that in 2005 there were ~ 400,246,300,201 trees on our globe. It's a cool question and easy to calculate. Nadkarni looked up the world'shuman population as of Dec. 31 and found that on that day we numbered 6,456,789,877. She figured that the world supports 61 trees per person. When we talked, she was thrilled. "Hooray!" she said, "I get more than one tree!" Apparently, before she'd done the numbers, she had assumed that with people waxing and trees waning, the count would have been slimmer. "I severely hoped that there was more than one tree [per] person," she says, "but I feared and thought that there would be fewer." But when Nadkarni sat down with her husband, Jack, a microbiologist at Evergreen State, to tell him the good news, he was less impressed with the ratio of trees to people. "He looked at me in his quiet, slow sort of way and said, 'Well, you know, I don't know. We use that much in a couple of seasons in our wood stove and the amount of paper that comes off the printer and the lumber that made our home — so maybe it's not so many." This got Nadkarniwondering: How much of our 61-tree allotment does an American use in a lifetime? All of it? Some of it? More than 61? She didn't know. So she asked her graduate students to make a list of tree-based products — and they came up with a list so long, it almost never stops. Here's some of what they found: baseball bats, barrels, books, blocks, benches, crutches, coffee filters, guitars, grocery bags, pencils, pine oil, beds, billboards, buttons, candy wrappers, buttons, chewing gum, cork, crayons, egg cartons, fruit pie filling, kites, linoleum, luggage, paper, pingpong balls, chopsticks, rubber, tambourines, telephone books, tires, toilet paper, turpentine, xylophones and yo-yos. For the moment it is impossible to figure out how much woody stuff is found in our products. It is obvious that Americans gobble up more wood than Indians or Africans, but how much more is hard to say. Still, Nadkarni cautions that thinking about wood consumption is not like thinking about oil consumption. This is not necessarily a sad story. "I don't want people to feel guilty about their relationships with trees. After all, trees are not like oil. They are renewable. If you think we are using up more than our 61-each allotment (and that is her guess, based on the gradual reduction of forest acreage), you can always plant a few more. We may be falling behind in our tree count, but it's not only possible, it's deeply appealing, to go out with seed and shovel and repair the damage.

Road Trip: NYBG The Orchid Show: Brazilian Modern February 28 – April 12, 2009Thousands of brilliantly colored orchids and the lush tropical setting of a contemporary Brazilian garden await visitors to this year’s Orchid Show in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. This year’s exhibition, the 7th annual, is designed by noted Miami-based landscape architect Raymond Jungles. In creating the display he has drawn on his years of work with renowned Brazilian landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx. Fountains, pools, and colorful mosaics are combined with graceful palms, delicate orchids, bromeliads, and other native plants of Brazil, which are also highlighted throughout the Conservatory. Stay tuned to http://www.nybg.org/ for details. See also www.raymondjungles.com/ and www.maria-brazil.org/sitio_roberto_burle_marx.htm.

NYBG EducationSpecial Lecture Series American Gardening 2009 The New York Botanical Garden presents its tenth annual Thursday morning lecture series this winter. A wellrounded garden includes diverse plants: native and exotic, woody and herbaceous, temperate and tropical. In this series, accomplished plant breeders, explorers, and horticulturists introduce you to their favorite plants, providing something for every niche in your garden. www.nybg.org or call 718-817-8747.

BBG Winter Classes for Adults Browse the many classes offered for winter and spring by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden at http://www.bbg.org/edu/adult/. You will be amazed at the breadth of the offerings, from urban garden design to painting and pastels to bird watching, bonsai, and botany.Road Trip: Plan Ahead The 2009 Philadelphia Flower Show, “Bella Italia”, is scheduled for March 1 through March 8 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. See http://www.theflowershow.com/showinfo/index.html for details, tickets, and reservations.

Nature has undoubtedly mastered the art of winter gardening and even the most experienced gardeners can learn from the unrestrained beauty around them." - Vincent A. Simeone

Timely Tips for January
- Rework your garden design and order from catalogs
- Clean and sharpen your tools
- Review last year's journal and start a new one for this year by recording your seed/plant orders- Check your stored bulbs and veggies and start cool season crops
- Check plants for heaving
- Recycle your Christmas tree as garden mulch or a bird feeder
- Feed the birds and provide them with some unfrozen water

October 25 2008

Greetings from the President
Thank you to everyone who helped to make the Harvest Dinner such a success. We had over 30 attendees and lots of wonderful entrees, desserts, and libations. It was certainly one of our most successful dinners. The Patchogue Beach Club was a perfect location; as we ate we were treated to a beautiful fall sunset. We will be voting for a new executive board at this month's meeting. Thank you to Georgia and Jo Miller for organizing the nominating and election committee.We have received a request from the Patchogue Historical Society to take over the maintenance of the grounds of the Swan River Schoolhouse on Roe Avenue in East Patchogue. We will discuss this at this month's meeting. The warm temperatures have delayed the turning of the leaves and the falling of the leaves, which means many of us will be raking well into December again this year. As long as the layer is not too deep, and if you run them over first with the lawn mower, leaves make a terrific mulch. Just don't pile on the large maple leaves, as they form a heavy layer when wet, slowing decomposition and in extreme cases causing root rot of perennials.
Carol

Mark the Date

Tuesday, October 28, 2008, 7 PM, membership meeting at the Hagerman Fire Department on the corner of Dunton Avenue and Oakdale Avenue in East Patchogue. The speaker will be Dick Richardson on purple martins.

Saturday, November 1, 2008 (rain date November 2), 9 AM-?, putting the community garden at South Ocean Ave. and Terry St to bed. Workers needed! Bring gloves, tools, plastic bags and energy! Any amount of time you can give will help. Many hands make light work, so bring friends too! The club will provide bagels and coffee.

Drop off evergreen and berry cuttings for centerpieces for the Christmas House Tour on Nov. 29 and 30 at Karen’s, 270 West Ave. Wednesday, December 3, 10:00 AM, the tour centerpieces will be made at Karen’s. All who wish to participate are welcome. Let Mary Ann know.

Sunday, December 7, 2008, our 2nd Annual Christmas House Tour from 2:00 PM to 6 PM. Please sign up to house sit at this meeting and sell tickets to your friends. Details are in the enclosed flyer.

Plant of the Month:
An Unsung Jewel, O. arboreumOxydendron arboreum, sourwood, is one of our most unappreciated native trees, a deciduous, medium tall tree that grows to heights of 30-60’. It has a slender pyramid form, often with a curved or leaning trunk. The bark is rustybrown and smooth when young, later becoming rough and furrowed. The leaves are simple oblong, up to 10”long that are rich green and glossy on top and held alternately on the stems and, like the sap, have an acid taste. Sourwood is brilliant in fall when the leaves turn red and scarlet and some-times almost purple. In spring and early summer white blossoms are born on long drooping racemes that are 8-10” in length. The small white flowers are about 1/3” long and shaped like urns held upside down along the length of the raceme. The blossoms are fragrant and resemble those of its cousin, the blueberry, another member of the family Ericaceae. At the tip of each branch, several racemes are held in groups called panicles that droop toward the ground and impart a graceful aspect to this fine little tree. Due to the similarity of the flowers and its fragrance, this tree is also commonly called the lily-of-the-valley tree. Sourwood likes fertile, acidic woodland soils but is adaptable; moist, well drained soil is best. It will grow in part shade, but the best fall color requiresmore sun. It is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9. Seeds are sown in autumn. Root semi-ripe cuttings in summer, treat with rooting hormone powder for best results.
Book Review: “In Defense of Food”By Michael Pollan, this book is a brilliant and thorough expose of the food processing industry which attempts to add “nutrition” to its denatured products and shows how a return to the organic-local-slow food diet of our ancestors can restore real pleasure to eating as well as counter the current rise in obesity, diabetes and heart disease. At the library, so get growing!

Bayshore Garden Club Luncheon
Thursday, December 11, at Southward Ho. Boutique at 10:00 AM, program at 11:00 AM, luncheon to follow talk. The speaker is Jeffrey Miklos (Floral designer from New Jersey). The cost is $42. Choice of Chicken, Beef, Salmon or Veggie. Send reservations to Betty DeNinno, 81 Adelaide Lane, East Islip 11730-2203.

First Patchogue Christmas House Tour in Newsday Look for photos from our last year’s Christmas House Tour in Newsday the day after Thanksgiving. Members, Please Take Note! There will be a meeting on November 25 ONLY if officers are not elected in October because Thanksgiving is on November 28. There will be no newsletters in November or December. The first meeting of 2009 will be January 27 at Hagerman Fire Department. Please pay your dues early, $15 individual, $20 family, to save time for our treasurer. Thanks!

Serious Dirt from Richard Waldman
You don’t need your trowel, and put down the spade. All the while, unbeknownst to you, you have been planting seeds by just walking. No digging, no aching sore muscles, just with the mud on your shoes. Scientists in England from the Center for Ecology and Hydrology at Wallingford concluded from research that seeds mixed with the mud on your shoes and hiking boots have been dispersed in distances over 5 kilometers although a majority had dropped off within the first 10 to 20 meters (1 meter = 3' 3"). We all know of the typical dispersal of seeds through wind action (just think of dandelions), but now we can understand why some invasive plant species have been relocated to regions unexpected, all due to the soles of our shoes. Grounds for Knowledge is an engaging and knowledgeable guide to Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s buildings both historic and new and to the 150 species of trees that surround them. The superb color photography and detailed maps invite exploration of the newly designated Bungtown Botanical Garden. Buildings. Landscapes of nearby lab campuses in Woodbury, Lloyd Harbor, and Cold Spring Harbor are covered as well. Ms. Watson, a native of Providence, Rhode Island, graduated from Radcliffe College and has earned two master’s degrees, one in Historic Preservation, from the Columbia University School of Architecture and Planning (1983) and another in Library and Information Science from the Palmer School of Long Island University (1997). She also holds honorary doctorates from the College of Charleston and Illinois Wesleyan University, where she has lectured on the preservation of historic landscapes. Author of Houses for Science (a centennial history of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1991), she also drafted the nomination papers that led to placement of the laboratory’s main campus (along Bungtown Road) on the National Register of Historic Places, 1994. In addition, she authored A Limner’s View (asailor’s view of world architecture, with “limner” Faith H. McCurdy, 1993) and contributed to The Mansions of Long Island, 1860-1940 (1997). A devoted trustee of the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities (SPLIA), Ms. Watson has also served on the boards of the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum and the Heckscher Museum of Art and as a member of the Huntington Historic Preservation Commission. She was appointed in 2001 to the New York State Board for Historic Preservation and currently serves on the boards of the New York Landmarks Preservation Foundation and the Archives of American Art. See also Irene Virag’s story about Ms. Watson in the October 12th Newsday at http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/sunday/lilife/nylfvirag125877400oct12,0,3759473.column.

NOVEMBER GARDENING TIPS By Dr. Leonard Perry, Extension Professor and Dr. Vern Grubinger, ExtensionAssociate Professor, University of VermontYou don't need to watch the nightly weather forecast on your local television station to know that there is a chill in the air. Plants feel it, too, and like people, need to bundle up for the winter. Mulching is one of the best lines of defense for perennial plants against chilling temperatures. Mulching also can prevent the repeated freezing and thawing of soil that causes plants to "heave" out of the ground. But the trick is not to mulch too soon. Mulching needs to be done after the ground starts to freeze but before the first significant snowfall of the year. If you mulch sooner, mice and other rodents may nest in the mulch, and plants may not be completely dormant. In general, the end of November is a good time to apply mulch in Vermont although if an early snowstorm is predicted, you may want to apply mulch before it hits. You can use pine needles, straw, leaves, or shredded bark. Straw is the best mulch because it is hollow and that provides good insulation. If you use leaves, make sure they are finely chopped to prevent them from matting down. Apply a layer at least three to four inches thick around each plant. After you've laid it down, gently pull it away from the trunks and stems to give plants room to breathe. This helps prevent disease problems. Deeper mulching may benecessary in especially cold or windy sites. To protect evergreens from cold, biting winter winds, build a windbreak. Place posts in the ground on the sides most prone to seasonal winds (usually north and west), and wrap with old feed sacks or burlap. Avoid plastic as this will heat up, causing the plants to burn on sunny days. Winter sun can scald newly planted trees. Protect them by wrapping the trunks with special tree wrapping tape, which you can buy at most garden centers. Add four to six inches of shredded bark, wood chips, or leaves around the base of the tree. After applying, gently pull mulch away from the base. Wrapping also provides some protection against hungry mice. In the garden, there's still time to finish fall clean up, removing stakes, string, and plastic as well as fibrous vines and stems and rotting vegetables. This is also a good time to have your soil tested, so you'll be all set to go next spring. Soil test kits, with complete instructions for sampling soil, are available from the [Cornell Cooperative Extension] The basic test costs $15 for 1-4 samples. See http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:cauxFdNi7ygJ:www.cce.cornell.edu/suffolk/grownet/diagnosticforms/soiltest.pdf+cornell+cooperative+extension+bayard+cutting&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us for details. Late fall is not a good time to add fertilizer to the garden. That's because nutrients would be lost through leaching or erosion before plants can use them next spring. However, you could get your composted manure delivered for next season. Be sure to cover it with plastic to keep nutrients from leaching out over the winter. Like ornamental plants, strawberries benefit from mulch protection, especially when snow cover is shallow or nonexistent during winter. Clean straw is superior to hay as mulch because it doesn't add weed seeds to the garden. Apply three to five inches after a hard frost and the strawberry leaves are lying flat on the ground, usually mid to late November, to protect crowns and roots against cold injury and drying out.

Slate of Candidates for Officers of the Patchogue Garden Club
2009 President: Guy Vitale Unopposed
First Vice President: Diane Voland Unopposed
Second Vice President: Sandra Franco or June Petruccelli
Recording Secretary: Babette Bishop Unopposed
Corresponding Secretary: Carolyn Savastano Unopposed
Treasurer: Carol Tvelia Unopposed
Parliamentarian: Mary Ann Tchinnis Unopposed
Anyone who cannot attend the meeting may designate a proxy.
Please notify Jo Miller of your proxy before the meeting.
Patchogue Garden Club
P.O. Box 3030,
Patchogue, NY 11772-0887
“Come grow with us” Founded 1996