Information from Karen Ferb
Grow Weeds on Purpose? Are You for Real?
Lamb’s quarters (Chenopodium album), aka wild spinach,
has nourished many cultures over the centuries and is
richer in protein, calcium, iron, vitamins A and C, and some
B vitamins than spinach or cabbage. Its seeds are higher in
protein than wheat and produce a buckwheat-like flour.
Grown in good soil and pinched to promote branching, it
produces young leaves all season. These can be eaten raw
or cooked like spinach. Dandelion, purslane, chickweed,
chicory, plantain, burdock, wild onion, and stinging nettle,
are all wild foods with excellent culinary and health benefits.
Who knew Japanese knotweed was edible? It is said that it
tastes similar to rhubarb, only better, and heaven knows
Long Island is infested with enough of this invasive alien to
keep us all in pie for years to come. Seeds of select weed varieties are becoming available in catalogs. Also check out John Kallas’ Wild Food Adventures
at http://www.wildfoodadventures.com/johnkallas.html
and New York’s own Wildman, Steve Brill, at http://
www.wildmanstevebrill.com/ for ideas on wild foraging.
Timely Tips for May
• Prepare the soil in the vegetable garden and annual beds
• Sow seeds of garden peas, sweet peas and radishes.
• Fertilize fruit trees
• Examine houseplants-trim to reshape and repot as necessary.
• Prune early-flowering shrubs immediately after flowering.
• Control lawn weeds now through late May before temperatures get
too high.
• Continue planting herbaceous perennials until May and divide established
ones before growth is too far advanced
• Sow hardy annual seeds outdoors—cornflowers, larkspur, annual
poppies, etc.
• Plant new roses. Remove what is remaining of earth mounds and
prune established roses.
"A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit." --Greek proverb
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JANET, FRANK, AND DON!
Diane Riviello Voland
Where were you born, and where have you lived?
Brooklyn, New York, and lived for 10 years west of Pittsburgh PA......
lots of dairy farms and corn fields....very peaceful, and for me, just a little too small (the town)
Have you had a job you really enjoyed?
About 35 years ago, I worked as a title examiner at the county center in Riverhead. That had to be, by far the most interesting and fun job I ever had. It was like being a detective and I got to look at county record books that dated back to when the pilgrims came over, examine peoples' last wills and testaments, and check in the courthouse records for tax liens and judgments or law suits against the purchasers and sellers, and create a chain of title to suit the individual township’s needs.
What is your family like?
I have one sister 7 1/2 years my junior...but one look, and a stranger can tell we're sisters...other than that a very small family that is scattered across the US.
What gave you your first interest in gardening?
I've always loved flowers and plants and knew from a young age that I wanted to live someplace where I could have a little piece of my own great outdoors.
Outside of gardening, what are some of your interests?
At about 36 years old I got my degree in interior decorating, something I always had a passion for. I enjoy crafting and sewing or any activity that is creative in any way.
A television show you like?
You'll usually find me watching 'Criminal Minds' after 8 PM, and a personal favorite has always been, and will always be, 'I Love Lucy'.
An accomplishment you are proud of?
I would have to say that my greatest accomplishment,the one I am most proud of, is my son.
An interesting place you’ve traveled to or visited?
Of all the places I've traveled to by plane car or boat, I would have to say that Washington DC was the most interesting and inspiring. What a beautiful city, filled with history and fabulous museums.
Favorite sport (to play or watch?
A sport??? I am guilty of not being an avid participant in any sportslike activity, but I love to watch ice dancing.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
If I won the lottery big time?? I guess, like everyone else I would pay all that I owe to anyone, then move someplace warm and tropical— and I don't mean Florida.
February Meeting in a Flash
• Mary Ann Tchinnis stepped down as Parliamentarian, and Carla Buchanan-Steward accepted the position.
• In a general consensus, club members agreed that community service should be a part of the club scholarship. This service should take place at local gardens in the community and schools.
• Rolling Rock will continue doing maintenance on the garden.
• It was decided, with majority vote, that $2000 would be donated to a project for Patchogue Village's Veterans Memorial Park.
• The Garden Club will participate in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Patchogue.
Opportunities for Gardeners and Wannabes
1. The 29th Annual Spring Gardening School of Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County will be held at The Academy of St. Joseph in Brentwood on April 2, 2011, Bellport High School on April 19, 2011, and Riverhead Middle School on April 16 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
· Pruning
· Floral design
· Home Composting
· Water-wise gardening
· Rain Gardens
· Growing your own food
· Houseplants, roses, hydrangeas, bulbs, figs, and 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 4, 2011. The registration form with a full schedule of classes and their descriptions is available for download at www.ccesuffolk.org or contact Caroline Kiang at 631-727-7850, ext. 337 or 345.
2. Check out the Bayport Flower House online news to see if you are interested in
taking any of their classes. http://www.bayportflower.com/newsletterhol04.pdf
Make Your Own Peat Pots
You can save money by recycling newspapers into seed-starting pots. It’s easy, it’s free, and planting the entire bio-degradable pot will virtually eliminate chances of transplant shock. (Newsprint ink is generally nontoxic.) Here’s how:
1. Fold a newspaper sheet in half lengthwise. Fold it again.
2. Place a tomato paste can along one edge of the newspaper, a couple of inches from the bottom. Roll the newspaper tightly around the can. I put a piece of tape here and take it off before planting.
3. Fold the excess newspaper at the bottom of
the can to the center. Turn can onto newspaper,
and push down, shaping the bottom.
4. Put a piece of tape across the bottom, and
carefully remove can.
You can make about one every two minutes—thirty during an hour-long TV program. A week before transplanting into the garden, begin to “harden
off” plants by placing them outdoors each day. Pick a shady spot, protected from wind, and
start with a half-hour, adding an hour of exposure each day until they’re getting eight
hours of outdoor exposure daily. Continue watering. Margaret
What’s in the News?
1. Here’s an article on winter gardening with Dutch landscape artist, Piet Oudolf
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/10/garden/10garden.html?scp=2&sq=gardening&st=cse
Mr. Oudolf’ believes that a garden should be designed to have a life throughout the year, not just in the spring and summer. “The garden in winter is an emotional experience,” he said. “You think in terms of decay and disappearing and coming back. You feel the life cycle of nature. A lot of gardening is focused on flowers. People don’t realize plants can be beautiful after flowering, and they cut them down before they can even see it. I look outside now and see the clematis that flowered in the summer but is more interesting now that it is showing seed heads. If you make a four-season garden you have to learn to accept decay and see the beauty of it. It’s about the texture and shape, the seed heads and the skeletons. So instead of using the scissors you use your eyes.”
2. Do you have a hankering for one of those tasty apples you had as a kid and can’t find any more? Well, here’s a fellow who’s keeping them alive:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/garden/03garden.html?ref=inthegarden. [Note: A revolutionary war era ancestor of mine in New Canaan NY developed the Hawley apple, also known as the Douse or Dowse and harvests in September. It is large and has a smooth, yet waxy skin. It is greenish yellow with a brown blush. Plenty of russet dots all over. Read about it in the 1856 'Magazine of Horticulture' at http://books.google.com/books?id=I2EDAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA39&lpg=RA1-PA39&dq=%22Hawley+apple%22&source=bl&ots=TvYd4OKfGe&sig=6XJ2j0aeSOkqV6Ltlw36sv49-vs&hl=en&ei=0q6ETYS0JMiRgQf7uqG9CA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDkQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=%22Hawley%20apple%22&f=false. Karen]
3. Have you ever wondered what
you could grow from your own
kitchen cabinets? Here’s an interesting
article from someone who has experimented.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/24/garden/24seed.html?
scp=4&sq=gardening&st=cse
4. Have you heard about the Svalbard Global Seed Vault?
http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/lmd/campain/svalbard-global-seed-vault.html The Svalbard Global Seed
Vault, which is established in the permafrost in the mountains of
Svalbard, is designed to store duplicates of seeds from seed collections
around the globe. Many of these collections are in developing
countries. If seeds are lost, e.g. as a result of natural disasters,
war or simply a lack of resources, the seed collections may be
reestablished using seeds from Svalbard.
Here’s more information about the Svalbard Vault, from Seed Savers in Iowa:
http://www.seedsavers.org/Content.aspx?src=w hatsnew.htm#svalbard3
“Even though Seed Savers' share represents only a small portion of the total deposits at Svalbard, the organization's contribution is unique because the heirloom varieties are mostly seeds conserved by home gardeners. Here is a small sampling of the varieties in the most recent deposit: Bean-Blue Boy, Cucumber-Spring of Water, Cowpea-Tight Red, Ground Cherry-New Hanover, Melon-Plum Granny, Pepper-Jimmy's Little White Hots, Pumpkin-Algonquian, Tomato-German Pink, and Watermelon-Arikara.”
Each Svalbardshipment/storage box contains the list of accessions with minimum germplasm data (Institute code, Accessions number, Scientific and common name, Number of seeds per pack, Year of regeneration, Country of origin).
All-America Selections 2011
submitted by Karen Ferb
First prize went to Rudbeckia ‘Denver Daisy’, with 4-6” gold flowers sporting maroon and chocolate centers. The second prize went to Echinacea ‘Prairie Splendor’ with amethyst flowers. Coming in third was the 12” ornamental pepper ‘Purple Flash’, with purple leaves and black fruits. Noteworthy introductions among perennials included Shasta daisy ‘Amelia’, a single white 5” flower with gold center. Anemone ‘Margarete’ produces abundant, large, glowing rose flowers with orange centers on 24” stems. I personally hope to find the ‘Red Racer’ hellebore from the ‘Winter Thriller’ series, said to produce up to 75 3 ½” deep velvet red flowers on one plant! Also look for Bergenia ‘Lunar Glow’ with its deep pink flowers and creamy yellow foliage in spring, finishing brilliant scarlet in the fall.
New Baptisias of the ‘Prairieblues’ series are 3-5’ tall with yellow-orange (‘Solar Flare’), soft blue (‘Starlite’), and deep purple (‘Twilite’) flowers. Praiseworthy annual introductions: Celosia ‘Cramer’s Burgundy’ and ‘Ruby Parfait’ are drama queens with huge, elegant flowers and unusual forms. Look at the size! These plants are grown for the cut flower trade with stems up to 30” tall and long-lasting flowers cut flowers also suitable for drying.
Timely Tips for April
• Prepare the soil in the vegetable garden and annual beds
• Sow seeds of garden peas, sweet peas and radishes.
• Fertilize fruit trees
• Examine houseplants-trim to reshape and repot as necessary.
• Prune early-flowering shrubs immediately after flowering.
• Control lawn weeds now through late May before temperatures get
too high.
• Continue planting herbaceous perennials until May and divide established
ones before growth is too far advanced
• Sow hardy annual seeds outdoors—cornflowers, larkspur, annual
poppies, etc.
• Plant new roses. Remove what is remaining of earth mounds and
prune established roses.
It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. ~Charles Dickens
Right to left: Diane Riviello-Voland, June Petruccelli, Babette Bishop, Carol Tvelia, Arlene Lamberti, and Carolyn Savastano
Greetings from the President
Hello Members,
Welcome to February, and the snow is still on the ground from the Christmas blizzard. Yes, it has been melting. I am finally seeing a circle of water in my pond, and below the ice, the fish are swimming! I'm so excited that they made it through the arctic month we've had. It seems as if spring is really trying to shove her way into our world. Let's all have a moment of silence and prayer that it doesn't snow again before she gets here. I've started some spring bulbs and seedlings in the shed. I'm very bad at getting little tasks done in a timely fashion, and this became necessary because I neglected to get them in the ground last fall before it became frigid, and the ground was not a hospitable environment. I trust that most all of you are more timely gardeners than I, and you are just waiting for that first tiny crocus to rear its head. May it become warmer sooner than later. My bones are aching for some sunshine, without the six layers of wool and scarves to shield me from the cold. Hope to see you all at the next general meeting......maybe without the scarves and hats?? We can dream, can't we? Diane
Mark the Date
Tuesday, February 22, 2011—Monthly Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
American Legion Hall, corner of Baker Street and South Ocean Avenue,
Patchogue. Please use the Baker Street entrance and park in the Village
Hall lot on the side of the hall, or across the street in the Old Brookhaven
Town Hall lot.
Thursday, March 31, 2011—Eighth Annual “Think Spring” Luncheon at the
Mediterranean Manor, 303 East Main Street, Patchogue. Tickets are $35.
You can make a reservation with a check at the meeting. (All checks are
due by March 28th.)
The Luncheon Committee has been off and running since
late August, putting together a Vintage Hat Exhibit and small
scented straw hat magnets for each person attending. Our guest
speaker, Marianne Annunziato Fulfaro, will present us with her
Vintage Hat Collection, topic, "Hats Through the Ages." So, catch
our spirit and join us with a friend. We encourage you to come
and wear your favorite hat.
All promised baskets and donations for the Luncheon will gladly be accepted at the February meeting. As you know, we need time to wrap and record all baskets, donations and gift certificates, so please have them in no later than March 21st. If you are a member who is participating in the Club Vintage Hat Exhibit, please bring your hats and hat boxes to the Mediterranean Manor, Wednesday, March 30 at 10 a.m.
Hope to see you at the luncheon. Your support is always appreciated. Georgia
March Birthdays
Janet Heyer, Frank Lerantini, Don Rubbo
Quote submitted by Mary Ann Tchinnis:
"I have grown a vegetable garden my whole life--heck, that was the only way we'd all eat. I remember folks thought that was so country! Now it's in style."
~ Loretta Lynn
January Meeting in a Flash
The Calendar of Events was presented. New member, Mike Burns, was introduced. We discussed participation in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Suggestions included pulling a wagon instead of making a float. The president expressed her wish to reach
out to the community, not just the Patchogue Village. A club donation to Veterans Memorial Park was discussed and tabled for a future meeting. Anyone interested
in helping with cleaning up the Shore Front Park Garden should contact Diane.
Patchogue Garden Club Calendar of Events—2011
February 22—Monthly Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
American Legion Hall, corner of Baker Street and South Ocean Avenue, Patchogue.
March 22— Monthly Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
American Legion Hall
March 27—St. Patrick’s Day Parade
March 31—Spring Luncheon, 10:30 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
Mediterranean Manor, 303 E. Main Street, Patchogue
April 9—Opening of the Garden (Rain date, April 10)
April 26—Monthly Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
American Legion Hall
May 14—Plant and Yard Sale (Rain date, May 15)
May 24—Monthly Meeting, 7:00
American Legion Hall
June 11—Breakfast in the Garden, 9 a.m. (Rain date, June 12)
Bring a breakfast item for several people
June 28—Monthly Meeting
July 9th—Garden Tour
July 26—Monthly Meeting
August 23—Monthly Meeting
September 27—Monthly Meeting
October 25—Monthly Meeting
Harvest Dinner (still undecided)
November 12—Closing of the Garden (Rain date, Nov 13)
November 22—Monthly Meeting
Decoration of the gazebo—still under discussion
Holiday party—still under discussion
Hostesses for the March Meeting
Lynn Kane, Carol Tvelia, Arlene Lamberti
FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING
PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS
Peace of mind
Peace of heart
Peace of soul
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH
Squash gossip
Squash indifference
Squash grumbling
Squash selfishness
PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE
Lettuce be cheerful
Lettuce be kind
Lettuce be patient
Lettuce appreciate one another
NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS
Turnip for meetings
Turnip for service
Turnip to help one another
MAINTENANCE REQUIRES THYME
Thyme for each other
Thyme for family
Thyme for friends
Water freely with patience and cultivate with love,
for there is much fruit in your garden.
Submitted by Arlene Lamberti
Guy Vitale sent this article:
Gardeners Can Help Safeguard Imperiled Plants
Plants are pulling a vanishing act, and gardeners may have to play a larger role on the world stage if vulnerable species are to be preserved and restored. Imperiled animals and birds generally get top billing, says James Wandersee, a botanist and educator at Louisiana State University, who calls the appreciation gap between flora and fauna "plant blindness." But many plants also are threatened by extinction, he says. Overlooking the value of plants is costing us a bundle - some $384 million a year for the genetic contributions that disappearing strains of wild native sun- flowers make to cultivated varieties alone, federal officials say. And that doesn't include plants' inestimable aesthetic appeal or medical uses. At least 25 percent of all prescription drugs contain ingredients derived from plant compounds, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
Habitat loss due to urbanization, the introduction of invasive species and climate change are causing most of the plant declines, said Kathryn Kennedy, president and executive director of the Center for Plant Conservation in St. Louis. "Breaking up habitat so that it's fragmented causes pollination problems, less genetic diversity and forces changes in temperature regimes," Kennedy said. "Non-native plants become so numerous that they repress native plants and alter the landscape. Global warming speeds the process. "The present threat of extinction is 30 percent of our plants by 2070," she said. The situation isn't all gloom and doom, however. The Maguire Daisy, a perennial herb with dime-size pink or white blooms, was removed from the list of threatened and endangered species on Jan. 18. That came after a 25-year conservation effort. "The population of the daisy was known to number seven plants when it was listed as endangered in 1985 but now numbers 163,000 plants within 10 populations," the Fish and Wildlife Service said. It was the 21st species to be delisted due to
recovery. Individuals can make a difference.
Here's how:
- Leave rare plants alone when you come across them in the wild. Take pictures rather than specimens. "They have more to offer us for the future in the wild and can more effectively be conserved there than by `nurturing' them in a backyard," Kennedy said.
- "Plant your property for diversity," said Mincy Moffett, a botanist and plant ecologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. "Try to have a wide variety of plants that produce a wide variety of food for wildlife."
- Work with your neighbors. "Figure out what kind of habitat was in your area before the heavy hand of man," he said. "Plant the species that should be there."
- Get involved in conservation activities. "Build more knowledge about plants," Kennedy said. "Develop more skill sets which can be brought to bear in the workplace. That could mean anything from data entry to planting plants in the wild or teaching people how to grow and protect them.
"There's a lot of work to be done but there also are a lot of opportunities."
Online:
http://www.centerforplantconservation.org.
http://www.georgiawildlife.com/conservation
Bellport Garden Club asked us to list their activities for 2011:
TUESDAY, March 8th
Bellport Village Community Center
Bell Street, Bellport
PUBLIC MEETING - 7:00 p.m.
Green Lawns/Blue Bay Program
Panel Discussion on how to fertilize our lawns without chemicals.
Guest panel includes: Tom Williams, Beth Fiteni, Tamson Yeh and
Judiann Carmack-Fayyaz
TUESDAY, September 13th
SMALL STANDARD FLOWER SHOW
Open to the public, 1 p.m.
Saint James Episcopal Church Parish Hall
Bay Road, Brookhaven
SUNDAY, December 11th
CHRISTMAS HOUSE
Bellport Village Location TBA
Question and Answer:
In the Horticulture Magazine, Feb/Mar 2011, a reader asks, “I love flowering bulbs,
but I hate their ratty-looking foliage after they bloom. Is there anything I can to do make it look better?"
For an answer, Paula Murphy directs us to this site:
http://www.hort.cornell.edu/combos/
Go to the site to see the MANY suggested combinations. Here are just a few:
Narcissus “February Gold” with Potentilla “Miss Wilmot”
Tulip “Don Quichotte” with Geranium pratense “Splish Splash”
Hyacinth “Jan Bos” with Penstemon “Husker Red”
Timely Tips for March
• Now is a good time to air-layer such houseplants as dracaena, dieffenbachia,
fatsia, and rubber plant, especially if they have grown too tall
and leggy.
• Gradually uncover, prune, and feed established roses.
• Now that the soil has started to warm up, begin moving or transplanting
trees and shrubs. Do not fertilize at planting.
• Apply fertilizer and lime (if not done last fall) to the vegetable garden
and incorporate.
• Sow radish and lettuce seed outdoors as soon as the ground can
be worked.
• Apply horticultural oil sprays to trees and shrubs any time after the
danger of freezing nights has passed, but before the buds begin to open.
Gardening is the art that uses flowers and plants as paint and the soil and sky as canvas. ~ Elizabeth Murray