Sunday, May 4, 2008

Plant Information Online

Click here: Plant Information Online

This site can lead you to nurseries all around the US and the enjoyment of seeing pictures of almost any tree, shrub, perennial, or annual you can name.

Take a few minutes and explore..enjoy

Joyce Mueller-Banner
Verplanck Garden Club
Community and Educational Liaison
Herb Garden Co-Chair

Herb Bed Update

Hello Gardeners,

Eagle Scout candidate, Kyle Perry contacted me regarding obtaining donated supplies for herb garden rebuild at Stony Kill for us. Kyle has gotten all the mulch donated as well as all the landscape cloth for covering the paths prior to putting the mulch down on them. There should be ample mulch to add mulch to the herb beds too.

The landscape cloth will almost eliminate weeds from the paths. Good, as that means less work for members during there 2 hour landscape/gardening requirement per gardening season at Stony Kill.

Does anyone have a contact or connection with a business for paving stones for edging the herb beds?
If you do, contact me immediately

Kyle during the winter wrote donation request letters to a number of business headquarters, and spent a week banging on doors attempting to get even part of the garden edging/pavers donated...no luck with anyone.

Replacing the hardscape of the herb bed must be done, so if Kyle doesn't get any pavers donated, that cost falls to the club.

Re: Plant Sale
Be resourceful: maybe a good neighbor has some divisions you can dig from her garden, or even a relative or friend.
There are some herbs we can dig from the herb bed for the plant sale. Need someone to dig and pot them...but first call Heather Bonjolo or myself...for what to dig and pot-up. Thank you.
And remember, contact Tina at SK with the wacky weeders, she can give you direction on what and where to divide in the SK perennial bed.

Joyce Mueller-Banner
Verplanck Garden Club
Community and Educational Liaison
Herb Garden Co-Chair with Heather Bonjolo

Sunny Gardens

Gardeners...Planting Time is Here
and
Sunny Gardens

has lots of offerings including a lovely assortment of

Bird Baths, Benches, Pots, Hanging Baskets,
Geraniums, Bedding Plants, Perennials, Herbs...
too much to list everything.
Check out the new line of Ergo Hand Gardeners Tools.
Attached is q photo preview (5 attachments)...
Enjoy...and members remember to carry your
Sunny Gardens !0% discount card to present at time of purchase.

Joyce Mueller-Banner
Verplanck Garden Club
Community and Educational Liaison
Herb Garden Co-Chair

Memorial Peony Bed Restoration

"Three Cheers"

to Heather Bonjolo

for
The Restoration of the Larger Memorial Peony Bed
at Stony Kill behind the Herb Bed.
[see attached photos]

"Heather, I commend you and recognize you for your
commitment to the beautification of Stony Kill
and our Community!"

Joyce Mueller-Banner
Verplanck Garden Club
Community and Educational Liaison
Herb Garden Co-Chair

Garden Education Center

Hello Gardeners,

Last Friday, in my capacity an assistant for R&R Floral Events of Greenwich, (which I do when floral events/bookings get very heavy at the floral shop) I did a workshop with our designer Raphael at the Garden Education Center of Greenwich. I'd be at the education center every day if it was closer...beautiful place for strolling and volunteering to help in the greenhouse.

I am sharing the schedule for upcoming workshops/programs with you. The director, Adrianne is a lovely lady...information (phone # etc is at the end of the announcements)

I know it is kinda last minute (this Saturday) but that 47th Annual May Gardeners' Market has some very unusual, beautiful plant offerings for sale...Raphael and I were marveling at the unique geraniums....a bit pricey though.

Also interesting is the free May 15 program on primroses and wildflowers...imagine 75 years ago the primroses were planted....no I cannot go with anyone as Andrew's college graduation is that day/evening.


I hope some of you call a friend or another garden club member and take advantage of some of these programs. I will have literature available for you to look at on the Garden Center at the Mother's Day plant sale.

Joyce Mueller-Banner
Verplanck Garden Club
Community and Educational Liaison
Herb Garden Co-Chair

May Newsletter

Verplanck Garden Club
Newsletter

May 2008

Next meeting: Tuesday, May 13th at 7:00 pm at the Manor House

Hostesses: Hanna Ekstroem, Evelyn Young & Carol Dickson
Note: Hostesses need to coordinate with each other desserts, creamer, and decorations for the table. Please arrive at 6:30 so you have plenty of time to set up before the meeting. Thanks!

Program: “The Future at Stony Kill”
Reba Laks, Director

VGC Blog: Get all the latest news and gardening tips at our new blog website. Go to http://vgcstonykill.blogspot.com/ from any Internet connected computer.

Program Updates: Karen Vitek will be taking on the responsibility of putting together programs for next year. If you have a suggestion please give it to her as soon as possible so she can contact the person(s) and get our schedule going for next year.

Annual Dinner and Dues: Diane Sedore will be collecting dues and money for our annual June dinner at the meeting. The Annual Dinner will be held on June 10th at 6:30 pm at Charlie Brown’s.

Mother’s Day Plant Sale: Some of you already received this information by email from Bonnie but I’ll include it here for our snail mail members and to refresh everyone’s memory:

Hello everyone,

Just want to touch base with all of you regarding the plant sale since it is just over a week away.

If you signed up to help in some way and can no longer make it, please let me know. Those of you who have already told me you cannot make it on Friday or Saturday do not need to call me again.

June Joyce and Gayle Whitefield will be at the pole barn around 5 p.m. on Friday, May 9 to clean off tables and sweep floors. Anyone who wants to join them is welcome. Those of you who signed up to help unload plants should be there at 6 p.m.

-I will be at the pole barn at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday so set up will begin at that time.

-Remember your baked goods. Dorrie Hansen offered to set up baked goods and make coffee. If you have any questions about what to bring, please contact Dorrie or me. I have the list of what members signed up to bring.

-Dorrie also signed up to help with the raffle, but if anyone else could help with that it would be much appreciated. Better to have two people sharing the task.

-We have plenty of bows

-Joyce Banner has been great in keeping everyone informed about the number of perennials that have been potted and the need for more. I think we should have a great variety for our customers. After some discussion with other members, I decided that home grown perennials will not be sold to members until 10 a.m. (Remember you can trade or purchase among yourselves prior to the sale.)

-Also, after much thought, I decided that members should still be able to purchase plants at regular price prior to, or during, the sale; but we will sell them after the sale at the wholesale cost, not half price. I am doing this keeping in mind that they are still a great price especially considering that you do not pay tax.

- Remember to pass the word to friends, family, other community groups, everyone! If any of you see the sale advertised, please note where you saw it and let me know. I received a newsletter from WCI Communities / Four Corners housing development in Hopewell Junction and the plant sale was listed as a May event so that was great!

- Remember to bring boxes. The flats that cases of beer and soda come in are great and local beverage distributors usually have a lot.

Please call me at 838-3854 or email me if you have any questions or suggestions.

I'm looking forward to a successful sale on what I hope will be a beautiful, warm, sunny day.

Bonnie Detweiler

Earth Day: Thanks to everyone for baking and selling baked goods down by the draft horse pull. Special thanks to Fred and Hanna for handing out trees to all who came!

Notes from April meeting: There was a discussion about what it means to be an active member and be entitled to the discount cards we receive for local nurseries and floral shops. You need to attend at least 5 meetings a year and participate in 2 events including working 2 hours a year in the gardens at the Manor House to be considered an active member. The discount cards are a thank you to members for volunteering their time.

Summer program: Stephanie Pratt will hostess the July meeting and June Joyce will hostess the August meeting.

Memorial Fund: Permission was given to Fred to purchase lumber for repairs of the raised beds. Flowers are also needed for the gazebo. Volunteers are needed to shop for a memorial bench with funds donated ($365)

Nominating Committee Report from Joyce Banner:
Slate of Officers:
President – Stephanie Pratt
Vice-president – Dorrie Hansen
Treasurer – Diane Sedore
Secretary – Barbara Marcello
Recording Secretary – Karen Vitek

Yearbook – Karen Vitek
Herb Garden – Joyce Banner and Heather Bonjolo
Historian – June Joyce
Photographer – Bonnie Detweiller
Programs – Karen Vitek
Education & Community Liason – Joyce Banner
Earth Day – Fred & Hanna Ekstroem
Draft Horse Day – Gail Whitefield
Special Needs Garden – Fred & Hanna Ekstroem
Peony Memorial Garden – Joyce Banner & Heather Bonjolo

We need people for: Mother’s Day Plant Sale, Harvest Fest, Hospitality, Wildflower Loop, & Landscape Chair

Our summer camper had to bow out. We will be donating the money to the scholarship fund in memory of Scott Ruit.

A quote especially for May~

“Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom."
Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Educational Tips for February from Joyce

Winter is still all around us, but escape the ice and cold by using your Internet to travel to gardens around the world...and to investigate new plants for your garden this spring....a good place to check the comments on some of the newer varities is at:
Cornell University's Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners Web site. Gardeners can register at the site http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu.

VGC February Newsletter

Next meeting: Tuesday, February 12th at 7:00 pm at the Manor House. Please note: The business meeting starts at 7:00 pm SHARP. The program begins at 7:30 pm.

Hostesses: Diane Sedore, Louise Winter and Stephanie Pratt
Note: Hostesses need to coordinate with each other desserts, creamer, and decorations for the table. Please arrive at 6:30 so you have plenty of time to set up before the meeting. Thanks!

Program: “Seeding Operations & New Annual Arrivals”
Sean Giles, Sunny Gardens
**Sean Giles and Gail Ruit are owners of Sunny Gardens. They do so much to support the club. Why not invite a friend to hear Sean speak and show our support for them!

Joyce provides the following quote to prepare us for this program:
SEED GARDENING IS THE MOST REWARDING TYPE OF GARDENING! To take a small, dormant capsule of life and unlock its culinary and/or aesthetic potential is glorious indeed!
 Thank you for supporting a family-owned business!
~ CURTIS AND JUDY, CO-OWNERS
© 2007 Botanical Interests, Inc. www.botanicalinterests.com
Joyce will have hand outs and catalogs available at the meeting.

VGC Blog: Get all the latest news and gardening tips at our new blog website. Go to http://vgcstonykill.blogspot.com/ from any Internet connected computer.

Program Updates: April 8th Meeting will be Laura Bell of Mountain Laurel Florist speaking on “Growing Medicinal Herbs.” On May 13th Reba Laks will be speaking on future plans and initiatives at Stony Kill. I have decided to take on doing the schedule of programs for next year. If you have a suggestion please give it to me as soon as possible so I can contact the person(s) and get our schedule going for next year.

YEARBOOK: If you haven’t received yours yet please see Gail Whitefield. Please note this update: June Joyce’s phone number is 838-1584. Please correct your yearbook.

Harvest Festival: Thank you to everyone for completing her section of the report. Copies of the report will be available at the next meeting.

The Orchid Show: The New York Botanical Gardens is having an Orchid Show. Go to http://www.nybg.org/tos/ for additional information. I am looking to form a trip to the show on either Sunday, March 16th or Sunday, March 30th. Please let me know if you are interested in going. The tickets are $20 a person and $18 for seniors. Groups of 15 or more receive a discount. Karen Vitek will have a sign up sheet at the meeting. We will meet at the train station and ride the train to the city.

A quote especially for February~

"That pleasure which is at once the most pure, the most elevating and the most intense,
is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful.”
– Edgar Allan Poe

Monday, January 28, 2008

Surround Yourself With Fresh Flowers

Don't wait until Valentine's Day to bring the good vibes of flowers into your home or office. Choose several small vases and feature a different type of flower in each vase. Cut the stems short so the flower heads form a tight cluster: one for your desk, one next to the kitchen sink, one on the bathroom vanity. Group vases together on the dining table.

Thanks for this tip, Joyce!

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Gardeners questions and answers for January

Question: I bought seeds on sale last fall and I didn't store them carefully. How can I tell if they are still viable?

Answer: Here's a fairly quick way to test the viability of your old seeds:

Dampen a thick paper towel. Sprinkle some seeds on the paper towel (you don't have to use all the seeds). Gently roll up the towel and store in a sealable plastic bag. Place the bag in a warm area (about 75°F; the top of a refrigerator works well) and keep away from direct sun. Check the seed packet for number of days to germination, and start checking your seeds a few days before the recommended number. Once germinated, you can transfer the seeds in to a soil medium. You can determine the rate of germination by counting germinated seeds (e.g., if 10 seeds out of 100 germinate you can estimate that 10 percent of the seeds in the packet are viable).

Question: I stop feeding my houseplants during the winter. When should I start feeding them again?

Answer: Watch the plant, typically it will show you! Once you see new growth (around mid-February when days grow longer) start feeding, but don't get carried away. More is not better. I advise feeding at 50 percent strength of recommended applications. Also, different plants need different nutrients, so make sure your feeding program is appropriate for your plants. When in doubt, you can't go wrong with an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer. I prefer using organic plant food, which is widely available at garden centers and nurseries. And be careful with the watering. People are more likely to kill plants by over-watering them. Water only when the top inch of soil begins to dry out. Remember that water requirements also vary from one plant to the next.

Courtesy of Joyce Banner