Garden Clippings
September
2006
NEW
MEETING LOCATION:
2006-07 Officers
President Gaye Stewart
Vice
President Beverly Mulkey
Secretary Mildred Reppeto
Treasurer Jacci Reed
September 18 Plant Exchange & Business Meeting --Beverly Mulkey, VP
We are having our annual plant exchange this
month. Dig up those plants that you need to divide and share them with
members. It really helps if you label
the plants and place them in pots or plastic bags for their new owners to cart
them home. Remember also to come
prepared with garbage bags to protect your trunks, etc. as you take home your
new treasures!
Since this is our first meeting of the year
we need time to socialize and plan our year's activities so we will not be
having a speaker. We all have summer adventures both in and out of our gardens
to share! Lots of folks have requested
newsletters from the Garden Tour and Farmers Market and we hope to see many of
them at our first meeting.
Field Trip -- Judy Eggers
Leave the Bethel Baptist parking lot at
Elk Rock Garden of the Bishop’s Close,
Description: Peter
Kerr gave his estate to the Diocese of Oregon in 1959 and it became The Elk
Rock Gardens of the Bishop’s Close. Kerr
was born in
President’s Message
The summer days are growing shorter
and cooler, bringing us closer to fall.
Your newly elected Executive Committee has been meeting this summer to
organize and plan for the new Club Year beginning Monday, September 18, our
first Club meeting. There you will hear
about some of the delightful plans and new ideas for the Club. You’ll have an opportunity to help shape the
direction of the Club as we consider together member ideas. This is one meeting you won’t want to
miss! Mark your calendar now, September
18,
As we begin this new Club Year, I
want to publicly acknowledge Kim Jongedyk and her Executive Board, for being
committed, hard-working and community-minded visionaries. Her leadership is greatly appreciated by this
new Executive Board and we wish to thank you for your two great years of
leadership! Continued growth and development will be our goal for the coming
year. See you September 18th at
Gaye Stewart, President
Transition
Meeting Notice
A transition meeting for new and past
Committee Leaders is scheduled for Thursday, September 7,
Membership
Dues Are Overdue
Don't forget to pay your yearly Membership Dues of $12 to Jacci Reed, treasurer ASAP. They were due July 1.
Garden Tour & Faire
Somehow we all survived the 105 degree day for our annual fundraiser. Whew!
Thanks
to all who endured the heat and to everyone who worked on this huge endeavor
throughout the year. Our garden owners
did a remarkable job sharing their sites with the public and keeping their
plants looking healthy. Did you know
that one of the gardens had deer eat many of their plants a few days before the
tour, one garden had only two weeks notice (and the homeowners were gone most
of the time during those two weeks!) and another set of homeowners were facing
major surgery for their son the week after the tour? A HUGE thank you goes to
all the tour gardens' owners for their dedication and support.
Even with the incredible heat we had over 500 tickets sold and a successful Garden Faire event. This year's profits of $6,400+ will be used to once again support our club's civic projects and scholarship. We should all pat ourselves on the back for supporting horticulture in McMinnville last year with almost $7000 worth of projects.
Club members are already in the process of working on the 2007 Garden Tour & Faire. We can't do an event of this magnitude without every club member's enthusiastic participation. Mark your calendar for June 24th and let's not pray quite so hard for no rain. Next year should be the perfect year….we had rain in 2005 and excessive heat in 2006. We're due for perfect conditions in 2007? Patty Sorensen, Garden Chair 2007
St. Paul
Garden Club has planned two workshops for Saturday, September
30. The morning workshop is hypertufa containers and the
afternoon workshop is concrete leaves, ala Little
& Lewis. Potluck lunch at
They have
also invited us to their field trip on
July and
August Yards of the Month
Check these out at: http://mcminnvillegardenclub.org/yards2006.htm
July: 1775 Poppy Hills Jan &
Shirley
August:
Watch our website for the September yard coming soon!
Hort. Beat --
Julie Maahs
Autumn ....Fall....COOL WEATHER whichever you choose it's good for the soul.
All is not lost to the cooler
weather sure to come. The fall garden can be as beautiful if not more so than
our gardens of spring and summer. It is soon to be enjoyed without the
hassle of the ever ready weed growth bound to take over ever square inch of
bare soil.
In
your need to find replacements for your sparse and leggy annuals, you'll find
now in most Nurseries the beautiful Chrysanthemums and Asters. A perfect compliment to the red, orange and gold foliage of the
coming season.
The
texture and movement of Ornamental Grasses makes them well suited also to
the fall season. Varieties such as: Miscanthus - Morning Light', Clamangrostis
- Karl Foerster', Dwarf Fountain Grass - Little bunny tails, to name a few.
And
yes, annuals can still be found to breathe new life into your late summer
garden. Fertilizing with a good liquid Fertilizer every 7 to 10 days
will help continue to produce those much needed blooms. Cool
season Annuals such as Violas, Pansies and Kale's (not quite on the market as yet) will add
that new fresh addition to a somewhat sparse garden.
September
ideas:
- Plant Bulbs of :
Daffodils, Tulips, and Crocus for spring bloom.( A plethora of
fall bulbs can be found soon). Work Calcium and Phosphorus into the
soil below the bulbs at planting time.
- Divide Iris and Peonies
- Clean houseplants and check for
insects, repot if necessary.
A
few fall blooming Perennials to add to your garden are: Goldenrod '
Fireworks', Asters, Salvia, Japanese Anemone, Hardy Begonia, Autumn Fern, Autumn Crocus
(Perennial Bulb)
Sit
back and enjoy all that Autumn can bring, you've done
your best; now take in the rewards of the Seasons.
Every
Garden is unique with a multitude of choices in soils, plants and themes.
Finding your garden theme is as easy as seeing what brings a smile to your
face. Teresa Watkins
New SPROUTS -- Mary
Whinery
Our very first NEW MEMBER for this year is Delina Greylong
who is interested, I am told, in herbs, container gardening, perennials, and
edibles in the landscape. WELCOME ABOARD!!!!
Remember to tell the newcomers
in our neighborhoods about our wonderful group, and invite them.
OSFGC Fall Board Meeting is Monday, October 9, from 9-12:30. Cost is $13 for lunch due by Oct. 1. We will carpool from McMinnville to the Multnomah County ESD. Contact Gaye if you are interested. Thanks!
Operation Wildflower grants of up to $500 are available to
sponsor or cosponsor educational programs, seminars or symposia on native flora
and/or wildflowers. See Gaye if you are
interested. Check the website for other
gardening activities throughout the state:
http://oregongardenclubs.org
Yamhill County Parks 50th Anniversary
Sunday, September 10, is the 50th Anniversary Celebration for Yamhill County Parks. Be sure to check out their website at: http://www.co.yamhill.or.us/parks/ or 503-434-7463
Club History -- Dorothy Mathiesen
Meeting
was called to order at the home of Mrs. Kneals.
Mrs. Franklyn from
(Note: "had the calendar" must have
meant - told
what to do in the garden for this month.--DM)
Sunshine
Our thoughts are with Anita Ragsdale whose son passed away unexpectedly in July and Lynne Desel whose husband had open heart surgery in August.
All For The
Sake of the Lawn, Jake Hurlbert
Care
for the lawn begins with what you want it to look like. That may be the
"perfect" lawn for some or an "eco-lawn" for others (some
grass seed mixes contain wild flowers). If you are a perfectionist it might
mean that you may take up your turf every four years and replace the sod pad by
pad. That's because we live in the "grass capital" of the world.
Since every kind of grass imaginable grows here, eventually some of the seeds
will windup in your lawn. There is no amount of diligence that will overcome
nature's forces that will allow you to persevere with a pristine lawn.
Eventually you will windup with one variety of wild grass that will dominate
the landscape. Believe me, it won't be perennial rye or fescue. The reason is a
principle called "ecological succession." This means for every lawn
niche one type of grass will dominate. In our area that appears to be the
dreaded "Crab grass" and/or "Velvet grass." This is because
these grasses outgrow other grasses in Yamhill county's clay soils and
Mediterranean climate. One of the preventive measures for the perfectionist is
to use expensive liquid pre-emergents that will cause wild grass seeds to die
on germination. The cheaper pre-emergent "corn gluten" will only work
in warm weather. By the time you can use it in our climate the wild grasses
have already taken over from spring germination. A less expensive but
exhausting way is to learn the differences between the colored shades of the
unwanted grasses and pull them out as soon as they appear. Since
"work" is not the favorite word for most of us, this may not be an
option. It is no wonder that most throw up their hands and make excuses like
"I have too many other things to do."
In addition, there are other
problems with lawns, weeds and bugs. Weeds can be managed with two applications
of grass "Weed and Feed" fertilizer; in the spring when the weather
breaks, and in the fall when the rains begin. Use the iron additive in the
spring to control moss. Be sure to use a drop spreader instead of a
broad-caster because broadcasting an iron supplemented product will cause it to
stain your sidewalks red. Weeds like clovers that persevere can be pulled or
sprayed with a product like "Weed-Be-Gone." Be careful not to use a
mixture that is too strong. You might burn your grass. It is better to use a
weak application more than once.
A word of caution.
Over-use of high nitrogen fertilizer will generate excessive top growth on
grass. It may look nice and green and send you to the top of the list of envy
with your neighbors, but it does have its drawbacks. Grass that grows fast and puts
out a lot of leaf for looks doesn't grow a good root system. It becomes
stressed easy in hot weather if allowed to dry out and creates problems with
excessive thatch. Fast growing grass creates more thatch than there is time for
organisms like fungi and bacteria to break it down into an elemental state so
nature can reuse it. When thatch builds up it creates niches for chinch bugs
and dreaded Crane flies. Birds cannot find these insects through the thatch so
your lawn is left with dead irregular to round patches of grass in the summer
and fall from feeding Crane fly larvae. So thatching is a must every two years
or less in heavily fertilized lawns.
If you are having trouble keeping
your lawn green when using low nitrogen organic fertilizer remember
that grass naturally wants to go dormant in the summer. Some experimentation
with a little nitrogen additive may be needed to keep the grass from losing its
esthetic appeal.
Mowing short in the winter, one to
one and a half inches, and long in the summer, two to two and a half inches, is
a way to control some unwanted grasses and weeds. The grass must be longer in
the summer so the shade from its blades can protect the roots from the heat.
Mowing short in the winter also removes some of the Rust fungus that tends to
build up on cool moist lawns.
The Crane fly is perhaps your worst
nightmare when lawns are out of balance with nature. The "Leather
jackets," larvae of the crane fly, metamorphose into pupa then come out of
the soil late in August into September. Crane fly larvae will hatch out and
feed on the crowns of grasses throughout the winter to repeat the life cycle
again late in the Summer. You may see damage as early
as March. A once-a-year application of a bug and grub control product late in
the fall or early in the spring is the best way to manage crane flies. Be sure
to put extra around sidewalks that warm the soil. This is where most damage
will occur as conditions are better suited for Crane fly larvae growth. If you
decide to use several applications of a bug and grub control product get ready
to aerate your lawn and thatch more often. This is because there are earthworms
and other beneficial organism in the soil that you will be sacrificing. Grasses
need these organisms to aerate the soil and help break down organic matter.
If you have been friendly to the
birds they will eat some of the insects before they can lay their eggs.
However, because of the numbers, others will succeed in laying eggs. Of course
it will be worse if you are a heavy
nitrogen user when your lawn goes unthatched.
Websites
to Check Out
FAQ for Gardeners & Mushroomers http://home.comcast.net/~bluejaypublishing
Noxious Weed, Creeping
Fieldcrest
Do not let it go to seed.
Do not pull out the top growth, the roots will be left behind. Do not machine
cultivate.
http://www.lilybulb.com/keik.html
Did You Know?
-- Arlene Kempf
- Roses have been cultivated as garden plants for more than 28,000 years.
- In the Middle Ages, roses were preserved in monasteries for both their medicinal qualities and their beauty.
- The English House of York chose white roses for its emblem and the House of Lancaster chose red in the royal feud referred to as the War of the Roses.
- In
both the
Gardener's Prayer by Karel Capek
Read by Sara Petersen at 2006 OSFGC Convention in
O Lord, grant that in some way it may rain every day.
But, You see, it must be gentle and warm so that it can soak in.
Grant that at the same time it would not rain on campion, alyssum,
helianthus, lavender and others which
You, in Your infinite wisdom, know are drought-loving plants.
And grant that the sun may shine the whole day long,
But not everywhere (not for instance on the impatiens,
plaintain lily, and rhododendron) and not too much,
That there may be plenty of dew and little wind, enough worms,
no lice and snails or mildew
And that once a week Miracle Gro may fall from heaven.
Amen.
Organized in 1926
McMinnville OR 97128 http://mcminnvillegardenclub.org Information: 503 434 4344 Meeting Information Meeting Day: Third Monday September through
June Optional Brown Bag Lunch Meetings are open to
the public. Executive
Board
President Gaye Stewart Past
President Kim Jongedyk Vice President Beverly Mulkey Secretary Mildred Reppeto Treasurer Jacci Reed Conservation
Pledge
I pledge to
protect and conserve the natural
resources of the planet Earth, and promise
to promote education, so we may be
caretakers to our air, water, forests, land, and
wildlife. Ongoing Projects The Scholarships for
Horticulture Garden of the
Month Blue Star Memorial
Marker City Beautification “Garden Clippings” is a monthly publication of the or 503-434-4344 for info. |
Committee Chairs Backyard Habitat Alicia Dimond Field Trips Judy Eggers Garden Tour 2006 Patty Sorensen Garden Tour 2007 Jean Lierman Georgia Queen Garden Faire 2006 Historian Dorothy Mathiesen Horticulture Julie Maahs Hospitality Julie Hughes Cathy Burdett Library Plant Care Membership Mary Whinery Newsletter/Website Patty Sorensen Sandy Bolmer Parliamentarian Sharon Gunter Post Office Landscape Joanne DeWitt Publicity/PR Beverly Mulkey Scholarship Ann Silverthorne Sunshine Joan
Friese Telephone Vicki Brink Yard of Month Evelyn Mundinger Yearbook/Photography Kim Jongedyk The newsletter deadline for submission of articles for our monthly newsletter is the 25th of each month. Please send them to Patty Sorensen.
Do you know of any
prospective Garden Club members? Be sure to let Mary Whinery know names and addresses. We would
love to send them our newsletter for three months. |