Chippewa Garden Club Newsletter

Transcription

1 Gardens say, Slow down March/April 2016 National Garden Club, Inc. President Sandra H. Robinson National Garden Clubs, Inc Magnolia Avenue St. Louis, MO Central Atlantic Region Director Mary Washauer Rumson, New Jersey Garden Club of Ohio, Inc. President Lynn Fronk 353 Pittsfield Drive Worthington, OH GCO Cleveland District Director Marilee Zarbock 170 E. 194th Street Euclid, OH Chippewa Garden Club Co-Presidents Kathy Habib 3490 Mark Drive Broadview Hts, OH Jo Ann Bartsch 7700 Fitzwater Road Vice-President-Kathy Ziemba 8207 Montridge Ct. North Royalton, OH Secretary-Christine Sparano 7443 Old Quarry Lane Treasurer-Aggie Goss 8677 Hollis Lane Co-Finance-- Lynne Evans 9455 Woodchip Lane Broadview Hts., OH Laura Springer 3665 Meadow Gateway Broadview Hts Historian-Margaret DeWolf 7001 Crestview Drive President s Message I started gardening when I was seven years old. Cleveland Public Schools offered a gardening program where a student could buy seed sets to fit the size of their garden plot. It was the basic onion sets, radishes, lettuce, and beans, etc. In the summer someone would come around to each garden and give it a grade. When I moved to Broadview Heights twenty-five years ago, I had a large vegetable garden BD (that s before deer) that I grew mostly from seeds. Each year I grew one plant that I had never grown before. Some were failures, and some were successful. Among my experiments were tobacco, cotton (I got one cotton bole), sorghum, broom corn, Indian corn, miniature blue corn, tomatillos, and miniature pumpkins. Since the garden is now mostly perennials, I grow very little from seed. Now I try new varieties of perennials or new tender perennials to grow in pots. Last year I tried some new elephant ears which are easy to grow and deer resistant. I have already ordered several more varieties of elephant ears from a catalog to try this year. I am always looking for unusual succulents. There are so many more varieties of plants available than there were twenty-five years ago. Try new plants just for the fun of it. If they fail, so what, you tried. They may end up being successful and satisfying. Kathy Habib Editor s thanks to Marissa Abraham for her beautiful orchid photos and to Joann Sherman who suggested the article on poisonous plants and pets. newsletter suggestions to patgabriel1942@yahoo.com

2 Page 2 March/April 2016 Dates To Remember Tuesday, March 8 Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Broadview Hts. Clubroom Tuesday, March 22 Membership Meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the Brecksville Human Services, Activity Room A. Barb Frantzen, OSU Master Gardener, will present a program on Combination Planters in which she will describe the basics of creating these lovely designs. We will also learn about planting, soil, drainage and fertilizing. Please make an effort to attend the meeting and make our speaker who has taken the time to present this program to us feel welcomed. Kathy Ziemba Saturday, April 2 Garden Therapy at Pleasantview Care Center, 10:00 a.m. Spring Potager is the theme of this program, and Pleasantview residents are invited to celebrate spring this year by giving vegetables a place of honor in a banquet. Participants will combine flowers and vegetables to create an edible and beautiful arrangement. Tuesday, April 26 Membership Meeting at 7:00 p.m. at the Brecksville Human Services, Activity Room A. Master Gardener Bob Heidelman will present a program on how to create wildlife habitats in our yards. He will discuss food, water, and places to raise young as well as flowers which will attract birds and butterflies. Hope to see you all there. April This is the week is when Chippewa Garden Club members discuss Arbor Day and distribute tree seedlings to third graders in the Brecksville/ Broadview Hts. Schools. Lenore Siegman will announce times and days so watch your for more information and sign-up to help. Tuesday, April 5-Thursday, April 7 Garden Club of Ohio Convention at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio Please let Kathy Habib know if you plan to attend. Tuesday, April 12 Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Broadview Hts. Clubroom Tuesday, April 26 Garden Club of Ohio Spring District Meeting, St. Michael s Woodside, Broadview Hts. The morning speaker is Elaine Marsh, Friends of the Crooked River, Stewards of the Cuyahoga River. More details to follow.

3 Chippewa Garden Club Newsletter Page 3 March/April 2016 Annual Chippewa Garden Club Meeting January 24, 2016 Twenty-seven members enjoyed lunch and conversation, a review of last year s highlights, the Seibel Award given to Margaret DeWolf, the Zuzan Award given Judy Guinn, and the Blue Vase Award given to Kathy Habib. Installation of the 2016 Board followed, and Kathy received the gavel. This year s theme is Gardens Say, Slow Down, encouraging us all to relax in our gardens and to visit other gardens. The 2016 Budget was reviewed and passed unanimously. Jo Ann Bartsch, Kathy Habib, Lynne Evans, Laura Springer, Kathy Ziemba, Aggie Goss, and Margaret DeWolf

4 Page 4 March/April Herb of the Year Each year, The International Herb Association selects the herb of the year. For 2016, that herb is Capsicum ssp., commonly known as peppers or chilies. Bell peppers are an example of a sweet variety of capsicum while chilies are a hot variety. Capsicum, members of the nightshade family, are native to the tropical Americas (Central and South America, Mexico and the West Indies), where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. They were first described by a physician on Columbus s voyage in Spanish explorers brought them back to Europe, and they were introduced into India and Africa by the Portuguese. They were not introduced into North America until the early colonists brought them from Europe. They thrive in full sun, warm temperatures, and well drained soil, high in organic matter. They are not particularly drought tolerant and need to be kept evenly moist. In colder climates, the growing season is not long enough to plant seeds directly into the soil so they must be started indoors. There are dwarf varieties available that can be grown as potted plants. Some varieties produce edible fruit while other varieties produce ornamental fruit. They have few pests (aphids and borers ) or diseases (blossom end rot and cucumber mosaic virus.) Capsicum are rich in vitamin C and may be eaten raw as a vegetable or dried. Dried fruits are used to make cayenne, chili power and paprika. They have also been used medicinally. Kathy Habib Capsicum

5 Chippewa Garden Club Newsletter March/April 2016 Page 5 Through the Eyes of Jane Rich Master Gardener Jo Ann Bartsch presented a highly informative and entertaining program on the history of the Squire Rich herb garden and how it s evolved to what it is today. Charles and Jane Rich came to Brecksville in the 1830s and built their home in He was a farmer as well as a justice of the peace, and she was a practicing herbalist. Chippewa Garden Club has maintained an herb garden on the south side of the house since Originally the garden was more formal in design than it is today. The house and land are now the property of the Cleveland Metroparks, and the house is maintained as a museum by the Brecksville Historical Association. The sundial in the center of the garden has several varieties of thyme growing around it and has been dedicated to a descendant of the Squire. The garden contains five categories of plants: a culinary garden, a tea garden, a fragrance garden, a medicinal garden, and a garden of native plants. Herb Garden circa 2000 The club saw the need to renovate the garden in 2003, and planting was completed in 2005 after committee members researched what plants were used in the 1800 s. A second renovation was completed in 2014 by a Brecksville boy scout earning his Eagle Scout badge. A description of that project can be found in the September/October 2014 CGC newsletter. Today the entrance arbor has hops growing up its slats. While the garden club doesn t brew beer from the hops, our meeting revealed that one of our members does. Herb Garden after the 2014 Renovation

6 Page 6 March/April 2016 Back yards and gardens are wonderful spaces for humans and animals, but you should be aware that many of our yards contain plants that are poisonous to our feline and canine companions. Many house-hold plants are poisonous as well, and some cats and dogs are indiscriminate chewers. My golden retriever certainly is. She loves to lay next to me and help me weed in the summer by eating whatever vegetation she can reach, and she makes a game out of grabbing weeds from my trug and chewing them. Toxic effects include irritants which cause inflammation anywhere in the body and effects specific to body organs. Think of foxglove and its effect on the heart. The petmd website lists the following symptoms to watch for if you suspect your pet has consumed a poisonous plant: Irritation or inflammation such as redness, swelling, or itchiness of the skin, particularly of the mouth Difficulty breathing Difficulty swallowing or drooling Vomiting Pets and Poisonous Plants The Pet Poison Helpline lists the following top ten plants poisonous to pets: autumn crocus, azalea, cyclamen, kalanchoe, lilies, oleander, dieffenbachia, daffodils, lily of the valley, sago palm, tulips and hyacinths. (I counted twelve.) But you can find many websites with many lists, including the following resources: resources/tips/plants_poisonous_to_pets.html? referrer= basics/top-10-plants-poisonous-to-pets/ poisoning-toxicity/e_dg_poisonous_plants If you think that your animal is ill or may have ingested a poisonous substance, contact your local veterinarian or the 24-hour emergency poison hotline directly at Pat Gabriel Diarrhea Excessive drinking or urinating Heartbeat which is fast, slow, or irregular It s extremely important to identify the plant as quickly as you can in order to assist your veterinarian in prescribing a remedy. Perhaps the best thing to do is to identify now whether your plants are toxic and decide whether you need to remove any of them. The ASPCA website lists over 1000 poisonous plants. Which ones are in your home or yard?