No weed can grow where a flower stands. author unknown

Transcription

1 Newsletter for Since 2000, and still growing we dig life! P resident s Message: Since Alida has been off to Vancouver and has not had the time to write a message for our newsletter I will include something she did forward regarding Monthly Garden and Home Tips: (taken from the Cleveland Plain Dealer) March Garden Prune evergreen shrubs before growth starts. Start looking for harbingers of spring in the garden. These include glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa luciliae); winter aconite (Eranthis hyemalis); common snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis); netted iris (Iris reticulate), spring snowflake (Leucojum vernum). If you don t have any, consider planting them in the fall. Home Maybe get your windows professionally washed inside and out. It s indulgent and feels so good once it s done. Alida Our Board Members Alida Moonen (Pres.) Kerry Wichert (VP), Angie Stimson (2 nd VP),Leanne Schoeter, (Treas.), Elaine Nidy, Secretary Board Members President Alida Moonen amoonen@ursuline.edu V. President Kerry Wichert sogreenwithenvy@aol.com 2 nd V. President Angie Stimson stimsoa@ccf.org (work) Secretary Elaine Nidy CTBEAR24@aol.com Treasurer Leanne Schroeter LA2009@roadrunner.com Committee Chairpersons By Laws Wayne Meyers waynemeyer@windstream.net GCO Rep & Photographer Garden Tour & Historian Suzanne Shields cshields@roadrunner.com Ava Hain Keiko100@netzero.net Membership Sheryl Lemiec slemiec@yahoo.com Newsletter Editor Peg Krutko pkrutko@windstream.net Public Relations Bob & Carmen Park Rpark21643@yahoo.com Refreshments Phyllis Klubeer Co-Chairs phylliskluber@yahoo.com Mary Caudill Mcaudill_@hotmail,com Sunshine Bev & Dan Herschman redbev@aol.com Way & Means Lilian Coluccio lilianc@windstream.net Web Editor Janet Matherly meadowyck@windstream.net No weed can grow where a flower stands. author unknown

2 Member Information CALLEENDAR - MEEEETTIINGSS aanndd EEVEENTTSS Board Meetings 2 nd Monday of Month, 7:00 PM Club Meetings 3 rd Wednesday of Month, 6:30 PM (Doors open at 6:00 PM) New Home for our Garden Club Meetings (Begin April, 2010) IMPORTANT!!! Angie has secured Epiphany Lutheran Church on Valley View and Route 8 to host our monthly garden club meetings. However, we cannot begin having meetings there until April Our March Meeting (6:30 PM) will be held at the Northfield Towne Hall (corner of Brandywine Road and Rte 82). Board Meetings will be held at Summit Point through December. UPCOMIING SPEAKER Our guest speaker for the March 17 th meeting at Northfield Towne Hall will be Jan Becker, owner of Becker s Cottage Herb Farm. Becker is a master gardener who grows organic herbs, conducts culinary classes and is also a bee keeper. She will discuss types of herbs to grow, cooking with those herbs, companion plantings and how to select plants properly. The talk will include a slide show and a Q&A session and should interest both gardeners and cooks! This program is the second in a series of three programs planned to help get your garden in shape for another summer. Mark your calendar for the following dates: May 8 th Plant Sale June 13 th. Garden Club Tour June 16 th. Club Plant Exchange July 21 st.. Garden Club Picnic MEMBERSHIP DUES Please fill out the form included with this newsletter. It can also be obtained on our website. No dues, per our by-laws, will be taken at club meetings. Just fill out the application form and send to our Membership Chairperson: Sheryl Lemiec 4880 East 49 th St., Cuyahoga Hts., OH MAARRCCH RREEFFRREESSHMEENTTSS Compliments of Suzanne Shields, Gretchen Cooley, And Angie Stimson. (Please try to have refreshments at meeting by 6:15 PM) Contact & signup with Phyllis Kluber ( ) or Mary Caudill ( )

3 Member Information continued. SSUNSSHIINE REPPORTT WELCOME NEW MEMBER Ulrike Mrozek 6163 Broadview Road Parma, OH *Surgery GET WELL WISHES to Janet Matherly. And, CONGRATULATIONS Janet on becoming a grandma for the first time. The joys of having a grandchild can take almost any pain away best wishes on both accounts! (Notify Bev & Dan Herschman when a card should be mailed, keeping in mind that we want to share in the celebrations of life not just illness or the loss of a loved one.) FFEEBBRRUAARRYY RRAAFFFFLLEE RREESSULLTTSS We would like to thank the following members who contributed to the February raffle: Alida Moonen Suzanne Shields Kerry Wichert Anonymous Donor Club Shirts available in two styles: Golf, white or green..$ T-shirt, white or green..$19.00 A Thank You to the members who purchased tickets. Raffle results for February were $26.00! 2010 PLANT SALE Plant sale will be held on ONE day only, Saturday, May 8. The NEW location to be announced at our next meeting. We will need VOLUNTEERS to man the PLANT SALE. Volunteers will also be needed to pot-up hanging baskets at the Olde Brooklyn Greenhouse for the plant sale. Date and time to be announced at the next meeting. Please gather your empty hanging baskets with the hangers

4 ~Author Unknown When law can stop the blades of grass from growin' as they grow, An' when the leaves in summer time their color dare not show, Then I will change the color, too, I wear in my caubeen; (a little hat) But till that day, praise God, I'll stick to the Wearin' o' the Green. Happy March and St. Patrick s Day Spring will be here before we know it! Easy for me to say sitting here in sunny Florida on the Lanai sipping my green tea. But really, once we reach the month of March we know our gardening days are just ahead. The days are slowly getting longer and we have seed catalogs to look at and spend time dreaming about our spring plantings. What beautiful, maintenance free gardens we can grow in our mind. Like you, I am chomping at the bit to get gardening and get my hands dirty once again. Also, to help ease the longing for spring to arrive is visiting garden centers and nurseries to see what is available for the current season. And, as you start your planning remember to consider potting up plants for our Annual Plant Sale this year on May 8 th. The plants look and perform better if they are able to recover from transplant shock and get established before going to market. Top of the Day to you all. Peg O Krutko, Newsletter Editor For Your Budding Information Don t forget the Birds It is important to feed the birds throughout the winter especially when the ground is covered with snow. Cardinals being ground feeders love this special treat: Mix two cups of bread crumbs, ¼ cup birdseed, ½ cup chopped grapes, 1-1/2 cups melted suet. Pour into a pan and put in refrigerator. When firm put in outside tray and enjoy watching the birds enjoy their treat Home Gardeners Workshop, Saturday, March 13 th at Lakeland Community College. A full day of gardening classes and educational displays sponsored by: Ohio State University Extension, Lake County Master Gardeners. Cost: $45.00 (includes light breakfast, lunch, refreshments, handouts and door prizes). Time: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Join some of our members already planning to attend and are meeting at Rushwood Elementary School that morning. Go to: and click on the Home Gardener s Workshop. Print the registration form, fill it out, attach your check, and mail. For further info call OSU extension office at (440) If you love Orchids.visit the Cleveland Botanical Garden. They are having Orchid Mania 2010 in March. For information check out their website on Orchids and lots more.just a great place to visit anytime. A weed is a plant that has mastered every survivor skill except for learning how to grow in rows. Doug Larsen

5 WANTED YOUR GARDEN TIPS! Hey Garden Gurus! Time to strut your stuff and share your gardening wisdom. We d like to post your gardening tips in our newsletter. Write it down and either or send to me for posting in our newsletter. GARDEN TIP Going Green Need some small plastic pots for your seedlings? Try using and recycling empty yogurt cups by poking just a few holes in the bottom of the cup for drainage. Even though they are kind of small and your plants may outgrow them quickly - you re keeping them out of the landfills for a little while longer. NEW FEATURE We re going to feature a club member each month in our Newsletter. While it sometimes is hard to remember the names and faces of all members I thought it would be nice to introduce a member each month whereby we can get to know them and at the same time learn how they got started in gardening, which in fact is why we are all connected. For our first member profile I thought it would be appropriate to ask, our Founding President of the Club, Rosemary Zamecnik. (We will stick to the same questions each month.) Garden Club Member Feature ROSEMARY ZAMECNIK 1. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN GARDING? I have been gardening almost 40 years now. I learned the basics from my Mom and it just kind of blossomed. 2. HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A MEMBER OF THE CLUB? Have been a member of the club since its inception, being the founding President of the Nordonia Garden Club. 3. IF TIME OR MONEY WOULDN T BE A FACTOR, WHAT WOULD YOU ADD TO YOUR GARDEN? If I had the money, and the extra land, I would love to have a pond. Have always been awed and inspired by Necia Cerveney's ponds. 4. WHAT ARE SOME THINGS YOU REALLY ENJOY ABOUT GARDENING? I think that Springtime is what I truly enjoy about gardening. As you know, I have only shade gardens and they are best seen in the Spring when everything blooms. I love watching all the plants coming up in my gardens. We have lots of wildlife and tons of different birds in our yard and the sights and sounds of those special little creatures gives me much joy. 5. WHAT FLOWER HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE? My biggest challenge so far has been my Hydrageanas. No matter what I do or where I move them, they never seem to bloom like they should. 6. IF YOU COULD ONLY HAVE ONE PLANT IN YOUR GARDEN WHAT WOULD IT BE? Hostas would be my choice as an only plant in the garden. I love the texture and colors of the leaves. 7. ARE YOU GOING TO TRY ANYTHING NEW THIS YEAR? I have only one sunny spot in our yard and that would be my circle up front. Last Fall I yanked all my daylilies (the deer got all the buds before they bloomed every year); they were getting really shabby looking. Enriched the soil and intended to move two of my problem hydrageanas there this Spring, but my better half put the nix on that. I will be adding some gallon containers of cone flowers, black eyed susans and maybe bee balm instead. Every thought is a seed. If you plant crab apples, don't count on harvesting golden delicious." ~ Bill Meyer

6 Thanks to Janet Matherly for the following information she found reading the P.Allen Smith Newsletter. Enjoy reading some interesting pest control tips. Artemisia - This plant produces a strong antiseptic, although not unpleasant aroma that repels most insects. Pest Control Plants One of the great things about gardening is that in some ways your garden can take care of itself. Now I'm not endorsing abandoning your garden chores completely, but there are a few things that you can do to make your work a little easier. One of these things is to select plants for your garden that will help control insect pests. Certain plants contain properties that either invite beneficial insects or repel harmful insects. Beneficial insects prey on pests that cause damage in the garden. Ladybugs and praying mantis are good examples of beneficial bugs. Using plants for pest control not only cuts down on your workload, but it also reduces the amount of insecticides that you use in your garden. And fewer insecticides means more good bugs, which in turn means help in controlling bad bugs. Remember that what works in my garden may not work in yours. Every garden is different with its own microclimate, soil type, and pest control issues. It is important that you experiment to find out what works best for your situation. With this thought in mind, it also helps to choose plants that are native to your area. This way beneficial insects will already know what to look for. Planted in drifts it can also deter small animals. My favorite variety is 'Powis Castle'. I prefer to use this plant in flower borders and not in my vegetable garden because it produces a botanical poison. Basil -The oils in basil are said to repel thrips, flies and mosquitoes. I plant basil along side my tomatoes for larger, tastier tomatoes. However, basil and rue should not be planted together. Bee Balm - I love this plant because it attracts bees to my garden. It is another plant that you can grow with your tomatoes. Borage - This plant is a real workhorse in the garden. It repels tomato hornworms and cabbage worms and attracts beneficial bees and wasps. Borage also adds trace elements to the soil. This is an annual, but readily comes back each year from seed. Catnip - I think that this plant repels just about everything, except for cats of course! Use it to keep away flea beetles, aphids, Japanese beetles, squash bugs, ants, and weevils. I use sachets of dried catnip to deter the annual parade of ants that invade my kitchen. My favorite variety of catnip is 'Six Hills Giant' because of its proliferation of sky blue blooms. Chives - Chives are one of my favorite herbs. Not only do I love the flavor but their grassy foliage and round flower heads also add so much interest to my garden. You can plant

7 chives to repel Japanese beetles and carrot rust flies. It has also been said that chives will help prevent scab when planted among apple trees. Chrysanthemums - When I do use an insecticide I use one made from chrysanthemums called pyrethrum. This allnatural pesticide can help control things like roaches, ticks, silverfish, lice, fleas, bedbugs, and I like to use it to control ants in certain parts of my garden. In the garden white flowering chrysanthemums are said to drive away Japanese beetles and C. coccineum, commonly known as Painted Daisy, kills root nematodes. Dahlias - I have a renewed appreciation for these old fashioned favorites. Dahlias repel nematodes and the blooms are great for adding bold splashes of color to flower borders and fresh arrangements. Dill - I always find a place for this plant in my garden. Dill is best planted with cucumbers and onions. During the cool season I plant it with my lettuce. Dill attracts hoverflies and predatory wasps, and its foliage is used as food by swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. Tomato hornworms are also attracted to dill, so if you plant it at a distance, you can help draw these destructive insects away from your tomatoes. Dill repels aphids and spider mites. I like to sprinkle dill leaves on my squash plant to repel squash bugs. Four O'Clocks - This plant is a favorite food for Japanese beetles. However, because of its poisonous foliage rarely do they get to finish their meal. It is important to note that Four O'Clocks are also poisonous to people and animals, so avoid planting it if you have small children or pets. Garlic - I could write endlessly about garlic. I love the stuff. In addition to its great taste and health benefits, garlic planted near roses repels aphids. It also deters codling moths, Japanese beetles, root maggots, snails, and carrot root fly. Hyssop - This is another one of my favorite plants. Hyssop is great for attracting honeybees to the garden. Lavender - I can't imagine my garden without lavender. I just love its fresh scent and delicate blue blooms. Lavender is a favorite among many beneficial insects and also repels fleas and moths. Marigolds - The marigold is probably the most well known plant for repelling insects. French marigolds repel whiteflies and kill bad nematodes. Mexican marigolds are said to offend a host of destructive insects and wild rabbits as well. If you choose marigolds for your garden they must be scented to work as a repellant. And while this plant drives away many bad bugs, it also attracts spider mites and snails. Nasturtiums - I plant nasturtiums with my tomatoes and cucumbers as a way to fight off wooly aphids, whiteflies, squash bugs, and cucumber beetles. The flowers, especially the yellow blooming varieties, act as a trap for aphids. Petunias - I plant petunias throughout my garden just because I love them so much. As an added benefit they repel asparagus beetles, leafhoppers, a range of aphids, tomato worms, and a good many other pests. Sunflowers - I use sunflowers as a way to draw aphids away from my other plants. Ants move their colonies onto sunflowers. The sunflowers are tough enough that they suffer no damage.

8 Treasurer s Report Charter One Bank 2/8/ February Speaker, Jeff Griff , , /8/ Bev Hershman (Cards & Stamps) , , /17/ Robert & Carmen Park Refund Membership (Over paid) , , /17/2010 Closed Key Bank Account , /17/2010 Deposit cash from Key Bank Account to Charter One , , Dues 1, , /18/2010 Park , , /18/2010 Evans , , /18/2010 Herschman , , /18/2010 Kluber , , /18/2010 Vicic , , /18/2010 Schroeter , , /18/2010 Seramak , , /18/2010 Wichert , , /18/2010 Wozniak , , /18/2010 Thompson , , /18/ , , /18/2010 February Meeting Raffle , , /18/ Leanne Schroeter (Receipt Books) , , /18/ Refund Christmas Dinner Kachenko (2) , , /18/ Refund Christmas Dinner Rhoa & Guest , , We closed the Key Bank Account and deposited the money into our Charter One Account and the Key Gift Card has no balance. Submitted by: Leanne Schroeter Treasurer

9 NORDONIA HILLS GARDEN CLUB MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION New Member Renewing Member Paid with Cash Paid by Check # SINGLE MEMBERSHIP ($15.00) FAMILY MEMBERSHIP ($20.00) NAME(s): ADDRESS: PHONE #: ADDRESS: Who referred you to the club?: Are you a Master Gardener? Yes no (this is not required to join) What particular interests do you have in gardening? Birthday: Month Day Make your check payable to: NORDONIA HILLS GARDEN CLUB Please return or mail this form along with your payment to: Sheryl Lemiec, NHGC Membership Chairperson, 4880 East 49 th Street, Cuyahoga Hts., OH 44125