A Message from the President

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1 Fall 2018 Newsletter A Message from the President This has been quite a summer. We had more hot, dry days than I can remember during the 20 years I ve lived in Maine. Watering the vegetable garden and the annuals became quite a chore until much-needed rains finally came. My vegetables started growing like weeds, but so did the weeds, and the still-warm temperatures and humidity reminded me of growing up in Virginia! We have been fortunate, though; points north have had the humidity, but haven t gotten the rain. It s finally starting to cool off so I m looking forward to a nice, long fall and a full year of great programs and workshops. The Garden/Garden Therapy and the Garden Redesign committees have been hard at work this summer. The Blue Star Marker garden has never looked better, and most of the first year s work in our gardens at the church has been completed. If you haven t been by to see the progress this summer, you ll be in for a pleasant surprise in September. We experimented a bit last year with the length of the business meeting and ways to improve socialization and we had mixed results. We ll keep setting up the long tables, but as some people felt that we were rushing through important decisions, we ll no longer try to minimize the length of our meetings. The other change I ll institute this year is to mail out an agenda to all active members prior to each meeting. I m looking forward to seeing everyone in September. Marianne Dodge A Message to the Garden Redesign Committee ( reprinted with the author s permission) From: Lucy Ellis Date: Wed, Aug 22, 2018 at 9:38 PM Subject: Garden Redesign To: Susan Carter, Marianne Dodge, Margaret Curran, Linda Grant Evening, I have been dropping by the project each day 1

2 and love seeing the new design unfold. The redesign is simply amazing! Kudos to Susan for the vision and initiating this work, to the team for the design and to all the club members for supporting the initiative. It is exciting to see how profoundly these first year actions have changed the feel of the garden area and suggest the exciting promise of the work to come! This is a great legacy for the club. This gift to the church, after 85 years of residency on campus, will ensure our continued ability to call this property home. It will also provide a welcoming, restorative, beautiful and fun space for all who come to St. Mary s - and that includes many organizations. And, by the way, I predict this garden will be actively used! important environmental concern. We hope that you find these tidbits of information interesting, useful, and promoting of sustainable practices that enhance and improve our planet. (We recommend visiting the sources listed below to learn more about the issues raised in this feature.) Garden Myth Epsom salt is great for the garden in many ways. It's often recommended as a cureall for plant problems. Suggested uses include fertilizing, increasing flower production, curing diseases, and eliminating pests. Well done. Lucy New Feature from the Horticulture and Environmental Concerns Committee The Horticulture and Environmental Concerns Committee has committed to contributing two items in each SMGC Newsletter. One will focus on a common garden myth and the other will focus on an Unfortunately, each of these claims is false. To make matters worse, the use of Epsom salt can actually harm the environment. It is very water soluble thus common irrigation systems and/or a steady rain will dissolve it and add it to the local ecosystem. According to the chemist Robert Pavlis, "Epsom salt may be good for your bath...but recent studies have shown that even in the bath it does nothing for your skin." (Source: Robert Pavlis, 2017, Garden Myths, Book 1) 2

3 For further reading on gardening and Epsom salts visit: 015/03/epsom-salts.pdf Environmental Concern The following environmental concern was found on the Natural Resources Council of Maine's blog. Material published in August 14, Water for Wildlife Even a Wee Bit Makes a Big Difference It s easy to overlook water as a critical feature in your wildlife-friendly landscape, especially here in the Northeast where water is relatively abundant. However, access to water can be a very limiting factor in an otherwise high-quality habitat with abundant food, cover, and shelter. This time of year adequate water can be hard to come by, particularly for species that may occupy a small local area, such as pollinators, songbirds, reptiles, and amphibians. In the wintertime, water can be largely inaccessible due to frozen conditions. According to The Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds, providing clean water at the proper level in the correct habitat at the right time of year is one of the most useful management tools for attracting birds and improving wildlife habitat. Here are some tips for incorporating water into bird and pollinator habitats: 1. A (Better) Birdbath not just a pretty one! Birdbaths provide safe, year-round access to clean, open water when properly maintained and sited. A simple birdbath is a low-cost, easy maintenance way to provide birds with water for bathing and drinking. Your birdbath should: be no deeper than 3, have gently sloping sides/edges (many manufactured bird baths have sides that are too steep), have a textured surface, be free of algae, bacteria and mosquito larvae (clean with mild soap once a week), be heated in the winter (you can purchase a heated birdbath or add a heater to an existing one), and be safe from predators. If house or stray cats are in the area, choose a raised bird bath, at least 3 off the ground, and place it in the open and at least 15 away from shrubs. The best scenario is to keep your cats indoors, which will allow you to attract more secretive birds like warblers, vireos, and wood thrushes that prefer bathing in tucked away areas near shrubs and trees. Also, keep in mind that groundlevel baths better mimic natural puddles and are likely to attract more species. 3

4 Therefore, if cat predation is not an issue think about constructing a birdbath on the ground with a metal garbage can lid and other everyday materials. 2. Provide Pollinators with A Wee Drink! Many pollinators need a water source beyond what they acquire from nectar. A shallow tray of water and stones will allow bees and butterflies to safely drink Birdbaths are generally too wide and deep for bees. You can add corks and stones to a shallow bird bath for bees as well. To limit mosquito breeding, just change the water every five days or so. Flower Show Exhibitors St. Mary s Garden Club was well represented at the Flower Show Maine, Vacationland at the GCFM Convention at the Sebasco Harbor Resort this summer. Judges Council thanks to all who helped and/or entered, making this a fabulous Show. The Judges Council will be submitting a Book of Evidence having scored 97 points. Cross your fingers for a National award! Design Division Class 1: Sabrina Warner (2nd), Marilyn Traiser (1st) Class 2: Alora Carrier (1st) Class 4: Marilyn Traiser (2 nd ), Ben Kirkland (Creative Design Award), Elaine Elliot (HM) Horticulture Division Linda Grant, Sabrina Warner, Marianne Dodge, Marilyn Traiser, Christy Altman and Alora Carrier won numerous awards. 3. Build a Pond or a Natural Swimming Pool! A small backyard frog pond, or a larger wildlife pond will greatly enhance the habitat value of a property, especially when done well. Garden Bounty Gazpacho One of my favorite ways to use up my abundance of cukes, tomatoes, peppers, garlic, red onions, swiss chard, and carrots is with this easy and healthy gazpacho recipe. You don't have to be too precise with any of the amounts 4

5 or which veggies are used, and you can add any protein on top (lobster, crabmeat, and chopped grilled chicken are my go-to's) for a complete late-summer meal. 1. In the food processor, pulse any of the veggies listed above (except for the red onion and garlic) one at a time so they resemble small, chopped chunks, and dump each into a large bowl. Cucumber, tomatoes, peppers are the traditional gazpacho base. 2. Finely dice 3 or 4 garlic cloves and half a red onion (you could also do this in the processor, but you're going for a finer consistency) and add to the veggies. 3. Add to the bowl: a. Between 4-8 cups of organic tomato juice (depending on how much you're making and your preferred consistency) b. 1/2 cup of good olive oil shaken in a jar with a 1/4 cup of white balsamic or white wine vinegar (these measurements can also be tweaked depending on the amount you're making) c. Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 4. Stir it all up and refrigerate for several hours. Enjoy for up to a week! Ellen Thayer Kudos to Garden Committee Volunteers Thank you to all members who did garden maintenance this summer. It was crazy as we had a drought, then too much rain, and then a new garden!! Everyone I asked did a great job. CHEERS TO OUR VOLUNTEERS on behalf of the SMGC!! And what an effort from the garden redesign committee. It is going to be an outstanding site when complete. A large round of applause to them. The garden closing will be before the October program at 9am, unless it is raining. Linda Grant Paul Parent Passes Away Paul Parent passed away in his sleep on August 13 th. He was best known as the host of the radio and podcast show The Paul Parent Garden Club and as a garden speaker and writer. Paul s son Patrick will take over his show. As you may recall, his son Jason gave a floral design presentation at our April meeting that we all enjoyed. 5

6 Bulb Sale The Cape Elizabeth Garden Club is holding a bulb sale this fall. See the last three pages of this newsletter for descriptions of the bulbs and ordering information. Fall Calendar Date Time Event Monthly Program & Meeting: Sept :00a Oct. 2 2:30p Floral Arranging with Fresh Herbs with Betsy Williams Workday Lois Murphy Kindness Garden Oct. 15 9:00a Closing the gardens at St. Mary s Oct :30a Leaf Design Workshop Oct :30a Oct. 29 Monthly Program & Meeting: Preparing Medicines from Plants with Deb Soule GCFM Fall Conference Nov. 5 10:00a Board Meeting Nov. 12 9:00a Art in Bloom Workshop Nov :00a Monthly Program & Meeting: Floral Design with Marilyn Trasier Dec. 3 10:00a Holiday Wreath Workshop Dec. 10 9:30a Centerpiece Workshop Dec :00a Dec :00p Monthly Program & Meeting: Q and A with Tom and Nancy Atwell Holiday Gathering and Reception with Silver Service Please refer to the Yearbook for additional information on all of the programs and events. 6

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