SACANDAGA GARDEN CLUB - by Barbara Henry
Our annual luncheon and auction was a huge success and enjoyed by everyone. Thank you, Anna Johnson and Fran Varcoe for arranging the event. It was so nice to see all the many visitors who came to join us. The Sport Island Pub provided a delightful buffet lunch and afterwards Doris Fordyce ran the auction. There were so many different items that everyone was interested in something and thanks to Doris the bidding was spirited and she made it fun and profitable for the club’s activities. I’ll let you know
more on this next month.
In her introductory remarks Mary Hogan announced that, at a recent District meeting of the Federated Garden Clubs, Carol Reutzel has been
awarded the President’s Perfect Pedestal Award. This is to honor her contributions to the club over and above her normal membership activities. She gives her time and energy unselfishly to the club and to the community and she shares her knowledge generously with everyone. Congratulations, Carol, you are a wonderful example to us all.
December is traditionally Armchair Gardening month. This is the time when we review any records we made during the year and make plans for next
year’s gardens. I have just finished mulching up my veggie beds for the winter.
I put a two to three inch layer of composted material down and topped it with a couple of inches of leaves. Now the beds can lay warm and snug throughout the cold months and provide shelter and food for any worms that wander by and my beds will be ready for my first spring plantings. I love
worms, they are sooo good for the soil and good soil is the key to garden success.
Inside we need to pay attention to houseplants now that the days are shorter. It’s a good idea to take your plants to the sink once a month and rinse them off gently with tepid water. This will remove the dust build up and allow the plant to take in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide as it should. A good rinse especially on the under side of the leaves also removes anylingering aphids. There are several plants that are really good in removing indoor air pollution; philodendrons, spider plants and golden pothos to name just a few. And especially nice at this time of year are a couple of the flowering plants such as chrysanthemums and gerbera daisies, so as you are enjoying the flowers you can feel good that they are helping with the air inside your home.
Rotating your plants is also good so that all sides get the same amount of light. As the nights get cold, you should move them away from the windows so they don’t get too cold. However, as I learnt from our Club’s Horticulturist, Margreet Monster, the Hoya plant does not like to be moved at all. So put a Do Not Disturb sign by that one.
Plants are entering a dormant phase now so stop fertilizing until spring time. Doesn’t mean though that we have no blooms at this time of year. If your Christmas cactus has been chilled – yes this is one that likes to get cold, it will bloom. And after bloom if you put it in an area where it is about 45-50 degrees F at night, and dark, it will set buds again.
Some folks are able to bring their Christmas cactus back into bloom three of four times a year. Kalanchoe, poinsettias and amaryllis are examples of other plants that provide welcome blossoms in the winter. Not to mention the bulbs that you forced earlier
……
Here’s a tip from the garden club to preserve your Christmas tree:
Mix ¼ cup horticultural iron (Green Garden or micronized horticultural iron) with one gallon hot water, two cups light corn syrup and four teaspoons of chlorinated household beach. Stand the tree in the formula for 24 hours outdoors. Bring the tree in and fill the tree stand with the formula.
We will be meeting on December 4 at the Bradt building for a wreath making workshop along with our regular club meeting. Carol Pagano, Phylis Smith and
Virginia Conover will be our hostesses. After the meeting we will be making seasonal baskets for those members of our community who are not able to get out
and enjoy the festivities as they would like
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