Our luncheon and auction was a huge amount of fun. Lanzi’s on the Lake put on a delightful lunch enjoyed by everyone, thank you Lanzi’s. Carol Reutzel and Fran Varcoe created gorgeous centerpieces for the tables and favors for everyone. Our auctioneer Terry Moeller kept everyone laughing and bidding up the items. Congratulations to Anna Johnson who won the beautiful quilt created by Ruth Ralston. Thanks to Anna Johnson, Michele Acquaro and Wanda Smith for their great efforts in organizing this event. We thank everyone for your support of our programs. Watch this column for dates of our presentations on Wildflowers and Orchids in March and April both to be held at the Northville Public Library and open to all.
Keep on eye on your houseplants now that the days are short and the sun is in short supply. A rinse every month or so for non fuzzy leaved plants or so will keep aphids and mealy bugs under control. Hard brown lumps on stems are probably scale and you’re going to have to scrape them off, they do like to cling. If you see a few leaves dropping or yellowing, don’t despair. It is most likely due to the lower humidity in our houses now that the heating season is well under way and also because of the lower light levels. Gradually the plant will get used to the new conditions. Be careful not to overwater your plants. If your potting soil doesn’t have good aeration it can hold water and be a wonderful breeding ground for fungus. Then the fungus gnats move in and if you have ever had a cloud of little black flies hovering around your soil you know what I mean. If this happens, cut down on your watering and let the plant dry between waterings. Mostly, this will solve the problem but if it doesn’t, you may need to repot with a sterilized potting mixture that is amended with perlite which gives aeration to the mix.
When the catalogs start to come in towards the end of the month get a glass of wine and sit down and plan what to add to your garden. If you are not sure that you are going to do much in your garden next year, just remember that just an hour of weeding burns around 340 calories, digging also uses about 340 calories and using a power mower uses around 300 calories. More good reasons to get out there and get our hands dirty!
Our next meeting is on December 1 at 10:00 a.m. at the Bradt Building when Janice Taylor will lead our workshop for wreath making for Christmas displays. We make wreaths for many of the public buildings in Northville and our surrounding towns. We have lunch together and after lunch we have a business meeting to wrap up this calendar year before our hiatus in January and February. On December 8 we have a party to celebrate the holidays and that is held at the Northville Public Library.
Our club partners with the Federated Garden Clubs to offer a full scholarship to cover camp tuition for one week for a student age 12-14 at the DEC program at Camp Colby in Upper Saranac Lake. Locally, recent recipients of this scholarship have been Carissa Henderson, Emily Krom, Arthur Hoffman and Megan Frasier. Students who are interested should submit a letter stating why they wish to attend the camp, along with a letter of recommendation from a teacher to us at POBox 675, Northville, NY 12134 . The deadline for applications hasn’t been announced yet but it is usually around the second week in January so get them in early.
Enjoy the holidays everyone and remember that ‘a garden is a friend you can visit anytime’.
Our next meeting is on December 1 at 10:00 a.m. at the Bradt Building when Janice Taylor will lead our workshop for wreath making for Christmas displays. We make wreaths for many of the public buildings in Northville and our surrounding towns. We have lunch together and after lunch we have a business meeting to wrap up this calendar year before our hiatus in January and February. On December 8 we have a party to celebrate the holidays and that is held at the Northville Public Library.
Enjoy the holidays everyone and remember that ‘a garden is a friend you can visit anytime’.
