Sunday, September 27, 2009

October newsletter

The October issue of The Green Dragon is online in reader/printer friendly .pdf format.

Coming This March: NARGS Seed Exchange 2010, Surplus Round

From Rosemarie Parker:

Our chapter has agreed to coordinate the Surplus Seed round of the NARGS Seed Exchange again this year. The process should be less hectic than last year, as more people adjust to the web-only seed list and get their orders in for the first round. BZ Marranca has agreed to be overall coordinator, and we hope to have weekly coordinators as well to share some of the work. For national NARGS members, the incentives include getting “donor status” on the next year’s exchange (10 more packets + priority order filling) and the ability to choose your own surplus seed purchase. The chapter is looking at several incentives for local members who are not national members, so that everyone will want to help. Look for details around February, as the work will take place throughout March. If you have questions or want sign on as one of the weekly coordinators, contact BZ Marranca: mmm10@cornell.edu.

Holly Shimizu on Sustainable Landscapes in Corning

From Bill Plummer:

October 30: Holly Shimizu, Executive Director of the U.S. Botanic Garden will be speak on Creating Sustainable Landscapes at 171 Cedar Arts Center's Drake House Theater, 155 Cedar Street, Corning, N.Y. at 10 a.m. Directions and more info at www.171cedararts.com

Plant of the Month for October

From John Gilrein, Plant of the Month coordinator:

The Plant of the Month at our October 11 meeting will be miniature Narcissi. We’ll have a selection of bulbs available. The first dozen will be free to each member and any remaining bulbs will be available to purchase. Since we’re buying in quantity, leftover bulbs will be sold at a good price. Narcissi prefer full sun to partial shade, neutral soil, and good drainage. Pending availability, our selection will include the varieties below, all hardy to at least zone 4, except N. caniculatus:

  • ‘Small Talk’ is an all yellow miniature trumpet, 5 to 6 inches high, blooming in April. Plant 5 to 6 inches deep and 5 inches apart.
  • ‘Segovia’ is a small cupped Narcissus. It has white perianth (the base) and a small disc shaped greenish-yellow cup. It’s 5 to 6 inches high, blooming in April. Plant 6 to 7 inches deep and 6 inches apart.
  • Narcissus canaliculatus is a species miniature with multiple flowers. It has a white reflexed perianth and a cup shaped golden crown. It’s 6 inches high, blooming in April. Plant 4 to 5 inches deep and 4 to 5 inches apart. It’s reputedly hardy to zone 6, so try a protected spot, or be adventurous.
  • Narcissus cantabricus is a species miniature with white flowers. It’s 6 inches high and blooms in April. Plant 4 to 5 inches deep and 4 to 5 inches apart. Availability may be limited.

Spring Bulbs: Three Months of Bloom

From ACNARGS member and Cornell Cooperative Extension educator, Pat Curran:

Spring Bulbs: Three Months of Bloom
Thurs. Oct. 1, 6:30-8:30 pm

Plan now to plant bulbs this fall for three months of bloom next year! Pat Curran, Horticulture Educator, will discuss different bulb varieties, planting and growing tips, and suggestions for using bulbs in the landscape. Spring Bulbs: Three Months of Bloom will be held Thurs. Oct. 1, 6:30-8:30 pm at the Tompkins County Cooperative Extension Education Center, 615 Willow Avenue, Ithaca. Fee: $5; pre-registration requested. Please call 272-2292 for more information or registration.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Sunday, September 6, 2009

NARGS Seed Exchange seed list

From Joyce Fingerut, NARGS Seed Exchange Director:

The Seed Exchange Seed List will appear on the NARGS website on December 15, 2009. NARGS no longer will automatically distribute printed lists to all its members. NARGS national members who would like to receive a printed copy of the Seed List - either because of no computer, or slow internet connections - must request a copy by November 15, 2009. Write: Joyce Fingerut, 537 Taugwonk Road, Stonington, CT 06378-1805. Phone: 860.535.3067. Or email: alpinegarden@comcast.net

From the Chair

I want to invite everyone to my garden for our September meeting and bring your diseased plants – in a zip-lock bag please. I'm sure I have enough diseases of my own.

I also extend an invitation for any member to bring a note pad and annotate plants that you would like a start of from my garden. I have so much plant material and I would like to share them. I cannot guarantee that I can name them. In fact, I'd like the membership to help me name plants. I seemed to have developed 'plant Alzheimer's ' – I try to retrieve the names from my memory and I remember typically around 2 a.m. If you have a means of keeping your plant records bring them along to share.

Billie Jean Isbell