November 2010

Co-President’s Letter

As I sit here at my computer looking out of my window at the first long rain of the season, I am moved by many thoughts. First, is the thought of getting my Mediterranean and native purchases planted in the ground. They will enjoy this weather and, if planted now, they will make strong roots to carry them through the next hot summer. Sadly, my worst season ever of tomato growing is at its’ end. I will keep getting a few tomatoes until our first frost but I never had the vast amount of tomatoes this year that I had first envisioned.

November also brings to mind the beginning of a two-month holiday cycle at the club with members focusing less on their gardens and more on entertaining family and friends. Our November meeting is the only room meeting change we will have this year, thanks to the Veteran’s Day school closure. We will meet at the Seasons Room (located in the old nursery building at the back of the nursery) at Alden Lane Nursery. Please plan to arrive early so we can get settled. We will be starting at 7 with Brian of the Alden Lane staff speaking for the first thirty minutes about winterizing your garden. Since the room is small, please do not bring anything in for Maudie’s Moments. Save all holiday white elephant items for our Christmas Boutique next month. But do bring in your interesting blooms, plants, and other sharing items for our Gardeners’ Forum. We will have extended time this month to devote to garden sharing and we can give the table the time and attention it deserves.

Before closing this greeting, Lydia and I want to extend a huge thank you to Dolores Bengtson for procuring for the club a PA system. This donation from Drew Kutlik of Magicwave makes it possible to comfortably hear our speakers once again. Thank you Drew, for your kind gift to the club.

Hope to see all of you at the November meeting at Alden Lane.

Till then, Sondra Bierre, Co-President

November notes ............................in the garden.......

....the first real rain of the Fall has happened so it is time to get your bulbs in the ground. Easy to say, hard to find time to do. Sometimes it is good to have a deadline – like I’ll get them planted by the day after Thanksgiving, or Dec. 1, or surely by Jan.1! But the most important thing is to get them in the ground sometime – they cannot bloom in the bag! Keep them in a cool dark place until planted and be sure there are air holes in the bag so they don’t mildew. I still see recommendations for adding bone meal when planting but really these are just invitations for little (or big) animals to dig them up and enjoy the bone meal. Clam chips (get them where they have chicken feed) in the hole are a better deterrent since they are hard and sharp to chew. Plus they give off calcium in the soil which is usually a good thing.

....this is a good time to find plants on sale. Nurseries do not want to have to take care of them over the winter when shoppers are scarcer. (Perhaps not us, but true of the general public) If the plant seems a bit skimpy you might want to coddle it still in the pot over the winter and plant it out in the ground next spring.

....be sure to break down any wells or bowls around plants that would keep water in during the summer so that the roots don’t die off if water stays on them all winter and does not drain away.

....twist off excess buds on camellia plants for bigger blooms next spring.

....this is a good time to prune to shape evergreen trees and shrubs. You can use the cuttings for indoor decorations. You can slightly prune top-heavy trees – making thinning cuts rather than topping so you reduce wind resistance.

This is the month of Thanksgiving and we all have a lot to be thankful for ------ that we garden in this climate and area where nurseries are open year round to get plants if you want to, and that we can get to know so many other wonderful gardeners through the garden club activities.