Gardening Partners Library Project

Does anyone know the plan for the Library Project or if we have a chairperson for this project?   As I have time, would like to work on this, just don't know what needs to be done or who to ask.   

Expressions

Tonight's meeting was expressive, a little explosive and a bit refreshing. Though I certainly would not want every meeting to play out like tonight's, it allowed many to share ideas about our club. A big thanks to Mike for stepping up and in when we needed him. Thanks to Mitch for his willingness and passion to share his vision and knowledge with us. Let's be respectful, helpful and get to work! Those plants aren't gonna grow themselves. (unless they 're weeds).

The Heron and The Hummingbird - Used

Following up on a previous post regarding my new garden tools. The Heron is wonderful. Its slender blade glides just under the surface of the soil and removes weeds in hard to reach places. My Dad tried it and likes it so that is the ultimate endorsement. The Hummingbird has not found a place in my heart nor in the garden yet. Will withhold judgement until it has been tested.

The English Cottage GAAAADEN......

Long before I ever dreamed of going to England, I loved the English Cottage Garden. Pictures of these gardens nestled next to an old cottage intrigued me. Appearing a bit overgrown, you just knew there were many treasures hidden there to be discovered. Once I stepped foot on English soil with camera in hand, the search began. The first couple of days in London yielded little in the way of flora. The streets were crowded with traffic, sidewalks were in motion with fit pedestrians and cyclists. Buildings were connected along the streets with no available space for a garden. My search continued. On day three, the coach took us through the countryside enroute to our next destination. Fields could be seen for miles, separated by dry stone walls and a few trees. The view was like a patchwork quilt with fields of yellow, dark green, bluish green and then poppies scattered along the way.

Making our way into Cotswold a smaller town, gardens began to surface. Most residences had small quaint courtyard type gardens like those in Charleston, SC. Though beautiful, they were not the Cottage Gardens I had seen in books and on film. After a bit of touring and shopping it was on to Stratford, home of William Shakespeare and wife Anne Hathaway. A trip to Anne's Cottage didn't sound that exciting. We pulled up, stepped off the coach and entered...... Eden. There alongside the beautiful thatched cottage was "the Garden". Roses, poppies, sweet peas, vegetables, Lupine and so much more. I quickly spotted a large robust Cardoon and remembered my struggling one at home. The soil was fertile and the plants large and healthy.

I wanted to spend the day exploring. I spotted two curiosities. One was a living willow hut, complete with wooden bench and relief from the summer sun. The other was a device used I presume to scare rabbits and other pests from the garden. It was a withered potato stuck with feathers and dangling on a string. Simple enough. There is never enough time to spend in a Cottage garden.

Hurriedly we toured the house and ended up, as all tours do, in the gift shop. Among the trinkets, I found seed packets filled with sweet peas grown in the cottage garden. The seeds were purchased and tucked away for safe keeping. Though we discovered treasures of a different kind the rest of the week, we did not see another Cottage Garden to rival Anne's. When the week ended and we returned to the airport for our trip home, I remembered the seeds tucked safely in my luggage. Daringly I marked nothing to declare on my customs form, when asked if I was bringing any seed back to the U.S. Those were treasures I intended to keep even though admittedly I perspired when the woman in front of me set off an alarm and was practically violated in a pat down. I envisioned a scruffy baggage handler finding the hidden seed, alerting security and the result would be my placement on a "no fly" list with some prison time added in. That didn't happen and now I'm ready to grow those sweetpeas in my own Cottage Garden. Now all I need is the Cottage.

The Heron and The Hummingbird

Awaiting the arrival of "The Heron and the Hummingbird". Unless you enjoy gardening, you aren't going to be able to relate to my excitement over these "Lifetime guaranteed" weeding tools. (Come to think about it, at my age that's not much of a guarantee) After watching several Paul James "Gardener Guy" episodes on the net, I am convinced that those gardening tools are required to make me as successful in the garden as Paul. Once they arrive and have been tested, I'll give you a critique. Can't wait because.......time's a wastin and weeds a grownin.

Working to change the food system : City & Region : The Buffalo News

Working to change the food system : City & Region : The Buffalo News

Gardening Wish List

Several gardening partners have expressed a desire to have a plant swap. Nothing elaborate. Perhaps we could just bring our "spares to share" to a meeting, take a few minutes and swap. I have a few sprouting Hellebores (?), chocolate mint, sedum, etc. to share. Always looking for unusual plants to add to my garden.

Have also discussed with some members, forming small groups who might be interested in helping other members with some garden tasks. Envisioned three or four getting together and maybe helping someone clean out or create a flower bed or some other gardening task for a couple of hours. Of course, there would have to be refreshments and socializing while we worked.

What are your garden wishes?

Greenhouse Notes

Gardening Partners know that gardening is work and gratification wrapped together. After being with this group for awhile you begin to see how powerful the tie (the love of gardening) that binds such a diverse group of people. There's a lot of talent within this group that needs to utilized. Having committed four months to managing and working in the club's greenhouse has led me to believe that I am qualified to share some thoughts about our club's greenhouse, projects and ways to better use the talent and resources available.

The plant sale, from all indications, was successful despite the weather. During the process of preparing for the sale, several good ideas and suggestions were offered by gardening partners. Now would be a good time for assessment of this project. Would invite everyone to discuss this project. (Let's leave personalities out of it and discuss ways to improve). Here's my first thought....

Spend more time planning for this project and begin earlier. If another sale is planned for next year, have a group begin discussions now on what to plant, how much, what the budget will be, what the cost is and the price of the product to be sold. Much of the last minute work at this plant sale could have been accomplished earlier and would have made the job easier. Anyone else?