PHGSC Recent
Events 2006
to 2005 events
and 2004 and
earlier events
Some recent
PHGSC Events in 2006
December
5th Membership Meeting:
Tucked
nicely between Thanksgiving and Christmas, our PHGSC holiday potluck
dinner was a fine time for being grateful for our
gardening
friends and enjoy the gift of their good company over great food.
After the meal, we enjoyed upbeat music by the Mary
Stark Duo of holiday songs and standards and even
some sing-alongs!
Plants for the Homebound were
also brought to the meeting for later delivery to those homebound
and under hospice care. Thanks to Jan Egan for
the the labeling and Gail Sutherland and Carol Nelsen
for delivering the plants to two hospice
organizations.
Pictures from the
evening.... click
here
November
7th: Membership Meeting
“A Sampling of Roses
from A to Z”
Carolyn Parker,
author, newspaper columnist and rose gardener
extraordinaire, visited us to elaborate with words and slides
on many of the
subjects she writes about in her newest book,
“R IS FOR ROSE.”
On her website, Carolyn says that "...'R IS FOR ROSE' “journeys
through an alphabet of roses that grow in my garden. Each rose receives
celebrity treatment in stories, histories, and photographs. Practical
tips on gardening and flower arranging intermingle with my life with
roses, and thoughts on love, life, creativity,
beauty….”
As a child, Carolyn Parker had a barren yard and yearned to
fill
it with the flowers she saw in fields and neighbors’ gardens.
In
her first career as a fashion designer, the roses she came to love
appeared as apparel decorations. After she moved to Lafayette and
retired from the fashion business, she planted roses, took
pictures of them, and ended up with two delightful books, The Poetry of Roses,
and Roses from A to Z.
Parker’s enchanting presentation to our members in
November
was a blend of “rose talk” and stories about how
roses have
figured into so many of her memorable life experiences. For
instance, while working on her second book, she traveled to England, a
treasure trove of roses. Amazingly, she met Graham Thomas, the famous
rosarian, and interviewed him at age 92, a year before he died. The G
in her A to Z book is the Graham Thomas rose.
Although
her talk didn’t focus on the “how-to”
side of rose
growing, she did say in answer to a question that nice roses need two
important elements: a lot of compost and thick mulch.
For more information on Carolyn Parker, visit her
website: http://rosesfromatoz.com.
Carolyn Parker’s books were for sale at the
meeting. She
generously donated a portion of the sale to PHGSC.... pictures from the
meeting
October 7th: PHGSC Members Tour
AW Pottery and
Several
October 3rd: Membership Meeting
Don
Mahoney, Horticulture Manager at the San Francisco
Botanical Gardens at Strybing
Arboretum spoke on "Bulbs and
Beyond: Adding Color to the Winter Landscape"
Fall is spring
bulb
planting season, so it was very timely that Don focused on
bulbs, and
specifically the ones that bloom in winter or early spring that provide
winter
color (although winter bloomers must have been planted last spring or
summer).
Mahoney also discussed shrubs and salvias
that bloom in the winter .
His slide presentation and samples of
live plant material
rounded out his talk.
Well-known for his bulb presentations, Mahoney
holds a PhD from UC
Berkeley and was on the board
and ultimately president of the California
Horticulture Society from 1994 to 2001. He has been president
of
the Hallberg
Butterfly Garden since 1998.
September 5th: Membership Meeting (parapharased
from the Flower
Press)
"Controlling Garden Pests Need Not Be a Toxic Affair"
- Ken
Williams, Master Gardener
When you spot a garden pest the first thing to do,
says Ken
Williams, is ask yourself, “Can I live with it?”
For instance, you may not like aphids, but they
won’t really
harm your roses, said Williams, a Contra Costa
Master
Gardener and our September speaker.
Because pesticides end up in our water supply, he
favors
“integrated pest management,” or the least toxic
means to fight
garden invaders. Williams listed four types of pest control and gave
examples:
Physical – Deter snails and slugs by using
copper tape around your
seedling pots. Fence out deer.
Cultural – Put the right plant in the
right spot, or it’ll
get sick and attract pests. Keep rose bushes away
from the house, since roses attract aphids, which attract
ants.
Biological - Attract beneficial insects that eat
pests by having your
garden include “insectary”
plants such as
alyssum, lavender or yarrow.
Chemical – Use as a last resort, and then
choose
“safer” versions with
toxins that are not as long-lasting. Read the label three times, advised
Williams: before you buy it, before you use it and before you dispose
of it.
On the subject of gophers, he said the only things
that truly work
are traps or well-placed bait.
To supplement his talk, Williams handed out the
“Healthy
Gardening Guide” published by Central Contra Costa Sanitary
District.
August 1st:
Membership Meeting (parapharased
from the Flower
Press)
Members Summer Potluck: 6:30
Members and Visitors: 8 p.m.
"Evaluating the Health of Your Trees"
"Our trees may outlive our grandchildren -- they deserve the
best care
they can get!".... Richard Trout
If you intend to plant a few trees, consider how
their roots and
branches will spread in the decades ahead, advised Richard Trout at the
outset
of his talk at our August meeting.
“Plant the smallest
tree you can,” he
suggested, because younger specimens will have a better chance of
establishing
a strong root system.
Trout, formerly lead arborist
at UC-Berkeley and now a
consultant, warned against over-pruning because foliage is the fruit
producing
area of the tree. He also said trees located in lawns that are
sprinkled tend
to develop surface roots.
Other danger signs of trees in
distress, said Trout,
are decay at the base of a tree, a white fungus growing out of the
bark, and
“root heave” causing the tree to lean.
Heart rot, or decay of a
tree's inner core, can be
hard to identify until the tree becomes extremely hollow. A good time
to remove
a stressed tree, he observed, is when it no longer serves the landscape
or is
not safe.
Treatments exist for some tree
diseases, but not much
can be done about fungus, said Trout, adding that many trees have
reserves and
recuperative abilities until they get old.
Asked if Sudden Oak Disease
will wipe out the oak
population, Trout said, “probably,” but it's not a
certainty.
Another question was if pounding a nail into a tree can cause
decay. It
depends on the tree's hardness, answered Trout. Disease can
enter a tree
at a damaged site, he noted.
Trout is a certified arborist with more
than 30 years of
working with trees in landscape settings. An
For more information on Richard Trout and his specialities,
go to his website: http://troutarbor.com.
Pictures
from the
evening's meeting
July 15th: PHGSC
members visit the
June 27th: Board of
Director's Meeting
In a
celebration of the
changing-of-leadership, the Board of Directors met at Jan Egan's patio
garden
for som light fare
provided by Jan, some Board
business as this was Jan's last Board meeting as President and
welcoming of new
officers: Marc, Gregory, and Lisa. There was also a presentation to Jan
of a certificat of
appreciation of her Club leadership as
well as a Shooting Star hydrangea. ...
pictures
June 24th: Members'
Visits
to the gardens of 3 members:
Jack and Carol Giolitti,
Mary Hurlburt, and
Rocco and Lynn Grassano.
As an optional
4th stop -- we were graciously hosted to a
visit to Neal
Richmond's
June 6th : Membership Meeting
Club Business: Elected - President:
Marc Kiefer succeeds Jan
Egan; Vice President - Membership: Gregory
Mayfield succeeds Susan
Pratt; and Vice President - Program: Lisa Robinson
replaces Latha Rajagoplan resigning due to
work commitments; 06-07 budget approved as submitted by Kathy
Mendenhall..
Guest Speaker: Estelle Solomon
"Drip
Irrigation Systems"
(paraphrased
from the June 2006 "Flower Press")
Thanks to
many new products now
available, drip irrigation systems are much easier then they were in
the past.
There's still a lot to know about them, though,
and we got a
good overview from Estelle Solomon's hands-on presentation at our June
6
membership meeting.
The owner of Estelle Solomon Landscaping in
In addition to passing out product materials, she
brought along drip irrigation items to show as she discussed
them.
Most of her clients are homeowners, so she was
familiar with the
issues we are likely to encounter. She concluded her presenation
by answering questions from members and guests.... pictures from
the evening
May 20th: CGCI
Diablo Foothill District Garden Tour
Several
of our members' gardens were on
the DFD Tour... see
some pictures
May 13th:
Annual
Plant Sale
Winslow
Center, SE cor of
Pleasant Hill Road & Taylor Blvd
(see more info) (some
pictures...special thanks
to Eileen Housfeld)
May 2d: 7 p.m.
Membership Meeting
Renee Shepherd, Renee's Garden
"Easy
Gardening from
Seed"
... paraphrased
from Flower Press
An interesting and informative presentation exciting
presentation was
made at our May meeting when seed maven Renee Sheperd,
founder of Renee's Garden was our guest speaker.
The full title of her slide talk was "Easy
Gardening for Busy People from Seed".
More specifically, she discussed which
kinds and varieties of
seeds are best to sow directly in the garden for abundant harvests of
delicious
vegetables and harbs
and beautiful cutting flowers.
...
some
more about Renee Shepherd:
Renee founded the Sheperd's
Garden
Seed Catalog in 1983 after receiving her Ph.D. at UC-Santa Cruz and
teaching in
the Environmental Studies Department. In 1996, she started Renee's
Garden. Its
seed packets can be found at independent garden centers or online at http://www.reneesgarden.com/
Renee has also authored two cookbooks,
which she brought
along to sell. As an added bonus, she gave free seeds to those
who
attended the meeting..... some
pictures from meeting
Were you there?... Club meeting
attendees at May 2, 2006
membership meeting.
tidbits from June
2006 "Flower
Press"... on Renee's presentation (above)...
Many flower, vegetable and herb seeds can
be planted directly into the ground and produce bountiful results,
according to
Renee.
Summer seeds to plant include beans, cucumbers,
sunflowers,
cosmos, and zinnias, she also said. In fall, sow lettuce, sweet peas
and
poppies, for instance. Spring is the time for chard, all kinds of
lettuce, baby
bok choy, radishes, herbs,
morning glory and nasturtium.
Renee's slides provided even more ideas.
For successful seed planting, Renee said remember the following:
- Start
with fresh seeds of high quality
- Test
an old seed packet by putting 10 seeds on a damp paper towel inside a
sealed plastic bag to see if they will germinate
- Be
brave and brutal -- thin seedlings so the strong can thrive
- Grow
fruiting vegetables in full sun; leafy greens can handle filtered shade
- Store
seeds in a dry place and temperatures that are comfortable to you
- If
you don't have good luck with the seeds you buy, call the seed company
to report the problems and ask for help.
April 25th: 7 p.m.
PHGSC Board Meeting
April 4th: 7 p.m.
Membership Meeting
Buzz Bertolero,
Navlet's
Garden Centers
"The Buzz
from Buzz
" ...
from the
Flower Press
Well-known Navlet's nurseryman Buzz Bertolero
- also known as the “Dirt Gardener” -
was our guest speaker in
April. He devoted a good portion of his talk to answering the
question of
what we are up against with our wet and cold spring. Buzz also
showed us
some garden items that are new, unique, timely or good for solving
problems,
especially this spring. Currently executive vice president of
Navlet's, Buzz started
in the family-run business at age
13. He is active in the nursery industry, writes a weekly syndicated
gardening
column, appears weekly on KRON-TV's “Henry's
Garden”, and hosts a
website, www.dirtgardener.com.
We learned the probable scenarios for the very wet
spring we've
been having.
... excerpted and
paraphrased from he Flower
Press
What to
Expect After Our Wet Spring....
from Buzz Bertolero's
presentation April 4th.
"It's been wet, wet,
wet, and that will cause problems," declared Buzz Bertelero
as he opened his prgram
at our April meeting.
The Navlet's
executive vice president
provided information, insights and ideas on how to hendle
ths year's cold and
moisture-laden late spring.
Roses are likely to suffer from downy mildew, he
said. unlike black spot,
this disease has squarish
dark purple-red splotches and causes rapid defoliation from bottom up.
One of
the few downy mildew controls, he said is Afri-Fos.
Fruit trees may suffer brown rot on new growth,
Buzz said. After
the rain depart and
foliage dries, fungicides may help
address the problem.
"This will be a humonguous
year for
snails," Buzz predicted, because of all the moisture in the ground. Sluggo is a good organic
pesticide, he said, adding
"whatever you do to fight the snails, be persistent.
Tomatoes should not go into the ground until the
weather is
consistently warm, Buzz advised. "Tomatoes don't have a 'catch-up'
gene" that boosts them along if they're planted too early, he
quipped. ...some pictures
from the meeting.
March 7th: 7 p.m.
Membership Meeting
Featured Speaker: Margo Banner, Markham Regional Arboretum
Society
"Tomatoes"
Excerpted and paraphrased from our "Flower Press" newsletter...
Margo started growing tomatoes at age 5, and with her brother, selling
them
door-to-door in her Southern California neighborhood. Over
the years, she
has learned a lot of tomato-growing tricks and problem-solving
techniques that
she shared, along with slides, at our meeting. Now a resident of
Tips and Tidbits on Tomatoes from
Margo Banner:
If you want garden-fresh tomatoes for as long as possible
during the
growing season, hedge your bets and plant early, mid-season and late
varieties.
Margo Banner's advice came with a mention of her favorites: early - Stupice and First Lady II;
mid-season - SunSugar;
late - Lillian's Yellow Heirloom. She named more in a handout that also
listed
seed sources and these useful suggestions:
- When
buying seedlings, select those with lush green leaves and no blossoms,
since young plants need to devote their energy to developing roots.
- Try a
version of dry farming tomatoes - water them less later in the season -
for sweeter fruit.
- To
avoid buildup of soil borne diseases, rotate crops on a three-year
cycle.
..... pictures
February 28th:
Award of DVC Horticulture
Student Book Grants.... original
application
As part of its support of community horticultural
activities,
PHGSC solicited DVC horticulture students to submit
applications for up to
$50 grants to subsidize their horticulture book purchases.
Congratulations to
the following selected students :
Shawna Anderson, Emily Clark, Priscilla Farfan,
Gillian Gray, Mark Kiefer, Sally Lanzarotti,
Kathleen
Till, and Tonia Zink.
February 23rd: Diablo
Foothills District (area garden
clubs) luncheon
hosted
by our club. Held in the Parkside
Room in the PHRPD's
Community Center (our normal meeting room), 9:30 a.m. - 1:00
p.m., included a buffet luncheon catered by Pasta Pompodoro
and a presentation on "Prepare for Spring: New Rose
Introductions"
by Bonnie Brousseau of
Orchard Nursery in Lafayette.
Pictures and other information coming soon.... maybe
February 11, 2006
- Members Workshop
"Plant Propagation by Seed and Division"
at
George and Sharon Hatch's home. George Hatch and Phil Grieg leading
.... some pictures
February 2, 2006 - Membership Meeting
Featured
Speaker: Bobbi Feyerabend,
Landscape Architect,
Feyerabend &
Madden Landscape Design, Inc.
"Garden Structure"
Stonework, walls, arbors and
other design elements are landscape solutions that also can give your
garden a
cohesive, pleasing structure.
An
Bobbi is a principal in the Emeryville firm of Feyerabend
and Madden Landscape Design, Inc. Their specialty is custom designing
each site
with special attention to solving problems and achieving goals through
form,
color, texture, scent, and seasonal change.
Some pictures
from
the meeting....
More information on Bobbi's firm's work is
available at the
company's website: http://www.fmlanddesign.com/
or by WWW search engine.
January 14th, 2006,
Saturday morning
For members
only, Jack Giolitti
leading
for our May Plant
Sale @ Jack and Carol's home
.... pictures
January 3rd, 2006,
Membership Meeting
Featured Speaker:
Jennifer Hidalgo,
Orchard Nursery,
"Winter
Container Gardening"
With
our relatively mild winters, container gardening is a viable option
during cold
weather utilizing everything from woody shrubs in larger containers to
annuals.
Jennifer will show us how.
Jennifer is the perennials buyer at
Orchard Nursery and has
been a floral designer and organic gardener. She is also a Contra Costa
Master
Gardener. ...
no pictures...
see "Flower Press" newsletter for more details...
