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Spring Q & A

5/15/2018

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May 2018
 
Q & A  

1.) Flowering Peonies
 
a) QUESTION 
         
How can you extend the bloom for cut peonies?
 
b) ANSWER 

Cut them when a tiny bit of color shows on the hard green bud. The bud should feel like a marshmallow and have some "give" when squeezed. Strip off most of the leaves and wrap the stems in newspaper and store them in your fridge. You can also wrap each stem in plastic wrap with both ends sealed. When you are ready for fresh flowers, make a new cut on the stem and place them in water. The flower will "bloom" fully in about 2 days. The stems can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. GIVE IT A TRY!!!
 
2.) Fungus Gnats
 
a) QUESTION   
       
What are these little black flies around my house plants?
 
b) ANSWER 

Fungus gnats! They like your plant's moist soil, where they lay their eggs. While the adults won't damage the plants, the larvae can harm roots. Try these controls: First, always let the soil dry out before watering, and be sure there is no standing water anywhere near your plant (including no wet stones in saucers). Second, hang "aphid white fly yellow sticky traps" near your plants to catch the adults-ugly but effective. Third, put small chunks of raw potato with the cut side down in the soil -- the larvae like potatoes! Check every few days and throw the potato out when infested. Good luck!
 
3.)   Shall I plant last years seeds?

a) QUESTION 
         
How can I tell if seeds are still viable?
 
b) ANSWER 

To check viability of seeds: put in water and if they sink they're good. If they float, throw them away.
 
Reprinted from The Real Dirt, Winter Issue 2018

WORTH MENTIONING

The 2018 HONORABLE MENTION Montine McDaniel Freeman PLANT OF THE YEAR

The 2018 honorable mention Plant of the Year was awarded to:
Picture
Maianthemum racemosum, a three-season native and beneficial woodland beauty with rose-like fragrant white flowers. Commonly known as false Solomon's seal, it is a pollinator plant extraordinaire. Not only does this plant provide nectar for butterflies and bees, it also attracts beautiful beetles to its white panicle flowers from April to June.
Picture
The graceful architectural form of arching stems and ridged green leaves carry the plant through summer. In fall, its foliage turns a warm rich yellow, and its flowers turn into showy red berries which feed birds and small animals. False Solomon's seal, a member of the lily family, grows in shade or partial shade and in both moist or dry conditions and is extremely resilient, and adaptable. It grows 2 to 3 feet high and spreads by rhizomes to form colonies that are just as wide.
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HORTICULTURE NEWS: MARCH 2018

3/13/2018

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ICONIC STYLE
The 2018 Zone II Annual Flower Show is in New Canaan, CT this 
June 13 & 14th. Always fun and educational, this year Nancy 
Compton and Alice Nichols will be attending the show and Alice 
will be designing for the floral requirement. Our Club horticulture 
requirement is for one gavel challenge Asclepia plant 
(Common Milkweed) grown from seed; 2 cut specimens 
(choices from current flowering species); and one mixed 
container for class 13, EARTH. Earth is a monochromatic
 pot-et-fleurs design in a container no larger than 24". If anyone 
wishes to assist or would like more information on designing
and submitting this display please contact Kathleen Leddy! 
Love to hear from you!!
 
 
SOW & GROW
The GCA Basic Plant Propagation Handbook (2012) is a small 
16 page booklet that covers the basics of how to sow and grow. 
It has recently been republished and is now available to GCA 
members. I have 2 free copies if anyone would like them, 
otherwise they can be ordered at $3 each form GCA Headquarters. 
Reply to Kathleen Leddy if interested.
 
 
GREEN MINUTE
Link To Native Plant Information at Cornell University
Growing Native Plants from Seed by Cornell Plantations and the
Finger Lakes Native Plant Society
http://www.cornellbotanicgardens.org/sites/default/files/Native.p
lants.Seed_.workshop_0.pdf
 
 
HORTICULTURE
"The Gardener" Celebrates Life and Work of Frank Cabot
 
The Gardeneris a wonderful documentary about the life, work, and private garden,Les Jardins de Quatre-Vents, of Frank Cabot, recipient of the 2006 GCA Achievement Medal, founder of the Garden Conservancy, and friend to many GCA Horticulture Committee members. The film opens March 28th in Boston.
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    Author

    Kathleen Leddy
    Hort Chair

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Perennial Planters

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Providence, RI 02906-0146
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