Eighteen members of the Pulaski Garden Club met at the Pulaski United Methodist Church for their July meeting at 6:30 p.m. with members bringing red/white/and blue flowers to show.
Arrangement for our meeting was created by JoAnn Beucler titled “Flutterby”. JoAnn used Sea Holly/Eryngium, asparagus, and one large Hydrangea, and Spegila/Little Red Head (a wildflower) in a blue vase with a blue & white fabric wrapped around.
JoAnn Beucler and Cynthia Wise reported on the bulb of the month a Belamcanda which is often called a leopard lily or blackberry lily, they do belong to the Iris family, but the flowers do not resemble an Iris.
It is a short-lived perennial from Eastern Europe, China, and Japan. These are sun flowers, getting 18” tall with 2-3 flowers on a stem and 6-inch flaring petals orange or yellow with speckles on each petal, they can be invasive.
Flowers are followed by seedpods that open to resemble a large black berry cluster, that can last several months and can be dried and used in a dried arrangement.
Program for our meeting was presented by Joyce Mocherman on butterflies. Joyce has had a butterfly garden for 20 years, and she noted there are fewer butterflies this year.
Your garden must be in the sun for the butterflies to warm their wings. And you need flowers for nectar to feed the butterflies, like Coneflowers and Bee Balm and attract Hummingbirds with old fashion Coral Belles – sometimes nectar is breed out of some newer plants – old fashion plants attract better.
Milkweed and Butterfly weed work great. Monarch’s lay eggs in Milkweed, they like the flat top flowers, also like Lantana, Iron Weed, Butterfly Weed, Joe Pye Weed, all seem to have a common word.
How do you get native plants – dig up one along the road. Do not recommend butterfly houses. Joyce raised 51 Monarch butterflies on her front porch and then let them go free outside a couple of years ago.
Problems with yellow jackets – take out the queen, then won’t be many yellow jackets. Pour Pepsi into yellow Jacket traps, works quite well.
Take a milk jug, cut a hole in the side – put in some pop and seven dust into bottom of jug, wasps go in and then carry back to nest the Seven dust.
Several members were at a recent Exhibitor’s & Judges school and felt they learned a lot, felt it was good to ask more questions, and don’t water Orchids with ice cubes, were a few tips they shared. Another E&J school at the end of August in Columbus.
Club Garden walks set up for August 1st at Cam Miller’s and August 22nd at Regina Partee’s home. Another thought could be Johnson’s Fruit Farm near Swanton and decided to go July 18.
The Program Committee will be getting together for next year’s meeting schedules: Cathy Sharp, Carol Wheeler, JoAnn Beucler and Joyce Mocherman. If anyone has an idea for a program, let them know.
OAGC Gardeners Day out will be August 17-20 at Lakeside, OH. Thank you to Rozetta, Regina, JoAnn and Joyce for helping with cleanup at the Williams County Fairgrounds, next workday will be July 31st at 9:00 a.m.
Regina Partee did a presentation -Williams County Fair Minute – “Exhibiting specimens”, the specimens mostly mean showing a single flower rather than an arrangement of flowers in “how to show it”, putting a prize-winning exhibit on the show table.
Regina has a handout explaining: in the garden, before the show, at the show, judging, and we can show container plants.
Also, a handout on how to measure if your leaf is a mini, small, medium, large, or giant, she’s got us covered.
OAGC Statewide Convention in Findlay is being held July 12-14, several are attending their whole program and about 6 are just going for the Garden tour, next year we are to help in the spring of ’24.
Also, for anyone wanting to be a Master Gardener it’s been set up to do an “online “program four times a year, interested call the OSU Extension at 419-636-5608.
Setting up “Creation Basement” again to assist anyone who could use some help with County Fair Displays.
The door prize brought was won by Sandy Oberlin, and Sandy Oberlin and Rozetta Luke provided refreshments for the club who all shared social time.