(PRESS RELEASE) – No storm warnings slowed us down, we met May 7, 2024 for our monthly meeting with 16 members present and we are so glad to add a new member, Tina Lopez.
All recited our club prayer and answered roll call with “new plant you want to try”. Long lists were given.
Secretary Connie Simmons read the minutes of April 2nd, and Treasurer Kay Beck’s financial report was given.
JoAnn Beucler and Joyce Mocherman purchased Dusty Miller plants to place between the Sedums around the Bell Tower at the Williams County Fairgrounds, a project that our club has taken care of for years, we will relocate the tulips and Cam Miller made a motion to reimburse for the new plants to be planted, all were in favor.
Joyce Paepke provided our arrangement titled “summertime”, and she did a good job with a basketful of plants she had blooming now: Star of Bethlehem, Allium, Lilly of the Valley, Chives English Bluebells, and Hellebores (Lenten Roses).
Rozetta Luke discussed the “Succulent of the Month” Lithops, a genus of the ice plant family. Native to southern Africa, and name derived from Greek words meaning stone and face, referring to the stone-like appearance of the plant.
They avoid being eaten by blending in with surrounding rocks and are often known as pebble plants or living stones. Individual Lithops plants consist of one or more pairs of bulbous leaves opposite to each other, hardly any stem and can produce flowers and new leaves which are mostly buried below the soil.
Yellow or white flowers emerge from between the leaves after they have fully matured, usually in Autumn and are often sweet scented.
The most startling is the coloring of the leaves are pattered in various shades of cream, grey, and brown with darker windowed area, dots, and red lines, the markings are as camouflage and depend on dew for moisture.
JoAnn Beucler was asked to talk about “longer blooming perennials”, and did we get the right gardener for this project. Farmer JoAnn talked about when they started her greenhouse many people came to buy perennials.
Jo-Ann thought that a perennial only bloomed for maybe two weeks, sometimes two months plus you had weed problems, where JoAnn thought a box of annual were cheaper than several perennials to cover the same space.
But she provided what the people wanted. Her favorites are: February – white snow drops, March-Eranthus (Yellow aconite), April-Crocus and Daffodils, May-pink or white Gas Plant, June-2 ft. or 6 ft. Desert Candle, July-pink Echinacea, August-yellow Helianthus, September-Colchicum (Autumn Crocus), October-orange Saffron Crocus (fall Crocus), November-Aconitum (Blue Monkshood) December and January- spray painted Fair Hydrangea (lasted until April).
JoAnn’s topic is long blooming, thinking that would be 2 months. You can extend blooming by dead heading your blooms, cut blooms before they have a chance to go to seed, and water your plant during the dry season.
Jo-Ann gave out a long list and so I will name a few: Alcea – Holly Hocks, tall with single and double blooms, Asclepis – Butterfly Weed Campanula – Bell Flower, late spring until fall, depending on the variety. Echinacea – many new colors, June until September, Gaillardia – Blanket Flower, red and yellow daisy blooms, and all season only if deadheaded, Heliopsis and Helianthus, both perennial Sunflower, from June to September, Heuchera – Coral Bells, starts blooming in June and if deadheaded until frost, Shasta Daisy – showy white flowers can bloom all season. For sure she knows her flowers!!
Garden cleaning-up at Williams County Fairgrounds May 20th at 9:00 a.m. State Garden Club Convention, August 26-28 at Maumee State Park, registration by June 15th,
Our club will be helping to host the Region I Fall District meeting here in Bryan November 7th. We need to bring baked goods for breakfast, and we will be having a flower show.
Important to note, our club will be celebrating 100 years in 2026, things to plan. Time to change club officers, looking for volunteers for leadership.
Defiance Lilac and Street Fair, check their web site: visit defianceohio.com. Van Wert Peony Festival, June 7-8, with food trucks check web site: vwpeonyfestival.com. Club has garden tours set for July to tour member’s gardens during end of June & July.
Carol Goebel brought tonight’s door prize, and it was won by Carol Wheeler, looked like a green mental frog. And refreshments served by Rozetta Luke and Connie McGrew, very good but never heard of Rhubarb Lemonade and spiced Iced Tea and the breads and puffs were also most unique and very good.
Next meeting will be June 4th at the Pulaski United Methodist Church, looking forward to a program on Water gardens. Any interested are welcome or any questions call Connie at 419 636-3946.