On August 6th, the Pulaski Garden club met at Rozetta and Matthew Luke’s home. At this meeting, we planned to make 26 table centerpieces for the OAGC State Convention at the end of August at Maumee Bay State Park.
Soup bowls were used, with a layer of pea gravel, a coffee filter, potting soil and succulent plants. Members of the club had cultivated various varieties of succulents and other small plantings to be potted in the bowls. Small decorations, colored stones, etc. were added and will be placed on the tables with decorative placemats.
For roll call we were to bring a native plant or wildflower, many were brought. The arrangement for our meeting was presented by Peggy Miller, she had a vase full of Queen Anne’s Lace, Loosestrife, GoldenRod, Blue Vervain.
Judy Shilling spoke about our succulent of the month – Sedum. She noted that Sedum looks like broccoli at the top and it’s easily divided for starts. And a popular variety is Autumn Joy or Sweet Autumn. Sedums are also called “live forever”.
They are easy to grow, attract butterflies, tolerate drought, and have a good ground cover. St. John wort, lead wort, stonecrop, and hens & chicks are in the same category as a ground cover.
Joyce Mocherman noted that if your Sedum will not stand up, flops over, not looking attractive or leggy, cut out some of the newer parts to re-plant and throw the rest away.
Some Sedums are getting root rot, even if you have had it for a long time. Also, if you did not know you can cut or tear off a leaf and blow it up and it looks like a turtle, just for fun.
Native Plants vs Wildflowers was the program given by Rozetta Luke. One of the differences is where the plant species evolved and how it has evolved. In other words, a wildflower species may have originated from anywhere in the world, but a native plant species was always naturally found in the area where it is located and has all the ecological relationships that come from always having been part of that ecosystem.
When choosing plants that are native to our area, we are supporting the local ecosystem with all those complex, interconnected relationships. That’s something that a generic wildflower cannot do.
The community service project of working on the fairground’s beds will be August 19 at 9am due to the conflict with those participating in the Garden Club Convention.
A door prize of a metal garden flower provided by Sandy Oberlin was won by Judy Shilling. Refreshments of “Som’mors” were provided by Connie Simmons, Peggy Miller, Rozetta and Matthew Luke.
The next meeting will be Tuesday, September 3rd at 6:30 p.m. back at the Pulaski Methodist Church where “Language of Flowers” will be discussed.
The Williams County Fair books are available for pickup at the Fairgrounds, Montpelier Library, Superior Farm Supply and Ohio State University Extension. Entries are due soon so make sure to get the forms in.
Flowers do not need to have an early entry. Just bring a bouquet of flowers to the fair on Friday, Sept. 6 or Tuesday Sept 10 from 6 to 8 or on the mornings of Saturday, Set 7 or Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 8-10:30 a.m. There is no class entry fee, just the cost of entry during the fair.
There are many classes to enter. The specialty classes this year are Zinnias; whether they are the Dahlia, Cactus, Crested or the very small varieties.
Class favorites of Roses, Chrysanthemums, Coleus, Coral Bell Leaves, Dahlia, Gladiolus, Herb, Hosta, Marigold, Ornamental Grasses, Sedum and Sunflowers are welcome. If the flower does not have a class, specimens are welcome from flowering shrubs, vines, Annual Rounds, Spike and Sprays.
Youth are invited to participate with Cosmos, Marigold, Zinnia and other flowers. Design classes for kids are a Seed Picture of a Chicken and a Decorated Shoe.
Mark calendars for the Floral Design Class are open to everyone on Monday, September 9th. Adult class at 12 and youth at 1:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to participate in the Williams County Fair.
Pictured is Rozetta Luke of Montpelier in her Native and Wildflower Garden.