CALENDAR OF EVENTS

June 3-10 National Garden Week June 14 Flag Day June 17 Father’s Day June 21 Ahhhh, Summer! July 4 Independence Day July 13-14 Diggers Flower Show – Copperfield Hill, Robbinsdale July 28-29 Tri-City Flower Show – Bachman’s, Minneapolis August 7 National Night Out August 11 FGCM Summer Quarterly Meeting – Landscape Arboretum August 17-18 Summer Art Fair – Landscape Arboretum Aug. 18-Sept. 30 Renaissance Festival August 23 State Fair begins Aug. 29-30 FGCM Flower Show – Fairgrounds St. Paul

Save the date: October 22-23 NGC Central Region Convention, Frankenmuth, MI

HIGHLIGHTS

State/NGC/C.R. contacts – page 3 Horticulture – page 13-14 Safety – page 3 Flower Shows – page 13 President’s Message – page 4 Diggers Garden Tour – page 16-17 In Memorium – page 5 Creative Floral Design (Tubular) – page 18 Recap of last year – page 6 The Buzzzz/Safety – page 19 From the Editor – page 7 Art in Bloom – page 20 What’s Happening – page 8-9 National/CR News – page 21 Renaissance Festival – page 10 Hunger in America – page 22 Green Tip – page 11 FGCM Summer Meeting – page 24 Scholarship Corner – page 12

www.mngardenclubs.org

Facebook.com/Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota, Inc.

MEMBER OF NATIONAL GARDEN CLUBS, INCORPORATED

Vol. 61, No. 3 June, July, August, 2018

Garden Dirt

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FGCM Newsletter Change of Address, Name or to Add a New Member

In order to ensure continued receipt of the FGCM Newsletter please notify us promptly any changes to your Name, Mailing address, or Email address. If your newsletter is returned and we do not receive your correct mailing information before the next issue is mailed, your name will be dropped from the mailing list until the correction is received.

Please advise us of new members promptly to ensure receipt of the Newsletter.

If you would like to receive your newsletter via email or would rather view the newsletter on the FGCM website contact Rene’ Lynch, Asst. Treasurer, 112109 Haering Circle, Chaska, MN 55318. Home phone 952-361-6392 or email her at: reneclynch@aol.com

Pertinent information would be: • Name change/New Member’s Name • Address & Phone Number change/New Member’s Address & Phone number • Email Address change/New Member’s Email Address • Club Name must be included with the pertinent information.

Please help us keep you up-to-date with any new and exciting events.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

The Federated Garden Clubs Of Minnesota, Inc. provides education, fos-

ters communication and supports our membership in their endeavors to

promote love of gardening, floral design, and civic and environmental

responsibility.

OUR VISION STATEMENT

The Federated Garden Clubs Of Minnesota, Inc. will be recognized as an

expert resource in horticulture and floral design. Through relevant and

effective communication and active cooperation of our membership and

the cultivation of partnerships with other organizations and agencies, we

will increase our involvement in civic and environmental efforts.

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PUTTING SAFETY FIRST– By Pat Almsted

Know your limitations. Don’t take on more than you can handle. Vary your tasks to avoid overstressing any one part of your body. Change your position frequently to keep from becoming stiff. Pay attention to your body and take rest breaks – admire what you have accomplished. Stop work before you become overtired. Remember to keep hydrated – if you wait until you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated.

Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota, Inc. (mngardenclubs.com) President, Bonnie Schwichtenberg, 3659 12

th Ave. SE, St. Cloud, MN 56304

Phone: (320) 224-5517 Email: bswitz@cloudnet.com National Garden Clubs, Inc. (gardenclub.org) President, Nancy L. Hargroves, 300 N. Ridge Rd., #76, Richmond, VA 23229-7450 Home Phone: (804) 285-6470 Cell Phone: (804) 363-0771 Email: inbleum@me.com National Garden Clubs Central Region (ngccentralregion.org) Director, Fran Stueck, 5589 22

nd Avenue Trail, Vinton, IA 52329-9480

Home Phone: (319) 472-3032 Cell Phone: (319) 560-9238 Email: franstueck@yahoo.com WEBMASTER: Carolyn Beach 4046 Zenith Ave N, Minneapolis MN 55422-1595 Home Phone: (763) 208-2077 Email: cbeach3598@aol.com CHANGE OF NAME, ADDRESS, EMAIL: Rene’ Lynch, Asst. Treasurer, 112109 Haering Circle, Chaska, MN 55318 Home Phone: (952) 361-6393 Email: reneclynch@aol.com NEWSLETTER (SEND NEWSLETTER MATERIAL TO): Pat Almsted, 2908 Sunnyside Circle, Burnsville, MN 55306-6951 Home Phone: (952) 892-3457 Email: palmsted@gmail.com NEWSLETTER DEADLINES! December/January/February November 1 March/April/May February 1 June/July/August May 1 September/October/November August 1

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

By Bonnie Schwichtenberg

‘New Ways to Grow’

Spring has finally arrived so fast that once the weather warmed we all had to work quickly to get our beds cleaned up as the plants were on hyper drive to finally emerge. There were no days off for the weary. It was dig, dig, dig, plant, plant, plant, weed, weed, weed! In the midst of all of this came the plant sales and vacation plans. It seemed more hurried this spring for sure. In March the club Presidents and Vice Presidents gath-ered at Arneson Acres for a brunch and work session for phase two Vision the Future – New Ways to Grow to share with the Executive Board which areas will help them most to complete their goals. The last part of this initiative will be to meld the January information with the March ideas to form strategies, implementation and evaluation tools to accomplish two or three of these concepts in 2019. This is a work in progress. We want to plan well and carefully to get it right.

This April, we had an excellent program at the annual meeting by Larry Cipolla. He introduced us to hydroponic gardening. It was especially interesting as he showed us the variety of con-tainers he uses for raising plants. Five-gallon pails, tubs, plastic plumbing pipe, and under the bed storage totes were some of the secret tips he passed on. In addition we got to see the very large hand carved wooden seal created by Past President Jane Butterfield’s husband before it is permanently placed in the Archives of the Richfield History Center.

We are looking forward to all the local clubs’ community projects, garden tours and trips, and flower shows the summer will bring while we make plans to introduce and implement Vision the Future- More ways to Grow. The Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota State Fair Flower Show will be Aug. 29 and 30. The schedule is available on our website www.mngardenclubs.com or you may contact me at bswitz@cloud.com or 320-224-5517. My spring wish for you all is that the rabbits and deer find the grass is greener in the neighbors’ yards and that your projects, tours and garden activities occur on warm sunny days with showers in between. Sincerely, Bonnie Schwichtenberg

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IN MEMORIUM:

Every life has a story to tell and these ladies are no exception. With heavy hearts, we say

goodbye to these talented women and offer our condolences to their families. They will be

missed.

Beverly Houts, Past President of Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota, and member of Ramblewood Garden Club, passed away in March, 2018. Bev was a State, National, and Central Region Life Member and Trustee. She was very active in scout-ing and youth activities through her church, and was also in a women’s clown group, which many say was very entertaining.

Rose Diestler, Past President of Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota, and long-time member of Lake Owasso Garden Club and Floralia Arrangers, passed away on April 22

nd. Rose was passionate about roses – growing, culti-

vating, judging and writing about them. She was an Amer-ican Rose Society Judge and Consulting Rosarian, and a National Garden Clubs, Inc. Master Judge. Rose had an active interest in theatre, and spent time as executive

director for Lakeshore Player Theatre.

Martha Allen died Saturday April 28, 2018, after a determined

fight against a failing body.

"I was always curious and loved a good story. I found the

world a fascinating place, and I loved to travel. I loved to

laugh. I hope I was helpful and generous and loyal."

Martha was a member of Floralia Arrangers and the Federat-

ed Garden Clubs of Minnesota. She was an avid gardener and

floral arranger. She was a journalist, reporting for the Minne-

apolis Star Tribune for 35 years before retiring. She was a book enthusiast and loved to trav-

el, visiting many exotic locations throughout the years. For complete details of her very full

life, see her obituary in the StarTribune, May 10.

“When you speak of her, speak not with tears, for thoughts of her

should not be sad. Let memories of the times you shared give you

comfort, for her life was rich because of you.” Author Unknown

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A perspective of the past year –

By Kim Turner, FGCM 1st

Vice President

How exciting and fast the past year has gone; first, I wanted to share some fun facts of where we had been this past year and then move on to where we want to go in the next year.

After the Annual Meeting in the spring of 2017, summer came quickly and left us at the same speed. We started with the July 2017 Quarterly Meeting in St. Cloud at the Munsinger and Clemens Garden Tour. As July would have it, the weather was bright, sunny, hot and very humid. The group was small, which worked out well for attendees to find a shady spot. There were lots of fountains and they looked so inviting to jump into and cool off but, sadly, that was not allowed. We enjoyed a good old fashioned picnic lunch of fried chicken and potato salad along the Mississippi River, followed by our business meeting. It was a lovely se-rene setting along the River.

As it seems anytime in Minnesota, blink and the seasons have changed, from sunny and hot to stormy and gray. It was a perfect day in October to see the Scarecrows at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum (Federated has its own membership there). Our speaker, Matt Schuh, enlightened us about the Arbore-tum and all that he has seen change over the years as a volunteer and lecturer. We enjoyed the anecdotes and stories Schuh shared with us. Prior to meeting Schuh we enjoyed a buffet breakfast, with all the yummy things you could ask for. Our business meeting followed and then we were free to head home or cruise the 3-mile drive and check out all the fun things the Arboretum has to of-fer in late October.

February was like a roller coaster; it was really cold, and then even colder, and then rose to a heatwave in the 20’s. Eventually some warm days came along with the hope that spring would be here soon, maybe early like last year. Every-one was tired of the cold, snow and ice (mainly the ice as there really had not been a lot of snow). The highs were there and so were the lows; it was nothing near average. February wanted to be different and it sure lived up to it. Our Pro-gram at the Penn Lake Library was provided by our own Rene` Lynch, “It is hard being green and sometimes brown” and we even had our own little green frog brave the cold. Our little frog friend shared her information to a packed room. The business meeting followed before we went off to brave our Minnesota Win-ter Day.

April came in like a lion with record snow falls, record lows, and then a heat wave at the end. Our Annual Meeting was held at the Edina Country Club where nostalgia of days past met us at the door (a very old elevator). As we entered our meeting room, we were greeted with sunshine and bright colors, reminding us of the rainbow of springtime flowers soon to come, and anticipation that winter would really be over this time. After socializing and shopping a bit we found our place at the table to enjoy the day’s activities. We learned a lot from our speak-er, Larry Cipolla, regarding Hydroponics and how easy it really is. Shortly after

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this entertaining presentation, our members, along with our scholarship recipi-ents and their guests, enjoyed a delicious meal. We had the good fortune of re-ceiving a great take away at the end of the meeting – all attending members and guests received a reusable shopping bag with two planters/containers.

A special THANK YOU to the following businesses for their generous donations:

Belden Plastics in Roseville, Minnesota

Cub Foods in Savage, Minnesota

Fresh Thyme in Savage, Minnesota

Menards in Burnsville, Minnesota

Target in Savage, MN I am looking forward to another year and have already coordinated the next meeting for August. I hope you can make it and am looking forward to seeing you on August 11

th at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Our gardens are ever changing along with

the seasons. If you have someplace or any special meeting topic request, (educational or a place to tour) please let me know. I am working on October and open to ideas.

From the Editor – Pat Almsted Once again, I thank all who contributed to this issue of the Garden Dirt. I can’t do this without your help and I am grateful. Please keep sending information; I can always use it, if not in the current issue, then in the next one. Is your club doing anything for National Garden Week (June 3-9)? If so, tell us about it. Take a photo and send in a short synopsis of your event. Did you have a plant sale or flower show? Send in your photos – please identify the people in the pictures. Did your club participate in any of the Central Region or National Garden Clubs programs? We would like to hear about that, too. How about a garden tour? What was your favorite stop? Your projects and ideas can inspire others to learn and grow. There are a number of apps for your smartphone that will help you identify plants. Let us hear which app you have used and which one you would recommend. Here are a few to get you started: Like That Garden, Leafsnap, Plantifier, Flowerchecker, and Gar-den Answers. These will answer other garden questions: Garden Compass Plant/ Disease Identifier, Plant Net Identification, Nature Gate, and Plant Encyclopedia. As more photos are submitted, the better these apps will work. Some are free while oth-ers have a nominal cost. Deadline for submission for the next issue is August 1

st.

“Gardening simply does not allow one to be mentally old, because too many hopes and dreams are yet to be realized.” ~ Allan Armitage

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WHAT’S HAPPENING –

MEETINGS, PLANT SALES, EVENTS

PLANT SALES

June 2 Diggers Plant Sale Robbinsdale Historic Library, 4915 42nd Ave. No., Robbinsdale 9 am to 3 pm

June 2 Minnesota Hosta Society Plant Sale – Eden Prairie June 2 Rock Garden Society Plant Sale – Roseville Roseville Central Park Jaycees Shelter June 2 Carver County Horticulture Society Plant Sale Cooper’s Market parking lot, Chaska Aug. 17-18 Summer Art Fair – Landscape Arboretum Friday 10-5; Saturday 10-4 Aug. 18-19 Iris Society of Minnesota Annual Iris Sale Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Chaska – 9:00 to 4:00 Aug. 25 Carver-Scott County Master Gardeners Plant Sale Chaska Cub Foods Parking Lot, Chaska Commons Shopping Center 9:00 to 12:00 pm Aug. 26 Iris Society BOGO Sale – Northeast Minneapolis Municipal Iris Gardens

9:00 to 3:00. All rhizomes left from the sale at the Arboretum will be buy one, get one free. Proceeds go towards maintenance of the NE Mpls Municipal Iris Gardens. Fireplace room in Columbia Manor.

FLOWER SHOWS/TOURS

June 2 Minnesota Iris Society Show – Bachman’s on Lyndale 8:00 set up; 10:00 to 12:00 judging; public viewing 12:00 to 4:00

Anyone who grows a named iris may participate. For show schedule and details: (www.irismn.net/calendar)

June 9-10 Minnesota Peony Society Show – Bachman’s on Lyndale Sat. 1:00 to 5:00; Sun. 10:00 to 3:00 - Free and open to the public. Contact: dakotahgirl@broadband-mn.com or 952-237-0849 www.mnpeony.org June 23-24 Minnesota Rose Society Show – Bachman’s on Lyndale Sat. 7:00 am to 6:00 pm; Sun. 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

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June 24 South St. Paul Community Garden Tour 9:30 am to 4:00 pm; Visit 8-10 diverse and creative gardens in the S. St. Paul area. For info and advance tickets ($6.00) contact Lois (651-457-3403) or lglewe@hotmail.com

July 13-14 Diggers 53rd

Annual Standard Flower Show July 13 from 2:00-7:00; July 14 from 9:00-3:00 Theme: “TV Shows: Old and New” Copperfield Hill, 4200 40

th Ave. N., Robbinsdale

Open and free to the public for viewing. Public entries welcome. www.robbinsdalediggers.com

July 14-15 Northfield Garden Tour – plus Art in the Gardens

11 am to 4 pm both days - Tickets ($10 each) will be for sale before the event as well as on the days of the event at all of the gardens. For details visit their website: www.thenorthfieldgardenclub.org

July 28-29 Tri-City Flower Show – New location: Bachman’s Heritage Room

6010 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis “Friends, Flowers, Fusion” (see schedule on FGCM’s website: www.mngardenclubs.com) Sat. 1 pm to 6 pm; Sun. 10 am to 4 pm Open to the public and public entries welcome.

Aug. 28-29 Minnesota Water Garden Society Annual Water Garden Tour 9:00 to 5:00; $15 – contact: www.mwgs.org Aug. 4 Diggers Bus Tour (see details and registration on page 16-17) Aug. 23-Sep. 3 Minnesota State Fair Flower Shows: Aug. 23-24 – African Violet/Horticulture Flower Show Aug. 25-26 – Gladiola Flower Show Aug. 27-28 – State Fair & Florists Flower Shows Aug. 29-30 – FGCM Flower Show Aug. 31-Sept. 1 – Orchid & Bonsai Flower Shows Sept. 2-3 – Dahlia Flower Show

Save the date: October 22-23 NGC Central Region Convention, Frankenmuth, MI

“Odd as I am sure it will appear to some, I can think of no better form of per-sonal involvement in the cure of the environment than that of gardening. A person who is growing a garden, if he is growing it organically, is improving a piece of the world. He is producing something to eat, which makes him some-what independent of the grocery business, but he is also enlarging, for himself,

the meaning of food and the pleasure of eating.” ~ Wendell Berry

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RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL – Aug. 18-Sept. 30

By Kathy Compo

You know my only message right now is: MAKE GARLANDS! MAKE GARLANDS, PLEASE! Right now, we only have about 100 garlands turned in. We need at least 1,500 gar-lands to make it through the seven weeks of the Festival. For those of you who have made garlands in the past, please make some this year. If you have never made garlands, please consider it. I am the ribbon garland expert and Ann is the floral garland expert and we are both available to meet with you or your club to show you our “tips and tricks” to make garland-making easier. It’s a great way to help FGCM or your club (or you) since you earn $2 per garland. If you have never worked at the garland booth, make this the year you do! You get into the Festival for free (of course) since you are working the Festival, and you have ample opportunity to get out and enjoy the shows or sample the food. There is a new week-end theme this year, honoring us Scandinavians: Bold North Adventure. Go, Vikings!

The new shorter shift for volunteers at the booth is working very well. Booth workers can leave by 4:00pm (rather than staying until the end of the Festival at 7pm) and are able to avoid the worst of the traffic jams exiting the grounds. Those who are worried about their stamina can sit at the counter and be our cashier and there are chairs in the back room for relaxing and taking a break. You can sign up with your club, your friends or your family. Please contact Kathy.

For garland-makers, there are some floral supplies at the home of Darcy Smith in Rich-field (please call before you go—she is locking the garage now as they had a break-in).

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Here are contact numbers for you:

Kathy Compo (763-535-1817)—for volunteering at the booth, general questions

Ann Albrecht (651-699-8832)—ribbons and cord for fairy garlands; some floral materials

Darcy Smith (612-803-3176)—for dried flowers, wires, floral tape, etc.

If you have any questions about garlands or to turn in completed garlands, please call Ann Albrecht at 651-699-8832 or email her at ann@zuhause.org. Call me, Kathy Com-po, at 763-535-1817 or email me at kathycompo@yahoo.com for volunteering or all other information.

GREEN TIP –

By Pat Almsted

There are a multitude of deer and rabbit repellants on the market, all promising to curtail the critters munching our plants. One that I have had success with I found by accident as it is not marketed as a deer/rabbit repellant. Pet Training Aid is horribly bitter, yet non-toxic. It is safe for children and pets. I also discovered that it doesn’t easily come off your hands with soap and water, so rain will not wash it off your plants, either. I do recommend giving your plants another spritz every few weeks, however, just in case. Those rascally rabbits or devil deer may take one bite, but they won’t come back for a second one. The trick is to spray it on your favored plants before the deer and rabbits find them. You don’t

need to spray everything, just the plants you don’t want eaten. I am slowly switching to plants that aren’t as tasty to these critters, but there are a few lilies, tulips and hostas I’d still like to keep so they are the first to be treated. My original source no longer carries this product but you can find it on line at www.ecos.com. When I checked their website, it appears the container has been revised but they assured me it is the same product ($6.99 for a 17 oz. bottle) – “Ecos for Pets! No Chew! Training Aid”.

“The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway.” ~ Michael Pollan

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THE SCHOLARSHIP CORNER By Roberta Turgeon

All four 2018 Federated Scholarship recipients attended our Annual Meeting at the Edina Country Club on Saturday,

April 21 to receive their awards. Eric Coffman and Heide See each received a $2,000 College award. Kelli Hough and Aubrey Tyler each received a $4,000 University award. Eric Coffman will graduate this spring from Hennepin Technical College with a 4.0 grade point average. Last fall he was elected Public Relations Coordinator for Henne-pin Technical College Brooklyn Park Student Senate. He is working at the Tanglewood Gardens and hopes his next step involves developing an associate designer posi-tion. His Instructor's letters of recommendation remarks about him were "Eric is an astute student with a hands-on approach to education. He's an exemplary student and many students seek him out for his advice on class work." Heide See is a student at Anoka Technical College where her major is Landscape Tech-nology with a minor in Grounds Technology. Her career plans are in Greenhouse Man-agement and/or Owner. During her years at ATC she has been on the Dean's list, Fac-ulty Honor Roll and is current President of the Anoka Technical Turf Club. Her Instruc-tors say she is "very self-motivated" and "has a passion for Native Plants." Heide is working at Prairie Restoration, Inc. She is really excited learning how to germinate and propagate Native Plants from collected seeds. Aubrey Tyler is a Graduate Student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus. She will graduate with a Masters in Landscape Architecture with career plans in a De-sign Firm. After graduating from St. Olaf with a Bachelors of Art Degree she worked with AmeriCorps for a year serving people in need. This experience led her to looking to the future and changing her goals. One of her Professors said "Aubrey is very tal-ented and possesses strong analytical and critical thinking skills." Kelli Hough attends the University of Wisconsin River Falls where she's looking to re-ceive a Bachelor of Science in Horticulture in 2019. Her occupational goals include landscape design and greenhouse management. She has worked five summers with the Edina Park System where she enjoyed "maintenance of the city gardens." Her let-ters of recommendation spoke of her willingness to get her hands dirty and to do any job she's assigned. "She loves working with plants and is very dedicated." It was wonderful to have our recipients with us to celebrate their receiving our awards and hearing them tell us their dreams and goals. We can be very happy with the aide we give our winners. The students are thankful to the Federated for the Scholar-ship Fund. Submitted by Roberta Turgeon

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HORTICULTURE – Perennial Hibiscus

By Bonnie Schwichtenberg Hibiscus moscheutos If you have ever wanted to fill a sunny corner that has lots of moisture or is easy to water and has rich soil, then you might want to try a perennial hibiscus. This beautiful plant will grow 5-6 feet tall and about the same in width, and is filled with hand size or larger blooms in mid-summer. If you pick off the spent blos-soms you will even extend the blooming season. It comes in many cultivars that have a variety of leaf shapes and colors. A particularly beautiful one is ‘Kopper King’ that has a dark reddish maple leaf shape and wonderful creamy white petals with a magenta throat and veins. The Disco Bell series blooms with slightly rounded blossoms in the white through dark pink shades. Shown here is Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Eruption’. There are many cultivars so you can have a wide range of color choices and bloom shapes. There are some tricks to successfully raising this garden filler. It likes lots of moisture – really lots. It is a heavy feeder as it is generous with blooming. A 10-10-10 in the spring and July is a great help. When the blooms start to appear the plant appreciates a liquid drink of a high phosphorous bloom fertilizer every other week. The most im-portant thing to remember with your showy perennial hibiscus is that it emerges in the LATE spring, sometimes as late as the last week of June. One good way to successfully see it the following year is to cut it back in the fall leaving one or two tall canes to mark the area. You can take care not to disturb the emerging very tender shoots as they appear. If you knock the top(s) off then you could lose the plant.

Cactus Family By Catherine Williams Information is based on the website: CactiGuide.com The cactus family is almost exclusively found in the Amer-icas, with one epiphytic found in a small part of Africa. Cacti are found from the southern part of Canada all the way through the US and South America. Usually we see them in the desert but they are also in grasslands and on mountainsides. Highly concentrated areas are in Mexico and the SW part of the US, in the western Andes area of South America around northern Chile, and in the jungles of Brazil. Epiphytic cacti grow in trees in tropical areas.

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Cacti have Areoles (flowers, branches, spines sprout from these - no other plant has this feature); Spines (vary greatly in appearance, shape, and color – spines are not thorns) Flowers (flowers are unique and spectacular - when blooming) Leaves (most do not have leaves but some do - look for them) Origin (all cacti are native to the Americas and surrounding islands with one exception - Rhipsalis Baccifera) Epiphytic cacti - Orchid Cactus - Christmas Cactus and Epifhyllim angulier (fishbone or

zig zag cactus. They attach themselves to trees and other sources for support, but they are not a parasite.

Easter Cactus - Hatiora gaertneri Thanksgiving Cactus - Schlumbergera truncata Christmas Cactus - Schlumbergera X buckleyi Zig Zag, Ric Rac, or fishbone cactus - Epiphyllum angulier Soil for orchid cacti - orchid bark, pearlite, potting soil, peat, coir (ground coconut hulls), pumice and oak leaf mold orchid bark (25%); potting soil (25%); peat (25%) the rest as pearlite and (5%) coarse gravel. Coir can be substituted for pearlite. Keep soil loose (airy) with good drainage. Repot every 2-3 years after it has bloomed. Add ferti-lizer of bone-meal or Osmocote when re-potting. Water - Let it get slightly dry to the touch then water again (about once a week, more often if it is hot and dry). Too much water and the roots rot. Light - It grows best with full morning sun and shade for the afternoon. Desert Cacti - Grow in North and South America, not grown in sand. Soil - Needs nutrient rich, rocky soil with good drainage. Pumice (60%), coir (20%), supersoil - top soil (20%). Dave Freeman adds cat litter, chicken grit, or Napa floor dry instead of pumice. He does not put in peat, sand, or pea rock. Sand and pea rock compact too easily and peat holds water. Water - Water when the soil dries out. It is better to under water than over water. Roots rot in soil too wet. Dan Freeman says if the roots are starting to rot, cut the rotted part off. If all have rotted, cut them off and set the cacti on top of dry soil to let new roots grow; do not water. Light - Cacti love the sun, if they are established. Young plants need some shade to begin with. That said, indoors you will not need to worry. Finding enough light will be the challenge. Full spectrum florescent lights can replace the sunlight needed.

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FLOWER SHOWS ~

By Rene’ Lynch

We are heading into Garden Clubs Flower Show Season. Check out the Garden Dirt Calendar for upcoming entry possibilities. I encourage one and all to enter a flower show near you. Flower Shows are fun and entering is simple even though you may feel intimidated. Many entries win ribbons including honorable mention. Pick your best variety and give it a try. We all must start somewhere. Almost all the NGC Flowers Shows sponsored by our clubs have included simple spec-imens of what we plant in the ground or containers every year. Cut specimens of marigolds, roses, hostas, petunias, and herbs are just a few examples, there are many more. Check out the Flower Show’s Schedule and see what you might have planted or could plant soon to enter your show of choice or all of them. Try a design. This year there are several traditional designs entries being offered. These were also taught at design 101 classes and the recent FGCM Flower Show School. If you were a student, now is your time to practice what you learned. Entries are welcome and there are flower show commit-tee members that are willing to help you however they can. They will answer any questions about the rules, how to enter clean specimens (staging), and how to label and identify your entry or defining a specific design type. Committees made up of your garden club members and friends have given lots of time and effort to organize these shows, as have the judges, who have given numer-ous hours of initial study and refresher courses to be ac-credited and who carefully judge the entries. (Find show schedules on our website: mngardenclubs.com.) Perhaps your individual club could have a goal that each member enters at least one exhibit. Let’s let the public see Diggers Garden Club what gardening can look like and the fun and rewards of Standard Flower Show belonging to a garden club. July 13-14

Tri-City Garden Clubs

Friends, Flowers, Fusion

Standard Flower Show July 28-29

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Tour de Gardens – 2018 Tour

Diggers Garden Club – August 4, 2018

Join the Diggers Garden Club on our 2018 Luxury Motor Coach Tour, Saturday August 4, 2018: 9:15 am – 5:15 pm. This all day, all-inclusive motor coach tour leaves from and returns to the Robin Center parking lot in Robbinsdale. Our stops include:

The Garden By The Woods Nursery, Chanhassen, MN: The Garden By The Woods is a boutique garden center specializing in organic and sustainable plants with a focus on native plants. We will spend time browsing their an-nuals, perennials, trees and shrubs as well as strolling through their store with many art/deco products. Check out their Facebook page!

At The Farm, Waconia, MN: Enjoy a visit with Donna Frantz, the dynamic owner of this small, nostalgic farm. Donna has over 50 years of gardening experience and has written a gardening book. She was 65 years old when she opened At The Farm. There is a farmer’s market in a re-stored 1890’s German bank barn with stone walls. Donna

has also been an antiques dealer for over 40 years and we will be able to shop in the Antiques Loft. We can look at vegetables growing on the property and see Donna’s flower garden by her farmhouse. We will be served lunch in the barn loft and some fresh produce (tomatoes, etc.) will be passed around at lunch for tasting. Donna says the barn and loft are handicap accessible. Check out her interesting web site at www.atthefarmwaconia.com. Duane Otto’s Garden, Hamburg, MN: Duane has been a Landscape Gardener at the MN Arboretum for 30 years. Duane says: “The best gardeners have to be passionate”, and we look forward to seeing his gardens that are on the 2 and a half acres of land by his 1930’s prairie revival style home in the town of Hamburg. An arbor and picket fence, boxwood hedges and more await us on this property that is heavily shaded with some partial sun.

Parley Lake Winery, Waconia, MN: Parley Lake Winery is the perfect escape to Wine Country right here in Minne-sota. Their hand-crafted wines have won 114 medals in-cluding 30 Gold in National competitions. Their 125 roll-ing, wooded acres are adjacent to the Carver Park Reserve and offer the chance to experience seven acres of vine-

yards, 20 acres of orchards, and locally grown and produced wines. Their tasting room is housed in a historic barn built in 1885. A visit to their tasting room is a unique expe-rience in itself. During our visit we will do a tasting of their award -winning wine. This will be a relaxing and enjoyable way to end our bus tour before heading back to Rob-binsdale.

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Ticket price for the tour is $55 and includes lunch, 2 bottles of water, wine tasting at the winery and transportation on a luxury motor coach with air-conditioning and a restroom. All taxes and tips are included. There will be room on the bus for storing any purchases you make. Parking is free in the Robin Center parking lot at 4114 Lakeland Ave N, Robbinsdale, MN 55422. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Registration ~ Diggers August 4, 2018 Bus Tour

Tickets # ____________________ (please leave this blank)

Name: ____________________________________________

Phone # ____________________________________________

Email: ____________________________________________

(#)_______ of Bus Tour Tickets I want to buy@ $55 each = $ ____________

(Ticket price includes lunch, wine, tips, bus…everything but any shopping you may do.)

Please pay by Cash or Check made payable to “Diggers Garden Club”

Rain or Shine….No Cancellations

Please choose one of the following sandwiches for each ticket purchased:

Turkey croissant sandwich ________________

Ham croissant sandwich ________________

PLEASE REGISTER BY JULY 21, 2018 Please mail registration and payment to: Pat Kennedy, 3328 Halifax Ave N.,

Robbinsdale, MN. 55422 Questions? Please call Pat @ 763-588-2216 or Carolyn @ 763-208-2077

_____________________________________________________

Receipt (This will be filled out and given to you after your payment is received.)

Tickets# ___________

Received from: _______________________________________

Amount: $___________________

Paid by: Cash: __________ or Check: _____________

For number of Tickets: __________

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CREATIVE FLORAL DESIGN – TUBULAR DESIGNS Submitted by Bonnie Schwichtenberg

A creative Tubular Design has a dominant tubular form as the main element. The tube may be a cylin-drical shape or a bendable tube. Minimal plant ma-terial is used and there may be abstracted presenta-tion of blooms and/or leaves.

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The Buzzzz… By Rene’ Lynch, Bee Gap Chairman I’m choosing to write a little bit about several subjects regarding nature and our envi-ronment, not just about bees. In truth I have much to do in the garden, but those darn gnats love me extra special, making it impossible to do much for any length of time. They are officially the worst in twenty years and I can affirm it! I am determined. In my raised bed vegetable gardens, I’m already harvesting some lovely lettuce…but the green and yellow beans never germinated…..I guess some seeds do get too old. I should have tried to pre-germinate, but I was sure bean seeds were reliable. Will need to do a replant of those rows. Current reads have caught my attention. In case you missed them, I’m highlighting some areas of information I feel are important. Earth Crosses Troubling Carbon Diox-ide Threshold, the Star Tribune, Chris Mooney, Friday May 11,” For the first time since humans have been monitoring, atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide have exceeded 410 parts per million averaged across an entire month, a threshold that pushes the planet ever closer to warming beyond levels that scientists and the interna-tional community have deemed safe.” The article is not a doomsday article, but it should remind us that anything we can do to help our planet stay safe does make a difference, when we are many. A recent article published in my local Chaska Herald by the current Director of the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum states, our average winter temperatures and length of growing season are higher and longer showing we might be becoming more of a Zone 5 rather than a 4. We might want to try planting some always wanted that and give those plants a try, especially in those micro-zones in your yard that have proven to be closer to zone 5 than 4. They are singing now. You Can’t Help but Hear Toads, Star Tribune, by Jim Gilbert, “Contrary to superstition, you won’t get warts on your hands for handling toads, but you will learn something about amphibians.” They feel cool because they are cold-blooded, which means the blood is the temperature of its surroundings. “Although the warty skin of the toad suggests great age, it grows fast and reaches maturity in two to three years. There is a record of a toad living for 36 years.” I have planted my milkweed in hopes of hosting some monarchs. Chirping, Thumping, Fluttering, Star Tribune, Friday, May 25,” Jim Gilbert, “Look for your first of the year Monarch butterfly.” I saw mine on Sunday the 20

th while birding at Louisville Swamp

off HWY 169 South. Which leads into my birding adventures this spring and how much I have enjoyed this activity. I was recently at Red Rock Reservoir in Central Iowa and happened upon one of my best birding days ever! Getting to share it with a cousin, as we used to do when

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we were young mothers, made it one for the memory books. This was a week later than the usual optimum warbler migration time. It was a joy. I have been birding for over 50 years and was thrilled to get a new life list sighting “confirmed” of the Canada Warbler. Here are some of the special sightings and not nearly our list for the day. Baltimore Orioles in record number, Orchard Orioles, many Red Breasted Grosbeaks, Palm Warblers, Tennessee Warblers, Yellow Warblers, Black Pole Warblers, Black & White Warbler, Redstarts, Wilson Warblers, Magnolia War-blers, Prothonotary Warbler, Blue Gray Gnat Catcher, Least Flycatcher, Phoebe, Great Crested Flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, Greater Yellow Legs and Scarlet Tanager. Whoop, whoop what a great day. Where were the Vireos? Take a few minutes every day to appreciate nature and compile some memories of your own.

ART IN BLOOM – By Ron Kvaas, Lake Owasso Garden Club A group from my garden club agreed to do an entry for Art In Bloom. Deciding on possible art pieces, the selection day process, design, and horticulture selection were all challenging. After installation, it was quite the feeling that we had a display in MIA. This was a fun, interesting project for the long winter. When it was over, it felt a lot like the day after Christmas.

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NATIONAL NEWS

National Garden Week June 3-10, 2018

National Garden Week was founded by National Garden Clubs Inc. as an opportunity to encourage community pride and promote the NGC objectives of beautification, educa-tion of environmental efforts and gardening. It also provides the opportunity to reach out to potential new members and collaborate with other area groups. Consider plan-ning an educational program or workshop at your local library or garden center; spon-sor a hands-on workshop at a local nursery on how to select flowers and shrubs; plan a garden tour; beautify a manageable, blighted area or enhance an existing garden; plan an activity with a youth group or at a local school. Download the NGC National Garden Week poster for use in publicizing your National Garden Week project.

5,000 Garden Clubs 165,000 Garden Club Members 50 States and the National Capital Area 60 National Affiliate Member Organizations 330 International Affiliate Member Organizations

Nancy Hargroves, NGC President, announced that 415 garden clubs applied for a PLANT AMERICA Community Project Grant in the first year of this new NGC program. The amount of money available to be awarded in this initial round of grants was $25,000. Garden Clubs can help end food waste – see article on next page.

CENTRAL REGION NEWS

The Central Region Theme “Partners in Planting America” is focusing on member clubs, individual members, state federations and youth clubs working together on new or existing projects planting native plants and/or wildflowers in the landscape, parks, roadsides, etc. Working with youth is especially encouraged, as Central Region

Director Fran Stueck’s ultimate goals is for all seven states to start new youth clubs. Partner with master gardeners, another club, an organization, youth, neighbor, or friend to landscape and maintain flower and vegetable gardens. States are requested to compile information and accomplishments that fulfill the objectives of the CR theme and submit it on or before November 15, 2018 (see ngccentralregion.org for details).

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HUNGER IN AMERICA –

One out of six Americans is food insecure, mean-ing they don’t know where their next meal will come from. No matter where you live, there are people in your community that are experiencing hunger. In Minnesota, 1 in 11 people struggles with hunger; 1 in 8 of them are children, and many are seniors. Even though employed, some-times working more than one job, low income people are not always able to make ends meet.

Forty percent of food in the U.S. never gets eaten (never harvested, lost in processing, thrown away in restaurants and homes, or ended up rotting in landfills). Wasted food harms the environment – food that decomposes in landfills creates methane gas, which the EPA shows has more than 20 times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide. It also consumes limited landfill space and leads to water pollution through run-off. Wasted food involves the waste of all of the resources that went into produc-ing it in the first place (water, fertilizers, fuel, labor and capital). Some reports note the U.S. spends another $1 billion annually just to haul away excess food.

Garden Clubs can help end food waste. A new report shows that the home gardener has a huge influence to ending food waste and hunger. Data analysis revealed that gardeners have the potential to donate 11.4 billion pounds of excess garden produce annually, a value of $27.3 billion. We can make an impact by donating excess vegeta-bles to a nearby food pantry. They are in constant need of donations of fresh food so they can offer healthier options to their clients than the usual canned goods and pro-cessed foods. Whether you donate some extra tomatoes or cucumbers, or deliberately raise more than you and your family needs, donating excess food will help relieve hun-ger in your area and make an impact on obesity and other food-related diseases.

“I used to feel silly just taking a handful of peppers to the pantry until I real-ized how much three large, fresh, local, organic peppers would cost at the grocery store and what a gift it truly was for a mom or dad who might not have enough money to buy them for their family. That made me want to share even if I felt like it was not enough.” – Emily, home gardener and the Grower Outreach Coordinator at AmpleHarvest.org.

AmpleHarvest.org is an organization that helps millions of gardeners nationwide con-nect with more than 8,000 food pantries in all 50 states. Its single purpose is to edu-cate and enable America’s home and community gardeners to donate their excess garden produce – food that otherwise would have gone to waste – to nearby food pantries. Visit www.ampleharvest.org/local to find out how you can help. If you are aware of a food pantry in your area that is not listed, ask them to sign up – it’s free.

Sources: The National Gardener, AmpleHarvest.org, huffingtonpost.com, feeding America.org

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” ~ Margaret Mead

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Federated Garden Clubs of Minnesota

Summer Meeting & Tour, Saturday, August 11, 2018

Enjoy the Sunshine, Origami Displays and a Festival of Color at

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum 3675 Arboretum Drive, Chaska, MN 55318

8:30 AM to 12:00PM After the tram tour, Please take time to enjoy the Arboretum

Federated Members $5.00, Non-Member and/or Guests $10.00

Post marked no later than July 30th

, 2018 Send to Kim Turner, 6544 Brook Lane, Savage, MN 55378

Questions: lkimturner@hotmail.com or 952-226-1410.

Registration at 8:30

Business Meeting will begin at 9:00 AM (Room Details to follow – there will be signs) – The restaurant has food and beverages available for purchase.

At 10:15 we will be taking a Private Narrated tram tour highlight-ing the Arboretum's collections, display gardens and demonstra-tion gardens. Space is limited to 42 people and will be promptly departing the Oswald Center at 10:30 AM. The tram does have ac-

commodations for 1 wheelchair if needed

Your registration includes admission to the Arboretum, Private Guided Tram

Tour and a small goodie bag -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Registration form: Federated Members $5.00, Non-Member and/or Guests $10.00

Post marked by July 30th

, 2018

Name___________________________________ Meeting & Tram_____ Tram Only____

Guest Name(s)____________________________ Meeting & Tram_____ Tram Only____

Address_________________________________________________________________

Cell Phone ________________________ Home Phone___________________________

Email__________________________________ Club ___________________________

Please coordinate transportation among your members and guests. Anyone needing special assistance or transportation, please let me

know and we can assist you.

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