How wonderful to have a warm winter and a cool spring! It makes working in the garden great. My garden is somewhere between 1 ˝ and 12 years old, and it keeps looking better. To me it is a little over a year old as we moved here in February of 2007. I am taking cuttings and starting new plants (obviously especially begonias) and ‘refining my garden’ at this time of year: assessing what works, transplanting, designing and planting out new areas. I have finally started a garden notebook, something that I have been doing in New York for 15 years but never got going here. In addition to dated garden plans, photos, and plant lists, I keep track of weather, what new projects I initiate each year, what goals I have for next year (this is all an advantage of living half your life in one place and the other half elsewhere,) and what worked and what didn’t and why. In Zone 4 in New York the reasons for lack of success are usually different (e.g., ‘too cold’ and ‘winter burn’) but there is one common one—‘wrong placement. I expect the other big difference here is going to be the rate at which the garden changes. We just don't have plants that grow 5 feet a year in the Catskills.
Tim Anderson brought some terrific begonias (and some droll advice) to our April meeting. As usual the bidding was spirited. This month Colin Friedrich will come from Excelsa Gardens to talk about new tropicals. Excelsa always has the latest and most unusual plants, as well as the most beautiful, so this should be a treat. I’m saving some room in my garden for a few new plants that Colin recommends.
Keep growing those begonias!
Nancy Cohen
I have been reading exchanges of email on the Yahoo Begonia discussion group about something called Hypertufa. There is a naturally occurring rock called tufa, which is soft and porous. It was used to carve planters and troughs. Real tufa rock is now rare and expensive, but a substitute, called Hypertufa, can be made with inexpensive materials. You can also buy ready-made hypertufa planters.
The basic recipe consists of two parts Portland cement (no substitutes), three parts peat moss,three parts perlite and a few ounces of synthetic concrete reinforcing fibers. You should wear waterproof gloves because the ingredients are irritating to the skin. A dust mask is important because you don’t want to breath in the dust of any of those ingredients. Concrete coloring can be added to the mix. Add water to the dry ingredients until the mix is about the consistency of cottage cheese.
Containers can be shaped free form or on the inside or outside of almost any kind of container. The mix will stick to wood or metal, but plastic containers, cardboard boxes, or Styrofoam make good molds. Two nested cardboard boxes can make a rectangular planter. The new planter has to cure for up to 36 hours before removing from the mold. Then it has to cure for a few weeks. The last step is to leach out the strong alkali by filling the porous containing with water and allow it to drain several times.
These instructions are somewhat oversimplified. If you are interested in making a hypertufa container, do some research first, either with books or internet articles.
Doris Happel
Many of you have attended propagation workshops during March and April. Your little plants should be growing now. Be sure to fertilize them! The simplest way to do that is with a slow-release product like Nutricote, which is also marketed under the brand name Dynamite at the big box stores. Fertilize all your begonias, not just the babies! They will reward you with vibrant growth. I fertilize cuttings with Nutricote at the time of planting.
In the past, we never recommended Osmocote, made by Scotts, because it disintegrated in hot weather. The company now has a new product just for Florida called Suncote. It is available at Pro Source One on Rt. 441 and is about $10 cheaper per bag than Nutricote.
The hot dry weather at this time of year is a little stressful for the plants. Water restrictions have been eased a little for most of us. If your begonias are looking stressed, you may have to hand water during the next few weeks until the summer rains begin.
Resident birds are nesting, and migrants are passing through. They will all enjoy a birdbath, especially when we are going through a dry spell. You will be able to see and enjoy the migrants at a birdbath that you might otherwise never notice high in the trees. Before pruning trees and shrubs, look carefully for birds’ nests and wait for young birds to fledge if necessary.
Please welcome our new members who have joined in recent months. I may have missed some, so please let me know and I will mention other new names next month.
Sarah Michaelides
Marilyn Browde
Barbara Horan
Janet Desmond
Ron Parvu
The meeting began at 7:30 p.m. with a welcome by President Nancy Cohen. There were two new members and one guest. Maria Mitsinicos gave the Treasurer’s Report. Nancy thanked those who provided refreshments: Debra Rosen, Audrey Abrams and Rita Obeid. She also thanked Branda Skaggs for taking care of the raffle table and for supplying a badge plant.
There was neither old nor new business.
Announcements: Debra Rosen has clear tape for sale.
Doris announced the availability of Connoisseurs Garden Tour brochures and Mounts’ need for volunteers to help with that event (May 10 & 11). She reminded everyone of the propagation party at her house on Saturday, April 19, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Doris gave an update on the ABS Conference noting that she and Charles Jaros were negotiating with the Hilton Hotel for the event. Nancy asked everyone to participate in a contest to come up with a theme for the conference and email suggestions to Doris. The winner will have their registration ($25 value) paid by the Society. The deadline is May 9th.
Donnie made a last call for Rummage Sale donations. All proceeds will go to Phase 2 of the Mounts’ Herb Garden Renovation. The Rummage Sale will take place at the Hutcheson Center during the Mounts Spring Plant Sale, April 26 & 27.
Next month the speaker will be Colin Fredreich from Excelsa Nursery speaking about new varieties of tropicals such as Alocasias being sold at the nursery.
Tim Anderson from Palm Hammock Estates was introduced by Shawna Price. He discussed “Recent Begonia Hybrids” with his endearing dry wit, while auctioning those selections he brought to show. Members went home smarter than when they walked in and with plants to add to their collections.
Respectfully submitted by