The Rainbow Gardeners of Shelby County always welcome new members and guests to our monthly meetings. We get together at the American Legion, 1265 4th Avenue in Sidney, on the second Tuesday of each month at 12:00 for lunch and programs. Feel free to call or e-mail for more information. We have a great line-up of programs for 2011-2012 along the theme, “Going Green!” Here’s a preview of our upcoming meetings:
March 13 – Master Gardener and Rainbow Gardeners member, Nancy Russell, will cover home remedies that are safe for humans, wildlife, and our environment. Common garden problems can be solved using ordinary household products.
April 10 – Janell Welker, Rainbow Gardeners member and co-owner of Progreen Garden Center in Botkins, will show us new and interesting plants that we can look forward to this season. We will hear about the release of annuals and perennials that are more reliable and hardy for our Zone 5 gardens.
May 8 – Join us on a field trip to Hydro-Growers at Sink Farms in Pleasant Hill, Ohio. Owners Dale and Dean Sink will lead a tour their hydroponic growing facility and learn about the advantages of hydroponics. Plant material will be available for purchase.
The Rainbow Gardeners held their annual Christmas Flower Show at Dorothy Love Community Center on December 13, 2011. Members designed and entered floral arrangements in 10 classes, each of which related to the theme, “A Christmas Carol of Characters.” Each entry had to carry out the theme and the specific characteristics within each class. After awarding 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards in each class, judge, Marian Moeckel, selected Nancy Russell’s entry as the Best in Show. Guests and visitors also viewed and judged the Christmas arrangements and chose Lynn Cook’s entry for the People’s Choice Award. Congratulations to both Nancy and Lynn as well as all club members who made this show a beautiful, holiday success .
A Christmas Carol of Characters
Class 1
Ebenezer Scrooge-The miserly accountant who learned the true meaning of Christmas
Using 5 or fewer items in the design
Class 2
Bob Cratchit-Humble and dedicated employee with a large family
All materials must begin with either a B (for Bob) or a C (for Cratchit)
Class 3
Tiny Tim-The youngest handicapped son of Bob Cratchit who sees the good in everyone
A small design, no taller than 8” in height or width
Class 4
Jacob Marley-A ghost in chains who was once Ebenezer’s greedy business partner
Containing metallic materials or items
Class 5
The Ghost of Christmas Past-A ghost who takes Ebenezer on a tour of his past
Antique container or items in arrangement
Class 6
The Ghost of Christmas Present-A raucous ghost who shows Ebenezer how people today celebrate Christmas
Design suggests a gift-wrapped present
Class 7
The Ghost of Christmas Yet-To-Come-The eerie ghost who shows Ebenezer what his future might be if hedoesn’t change his ways
Designer’s Choice
Class 8
Fezziwig-Jovial merchant with whom young Scrooge apprenticed
Features happy yellow or gold colors
Class 9
Fannie Scrooge-Ebenezer’s younger sister whom he loved very much - Angel(s) in the design
Class 10
Christmas Goose-When he begins to make up for past transgressions, Scrooge presents a huge Christmas Goose to the Cratchit family
Food item(s) in the design (fruit, candy, cookies, veggies…no meat,Please)
And the envelopes, please…
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People’s Choice Winner, Lynn Cook |
Judge, Marian Moeckel and Best of Show Winner, Nancy Russell |
To see photos of ALL entries, please click on the pages below:
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7
Rainbow Gardeners got off to a great start in 2012 when member, Lynn Cook (photo above), presented a program on “Beneficial Friends in the Garden” at our January meeting. Lynn has been exhibiting flowers, floral arrangements, canned goods, vegetables, fruits, grains, and baked goods at the Shelby County Fair and at Applefest for several years. First-hand knowledge and experience enabled her to incorporate entertaining anecdotes as she related the many “good guys” in our gardens. For more on Lynn’s program, click (Beneficial Friends in the Garden).
We enjoy sharing our gardening and horticultural tips, and we invite you to share yours with our readers. Here are some of our recent helpful tips:
--Shake baby powder or flour on young seedlings and garlic powder on mature plants to make them unpalatable to rodents. Surround prized bushes or herbaceous plants with a thick planting of garlic and wormwood to offend rabbits’ discriminating sense of smell.
--A single bat will eat its own weight in insects in a single night. So build a bat house (away from your own) and invite a colony of bats into your neighborhood. Check out this website: www.bsdhome.com/bathouse
--Instead of throwing away cut Christmas trees, place them near feeders so birds can seek shelter during the winter. If you have a large pond on your property, place the tree in shallow water for the fish.
 --Don’t fertilize houseplants during the winter. They need a rest period before putting on new growth in the spring.
--Consider putting suet in the bark of a tree for woodpeckers.
--Before ordering seeds or plants from the spring catalogs, check online for coupon codes or promotional codes. Try to place orders for seeds before February if possible.
--Late  winter (end of February or beginning of March) is an ideal time to begin cleaning up the garden in preparation for spring. Wait for a milder-than-usual day to cut down ornamental grasses. If the clump is still small, bundle it with heavy-duty masking tape. If the clump is tall or rather large, bundle it in sections. Use very sharp pruners or hedge trimmers and cut as close to the ground as possible. Many gardeners use chain saws for well-established, thick grasses. Make sure to cut grasses before they begin to show signs of new growth.
--Apply a layer of compost to the soil.
--Clean up and cut back perennials.
--Prune deciduous trees and shrubs, including roses. Do not seal cuts with a wound sealant, paint, or anything else. Prune at a slight angle and let the cut heal naturally.
--If we receive several inches of snow, remove it from shrubs by gently brushing it off. Heavy snow can break branches and cause lop-sided new growth in the spring. If the snow has frozen to the branches, leave it alone to avoid causing more damage.
--When those awful Asian Lady Beetles find their way into your home, just grab a hand-vac and vacuum them up. DON’T squash them against walls, clothing, or furniture. They smell terrible and leave a stain.
--Consider joining a terrific gardening club…like Rainbow Gardeners of Shelby County!
--Sign up to become a Master Gardener. There’s no reason not to belong to 2 great organizations. Residents of Shelby and Miami County (and other surrounding counties) can begin training February 28, but applications are due by January 31. For complete information, see:
http://belmont.osu.edu/miami/topics/horticulture/apply-to-be-a-master-gardener-in-2012
Just a few more items to carry you through the winter doldrums:
A lot of Rainbow Gardeners enjoy watching and feeding wild birds, but here’s one we’ve never spotted…even in the summer: A rare albino Hummingbird. These amazing photos were taken by a 15-year old boy in Stanton, Virginia. Thanks, Ed Morgan, for sharing those photos with us. Just click (Hummingbird) to view them.
You can also view a fantastic hummingbird video that originally aired on the “Nature” series on PBS. http://video.pbs.org/video/1380512531 It’s free to watch!
Please remember to share your gardening tips and tricks with us either via e-mail, by phone, or in person as a guest at one of our meetings. We look forward to hearing from you.
Here’s one more website that features some of the best wildlife photography we’ve seen in quite some time. Nature Friend Magazine is available by paid subscription, but its photo section is free and open to everyone: http://www.naturefriendmagazine.com/photos.pl
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