News Bulletin

March 2017

Meeting: March 27, 2017 at the Shallotte Presbyterian Church

9:30 Flower Arranging

10:30 Social

10:45 Horticulture

11:00 General Meeting

Program: Don’t Flush It!

Diane Lynch of Wilmington will demonstrate on how to get your creative juices flowing with her program “Don’t Flush It”. Yes, she will make a floral arrangement using a toilet plunger. Now before you say yuk, know that she is an extremely talented artist, floral designer as well as gardener. Be prepared to learn, laugh and have a good time. Submitted by CC Hensley

Flower Arranging: Line Design

We’ll be doing a line design which is a very simple design in which the line must dominate. You will need very little material. The most common problem with this design is that we all want to use too much plant material and then the line is no longer dominant.

You will need to bring:

  1. A low sided open bowl or dish and a pinholder (frog) or an upright, opaque container with an opening about 3” in diameter and oasis.
  2. 3-5 pieces of line material such as cat tails, grasses, curly willow, goldenrod, Mexican sage, liatris, snapdragon, stock, gladiolus, or larkspur. Non-plant material may also be used.
  3. 3 flowers.
  4. Foliage
  5. Clippers

Note: See attached photograph. When choosing plant material keep in mind that the tallest piece of line material will need to be 1 ½ times the size of the container (size = height + width). Also the plant material should be in proportion to the size of the container. Any questions? Call Marge at 755-6345 Submitted by Marge Comer

Membership: Please welcome Elaine Stow.

Laine lives in Bolivia and shares this about herself: "After residing and raising our girls in the RDU area since 1978, my husband Roger and I retired to Winding River in 2015. While majoring in commercial art and advertising, theater arts and costuming design captured my soul and presented an opportunity to work for a professional ice show as a wardrobe director. Settling down, having a home and garden space gave impetus to earning Master Gardener, NC State Floral Association, and Botanical Art certificates. Currently, I find joy in seasonal natural outdoor designs and table settings. Asian design and Ikebana are also on the bucket list. I look forward to your friendship, sharing, learning, and making positive community contributions."

We are so happy to have you in our midst, Laine! Submitted Lisa Jennings

Flower Show: Home for the Holidays on October 27 and 28, 2017

Our next meeting for the flower show will be held following our general meeting on March 27th. Since a lot of things will need to be done this summer, I would like to set up a schedule with the committee chairs so that everyone will know what and when their responsibilities should be completed. Submitted by Sherry Jeffries

Plant Sale: Our annual Plant Sale is scheduled for Saturday May 13, at the Shallotte Farmer’s Market at Mulberry Park from 8AM until 2PM, just in time for Mother’s Day.

Success of the Plant Sale depends on Member support and fortunately we have many ways in which our membership can contribute to the Plant Sale.

  • Divide and pot perennials grown in your garden,
  • Create Mother’s Day baskets with thrillers, spillers and fillers,
  • Create Herb Gardens with at least three herbs per pot,
  • Bake a dozen cookies,
  • Make or donate garden items for our Boutique, and
  • Stepping-up Annuals

This last item, Stepping up Annuals, may be unfamiliar to you. It was to me. Last year Brunswick Community College contributed most of the annuals to our plant sale. This year we must provide the annuals. As you know, it’s difficult to try and compete with the big box stores when they get annuals from nurseries that are blooming and ready to plant. So when talking with the owner of Carolina Greenery, he suggested our members could step-up planting of annuals. Here’s how it works:

  • Buy a flat of annuals approximately 4 weeks prior to the Plant Sale, i.e. mid-April. Cost approximately $12 per flat.
  • Plant them in 4 to 6 inch pots depending on the plant.
  • Water and fertilize well and they should be in excellent condition by May 13. This is what the nursery’s do with their annuals.
  • Sell at plant sale for $6 per pot.

On the day of the Plant Sale, we will need lots of members to help with making it a success. I will pass around sign-up sheets at the March meeting. This is our Club’s major fund raising project for the year, and all members are expected to participate. Submitted by Becky Hucks

Herb Gardens: One of the ways we can contribute to the Plant Sale is by donating an Herb Garden. If the majority of club members plant their own herb garden, the club may apply for a NC state award. To win the $25 award, the club must a) study a history of herbs, b) learn the uses of herbs, c) and visit an herb garden. Attached to the News Bulletin is an article from the Herb Pharm website, so please take the time to read and learn about herbs!

Next month’s News Bulletin will contain an article on the uses for herbs. A visit to the Shelton Herb Farm has been scheduled for a tour and a demonstration on how to plant an herb garden. Submitted by Sherry Jeffries

Trips and Tours: CGC MAYFIELD TRIP

Friday May 19

10AM- Transplanted Garden 502 S 16th St., Wilmington

"Forgotten...... Summer BloomingPlants" followed by opportunity to peruse the garden center

12 noon Lunch at Henry's, 2508 Independence Blvd, Wilmington

2 pm tour of the Stanley Rehder CarnivorousPlant
Garden, 2025 Independence Blvd behind the Alderman Elementary School off of Canterbury Rd

Come join us for a fun day! We will try to assist with carpools!

Contact Judy Gregson 860-913-6221 or Submitted by Judy Gregson

Conservation: Plant It and They Will Come – A Food Guide for Butterflies

Many of you purchased Backyard Butterfly Highway seed packets to support our initiative of attracting pollinator to your gardens. I’m hoping that you are having luck with your seedlings.

In addition to the native plants you will grow from your seeds, you may wish to enhance your gardens with plants that target specific pollinators. Below is a list of plants and the pollinators they attract, courtesy of the North Carolina Wildlife Federation.

Hackberry Celtis laevigata (tree) if you want American Snout, Mourning Cloak, Question Mark, Hackberry Emperor, Tawny Emperor,

Black Willow Salix nigra (tree) if you want Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Mourning Cloak, Red Spotted Purple, Viceroy

Spicebush Lindera Benzoin (shrub) if you want Spicebush Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Palamedes Swallowtail

Passionflower Passiflora incarnate (vine) if you want Gulf Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Zebra Swallowtail

New England Aster Aster novae-angliae (wildflower) if you want Pearl Crescent

Partridge Pea Chamaecrista fasciculate (wildflower) if you want Cloudless Sulpher, Little Yellow, Sleepy Orange

The North Carolina State Butterfly is the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly

(Papilio glaucous)

BIRTHDAYS REMEMBERED: Patty Camerota, 3/28 and Janet Dancy, 3/31

REMINDERS: What to bring to the meeting:

  • Bring a Friend!
  • Please wear your name tag.
  • Flowers and accessories for flower arranging.
  • Clippings from your yard for Show and Grow.
  • Nonperishable food for the food bank or a small monetary donation will be accepted.
  • Go Green – Bring a coffee cup to the meeting so we can save on recycling the Styrofoam cups.

WEBSITES OF INTEREST:

  1. National Wildlife Federation Native Plant Finder:
  2. National Garden Club:

Login: member-user, flight-password

  1. Garden Club of North Carolina:

Login: ncmem1112-password

  1. Coastal Garden Club:

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A Brief History of Herbs

One of the oldest herbs in history is the popular Ginkgo biloba. Fossil records show that Ginkgo has been on earth at least since the Paleozoic period.

Egyptians wrote one of the earliest known recorded medical documents around the 1500 BC called Papyrus Ebers. This 20-meter long scroll documents 700 plant-based remedies.

The first recorded herbal study, called the Shennong Bencaojing, was written around 2,000 BC by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong (The Divine Farmer). He is known for a multitude of innovations such as seed preservation, dietary revolution (he advocated a vegetable-focused diet) and tasted hundreds of herbs. The document contains descriptions and information for 300 plants.

During the Middle Ages, monks grew medicinal herbs. The liquor Benedictine was made at the Benedictine Abbey of Fecamp in Normandy with 27 different plants and spices.

Native Americans introduced the colonists to plants and herbs such as Black Cohosh, which is still used today for relieving menstrual cramps and menopause symptoms. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recognizes the value of Black Cohosh.

In the early 1900s, innovations in chemical analysis allowed scientists to extract and modify active ingredients from plants. In America, clashes within the medical community and a growing infatuation with isolated chemicals led to the decline of herbal remedies. However, even today 40% of all pharmaceutical drugs are based on botanicals.

Today, the World Health Organization estimates that 80% of people rely on herbal medicines for some part of their primary healthcare. In fact, 70% of German physicians prescribe plant-based medicines.

Herbal medicine’s effectiveness and safety have stood the test of time. The popularity and longevity of herb use throughout the world are undeniable evidence of the healing power of plants.

A line design.

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