Deb Lambert's Newsletter, website and blogs

Hi everyone,
For those of you who may know Deb Lambert at Corliss, you know she is an extraordinary horticulturalist and a "go to" person when you need help in your garden. You may also know she has a wonderful website for herself and Corliss and several delightful blogs. One of my favorites is "Plants Behaving Badly". Deb is a brilliant writer, poet and photographer. I love her work and subscribe to her weekly newsletter. I recently asked her if I could share her links with our members and she enthusiastically replied:

"Paula ~ Link away, with impunity!

Each newsletter has its own link, so the best way to share that is via subscriptions.  Anyone interested in a free subscription can sign up at gardenauthor1@verizon.net.  Just have them leave their name and phone number and I'll add them to our growing list (over 600 subscribers, so far).  The phone number is just in case the newsletter bounces back ("mailbox full", wrong address, etc.)  Without the phone number as a backup contact, I have no choice other than to drop them from the list.

Nice to have some sun and warmth... finally!  Hope your spring gardens are flourishing."

Deb Lambert

Check out these terrific resources and sign up for a helpful newsletter written for garden lovers on the Northshore.

http://www.GardenAuthor.com

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Massachusetts Parks Budget at Risk

We have a speaker from the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation for our next IGC September's program.

Best, Alicia

MA State Parks Budget at Risk — Ask Your Senator To Restore Funding!


Many Massachusetts residents and visitors depend on state parks run by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) as special places for hiking, swimming, camping, and cycling. Recent budget cuts put access to these summer outdoor traditions at risk.

The budget for Massachusetts state parks and recreation areas has been reduced by approximately 30 percent during the last few years, resulting in the loss of nearly 200 staff at DCR and the reduction of many services the agency provides. The Massachusetts House of Representatives restored a small portion of DCR’s operating budget, but the Senate did not include that funding in its original budget. An amendment to the Senate budget would now restore $500,000 to help ensure our parks are staffed, safe, and clean.

We need to urge Massachusetts State Senators to restore this funding because we depend on our parks, beaches and pools to stay active and healthy. Without additional funds, some campgrounds, pools and beaches will be closed and those that stay open will have their seasons shortened by several weeks; park ranger and interpretive staff will be cut; beach trash collection will be reduced; forestry services and police details will be cut; and DCR will have a diminished ability to complete its legislative mandate of establishing Resource Management Plans for its facilities.

This amendment will be debated this week, so time is of the essence. Your voice is important to your senator, so please call today.

TAKE ACTION
Call Sen. Bruce Tarr
Phone: (978) 283-3148 and ask them to support restoration of funding for DCR parks and programs by supporting Senate amendment #171 to increase funding for DCR. You also can mention your favorite state park or other area that you are most concerned about.


Post requested by Alicia Moore

A Terrific Effort by all!

Lots of fun!

Great plants.

And we made $5,100.00!!

Special thanks to Laurie M, and Laurie McA for co-chairing,

to Gail Anderson for once again doing such a wonderful job with the antique plants,

and to Joyce Kippin for her amazing contributions of 800 organic, greenhouse grown, vegetables and flowers.

Fantastic!
Janet

The 2011 World Flower Show Takes place June 15-19

WORLD ASSOCIATION OF FLOWER ARRANGING...IN BOSTON @ THE WORLD TRADE CENTER...IT IS PUT ON BY THE MASS HORT SOCIETY & GARDEN CLUB FEDERATION OF MASS...I KNOW THERE IS THE BOAT EVENT THE WEEK BEFORE JUNE 11TH... JUST WANTED TO SHARE THIS ALTHOUGH  MANY OF YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW...I KNOW I PLAN TO ATTEND SOME SESSIONS.

THANKS,
JANI GUNSAULUS
See you all this Saturday.

 Boston, Mass – Floral design enthusiasts, art lovers, competitors, conservationists and connoisseurs of international culture should all mark their calendars to attend the 2011 World Flower Show taking place in Boston, Mass. at the Seaport World Trade Center June 15-19, 2011. Members of floral art societies from the 30 countries that comprise the World Association of Flower Arrangers (WAFA) will convene by the tens of thousands for the week-long event, which caps the United States’ first-ever three-year tenure as host country for WAFA.

“We chose our show theme, ‘This Glorious Earth,’ because it embraces both the worldwide scope and the celebratory nature of this event,” says Liza Weihman, Director of Publicity & Public Relations for WAFA USA. “This is the first time that the United States has hosted the show, which probably won’t return to the States in this generation.”

The World Association of Flower Arrangers (WAFA) is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization of floral art societies representing 30 member countries. WAFA was founded in 1981 and moves from country to country every three years. During its tenure, the host country organizes an International Seminar, stages a World Flower Show, convenes a General Assembly, produces a book portraying national floral designs and plans various other educational events. 

(from WAFA website)

For more information, visit www.wafausa.org.

Post requested by Jani Gunsaulus

IGC helps Town-Wide Clean Up on Saturday, May 21st- Call for Volunteers

The Ipswich Shade Tree and Beautification Committee is holding a TOWN-WIDE SPRING CLEAN-UP.

Ann Wright and I have volunteered our Ipswich Garden Cub members to clean up the Railroad Station on Saturday morning 8:30-11am May 21st.
We will meet at TDBank for coffee and garbage bags and then head to the RR station.

It is the week after the Plant Sale - hopefully you will have some energy left to help make give our town a nice Spring Cleaning.
With many hands we can make short work of it.
Thank you for your help.
Janet

The Annual Plant Sale Is Almost Here!

Look for the Club's Annual Plant Sale Banner on 1A snd Market Street.

Used books, Anyone?

The Book Table will be selling used gardening books and magazines at the
Plant Sale 2011.
If you want to donate books on gardens or other plant and earth related subjects, please
deliver them to 10 Dornell Rd
or
call Therese 978 312 1990 for pickup

These three are in the box already!

Now the whole Library knows!

Check out our Plant Sale desk at the Library And tell your friends!

Gail Anderson's Answer to Barbara O's Question

Barbara's question was how to rid your garden of garlic mustard and wild garlic?

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), wild garlic (Allium vineale), and wild onion (Allium canadense) are very difficult to eradicate. At Long Hill, we have tried many things without great success.

Garlic mustard is a biennial. It forms basal leaves the first year, winters over, then blooms and sets seed the second year. The only way I know to control is by mechanical means. Scuffle hoe the very small first-year seedlings. Larger plants have long tap roots and must be pulled by hand. It's CRUCIAL to pull before the plants set seed. A single plant can produce thousands of seeds that can remain viable in the soil for up to five years!

Wild garlic and wild onion both have "stringy" chive-like leaves which smell like onions if crushed. The wild garlic leaf is round and hollow. The wild onion leaf is flat. Both produce underground bulblets. Wild garlic also produces aerial bulblets. At Long Hill, we have researched how to eradicate. We have tried hand digging, baking under clear plastic, and Roundup. Internet research reveals that there is a very brief window during the season to use herbicides on wild garlic and that the only herbicides that are effective are now banned in Massachusetts. At Long Hill we are talking about removing the soil, small plot by small plot, and trying to shift the soil to remove the bulblets. Although we haven't discussed this, we may even have to replace some soil entirely. So....the short answer, keep digging bulblets by hand, being sure you dig deep enough, probably 12 inches or more.

--Gail Anderson

Arbor Day Celebration at Winthrop School

Janet Craft addresses the first and second grade students at the annual Arbor Day Assembly at Winthrop School. Janet gave each of the students some homework- -Find a favorite tree in town and watch it grow as the years go by.

Students read poetry and sang songs.

Deb Trevarrow of the IGC spearheads the assembly.  Lina Lopez Ryan, a second grade teacher works with the students who MC the assembly. Each of the first and second grade classes presents a poems and/ or song.
Read more about the history of this charming educational tradition in the upcoming IGC June '11 newsletter.

A Spring Recipe from Landi VanAlen

For those of you who were at the Winthrop School last Thursday for the Arbor Day assembly, you will remember Sheila McAdams, the principal telling the wonderful story about wild leeks. As a child, Sheila gathered them in the wooded areas on the boundaries of her family's farm. In the Spring, the bare trees allowed the sun to filter to the ground and made it possible for tender leeks to grow. Sheila collected the leeks and was able to sell them to neighbors who liked to use them in recipes.

Wild leeks or "ramps" have become rarer today but should you find your own spring leeks in a forest or supermarket, Landi VanAlen shares her very own recipe for wild leek vichyssoise with us.

Landi VanAlen's Wild Leek Vichyssoise

6 peeled diced potatoes
21/2 cups clean chopped wild leeks
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
2 tsps. chopped fresh dill
5 tbsp. butter
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste

1. Boil potatoes until tender and set aside.
2. Saute (lightly) wild leeks, chives and dill in butter in large pot.
3. Add chicken broth to leek mixture and bring to a boil.
4. Remove from heat; season with salt and pepper.
5. Drain potatoes and add to leek broth.
6. In a blender, puree on low for one minute or until smooth.
7. Chill. Then stir in cream.
8. Serve garnished with fresh chives.