Bird by Bird Gardening

painting by Susan Westmoreland

Catherine Carney-Feldman (our past October speaker on butterfly gardening) will be teaching a workshop to interested gardeners entitled "Bird By Bird Gardening" at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary on Sat. March 24 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.. It will explain how to attract certain bird families to your backyard by appropriate plantings as well as seed choices and other environmental factors.  

One must reserve a space for this course since space is limited. Spaces fill up fast...  

CLICK HERE for sign-up information and details.

Winter Tea at Barbara's

Thanks to Barbara Ostberg who graciously opened her home again this year to garden club members for tea time on Monday and Wednesday of this week. One of the best things about
our club is spending time making our town more beautiful, more environmentally conscious and making good friends.What a lovely time we had gathering by the fire, looking out onto the icy river view and sharing our thoughts on so many subjects.

Gail, Therese, and Susie W.

Laurie M., Barbara(standing in back) Laura L. and Susie G.

From left: Holan, Alicia, Deb, Barbara R., Barbara O., Ann W., Annie P., Janet, and Nancy

Terri Stephens' McIntosh Cake

Thanks Terri for a delicious cake at the last IGC meeting. We asked for the recipe and here it is:

McIntosh Cake

11/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
3 cups unbleached flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 medium McIntosh apples, cored and sliced, but not peeled.

Combine sugar, oil and vanilla in mixer bowl and beat at medium speed until thick, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and apple juice, and beat at high speed until thick and lemon-colored, about 3 more minutes. Add dry ingredients and beat on low until combined. Batter will be very thick.

Add sliced apples. Beat on low speed for a few secomds, just long enough to break up apples but not reducing them to a pulp. Spoon batter into a 10-inch tube pan heavily greased with solid shortening, not oil.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until tester comes out clean. Cool in pan 30-45 minutes, then remove and cool completely.

Meet at Barbara's ... THIS week!

January 17th Meeting BEE-KEEPING

Eric Josephson, long-time Ipswich resident and beekeeper delighted the IGC this past Tuesday evening with photos, and experiences of nurturing nature's hardest workers--bees. What would we do without their invaluable service of pollination to 80% of the world's flowering plants! There are over 4,000 different kinds of bees in North America. Eric introduced us to many of the species that are "working" our local trees and flowers during their seasons of activity. Eric referred to honey as "liquid sunshine" and he brought a long a variety of the delish golden goo for us to sample--from the dark, almost molasses-tasting, buckwheat honey to the heavenly, light, and crystallized lavender honey.

You can buy Eric's honey and beeswax candles at Appleton Farm's Dairy store, Grampy's Country Store, Tedford's and the Ipswich Farmer Market during the summer months under his brand name "Marshview Apiary".

Hay Now ... Christmas Branches too!

by Gail Anderson IGC Horticulturist
With the lack of snow this year, tender plants may suffer more than if they were covered with an insulating blanket of snow. The villain is the freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw cycle of our fluctuating weather. This may actually heave perennials right out of the ground, exposing their roots. Mulch can prevent frozen ground from thawing.

If you apply mulch too early, rodents will build condominiums in the mulch and munch away at your plants. Once the ground freezes rodents are less active. The best time to apply mulch is after the ground freezes but before it thaws again. So now’s the time.

Examples of mulches include salt marsh hay, pine needles, shredded leaves, and the cut-off boughs of your Christmas tree. Avoid packing the mulch against the stems of woody plants such as clematis. Cover the crowns of perennials and surround them with mulch. Just be sure the mulch is not soggy and that you remove the mulch no later than early April.

Amaryllis Red Blotch

by Gail Anderson IGC Horticulturist

A disappointing number of amaryllis bulbs that I and friends have purchased have been infected with a fungal disease called “red blotch” or “leaf scorch.” Here’s a description from the University of Florida Extension:

“Red spots appear on the flower stalks and leaves and enlarge, elongate and become sunken. Infected leaves and flower stems are characteristically deformed or bent at the point of attack. The flower stalks of heavily infested plants may break over at an infected area or wither and dry up before the flowers are produced. The fungus and spores of red blotch are carried on the bulbs. Consequently, the leaves and flower stalks which push up from infected bulbs may become diseased…Keep in mind that any injury to amaryllis tissue usually produces a red pigment, so red streaks, specks or irregular patterns are not always indicative of red blotch, which usually shows definite margins and outlines.”

If the buds of your amaryllis become twisted, marked with red, and fail to bloom, most likely your bulb has the disease. Experts disagree on whether to treat the bulb or to discard it. My temptation would be to discard it (in the trash, not compost). The recommended fungicide is supposedly difficult to obtain. One home remedy suggests that you “Dig up the bulbs, remove excess soil and soak them for 30 minutes in water kept at a constant temperature of 104-114°F (40-46°C),” but how do you keep that even temperature?

I recently planted a new bulb that seemed to be infected. I removed all loose infected looking skin and soaked the bulb in a 10% bleach solution. Don’t know yet if this will help. What a shame!!!!!