Monday, December 30, 2013

"Hope Is There For Others"- Our Own IGC's Hope Wigglesworth in the Boston Globe


Ipswich’s Hope Wigglesworth, 87, makes the rounds with her cart at Beverly Hospital.
Ipswich’s Hope Wigglesworth makes the rounds with her cart at Beverly Hospital.
Sitting in her pink scrubs, lanyard ID dangling, the white-haired, bespectacled octogenarian looked down at her lap and knotted her hands.
“There are so many volunteers, so many people who do great things,” Hope Wigglesworth said quietly. “I’m just one of millions.”
If there’s one thing that sums up the Ipswich 87-year-old, it’s her humility. Although Wigglesworth has given countless hours of her time to the community, she hardly wants recognition.
In volunteering, says Hope Wigglesworth, “I have gotten more than I have given.”
In volunteering, says Hope Wigglesworth, “I have gotten more than I have given.”
“I’ve done volunteer work for a good part of my life,” she said. “It was ingrained within my family that it was important to give back.”
Most notably, she does so by devoting her Thursdays as a patient ambassador at Beverly Hospital. Since May 2009, she has put in more than 350 hours, slowly pushing a cart through the halls, stopping room by room to offer up magazines, books, and pads and pencils for patients to write thoughts, questions, or medical directions — because, as she pointed out, people rarely remember to bring something to write on, and end up scribbling on napkins. She keeps patients company, too, talking with them about whatever’s on their minds.
“I find that I meet a lot of wonderful people dealing with all kinds of medical issues, showing courage and faith, and a sense of humor at times,” she reflected.
“I can really say, when I leave here on Thursday, that I have gotten more than I have given.”
The mother of four and grandmother of nine, who has lived in Ipswich for more than 60 years, is involved in other facets of the community as well, but was reluctant to mention them, besides her work on the Ipswich Museum’s capital campaign.
“That’s one of the things with people like Hope — they certainly don’t do it for the recognition,” said Jane Karaman, the hospital’s manager of volunteer services. “Somebody that puts the amount of joy and effort into what they do, and so quietly. . . . Hope epitomizes that.”
Patients have described Wigglesworth as “precious,” Karaman said, noting that she always has a smile to offer up to a weary face.
“She has certainly brightened a lot of patients’ days and rooms.”
Wigglesworth’s dedication to volunteering started in college, when she spent a summer in New York City, where she grew up, with Travelers Aid International. It was just after World War II, and she worked with customs officials on the docks, meeting displaced individuals. Some of them had been in camps in Europe, and, as she explained, “came with absolutely nothing.”
Over the years, she also donated her time to high school guidance departments, and at the old Boston City Hospital. Because her late husband William was a surgeon, she’s always had a “great admiration for all who work in the hospital area.”
So when she retired “around 1990” from a varied career in educational and hospital administration and health career counseling, she made a pact with herself that she would attempt to do three new things each year.
One of those included getting back into hospital volunteering. (Another, recently, has been to learn to use her iPhone.) Of her devotion to community service, she said simply, “You don’t volunteer unless you care.”

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Thank You to the IGC from Rev. Clark at Ascension Church

Alicia passed on Rev. Brad Clark's Thank You:

_________________________________________________

"Dear Members of the Ipswich Garden Club,
     People ask me where we found the  beautiful wreaths on our  church doors, hoping to obtain the same for their front door. I am delighted to report that they cannot be purchased elsewhere, for they came as a gift!...and plug the Club for your kindness, aptitude when it comes to beauty.
    Many thanks for this practice of yours of blessing so many doors and all who pass through them.    Brad"


________________________________________________________________


Thursday, December 19, 2013

Carol William's Green Beans w/ Vinaigrette

There were several requests for Carol's recipe for the green beans served at the 2013 Greens Meeting (Thanks Carol for this delicious recipe):


Vinaigrette for green beans or asparagus

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Minced herbs such as thyme, rosemary
1/2 cup olive oil

Put the mustard in a wide bowl. Whisk in everything else except the oil. Then, slowly dribble in the olive oil, whisking all the while, until the dressing is thick.

When you cook the green beans, as soon as they are done, run cold water over them to set the bright color. I think they are best served at room temperature.

I prefer rice wine vinegar but red wine vinegar or any vinegar you like is fine. Just don't use a dark balsamic vinegar or it will discolor the beans.

Enjoy!

Monday, December 16, 2013

Here it is... Judy Hallberg's Chicken w/ Tarragon Cream Sauce

After many requests for Judy's entree recipe at this year's Greens Meeting, here is her recipe. Thanks so much Judy.

Chicken with Tarragon Cream Sauce
Serves 4
Cooking the chicken
·       2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 2 pounds. (use large whole chicken breasts)
·       1 tablespoons coarse salt – for optional brining
·       ¼  cup fresh tarragon leaves, or 2 tbls dried tarragon
·       1 – 2 cups water
·       ¼ cup white wine, vermouth
Optional, brine the chicken: rub  1 tbsp. coarse salt over chicken pieces, put in shallow enamel  or crockery bowl, cover and keep refrigerated for 24 hours, turning the chicken once. Before cooking, rinse chicken thoroughly.
Poaching the chicken: Heat oven to 325, put chicken in stainless steel or oven safe crockery pan, add tarragon, white wine and enough HOT water to cover chicken. Cover the pan and place in hot oven.
Check for doneness at 45 minutes. Add more water if necessary to keep chicken covered (but not drowning). A fast-read meat thermometer is useful – DONE is 155. The meat should be slightly underdone as it will continue to cook after removing from the heat.
Remove from oven and let chicken cool in the poaching liquid at least 2 hours. Refrigerate if you don’t plan to serve it within 3 hours. Use within 24 hours or drain and freeze.

Slow cooker poaching is preferred if you have one large enough for the amount of chicken you’re cooking. It will take longer than the oven method and requires less water. Use whatever temperature setting is hot but not simmering.

Tarragon cream sauce
·       ¾  cup plain mayonnaise, reduced fat versions are OK
·       1  cup béchamel or white sauce
·       1 tbls fresh, whole tarragon leaves or 1 teas dried tarragon
Judy’s béchamel sauce:  (makes 1 cup
·       1 tbls butter
·       2 tsp flour
·       ½ cup chicken stock
·       ½ cup warm milk
·       Nutmeg, pepper
Melt butter in saucepan until it foams, quickly toss in flour and whisk or stir, whisk in hot chicken stock, whisk in warm milk, remove from heat. It should be the consistency of heavy cream. Add pepper to taste, add salt sparingly – check your chicken to see how salty it is before you add salt to the sauce. Add a pinch – 1/8 teas nutmeg.
Combine béchamel and mayonnaise, stir in tarragon.

Drain chicken pieces, cut each in half to make 4 pillow shaped pieces. Put chicken in shallow baking and serving dish with space between each piece. Blanket the chicken with the sauce so it is generously covered but not swimming in the sauce. Garnish with whole, sliced or coarsely chopped almonds.

Heat for 15 minutes in 325 oven. Do not overheat as the sauce will get crusty and the chicken will be overcooked.

This is also delicious served cold. NOTE: I poach larger quantities of chicken this way and then use the meat in salad or with various sauces or sliced. It’s very important to not slice the chicken until it is completely cool as the juices will escape and you’ll be left with dry meat. This is a very low fat method and you need the meat to retain as much juice as possible.




Tuesday, November 26, 2013

IGC Annual Greens Meeting- Friday, December 6th

We will have wreaths, ribbons, ornaments and wire to create the decorations for the Ascension Church, the First Church in Ipswich UCC, the Hall Haskell House, the Schools' Administrative Building, the Fire House, Police Station, Town Hall, the Train Station and a couple for special friends. We will also decorate the library interior.

Please remember to bring clippers and your creative genius. PLEASE bring additional materials from YOUR OWN GARDENS to fill planters and decorate wreaths.
    Bring what you have, such as:
                                                                                                                                              
Branches of greens- arborvitae, balsam, yew, boxwood, juniper, pine, rhododendron, and leucothoe. The rhodie leaves make a splash sprayed gold!

Berries- bayberry, winterberry, and rosehips (no wild rosehips--these are invasive)

Dried Material- Artemisia, grasses, seed heads, pods and pine cones.

Mark your calendars. This meeting is always the highpoint of our Garden Club year.
We look forward to seeing all of you and celebrating the beginning of the holiday season of 2013.

PLEASE, PLEASE RSVP by November 28th so that we can plan for greens work and luncheon.
        This reply is very necessary for planning.
    RSVP to Maureen (978) 790-1527 or  nicknicknana@yahoo.com nicknicknana@yahoo.com





Monday, November 25, 2013

Hort "Organic" Minute from November '13 Meeting

 Worm Castings as Insecticide

by Barbara Monahan

Worm castings as pesticide, specifically as an insecticide may be used for the eradication or at least the control of White Fly and Giant "Wooley" White Fly. Worm castings are also helpful in discouraging other insects that suck on leaves (e.g. aphids.) When you water-in the worm castings, the resulting liquid flowing throughout the plant repels the insect by its taste. Sometimes the insects stay away. If they return later, use an application of new worm castings as a preventive about every three months.

Protocol:
• Clean off all adversely affected leaves and any dead branches.
• Clear out all debris on soil.
• Spread worm castings two inches deep out to the drip line of the plant.
• Layer an organic mulch tht will decompose within a year over the worm castings.
• Water-in deeply.
• With a couple of days, water-in deeply again.
• The insects should leave.
• Again cleanup all debris.

Note: The worm castings have no discernable odor for us. they are dark brown with a fine texture. Gordon's Nursery carries an eight quart bag.

Sunday, November 24, 2013

The Year the Monarch Didn't Appear

Catherine Carney Feldman, a former presenter to the IGC on butterfly gardens asked to share this recent NY Times article with members of the IGC. If you haven't already read this comprehensive, as well as sobering,  look at native plants and their connection to insects (i.e. bees, Monarchs) on your own, here is another reminder of what our garden club and others must do to spread the importance of biological diversity in word and deed.  Thanks Catherine. 

 The Year the Monarch Didn’t Appear 

November 22, 2013 

By

ON the first of November, when Mexicans celebrate a holiday called the Day of the Dead, some also celebrate the millions of monarch butterflies that, without fail, fly to the mountainous fir forests of central Mexico on that day. They are believed to be souls of the dead, returned.
This year, for or the first time in memory, the monarch butterflies didn’t come, at least not on the Day of the Dead. They began to straggle in a week later than usual, in record-low numbers. Last year’s low of 60 million now seems great compared with the fewer than three million that have shown up so far this year. Some experts fear that the spectacular migration could be near collapse.
“It does not look good,” said Lincoln P. Brower, a monarch expert at Sweet Briar College.
It is only the latest bad news about the dramatic decline of insect populations.
Another insect in serious trouble is the wild bee, which has thousands of species. Nicotine-based pesticides called neonicotinoids are implicated in their decline, but even if they were no longer used, experts say, bees, monarchs and many other species of insect would still be in serious trouble.
That’s because of another major factor that has not been widely recognized: the precipitous loss of native vegetation across the United States.
“There’s no question that the loss of habitat is huge,” said Douglas Tallamy, a professor of entomology at the University of Delaware, who has long warned of the perils of disappearing insects. “We notice the monarch and bees because they are iconic insects,” he said. “But what do you think is happening to everything else?”
A big part of it is the way the United States farms. As the price of corn has soared in recent years, driven by federal subsidies for biofuels, farmers have expanded their fields. That has meant plowing every scrap of earth that can grow a corn plant, including millions of acres of land once reserved in a federal program for conservation purposes.
Another major cause is farming with Roundup, a herbicide that kills virtually all plants except crops that are genetically modified to survive it.
As a result, millions of acres of native plants, especially milkweed, an important source of nectar for many species, and vital for monarch butterfly larvae, have been wiped out. One study showed that Iowa has lost almost 60 percent of its milkweed, and another found 90 percent was gone. “The agricultural landscape has been sterilized,” said Dr. Brower.
The loss of bugs is no small matter. Insects help stitch together the web of life with essential services, breaking plants down into organic matter, for example, and dispersing seeds. They are a prime source of food for birds. Critically, some 80 percent of our food crops are pollinated by insects, primarily the 4,000 or so species of the flying dust mops called bees. “All of them are in trouble,” said Marla Spivak, a professor of apiculture at the University of Minnesota.
Farm fields are not the only problem. Around the world people have replaced diverse natural habitat with the biological deserts that are roads, parking lots and bluegrass lawns. Meanwhile, the plants people choose for their yards are appealing for showy colors or shapes, not for their ecological role. Studies show that native oak trees in the mid-Atlantic states host as many as 537 species of caterpillars, which are important food for birds and other insects. Willows come in second with 456 species. Ginkgo, on the other hand, which is not native, supports three species, and zelkova, an exotic plant used to replace elm trees that died from disease, supports none. So the shelves are nearly bare for bugs and birds.
Native trees are not only grocery stores, but insect pharmacies as well. Trees and other plants have beneficial chemicals essential to the health of bugs. Some monarchs, when afflicted with parasites, seek out more toxic types of milkweed because they kill the parasites. Bees use medicinal resins from aspen and willow trees that are antifungal, antimicrobial and antiviral, to line their nests and to fight infection and diseases. “Bees scrape off the resins from the leaves, which is kind of awesome, stick them on their back legs and take them home,” said Dr. Spivak.
Besides pesticides and lack of habitat, the other big problem bees face is disease. But these problems are not separate. “Say you have a bee with viruses,” and they are run-down, Dr. Spivak said. “And they are in a food desert and have to fly a long distance, and when you find food it has complicated neurotoxins and the immune system just goes ‘uh-uh.’ Or they become disoriented and can’t find their way home. It’s too many stressors all at once.”
There are numerous organizations and individuals dedicated to rebuilding native plant communities one sterile lawn and farm field at a time. Dr. Tallamy, a longtime evangelizer for native plants, and the author of one of the movement’s manuals, “Bringing Nature Home,” says it’s a cause everyone with a garden or yard can serve. And he says support for it needs to develop quickly to slow down the worsening crisis in biodiversity.
When the Florida Department of Transportation last year mowed down roadside wildflowers where monarch butterflies fed on their epic migratory journey, “there was a huge outcry,” said Eleanor Dietrich, a wildflower activist in Florida. So much so, transportation officials created a new policy that left critical insect habitat un-mowed.
That means reversing the hegemony of chemically green lawns. “If you’ve got just lawn grass, you’ve got nothing,” said Mace Vaughan of the Xerces Society, a leading organization in insect conservation. “But as soon as you create a front yard wildflower meadow you go from an occasional honeybee to a lawn that might be full of 20 or 30 species of bees and butterflies and monarchs.”
First and foremost, said Dr. Tallamy, a home for bugs is a matter of food security. “If the bees were to truly disappear, we would lose 80 percent of the plants,” he said. “That is not an option. That’s a huge problem for mankind.”

Sunday, November 10, 2013

The Cloth Crafter's Garden

                                Tuesday, 19 November

6:45 P.M.

at the

Ipswich Public Library




The Cloth Crafter's Garden explores the connection between textiles and plants. I will discuss cotton and silk, natural dyes from leaves, roots and bark as well as the botanical forms that inspire 'Indian' textile design.
The talk is supported by a slideshow which will be complemented by an exhibit of my own textiles from South and South-East Asia.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Great Marsh Symposium

This year's Great Marsh Symposium is being held  Thursday, November 14th at Castle Hill. Many of the topics, sea level rise and others, are related to Don Cheney's talk last month on climate change. The event is free. You can see the list of speakers and sign up at:
            www.greatmarsh.org
 The Great Marsh website also has a lot of interesting material about  our marshes.

Best, Alicia

Friday, November 1, 2013

Hort Minute from October '13 Meeting

From Gail Anderson, IGC Horticulturist
Have a question or want to suggest a topic for Hort Minute? Please e-mail Gail at riverfront37@verizon.net.
Question: “How do you prune hydrangeas?”
Submitted by Carol Williams (Thank you!)

General Rules of Thumb
•    Many hydrangeas do not need pruning. Simply cut off dead tips or branches in the spring.
•    If you must prune heavily to control size, the plant is in the wrong place.
•    Do not prune any hydrangeas between September and January
•    Do not “shear” hydrangeas. That is, do not cut them uniformly tight like a hedge. Cut individual stems.
•    When pruning, use hand pruners or a small hand saw, not mechanical tools.
•    Do not remove more than 1/3 of the stems in one season.
•    Remove dead flowers any time you wish.

Two Questions
Ask only two questions:
WHEN to prune?
HOW to prune?

WHEN TO PRUNE is determined by the species (type) of hydrangea
Depending on the species, hydrangeas form flower buds in one of two ways:
On NEW growth of the current season
On OLD growth of the previous season
When to prune will be determined by the time of flower bud formation. You want to avoid cutting off buds of future flowers.

Too complicated? See the WHEN and HOW of the four most common hydrangeas below.

HOW TO PRUNE is determined by the shrub’s overall shape (habit)
    Canes: If your hydrangea has canes (stems) that grow straight from the ground without branches (like a porcupine), cut the tallest or floppiest canes to the ground. Do not cut canes halfway.
    Branched: If your hydrangea has stems with branches, prune back to a crotch.
_______________________________________________________________________

Smooth Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens)

WHEN? Prune late winter/early spring
(Blooms on new growth)

HOW? Cut tallest or floppiest canes to the ground
Note: Can be completely cut to the ground—optional, done every few years in winter or very early spring.
_____________________________________________________________________

Panicle Hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)

WHEN? Prune late winter/early spring
(Blooms on new growth)

HOW? Cut branched stems or twigs to a crotch
Cane forming varieties: Cut tallest or floppiest canes to the ground

______________________________________________________________________________

Oakleaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia)

WHEN? Prune immediately after blooming (early-mid summer)
(Blooms on old growth)

HOW? Cut branched stems to a crotch or to the ground
 ________________________________________________________________________

Big Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla)

WHEN?
Old fashioned: Prune immediately after blooming (mid-summer)
Blooms once a season on old growth

Reblooming (new): Prune immediately after first flush of bloom (mid-summer)
Blooms on old and new growth
Note: Deadheading spent flowers will encourage reblooming

HOW? Cut tallest canes to the ground

Friday, October 25, 2013

October Meeting- Climate Change Comes to Ipswich by Kerry Mackin

Ipswich’s Don Cheney, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Northeastern University, offered IGC members and friends a sobering preview of Ipswich’s future as a coastal community in an age of global warming. He noted that global warming represents not only higher temperatures, but increases in extreme weather, sea level rise, ecosystem changes and many interrelated effects. 

Cheney explained how greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, act as an insulating layer that traps heat that would otherwise radiate away from earth. Levels of CO₂ have increased from 280 parts per million (ppm) to more than 390 ppm today. (Here is a chart showing annual average CO₂ since the 1950s. ftp://ftp.cmdl.noaa.gov/ccg/co2/trends/co2_annmean_mlo.txt)  He described the El Niño phenomenon, in which large, warmed areas of the Pacific change the direction of the trade winds and dramatically alter weather patterns.  He cited a website, www.globalchange.gov, which has a wealth of information about research and collaboration of 13 federal agencies working on global warming. Here is just one summary page from that project. http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-supercomputer-generates-closer-look-at-future-climate-conditions-in-us/#.Uml6q3B4zKe

His talk focused on three areas of impacts that are expected to affect Ipswich: terrestrial plant communities; shellfish; and impacts along the shoreline. 
  • Impacts on plant communities: Models predict that within just 20 years, southern forest communities will extend into New England and the northern coniferous forests will disappear as a dominant ecosystem in New England.
    Non-native and invasive plants will proliferate. Cheney cited a study comparing the plant community that Thoreau documented in Concord, MA (1852-58) to what was found there in recent years. Over ~150 years, average temperatures increased by 4.3° F; 27% of the species that Thoreau documented no longer grow there and 36% are now rare and may become locally extinct. Blooming is a week earlier, potentially impacting pollinators and other ecological relationships. Lilies, orchids, buttercups, violets, roses, dogwoods and mints are adversely affected, while “weedier” species such as mustards and invasives are more common. Here is an article on this topic by Arnold Arboretum:
    http://arnoldia.arboretum.harvard.edu/pdf/articles/1912.pdf
  • Impacts on shellfish: The increase in carbon dioxide is not limited to the atmosphere. CO₂ also dissolves in ocean waters, causing the oceans to become more acidic. Recent research found that this impacts the ability of shellfish to form shells, but that the effects vary by species. Unfortunately for Ipswich, the soft-shelled clam is one of the shellfish that is most adversely impacted (along with oysters and bay scallops). There is a decrease in calcification of the shells, which makes them less dense and more buoyant. Here is a recent report on climate change impacts on the oceans. http://www.globalchange.gov/whats-new/agency-news/968-new-report-summarizes-climate-change-impacts-on-us-oceans-marine-resources
  • Impacts on the shoreline and salt marsh: In the Boston area, sea level is rising at an average of 2.63 mm/year (about 1/10 inch). Over the coming decades, this will result in  higher high tides and storm surges that will affect properties that used to be “safe.” He noted that six houses on Plum Island were demolished by the last nor’easter. “Superstorms” like Sandy are expected to become more common, especially affecting coastal areas. 
  • Cheney also discussed how sea level rise and the vertical growth of the salt marsh has been in balance for thousands of years, but now, sea levels are rising faster than salt marsh accretion. The dominant salt marsh grass, Spartina patens, cannot withstand the increased submergence in saltwater. Spartina alterniflora, the tougher salt marsh cordgrass that lines our tidal creeks, may take over some of the habitat, although there is also the possibility that invasives like Phragmites australis will dominate.
  • There was also some discussion of the importance of our rivers, and the fact that all the rivers feeding Plum Island Sound – the Ipswich, Parker and Rowley – are highly depleted by excessive water withdrawals. This reduces their ability to transport the sediments that build the marsh. Though not part of his talk, the predicted impacts of global warming on rivers and public water supplies are dramatic, as well.

Friday, October 18, 2013

"Hort Minute" from September 2013 Meeting

If you missed the "Hort Minute" at the Essex Greenbelt September meeting, here is some timely advice which our horticulturist, Gail, presented with the fall season in mind:

DECORATING WITH BERRIES


Please do not decorate--inside or out-- with invasive berries, particularly Oriental Bittersweet and Multiflora Rose. Once established these plants are capable of choking a tree! Even if you think you are disposing of the fruits properly in the trash, just one dropped berry can be eaten by birds or rodents and spread elsewhere.

If you are decorating outside with faux berries, look for waterproof ones. Squeeze a faux berry. If it "gives" and is soft, the outer layer will probably burst in wet weather revealing the unattractive core. If the faux berry feels hard and "plastic-like", it is probably waterproof. However, there are problems with faux berries, too. Birds can be harmed by trying to eat them. I was heartbroken one winter to see a blue jay gulping down my artificial winterberry.

FALL PLANTING- PERENNIALS and SHRUBS

September/Early October is not too late to plant perennials and shrubs providing you continue to water them regularly until the ground freezes. Fall is a good time to find bargain in the nurseries, too. The only downside, many nursery plants are pot bound in the fall after growing in containers throughout the summer. You may even have to cut away the pot.

It's important to lossen the roots of container grown plants (herbaceous and woodly) before planting. The outer roots should be teased until they no longer resemble the shape of the pot. Big circling roots that cannot be freed, especially at the bottom, should be cut.

Two tools that aid this "root teasing" process are a three pronged hand cultivator and a soil knife. High quality soil knives are available at Corliss. Basic models like mine are available online at A.M. Leonard. Use the cultivar like a comb to loosen the roots. If the plant is very badly pot bound, make approximately six vertical cuts around the root ball from top to bottom. Then try teasing again with the cultivator. Be just a little "brutal." The plant will thank you!

October Meeting - Tuesday, October 22nd


Sunday, September 29, 2013

Where Are All the Monarchs?

Maureen suggested IGC members may want to read this timely report on the disappearance of Monarchs. Kim Smith, the author, is a landscape designer from Gloucester. She is currently producing documentary films about the Monarch Butterfly, Black Swallowtail Butterfly , and Gloucester’s Feast of St. Joseph. 


 Monarchs usually arrive in our region by the first week in July and go through several brood cycles. This year, barely any arrived. The Monarch’s sensitivity to temperature and dependence on milkweed make it vulnerable to environmental changes. Since 1994, U.S. and Mexican researchers have recorded a steady decline in the Monarch population in their overwintering grounds, with 2012-2013 being the lowest recorded to date.

Temperature change and habitat loss affect breeding success and longevity. Dr. Chip Taylor, a leading Monarch researcher at the University of Kansas reports that the widespread adoption of GMO corn and soybean crops resistant to herbicides, along with with intensive herbicide use, coupled with the federal government’s incentivized expansion of corn and soy acreage for the production of biofuels have caused a significant drop in milkweed throughout the heart of the Monarch’s range. Lack of milkweed equals no Monarchs. “Monarch/milkweed habitat has declined significantly in parallel with the rapid adoption of glyphosate-tolerant corn and soybeans and, since 2006, the rapid expansion of corn and soy acreage to accommodate the production of biofuels,” Taylor wrote on May 29.

What can we do? Encourage conservation organizations that conserve Monarch habitat, plant milkweed, plant nectar plants, and raise caterpillars. Hopefully the weather next spring and early summer will be more conducive to the Monarch’s northward migration and breeding success, and if and when the Monarchs arrive, they will find our milkweed plants.

See the original article at
http://kimsmithdesigns.wordpress.com/

Read more about the disappearannce of the Monarch at http://wgbhnews.org/post/summer-without-monarch-butterflies

Saturday, September 28, 2013

North Green Dedication Ceremony- September 28th, 2013

Members of the Ipswich Garden Club were thanked for their contribution of the butterfly meadow to the North Green's renovated streetscape by Selectman Patrick McNally. The ceremony included a history of the North Green and the very long story of how the area has changed from the 1600s to the present.
North Green Dedication ceremony with butterfly meadow in the foreground.

Selectman Patrick McNally, Pat Flanagan (Town and Country Garden Club past President) with Ipswich Garden Club members, Paula Jones, Ann Wright (IGC Beautification Chair) and butterfly meadow designer and Barbara Monahan.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Monday, September 23, 2013

Edible Wild Plants- Russ Cohen - Saturday, Sept. 28th IGC Meeting

A note from Maureen about our first meeting:


Join us for our first meeting of the 2013 - 2014 IGC program year at the Essex County Greenbelt Association located at 82 Eastern Ave., in Essex. Thanks to our coordinator Alicia Moore. 
     
This is an exciting meeting, not only because of our speaker and location, but it introduces Gail's new feature for our programs, her  "horticultural minutes."
   
 Tame vegetables are fine, but gardeners can also enjoy the wild edibles that abound around here, and no better person to introduce them than THE guru of  wild edibles, enthusiastic Weston-native, Russ Cohen.     
    
 Russ has taught his unique courses at some 2 dozen nature and ecologically-related organizations for near 40 years. Mention his name to anyone lucky enough to experience his knowledge and you will know that our program with him next Saturday at Greenbelt is bound to be a treat. His popularity was evident from the difficulty in getting him  to join us this date for our program, being held at  Greenbelt's magnificent marsh-edge headquarters.  The Essex organization is the  publisher of Russ's popular new book, "Wild Plants I have Known..and Eaten". and we have the use of Greenbelt's lovely barn for our meeting and the facilities.
    
So, make sure you don't miss all this ... and possibly a seafood lunch with us after at nearby Farnham's. Wear suitable walking clothes. This is a hands-on field experience!   

 Email Maureen on or before September 23rd to let us know if you are coming to the meeting and/or lunch!
                         
The Essex Greenbelt is on the left just before reaching Farnham's Restaurant on the road to Gloucester, and  that there's plenty of parking in the field just beyond the barn.
 
Thanks,
Maureen



The British Society Invites the Ipswich Garden Club to an Evening with David Austin Roses

Dear Ipswich Club,

As the vice president for the British Society, I wanted to invite you and your members to our upcoming event at the Union Club in Beacon Hill - Boston  on Wed. October 2nd. We welcome any of your members or friends to our evening!

Michael Marriott, senior rose breeder, for David Austin Roses will be presenting a seminar on how David Austin develops roses and how you can use them to accent your garden.

It should be a wonderful evening to celebrate love of roses and Britishness. As a half Brit and avid rose grower, I am enthusiastic about this event and hope you will find it interesting to attend. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email me or call 617 331 1318.

We look forward to seeing you on October 2.

Sincerely yours,
Becky Liley Wagner
Vice President
The British Society

Sunday, September 22, 2013

We need 400 households to recycle their organics!

Many of the IGC members already belong to the Ipswich Curbside Compost program. We are now renaming the program Ipswich Organics Curbside Collection. Although many of us may backyard compost, (this is the most environmental way to recycle food waste) there are some organics which can be recycled curbside that you would not want to put outside in your composter. These items include meat, dairy, kitty litter, chicken bedding/waste. Also you would be helping to reduce the weight of your trash and save the town money! If you decide to join or renew, do it by October 20th and pay an annual fee of only $50.




Happy Autumn


Thursday, September 19, 2013

Ipswich Evergreen... get involved


Dear IGC Members,

Are you interested in helping out at a special town event in
December?
Perhaps you’ve heard that the Ipswich Recreation and Culture Department is planning on a community solstice event on Saturday, December 21st, 1 pm – 4 pm. The event, Ipswich Evergreen, will take place at the Hall-Haskell House, the Ipswich Museum, and the lawn in between the 2 buildings. Part of the scheduled activities include assembling arrangements out of greens. A local vendor has agreed to donate greens, but the committee is looking for individuals to help provide some basic instruction to participants. Our local garden clubs are being asked to see if they would like to participate. See the event summary and schedule of events below. Would any members of the Ipswich Garden Club be interested in getting involved?

For more information on volunteering, contact Trina H. Schell, The Trustees of the Reservations/ The Crane Estate mailto:tschell@ttor.orgtschell@ttor.org. Find information on the event at: http://www.ipswichvisitorcenter.org/events/holiday-2012/

Event Summary and Schedule of Events  
Ipswich Evergreen is envisioned as an event where people gather and do things together as a community, celebrating the very best of what Ipswich has to offer. Promotion will begin as early at September 28, in coordination with Ipswich Illuminated.


PLANNED ACTIVITIES:

Evergreen Décor

Participants will be able to make and take home bouquets, swags, wreaths, etc out of tree trimmings donated by Heliotrope Tree Farm. (We will contact the Garden Clubs to see if one or more of their members are willing to help children and adults create these.)

Stories for children

3 books have been chosen to be presented by talented reader/performers. These will rotate every 20 minutes throughout the event. Location will be indoors, either at the Hall Haskell House gallery or in the Ipswich Museum. (More on that later!)

Craft project

Tying into one of the stories (The Night Tree), a craft station will be set up to create pinecone ornament/feeders to hang outside for birds.

Theatre by and for children

Actors Company will present an original production of “Stone Soup” at least one time, perhaps more.

Ice sculpture

Wolf Hollow will create an ice sculpture at the beginning of the day to be enjoyed by all. It will remain in place as long as weather allows.

Art show

An art show, curated by Time & Tide Fine Art will be presented in the Hall Haskell House gallery. Ipswich’s finest artists will present artwork reflecting Winter Light in Ipswich. This show will be on display December 17-22.

Music performances

Essex Harmony (an a cappella group) and North Shore Ringers (handbells) are confirmed. Others may be added

Changing the Present

One of the most meaningful aspects of the event will be a display of non-profit organizations (TTOR, Cuvilly, Ipswich Agricultural Commission, Ipswich River Watershed, Audubon, etc have been invited). This is an opportunity for the organizations to highlight their activities and to offer people a chance to purchase gifts that make a difference… memberships, promotional items, etc. This is tentatively planned for the Appleton Room at the Ipswich Museum, but this location has not been confirmed at this time.

Candy cane hunt

Much like an Easter egg hunt with candy canes “hidden” in tree branches for small children to find and claim.

Winter Get-up and Go Contest

In order to encourage people to dress warmly and join the fun outdoors, we will have wandering judges who will give out awards (buttons) for winter costuming of special note. “Wackiest Hat,” “Warmest Looking Coat,” “Fuzziest Boots,” this sort of thing. Could be handled by high school students or a service organization.

ADDITIONAL POSSIBLE ACTIVITIES:

Soup party

Various groups (restaurants, civic organizations, etc) will be invited to make and sell homemade soups, supporting the Stone Soup play and keeping visitors warm at the same time.

Petting Zoo

This is a late breaking idea, and is not confirmed yet. Would be presented by the Ipswich Agriculture Commission.

Skating

In the event of an early hard freeze, it could be possible to have skating on Sally’s Pond.







Tuesday, September 17, 2013

FROM ALICIA: Have you visited the gardens at the Isabella Gardner Museum lately?

Excerpts from Boston Globe article, September 17, 3013
"Gardner Museum unveils Monks Garden" By Cate McQuaid |  Globe Correspondent

"Isabella Stewart Gardner never quite perfected her Monks Garden. From the time she moved into her palazzo in the Fenway in 1901 and began cultivating her museum and gardens, she tinkered with the green space inside the high brick wall on the building’s east side. She installed a hill and a brick walkway, added pergolas, and planted more and more annuals and perennials.

Now, as the final touch in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum’s ambitious expansion and renovation project, the Monks Garden is complete. And landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh, whose new design for the garden was unveiled Tuesday, has kept more to Gardner’s spirit than to her vision.

“Not to be mean, but she never got the garden right,” Van Valkenburgh said. “She never liked it.”


Flanking the east side of the original museum, a few steps from the Renzo Piano-designed new wing, the Monks Garden feels as ornate and rambling as the palace. Open to the public starting Wednesday, September 18th, the garden makes a wonderful counterpoint to the clean lines and glass walls of the new wing, balancing that structure’s transparency.

The curving pathway is key. With its many switchbacks, it feels like the track in a labyrinth, walked for contemplative purposes. Slithering here and there, sometimes out of sight, it hints that it might just go anywhere. Many people can walk it at once and still discover a sense of solitude. The walls that border the garden add to the privacy, yet the design, with its hidden places and quiet corners, feels spacious.

“Anytime you can’t see the entirety of something, it feels bigger,” Van Valkenburgh pointed out.

Only one flower blossomed in the newly planted garden Tuesday: a Bearsfoot Hellebore, low to the ground and pale green, easy to miss among the ferns and leaves. Like many landscape designs, the Monks Garden is a year-round art installation, from autumn foliage to spring blooms, with 66 trees, more than 7,000 perennials, and more than 2,000 bulbs yet to be planted.

“There are certain moments we’re emphasizing, like late winter,” Van Valkenburgh said. “The Lenten Rose, or hellebore, might be in bloom in January, By March 1, it will be crazy with blooms.”

Several touches echo details from the museum’s collection. Mica schist gleams from the dark brick path, inspired by one of the Gardner’s Venetian mirrors. Bark on trees such as the Paperbark Maple, the Japanese Stewartia, and the Gray Birch evoke the mottled quality of the monumental tapestries in the Tapestry Room.

“People have always loved the hidden garden,” Hawley said, glancing at the wall that guards the Monks Garden from the street. “I think it’s a civic contribution to foster people’s connections to their inner life.”
________________________________________________________________________________

Also found at the Gardner website:    October/November Chrysanthemum Display
http://www.gardnermuseum.org/gardens/courtyard/chrysanthemums

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Fall Native Tree/Shrub Planting Basics

Hello IGC Members, 

Here is information on a course that I am teaching at the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday, Sept 21, 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. Register at (978) 887-9264. It's title is "Fall Native Tree/Shrub Planting Basics.  

All the best, 

Catherine

As every one knows there is a time for everything and Fall is the best time to plant or transplant trees and shrubs. This mini course will cover the basic techniques of planting trees and shrubs, explain the importance of landscaping with native plantings to provide food and shelter for our local wildlife and divulge the secrets one needs to know to select  deer resistant plants.  Lists of native trees and shrubs, that help sustain our native insects/bees/butterflies and birds, will be provided as well as lists of deer resistant plant selections.   

  Catherine Carney-Feldman is an accredited organic land care professional, landscape designer, educator and consultant specializing in native plantings. She has been a volunteer at the IRWS for over 25 years and can be found working in the Nature/Butterfly Gardens every Tuesday morning during the growing season.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Marathon Daffodils Project

Just learned of the Marathon Daffodil Project and thought IGC members may be interested in how gardeners are bring beauty and hope. I hear the Mass Federation of Garden Clubs will also support this effort. Perhaps we as a club might decide to donate as well. It would be a wonderful way to honor those who  ran last April and those who will run again next Spring. Also it can honor our own Mitzi Marsh whose daughter was injured in the race's bombings.

 


From Boston.com    August 12th, 2013

The Boston Marathon route will shine like the sun next year, if local gardeners have their way. Several groups, including the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and the New England Wild Flower Society, are recruiting volunteers and asking for donations to help support the planting of more than 100,000 daffodils along the marathon route.

“A lot of us wanted to do something to commemorate the marathon for 2014, and we support the runners and we wanted to do something to lift their spirits and beautify the city at the same time,” said Diane Valle, volunteer organizer for Marathon Daffodils.

Organizers hope to raise $26,500 -- $1,000 for each mile of the route -- to pay for the bulbs, which will need to be planted between October and December, said Valle, a Charlestown resident.

The type chosen for planting is the 'Dutch Master' because it is the right shade of Marathon yellow, she said, and should bloom in time for the big event.
“And, of course, we’re asking for Mother Nature to cooperate, which is a challenge but we’re going to work on good faith,” said Valle.

Tower Hill Botanic Garden, The Massachusetts Horticultural Society, New England Wildflower Society, The Garden Club Federation, The Town of Brookline Parks, The Charles River Conservancy and other groups are collaborating on the effort.
Donations may be sent to The Cooperative Bank, 201 Main Street, Charlestown, MA 02129.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

North Green Butterfly Meadow.... Progression

We're happy to see the newly planted North Green Butterfly Meadow doing well this summer. Most of the plants have established themselves well and are needing less watering. (Thank you Susan Stone for helping with the watering in July.) The sedums are beginning to show pink flower heads, the asters have buds, the hyssops have tall lavender-flowered spikes and the Joe Pye weeds have reached an impressive size and are heavy with purplish-pink florets. We hope to map and evaluate the existing perennials and to decide what new plants might be added in the Spring. How well the plants do through the winter will be important in making decisions too. Hopefully we might have some fledglings seedlings to nurse along for the Plant Sale too.


Here's a progression of photos showing the garden's evolution with a little help (actually a lot of help) from our IGC friends!

 Historic North Green before renovation...



 March 2013
An opportunity to beautify Ipswich arises as the renovated North Green planting areas take shape.


Early May, 2013
Grass and tree had to be removed so that we could use the entire area for a butterfly meadow.

Early June, 2013
Ipswich Public works skulled off lawn and removed tree and added top soil. Now the job to amend and turn over the soil began.

 June, 2013
This was a tough job but with lots of members helping we were able to ready the area in a couple of work days.

Thanks to all the members show here... Can you dig it?


Mud Girls

Mid June, 2013
As our ordered plants arrived at Corliss Bros., we began planting perennials.

late June, 2013
Late Spring rains helped us with new plant watering.

You may have seen Barbara M. tending the new garden day after day.

Early July, 2013
To keep the weeds at bay, we added about 9 yards of mulch.

Here is the garden on the day we finished spreading mulch. Immediately after that job, we got a very heavy thunderstorm and rain... we couldn't have been happier!

 August, 2013
In early August the garden shows off its lavender hyssops, pink coneflowers, yellow coreopsis, and budding sedums.
Sept. 28th- North Green Dedication Ceremony. Members of the Ipswich Garden Club were thanked publically for their efforts in beautifying this historic neighborhood of Ipswich with the butterfly meadow.