Clippings October 2012 - Memphis Horticultural Society

Non-Profit org.
The Memphis Horticultural Society
PO Box 11665
Memphis, TN 38111
www.memphishorticulture.org
Clippings
POSTAGE
PAID
Memphis, TN
Permit #65
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
October 2012
October’s Speaker: Ben C. West, Ph.D.
Deer Whistles, Hair Bags, and Moth Balls:
Wildlife Problems In Your Garden, Lawn and Home
Clippings
is published monthly by the
Memphis Horticultural
Society
PO Box 11665
Memphis, TN 38111
President:
Ginny Fletcher
Vice President:
Barry McCalla
Secretary:
Paula Ragland
POSTMASTER: Time sensitive material
Please expedite
Treasurer:
Don Wear
BOLO
Immediate Past President:
Allan Wells
For those of you that are not faithful NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, or CSI television watchers let me explain
what a BOLO is – it is “police talk” for “Be On Look Out”. Well, I am officially issuing a BOLO for a missing fairy
house. A few weeks back a friend of ours at MBG asked Paul and I to each make a “special” fairy garden for a
presentation she had coming up. We both agreed and went to work.
I decided to try something different and made my fairy house out of a plastic holder you put under plants
to keep water from escaping and ruining your furniture. I cut out a door and then very carefully covered the plastic
in clay. I have to say it was one of the best houses I’ve ever done and I was very proud it had worked out so well.
After the presentation, our fairy gardens (houses included) were returned to us completely intact and
placed in our garden. A few days later Paul informed me of the theft. At first I thought he was kidding when he
told me that my garden was still in perfect condition, but the house was nowhere to be found. I was stunned. A
fairy house thief, exactly what department of the police would take that call???
We searched the entire nursery thinking maybe one of our forest critters had decided to take the house off
somewhere and snack on the clay. Well, if they ate it, they ate the plastic as well.
I can’t begin to tell you how stunned I was to find that my prize fairy house had been heisted! What is this
world coming to when a fairy house isn’t safe in your own back yard/garden?
I just hope who/whatever took it is enjoying all my hard work and may the Garden gods
have mercy on them if I ever find out who the thief is! I do however appreciate that they
were very polite about stealing the house and left the garden in pristine condition.
So, I have now officially issued a BOLO to all the members and should you happen
upon the house, all information will be kept in strict confidence to prevent any
repercussions for your help! I will even build you a fairy house just like the one I had, of
course I cannot guarantee it will be yours for very long!
Still Searching,
Kay Little
Commttees:
Floral Arrangements: Donna
Olswing
Historian: Amy Berthoeux
Hospitality: Barbara Bounds,
Cornelia Swain
Membership: Donna Stringer,
Betty Griffith, Ed Sharrow
Newsletter:
Events—Emelia Miekicki
Distribution—Betty Griffith, Dee
Wright
Plant Exchange: Tina McWhorter,
Linda Pittman
Programs: Sherri McCalla
Refreshments: Barbara Bounds,
Cornelia Swain, Tony Martello
Urban Champion Trees: Laurie
Williams
Ways and Means: Vicki Duggins
Webmaster: Barry McCalla
Newsletter Submissions:
[email protected]
No LATER THAN 14th of month
prior to date of newsletter.
Do you sometimes feel
like Elmer Fudd being bested
by Bugs Bunny?
If the animals in your
yard consider your garden
their personal buffet, be sure
to make MHS’s October
meeting.
Dr. Ben West will share
some creative ways to
outsmart your own “pesky
wabbits” and other critters.
Since April of 2010, Ben has served as the Western Region Director
for the University of Tennessee Extension, where he provides oversight
for Extension program and personnel in Tennessee’s 31 western
counties.
Before moving back to his home state of Tennessee, Ben was an
Associate Professor and Extension Coordinator in the Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries at Mississippi State University. Also at Mississippi
State, Ben served as the National Outreach Coordinator for The
Berryman Institute, where he developed and coordinated continuing
education programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as well as
other agencies, nationwide.
Ben’s educational background includes a B.S. in natural resources
management at the University of Tennessee-Martin, an M.S. in wildlife
from Virginia Tech, and a Ph.D. in wildlife from Utah State University.
Ben has been an active member of his profession, having served on
the review board for the Journal of Extension, as Associate Editor for the
Wildlife Society Bulletin, President for the Mississippi Chapter of The
Wildlife Society, and chair of two national conferences.
Apart from spending time with his family, Ben’s spare time is filled by
reading, woodworking, cooking, and watching college football.
October’s Meeting:
Tuesday, October 2 at the Memphis Botanic Gardens.
6:30—Social Time, 7:00— Speaker
Plant Exchange following Speaker.
Please bring a dish to share and a plant for the plant exchange.
President’s
Letter
By
Ginny Fletcher
Our September meeting was , as usual, our
Officer Election meeting.
The following officers were unanimously
voted into office for 2013:
Barry McCalla – President
Larry Griffin – Vice President
Barbara Wells – Secretary
OPEN – Treasurer
Jim Gafford – Ways and Means Chair
Emelia Miekicki – Membership Chair
Sherri McCalla – Program Chair
Ginny Fletcher – Immediate Past President
2013 Committee Members are:
Ways & Means Committee – Jim Gafford, Bowman Reid & Paul Little
Membership Committee – Emelia Miekicki, Betty Griffith & Ed Sharrow
Newsletter Events – Emelia Miekicki
Newsletter Distribution – Betty Griffith
Website Committee – Barry McCalla
Hospitality – OPEN
Refreshments – OPEN
Floral Arrangements – Donna Olswing
Plant Exchange – Tina McWhorter and Linda Pittman
Historian – Amy Berthouex
Urban Championship Trees – Laurie Williams
As you will notice, the office of Treasurer is vacant due to Ms.
Dee Wright’s notice that she is moving out of the country very
shortly and could not fulfill her commitment. Therefore, we are
looking for a Treasurer candidate and also a Hospitality and
Refreshment Chair. If anyone would like to fill one of these
positions, please notify me or Barry as quickly as possible.
I hope everyone enjoyed Dr. Bachman’s presentation. If
anyone desires a copy of his slides, please let me know and I will
be happy to forward them to you.
PLEASE remember “The Touliatos Trail” dedication,
September 28th in the Japanese Maple Grove at the Memphis
Botanic Gardens at 5:30 pm. The dedication will be held between
the close of the Plant Sale on Friday and the start of the
Oktoberfest Party in the Pine Grove at 6 pm. We sincerely hope
everyone can attend.
Acid and Alkaline
—by Christine Spindel
My first mental picture of acid and alkaline was a balance scale, acid on the left, alkaline on the
right.
Because our soil is predominantly acidic, the left side was happily weighted down with hollies,
camellias, azaleas and evergreens. The empty right or alkaline side rose higher than I could reach.
Although I had surreptitiously raided the kids’ sea shell collections for my Christmas ferns, I freely
advised fern friends to forget about pH.
Immanuel Kant said he awoke from his dogmatic slumber after reading the philosopher, David
Hume. My pH slumber ended on a concrete sidewalk. It was a eureka moment: a Southern
maidenhair growing across a crack! Replanted beside a concrete curb, it quickly overran and killed
three rare miniature azaleas and half a bird’s nest spruce. Where there was concrete, Southern
maidenhair appeared. Conversely, Northern maidenhair thrived in its woodsy acidic soil.
Acid and alkaline were not opposites, I learned, but were
represented by the numbers on the gauge, ranging from 1.0
to 14.0, with 7.0 being neutral. I bought some dolomite
pellets. The ups and downs of my balance scales reappeared
in a lazy moment when, instead of weeding, I surfed the
internet and happened upon a PBS program. Two biologists
were studying the native population of a naturally-acidic
woodland where rhododendron, azaleas, camellias, and
hollies grew, their leaves thick and permanent: the same lovely evergreens we grow here.
At half time the biologists moved to an alkaline area where the native plants, bushes, and trees
were often deciduous with thinner leaves because, they explained, calcium increased the plant nutrient
availability and made quick regrowth possible. Had I known more about pH when I brought home a
bulblet bladder fern from a limestone cliff in Middle Tennessee, I would have it now.
Plants grow best in their natural pH range. Lime for lawn and vegetable gardens and dolomite
pellets for ornamentals may be all a gardener needs to grow his or her favorite flowers and vegetables.
Soil testing is the first step. Kits are available at the UT Extension Service, on the web at http://
soilplantandpest.utk.edu/soil/index.htm, and in garden stores.
Thanks To Our Members, Our Meetings Are Events!
Ginny & Dr. Bachman
Want a copy of Dr. Bachman’s slides from the September meeting which
show plants that provide fall and winter color in the MidSouth?
Contact Ginny for the slides from the presentation!
MHS is lucky to have so many friendly and generous members!
We almost always have enough food for a meal!
Last month’s food contributors: were Pat Allen, Barbara
Bounds, Ida Engleberg, Carolyn Evans, Barb Gavrock, Betty
Griffith, Gwen Jones, Marylane Johnson, Doris Johnston, Barbara
McAdams, Tina McWhorter, Marie Ricossa, Marty Smith,
Cornelia Swain and Rosa Woody.
Betty Griffith won the book drawing for bringing food. The
centerpiece— prepared by Donna Olswing with materials from
the Botanic Gardens —was won by Mary Kay Parrish.
Pots of basil from Dr. Bachman went to: Tom Colturi, Barb
Gavrock, Barbara Rea and Bill Young