What do you do with standing dried flower stalks and pods in late autumn? Should hydrangeas be pruned now or next year? Will piled leaves left on a garden adversely affect the plants or soil? How is the 2016 drought affecting Connecticut? In November’s meeting, we tackled these concerns while presenting late autumn arrangement ideas for Thanksgiving and ways to create winter holiday decorations from resources in your own yard.
The guest presenter for November was Rob Flater of Benedict’s Home & Garden, demonstrating how to construct holiday arrangements from inexpensive props and natively found flora. Rob led off with a brief history of kissing balls, then described how to use a kissing ball kit (available at Benedict’s Home & Garden) to construct one from fresh materials. He followed up with a demonstration of building evergreen arrangements for floor containers and tabletops.
Joyce Fedorko, Horticulture Chair, presented tips from Natureworks Horticultural Services, LLC for preparing garden beds for winter. Preparations are a gradual process, and the generally accepted advice is “If it’s yellow or brown, cut it down, if it’s green, leave it alone.” Tips for specific plants were addressed through Q & A.
The 2016 drought continues to be deeply problematic for Connecticut. Master Gardener and past ORGC president Renee Marsh gave a “Caring for the Earth in Our Backyards” presentation, covering its impact on the state and steps gardeners can take to care for their plants in in the extreme conditions. Renee devoted extra attention to the critical — and fragile — organisms and structure of soil. Soil ecology of forest and perennial garden environments differs significantly from that of lawns and vegetable gardens, and she stressed the importance of treating them differently. Reiterating tips from Joyce’s garden bed preparations discussion, Renee explained that autumn leaf accumulation on garden beds helps prevent moisture loss, feeds microorganisms in its decomposition, and provides protection in winter months.
Members had an opportunity to view the awards given to ORGC in 2016, including the First Place Certificate of Commendation from the National Garden Clubs and both the Award of Excellence pewter bowl trophy from the Federated Garden Clubs of CT and First Place from the New England Regional Garden Clubs for the 2015 ORGC yearbook. In addition to discussion and display of the certificates, 1st Vice President Joyce Donnelly presented the Federated Garden Clubs of CT Certificate of Individual Achievement to ORGC 40-year Charter Member Claire Norris.
The meeting included many examples of late autumn arrangements ideal for Thanksgiving tabletops. Among the favorites were creative uses of pumpkins and smaller gourds as containers and incorporation of sweeping, feathery grasses.
