May marks the full swing of gardening season, and what better way to kick it off than to present a brand new, hand-built birdhouse for a feathered friend! At this month’s meeting, we constructed birdhouses from simple pine kits, using only a screwdriver — a surprisingly simple and quick project.
The May 2017 Meeting birdhouse building crew
The birdhouse building workshop was guided by Doug Fedorko, Shop Teacher at Masuk High School. He was joined by a team of his students and three assistants. As ORGC members began construction of the houses, the team moved among the working tables, offering advice and assistance in putting together the kit, including the proper order of assembly and how to ensure a tight fit among all the parts.
The class proved that kit projects can be easily tackled by crafters of all skills and abilities. Similar kits are available at local garden stores.
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- Getting started: Doug Fedorko distributes tools to members of the Club
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- Joyce Fedorko helps at a table
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- Masuk High School students were on hand to assist
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- Jolynn Van Wart inspects her nearly-completed house
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- Doug Fedorko gives tips on lining up the kit parts
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- Birdhouse assembly underway
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- Fitting the final birdhouse parts
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- And as quickly as it’s started, a birdhouse is finished
The birdhouse kit finishes quickly, making it a suitable project for a quick hour on a weekend. Its ease of assembly also makes it perfect for repeat builds — and one can never have too many birdhouses!
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- Liz Hansen and Glenda Mercer with their birdhouses
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- Alfreda Mozdzer holds her completed house and a handful of birdseed
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- Linda Tura, Jean Hirsh, and Phoebe Tucker present their finished projects
We had a full crowd for the birdhouse building workshop, and we’re delighted to share a rare photo of nearly all members gathered together!
The Olde Ripton Garden Club members, displaying their completed birdhouses at the May 2017 meeting
It wouldn’t be an ORGC meeting without plants, too, and we featured two topics for May. Joyce Fedorko gave a discussion on plants that keep insects away. Surprisingly, some of our favorite herbs are effective insect deterrents. When placed around porches and decks, the fragrant cultivars can reduce nuisance insects naturally.
Our Horticulture focus for the May arrangements were “Idyllic Iris” (Class I), “Awash in Azaleas” (Class II), and “Lush Lilacs” (Class III). Many arrangements were sweetly presented in miniature containers ranging from diminutive vases to delicate teacups. These little bunches included surprises such as violets, dogwood blossoms, and violets.
