Since 1940
Fellowship, Community Ser vice, Beautification http://www.mensgardenclubasheville.0rg October 1, 2008 Donald Dossey, Editor Men’s Garden Club of Asheville
FALL PLANT SALE A HUGE SUCCESS! President’s Corner
Plant Sale Report
The rain came just in time last week--time both to save many plants in WNC and to enable our Fall Plant Sale to be successful. I was very concerned, but now it is a pleasure to compliment Nelson Sobel and his crew for an extremely well organized and smooth sale at the Botanical Gardens of Asheville. Thank you, plant sale committee. And I also compliment Tom Mills for organizing a very successful picnic. There was a good turn-out and I think all would join in those thanks. We are also moving in many other directions. When new officers are installed in December, they will include a Club Historian for the first time in many years. The reason for interest in it now is that next year will mark the 70th anniversary of our Club. Plans for the observance are still uncertain, but we know it will include the printing of the most extensive history we have yet done. Most of our members—including your President—have little idea of what we were fifty years ago, and I am just now learning how glorious those years were. Look for interesting discoveries in coming months as a committee plows through the files of all those years. The second $1000 horticultural scholarship for this year has now been awarded, this one through Blue Ridge Community College. The French Broad River Garden Club has invited us to join them for a “Green” Tea and Conversation about conservation issues with Alison Arnold of the Arboretum. Details are elsewhere in the Seed Pod and mentioned here because we need to increase cooperation with other Garden Clubs in the area. Plan to join us. Ross Jones
THANKS TO THE WEB PAGE BOY I wish to thank Jay Schauer for doing a great job on our web page. Check it out. I am extremely proud. Thanks again.
There was good news and bad news for our Botanical Gardens Plant sale. The bad news was that the much needed rain that was forecasted did not happen. The good news is that the good weather brought out many plant buyers. I am pleased to report that our Fall Plant Sale was a great success. The combined income from the Membership Sale and the Botanical Gardens sale was over $2700, numbers will be finalized shortly. This is about a 15% increase over prior year’s sales. The good results comes from the many people who worked to transport and set up the plants, tables, etc, sell the plants, as well all of the good looking plants we grow at our Horticultural Center. Many thanks to all of our members who contributed in any way to our success. A true team effort- THANKS. The Club Board has decided to extend selling plants to Members this year. Members at their convenience can go to the Horticultural Center and take plants.The cost of the plants will be 15% Member discount. After plants have been taken, send me a note or call, email preferred if you are able, advising which plants you purchased and the price will be calculated. Send a check to Bob Sharp, address in Club Directory, for the amount. Please note that the gate to enter Hardesty Lane may be locked as it is controlled by the City. Contact me for the lock combination before you go. An easier way to purchase plants would be to come to a Horticultural Center Work Day as published by Ted Faber. No need to worry about opening locks, etc and money could be given to Ted, Bob, or myself. A check for the amount, or the exact money rounded to the nearest $ would be appreciated. Again, thanks for a good team effort to make our 2008 plant sales a great success. Nelson Sobel
Donald Dossey, Publication Director.
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Men’s Garden Club of Asheville
Seed Pod
October 1, 2008
Club News and Committee Reports Membership Recruitment News
CORPORATE MEMBERS
With (2) new applications approved at the September 9th Board meeting our total membership is now 90. The new members are Gary Briggs who is sponsored by Ray Carter and attended our Picnic and John Anderson who is sponsored by Mike Stevenson and was recruited at the recent plant sale. Membership renewals for 2009 have taken off as 22 were received by the September Board meeting. At the general membership meetings in October, November and December we will have drawings for door prizes for all members that have renewed their dues. Please remember you must be present to win and also include your member change information form with your renewal. Continue to plant those membership seeds so we can watch them grow into great additions to the Men’s Garden Club of Asheville. Carl Debnam, Membership Recruitment
B.B. BARNS LANDSCAPE CO. 3653 Sweeten Creek Rd. Arden,NC 28704 Landscape - Hunter Stubbs 828-384-9190 stubbsbb886@bellsouth.net www.bbbarns.com
BILTMORE FARMS, INC Development – George Cecil 1 Town Square, Asheville, NC 28803 828-274-2000
PROGRESS ENERGY Electric Company – Benny Haynes 828-258-4316 cb.haynes@pgnmail.com
GOASHEVILLE.COM Asheville, NC Website Design - Andrew Stevenson 828-230-3751
72 WALL ST. INVESTMENTS
Neighborhood Gardening Award The Men’s Garden Club of Asheville presented the Neighborhood Gardening Award to the Skyland Fire Department in recognition of their beautification efforts at their facility at the Western North Carolina State Fair. From left to right are member Clinton Smoke, who presented the award, Firefighter Matt Gibson, who coordinated the landscaping effort, and Skyland Fire Chief Dennis Presley. The award was conspicuously displayed in front of the satellite station throughout the 10-day run of the Fair. Photo by Suzanne Wodek.
Scholarship Program Up-date Haywood Community College has awarded the Gerald Hardesty Scholarship to Mary W. Ferguson. Mary is a second year Horticulture major and winner of last year’s Hardesty Scholarship. The award is $1000 to support her education in the 2008-2009 academic year. Blue Ridge Community College had to re-award our scholarship because the original recipient did not register for the fall semester. The scholarship has been awarded to Eric S. Jenkins, a Horticulture Technology student. The award is $1000 to support Eric’s education in the 2008-2009. Dennis Murphy
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72 Wall Street Asheville, NC 28806 Richard Stiles-Branch Manger 828-255-5227 www.rstiles.wbsec.com richard.stiles@wachoviafinet.com
Cogito Landscape, LLC 93 Church Street Suite 4, Asheville, NC 28801 Charlie Hopper 828-252-9233 www.cogitolandscape.com chopper@cogitolandscape.com
Whitegate Inn & Cottage 173 East Chestnut Street Asheville,NC 28801 Dr. Ralph Coffey - 828-253-2553 www.whitegate.net innkeeper@whitegate.net
INVITATION The French Broad River Garden club has invited all Asheville area Garden Clubs to a “Green” Tea and Conversation on conservation issues with Alison Arnold of the Arboretum. It will be at 10:00am on Wednesday, September 24, 1000 Hendersonville Rd. In addition to hearing of the efforts of the Arboretum, discussion will be on two topics: (1) What are we doing as garden clubs to address conservation issues in our community? (2) How can we all work together on these concerns? Please RSVP to Clemie Gregory at 828-274-0700 or clemieg@bellsouth.net . Let us have a good representation at this opening session to a theme of conservation, and the first effort at collaboration in many years.
Men’s Garden Club of Asheville
Seed Pod
October 1, 2008
VERY FIRST SEED POD NEWSLETTER - 1943 Thanks to the men who have been working on our club's history archives. Above is the very first MGC-A's SeedPod newsletter. What a trip. Donald Dossey Seed Pod 3
Men’s Garden Club of Asheville
Seed Pod
October 1, 2008
Below are the proposed changes to the Constitution and By-Laws by the Constitution and By-Laws committee The Board has approved these proposed changes. We will vote at the next general meeting to approve the amendments. Respectfully submitted, Donald Dossey, Chairman, Constitution and By-Laws Committee General consideration of proposal: Change By-Laws, Section VI. Duties of Board of Directors. Purpose is to delete the Director at Large in the By-Laws section VI and in its place insert Education Support Director with duties and responsibilities. PROPOSED VERSION EDUCATION SUPPORT DIRECTOR: Responsible for developing and managing Club’s educational support programs. Chairs a committee of 3 or more members who will be assigned the following tasks: 1.) develop an annual educational support plan and budget, 2.) manage the Club’s scholarship program, 3.) select and recommend local high schools for donation of financial aid and equipment, 4.) select and recommend school projects consistent with members’ interest, 5.) Report to the Board about how well the educational support program is meeting the Club’s objective of support to education (Article II). 6.) Keep the Publicity Director and Publications Director informed as to the Club’s involvement in various educational programs. OLD VERSION DIRECTOR AT LARGE: Responsible for the functions and duties as requested by the president. Member, Donald Dossey, participated as one of the judges at the Flower and Garden exhibition at the NC State Fair, Wednesday, September 10th. Others judges on his team were Master Gardeners Tom Baily and Kathy Mead, Liz Elliott, entry crew leader for the Biltmore Estates, and Winnie Fisher, development associate at the NC Arboretum.
Kathy Mead, Tom Bailey, Liz Elliott, Winnie Fisher, Donald Dossey
Member Donald Dossey, Pat Barns, Associate Superintendent of Flower & Gardens, NC State Fair, and Joyce Yarling, Superintendent.
e Fair t a t S olina n Show r a C h Nor t and Garde r Flowe Ralph Coffey and Donald Dossey
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Men’s Garden Club of Asheville
Seed Pod
October 1, 2008
OCTOBER GARDEN TIPS Often we will hear gardeners say that they are feeding their plants, but this is an inaccurate statement. Plants manufacture their own food through the process of photosynthesis. As gardeners we, through fertilization, are providing an amendment or supplement to the soil. As has been noted before, the primary nutrients are listed on the fertilizer container as the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition to these elements, plants require other elements such as sulfur, copper, calcium, magnesium, and iron. Iron and magnesium are the micro-nutrient deficiencies more commonly encountered. When purchasing a fertilizer it is a good practice to check the label to see which micro-nutrients are present. Fertilizers are sold as synthetically produced or organic products. Both will meet the needs of the plant. Because I question whether any single fertilizer will meet all the needs of a plant, I switch from one fertilizer to the other. Since most of my plants are in containers, I prefer organic fertilizers. Synthetic fertilizers contain salts which are not utilized and are deposited on the inner wall of the pot. Over time these salts seep through the pot wall and are deposited on the exterior surface. It takes a vigorous scrubbing with steel wool to remove these deposits. Potted plants require frequent watering which will wash out the fertilizer. It is a good practice to water every two weeks with a more dilute solution. If a solid fertilizer is being used, it should be watered into the soil. Because potassium and phosphate do not migrate through the soil, they should be applied close to the roots of the plant. When we apply fertilizer to the soil, the elements applied move from the soil across the cell membrane of the root hairs into the plant. This movement is accomplished by the process of osmosis, that is, the elements move across the cell membrane from an area of higher molecular concentration to the area of lower concentration. For this reason, if fertilizer is applied to a dry soil, the movement of water may well be from the root to the soil. This may result in damage or death to the plant. Plants should be well watered before fertilizer is applied. John Fletcher
Annual Club Picnic Was a Blast!! The Club’s annual picnic was held at the Governor’s Western Residence and catered by The Fireplace Restaurant of Weaverville. There was plenty of barbequed pork, ribs, and smoked chicken, and sides of potato salad, baked beans, and cole slaw, plus drinks and dessert. Thanks to Tom Mills shown below with Sandy for a job well done.
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Men’s Garden Club of Asheville
Seed Pod
October 1, 2008
2008 4-H Sunflower Contest Donald Dossey and Mike Stevenson were the judges for the Annual Sunflower Contest sponsored by the Men's Garden Club and Mary Clayton-McGlauflin, Extension Agent, 4-H Youth Development. This program is one of the club's finest. We have kids from the 4-H clubs from the area participating and they love it. They look forward to it every year. The MGC-A gives the kids the seeds and provides awards at their awards event in January. Officials from our city, county and state governments are represented.. Our club should be honored in helping these kids. Donald Dossey Below are the winners of this year's contest. The Sprouts age 1 and 4 are siblings of 4-H Club members who wanted to do what their brother and sister were doing. So, Mike and I decided we had to give them an award. Juniors 1st Place: Ty Worley, Age 11, Newfound 4-H Club 2nd Place: Tucker Worley, Age 11, Newfound 4-H Club 3rd Place: Savannah Maynor, Age 13, Newfound 4-H Club Prettiest: Jenna Cagle, Age 9, Sandy Mush 4-H Club Cloverbuds Nate Worley, Age 6, Newfound 4-H Club Lane Worley, Age 7, Newfound 4-H Club Sprouts Kiera Austin, Age 1, Newfound 4-H Club Kylie Austin, Age 4, Newfound 4-H Club Donald Dossey, Mary Clayton-McGlauflin & Mike Stevenson
Fall Plant Sale 2008
Future Garden Club Member fertilizing plant material.
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Men’s Garden Club of Asheville
Seed Pod
October 1, 2008
Fall Plant Sale Highlights
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Men’s Garden Club of Asheville
Seed Pod
October 1, 2008
October Meeting Information Recent rains have greatly helped our plants, but we are still in the grips of a two-year record drought. Many of us have lost trees and shrubs, and the hemlocks very existence continues to be threatened. Our October 7 meeting will feature Will Blozan of Appalachian Arborists talking on “Maintaining trees when Mother Nature has other plans.” He will discuss how to minimize the stresses imposed on trees due to drought, poor soil conditions, negligence, and hemlock woolly adelgid. He will also discuss some cultural means to maintain healthy trees and present the latest developments in the battle against the hemlock woolly adelgid. Will Blozan has been a practicing arborist for over 22 years, and is the president of Appalachian Arborists, Inc. After graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies/Forestry at Warren Wilson College, he began work for the National Park Service in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There he became a local expert on old-growth forests, champion trees, and eastern hemlock. Will is a co-founder and the president of the Eastern Native Tree Society, which is dedicated to the accurate documentation of eastern trees and forests. He is currently working on a documentary film entitled “The Vanishing Hemlock: a Race Against Time” to document the tragic losses and inspiring successes of hemlock preservation, and aims to empower people to save what few forests remain. Our meetings are at the Botanical Gardens at Asheville. The meeting begins at 7:30 pm on October 7 in the Butler Room of the Main Building. The BGA is located at the corner of Weaver Blvd and Broadway, near UNC-A. There is no charge to attend the meeting and visitors are welcome. Members and guests are encouraged to arrive early and share fellowship (and snacks). Tom Mills
MGC-A Officers and Directors Directors Officers President: Ross Jones 274-7821 Past President: Dennis Murphy 645-3921 President Elect: Tom Mills 350-1897 Secretary: Carl Peterson 650-3005 Treasurer: Bob Sharp 299-9192
BOARD MEETING The next board meeting will be held at the Botanical Gardens Tuesday, Oct. 14th, 2008 at 12:15 p.m. All members are welcome.
Membership Recruitment: Carl Debnam 645-3822 Member Relationships: Gerry Hardesty 299-3315 Horticultural Center: Ted Faber 236-9865 Beautification Sites: Art Hulse 645-5658 Plant Sales: Nelson Sobel 225-0473 Public Relations & Publicity: Open Special Projects: Mike Stevenson 254-5227 At Large: Tom Wright 505-1174 Publications Director: Donald Dossey 258-1311
Men's Garden Club P.O. Box 633 Asheville, NC 28802 www.mensgardenclubasheville.org Since 1940
INSIDE: Plant Sale and Picnic pictures Seed Pod 8
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