THE DIRT

Every gardener loves a plant—to give or receive for the holidays. So, for the plant lover in your life, it’s as easy as heading to the GCA Marketplace. Choose from plants, bulbs, and seeds from participating partners, as well as a collection of carefully curated items, including linen, GCA swag, and jewelry. Ordering via the Marketplace supports the GCA’s many programs and initiatives, so be sure to check it out for great holiday gift ideas. (NOTE: Remember to go to the site via the Marketplace or use a GCA promotional code to make sure your purchase has the biggest impact.): •Brent and Becky’s Bulbs (bulbs, plants, small tools) •GCA Pollinator Notecards (Angela Overy, GC of Denver, original design) •Hudson Valley Seed Company (seeds, bulbs, garlic, shallots, tools, soil health) •Nature’s Creations (botanical jewelry and art) •Peony’s Envy (peonies and peony-themed accessories) •White Flower Farm (houseplants, outdoor plants, bulbs, holiday decorating) •Womanswork (gloves, sun hats, skin care, gifts) •GCA 2022 Annual Meeting Scarf (based on Angela Overy’s, GC of

Denver, original design) •Charleston Shoe Company (where function meets fashion) •Lots more!

Peonies-a-plenty. Photo courtesy of Peony’s Envy

In 2022, Zone I will be hosting the Shirley Meneice Horticulture Conference for the first time. We can’t wait to share horticultural gems like Garden in the Woods, Elm Bank, and the Tower Hill Botanic Garden with our attendees. Most importantly, we’ll be celebrating the sesquicentennial of Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum, a crowning jewel in Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace and a pioneering horticultural institution. We look forward to a hands-on experience for many and virtual opportunities for all! Stay tuned as details unfold.

—Peggy Mayfield, Fox Hill GC and Libby Moore, Little Compton GC, Co-chairmen, 2022 Shirley Meneice Horticulture Conference

Kalanchoe gastonis-bonnieri, donkey ears

Kalanchoe photo by Debbie Cameron

This is what has happened to my favorite plant in the past year and a half: I bought it in a tiny container at a farmer’s market. For six months, it just grew. Then the middle stem, which was hard, grew tall and formed flower buds. The donkey ears drooped and formed plantlets at leaf tips, which have developed and been potted up. The plant has been indoors in a sunny west-facing window and outdoors in the shade of a Japanese maple. Growing and sharing this plant has been a wonderful experience—and I have given away a bunch of plants in their infancy. I can’t wait to see how these remaining “ears” develop. Interesting plants can come from anywhere, and you don’t need perfect conditions to be successful! —Debbie Cameron, Green Spring Valley GC, Zone VI

Pilea peperomioides, friendship or Chinese money plant Pilea peperomioides is an evergreen perennial plant native to temperate parts of China and is a popular, adaptable, and fun to grow houseplant. Very easily propagated from offshoots that sprout from the parent plant, P. peperomioides is commonly referred to as the “friendship plant.” Fox Hill GC distributed plants to members in the fall of 2019 as a horticulture growing challenge—and the propagated offshoots were distributed to seniors in our community later that year. This year we plan to share our growing collection of friendship plants with a local food pantry for their guests to take home and enjoy for the holidays. Hopefully, they will pass some baby plants on to others! —Seta Nersessian, Fox Hill GC, Zone I

Pilea photo by Seta Nersessian

Watercolor by Amy Stewart

Frederick Law Olmsted moved to the Boston area in 1883 to develop a fulltime landscape architecture firm. He established his home and professional offices at Fairsted, a property in Brookline, Massachusetts, now known as the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, part of the National Park Service.

Olmsted was born in 1822. The national celebration marking the bicentennial of his birth will continue through 2022 with a host of events. The Real Dirt is joining the celebration by inviting you to propagate one of the plants that was grown at Fairsted. Propagation is by any means, which includes seed, cuttings, layering and division. Cultivars or nativars of these plants are acceptable.

Red oak, Quercus rubra, was an Olmsted favorite. Photo by Carrie Critchley from Pixabay

Class 1: Betula papyrifera, paper birch Class 2: Quercus rubra, red oak Class 3: Viburnum dentatum, arrowwood viburnum Beebalm, Monarda, is a valuable pollinator and was favored by Olmsted. Photo by Kevin McIvery from Pixabay

Class 4: Asclepias tuberosa, butterfly weed Class 5: Monarda, any type of bergamot or beebalm NOTE: Class 5 may be subdivided by the committee to reflect the myriad species and cultivars of Monarda grown in regions of the U.S.

•One plant in an appropriate pot. • One entry per person. • Horticulture Entry Card, Horticulture

Propagation Card, and photo required for entry. • Photos must be 1 MB or larger. • Deadline for entries is July 15, 2022. • Entry forms must be completed and submitted with entry. • Entry forms will be available on the

Horticulture Landing Page in the spring of 2022. • No pre-registration is required. • Winners in each class will be announced in the August edition of TRD and prizes will be awarded.

NOTE: Tutorials on How to Complete a Horticulture

Entry Card and How to Complete a Hort

Propagation Entry Card are available on the

Horticulture Committee and Flower

Show Committee landing pages under

“Entry Cards.” Contact your Horticulture

Committee Zone Rep if you have questions. Or send an email to TRD@ gcamerica.org. The Dirt is curated and edited by Peggy Mayfield, Horticulture Committee Vice Chairman, Fox Hill GC, Zone I. To submit hort news worth sharing with GCA club members, email trd@gcamerica.org. Articles contained herein were written by Peggy Mayfield, unless otherwise indicated.