Review of the last few years

So what have we been doing since we started in 2005?

In addition to our monthly members meetings, here is a list of our monthly lectures:

1. September 2005 - Grace Matthews, National Federated Garden Club Information
2. October 2005 - Diane Van Acker-Hopp, Hydrangeas
3. November 2005 - Mike DeVito, Orchids
4. December 2005 - Sarah Van Eenwyk, Christmas Plants

1. January 2006 - John Palmer, Flower Arrangement Techniques and Supplies
2. February 2006 - Audrey Deanne, Heirloom Tomatoes and Seeds
3. March 2006 - Sarah Van Eenwyk, Perennials
4. April 2006 - Lorraine and Doug Mason, Mason Farms Tour
5. May 2006 - Diane Van Acker-Hopp, Main Street/Town Hall Planting
6. June 2006 - Members-only Plant Exchange
7. July 2006 - Parker Zach, Daylily tour
8. September 2006 - Diane Van Acker-Hopp, tour of her farm/division of plants
9. October 2006 - John Palmer/Lagoner Farm, Created Pumpkin Centerpieces
9. November 2006 - Diane Van Acker-Hopp, Town Hall/Main Street Fall Plantings

1. January 2007 - Penny Darby, Houseplants
2. February 2007 - Rebecca Hatch, Propagating Plants
3. March 2007 - Penny Higgins, Starting Seeds
4. April 2007 - Lorraine and Doug Mason, Mason Farms Tour
5. May 2007 - Town Hall/Main Street Plantings & Apple Blossom Festival
6. June 2007 - Audrey Ferris, Rose Garden Lecture and Tour
7. August 2007 - Sue Harrison, Butterfly Gardens
8. September 2007 - Pultneyvill Historical Society Garage Sale/Plant Sale
9. October 2007 - Joyce Lyle, Federated Garden Club Information Meeting
10. November 2007 - Fall Planting for Town Hall/Main Street Planters
11. December 2007 - John Palmer, Create Floral Arrangements

December Event - Ceate Floral Arrangements

Hello Fellow Gardeners!

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the Garden Club's December event.

John Palmer, from Lagoner Farms, will be teaching us how to make floral arrangements. The floral arrangements will then be donated to Blossom View so the residents there can enjoy them. If you have not had the opportunity to meet John, you are in for a lovely experience as he is very knowledgeable and experienced in dealing with flowers and creating beautiful arrangements.

This event is open to the public so please feel free to bring a friend.

The December event will take place on Monday, December 10th at 7pm. It will be at Lagoner Farms ( http://www.lagonerfarms.com/?pid=fs_ov) at 6895 Lake Avenue.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Happy Gardening!
Subrata
http://grow-thewilliamsongardenclub.blogspot.com/

October Lecture

Williamson Garden Club Presents Lecture on
the Federated Garden Club of New York

The Williamson Garden Club is excited to have Joyce Lyle, from the Federated Garden Club, as our October guest speaker.

The presentation will be on Monday, October 29th in the Williamson Library’s large meeting room at 7:00 P.M.

The presentation will be open to the public, but we do ask that non-members call ahead, so that adequate seating can be arranged. The presentation will include time for questions and answers. For more information and/or to confirm your attendance you can call Subrata Paul at (315) 524-4204. If you need information about Garden Club activities, membership, etc. feel free to email grow14589@yahoo.com. Additionally, you can check out our blog at http://grow-thewilliamsongardenclub.blogspot.com to see when we are holding our meetings and upcoming events.

Fall Update

Hello Fellow Gardeners -

What an amazing fall we're having so far! I am loving the weather and enjoying the last-minute blooming of some of my plants.

1. As many are starting their fall cleanup, I thought you might enjoy some information from the Wayne County Cornell Cooperative regarding fall cleanup. Topics include composting, protection from rodent damage, as well as other information.
http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/wayne/gardening/000277.php

Remember that this is a great time to get your spring-growing bulbs, such as daffodils and tulips, into the ground!

2. For those us fortunate enough to visit Audrey Ferris' garden this past year, just a tip if your rose clipping rooted. Audrey recommends keeping the glass jar on top of the cutting to provide a little protection from the cold and snow.

Let me know if your rose clippings survived. Three of mine have survived and I am looking forward to see what new roses I have for next year!

3. I wanted to thank those gardeners who have been generous in donating their "hardy annuals" to the Garden Club. We are still open to donations so please keep us in mind if you're thinning your gardens or if you have hardy annuals (ex. gerbera daisies, geraniums, canna, dahlias, etc.) that you would like to donate to us. You can contact me or John Ferrante for pick up.

We are currently planning the remaining month's gardening lectures. If you have suggestions, feel free to contact me.

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

Williamson Garden Club Update

Hi Fellow Gardeners -

The weather has been great for taking care of our gardens and it looks like this weekend is going to be wonderful to be outside. It's hard to believe that it's the end of September, with all the greenery and growing flowers!

A couple of items:

1. If anyone has annuals that are actually "hardy perennials" (they would survive in warmer climates) such as geraniums, gerbera daisies, dahlias, etc. and are planning on getting rid of them, please consider donating them to the Garden Club. We can overwinter them and use them in the public areas next year. You can contact myself or John.

If you have perennials that you are thinking of getting rid of (or "shovel pruning" as my husband likes to say), again please consider contacting the Garden Club as we may be able to use them.

2. Just a reminder that there is going to be an Informational Meeting on the NYS Route 104/21 Gateway study. The meeting is tonight - Thursday, September 27 - at the First United Methodist Church, 4146 East Main Street from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. The evening will consist of a formal presentation followed by an informal gathering. The consultant team will provide an overview of the project and its timeline, a summary of what they have learned to date, and discuss some of the preliminary ideas that have been generated by the process. During the informal session, residents and business owners will have an opportunity to exchange ideas directly with engineers, planners, and designers that are here to help us achieve our vision.

As many of you know, the Williamson Garden Club grew out of the first Charrette meeting (thanks to the hard work of John Ferrante) and it is exciting to see the progress that has been made since that first meeting!

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

Update on Plant Sale/September Meeting

Hello Fellow Gardeners!

1. The September sale was a huge success! We raised over $80 for the Garden Club and are looking forward to using that money towards beautifying Williamson.

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU to Perry Howland and his wife, Dorothy. They provided a spot for us to set up and generously paid the garage sale fee for us to set up.

Plants, shrubs, fruits and vegetables were donated by John Ferrante, Carol Hopkins, Ed and Kris Jorolemon, Scott Utley, Penny Higgins and Eric Herriman. Without those items and their hard work, the sale would have not succeeded as well as it did. We had two big tables overflowing with items to tempt people into buying items and learning about the Garden Club.

2. We will be having our September meeting on Monday, September 24 at 7pm at Penny Higgins' house. Come early as we will have a plant give-away of the remaining plants from the sale (and possibly some new ones depending on how energetic I am over the weekend). After the plant giveaway, we will meet to vote on new officers for the coming year and discuss Garden Club activities for the coming year, including the Fall Plantings.

If you are not yet a member, I encourage you to come and check us out. Dues are only $10 and children join free is a parent is a member.

If you are a new member, we would love to have new ideas and new energy involved in moving the Garden Club forward in 2008.

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

September Garden Sale - September 15th

Hi Fellow Gardeners!

We will be having a Fall Garden Sale on September 15th. We will be setting up on Jay Street as part of the Pultneyville Historical Society Annual Community Flea Market and Garage Sale.

Bring your plants, veggies and whatever else garden-related that you would like to donate to the Garden Club for sale!

see you there
Subrata

August's event

This promises to be a good one! I hope you all can make it!

~Penny

August Garden Club Lecture

Hello Fellow Gardeners -

Mark your calendars!!

We are excited to announce that we will be having a Master Gardener coming in to discuss Butterly Gardens on Monday, August 20th, at 7pm. The lecture will be at the Williamson Pulic Library.

We hope to see everyone there. If you have any questions, feel free to email grow14589@gmail.com

thanks!
Subrata

Daylilies in Bloom!

Last year, the Garden Club was fortunate to be invited to get a private tour of a gorgeous daylily garden. Hopefully we will have the opportunity again this year. More information as details develop.

Daylilies are reaching their peak right now, and they will be featured at two events in Monroe County:

- More than 250 varieties of daylilies will be on display and more than 50 varieties will be for sale at the Webster Arboretum Daylily Display and Sale. The sale runs from 8 a.m. to noon July 14 at the Webster Arboretum, 1700 Schlegel Road, Webster. Half the profits of the sale go to the arboretum. For more information, call (585) 370-4260.

- More than 650 varieties of daylilies can be seen during free tours of Enchanted Gardens, an American Hemerocallis Society official national display garden, this month and next. Hours of the tours, during which daylilies will also be sold, are 9 to 11 a.m. Saturdays and 6 to 8 p.m. Mondays at Enchanted Gardens, 1085 State Road, Penfield (between Jackson and Shoecraft roads). Tours at other times are also available by appointment. For more information or to schedule a tour outside of regular tour hours, call (585) 265-9635.

Friday night excitement

Gardeners,

This is an invitation from the current GROW president, Penny, to attend a fun-fun bonfire extravaganza at her home this Friday (June 22).

Come early, and walk through my (weedy) gardens. Bring the kids. Well-behaved dogs (preferably with leash) are allowed.

Come later, and enjoy the fire, the lightning bugs, and perhaps an adult beverage.

Contact Penny for more information and to RSVP. If enough folks want to join the festivities, we'll set up the grill and have hamburgs and hots, too.

I can be reached at: paleololigo@gmail.com, paleololigo@yahoo.com, or 315-879-1123

~Penny

Maplewood Rose Garden Festival

Hello Fellow Gardeners -

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out the Maplewood Rose Garden.
Friday-Sunday (June 15-17)
28 Driving Park Ave 14613

Located off Lake Ave in the northwest area of the city, the Maplewood Rose Garden is one of the area's largest municipal Rose Garden. In its collection of more than 3,000 bushes you can find varieties from the antique 'Malmaison' to the most recent hybrids such as 'Princess Diana'. The roses fill more than 1 acre of garden with beautiful scent and color from early June nearly until Thanksgiving and outside the rose season the garden features bulbs, peonies, perennials and beautiful evergreens.

Rose enthusiasts will be sure to want to visit the Maplewood Rose Garden at the peak of bloom time, the second week in June. A three day festival highlights both the Garden and the surrounding neighborhood. Festival includes music, workshops, historic home and garden tours, gorge tours, children's activities, arts & crafts and more!"

So what is growing your garden? If you have photos you would like us to post, send us an email!

thanks

Subrata

Reminder: June 11th Meeting

Hello Gardeners -

Just a reminder that this coming Monday, June 11 at 7pm., the Garden Club will have an administrative meeting at the Williamson Library.

We invite all current members and any interested-to-become-members to join us at the administrative meeting to discuss our plans for the rest of 2007. We are interested in new ideas, suggestions for upcoming lectures, etc.

Just remember, membership dues are only $10 (and children are free when a parent joins!).

Spring Tulip

Cornell Cooperative Extension ofWayne County

Would you like to receive e-mail gardening tips and information aboutupcoming garden related events from the Cornell Cooperative Extension ofWayne County Master Gardeners?

If you would, call the Wayne County MasterGardener hotline 331-8415 ext. 107 and leave your name, phone number, and e-mail address or e-mail your contact information to mgwayne@cornell.edu.

If you have gardening questions please continue to call the hotline, as they are currently not able to answer questions via e-mail.

The Wayne Co site address (there is gardening info there) - http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/wayne

Mark Your Calendars - June Events

Hi Fellow Gardeners!

I hope you've had a chance to dig into the soil and get your gardens going. My irises are blooming like crazy and my peonies and oriental poppies are looking to bloom any day now.

We have two events going on in June.

1. Monday, June 11 at 7pm. at the Williamson Library
Garden Club administrative meeting. We invite all current members and any interested-to-become-members to join us at the administrative meeting to discuss our plans for the rest of 2007. We are interested in new ideas, suggestions for upcoming lectures, etc. Just remember, membership dues are only $10 (and children are free when a parent joins!).

2. Monday, June 25th at 7pm at Audrey Ferris' Rose Gardens
The Garden Club is happy to announce a lecture and tour of Audrey Ferris' rose gardens. This Master Gardener has over 200 rose bushes. We are very fortunate that she is willing to share her knowledge and expertise with us.
Please contact myself or John Ferrante ( for more information and directions to her house. This event is open to residents and nonresidents, so tell your friends.

Finally, I hope that people have been checking out the blog at http://grow-thewilliamsongardenclub.blogspot.com/. There is some information about the Cornell Vegetable Variety Citizen Science Project which is looking for volunteers to share their knowledge about vegetables.

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

Cornell Vegetable Variety Citizen Science Project

Wanted: Wayne County Gardeners who will participate in the Cornell Vegetable Variety Citizen Science Project

What varieties will grow best in my garden?

No doubt gardeners have been asking their fellow gardeners this question for centuries. Today's gardeners ask the same question. But now this website provides an avenue for gardeners to share their knowledge with a much wider community.

The concept is simple: Gardeners visit this site and report what varieties perform well - and not so well - in their gardens.

Other gardeners visit to view the variety ratings and read the reviews to decide which might work well for them. The Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners citizen science project also provides an opportunity for researchers to involve knowledgeable and motivated citizens in meaningful scientific research. Research on the performance of vegetable varieties is often limited to commercial production for many reasons. Home gardens may be overlooked, in part, because visiting thousands of home gardens to collect data would be an overwhelming task.

Asking gardeners to partner with researchers by collecting and sharing their own observations via the web could prove to be a winning combination for all. With a multitude of gardener observations at their finger tips, researchers can gain new insight into the performance of vegetable varieties under a wide range of conditions and practices, and ultimately provide more insight into which varieties perform best. At the same time, gardeners can get advice from a larger community of gardeners to help decide which varieties to try in their own garden.

Gardeners - young, old, beginners, experts - join the research team today.

Visit: http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu Or contact the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County Master Gardeners at (315) 331-8415 ext. 107

Watering Schedule for Town Planters

From our PR person, John Ferrante:

HI GARDENERS,

Now that the planting has been completed, it is time to establish a watering schedule for both the Main Street and Town Hall Planters. On Main Street, you will need watering cans/plastic pales and can get water at Kings Auto, Williamson Hardware and in front of the Tanning Center. At the Town Hall, you may need to get the water valve key from the Library or bring a couple of cans of water from Main Street. It would probably be a good idea to check the smaller planters of individual shops to verify they are being watered too. To date, the Library has not requested our help with their gardens for 2007. By the way, some planters will need watering even if we have rain because they are located under awnings.

While I was watering the planters this morning (5/14/07), I asked Mike Orr (Kings Auto) if we could keep a calendar with the watering records on his office counter. He agreed and would be willing to let a member know when the last recorded watering was done if a member called his shop. If you water outside Mike's shop hours, please call me (589-9557) and I will record the watering the next day.
Please call me if you could help out on the watering this summer.

Thanks,
John Ferrante

P.S. The Garden Club will be selling plants and handing out our club literature this Saturday (5/19/07) in the Craft Area starting at 12:00 Noon. We could sure use your help.

Master Gardener Plant Sale, May 12th

Hello Fellow Gardeners-

On Saturday, May 12th from 8:00 am -12pm there is going to be a Master Gardener Plant Sale!

Plants will be provided by local nurseries and from Master Gardeners' private collections.

Location: Wayne County Cooperative Extension, 1581 Rte 88 North, Newark.

For more information, check out their website at http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/wayne/gardening/000265.php

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

May Events - Spring Valley Greenhouse and Edgewood Nurseries

Hello Fellow Gardeners-

Well May is starting out with a bang!

This weekend there are two great events going on:

1. Spring Valley Greenhouse is having their Open House on May 5th and 6th from 10-5. From their website:
Perennial plants will be the 11:00am seminar topic. Free coffee and donuts from 10:00am-11:00am (or while they last). Sign up for our free drawing. Use the coupon in the Spring Valley Gardens newsletter to receive your free clematis, (valued at $5.98) No purchase required, must be 18 years old, one per family please. On Sunday, May 6th Chris LaBarge of Whispering Pine Stables will offer horse and pony rides from 11:00am-2:00pm, so bring that special little one then!

http://www.springvalleygreenhouse.com/Pages/Retail/Tips.htm

From past experience, their gardens are gorgeous to walk through and be warned that it's hard to walk out without buying something!

2. Edgewood Nursery, 620 Walworth Penfield Road (Rte 441) is having their annual nursery stock auction on May 5th starting at 10. Preview is at 9am and I think there's more information at www.reynoldsauction.com.

Hope to see some gardeners at both events!
Subrata

Mark Your Calendars for May!

Hi Fellow Gardeners -

Due to problems with the yahoo e-mail account, we've switched email addresses. Our new address is grow14589@gmail.com
Also, we have started a blog where we keep updated information on events. You can check us out at http://grow-thewilliamsongardenclub.blogspot.com/.

We had an amazing April event. Lorraine and Doug Mason, of Mason Farms, shared their secrets of creating a fast and easy planter as well as other tips to keeping gardening simple and easy (while still getting great results). We followed the discussion up with a walk through their new gorgeous greenhouse. It definitely made me want to rush home and dig in the dirt!

As many of you know, May is the time for Apple Blossom Festival. There are a number of things going on and we hope you can join us for some of them.

1. Saturday, May 12th.
We will be planting the town planters on Saturday, May 12th at 9am. We will definitely need some volunteers to help out as we have 18+ planters to plant. If you can help out, please email or call (524-4204). With the new techniques learned from Lorraine and enough volunteers, we should be able to get them done in no time.

In addition, Williamson is hosting its first "Clean Sweep" to get downtown ready for the Apple Blossom Festival. If you have time, after we are done planting the planters, please consider staying to clean up (pick up litter, pull weeds, painting, etc.) until 12:00 so we can get the Main Street Business area to look amazing for the festival!

2. Saturday, May 19th
Like we did last year, the garden club is planning on having a table to sell plants, generate some publicity and get some new members.

We could use any extra plants that you are willing to donate. You can either drop them off at the table on Saturday morning or you can call and someone from the Garden club will stop by and pick them up from you. (John Ferrante at 589-9557 or Eric/Subrata at 524-4204). If you know ahead of time that you will be donating, please let me know so we can plan the table space.

In addition, we could also use some volunteers to man the table. Last year we had a small but hardy bunch who manned the table the entire time but a few more bodies would help spread out the work.

Please let other interested gardeners know of these opportunities.

3. Finally, we are hoping to arrange a garden walk-through for May. It is still in the works but another message will be sent if we are able to arrange it.

In the meantime, Happy Gardening!thanksSubrataPS: If you need information about Garden Club activities, membership, or have suggestions for upcoming lectures, feel free to email. Additionally, you can check out the calendar at http://www.town.williamson.ny.us/ or at http://grow-thewilliamsongardenclub.blogspot.com/ to see when we are holding our meetings and upcoming events

Mark Your Calendars for April Event

Hello Fellow Gardeners!

Well after last week's snowstorm, I am ready to see some green, growing plants. Luckily we are going to have an excellent opportunity to get a sneak peek at what's going on at Mason Farms in Williamson.

Please mark your calendars for Tuesday, April 24th at 7pm. Mason Farms is located at 3135 Ridge Road. For more information or directions, please check out their website at http://www.masonfarmsny.com/.

We are looking forward to the opportunity to learn about their facilities and see how things are planted and grown.

Please let other interested gardeners know of this opportunity.

thanks
Subrata

PS: If you need information about Garden Club activities, membership, or have suggestions for upcoming lectures, feel free to email. Additionally, you can check out the calendar at http://www.town.williamson.ny.us/ to see when we are holding our meetings and upcoming events

Williamson's Clean Sweep

The garden club will be participating in a 'Clean Sweep' of downtown Williamson the weekend before the Apple Blossom Festival. This will occur on May 12th. We'll keep you posted as specifics develop.

Also, the garden club hopes to have a table that Saturday of the Apple Blossom parade (May 19th). We hope to raise funds by selling plants, either extras from our own gardens, or seedlings that we started earlier in the spring. Let us know if you're willing to volunteer at the table or can donate some plants!

~WGC

Spring is in the air

That is if you use 'spring' as a euphemism for 'snow!'

The weather looks as if it may finally turn for us, and that makes me happy. I have four flats of seedlings and a tray of plants purchased on-line that eagerly await getting plugged into the ground.

All I need is one warm weekend!

Happy Digging!

~Penny

Welcome

We've decided to start a blog. It seemed like a good idea.

This is where we'll keep all the important information about club events and our thoughts on current, garden-related matters.

Enjoy