Friday, June 27, 2008

July Update and Events

Hello Fellow Gardeners -

Mark your calendars for our July events -

1. Members meeting - Ed and Kris Jorolemon will host our members meeting on Monday, July 7th at 6:30. If you have not had the pleasure to see Kris and Ed's gardens yet, you are in for a treat! Let me know if there are any topics you would like discussed during our members meeting.

2. Monthly event - Parker Zach has invited to see his Daylily garden on Saturday, July 19th at 6:30 pm. He lives in Webster.

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In other news, Eric and I went to the CoC meeting last night. There was an excellent response to the request for paint donations and volunteers to paint the Chinese Restaurant wall. All the paint and the filler have been covered through donations, even though Mike Orr was willing to dip into BID money in case it wasnt' covered. The CoC simply needs to get the top part filled in and painted and then will let the volunteers know when they are needed for painting. I will keep you posted.

Secondly, from Lorraine
"in exciting news, the Chamber received permission from Mr. & Mrs. DiGiulio, the owners of the cobblestone garage on Main Street to do a clean-up on the property! We are very pleased that this could be worked out to benefit them and our community!!
We are asking any adult that would volunteer one hour of their time to help pull/cut weeds to please contact Lorraine Mason or the Chamber or Mike Orr of the BID. We are only asking for an hour...whatever you achieve in that hour is your donation to the community project.
We also approached the DiGiulio's about the Chamber and the BID freshening the paint on the building. We are waiting to see if this is a possibility.
PLEASE...consider helping...these types of projects show community spirit, pride and our willingness to help others!
Thanks for the consideration!!!"

If you are interested, the Chamber of Commerce email is WilliamsonCofC@aol.com.

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Update and Recap - June

Hello Fellow Gardeners -

We had an amazing June lecture at Audrey Ferris's gardens. She showed us her spectacular rose gardens (as well as her other plants) and let us take clippings of her roses. She said that about 50% of her rose garden came from clippings(!) and they are just gorgeous to look at. I know that 1/2 of the cuttings I took from her garden last year survived and are thriving. I will try to write up my notes on how to make cuttings/preparing your roses, etc. and will post it on our blog.

We were also lucky to get three garden tours on Tuesday! Along with Audrey's amazing gardens, two of her neighbors were generous enough to share their gardens with us. One of the neigbors owns Lavender Lane and she grows, harvests and sells lavender. It was really something to see.

I have some "Save the dates" for July and information on the next Chamber of Commerce meeting.

1. CoC - Meeting is today (7/26) at 7pm in the Williamson Library.

2. Kris and Ed will be hosting our members meeting this month. We will have it in the beginning of July - more information as date/time are finalized.

3. Penny has arranged the daylily tour with Parker Zach for Saturday, July 19th. I know we typically don't do weekends but if you can make this tour, his daylily garden is out of this world. Parker is a very passionate and experienced daylily gardener. I will send the time and address in a future email. I know this is the same day as the Pultneyville Homecoming but unfortunately no other day works well for Parker.

4. I am trying to arrange a garden tour of the Bornath House in Pultneyville. The Bornaths are avid gardeners and not only have a beautiful rose garden but have a spectacular oriental garden. This will probably be sometime in mid/end July - more information as it gets finalized.

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Going forward:

1. There were other members who had expressed an interest in hosting the members-only meeting and letting us tour their gardens. If you are still interested in doing so, please let me know. We still have August, September and possibly October, depending on the weather.

2. A BIG thank-you to everyone who has been watering the plants. Eric and I are doing it this week and they look spectacular - growing, lush, and very healthy. We've been getting many compliments on how well they look this year. We are working towards getting small laminated signs in the planters so people will know that our garden club planted and are maintaining the planters.

3. Shirley is working hard on getting the Green Space going and has made excellent progress! She's been talking to Mike Orr and, until the Chinese restaurant side has been painted over, the major part of the green space is on hold. Mike has put in the tree and is planning on providing the benches, etc. Shirley will be working on putting plants in the small planter by the side. If you would like to help Shirley with the Green Space, feel free to contact her.

4. Plant Exchange - a few people have gotten back to me with plants they have to exchange. If you have items to exchange OR are interested in plants, even though you may not have anything to offer, please email me with your list.

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Williamson Chamber of Commerce Information

Hello Fellow Gardeners!

I don't know about you but my garden has just BURST into color. Every day I go out and it looks like yet another flower has burst into bloom. It's completely chaotic as I have not gotten to weeding yet (as those who are coming over on Wednesday will see) but I'm really enjoying the color and fragrances. I forget how wonderful the roses smell when they start blooming.

I've been receiving updates from the CoC as we are now members. I'm going to post them on our website but there were a few that I thought might be interesting. I'm going to combine them into one email for your convenience.

1. SUPPORT OF COMMUNITY PROJECT
The BID and CofC have received the go ahead to have the east side of the old Chinese restaurant painted. We feel that this project will benefit the overall look of the downtown area.

The project relies on support and donations from businesses, Churches, community members and organizations. The donation requested would be to submit to the BID (Mike Orr) the cost of one (1) gallon of paint. The support would be to help prep and paint.

This is a simple project if we get enough involvement. It will not fall on the shoulders of a few if everyone can offer something. One hour of your time during the day or at night after work to scrap or paint is all we are asking from each person. Don't have time for that then donate a gallon of paint.

This project will happen over a period of time. Please contact Mike Orr of the BID or Lorraine Mason of the CofC with questions, offers of help, etc.

SUBRATA: I would like us to, at minimum, donate paint for the project. If anyone sees a problem with that, let me know. We currently have over $1,000 in our bank account. If there is interest, we could set up a "Garden Club" night where members get together to help with painting.

2. The Chamber would like to communicate with as many of members as possible. If you are interested in community happenings, business news, etc. please send your name and associated email address to WilliamsonCofC [at] aol.com with the above requested information.

3. Governor Paterson's Economic Security Cabinet is pleased to announce Regional Town Hall Meetings to receive comments on New York State's efforts to protect and enhance the economic security of low-income families. In this national economic downturn, Governor Paterson has charged his Economic Security Cabinet with exploring opportunities to support struggling low-income families. These Town Hall meetings will provide an opportunity to hear about the State's commitment to protecting and enhancing economic security. Suggestions from employers, labor representatives, researchers, advocates, and the general public are a vital part of this effort, and interested individuals are invited to provide written submissions and/or 3 minutes of in-person testimony.
Further information about the Economic Security Cabinet and the regional Town Hall meetings – and registration information for the meetings - can be obtained at the Economic Security Cabinet website – http://economicsecurity.us. All meetings will begin promptly at 4:00 PM and end at 7:00 PM. June 25 Finger Lakes Region – Rochester City Hall.
To register for any of the Economic Security Cabinet town hall meetings or reserve a few minutes to speak, please visit the Cabinet's web site at http://economicsecurity.us

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

Mark Your Calendar - June Event!

The Williamson Garden Club is very excited to present Wayne County Master Gardener, Audrey Ferris, for their June lecture. Learn how to grow roses and keep them blooming and disease free throughout the season. As an added bonus, we will also enjoy a tour of Audrey's garden in Sodus, which contain over 200 roses!

The lecture will be on Tuesday, June 24th at 6:30 pm. If you are interested, please contact me for information on location at grow14589@gmail.com or 315-524-4204.

This event, as with all our events, is free and open to the public.

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

June Update

Hello Fellow Gardeners!

We had an excellent meeting at Carol's house - she provided a lovely tour of her gardens and a sneak peak at her house (hers is one of the 10 houses on the Pultneyville Historical Society's House Tour - http://www.pultneyvillehistoricalsociety.org/pages/news_feat.htm).

At our member's meeting:
1. The PHS House Tour is on Saturday, June 14th. We will be donating a vase of flowers for each house. Please take a look at your gardens to see what you think you can donate to the cause. We have some vases but if you have vases to donate, let me know. Kris Jorolemon will be donating her artistic skills in creating a small card/sign to go with each vase.

I will be sending another email next week for a day to get-together and create the vases (probably Thursday the 12th).

2. One of the houses is looking for garden club members to help out on the 14th. What would work best would be two people in the morning and two people in the afternoon. If you are interested, email me or Carol Hopkins and let us know which time would work best for you.

3. Shirley Schulze will be our point person for the Mike Orr Greenspace. She will meet with him to find out how he would like to proceed with the Greenspace.

4. I received a great response to the request for watering the planters. Thank you for your enthusiasm to do so! There are a few weeks (maybe 3 or 4) that have not yet been taken. If you can take one week to water, let me know.

Finally, I am very excited to announce that our June lecture will be at Audrey Ferris's garden on Tuesday, June 24th, at 6:30. Those of you who went last year know what a spectacular garden she has and how wonderful it was to walk around and see all the gorgeous flowers (roses and then some!). Hold the date as it will be an amazing experience!

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Update to Apple Blossom Festival

Hello Fellow Gardeners!
We had an excellent Apple Blossom Festival sale. We made $175 in sales (yeah!!). W

e have only sold six raffle tickets, to two people. I know the raffle was set up later so I want to open it up to members if anyone planned on getting tickets and didn't get a chance.
The prizes are -- Grand Prize - 1/2 hour rototilling;
1st prize - 1 year membership with Garden Club
2nd prize is a very cute gardening mug with little gardening tools.
Tickets are 1 ticket for $2 or 3 tickets for $5. Let me know by Tuesday (we can settle up money-wise later) and I'll be picking names on Tuesday evening.

We had a lot of great help.
John offered up and set up the tent which definitely came in handy during the torrential downpour. He also provided the sandwich board so passerbys could see our information.

Plants were donated by Penny, Carol, Kris and Ed, Tim, Scott, John, Shirley and Eric and then, of course, we received another truckload from the Sodus Garden Club. I can't even begin to discuss what we had because there was so many awesome plants this year!

A big thanks to those who were able to stay and sell plants. I know how difficult it is especially for those who are on multiple committees or were hanging out with the kids/grandkids. Shirley, Scott and definitely Penny were a huge help in selling and talking to prospective garden club members :).

Finally, I have to thank Eric for all the driving and picking up (and loading and unloading) on Saturday.

It was really great to see how everyone's contribution to the sale made it such a big success - thank you for your time and energy!
Happy Gardening!-Subrata

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Pultneyville Historical Society -"Sailors' Farewell Tour of Homes"

"Sailors' Farewell Tour of Homes"
June 14, 2008
10am-4pm

The Pultneyville Historical Society is preparing for its first “Sailors’ Farewell Tour of Homes” on June 14 th , 2008! The last time the Society was involved in a local house tour was approximately 15 years ago. The event was an overwhelming success, bringing not only community residents, but also people from the larger surrounding area!
The theme for this tour is based on Pultneyville's long maritime history with the title of
"Sailors' Farewell". Captains and crews would leave from this port, bidding farewell to many local families, neighbors, and business associates.

The agenda for this year's tour includes ten homes of varied history and architecture. Among these:

You will visit the location of the Sailors Farewell Dance, which was often held the evening before departure on these perilous voyages.

A local Captain's historic residence is included in today's adventure.

You will see homes that played an important role in the history of The Underground Railroad.

You will visit a home that reports the lowest sea level elevation on Lake Ontario 's Southern shore.

The Young Sommer Winery on Jersey Road has also been included for your pleasure as an introduction to a new exciting local winery, which will see future inclusion on a NY State Winery Trail from the Williamson area.

Other exciting features are planned for your enjoyable day walking or riding through Historic Pultneyville.

Parking will be available to the local homes at the Pultneyville Reformed Church and the Pultneyville Grill restaurant. Those needing closer parking may park at the old hotel, which is part of the tour.

A buffet lunch will be available between 11:30 am and 3 pm at The Pultneyville Grill, located in The Landing At Pultneyville , which overlooks Pultneyville Harbor . Current planning includes soup & salad choices, veggies, meat entree, and soft drinks. Price includes tax and tip. This historic beautiful refurbished building is located adjacent to the site of local shipbuilding during the late 19th century. The Artisans Loft is located next to the Pultneyville Grill and presents works of many local and area artists with different artistic mediums.

This promises to be a fun and exciting day. Click here to print out the Tour ticket order form and follow the mailing instructions to receive your advance tickets.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

More Mason Farms Pictures

Kris Jorolemon took some gorgeous photos of the Mason Farm greenhouses.

View of some of the lush and green plants we saw during the Mason Farm Tour



View of one (of many) greenhouses at Mason Farms







Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Apple Blossom Festival

hello Fellow Gardeners!

The Main Street and Town Hall planters were done on Friday evening. We have some very creative and pretty mixes of plants this year - along with flowers, there is a mix of decorative foliage, textures and sizes. I wanted to thank John Ferrante, Penny Higgins and her family (Bill and son Evan), Carol Hopkins, Scott Utley, Eric Herriman and Kris and Ed Jorolemon for their help in getting the planters done. I hope everyone has a chance to check them out!

So we have some exciting volunteer opportunities!

1. Now that the planters are done, we need some volunteers for watering the plants. Eric and I went out Sunday morning and the planters were a bit dry. We are hoping to water them every day this week so that they get settled by the Apple Blossom Festival. After that, they should be watered at least 2-3 times a week, depending on the weather. Water is available at a couple of different areas, so you don't need to cart the water to the area.
- If you can volunteer, even for one week, let me know.
- If you decide to water, let me know so we're not duplicating efforts

2. We need people to sit at the table for Apple Blossom festival this year. We will have a booth set up on Saturday only and will probably be there from 10ish until after the parade (maybe 2/3ish?). Even if you can only sit for an hour, that would be very helpful.

3. Finally, we are looking for plant donations for the table. We currently have a great crop of Norfolk pine and I think we'll have hostas. Let me know if you are planning on donating - you will be able to drop things off at the table or you can also drop them off at my house during the week.

Just a reminder, starting in June, we will be having garden tours. If you would like to open up your garden for the club to tour, let me know. We are thinking about having our members meetings be at our members' gardens.

Happy Gardening!
Subrata

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Master Gardener Plant Sale - Wayne County Cornell Cooperative Extension

Saturday, May 10th from 8:00 am to noon
Master Gardener Plant Sale
(plants provided by local nurseries and from Master Gardener’s private collections)


Gardeners Toolboxes will also be available for purchase. Finished $15.00 each, kits for $10.00 each
Location: Wayne County Cooperative Extension, 1581 Rte 88 North, Newark

Pruning: An Illustrated Guide to Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.
Pruning practices described in this publication are appropriate for both the amateur and the professional horticulturist - $6.00.

Planting and Maintaining Trees and Shrubs.
The practices discussed in this guide are appropriate for landscape plantings and for use by private property owners and professional horticulturists - $8.00.
These two publications are written using current Cornell recommendations for trees and shrubs grown in New York State. They are easy to understand and contain many illustrations.