Our Newest Master Gardener

Congratulations to Joy Breitung on becoming a Master Gardener.  Not only has Joy found the time to attend the Master Gardener program she also serves as our Secretary on the Mandarin Garden Club Board.  She is truly a busy lady.

Magnolia Circle Meeting

Magnolia Circle will hold the first meeting of the 2015-2016 season on Thursday, September 10 at 10:00 am.  We will be joined by Mary Forester, Master Gardener Liaison for the Garden Club, as well as Circle Leader for the Live Oak Circle, for a tour of the Mandarin Garden Club gardens.  Mary, the Master Gardeners, and numerous volunteers have made many improvements in the gardens over the past year and the results are amazing!  When you walk through the gardens, we don’t realize the number of hours of labor it takes from numerous volunteers to maintain these gardens and keep them as beautiful as they are!  Mary will give us some history of the gardens, explain what improvements have been made in the last couple of years as well as answer any questions the group may have.  This will be a great tour and we welcome anyone from the other circles to join us as well.  Refreshments will be served as well.  

We will also be distributing the 2015-2016 yearbooks to the Magnolia Circle members at this meeting.  If you are unable to attend, please let me know and I will be sure to get the yearbook to you.  You may contact Sandi Bryan at 904-955-0154 or email me at sbryan5500@comcast.net.  

Hope to see everyone on Thursday!  

Sandi Bryan

Magnolia Circle

Fall Fertilization/Pruning

The month of September should be the last month for any fertilization in your yard.  It sometimes takes several weeks for fertilizer to start helping your plants.  So if we have an early frost, the new growth may be smacked pretty hard with the cold weather.  The same goes for pruning – severe pruning stimulates new growth, so get your cutting back now and avoid any early-frost damage.

Martha Dysart

Horticulture Chairperson

Crafty Ladies Visit K9 Warriors Facility

Mandarin Garden Club's Thursday Crafty Ladies toured the new K9 For Warriors facility last week.  The Crafty Ladies Group raised funds to help support this worthwhile organization and presented a check to them during the tour. Barbara Price, Joyce Datz, Sonia Jacobson, and all of the members of Crafty Ladies are to be commended for their efforts in supporting our veterans.

K9s for Warriors pairs rescue dogs with military veterans suffering from Post-traumatic Stress, brain injury, and military sexual trauma post 9/11. They provide in-house programs to qualified veterans with professional canine trainers and dogs that will become a service dog for an American hero. This approach helps each veteran to recover and return to civilian life with independence and dignity. There is no cost to the veterans for this program.

The Thursday Crafty Ladies went out to lunch together after the tour and had a fun day together.

Bonsai Artist - Joe Day

North Florida Bonsai Club along with the Mandarin Garden Club will be hosting a Bonsai workshop on Wednesday, September 23 at 7:00 PM.  We are privileged to be hosting a nationally recognized bonsai artist - Mr. Joe Day.  He’s been working with bonsai for 30 years, and resides near Mobile, Alabama. Some of Joe’s expertise includes large trident maples, slab plantings, and some of his slabs are featured at the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum.

He will be moderating a bring your own tree workshop for our club members.  The Mandarin Garden Club members and the public are invited to come as observers at no charge.

Mandarin Food Bank needs our help!

Mandarin Food Bank is one of the charities supported by Mandarin Garden Club. They need our help with a contest they are in. Please go to www.cit.com/vote and vote once a day on each of your devices (phone,computer, iPad, etc.) to help the food bank win $10,000 for first place. Last year the food bank came in second and won $5000. $10,000 will feed a lot of people so join the garden club in supporting Mandarin Food Bank. Thanks for your help!

Betty Waldrep

Martha's Bloom Report

 

In the Crosby Perennial Garden 3 things are of note . . . The old-fashioned  “Pass Along” plant Clerodendron paniculatum (Pagoda Plant) is beginning to bloom – its common name comes from the shape of the flower – pagoda-like. It is called a pass-along plant since it has been “passed along” from person to person for many decades. This plant has a large tuber which multiplies in a “polite” fashion over several years, and so provides a nice patch which can be thinned for gifts. It is free of most pests, but aphids can cause the blossoms to be small and deformed – to rid the plant of aphids, just spray with horticultural oil several times over 3 weeks.

 

The ornamental banana Musa velutina is in bloom. It's interesting to note that the name velutina refers to the velvet-like seed pod coating of the fruit. Do not allow your curiosity to taste this banana – it is filled with seeds and slimy gel – I know this from experience !!

 

In Bed 1, the bright purple Thunbergia erecta (Kings Mantle) in beginning to bloom. This plant will get quite large (6 feet), but can be pruned severely, and still come back quickly. It might get some frost damage in colder spots, but will recover from the roots.

 

In the Ginger Bed, there are several species of Kaempferia (Peacock Gingers) blooming. They are all small, ground-cover plants with flowers which mostly look like African violets. Their leaves are their crowning glory, since they are patterned differently with very dark green spots. Each species is labeled, so you can distinguish one from another. This type of ginger is not happy with any amount of sun. They also multiply easily, but not aggressively.

 

Another type of ginger blooming now, is the Costus spicatus or spiral ginger. So called because of the way its stem grows – in a spiral manner, rather than straight up toward the sky. A third type of flowering ginger is the Heydichium coronarium var. chrysoleucum. This tall ginger has a fairly showy pale yellow/white blossom at the tip of its stem.

 

All of the gingers are semi-tropical, and most will go dormant during our winter. Their flowers generally last a long time when used in cut-flower arrangements. They are quite easy to grow, and can take more sun than you might think. However, the more sun they have, the more water they may require. If you are thinking of transplanting gingers, now is the time, since they are actively growing. Just be sure that you have a “growing tip” part of the tuber as part of your transplant.

 

Martha Dysart