Horticultural Society

H/4/1988-4-

There was no new business. The question was raised as to whether there should a specific meeting marked to celebrate our 125th season. The notion was avoided and in place, we agreed to meet at 7:00 at the next meeting to take a group picture.

QUESTIONS

Ari Preuss mentioned that during a trip to South Carolina he stayed 1/2 mile from the Angel Oak ( located on St. John's Island near Charleston) - a 1,400 to 1,600 year old tree reputed to be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi.

Nancy Preuss needs a pet cage for their eventually large dog that they will be voyaging with.

Caroline Hussman has seen metal strips around trees in town. They were identified as sticky tape devise for battling gypay moth caterpillars.

Buzz Hussman has wood chips for the taking.

John Hartge questioned the identity of a beetle 1/2 the size of a ladybug with one black spot on each wing.

Mary Seiler asked about Polonia trees. One camp discounted the species as a big weed and another expounded on the value, aesthetics, and delicacy of raising the tree for fun and profit

Priscilla Allen asked how far back to cut pussy willows - 6 inches will do. Also plant blueberries high or low. High is preferable - Maine is a good state to start.

Flora Goff brought on a discussion of vermiliads or air plants. The gist was that they do very well with minimal care and feeding .

Tom Farquhar brought a stunted tomato seedling - 1 of 60 that he had planted in cardboard egg cartons. He also had many pepper seedlings in a similar lamentable state. Chemicals in the cardboard were blamed and it was recommended that plastic egg cartons work better because they can be disinfected with bleach solution and used over and over again.

WHat to do about the vole holes? Just a few of the approaches included noise makers cats, moth balls and placing plants within hardware cloth.

Peter Conlon inquired after locally available pines. Recommended was Meadows Farms, formerly Cheap Eddie's, across from the Red Door Country Store on Norwood Road.

H/5/1988-1-

May 3,1988 The May 3rd meeting (# 869) of the Sandy Spring Horicultural Society met at Quailhill , home of Elizabeth Thornton, Peter Austin and a smattering of housemates. The day's weather although not splendid was benign and allowed the Society to inspect the thin veener of grooming that made the grounds and house seem inhabited by civilized creatures (possibly human) and not gaping, slovenly primates. As the daylight waned everyone was gathered to serve themselves dinner. We looked out the south facing picture windows as a red fox made regal and leisurely appearance on the hillside above the middle pond....compliments of Foxes-R-Us, Rockville, Maryland.

Guests included the first Society appearance of Marika Austin and Jamie Rogers. There was also Mark Jacoby, Lisa Griffin, Liz Goll, Robin and Nell Johnsen, Henry and Esther Thornton, Jan Westervelt, and Clive and Wendy Lawrence. Missing was Tom Canby, Iduna & Rudi Hanel and Flora & Harry Goff.

After a delicious meal, the meeting began with an announcement from Tom Farhquar regarding a colleague who orders flower bulbs from Europe at a very good price.

The meeting was officially opened with the Treasurer's report. Despite irresponsible managment and wild expenditures the cofferes swelled with the opulent sum of $53.15. The yearly dues of 50 cents per family was collected, extracted and cajoled from all those present. The suggestion that those absent would pay an exorbitant penalty for lateness was voted down.

Susan Canby followed with a terrifying article about the back-breaking labor, iron discipline, and nearly oriental view of gradual progress over time that goes into creating and maintaing a lovely effortless looking wildflower patch. The article was from the 1988 April Horticultural magazine and was entitled "Can You Have a Meadow Garden?" it was subtitled "Yes , but it takes planning, preparation, and dilligent follow-through. The whole article was a direct contrast to the blite and seductive marketing attached to the so-called meadow-in-a-can. The advertisements foster the illusion that creating a beautiful wildflower meadow involves the ease and neglect that's anathema to any serious horticultural project. On the contrary, it requires preocedure, hard-work, and about 3 years to hit stride.

In lieu of a voulunteer article, Mary Grady recommended a book entitled "Honeysuckle Sipping" by Lise Chasanou. It sounds like a charming collection of the tricks and magic that can be shared with children as one unfolds the wonders of the green earth before them.

The minutes from 100 years ago detailed the meeting at Norwood, May 1st 1888. Of a multitude of facts and figure it was mentioned that watermelons and cucumbers don't mix.

Priscilla Allen described her forethought as a reminder that most of what was forethoughted last month should be continued as the dizzying pace of summer activity shifted into high gear.

H/4/1991-1-

April 2, 1991, Eastlawn, page 1

It had been a clear windy day preceding our first 1991 meeting. The temperatures had been in the 50's and there was a frost and freeze warning on for the night. Despite those chilling auguries we met at the Mannings' for their first hosting of the Society. We shivered on their deck and shared visions for the oncoming gardening season then retreated to the house and a bountiful meal typical of what we had missed during preceding months.

Absent from the gathering were the Rogers, Caroline Hussman, Mary Seiler, and Tom Canby who was in the Middle East surveying the ecological ravages of our recent (murderous) involvement there. Our only guest for the evening was Mary Manning's mother, Bonny Sillers.

We started off the meeting with the October 1990 minutes and moved on to the reading of the By-Laws and realization that elections of Society officialdom was due. Since the standing president was absent, sick and supine we agreed to leave that chore for the next meeting.

Priscilla Allen was the assigned reader and shared passages from a personal anthology entitiled "My Garden in Baghdad". Among the charming vignettes and useful tidbits was an Islamic piece that said that God had put Man in the garden to dress and keep what grows there....one wonders who gets to do the other 90% of the workload involved with weeding, harvesting, peeling and canning. Later with a more occidental flavor we learned that pigeon manure is good while that of geese is pernicious. Also a haha is named such because in Britain one would take recognition of it and say a-ha! One wonders if lower class hahas were ever called blimeys. In the Arctic regions maybe they'd be called whoops! (because you seldom saw them until it was too late). In America they'd be called lawsuits.

Beth Bullard followed with an article by Barbara Cheney entitled "Garden Blights". It dealt with the frustrations of exhibiting one's garden to associates who avoid proper respect and awe in a creative myriad of infuriating and dispiriting ways.

Elizabeth Thornton followed with the minutes from a century ago. We were reminded that the best way to keep chickens from thieves is to lock both up separately.

Forethought involved the perennial situation of too much to do and too wet outside to do anything anyway. All the same it's a good time to plant trees and be sure to water new plantings if the weekly rainfall is under 1 inch. Plant

H/6/1991-1-

June 4, 1991, Rose Hill, page 1

We returned to Rose Hill, home of the Rogers, for our June meeting. Due to the energies and creativity of its denizens, Rose Hill remains ever more so an oasis of gentility and rooted beauty amidst suburbia's younger sprawl. We were missing the Ellers, the Bullards, the Hanels, Mary Manning, and Priscilla Allen. We were fortunate to have as guests Anne Jamison, Lisa Ritter, Mike Hyser, and Susan Canby's parents. Redge and Jenny Fifer. After a splendid repast we commenced the meeting with the reading of the previous meeting's minutes. They were corrected without too much bombast and recrimination and we progressed to the selected reader.

Tom Canby chose a National Geographic bulletin article about whitetail deer overpopulation in Catoctin National Park. This is the 4th year that the numbers of deer are at a level in the park that threaten starvation of their own species, damage to other lifeforms, and extinction of others. Since there is no hunting allowed the deer have no enemies and their population has increased unhindered to the dramatic detriment of all. It was a sobering, well-written article that made an undeniable case for thinning the population before further irreparable harm to the Catoctin area or any region similarly afflicted is incurred.

Ellis Manning followed with the reading of the hundred year old minutes. Worth repeating was the entry that sulpher applied to chickens kill insects...but also kills the chickens.

Harold Earp followed with a distilled version of the Extension Service Forethought Report. We are advised to not cut asparagus after late June. Where bagworms are a problem, pick them off and follow with a BT spray later on in the month. Plant gladiolas, dalias, and mums. Apple 510-5 fertilizer to roses after first crop of blossoms to guard against black spot. Also spray roses with a solution of 1 tablespoon powdered milk to a gallon of water for sticker. Where slugs are a nuisance, let them drown in beer. Stake your tomatoes if you want bigger, less numerous fruits - cage them if you want your crop smaller and more numerous. Cut, prune, and apply 5-10-5 to annuals. If your zinnias have powdery mildew pull them out and start again from seed. To protect fruit trees from coddling moth hang red painted spent lightbulbs coated with petroleum jelly. Don't forget to water, water, water and weed, weed, weed.

John Hartge gave us the Meteorologist Report we could've done without. It was the hottest May on record with a

H/7/1991-1-

July 2, 1991, Pi Acres, page 1

The Sandy Spring Horticultural Society met at the Fletcher's for their first hosting of the group. If that distinction had anything to do with the lovely and much needed downpour that immediately preceded the meeting, we can thank the Fletchers for having a parade for the clouds to open up on. Despite a lightning damaged transformer in Sandy Spring that routed many of us to take a circuitous path we arrived and the rain tapered off so that we could admire the many endeavors of an imaginative and talented family. The Secretary can vouch that at any time of the day or year the Fletcher's enclave is always presentable, productive, and resplendent as the Society viewed it that evening.

Unfortunately missing were the Canbys, Priscilla Allen, Nancy Preuss, Beth Bullard, and Elie Rogers. Guests included Sherry Fletcher's parents Twyla and Lyle Mader.

Unbelievably, there were only two dessert dishes fielded for the meal's end. Not so unbelievable, we dined extravagantly and began the meeting around 9:00 with Ted Fletcher wielding the gavel in Nancy Preuss' absence. The previous minutes were read, corrected and passed.

The assigned reader was Edwina Earp who brought an article from the Wall Street Journal about 92 year old Brother Adam who has spent the last 76 years raising honey bees. "Raising" is a pale, insufficient term for the exhaustivem painstaking, and vitally important task of selectively breeding bees to resist diseases, parasites, and environmental peculiarities. When he's not roaming Europe and the Mediterranean searching for resistant strains of honeybees he is in a remote part of Scotland where he carries out the nuts and bolts of breeding strengths and weaknesses in and out of honeybees.

There was no volunteer article and so we went on to the reading of the minutes from 100 years ago.

We continued on to the Forethought which began with the understatement that there were a great many things to do. We were advised to water lawns early in the morning. Pant - I mean plant for fall harvest. Spray when air is calm. Apply 10-10-10 to tomatoes. Prune flowers. Stake plants. Give roses their last feeding and stop pinching mums ! The black locust trees will be suffering from seasonal leaf miner damage but don't worry. Side dress corn if bottom leaves are yellow and other indications hint low nitrogen. Weed, harvest, plant, and pray for rain.

Speaking of rain the Meteorologist reported that the 1st two weeks of the month gave us less than a quarter inch. The total for the month was 2.9" which was not helpful but the same as last year. The high temperature was 95 and the low was 47. The winds were mild and generally the whole month bore a close resemblance to last year's June.

Exhibits

Among the offerings Rose Hill included phlox, yarrow, astilbe, zinnia, nicotiana, cornflower, perovskia, and an unidentified white flower.