February 2001 EGC Newsletter

House Tour 2001: Sign-ups for members to work on the EGC holiday house tour will take place at the February general meeting. Four houses have been chosen to be decorated for this winter project, each unique and lovely. The chairmen of the houses are: Nancy Ruggles: 246 Sheridan Street Denise Batchis and Gloria Freitas: 14 Old Stable Lane Robin Kallfelz and Darya Cotter: 33 Hillington Drive Rosemary Sinesi, Leslie Mullen and Marilyn Falzone: 16 Riverside Terrace The general chairmen of the tour are Nancy Cohenno and Vivian Bissett. We are counting on 100% participation of our active members. There are jobs for all levels of experience. In addition to being great fundraisers, our house tours are some of the most fun we ever have together as a group. So, please come to the meeting or give Nancy or Vivian a call to sign-up.

New Member Tea: The New Member Tea this year will be held on Sunday, March 18th at 3:00 p.m. at the Home of Kay Fulcher. This is a chance for the board members to welcome new members and fill them in on all of our activities. All new members from the past year will receive an invitation. Please contact Membership Chairman, Mary Beth Meyer if you do not receive an invitation in the mail.

Board Meeting: The February meeting of the board will be held on Wednesday, February 28th, at the home of Denise Batchis.

New Member: Welcome to new member Paul Josephs of Pond Street, North Easton. The second brave gentleman to join us this year!

Discount Reminder: The Plant Depot of Easton generously gives Garden Club members a 10% discount on purchases of plant materials. Just remember to bring along your current EGC book as proof of membership.


February 15-18, 2001 The Rhode Island Spring Flower and Garden Show "Down the Garden Path" The Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI Adults - Weekends $14.00, Adults - Weekdays $13.00 Children (ages 6-12) $7.00 Children under 6 are free. Seniors/Students $12.00 - Weekdays, $13.00 - Weekends Propagating Plants 2 Tuesdays, February 13 and 20 7:00-9:00PM Massachusetts Horticultural Society Elm Bank Reservation, 900 Washington Street, Wellesley 617-536-9280 www.masshort.org This class will cover the information you need to start your spring garden or increase your houseplant collection. You will learn the propagation tricks and techniques used by professionals for sowing seed of annuals, perennials, and vegetables indoors. $60 members, $65 non-members (includes all materials)

Aging Pots Want those spanking new pots to have some of the character your aged pots have achieved? Speed up the aging process with some simple tricks! Scoop up some mud onto an evergreen branch and rub it hard wherever a pot would naturally get grimy - around the bottom, inside the rim, and right beneath the rim. The dirt will get rubbed in, and the branch will leave a green residue that resembles algae or moss. Dab off the excess with a damp rag. To give your pots a little "growth", use a disposable sponge-brush (or terry cloth rag) to dab on acrylic paint and then wipe off the excess paint with a damp rag. You can use a variety of colors: white paint creates the illusion of mineral deposits, deep green resembles algae or moss, and black or deep brown looks like ground-in dirt. And here's a great tip: speed up the accumulation of real algae by painting on a brew of buttermilk (or beer) & algae. Just gather the algae by scraping bits off old pots. Then whirl the mixture in a blender. Simply let the pot soak for an hour or two in the mixture, or paint it on liberally. You'll have new-"old" pots in no time! Garden Gimmick courtesy of rebeccasgarden.com.

www.eastongardenclub.org

	February 14, 2001 (Wednesday) 7:30pm Oakes Ames Memorial Hall "Water Conservation"…………….Wayne Southworth
	Exhibits: "Berries for the Birds" Novice and Intermediate Classes Horticulture: "Any Beautiful Houseplant" Topic: "Planting Mediums" Hostesses: Kay Fulcher, Chair Joyce Holster, Lisa Kenney, Amy Morse Table Arrangement: Marilyn Falzone

This month's speaker will be Easton's DPW and Water Department Director, Wayne Southworth. He will discuss water conservation. This will be a very informative talk on gardening with minimal water, proper mulching and planting drought-tolerant plants. The list will surprise you. This will be a good topic for which members may want to bring along their spouses or gardening friends. * The steps to Oakes Ames Memorial Hall still have not been shoveled. Please walk up the driveway and use caution. We are trying to get the light bulbs replaced on the porch as well.