Celebration, Appreciation, Participation, and Dedication

(Apologies from the author to those who receive this posting again because I needed to make a correction:  I misspelled Mickey's name.  It's spellcheck for me from now on!)

Our club had Christmas luncheon at the Blackstone Grille.  Nobody can say we don't know how to celebrate a great year!  We're officially members of the clean plate club.  A few of the ladies shared desserts - now THAT'S friendship!  Mickey shared some recycling tips (which will be in the next posting).  Dianne spoke about an upcoming public hearing on a new PUD (planned unit of development) on Roberts Road, and Sarah and Phyllis provided background information on the area.  Mickey sponsored a doorprize giveaway which Linda won.  She got to choose one of Dianne's painted hyptertufa garden decorations.

Since the last postings, we participated in a wonderful GardenFest, got our butterfly garden, now an Official Monarch Waystation (with a Certificate of Appreciation to prove it), weeded, seeded, and generally cleaned up, and reflected on the importance of Stetson Kennedy's life at the dedication of his homestead as a national literary landmark.  Members of the club donated toys, money, and raffle items to Pie-in-the-Sky, Hastings, and helped out at their Holly Jolly Hastings Christmas Party.

The author is maintaining her tradition of posting the inspirational that is read at the club's Christmas luncheon, and this year we were happy to have two wonderful ones.  Please continue reading.  We hope the words will inspire you to share the message of the season with all you meet.

How Do You Spell Organic? K-Y-V

The speaker for our November meeting was Francisco Arroyo from KYV Farm 1670 Borrow Pit Rd., Switzerland.  KYV is a CSA with a USDA organic certification.  Sound like alphabet soup?  Well, this is how Francisco explained it (supplemented with some information from the University of Florida).

KYV is one of only two farms in our county that are certified organic farms.  The University of Florida has a publication on Organic Production.  Francisco's explanation was a little less technical but just as accurate.  KYV farms uses no chemical pesticides or fertilizers.  Francisco farms like he did when he lived in Puerto Rico.  At that time he had no idea that his practices were "organic".    It was the only way Francisco knew how to farm.  He hadn't even heard of the term, "organic" until he and his wife Vivian started KYV Farms here in 2006.  Traditional methods of farming:  crop rotation, cover crops (green manure), overplanting (to compensate for loss through disease and insect destruction), cured farm animal compost, are combined with modern efficient irrigation and cold frame use at KYV to produce the highest yield of healthy and organic produce.

Find out about CSA's and what the name, "KYV" means; check out the rest of this article (click the Read More >> link below).   And this month our website features articles on junior gardening by Arlene Hendrickson,  Growing our Future Gardeners, and the Old Settler's Reunion at Alpine Groves Park by Carolyn Mullinax, Oh, the Fun We Had.

Farm-to-Family to Our Garden Club

October has been a busy month for our garden club. We wanted to share some of the activities we've been involved in and give you a preview of those to come. The speaker for our October meeting was Malea Guiriba, co-founder of Pie in the Sky, a 501(c)(3) grassroots charitable organization seated in Hastings, Florida. Malea joined us to tell us about her new venture, Farm-to-Family, and how it supports the mission of Pie in the Sky. At the meeting we got the opportunity to taste several dishes made from seasonal vegetables purchased at the Farm-to-Family local produce truck. We invite you to try these Recipes for October Produce, including a Ménage à Squash. Last, but not least, our president, Mickey, has written an article, Support Your Local Monarchs!, on how important and easy it is to make your home a sanctuary for monarch butterflies. She has photos of larval monarchs savoring her milkweed before beginning their cocoon stage.  For now, please continue reading this article by clicking on "more" below.   We'll remind you at the end!

"Lucky Louise" Cleans up at September's Kickoff Meeting

If Louise ever takes a trip to Las Vegas, the entire garden club might be traveling with her.  She won both the raffle and the best guess contest at our September 11 kickoff meeting.  Her raffle winning was a photograph of the Cummer Museum's gardens taken by Marguerite (and signed by the artist).  Her best guess was an explanation why holes had been drilled into the picture's frame (see the left and right frame sides).  She and her prizes are pictured next to the marvelous arrangement of September flowers and foliage brought in by Beverly Fleming.  For the answer to the mystery of the "holey picture frame" and the names of the plants in the cut arrangement, click the Read More >> link just below this sentence. 

For Donna Keathley

Please join us in noting the passing of The Garden Club of Switzerland's vice-president, Donna Keathley.  Memorial Services will be held at 3PM on Saturday, September 20 at Geneva Presbyterian Church.  Light refreshments are planned afterwards, and all are invited to attend.

We also invite everyone to share their memories of her in celebration of her life by posting a comment for Donna at our Donna Keathley page.

Super Harvest Moon, Monday 9/8, First Meeting Thursday 9/11

Are you looking forward to fall?  The Garden Club of Switzerland is.  Our kickoff meeting is at the Bartram Trail Library on Thursday at 10AM.  See our calendar for our meeting and events schedule.  Please feel free to stop by and enjoy what's happening.

Between now and then we'd like to tell you about a celestial event you might like to appreciate and better understand.  The event is the full harvest moon.  Practically every culture celebrates the harvest moon, which happens on the full moon occurring closest to the autumnal equinox.  As discussed in the vernal equinox post in March, day and night last for equally long times as the earth reverses its tilt along its axis.  The autumnal equinox begins when the earth's tilt changes to a northward direction; the reverse of this tilt change is in the spring.   The autumnal equinox in northern Florida occurs on September 22 at 10:49PM.  This year's full harvest moon takes place on September 8 at 9:30PM, well ahead of the equinox.  Does the timing discrepancy mean that this full moon is not a "true" harvest moon?  Find out why it's called the "harvest moon."

Springtime in the Garden: Slideshow

This summer has been a banner season for butterflies and other pollinators.  It was well underway in May, when these photos were taken.  For a 7-minute slideshow complete with sound, click on:

Spring 2014 in the Garden

The song is, "Butterfly's Day Out," from the Applachia Waltz CD featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O'Connor - so be sure your speakers are on.

The fritillaries in the video were very skittish, never giving me quite enough time to focus.  When I returned with my camera to the garden in mid-August they were coming to the end of their run and were much more lethargic.  In August there were plenty of zebra longwings, swallowtails, and sulfurs to give my shutter speed a run for its money - that slideshow will be out in the fall.  But while you are watching "Spring" notice the fritillary caterpillar on its favorite host plant, the purple passionflower.  

For future reference, if you want to play this slideshow again, it has a permanent home on our Awards and Projects page, on the right sidebar in SPRING 2014 IN THE GARDEN.

And here are two Resources you might want to investigate:  Roses for Florida and The Name of the Rose.

Is It a Bird? Is It a Plane? NO! It's SuperMoon!

Have you noticed the moon recently?  Starting on August 10th you can't miss it if you are outside after dusk (and the sky clears up).  The moon is full and appears especially large for the next few days because it and the earth are closer to each other than at other times in the year.  Scientists call this positioning "perigee".  And when the earth and moon are close together like this they appear larger and brighter:  14% larger and 30% brighter.  Sounds like an ad for a teeth whitener....

But as beautiful as this supermoon is, it can result in a dramatically large range of high and low ocean tides.  Any coastal storm at sea around this time will increase flooding problems.  This certainly will have continuing impact on Hawaii.  After a head-on intercept with Iselle just a few days ago and Julio waiting in the wings, this back-to-back bad news can only be intensified by the moon's position with the earth.  Japan is also in the bull's eye for Typhoon Halong.

Don't confuse the supermoon with the harvest moon.  The date for this year's harvest moon is September 8th; it occurs when the moon is full on the date closest to the fall equinox.  But, you'll have to wait a month to hear about that.  In the meantime, call up a friend and tell them to look up in the sky for the next few nights, and get a double treat.  The Persieds are coming.  And wish that friend a happy belated friendship day! (Say, "A Friend at The Garden Club of Switzerland told me!")

The Garden in Summer

Want to take a fast trip to a faraway place?  Come on down to the Alpine Groves Native Plant Butterfly Garden.  Spend an hour with the plants that used to grow here before we brought those others in from Europe and Asia.  And bring your camera.  Carolyn came over from across the river with her trusty Nikon and got a shot of a favorite host for the gulf fritillary caterpillar:  the maypop.  Groovy!

She also caught a vision of the old plough, encircled in dewy lonicera.  She shared a couple of other photos too.  They are incorporated in our slide show on the Awards and Projects page.  She was especially moved by the fact that the garden is dedicated to our country's freedom and those who sacrifice for it.

We hope you enjoy the photos, and maybe get inspired to visit the garden yourself!  Thanks, Carolyn!  Have a Happy Independence Day!

PS - in case you missed it, the third week in June was National Pollinator Week.  Our own GTM Research Reserve didn't just celebrate pollinators for one week.  This author wrote a batch of "Weird Animal Wednesday" articles for their Facebook page about ALL the critters that pollinate our local flora.  See the our Resources post:  A Passel of Pollinators for the lineup!

District IV Member Meeting

We ask that District IV Garden Club Members attend an introductory planning meeting on Friday, July 11, 2014 at the Garden Club of Jacksonville from 10-12.  Details are on our JULY calendar.  RSVP to Jackie Host.

And a general reminder:  summertime is a great time to enhance your horticultural skills.  See our post - Summertime and the Learning is Easy in our Resources section!

Spring Luncheon - See You in September?

 We closed out another garden club year with a pot luck luncheon at the Bailey Ranch.  The resident horses trotted out to welcome us as we drove along the winding entrance.  The weather was beautiful, and as you can see, the spot for our gathering was idyllic. 

Everyone brought a dish.  Of course there was food enough for an army.  All very tasty.  And this was just the main table!  Desserts were under an oak tree.  

The only note of sadness that intruded was the fact that our dear member, Marguerite, would not be joining us in the fall.  She and Scotty are moving to Texas nearer to their son.  We hope Scotty and Marguerite will enjoy their new home.  It'll certainly be different for these two sailors who traveled the world together in their own boat.  Maybe they'll find a large lake somewhere and get on the water with their new friends.

Smooth sailing on your new adventure, Marguerite.  You'll be missed!

The Bash for Bartram 4/19/2014

Claire & Friend on Nature Trail

The weather was iffy and the skies threatened rain, but our Bashers were lucky and the precipitation held off until the close of the event.  The Garden Club of Switzerland set up their area near the entrance to Alpine Groves Park, next to our Butterfly Garden.  There, they could guide visitors through and describe the plants.  There were plenty of children's activities too.

Put yer left foot in, take yer left foot out

Closer to the St. Johns River, other groups had set up booths.  There was music, a handcrafted boat, and several historical characters onhand, including William Bartram himself and his Indian guide, Sawgrass.  Not much sunshine, but plenty of smiles.

Arlene and daughter in the Club Butterfly Garden

Spiderworts like their soil damp.

Club members give visitors a tour of the butterfly garden.

No More Orange Juice With Breakfast?

If you opened the Weather Channel's web this morning, you may have seen this alarming headline.  "No More Orange Juice With Breakfast."   Hold on, it could get worse.  Not just orange juice, but any citrus juice supply may be constrained this year - and for years to come.

The video cites a disease, which it calls "yellow dragon".  That is another name for citrus greening disease, or huanglongbing (HLB).  If you live in central or south Florida, you HAVE heard of it.  But northern citrus is not immune.  The disease is spread from tree to tree by the Asian citrus psyllid, which both feeds and lays eggs on budding citrus leaves. The saliva of the insect (both the hatching young and the adults) is thought to infect the tree.  If enough psyllid feeding occurs, the tree's vascular system begins to be affected.  Fruit never fully ripens before it drops from the tree, and the taste of the fruit is sour and medicinal. The tree's leaves yellow and curl, leaving the tree unsightly.  The  HLB disease eventually destroys the tree's root system and kills the tree.  There is no known cure.  The only resource available to citrus growers is to attempt to kill the psyllid.  Killing this insect will reduces the number of trees it can infect.  However, the animal has become well-established since its discovery in south Florida in 2005, so it is unlikely that it can be completely eradicated.

See our Citrus Greening Resources post for more information and for advice from the University of Florida on how to increase your trees' chances of staying healthy and what to do if you think you have a problem.

Bartram is Bashing at Alpine Groves

Today is the day!  From 10-3 get a taste of Old Florida at Alpine Groves Park.  Come early.  Rain is possible for the afternoon.

April is the Busiest Month

Our club held its last meeting before our two outreach events, the Fruit Cove Baptist Church Spring Car Show, and the Bartram Bash to celebrate Earth Day at Alpine Groves County Park.  Here is a rare group picture of our members.  It's definitely a trick to get them all to stand still for a photo.  Directing gardeners has something in common with herding cats....

But to be truthful, they did have "chores" to do and were anxious to do them.  This was the last "spruce up" of the butterfly garden before the Bartram Bash!

Once in the garden, one of the members  who was pruning found a gulf fritillary caterpillar.  Well, right then and there all work ground to a halt as we fumbled for our cameras to get a photo of it.  You'd think we were light-headed from the sun!  But, remember that butterfly gardeners are not like other folks.  We delight in such things as a bristle-haired insect munching on our garden greenery.  With enough food and some luck, he'll spin a cocoon right in our garden and next spring emerge as a beautifully adorned butterfly, ready to continue the cycle of pollinating and breeding.

After the photo shoot, the little fellow was returned to his munching spot and we resumed our chopping, digging, sweeping, planting, and watering.  What a memorable morning!

With our garden groomed for the Earth Day Bartram Bash, we turned our attention to telling the public about the event.  The next Saturday, 4/12, was spent at Fruit Cove Baptist Church's annual Spring Car Show.   Plants and flyers advertising the Bash were given away, and every time someone shied away from taking a plant claiming they had a black thumb, we gave them a green one.  Well, a green thumb cookie anyway.  Those sugar cookies in the shape of a hand with its "thumb" covered with green sugar put a smile on everyone's face!

And on the eve of the Bash, we are now collecting our plants, our educational materials, childrens' activity supplies, and a collection of cookies, including these types that contain locally produced ingredients:

No Bake Walnut-Honey Granola Crumbles

Wild Sour Orange Marmalade Balls (no baking)

Click each link for a recipe.

Spring Comes in with a Shiver - Happy Vernal Equinox

March 21 is noted as the first full day of spring in the northern hemisphere.  Spring is heralded by increasing daylight hours.  That magic moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator (the equatorial line as projected into space, around the earth's circumference) means that it will spend more time above the horizon than below it.  That exact moment is not always March 21st.  This year it is March 20 (at 12:59PM EDT - eastern daylight time).  If you read our Winter Solstice post, you'll understand that the heavens don't set their movements to our earthly calendar.  The sun will cross the celestial equator sometime on March 20 every year for the next 40 years; in 2044 the date will be March 19.  We won't see an equinox on March 21st until 2102.  And here's a brain-teaser:  why is it that on the vernal equinox the sun rises due east and sets due west for every location in the world?  Yes, every location.  The answer is at:  Everything you need to know:  Vernal or spring equinox 2014.

Well, at least the the northern half of the earth will soon see stirrings of plant and animal life - and warmer weather.  But not next week.  Looks like Punxatawney Phil was right.  Phil may have had his reasons, but the unseasonable weather the northeast and north central states have endured is not the result of his shadow - something called a Rex Block has paid an unusually southern visit to the US.  Meanwhile we in the southeast are paying the price for a mild winter and a wetter-than-usual 2013.

A National Symbol?

Guess what species of bird this is?  If you said, "an adolescent bald eagle," you'd be right!  Like human teens, eagles go through that "awkward" time when their elders may wonder what gene pool they came from.  The bald eagle is born with a fluff of grey brown feathers on its body and wings and a snowy cap of white.  In northeast Florida the births happen in winter. It is a voracious eater, and by early spring it is as big as its parent and has exchanged its adorable plumage for a coat of scruffy dark feathers with white mottling.  A face only a mother (and a father) could love.  Both parents care for their chicks.  This photo probably doesn't endear us to it - sopping wet and gripping a bone from its latest meal in its beak.  The Switzerland-Fruit Cove Flordia area hosts at least seven bald eagle nests, and if this year's eaglets are lucky they'll have nests of their own in the future.  Learn more about our local national birds at our Resources post on Bald Eagle Nests.

Laissez Fumier Roule

They may be celebrating Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, Laissez Bon Ton Roule style, but up in the Butterfly Garden at Alpine Groves Park in Switzerland, Florida the Garden Club of Switzerland was getting ready for spring Laissez Fumier Roule style.   Instead of letting the Bon Ton (good times) roll, they were letting the Fumier (manure) roll.  Don't wrinkle up your nose!  The fertilizer was properly cured; and cured of any unpleasant odor...  Yes, OUR butterflies are WORTH IT. 

Despite the chill and the grey threats of rain, Mother Nature was on their side;  she held off her spring showers.  

And so the gardeners hauled, and pitched and wheeled their treasure to the appointed spots - the roots of the waiting plants.  We may smirk about manure, but it's the original Black Gold, the all-natural 100% organic - often imitated, but never duplicated (except by horses and other herbivores) "good stuff".  You could almost see the buds pop for joy!

Happy Birthday St. Johns County Agricultural Extension Center

County Agricultural Extension Center

St. Johns County is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Agricultural Extension Center at 3125 Agricultural Center Drive, St. Augustine, FL 32092-0572.  On any weekday (and a great many weekends) you'll see volunteers and county extension employees hard at work providing science-based information and lots of fun activities to help our residents understand and appreciate horticulture (professional and homeowner), agriculture, 4-H youth programs, forestry issues, disaster mitigation, marine and estuary programs, and consumer information and nutrition.  

For instance, every weekday from 9AM until noon, county residents can get free help with horticultural questions provided by our University of Florida certified master gardeners.  Just call  (904) 209-0430 or come to the center.  The extension center hosts many free and lost-cost classes and events too.  See the latest newsletters on Coastal Environment, 4-H Youth,  and Lawn and Garden topics.  

But you can't fully appreciate where you are unless you know where you've been.  Learn where St. Johns County has been by visiting the  County Administration Building, 500 San Sebastian View to see the free exhibit on our county's agricultural history.  The exhibit is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.   It runs through April 24.   For more information regarding the display or the Agricultural Center,  call (904) 209-0430.

Welcome Spring! Our February Garden Party at Alpine Groves

Eight intrepid gardeners brought rakes, clippers, loppers, and, as you see, sheets and brooms, to the Garden Club of Switzerland’s February garden party at AlpineGroves Butterfly Garden.  For an hour they braved tangly old vines, pointy branches, crumbly leaves, and fire ants to prune back deadwood and sweep up the “carnage”.  The gardeners in the “American Gothic” photo were about to dump the debris from their sheet into the woods to decay.  No need to call in forensics, this is just what nature intends.  

Punxatawney Phil may have called for six more weeks of winter, but his prognostications do not extend to Florida.  We are enjoying the beginning of spring here, with daily highs bouncing between the upper seventies and low fifties.  And in the garden there were indeed signs of life, and not just from the gardeners who showed up for the party.

Our Garden Has a Pulse.  

A male coontie showing its cone, which looks like the cone of a fir tree - if fir tree's cones were orange...  Coonties are dioecious - meaning each plant is either male or female.  You never know what the sex is until the reproductive equipment start to show themselves.  We hope the other coontie in the garden is female, but she hasn't "come out" yet.  Learn more about coonties in our post describing the coontie as northern Florida's answer to the sago in our Resources section
  

A "clump" of green that may be a shasta daisy reemerging from its hibernating roots, or something else surprising:

 

 

Many Hands Make Light Work.