Put-in-Bay Garden Club May 2016 News & Events
Garden Club May 2016 News-Is there anything more beautiful than Spring on the island? The music of birds, the multiple shades of green enlivening the landscape, the fragrance of lilacs, and the delicate wildflowers poking their heads out from under their winter blankets. What a wonderful awakening for us all to witness! And who better than island naturalist Lisa Brohl to introduce us to the signs of spring and the island’s wildflowers?
The first Garden Club meeting of the year will be held at the Jane Coates Wildflower Trail at 3:00 pm on Friday, May 13th. Come dressed for the weather for a one-hour walk along the trail with Lisa as she acquaints participants with the hidden treasures of our woods! For those needing a golf cart, Put-in-Bay Rentals is offering discounted rates.
The Nature Center and The Garden Club will gather forces to host a Plant Exchange at 9 am Friday, May 7th, at the Nature Center. Please peruse your landscape now to see which of your perennials need dividing. Sharing is the best way to make your garden grow! Each plant you bring to the sale will receive a ticket to take one home. As part of the day’s activities, Master Gardener Mary Strayer will present a talk at 10 am on raised beds and container gardening. All island residents are invited to attend.
The Catawba Garden Club has invited Put-in-Bay Garden Club members to attend their Spring meeting and Flower Show at the Catawba Island Club on Friday, May 6th. Speakers will be Sandy Bihn on Lake Erie Algae and Randy Yahn on Natural Gardening. The cost is $16.00 per person and includes lunch. If you are interested in attending, contact Sandy Pickens at 419-341-7742 or at sgpickens@yahoo.com.
It’s almost time to plant the lamppost baskets in DeRivera Park! Please join us at 9 am Tuesday, May 24th, to prepare the baskets for planting and/or at 9 am Wednesday, May 25th, when the flowers arrive, and the planting takes place. Many hands do light work, so we hope you will take the time to participate in this annual rite of Spring!
The end of May will also be a time of renewal for the bathing beach, which suffered damage during last summer’s Nor’easter storms. The beach will be raked and leveled, and the planter boxes will be replanted, thanks to a generous donation from a garden angel on the island, for whom we are very grateful!
On Monday, June 6th at 10 a.m., garden club members are invited to help plant perennials in the newly-landscaped areas of DeRivera Park. Since these gardens will be featured on our Home and Garden Tour in July, we will also provide labels to identify the newly-planted perennials, trees, and shrubs. Share the fellowship as we add the finishing touches to these beautiful new gardens.
The season’s second Put-in-Bay Garden Club meeting will occur at 5 pm Thursday, June 9th, at the Yacht Club. Ottawa County Master Gardener Dick West will speak on when, why, and how to correctly prune perennials, shrubs, and trees. Members are encouraged to bring their own pruners to participate in this hands-on presentation. On July 7th, Master Gardeners will discuss the selection and care of Hydrangeas and introduce the many new varieties planted in De Rivera Park. On August 11th, Jackie Taylor from the Nature Center will discuss Butterfly Gardening with members.
The big summer event will be our Home and Garden Tour on Wednesday, July 27th. Six of the island’s most unique and special properties will be featured in this year’s tour, which will be followed by a luncheon at the Crew’s Nest Pavilion. Tickets will go on sale June 1st, and numbers will be limited. Purchase tickets from Chairperson Kathy Schrader at (440)773-5413. If you would like to volunteer to help with this event, Kathy would love to hear from you! Again, it’s an all-hands-on-deck summer, with so much going on to challenge, entertain, and educate the gardener in us all.
You should have received your membership renewal letter by now, and we encourage you to renew promptly. If you did not receive a letter or would like to join the Garden Club, please get in touch with Pati Arth at tiara031@gmail.com. We are happy to welcome new members at any time throughout the season to share the camaraderie, the learning, and the island beautification projects that remain the Garden Club’s focus. Enjoy this beautiful Spring! We hope to see you soon!
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