THE BAILEYAN
The Official Newsletter of the Liberty Hyde Bailey Garden Club of Ithaca, New York
 
The Liberty Hyde Bailey Garden Club of Ithaca meets each month, on the third Tuesday (second Tuesday in May and December) at the Horton Room in the Floriculture Greenhouse, Tower Road Cornell University Ithaca, New York. 
The Club is open to all gardeners. Visitors are welcome.

 Volume 44 Number 5                                                                                                       June 2005

                 2005 Officers
 
President Debi Lampman
Past President and Treasurer Elke Schofield
First Vice President Ray Fox
Second Vice President  Elizabeth Owens-Roe
Recording Secretary  Helen Swank
Editor of the Baileyan and Webmaster Carla Hegeman Crim
Corresponding Secretary  Cliff Manchester
Assistant Treasurer Tom Guihan
 Directors Ken Devine (2005)
Ruth Doll (2004)
Dave Farmer (2003)
 Regional President Debra Nero 



This month:

June 21st
Garden Visit

The Plantsmen Nursery
482 Peruville Rd
Groton, NY


Meet ~6:00 p.m

   

Next Meeting: July 19th - Picnic at Deb Nero's!

June Notes:

From the Berm Committee:

       Our berm was planted on 5/25 and 5/27 at the Farmer's Market thanks to several volunteers. In order to keep this planting in good-looking order the following volunteers have agreed during their week to keep an eye on the berm and weed, mulch, deadhead or water as needed. In other words, treat it like your own home garden.
 
                       
Week of Care Volunteer Phone
May 22-28 Cliff Manchester 539-7456
May 29-June 4
Don Williams 844-4144
June 5-June 11 Dave Farmer 844-9629
June 12-June 18
Ed Cobb
255-8727
June 19-June 25 Bev Hillman 273-8838
June 26-July 2
Don Williams 844-4144
July 3-July 9 Elke Schofield 272-9476
July 10-July 16 Ruth Doll 844-8341
 
                                       
It would be helpful if you would call the person following you as a reminder or to report any problems you see.
 
Questions? Call Cliff @539-7456  or Ruth @844-8341     
 
Welcome New Member! 
A hearty “Welcome” goes out to John Barra, our newest member.

NY State Fair Tickets: 
We will have 10 free tickets available to members willing to man our booth on Friday, Sept. 2nd. A sign-up sheet will be circulated at the meeting.  Contact Debi Lampman for more information.   

New Photos !
Members only Seedling Sale, 5/10/05
Ed Cobb provided these great pictures from last month's sale:

Liz in the Pepper patch
Helen looks over the flower selections

Gudy, Marty, Liz, Mike, and Cliff are picking vegetables
May, the bearer of snacks!

Bev, Bob, and Ray choose tomatoes

Opportunities

Upcoming Horticultural Events
 
DANBY GARDEN TOUR - Saturday, June 25th, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.: Visit over a dozen of Danby’s finest gardens.  Some spectacular, must-see gardens (including Wayne Myers’) are back on the tour this year.  The cost per person is $7, $5 for seniors.  Advance tickets can be purchased at the Danby Market or Cayuga Landscape.  On the day of the tour, tickets and maps will be available at the first stop on the tour, which is Liz Ownes-Roe’s garden (1820 Danby Road).                         
 
"A Closer Look" Tour Series at the Cornell Plantations: Join a special topic tour for a detailed look at some of the Plantations’ unique botanical collections. Each tour focuses on one specific garden. Meet outside the Garden Gift Shop.  Free!
 
  July 6: American Peony and Perennial Garden
  July 20: The Robison York State Herb Garden
  Aug. 24: Martha Young Flower Garden
 
A Plethora of Peppers for your Perusing Pleasure - Ongoing.  The Pounder Heritage Vegetable Garden at Cornell Plantations has created a special exhibit tracing the history and development of the pepper (Capsicum).  The exhibit will help visitors understand how genetic diversity is created and why it is important. Visitors will be introduced to the Capsicum and learn about its past and present existence in the world.

From Cornell Cooperative Extension
 
Backyard Water Gardening - Thurs, June 23, 6:30-9:00 pm.  Learn how to build and maintain a water garden in a barrel, a pool or a small pond. Watch renovation of the water garden at Cooperative Extension. Fee: $5. Pre-registration requested.
 
Food Preservation - Homemade Jams -Tuesday, June 28, 11 am - 2 pm.  In this hands-on class, you will learn to make jam from freshly-picked seasonal fruit using USDA-recommended methods.  Class size is limited; advance registration is required. Contact Carole Fisher for more information at 272-2292. Fee: $5 per person. 
 
Practices for Ecological Yard & Garden Management - Thurs, July 14, 7-8:30 pm. Conley Park located behind the Hancock St. P&C.  Learn how to manage your lawn, flower and vegetables gardens as well as, trees and shrubs in an eco-friendly way. Tour the Integrated Pest Management Demonstration Garden established in Conley Park. Free and open to the public.

Treasurer’s Report

May 2005, Submitted by Elke Schofield

INCOME
Club Auction, April 19, 2005                    $373.50                   

EXPENSES
Greenhouse - soil for 1/1-3/31/05          $102.76                   

Checking account as of 4/30/05 =      $1,659.23

Petty Cash: $50.08

Meeting Minutes
Liberty Hyde Bailey Garden Club
7:30 pm, 19 April 2005
Horton Room, Ken Post Greenhouse
 
Liberty Hyde Bailey Garden Club
7:30 pm, 10 May 2005
Horton Room, Ken Post Greenhouse
 
The business meeting was called to order by President Debi Lampman.  There were 24 members and three guests in attendance.
 
Treasurer Elke Schofield reported that the income from the Club’s plant auction on 19 April brought in $373.50.  She paid $102.76 for greenhouse soil, leaving a balance in the checking account of $1.659.23.  An additional $50.08 is in the petty cash account.
 
Debi lead a review of arrangements for the IHS Plant Sale on Saturday, 14 May.  She called for volunteers to come to the hoophouse at 7:30 am on Saturday morning to transport plant material down to IHS.  Additional volunteers are needed at 8:00 am to set up tables and display the seedlings, and sales staff for the 9:00-11:00 a.m. period.  A sign-up sheet was circulated.
 
Cliff Manchester, Berm Committee chair, called for volunteers to weed and plant the LHBGC berm at the Ithaca Farmers Market.  Meet at 9:00 am on Wednesday, 25 May, at the berm.  He will set up a summer schedule for volunteers to tend and water the berm.
 
Ed Cobb asked for suggestions for the 21 June garden visit meeting.  He felt that a visit to the previously suggested Der Rosenmeister was a bit premature.  Bev Hillman suggested we contact Rick Hedrick at The Plantsmen, 482 Peruville Road, Groton (533-7193) regarding a visit on that date.
 
The business meeting was kept short as all were anxious to participate in the evening’s annual seedling sale.  The previously distributed “Seedling Checklist 2005" was most helpful in making and identifying selections.
 
A wide variety of annuals, perennials, and vegetables were available which the members gleefully scooped up for an $8 fee.  Heavily laden with boxes, buckets, and bags, they headed for home to beautify their own grounds.
 
Our thanks to May Jenks for the delicious refreshments.
 
Next meeting scheduled for ~ 6:00 pm, 21 June at The Plantsmen.  We will have a brief business meeting around 6:30, and will spend the rest of our time enjoying their gardens. 

 
Submitted by Helen E. Swank
Recording Secretary
                     
Articles:

The Voracious Mantis
Thanks to Victor Lazar for providing “Bug-Eating Machines” from the May/June issue of Organic Gardening.  This article is not yet available online, but here is a similar article about this fascinating creature:
Insecta Inspecta: Praying Mantis

Local Lilies
Thanks to Helen Swank for submitting “Business is Blooming for Enfield Retiree” from the “Our Towns” section of The Ithaca Journal (6/07/06).  This article is not online, but to summarize, Ann Rider is the owner of Cayuga Daylilies at 77 Hasleyville Road ((607) 277-3478).  She sells over 250 named cultivars of daylilies for $5, $8, or $12.  Customers pick out their plants during a scheduled visit, or on a "Daylily Day," and the plants are picked up in the fall.   She herself prefers pastel varieties, but says that her Ithaca customers go for the "very loud, screaming colors" and "big, huge daylilies."

Ms. Rider worked as a home economist and social worker for 33 years.  She gardened to relieve stress and balance out her work life.  She still serves as a geriatric manager for Family and Childern's Services, and she is on the board of directors for the Ithaca Children's Garden.  

Daylilies are low-maintenance and drought resistant perennials.  Here is a link to The American Hemerocallis Website .

Small Space Gardening
One of the things we (Carla and Delmar) are doing to maximize space and productivity in our small downtown garden is companion planting.  We designed our garden plan such that plants that benefit each other are planted next to each other, and plants that repel each other are kept apart.  We are also intercropping vegetables with different root depths/growth rates.  Here are some links that we found helpful:

French Intensive Gardening

Vegetable Companion Chart

Intercropping: Principles and Production Practices

We are also trying growing our tomatoes on a flat part of our rooftop.  It is really hot up there, and the plants get sun all day long.  We are using Earth Boxes, which are self-watering containers.  The plants are growing like mad, and we already have little green tomatoes.



We have only had to water them a few times, and we don't have to worry about the deer climbing up the ladder (though the Ithaca Deer are pretty crafty).