February 2017 Newsletter
Thanks to our Members, Our Meetings are Events!
Lockhart: winner of the prize for bringing food last month.
Thanks to everyone who contributed:
Genie Ashworth
Vicki Duggins
Ann Hopper
Paul Little
Cheryl Lockhart
Bernie O’Donnell
Laurie Rieman
Tom Rieman
Connie Shepherd
Gloria Sparks
Cornelia Swain
Gwen Tubb
Paula Witek
Upcoming Events
February meeting: Tuesday, February 7th in the Goldsmith Room at the Memphis Botanic Garden, 6:30 pm
Please bring a friend and a dish and to share with members and friends!
March: Rare Plant Auction
April: Barbara Keathley
May: Hanna Underhill
June: Picnic & Movie
Teresa Williams
Jim Crowder’s contribution this month:
Viburnum davidii, was won by Teresa Williams
Linda Beutler
All the Best Plants are Buttercups: The Family Ranunculaceae
Our February speaker, Linda Beutler is a fearless gardener who grows a great variety of plants on a simple, flat 50’ x 100’ city lot in the Sellwood neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.
She was a professional florist for over 20 years, and her first love in her own garden was growing flowers and foliage for cutting. Her focus changed when she purchased her first clematis as a misnamed plant in the 1980’s. Her personal collection of this genus now numbers 300 separate species and cultivars. Her passion for clematis led to the publication of her first book, Gardening with Clematis.
Linda has been the curator of the Rogerson Clematis Collection at Luscher Farm since July 2007. She was elected president of the International Clematis Society in June 2013, and re-elected in June 2015.
Linda Beutler has been an instructor of horticulture at Clackamas Community College since 1996. Timber Press has published her three books of garden writing:
- Gardening with Clematis (2004, now out of print)
- Garden to Vase (2007, now out of print)
- Plant Lover’s Guide to Clematis, March 2016
She lectures nationally on numerous gardening topics, and is a garden writer for both local and national publications, including Fine Gardening, Pacific Horticulture, and Birdwatcher’s Digest.
Mark your calendars
First ever “Rare Plant Auction”, March 7th. Members free, Guests $5.00. Cash bar and bidding begins at 6 pm. First table bidding ends as 6:40, second table at 7, third table at 7:15, and last table at 7:30.
If you have a rare plant you wish to donate, contact Martha Garner, Robert Hollingsworth, or Melissa
Taylor.
Remember, we will start at 6 pm, and please bring pick-up appetizers and join in the fun.
President’s Letter
by Martha Garner
I want to take the time to give a big Thank You to our Board Members. I didn’t realize how hard our Board Members work to keep our organization running smooth until I become a member last year. As members, we see a great program at our meetings and a wonderful social time. But do we know the hard work it takes to keep things running smoothly? I didn’t.
Our first Thank You should be to Cheryl Lockhart who worked very hard as our President in 2016: she led our Board meetings, kept us on track and conducted our member meetings. Mary Heim, our secretary, takes and prepares our minutes for the board, handles our correspondence, like the 59 thank you notes for the donations for our Christmas silent auction. Bill Ferrell, our treasurer, keeps track of our funds and pays our bills. Dawn Bain and Ann Hopper, our hospitality committee, coordinate our social time for our meetings. Thanks to Emelia Miekicki for the years of hard work on the membership and newsletter committee and Ginny Fletcher for her hard work on the newsletter and keeping us on track for our time line.
Thanks also to JJ James for her hard work on the Ways and Means Committee, contacting our corporate members and the success of the first ever Christmas silent auction. A new member of the board, Madison May, deserves thanks for the many hours spent on bringing our web site up to date. I am sure I haven’t thanked everyone who has worked hard for the Memphis Horticultural Society. So, a big Thank You to everyone who is helping to make my year as President a pleasure.
Horticultural Notebook Page
Check out our Horticulture Notebook Page posted to the website each month. It will be a menu item. If you are interested in writing one, please contact Madison May our Webmaster. This is reviving an old tradition for MHS and we will try to go back and post some of the old ones occasionally. So, be sure to check it out!
Chris Gang
Thank You
Chris Gang has been our go to for assistance when it came to notifying the public about meetings, plant sales, unique gardens and keeping us informed about all things garden. Since the Commercial Appeal has dismissed all of their freelance writers, we will no longer be able to read the wonderful articles that we all have grown to love and depend on.
We have truly been blessed to have had her support for many years and we want to thank her, not only for the support she has given to the Horticulture Society but the public in general. Thank you, Chris, we will surely miss your contributions and those weekly articles. To keep up with Chris, you can follow her on her facebook page.
Blast from the Past
From the Memphis Press Scimitar, February 15, 1983, Blooming luck
A lone camellia blossom prevented Allan Davis from a perfect guess on the number of camellias in
bloom on Valentine’s Day at Dixon Gallery and Gardens. Nevertheless, his was the winning entry in
Dixon’s guess-the-camellia contest.
“We counted 1,251, and Mr. Davis guessed 1,250,” said Paul Kingsley, Dixon horticulturist. Davis, of 94 Eastland Drive, is treasurer of the Memphis Horticultural Society and an avid gardener. He wins a $25 gift certificate to the Dixon Wild Flower Sale on April 23. The 1,251 blooms were counted from 70 varieties of camellias on 180 different plants. Mrs. Wanda S. Stout gave Dixon the camellia collection in 1976.
Scrape’s Trivia
The Eskimos have 50 names for snow.
The February flower is the Viola and Primrose.
February has over 50 month designations. These include grapefruit, self-esteem, library lovers, bus, marijuana, bird feeding, condom, hot breakfast food, pet dental, return shopping carts to the supermarket, spunky old broads, and sweet potato month.
There are also over 50 weekly designations. These include snow sculpting, dump your significant jerk, just say no to PowerPoint, solo diners eat out, jello date, and national secondhand wardrobe week.
And then there are more than 200 daily designations. Among these are candy making, car insurance, Robinson Caruso, serpent, Ayn Rand, marmot, play your ukulele, bubble gum, wear red, ice cream for breakfast, popcorn, pizza, drink wine, diesel, bacon, and shower with a friend day.
Chinese gooseberries are from New Zealand.
The Hundred Years War lasted 116 years.
Quotes Worth Quoting
The most serious charge which can be brought against New England is not Puritanism but February.
— Joseph Wood KrutchFebruary is merely as long as is needed to pass the time until March.
— Dr. J. R. StocktonThe flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size
— Gertrude S. WisterEvery gardener knows that under the cloak of winter lies a miracle…a seed waiting to sprout, a bulb opening to the light, a bud straining to unfurl. And the anticipation nurtures our dreams.
—Barbara WinkleI don’t know why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine’s Day. When I think about romance, the last thing on my mind is a short, chubby toddler coming at me with a weapon.
— Author UnknownValentine’s Day is when a lot of men are reminded what a poor shot Cupid really is.
—Anonymous