THE BAILEYAN, July 2005

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 July 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

Directors Ken Devine (2005)
Ruth Doll (2004)
Dave Farmer (2003)

Regional President Debra Nero

This month:

July 19th
Annual Picnic

6:00 p.m. at Deb Nero's
63 N. Landon Rd.

Click here for printer-friendly verison of map

Deb will provide fixings for cold sandwiches - rolls, cold cuts, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and condiments. Drinks will be provided - lemonade and hot water for coffee/tea. Please bring your own seating, table service, cups and a dish to pass (eg. salad or dessert item). The picnic will begin at 6pm and will be held rain or shine (hope for shine!).

Next Meeting: August 16th, 2005 - Garden Tour TBA

July Notes:

From the Berm Committee
The following volunteers have been scheduled to care for the berm during July and August:

Week of Care	Volunteer	Phone
July 10-July 16	Ruth Doll	844-8341
July 17-23	Ken Devine	(315) 497-0492
July 24-30	Ken Devine	(315) 497-0492
July 31-August 6	Cliff Manchester	539-7456
August 7-13	Cliff Manchester	539-7456
August 14-20	Liz O. Rowe	273-5898

If problems or questions call: Cliff @ 539-7456 or Ruth @ 844-8341

Welcome New Members!

We are pleased to welcome Dr. and Mrs. Robert Jacobson of Dryden. Dr. Jacobson is a veterinarian at Countryside Animal Hospitals. We look forward to getting to know them both!

In Memoriam

Thomas A. Guihan, 81, of 402 Elm St., Groton, died as a result of an automobile accident in Freeville,
on Wednesday, July 6, 2005.

Born December 12, 1923 in Monson, MA, he was the son of the late John and Eva Lapier Guihan.

Tom had served his country during WWII with the US Navy and move to Groton in the 1980's, where he had become involved in the community serving on various committees and organizations, which included the village, town and county. He was a member of the American Legion Carrington-Fuller Post #800 in Groton and a communicant at St. Anthony's Church in Groton. He had retired from his position as Superintendent of BOCES in St. Lawrence County and later had been employed at Cornell, retiring in 1995. Hobbies that he was known for included his bee keeping and train collections.

His loving wife, Dora "Bobby" Guihan at home; and a daughter, Elizabeth Miller of Alloway, NJ; as well as two grandchildren, survives him.

New Photos !

Photos from the 6/21/05 visit to The Plantsmen (courtesy of Ed Cobb and Elke Schofield):

Deb and Carla chat amid the gorgeous annuals	Ray and Bev in the perennial section
Gathering for a short business meeting in the polyhouse	Louie enjoys the attention from Gudy and Ruth
A happy looking group of gardeners	Can you hear the trumpeting of angels?
The Brugmansia poses with Ken and Ed	Debi and Kathy make their selections
Gudy and Mike with Carla and very sleepy Louie	The last sale of the evening

Photos from the Parlett Garden - thanks to Robert and Linda for contributing!

Pink Daisies (with a visiting hummingbird perhaps?)	A Lovely Morning Glory (A LHBGC seedling!)
A Honey Bee	The Deer That Attacked the Parlett's Garden!

Opportunities

Upcoming Horticultural Events
Freeville Organic Research Farm Twilight Tour - Aug. 2, 2005 - Cornell University researchers will host their second annual twilight meeting at the Freeville Organic Research Farm in Freeville, New York, on Tuesday, August 2nd from 4 to 7 pm. Visitors will tour the research plots, see demonstrations of cultivation equipment and hear more about these and other organic projects from the researchers themselves. There is no pre-registration required, the event is free and open to everyone, and light refreshments will be provided. For more information on the twilight meeting contact Marguerite Wells at (607) 255-9911, mw38@cornell.edu. To learn more about the Freeville Organic Research Farm visit: http://www.hort.cornell.edu/organicfarm/about.html

Almost time for blueberries! - According to Dave Farmer’s website “The berries have loved our recent rain and are getting fatter and a little pink. This has been a crazier than usual spring/summer but our best guestimate for u-pick is the third week in July.” Farmer’sChoice Blueberries are located at 281 Lake Road in Dryden. For more information, visit http://www.farmerschoice.org/ or call (607) 844-9629.

Fresh Herbal Wreath Class at Baker’s Acres - Sunday, July 31, 1-3 p.m. You will be able to choose from a large selection of fresh herbs to create your designer wreath. The cost of registration includes your materials to make the wreath. The only thing you should bring are scissors or clippers. Meet Cathy at the pavilion. Cost is $22.00 (includes supplies.) Deadline to register is Wed., Jul. 27th. Class limit 20. Register by Wednesday, July 27 by calling 607-533-4653 or register online at http://www.bakersacres.net/ .

From Cornell Cooperative Extension
Using Color in the Perennial Flower Bed - Wed, July 27, 6:30-8:30 pm - As an artist and illustrator, Master Gardener Ann Stephenson considers ornamental plants a wonderful medium in which to explore the uses of color and texture. Fee: $5. Registration and prepayment required.

Compost With Confidence - FREE Outdoor Workshop Series -Last Saturday of every month (through October), noon - 1 pm, Compost Demonstration Site at the Ithaca Community Gardens (near the Farmers Market). Come to one, or come to all! In this free workshop series, Master Composter volunteers will provide information and give hands-on demonstrations to help you set up and manage a composting system in any setting. Each class will cover the basics of composting to teach you how to manage a successful system with minimal effort. Visit the workshop(s) of your choice to also learn about:

July 30 - Troubleshooting
August 27 - Is it done? & Using Compost
September 24 - "Stealth" (double-bin, indoor system)
October 29 - Winter Composting

Knowledgeable composting instructors will be happy to answer all of your questions and free informational fact sheets will be available. Registration is not required, but if you would like more information, or directions, call the "Rotline," 272-2292.

Kitchen Garden Tours - Aug. - 6:30 pm until dark. See how gardeners cope with the challenges and reap the rewards of growing their own food. Favorite varieties, garden practices, deer exclusion, and more will be discussed. Call 272-2292 in mid-July for more information on dates and locations. Fee: $5.

Treasurer’s Report

May 2005, Submitted by Elke Schofield on 6/21/05

INCOME
Members’ seedling sale	$190.00
Slug Traps (donated by Victor Lazar)	$8.00
Membership Dues
Membership 2005 (Joe Bird)	$30.00
New Member 2005 (John Barra)	$30.00
Membership 2006 (Victor Lazar) (pd. to him $9.74 for slug bait)	$21.00
IHS Plant Sale	$734.00
EXPENSES
Snail and Slug Kill (Victor Lazar)	$9.74
Florida trip (Deb Nero)	$200.00
Checking account as of 5/31/05 =	$2,452.81
Petty Cash:	$71.00

Meeting Minutes
Liberty Hyde Bailey Garden Club
6:00 pm, 21 June 2005
The Plantsmen, Groton NY

Members began arriving just before 6:00, and casually browsed around the nursery. The business meeting was called to order by President Debi Lampman around 6:30. There were 18 members and four guests in attendance.

The next meeting will be held at Deb Nero’s place and will be a dish-to-pass, with cold cuts, roll, and beveragess provided. Attendees will need to bring table service, seating, and a side dish/dessert/salad to share.

Debi encouraged all to visit the 9th Annual Gathering of Gardeners Saturday, September 24th, at the Rochester Museum & Science Center, Rochester, NY.   Featured lecturers are Sydney Eddison and David Culp.   Debi says it is well worth the $45 admission fee, and the best part is visiting the vendors in the parking lot.

Debi also showed us The Adventurous Gardener, a directory of interesting nurseries in NY and NJ. Her Bedlam Gardens is listed in there, as is the Plantsmen. She will sell the book to members for $20.

Treasurer Elke Schofield reported that the income from the Members’ Seedling sale brought in $190.00, and the IHS Plant Sale brought in $734.00. Slug traps donated by Victor Lazar brought in $8.00 at the IHS sale.   Membership dues were collected from Joe Bird ($30, 2005), John Barra ($30, 2005), and Victor Lazar ($21 for 2006, when accounting for reimbursement for slug bait, which cost 9.74). A sum of $200 was paid to Deb Nero to offset travel expenses for the national conference in Fla. The checking account balance as of May 31, 2005 was $2,452.8, And additional $71.00 is in the petty cash account.

Starting this year, dues will be collected in November rather than January. New members (starting now) will pay the dues for 2006, and will get their first issue of American Gardener after November, but will start getting The Baileyan immediately.

Cliff Manchester reported that the berm at the market is looking great, and he passed around lovely photographs of the plantings.

Rosemary LaPadula is moving to Indiana. We need to get her new address so we can stay in touch.

We have fliers to promote the club. Deb is planning to put some out in her shop, and suggested that a copy of the flyer be included with the next newsletter so that members can get the word out to friends. If you would like copies of the flyer, please ask Carla to photocopy some for you.

Carla Crim
(Standing in for Helen Swank)

Articles:

In honor of our recent garlic harvest, here is an article about this wonderfully odoriferous bulb from backyardgardener.com :

Wild About Garlic

Garlic is a very giving plant - we enjoyed garlic greens, then garlic scapes, and now we have enough garlic cloves to get us through the year, with plently leftover to put back in the ground on Columbus Day. Below are some pictures of our garlic, grown in downtown Ithaca!

A natural border between the garden and the drive	Just before harvest
Garlic drying in the garage	Fat, perfect cloves in the kitchen at last

For Release: IMMEDIATE
Thursday, July 7, 2005
Contact: Gabrielle Done
(518) 402-8000

DEC ANNOUNCES NEW PLANT ATLAS
Website Allows Botanists, Residents to Learn About More Than 4,000 Plant Species

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Acting Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today announced that the New York Natural Heritage Program, in collaboration with the New York Flora Association and the New York State Museum, has finalized the New York Flora Atlas, a web-based atlas that details the distribution of the more than 4,000 plant species that grow in the State.

From researchers at our many academic institutions to weekend amateurs who explore our State’s rich diversity, New York has a proud tradition of botanical research and appreciation, Commissioner Sheehan said. “All plants contribute to New York’s natural heritage and the information that we can gather from the Flora Atlas will help us learn about the plants that live in our neighborhood and develop a deeper respect and understanding for their importance in the ecosystem”.

The Flora Atlas can be found on the Internet at http://atlas.nyflora.org . It is the most sophisticated and detailed online flora atlas available in New York State. It maps the distribution of all plant types across New York State, gives information on how rare or common they are, the habitats they prefer and details whether they are native, non-native or invasive among other things. The atlas can also generate county-specific lists of rare species, or those that only grow in wetlands to help target conservation efforts.

The NY Natural Heritage Program (http://www.nynhp.org) is a partnership between DEC and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) that enables and enhances conservation of rare animals, rare plants, and significant ecosystems. The Program accomplishes this mission by combining thorough field inventories, scientific analyses, expert interpretation, and the most comprehensive database on New York's distinctive biodiversity to deliver the highest quality information for natural resource planning, protection, and management.

TNC’s New York State Director Henry Tepper said, “Now New Yorker's can explore the State's botanical diversity online, whether they're interested in showy Dragon's-mouth Orchids or subtle Hudson River Water Nymphs”.

The New York Flora Atlas is based on dried plant specimens on file at museums across the State, particularly those at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and New York State Museum. Some of these specimens are more than 100 years old, while others were added as recently as last year because new types of plants are found in New York every year.

Funding for the project came from the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) through the New York State Biodiversity Research Institute, and from the members of the New York Flora Association.

Governor George E. Pataki was the first Governor in the State's history to fund the EPF to the full extent allowable by law, and has increased funding for this important fund six-fold - from $25 million to $150 million annually. The EPF supports critical environmental projects related to open space conservation, stewardship of State lands and facilities, understanding our natural resources and improved water quality.

Thanks to Deb Nero for forwarding this press release to The Baileyan. The links have been added to our list of useful LINKS on our website.

See you at the picnic!