Plant Your Landscapes with Natives!
May 8, 2016
Loris Damerow, a member of Wild One's, was our guest speaker and told us about why we should be planting more natives in our gardens. Approximately 42% of the earth's surface is used for agriculture to grow food crops. Within the United States another 52% of the land is used by cities and urban communities. That leaves only 6% of the remainder of the land for the wild animals/fauna to live in. The suburban yard is the only space available for animals and birds to live in; and this is why it's so important to provide them with the plants that they need for shelter and food. These animals evolved with the landscape and in the past two hundred years we have completed altered their world. The best thing we can do to help insect and bird populations survive and repopulate is to give them their plants. Don't plant the exotic double petaled flower -- give them milkweed, coneflowers, cup plant, and gay feather. Monarch butterflies need milkweed to lay their eggs. When their larvae hatch they eat the leaves and the milky sap that they consume helps protect them from predators -- the birds don't like the bitter flavor of the butterflies and let them go. Karner Blue Butterflies only feed on native lupines so we need to grow more of these plants as well. Chickadee birds feed between 6,000 - 9,000 bites of worms & insects to raise one clutch of babies; just think of all the work they do it they have two to three clutches per summer. The best plants to give them the worms and insects they need to feed their babies are oak and native cherry trees. The more insects a plant fosters; the better the plant is because a higher number of animals are sustained by the plant. For more information on the best plants to add to your landscape please visit Wild One's.
Photo below: Loris Damerow informing us about great resource information on the best plants to birdscape our yard. "If you plant it they will come."
Miniature Still Life Arrangements
April 11, 2016
Dreaming of working in your summer fairy gardens; but it's still too cold to go outside to play. Try building one of these still life arrangements indoors (see photos below). The designs use miniature found objects, plant and natural materials, and a few pieces of paper or cardboard. The key is to find objects and plant materials that fit the scale and scene location or story.
April 11, 2016
Dreaming of working in your summer fairy gardens; but it's still too cold to go outside to play. Try building one of these still life arrangements indoors (see photos below). The designs use miniature found objects, plant and natural materials, and a few pieces of paper or cardboard. The key is to find objects and plant materials that fit the scale and scene location or story.
All About Mushrooms
March 14, 2016
A number of mushroom species are edible and they are an excellent source of protein and minerals.* We purchase mushrooms from a grocery store and we'd never consider growing them in our gardens. Gardeners are generally keen on growing plants that produce flowers; but did you know that a mushroom is the flower of fungi plant kingdom? Steve Catlin, from Grow Local in Neenah, explained how his company grows mushrooms year round for sale to the commercial market place (e.g., restaurants); the life cycle of this life form; the environmental factors that contribute to their growth; and he provided us with pointers on how to grow our own mushrooms. It was a very interesting presentation and it prompted lots of questions from the members.
Grow Local offers CSA subscriptions to the general public: http://www.growlocal.us/.
* Warning: many mushrooms found in nature are toxic and poisonous. Only purchase mushroom spawn (e.g., seedlings) from reputable companies.
Valentine's Make and Take Floral Design Workshop
February 8, 2016
Several times during the year our club sponsors workshops on floral design. February's workshop focused on the creation of small romantic designs for Valentine's Day gifts.
Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest
The Paper Valley Garden Club encouraged participation in the 'Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl Poster Contest'; a national contest sponsored by WGCF in conjunction with the United States Forest Service and United States Department of Agriculture. Posters encouraged the “prevention of forest fires” with Smokey Bear or “lending a hand to care for the land” with Woodsy Owl. The club worked with the Appleton Boys and Girls Clubs of Fox Valley and St. Edward School. These two organizations submitted 51 posters. Those posters plus others from throughout the state were submitted to Pat Ritchie, the state chairman. The best posters from Wisconsin will be submitted to the national contest. Written by Debbie Walters
Holiday Party
December 14, 2015
Ho, Ho, Ho! Our annual holiday gathering is purely a social event and is so much fun. Delicious foods --- visually beautiful and yummy tastes. Lots of laughter --- great stories, friendships, and a white elephant exchange that brings out old and familiar gifts. Gratitude --- for our blessings and each other. Sharing with others --- our annual 'pass the hat' raised monies for the Community Clothes Closet. Here's a slide show of the event.
Creative Holiday Tablescapes
November 9, 2015
Looking for some great and super easy table decorations for the Thanksgiving and the winter holidays? Then check out what our club members’ created during our holiday decorating workshop (see slide show below). All these designs came together in a couple of minutes. It’s as simple as finding a few glasses and dishes that you have in your home, stacking them together, adding sparkly objects (e.g., glass beads, ornaments, candles, or tea lights) and natural elements (e.g., pumpkins, nuts, seeds, evergreens, or living plants/flowers). You could also throw in a few pieces of candy to tempt your guests.
The plant shown in several of the designs is tillandsia which is an epiphyte or air plant that normally grows without soil. The plant collects moisture and nutrients from the air (dust or decaying leaves). They are a fantastic and easy to care for house plant that can be purchased at most garden centers or florists.
Warning – if using natural materials or grasses keep them away from open flames. Use a battery operated tea light instead.
Landscape Design Case Study
October 12, 2012
One of the benefits of being a garden club member is to tap your fellow club member's knowledge and gardening experience. This program was about redesigning portions of fellow club member's gardens. In August, club members that hold certified landscape design consultant certificates visited a member's garden to conduct a landscape assessment of the property. The garden owners told the consultants about what they like about their gardens and what areas they'd like to improve. The design consultants focused on the topography of the land; soil conditions; the location of trees and how it affects sun and shade conditions at the site; what plant material can be divided and used elsewhere; the placement of existing hardscape; aesthetic style preferences; and identified how the space is currently used by the owners and their pets and inquired about the changes the owners would like to see made. During the assessment the landscape design consultants make a few simple suggestions to improve the overall visual appearance and functionality of the garden. These included relocating a few perennials so that the plants would receive more sunlight; improving the garden bed's visual impact by creating larger groupings of a single type of plant; removing a few plants to allow their pets will have more room to roam; moving a few stepping stones to open up the pathway leading to their patio; and re-grading the area to create a level walking surface.
Preparations for Kaukauna Farmer's Market Display
September 14, 2015
We invite the public to stop by our booth at the September 19, 2015 Kaukauna Farmer's Market (morning hours) where we will be hosting several children's activities. Look for a white pop up tent decorated with sunflowers. Children will be able to decorate gourds with plant materials; create 'hammer' pressed flowers; or color posters of Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl. The posters can also be entered in to the 2015-2016 Wisconsin Garden Club Federation's coloring contest.
During our preparations the club members decorated gourds for display at the farmer's market. They will serve as examples to help stimulate the children's creativity. The club members also learned how to do the pressed flower technique. Our general meeting included discussion about the 2015 Flower Show, the upcoming 2016 Plant Sale, upcoming work dates at Einstein's Global Garden, and our 'Garden of the Month' program.
Green Bay Botanic Garden Tour
August 10, 2015
The Green Bay Botanic Garden is a 'must see' garden destination for everyone who lives in or visits the Fox Valley Region of northeast Wisconsin. The gardens are beautiful and contain a wide variety of plants and architectural settings. It's a garden that you should visit multiple times each calendar year; but one that makes you want to return year after year. Not only do the flowers and plants change through0ut the seasons; but each year the Green Bay Botanic Gardens add new gardens to the facility. A few of our members posed for a photo in the new Arendt Dwarf Conifer Garden. We had a delightful visit and we look forward to returning again soon.
August 10, 2015
The Green Bay Botanic Garden is a 'must see' garden destination for everyone who lives in or visits the Fox Valley Region of northeast Wisconsin. The gardens are beautiful and contain a wide variety of plants and architectural settings. It's a garden that you should visit multiple times each calendar year; but one that makes you want to return year after year. Not only do the flowers and plants change through0ut the seasons; but each year the Green Bay Botanic Gardens add new gardens to the facility. A few of our members posed for a photo in the new Arendt Dwarf Conifer Garden. We had a delightful visit and we look forward to returning again soon.
2015 Garden Walk and Progressive Dinner
July 13, 2015
We squeezed in some fun before the rain came tumbling down. Our progressive dinner garden walk was a smashing success for all the senses -- beautiful gardens to see, new plants to discover, delicious food, and great conversation. We toured four of our member's gardens located on the north side of Appleton. Here's a slide show of photos from the event:
Where the Wild Things Grow
Standard Small Flower Show
July 11, 2015
Our club produced a small standard flower show as one of the garden sites during the Homeless Connections Annual Garden Walk. The show was held at the WILD One's Headquarters on Little Lake Butte des Morts in Neenah. The Flower Show consists of floral design and horticultural specimen competitions. The floral design competition featured twelve designs based on three artistic styles: traditional line design; creative underwater design; and creative multi-rhymic design. Each of the floral designs are evaluated by a panel of judges based on the artist's creativity, interpretation of the theme, construction techniques, compliance with the rules, and the quality of plant materials. The horticultural competition showcased more than 150 entries of flowering annuals, perennials, bulbs, foliage, container grown plants, trees & shrubs, and fruits &vegetables. Congratulations to everyone who participated in the competition! Here are some highlights of the show.
Flower Show Fundamentals
June 8, 2015
In preparation for our upcoming small standard flower show scheduled on July 11 we practiced the fundamentals of floral design. The workshop was lead by Marion Books and Carol Catlin and focused on creating a line design. In a floral show these designs are placed against a backdrop (see blue panel in the far left photo) to block out any visual clutter so that you can clearly see the composition of the arrangement. Here are photos of some of our club member's designs created during the workshop.