****Summer 2014****

President’s Message

Dear Members of the Garden Club:

I have just returned from our trip to the Vanderbilt Mansion, and it seems to me that we are as fortunate as the Vanderbilts.  We have friendship; we have loyalty; we support each other in times of need.  Life does not get any better than that, even for the Vanderbilts.  We are all so wealthy because we are a part of this club.

Jayne

Annual Plant Sale

The new location at the Cornwall Town Hall for our Annual Plant sale held on Saturday, May 10, proved to be a real winner.  The abundant parking, expansive lawn and convenient rest rooms helped to make the transition from the Sands Ring Homestead a success. 

 

 Club members turned out in force to help make it all happen.  On Friday, May 9, we unloaded the delivery trucks and got things organized for the next day in record time.  On Saturday, the weather cooperated with no rain, and the community began arriving by 7:30 a.m.  Who would ever think we could sell all those baskets?  But we sold almost all of our fresh plants; and, when the final numbers were totaled up, we exceeded our income goal. 

 

 

That evening, club members met at Ilene Osinski’s house to celebrate another successful plant sale – an event that has come to be as much of a Cornwall community happening as a fund raiser for our club.  Many thanks to all. 

April Meeting

We kicked off our regular meetings for 2014 at the Cornwall Presbyterian Church on April 24.  Plant Sale co-chairs Ilene Osinski and Andrea Hamburger provided an overview of the upcoming annual plant sale.  With the sale moving to the grounds at Town Hall, it was important that all had an understanding of how things would be organized.  Assignments for the sale were announced, and those in charge of specific areas spoke about their location. 

Ann Bloom and Mary Jane Gisselbrecht gave an introduction to the structure of a National Garden Club Flower Show.  If there is enough interest among club members, perhaps we can hold our own show in the near future.

Horticultural talks on composting and succulents were given.  The design exhibits for the meeting were based on “Double Delights,” with one side of the exhibit being remarkably different than the other.  As ever, the creativity of our members was evident in the beautiful and original designs they displayed. 

June Meeting

A little bit of “Downton Abbey” seemed present during our June meeting trip to the Vanderbilt Mansion Gardens in Hyde Park, a National Historic Site.  Our docent-guided tour of the gardens took us back to the time when several greenhouses and expansive terraced gardens graced the grounds at the Vanderbilt Mansion.  

We visited the annual, perennial and rose gardens, complete with their pergolas, statuary and water features.  The plants on display are true to the time of the Vanderbilts (1938), as are the color palettes used throughout the gardens.  The annuals included salvia, zinnias and celosia. 

The gardens are maintained by the all volunteer Vanderbilt Garden Association.  Approximately 100 people are members of the association, with about 60 of those being active gardeners.  Many of the others lend a hand with administrative tasks. 

As with gardens elsewhere in the Hudson Valley, this past winter caused extensive damage to the Vanderbilt Gardens.  Large sections of plumbago in the perennial area had died off.  And of course, deer are a challenge for the gardeners.  They spray with “Deer Stopper,” but some chewing still takes place. 

The work done by the association in restoring and caring for the Vanderbilt Gardens is quite impressive.  Our thanks for their contributions to preserving our gardening heritage. 

After our tour, we met under the towering trees that shade the lawns.  We ate our lunches and enjoyed dessert and beverages provided by the Hostess Committee.  The June business meeting was held after lunch.  What a wonderful way to spend a glorious June summer day - picnicking with friends on the lawn under century old trees and thinking about an earlier time when life moved at a little less hectic pace.  

Main Street Beauty

The Main Street of Cornwall is all a bloom this summer thanks to the hard work of Cornwall Garden Club members.  Floral urns filled with geraniums, lobelia and petunias decorate the core business area of town.  Committee chairs Angela Calabro and Amy Lawless organized the purchase, planting and delivery of the urns.  Club members are assigned turns for watering and caring for the plants. 

The Cornwall community assisted us in the project through their financial support.  The Greater Cornwall Chamber of Commerce donated $500 for the containers and plant material.  Rich Massimi, owner of the Vails Gate Cleaners and president of the Greater Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, generously gave us $300 for a water cart to assist in keeping the urns thriving. 

And perhaps many business owners have been inspired by our project, as barrels and baskets of flowers seem to be more prevalent this year.  Main Street has never looked better!

Community Beautification

After a long and cold winter, it is particularly inspiring to see our community beautification projects in all their glory.  Club members prepared the soil and planted in late May.  By Memorial Day, our gardens were ready.  Chadeayne Circle, Main Street, Munger Cottage, the Fanning Monument and the Village Bandstand are making are community a more beautiful place to live. 

Arbor Day

On a windy Friday, Arbor Day, April 25, Cornwall Garden Club members and others met at the Cornwall-on-Hudson riverfront at Donahue Park.  We planted a willow tree to replace one of the massive trees felled by recent storms. 

With so many trees lost to last winter’s cold and snow, it is wonderful to see that the magnolia tree we planted for last year’s Arbor Day at the Sands Ring Homestead survived the challenging winter.  Let’s hope our new willow thrives as well. 

District X News

The annual Spring Board Meeting and Luncheon for District X, Federated Garden Clubs of New York State, Inc., took place on April 9.  The event was held at the Bear Mountain Inn and was sponsored by the Clarkstown Garden Club. 

The day began with the annual district meeting that was followed by the luncheon.  At the meeting, District Director Jane Madis urged members to plant gardens and preserve habitat that would support Monarch butterflies on their long migration. 

Jeanne Nelson, floral designer extraordinaire, presented a program titled “Awaking to the Glorious Colors of Spring.”  Jeanne artfully used a wide variety of spring blooms to create beautiful floral creations.  Jeanne’s designs were raffled off to lucky attendees at the conclusion of the program.  (Special note – Jeanne will be the presenter for our Cornwall Garden Club August 21 meeting.  Plan to be there.)

Many Cornwall Garden Club members attended the luncheon which was filled with camaraderie and learning.  It was delightful to see the Bear Mountain Inn open and hosting events.  

Coleus

When one thinks of a garden, images of flowers in bloom come to mind.  Yet sometimes a plant is treasured for its non-flowering contributions to the garden.  Coleus – an old fashioned favorite enjoying new fashioned popularity – is such a plant. 

It is the great diversity of leaf color that makes coleus such a valued part of the garden.  With leaves of red, pink, chartreuse, maroon, orange, white and yellow in numerous patterns and shapes, the coleus is the perfect addition to the summer garden.  In addition to color differences, coleus come in assorted heights, so be sure to plant a variety that, when mature, will be at the height you need.

Coleus, also called Painted Nettle, is a member of the family Lamiaceae.  Its Latin name is Solenostemon scutellarioides.  Coleus do best in light shade and can be overwintered as a house plant in a location that provides several hours of bright light each day. 

Plants can be purchased at garden supply stores or started from seeds or cuttings.  Pinching the plants back periodically avoids legginess and encourages bushiness as does pinching off flower buds as soon as they appear.  The coleus flower is unimpressive and is best removed to encourage leaf growth. 

 

It’s not too late in the season to add a few coleus to your summer garden.  Their magnificent foliage - but not their flowers - will reward you until first frost. 

 

Information from www.thegardenhelper.com and www.gardening.cornell.edu.

Upcoming Events

Mark your calendar for the following upcoming events. 

July 15 – July meeting.  “Succulents and the Savvy Gardener” presented by Master Gardener Barbara Wexler-Hall at Munger Cottage, 183 Main Street, Cornwall, at 7 p.m.  Members are asked to bring a small container to plant a succulent.  Soil and a plant will provided for each member at the meeting

August 21 – August meeting.  “Inspiring Table Designs” presented by Jeanne Nelson at the Storm King Engine Company, 233 Hudson Street, Cornwall-on-Hudson, at 6:30 p.m.  Jeanne is a Master Flower Show Judge and former President of the Central Atlantic Region, National Garden Club, and Director and Treasurer of the National Flower Arrangers.  Learn how to improve your arranging skills. 

September 18 – “Backyard Stewardship” presented by Lisa Rittweger, Master Gardener, at the Cornwall Public Library at 1 p.m.  The program will explore ways to improve energy efficiency, make our yards healthier and sustain the ecosystem. 

And a special “Save the Date” for our October meeting – our trip to the New York Botanical Garden on October 16.  Meet the bus at the DeCicco’s Market parking lot at 9 a.m.  We’ll return at approximately 5 p.m. 

Photos by Margaret Vatter and Andrea Hamburger

 CELEBRATE SUMMER!