Bourbon County Garden Club host special program

The Bourbon County Garden Club and Master Gardeners, wish to invite the Zone 6 Gardeners to our public meeting, March 10, 6:00p.m., Citizens Bank Lobby, 200 Main, Fort Scott, KS.  Dr. Alan Stevens, Extension Floriculture Specialist in the Department of  Horticulture at K-State will be the speaker.  He will discuss the "Our Community" program, introduce some new plants that made the Prairie Star list this year, and answer gardening questions.  He is a very popular and enthusiastic speaker.  I am sure the members of the Zone 6 Garden Club would enjoy the program.   I hope some of your members will be interested in attending.
--Priscilla Sellers,  President 

Ultimate Garden-Planning Guide -- Week 2

Welcome to part two of our special series on garden planning. Last week we helped give you tips on evaluating your yard and needs so you can get exactly what you want. This week we'll take that knowledge and apply it to the front yard. When planning your front yard, you'll need to decide the image you want your yard to have. Do you want privacy from the street or to create a landscape that frames your home and creates a welcoming image? Check out our tips for helping you get what you want. If you're not sure what you want, check out our slide show of front yard landscaping ideas. From figuring out and working with your personal style to smartly using small spaces, we have strategies that will work for you. Lots of homes, especially in the suburbs, tend to look the same. If you want your home to stand out from the crowd, fill your front yard with flowers. Check out these tips and ideas for a flower-filled front yard. Or check out our collection of front yard garden plans --they’re perfect for giving an almost-instant splash of color.

By by Justin W. Hancock
Senior Editor, Garden
BHG.com

Program Committee Minutes

The Program Committee of Zone 6 Gardeners met on February 18, 10:00 am, at Sweet Greens. The following program ideas were discussed and contacts will be made for potential programs and speakers:

 

March 24: Class LTD  -- program on the landscaping possibilities of Eco Glass products. Eco Glass products recycles a difficult and costly material, and diverts glass waste from landfills. The recycled raw glass materials is being pulverized and distributed as landscaping mulch, golf course sand traps, pottery, stepping stones, fish ponds, fire pits, construction aggregate, and drainage purposes.

 

April 28: Dr. James Dawson, PSU dept. of biology -- program on mushrooms -- growing, gathering, cooking and eating.

 

Some Saturday in May: A bus trip or car pool to Arnold's Greenhouse. Let the program committee know if enough people are interested and we need to hire a bus.

 

May 19: "How to Host a Garden Party" presented by members of the Zone 6 Gardeners. We are asking for volunteers, single individuals or work with a partner or group, and decorate a patio-size table for a garden party. You choose the theme, like spring time for Mother's Day; Cinco De Mayo (and Betty Scripsick even has chili pepper lights she will loan you), Memorial Day with flags and red, white and blue; a nautical theme; outdoors and fishing; all natural or herbs; etc. Be creative and come up with some great ideas. Betty Scripsick will host this meeting and has plenty of patio tables. You just bring your decorations, including table service, and cook one food item to go along with your theme. Get on the internet and do some researching. You have plenty of time between now and May 19. Hostesses for this meeting will need to bring only beverage because we will be eating food items from each party theme table. The more tables we have, the more ideas we will get -- and the more food to eat!

 

June 23: Time to start touring gardens for our summer meetings. If you know of a garden we can visit or want to volunteer yours, contact someone on the program committee.

 

These are the dates of our up-coming meetings, but programs/speakers are tentative at this time.

 

--Becky Cunningham

Newsletter Editor

 

 

Ultimate Garden-Planning Guide -- Week 1

Welcome to our special three-part series on garden planning. This week we'll focus on what's most important: knowing what you want. Before you do anything, take time to think about what you really want from your yard. Do you want to attract birds and butterflies? Do you want a lush cottage garden? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you achieve your goals.

Assessing your landscape needs can be a lot harder than it sounds -- take a look at our list of questions to get started.

You should also take a look at your yard. Is it suited to your goals? Does it provide challenges (like a slope or dense shade) that you also need to take into account? Be sure you think about your yard and make it part of your planning process.

Once you know what you want and what your landscape offers, you can take the next step: developing your master plan.

Garden Notes by Justin W. Hancock, Senior Garden Editor, BHG.com

Picking Great Plants

If you're like me, the fun part of landscaping is picking out what plants you'll grow. With thousands of varieties available (and more new ones every year), choosing the right plants for your yard can be a tricky task. Here's help!

You can't beat shrub annuals for season-long color. Check out some of our favorites -- from tough-as-nails Mexican sunflower to fragrant heliotrope.

While annuals are great because they offer big bloom power, you have to plant them every year -- so we like to tuck them in amongst our favorite perennials (like the lovely peony shown above).

You're not just limited to annuals and perennials for colorful blooms. Don't forget about small trees, which also give your landscape privacy and architectural interest. Here are some of the best small trees.

Garden Notes by Justin W. Hancock, Senior Garden Editor, BHG.com

Great Backyard Bird Count - Feb. 15-18

On February 15-18, join tens of thousands of people throughout the U.S. and Canada in the 2008 Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC). You can count the birds you see in your backyard, at your local park, or a nearby wildlife refuge—you can even count from your own window. People of all ages and all levels of bird-watching experience are invited to take part. It is a great way to learn more about the birds in your backyard and neighborhood.

1. Visit www.birdcount.org for easy-to-follow instructions, including tips for identifying bird species. Download a checklist for your area.

2. Count the birds you see, wherever you choose to count. Write down the highest number of individuals you see at one time—that way you will avoid counting any bird twice.

3. After at least 15 minutes of watching in one place, report your results online at www.birdcount.org. (You can spend more time observing if you prefer.)

4. You can repeat your count at the same place on each day of the Great Backyard Bird Count. You can also visit other locations and submit separate tallies for those areas as well.

View your results: Online maps and lists are updated throughout the count, making it easy to see how your birds fit into the big picture.

Daffodil Days - March 6

The first flower of spring is also a sign of hope for those who have been touched by cancer. For more than 30 years the American Cancer Society has conducted Daffodil Days as both a fundraiser and a way to share hope for a world free from cancer.

Orders for daffodils need to be made before Feb. 15 by calling Early Detection Works at 235-7136 or the Crawford County Health Department at 231-5411 or by e-mail at kyork@crawfordcohd.org.

Three Daffodil Days products are available. Individual bouquets of about 10 daffodils are $10. A sunshine bouquet, which consists of 10 daffodils in an official American Cancer Society Daffodil Days glass vases, costs $15. "Bear and a Bunch" includes Bea R. Hope, a Boyds Bear designed exclusively for Daffodil Days, with 10 daffodils, for a cost of $25.

Proceeds from sales support research, education reinforcing the importance of early detection of cancer, advocacy and patient services. The flowers will be delivered on March 6.

Click here for more info.
American Cancer Society Daffodil Days