August 2007 newsletter



Pride is everywhere!
Our most recent meeting

We met in Gulfport, on a beautifully sunny, yet breezy day under the trees.  Stan and Dwayne were terrific hosts, opening their house, pool and yard to us all.  

Our Next Meeting:

Our next meeting will be on August 19th at 5pm.  We will be having our annual meeting at Jim and Eric's beautiful jungle garden between the heliconias, passiflora and brugmansias.   Their pool will be available to anyone who wants to enjoy the warm water.  

RSVP is not necessary, but if you have any questions, Marty has all the answers at  potluck@rakesandbladesfl.com or by calling 727-797-8498.

Directions to next meeting: Login to Members page

I am sure you will be bringing lots of plants for the raffle. Please don't forget to identify your plants for the next owner. I have included the plant care form in the members only section for your ease.  You can print out as many as you need from the site.   I am sure you will appreciate finding out how to care for the plants you select. I haven't killed anything yet, so they must be effective!  

Just a few reminders to everyone: This month we will be holding our elections for the coming year.  Only paid members may vote or hold office.  We hope that everyone will consider pitching in for the club and running for an office - we can always use a fresh idea or an additional set of helping hands! It appears that everyone currently is running unopposed, and our open spots are for Treasurer and Potluck Committee.  Fortunately we have had people step up to fill those so you will find out who everyone is at the meeting.  If you would be interested in holding one of the offices, (or officers), please contact Jim  - president@rakesandbladesfl.com

It is also time to renew your membership dues.  This year you have the option of paying online through our website by Paypal with your debit or credit card,  or by check payalble to Gary Raush.  We prefer that you not pay in cash so we can have a record of all payments.

Of Interest to Gardeners

Norris Crenshaw’s monthly timetable of gardening chores:

August
  • Spray and trim roses
  • Watch for sod worms, cinch bugs and moles
  • Test soil ph to prepare for September fertilizing
  • Have well water tested for saline
  • Fertilize Christmas cactus
  • Trim and fertilize poinsettias at end of month  to time for holiday readiness


Also of interest:

Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota
Sunken Gardens, 1825 4th Street N, St Pete.
Pinellas County Extension Service calendar for lots more gardening events.
City Beautiful Commission in St. Petersburg
Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum in St. Petersburg

Monthly meetings at Moccasin Lake Nature Park
2750 Park Trail Ln., Clearwater:

Clearwater Audubon Society
1st Monday, October – May, 7:00-9:00pm.
Pinellas Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society
First Wednesday of month, 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
Suncoast Sierra Club
3rd Thursday, 7:30-9:30pm
 Club News
We had a great meeting under the magnolia trees at Stan and Dwayne's.  We had the largest turnout so far this year, with more than 50 people in attendance.  it was great to see some people we haven't seen for a long time, like Cate!  There was a lot of socializing going on since this was the first meeting after the Pride Festival and everyone had a story to share.  


As usual, our tireless potluck committee workers set up for the meeting with breakneck speed, ensuring a smooth running foodline.  


We had a lot of very welcome new faces at this meeting, and hopefully they had a great time and will want to join us for all of our future meetings as well. We are grateful for all who willing to become active members in the club!

Two of our newer members are Tony and Roy.  Roy is a master gardener with the Pinellas Extension Service, who we hope will be willing to share his expertise with us from time to time. Tony has already really thrown himself into the club by helping out at our Pride event, walking in the parade - yes, he was one of the Few, the Proud, well... one of the marching Rakes!

There was a terrific dinner, with plenty of food.  Thanks to all of you who brought something to share.  

Jim held the meeting, giving everyone the rundown on how our Pride event was a success.  The booth was beautiful, and the Parade marchers were a big hit!  Our thanks to Phil, Rick, Scott and Jim, for those beautiful exotic plant cuttings you donated for our incredible bouquet and booth decorations! 

Noemi Foster - the owner of "the best garden in the neighborhood" was able to share a few tips on how to get flowers to bloom bigger than usual - Use your expired vitamins and herbs as fertilzer! Well it makes total sense, but why didn't we think of that?  


Jim identified all of the plants that were brought in for the raffle, and there were a lot of larger and more exotic plants for the choosing!  

Plan to join us at the next meeting!


Jim’s Plant of the Month:

The Euphorbia family (Euphorbiaceae) is probably the largest family of plants that thrive in Florida gardens. It is certainly too big to be treated fairly in one article, so I’ll leave discussion of some of the largest and best-known groups for another time. Those include the copper plants (Acalypha spp.), the crotons (Codiaeum variegatum), and the Jatropha species (Buddha belly, coral plant, and bellyache bush).
          











The plants from the family Euphorbiaceae that I see far less often in local gardens, are those that belong to the genus Euphorbia! There are a few that are common, such as Crown of Thorns (Euphorbia millii) and pencil cactus (Euphorbia tirucali), which is not a cactus at all, but like many Euphorbias, often mistaken for one. From what I’ve seen, most Euphorbias will thrive equally well here, and there are a lot to choose from. White Ghost (E. lactea) is quite spiny, like a cactus, and grows 10 to 15 feet tall. Euphorbia caput-medusae is a nearly ground-hugging rosette that stays less than a foot across. The species that really grows like a weed here is Euphorbia pulcherrima – the poinsettia. With no special effort on your part, it should produce red leaves and flowers in time for the holidays.
               

Unlike their relatives the copper plants and crotons, most Euphorbia species will survive weeks or months without water. They love our local sandy soil and extreme heat, and grow best in full sun. Most can be propagated by allowing a broken piece to dry in the shade for a few days, then stick it in the ground. These are plants I can heartily recommend in the middle of a drought!

Club officer contact

President: Jim Nevers, president@rakesandbladesfl.com
Vice President: Ann Allen, vicepres@rakesandbladesfl.com
Treasurer: Tony Parente, treasurer@rakesandbladesfl.com
Secretary: Bruce Bates, secretary@rakesandbladesfl.com

Newsletter: Bryan Hopper, newsletter@rakesandbladesfl.com
Photographer: Brad Hissing, photos@rakesandbladesfl.com
Raffleator: Kevin Ritter, raffles@rakesandbladesfl.com

Program Coordinator:
Brian Cahill, programs@rakesandbladesfl.com

Host Coordinators:
Ann Allen, Marty Volpe, hosting@rakesandbladesfl.com

Potluck Committee:
Marty Volpe, Stan Trimmer, Scott Hoffman
potluck@rakesandbladesfl.com
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