October, 2007
Happy Birthday to: Pam Bellman, Sharon Thompson, jo Quackenbush, Betty Sumner, Thelma Noble, Marianne Lee, Patsy Neel
Theme: "Learning & Growing"
10/08//2007 FC Elementary School Garden Beautification Day
 
10/09//2007 FFGC District 5 Meeting in Lake City : President Davis reported
  1. Flower Design schools being offered;  encouragement for club members to attend and to consider a standard flower show in the future.
  2. FFGC opportunity drawing tickets are now available.
  3. Camp Wekiva leadership training will be held in February 08. 
  4. Campbell’s soup labels can turned in to the president at club meetings to benefit Camp Wekiva.
  5. March Short courses to be held at Plantation Inn in Crystal River include an Environmental Study Course, Backyard Wildlife and Pine Needle Weaving.
10/12//2007 October regular business meeting.
Note the change in meeting time announced at September's meeting ... we now start all meetings at 12:30P rather than 1:00P unless otherwise noted on the calendar.
Members were greeted by
Nancy Mirgon and Carol DeLisle
 Grow & Share offers many varieties of plants with expert advice on how to grow them ... If Peggy doesn't know how, someone will. You could virtually grow a whole garden from plants donated by members.

Donna served up wonderful treets for all to enjoy

Opportunity drawing prizes abound
   
Teresa from FL Contract Growers, formerly Sharer’s Nursery, gave us a little of her background and taught us how to start annuals, vegetables & herbs from seeds with specifics on soil, planting depth and watering requirements in different weather conditions. Blooming geraniums and petunias or vegetables were given to each member.
Hands-on training gave members an opportunity to dig in the dirt and practice how to plant seedlings.
   
10/19/07 Field Trip to Connie's Nursery, the plant stand at Shearer's and Moran Blueberry Farm. Members and guests were welcome to come
   
http://www.moranfruitfarm.com/
Patrick Moran
Seven of us took the field trip and had a wonderful time. Connie has a home grown nursery with many varieties of succulents, bromieliads, herbacious and woody plants ... many uncommon varieties and some very rare. Most spectacular were the different Angel Trumpets in bloom. Patrick Moran taught us about their sweet fuyu persimmons, their versitility and offered some to sample. We picked to our hearts content. Moran's also has u-pick peaches, plums, nectarines, muscadine grapes and persimmons. They sell blueberries and blackberries already picked when in season, and have many and varied nursery plants, specializing in antique roses, gingers,crepe myrtles,and everblooming azaleas. The plant stand at Sharer's had annuals and perennials as well as bird baths for sale.
 
10/27/07 BOCC's "A Day of Caring"

a county-wide liter control day. We met at the community building for assignments ... all members and local residents were encouraged to help. Filled bags were deposited at the Citrus County Land Fill under the "Don't Mess With Citrus County" sign. Nine volunteers participated and collected 17 bags of trash. Thank you Joe & Lona Bassett, Mike & Christine Harnden, Kathy Hofmann, Kathy Davis, Tammy Figley and Dave & Pam Bellman.

10/31/07 FCGC Board Meeting @ Kathy Davis' ... BOI Position updates were made.
 
Member Nominated Flowers of the Month for Central Florida
 

Pink flowering vine: Antigonon leptopus
Common Names: Mexican creeper, coral vine, corallita, confederate vine
Family: Polygonaceae (buckwheat Family)
jo grows this vine on an arbor with Passion Flower [which tries to over-take it] ... both vines climb via tendrills and tend to drape down into the path requiring frequent pruning or tying back, so a trellis or fence would be better. This is a 2-year old plant received as a seedling from a garden club member. The first year yielded very few flowers, but this year is much better. It seemed to freeze to the ground and was cut down, but that was a mistake ... other coral vines started blooming long before hers did. It attracts bees and butterflies ... hummingbirds check it out but don't linger. For how to grow it, check out the following web sites.

http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/vines/coral_vine.htm
http://www.floridata.com/ref/A/anti_lep.cfm
Yellow Flowers: Tecoma stans "Gold Star"
Common Names: yellow elder, trumpetbush, yellow bells, ginger-thomas, tronadora, Esperanza
Family: Bignoniaceae (bignonia Family) Height: 3 to 8  feet.
http://www.floridata.com/ref/T/teco_sta.cfm &
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Bignoniaceae/Tecoma_stans.html

Purple Flowers: Salvia leucantha
Common Names: Mexican bush sage, Mexican sage, velvet sage
Family: Lamiaceae/Labiatae (mint Family)
Height: 36-48 in
http://www.floridata.com/ref/S/salv_leu.cfm
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1837/
Kathy's Yellow Bells has formed a small ornamental tree and both are drought tolerant once established.

 
Reminders:
  1. October Gardening Guide ... check it out.
  2. Floral City Yard of the Year Nominations are being accepted through November: Please contact Cathy Foley [341-0043] with the name, address and phone number of your nominee.
  3. Floral City Elementary School Needs You!!! See how you can help ... click here!
  4. Floral City Heritage Council is seeking volunteer guides help with historic home tours. Contact Marcia Beasley if you would like to participate. The historic Dunn home is celebrating its centennial, so special activities will be taking place there on Heritage Day.  A new event will be a pie bake-off contest with dignitary judges to be held in Hilton Hall.  Proceeds will go to support Methodist church outreach programs.
  5. Nominate your favorite flower of the month e-mail to:jbq@tampabay.rr.com
  6. Grow & Share + Plant Sale: As you thin, trim and clip your garden, bring some in for grow & share and/or pot some up for our annual spring plant sale