January 2013 District Newsletter 3

March 2013 Event at Mt. Cuba

    I call this time of year the Winter Doldrums:  The days are short, it's cold and there are no holidays any time soon!  But it is a great time to plan your garden and gain knowledge of how to improve your landscape.

           

    Compost is the lifeblood of your garden. Want to learn more? Join renowned teacher Rodale Institute's chief scientist, Dr. Elaine Ingham, for a day-long class on "Basic Composting" (Saturday March 23, 9am-3pm-includes lunch, $30). Your plants will thank you for it.

 

     The online classes of Mt. Cuba Center CONNECT can also brighten the dark days of winter.  Learn about native ferns, find out how to entice hummingbirds to your backyard or discover the marvels of moss gardening.  Download our ebook, The Meadow Plants of Mt. Cuba Center, or listen to orchid experts talk about native orchids. To make it more enticing, take $5 off the cost of each class when you use our discount codes: Use "maidenhair" for The Ferns at Mt. Cuba Center; "lonicera" for Hummingbirds in Your Garden; "grasses" for the Meadow book, "bluets" for Moss Gardening, and "ladyslipper" for the Orchid Conference.

           

    You can find links for classes, both onsite and online, at www.mtcubacenter.org.

 

    As always, I look forward to sharing the beauty of Mt. Cuba Center with you.

 

 Sincerely,

Eileen Boyle

Director of Education & Research 

2013 Winter Events at Tyler Arboretum

TYLER ARBORETUM (www.tylerarboretum.org)
515 Painter Rd, Media, PA 19063
610-566-9134

Winter Bird Walks - Wednesdays 8:15-10:15am - Free with admission.

Wildflower Botany Walks - Wednesdays 11-1am
                                              Sunday, February 3, 1:30-3:30pm

Winter Pruning Workshop - Saturday, January 26, 1:00-2:30pm (snow date, January 27). Tyler Gardner, Emily Mox will begin this class indoors with an overview of pruning concepts and tool tips and then lead the group outside to demonstrate how to prune a variety of shrubs and trees.  Preregistration required: $12 members; $15 non-members

January 2013 Event at Mt. Cuba Center

MT. CUBA CENTER (www.mtcubacenter.org)
3120 Barley Mill Road, Hockessin, DE 19707
302-239-4244

January 16, 7-9pm (dessert reception). "Treasures Among Our Natives" presented by Dr. Douglas Tallamy, University of Delaware.  $20. Although a growing number of homeowners are helping conserve local biodiversity by landscaping with native plants, few know much about the animals they are aiding.  Dr. Tallamy will describe some of the fascinating ways animals interact with the native plants they depend on.  He will share how anticipating, observing, and understanding these relationships enriches our lives and further justifies the use of natives in our yards.

January/February 2013 Events at Scott Arboretum

SCOTT ARBORETUM (www.scottarboretum.org)
500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA
10-328-8025

JANUARY 2013
12 (Saturday) 5pm - Winter Celebration, Cliff Notes: Plant Collecting in the Mountain Forests of Guizhou, China.  Scott McMahan

19 (Saturday) 3-4:30pm - Arboretum Highlight Tour.

20 (Sunday) 2pm - Joanne Walkovic Memorial Lecture, "A Nurseryman's Miscellany" presented by Ed Bowen.

31 (Thursday) 2-4pm - "Why Do the Plants of My Dreams Keep Freezing to Death?" presented by Allen Hirsh.

FEBRUARY 2013
13 (Wednesday) 5:30-6:30pm - Nature's Narratives Book Discussion Group.

16 (Saturday) 3-4:30pm - Arboretum Highlight Tour.

February & March 2013 Events at Jenkins Arboretum

JENKINS ARBORETUM (www.jenkinsarboretum.org)
631 Berwyn Baptist Road, Devon, PA
9am to 4pm daily.  Free admission.

Fiber Art of Japan: Exhibition. February 1-28. Free. Pre-admissiosn appreciated.

Art of Ikebana: Exhibition. February 1-28. Free. John J. Willaman Education Center.
Ikebana Demonstration by Jose Juico. Sunday, February 3. Free. Pre-registration appreciated.

Vegetable Potting Workshop - Kids Kitchen Scrap. February 18, 10:30am to 12Noon. Free. No pre-registration
Sprout Display and Contest. March 22-24. John J. Willaman Education Center.

Dried Flower Program

Are your members interested in learning about harvesting, preserving & arranging dried flowers?  Cathy Miller, Past President of the Wyckoff, N.J. Garden Club, is the recipient of many flower arranging awards.  Her home-grown dried flower creations have graced the White House from Carter through G.W. Bush. In addition, she has appeared on 29 TV shows and has been featured in dozens of national magazines. You can find more information about her at: http://www.dryingflowers.com/about.html. 
or contact her for a brochure: P. O. Box 231, Hawthorne, NJ 07507.