N e w sNative Plant Society of Texas, North Central Chapter Newsletter

Volume 25, Number 4, May 2013

N o r t h C e n t r a l T e x a sNPSOT

Visit us atncnpsot.org and

txnativeplants.org

The purpose of the Native PlantSociety of Texas is to promote theconservation, research, andutilization of the native plantsand plant habitats of Texasthrough education, outreach andexample.

May meeeting

Thursday, May 2, 7:00 pmOrchid Room, Deborah Beggs Moncrief Garden Center,Fort Worth Botanic Gardens

Program: How Native Americans used native plantsby Curtis Carter

The May program will provide an interesting look into life inTexas more than 100 years ago. Curtis Carter is an avidreplicator who will not only tell, but show us how NativeAmericans used the plants around them for tools, clothing,foods etc. Curtis will focus on the Plains Indians, with anemphasis on the multiple ways they used yucca. Don’t expect apower point presentation for this program, it will be muchmore lively than that. I know this will be a fun and interestingprogram you will want to be apart of and bring your friendsalong to enjoy it too.

Chapter LeadersTheresa Thomas - Presidentkayleetl@sbcglobal.netStarr Krottinger - Vice President(Programs)Gailon Hardin - Treasurerghardin@flash.netMartha Mullens- SecretaryPatti Maness- NICE! CoordinatorFrank Keeney - Communicationswebmaster@txnativeplants.orgGailon Hardin & Dawn Hancock -Southwest SubcourthouseGarden LeadersTheresa Thomas & Bill Hall -Hulen Regional LibraryGarden LeaderNancy Price - Hospitality ChairChar McMorrow - MembershipChairDawn Hancock - ParliamentarianMolly Hollar - Molly HollarWildscape Garden Leader

2 NPSOT News May 2013

Plant of the Month Josephine Keeney

Find more native plant information at www.texasstar.org, a forum for Texas gardeners dedicated to thecultivation and propagation of Texas native plants.

13

White yarrow, Common yarrow, Achilea millefolium, AsteraceaeThis charming evergreenplant delights everyonewith its soft featheryleaves that resembleferns.

Yarrow is a veryreliable perennialgroundcover that willspread with abandon andcover any area you needcarpeted in beautifulgreen. The white flowersare also lovely and bloomin April or May, lasting forabout two months, but themain attraction is thegorgeous leaves.

One handy fact is thatit has a very wide distribu-tion over the U.S. andCanada, so it is not diffi-cult to find.

White yarrow is notpicky about soils or sun orshade, although it cantake more shade thanmany other plants. It grows happily in just about any situation and does not require much water, so it is anideal plant for our area. Another good thing: I have never seen any insect or disease problems with this plant.

It can be used to edge a flower bed with great results, because it shows the edge of the bed when all theother plants are dormant. I have it around the edge of the bed by the curb and it looks great.

Another interesting fact is that the leaves have been used by Native Americans for many centuries asmedicinal tea to cure stomach disorders.

NPSOT NewsMay 2013 3

NPSOT 2013 Spring Plant Sale Josephine Keeney

Wow! What a day we had!It started cold and windy, but

it sure didn’t dampen anyone’sspirit.

Everyone showed up to helpand we worked like maniacs forseven hours, but we sold almosteverything. It was a great day!

Thank you, Gailon for mak-ing all the labels, doing theinventory, and handling theaccounting. You are a treasure.

A big thank you to Patti andJim Maness. Patti made theplant pictures and Jim made agreat setup for the new banner.

Plant contributors wereGailon Hardin, Merita Knap,Patti Maness, Martha Mullens,Dagmar Higgins and JosephineKeeney.

Sales helpers were NancyPrice, Dawn Hancock, CharleneMcMorrow, Laura Penn, Char-lotte Hughes, Sheila Franklin,Bill Hall, and Frank Keeney.

Thaks also to Dawn, whobrought some delicious pastriesand coffee, and Frank hadpeople gathered around himlistening to his plant stories.

The plant sale gave us anopportunity to spread the mes-sage about Texas native plants topeople who otherwise might notknow about them. Many peoplewere hungry for information andasked lots of questions aboutwhat to grow and how to do itsuccessfully.

We accomplished our mis-sion of spreading the word aboutTexas natives while raisingmoney for our chapter. All in all,it was a very successful sale anda very good day!

4 NPSOT News May 2013

Visit us on the Webat

www.txnativeplants.org

The North Central Texas

NPSOT Newsis a monthly publication ofthe North Central Chapter ofthe Native Plant Society ofTexas.

For changes of addressor information aboutcontributing to thenewsletter, please contactthe newsletter editor.

The deadline for submittingarticles for inclusion in thenewsletter is the 15th ofevery preceding month.

John Darling, Editor817-274-10771darling@sbcglobal.net

Join the Native Plant Society of Texas!Become a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas. Membership is open to anyindividual, family, or organization. Membership is renewable annually and extendsfor a year from the date we receive your original payment. If you wish to join,please indicate your category of membership, then clip and mail this applicationwith the appropriate remittance to:

Native Plant Society of TexasPO Box 3017, Fredricksburg, TX 78624

830-997-9272

_____ Student $15_____ Senior Individual

(65+) $20_____ Senior Couple

(one 65+) $30_____ Individual $25

_____ Couple/Family $40_____ Group $50_____ Patron $100_____ Benefactor $250_____ Supporting $500_____ Corporate Sponsor $1000_____ Lifetime $1000

Name:Address:City, State, Zip:County:Phone:Chapter Affiliation:e-mail:

North Central Chapter

Next Meeting

Thursday, May 27:00 pm

Fort WorthBotanic Gardens

Curtis Carter

How NativeAAmericans used

native plants