From: Capitol Hill Garden Club CapitolHillGardenClub@wildapricot.orgSubject: CHGC Newsletter, January 2017

Date: January 6, 2017 at 8:43 AMTo: Joseph Purdy heyjoe.here@verizon.net

The Capitol Hill Garden Club's

Hill Garden News

January, 2017

Message From The Board

Joseph Purdy

Share Your Gardening Knowledge in 2017

The membership of our Club includes gardeners from all walks of life, withmany different gardening experiences. And for those who enjoy writing, ourClub’s website offers the perfect opportunity for you to share information withfellow Club members and others who visit our website. Articles now includevaluable information on roses, visits to nearby gardens and attractions, andmore. Below, you'll find our first Member's Article for 2017, written by BarbaraMarks. It talks about her experiences raising an orange tree.

So, what’s your passion? Begonias? Rain gardens? Searching for ferns inPatagonia? You decide, any topic of interest to gardeners will be greatly appreciated.

Visit our Member Articles page soon, and start planning your article.

Our Club President, Gail Giuffrida, is in Florida for the winter, leaving our Club in the capablehands of Ed Peterman. Until she returns, please direct any Club business to Ed.

Meetings and EventsOur Next Event

Our Members Own Gardens -

Featured Speakers: Kym Hemley and Stephen Bauer

This month, 2 of our members will tell us about their very own gardens in a presentation entitledRenewed/Repurposed Gardens.

This is always one of our favorite meetings as we learn from our neighbors experiences, andenjoy the photos they'll share from their garden.

Refreshments: Anthony needs for up to 3 people to bring a sweet or savory treat to share.Click Here to tell him if you can do it.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

New Start Time: 7:15 p.m.

Refreshments start at 7

Northeast Library

330 Seventh Street NE

(7th St. and Maryland Ave.)

Our Last Event

The Greens Workshop

We had 27 participants in the Greens Workshop andother members who joined in the Deck the Halls Party.There were sufficient greens and supplies and we stayedwithin budget.

Thank you to the many members who helped with thisevent:

Sandra Bruce helped with the greens order.

Sonia Conly obtained the venue.

Evelyn McKay, Pat Hanrehan, Jerry and Maryann Sroufe,Edee Hogan, Joyce Jones, Doris Celarier and SandraBruce helped bag greens.

Carol Edwards helped with bow making.

Ed Peterman helped with handing out the greens.

Anthony Pontorno and Joe Purdy provided the beverages and supplies for the finger-foodpotluck.

Bill and Vira Sisolak help immensely with storing the greens supplies.

Also, the participants were very helpful in cleaning up their work areas and putting away thechairs. We vacated a clean, orderly premises at 9 p.m.

Submitted By: David Healy, Greens Workshop Chairman

For lots more pictures of this event, please visit our website.

Other News From The Club Please, We Need A Chairperson For The June Party

The June Garden Party is our final event of the season!But as of now, we still need a 'chair' to plan and manageit for us. Sure, there’s a lot to do, but working with asmall group on this is a lot of fun, and last year’schairperson will give you all the details on how tomanage this party.

If you are not familiar with the June Garden Party, it is an

If you are not familiar with the June Garden Party, it is anal fresco dining experience held in a large, outdoor spacelike the National Arboretum, etc. Attendees contribute adish to the potluck-style dinner.

Photos from past years may be seen here and here. Ashort project description on what you’ll need to do to runthe party is also on the website, here.

Please send a note to Ed right away if you want moreinformation about running this event.

There Is So Much For Gardeners To Do In Washington

The Capitol Hill Garden Club's Local Events and Opportunities page on ourwebsite has lots of things for you to do in and around the Washington area.

For example, right now, you’ll find information on events, exhibits and otherthings you can enjoy at Hill Estate Museum and Garden, and a whole lot more!

Plan to visit this page often to see what new items are posted, or just visit thepage one time and click Subscribe. When you subscribe, you'll receive automaticemails each time a new activity is posted.

Member's Articles The Meyer Lemon Tree Story

by Barbara Marks

First I should say that I fell in love with the fragrance of citrus blossomswhen as a teenager I visited my aunt on Long Island. She had a trueorangerie, so that even in winter we could sit in the humid warmth of theplace surrounded by the wonderful smell of the flowering trees. Skipahead 50 to 60 years, my husband and I were in Alabama and there wasa small Meyer lemon tree for sale at a farm stand. It already had somelemons growing on it. I bought it and put it in the back seat of the car forthe long drive home.

I knew that Washington was not the ideal climate and living ina townhouse on the Hill, I would have to move it inside inwinter. The tree seemed to be doing well, blossoms appearedin December. But soon they dropped without forming the nubsthat grow into fruit. I complained to someone who said citrustrees need a lot of sun. So I put the tree back outside in thesummer where it thrived- lots of green leaves. Where to putthis little tree for the coming winter? My sunniest room inwinter is the kitchen. So last winter the tree sat on the kitchenfloor right next to the door to the back yard. I had to move itto get into the large pantry cabinet and walk carefully aroundit going in and out. And every day that was warm and sunny,I lugged the tree out to the deck for an even better dose ofsun. Ta dah! This time the blossoms didn’t drop, the nubs

sun. Ta dah! This time the blossoms didn’t drop, the nubsformed and this summer on the deck they turned intorespectable lemons, green at first, taking along time,(months) to become yellow. I got a total of 12 lemons!

The tree is now back in the kitchen and some little white budsare appearing, next to the 6 lemons still on the tree. It makesa great meringue pie and a wonderful lemon custard.

So I am back to sharing my small kitchen with my small tree. It is only 3 feet tall, but 3 ½ feetwide. It takes up important space, but I am so proud of it, so happy with the blossoms andlemons. There is a certain amount of inconvenience incurred because of the placement of thetree in winter. It was a lot better for traffic when it occupied a north facing window in my livingroom. Kate, my cat, scuttles under it to get out the door. Humans have to walk around it and Ihave to move it from the front of my pantry cabinet whenever I need a roasting pan or servingplatter, but hey, small potatoes. My little tree is producing and giving me that delicious smell. Sowhat if its in the kitchen and not the living room as I had hoped. Plants are a little like children.They insist on doing it their way.

Editors Note: Thanks, Barbara, for sharing this wonderful story!

Dear Problem Lady

Feeling beset by gardening problems?

Send them to the Problem Lady

c/o theproblemlady@gmail.com.

Your problems might prove instructive to others, and helpthem feel superior to you.

Complete anonymity is assured.

What is the best after-care for a beautiful Poinsettia?

After its blooms have fallen, instead of trying to provide the water, light and temperature controlavailable in a greenhouse, throw out your Poinsettia and buy another next year.

What long-blooming houseplant can cheer me up in these cold dark January days?

Try buying a Cyclamen in full bloom now. In reds, pinks, or white, Cyclamen will bloom formonths indoors. Water very moderately, and every two weeks add a high phosphorus fertilizer tothe water.

Last year my Cyclamen plant had beautiful glossy dark green leaves and a flowering habit thatproduced literally dozens of brilliant red flowers from November until April. In May of this year, Iput the plant in a shed and withheld all water and other care, allowing it to go completelydormant. In early September, I put it out in my backyard and began watering. It quicklyproduced new growth. In October, I returned it to a cool, South-facing bedroom where it did sowell the year before. As of this date [January 6], the plant has put out 15 or so very healthy-looking leaves, but gives no hint yet of any flowers. How can I jump-start the flowering process?

What a magnificent plants woman you are! Now you must fertilize. The trick again is to add awater-soluble, high phosphorus plant food, something in the nature of 0-30-10. The first numberis Nitrogen – of which you need little or none. If one wishes to go to the trouble, Cyclamen dobenefit from being placed outdoors during spring and summer, just as you have done, and thenbrought back indoors by mid-October before any threat of frost.

I seem to remember the immortal Henry Mitchell writing that true gardeners are always busy,even in January. What gardening can I possibly be doing in January?

Now is the time to plan! Peruse seed and gardening catalogues, as you sit cozily by the firedreaming of spring. Consider starting veggie or other seeds early, under gro lights. Or plan laterto scatter the mixed seeds of annuals – say zinnias and asters – on some sunny underusedcorner. Don’t forget other annuals, such as the biggest ever Begonia, called “Whopper”. Itproduces 3-inch red blooms and can tolerate torrid heat. Remember to think also about pots,and what new things might work in pots – Crocosmia, Asiatic Lilies and other flowering bulbs,corms and tubers.

Contact InformationGail Guiffrida, President Joseph Purdy, Webmaster

Click here for a complete list of our Club's Key Contacts

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For More Information about the Capitol Hill Garden Club

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