1

Next Meeting: 2nd Thurs. of Each

Month, Thurs., May 10, 2018

10:00 Mixer & 10:30 Meeting

Elk Grove Congregational Church,

9624 Melrose Ave., Elk Grove, CA

Inside This Issue:

Minutes, Keep It Blooming, Meet CSD,

Garden Checklist, Scholarship Recipient,

Starlings & Blackbirds, The Goat Garden

Crew, AAS Winners, May Meanderings,

Squirrel Elected, Microgreens, Thank You,

Quinoa Recipe, Calif. Montessori Project,

May Program, Member’s Birthdays, Mem-

bers

Tutto E Possible The Elk Grove Garden Club

May 2018 Newsletter

Through The Garden Gate

Vol. 9, Issue 18

Linda Rivera Editor

President’s Message by Nancy Baldwin

S pring is definitely here! I hope you are enjoying the warm weather, keeping allergies at bay, & appreciating all the beau-ty around us – in our gardens, along our streets, & in our neighbors’ gardens. I love checking out the landscapes as I

drive through Elk Grove neighborhoods – such a variety, & I have some particular favorites I check out regularly. I hope your propagating work has paid off – if you are not planning to attend the SRVD meeting on May 15, please bring the plants you are contributing to the sale to our May club meeting. The 60

th anniversary banquet committee has been hard at work. To

assist in decorating, we are asking members to dry flowers for us this summer. We are looking for flowers or greenery on stems that are overall about 6” to 9“ long. We’ll collect them next fall. I have always loved the way the word mariposa sounds – it means butterfly in Spanish. In French, it’s papillon, another lovely sounding word. In Italian it is farfalle – very nice also, & named after the pasta of the same shape - although some might say it’s the other way around! And finally – remember that we have changed our reservation process for the luncheons. As of this month, you will need to contact either Kris or Vivian only if you do NOT plan to attend. We are hoping this stream-lines the process & make it easier for those who attend regularly. There is more information on the process at the end of the minutes of last meeting, & I will be sending out one reminder e-mail this month as

we adjust to the new process. Nancy

“Garden as though you will live forev-

er.” William Kent

2

MINUTES - EGGC, APRIL 12, 2018

P resident Nancy Baldwin called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. There were three guests: Mark Mendenhall, Barbara Barker & Mary Brown. The program was about perennials. Ben Jacques of

Green Acres introduced us to numerous landscape-worthy perennials & provided information on their growth requirements. Members introduced themselves and named one perennial growing in their gardens. The minutes were approved as printed.

Correspondence: A Penny for Pines donation was made in memory of Gladys Howard & Barbara Johnson.

Sunshine: No report.

Great Gardens: Mary Anne Strohmaier recommended visiting the gardens at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Tips & Techniques: None.

Old Business: The Elderberry Farms Nature Walk will be rescheduled & a signup sheet was passed around. A signup was passed around for the May SRVD mtg. A reminder to start new plants for the SRVD plant Sale. Our annual bus trip has received 51 signups to date.

Committee Reports: Karen Shelby proposed spending appr. $120 on tables & chairs for the June Friendship Tea & New Officer nomination at Kris Schoeller’s house. Vivian Sellers made a motion to spend the $120 & the motion was passed. Karen added that she will need assistance in transporting the tables & chairs to the luncheon location. Remember to bring a teacup, saucer & hat for the Friendship Tea. Nancy Baldwin proposed two facility options for the 60th Anniversary Party; our current mtg. loca-tion & the EG Park Pavilion for $470 for 3 hrs. Pros & cons were discussed for both locations as well as the option of extending the time at the Pavilion at a rate of $125/hour. Nancy indicated that the menu for the party will be prepared by the Nov. luncheon helpers with a specific menu in mind. Joanie Freedman suggested researching local clubhouses that may provide their facility for free. Joanie also suggested researching catering options for the party. Nancy reported that the club had appr. $300-$400 excess profit & there was discussion on how to use some of that excess profit.

Nancy reported that Diana Raymond had found the missing box of garden club photographs possibly dating back to the 1960’s. Nancy then asked for volunteers to go through the photographs & prepare a scrapbook & displays for the anniversary party. Judy Bukowski & Rhinda Furtado volunteered. Nancy proposed using community funds to contribute $100 to the Montessori School Garden & $100 to the

Mission Blue Butterfly Project. Peggy Wedge made a motion to approve Nancy’s proposal & the motion was passed.

Announcements: Nancy announced that Sharon Saint would be meeting with next month’s luncheon committee following the meeting. Also, Mary Ann Strohmaier & Ana Weekley would be meeting with the bus trip committee.

On April 14 & 15, the American Bonsai Assoc. will be meeting at the Shepard Garden & Arts Center from 10 – 4 with a demon-stration starting at 1:30.

New Business: Linda Rivera reported on the Garden Club partnering with the CSD on maintaining the rose garden at the La-guna Town Hall & possibly creating a destination garden in the future.

Nancy reported on the installation of new officers: Rhinda Furtado (President), Susan Maggy (Vice President), Joyce Johnson (continuing as Treasurer) and Cathy Jow as Secretary.

Nancy announced that the club was looking for a new Newsletter Editor to replace Linda Rivera. Thank you Linda for your hard work in creating such a great Newsletter!

Nancy announced that garden club discount cards were available to anyone who hadn’t previously gotten one. Nancy asked the club for suggestions on a better system for obtaining a proper head count each month for the luncheon committee. It was agreed that effective immediately, each club member is responsible for notifying the Reservations Committee when they will NOT be attending the meeting. Nancy thanked the Lunch Committee.

Respectfully submitted for Punky Dias, Secretary, by Cathy Jow.

Addendum to Minutes: The President submitted the following update for the luncheon head-count. The luncheon hostesses need to know how many members will attend each meeting in order to prepare the “just right” amount of food - not too much, not too little. After discussion at the April meeting, the club voted to change our method of RSVPing to the following: By the first of each month, please e-mail or phone Kris Schoeller or Vivian Sellers, Reservations Committee, ONLY if you will not be attending the meeting. If we don’t hear from you, we assume that you will attend. If you bring guests, you must also notify Kris by the first of the month. If something comes up at the last minute & you can’t attend, just e-mail them as soon as you know. Things happen, & the hostesses can make last minute adjustments for these type of changes.

3

Keep It Blooming

T here is something about succulents that draws us in. Could it be their overall tidi-

ness & just darn cuteness, ease of maintenance & no deadheading, their for-

giveness for lack of water, or is it their hardiness if left in the cold. They are tough

survivors, prolific even & go hand-in-hand with rock landscapes. Too bad succu-

lents are shy to bloom & flowers are a bonus, not a given. You can, in fact, have too much of

a good thing. The loss of habitat & food plants is a critical factor for our declining pollinators. There isn’t a single cause

for the decline of songbirds, butterflies & bees, but rather a multitude of things happening at the same time including:

agriculture expansion, agro-chemicals & residential pesticides, parasites & climate change, all of which adds up to a

huge loss of floral abundance & diversity. We can still plant those delightful succulents, but pair them with a mixture of

plants. Keep it blooming. Have something blooming each season - winter, spring, summer & fall. A smartly designed

pollinator garden includes wildflowers, flowering shrubs, native plants, a little bare ground for bees to nest & borders of

flowers. As gardeners we can create, plant, & maintain a garden & then register it online: pollinator.org, on the Million

Pollinator Garden Challenge Map. Together we can help the pollinators & contribute to revitalizing the health of bees,

butterflies, birds, bats & other pollinators starting in our own yard.

Develop a garden watering plan.

Water early in the day or later at night to avoid evaporation.

Plant vegetable seeds outdoors: chard, cucumbers, melons, sum-

mer & winter squash, pumpkins, beans, corn & okra.

Plant eggplant, pepper & tomato seedlings.

Continue thinning fruit on fruit trees, grape shoots & grape clusters.

Start fruit tree summer pruning.

Paint exposed fruit tree branches to prevent sunburn. Use a mix of

half light-colored interior latex paint & half water.

Some citrus fruit drop is normal in May through June.

Harvest blueberries May through July; wait 1 week after they turn

blue to increase sweetness.

Adjust the mower to keep lawns tall & use less water: 1” for bermu-

dagrass & buffalograss, 2 to 3” for most lawns.

Fertilize roses according to directions, usually after flowering.

Look for leaffooted bugs, fire blight, powdery mildew & citrus leafminer damage.

Meet CSD

Recently the

EGGC has reached

out to combine ef-

forts with the

Cosumnes Com-

munity Services

District (CSD) to

encourage garden-

ing through civic

beautification pro-

jects. Steve Sims,

Parks Supt., CSD, (pictured far right) has

given us a gracious nod to work on the La-

guna Town Hall (LTH) Rose Garden. Sacra-

mento has four major rose gardens: McKin-

ley Park Rose Garden, Sacramento Historic

Rose Garden, World Peace Rose Garden, &

the Natomas Rose Garden all supported by

the work of volunteers, & now - us. This is

the beginning of a fruitful partnership for the

club & to promote gardening for all ages

throughout the community. There are ideas

for mass plantings along trails & creeks;

groves or trails with dogwoods, camellias or

azaleas inside large parks; plantings & flow-

ers surrounding the Elk Grove Pavilion;

healthy, flowering rose gardens throughout &

the ultimate goal of a destination garden

within the city. This is an exciting time. We

will start out small, learn, & build a base. Ste-

ve will be at our May Meeting & is invited to

join us for lunch, as our all speakers are invit-

ed. Reach out & get to know him. If you are

interested in working on the LTH Rose Gar-

den contact me by e-mail: linda@mycci.net

May Garden Checklist by Jan Fetler John Connolly, Kelly Gonzalez,

& Steve Sims from CSD

Scholarship Recipient

C ongratulations to Allison

Deyo, our $500 scholarship recipi-

ent. This is Allison with Barbara

Gumbs & Rhinda Furtado at the

Cosumnes Community College

Awards Reception on 4/27/2018.

Allison will be attending Cal Poly

next year. We will get to meet

Allison at the June Tea.

4

Did You Know? It’s The Starlings & Blackbirds

A lthough most common from Nov. to Feb., some-

times at dusk, if you gaze into the horizon you

can see a moving lava-like flow, a beautiful

dance of swooping, balanced, coordinated pat-

terns. This phenomenon is called a murmuration, the

dance of the starlings. It occurs when hundreds to thou-

sands of starlings or

blackbirds fly, swirl, &

weave in breathtaking,

harmonious choreogra-

phy. Murmurations act as

a giant signpost attracting

other starlings for safety in

numbers. Murmurations

help starlings from being

killed by raptors. The birds also love the formations for the

chatty gossip of a group, for deciding on a place to roost

for the night or to look for a common food source & some-

times just to keep warm together & have fun. The deep

twists & elegant turns are called predator swamping & can

be an effort to dodge & escape from raptors. What is fasci-

nating is the birds never hit one another. They have re-

markable ability to maintain group cohesion by paying at-

tention to a fixed number of their neighbors in their flock

regardless of the size of the swarm. When uncertainty in

sensing is present, interacting with six or seven neighbors

optimizes the balance between group cohesiveness & indi-

vidual effort. Synchronization. Interested in more? Look up

George F. Young (computational biology & aerospace en-

gineering) who discovered this by analyzing still shots of

videos of starlings in flight then used a highly mathematical

approach & systems theory to reach the conclusion. In

following this rule of seven, the birds are part of a dynamic

system in which the parts combine to make a whole with

new properties.

Starlings & blackbirds are strong flyers reaching speeds up

to 48 MPH. They are also the birds most likely to share

your sandwich on the restaurant patio & hang out in the

parking lot.

Rusty Blackbird

- Breeding Male

European Star-

ling - Breeding

Adult

Goat It Together

I f you are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the

City’s new maintenance crew, a herd of goats, it’s best

not to bother them. They’re working. The Goat Grazing

Project has hired 1,000 goats for brush control. They

chomp down on brush, shrubs, grass, weeds. Goats

are eating machines. With four stomachs they eat their

fill & nibble brush down to 3 to 4” which prevents wild-

fires & soil erosion. They started work in April & will be

done by June. Just like gardeners the

goats are participating in sustainable

land use. Beyond pesticides - they

goat this.

W I L D T H I N G S

The All-America Selections 2018 Winners

F or the past 75 years, the Annual All-America Selec-

tions (AAS) Winners, National & Regional, are tested for

garden performance by a panel of expert judges. Varie-

ties that perform best all over North America become

AAS National Winners. Plants that performed particularly

well in certain regions are named AAS Regional Win-

ners. Check out the website for the complete list & where

to buy: all-americaselections.org.

Canna South Pacific Orange

F1

Compact, vigorous, uniform & bright,

vivid orange. Grown from seed.

Zinnia Queeny Lime Or-

ange

This flower pops! An easy to grow

zinnia with lovely, large, dahlia-like

blooms on a sturdy compact plant.

Penstemon barbatus Twiz-

zle Purple F1

Superb flowering perennial with vi-

brant purple blooms & upright

growth.

Geranium Calliope, Medi-

um Dark Red

Outstanding deep red velvety color &

great branching habit this geranium

was unmatched in AAS Trials.

5

May Meanderings 2018

UC Davis Rose Days are cancelled for 2018. Check their web-

site on updates, ccuh.ucdavis.edu/

Sat., 5/5, All day, Second Annual Honey Festival on Main

Street in downtown Woodland. Coordinated by Amina Harris

of the UC Davis Honey & Pollination Center

E-mail: aharris@ucdavis.edu

Sun., 5/6, Old Garden Roses Talk & Tour, 1 to 3 pm, Join Ro-

sarian Anita Clevenger & others to learn everything you always

wanted to know about heritage roses. The talks will include a

lecture on Once-Blooming European roses. Free, Sac. Historic

City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway, Sac. (916) 448-0811, E-mail:

oldcitycemetery@hotmail.com, Web: cemeteryrose.org/

Fri., 5/11, 7:30 to 9:30 pm, Forever Muir, Muir’s great-great-

grandson presents history of John Muir, the father of our na-

tional parks. $17, Auburn State Theatre, 985 Lincoln Way, Ste.

204, Auburn, E-mail: appac@att.net

Sat. & Sun. 5/12 & 5/13 - Mother’s Day Weekend,

BerryFest, 11 to 6 pm, Everything strawberry. Live

bands, food vendors, Tickets: 2 for $14 until May 5, 800 All

America City Blvd., Roseville 95678,

Web: feedmeberries.com

Sat., 5/12, 9 to noon, All Dried Up: Dehydrating Basics, UC

Master Food Preserver Dennis Prendergast provides a basic

introduction to safe dehydration techniques. Learn methods,

equipment, & cooking using dehydrated foods. Free, no reser-

vation needed. UCCE Sac. County, 4145 Branch Center Road,

Sac. (916) 875-6913, Web: sacmfp.ucanr.edu

Sat., 5/12, 9 to 1 pm, Public Plant Clearance Sale, UC Davis

Arboretum, Web: arboretum.ucdavis.edu,(530) 752-4880

Sat., 5/12, 9 to 3, Sac. Geranium Club Sale & Show, Shepard

Garden & Art Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sac. (916) 823-

5500, Web: sgaac.org

Sun., 5/13, 11 to 4 pm, Celebrate Moth-

er’s Day in the gardens at the Empire

Mine. $7, Docents will be dressed in vin-

tage costumes. Have tea in the tea gar-

den. Bring a picnic or purchase food for

lunch on the grounds, live music & gift

shop. Empire Mine State Historic Park, 10791 E. Empire St.,

Grass Valley. E-mail: empire. mine@parks.ca.gov,

Web: empiremine.org (530) 273-8522

Wed., 5/16, 6:30 to 8:30 pm, It All Begins With Berries, It’s

berry season. Learn how to preserve those beautiful berries

by canning, freezing, & dehydrating. Can

berries whole, freeze berries plain or with

sugar. Leave with multiple recipes & ideas.

$5 materials fee payable at the door. No

reservations needed. UCCE Sac. County,

4145 Branch Center Rd., Sac. (916) 875-6913, Web: sac-

mfp.ucanr.edu

Thurs., 5/17, 5 to 7 pm, Hoppy Hour in the Garden, Sacramen-

to Food Bank & Family Services is having a fun night with food,

beer & wine from Hoppy Brewing Co. Enjoy the beautiful SFBFS

demonstration garden & tour the facility. (916) 456-1980,

E-mail: dyoshikawa@sacramentofoodbank.org

Fri., 5/18, 5:30 to 7:30 pm, Beekeeper’s Forum, Free, The Bee

Box, 4765 J St., Sac. 95819 (916) 475-1828, Register online:

thebeebx.com/

Sat., 5/19, 10 to 5, & Sun., 5/20, 10 to 4, Satsuki Aikokai

(Azaleas only) Assoc., Flowering Azalea Bonsai Club Show,

Shepard Garden & Art Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., (916) 823-

5500, Web: sgaac.org

Sat.,5/19, 9 to 4 pm, & Sun., 5/20, 9 to 2:30 pm, Carmichael 42

Annual Cactus & Succulent Society Show & Sale, 5750 Grant

Ave., Carmichael, Web: carmichaelpark.com

Sat., 5/19, Luther Burbank Annual Rose Parade

& Festival, 10 am. Downtown Santa Rosa,

Marching Bands, vendors, floats, equestrians,

festival games (707) 837-1928,

Web: roseparadefestival.com/

Sat., 5/19, 10 to 5; & Sun., 5/20, 11 to 4. 2018 Gardens of the

Hills Tour & Art Event Presented by Assistance League Sierra

Foothills, $25 adults, $10 children. Enjoy a variety of private

gardens. Contact: Barbara (916) 549-3869, Web: assis-

tanceleague.org/sierra-foothills

Sat., 5/20, 1 to 4, Pollinator Discovery Day, Free, Learn more

about pollinators from researchers, students, & community

members who will lecture & lead tours, UC Davis Arboretum,

(530) 752-4880, Web: arboretum.ucdavis.edu

Sat., 5/26, 10 to noon, Flower Arranging Workshop, Presented

by Yolo County Master Gardener Jim Schulte, Free. Arthur F.

Turner Library, 1212 Merkley Ave., West Sacramento 95691,

(530) 666-8737, E-mail: mgyolo@ucanr,

Web: yolomg.ucanr.edu/

Sat., 5/26, 9 to 3, Chrysanthemum Society Rooted

Cutting Plant Sale. Shepard Garden & Art Center,

3330 McKinley Blvd., Sac., (916) 823-5500 Web:

sgaac.org

6

Barbara Gumb’s Fresh & Lively

Quinoa Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette (6 servings as a side dish)

Ingredients: 1 cup uncooked quinoa (cooked according to package instructions)

1 large red onion diced

1 red bell pepper diced

1 mango diced

1 can black beans (14.5oz) drained & rinsed

¼ cup chopped green onions

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

¼ teaspoon ground pepper (or to taste

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

½ cup dry roasted almond slices

Directions: In a large bowl, gently combine cooked quinoa, red onion, bell pepper, mango, black beans, green onion, parsley, salt & pepper. Add enough lemon vinaigrette to coat quinoa & vegetables. Stir gently until evenly mixed. Fold in feta crumbles & almond slices. Chill until ready to serve.

Martha Stewart Quick Lemon Vinaigrette

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup white-wine vinegar

2 teaspoons sugar

1tsp salt

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

1 cup olive oil

In a medium bowl, combine lemon juice, vinegar, sugar, salt & pepper. Whisk until salt & sugar dissolve. Add oil. Whisk until thoroughly com-

Squirrel Elected At UC Berkeley

W ho says elections aren’t nuts. Students yearn for

wildlife. A U.C. Berkeley student Senate candidate prom-

ised safe spaces for squirrels, better access to acorns &

support groups for those experiencing habitat loss. Furry

Boi attracted immediate attention, & the students loved

him. Furry Boi won! He is on the Student Senate. Only

problem, Furry Boi is not a genuine squirrel, but a stu-

dent, Stephen Boyle, who wore squirrel costumes. The

student newspaper is mad, faculty is upset, some stu-

dents feel betrayed that a squirrel won. 37 Students ran

for one of the 20 Senate seats & it was a

hard loss. They were hoping for Rocky, got

Stephen, & are unhappy because he is not a

“serious” contender. Source: Sac Bee, April 22,

Member’s Birthdays

Claudia Horn, 5/3

Ellison Cowles & Linda

DiMarco, 5/8

Mary Hill, 5/10

Doretta Morgan, 5/15

Judy Fraser, 5/18

Bonnie Mischo-Allinger,

5/19

Rita Montez, 5/20

Nancy Baldwin, 5/25,

Mary Willis, 5/27

Joanie Freedman, 5/31

Special Thank You to

Susan Maggy

Thanks to Susan for stepping-up to help with the Newsletter.

May 2018 Program

Roll Call: What is your most annoying weed?

Program: Bonsai, American Bonsai Association, Mark

Mendenhall Speaker

Guest: Steve Sims, CSD, Parks Supt. Parks & Recreation

Dept.

Microgreens

N ow is the time to sprinkle the first batch of Burpee micro-

greens (bok choi, kohlrabi, broccoli, beets, lettuces) into a

container. Their interesting textures & colors are great ac-

cents to edible flowers like pansies, viola & nasturtium. Plant

another two weeks later, & then a third two weeks after that

so there is a succession of them until frost. It makes a beauti-

ful container, you can’t beat the tastes - in salads, stir fries,

steaming & you’ll have flowers decorating your house all sum-

mer. Grow them anywhere there is a little sun - a balcony,

even a window sill. From Paul Keyes, landscape architect &

gardening expert for NBC’s “Today”

Ca. Montessori Project - EG

O ur club provides modest support,

$100, for these enthusiast, student/K-8

gardeners. Here are recent pictures of

the students gardening. The middle

school planted an olive tree as a peace

tree. Each class cleaned out a garden

box, put down fresh compost & will

choose what to plant. This spring there

were over 400 students gardening!

Next year our club will visit our future

gardeners & show our support. Let’s

pave the way & support the transfor-

mation of our budding gardeners.

7

Members

EGGC April Program

Speaker, Ben

Jacque, Green

Acres, brought sev-

eral plants for his

presentation on

Color With Perenni-

als.

Guest Mark

Mendenhall, Ameri-

can Bonsai Associ-

ation.

Smiling guests,

Member Cathy

Jow’s mom, Barbara

Barker, & grand-

mother, Mary

Happy Donna Wil-

liams enjoying the

perennials.

Gardener Margrethe

Reed relaxing in the

moment.

Gorgeous smiles from

Karen Shelby & Carmen

Schindler volunteering

their time for the benefit

of the EG Community

Garden.

Our Members Giving Back

Infectious enthusiasm, Linda Brett & Cathy Jow

volunteering at the American Cancer Society

Discovery Shop in Elk Grove.

Helpful & enthusiastic mem-

bers Vivian Sellers, Diane

McPherson, Joyce Johnson,

Mary Tolan-Davi, Mary Anne

Strohmaier, & Linda Rivera of

the newly formed Rose Group

volunteering to bring life back

into the Laguna Town Hall

Rose Garden.

Lovely duo, Sha-

ron Saint & the

beautiful potted

centerpiece.

The May Bus

Trip Committee

at work.

Diane McPher-

son & Claudia

Horn & the mer-

its of plants.