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Thursday, May 9 , BAKE SALE COOKIE  PREPACKAGING

Sat, May 11   8 AM   Plant and Bake sale &  Flea Market, Masonic Hall . We can use your donated plants to make our scholarship fundraiser a success. We need                    any plants except invasives, if unsure respond to this email and i will send you a list of invasive plants,   Please drop off plants at 1399 Wayne Circle, or bring to the Masonic Hall Friday evening or Sat early AM.  Plants potted the earlier in the season the better . Please label with plant name, color of bloom, and size if known. You can cut up empty yogurt or other white plastic containers to make perfect plant labels.

May 14  Langhorne Gardens Nursing Home Arts and Crafts

May 16 Tot Lot Clean up , cleanup at Community Center after 

Wed May 22  12:20   " Pollination! ' The miracle of pollinators  Bees, hummingbirds and insects working hard to keep our gardens alive and healthy

                                   This is a fun and educational presentation by the Pollinator Station

HOSPITALITY.....It's that time of the year once again to choose the month that you wish to serve as a hostess on the Hospitality Committee for a monthly meeting in 2013-2014. Every club member is required to serve as a hostess for one club meeting per year. ( Please refer to page 48 in the Directory under 'Things You May Not Know' ) Signup sheets will be available at the April, May and June meetings. Those individuals not choosing a date will be assigned a month so names can be printed in the new directory available in September. Please remember that if you cannot make that meeting you can switch with another person or contact the Hospitality Chairperson ahead of time and pay them $10.00 to be used, by them, to buy food for that meeting. Thank you.   Ann Eidson

Emerald Ash Borer Update

Last year at this time, we were consumed with figuring out how to deal with the reality that Emerald Ash Borer had been detected in Bucks County. A year later, this pest seems to have faded away. Not so!

While no additional detections beyond the original site in Warrington have been noted, the bug has not disappeared. There were many ash trees infested at this site and no doubt the adults that emerged from those trees flew off to mate and infest other trees. Studies of previously infested sites indicate that the infestation will move about ½ to one mile per year, even when attempts to eradicate the insect are in force. In addition, the infestation in Warrington is estimated to be several years old. So…..I figure EAB is most likely already established a few miles from Warrington, it just hasn’t been detected yet.

Still, the good news is that folks who fall outside of a 10-15 mile radius of Warrington can wait and watch. Researchers say that treating trees beyond this is a waste of money. This “lull” period provides time for people and communities to make a plan for the day when EAB arrives. It’s a question of when, not if, and that’s an important fact. There is no doubt that ash in Buck County will be killed when this insect reaches them.

For a refresher on Emerald Ash Borer, see this site.

On Thursday May 9, The Pennsylvania Horticulture Society will conduct and Emerald Ash Borer workshop at Neshaminy Manor Center for municipal, private and community professionals who are planning for the impacts of EAB. Contact PHS to register. Pre-registration is required.

Posted by Scott Guiser , Penn State Extension Office, Bucks County

Container Gardening with Karen Rogers – May 4 at 10 am and 2 pm,  May 5at 11 am
Discover how to use color, texture and shapes to plant beautiful container gardens.  Learn how to maintain them throughout the Summer.  FREE 4” annual for joining us!

Roses…Out With The Old, In With The New! – May 4 at 11 am
Rose expert and grower, Sherry Stanton from Medford Nursery, shares her techniques on incorporating the showiest of blooming plants into your existing garden space. Disease care, soil conditions and disease resistant roses will be discussed along with the new Drift Rose and Knockout Roses. Raffle for Nursery Gift Card for Mother’s Day. FREE coupon towards rose products for attending.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY – NO SEMINARS MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND!

Home-Grown Goodness with Karen Rogers – May 18at 10 am and 2 pm, May 19 at 11 am
Learn how easy it is to grow your own vegetables and herbs. From planning to planting, we’ll help you get the most out of your garden. FREE 4” vegetable plant for all who attend.

The Dark Side…Shade Gardening – May 25at 10 am,  May 26 at 2 pm
The good news is  that plants do grow in filtered and full shade.  Join us for an informative session on soil conditions and plants that will thrive in your shady nook. FREE coupon towards any shrub or perennial for the shade.

What’s Wrong With My Plant?  Identifying Tree and Shrub Issues with Dave Martin -
June 1 at 10 am
It’s BUG OUT time! Learn  how to prevent, protect and control those common garden pests. Enjoy our own expert Dave Martin for this entertaining session on how to handle those pesky pests. FREE bug identification guide and coupons to all who attend.

Under The Spell Of The Hummingbird – June 8 at 10 am
Do you find yourself running to your garden or gazing at your feeder in hopes of seeing the delightful little hummingbird?  Then join us to learn some little known facts about this tiny “mystical” bird along with the flowers and feeders most likely to attract them. Coupons for 20% off Hummingbird feeders and perennials, and free landscape design for those who attend.

Native Shrubs and Perennials with Tom McCann – June 15 at 10 am
Native plants are more disease resistant and support our bird and beneficial insect populations.  Learn about all the native perennials, shrubs & trees we carry.  30% off any native plant.

Plants for Attracting Butterflies – June 23at  12 pm
Enjoy butterfly gardening with Jim  Shepard and gain a wealth of knowledge on what plants are best to attract butterflies. FREE 6” Annual for all that attend.

Chemical-free Lawn Care

April 7, 2013

By Community Word Staff

Bob Streitmatter, manager at Peoria Park District’s Luthy Botanical Garden, would like to change your perception of a beautiful lawn and teach you how to maintain one. Minimizing turf by expanding garden beds is a good idea. Understand a little clover in the lawn is fine. Pesticides are not needed. Deal with a few dandelions by hand digging.

Streitmatter is up against a $35 billion chemical pesticide juggernaut out to convince you that only a perfect monoculture is beautiful. The best way to achieve that beauty is with prescribed, seasonal applications of chemicals. Ads with children and dogs rolling on the grass imply chemical perfection is absolutely safe.

But ask the manager at Luthy if chemical pesticides should be used on school grounds, playing fields, municipal property and around hospitals and nursing homes? Should homeowners be routinely applying chemicals to their lawns, especially if they have children or pets?

“Probably not. Without a doubt, I’m concerned with the amount of cosmetic lawn chemicals being used,” said Streitmatter. “We don’t know the long-term implications of these chemicals. Children roll around on the turf. They throw sod at each other.”

The lines were drawn in this battle more than 20 years ago in Hudson, a tiny suburb of Montreal, Canada. The town voted to ban all cosmetic use of lawn chemicals at the prompting of a local physician who correlated pesticide use with health problems among her patients.

The chemical industry fought back, taking the case all the way to the Canadian Supreme Court that ruled in favor of Hudson. Other Canadian towns began implementing their own bans. The chemical industry responded aggressively to prevent what happened in Canada from happening in the United States. The industry lobbied state by state in this country and won preemption rules that prevent communities from universal bans.

In Illinois, state preemption laws would prohibit Peoria, for example, from banning all cosmetic use of lawn chemicals. But some states and communities have circumvented preemption by narrowing their bans. In 2005, Connecticut became the first state to ban synthetic weed killers around schools and day care centers in grades K-through 8. In 2010, New York State passed the Child Safe Playing Fields Act banning use of pesticides on the grounds of schools and day care centers. Other states have bills under review. Cuyahoga County, home of Cleveland, bans most pesticide use on county property.

Streitmatter is avoiding that battle. He’s leading by example. Since he became manager at Luthy in 2005, he has quietly transitioned the botanical garden away from chemicals and toward natural practices. (Signs will be posted at some point in the future to explain the transition.) He follows Integrated Pest Management which means no routine applications of chemicals. Synthetic chemicals are limited and used only when necessary because other natural methods fail. However, the children’s area at Luthy is completely chemical free, and there is clover in the turf in the rose garden.

Figures released by Pesticide Action Network show 78 million U.S. households use home and garden pesticides. More than 90 million pounds of herbicides are applied to lawns and gardens each year. More is applied around homes (3.2 to 9.8 pounds per acre) than agriculture fields (2.7 pounds per acre).

An Institute of Medicine study released 16 months ago states prenatal exposure to pesticides are linked to childhood cancers such as leukemia and brain tumors.

Weed killer is in the umbilical cord of babies born today in this country. It’s in their mother’s breast milk and in milk from dairy cows.

Streitmatter said that getting away from our reliance on pesticides requires us to change our perception of a healthy, attractive lawn. Prior to the 1950’s, clover was considered part of an attractive lawn. Now, heavy advertising and marketing have changed our perception of an attractive lawn to one that’s a monoculture of chemically-maintained turf grass.

“Let’s not let chemical companies determine and frame the discussion,” Streitmatter said. “A perfect monoculture of turf requires a lot of pesticides, fertilizer, money and labor. Chemicals kill the soil. With no microbial nutrients, grass becomes addicted to chemicals.”

Dead soil creates additional stress on trees. Many oak trees in suburban America are dying as soil health diminishes due to heavy chemical use.

“If we diminish the health of trees, they become more vulnerable to other pathogens,” Streitmatter said. “If soil is devoid of life beneath oak trees and if we have a year of drought like last year, we open the tree to other stresses.”

In addition to teaching by example, Streitmatter is developing a series of classes to teach chemical-free methods of lawn care and help people transition from pesticide-laden lawn care to organic care. The first classes will be held in late summer or fall with follow-up classes likely scheduled for spring 2014.

By Clare Howard
Watch the Peoria Park District’s Playbook issued in late summer for:

Organic Lawn Care, presented by Bob Streitmatter: Get real, it’s your lawn not Augusta . . . consider the true cost in dollars, labor, environment, health.

The class will cover design for organic lawn care; soil as a living organism; feeding the soil; watering; mowing; selecting the right grass; weeds; making the transition.

The course syllabus includes recommended reading: “The Organic Lawn Care Manual: A Natural, Low-Maintenance System for a Beautiful, Safe Lawn,” by Paul Tukey.

http://shadybrookfarm.com/# check the Shady Brook Farms Website for more free gardening events.