Gardening | Roswell Garden Club

Garden Week In Georgia: Flowers, Like Friends, Nurture Our Souls by RGC Blogger Dawn McGee

Garden Week In Georgia, Gardening, Plants

Flowers, like our friends and family, are the gifts that nature provides us throughout our lives. From the time we are born to the day we become one with nature ourselves; flowers keep us company. They brighten our homes, our workplaces and hospital bedside, and celebrate all sorts of occasions; they are presented as symbols of Love, friendship and sympathy. Even the simplest Dandelion brings a smile to a mothers face when her child lovingly gifts it to her. Many a book has a flower pressed inside it as a keepsake, often forgotten until re-discovered and the memories come flooding back. Flowers are also the harbingers of the coming spring season; we feel happiness and anticipation upon seeing that first Crocus peek it’s head out of the snow. Flowers are universally admired and loved.

Throughout the world flowers grow everywhere, even in the coldest and hottest of places. They decorate our yards, countryside, cities and highways. They can be found deep in the woods where barely a spot of sun shines through, …

Garden Week In Georgia: Then Flowers ‘d be the Friends…In Praise of My Good Friend Fatsia Japonica by RGC Blogger Florence Anne Berna

Garden Week In Georgia, Gardening, Horticulture, Plants

A glossy leaf plant, Fatsia Japonica is also known as false castor oil plant or Japanese aralia. It is native to Japan and Korea. It is evergreen growing from 3 to 16 feet tall. Its leaves are large fans and its flowers look like something from outer space with small white globes blooming on tall white stalks.

Fatsia Japonica grows best as an understory bush in a climate not going below 5 degrees…

Garden Week In Georgia: If Friendship Were A Garden

Garden Week In Georgia, Gardening

This year, RGC lost a dear friend, Mary Ann Booth Cabot. As part of our remembrance of Mary Ann, we were introduced to Sam Furman’s poem If Friendship Were A Garden. This year’s Garden Week in Georgia posts focus on this beautiful poem and all it entails. We’ll talk about friends, gardens, plants, garden clubs, and, most importantly friendship. Let’s open the week with the poem.

If Friendship Were A Garden

If friendship were a garden,
Then flowers ‘d be the friends
How well our gardens cultivate
On each gardener that depends.

Some flowers must remain in light,
And some will need support
But all require love and care
Regardless of their sort.

We grow our gardens row by row
One flower at a time
Helping each establish roots
Our efforts quite sublime…

Itching to Spring into Planting? Here’s What to Do While You Wait by Guest Blogger Jeannie Springer

Gardening, Plants

If you’re like me, you have a hard time resisting the temptation to plant before the last hard-frost date. Jeannie Singer, plant professional and educator at Scottsdale Farms, shared these great ideas to help you delay planting and be ready to jump into it full speed ahead when the time is right.

Tools

Sharpen blades on spades
Clean tools: wipe with bleach or alcohol, then wash with soap & water
Oil hinges on shears and clippers–use WD – 40 or vegetable oil
Make needed repairs–check hose…

…

A Must-Have Tool for Gardening by RGC Blogger Suzy Crowe

Gardening

Last spring, I decided it was time to give up my chain saw. I was tired of the hassles involved with keeping it in good working order and all of the steps for safe use. I was relieved to let it go, but a little sad. Then I saw an ad for a tiny 4” chain saw. It’s a little bigger than my hand, weights about 5 pounds with the battery installed, and can cut branches and trunks up to about 6”. I had to have one.

I love that little chain saw. As soon as it arrived, I put it to use. Its rechargeable battery works for several hours, and mine came with 2 batteries. I run out of energy long before the chain saw does. I’ve been working on a major project clearing trashy trees from my back yard and replacing them with nicer understory trees and shrubs. My little chain saw has been handy in chopping down the trees and in chopping them into pieces that fit into the decomposable yard bags I can put out for weekly city pick up. As you can see…

Great Master Gardening Resources & Education from Guest Blogger Jim Hodson

Education, Gardening, Horticulture

Note from Suzy: Here’s a fantastic resource for garden enthusiasts everywhere. Guest blogger Jim Hodson contacted us via our website to let us know about the Master Gardener resources Fast Growing Trees developed. You need to check out this site. Be careful, though. My initial check-out of the resource turned into a delightful 2-hour exploration followed by many subsequent visits. There’s a direct link to the Master Gardener section In Jim’s post…

The Scoop on Joro Spiders by RGC Blogger Florence Ann Berna

Environment, Gardening

Chances are, if you live in northeast Georgia you’ve come across an East Asian Joro spider this fall. At almost 3 inches across when their legs are fully extended, they’re hard to miss. While they’re roughly the same size as orb spiders, the distinctive yellow and blue-black stripes on their backs and bright red markings on their undersides are unique. Their enormous three-dimensional webs are a striking golden color and tend to be located higher off the ground than those of other spiders. “We’ve been getting lots of calls and emails…

A Look at the Chelsea Flower Show 2021 by RGC blogger Suzy Crowe

Gardening

The Chelsea Flower Show 2021 was unlike any other — Virtual Chelsea was May 18 through May 21 and the Chelsea Flower Show was September 21 – 26. The September show included twenty-seven gardens and two new garden categories–Balcony Gardens and Container Gardens.

The Virtual Chelsea videos, which you can see on the video tab of the RHS YouTube Channel, focus on plants. famous garden designers’ gardens, and the design plans for the September Chelsea Flower Show gardens. I found the videos fascinating, especially since the video design plans for the September show gardens are quite fascinating when you compare them to the actual show gardens.

The Chinese Mantis by RGC Blogger Dotty Etris