Kingston Garden Club

Meeting Minutes for March 17, 2010

Be Inspired!

Program    

Bess Bronstein, a Horticultural Consultant and Certified Arborist, spoke about pruning your ornamental shrubs.  Bess uses Felco #8 bypass hand pruners and a pruning saw.  Never use anvil pruners on living shrubs!

There are 4 D’s of shrub pruning: 1) Dead wood removal, 2) Diseased wood removal, 3) Damaged wood removal, and 4) Deranged wood removal (crossing branches or branches growing in all directions).  Prune suckers out last – this is not your priority.  WSU Extension has a download available on Pruning Home Orchards that may be helpful.  You can find them on the web by Googling WSU Kitsap County Extension or visiting kitsap.wsu.edu.  Click on Bulletins on the left side of the web page and search for EB1619. 

Shrubs are classified by how they grow.  Cane growing is one type, characterized by long canes that may need to be cut to the ground periodically.  Examples are mock orange, forsythia, quince, dogwoods, and some hydrangeas.  Bess suggests removing 20 – 30% of the canes to the ground every year or two so shrubs will still flower.  Mound or formed type shrubs are not necessarily round.  Examples are Japanese holly, barberry, boxwood, and some types of spirea.  Mound shrubs can have a neat look without shearing, by opening the center and removing some height.

Bess Bronstein is available for tree risk assessments, appraisals, tree preservation, plant diagnosis, landscape design and management, education and training, public speaking, and can be reached at 360.297.7031 or by E-mail at bess2@earthlink.net.

Kingston Worm Farm will present worm composting at our April meeting.  Afterwards, we will tour Michael’s home garden.

Hospitality Report         

·              Attendance: 35 members, 3 guests Rojean B., Lynne P., and Shirley D.

·              Thanks to our hostesses:  Debbi G., Pat A., and Sue H., and our faithful Carol M.

New Business

Nancy M. announced she will be opening a new business on April 29.  Nancy’s Green Garden is located at 25690 Central Ave. NE in Kingston – the former home of the Kingston Art Gallery in Cleo’s Landing.  She will have cut flowers, bouquets, bedding plants, herbs, and cooking demonstrations.  Later plans are to open a roof top restaurant operated by Cup n’ Muffin.

The nominating committee for next year’s KGC officers is Sharon Nuss, Elaine Jungst, and Gwen Wakeman.

Kingston Garden Club Plant Sale

Plant sale chairperson Noel L. passed around the plant sale sign-up sheets.  The plant sale will be held on May 1^st.  Michael and Mitzi created great posters for the sale, which will be sold after the plant sale. 

Please label your own plants with common name, Latin name, how tall/wide, shade/sun, annual/perennial, aggressive (?), and if the plant is not common, please print a picture and information off the internet about it.

The next planting event will take place Tuesday March 22 at Linda Morse’s house.

Kingston Garden Club Quilt Raffle

The quilt won first place in the Medium Size Applicay Group at the annual Kitsap Quilters “A Quilter’s Journey” quilt show.  Raffle tickets are a dollar each, and $400 has been earned so far!

Kingston Community Beautification Committee

Maxine H. asked members to please pull weeds when visiting the Kingston Community Center.

Aloha Wright Grant Program

Chairperson Dawn V. received six applications for the Aloha Wright grant.

Old Business

The KGC will purchase Seattle Tilth’s “The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide” which will be available to club members for $10 each.  Please contact Karen A. to order a copy.

President Maxine H. announced the upcoming Port of Kingston Garden Lights workshop will be held:   

                                    Wednesday, March 24 10am to 12:30pm

Pearls of Wisdom

·                                Elaine J. brought in a rhododendron bough.

c2010 Kingston Garden Club