Hi, everyone!
The end of the summer work is done.  That is, the Garden Club yearbook has been composed, proofed, printed and distributed.  We put one out every year. Yours truly has done it the last three years because it has been on my computer. It drives me crazy, till I have the finished copy in my hot little hands. Then, peace returns. Until I realize that the Amateur Horticulture Schedule must be produced for MassHort at the Flower Show {Boston Flower and Garden Show}.  That is now done and up on the MassHort website.

In this, the 70th anniversary year of the Saugus Garden Club, I am now the Saugus Garden Club Historian pro tem.  I have been tracking down club tree plantings.  This one below was put on top of  Round Hill, more of a rocky knob really, in town for a beautification project in 1972.  The same hill is depicted on the Town of Saugus town seal and has been declared a Town historic site and the Historical Commission plans a small park at the base.  Toby and I risked our necks trying to climb this hill the other day and it made me wonder:  How did those Garden Club ladies in their hats, gloves and Sunday best get up that danged hill?  Also, there's no way they dug that hole, put in the tree and watered it in those outfits.  Not a speck of mud visible anywhere! Toby and I only made it half way up the hill and I slipped and landed on my butt and scraped my elbow.  They appear to be planting an oak tree on the bare top of the hill.  Today there are many youngish oak trees up there from what I could see which might be descendants of the Garden Club's mighty oak.

Members of the Saugus Garden Club planting a tree on Round Hill
in Saugus in 1972 and Round Hill today.

Of the other trees there are two at Town Hall, one on the front lawn and one in the little park at the back that are still there.  Couldn't find a trace of the tulip tree {Liriodendron tulipfera} that was planted at the Saugus Iron Works for the Bicentennial celebration in 1976. The Iron Works Naturalist Susannah was a great help.  Last year, the Garden Club planted two dwarf Alberta Spruces at the Blue Star Memorial Byway marker in Veterans Park in Saugus.  

Over the years, the Garden Club has made plantings in the rotaries in town which are long gone, advised on the upkeep of the shrubs there, planted the Butterfly Garden at the Breakheart Reservation and currently has a crop of vegetables growing in containers on the front lawn of the Saugus Public Library. This last is in conjunction with the Library's Plantastic Program for children. Another member and I kept them watered all summer. We expect a decent potato crop after harvesting orange cherry tomatoes all summer.

The weather has seriously cooled down and I am cleaning out the sunroom shelves and beginning to bring in my houseplants from their summer vacation spots outside. Lots of dirt to clean and spiders to chase away.  More on this effort anon.  

Happy Gardening folks!

Well, trashed more of the wild asters, evil wildflower that it is. Got out the oak seedlings, and a couple of maples. Put in some compost and planted some astilbe 'Fanal' and a burgundy leaved cranesbill.  Too hot to stay out there and paid for this work in blood to the mosquitoes. Oh, also staked the largest branch of my tree peony. Best part of this is that I worked next to my row of Stargazer lilies, which are in full bloom and scent.  They took a bit of Lily Leaf Beetle damage but all bloomed just fine.
The astilbe came from the markdown rack at Lowe's. Have some New Guinea Impatiens and lantana to plant out somewhere. May make the lantana a hanging basket.  
I separated a large bunch of miniature hosta 'Lakeside Elfin Fire' a couple of weeks ago and put it in a window box, but squirrels keep digging it up. Sigh.
Have to go over to the Library and water now and should check on  the plants at Breakheart tomorrow.
Matt gave his basil a haircut and we just made some pesto.

Back to the Window!

The orchid from my sunroom! First entry into the orchid classes at the Boston Flower Show.

Little Darling Begonia in the panda pot.  Judges didn't get it. 

Pelargonium Peppermint Twist from my sunroom.

Mother and Baby Aloe 'Christmas Carol' from my sunroom

Euphorbia milii  my Market Basket plant

Well, it's been a while.   There was the Flower Show in March.  The last couple of Garden Club meetings as President.  Lots of cold and rain, thunder and lightning and even a close call with a tornado warning.  I have been to the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, Newport Flower Show, The Mount, Tanglewood and Rhinebeck, NY. and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.  Tomorrow I will be attempting to make hypertufa pots with my friend Randy-Sue. I will be adding some pictures from my various adventures. In the meantime, here's my summer prize: my Bougainvillea,  which hadn't bloomed for a while has been wildly blooming all summer on the bench outside the kitchen door. Also, a couple of daylilies, currently blooming.

Bougainvillea

Two daylilies!

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...

Photos: M. Clouse

Here's what's happening in the sunroom!

My hibiscus

The latest bloom on the pelargonium

Vancouver Centennial with summer color

Phalaenopsis bloomed Friday.
The other one bloomed yesterday 

The only fern I have ever kept alive longer than 6 months. New growth on
Microsorum diversifolium which has been to the flower show several times
and has lived in my kitchen, now the sunroom for about 10 years. There is more fern than this!

Bloom Progress for the Aloe of Death

All Photos: M. Clouse

Aloe of Death 2/7/14

The flowering of the Aloe of Death is coming along!  This is from Feb. 7th.  The next photos I took yesterday, 2/15/14.

Flower stalk 2/15/14

Base of plant 2/15/14

The bloom is coming along.  I checked on it yesterday {Saturday} because Monday is a holiday and the Public Library will be closed on my normal volunteer day. I have got a couple of opinions as to which Aloe this is, but it doesn't seem to be my choice, because it looks like the flower is going to be all yellow and the one I like has red/yellow flowers.  I am currently reading an Aloe guidebook from the Salem State Library, but it is difficult because many of the pictures are not close-ups. I have another resource that I will be consulting, however. Bloom, baby, bloom!

The Aloe of Death and the Apostle Plant--The Saugus Public Library Plants. Photos: M. Clouse

IT'S ALIVE!!!!

The plant news today comes from the halls of the Saugus Public Library, where I am a volunteer.  Besides dealing with books and whatnot, I also care for the plant collection.  As you may remember from previous pages, I was away from the job while I was in Costa Rica and between not feeling well when I got back and MLK Day when the library was closed, I had not seen the plants for about 3 weeks until this afternoon. 

I knew that the Apostle plant, Neomarica caerulea, or Walking Iris was going into bloom when I left. It had one budded flower stalk.  Today, I counted 5 budded flower stalks.  And to my amazement, the giant Aloe, or as we lovingly refer to it, The Aloe of Death, had a flower stalk coming up.  I have been caring for the latter plant for many years and it has never bloomed, while the Apostle plant has bloomed a number of times. Of course, I took pictures.  I have included pictures of the Neomarica flowers when it flowered last as well.  I will be taking progressive pictures of the AOD so that we can track its progress.  Here they are as of today:

The Aloe of Death with new flower stalk.

Close up of the flower stalk.

Flower stalk of the Neomarica.
There are four more so far,
and it could get more.

Neomarica flower from the Library. This is one of last year's flowers.

I am glad to be here for these.  Plants I care for tend to like to bloom when I am gone, but these two have been quite gratifying.  Thanks to the Saugus Public Library staff for letting me take care of these. More pictures will follow.

Martha

What's blooming in the sunroom.

All photos:  M. Clouse

My double hibiscus. 1st bloom, second round since coming inside.

Variegated Euphorbia milii-a flower show hopeful
Flower Show=Boston Flower and Garden Show  2014

Potential Mother and Baby for flower show-an aloe

One of last season's geraniums that didn't make it
 into the ground.

Flower show hopeful orchids-pink phalaenopsis

FS veteran-holds two blue ribbons, one red,
a MHS Cultural Certificate and two botanical name changes.
My trusty "camel" ponytail palm

OK, friends,

  I am back from Costa Rica now (Sigh!).  The snow and cold are outrageous here in NE but my sunroom has kept me sane.  These are pictures of some of the inhabitants that were in flower or approaching blossom this morning. The Boston Flower Show begins on March 12th down at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.  Here are some pictures of my hopefuls and other bloomers in the sunroom.  The sunny window makes it so easy to keep common garden geraniums blooming. They are sooo cheerful!

I also have some Tiny Tim tomatoes coming up, but they seem to be creeping along slowly, just having sprouted their second leaf pairs while I was away.  This is, however, as far as I have ever got with tomatoes from seed in many years and they appear to be healthy and enjoying their place on the top shelf.  I am hoping for more plant so they can go into the seed starting class at the flower show and/or the dwarf plant category.

My Sansevieria cylindrica (below) from NC is still blooming merrily along since December and I have a couple more succulents which are potential flower show contestants.  I have a couple of other candidates for Mother and Baby as well.

Sansevieria cylindrica

Nothing but green leaves from my bougainvillea.  Gonna have to put some Osmacote on that one, I think.  

Just a note: If anyone wants to enter the Boston Flower and Garden Show with their horticulture entries, go to the Mass Hort website:  www.masshort.org and click on the Flower Show button to get the full entry schedule and rule book.  I know you all have some prize or other out there that could compete! Bring it down to us on March 10th. which is Horticulture Entry Day. Ok, thus endeth the lesson.

Back to gardening for now.

Martha

Monkey see, Monkey do.

Howler monkey and baby from Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Photo:  S. Clouse

Here's a picture of Nature up close and personal.  My daughter caught this picture of howler monkeys in the jungle on the other side of the fence from our hotel in Costa Rica.  The band would routinely wake us up at 5 am with their calls.  They are arboreal and stayed in the trees on their side of the fence as our side was cleared but they came so close to us for wild animals.  This trip was a wonder from start to finish.

I now have Tiny Tim tomatoes sprouting in my sunroom window.  I hope to get one or two to grow larger for the Boston Flower Show in March. I am planting some other things as well for this purpose. My orchids are getting closer to bloom time and my Sansevieria cylindrica is still in full bloom.  I will get some pictures tomorrow and post them. Nothing yet on the bougainvillea but nice green leaves.  I saw huge ones the same color as mine in CR.

Martha

Orchid from Arenal volcano hike.
Photo: M. Clouse

I've been out of town.  Costa Rica was a blast except that my knees are complaining that everyplace there was uphill!   We visited near the Arenal Volcano and down to the beach at the Gulf of Papagayo. This orchid was growing by the side of the trail near Arenal. A zillion plants, many fine birds and animals and not enough time but to scratch the surface. 

Between the mountain and the sea, Costa Rica is cow country.  Lots of cattle herds and plantations of sugar cane, bananas & plantains, pineapple, and, of all things, houseplants. There were fields of green and variegated corn plants {dracaena}, cordyline, hibiscus.  There were even living fences made from super large dracaena and hedges of hibiscus. 

The jungles were full of bromeliads, lots of aechmea growing on everything, other bromeliad species were used as landscaping everywhere.  Our hotel had a huge nativity scene at their entrance that was draped with living tillandsia.  

Tillandsia covered Nativity scene.
Photo: M. Clouse

We hiked up and down mountainous places, and even a botanic garden with trails that had hanging bridges in the heights of the trees.  The volcano hike went up the ridge formed by the lava flow from the 1968 eruption.  Arenal was mercifully quiet while were there as were Poas and Rincon de la Vieja that we passed by.

A good thing since our hotel room balcony overlooked the peak.

Now, I have to appease my knees by stretching them out.  I will be back with more soon.

Happy New Year!

Daylilies from the driveway.
Photo: M. Clouse

Happy New Year!  I am already thinking Spring. Boston Flower Show is on in March and the work for that has already begun.  Getting ready to sample the horticultural delights of Costa Rica next week. Guidebooks should be in from Amazon on Friday. Can't wait!

Meanwhile, there are geraniums blooming in the sunroom and my bedroom window and two of the phalaenopsis have flower stalks coming on. Hibiscus is taking a break and bougainvillea, though green, hasn't done anything about blooming yet. Probably will get to it while I am gone.  My paperwhites started to flower just as I was leaving for Christmas so I gave them to a friend to enjoy for the duration. 

Oh, well, back to getting stuff ready to pack.