amaryllis, ~ have you tried the january minutes circulated...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Burnaby Rhododendron and Gardens Society MINUTES OF MONTHLY MEETING – February 6, 2013

Discovery Room, Burnaby Village Museum !!!!! Amaryllis,

~ Have You Tried Growing One?

Every fall/winter, Canadians buy more than half a million amaryllis bulbs. And it's no wonder. The easygoing amaryllis (Hippeastrum spp.) is a marvel because no other plant delivers such spectacular blooms—with absolutely no effort - in the middle of our far-too-long winters. Having received one for a Christmas gift this year, I did a little research into the history and growing tips. Even neglectful indoor gardeners can be winners at growing amaryllis. They are such delightfully trouble-free plants, not often bothered by pests or disease. The sight of their sensual, trumpet-shaped blooms unfurling is always uplifting when the weather's foul. From whence hails the amiable amaryllis? It's a native of South America, where it still grows wild in some areas. Back in the 1800s, amaryllis bulbs were costly and rare. Luminaries such as Napoleans wife Empress Josephine and former U.S. president Thomas Jefferson eagerly collected them. But despite the willingness of collectors to spend big bucks, there were few cultivars available, and everyone had to settle for blooms in that now tiresome fire-engine red.

Today, amaryllis are less expensive and much more exciting. Hybridizers as far afield as Australia, Israel and India keep developing new varieties in many sizes, styles and shapes, boasting colours that range from tangerine to pale green. Two popular favourites are ‘Picotee', whose massive, stark-white petals outlined in red are sculptural perfection, and H. papilio ‘Butterfly', which is something of a misfit because it resembles a butterfly and produces lime-coloured petals striped with a rather startling maroon. Also worth checking out are the trendy Cybister

Hybrids developed four decades ago by American hybridizer Fred Meyer. These have pencil-thin stems and spiky, peculiarly curving petals, like those of some orchids. For years, the Cybisters were primarily grown as cut flowers (and still are, in the Netherlands), but they're now popping up in some garden centres and bulb catalogues. The Cybisters can be less dependable than tried-and-true amaryllis. Even so, they're an interesting novelty and worth a try for something different. Whatever the type, all amaryllis have ridiculously simple growing requirements: Plant them in the fall in a pot with the top third of the bulb above the soil's surface. They'll thrive in virtually any growing mix, but some add a scoop of gritty horticultural sand to improve drainage. Heavier clay pots are preferable to plastic ones, which tend to topple over when the large stalks develop. Place them in a well-lit spot and water when you remember. That's about it.

Care and feeding To make your amaryllis bloom again, remove the seed head after flowering and let the leaves develop normally. Then put the pot outdoors in a semi-shaded area after all chance of frost has past.

• Fertilize every month with a water-soluble product such as 20-20-20 to produce lots of

March 2013 Volume 11, Number 3 www.brags.ca

1. Welcome and call meeting to order at 7:05 pm. 2. Adoption of January 2, 2013 Minutes The January minutes circulated have been amended to clarify that the December regular meeting minutes were approved, however, the AGM minutes are separate and will be approved at the 2013 AGM. Motion to accept January’s minutes was made by Wendy Thompson; seconded by Judy Wellington. All were in favor. Reminder: meeting minutes are posted on the BRAGS’ website. The password is updated by David Forsyth. 3. Treasurer’s Report Susan Brandl provided the following financial report for January: Revenue (memberships) = $132.54; expenses (speaker) = $100.00; revenue over expenses = ($32.54) and chequing account = $6,314.15. Motion to accept this report was made by Susan and Dale Fitzpatrick seconded. All were in favor. 4. Outstanding Business from the Minutes Nil. 5. Correspondence – Wendy Thompson Nil. 6. Standing Committee Reports a) Rhodo Festival – Wendy Thompson Wendy and June Dodson recently met with the City of Burnaby Rhodo Festival Committee and the following suggestions were discussed:

• Change the start and end time to: 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

• Have a “live auction” outside Shadbolt Centre in the middle of the day under a covered tent.

• Ways to celebrate the 25th Anniversary for the Burnaby Rhodofestival – display items from 25 years ago.

• Present a slide presentation from previous Rhodo festivals??

• Hand out commemorative bags to the first 250 attendees – contents of bags would include gardening type of items – plant seeds, etc. Canvas Garden Works, Mandeville Gardens…

Another meeting will take place when June returns from her vacation and they will meet with Shadbolt staff. b) Plant Sale – Wendy (reported for Lanny Hui) There will be another plant sale at the Rhodofestival and Lanny will be coordinating. c) Welcome/Attendance – Faye Kilpatrick Faye reported that there were 21 members and 1 new member in attendance. Reminder: Please pay your 2013 BRAGS membership dues. d) Speakers – Rosemarie Daviduk Rosemarie reported that there will be an upcoming trip to a lecture on “Healthy Garden Soil” at West Coast Seeds. Date: TBA (will be a Saturday). 7. New/Other Business

• Judy Wellington is a member of the “Hardy Plant” group and she suggested that BRAGS could meet with them and other garden groups and advertise to bring in other speakers. The Hardy Plant group meet in February and in October.

• Susan Brandl stated that a forum on “What’s Wriggling in Your Rhubarb” will be held on February 16th at 10:00 am at Douglas College. See Susan for more information.

Motion was made by Keith Harris to adjourn the meeting; Don Wrigley seconded. Guest speaker Sharon Kallis will present on “Art in the Garden”.

!!healthy, green foliage.

• Keep the pot well watered; don't let it dry out. A mulch of leaves or straw over the surface of the pot will keep soil moist (but watch for pests such as slugs—which can just be picked off—under the mulch).

• In late September, stop fertilizing and watering. When leaves become floppy and yellow, cut them off.

• Bring the pot indoors and store in a cool room, such as an unheated porch or garage; the temperature should not exceed 17°C and never drop below freezing. Don't water.

• After about two months, bring the pot into the house at room temperature. Water when a new shoot appears, not before; then water twice a week until plant blooms again.

• It's also possible to grow amaryllis in special bulbous vases filled with water, as you would hyacinths, but make sure the bulbs are well anchored and keep topping up the water.

• An innovative method for cultivating amaryllis recently introduced by Dutch growers is dry-flowering, where neither soil nor water is needed. They will bloom on their own on any surface (stick them in a wreath or table display, for instance). Dry-flowering is possible with any pre-cooled amaryllis bulb.

If you are growing one this year and you have a picture to share, please forward it on for an upcoming newsletter. And if you haven’t ever grown an amaryllis, think about it for next year. You surely won’t be disappointed!

Send to Cheryl Fiddis @ [email protected] We would love to have more members share their ‘secrets’ and garden/nature thoughts. If you have something interesting to share, whether from a locale far away, or right here at home, please share with us! Articles are welcome as well!

Meet Wendy Thompson ~ Our VP & Rhodofest Chair! I was born near London, England, but grew up in Victoria, B.C. - the City of Gardens. Brits all love their gardens and, as a kid, I loved playing in the "dirt". My family still lives in Victoria, including my parents who are 88 and 91. I used to help out in their garden until recently when they sold their home. I have always made sure I had plants to tend wherever I lived, whether in a house, townhouse or condo. Since 1994, I've lived in a townhouse complex on Burnaby Mountain which has quite a bit of property comprised of both landscaped and forested areas. Our complex is self-managed and I have looked after both areas for the past ten years. There are quite a number of Rhodos on the property and when, in early 2008, I saw the BRAGS ad in the Burnaby Now, I decided to attend a meeting to learn more about them. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that BRAGS was more than just a club for Rhodo aficionados, and joined immediately. ~ Thank you Wendy!

We are so glad you joined!

BRAGS Membership: If you haven’t done so yet, please visit the membership desk to renew your 2013 membership. Annual membership cost $12. Members share various gardening interests and enjoy monthly guest speakers, plus are entitled to a 10% discount of regularly priced items at Garden Works by presenting their membership cards. All meetings start at 7 pm at the Burnaby Village Museum, - Main Building, 2nd floor. It’s centrally located and there is ample parking. Refreshments are served. All are welcome. Bring your own mug to be eco-friendly!

Upcoming Meetings Help! We still require someone to co-ordinate the refreshments for our meetings. If you can help out, please speak to any one of the executive.

March 6, 2013 Meeting David Savalieff presents: Growing Potatoes. David is an urban farmer with a passion for vegetable gardening. The presentation will include the history of the potato, several varieties of spuds, how to prepare the soil, maintenance of the plants, avoiding pests, harvesting the potato, and last but not least, the production of vodka

EXECUTIVE

President Verna Adamson 604-294-5550

Vice-President Wendy Thompson

604-420-6513 Treasurer

Susan Brandl 604-433-4250

Secretary Linda Cholette 604-298-9059

Past President Judy Wellington 604-434-8287

. . . . STANDING COMMITTEES

Membership Anne Forsyth 604-298-6350 Nominations

Judy Wellington Publicity

Debbie Vallee 604-436-2611

Rhododendron Festival Wendy Thompson

604-420-6513 . . . .

OTHER COMMITTEES Garden Tour

Vacant Plant Sale Lanny Hui Newsletter

Cheryl Fiddis 604-435-2801

Anne & David Forsyth 604-298-6350

Welcome Faye Kilpatrick 604-434-5921

Sheila Chowdhury 604-298-1196

Raffle Faye Kilpatrick 604-434-5921 Refreshments

VACANT Speakers Bev Glover

604-540-2883 Website

David Forsyth 604-298-6350

from organic potatoes!

(This meeting reminds me of a conversation I was part of during a recent trip to Ireland. Where did the term ‘spuds’ come from? A quick google search determined that ‘spud’ derives from the digging of soil (or a hole), most commonly used prior to the planting or digging of potatoes, using a narrow, digging tool. Around 1845 somehow potatoes took on the name ‘spuds’ and it remains today). CF

April 3, 2013 Meeting Conway Lum presents: Herbs! Join us for what will no doubt be a very interesting talk by the famous Conway from GardenWorks Mandeville.

May 1, 2013 Meeting Norm Brown of Norburn Lighting gives a talk on “Garden Lighting”. Norm is a Certified Lighting Consultant, currently the Marketing Manager of Norburn Lighting in Burnaby. Come prepared with your lighting questions concerning your own garden. Out & About Customer Appreciation Day at GardenWorks - March 21, 2013 Be sure to mark the date for GardenWorks 15% savings all day. Time to think about the spring garden and starting your seeds! Ardisia Bospremium I was recently gifted an unusual plant that I had not seen or heard of before. At first I thought it was a Holly plant of some kind, but upon reading the label and checking the internet, I discovered this plant is an indoor plant, and only developed a year ago. Ardisia stands out particularly because of its distinctive shape. With its thick collar of berries, crowned with a bushy 'head' of leaves, it is truly one of a kind. Add to this, that production is fairly difficult and slow, which means that only specialized growers dare take up the challenge. Therefore, whatever way you look at it, Ardisia is an exclusive outsider that rightfully attracts attention. In the home, it prefers a bright spot out of direct sunlight. The root ball is exposed, and should not be allowed to dry out, nor should the plant sit in water. Apparently once the berries are finished, flowers will appear. I’ll just have to be patient and wait and see! Garden Quote: Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be the only one of the instruments, not the composer.

~ Geoffrey B. Charlesworth