What’s Ahead
Garden Club of Buzzards Bay
March – April 2020
From the President:
I’ve just spent the last week in Washington, DC with Ellen Christie at the GCA’s NAL (National Affairs and Legislation) Conference. Around 400 GCA members came to “address the devastating impacts of climate change on our economies, communities, national security, human health and the native vegetation that sustains biodiversity and supports life on earth.” This year the GCA is advocating for the support of our Representatives and Senators on five upcoming House and Senate bills.
– Permanent funding for the Land & Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). GCA was instrumental in getting a bill passed to create the permanent authorization of LWCF.
-Support the Parks, Public Lands and Native Plants bill to provide maintenance toward a backlog of projects
– Save our Seas bill to protect coastal areas and oceans from all pollution and environmental degradation
– Transportation Infrastructure & Pollinator Highway (ATIA) bill, to require projects to use native plants
– Monarch & Pollinator Highway Act to plant and seed highways with locally appropriate material to support pollinators’
Monday was a full day of speakers on all the above topics, and Tuesday in the historic and impressive House Ways and Means Committee Room we heard from 11 Senators, Representatives and others, including NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and RI Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. At Tuesday’s closing dinner Theodore Roosevelt V spoke about his great-grandfather, the legacy he left us and that we must leave to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Ellen and I have much more to report and will discuss the important ways GCBB can become involved with local, state, and national conservation efforts. Suffice it to say for now that the the GCA’s NAL conference embodies the principles that members of the GCBB espouse.
Ruth
Calendar
Check the calendar in the Greenhouse for any conflicts. Committee chairs should note all meetings there.
March
All month – Begin to collect beer trays for the plant sale and to dig perennials from your gardens. Sign up for Plant Sale jobs on website.
Tuesday, March 17—10 30a.m. The Executive Committee meets in the Coach House.
Wednesday, March 18 — 5:30 p.m., Garden History and Design Committee will meet at Nan Sinton’s home, 1170 Russells Mills Road, South Dartmouth.
Thursday, March 19—10 a.m. Monthly meeting at Southworth Library will feature a talk by Mark Richardson, director of horticulture at the Tower Hill Botanic Garden. Coffee and goodies at 10 a.m. and after the meeting. Head Hostess is Gig Lang.
April
April 14—10:30 a.m. The Executive Committee meets in the Coach House.
April 16 —Regular monthly meeting is a tour of the “green” visitor and education building at the Lloyd Center for the Environment. Details to follow.
May
Greenhouse and Plant Sale Dates
Tuesday, May 5 – 9 a.m. The last regularly scheduled greenhouse meeting of the season. We can always use lots of help with last minute activities: pricing, grooming, fertilizing, etc.
Wednesday May 6 — Plant Sale Committee begins set-up at St. Mary’s Parish Hall
Thursday, May 7 —9 a.m. on, Deliver all perennials from members’ garden to St. Mary’s and continue set up.
Friday, May 8 — 9 a.m. on, transfer plants from the Greenhouse to St. Mary’s.
Saturday, May 9 — 8:30 a.m. PLANT SALE means all hands on deck.
Tuesday, May 12 — 9 a.m. Close down the Greenhouse for the summer.
Newly Designed Website
http://www.gardenclubbuzzardsbay.org
Our new GCBB website is up and running! Wahoo! Check it out!
Last fall our 7-year-old website crashed, and apparently that happens. The new website was designed by a local Marion group, Design Principles, Inc. Mike and Karen were wonderful to work with, they listen to our needs and created a beautiful and functional website. Notice our GCBB logo has been updated and notice how the colors change from the top banner to the bottom banner depending on the background color. Karen is very creative!
Photography is a very significant visual aspect of the website, all the photos on the website were taken by one of us. Please keep sending me your flora and fauna photos.
We are still in the preliminary stages and can make changes, take a look and get back to me with any thoughts or issues.
Holly McDonough, webmaster
Plant of the Year 
The 2020 GCA Plant of the Year is Geum triflorum aka prairie smoke or old man’s whiskers. It was recently awarded the Freeman Horticulture Medal, given to recognize an outstanding native plant that is underutilized but has superior ornamental and ecological attributes. This pretty flower has early spring interest followed by an amazing seed head display which creates plumes that persist for 1-2 months. Tolerant of poor soil, moderate drought, heat and humidity, Geum triflorum can be grown in sun or partial shade and is suitable in cottage gardens, prairies, meadows and perennial beds. It is also not favored by deer or burrowing animals.
—Susan McLaren
Plant Sale Update!
The greenhouse is bursting with color and happy, healthy seedlings. And all will be properly sprouted, trimmed, and flowering for the annual plant sale on Saturday, May 9th.
This year’s sale will be held on Mothers’ Day weekend at St. Mary’s Parish Center, which is actually a week earlier than usual. So the plant sale crew thought it would be helpful to remind you of the date and what’s in store for our members.
A save-the-date email will be sent out in March with an online sign-up sheet. As usual, we’ll be looking for volunteers to help with the set-up (May 6-8) and to work at the sale as cashiers, expediters, greeters, plant experts, etc.
In April, members will be asked to help distribute plant sale posters around our communities and to email the plant sale invitation to friends and fellow gardeners. Members will also be reminded to start collecting beverage flats for the sale and, more importantly, to consider which perennials to bring from her garden for the sale. (Remember, perennials are pure profit for the bottom line!)
As plant sale coordinator rookies, we’re looking forward to working with you all in making the sale another successful community and garden club event!
Janet Coquillette, Sandy Hall and Anne Heller
GCBB members escape the Winter
Sally Lutz shows Mary Schubert her Naples garden and they visited the home of the Naples Garden Club at the Naples Botanical Gardens. Susan McLaren on the French Riviera, Betsy Lawrence in Palm Springs, California and Holly McDonough’s strutting ibis on Siesta Key, Florida.
