From the President:
Dear Ladies:
Another day of sunshine, light breezes, happy children, vegetables ripening, a Sunday sail with a flubbed embarkment and I broke my foot! Hobbling, icing, sitting and watching the weeds gain superiority among the flowers is now the rule of the day. GCBB’s year ahead is full of interesting programs, Greenhouse activities, 
Boxwood propagation, and Horticultural treats. Working with the RJD, the GCBB will help foster new initiatives in harmony with the restoration of the grounds outlined in the Olmstead Landscape Plan. At our first meeting, September 19, we’ll get to savor Celeste Penney’s charming and enticing riverside gardens, definitely a “must see” and regather for the new club year. We’ve modified the longstanding Jam Jar Exchange to include a Divide & Multiply plant exchange. (Details below).Yearbooks will be distributed and several committee chairs will reveal plans for the year, so be sure to come. Nan Sinton with two others will remind us what we should do and when to prepare our gardens for winter. As summer wanes, we can look forward to being together again, and catching each other up on our summer adventures. I look forward to seeing you all on September 19.
Ruth Jolliffe
Calendar
September
Tuesday, Sept. 3 —10 to 11:30 a.m. Committee chairs meet in the Coach House.
Tuesday, Sept. 10 —9:30 a.m., Floral Demonstration and Workshop on Carolyn Willard’s porch. (Details below.)
Thursday, Sept. 12 — 9:30 a.m. Boxwood Committee meets in the Coach House to plan the year.
Friday, Sept. 13— 9:30 a.m. Membership Committee hosts a welcome coffee for new and prospective members at Tina Read’s.
Tuesday, Sept. 17—10:30 am. Executive Committee meets in the Coach House.
Thursday, Sept. 19 — 10:30 a.m., Regular Monthly meeting at Celeste Penney’s, River Road, Westport. Jam Jar and Divide and Multiply Plant Exchange. Head hostess is Kathe Parker. Active members should let hostess know if they are NOT coming; Affiliates and Associates should let hostess know if they ARE coming. Carpool as parking is along the street.
Late September —Horticulture committee will meet to plan the year’s activities; date to be determined.
October
Tuesday, Oct. 1 —9 a.m. Greenhouse opens for cleaning and prep for the year.
Tuesday, Oct. 8 — 9 a.m. Greenhouse will begin to receive cuttings and materials.
Wednesday, Oct. 9 — 10 a.m. Garden History and Design will meet in the Coach House.
Tuesday, Oct. 15 — 10:30 a.m. Executive Committee meets in the Coach House.
Thursday, Oct. 17— 10:30. Regular monthly meeting at the Southworth Library, Dartmouth St., Dartmouth. Libby Eustis will present a talk on “Historic Garden Prints.” Head Hostess is Debbie Tinay.
“Line” Mass Design Workshop Sept. 10
Tina Read and Sally Lutz will lead a floral workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 9:30 a.m. on Carolyn Willard’s porch, 32 Grinnell Road, South Dartmouth. Striking and dramatic, a line design is a flower show and home favorite. perfect for an entry hall —or a blue ribbon. This is our second workshop of the season. To register and get instructions on what you will need to bring, email carolynwillard@comcast.net. We have room for 8 designers.
Tick, Tick, Tick…
Ticks are in the news daily it seems! Tick borne illnesses (there are at least seven) are on the rise. There are over 300,000 cases of Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness, in the US per year and many cases go undiagnosed. Ticks carrying diseases are now in every part of the country, mostly due to climate change. There is a breed of tick that never hibernates, and is thus around in cold weather. The good news is that increased attention is helping to diagnose and treat the illnesses, cases of which have doubled in the last four years. Be vigilant and you can avoid ticks altogether!
A few pointers:
– In addition to spraying yourself with insecticide, remember to treat your shoes. Ticks love to ride into your home on them. Remember to pull your socks up over your pant legs before walking in tick territory. Some insecticides are meant for the skin and some are not, read the directions!
– Keep insecticide and socks and/or an old pair of boots in your trunk for that random time you have to walk in tick territory. You will be glad you did.
– Take a shower and/or check yourself thoroughly after being outside. Gardeners, golfers and kids playing outside are prime targets.
– If you find one on you, and you are able, take a picture of it before you remove it, or save it on a piece of tape, or in a zip lock bag. The picture can help identify the kind of bite, and you can show your health care provider the tick.
Some tick borne illnesses can transmit the virus in as little as 2 to 4 hours, Lyme disease is 36 to 38 hours usually. If you have flu like symptoms and think you may have been bitten see your doctor as soon as possible. The resources below have instructions on identifying and removing ticks, and other valuable information.
Sources: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/tick-borne-disease-information-for-the-public
https://www.today.com/video/tick-borne-illnesses-on-the-rise-how-to-spot-and-treatthem-67542597809
—Betsy Lawrence
Jam Jar Exchange and Divide and Multiply
Several years ago the late Agnes Armstrong started a GCBB September ritual, bringing a selection of flowers in a glass jar you don’t need back to exchange with members who brought the same. This year, the Exchange is being expanded and members are encouraged to scan your garden for any plant that needs dividing. Rather than wait for Spring, divide it now. Separate the plant into sections and pot up one to bring to the Sept. 19 meeting for exchange. ( Plant any extras in your own garden, in pots, to have them ready for the plant sale in May!) So bring flowers in a jar or a potted plant or two to share. We”ll be meeting at Celeste Penney’s in Westport.
Lisa Mellgard’s sunflower
Horticulture Committee News
Seed Share — All clubs are encouraged to participate in the annual seed share event at the Shirley Meneice Horticulture Conference in September (this year at the Denver Botanical Gardens). If you have seeds to contribute, please put them in a labeled envelope (common and Latin names) and get them to Susan McLaren before September 8; she will also bring packets back to share with GCBB members.
Dahlia Swap — Last year in late November we had a very successful dahlia tuber exchange (also cannas and gladioli), and would like to do it again this fall. Please take photos now of your flowers while they are in bloom, and plan to participate in the 2019 GCBB tuber exchange…..date to be announced later. But don’t dig your tubers too early. In general you should wait until 2 weeks after a hard frost, or mid-November at the latest.
— Susan McLaren
Betsy Lawrence’s heirloom tomatoes grown from Greenhouse extras. Susan’s dahlia feeding the bees.Left, Phil Guymont’s (Susan McLaren’s husband’s) harvest from his plot in DNRT’s Helfand Farm garden, and Lisa Mellgards’s tomatoes.