August 2011 Newsletter

Note from the President- Clio has been a victim of drought during the early summer with a total of only 1.75 inches of rain since the beginning of June.  The July heat wave has taken its toll on Pace Gardens and although the well dedicated to the gardens was running nearly every day of the week there is damage to a lot of things and a few casualties.  Most of the Hosta in front rock garden area have been scalded by the extreme heat and with all the large trees in the woodland area it was near impossible to get enough water into the soil to prevent severe wilting of the understory plantings.  Even the daylilies faded quickly this year.  The beginning of August is showing signs of a possible reprieve as last night Pace Gardens got another 0.5 inches of rain.  I hope Mother Nature sees fit to send a bit more moisture our way.  I hope that those of you in other areas were blessed with better rainfall than I had.

Our last meeting was a huge success with 65 people in attendance.  When you combine a beautiful garden, perfect weather, EMHS Members and visitors, and lots of good food, it is certain that a good time will ensue.  Carolyn and Dick Pickard’s gardens were beautiful and a delight to tour.  Thank you Carolyn and Dick for a perfect meeting place.  Also thanks for the opportunity to buy more daylilies.

As most of you already know, Pat Carson died on July 16^th.  Nearly 20 people showed up to help Orel prepare the gardens for Pat’s Memorial Tour that was held on July 23^rd.  I wish to thank all of you for your compassion shown to our fellow member by donating your time in her honor.  We also wish to extend our deepest sympathy to Orel.  Per the family’s request, Memorial Contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or Brain’s House in Davison.

Pam Walmsley’s husband Jim had surgery last week as was announced at the last meeting.  We are happy to announce that his tumor was benign.  We wish Jim the best for a speedy recovery.

Lastly, I want to thank those people that donated plants and other things to the door prize drawing.  By donating items for the door prize drawing, nine people walked away from the meeting with something new for their garden.  Since I do not remember who all donated I will not mention anybody, but rest assured that your generosity is greatly appreciated. 

I hope to see you all at the August 11^th meeting at Dyane Moore’s house.

Sincerely,
Glen Pace
EMHS President

Next Meeting- Our next meeting will be at the home of Dyane Moore, 108 South East St, Vassar, MI 48768, phone 989-823-7763, on August 11^th, 2011.  Tour of the gardens and networking will start at 6:00 PM, refreshments will be served at 6:30 PM, and the meeting will begin at 7:00 PM.  Please bring your favorite dish to pass and don’t forget to bring your lawn chairs and bug spray.

Directions; There is construction on M-38 (Huron St from Vassar to Mayville) so use M-15 instead of going through Mayville.

-From Lapeer- take your desired route to get to M-15 and drive north to Millington.  Once you reach the main traffic light in downtown Millington go North on M-15.  Drive 6.7 miles to Butler St.  Turn right (East) to the first street, South East Street.  Turn left (North) and drive to the house on the left.  You can park in the State Farm parking lot next door to Dyane’s house. 
- From I-75- Take the Birch Run exit and drive east on Birch Run Rd to M-15.  Turn left (North) and drive to the traffic light in downtown Millington, then follow the above directions.
-From Saginaw Area- take M-46 east to M-15 and turn right (South).  Drive approximately 5 miles staying on M-15 in Vassar and turn left (East) onto Butler St.  Turn left (North) at the first street which is South East St, house is on left.

2011 Calendar of Events
August 11th- Garden Meeting at the home of Dyane Moore
September 8th- EMHS Plant Exchange at the home of Pam Walmsley in Grand Blanc
October 2011- No meeting scheduled
November 2011- No meeting scheduled
December 2011- Annual Christmas Party/Potluck, date to be announced

Hosta Stone Suggestion- A suggestion was made at the last meeting for people to buy the Hosta Stones to commemorate special dates.  What a great gift to give for a graduation, wedding, birth, or anniversary; the year in stone.  Thanks for the suggestion!

Hosta Stones have to be ordered in advance so please contact Mick and Cathy Hodgson at cehodgso@hotmail.com to place an order.  We have a few of the “in stock” stones from previous years that are on sale for the price of $20 each.  Please contact the Hodgsons’ for a list of availability.

Refreshment Committee- The refreshment committee for the August meeting is Pat Major, Gene Arms, Sharon Trato, Sue Karp, and Ann Oprea.  These people will bring refreshments and help organize the refreshment table for the meeting.  Please bring your own favorite dish to add to the buffet.

EMHS Officers
President, Glen Pace pacegardens@charter.net   989-244-4029
Vice-President, Carolyn Pickard (no email)   989-871-2873
Treasurer, Mary Smith brooktrout@tds.net   989-871-9833
Secretary, Marlene Daniels gardenfairy50@aol.com   810-664-8317
Past President, Mark Hanner mhanner@aol.com   810-631-4292
Fund-Raising, Mick and Cathy Hodgson cehodgso@hotmail.com   810-664-8985

Email Newsletter Extra Page

The following article was taken from the Delaware Valley Hosta Society via the AHS Newsletter exchange.

Article by Warren Pollack

Repellex® Systemic Tablets:

A New Product Claimed to Repel Deer & Voles “I’m constantly being asked about the best ways to prevent deer and vole damage,” writes Chick Wasitis of Bridgewood Gardens in Strasburg, Virginia, in his online catalog.  “Until now, the best I could recommend was egg-based sprays like Liquid Fence® for deer, [and] mouse poisons for voles. Both have disadvantages.  Sprays must be applied regularly as the plant grows and as it washes off. Mouse poisons, well, they’re poisonous and they don’t just poison mice.  You have to be very careful to avoid unintentional poisonings of pets and wildlife.”

“Now we have something entirely new,” he continues.  “Repellex Systemic Tablets”. These tablets use a chemical called DMSO, which has been used to treat muscle soreness in athletes because it can absorbed through the skin.  Research at the University of Minnesota found that it can also be absorbed through plant tissue and it can deliver the repellent, in this case capsicum, throughout the plant.  It makes the entire plant, roots, leaves and all, taste like hot pepper. The plant even develops a slight pepper smell that will warn the deer off after their first experience.”

Chick then gives information from the manufacture’s fact sheet:

Repellex USA is proud to introduce our new systemic animal repellent to the market. This exclusive breakthrough technology allows capsaicin (hot pepper) to be absorbed into the plant by simply planting a tablet next to a growing plants root system.

Once the repellent is absorbed over 7–30 days, the repellent will stay active for up to one whole year. Since the repellent is internally treating the plant, it will not wash off in the rain like traditional repellents do over time.

This repellent is labeled and approved for repelling: deer, rabbits, moles, voles, gophers, groundhogs, dogs, cats and feral hogs. During the initial uptake time it is recommended to apply Repellex Original Deer and Rabbit Repellent to treat unprotected foliage while the systemic repellent is absorbed and reaching an effect repellency level.

One 50 count bottle of Repellex Systemic Tablets will treat approximately 25-40 plants 12 inches tall. The number of tablets needed to treat a plant varies by height and width. Apply 1 tablet for every foot of plant height and width (height +width).  Application amounts may vary by plant type and growth rate. In season reapplications may be necessary with very fast growing plants.

Bridgewood Gardens sells Repellex tablets online. The 50-tablet jar costs $19.95; 100 tablets, $36.95; and 150 tablets, $49.95. There is a shipping charge.

Bridgewood Gardens web address is; http://www.bridgewoodgardens.com/