It is Getting Chilly Outside

 Yes.. great weather now, but for our plants it is a preamble to something much cooler.  It is not too early to start thinking about how to protect them  In her Norchester Garden Club reports in the past 5 years or so, the Horticulture Report Chair has produced three that are useful to review before a freeze sets in again.  

You may find all three combined into one PDF report you can open, download, or print.  It is good to have on hand.   The link is here: https://tinyurl.com/FrostProtect

Here is what we have constructed in our own backyard for this season.. 

For larger plants and/or areas... a simple frame of 1/2 in electrical conduit or 1/2 in PVC pipe works well with frost cloth over it.   1/2 in PVC Fittings for the corners.

The clamps are on Amazon...   (Don't know why they are called Muslin) 

FUDESY 10-Piece Heavy Duty 4.5 inch Muslin Spring Clamps

Planting Amaryllis bulbs for a Christmas Bloom

 Amaryllis bulbs are a favorite Christmas gift for Gardeners

    Amaryllis can be "renewed" with gorgeous flowers ever year.  Check out the Norchester Garden Club Horticultural Report for March 2020 listed here on how to "renew" an Amaryllis every year.

http://bit.ly/20-03AmaryllisRenew

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Left to right: Red Lion, Minerva, Bight Nymph, Showmaster and Baby Bright Nymph in front.

Bulbs are storage vessels, and the bigger the bulb, the more stored energy it has.   This is why a small amaryllis bulb can produce a single stem with 2 or 3 flowers, while the largest size bulbs is able to produce 3 stems, each with 4 or 5 flowers.

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Stem strength also varies depending on bulb size. Larger bulbs produce thicker, stronger stems.

Here are how many stems and flowers each size bulb is likely to produce:

26/28 cm – 1 stem (occasionally 2) with 3 to 4 flowers

28/30 cm – 1-2 stems with 3-4 flowers per stem

30/32 cm – 2 stems with 4-5 flowers per stem

32/34 cm – 2 stems (occasionally 3) with 4-5 flowers per stem

34/36 cm – 3 stems with 4-5 flowers per stem

 

Norchester Garden Club enjoys an Outdoor Event At Matzke Park Butterfly Garden

  On November 5th the Norchester Garden Club met at Matzke Butterfly Garden for a presentation by Sherrie from Plants For All Seasons on Lawn Care.

Sherrie brought many of the products that are used on used on our lawns and answered any questions we had about our lawns or plants.  The weather was just perfect. 

This is the second event we had at the park.  RCW Nurseries came in September and talked about the different Butterfly Plants they had brought.  At the end RCW Nurseries offered the plants for individuals.  

Thank you ladies for giving us an opportunity to get together out doors and enjoy our beautiful Matzke Park Butterfly Garden which our membership takes care of.

Orange Amaryllis

Mamie Stokes Orange Amaryllis

Mamie was a long time member of the Norchester Garden Club and shared one bulb.  This morning  I have three bulbs with 25 buds on them.  

Some of you remember the house off of Cypresswood that had a yard full of orange amaryllis. The club at one time thought we could sell these to our neighborhood and have the same burst of orange in the spring.  

New Tree for the Garden

Thanks to the efforts of Carol Bennett, President of Association for Better Community Schools (ABCS), and to Jannet Carpenter, of Norchester Garden Club, Matzke Park Butterfly Garden has a hansom new addition. Having lost all of the fine mature trees due to age and storms, this Texas Redbud tree is an important investment to provide both color and shade as it continues to mature. ABCS donated the funds, Carol selected the tree at a local nursery, and Janet worked with Pct. #4 park staff to select a location and get the tree planted.  It is located between the gazebo and the path,  and supported by three metal stakes until it is well established.  It is blooming already. 

Redbud trees, with their vibrant, purplish-hued blooms, are an excellent indicator of warmer days ahead, and the redbuds are now ready to bloom  in Houston.  In the early spring, the tree is covered with different shades of deep rose, pink and purple or (rarely) white flowers resembling pea blossoms. The Texas redbud’s most notable attribute is its brilliant, purple-red spring blooms, for which it is widely recommended as a small ornamental landscape tree.

Texas redbud is usually found growing native along limestone slopes and other upland sites of Central Texas. Texas redbud typically has a multi-trunk with thick, leathery leaves that are slick and shiny green on the top side, and pale green below. Leaves are simple with entire margins. The redbud flowers before the leaves open. The bark is thin, gray or reddish-brown with white “spots,” and densely covered with lenticels.

Butterfly Garden Children's Program

Beautiful Camellia

 Our garden club member Stella shares her picture of her camellia in bloom.  Stella is an Porcelain and Glass Artist and Instructor.  Many of her beautiful art pieces are inspiration from her own garden.

 

Thank you for sharing during our gloomy weather. 

Norchester Garden Club January Treat

What a joy to have Lynn give us a succulent program on a dreary, raining January meeting.

We walked away with many good tips, a new found enjoyment for succulents and several folks got planters chock full of plants or a propagated plant from Lynn. You missed a great presentation! She has a fun presentation driven by her love and "addiction" to propagating succulents.  She shared how she uses many garage sale pots such as the one below with some rare and beautiful bromeliads she had grown. Yes, she gave that away!

 Lynn

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