With the end of a brutal winter in the making, it was never more obvious that spring was about to be sprung.
The March meeting of the Plantation Garden Club was held at the spacious, art-filled home of club member Lydia Dunavent, who hosted the event along with fellow members Amy Clark and Jennifer Flautt.
The Dunavent home was filled with a myriad of art work that included many beautiful paintings done by the hostess herself.
The Wednesday afternoon club first focused on a short backyard bird study given by garden club vice president Lyn Gates, who pleasantly “chirped in” about the local birds of this area.
Club members then heard from Cleveland-based Linda Smith, a landscape architect.
According to Smith, the winter of 2022-23 was cold enough to damage many plants that usually survive the season with little difficulty.
“Hydrangeas may look dead from the past freeze,” she said, “but give them time, and they should come back,” noting that some had just started putting shoots on the dead-looking branches.
Azaleas can sometime prove to be difficult to get the maximum pleasure from, mainly due to the delta’s flat surfaces and poor drainage.
“Build a raised bed when planting this popular spring ‘looker,’” said Smith. “Azaleas must have good drainage,” and if that’s the case, they should prosper.
Fatsia is a large evergreen plant that grows in total shade, and they also suffered this winter. Don’t give up; just trim the dead and they should recover, added the guest speaker.
If a plant looks dead, bend the twig or branches to make sure. If the wood bends, that part of the plant should recover. But if the wood snaps off, that part is dead, said Smith. “Just give your shrubs and plants time to recover before giving up on them,”
“And don’t be afraid to use a lot of color in your yard and pot planters.
“ Use Miracle Grow weekly, and if you want color, color, color, use Osmocote, a time-release fertilizer,” re-marked Smith.
Popular fertilizers have three numbers — such as 6-12-6 — to identify, in order, the percentages of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
The second number is for phosphorus, which produces more flowering and bloom. Before buying, check out the type of fertilizer. The higher the second number, the better blooming and flowering will follow.
Following the presentation, the club members enjoyed delicious food. The garden enthusiasts whet their appetite with rum cake, cheese straws and strawberry tea cakes, which were served in the lovely sun room.
