Suffield Garden Club

Do You Have “Lion’s Tooth”?

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Taraxacum is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. They are native to Eurasia and North America, but the two commonplace species worldwide, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, were introduced from Europe and now propagate as wildflowers. Both species are edible in their entirety. The common name dandelion is from the French, meaning “Lion’s Tooth.” Like other members of the Asteraceae family, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head.

Suffield Garden Club

Father’s Day History

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Father’s Day originated in Spokane, Washington thanks to Sonora Smart Dodd (1882 – 1978). After Sonora’s mother passed away, her father, a Civil War veteran, raised her and five sons. Inspired by a sermon about Jarvis’ Mother’s Day at Central Methodist Episcopal Church in 1909, Sonora told her pastor that fathers should also have a similar holiday honoring them. The third Sunday in June was chosen for that memorable day. So, the first Father’s Day celebration was held in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910.

Suffield Garden Club

Reap What You Sow

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Gardening is a great practice for the mind, body and spirit. Whether one is a plant pundit or new to the hobby, you can find multiple benefits in gardening. We have many choices of either seeds or young plants, and in a little time, we can reap a bounty of nutritional vegetables. Breathing fresh, clean air and utilizing the sun’s rays which make Vitamin D for our bodies are much-needed blessings. Also, children need to learn about gardening practices.

Suffield Garden Club

Do You Have a Girdle?

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Recently, I asked Rick to investigate a few inches below the mulch level of our trees to see if any stray roots had encircled the base of the tree’s trunk. Sure enough, one tree was victimized. See the developed girdling root in the photo to the right. Here are some causes of tree girdling to watch out for: roots may form in root-bound, container grown plants, girdling roots may begin when a tree is transplanted or develop as a tree grows. Deep mulch or compacted soil seem to encourage the development of girdling roots at the base of a trunk.

Suffield Garden Club

What Does Organic Mean?

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We all wonder, at one time or another, about the organic food issue and whether or not one should pay the extra dinaro for it. You be the judge. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) defines organic as follows:

Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products come from animals that are given neither antibiotics nor growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.

Suffield Garden Club

Christmas History Facts

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Greetings, friendly reader! May your Christmas season be filled with joy and light! The first recorded display of a decorated Christmas tree has been traced to Riga, Latvia, in 1510, and the custom proliferated in Germany in the 1600-1700’s, as Protestant elites bedecked their homes and guildhalls with pines and firs garnished with nuts, dates and apples. Christmas trees grew in popularity in Germany throughout the early 1800s, and German immigrants to the United States brought the yuletide tradition with them to their new homeland. In his book, The Battle for Christmas, Stephen Nissenbaum writes that, in spite of claims that Hessian soldiers fighting for the British during the Revolutionary War erected the first Christmas trees in America, it was the Pennsylvania German community, likely after 1820, who first brought the custom to the United States.

Suffield Garden Club

Fall Nectar Flowers

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Monarch butterflies are unable to survive cold winters so they migrate, mainly in October, to the south and west. Monarchs need an abundance of nectar from fall flowers to support them on their journey from the eastern and central U. S. to the mountains in Mexico. Most butterflies live only a few weeks, but some monarchs will survive up to nine months before returning north in the spring. You may think your gardening endeavors are far too small to make a difference concerning the needs of butterflies, but that’s not true at all. Plant or do whatever you can do.