Well, here we are in the New Year!
Looking back on 2012: The Garden Club membership enjoyed another year of fun, botanic education, social service, a very successful community plant sale and great parties.
The year ended with a beautiful Holiday Party in the ClubHouse, complete with a gift exchange and delightful decorations, to a sold-out crowd.
Everyone left with a raffle prize. Our Treasurer, Karl Kuhn, reported that our finances were in good order, and the Club was very solvent.
Ringing in the New Year: The Garden Club has planned another full Spring of workshops, lectures, field trips and the ever-popular Beach Bluff Bar-B-Que. We kick off January with a field trip to the Plant Stand in Costa Mesa. They have a huge variety of plants; and we’ll hear a lecture on house plants, their care and feeding, and which ones will provide us with green-thumb satisfaction. Note: Members can use their CGC cards for discounts at the Plant Stand. So you want to grow herbs?
Here are some basics: Herb Gardening 101
Uses for Herbs: The most popular use for herbs is in cooking, and nearly every recipe can be enhanced with the addition of appropriate herbs. Can you imagine tomato sauce without oregano?
Thanksgiving stuffing without sage? Some dishes are defined by the herbs they contain—pesto without basil just isn’t pesto! Many herbs are also believed to have medicinal properties. The echinacea that has become popular as a cold remedy is extracted from the purple coneflower, a common garden perennial.
Where to Plant: Plant herbs where you can get to them easily for frequent harvesting, especially if you plan to use them in cooking. You can grow herbs in containers or even window boxes. Most herbs prefer full sun—at least 6 hours per day. Herbs that will tolerate some light shade include chives, cilantro, dill, and mint. Remember that if you plant perennial herbs in the vegetable garden, keep them in a separate section so you’ll be sure to avoid them during spring and fall tilling. More tips next month, but if you can’t wait, go to http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=herb-gardening
Weeds multiply in direct proportion to your efforts to eliminate them. —Anon
—Morry Meadow
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