Down To Earth Garden Club

Some kind of Mutinus or stinkhorn? Too bad I didn't smell it.

Has anyone else tried them? They are a charming semi-shade lover that is blooming right now. Totally deer proof because they are poisonous.
Mine reseeded themselves and most of the dozen or so that I put in pots last fall came through he winter. They seem to be a very tough plant.

I really need a trellis and probably some systematic pruning. They are a bit much for me to handle. I planted them where there is an underground spring and they seem to like the extra water. I fear that they do not get enough sun though. With all of the surrounding trees there are few spots that get a full day of sun.

My kiwis had a big set back a few years ago. They were growing up a large maple tree that came down in a high wind bringing the kiwis with it. I haven't seen any blossoms since and I suspect those first ones were from either a male or single female plant as I never got any fruit. I keep hoping. The vines from this particular variety are extremely robust and difficult to handle.

I was wondering if you have considered using sawdust on the blueberries? It has the advantage of being free. I know it uses up nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes but we compensate for that by tossing on some extra nitrogen as it goes down. Or use composted sawdust. It doesn't take long with a big pile. I wouldn't think that blueberries are very heavy feeders as the wild ones grow on the worst possible soil around here.

I have two female and one male kiwis that grow extremely well. One of them bloomed only once but I have never had any fruit. Probably they don't get enough sun. My usual problem.

Paw Paws sound interesting. I actually had some small trees that I grew from seed once but they did not do well in the greenhouse and I didn't think they would survive our winters. Keep us posted on that one.

I don't know if you are originally from this area or not but one of the major problems that we have had with our fruit trees is late frosts and pollination. The frosts frequently get the flowers and heavy rains in the spring can keep the blossoms from being pollinated. At least this is what the old folks tell me is happening. We are however at the foot of a hill so we do tend to be a bit colder that other sections.

Hi Mary Pat,
Welcome to the forum! We are delighted to have you here. This is a new endeavor for us, as well.
Please check your PM's perhaps there are a few of our members you should know if you don't know therm already. Good luck with the farm!

Arts, crafts, dance and song and food on West Long Avenue. From 10a.m.-5p.m.

The club will be participating in the renovation of the Central Catholic butterfly bed under the direction of Lisa. Starting time will be approximately 3 p.m. all days. Volunteers are welcome. E-mail for more information or check back for updates.

The annual spring plant sale will be held at BMP (Business Machine Products) at 1263 Maple Ave. DuBois, PA. The group will have its usual outstanding perennials from member's gardens. These are plants that will grow in the area because they do grow in the area.
Watch for further updates.

The group will meet at 9:00a.m. at a place to be determined at the March meeting. Check for updates. Lunch is in the park at 11:00 a.m.

The Down to Earth Garden Club will meet March 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the Smeal Conference room on the Penn State-DuBois Campus. The group will be discussing the spring clean-up. For more information call 371-8672 or 583-5300. E-mail downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com or use the group webpage at www.downtoearthgardenclub.org.

I'm no expert on trees and it would depend on where you are. Here in North-Western PA, where we garden, flowering crabs would meet your criteria. Also some of the Japanese maples don't go much over 25 feet although we are marginal zone wise and they do like a little shade themselves. The size of the leaf depends on the variety.  American mountain ash (Sorbus americana) is good and hardy and grows to about 25 feet. You might also look into one of the more popular flowering cherries Kwanzan Flowering Cherry (Prunus serrulata "Kwanzan), .
 If you are looking for a "street tree" the state of PA highly recommends the Bradford Pear or its less brittle cousin, the Cleveland pear.

Big Lots has dormant fruit trees and ornamental trees for $12. These are all at least 5'. There are apples, pears and peaches. Ornamentals include the Cleveland Pear that is used as a street tree in this area. They also have an ornamental Mongolian Pear which is a smaller street tree grown for its foliage.

The Down to Earth Garden Club will meet Thursday, February 28 at 7:00 P.M. in the Smeal conference room on the PSU/DuBois campus. The 2007 audit will be available. The 2008 budget will be discussed. The public is welcome to bring suggestions for new projects to this meeting.
For more information call 583-5300 or 371-8672. E-mail: downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com
Call or e-mail for a free copy of the newsletter.

The next meeting will be January 24, 2008. We will be holding our annual soup and bread dinner. Members will contribute their favorite soups and breads for an after meeting snack.
New officers will be in place, a gift wrapping report should be available and please get dues to Michele.