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Cape St. Claire Garden Club – May 2023 Update

Members dividing perennials

Articles like this one, titled Gardening has taken off: here’s why the popular activity can replace your gym workout, tout not only the physical benefits, but also the sense of accomplishment & reward, as reasons why interest in gardening is growing exponentially across the country. And don’t we know it! Here in the Garden Club, we’ve added 8 new Members this year already, and we experience additional benefits such as comradery, teamwork, shared mission to contribute to our community, & perhaps most importantly, having fun together! April’s meeting began with attendees working shoulder to shoulder outdoors around three long tables, efficiently potting up a selection of local perennials, including ferns, bugleweed, & black-eyed Susan. After the potting work was completed, we enjoyed snacks and a brief meeting, and those with lucky raffle tickets won lovely plants. Along with many others, these perennials we potted will be at our Annual Plant Sale on Saturday, May 20th – read on!

In the garden now, the spent blooms of daffodils and other spring bulbs can be pinched off, with the foliage left in place, unbound, until it yellows, so that the bulbs can photosynthesize to store energy for next spring’s bloom. Many gardeners plant daylilies or iris in front of bulbs to hide the yellowing foliage, and May is a lovely time to drive about the Cape and see the riot of color among the bold, ruffled irises, peonies, azaleas, rhododendrons, & fragrant lilacs.

And our Members have been out in droves admiring Cape beauty as well! Yard of the Month is judged anonymously by rotating pairs of Member judges working all over Cape St. Claire, applying these criteria: design creativity (color, texture, form), neatness, health, and overall appeal. Every Cape yard is automatically entered to win every month April – September as our judges drive through the Cape – no need to enter or nominate, and awards are given by independent judging teams without any input from our Board. The Garden Club takes pride in the impartiality of our judging process, and thanks our hardworking Member judging teams for continuing this Cape tradition. Enjoy your beautiful gardens, Capers, and keep up the good work!

What if your garden needs some help? Or if you just plain love plants? You won’t want to miss our Club’s ever-popular Annual Plant Sale on Sat May 20th (rain date Sun May 21st). Colorful annuals and hanging baskets, native and pollinator plants, tomatoes, herbs, & veggies, & flowers for every season! Growing flowers for as much of the year as possible benefits everyone, humans and wildlife alike, as studies show that providing nectar over the longest season possible, using a diverse mix of plants from around the world, is best for feeding pollinators. Biodiversity means more flowers for you & your pollinator friends – and our sale has got you covered for all of it!

Congratulations to our April Yard of the Month Winners!

Area 1: The Shanahan Family, 982 Woodland CIrcle               Area 4: Tony Millet, 1227 Blue Ridge Drive

Area 2: The Zdun Family, 1123 Crestview Drive                          Area 5: Yun and Tom Ale, 718 Mt Alban Circle

Area 3: The Hammond Family, 1048 Lake Claire Drive

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday, May 2: Members’ Preview Auction & Plant Sale Planning

Saturday, May 20: 2023 Plant Sale    Invite friends, mark your calendars, we’ll see you there!

Tuesday, June 6: Speaker Claire Jones on Before & After Landscaping Solutions Using Native Plants