May Meeting

Welcome May!
April showers bring May… errr… MORE showers! Well, “some” sunny days at least!

We had an enjoyable meeting as always.
Our speaker, Marilyn Holt, spoke on the Geraniaceae family and we were amazed at the number of different species.
There is so much more than knowing just your basic geraniums and pelargoniums, that’s for sure!

Although there aren’t as many “show plants” at this early time of year,
one of our new members (Kudos to Larry!) brought a real “show stopper” to win the Display Table contest.
It was a stunning Clarodendrum.  Melanie G. won both the Pelargonium  and the Begonia (not shown) blooms.

At tea time we are always delighted to load our plates with goodies.
The homemade humus (thank you, Margot!) was especially tasty, and good for us too!

There was a nice little display of Lore, and of course the Raffle table was a busy place.
Another set of plant and flower books were up for purchase by donation.
This meeting was the final sales of “Stores” (plant pots, hanging baskets, labels, etc.)

Lorna gave an interesting discussion on hardy fuchsias. She reminded us that all fuchsias are heavy feeders, but “weakly weekly” is the best way to fertilize. Depending on the type of fuchsia, pinching will delay the next blooming 8 to 10 weeks, so plan accordingly.  8 weeks for single bloom 8 – 10 weeks for semi-double blooms, 12 weeks for double blooms and 14 weeks for triphyllas.

We are hoping to encourage a new “cutting exchange” next meeting. Remember to label your cuttings!

Do you enjoy puzzles?
Here’s a fun (free!) puzzle link to explore.
I made the puzzle from one of our meeting photos! Try it out!