Second Issue

October 2003

Editor Mary Bliss – Stella Blue

 

Newsletter for

The Southern California FUN Gardening Club or SOCALFUNG Club

 ‘One that doesn't focus on roses or orchids or anything too scientific.’

 

Tracy Bantel - Lovestosmellflowers has volunteered to be our clubs Events Coordinator and to help us get things going has recommended the following book Where on Earth A Guide to Specialty Nurseries and Other Resources for California Gardeners. Written by Barbara Stevens and Nancy Conner, ISBN: 1-890771-17-1.

We also now have an editor for San Diego County thank you Catkim for volunteering you can read SDC First Issue.

 

Also if we have any members that would like to contribute to our newsletter (review of gardens or other club related stories) please contact your branches editor if your branch does not have an editor at this time please send to SOCALFUNG Club to be included in the next issue. Pictures can be included for the on-line edition. We still need editors for Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties if you are interested in volunteering please contact me.

 

I hope we will be meeting some of our 43 members at some of the up coming events:

 

October 18, 2003  – 1st meeting of the SOCAL Fun Gardening Club at my home in Yorba Linda starting at 10:30am. If you were planning on attending if you would  e-mail me for address or directions it would be helpful to know how many to plan for. Otherwise just bring with you a chair if you have one, one plant for our Please to Meet You Exchange. If we have any seed traders in the group bring your seeds maybe you can make some trades. Maybe you have a plant you need to have identified if it is not to big bring it with you maybe one of our members will be able to help you. We will be discussing what actives we would like to see our club do. Oh don’t forget any good garden or plant tales are always welcome. Skrip will be sharing our club’s logo designs with us for the first time. We will also be deciding on which date we will be going to Las Pilitas Nursery. After the meeting you may want to head over to the Fullerton Arboretums Fall Plant Sale and Fair it is about 20 minutes of here.

 

November 15 or 22, 2003 Las Pilitas Nursery located in San Diego County please cast your vote or email me which Saturday works best. The date with the most votes and emails wins and will be announced at our October 18th meeting.

 

If you have not already emailed the information requested below for our member directory please do so a reminder this will be kept private probably password protected at the website. Or if you would like to decline send an email to decline

 

Your Name

Your address – at a minimum give Your City, Zip Code and County, but it would be useful to have your complete mailing address

Phone Number

Email Address

Your Club On-Line Name

****

Orange County Edition

 

Second Issue

October 2003

Plant Exchange at Nina’s – September 28, 2003

 

I (Mikey) was the first to arrive and Nina introduced me to her beloved dogs that were secured in a side yard, Bagel the Beagle and Lucy, a foxhound mix.  A couple of friendlier dogs you’ll never meet.

 

It was sunny and warm but Nina’s two-story home shaded much of the area and it was quite comfortable.  Nina moved into her new home about three years ago and like many of us, she describes her yard as a work in progress.  Nina describes her garden as “schizophrenic” with red, orange and yellow tropical cannas in the backyard and cooler color cottage type garden in the front yard.  In the future she wants to increase her Canna collection and perhaps put in a water feature.

 

In attendance were our hostess Nina, Mary and John, Linda and Steve, Allison and her daughter, Nancy, Mike, and Nina’s neighbor Dorothy and her daughter Shaleen.  I don’t know if Shaleen was a botany major at UCR, but she sure knew her plants! It was a good mix with both newbies and folks who have been gardening for some time.  Nina was a great host and provided a spread of crackers, cheeses and deli meats, a tray of sliced fruit and she also served strawberry daiquiris to drink.  Mmmmmm Good!

 

We scattered a wonderful assortment of plants on the grass for viewing.  There were tropicals, succulents, desert plants, seeds, bulbs, cuttings, irises, vines, salvias, cannas, calla lilies, hoyas, pregnant onions and much more…...  A neighbor of Nina’s wandered over and he was so impressed with the plants that he wanted to buy some. 

 

Nina drew names to determine the order in which we would select plants.  Nina said she missed Mike (Tracy’s husband) to keep us on track, but Nina did a good job keeping us in line.  Ahhh, Christmas in September!  I’ve wanted a Staghorn fern for some time and I was fortunate enough to get the one brought by Nancy. In addition, a couple of Allison’s Walking Irises walked right into my hands….  Should anyone have any questions about the proper care for plants that came from me, please feel free to e-mail me at Tildog@earthlink.net. 

 

We had a great time of fellowship, snacking and exchanging plants.  Life is good.  Thanks Nina!

 

Don’t forget that Mary (Stella Blue) and John are hosting the first meeting of the Southern California Fun Gardening Club on Saturday, October 18, 2003 at 10:30am in Yorba Linda.  E-mail Mary for more information.  Oops, I just realized I haven’t yet e-mailed her to get directions….  I’m coming Mary.  Please send directions…

 

Mike (Mikey)