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I thought the meeting last month was a good one and the one coming up should also be a good one. It is at a different time this month to take advantage of warmer weather. We are meeting at Skycrest Gardens on Tuesday, May 25th at 6:00 PM. Actually it is really not a meeting -- it is a Hog Roast/Barbeque!! Jim Jordan suggested we do this and a lot of members are very excited about it. This will be a complete meal for you -- so bring your table service and lawn chairs -- we will provide food and drink. Jim has a hog roaster that he is lending to the cause and CIWGA is providing everything else. So come hungry!!
When planning this we thought we could have it on our normal meeting time but we risk the weather being too cold. It is good that we change our meeting days occasionally to allow everybody a chance to make it to our meetings.
This is also a good time to get to Skycrest Gardens to stock up on your plants and supplies for the spring. Tom and Marilyn are very gracious in allowing us to invade their garden. We will have it rain or shine.
On another note, remember our plant sale on May 15. When you divide plants, you almost always have extra plant material. Save the extras for the sale. This is a huge fundraiser for us and the more plants that are donated the more that we can afford to do in the future. Like guest speakers (Mia Keske last month and Deb Spencer a year ago) and donations to great causes.
Okay, now for the particulars of the plant sale. Kenn Outzen and Dean Koob will be at the State Forest Nursery on Friday, May 14 at 4:00 PM. Bring plants starting at that time -- we will be there for several hours labeling the plants that aren't already labeled. Water plants are a priority but all plants will be welcome if you have them. As a suggestion, you can place divisions in plastic bags (I like zip-lock bags) and then label the bag. It is important to name the plant but if you do not have this -- try to describe what it is -- color of bloom and size of plant for example. If the whole plant is too big to place in a bag -- allow the top of the plant to stick out of the bag. If you are doing this several days before the sale (which I am doing now) then place the bagged plants in the shade and keep cool.
We will have some ordered plants there and many will be the more unusual ones -- some will be tropicals. We will have red-stemmed thalia for example. This is a plant that is always in demand and never enough to sell. I just finished talking to Deb Spencer and she is donating many varieties of bowl lotus (very small lotus) to us. WOW!! She is an expert on bowl lotus and these are plants that she has grown. Quality bowl lotus are very hard to come by and to get them donated is even better. I've got goose bumps thinking about these plants -- I know I need to get a life!!
We will start selling plants TO MEMBERS ONLY at 6:00 PM on Friday, May 14 -- this will be two hours after Kenn and Dean show up to accept plants. Our sale will be open to the public, as well as our members, on Saturday starting at 8:00 AM. Hopefully, you will have plants and stuff to donate on Friday and then take advantage of the sale to our members at the same time.
I will be there to answer any questions on how to plant stuff. We may even have a few Victoria water lilies (the big 5 foot diameter leaved water lilies) available for the sale. Please donate but it is okay to just come and buy (at a good price, of course) some water plants.
Finally, I want to talk about the Garden Tour that Darla Kickbush has lined up for us. This tour is the 19th and 20th of June (Sat and Sun). We will be leaving early on the 19th and take a bus to the Kansas City area. Lots of great gardens to see on that day (Powell Gardens is one -- Darla's description follows) and then stay overnight. The next day we will be seeing the Water's Edge (Deb Spencer's business) in Lawrence. It is worth the trip to see this business -- everything there is for the water gardener -- even all the hard goods inside the store. It is a very fun business.
Now for Darla's description of Powell Gardens and the other gardens on Sat.:
Powell Gardens, once owned by the Kauffman Family, was a farm that was sold to the Boy Scouts. The Scouts decided to sell the farm and the Kauffman Family bought it back and transformed it into many many acres of gardens. As you start the tour of Powell Gardens you will walk through a grove of dogwoods. This path leads to the amazing water gardens. You will also take in the "living wall" of plants and perennials. This is the longest planted wall in North America. The chapel is an amazing building as it is heated and cooled by thermal energy provided from the pond at the water gardens. The Meadow Pavilion sits on top of the hills. The gardens are: shade gardens, full sun gardens, prairie flowers, meadow, as well as many plantings of trees and shrubs. You will experience an indoor Conservatory, colorful Terrace Gardens, exotic water plants, and a sunken garden in addition to the above mentioned gardens. If you don't feel you can do all the walking, a trolley will give you the grand tour.
To get the free rate we do need a party of 20 or larger. Also we would get 10% off in the gift shop.
Kauffman Gardens is the site where Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman are entombed. Formal water feature with beautiful statutory and annual planting makes this a very peaceful place to visit. Beautiful perennials gardens grace this personal garden of the Kauffmans.
The Kauffman family made their money in the pharmacy industry. They have given millions and millions back to Kansas City. Also, the family has provided a perpetual fund for the continued care of Powell Gardens as well as Kauffman Gardens.
As for the stop at the DNR, I am only going on the advice of Water's Edge folks.
Darla's sign-up sheet is in this newsletter -- we have extended the deadline to May 10 so that we could get this published and sent to everybody. Any questions, please call Darla at 515/961-5456.
Hope to see everybody at the meeting.
The Big Toad, Jamie