"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."
-- Aristotle
-- Aristotle
2023 - 2024 Meeting Schedule
September 21, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. - Herb Society of America Heritage, with Kim Labash completed
October 19, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. - Glade Valley Meadery completed
November 16, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. - The Month of Their Ripening with author, Georgann Eubanks completed
December 21, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. - A Christmas Potpourri
January 18, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. - Yoga for Gardeners, with Celeste Chaney-Hill
February 15, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. - TBA
March 21, 2024, 9:30 a.m. Heritage of Roses, with Connie Hilker of Hartwood Roses
April 18, 2024 7:30am - 12:00pm HERB SALE Greensboro Farmer's Market on Yanceyville Street
May 16, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. - Annual Meeting & Picnic
Program: Annual Meeting & Picnic
Guests are welcome to attend one of our meetings. Please use our CONTACT FORM and we will send details. There is no charge to attend, but if you would like to order a lunch, you may do so for $16.00 payable in advance.
Thanksgiving cactus on the left, and Christmas cactus on the right.
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My "Christmas Cactus"
is a Thanksgiving Cactus! My Christmas Cactus ( Schlumgera bridgesti), is actually a Thanksgiving Cactus (Schlumgera truncata). I wondered why it has started blooming, seemingly a little earlier every year. I purchased it 10 years ago or more in full bloom just before Christmas, so mistakenly assumed that it is, in fact, a Christmas plant.
How to tell the difference: Thanksgiving cactus leaf have spiky protrusions on the edges of the leaf. Christmas cactus leaves have rounded protrusions. Neither have any edible or medicinal uses that I have found, but I haven't done much research. I simply love the easy-care plants. This year I will be out searching through the offerings to see if I can find a Christmas cactus, but will keep my faithful Thanksgiving cactus, certainly a reliable bloomer and so simple to take cuttings and root them for friends. |
Create a Pollinator Friendly Garden
A successful garden requires a few important items, chief among them is pollinators. That means bees of all types, butterflies, insects, birds.
An easy and environmentally friendly way to attract pollinators to your garden is to provide cover for them. Instead of adding your leaves to your city collection point, or burning them, or trying to compost mountains of leaves, LEAVE THEM.
Bees and such will take shelter under a nice leaf or two or more, and provide you with more pollinators in the spring.
It can be helpful in some cases to rake up your leaves and run over them with a mower a time or two, then spread them around your garden. It will look neat and they will deteriorate with a little time to create great soil, too! All for free!!
An easy and environmentally friendly way to attract pollinators to your garden is to provide cover for them. Instead of adding your leaves to your city collection point, or burning them, or trying to compost mountains of leaves, LEAVE THEM.
Bees and such will take shelter under a nice leaf or two or more, and provide you with more pollinators in the spring.
It can be helpful in some cases to rake up your leaves and run over them with a mower a time or two, then spread them around your garden. It will look neat and they will deteriorate with a little time to create great soil, too! All for free!!
Autumn arrives......
Elaine C. sent in a sad photo of the state of her yard and part of the garden this past summer -- so dry that deep cracks formed. It is a reminder that our climate is changing and we are experiencing drier and hotter summers. When selecting plants for your garden, pay attention to their water and light requirements and be prepared to provide that....or to select something else. Over the next few months, we will list plants that can tolerate such conditions without requiring excessive watering. See the page: Herbs, then select DROUGHT TOLERANT
Just waiting for a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger!
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Milkweed seed floating away announce the arrival of autumn.
Yellow swallowtail. c.Elaine C.
Elaine spotted these at the Museum garden. It is a Atteva aurea, or ailanthus webworm, a moth. Sure looks like an insect until it opens its wings. Good eyes Elaine!
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PLANTS WITH A HISTORY:
1. Rose hips, Rosa rugosa. The hips are edible, and though it is not a native herb, it thrives here. This photo was taken along the coast. The hips have had a history of medicinal uses, and are still used to flavor jams, tea, and other such things. Make sure you know what you are harvesting, because there are lots of other red berries around.
2. Late purple aster, Symphyotricum species. Some native tribes had medicinal uses for parts of this plant. We love it for its beauty!
3. Cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon. This plant, photographed in the mountains of NC, is an evergreen that crawls along the ground, making it sometimes very difficult to spot. It does produce edible berries, but you will need to go a little further north to find them in quantities worthy of harvesting.
2. Late purple aster, Symphyotricum species. Some native tribes had medicinal uses for parts of this plant. We love it for its beauty!
3. Cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon. This plant, photographed in the mountains of NC, is an evergreen that crawls along the ground, making it sometimes very difficult to spot. It does produce edible berries, but you will need to go a little further north to find them in quantities worthy of harvesting.
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