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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Paula Rieger and I got to hear a speaker, Rushing Feldner, at Arbor Gate this past Saturday on the topic of “Slow Gardening.” My take-away was that “slow gardening” is not just a message to enjoy gardening but to apply the concept as often as possible to the rest of our lives. Many of us live in a pretty rapid-paced world; we need to find ways to slow down and enjoy the journey as they used to say back in the day. Getting dirty while playing with plants and yard “accessories” makes for a happier person. Dee Nash at our April meeting was explaining that to get young people into gardening it should become an experiential retreat involving all the senses. So as summer approaches and our heat sets in, it’s good to be reminded to slow down, smell the dirt and eat the nasturtiums. Hope to see you at our May luncheon, then at our June Plant Swap and again at our August program. Lookin’ forward to Sep-tember and a new year of learning, eating, socializing, and new experiences like our Fall Garden Tour. Finally, a huge thank you to all the people that make up the Sugar Land Garden Club Board, and all the volunteers that come forward to attend our meetings and support our projects. What would we be without you? Jo Beth Moore

Newsletter of The Sugar Land Garden Club, Established 1932

May GREENLEAF Sep www.sugarlandgardenclub

2015-2016

Club Officers

President:

Jo Beth Moore

1st Vice President:

Barbara Willy

2nd Vice

Presidents:

Donna Romaine

Diane Meyer

Arleen Harbin

Recording

Secretary:

Kimberly Farou

Treasurer:

Robin Rettew

Parliamentarian:

Deborah Birge

Editor Kathleen Louviere

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Spring Installation Of Officers

May 17, 2016

Spring Installation of Officers Lunch

11:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m.

Riverbend Country Club

1214 Dulles Avenue

Sugar Land

Social Chair Roseanne Mayer

Social Committee Caroline Hall, Terri Hurley, Sue Yip

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Successful Silent Auction

Special thanks to the team responsible for our very successful silent auction: Thank you Chair, Carrie Sample; Co-Chair, Donna-Jean Dyer,

Team-Players: Deborah Birge, Robin Rettew, Kathy Hradecky, Mary Ann Kovach, Janis Vasut, and Beverly Williams.

What a successful first silent auction we had last Tuesday! It brought in

$2401 for the club’s programs and projects. Many thanks to all the people who participated by bringing items, buying

items, setting things up, publicity, planning. Kudos to Carrie Sample, Donna Jean Dyer, Deborah Birge, Robin Rettew, Kathy Hradecky, Mary Ann Kovach, Janis Vasut, and Beverly Williams for

work done before, during and after the event! I think we may have a new tradition! Thank you to board members for

doing the jobs you always do that helped support this activity. Word has it that a certain Breakfast in the Garden will

appear again at our next auction.

Thank you to our donors!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

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SLGC Members

1) Our new official address is: Sugar Land Garden Club

P.O. Box 725

Sugar Land, TX 77487-0725

2) If you have not yet renewed your membership and wish to do so, the cost for membership will increase June 1, 2016 from $30.00 (right now while supplies last) to $35.00. Mail membership form to Arleen Harbin.

3) The treasurer needs any receipts for reimbursement to be received by May 30th. Send to Robin Rettew.

4) The deadline for yearbook entries, changes, etc. is July 15th. Send to Arleen Harbin.

5) Field Trip! The SLGC First Annual Member Garden Tour will be Tuesday, May 24th. Call or e-mail Carrie Sample if you plan to go. Be at St. Basil’s Hall at 8:45 to carpool. The gardens are those of Terri Hurley, Deborah Birge, and Robin Rettew. The day will finish with shopping at Enchanted Gardens and lunch at Schultz’s Barbecue.

Jo Beth Moore

Special Announcements

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A special thank you to all of the beautiful ladies and gentlemen who come together and make SLGC a success. As a club, we are united in our ideas and accomplishments. Our Board and our Committee Chairs do an excellent job creating and maintaining our meetings, events, scholarships, charities and so much more. Each SLGC Member plays an intricate part with their support and inspiration. I am constantly inspired by the folks I talk to at each meeting, with their knowledge not just of gardening but about life in general. I personally want to thank all of the Board and the Members for taking me beyond my own personal borders and showing me roads less traveled.

Personality ‘s of the Month SLGC Board & Members

SLGC Board

"Monarch in the Mist". Blue

Mist Plant and a cute photo I

took at Enchanted Gardens,

when Arlene and I visited last

Tuesday. I call it: Some

"bunny" is Driving.

By K Farou

6 DON’S CORNER By Don Johnson

Mistaken Identity Occasionally I am asked to identify an insect or the damage on a plant that may have been caused by an

insect. Knowing that there are a few million insect species in the world and I can identify only a few, my

usual answer is “I don’t know.” I am a retired elementary teacher, not an entomologist. I am a Master

Gardener entomology specialist, which means I have an interest in the topic and am not an expert. How-

ever, I do know some common beneficials and pests that seem to come

to many of our yards.

The most frequently asked question is about the crane fly, the large fly

that appears in the spring which many people call a “mosquito hawk,”

probably because it looks like a large mosquito. The term mosquito

hawk usually refers to dragonflies, who do eat lots of mosquitoes.

Crane flies do not eat. They do not sting or bite, and only live a few

days. They are beneficial since their larvae help decompose organic

matter and are often found in a compost pile.

One of the best friends in the garden is the ladybug or ladybeetle. Most

people can identify the adult beetle, but many people cannot identify

the larvae, which is shown in the photo. The larvae and adult ladybugs

feed on aphids and other small insects and mites. The beetle lays a

cluster of yellow eggs usually where aphids are present. Being able to

identify the larva is being able to recognize a garden helper.

Gardeners who grow tomatoes often find the leaf-footed bug causing

problems with their crops. When the insects are very young they look

similar to assassin bugs which are mostly good for the garden.

You will probably want to destroy the leaf-footed bug and leave the as-

sassin bug alone. The two are similar in shape and color when they are

young, but the leaf- footed bugs travel in groups while the assassin bugs

travel alone, since they eat each other.

Gardeners who monitor their plants must be able to distinguish the

beneficial insects from the pests, and even the insects that are neutral.

It is better to avoid spraying if beneficial insects can help you control

pests instead. There are a number of field guides and websites for

identifying insects. A Field Guide to Common Texas Insects, by Drees and

Jackman is a helpful source for insect identification.

Two sites to help identify insects are: www.whatsthatbug.com and http://www.bugguide.net

The crane fly does not bite or sting. It does not eat and lives for only a few days.

The lady beetle larva likes to eat aphids and other small insects.

The assassin bug has a skinny neck and eats other insects, so they travel alone

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“Yum! You Taste Good! “

By Paula Trahan Rieger

We are at that beautiful time of year in Houston when the temperature is comfortable and the humidity

is down. Perfect, except for the proverbial fly in the ointment, biting gnats and mosquitoes. I think the

world can be divided into two groups – those who are bitten and those who the pests leave alone. Likely

you know which group you fall into. This column is primarily for those like me, the ones that get eaten

alive. My focus is on what you might use to protect yourself, not necessarily the bigger steps of trying to

keep them from re-producing in your yard.

Theories abound on why some people get bitten and others don’t. When

discussing the subject with a woman in my yoga class, she asked me my

blood type. She said that people with type B blood get bitten more. Not

sure why that might be, but indeed it is my blood type. A search of the

internet found an article from The Smithsonian in 2013 stating: "Studies

have indicated that Type O blood may be more attractive or beneficial to

mosquitoes than the other blood types, and about 85 percent of us actu-

ally secrete chemicals in our sweat that tells the mosquito what our

blood type is." So much for that theory!

A 2011 article from NBC news states that those with a higher metabolic

rate and thus secreting more carbon dioxide gas attract them, as well as

movement and wearing dark colors. In addition, lactic acid (given off

while exercising), acetone (a chemical released in your breath), and es-

tradiol (a breakdown product of estrogen) can all be released at varying

concentrations and can lure in mosquitoes. The noxious pests seem to gravitate to pregnant women

because of an increase in body heat. I would be curious to know if any of our members find that to be

true.

Apparently only the female mosquito bites. Mosquitoes are highly visual, especially later in the after-

noon, and their first mode of search for humans is through vision, People dressed in dark colors -- black,

navy blue, red -- stand out and movement is another cue.

"One in 10 people are highly attractive to mosquitoes," reports Jerry Butler, PhD, professor emeritus at

the University of Florida in a Web-MD article. Once the mosquito locates a promising visual target, she

then picks up on smell. The main attractor is your rate of carbon dioxide production with every exhale

you take. They can actually sense you from up to 100 feet away! Cont.

Horticulture

By Paula Trahan Rieger

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What to do to protect yourself?? A site on wiki-how discusses several strategies

(http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Mosquito-Bites) of which the #1 is the use of the repellant DEET. Because many

of us try to avoid the DEET–based sprays, an alternative is the use of Picaridin. A third option is the use of natural

solutions, the challenge being that these strategies are often more urban myth, than based in evidence. However,

some are: Citronella (natural plant oil), Oil of lemon eucalyptus (sold as Repel and endorsed by the CDC) and lav-

ender based oils. Tea tree oil and vitamin B1 have reportedly helped some people repel mosquitoes. Their effec-

tiveness can depend upon individual genetic factors or the type of mosquito. The American Mosquito Control As-

sociation website, states that over 25 years of empirical testing of more than 20,000 other compounds has not

resulted in another marketed chemical product with the duration of protection and broad-spectrum effectiveness

of DEET, although the recent additions of picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are remarkably close in effective-

ness to DEET.

Protective clothing, specifically long sleeves and long pants, is another option. With the Houston heat, this can be

a challenge. Camping stores often sell clothes that are protective yet light weight. I know that at Walmart they sell

net outfits that can be worn. I tried purchasing a hat with netting to protect me mostly from the biting gnats.

While not the most fashionable, it does work but it can affect vision and is sometimes a bit on the hot side.

Many people swear by Avon Skin So Soft. (However, the Web-MD article states the following: The chemical

IR3535, better known as Avon's Skin-So-Soft, also has been marketed as a mosquito repellent in the U.S. in recent

years. To date, research shows it's much less effective than DEET.)

While walking the other day, a chat with a fellow gardener yielded the tip of using Vanilla fragrance. He said no

golfer is without this, and often the brand purchased at WalMart (Body Fantasies) is the most popular.

There are new personal repellant products containing metofluthrin. As a personal repellent product

(Deck Mate), it comes in a small container with a replaceable cartridge. Clipped onto a belt or clothing, it

relies on a battery-powered fan to release the mosquito repellent into the area, surrounding and pro-

tecting the wearer. A bonus, it is not applied to the skin, yet online reviews are equivocal regarding its

effectiveness.

So, in sum, there is no perfect solution. Short of changing one’s genetic makeup, I guess the option is to

experiment and make your peace with DEET.

Happy Gardening!

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Stay Tuned for Next Year’s Schedule! Happy Summer to Everyone!

MAY 24

1st Annual Member Garden Tour

Join us for our 1st Annual Member Garden Tour on May 24th. We will meet at St. Basil's Hall to carpool at 8:45 a.m. The gardens we will visit are Terri Hurley's, Deborah Birge's and Robin

Rettew's. Our last garden is close to Enchanted Gardens, so we will shop for a while. Then we will conclude our morning at Schultz's Barbecue on Hwy. 36 in Rosenberg for lunch.

Please e-mail or call Carrie Sample if you would like to attend since there will be no meeting for signing up!

Hope you can join us as these 3 gardens are spectacular!!!!

Carrie Sample, Field Trip Chair

FIELD TRIPS

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Scholarship Awards

Kali Wight has received a scholarship from Sugar Land Garden Club to further her studies at Stephen F. Austin University. After earning her Associates Degree in Child Development, Kali worked for the Santa Fe School District, serving for several years as After School Program Direc-tor. Last year she returned to SFA to pursue a degree in Agriculture with a focus in Horticulture. She is an officer in the SFA Horticulture Club, and works in the Gayla Mize Garden and Arboretum in Nacogdoches, and in the campus greenhouses. Her goal is to eventually open a na-ture based day care / afterschool program to help children learn about and appreciates trees, plants, and edibles.

Chisolm Tessem has received a scholarship for fall 2016 from Sugar Land Garden club. He is studying Horticulture at Stephen F. Austin University, with an interest in plant production and the roles of technology and biological pest control. After being an avid gardener for a length of time, he returned in his late twen-ties to SFA where he is actively pursuing a degree in Horticulture. He states he is interested in what the future of plant production holds and the impacts it will have on environ-ments locally and globally. Chisolm is a member of the Horticulture Club at SFA where he manages greenhouse operations, scheduling and coordinating plant production and pest management.

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Editor’s Note

I want to thank of the wonderful writers, photographers and all who have contributed to the

SLGC Newsletter this year. Thanks for making it so easy to produce a newsletter with all of

the valuable information you provide for me!

Kat Louviere

GARDEN TOUR 2016

Date Change

"The Sugar Land Garden Club has re-scheduled our Garden Tour for next October, 22, 2016. We are looking forward to lots of excitement with

this change of date and hope you will all be a part of it.

Members and friends!

The Garden Tour committee has started our search for the 2016 Spring Garden Tour.

Would you like to show off your labor

of love, or have you admired a front garden in your

daily travels?

Maybe the back is even more fabulous!

Please let us know of any

gardens that you would like to share with your fellow garden lovers.

Please contact Emilie Wilson

(ewilson32@windstream.net)

or

Paula Goodwin (grgoodwin@windstream.net)

Calling all DIGGERS ! Now is the time to submit your

garden pictures of beautiful flowers or wildlife for inclusion

in the 2016 SLGC Yearbook. Please send favorite photos to

Arleen Harbin at c3ac4m@aol.com. Who knows you your photo just might make

the cover! Last year we were able to squeeze fourteen fantas-

tic color pics in. Deadline for submission is

June 15.

Announcements

Texas Color Plants 2700 Jo Ann Street Stafford, TX 77477

Each flat purchased $1 is donated to the

Sugar Land Garden Club

See page 19 for price list

Like us on Facebook

Be the change you want to see

in the world

Ghandi-

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Help Fort Bend

Women's Center Please Donate

The Fort Bend Women's Center is an organization that SLGC sup-ports. Fort Bend Women's Center provides shelter and program support to abused women and their chil-dren. You can shop and make donations to their Penny Wise stores and donation centers at the following locations:

Richmond 501 Hwy 90 A East, Richmond 77469 Stafford 13645 Murphy, Stafford, 77477

This is a large store! Missouri City Drop- off only, 4737 Hwy 6 at Dulles Mo. City 77459 Hours of business are: Mon. - Sat. 9-6, donations accepted 9-5:30 Sunday 12 noon---5 pm, donations accepted 12 noon--4:30 pm Telephone number for all stores: 281- 344- 5777.

By Debe Fannin

Quail Valley Backyard Garden Tour

Saturday May 14 It's finally here, Quail Valley Garden Club's 9th Annual Backyard Tour is this Saturday, May 14th, from 10 to 3 pm. In addition to five distinctive homes being on the tour, visitors will be allowed to walk through one of the homes to see the many upgrades and changes one of our homeowners have made to their home since they moved in. Additionally, we will be raffling a box of 400 Little Miss Muffet strap caladiums for a donation of $5 a ticket. The drawing will be a 3 pm, and the winner does not need to be present to win! Smaller packages of caladium bulbs will be sold for $10 and $20 each. Listed below are the five gardens on the tour: #1 - 3626 West Creek Club - Garden of Cindy & Brian Butterworth, a "Tropical Paradise" #2 - 3622 Point Clear - Garden of Judy & Jim Hanley, a "Peaceful Haven" #3 - 2011 Masters - Garden of Delores & Bob Messer. a "Tropical Escape" #4 - 3110 Robinson Road - Garden of Leslie & Fred Gegen. a "Backyard Retreat" #5 - 3626 Robinson Road - Garden of Cher & Kent Binks, whose garden they lovingly refer to as "Sunny and Cher" Looking forward to seeing all our SLGC friends at the Tour! Happy Gardening! Rose Ann Acosta, Quail Valley Garden Club President & Backyard Tour Chair Home: 281 437 9195 Cell: 832 693 9107

Announcements

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Hospitality

WELCOME

NEW MEMBERS

Gloria Mikulenka, Jean Trevino, Ginger Ekstrom, Linda Holder

“There are never enough Lilies in the Pond”

SLGC FEBRUARY 2016 MEMBER SURVEY RESULTS

The results of our February 2016 Membership Survey are in. A total of seventy-six people took the survey. Sixty-eight took the survey online thru Survey Monkey. Eight members submitted a paper survey. Detailed results will be available thru an email blast to membership, coming soon. Members voted 58.3% to 41.6% to support projects and charities that ARE related to gardening, conservation, beautification or education. Members supported an increase of dues from $30 to $35 by a vote of 75% for and 25% against.

These charities/organizations received the MOST support: scholarships, Fort Bend Junior Master Gardeners, Arbor Day, Book Donations to the Library. These charities/organizations received the LEAST support: Habitat for Humanity, Katy Prairie, East Fort Bend Human Needs, Brazos Bend State Park. Members made specific recommendations of other charities and organizations for the club to con-sider supporting in the future. Thank you for your participation in the survey. It will greatly assist the board in budgeting and plan-ning for the future.

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May 2016 10 SLGC Board Meeting at Diane Schomburg’s home. Paula Rieger co-host 9:00 am social, 10:00 am business meeting 13 Houston Federation of Garden Clubs Meeting

White Oak Conference Center

7603 Antoine Dr.,

Houston, TX 77088

9:30 Social 10:30 Business Meeting

17 SLGC installation of officers luncheon

19 Native Plant Society of Texas-Houston Chapter

Houston Arboretum and Nature Center

Meet in Memorial Park 7:00 p.m.

Program 7:30 p.m.

24 SLGC Field Trip

June 2016 14 SLGC board meeting at Donna-Jean Dyer’s home, Arlene Harbin co-host: 9:30 a.m. social, 10:00 a.m. business meeting 21 SLGC Plant Swap

TBA SLGC will present a speaker at the Sugar Land Branch Library at 1:00 p.m. Open to the public and free of charge

General Meeting Monthly Plant Swap

The plant swap takes place after the business meeting.

It is not necessary to bring plants in order to take

a plant.

Keep in mind our three basic rules:

Any plants that you bring should be labeled with the plant

name

Take home any plants you bring that do not get

adopted

Remove plants from the table only when the swap

begins

Please be courteous to others as you select one or two

plants then let others have a turn. You can go back again

for more plants if they are still available.

Get digging!

Donnetta Parish

SLGC EVENT PHOTOS

Photos of our past events are needed in order to

document our club

history.

Photo credit for your contributions will be given.

Please email your photo files in high resolution jpg

format to

Terri Hurley or Carrie Sample.

May CALENDER OF EVENTS Sep

www.houstonfederationgardenclubs.org

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BUDS TO BLOOMS

Many thanks for all the on time renewals! Don’t worry if you haven’t

yet had a chance to get your dues in. The deadline is May 30.

Please send your $30 dues in timely as June 1 the dues change to

$35. Thus far we’ve had 96 renewals and new members

update their membership!

It’s going to be fantastic year.

Way to go DIGGERS!

Please don’t forget if you want a MORE glamorous

photo of yourself (if that is even possible) in the

2016 SLGC directory. Please send your photo to

Arleen Harbin at c3ac4m@aol.com by May 31!

The following page will have the application for

membership!

June 21, 2016 No Monthly Meeting

Activity Our plant swap, open only to members and their guests, will be in the park’s covered

pavilion. There is plenty of near-by parking, a playground, and shady trees. We will gather

at 9:a.m. for refreshments. The plant swap will start at 10:00 a.m. with a members only

drawing for plants.

The event is casual just like the plant swap at the end of our meetings.

There is plenty of room to spread out so feel free to bring anything that is garden related:

plants, cuttings, pots, tools, etc. We will also have a table for recycling magazines and cata-

logs. You do not need to bring anything to attend. Feel free to bring whatever you like and

take whatever you like.

Please remember to label your plants, take home any plants you brought that did not find a

new home, and not take plants off the tables until the swap begins.

Donnetta Parrish, Charline Russell & Shirley Reese

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Sugar Land Garden Club Membership Form 2016-2017 PLEASE ENTER INFORMATION AS YOU WOULD LIKE IT TO APPEAR IN THE YEARBOOK’S DIRECTORY:

Name ______________________________ Spouse Name_______________________________

◻ SAME INFORMATION AS LAST YEAR’S YEARBOOK DIRECTORY

Address_____________________________City _______________________Zip Code ___________

Subdivision_____________________Home Phone _______________Cell Phone _______________

Email______________________________________________________________________________

It takes lots of volunteers to make our club fun, educational, and an asset to the community. Please check the committee(s) you are willing to serve on.

If you would like more information, please indicate by writing “Info”

beside the activity

___ Hospitality Committee

____Sponsors

____Publicity

____Greenleaf Newsletter

____Horticulture Article

____Personality of the Month Article

____Website ____Facebook ____Scrapbook

____Yearbook

____Planning Field trips

____Taking pictures at various events & meetings

____Telephone Committee

NOTE: Our annual fundraiser provides monies to fund our scholarships, community projects, and general

operation of the club. Please check if you can help with the fundraisers.

_____ Garden Tour _____Plant Sale _____Garden Advice

NOTE: Every member is required to provide a food dish or supplies to help with hospitality during the year. Please indicate with a “1”

and “2” your first and second choices of month you will participate in hospitality. The hospitality chair for your chosen month will con-

tact you and tell you what to bring. If you are not able to fulfill this obligation, a fee of $15 will be payable to the Hospitality Chair.

___September 2016 ___October 2016 ___ November 2016 ___ December 2016

___January 2017 ___February 2017 ___March 2017 ___April 2017

◻ I am willing to serve as a monthly hospitality chair for the month of_________________________.

Club year is June 1 – May 31. Dues of $30.00 are payable beginning Mar 1 – May 31 for the following club year.

Please make your check payable to "Sugar Land Garden Club".

Dues & membership form may be mailed to this Membership Committee

member until May 30th. After that, a new Membership Committee will take

over the duties, and a new form will be posted on the website.

Arleen Harbin 1315 Camelot Place Sugar Land, TX 77478

____Social Activities (Christmas & May)

____Community Service (circle all that apply): Brookwood Habitat

for Humanity Food Pantry Women’s Center

____Planning Programs

____Helping with Sound & Video Equipment

____I can lead a craft workshop, Workshop Committee

____I can use a computer and I’m familiar with these programs

(circle all that apply): QuickBooks

Excel Publisher

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