CULT: culture

Neil Morganson said:  "

There are a lot of things we can be talking about besides
this issue.  May we move on?  Please?"

Yes!  A subject I would like to bring up is mentioned too modestly in Neil's
message. I am sure
that I am not the only person who is interested in Neil's New Registration.
How about telling
us about it, Neil?  Who will be introducing it?  When?

Another subject I would like to hear more about is Spurias.  Who is growing
them and what are your
favorites?

Some of you must have been members of your club when you hosted your first
spring regional meeting and had your garden on the tour associated with it.
Our club is hosting their first ever spring regional meeting in 2005 and my
garden is on the tour.  I would like to hear about your experiences, what you
learned from the experience and any humorous incidents involved with the
event.  I would also like to hear more about any subsequent spring regional
hosting experiences.  We are a small club but the members are good workers and
congenial.  Our president wisely chose the most capable person in the club to
be in charge of acquiring, receiving, recording and distributing the guest
iris and the person accepted the appointment and did an outstanding job for
the club.  That seems to be a very important, but labor intensive, part of
being a successful host club.  Our guests are tucked safely in their beds, the
appropriate name tags beside them and a snowy blanket tucked around them.
Fall rains assured there was enough nitrogen rich moisture in the soil to
sustain them through the winter.  I will spend my free time in the winter
preparing a comprehensive map of the garden, one that will guide members to my
home from the meeting area (since members will be providing their own
transportation) and making a banner to hang at the end of our driveway to mark
it and welcome guests. Perhaps I will spend a bit of time perusing my recipe
book collection to select treats to make for the guests.

Any other suggestions from you will be gratefully received.

Another subject that we have discussed before but which might have some new
methods of control is the black aphids that arrive near the end of the rebloom
season and take up residence in the bud sheath.  How can these be controlled
without damage to the bloom, plant, earth worms or the little honey bees who
are frantically searching for the last tiny bit of food to store for the
winter?  Aphids and white flies are the bane of my fall garden.  I have tried
washing them down with soapy water.  The white flies love it, I can almost see
them wearing their little "soap on a ropes" , lathering under their wings and
I can actually hear the horde of them singing happily.  The aphids do not seem
much affected by the treatment because they shrink back under the sheath and
come out relatively unscathed.

How about garden markers?  Jeanette Graham, from Twin Falls, Idaho, has given
me some markers like she uses in her garden and they are awesome, large green
fiberglass plates on heavy duty double copper stakes.  They are quite
attractive and blend in well in the garden.  I am trying them out to see how
they survive the extreme temperatures, sun and wind in my garden.  They have
space for an awesome amount of information because both front and back of the
plate can be utilized.  Some of the other members of our club are trying them
in other areas where there are different climate conditions.  Have any of you
used anything similar and what were the results?

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Patti
Central WA USDA zone 5 with alkaline soil and some areas of huge rocks in the
garden.

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