Sustainable Gardening Tip: Pesticides can harm beneficial insects and wildlife, so it is best to use natural pest control methods. Planting companion plants, using physical barriers, and releasing beneficial insects are all effective ways to control pests naturally.
Horticulture Chair Nancy Percivall shared little-known facts about African violets.
CVGC members attend the District II Annual Meeting held at the Comfort Inn and Conference Center in Bowie. Interim President Trish Demers gave a two minute speech on our club's accomplishments and promoted CVGC's upcoming flower show, 60's Flower Power, in May. CVGC also received a Certificate of Merit recognizing our 55th Anniversary. Floral Designer Mike Burch (Potomac Floral Design of La Plata) working on one of many of his fabulous arrangements.
A close up of a natural substitute for a kenzan using end cuttings from floral materials. Bamboo skewers acted as tensions rods to hold them in place – add more stones to cover later. Speaker Claudia Donegan, Director of the Center for Habitat Restoration, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Chesapeake and Coastal Service, presented an informative slideshow on how beavers naturally provide intact natural systems giving any ecosystem much needed ecological capital and how increasing the beaver population will restore Maryland’s ecological services. Ecological capital equals ecological services! Examples of the services beavers provide include flood control, nutrient processing, stormwater and groundwater management, erosion control, and creation of habitats for aquatic, rare, threatened, and endangered species. And who knew Crofton had it's own prehistoric giant beaver population! To read an article by Claudia that appeared in the Maryland Natural Resources Magazine, winter 2021 on beavers as a keystone species, click the button below. To read about Crofton's prehistoric beaver population, click the button below. Margo Antonelli, Second Vice President, installed Heather Marken, sponsored by C.J. Salisbury, as a member of CVGC. Welcome Heather! The February hostess team, Lois Nichols (coordinator), Beverly Frye, Becky Hogan, Nancy Percivall and Angela Wetzel, decorated with a 60's Flower Power theme to get members excited for our upcoming flower show.
Sustainable Gardening Tip: Create a healthy compost pile that reuses food waste, grass clippings, yard waste, and other natural ingredients to make a nutrient and mineral-rich compost that can be added to garden soil to increase productivity and health of the soil.
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