Long Island Horticultural Society
December News & Notes
President's Message...
Welcome, LIHS Members!
I am pleased and honored to be elected as the new President of LIHS, and appreciate the words of encouragement and support that I have received from so many of you.
I take this new responsibility very seriously, and my starting point is to remind myself and all of you about the words of our "MISSION STATEMENT," as follows:
"The mission of the Society shall be to educate its members in all phases of horticulture so they can apply this information to their own homes and gardens. In addition, the Society shall seek to create awareness and appreciation in the general public of the value of horticulture and arborculture to our communities and to our environment."
That is, we are all in LIHS to learn, to share our knowledge and experiences as gardeners, and to reach out to the larger community to increase awareness of, and membership in, our organization.
We will soon be coming together for fun, festivity, and learning at our Holiday party on December 10, and our only responsibility will be to enjoy the activities, the fellowship, and the delicious treats!
In January, though, we will meet for what I see as a NEW BEGINNING, when we can get into high gear and use all our energy, enthusiasm and creativity to benefit our Society!
I am looking forward to getting to know each of you personally, as we work together to grow our gardens, our selves, and our Long Island Horticultural Society!
Happy Holidays to Everyone!
-Ronnie Brancazio
Donation Form
We have a new Donation Form here on the website. LIHS has big, exciting plans for the coming year, but don't have sufficient funds to carry them all out. We will be planning interesting fund-raising activities in the future, and member Donations are one way that members can help out as we expand and innovate.
With the new Donation Form you can make a donation to the LIHS Scholarship Fund, which funds our scholarship award given to a Long Island student studying horticulture or to the LIHS General Fund, which funds all the activities LIHS engages in including our interesting monthly speakers.
You can make a donation in honor of a friend or loved one in celebration or memorial.
Contributors will be acknowledged in the newsletter unless they decline via the form.
Please fill out your information and print out the form and either bring it with you to a meeting or mail it to our treasurer, Maria Hoffman.
We would like to acknowledge our 1st donor: Christine Douglas
Horticultural Competition
Best In Show Jenny Holmes B6A Dried Flower Arrangement
1st place Anne Cognato B6a Dried Arrangement
1st Place Maureen Wawrzonek C9b Floral Arrangement
2nd place Priscilla Bauerschmidt B6a Dried Hydrangea
Botanical Arts:
1st Place Ronnie Brancazio Q45 Oakleaf Hydrangea Watercolor
2nd Place Mary Wagner Q45 Pathless Wood Watercolor
2ndplace Anne Cognato Q44 Thithonia Photograph
3rd Place Anne Cognato Q44 Milkweed & Fennel Photograph
December 10 Meeting
Sunday December 10, in the conference center at Planting Fields Arboretum.
Speaker: Marion Romeo
Topic: Holiday Flower Arrangments
For more information see the Meetings Page
LIHS ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY
Doors Open at 12:30
There will be HORTICULTURAL BINGO, Holiday Songs with the ELFIN CHORUS, and a HOLIDAY GIFT AUCTION
AT 2:00 MARION ROMEO will offer a Presentation on HOLIDAY FLOWERS.
GUESTS ARE WELCOME!
Please bring your holiday treats for the REFRESHMENT TABLE.
*Please do Not bring magazines or items for the raffle table, save those for January.
**Please note: there will NOT be a Horticultural Competition at the December Meeting.
From the editor....
This holiday season I associate with plants and food more than any other I think. It's strange you would think it would be spring but in spring so much is going on and its all kinds of plants, and it's a lot of everything. This is a more quiet time. The garden is put to sleep, (mostly, I still have to get a few bulbs in containers) I can focus more clearly on baking. Although less so this year as I'm still learning gluten free baking and cookies are still in the experimental phase. I'll be enjoying a gingerbread cake this year.
The handful of holiday plants are true show-stoppers! Poinsettias in all the colors and leaf styles available now put on a fantastic show. Is anything more spectacular than Amaryllis? I think not. Even smaller plants like cyclamen, are like little jewels with their rich intense colors. The true star of the season is of course, a tree! Conifers are center stage and they give us fragrance and presence at this time of the year.
May all of you enjoy plants, food and friends this time of the year and have a joyous holiday season!
-Ann Wetzel
Check out the Garden Calendar for how to care for all those holiday favorites!
Thank you to Barbara Hanft for the Hospitality Table Centerpiece.
Donations to the Hospitality Table: Suzan & Dale Goldstein, Barbara Hanft, Laura Weill, Patty Jarrett, JoAnn Semeraro, Priscilla Bauerschmidt, Marge Duryea, Sharon Rubin, Muriel Drew, Toni & Stuart Germain
Donations to the Raffle Table: Laura Weill, Patty Jarrett, Sharon Rubin, Kathy MacLeod, Ava Grego, Joan McGillicuddy, Civia Fishler, Toni & Stuart Germain, Ann Wetzel
TAMING THE PERNICIOUS WEED:
GROWING HOPS AT HOME
CYNTHIA LINDNER, Speaker
by: Ronnie Brancazio
Cynthia Lindner is an award-winning home-brewer, and has been growing six different cultivars of hops in her backyard for the past five years. She treated us to a fascinating discussion about the growing of hops, the many varieties available, and how hops are used both commercially and by the home brewer.
She also brought several specimens of the stalk-like "arms" of hop plants and examples of dried buds from different cultivars, which she passed around so we could appreciate the differences in appearance and scent.
We learned that hops plants grow from rhizomes, and that unless you want a large "property screen", you will need to keep the plants under control! An extra benefit of hops in the garden is that their antibacterial properties help prevent hive collapse in bee colonies. They are also used in natural deodorant, and have natural preservative qualities.
Of course, the main use of hops is in the brewing of beer and ale, and Cynthia educated us about the basic steps of beer production. As an example, German beer is made with barley, water, yeast and hops, and it is the yeast that creates the alcohol.
There was a question from the audience about brewing mead, and Cynthia was happy to talk about that since she had just won an award for her home grown mead, which is made from fermented honey.
From the many additional questions, it is possible that there were some future brewers in the audience! For those who wish to learn more, there are not only books and online resources, but also several local Home Brew Clubs. Cynthia's favorite is called "Home Brews and Hand Grenades"! Cheers!
A GARDENER'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING WINTER
by Ronnie Brancazio
How do you feel about winter? I'll tell you how I feel. Unless you are someone who skis or snowboards (for me, walking on a recently shoveled path is an Olympic sport), thinks snow is beautiful (not if you have a corner house in Queens with seemingly miles of sidewalks to shovel, like me), or describes bitter-cold weather as "brisk" and "bracing" (I prefer "miserable" and "godawful"), winter has one purpose only. And that is to make us really appreciate spring when it finally arrives. .....continue reading here
Cook's Corner
This month's recipe comes
from Janet Tufuro Chocolate Fudge Bars
Membership Form
Take Note: The dues for membership are changing for 2024: Single $35, Household: $45, student $5
Please fill out the Membership Form here on the website, when renewing or joining. Just type your information into the form and print it out. Bring it with your dues to a meeting or mail it to the address on the bottom of the form.
