Long Island Horticultural Society
January News & Notes
President's Message...
Dear Fellow Gardeners,
I hope you all enjoyed beautiful holidays and that the New Year will bring you only good things - health, happiness, and a bountiful harvest!
Looking back on 2025, it was a tough year in many ways, but for us fortunate members of LIHort it was a very good year indeed. We welcomed many new members who brought extra excitement and enthusiasm to our organization, we started many challenging and rewarding projects, we learned from a variety of outstanding speakers, and we each found personal enrichment in our fellowship and shared experiences.
Personally, I was inspired by the number of you who volunteered to become involved in our various events and projects, and the creativity, effort, and spirit of fun which you brought to each task! Who says work can’t be fun? I hope even more of you will actively participate this year, in large or small ways. It really is rewarding and satisfying, not to mention essential for keeping LIHS functioning at our best!
And speaking of volunteers, I was blown away by the Band of Jolly Elves who planned, organized, decorated, and ran our Spectacular Holiday Party! They overcame quite a list of challenges - weather cancellations, last-minute decorating schedules, plus the usual complexities of setting up the Auction, Refreshments, etc. - and provided us all with a grand end-of-year celebration! I’m looking forward to seeing you all at our January meeting. Meanwhile, enjoy browsing your garden catalogs and dreaming about spring!
Happy Gardening!
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Ronnie Branczio
Day Trips for 2026
We'll be doing one field trip per month Feb.- Oct. 2026. Please check out the Trips Page for all the information we have to date. For more information please see Courtney Quinn at the next meeting.
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Thank you to Courtney Quinn for the Hospitality Table Centerpiece, ornaments and dried flower bouquets
New Veggies, Fruit and Herbs for 2026
Just in time for the annual onslaught of seed catalogs a list of some interesting new introductions of Veggies, Fruit and Herbs. Featuring a purple cauliflower that holds its color after cooking! Continue reading here
Plant Swap 1/17/2026
Hicks Nursery, 100 Jericho Turnpike, Westbury
Plant Swap at Hicks Nursery,100 Jericho Turnpike, Westbury
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Set up: 10:30 – 11:00 a.m.
Swap: 11:00 – 12:00 p.m.
Must pre register at https://hicksnurseries.com/plant-swap/
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HOT NEW HOUSEPLANTS
To get excited about
Philodendron Birkin
​​With this philodendron's unique variegated foliage, no two plants are alike.
Philodendron birkin is a sought-after cultivar of Philodendron believed to be either a rare mutation of Philodendron 'Rojo Congo' or a hybrid of two cultivars, ‘Congo’ and ‘Imperial Green’. It stands out because of the unique creamy white or yellow streaks on the green leaves.
It has a thick, upright, self-supporting stem, promoting a more tree-like appearance. Slow-growing and compact, it's a great plant for small spaces. Note that the variegation only appears on mature plants. Sometimes the plant produces leaves with a reddish tone or part red, part white stripes.
Like other philodendrons, philodendron birkin is toxic to people and pets.
Here are the main care requirements for growing a philodendron birkin:
Place it in a location with bright, indirect light.
Use a potting mix for aroids or make your own.
Water only when the top layer of soil has dried out.
Keep the room temperatures between 65°F and 85°F.
Fertilize every two months during the spring and summer.
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January 18 Meeting
Speaker: Anthony Marinello
Topic: Benefits of Native Plants for a Healthy Environment
For more information please visit the Meetings page
Doors open at 12:30pm
Place Horticultural Competition entries by 1pm.
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1pm Tutorial by Patty Jarrett Topic: Starting Milkweed Seeds
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​1:30 - 2pm LIHS Business, Announcements​
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​​Speaker starts at 2pm​​
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Please consider donating
refreshments to the hospitality table.
Holiday Meet-up at Planting Fields Arboretum
by Toni Cabot, photos by Stuart Germain and Courtney Quinn
On Sunday Dec 7th, LIHORT members attended the 4th day trip of 2025, a Meet-Up at Planting Fields Arboretum Main Greenhouse to learn about and view the Holiday Display. This was the first Meet-Up offered by the Day Trip committee based on a query of the attendees of a recent LIHORT meeting. Only 6-8 out of 70+ members attending had ever viewed the holiday display at the Main Greenhouse at Planting Fields. A Meet-up is less formal than a tour offered by venue staff. Toni Cabat and Courtney Quinn researched the history of the Main Greenhouse as well as obtained current information about the Holiday Display and presented it to the group. Courtney generously purchased poinsettia "pins" for each member which we all proudly wore on our jackets.
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The Coes purchased 400 acres 1913. Planting Fields gets its name from the native tongue of Matinecock meaning "Organic Riches". The site exists as one of the most intact residential projects of the Olmstead firm.
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In 1913, Guy Lowell, a successful architect and accomplished landscape architect, designed much of the property and buildings. Upon his death the Olmstead brothers took over. Different sources attribute the building of the Main Greenhouse due to the influence of Lowell's wife while others to Olmstead's since one the two encouraged Coe to collect tropical plants such as Camellias. Once he purchased many topicals from Asia, he needed a greenhouse to house them over the winter. The Main Greenhouse was built in 1917. It functioned as a Palm House, winter garden housing orchids, a melon house and vegetable house. A separate and magnificent Camellia House followed. In 1918, there was a fire and a new architect brought in- Walker and Gillette.
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The Assistant Director of Planting Fields Arboretum, Michael Ahern was so kind as to answer all our questions regarding the current holiday display. 1150 Poinsettia plugs are purchased and arrive by 2nd week of July and 750 pots made up of varying number of plants. The large hanging baskets consists of 7 plugs each. About 400 pots get installed the first week of December and are monitored and replaced as needed by a full time staff of three. There are over 15 varieties of poinsettias with names ranging from North Pole to Autumn Leaves, to Christmas Candle and Picasso, etc. In colors that range from reds, whites, oranges, pinks, light green and variegated. The center piece is a 14-foot cut tree from Hicks Nursery, Westbury, NY decorated with white Poinsettias. All LIHORT members enjoyed the warmth and beauty of the Main Greenhouse Holiday display and vowed to return. The next Meet-UP will be organized by Courtney Quinn to view the Camellia House in bloom in February. To see all the day trips scheduled please visit the Trips page and sign up at our January 18, 2026 meeting.
Photos by Courtney Quinn & Stuart Germain
Welcome New Members
Kenneth Cron
Matthew Pearce
Annette Zbudula
James Garvey for the generous donation in memory of his wife, past LI Hort President Diane Garvey
2026 Scholarship
Every year the Long Island Horticultural Society, offers the Long Island Horticultural Society Scholarship for Horticultural Studies to honor the commitment of our organization to furthering horticultural education for Long Island students.
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The Society will offer a $3,000 award in 2026.
If you know of a Long Island student that would benefit from this award please encourage them to apply. Please visit the Scholarship application page for more information.
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For the 2026 Scholarship award, applications will be accepted between November 1, 2025 to March 1st, 2026.
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From the editor....
Kiftsgate Court Gardens is situated above the village of Mickleton in the county of Gloucestershire, England and is the creation of three generations of women gardeners.
Heather Muir created the garden at Kiftsgate, which up until 1920 had consisted of a paved formal garden in front of the portico, with a field and wooded banks beyond. Heather was helped and inspired by her lifelong friend Lawrence Johnston of Hidcote Manor. She decided that the garden would develop organically, rather than planning everything on paper. This has given the garden a distinctly feminine feel, almost in direct contrast to the more masculine lines being employed by Johnston at Hidcote. During the 1930s the steep banks were tackled and the steps to the lower garden were put in place, along with the delightful summerhouse taking advantage of the views to the west.
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From the mid fifties Diany Binny continued to add to the garden by creating the semi-circular pool in the lower garden. She also commissioned two sculptures and began to open the garden on a regular basis. Diany was an important figure in the development of Kiftsgate by opening the garden to the public and maintaining the tradition of continuity.
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One of Anne’s Chambers finest accomplishments was the addition of the new water garden that was once the tennis court. She has continued the family tradition of seeking out new and interesting plants to complement the color schemes which were established when the garden was originally laid out. The theory of evolution rather than revolution is the abiding theme.
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I was most impressed with the combination of plantings and the texture of the garden. Even in an all green space the textures were so engaging that you wanted to touch them. I appreciated the bit of whimsy of cutting peep holes in the high hedging to give a glimpse into the gardens beyond. It creates a sense of excitement, drawing you deeper into the garden.
Kiftsgate is well known for its rose garden. I however was most impressed with the magnificent delphiniums. The colors were so rich and vibrant. The placement of the bright blue delphinium and the creamy yellow rose was genius.
A particularly peaceful spot was the fantastic view of the Malvern Hills below, in my mind's eye I could see myself sitting there reading a book, with a cocktail and just relaxing.
-Ann Wetzel
© Ann Wetzel
© Ann Wetzel
© Ann Wetzel
© Ann Wetzel
Check out the Garden Calendar page this month to learn about fun ways to Recycle the Christmas tree
Ronnie's Resolutions
I have never been one for New Years Resolutions. Losing weight? Exercising more? Spending less? Yeah, right!
However, as I look back on last year’s garden, I realize I should resolve to correct the errors of my ways and do things better! So here is my first ever list of NEW YEARS GARDENING RESOLUTIONS:
1) DO NOT BE IN SUCH A HURRY! Every year I am guilty of starting seeds too early under lights, hardening them off too early, buying annuals too early at the garden center, and then anxiously watching as they struggle against an unexpected chill or just plain wither and die!
2) USE THE BIGGEST POSSIBLE CONTAINERS! It makes such a difference, and yet I persist in using too-small pots just because I like their color or shape.
3) PAY MORE ATTENTION TO SUN/SHADE REQUIREMENTS! If there’s one thing we can rely on, it’s the path of the sun through the sky across the seasons. Sure we may get more or less shade as trees grow or are removed, but that’s usually pretty obvious. So why do I keep thinking that the coleus won’t mind being scorched or the zinnias grateful for just an hour or two of sun?
4) TRY SOMETHING NEW EACH YEAR, BUT RELY MOSTLY ON TRIED-AND-TRUE. Too many experiments means too many duds along with the occasional successes. Last year I was very pleased with my new “Native Pollinator-Friendly Perennial Border” and will just need to give it a few tweaks this year, so that was a success. However, I also started some mini veggies in pots last summer, with very mixed results (see items 1 and 2, above). I will try it again this year because even with my tiny yard I love growing things I can eat, but I will be much wiser in my choice of varieties. I started another project in the fall, which was to plant a few dwarf flowering shrubs inside my fence in “Riva Territory”, for a little more color. It’s too soon to know how they will fare, but I’m hopeful.
5) SET UP A FEEDING SCHEDULE AND THEN FOLLOW IT! Since I mostly do container gardening, feeding is essential - except maybe for nasturtiums. A sensible plan is to incorporate a slow-release fertilizer in the potting soil, and then give a monthly Miracle Grow dousing. I don’t know why I never seem to follow up with this, but I guess it’s that my Spring Enthusiasm gives way to the Summer Doldrums.
6) GET THE SPRING BULBS INTO THE GROUND BEFORE FROST! Can you believe that I didn’t start planting my daffs, tulips, and alliums until early December? It’s true that I had a lot of household projects which took my time, but still….. And sure enough, I only got about 2/3 of the way through when a hard frost hit and the ground froze solid! What to do? I took four of my largest containers onto my porch to let the soil thaw, and then planted the rest of the bulbs in them and placed them outside again. Will it work? Who knows? It was the best I can do. And truthfully, I am very vain about my spring bulb garden which is a blaze of red/yellow varieties and gets lots of nice compliments from passers-by. Hope I won’t miss out on that!
If you have some Garden Resolutions, I’d love to hear about them. I’m sure there are plenty of other things I should be doing that I haven’t even thought of!
The New Horticultural Competition Manual
The Horticultural Competition committee has done a re-write of the Horticultural competition manual. Our intention is to make it more inclusive to everyone to express their creativity even if they do not have a garden to harvest plants and flowers from. We have expanded the Floral Design Division and simplified the Plant Cultivation Division.
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We have new a floral design category that entrants can use store bought flowers and plants or borrowed/foraged plants and materials to create a wonderful design. Store purchased material is limited to just this floral design category. The new category is Class 2 Arrangements of Purchased/Borrowed Materials, located in the new Floral Division section. All the other categories in the competition remain as cultivated by the entrant for 6 months.
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We also added a mixed media category for everyone to let their creativity soar : Class 4 Mixed Media Arrangements: Can contain flowers, foliage, fruits and other materials. All of these plant materials must have been grown by the entrant. We also created the "Tablescapes" class for people that would like to present arrangements for a dinner table. Must contain at least 2 pieces from place setting; such as but not limited to dishes, glassware, tea cups ectera.
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We also aimed to simply the categories for plant cultivation entries. Classes are now broken down by type of plant: Trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, houseplants, orchids, cactus and fruits & vegetables.
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The botanical arts category remains mostly unchanged except for clarification that no plant material can be entered. All plant materials belong in one of the Horticultural Divisions. In the Painting category the media used must now be listed, such as but not limited to watercolor, pastel, acrylic ectera.
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The new manual will go into effect January 2026. Please read the new competition manual here. Please download print out the new entry slips here
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Thank you to all of the volunteers who worked on the new Horticultural Competition manual: Ronnie Brancazio , Katherine Readinger, Margaret Duryea, Ava Grego, Barbara Hanft, Maureen Wawrzonek, Ann Wetzel
Cook's Corner
This month's recipe comes from Janet Tafuro Apple French Toast
International Trip to England
Please check out the Trips Page for more information about the 2026 trip to England
New Annuals for 2026
The new plant introduction trends for 2026 are heavily focused on sustainability, climate resilience, and native plants that support local ecosystems. The trends for 2026 new plant introductions among annuals center on performance, heat/drought tolerance, and pollinator support. Continue reading here
Membership Form
Dues for membership are:
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.
The North Shore Holiday House thrift shop in Huntington is looking for donations of gardening books and nature books (birds, butterflies, animals, etc) for a spring garden department. We also have a need for cookbooks.
Please bring them to the January 18th or February 22nd meeting. If you want to leave them in your car, Janet Tafuro will take them at the end of the meeting (she's a volunteer there).
If you're not familiar with Holiday House, they've been operating for over 100 years, and provide tuition-free summer camp to girls from low income families. Proceeds from the thrift shop support the camp operation.
If you're unable to attend the meeting, please feel free to stop by the shop during business hours, 10-4, Mon-Sat. They're at 74 Huntington Rd in Huntington.
Thank you
Holiday Party Recap
Holiday Bingo, Elfin Chorus and Holiday Raffle and lots of delicious food! Fun was had by all!
© Kathryn Taborda
© Kathryn Taborda