CONWAY AREA Master Gardener’s Association

January CAMGA Meeting

2012-01-17T16:57:00.000-05:00

This is a reminder our CAMGA meeting for January will take place at 1:00 pm on January 24 at the Conway Library.
Also it is time again for our $20.00 membership dues to be paid.

CAMGA Christmas Luncheon

2011-11-27T11:01:00.002-05:00

Our November/December meeting will take place on Tuesday, Dec 6 at 12:00 noon at Barbara Davis' "shed."

The same as last year, we will have a $10.00 garden-related grab bag; also our spouses/significant others are invited to attend. Barbara has agreed to provide the turkey, stuffing and gravy. The rest of us will provide the other dishes.

Please respond to Janice with your attendance (and guest) and what dish you will bring by Tuesday, 11/29.

October CAMGA Meeting

2011-10-22T22:50:00.001-04:00

The Conway Area Master Gardeners Association meeting will take place October 25, 1:00 pm at the Chamber of Commerce, 2nd floor. Glenda Sweet will present a program on Container Gardening and her experience as an MG adviser for planting a Victory Garden at the Little Red School House in Columbia, S.C.

September CAMGA Meeting

2011-09-21T21:21:00.001-04:00

The Conway Area Master Gardeners Association meeting will take place September 27, 1:00 pm at the Conway Library. Dr. Deborah Perkins, Asst Professor of Sociology, will be our guest speaker. Dr. Perkins will give an overview of Dream a Dream and Learning Programs currently being conducted and how community gardens fit into these programs.

September CAMGA Meeting

2011-08-28T12:40:00.002-04:00

Our next meeting will be on September 27th at 1pm in the Conway Library meeting room.

August CAMGA Meeting - Update

2011-07-30T10:54:00.000-04:00

Please remember to have your calendar blocked for our meeting on Tuesday, August 23. Since the library is removing the carpet in the meeting room it will not be available for the August meeting. Barbara Davis has offered us the use of the "shed" (her definition of the building). We thought it would be nice to have salad luncheon again. Barbara has offered to provide the tea and lemonade, plus she will make her delicious chicken salad. We will start at 12:00 noon.

August CAMGA Meeting

2011-06-06T15:43:00.002-04:00

We have received enough votes to NOT have our monthly meetings in June and July. Mark your calendars for August 23, 1:00 pm at the Conway Library for our next meeting.

April CAMGA Meeting

2011-04-24T21:12:00.000-04:00

We are doing something different this month for our April 26 meeting. We will meet in the Conway Library parking lot at 12:00 Noon and then carpool or caravan to
the Waccamaw National Wildlife Refuge. The caravan will LEAVE at 12:10 PM. It was decided we would pack our own lunches and bring drinks in order to have a picnic lunch at the refuge. Naturally, if you want to travel on to the refuge on your own, you are welcome to do so; the rest of us will be there approx 12:30-12:45 PM.

March CAMGA Meeting

2011-03-14T12:10:00.000-04:00

Conway Area Master Gardeners will meet at 1:00 pm at the Conway Library on Tuesday, March 22. Pat Rose, Grounds Committee Chairperson for Bryan House, will be our guest speaker.

Also, for anyone interested in going to the Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve, we will caravan to the preserve AFTER our meeting.

February CAMGA Meeting

2011-02-13T21:19:00.001-05:00

The CAMGA meeting will take place on Tuesday, February 22 at 1:00 pm at the Conway Library. Blake Lanford, Economic Development Agent at Clemson Extension Office, will be our speaker.

January CAMGA Meeting

2011-01-17T09:43:00.003-05:00

Our January 25th meeting will take place 1:00 pm at the Conway Library. The guest speaker will be Gary Forrester, topic of discussion is "Carolina Neighborhoods."

We will have election of officers as well.

November CAMGA Meeting

2010-11-15T13:31:00.001-05:00

We will not have a CAMGA meeting in November. We will have our next meeting with our Christmas Luncheon, planned for December 9th.

October CAMGA Meeting

2010-10-18T17:20:00.000-04:00

The Conway Area Master Gardeners monthly meeting will take place Tuesday, October 26 at Sis Ramsey's home at 12:00 noon. Please let Janice know if you will be attending the meeting and what dish you may bring.

September CAMGA Meeting

2010-09-15T22:08:00.000-04:00

In lieu of our September 22 meeting, we will be attending the Fall Lectures at the Flower Market Nursery and Garden Center at 5800 Highway 707 on Saturday, September 25. Also, this is an opportunity for us to add hours for "continuing education" to our individual Clemson MG Reporting System. Please confirm your attendance by contacting Janice by Monday, September 20.

September 2010

2010-09-01T21:33:00.000-04:00

We are having such a hot humid summer that since no one wants to work outside everything in our yard is overgrown and untidy. To look at the sunny outside, the blue sky (when we are not having a storm!) the butterflies flitting by, the birds splashing in the birdbath and foraging in the grass, it all looks so inviting until you step outside and your glasses steam up! Hopefully it will start to cool off soon. Then we will be grumbling about having to clear things out and put in cool weather flowers and vegetables. Remember to take cuttings from all things you would like to save or increase. Try doing this with some herbs, you would like to have indoors this winter, keep them on a tray of pebbles and keep well watered and in a sunny window. It is also a good idea to dry some herbs to use in cooking, they also add fragrance to your house, remember to put lavender in drawers and cupboards to add fragrance and repel insects, moths etc.

Do remember that the critters know that too and keep your garage door shut so that you are not inviting mice and such to spend the winter with you. A friend of mine just found a snake that had accepted his invitation and was curled up on his garage floor.

There have been very few tomatoes this year as they do not set fruit when night time temperatures exceed 70 degrees.

Dig and divide perennials and transplant them soon so they can establish roots. Dry any suitable flowers and grasses for winter arrangements.
Sow peas, sweetpeas, lettuce, radish. Bulbs –use groups of small ones like crocus and plant them in drifts Plant in dry areas as they will rot in damp ground.

Sincerely,

Joan Dewsnap, Your Newsletter Editor .

August Gardening Tips

2010-08-24T19:23:00.000-04:00

Herb facts:
- Savory can be used as a salt substitute.
- Comfrey is great in the compost because its leaves are rich in nitrogen.
- Herbs can be chopped up and frozen in ice cubes? Just drop ice cubes into the soup or stew.
- Use perennial herbs directly from the plant all year.
Sedums are a reliable perennial.
Fertilize and prune back roses for good fall color.
Iris can be divided now. Cut back leaves to 6-8 inches, dig out the clump and hose away the dirt. Using a sharp knife, cut rhizomes apart,leaving at least 1 fan of leaves, a few inches of healthy rhizome and plenty of well-developed roots.
Fertilize all warm season grasses (Bermuda, zoyziagrass, centipede, St.Augustine) for the last time in mid-August.
Seed a fall crop of peas and spinach. And keep harvesting to allow the plants to keep producing.
Spread a mid season layer of compost, mulch or manure.
Collect seeds for next year’s crops and continue to take cuttings. Leave some seeds to self sow.
Continue to monitor for insects and diseases. Watch for mole crickets, lace bugs, whiteflies and chinch bugs.
Divide and replant overgrown and/or crowded daylilies and cannas.

August CAMGA Meeting

2010-08-11T13:48:00.000-04:00

Conway Area Master Gardeners August 24th meeting will take place 1:00 pm at the Conway Library. Our guest speaker will be Dwight Williams, Director of Cypress Gardens, Moncks Corner. Mr. Williams' presentation will be on butterflies.

July Gardening Tips

2010-07-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

Keep pinching your mums back until the middle of August in order to have a beautiful fall show of flowers. A good height to keep them is 6-8 inches.

Now is a good time to divide iris. But remember to do it early in the morning or late in the day. You can also wait unit the weather is a little cooler.

Keep the containers well watered. By now you know which one dry out the soonest. Ask a neighbor to water them when you go out of town or you will come back to very droopy to dead plants.

If water stands in the container pots, empty them. This is a great haven for mosquitoes.

Check houseplants that are on a summer vacation outside. Make sure they are in a protected place from wind and strong sunlight. Wind can shred leaves and sun can burn them.

Layering is another way to add plants to your garden. Just bend a branch over and fasten it in the soft earth with a wire, brick or other object to hold it in place. Don’t cut the branch from the plant yet. Cover and keep moist. Roots will form in a month or so. Then you can cut the new plant from the mother one. Some of the plants that will do this are: verbena, euonymus, pachysandra, ivy Daphne, and climbing roses.

Keep deadheading your annuals to promote more flowering.

Make sure you harvest your garden crops every 3-4 days. This will keep them producing and preventing the vegetables from getting too big and tough.

You can begin taking cuttings of the house plants you want to increase to use as gifts or for your own satisfaction. Use a rooting hormone to encourage them to start. Plant in a good houseplant soil and keep moist. They will be ready to transplant and give as gifts in a few weeks.

If annuals are getting leggy, get brave and trim them back so they will again look good and keep blooming into the fall.

July CAMGA Meeting

2010-07-11T14:23:00.001-04:00

In lieu of having our CAMGA meeting at the Conway Library, we will be going to the Clemson Ext Office building at 12pm on July 27. Ben Powell, Natural Resources Agent, will be showing us how to make a rain barrel. If you are interested in making a rain barrel for yourself, Ben will have the materials there for you and you can do it together. Your cost will be $40. If you are planning on making a rain barrel, please let Janice know ASAP. There will be a limit as to how many can be made that day.

June CAMGA Meeting

2010-06-06T12:07:00.002-04:00

In lieu of our June 22 meeting, we will be trying another "field trip" on Saturday, June 19, to the L. W. Paul Living History Farm.

Kris Reynolds, owner of Inlet Culinary Garden will be the guest speaker and his topic of discussion is "How to Grow Your Own Herb Garden and Why You Should." This will take place at 10:00 am in the conference room in the visitors center. After the presentation, there will be a guided tour of the farm.

The L. W. Paul Living History Farm in located on 2279 Harris Shortcut Road (corner of 701 N right before you get to the road to Clemson Ext). Admission is free.

June Gardening Tips

2010-06-01T17:45:00.001-04:00

Begin normal watering schedule to supplement rainfall. Water early morning to reduce disease problems.
Watch for chinch bugs in St. Augustine grass.
Avoid watering roses over the top. This can add to problems of black spot. Keep a watch out for this fungus.
Before going on vacation:
1. Check all plants for disease or insects and treat as needed.
2. Clean all weeds so you don’t come home to a jungle.
3. Arrange for someone to water.
Put a rain gauge in your garden to monitor the water amount. Most plants need at least 1 inch a week. Clay pots need watering almost every day.
Begin making cuttings from azaleas, hollies, cotoneasters and other shrubs.
Pinch off dead flowers to promote more flowering.
Make sure your mulch is about 3 inches thick. Keep the mulch away from the trunk of the trees, shrubs and other plants.
Cut back and thin out diseased or spindly branches of spring flowering shrubs.
Now is the time for pruning roses after they have bloomed. Cut back at least to the full 5 part leaf.
Begin planting fall-blooming perennials now.
Fertilize Bermuda, St. Augustine and Zoysiagrass at the recommended rate.
Keep watch for aphids on crepe myrtles – spider mites, bag worms and lace bugs on other shrubs.

May CAMGA Meeting

2010-05-13T22:36:00.009-04:00

In lieu of our usual 4th Tuesday of the month meeting in May, we will take a "field trip" to Hyman Vineyards. Arrangements have been made for a wine tasting and tour of the vineyard. This will take place at 1:00 pm on Friday, May 28. The wine tasting is $5.00 per person where you will have the opportunity to taste 7-9 wines and keep a Hyman Vineyard wine glass. The tour is $6.00 per person. The General Store also offers an assortment of retail items. The vineyard is located at 6027 Old Bucksville Road about 5½ miles south of Conway off Hwy 701.
Please let Janice know by Monday, May 17th if you are interested in taking part in the wine tasting and tour at the cost of $11.00.

May Gardening Tips

2010-05-01T17:41:00.001-04:00

Now is the time to mulch, mulch, mulch and then mulch some more. We want to help cool the roots of the plants, reduce weeds and conserve water. Remember not to allow the mulch to get too close to trunks and stems. Leave at least 2-3 inches around the trunks to keep rodents from nesting too close to the bark and end up girdling the tree.
If plants are looking a little under the weather, being less green than they should, try spraying a weak mixture of a foliar spray of
Epsom Salts and water.
Prune spring flowering shrubs to keep them in shape. These can be azaleas, forsythia, and others.
Deadheading, pinching dead flowers off, will help keep annuals blooming and blooming all summer long.
Resist the desire to cut off the leaves of daffodils, tulips and other spring flowering bulbs. The bulb needs the leaves to continue producing growth in them.
Some summer flowering shrubs that can do well in our area are: butterfly bush; hardy hibiscus, several kinds; hydrangea; and weigelia. Sun-loving perennials that do well here are: daylilies, cosmos, salvia, coneflower, Geraniums, cannas, Clematis, sedum, petunias.
Impatiens belong in the shade. Especially in the hot afternoons. They also need plenty of water.
Water new plantings well, until they are established. For annuals it means 3-4 weeks, but for shrubs and trees that means 1-2 years.
For deck and patio container plants be sure to fertilize them every 2 weeks or use a slow release granule fertilizer.

April CAMGA Meeting

2010-04-09T17:38:00.000-04:00

The Conway Area Master Gardeners monthly meeting will take place Tuesday, April 27th at the Conway Library at 1:00 pm.
Our guest speaker will be Margaret Thompkins from Southland Nursery. Margaret will talk about new perennials that are available this year.

April Gardening Tips

2010-04-01T17:34:00.000-04:00

When planning an herb garden, choose a permanent spot for each herb. Many annual herbs will self seed and frequently come up year after year.
Parsley is rich in vitamins A and C. Be sure to include this valuable cooking herb in your garden. Its leaves add interest in flower areas too.
Plant warm season grasses now through July.
Impatiens are great shade flowering plants. They are also sensitive to cold. Wait until the ground warms up to plant and expect them to die at the first frost in the fall.
Check out all the new perennials in your local nursery.
It takes 2 hours a week to care for a 20 by 50 foot garden. That does not include planting. So, plan accordingly for the size of garden you are planning. Most of us will not have that large a garden, but any garden will require time each week.
Plant outdoors onion sets, potatoes, peas, radishes, carrots, turnips, leaf lettuce and other cold hardy vegetables early this month.
Most cacti bloom more readily if root bound.
Stepping stones that have sunk into the ground need to be repositioned for the new year. Lift them up and spread sand in the low areas and then replace the stones.
Our last frost date is usually in early April.
Before you work in the garden make sure the soil is dry enough to crumble in your hand. If it's too wet, wait for it to dry out because the hard clumps turn into cement.
Edging the gardens will make for easier planning and planting. Having a crisp edge also makes everything look tidy.
When the spring flowering shrubs are complete their blooming, prune them. They will bloom next year on the growth they make this year.
Leave bulb foliage alone until it dies back. The green leaves make food for the bulb to bloom next spring.