Long Island Horticultural Society
April News & Notes
President's Message...
Hi Fellow Gardeners,
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Benvenuta Primavera! Bienvenue Printemps! Wilkommen Furling! Kalos Ilthei Anixi! However you say it - WELCOME SPRING!
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The weather is still changeable and it’s too soon for many of our spring chores, but the signs are there.
I have crocus and daffodils in flower and tulips leaves are poking through. Witch hazel is in full flower and
the hellebores have been showing their droopy but lovely heads. I see buds on the Japanese Maple, Lilac, and many other shrubs, and I check daily for the emerging perennials, especially the natives that I planted in the fall.
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I haven’t done much actual outside work yet, but I have been “busy” standing in one place and planning what will go where, how I can improve on last summer’s efforts, and of course - what I need to buy!
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I have seedlings under lights and some caladium bulbs that I need to plant. I’ve ordered more paving stones for where Riva has destroyed even more of the yard, and I’ll place them around my young maple and make a path to the compost bins. I realized that I would need some hostas to plant along that new path, and I’ve placed an order.
I’ve purchased some very attractive, very light-weight pots for the mini-veggie plants
that I’m experimenting with this year. I also ordered some Milkweed plants to see if I can welcome a few migrating monarchs to my little urban yard, because I was so inspired by Ellen Federico’s talk last month! As usual, my credit card is working hard, even if I’m not!
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I hope that you are all as excited about spring as I am, and that I will see you at our April 6th meeting. There will be a lot to learn, enjoy, and participate in. I’m anxious to hear about your garden plans, catch up on your news, and just spend time together!
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Happy Gardening!
-Ronnie Branczio
April 6 Meeting
Doors open at 12:30pm
Place Horticultural Competition entries by 1pm.
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LI Hort Hand-made Herb Markers for sale
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1:30 - 2pm LIHS Business, Announcements​​
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Speaker starts at 2pm
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Seed Swap
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Raffles & Refreshments
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Please consider donating
refreshments to the hospitality table.
We will be having a Seed Swap at April 6 Meeting!
Please bring your seeds to exchange with other members, get something new to grow this year!
We have some pretty Seed Packets you can use designed by LIHS board member Patty Jarett access those here.
Seed Swap will take place at the refreshment time after the conclusion of the speaker presentation, around 2:30pm
Welcome New Members
Christine Bochicchio
Madaline Gash
Catherine Procaccini
Rozita Shay
Liz Berger
Micheal Gornicki
From the editor....
Hicks Flower Show 2025 was a fantasy in more ways than one. The show displays were a fantasy of tilted houses, air balloons, and giant tea pots. As well as the floral displays blending dahlias, sunflowers and mums with forsythia, redbuds and cherries. It really is amazing at what can be forced into bloom now.
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The large pond at the back was set up with a live thunderstorm, puffy cotton clouds with strobe lightening, thunder rumbling on speakers and lots of umbrellas to catch the rain fall and drip down into the large pond. the display might have gotten a bitt too realistic even for the staff as the pond was leaking into the walkways and there were actual puddles to jump in.
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The fantasy carried on inside the store as well as they were offering succulents in self watering planters and orchids in dish gardens. These fantasies aren't welcomed as the folks that buy these plants they are set up to fail as neither want to be grown that way and both will die. People wonder; "What did I do did wrong"? Trusting a nursery wouldn't sell you a plant that was designed to fail.
-Ann Wetzel
Please click on the slideshow to open up larger photos.
Also Check out the Gardener Calendar​ Time to Prepare for Spring!
Check out Seed Starting Basics on the Resource Page
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Thank you to Courtney Quinn
for the Hospitality Table Centerpiece.
Donations to the Hospitality Table: Laura Weill, Patty Jarett, Ann Wetzel, James Conrad, Rosemarie Papayanopulos, Andrea Gibson, Barbara Loechner, Toni & Stuart Germain, Maureen Wawrzonek, Courtney Quinn, Dale & Suzan Goldstein, Sharon Rubin, Debi Goldfisher, Chris Douglas, Judy Basse, Francine Reff
Donations to the Raffle Table: Laura Weill, Russ Gorog, Rosemarie Papayanopulos, Civia Fishler, Judith Dunn, Mary Burke
How to Use Fragrant Flowers in your Landscape
Fragrant flowers and plants are a terrific addition to any property and scent is just as important as color, contrast and texture in a landscape. You may enjoy the breathtaking green shades of foliage and the rainbow-like colors of your flower beds and rows, but nothing compares to having your heart filled with the hypnotizing aroma of scented flowers, shrubs or vines.
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Fragrance is very personal and that's because everyone has a unique sense of smell. So when you're choosing fragrant plants for your garden, just use your nose. Choose scents that appeal to you and that evoke the feelings and moods you want to experience.
March Horticultural Competition
Horticultural
​Maureen Wawrzonek L32 2nd Place Cymbidium Orchid
​Ann Wetzel L31 2nd Place Phalaenopsis Orchid
Botanical Arts
Mary Wagner Q45 Watercolor 1st Place
Andrea Gibson Q46 Ceramic Plaque 1st Place
Click on gallery to view slideshow
2024 HORTICULTUAL COMPETITION AWARDS
Maureen Wawrzonek 1st Place
Andrea Gibson 2nd Place
Ann Wetzel 3rd Place
Botanical Arts Winner for 2024
Mary Wagner
Ronnie's Recap
MILKWEED TO MONARCH, Presentation by Ellen Federico
By Ronnie Brancazio
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At our March 9th Meeting, we had the pleasure of welcoming Monarch Butterfly expert Ellen Federico, who not only shared a wealth of information about Monarchs, but also inspired us with her passionate commitment to their preservation and well-being in the face of serious threats from their worst enemy - humans!
Ellen is called “The Butterfly Lady” for good reason. She is dedicated to educating children and adults about Monarchs, and she has established and maintains a Monarch Refuge on Fire Island which is also an educational center.
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She recently co-authored an award-winning, delightful children’s book called “Butterfly Island and the Invincible Crew” which is based on her childhood experiences and the establishment of the refuge.
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Ellen’s presentation featured a beautiful slide show illustrating the life cycle and migratory patterns of the monarchs, accompanied by her fascinating narrative. We learned that the Monarch Migration is listed as one of the “Wonders of the World”, and that their migratory journey takes 90 days! The entire migration and life cycle requires four generations of butterflies - three are short-lived, while the fourth (Royal) generation lives for nine months.
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We also learned that the Monarchs have been establishing new flight patterns as global warming disrupts their usual habitats, and that it is crucial for us to try to provide more habitats to help them along on their journey. She provided helpful printed and online resources to aid us in this endeavor.
Our thanks to Ellen, for educating us about ways in which we can each do our part to work with, rather than against, Mother Nature and her beautiful creatures.
© Stuart Germain photos
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.
This Month's Donor: Courtney Quinn
In ​honor of her parents:​​
Eugene & Dorothy Quinn
LIHS Membership Gift Certificate
Great gift for a friend, a one-year membership to the LI Horticultural Society Gift Certificates will be available for purchase at our monthly meetings. A LIHS membership form needs to be completed for the certificate recipient so come prepared with your friend’s name, address, phone number and email address.
Membership Form
© William S. Barash
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.
