GARDEN CLUB VERSE (Tangled
Roots Band, GGC Garden Party 2024)
~ Sean Lewis
We have a Garden Club, many and strong,
We meet every month for learning and fun,
Raffles and prizes and Plant of the Month,
And a speaker to share what they know.
In summer we open our gardens to tours,
You visit ours and we’ll visit yours.
We trade plants and seeds and chatter for hours,
Yes, gardening is fun on Gabriola.
Hello Fall, and busy Garden Club Members,
Our October meeting was a first for our club… Cacti
grown on Gabriola! Who knew we have an
expert on Cacti. Thanks to Drew Zeller I never knew there was so much to know about cacti;
their types, growth, care and propagation.
There’s lots to share this month, so let’s get going.
Enjoy!
Linda Holmes
GGC President
Library News – Pat
The Garden
Club library is currently selling books and our older magazine issues at
BARGAIN prices. Books cost $1.00 each or 3 for $1.00 and magazines are 25
cents each or 5 for $1.00. Be sure to check out our SALE table at the
next meeting.
It’s that time of year when we are harvesting and preserving the fruits and
vegetables of our garden yields. So, we felt it appropriate to select
culinary related “books of the month.” The three that were highlighted
were:
The Food Lover’s Garden (2017) by Jennie Blackmore. - Over half of this
book is “In the Kitchen”
The Chef’s Garden (1999) by Terence Conran. Some interesting uses of
herbs and edible flowers
Grow your own Vegetables in Pots (2009) by Deborah Morrell. Check out
the notes on growing potatoes in sacks.
We also introduced our first issue of a new magazine subscription - The
Gardener for Canadian Climates.
As always, suggestions for new books to add to our collection are always
welcome!
Photographer/Videographer
We are looking for a member or members who will
photograph GGC events that will be used for our newsletter, web blog and
newspaper column. If you are interested
in helping in this way, please contact us at gabriolagardenclub@gmail.com
Sean
Lewis shared our PLANT OF THE MONTH … Nandina ‘Gulf Stream’
The nandina
‘Gulf Stream’ is the most popular type of heavenly bamboo growing in
garden landscapes. The ornamental evergreen shrub has pinnate leaves, abundant
red berries, and clusters of tiny white flowers.
The nandina ‘Gulf Stream’ foliage
emerges a bronze-orange color before turning green then shades of red in the
fall.
Nandina domestica ‘Gulf Stream’ is a smaller cultivar of nandina
‘Gulf
Stream’ nandina shrubs grow between 3 and 4 ft. (1 – 1.2 m) tall and up to 5
ft. (1.5 m) wide. The sun-loving shrub grows well in landscapes as a low informal hedge, shrub borders, container
gardens, foundation planting, or specimen plant.NANDINA “Heavenly Bamboo”
Nandina
(Nandina domestica) is an evergreen, ornamental landscape shrub with
brightly colored leaves and crimson red berries. Nandina shrubs go by the
common names of heavenly bamboo, Chinese sacred bamboo, or sacred bamboo.
Nandina is a low-growing shrub that is popular in gardens due to its bright red
or pink foliage that decorates the bush in the spring, fall, and winter.
Although
nandina is popular in many residential gardens, its berries are poisonous to
birds. Additionally, it’s considered invasive in many areas. However, if you
want to grow this heavenly bamboo in your yard, you can choose
from many nandina cultivars that don’t produce flowers and fruit, therefore are
safe for growing in gardens, as well as non-invasive cultivars.
This
article is a guide to growing heavenly bamboo in a front or backyard. You will
also find out how to avoid any issues with caring for the nandina ornamental
shrub so that you can enjoy its beautifully colored leaves during spring, fall,
and winter.
Nandina (Nandina domestica) Facts
Nandina
domestica (heavenly bamboo) shrub has red berries and summer green foliage
before turning red in autumn
Nandina
is an ornamental garden shrub with upright growth.
The attractive features of nandina are its bright red berries and colorful
foliage. Nandina bushes bloom in spring, and new leaves appear reddish-pink.
Summer colors are green before the leaves turn red, and berries appear in fall
and persist through winter.
Nandina
thrives in USDA zones 6 to 9 and grows best in full sun or partial shade.
Usually, nandina shrubs lose leaves when temperatures drop to 10°F (-12°C), and
stem damage occurs at 5°F (-15°C). However, the robust, hardy shrub usually
recovers well.
Nandina domestica has medium growth and matures between 6 and 8 ft. (1.8 – 2.4
m) tall and up to 3 ft. (1 m) wide. Nandina growth rate is between 12” and 24”
(30 – 60 cm) per year.
Due
to its suckering nature, nandina can be a high-maintenance shrub that requires
regular pruning to prevent it from spreading too much. One reason nandina
shrubs are popular in gardens is that they are adaptable to most conditions.
Nandina grows well in most types of soils, survives drought well, and is
relatively pest and disease resistant.
What Does Nandina Shrub Look Like?
Nandina
shrubs have upright growth habit
A
nandina shrub has upright, cane-like stems and narrow lanceolate leaves that
look like bamboo. Because nandina bush is native to Asia and looks like bamboo,
it has common names like Chinese sacred bamboo and heavenly bamboo.
From
fall to spring, red leaves and bright red berries decorate the upright nandina
shrub. During summer, the shrub’s foliage and berries are varying shades of
green.
Types of Nandina
There
is only one species of nandina—Nandina domestica—in the genus Nandina.
However, several nandina cultivars are worthy of consideration. The species
nandina plant grows up to 7 ft. (2 m) tall and 5 ft. (1.5 m) wide. Its leaves
are glossy green during summer, but they are shades of reddish-purple or dusty
pink during fall and winter. Bright red berries appear in the fall and persist
throughout winter.
Common
Name
|
Heavenly
bamboo, sacred bamboo
|
Botanical
Name
|
Nandina
domestica
|
Plant
Type
|
Shrub
|
Mature
Size
|
7
ft. tall, 5 ft. wide
|
Sun
Exposure
|
Full
sun, partial sun
|
Soil
Type
|
Rich,
well-draining
|
Soil
pH
|
3.7-6.4
|
Bloom
Time
|
Spring
|
Flower
Color
|
Cream,
white
|
Hardiness
Zones
|
6
to 9 (USDA)
|
Native
Area
|
Eastern
Asia
|
Toxicity
|
Toxic
to animals1
|
|
|
Varieties of
Nandina domestica include1234:
- Firecracker or Fire Power: a dwarf variety whose
leaves turn deep red in winter.
- Richmond: known for its heavy berry production,
grows up to 5 feet tall.
- Pygmea or Nana: characterized by its dense foliage
and small size, grows only 2 to 4 feet tall.
- Obsession, Gulf Stream, Harbor Dwarf, Lemon Lime, Blush
Pink, Royal Princess, Flirt, Filamentosa
Workshops
Let us know if you would like to see more workshops.
Mary is collecting and creating opportunities for our members to play longer
and more creatively in our gardens. Share your ideas and if you are willing to
host a workshop, contact us at gabriolagardenclub@gmail.com. We are looking forward to your thoughts.
Garden Party 2025
We are looking for a leader for our next garden party.
Requirements for the job: Be and Have Fun! Yes, if this speaks to you, contact
us and let’s have a chat. gabriolagardenclub@gmail.com
Tips, Tricks, Tools and Questions
This is just a reminder for members that we have a
small segment of our meetings for our members to share and ask question that
maybe our members could learn from. Next
time you attend a meeting, think of that special idea that works in your garden
or bring a question our members might be able to help with. You would be amazed at the talent our club
possesses.
Web -Blog
Morag manages the Gabriola
Garden Club blog. She will start to add our newsletters and
posters for your ease of keeping abreast with all the great things we are doing
on our island. Please let us know what you would like to see on this log or if
you would like to help manage the site, brilliant! Have a look at our blog and
let us hear your thoughts.