Oct 3, 2024 newsletter

 

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.