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Newsletter of the Sugar Land Garden Club established 1932
www.sugarlandgardenclub.org
September 2017
2017-2018
Club Officers
President:
Kathleen Louviere
1st Vice President:
Jo Beth Moore
2nd Vice Presidents:
Leslie Durgin
Emilie Wilson
Caroline Hall
Recording Secretary:
Kimberly Farou
Treasurer:
Mary Ann Kovach
Parliamentarian:
Carrie Sample
Don’t Miss the First Meeting Don’t Miss the First Meeting Don’t Miss the First Meeting Don’t Miss the First Meeting
of our Club Year! of our Club Year! of our Club Year! of our Club Year!
September 19, 2017 September 19, 2017 September 19, 2017 September 19, 2017
What to bring:
◊ your name tag
◊ your coffee cup
◊ a friend
What to do:
◊ Pick up your yearbook
◊ Turn in you Bulb orders—
see page __
◊ Sign up for upcoming events
◊ Enjoy...
∗ the social "me
∗ good food /conversa"on
∗ a great program
GREENLEAF ARTICLE SUBMISSION
Please make sure to submit your articles
before the 1st of the month!
Send your article and any photos by email
to Robin Rettew
Inside...
Bulb Mania ….pg 2
Guest Speaker …. Pg 3
Field Trip … pg 3
President’s message…
Community service
Brazos Bend State Park ..pg 7
Sugar Land Library .. pg 7
Habitat for Humanity ...pg 8
Brookwood Workday..pg 11
Why Join SLGC … pg 3
Citrus Canker Update … pg 4,5
Don’s Corner….pg 6
Garden Warrior.. Pg 9
Aster Yellows.. Pg 10
Sponsor Spotlight.. Pg 11
Hurricane Harvey
If you have been affected
by the hurricane, please
reach out to us.
Kat Louviere
928-202-8681 or
Page 2
Page 3
Membership Benefits
• Monthly newsletter
• Yearbook/Directory.
• Member only Workshops, Field Trips, and Social Events.
Dues for SLGC are payable each spring, $35 for the following year.
Members joining June 1- December 31 shall pay $35 for the current year.
Members joining January 1-March 31 shall pay $25 for the current year.
For members joining in April, dues are $35 and apply to the following garden club year.
Guest Speaker September 19,2017
Boone Holladay
Using Bulbs in Your Landscape
Boone Holladay is the Fort Bend County
Extension Agent in Horticulture for the Texas
A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Boone holds
an undergraduate degree in Horticulture from
Stephen F. Austin State University and master’s
degree in Agricultural
Education from Texas
A&M University.
Long before
attaining these degree
titles, he was an avid
gardener and young
plant enthusiast. Boone
brings previous experience as horticulture staff
at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Producers
Cooperative in Bryan, and Texas A&M
Horticulture in College Station.
Boone has worked in many horticultural
areas from retail to irrigation installation to a
topic pertinent to today’s landscape design. He
brings knowledge and enthusiasm to Fort Bend
County programming and to us ideas and
guidance for planting our new bulbs.
Field Trip
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Guided Tour of Moody Gardens
and
the updated Aquarium
We will start with a tour of the Tropical
Forest Pyramid and then lunch at the Moody
Gardens Hotel.
Afterwards, a visit to Tom’s Thumb
Nursery, a family owned nursery since 1975,
offering a wide selection of plants, garden sup-
plies and unique gifts.
Check the Field Trip sign up table for
times, costs and other details.
Then sign up!
Page 4
Citrus Canker Update
Deborah Birge
The new Citrus Canker Quarantine Map dated 7/20/17 is on the next page. We thought you might be interested to see if you or your friends are within the new perimeters.
July 17, 2017, Dr. Robert Crocker, Texas Department of Agriculture, wrote
“in the Richmond Citrus Canker Quarantined Area, 322 citrus canker infected trees have been destroyed and 32 infected trees have been newly discovered since the previous (07-05-2017) report. In all 964 out of 992 infected trees in that quarantined area have been destroyed, leaving 28 infected trees currently pending destruction”.
This is great news. It means the identification, quarantine, and destruction of infected trees is working. If we are all diligent, abide by the quarantine rules and encourage our friends and family to do the same, this Canker can be stopped or at least controlled.
So, what can you do to help?
First and foremost, do not TAKE or BRING any citrus plants, fruits, flowers, buds or leaves into or out of the quarantine. However, if you already have a tree, follow these helpful steps:
– rake up fallen leaves, branches, twigs, and fruit. Double bag and do not compost, send to
landfill
– no unnecessary pruning or damage by landscape equipment. Minimize bird, rodent, or insect
damage to trees and fruit
– Encourage overall tree health by following recommended citrus tree care. Limit nitrogen.
– Use approved insecticides to minimize common insect damage. Preventive bactericides
common for citrus are copper products. Look for neutralized copper sulfate or copper
hydroxide products. Each must be labeled for use on citrus.
Canker-affected orange. Source: Olufemi J. Alabi Texas Department of Agriculture
Page 5
Page 6
Blood Orange Dilemma
Years ago we planted a blood orange tree on
the south side of our house. Every year for
several years we have enjoyed well over one
hundred oranges from that tree. This year will
be quite different since the harsh weather last
winter damaged the tree so much that it did not
set blossoms. Many leaves fell and the tree
seems to have been weakened. Like many
plants that are weakened, the orange tree had
insect damage. I was alarmed to observe a
heavy infestation of white flies and mealy bugs.
I have learned that I should first use the least
toxic method to treat
the tree.
In mid-July I sprayed
dish soap on the
white flies that
appeared on the
leaves. After a few
rainy days I sprayed
some of the tree with
insecticidal soap
because I also
noticed the mealy
bugs. I stopped
when I observed a ladybug and a number of
eggs of the
green lacewing
and the
assassin bug
on some of the
leaves.
These are
beneficial
insects and my
hope was that
they might
take care of
the mealy
bugs and white
flies. I saw the
larvae of a green
lacewing and an
unusual number
of wasps on the
leaves.
To spray or not to
spray was my
dilemma. If I
spray an
insecticide on the
tree I would kill
both the beneficial and harmful insects and then
have no help from beneficial insects in curtailing
the problem.
Several days passed since I first noticed the
beneficials. The eggs of the green lacewing and
assassin bugs disappeared, but the number of
wasps increased. I no longer saw the green
lacewing larvae, but it appeared that the
infestation of mealy bugs had lessened. A few
beneficial assassin bugs were present near the
top of the tree.
It appears that the pest problems I noticed weeks ago have been eliminated by patiently waiting for the beneficial insects to do their work. I’m surprised by the number of wasps that were on the tree and wonder if they were helpers too. Assassin Bug egg case
Green Lacewing eggs
Lacewing larvae
Wasp ea-ng
Don’s Corner By Don Johnson
Page 7
Sugar Land Garden Club has been giving
Brazos Bend State Park Volunteers a donation
for 8 years. Giving the money to their
volunteer organization insures that the money
will be spent at Brazos Bend. Our money has
gone to buy Cypress Trees by Elm Lake, to
support a Monarch Way Station by the nature
center, and to fund children programs
concerning plants.
SLGC Supports Brazos Bend State Park
Carrie Sample Presents
our 2016/2017 Donation
Do you shop on Amazon ?
Amazon will donate a percentage of your
eligible purchases to Sugar Land Garden Club.
It’s called AmazonSmile. All you have to do is
choose our club.
Here is how to do it….
On your first visit to AmazonSmile go to
smile.amazon.com and log in as you normally
do on Amazon.com with your same username
and password. You will be prompted to select
a charitable organization from their list of
eligible organizations. (We are on the list!)
Now, just remember to go to
smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com to
shop.
Do you shop at Randalls ?
Sugar Land Garden Club is a member of
Randalls Good Neighbor Program which
donates to our club based on purchases made
with your Remarkable Card. Just link your card
to our organization number—2872.
Here’s how to do it…...
Fill out a Good Neighbor Program form
available at Customer Service the next time you
go to Randall’s, or go to www.randalls.com and
print the form and bring it to Customer Service.
Sugar Land Library Book Donations
The following books were donated to the Sugar Land Library for 2016/2017.
Juvenile books Adult books
Dirt, by Natalie M. Rosinsky Texas Gardening, the Natural Way ,
From Seed to Plant ,by Gail Gibbons by Howard Garret
Jack’s Garden, by Henry Cole Texas Gardener’s Handbook,
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, by Candace Fleming by Dale Grooms
Peppa Pig and the Vegetable Garden, Candlewick Press Landscaping with Native Plants of the
Planting a Garden in Spring, by Jenna Lee Gleisner Southwest, by George Miller
Page 8
For the past sixteen years, the Sugar Land
Garden Club has donated garden tools,
supplies and helpful pamphlets to the new
owners of homes built by Habitat for Humanity
volunteers in Fort Bend
County. Two homes were
presented at dedication
ceremonies held on Sunday,
May 21st. The Sugar Land
Garden Club was there to
present our contributions to
their new homes and lives.
The dedication ceremony was
attended by volunteers, donors,
family members and city leaders. Our
selection of garden tools was warmly received
by the homeowners. Two pamphlets were
included as part of our gifts. The first was a
colorful brochure that described each of the
‘Texas Superstar’ plants, the best plants that
new homeowners could plant in their gardens.
These plants have been determined by Texas
A & M AgriLife Research to be
surefire winners for easy care
and beautiful flowers and to
grow extremely well in our
area. The second brochure
provided reliable step by step
instructions on how to care for
St. Augustine lawns.
While we all agree that the
inside of a house is the heart of
the home, the Sugar Land Garden Club,
through our generous donations, will be able to
help these new homeowners spread that love
to the outside of the home by creating a
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY: A Sugar Land Garden Club Continuing Project
By Linda Holder
Habitat for Humanity Chair
Rose Ann Acosta ,watering the new land-
scaping prior to the dedica-on
Linda Holder waits for the homeowners .Carol
Freeman was also in a4endance.
Page 9
Garden Warrior Arleen Harbin
Queen of the Night
Many years ago, a family friend shared this
unusual plant called night blooming cereus with
us. It is part of the cactus family and for most of
the year is unnoticeable. Unfortunately, every
year we have missed its blooms since we were
vacationing. Finally, this past June we were
treated to a real show. The flowers plumped up
and opened shortly after 10 p.m. and continued
through the night. As they opened their petals
one could witness the plant
moving. The scent was divine.
Our entire garden was full of this
sweet odor. Here are a few
pictures of the buds and the
blooms. This plant blooms one
night a year in either June or
July. The flowers are four inches
to as much as eight inches wide.
We ran around the courtyard with
flashlights looking at the eight
blooms that graced our plants. It
can be grown from stem cuttings.
Here are a few pics to enjoy!
Well, wonders never cease, as the cereus bloomed again in early August. Another five blooms. What a wonderful surprise!
Getting ready to bloom .
Plumping up for the show!
Opening.
A beau-ful and intricate bloom opened past midnight.
Page 10
Aster Yellows
Deborah Birge
Fort Bend County Master Gardener
Citrus Specialist, Home Fruit Specialist, First Detector, Plant
Disease Specialist
A recent walk through the Master Gardener
demonstration gardens revealed a surprise that
resulted in a learning experience…my favorite kind of
walk. The surprise was a lantana with bloom heads
that resembled broccoli crowns. The learning
experience was discovering what could have caused
this to happen?
After researching in the Master Gardener
Hotline room, the culprit was identified as Aster
yellows. Aster yellows is a bacterium that is
transmitted by infected leafhoppers. Leafhoppers are
insects that annually migrate northward from their
winter home in areas along the Gulf of Mexico. Aster
yellows is affects over 300 species of plants, in 38
families of broad-leaf herbaceous plants as well as
grain crops. Ornamentals are also affected such as
aster, coneflower, zinnia, marigold, chrysanthemum,
petunia, and snapdragon . Crops affected include
lettuce, carrot, tomato, and celery. Grasses and
grains also are hosts also. Weeds with the disease
include plantain, dandelion, and other broad-leafed
weeds.
An infected leafhopper can infect another plant
by feeding on it. This plant will then be able to
transmit the disease to other leafhoppers within 10
days. The spread of the disease along the Gulf Coast
favors cool, wet springs. The leafhopper then
migrates northward on the wind where it continues to
spread the disease in the cool, wet summers of the
Midwest.
I was very surprised to learn high
temperatures inactivate the bacterium in leafhoppers
and plants. Leafhoppers are cured of the bacterium
by exposing them to temperatures of 88 degrees F for
10 to 12 days.1 So, during our hot summers the
ability of the leafhopper to cause infection is much
reduced and symptom remission may occur in
infected plants. This explains why this disease is rare
or absent in hot areas of the world..
Control of the disease is difficult. The best
approach is to plant resistant varieties. Also, remove
any plant showing signs of the disease, bag and send
to the landfill. Remove all weed hosts. Chemical
control of the leafhopper has proven to be very
difficult and is not recommended. For vegetable
growers, the best control method is exclusion by using
a cloth or net covering.
Healthy vinca next to a
plant infected with aster
yellows. M. Meyer, UMN
Extension
Echinacea infected with asters yellow
Aster Yellows infected Lantana.
1 Mohammed Babdoost, Extension Specialist in Fruit and
Vegetable Pathology, Department of Crop Sciences, Univer-
sity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Michelle Grabowski, Aster yellows of Garden Flowers and
Vegetables, University of Minnesota Extension
Texas A&M University, Plant Disease Handbook
Page 11
Sponsor
Spotlight
Diane Schomburg is a long
time member of the Sugar Land
Garden Club. She is an avid
gardener and a dedicated
supporter of SLGC and its work
in the community.
Thank you Diane for the
many ways you help and
contribute!
Brookwood Workday
November 8, 2017
The Sugar Land Garden Club’s workday at
Brookwood will be November 8th.
Brookwood is a residential facility for adults
and we will be helping them in their
horticulture department. If you are interested
in going, please email or give me a call.
Beverly Williams
281-660-9922
We Our Sponsors
Please thank all of the wonderful spon-
sors that support the Sugar Land Gar-
den Club.
Consider becoming a Sponsor!
