From the PresidentChristine Paxhia

Beat the winter blues with indoor gardening and dreams of the forthcoming spring!

It seems like just yesterday when we had lovely sunshine, beautiful flowers in our gardens, and we were enjoying the summer. Now the January snowstorms and winter have arrived. As we count the days until spring in anticipation of watching the planted bulbs sprout, here are some suggestions for a few indoor gardening activities.

One of my favorite winter pastimes is reviewing the seed catalogs as they arrive. It is almost like spring in January. I can flip through the pages and choose so many glorious

items, imagining how they would look in my garden. Seed catalogs are also a great resource for ideas and they can also help you with your garden nomenclature!

If you like to inhale the aroma of soil, a visit to a local greenhouse would be a suitable activity. If you are a fan of citrus trees, try a visit to Logees Greenhouse in Danielson, Connecticut. It has a lemon tree that is more than 100 years old along with many other tropical plants. The aroma is divine. If Danielson, CT is too far, try any Mahoney’s Garden Center. You may come home with a plant or two.

If you need to bring some color into a bleak winter day, a walk through the Boston Flower Market is always a joyful way to enjoy a broad array of beautiful blossoms. And you can literally stop and smell the roses.

Take heart!! Spring will be here before you know it.

Committee News Membership UpdateBy Rachel Hitt and Rebecca Kenney

Please start thinking about possible new MGC members. We will be soliciting applications in the late winter/ early spring.

ProgramBy Carla Morey

The Program Committee is the GCA’s source for program ideas, speakers, and fundraising ideas. Its purpose is to discover, research, evaluate, recommend, inform and educate.

Date: Tuesday, February 2nd (Ground Hog Day)Location: St. Michael’s Church Upper ParishTime: 9:15 AM Social, 9:45 AM ProgramBring a Guest! This is a program your friends will love.Green City has a book and they will bring it for sale.

We've grown over 125,000 lbs of organic produce, valued at over $500,000, donated 2,000 lbs of produce, & worked with more than 6,000 people on urban farms & gardens which cover less than 2 acres of space combined

YOUR FARM. ANYWHERE. Green City Growers converts unused commercial, municipal, educational and residential spaces into vibrant urban farms anywhere the sun shines.

From backyard-raised beds to rooftop farms on grocery stores and Fenway Park, we’ve installed and continue to maintain urban farms of all

THE MAGNOLIA PRESSThe Newsletter of the Milton Garden ClubWinter 2016

shapes and sizes around eastern Massachusetts. Take a look at some of our favorite projects and get inspired!http://greencitygrowers.com/projects/

WE ARE A B CORP!Green City Growers is pleased to be part of a class of companies called B Corps. With this certification comes a dual mission that combines bottom-line success and social responsibility, which has been part of the GCG mission from the beginning. The B is for benefit, and it’s Corp as in corporation. As a B Corp – benefit corporation – we believe that business can be a source for good by serving our community and society as a whole. Like other companies with B Corp certification, we are change-makers that use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.

March 7: PM - Barbara Connolly Gardens by Barbara Connolly - Propagation Workshop

April 7: PM - David Gallo - Director of Special Programs, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute - Bring a Guest

May: AM - Didi Emmons and Eva Sommaripa, "Wild Flavors" Cooking from Eva's Farm

June 16: AM - Tour of the Blue Garden in Newport, RI

Horse Trough for the holidays

Flower ArrangingBy Cat Malone and Joan Faulkner

Calling All Floral Designers! 

"Nurtured By Nature" at the Boston Flower & Garden ShowMarch 16-20, 2016Seaport World Trade Center

The 2016 Boston Flower and Garden Show will soon be here with the promise of spring right behind it! The show will be held at the Seaport World Trade Center from March 16th – 20th and one way to be part of this fabulous event is to enter one of the Floral Design Classes. According to a very recent email from The Massachusetts Horticulture Society, Floral Design Division 2 is still open and “is a fun and friendly competition that also offers a chance to meet others in the floral design community.” There is a Novice Class and also a Youth Class, which promises great fun for a parent/grandparent and child duo. Please click on this link for registration information and class descriptions: http://www.masshort.org/design-division-2

ConservationBy Tucker Smith

Conservation Committee members, watch soon for an email invitation to attend a committee meeting in February. It’s time to set our sights on a Conservation project/exhibit for the Zone 1 Annual Meeting MGC will host in 2018. What excites you? What could you get fired up about DOING? Recently, we’ve covered rain garden and Neponset River educational projects (superbly, too!). Where to now? Come prepared to share your passion or concern through one action-oriented idea. And bring a conservation-related book and/or movie title you’d like the group to read or watch together during hibernation season.Sustainable Milton invites Milton Garden Club to host a “green gardening” table at its biennial Green Homes Fair, Saturday afternoon, April 25. Volunteers needed for short shifts. There is keen town interest in this topic as evidenced by a standing room only crowd at its “Bees, Biochar, and Butterflies” program last April 1. The Wakefield Estate is seeing increased interest in its gardening programs as well.

Joan Faulkner reports that her employer, 3M Corp., has created a pollinator-friendly corporate campus in Minnesota and certified it as Monarch-friendly through National Wildlife Federation www.nwf.org/ and Monarch Watch www.monarchwatch.org/ You can, too -- go 3M!

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GCA is celebrating 2016 as the centenary year of the founding of the National Parks Service. All Zone 1 clubs/members are encouraged to submit photos of National Parks for use on GCA’s website throughout the coming year. New England’s park sites tend to be architectural, cultural, and historic versus “scenic” parks but offer plenty of “photo fodder.” Let’s practice those photo skills Chris Woods shared with us!

Metro-Boston will be GCA’s Conservation Study Trip destination in mid-September. This will bring Conservation and National Affairs and Legislation (NAL) Zone Chairmen here to learn about pressing environmental issues in Zone 1.

I leave you with a challenge: how about practicing Oasis-free flower arranging so that, some day, MGC can schedule a “real green” show – or at least a class therein?

HorticultureBy Mary Keally

Our Featured Plant of the Month from the Trailside Native Plant Garden: Ilex verticillata 'Winter Red’

Common Name: winterberry Type: Deciduous shrubFamily: Aquifoliaceae Zone: 3 to 9 Height: 6 to 8 feet Spread: 6 to 8 feet Bloom Time: June to JulyBloom Description: White Sun: Full sun to part shade Water: Medium to wet Maintenance: Low Suggested Use: Hedge, Rain GardenFlower: InsignificantAttracts: BirdsFruit: ShowyOther: Winter InterestTolerate: Erosion, Clay Soil, Wet Soil, Air Pollution

CultureEasily grown in average, medium to wet soils in full sun to part shade. Adaptable to both light and heavy soils, but prefers moist, acidic, organic loams. Good tolerance for wet conditions (the species is native to swampy areas in Eastern North America). Winterberries are dioecious (separate male and female plants). ‘Winter Red’ is a female clone, which needs a male pollinator to produce the attractive red berries which are the signature of the winterberries. Generally one male winterberry (such as I. verticillata ‘Southern Gentleman’) will be sufficient for pollinating 9-10 ‘Winter Red’ plants. Prune to shape in early spring just before new growth appears.

Noteworthy Characteristics‘Winter Red’ is a female winterberry cultivar that typically matures to 6-8’ tall. Among winterberry cultivars, it is noted for heavy fruiting, bright red fruit color and good

retention of the bright fruit color throughout winter. It is a slow-growing, deciduous, suckering shrub with an upright rounded habit. Lustrous dark green leaves (to 3-5” long). Relatively inconspicuous whitish flowers appear in the leaf axils in late spring. Flowers, if properly pollinated, give way to a profuse crop of bright red berries (3/8” diameter) in fall. Berries are quite showy and will persist throughout the winter (hence the common name) often to early spring. Berries provide considerable impact and interest to the winter landscape.

Photography By Georgia Lee

For those who missed our January Photography Program, here is a summary of the wisdom shared by our Zone 1 Photography Rep, Chris Wood: 

“The best camera is the camera you have with you.”If an i-phone is all you’ve got when a great image comes your way, by all means, take the picture. Some Flower Shows these days are including a category for phone photos, allowing greater diversity and spontaneity of images. 

When using an SLR (Single Lens Reflex Camera), shoot in raw or high resolution jpeg. Higher resolution means more visual information and allows your image to maintain a high level of quality through the editing process. 

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Pay attention to Aperture/Depth of Field.Photographers use the aperture to create a depth of field. This is something that judges look for. You, the photographer, manipulate how the image is seen and what in the photograph is most important—if you want to focus in a single flower in the foreground, you may adjust your aperture so that the background is unfocused (soft).

Shutter speed— allows you to capture motion. 

ISO/Film Speed - The higher the ISO, the more light you capture. Lower ISO for a brighter day. 

Histogram- Shows you how your light is organized, which is especially helpful when you’re in the field. 

Photography literally means “Writing with Light” The Golden Hour is widely known as the best time to take photos—this is typically in the

early morning or late afternoon when the light is softer. The light is not harsh, there’s less shadow and the image is less washed out. 

Composition: “A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” -Ansel Adams

Composition is the most important aspect of what you do behind the camera. If you are a floral designer, you are already ahead of the game, because you understand color, form and line. 

Focal Point—what is the image about?“There is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.” -Ansel Adams

Think long and hard about what you are trying to capture. 

Avoid “the bull’s-eye” unless it makes the composition. As a photographer, try to create an “interesting” image. Movement is important. But sometimes, a bull’s-eye is what you want and that’s OK, too, as long as it’s interesting. 

Move your feet—try moving closer to your image, then further from your image, so that you can truly capture it from the right position. 

Create a narrative within your image. Tell a story. Use the image to say what you want to say. 

Focus- images must be sharp. 

The camera sees light differently than our eyes do. 

Don’t be afraid to get very, very close. (Plants don’t need a lot of personal space). 

Cropping is often necessary, but use it sparingly. It’s better to try and frame the picture that you want. 

Fun with Software:Lightroom, Photoshop, Apple PhotoLightroom offers a 30-day free trial.Software allows you some room for artistry. Hint: Print matte, not glossy. 

Top Camera Shops:B&H photo - NYCAtaramaHunts Photo and Video (local)Newtonville Camera 

When entering your photo in a show, always look at the size requirements. Usually you have some freedom to determine what size you would like to print. Size matters. 

Printing Resources. Iprintfromhome.comNewtonville Camera - Newton

Garden History and Design

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By Beth Neville

A couple of brief up-dates: The Pierce Middle School Outdoor Classroom project is attracting students. We hope to be starting seeds indoors under grow lights soon, for the pumpkin patch and other vegetables.

The MGC Provisionals will be meeting soon to research Jurassic Era trees for planting on the school grounds.

We are applying for a grant from the Massachusetts Master Gardeners for money to buy 12 cultivated fruit trees to plant alongside the school. Envisioning the future: Students will look out of classrooms (on the Central Avenue side) and see Plum, peach, apple, pear, crab apple and other trees in full bloom.

On a personal note: My three huge Elephant Ear plants growing inside in south sun are covered with Spider Mite! Any helpful suggestions, or should I just cut them down? 

Powder HouseBy Lana Agnew and Stephanie Truesdell

Powder House Spring Clean-up: Saturday, April 16, 9-11.

Please bring clippers, yard bags & rakes, also Roundup for poison ivy. It's a small area. Need 3-4 volunteers. Should be done in an hour. Thank you.

EducationBy Becky Simonds

In October Milton Garden Club volunteers Joan Faulkner, Jan DeAngelis, Tucker Smith, Maureen Peterson, Carol Bowen and I visited the 4th grade classrooms at Tucker Elementary School. We unveiled our new updated and revised Neponset video complete with voice over kindness of Georgia Lee and received positive feedback. The video was a cornerstone piece of our Conservation exhibit “Revealing the Neponset: Milton’s Hidden River” at our GCA Flower Show in October and can be viewed by using this YouTube link: https://youtu.be/U30XZxdHHaE. We also plan to incorporate some visuals from the exhibit- particularly one photo collage that captures “the challenges” we face protecting the Neponset River. The kids had some great questions and we had a lot of fun. We also learned that Nancy Filer the Education Coordinator from NepRWA has redirected her curriculum program that has more of a science focus about water origin, utility and conservation to 5th graders. So our program will serve as introduction of sorts to her more science based study of water.

On Sunday, April 3rd from 3:30-5pm I will host a get-together for new and old volunteers complete with an introduction/refresher of the Neponset curriculum. If you haven’t had the opportunity to view the new Neponset video this would be a great chance to do that! Mark your calendars! In April and May we will visit 4th grade classrooms in the Glover, Collicot and

Cunningham Elementary Schools and will need volunteers. Please consider joining us! You will learn a lot and make a difference.

News and Events Greens SaleBy Elizabeth Buckley and Elizabeth Mozek

We’re happy to report that once again our amazingly talented members pulled off another very successful Greens Sale. By all working together at keeping our expenses down, we actually netted a higher margin than in years past landing us with a profit of just over $7,600.

This year, as always, our patrons were wowed with the array of beautiful arrangements, wreaths, tabletop trees and treasures, it truly was a Christmas wonderland. Your many hours spent crafting our inventory and your increased contributions of eye-catching, unusual greens helped to make the sale a success. It couldn’t have happened without the efforts of all.

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Many thanks to all for continuing our endeavors at recycling and composting – and to those of you who braved the weather and procured all our magnificent greens, which is what truly makes our sale one of a kind.

Most Appreciatively,The Elizabeths

Federation EventsBy Linda MacLean

There are several interesting GCFM events this spring. Please check website for more detailed information (gcfm.org).

Feb. 23, 10AM: Needham GC presents “Glass Flowers” with Jenny Brown.Location: Needham Public Library.

Mar 9, 7PM: Garden Club of Norfolk presents “Getting Started-Container Farming 101” with Jessie Banhazl.Location: Norfolk Public Library.

Mar 12, 10AM-11:30AM: Ashland GC presents “Hip Hop Hydrangeas” presented by : Andi RossLocation: Ashland Public Library.

Mar 24, 10:30AM-2PM: “Great Gardens of New England” presented by Suzanne Mahler. What can we learn from these gardens & how to apply it to our own.Location: The Espousal Center- Waltham, MA.

Apr 7, 7 PM: Andover GC presents “ A Champagne Evening with Floral Designer Thai, tickets $35.Location: Andover Town House, Andover, MA.

Apr 12, 7 PM: The Crystal Garden of Reading/Wakefield presents “Bert Ford of Ford Flower Co.Location: The 1st Baptist Church, Wakefield.

Apr 19, 10AM: Needham GC presents “Welcoming Ikebana with Kaye Vosburgh.Location: Needham Public Library.

Apr 21: Emerald Necklace Walking tour with Alan Banks.

Apr 27, 7PM: Hamilton Wenham GC presents MFA Art in Bloom, arranging inspired by art. Learn the theory of Art & Bloom. This will include stunning arrangements. Location: Miles River Middle School, Hamilton.

May: Check website as there are several plant sales throughout the month.

Features

National ParksBy Carla Morey

National Park Service celebrates its centennial! Plan a visit to a NPS site in zone 1 in 2016. The Program committee has set a goal of a couple of programs in 2016/17 to visit and/or host a lecture on our national treasures. Maybe you would consider a

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spur of the moment visit to John Quincy Adams home?

Massachusetts Parks: • Adams, Quincy, MA – National Historic Park • Appalachian, Maine to Georgia – National Scenic Trail • Blackstone River Valley, The Blackstone Valley, MA, RI National Heritage Corridor • Boston, Boston, MA – National Historic Sites • Boston Harbor Islands, Boston, MA – National Recreational Area • Cape Cod, Wellfleet, MA – National Seashore • Essex, Essex County, MA – National Heritage Area • Frederick Law Olmsted, Brookline, MA – National Historic Site • John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Brookline, MA – National Historic Site • Longfellow House, Washington’s Headquarters, Cambridge, MA – National Historic Site • Lowell, Lowell, MA – National Historic Park • Minute Man, Concord, Lincoln, Lexington, MA – National Historic Park • New Bedford Whaling, New Bedford, MA – National Historic Park • New England, MA, CT – National Scenic Trail • Salem Maritime, Salem, MA – National Historic Site • Saugus Iron Works, Saugus, MA – National Historic Site • Springfield Armory, Springfield, MA – National Historic Site • Washington – Rouchambeau, MA to DC – National Historic Trail

“Your Health Depends on Pollinators”Excerpts from Pollinator PartnershipsBy Carla Morey

ANDI, just another acronym you ask? Yes, but a very important one, it stands for, “Aggregate Nutrient Density Index”. Many foods provide an extensive range of micro-nutrients, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other vital phytochemicals. Pollinators support 10 of the 10 ANDI fruits.

StrawberriesPapayaBlackberriesOrangePlumCantaloupeRaspberriesKiwiBlueberriesWatermelon

You are what you eat, we have heard this many times but without the power foods brought to us by pollinators, we wouldn’t be able to make healthy lifestyle choices.Pollinator conservation creates direct benefits to our health and wellness.

How about starting the day with a “pollinator powered breakfast”? I think this sounds like a nice idea for us for a program down the road. For every three bites of food we take, pollinators help bring the healthy food to the plate. As we know, pollinators are in a precarious position, their population is declining for many reasons. Habitat

fragmentation, loss and degradation are reducing food sources and eliminating sites for mating, nesting, roosting and migration. Native insects are overwhelmed by aggressive non-natives that threaten their survival. Our biggest challenge in saving our pollinators and keeping their products in bountiful supply is a lack of understanding for how vital these species are to our everyday lives. Imagine how things would change if everyone knew what they would lose if pollinators disappeared. There would certainly be no healthy plant-based foods, fewer sources of vital nutrients, fewer medicines, and fewer wellness products. I hope that would be enough of a wake up call!

So, next time you are having friends over for breakfast or brunch, turn them on to a pollinator rich feast, and in turn, ask them to spread the word. Our health depends on it. For more information go to: www.pollinator.org

Keurig – Grounds to grow onBy Carla Morey

Hey, folks, this is what Keurig is developing for corporate customers. Recyclable pods for home brewers are coming soon.

Here is a way for your company to be environmentally responsible with disposal of the k cups. While it isn’t 100% yet, the program is a great beginning. In the meantime, at home, you

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can purchase a filter and use your own ground coffee.

What is the Grounds to Grow On™ program?We developed our Grounds to Grow On™ program as a direct response to customers asking us how they can responsibly dispose of their brewed K−Cup® pods. Now, thanks to the help of g2 revolution®, an innovative recycling company, every brewed pod is used to enrich soil and generate energy, rather than ending up as landfill. We like to think of it as "creating positive change from the grounds up™."The recovered K Cup Pods are sent to our disposal partner where they are separated into two components: the grounds and everything else. The grounds are turned into compost and what remains is sent to an energy-from-waste facility and converted into energy.“To have a truly exceptional experience with a company, you have to love what that company makes, but you also have to love what that company does. That's why we take corporate responsibility as seriously as we take the quality of our coffee and brewers. The Grounds to Grow On™ program is part of what we like to call "Brewing a Better World" – our global effort to create long-term solutions and sustainability for people and ecosystems worldwide. In the short term, the Grounds to Grow On™ program gives customers a way to responsibly dispose of each brewed K−Cup® pod. In the long term, we are actively researching alternative pod

materials.” Please visit www.KeurigGreenMountain.com/Sustainability to learn more about our initiatives and how we are continuously working towards being a leader in corporate responsibility.

Events CalendarGreen City Growers: Tue. Feb. 2, 9:15 AM Social, 9:45 AM Program @ St. Michael’s Church Upper Parish Hall, bring a guest.

Gardens by Barbara Connolly: Mar. 7, PM, Propagation Workshop.

Boston Flower and Garden Show: March 16-20 @ World Trade Center.

David Gallo - Director of Special Programs, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute: Apr. 7, PM, bring a guest.

Powder House Spring Clean-up: Sat. Apr. 16, 9-11 AM.

Art in Bloom: Apr. 22-25.

Perennial Sale: Sat. May 7.

"Wild Flavors" Cooking from Eva's Farm: May, AM, Didi Emmons and Eva Sommaripa.

Tour of the Blue Garden in Newport, RI: June 16, AM.

Editor Anke Herbertajherbert1@msn.com

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