VOLUME 45, NUMBER 5// SEPT/OCT 2021 SUNDAY, SEPT 12: CHAPTER MEMBER PLANT SALE INSIDE THIS ISSUE Bloomfield Farm at Morris Arboretum ...submitted by Laura Axel, Program Chair Upcoming three programs .......... 1 12:30-1:30 Plant Donations 2:00 Sale begins Catawba Island..........................1 See page 3 for details Chair’s Corner ............................. 2 Sept. Member Sale ...................... 3 SATURDAY, OCT 9: THE UNIQUE ROCK GARDEN AT LAUREL HILL Bulb Sale ..................................... 3 10am, October 9, Zoom Tour of the planting at West Laurel Hill Cemetery by Gregg Tepper Nov. Luncheon Entry Form ......... 4 ...submitted by Laura Axel, Program Chair Catawba Island cont’d ................ 5 Join horticulturist Gregg Tepper for an entertaining and informative lecture on the unique Firefly Gardening ........................ 6 rock garden he created inside the main entrance at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Gregg will share with you its history, design, implementation, and effective plant combinations to reveal Firefly Gardening cont’d ............. 7 what makes it a truly one-of-a-kind garden. Looking Ahead & Notices ........... 8 SATURDAY, NOV 20: ANNUAL LUNCHEON AND LECTURE 11-3, Overbrook Golf Club Ballroom in Villanova. Reservation Form on page 4 ...submitted by Laura Axel, Program Chair “Alpines and Troughs” by Lori Chips, Alpine Manager of Oliver Nurseries, plus she will be selling her book! Gregg Tepper Catawba Island, Ohio. Photo coutesy Jackie Tong, for Linda Marcucci 1 THE DODECATHEON This publication is issued on the first of odd-numbered months. All THE CHAIR’S CORNER copy must reach the editor no later than the 15th day of the preceding ...submitted by Louise Clarke, Chairperson month. Any text in this newsletter may be used in any other NARGS With the revised health guidance due to the Covid-19 Delta variant’s spread, traveling is still publication, unless otherwise a fraught process, and it may impact our ability to meet in person for monthly meetings. specified. Please credit the author With my impending retirement, I am ready to bust loose, and go somewhere- anywhere. For and The Dodecatheon. fully vaccinated persons “You should continue to wear a mask where required by laws, rules, regulations, or local guidance,” according to the CDC website. That clears things up, doesn’t it? This sounds like a road trip in my car is the best alternative for soothing my wanderlust. 2021 CHAPTER OFFICERS: Chairperson: Louise Clarke A dash to the beach after Labor Day is in store, and many more garden visits, as I can [email protected] distance from others in outdoor settings. And outdoor plant sales also sound like fun… Program Chair: Laura Axel Sunday, September 12th will bring us another members’ plant sale, outdoors, at [email protected] Morris Arboretum’s Bloomfield Farm, expertly organized by Janet Novak. She has been Recording Secretaries: busy searching nurseries near and far for rock garden plants to tempt us. With the choice Hope Punnett & TBD offerings Janet is ordering, plus the donations of our members, I urge you to come out Treasurer: Jerry Rifkin and support the sale. Charles Cresson has promised me he will donate some choice bulbs Membership Secretary: and perennial divisions, which I expect to end up on our silent auction table. How about David Lauer [email protected] a Leucojum not available in the USA? I’m bidding! Look for troughs as well; I’ve been Dodecatheon Editor: Sharee Solow molding a few unusual pieces this summer. For our sale attendees, we will ask that [email protected] masks be worn by those unvaccinated. Directors at Large: Surfing the Internet for rock garden content, I stumbled across a “rock garden” in Lisa Roper and Jill Evans Springfield, Ohio. The Hartman Rock Garden, constructed between 1932 to 1944, doesn’t conform to our interpretation of a rock garden, but looks intriguing nevertheless. Harry COMMITTEES: “Ben” Hartman constructed a cement fishing pond on his property, which then led him to AV equipment: Rick Ray create over 50 structures and figures. Themes included religion, patriotism, and history. Coffee & Tea: Paula Burns, Louise Clarke Ben used hundreds of thousands of stones, most embedded in cement, in creating his folk- Garden Visits: TBD art themed rock garden. Today the site is preserved and administered by Friends of the Meeting Logistics: TBD Hartman Rock Garden, a non-profit organization. Visit http://hartmanrocks.org/ to see for Name Tags: Helen Lightcap yourself. Nominations Committee: TBD If I get to the Hartman Rock Garden, I’ll give you a full report on what I find. In the Phila. Flower Show Coordinator: TBD meantime, check out this issue of The Dodecatheon for more detailed information on the Plant Sales: Janet Novak chapters’ plant sale and news of our upcoming programming. I hope to see you in person Plant Show: Radford MacFarlane & Michele Hall very soon. Rock on! Pot Shop: Sharee Solow Web Master: Janet Novak For membership info, the latest program changes and bad weather cancellations check out our web site: www.dvcnargs.org We do send out email notices from time to time between issues of The Dodecatheon to those who have given us email addresses. Please check your email address in the membership list and if it is wrong, send us the right one! 2 SEPTEMBER MEMBERS’ PLANT SALE MOVES TO SUNDAY AFTERNOON ...submitted by Janet Novak, Plant Sale Coordinator Our June members’ plant sale introduced a lot of new features: a new location, alphabetized plants, and new systems for plant pricing and checkout. In a survey on the sale, these practices proved to be popular, so we’re retaining them for the September sale. We have one further innovation for September: the sale will be held on Sunday afternoon. The second Saturday in September tends to be a busy time for plant-related events, so attendance at our September sale has been light. I’m hoping that Sunday afternoon will work for more of you. The sale is Sunday, September 12: 12:30-1:30 PM: Plant donations accepted 12:30-2 PM: Plant preview 2 PM: Sale opens The sale is open to DVC-NARGS members and their guests, so feel free to invite some friends. As always, the sale relies on your donations of plants, troughs, and related items. Especially nice items will go into a silent auction. Location: Morris Arboretum’s Bloomfield Farm (303 E. Northwestern Avenue, Lafayette Hill, PA). This is directly opposite the entrance to the public part of the Arboretum. A restroom will be available. Note that the sale will be in the open, so if the forecast calls for rain, wear a raincoat! Safety Rules: Anyone who is not fully vaccinated is required to wear a mask. Plant Pricing: We are requesting that members price their donated items themselves. We’ll provide pre-printed price stickers and a pricing guide. If you want help with pricing, a volunteer will be available. If you are donating 20 or more items, you can consider pricing them ahead of time at home. I can mail you the stickers and a pricing guide (contact me at [email protected]). Plant Preview: You can look over the plants on sale as we’re setting up. Sales Period: As usual, the sale will open with a short donor’s shopping period. Donor are entitled to buy one early-choice plant for every 10 plants donated, up to 5 early choices. Then the sale will open to everyone. Plants sell fast, so don’t be late! Plants will be arranged by first letter of the scientific name. Payment: We accept checks or cash. Exact change is appreciated. Lend us a table? Renting tables for the sale is a substantial expense for the chapter. If you can lend us some tables, we’ll be very grateful. Every table lent saves the chapter $10-$15! We’re looking for folding tables that can be used outdoors. You would need to bring the tables to Bloomfield/Morris Arb. by noon. If you’re willing to lend us one or more tables, contact me ([email protected] or 215-248-2642). IT IS NOT TOO LATE! ORDER ROCK GARDEN BULBS ...submitted by Janet Novak, Chair of Plant Sales There’s still time to order bulbs from DVC-NARGS. For $20, you get 50 bulbs: five each of these varieties: Allium oreophilum, Crocus minimus ‘Spring Beauty’, Muscari armeniacum ‘Siberian Tiger’, Narcissus bulbocodium ‘White Petticoat’, Narcissus ‘Sun Disc’, Puschkinia scilloides var. libanotica, Tulipa batalinii ‘Bright Gem’, Tulipa ‘Little Princess’, Tulipa bakeri ‘Lilac Wonder’, and Tulipa clusiana ‘Honky Tonk’. Each variety will be in a separate, labeled bag. The bulbs will grow 3-8” tall, the right size for a rock garden. To reserve your packet of bulbs, email or call Janet ([email protected] or 215-248-2642). Once the bulbs arrive (early October), you’ll be able pick them up from Jerry Rifkin’s house in Merion at a time convenient to you, or at our November 20 meeting. 3 SATURDAY, NOV 20: ANNUAL LUNCHEON AND LECTURE The address is: Overbrook Golf Club, 799 Godfrey Road, Villanova, PA 19085 (610) 688-4000. We are scheduled to arrive at 11:00 and end at 3:00. The cost of the luncheon is $ $31 for any selection. Please make your meal choice, complete the form below and send your check and the form to Jerry Rifkin. The reservation deadline for the meeting is Friday, October 29. MENU Appetizer Wild Mushroom Bisque Entree Choice of Chicken Marsala Asparagus with Julienne Carrots Potato Dauphinoise Roasted Tomato Or Salmon Three Citrus Asparagus with Julienne Carrots Potato Dauphinoise Roasted Tomato Or Vegetarian Lasagna Dessert Mango Sorbet with Whipped Cream Lori Chips of Oliver Nurseries Assorted French and Italian Cookies Rolls, coffee and tea Reservation form for the November Annual Meeting and Luncheon on Saturday, 11/20/21.