Ozark Highlands Trail Association members and friends to meet June 10, 2012

DON’T MISS LAST SPRING 2012 MEETING

OHTA Members and guests will be hosted by Frank and Sarah Sharp at their farmstead on Kessler Mountain about 0.4 mile up Smoke House Trail from the Smoke House on Farmington Road (Hwy 62 1.5 miles west of I-540). 

The Sharps and some of their neighbors have been working to conserve as much as possible of scenic Kessler Mountain for all future generations to enjoy as a recreational natural area.  They have already developed Kessler Mountain Greenway multi-use trail thru their scenic “rock city”, and provided a conservation easement to connect it with the City of Fayetteville trail system as Rupple Road is extended southward.  There are miles of trailand hours of hiking/biking right here on Kessler Mountain, which is easily seen to the southwest from the heart of Fayetteville. 

The Sharp’s farm features a patio dining area, fireplace, firebrick pizza oven, custom grill and kitchen.  There is plenty of parking at the house, and plenty more along Smoke House Trail up to the house.  WHAT IS MISSING FROM THIS SCENE????

YOU!

HIKE!! Hike the trail from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

FIRED OVEN PIZZA!!! Appetizers provided by the Sharps.                                                                                                                                                          

 GRILLED COOKOUT!!!!  Meal provided by OHTA and Pack Rat Outdoor Center

 DOOR PRIZES!!!!!

 Contact Mike Lemaster to help with cooking, hike leading, decorating, clean up and door prizes, etc.   Miker.lemaster@gmail.com or  479-466-5214

National Wildlife Federation message to Sarah Lewis of the Fayetteville City Council and the Environmental Action Committee: Please scroll down for your invitation to Friday's celebration

From National Wildlife Federation official.
Dear colleagues,
I am pleased to announce that Fayetteville, Arkansas has just become certified as the 61st certified NWF Community Wildlife Habitat in the nation and is the very first certified community in the state.

This has been a remarkable project led by a team of volunteers spawned from Fayetteville's Environmental Action Committee. They have had terrific support from the City Council, who not only passed a resolution to support the National Wildlife Federation and the Community Wildlife Habitat project, but they also provided the funding to certify 26 city parks and supply them with signs.

One of the early certifications was the city-run local wastewater treatment plant, which is operated by a private engineering firm.  This was an excellent example of private business partnering with the local government to create a habitat garden and it was covered in the Northwest Arkansas Times.  Another article soon followed, showing the mayor helping put in plants at the demonstration habitat garden at Butterfield Trail Elementary School (see attached photo of habitat garden).  Every time a school attained certification, the Habitat team and Mayor Jordan would speak to the students about the importance of wildlife habitat and present the school with a Habitat Kit that included NWF's Access Nature Curriculum Guide.  Imagine the mayor at each Schoolyard Habitat dedication!  The team also gave teachers a list of ways they could utilize the garden for educational purposes.

The Community Wildlife Habitat team partnered with Fayetteville Public Schools, Fayetteville in Bloom, the CH2 MHill Engineering Firm, Appleseeds, Inc. and the Fayetteville Natural Heritage Association. Team leader Terri Lane also wrote an article for the Arkansas Wildlife Federation's newsletter.

In all, 200 homes, 26 parks, 1 farm, a cemetery, the wastewater treatment plant, city hall, a United Methodist Church retreat center, 26 parks (including the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks) and 2 businesses all become NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat sites.

A celebration is planned for June 1 and Geralyn and I will be attending. Please join me in congratulating Terri Lane and the Fayetteville Community Wildlife Habitat team!

Roxanne Nersesian Paul
Senior Coordinator, Community & Volunteer Outreach
National Wildlife Federation
11100 Wildlife Center Drive
Reston, VA  20190
703-438-6586
paul@nwf.orgpaul@nwf.org>
The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.

Committee plans celebration of Fayetteville's certification as a NWF Habitat Community

Please click on image below to ENLARGE for easy reading.

Katie Teague to speak on composting Saturday, May 19, 2012, at meeting of Northwest Arkansas Flower, Garden and Nature Society

We come from the earth we return to the earth and in between
we garden.

THE FLOWER, GARDEN, AND NATURE SOCIETY OF NORTHWEST ARKANSAS

May 2012
Volume 17 Number 5

FGNS Officers
Joyce Mendenhall President
689 Winbaugh Lane Fayetteville, AR 72703 H 479 466-7265 joycemendenhall@yahoo. com
Mary Loughin
Vice-president
2781 W. Howard Nickell Road Fayetteville, AR 72704 H 479 587-0616 mloughl@aol.com
Secretary
Ann Engskov 2749 Lemontree Circle Springdale, AR 72762 annengskov@sbcglobal.net
Jill King Treasurer
P. O. Box 3685 Fayetteville, AR 72702 H 479-443-1912 jill.a.king@cox.net
Steve Marak Past President 3460 Roma Drive
Springdale, AR 72762 H 479 271-5278 samarak@cox.net ___________________
Paula Marinoni Founder
617 W. Lafayette Fayetteville, AR 72701
H 479 444-6170
pm@paulamarinoni.com

From the President........
Greetings Everyone!
I can hardly believe that May is half way over. I have been so busy with work and travel for both work and pleasure that I almost forgot to write this message. This past week I attended an inservice training at the 4-H Center in Ferndale preceded by a day of fun in Little Rock. A large number of us attended Murray’s Dinner Theatre production of “Murder at the Howard Johnson.” Just the title tells you how old this play is (are there even any Howard Johnson’s any more?), but it was good for a lot of laughs even though a woman sitting nearby proclaimed it “utterly ridiculous” which made the rest of us laugh even more.
This week I am on my way to Monticello for the State Master Gardener Convention. I am really excited to get to see another part of our state that I have not spent much time in before. I always learn a lot of new horticulture, agriculture and historical information about our great state every time I attend one of our state meetings, not to mention the camaraderie among old and new gardening friends. I have to say “It’s great to be a Master Gardener.” So if any of you are interested in becoming a member of this organization, just let me know and I bet I can point you in the right direction.
Now the great thing about being a member of the Flower, Garden and Nature Society is pretty much the same except for the state meetings of course. As you will see throughout this newsletter, the annual “Through the Garden Gate” garden tour is the “BIG DEAL” for us. I hope you will all be able to attend and that many of you will volunteer to help in any way you can. I could not be happier that we have Lynn Phillips and Pat Mills as our co-chairs this year and I hope you will all let them know what a great job they are doing.
Since I will still be in Monticello next Saturday morning I will not be able to attend the May meeting. Steve Marak, past president, has agreed to run the show in my absence. Your vice president, Mary Loughin, is also unable to attend. Steve did ask that if you intend to throw tomatoes that they only be fresh from the garden, organically grown. However, since my co-worker, Katie Teague, is giving the program on Composting I’m sure she can show you how to dispose of those rotten ones!
I think this might be a good time to step away from the computer or I might get tomatoes thrown at me next time you see me. Until next time, see you in the garden, whoever’s it might be, on June 2.
Joyce Mendenhall

Join us Saturday May 19
for
Katie Teague
U of A Extension Agent speaking on
“Composting: Let it Rot!”

**Location** Northwest Technical Institute 709 South Old Missouri Rd Springdale, AR
(1/2 mile South of Jones Center on Hwy 265) Enter at south door.

Inside
President's Message p.1 Members Corner p.2 Garden Tour Peek p.2 Garden Tour Gardens p.3 Speaker Notes p.4 In The Greenhouse p.4 What's on the Web p.5 2012 Speaker List p.6

May 2012 1

Members Corner

• Garden Tour—June 2nd will be here soon, and the Garden Tour will be running smoothly! Refreshments will be served at Connie Gayer's Secret Gardens in Goshen. If you signed up to bring cookies, bring them to the May meeting. Also, if you want to volunteer for a garden shift, or to be a baser, contact Libby or Mary Bess for information.
  
• Tickets are on sale at Westwood Gardens in Rogers, Bank of Fayetteville on the Square and on Mission, and at Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, 4703 N. Crossover Road, Fayetteville, Arkansas.
  
• Don't forget to visit us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/FGNSofNWA •
  
• Lynn Rogers, our program chair, has a blog at: http://fromlynnsgarden.wordpress.com/
  

A Sneak Peek at the Gardens on Tour 2012:
Thalia's Cottage Garden
In the Pines The Collector’s Garden

In the Pines

Mr. Thurman's Friendship Garden

Mr. Thurman’s Friendship Garden

May 2012 2

Garden Tour 2012!
Ambrose Place 600 N. Mission Blvd. in Fayetteville These gardens are located at the home and business of Kathryn and Jim Ward. Originally owned by the Ambrose family in the 1890s at the bottom of Mt. Sequoyah, the property is comprised of the original house and a contemporary structure built in the 1970s. The Wards have created, on a one acre park-like setting, a garden that unifies the properties while providing privacy and separate uses for each entity.	Karen Crocker’s “Make a Difference” Native Garden 951 Pembroke Rd. in Fayetteville This garden creates a contrast with the simplicity and beauty of a Faye Jones home built in 1964. The ‘bones’ of the garden were formed with ledge rocks that came from excavation for the house. A path allows viewing and access to the garden with small lawns which create open spaces around which plants cluster. Typically, sun and shade areas contrast with prairie wildflowers growing in the sun and ferns in the shade.
In the Pines 737 Spring Park Lane near Goshen This six-acre property was purchased in 1982 and contained only one tree, a walnut. In 1984 the first of 500 Loblolly pines were planted with additions of short-leaf pines and spruce following. A wide variety of deciduous trees, along with shrubs, boulders and stone walkways, create various views at the ends of hallways. Open space will continue to be developed as rooms for people and sculpture.	Secret Gardens 2053 Pug Gayer Rd., Washington County 371 Begun in the early 1990s as a couple of small flower beds, the size and scope of the original vision grew into today’s gardens. Most of the native stone used to create the walk- way, patio and retaining walls was harvested from the family homestead and surrounding area. A small greenhouse provides a nurturing shelter for young plants and a warm sanctuary for tropical plants in the winter. In 2011 the vegetable garden was converted from traditional row-crop production to raised beds.
The Collector’s Garden 2110 Redbird Circle in Springdale Started in 1989, the original 5’x6’ flower bed now spans the entire width of the backyard and many additional beds have been added. A butterfly garden, a shade garden, and a Victorian garden are filled with plants and statuary which were gifts from family and friends. A bird bath purchased in Eureka Springs is the first item purchased for the garden.	Thalia’s Cottage Garden 14939 Park Ridge Drive near Lowell Over the past 9 years the garden has been extended along the sides of the house and into the back yard. The steep gulley in the back presented a challenge which has been met with the planting of hundreds of bulbs, dogwoods, spirea, snowball and lilac bushes. The lush New Dawn climbing roses over the garage doors and the soaring foxgloves are highlights of the garden. Varied color schemes in the garden and flower boxes result from experiments with different theme flowers each spring.
Mr. Thurman’s Friendship Garden 4105 W. Olive St. in Rogers The Friendship Garden started its evolutionary process in the spring of 1984. Featuring edible landscapes of herbs and vegetables, a variety of flowering perennials, reseeding annuals and biannuals, the garden is the result of donations from fellow gardening friends. The garden continues to evolve as a location for members of the community to experience joy, peace, beauty and the miracles of nature. Note: Parking for this garden will be at Reagan Elementary which is across the street and east of the garden. Take care crossing Olive!

May 2012 3

Speaker Notes
Katie Teague moved to Arkansas from Chicago, Illinois in 1987 to attend the University of Arkansas where she received a B.S. in Environmental Science and an M.S. in Soil Microbiology. Since 1996, she has worked as a County Extension Agent - Agriculture/Water Quality for the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in Washington County. She primarily develops and conducts water quality and natural resource education programs for youth, agricultural producers, civic audiences, municipal officials and the construction community and her favorite subjects are pollution prevention, rain gardens, rain barrels, soils and composting. Katie has been married to her husband, Stephen, for 20 years and has two young children, Matthew(8) and Anna (6). With the arrival of grandchildren, both sets of parents and in-laws were enticed to retire in Northwest Arkansas and Katie feels blessed to have family so close.

In the Greenhouse now

Phal. Cardinal Spirit 'Barbara Ann'

Paphiopedilum fowliei

Asclepias physocarpus. (AKA: Hairy Balls, Fur Balls, Cotton- bush, Oscar, Giant Swan Milkweed) This plant was a volunteer that wintered over in the “cold” area of our greenhouse (temps kept above

freezing but not warm). Object2

Neofinetia falcata 'Kikutome'

Chilochista parishii, one of the leafless orchids.

Encyclia diurna

Ascocentrum ampullaceum.
Note the freckled leaves.

Dendrobium wassellii

May 2012 4

Contribute to the newsletter!
Tell us where you've been, what you've grown, or what you have seen around town. Ask us to help you solve a garden problem or identify a plant. The newsletter is better with your contributions.
Cathy Marak, FGNS Newsletter Editor clmarak@cox.net

All are welcome to join the Flower, Garden and Nature Society of Northwest Arkansas. MEMBERSHIP—2012
For membership, clip and return to Jill King, P.O. Box 3685, Fayetteville, AR 72702.
Name(s) __________________________________________________________phone_________________ Family Members__________________________________________________________________________ Address ____________________________________________City/Zip _____________________________ E-Mail __________________________________________________Fax ____________________________ Main Interests____________________________________________________________________________ Type of Membership: New____ Renew____ $15 Individual $20 Family # years in area ____ Please include names of family members, ages of child(ren), and * those who need cards and name tags.
Memberships are annual (January-December) and renewable in December. Make checks payable to FGNS of NWA (The Flower, Garden and Nature Society of Northwest Arkansas).
For more information regarding membership, call Jeanne Silvestri 479-587-1785

The time of the weeds are upon us. This is a specimen plant we nurtured in our yard to enable it to reach it's full potential (just kidding of course). This is Cicuta maculata, cowbane, and it is poisonous. Weeds like this “grow like weeds” at this time of year. (For scale, the editor is 5'7”)

Whats on the WEB?
There is still time to make it over to Bustani Plant Farm. They have the coolest plants and a nice display garden. You'll find exotic plants alongside Arkansas Natives! They are located near Stilwater, OK to it is a road trip but well worth it.
.http://www.bustaniplantfarm.com/

May 2012 5

The Flower, Garden, and Nature Society of Northwest Arkansas

January 21
February 18 March 17
April 21*
May 19 June 2* July 21
August 18 September 15 October 20 November 17

2012 Laurin Wheeler Program Series
Round-table discussion. Bring your favorite garden tool for show-and-tell and be prepared to ask questions and give suggestions
Roland Roth, “Gardening in a Conservation and Ecological Context.”
Joyce Mendenhall, president of FGNS, Master Gardener and Garden Writer, “Language of
Flowers.”
Amy Stewart, New York Times best-selling author of Wicked Plants, Wicked Bugs, From
the Ground Up and Flower Confidential, the presentation will be “Wicked Plants” Katie Teague, UA Extension agent, “Composting: Let it Rot!”
Through the Garden Gate Tour at selected northwest Arkansas gardens.
Steve Dunlap, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Regional Education Coordinator, “Herpetology: Much More Than a Rattlehead Copper Moccasin.” (This presentation will focus on little known reptiles and amphibians such as: cave salamanders, lesser sirens, chorus frogs, spade foots, collared lizards and the rear-fanged hognose)
Tom Dillard, head of Special Collections, UA Library, “Silver Bells and Cockle Shells: An Introduction to Arkansas Gardening History.”
Robert Thomas, nature photographer and Odonata authority, “Dragonflies and Damselflies: Natural History and Habits.”
Dave Evans, Stream Team, Region 1 Coordniator, Arkansas Game and Fish, “Arkansas Stream Team: Goals and Projects.”
Gerald Klingaman, UA horticulture professor emeritus, “Plants Named for People.” Meetings held at Northwest Technical Institute
709 S. Old Missouri Road, Springdale, AR (Light at Ford & Hwy 265)

Social time at 9:30 am with programs to follow from 10:00 am -11:00 am
Program Director Lynn Rogers 479-521-9090 *Meetings are free and open to the public, unless noted by an asterisk

May 2012 6