EIPS Newsletter
|
| |
| Download the January 2007 newsletter in it's original format! This file will take a few minutes to download.
January 2007 Newsletter (1 mb) You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open this file. | |
In This Issue:
|
January 2007 |
|
| |
|
January 20, 2007
Social Gathering Bring your favorite appetizer, if you wish. Drinks will be provided. | |
|
Ending Balance—November 17, 2006 $4156.06 Updated Treasurer’s Report will be in the February Newsletter. | |
|
By Josh Spece Hosta 'June' This month’s featured Hosta can be a bit of a chameleon. With a couple hours of direct sun, Hosta ‘June’ develops a bright gold or even creamy white leaf surrounded by a bluegreen margin. In more shade, it retains a more subdued color scheme of chartreuse and blue. I personally prefer the more subtle coloring, but in any of her disguises ‘June’ is one of the most beautiful Hostas ever introduced! ‘June’ will take four to six years to reach a mature size of a little over a foot tall and two and a half feet across. Typical Hosta-style, lavender flowers appear in July. Aside from being a great looking plant, ‘June’ is very durable as well. One important characteristic to consider when buying Hostas is the substance or thickness of the leaves. The heavier the substance of the leaves, the better the foliage will hold up to the weather, the sun, and the bugs. ‘June’ has good, heavy substance to the leaves and looks almost as perfect and fresh in August as she does in May. ‘June’ was discovered in a European tissue culture lab as a sport of ‘Halcyon’ over 15 years ago and was the 2001 Hosta of the Year. Of the many Hosta varieties in my garden, though, it is still the one visitors “Oooh!” and “Ahhh!” over the most. | |
|
Hospitality Committee Welcoming new members. Promote Library. Organizing scrap books and/or collecting pictures of club activities. Mentoring new members. Nametags and membership cards. Elena Murillo-Chairman
Gil Morley Community Service Committee Works with the Pond Tour committee on dispersing proceeds. Brings ideas to the club to help educate the public learning the pleasures of water gardening. Recognition Committee Puts together year-end recognition of volunteers and officers. Thank-you notes to speakers at club meetings. Gil Morley—Chairman
Monica Morley Commercial Relations Responsible for making contact & maintaining our relationships with area retailers. Establish club discounts. Conduct drawing for prizes at club meetings. Distribute club information to dealers to give to customers. Send thank-you notes to all retailers donating products. Pam Moore - diverpug@yahoo.com Writing Committee Write articles for newsletter. Assist the secretary at her request. Jackie Allsup - cedarserviceja@aol.com Curt Moore Tim Nolan: June & August Publicity Committee Organizes & gets publicity for meetings & activities. Works closely with Pond Tour group to get advertising everywhere. Develops & maintains our club informational brochures and sees that they get to the dispersed. Organizes booth at area events. Monica Morley - mespringcove@aol.com Jackie Allsup - cedarserviceja@aol.com 2007 Pond Expo Committee Chairman—
Water Garden Tour Finding ponds & getting the tour organized. Recruit volunteers to help at the ponds. Responsible for dispersing & collection of pond tour signs. Coordinate & help with publicity. Print maps & directions. All other duties to make the event run smooth. Gary Hunerdosse
Programs Committee Responsible for finding and organizing programs & speakers for meetings. Introduces speakers at the meetings. Plans & organizes club activities, such as trips, club workshops, etc. Robert Hollenbeck
| |
|
Thanks to all for the positive feedback we have received from members on our f irst newsletter. Another new feature in the newsletter wil l be “Splash” Beneath The Surface. This is a opportunity to tell us about your pond and garden and share a little bit about yourself with other members. We will be contacting members by e-mail and mail from time to time to answer a questionnaire. All you need to do is send it back to us and we’ll do the rest. For those who have been contacted, you still have time to send it in. Add pictures if you would like. We will feature at least 2 per month. Newsletter articles are due the 25th of the month. Monica Morley | |
|
One of our long-time members of 11 years is a big Iowa Hawkeye fan who unfortunately lost fish during the Iowa State vs Iowa game. Sometimes you can’t root for your team and fill your pond at the same time. We all felt the pain hearing about the loss of his fish, as he forgot to turn off the water he was adding to the pond. Meet Ron and Edna Rife. They have been water gardeners for 12 years and their favorite plants are water lilies. Their pond is surrounded by a beautiful garden. Their exceptional Thailand Giant elephant ear was featured in our September 2006 newsletter. Their interest in ideas from others, help with problems, and talking with people with a similar interested prompted them to join the club. Ron is the club librarian. Ron and Edna have been active in several committees throughout the years. For “Recognition Night 2005”, Edna created cement castings using rhubarb leaves, which were presented to many members. Their pond was featured in the 2003 Pond Tour. They have beautiful koi. They spend their time relaxing by the pond & garden until they see something that needs to be cared for. They have improved their sitting area by building a deck beside one of the ponds. You’ll see Ron and Edna at most meetings, always willing to share their experiences and knowledge. Phyllis Gogel and Karen Philips are the proud owners of a goldfish named...Wiggles. Their pond was featured on the 2006 pond tour. Their pond is 4 years old and they have been water gardeners for 10 years . Sitting around the pond at night and listening to the water fall is one of their enjoyments of having a pond. Water Lilly is their favorite water plant which shares its home along with many goldfish. They spend their ponding time cleaning out the filter, removing leaves, treating algae, feeding the fish and caring for pond plants. Phyllis and Karen joined the club 2 years ago. One of the things they have enjoyed is the newsletter. They feel the information is a good source for ponders. | |
|
In The Country Garden & Gifts. E.I.P.S. members receive a 10% discount. Must show your current membership card at time of purchase. Have you ever said the following to yourself about being a member of the E.I.P.S.? I haven’t met anyone I haven’t thought was extremely interesting and nice. I think that the club is really fun and I’m meeting a lot of great people. I didn’t really want to go because I was exhausted from work-- but I’m so glad that I went. I had a great time. The club is really working some magic, helping people with similar interest become friends. Need Koi? Call Tony at 431-5657, he has 2 good sized koi. | |
|
January Birthdays Jo Hunerdosse - January 13
If you would like your birthday printed in the newsletter, email us at mespringcove@aol.com or sign in with the Hospitality Committee: Elena Murillo or Gil Morley | |
|
Great Trailing Plants for Naturalizing Edges. Pennywort (Hydrocotyle spp) - Sometimes known as ‘the poor man’s lotus’, it grows 2” to 5” tall with circular, crinkle-edged waxy leaves with white tufts of flowers from July through August. Water depth: maximum 2”. Requires full sun to partial shade. Zones 5-11 Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummulaira)- Also called moneywort, grows in mats 3” tall with round green leaves and vibrant yellow cup-shaped flowers. Water depth, maximum 2”. Requires full sun to partial shade. Zones 4-10 Water Forget-Me-Not (Myosotis scorpiodes) - Fragrant, dense clusters of small, bright blue flowers with yellow eyes appear in early spring. Grows 8” to 10” above the water in sun to shade. Water depth, maximum 6”. Zones 3-10. Parrots’s Feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum) - Fast growing, lush with lacy limegreen foliage. Good oxygenator and fish spawning shelter. Thrives in sun or shade. Water depth maximum 24”. Zones 6-11. Permission from Aquascapes Lifestyle Magazine | |
|
Get your camera ready when the snow starts to fly. We want pictures of your pond during the winter. During events we have had many people ask what happens to a pond in the winter? What better way to show the beauty of a pond in winter than with pictures. This will be a great club feature at the 2007 Expo. | |
|
January 14th at 2:00 pm at
If you want to be on the committee, please attend and sign up. Bring your ideas. Contact Jackie Allsup if you have any questions. Chairman — Jackie Allsup: cedarserviceja@aol.com Roberta Ward
| |
|
Our Head Judge with be Senichi Mano of Izumiya fame who is not only one of the most respected koi breeders in the Niigata region, but is also Chairman of the Shinkokai. In addition to our esteemed panel of Shinkokai Judges from Japan, we will also feature judges from AKCA, ZNA and Shinkokai of U.S. The AKCA judge will be Pam Spindola, an experienced judge and a long time Koi hobbyist. The judge from ZNA is Ron Gof orth, a certified ZNA Judge and long time ZNA leader. The Shinkokai U.S. judge will be Ray Abell from Nishikigoi of Niigata, well known for his keen eye, and high quality koi. There will also be three AKCA candidate judges, and prof essional fish handlers from the Shinkokai of U.S. Download the Show flier HERE. Sincerely,
Show Chairman
| |
|
Saturday, February 24, 2007 Presented by Iowa State University Linn County Master Gardeners Register in advance for classes www.extension.iastate.edu/linn Tuition: $9/session Here are just a few of the classes offered: Containers with Pizzazz
FREE Keynote Presentation:
| |
|
from Aquascapes Lifestyle Magazine According to veterinarian and fish specialist, Dr. Erik Johnson, “The key to keeping healthy fish can be found in maintaining good water quality.” When water quality deteriorates, whether from a fish overload, a lack of plants, or from lawn fertilizer chemicals seeping into the pond water, stress levels on your fish increase. And increased stress reduces the effectiveness of your fish’s immune system, rendering them more vulnerable to various diseases present in their environment. So if you want healthy fish, make sure your water quality is good, minimize their stress levels, maximize the potency of their immune systems, and their ability to fend off disease will improve. How This Scenario Plays Out for Humans According to self-help guru Dr. Deepak Chopra, the same scenario that applies to fish, also applies to humans. As a person’s stress level increases, the effectiveness of their immune system is reduced, leaving them vulnerable to various diseases in their environment. To protect your own good health, simply reduce the stress in your life, making sure your immune system is strong, vital, and capable of fending off the diseases in your environment, and your odds of living a long, happy, healthy, and active life increases exponentially. Two Easy and Practical Tests Chopra suggests two simple tests to determine how vulnerable you are to disease. The first is simply to ask yourself if you’re happy with your job. Job satisfaction is huge because if you’re spending 40 to 60 hours a week doing a job that you don’t like, or have too little time to do it, pressure and stress will build, and the effectiveness of your immune system will gradually decrease. The second Chopra test is what he calls the happiness test. Just ask yourself how happy you are with your life. The happier you are, the greater your odds of staying healthy. Reducing the stress in your life is good for you and it will probably translate into better health. There are various ways to escape from stress – some lose themselves in a long run, yoga practice, tai chi, or prayer. But those who have a water garden in their backyard probably just walk outside, and lose themselves in the soothing sights and sounds of their pond. And when they do, they relax, and that’s good for their health. An Emergency Room Medical Physician Emergency Medical Physician, Dr. Anna Marie Allen agrees wholeheartedly with Dr. Chopra about stress, the immune system, and the odds of living a healthy life. “Ninety percent of all the patients I see are suffering from stress-related diseases,” she said. “Stress definitely reduces your immune system’s effectiveness, and increases your vulnerability to disease. “And the stress that doctors work under in the ER these days is overwhelming. “But when I come home I go out to the pond, sit in the gazebo, feed the fish, watch them swim around, and relax. Feeding the fish is especially relaxing to me,” Dr. Allen said. “My pond is my natural antidote to emergency room stress. I don’t know what I’d do without it.” M.S. Warriors Weighs in Greg Cain was diagnosed with M.S. three years ago, but didn’t take the news lying down. Instead, he decided to have the pond of his dreams built. Over the past year, Greg has become a supporter of the therapeutic value of water gardening. “The pond has turned out to be a natural sedative, and it’s been so good for my own health. I noticed immediately how I could relax when I was around the pond, and I can’t tell you how much all this relaxation has meant to the success of my therapy,” Cain said. When Ken and Gill Ecke moved into a house with an old Jacuzzi, they wanted to eliminate it and replace with it a pond. Ken is an engineer who often operates under a work-related stress load, so when he was diagnosed with M.S., they decided to move forward with the pond they’d been thinking about for two years. “Ken has always been very active, and the pond has given him a new hobby that’s fun and relaxing at the same time,” Gill said. “When he comes home from work, he immediately goes out to the pond to feed the fish. It’s been a Godsend for both of us.” Don’t Worry, Be Happy Now, if you wanted to boil this down into the lyrics of a song, it might be Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy. If you heed this simple piece of musical advice, odds are that the immune system Mother Nature equipped you with will remain strong and you’ll be more successful at fending off diseases in your environment. Interestingly enough, one of the easiest, most natural ways to experience peace, tranquility, and relaxation is to have a pond out in your backyard, to feed the fish, listen to the sounds of the waterfalls, and breathe in the aroma of the plants and flowers. | |
|
Waterfalls are perhaps the most beautiful features in a water garden. People can argue that they love fish the most, or that the gorgeous water lilies are their favorites, but the waterfall is what really makes it special. Not only is it beautiful, but it also serves a valuable purpose in your ecosystem by aerating the water for your fish and holding the beneficial bacteria that keeps your pond algae-free. But could a waterfall survive without a pond? Sure it can. And the concept of a waterfall minus the pond is called The Pondless Waterfall. Read more about the Pondless Waterfall next month. Permission from Aquascapes Lifestyle Magazine | |
|
Eastern Iowa Pond Society Membership Application | |
|
February 24
March 24
April 12
April 28
May 10
May 26
June 14
June 23
July 8
July 28
August 9
August 25
September 15
September 22
October 27
November 17
Agenda: Business Meeting: 30-40 minutes
All locations and topics are subject to change. Read your monthly newsletter for details and updates. | |
