Blackridge Garden Club
  • Home
    • BGC Faves and Finds >
      • Garden Centers/Shops We Love
      • In Memoriam
    • It's All About the Corners
  • About Us
    • By-Laws
    • 2019-2020 Officers & Committees >
      • 2019-2020 Members
      • BGC 2019-20 Yearbook
    • Contact Us
    • 2019-2020 Corners Maintenance
    • Becoming A Member
    • BGC in the News
    • Past Presidents
    • Garden Club History
  • Judy's Blog
    • Archives: Garden Gem of the Month
  • Current Events
    • 2021-2022 Program
    • 2019-2020 Program >
      • Feb/ Mar 2020 Photos: Bloomin' Corners Raffle
      • Feb 2020 Photos: Balkey Tree Slideshow
      • Feb 2020 Photos: Tree Time
      • Dec 2019 Photos: 80th BD
      • Oct 2019 Photos: ALT Presentation
      • Oct 2019 Photos: CGC Mtg
      • Sept 2019 Photos: Fallingwater
    • Google Calendar
    • Community Events of Interest
  • Past Events
    • 2018-2019 Program >
      • June 2019: Midsummer's Tour
      • June 2019: EOY Luncheon
      • April 2019: Churchill Borough Earth Day Cleanup
      • October 2018 Photos EJ's Army
      • October 2018 Photos Tree Talk
    • 2017-2018 Program >
      • 2018 June Photos: End of Year Luncheon
      • April 2018 Photos: EJs Army
      • April 2018 Photos: CGC
      • April 2018 Photos: Orchids
      • Oct 2017 Photos
      • Bloomin' Corners Raffle 2018
    • 2016-2017 Program >
      • Bloomin' Corners 2017
      • April 2017 Photos
    • 2015-2016 Program >
      • Sept 2016 Photos
      • October 2016 Photos
      • Bloomin' Corners 2016 >
        • 2016 Benefit Donors
        • March 2016 Photos: Benefit
      • July 2016: Wrecked Corner, Forest South
    • 2014-2015 Program >
      • November 2014 Wrecked Corner
      • Bloomin' Corners 2015 >
        • Benefit Donors
        • March 2015 Photos: Benefit
    • 2013-2014 Program >
      • Oct 2013 Photos: EJ's Army
      • Bloomin' Corners 2014 >
        • Moon Gardens
        • Rosemary
    • 2012-2013 Program >
      • Sept 2012 Photos: Fall Spruce-Up
      • Dec 2012 Photos: Kickoff
      • March 2013 Photos: Kennywood Program
      • March 2013 Photos: Benefit >
        • 2013 Benefit: Garden Art Contest
      • March 2013 Photos: Benefit Setup
      • Apr 2013 Photos: Spring Spruce-Up
      • May 2013 Photos: Auction
    • 2011-2012 Program >
      • Sept 2011 Photos: Fellows
      • Oct 2011 Photos: Fall Spruce-Up
      • Oct 2011 Photos: Bird Habitat
      • Nov 2011 Photos: Ironwork
      • Dec 2011 Photos: WHHS Choir
      • Jan/Mar 2012 Photos: Benefit >
        • Donors to Benefit/Big Raffle
        • Birdhouse Contest
      • Apr 2012 Photos: Spring Cleanup
      • Apr 2012 Photos: Butterflies and Hummers >
        • May 2012 Photos: Auction
    • 2010-2011 Program >
      • Oct 2010 Photos: Oktoberfest
      • Nov 2010 Photos: Creating Holiday Magic
      • Dec 2010 Photos: Behind the Scenes at The Phipps
      • Feb 2011 Photos: Cooking from the Kitchen Garden
      • Feb 2011 Photos: Wrecked Corner
      • Mar 2011 Photos: PA Native Plants
      • Mar 2011 Photos: Benefit Setup
      • Mar 2011 Photos: Benefit
      • Apr 2011 Photos: Burgh Bees
      • May 2011 Photos: Plant Auction
      • May 2011 Photos: Collins Corners
    • 2009-2010 Program >
      • June 2009 Photos: Installing Shrubs
      • Oct 2009 Photos: Planting Bulbs
      • Dec 2009 Photos: Vintage
      • Dec 2009 Photos: 70th Anniv
    • 2007-2008 Program >
      • May 2008 Photos: WHSD and Prez Luncheon
    • 2004-2005 Program
    • 2002-2003 Program
    • 2001-2002 Program
    • 2000-2001 Program
  • Tour Archives
    • 2019 Tour Booklet
    • 2014 Tour Booklet
    • 2011 Tour Booklet >
      • 2011 Tour Summary
      • 2011 Tour Map
      • June 2011 Photos: Garden Tour
    • 2009 Tour Booklet >
      • June 2009 Photos: Garden Tour
      • June 2009 Photos: Bluedorn Garden
    • 2007 Tour Booklet
    • 2005 Tour Booklet
    • 2003 Tour Booklet >
      • June 2003 Photos: Garden Tour
    • 2001 Tour Booklet

JUdy's Blog

Ideas for Web Resources AKA Blogroll?

1/30/2011

3 Comments

 
I took a few minutes to add some additional links in the blog sidebar, and changed the title from "Blogroll" to "Web Resources" because only a few are actually blogs.  Do you have any other suggestions?  I am sure our members have some favorites. Thanks!
3 Comments

And About Those Shade Trees...

1/25/2011

0 Comments

 
When I received the Blackboard the other day, it reminded me that I promised to list a few favorite shade trees here on the blog, and I will, but it may be after next week's meeting.  In the meantime, if any of you have any favorites you'd like to mention, please leave a comment here.  Thanks!
0 Comments

Garden-to-Fork Presentation Next Week!

1/25/2011

0 Comments

 
       The topics for my Cooking from the Kitchen Garden (Groundhog Day, BCA, 7 PM) presentation remain planning your garden, starting seeds indoors, maintaining your garden, and putting things by, but my guest stars are an evolving list.  Bernie will still be talking groundhogs and pickles, and Dan and Amanda will still have photos of their massive tomato and pepper canning operation, but Joe will have to play nursemaid to one of our dogs, who just had knee surgery, so I'll have to relay any questions you have about building the cold frame to him, and I'll answer them here after the program.
       A new and wonderful addition to our line-up of seasoned gardeners on hand for you to ask questions of are Ralph and Kathy, who have a fabulous garden in general, and their vegetable patch is excellent, and surrounded by a tall and effective deer fence!  They plan to add some raised beds next spring (great for those with small yards, and also for those with physical challenges), and they reminded me that a wonderful place to buy seedlings is Garden Dreams in Wilkinsburg!  Ralph will be bringing the Garden Dreams catalog to the meeting, and I will bring lots of good show and tell items, too.
       Throughout the presentation, our guest stars will add their words of wisdom and experience, and afterwards, we will have a round table for you to ask questions.  I know the food committee is planning a delicious kitchen-garden-inspired snack and beverage spread, and one of our guest stars may even bring some groundhog cookies, but she promised me that not one of the 13 little buggers she trapped last summer are included in the recipe.  (I think they might be more on the order of this.)  I think our webmaster (decorating committee) has a few other surprises up her sleeve, and I'll keep you posed on more deets as the time draws closer.
       We hope to welcome some members of the nearby Churchill Garden Club, and would love to see as many hibernating Blackridge neighbors and friends and their guests as possible.  Give me a call at 412-241-5769 or Nancy Del Presto at 412-247-4129 if you'd like to attend, so that we have an idea of how much food to prepare and how many chairs to put around the tables.  You are, of course, welcome to post your RSVP or your questions right here, as well.

0 Comments

Pennsylvania Gardener Magazine Premier Issue

1/20/2011

5 Comments

 
       A certain webmaster treated me to a subscription of the new Pennsylvania Gardener magazine.  The first issue arrived the other day, and I've had a chance to take a good look at it, and I can say it is a solid effort, and a worthwhile issue.  I hope the title continues to be published, and I am looking forward to upcoming issues and to the planned website.
       Columns specific to our geographic area were written by local gardening experts, and contain accurate, reliable information, and the variety of topics covered should appeal to most home gardeners.  I think it is a valuable supplement to the basics of gardening veterans, Organic Gardening and Horticulture, and/or a good general introduction for garden magazine newbies.
       I found a few nice articles that I can add to my show and tell for the garden-to-fork BGC meeting on February 2, and I am in love with some new hellebores the magazine pointed out.  I was also delighted that the editor left this line in one of the questions in the Ask an Expert column: "What is the best deer repellent to use?  I always have deer in my yard and chasing them doesn't seem to help...." 
       Sadly, no illustration accompanied the query.   If I had to nitpick, I'd say the writing itself, especially in the features, isn't exactly Vita Sackville-West's, but then neither is mine.  Happy reading!

5 Comments

Groundhog Day "Cooking from the Kitchen Garden" Is Approaching!

1/11/2011

6 Comments

 
       Since the food committee and the decorating committees are moving towards making our February meeting (7:00 PM, 2/2/11, BCA) delicious and beautiful, I thought I'd toss out a few teasers about some of the friends and neighbors who will be joining me:
  • Bernie, who will demo her famous Nine Day Pickles, and tell her tales of trapping a baker's dozen marauding groundhogs
  • Dan, who planted a corn field on Williamsburg Place and celebrated the harvest with an old fashioned corn roast
  • Amanda and Dan, who pick tomatoes and peppers at a local farm and water bath can it in mass quantities right on Orlando Place
  • Joe, who built me a collapsible cold frame so nice I call it my mini-greenhouse

       I'm still collecting stories, so if you have any suggestions, questions, or comments, please post them here.  If you are interesting in attending, so we can have a head count, please contact me or Nancy Del Presto.
       
6 Comments

Shout Out for Seed Catalog Suggestions

1/4/2011

2 Comments

 
       One huge exception to my detestation of receiving catalogs in the mail is when they are seed catalogs.  A few of the ones I love to peruse are:
  • Burpee Gardening
  • Park Seed
  • Johnny's Selected Seeds
  • Seeds of Change
  • Tomato Growers Supply Company
  • The Cook's Garden
  • Renee's Garden 

       What suggestions do you have, gardeners?
2 Comments

January and February 2011 In The Garden

1/2/2011

0 Comments

 
It’s winter in Blackridge, and most of our large trees are bare of leaves, so we can observe the branching structure, and plan appropriate pruning, which is best done in late winter or very early spring, before bud break.  Winter is a good time to make the decision to carefully remove trees that have been weakened and disfigured by topping (aka “stubbing” or “heading”), and especially trees on which you can see fungal conks (aka “shelves” or  “brackets”), indicating the tree is rotted and in danger of falling.  (And I have seen a few of those in Blackridge.) 

            On the other hand, short of these extreme circumstances, or if a tree is dying, in a dangerous spot, or causing significant property damage, I am very hesitant to ever recommend removal of mature trees, and would recommend that you first consider the financial value of large shade trees, in addition to their dominant position in the micro-climates and ecosystems in your Blackridge yards.  We are lucky to have so many mature trees in our neighborhood, helping to give it its special character.  There are actual formulae in use to calculate the value of a large tree based on its size, species, condition, and location; estimates generally show a 10-20% increase in the value of your property, depending on these criteria.

            Shade trees, both deciduous and evergreen, help cool our homes and neighborhood in the summer; serve to break the cold winds, especially from the northwest, to help lower heating costs in the winter; and provide habitat and food above and below ground for beneficial birds, insects, and other organisms—not to mention the other plants in your landscape—or yourselves.

  If a mature tree must be removed, a certified arborist should be consulted and a thoughtfully-selected replacement tree should be planted. (Check a future blog post for a list of a few of my favorite shade trees.)

0 Comments

    Author,
    Judy Diorio

    Judy's Blog is written by Blackridge's gardener-in-residence, Judy Diorio.  Judy has lived in Blackridge for 35 years, and writes the BGC's "In The Garden" column for the Blackboard.  She has studied horticulture and landscape design.

    Archives

    August 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    March 2019
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    October 2015
    May 2015
    February 2015
    March 2014
    September 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010

    Web Resources

    AgRecycle
    Allegheny Co Extension--Hort
    Arboretum at Penn State
    Audubon Soc of Western Pa
    Barbara Damrosch
    BHG.com--Gardening
    Birds and Blooms
    Cornell Ornithology
    Doug Oster
    Grow Pittsburgh
    Holden Arboretum
    Horticulture Magazine
    Longue Vue Gardens
    Margaret Roach
    Michael Pollan
    NYT--Gardeners and Gardening
    Organic Gardening Magazine
    Phipps Conservatory
    Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy
    Pittsburgh Botanic Garden
    Pollinator Partmership
    Post-Gazette--Home & Garden
    Royal Botanical Gardens
    ScienceDaily--Plants & Animals
    Treehugger.com
    US National Arboretum
    Victory Garden
    Western PA Conservancy
    Wildlife Resource Council
    ​American Orchid Society

    Categories

    All
    Asclepias Syriaca Common Milkweed11ea9fb5da
    Ashlee Esplen
    Backyard Poultry Magazine
    Bayberry
    Benefit
    Better Homes And Gardens
    Bgc Online Forum
    Birdhouses
    Birds
    Bloomin
    Chamaecyparis Obtusa
    Cocktails
    Compost
    Corners
    Cornus Kousa
    Dogwood
    Eastern Redbud
    Franklintree
    Gardening Magazines
    Grammy Rose
    Groundhogs
    Hemlock
    Hydrangea
    Japanese Stewartia
    Joe Destefano
    Mulching
    Pollinator Partnership
    Pruning
    Rachel Carson Institute Of Chatham U
    Recipes
    Rudbeckia
    Seed Catalogs
    Serviceberry
    Soil
    Sourwood
    Spring Gardening
    Spring Gardens
    Sweetbay Magnolia
    Three Rivers Birding Club
    Value Of Trees
    Vegetable Gardening
    Viburnum
    Western Pa Landscape And Garden Symposium
    Wildlife Habitat Council

    RSS Feed
Picture
Copyright © 2020. All web site design, text, graphics, the selection and arrangement thereof, and all software are Copyright protected under the copyright laws. Any use of materials on this website, including reproduction, modification, distribution or republication, without the prior written consent of Blackridge Garden Club, is strictly prohibited.
  • Home
    • BGC Faves and Finds >
      • Garden Centers/Shops We Love
      • In Memoriam
    • It's All About the Corners
  • About Us
    • By-Laws
    • 2019-2020 Officers & Committees >
      • 2019-2020 Members
      • BGC 2019-20 Yearbook
    • Contact Us
    • 2019-2020 Corners Maintenance
    • Becoming A Member
    • BGC in the News
    • Past Presidents
    • Garden Club History
  • Judy's Blog
    • Archives: Garden Gem of the Month
  • Current Events
    • 2021-2022 Program
    • 2019-2020 Program >
      • Feb/ Mar 2020 Photos: Bloomin' Corners Raffle
      • Feb 2020 Photos: Balkey Tree Slideshow
      • Feb 2020 Photos: Tree Time
      • Dec 2019 Photos: 80th BD
      • Oct 2019 Photos: ALT Presentation
      • Oct 2019 Photos: CGC Mtg
      • Sept 2019 Photos: Fallingwater
    • Google Calendar
    • Community Events of Interest
  • Past Events
    • 2018-2019 Program >
      • June 2019: Midsummer's Tour
      • June 2019: EOY Luncheon
      • April 2019: Churchill Borough Earth Day Cleanup
      • October 2018 Photos EJ's Army
      • October 2018 Photos Tree Talk
    • 2017-2018 Program >
      • 2018 June Photos: End of Year Luncheon
      • April 2018 Photos: EJs Army
      • April 2018 Photos: CGC
      • April 2018 Photos: Orchids
      • Oct 2017 Photos
      • Bloomin' Corners Raffle 2018
    • 2016-2017 Program >
      • Bloomin' Corners 2017
      • April 2017 Photos
    • 2015-2016 Program >
      • Sept 2016 Photos
      • October 2016 Photos
      • Bloomin' Corners 2016 >
        • 2016 Benefit Donors
        • March 2016 Photos: Benefit
      • July 2016: Wrecked Corner, Forest South
    • 2014-2015 Program >
      • November 2014 Wrecked Corner
      • Bloomin' Corners 2015 >
        • Benefit Donors
        • March 2015 Photos: Benefit
    • 2013-2014 Program >
      • Oct 2013 Photos: EJ's Army
      • Bloomin' Corners 2014 >
        • Moon Gardens
        • Rosemary
    • 2012-2013 Program >
      • Sept 2012 Photos: Fall Spruce-Up
      • Dec 2012 Photos: Kickoff
      • March 2013 Photos: Kennywood Program
      • March 2013 Photos: Benefit >
        • 2013 Benefit: Garden Art Contest
      • March 2013 Photos: Benefit Setup
      • Apr 2013 Photos: Spring Spruce-Up
      • May 2013 Photos: Auction
    • 2011-2012 Program >
      • Sept 2011 Photos: Fellows
      • Oct 2011 Photos: Fall Spruce-Up
      • Oct 2011 Photos: Bird Habitat
      • Nov 2011 Photos: Ironwork
      • Dec 2011 Photos: WHHS Choir
      • Jan/Mar 2012 Photos: Benefit >
        • Donors to Benefit/Big Raffle
        • Birdhouse Contest
      • Apr 2012 Photos: Spring Cleanup
      • Apr 2012 Photos: Butterflies and Hummers >
        • May 2012 Photos: Auction
    • 2010-2011 Program >
      • Oct 2010 Photos: Oktoberfest
      • Nov 2010 Photos: Creating Holiday Magic
      • Dec 2010 Photos: Behind the Scenes at The Phipps
      • Feb 2011 Photos: Cooking from the Kitchen Garden
      • Feb 2011 Photos: Wrecked Corner
      • Mar 2011 Photos: PA Native Plants
      • Mar 2011 Photos: Benefit Setup
      • Mar 2011 Photos: Benefit
      • Apr 2011 Photos: Burgh Bees
      • May 2011 Photos: Plant Auction
      • May 2011 Photos: Collins Corners
    • 2009-2010 Program >
      • June 2009 Photos: Installing Shrubs
      • Oct 2009 Photos: Planting Bulbs
      • Dec 2009 Photos: Vintage
      • Dec 2009 Photos: 70th Anniv
    • 2007-2008 Program >
      • May 2008 Photos: WHSD and Prez Luncheon
    • 2004-2005 Program
    • 2002-2003 Program
    • 2001-2002 Program
    • 2000-2001 Program
  • Tour Archives
    • 2019 Tour Booklet
    • 2014 Tour Booklet
    • 2011 Tour Booklet >
      • 2011 Tour Summary
      • 2011 Tour Map
      • June 2011 Photos: Garden Tour
    • 2009 Tour Booklet >
      • June 2009 Photos: Garden Tour
      • June 2009 Photos: Bluedorn Garden
    • 2007 Tour Booklet
    • 2005 Tour Booklet
    • 2003 Tour Booklet >
      • June 2003 Photos: Garden Tour
    • 2001 Tour Booklet