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Horticulture
For additional information, consult
National Garden Clubs, Inc.
Handbook for Flower Shows
Members are encouraged to bring horticulture specimens to every meeting. This is educational and informative, an opportunity for members to share their knowledge and experience, or to have their questions answered by others. It is a time to share a prized bloom, an interesting plant, or to warn of insects or diseases. Members may also share seeds and cuttings, and helpful garden-ing tips.
Surveying the garden for specimens can reveal things that otherwise might have gone unnoticed. Ideas include evergreen branches, pine cones, flowering branches, forced bulbs, houseplants, succulents, herbs, annuals, perennials, vegetables, fruit, seed pods, troublesome weeds, and unknown plants to be identified. Known plants should be labeled.
pleasant hills garden club
HORTICULTURE SPECIMENS
JANUARY
1. Cactus/Succulents
2. Christmas Cactus
3. Evergreen branch – not to exceed 18”
4. Forced Bulbs
5. Herb – Potted
- Culinary
- Fragrant
- Medicinal
6. Flowering House Plants
7. Any Interesting Specimens (2)
8. Exchange- Cuttings and Rooted Cutting
- Begonia
- Coleus
- Geranium
- Impatiens
- Houseplant
- Any other
Garden Tip -- Brush upward when you knock snow off evergreens to keep branches from breaking.
APRIL
1. Narcissus – 1 Scape (A leafless flower stalk)
- Cluster Flowered, Double
- Cluster Flower, Single
- Double
- Large Cupped
- Small Cupped
- Miniature
2. Any Other Flowering Bulb or Rhizome
3. Any Interesting Specimen (2)
4. Flowering Branch – not to exceed 18”
5. Any Well Grown Ground Cover
6. Exchange
- Cuttings
- Seedlings
- Seeds
- Perennials
Garden Tip -- Apply pre-emergence herbicides about the time forsythia blooms. This will prevent a huge number of weeds from germinating.
FEBRUARY
1. Colorful or unusual branch -- not to exceed 18"
2. Forced Branch – not to exceed 18”
3. Forced Bulbs
- Amaryllis.
- Crocus
- Hyacinth
- Muscari
- Narcissus
- Oxalis
- Tulip
- Any other
4. Forced Rhizome
5. Potted Herbs
6. Foliage House Plant
7. Any Interesting Specimens (2)
8. Exchange - Cuttings and Rooted Cuttings
- Begonia
- Coleus
- Impatiens
- Lobelia
- Houseplants
- Any other
Garden Tip – Before the growing season, check the condition of your garden tools to fix or replace any that are in disrepair.
MAY
1. Iris- 1 stalk
2. Hyacinth – 1 stalk
3. Narcissus- 1 stalk
- Cluster Flower
- Double
- Large Flower
- Miniature
4. Tulip – 1 stem
- Darwin
- Double Peony
- Lily Flower
- Parrot
5. Perennial – 1 Stem or Bloom
- Anemone
- Columbine
- Dianthus
- Bleeding Heart
- Lily of the Valley
- Lily
- Oriental Poppy
- Pansy
- Peony
- Any other
6. Flowering Branch – not to exceed 18”
7. Any Interesting Specimen not listed (2)
8. Exchange
- Cuttings
- Seeds
- Plants
Garden Tip – Remove weeds while they are small. A mature weed that goes to seed can produce thousands of new weeds.
MARCH
1. Forced or Flowering Branch -- not to exceed 18”
2. Bulbs - 1 Bloom or stem
- Crocus
- Christmas Rose
- Snow Drop
- Hyacinth
- Mucari
- Scilla
- Tulip
- Any other
3. Terrariums
4. Any Interesting Specimen
5. Exchange
- Perennial
- Any Other
Garden Tip -- Inspect young trees for rodent damage; bring branches of early spring-flowering plants inside to force blooming.
JUNE
1. Biennials (Takes two years to bloom) – one stem or spray.
- Canterbury Bells
- Foxgloves
- Pansies
- Sweet William
- Any other
2. Perennial - 1 Stem or Spray
- Coral Bell
- Coreopsis
- Delphinium
- Lupine
- Primrose
- Pyrethrum
- Yarrow
- Any other
3. Flowering bulb or rhizome – 1 stalk
4. Roses – Bloom or spray
- Climbing
- Floribunda
- Grandiflora
- Hybrid Tea
- Miniature
- Any other
5. Flowering Shrub- Branch not to exceed 18”
6. Fruit
7. Vegetable
8. Any Interesting Specimen not listed (2)
9. Exchange
- Cuttings
- Plants
- Seeds
JULY
1. Annuals – 1 Stalk, Stem, or Spray
- Aster
- Calendula
- Celosia
- Cleome
- Geranium
- Marigold
- Salvia
- Snapdragon
- Zinnia
- Any other
2. Perennial – 1 Stalk, Stem, or Spray
- Astilbe
- Carnation
- Clematis
- Columbine
- Coral Bells
- Coreopsis
- Dianthus
- Hemerocallis Daylily
- Lavender
- Lupine
- Rudbeckia
- Shasta Daisy
- Any other
3. Roses – 1 Bloom or Spray
- Climber
- Floribunda
- Grandiflora
- Hybrid Tea
- Miniature
- Any other
4. Any interesting specimens not listed (2)
5. Fruit
6. VegetableGarden Tip --
7. Exchange
- Cuttings
- Seeds
- Plants
Garden Tip - Wear a hat while gardening to prevent wrinkles and sunburn.
OCTOBER
1. Cannas - I Cluster
2. Chrysanthemum - I Stem or Spray
- Exhibition (Large)
- Spider
- Spoon
- Standard
- Any other
3. Dahlia¬
- Cactus
- Formal
- Pompom
- Any other
4. Rose - Bloom or Spray
5. Any Interesting Annual or Perennial (2)
6. Fruit
7. Vegetable
8. Exchange
- Bulbs
- Plants
- Cuttings
- Seeds
Garden Tip - Save fall leaves in trash bags. Close them up and poke a few holes in the bags. In the spring the leaves will have started to decompose and make good mulch.
AUGUST
1. Annuals – 1 Stalk, Stem, or Spray
- Ageratum
- Bells of Ireland
- Celosia
- Lantana
- Marigold
- Nigella
- Petunia
- Snapdragon
- Zinnia-button
- Zinnia- Giant
- Any other
2. Perennials – 1 Stalk, Stem, or Spray
3. Lily – 1 Stem
4. Rose – 1 Bloom or Spray
- Climbing
- Floribunda
- Grandiflora
- Hybrid Tea
- Miniature
- Any other
5. Any Interesting Specimen Not Listed (2)
6. Vegetable
7. Exchange
- Bulbs
- Cuttings
- Seeds
- Plants
Garden Tip - Garden with a friend. Work together an hour or two in your garden and, on another day, an hour or two in her garden.
SEPTEMBER
1. Annual – 1 Stalk, Stem, or Spray
- Geranium
- Marigold
- Nasturtium
- Nicotiana
- Nigella
- Salvia
- Snapdragon
- Any Other
2. Perennials - 1 Stalk, Stem, or Spray
- Anemone
- Aster
- Echinopsis
- Cone Flower
- Lythrum
- Phlox
- Rudbeckia
- Any Other
3. Canna - 1 Cluster
4. Dahlia - 1 Head
- Cactus
- Formal
- Semi-Formal
5. Gladiolus - 1 Stalk
6. Herb - 1 Stem or Spray
7. Chrysanthemum - 1 Stem or Spray
- Cushion
- Daisy
- Spider
- Spoon
- Standard
- Any Other
8. Fruit
9. Vegetable
10. Any Interesting Specimen (2)
Garden Tip - Send soil samples to the state extension service. Spnd time ad money on things yo actually need than things you think you need.
NOVEMBER
1. Chrysanthemum - 1 Stem or Spray
2. Dried Grasses, or Native American Plants
3. Dried Flowers
- Bells of Ireland
- Celosia
- Feverfew
- Lunaria
- Salvia
- Straw Flower
- Yarrow
- Any other
4. Pods
- Bells of Ireland
- Columbine
- Globe Thistle
- Carolina Allspice
- Salvia
- Rose of Sharon
- Cattail
- Any other
5. Glycerolized plant material
6. Any Interesting Specimen (2)
7. Exchange
- Bulbs
- Cuttings
- Plants
Garden Tip - Bring color to your winter garden by growing shrubs or trees that hold on to their berries. Viburnums, crab apples, hollies, and barberries are top choices.
DECEMBER
1. Berried Branch - Not to exceed 18"
2. Evergreen Branch - Not to exceed 18"
3. Flowering Houseplant
4. Foliage Houseplant
5. Potted Herb
6. Pine Cones
7. Seed Pods
8. Any Interesting Specimen
9. Exchange
- Cuttings
- Seeds
- Plant
Garden Tip - Purchase a garden journal. When the new seed catalogs come in, start a list of new plants for next year. Dream about spring.
LET FREEDOM RING GARDEN
Located at the intersection of Clairton Blvd. and Old Clairton Road
Maintained by Pleasant Hills Garden Club
HISTORY AND ACTIVITIES
The Pleasant Hills Garden Club was formed in 1940 by 14 women who wanted to create interest in and promote the knowledge of horticulture and floral design, to assist in the development of civic beauty, and to aid in local and national programs of conservation.
In the last 75 plus years the garden club has served the community by donating funds and hard work to landscapes throughout Pleasant Hills. Members have provided and maintained plantings at the Pleasant Hills Library, the Pleasant Hills Municipal Building, Mowry Park, and the Let Freedom Ring Garden (located at the Bill Green Shopping center) to name a few of their projects. Pleasant Hills Garden Club also helps in maintaining the A.W. Robertson Arboretum. The Inside Garden located at the Pleasant Hills Municipal Building in the foyer is a glassed in garden that is designed and maintained by the PHGC.
A Blue Star By-Way Marker was placed at the Let Freedom Ring Garden in 2015 to honor those that have served in the military.
Each month (in the summer) a garden in the community is chosen by the PHGC as Garden of the Month. A Garden of the Month sign is placed in the garden for a month.
The Pleasant Hills Garden Club also gives donations to Penny Pines, Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens, Phipps Conservancy, National Garden Club, Inc., Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania, and the GCFP, District X
Updated 7/25/2021
