The mission of the Chapel Hill Garden Club is "to educate its members in horticulture, floral design, landscape design, and sound environmental practice, and to encourage public and civic beautification."

The Garden Club will resume
monthly meetings in the fall.

Notes for Gardeners: 2010 Chapel Hill Spring Garden Tour Plans are underway for the spring garden tour to be held in the Lake Forest neighborhood of Chapel Hill. Mark your calendar: Saturday, April 17th & Sunday, April 18th, 2010 The North Carolina Botanical Garden is looking forward to the opening of its new environmentally sustainable Education Center this summer! The Garden Club will be meeting in the new center in the fall. Deer Problems? Homemade Deer Repellent Spray There are a number of deer repellent sprays available on the market, but they can be pricey. Garden Club member Gail Norwood has been making her own deer repellent mixture for years. If you'd like to try it, here is the recipe: 10-12 eggs 1-2 cups hot sauce clove oil lemon grass oil dish washing liquid garlic Beat 10-12 raw eggs in blender (about 20 seconds). Pour into plastic gallon jug. Add 1-2 cups Texas Pete hot sauce (sold by the gallon at Costco - $6). Fill jug with cold water. Store in garage at least 3 weeks to allow time to putrefy before use. When ready to use, shake jug well. Hold your nose, and pour into sprayer (I use a 2-gallon sprayer with a wand). Use a funnel and handheld strainer as you pour it in sprayer tank. At this time, add a few shakes of clove oil and a few shakes of lemon grass oil (available at Whole Foods), and a squirt of dish liquid to help it stick to plants. Optional: Sometimes I make gallons of “garlic water” and add a cup or two to each gallon of spray I put in the sprayer. To make garlic water, put a few tablespoons of chopped garlic (from big bottles at Costco -cheap) into a plastic gallon jug and fill with water. Shake now and then, and the water is very garlicky. I strain out any pieces of garlic before adding to the sprayer. Straining the mixture as it goes in reduces the chance of having the spray wand get clogged. Some clogs may still happen, and if so, unscrew the little end of the sprayer and stick a pin or wire in the little open hole there to clear it out. The smell is stinky while you use it, but un-noticeable in the garden almost immediately. Spray about every 2 weeks during high risk time of year, and less during others. In spring, you have to watch for newly emerged growth (like lily buds and hosta leaves) as they are not protected until they have been sprayed. I wouldn't use it right before a rain, but I don't run out and use it right after a rain either. OK on veggies as well as flowers. Also spray the edges of your yard to deter them from entering in the first place and any suspected areas where they are bedding down, or traveling through.

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