Deb Spencer from Water’s Edge
Will Discuss “Spring Things” 
On First Day of Spring, Mar 21

   Deb Spencer, well-known and appreciated by all WGS members, will bring her considerable expertise in the care and growing of all things pond-possible to the March meeting.  As co-owner of Water’s Edge in Lawrence, Deb enjoys helping gardeners, both newbies and old hands, make their ponds as beautiful and successful as possible.

        Water’s Edge came about because Deb and co-owner Susan had discovered lotus plants, and it was love, actually.  However, the relationship had a rocky start—the first lotus they owned didn’t survive.  Deb can laugh now as she tells it, but that disaster led to much study and hard work, and today each lotus they welcome into a pond knows it will find a loving, safe and appropriate home. 

        Home for that first lotus not only was not safe, it was non-existent!  No pond awaited it.  (Lesson number one:  have a spot ready before your new plant arrives!)

        But since Deb and Susan had their beautiful plant, they needed a temporary spot where it could wait until their pond was built.  (Lesson number two:  if you love plants but don’t have a pond, plants will not love you back.)  So, they put water and the plant into a plastic bag in a laundry basket, and proceeded with the pond.  Later, they discovered the bag was too heavy to carry outside. The plant was not amused.  It died.  (Lesson number three:  do your homework before you do your project.)

        After a number of years in the business, Deb and friend Cathy Eisenhauer (she will be helping at the March meeting) can now help all of us with those urgent questions Spring brings about:  how soon can plants which have been inside all winter be placed back into the pond?  What do I do about green water?  (For the extremely new gardener, green water does not mean good things are growing!) When and how do I divide and repot plants?  (Some plants become quite testy when they are disturbed and suffer from depression even plant Prozac can’t cure.) How can I get the most from my plant dollars?

        And of course, the two biggies:  What Do I Do About String Algae?! and What chemicals should I /shouldn’t I use? 

        Deb and Cathy will also answer questions about any spring concerns you might have.

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        Speaking at the WGS March meeting will be a representative of the Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City, who will give us lots of information on the 10,000 Rain Gardens project sponsored by Mayor Kay Barnes of KC, Mo. 

        The Master Gardeners will be contacting neighborhood associations and representatives.  They plan to meet with groups in neighborhoods, and once information is given out, they will actually help install the gardens, if help is needed.  They also have plans for providing plants and rain barrels where there is a need for those things.

        Master Gardeners of Greater Kansas City is supported by the University of Missouri at Kansas City, and has access to horticulturists and specialists in many areas who will answer questions and provide help to get the Rain Garden project off the ground.