The Senior Citizen Garden Club will soon be in bloom with the Paperwhite Narcissus plants just in time for the holidays. Paperwhites are a cousin to the springtime daffodil flower, and usually given as gifts at Christmas.
Paperwhite is the December birth flower and is native to the Mediterranean. It has been said that the recipient of the fragrant flower is sweet. Paperwhite is a popular choice for horticulture clubs since it is easy to bloom indoors, although care must be taken, because they are toxic to pets. Keep them away from dogs and cats. Legend states that after Narcissus died, Apollo turned him into the Narcissus flower.
Club members enjoy getting together and discussing various plants and growing new plants from clippings. Seniors took clippings recently from the hearty ‘Moses on the boat,’ a deep eggplant colored plant with small flower blooms.
Sponsored by the Hudson County Office on Aging, the Garden Club is federally-funded through the Older American Act. The group meets on Mondays at the Senior Center, 101 Centre Ave. Lou Seagull, Horticulture Therapist, is a retired professor from Pace University. He is a Master Gardener at New York Botanical Gardens and is certified in Horticulture Therapy. Gardening is his life-long hobby.
“The purpose of the program is to connect people and plants,” he says. “People grow with the plants through socialization.” He emphasized that people feel better when they connect with nature. The program is seasonally-based. Autumn will bring crafts such as designing fall arrangements with pumpkins. “We always have a variety of plants to satisfy everyone.”
Lou said there is something to the concept of talking to plants. “Humans release carbon dioxide while talking to plants, and they give us oxygen in return.”
Secaucus resident Catherine Carrabot, also a master gardener, enjoys sharing tips about gardening with the group. Catherine and her Golden Gardener partner, Cathy Mascis, manage the nursery on the roof of the Elms Senior Building on Fifth Street. Catherine volunteers at several gardening clubs to maintain her accreditation. She received her certification through Rutgers. She is also a member of the town’s Shade Tree Committee. Cathy said the club has about 10-12 members with a noticeable increase of participants in the spring.
Club member Laura Urban said the group originally got together for the common pleasure of gardening.
“We all have a respect for plants.” She said some of the members are apartment dwellers and others own their own home and have more access to outdoor gardens. “People in apartments need to figure out where to get the best exposure and how to care for plants indoors.” The group discusses success stories and sometimes teases about what went wrong. Member Rowan Rifkin said it is a friendly group.
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