The Cultura Garden Club held its April meeting at First Baptist Church. Serving as hostesses were Debbie Beason, Eva Keys and Barbara Sage.

The program, How to Care for Your Garden, was presented by Terry Hall, retired agriculture/horticulture instructor.

Mr. Hall stressed the importance of watering. In the summer season, you need to water your flowers at least once every day. Plants lose a lot of water during this season, and they can wither or have stunted growth if not well watered.

The other seasons are pretty cool and wet, and you can water your flowers twice a week.

In determining the amount of water to use, consider the species of the flowers, type of soil and amount of rainfall in the area.

Excessive watering and poor watering methods can cause fungal diseases on plants. It is recommended you use safe watering methods, like applying water directly on the soil and not on the foliage.

At signs of low soil fertility, you need to apply appropriate fertilizers. The best fertilizers for flowers are water-soluble or liquid ones. Some fertilizers can scorch plants when used incorrectly.

Pests can easily kill flowering plants, so it is important to prevent them from attacking your garden.

Weeds compete for resources with useful plants and can harbor pests and diseases. In order to get the best from your flowers, remove any weeds that grow in your garden.

Mulching is mainly done to help soil retain moisture, and is recommended in places with water scarcity. This garden practice can control weeds and regulate soil temperature.

Sunlight is the source of energy, and plants need to get as much as needed. If your plants cannot survive long hours of sunlight, you can place a barrier around the garden to block sunlight during some hours of the day.

Plants need to be pinched and pruned. This process increases branching and promotes the formation of more flowers.

Deadheading is the process of removing old or dead flower heads from a plant to encourage more blooming. Thinning is the process of removing excess plants to create room for the growth of the remaining plants.

It is a good bit of work to care for your garden plants, but it is easy to carry out the care practices.

Program chairman JoAnn Graham gave Terry a token of appreciation for his presentation. Mr. Hall gave various plants as door prizes to members to plant in their garden.

Vice President Debbie Nale and the fundraiser chairperson informed members that the spring flowers sold will be delivered May 4 at 3:30 p.m. at Hillary Hall’s house.

Brenda Oliver, horticulture chairperson, reviewed plans and made assignments for cleaning out the large pots downtown and planting new plants.

New 16-inch baskets and flowers have been purchased by the Garden Club to hang on the street poles downtown.