Flanagan speaks at BVGC meeting

Jimmy Flanagan, St. Mary Parish LSU AgCenter Extension Service agent, was guest speaker for the February Bayou Vista Garden Club meeting. His presentation, “Sugarcane Production: Past and Present,” included a video on the history and increasingly technical process of growing sugar cane in Louisiana.
Flanagan holds a masters +30 degree and has been an agronomist and precision agriculture specialist with the AgCenter for 18 years. He also farmed for 18 years, raising cotton, corn and soybeans.
Environmental Awareness Chairman Kim Alcina displayed several creations using repurposed utensils. Spoons, forks, and other flatware were hammered into plant markers, picture stands, cabinet and door pulls, candle and plant holders and stands, and garden art.
Jean Chauvin, horticulture chairman, presented information on the Ponytail Palm (Beaucarnea recurvata). It is an evergreen perennial which can grow to 15 feet. It is often grown as a houseplant or outdoor garden plant in temperate climates. Chauvin distributed handouts on the cultivation and care of the plant.
The topic of Wildlife Conservation Chairman Nancy Marcel was the endangered whooping crane, North America’s tallest bird. According to Marcel, population numbers dropped less than 20 at their lowest, and today they’ve bounced back about 600 thanks to conservation efforts. The whooping crane’s primary natural breeding ground is Wood Buffalo National Park, in Canada’s Northwest Territories and Alberta. When summer ends, these migratory birds set out for the Gulf Coast of Texas, where they winter in the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Hostesses for the meeting were Donna Richard and Donna Bucci. The floral design, “Stepping Out for Valentine’s Day,” was constructed by Richard. She used a high-heeled shoe and filled it with red roses accented with heart-shaped bamboo, variegated ivy, maidenhair fern and nandina.
Kim Alcina was the door prize winner. The next meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. March 10 at the Bayou Vista Community Center. New members are welcome to attend.