Hi folks--Henslers is having their annual plant auction--check the link:
http://www.kasersauction.com/images/nursery.pdf
Thanks Maggie!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Up and coming STUFF--get ready for spring!
Hey all--here are a couple upcoming things to help put some SPRING JOY into our lives.
http://riverstreetflowerland.com/component/content/article/1-news/26-third-willow-class.html
http://theunitygardens.blogspot.com/p/our-mission.html
Thanks to Kathy for the Unity Gardens update!
FL
http://riverstreetflowerland.com/component/content/article/1-news/26-third-willow-class.html
http://theunitygardens.blogspot.com/p/our-mission.html
Thanks to Kathy for the Unity Gardens update!
FL
Thursday, March 3, 2011
HYPERTUFA AT ROSIES????? FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday Rosie stopped by with a wonderful idea. We have to change the date of our June meeting at her house--we were thinking maybe Wednesday the 8th instead of Tuesday. And if we do this, we can converge under Rosies circus tent and she will teach us to make HYPERTUFA troughs! This is a wonderful way to make gorgeous planters for your yard and garden and I would love to learn. We need to know if this day change will work for everyone so Rosie can begin getting her head wrapped around what we will need to do this. I am sure we can all pitch in to pay for our own materials, or bring stuff or do whatever is required. Please email me or phone and let me know if this date change works for you. I will also have Buscia do some phone calling. HTTD! (and the hypertufa!)
FL
FL
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Time to start getting DIRTY
Hi everyone--thanks to all who made the meeting last night. We didn't have a lot of business to take care of, which meant we had plenty of time to visit and stuff.
As for business--we didn't have any minutes read--Shirley has been keeping track of what goes on though. She also shouldered the burden of recording and submitting everyone's dues to the state. This is a time consuming and fiddley task and I really appreciate her stepping up to be responsible for this. Our state dues have been paid, and we all have little ID cards now from the Garden Club of Indiana.
We also discussed our plans to meet for lunch at Thyme of Grace. Mary Ann will look into this further, with the intent of doing this the first Friday in May (May 6). The tenative plan will be to meet at noon. This will not be a meeting--just a fun outing. Our meeting will have happened Tuesday of that same week at Bobbi's. We may have Pat McCauslin from ND as a speaker if his schedule permits--or if we are all VERY GOOD and bake LOTS OF PIE we may be lucky enough to get a visit from Michael Dossmann. I know his mom and dad would be thrilled if he could make it home but its a very busy time for him. In any case there is plenty of beauty to drink in and enjoy at Dave and Bobbi's. In fact Bobbi suggested that people arrive early so we can trek back to the woods to see the zillions of daffodils she has planted. Be sure to bring boots--I have been back there and you will need them. But its a beautiful sight for sure, and something well worth the hike!
That pretty much took care of the old business. As for new business--Sue passed around some literature about some worm casting products available from the Farmer's market and information about a Garden Show on Mar. 19-20 at Ginger Valley.
We discussed the upcoming MHA tailgate flower shows, which will take place at Beutter Park on June 11, July 9 and Oct. 1. The theme for the first one is "Blast from the Past" and we decided that if Dwayne is amenable we will use "Homer" the vintage pickup truck for our display and do a retro "Sanford and Son" type display, complete with costumes. More on this later. Shirley volunteered her Prius for the July show, which is themed "Think Green".
We had a reminder from Shirley about the upcoming Chigago flower show trip. She has a fairly large group going. Date for the trip is Sat. March 12.
The Sept. meeting will be held at Marianne Kemp's house. She is going to tell us about her food preservation adventures, including winemaking.
Our next meeting is Tues. April 5 at Shirleys. Sara Stewart will be telling us about Unity Gardens. Thanks to Kathy for setting this up.
As for announcements--Don't forget the benefit for Unity Gardens at http://www.naturescrossroads.com/. They are donating a portion of the proceeds from any seed sales.
March 5 is the day for 2 great garden events--a Symposium at Fernwood featuring some heavy hitter speakers including Roy Diblik. This event is $90.00 for members and $110 for non members. Also the Warsaw master gardeners symposium is that day featuring Paul James. Late fee for that is 40.00.
And a reminder to check your "Indiana Gardens" for signup information regarding the state convention in Merrilville. The deadline is fast approaching if you want to go. There is a discount for early registration.
After that we talked about seed starting basics. I will write a longer blog to recap everything I covered in that discussion. Suffice to say there were a lot of interesting questions, and I hope that everyone will think about trying this very rewarding pursuit.
When we got done I forgot to ask Patrick to adjourn us--so we actually are still meeting.
We can't be done until he says so!
HTTD!
As for business--we didn't have any minutes read--Shirley has been keeping track of what goes on though. She also shouldered the burden of recording and submitting everyone's dues to the state. This is a time consuming and fiddley task and I really appreciate her stepping up to be responsible for this. Our state dues have been paid, and we all have little ID cards now from the Garden Club of Indiana.
We also discussed our plans to meet for lunch at Thyme of Grace. Mary Ann will look into this further, with the intent of doing this the first Friday in May (May 6). The tenative plan will be to meet at noon. This will not be a meeting--just a fun outing. Our meeting will have happened Tuesday of that same week at Bobbi's. We may have Pat McCauslin from ND as a speaker if his schedule permits--or if we are all VERY GOOD and bake LOTS OF PIE we may be lucky enough to get a visit from Michael Dossmann. I know his mom and dad would be thrilled if he could make it home but its a very busy time for him. In any case there is plenty of beauty to drink in and enjoy at Dave and Bobbi's. In fact Bobbi suggested that people arrive early so we can trek back to the woods to see the zillions of daffodils she has planted. Be sure to bring boots--I have been back there and you will need them. But its a beautiful sight for sure, and something well worth the hike!
That pretty much took care of the old business. As for new business--Sue passed around some literature about some worm casting products available from the Farmer's market and information about a Garden Show on Mar. 19-20 at Ginger Valley.
We discussed the upcoming MHA tailgate flower shows, which will take place at Beutter Park on June 11, July 9 and Oct. 1. The theme for the first one is "Blast from the Past" and we decided that if Dwayne is amenable we will use "Homer" the vintage pickup truck for our display and do a retro "Sanford and Son" type display, complete with costumes. More on this later. Shirley volunteered her Prius for the July show, which is themed "Think Green".
We had a reminder from Shirley about the upcoming Chigago flower show trip. She has a fairly large group going. Date for the trip is Sat. March 12.
The Sept. meeting will be held at Marianne Kemp's house. She is going to tell us about her food preservation adventures, including winemaking.
Our next meeting is Tues. April 5 at Shirleys. Sara Stewart will be telling us about Unity Gardens. Thanks to Kathy for setting this up.
As for announcements--Don't forget the benefit for Unity Gardens at http://www.naturescrossroads.com/. They are donating a portion of the proceeds from any seed sales.
March 5 is the day for 2 great garden events--a Symposium at Fernwood featuring some heavy hitter speakers including Roy Diblik. This event is $90.00 for members and $110 for non members. Also the Warsaw master gardeners symposium is that day featuring Paul James. Late fee for that is 40.00.
And a reminder to check your "Indiana Gardens" for signup information regarding the state convention in Merrilville. The deadline is fast approaching if you want to go. There is a discount for early registration.
After that we talked about seed starting basics. I will write a longer blog to recap everything I covered in that discussion. Suffice to say there were a lot of interesting questions, and I hope that everyone will think about trying this very rewarding pursuit.
When we got done I forgot to ask Patrick to adjourn us--so we actually are still meeting.
We can't be done until he says so!
HTTD!
Monday, February 28, 2011
CAN IT BE??? SPRING?????
Hey everybody--Bobbi just sent me this pic of SNOWDROPS. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anybody else that has spring babies, run out and have them smile pretty for the camera and send 'em along. We can all use the happy!
Hail to the (still frozen but getting better) dirt!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Time for Trees
Hey folks--we had a great time at the Soil and Water Conservation program last night--thanks again to Bobbi for spotting this opportunity. The speaker was from Hensler's Nursery--and he clearly had a deep love for and immense knowledge of trees. He covered everything from selecting appropriate species for the yard to planting tips and disease management. Some of the tidbits I came away with were the fact that municipalities have "tree boards" that you can consult with to help you choose recommended species for your area, root systems can extend out as much as three times the size of the canopy, most tree roots are within 18 inches of the surface, there is a bagworm that appears on arborvitae, and other trees that are recent migrants to our areas. The caterpillars hatch in June and as they go through their life cycles they can do a fair amount of damage. Air temps below minus 18 will kill them off. There are pesticides that will control them, or the bags can be picked off and drowned in soapy water. This works best if its done before June.
There were a lot of interesting questions from the audience as well, and he answered everyone in great detail. He emphasized the importance of uncircling roots in potted plants, careful attention to drainage patterns--especially clay soils, and proper fertilizing and watering of newly planted trees.
We were also provided with a lot of helpful handouts that covered a wide array of subjects.
And they had cookies--what could be better than trees and cookies. Oh--I know--trees and PIE. Or maybe trees and cookies and PIE.
Everything is better with PIE.
Shirley handed out a sheet with info about the upcoming excursion to the Chicago Flower Show. She is sending emails out about it as well. This is basically something Shirley and her family do each year, and she has been nice enough to invite us all to glom on to it. Personally I want to see Buscia's girls dance at the blues bar:-)
It was great to see everyone--as this old fashioned winter maintains its grip on us, it really helps to get a reminder that garden season IS coming and WILL get here.
We will see you all in March--until then stay warm.
And get some PIE.
There were a lot of interesting questions from the audience as well, and he answered everyone in great detail. He emphasized the importance of uncircling roots in potted plants, careful attention to drainage patterns--especially clay soils, and proper fertilizing and watering of newly planted trees.
We were also provided with a lot of helpful handouts that covered a wide array of subjects.
And they had cookies--what could be better than trees and cookies. Oh--I know--trees and PIE. Or maybe trees and cookies and PIE.
Everything is better with PIE.
Shirley handed out a sheet with info about the upcoming excursion to the Chicago Flower Show. She is sending emails out about it as well. This is basically something Shirley and her family do each year, and she has been nice enough to invite us all to glom on to it. Personally I want to see Buscia's girls dance at the blues bar:-)
It was great to see everyone--as this old fashioned winter maintains its grip on us, it really helps to get a reminder that garden season IS coming and WILL get here.
We will see you all in March--until then stay warm.
And get some PIE.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
FLASH FROM ROSIE!!!! GREAT EVENT COMING UP
Hi everyone--Rosie just sent me this on facebook. She has the registration form--Who wants to go????
Kosciusko County Master Gardener Symposium - Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 9 a.m. EST at Lakeview Middle School - 848 East Smith Street, Warsaw. The featured speaker is Paul James of "Gardening by the Yard". Tickets are $30 if purchased by February 23 - includes Continental Breakfast and Lunch.
HTTD
Kosciusko County Master Gardener Symposium - Saturday, March 5, 2011 - 9 a.m. EST at Lakeview Middle School - 848 East Smith Street, Warsaw. The featured speaker is Paul James of "Gardening by the Yard". Tickets are $30 if purchased by February 23 - includes Continental Breakfast and Lunch.
HTTD
Friday, January 28, 2011
New link
Hey folks--I put a link in the "Handy links for dirty hands" to Debbie Brown's new blog about Bluebird House. If you need a beautiful place for guests or a party--think about Bluebird House. Hopefully Debbie will join our club soon and then she can keep us updated in person with all thats going on!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
EVENTS A Plenty!
Hey everyone--thanks to our recent visit to the Porter County Master Gardener show, as well as a newsflash from Ben, I have a lot of upcoming stuff to tell you about. Check your calenders for empty days that you might have free to attend one or all of these fun things! And don't forget the State Convention for the GCI is coming up in April as well.
Here they are in no particular order:
APRIL 2 AT THYME OF GRACE RESTAURANT!!!! Ben and the Michiana Horticultural Alliance will be throwing a mini symposium. The guest speakers will be Ben, who will talk about--what else--GARDENING--Helloooooo--is there anyone surprised by this? The other guest will be someone from River Street Flowerland in Kalamazoo (my FAVE NURSERY) and they will do a hands on demo about container gardening. This place has some of the most beautiful containers you have ever seen--and their design people should have a lot to teach! If you aren't a member of the MHA yet--its free and super easy to join--just go to http://www.michianahort.org/ and sign up. Times and particulars aren't in the newsletter--I suspect they will be put out later.
MAY 7 will be the Garden Party--this annual event put on by the Four Winds Garden Club will begin at 8:30 on Saturday. You can purchase a ticket for the full day or half a day. The festivities end at 3:30. This lovely event takes place at St. John's United Church of Christ, 2701 E. Bristol St. , Elkhart. Tickets are 27.50 per person for the full day (includes continental breakfast and lunch) or 15.00 for a half day, which would frun from 8:30 to noon or from noon to 3:30--and include only one of the meals. There will be vendors, speakers and a make and take activity. For more information you can contact Judy Cook at inbert@msn.com . Reservations must be in by May 2.
Another event on SAT MAY 7 is the 11th annual native plant sale at Gibson Woods in Hammond IN. You can visit their website at gw-wildones.org. This runs from 9 to 2 and the flyer says for the best selection arrive early.
Another fun event is the Garden, Pond and Patio Expo in Crown Point at the Lake County Fairgrounds. This shindig costs 5.00 to get in, but its a very nice show. It runs from 9 to 5 in the Industrial Building.
From Rosie--The Northwest Indiana Hosta Society has their next meeting Sun. Feb. 13th at the Brookstone Estates Condod at 7507 Taft St. in Merrillville.They meet at 1:30 (their are an hour behind us) and their speaker will be Barb Ziolkowski, a master gardener and owner of a terrific place in New Carlisle. She will be talking about Daylilies in the Garden. Barb is a super person--if you haven't met her, now would be a great time!
Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell IN. is a place that must go on the radar screen of totally kewl places to go. They have events going on all season long--visit their website:
http://www.gardensontheprairie.com/ to learn more.
Thats all for now--HTTD!!!
Here they are in no particular order:
APRIL 2 AT THYME OF GRACE RESTAURANT!!!! Ben and the Michiana Horticultural Alliance will be throwing a mini symposium. The guest speakers will be Ben, who will talk about--what else--GARDENING--Helloooooo--is there anyone surprised by this? The other guest will be someone from River Street Flowerland in Kalamazoo (my FAVE NURSERY) and they will do a hands on demo about container gardening. This place has some of the most beautiful containers you have ever seen--and their design people should have a lot to teach! If you aren't a member of the MHA yet--its free and super easy to join--just go to http://www.michianahort.org/ and sign up. Times and particulars aren't in the newsletter--I suspect they will be put out later.
MAY 7 will be the Garden Party--this annual event put on by the Four Winds Garden Club will begin at 8:30 on Saturday. You can purchase a ticket for the full day or half a day. The festivities end at 3:30. This lovely event takes place at St. John's United Church of Christ, 2701 E. Bristol St. , Elkhart. Tickets are 27.50 per person for the full day (includes continental breakfast and lunch) or 15.00 for a half day, which would frun from 8:30 to noon or from noon to 3:30--and include only one of the meals. There will be vendors, speakers and a make and take activity. For more information you can contact Judy Cook at inbert@msn.com . Reservations must be in by May 2.
Another event on SAT MAY 7 is the 11th annual native plant sale at Gibson Woods in Hammond IN. You can visit their website at gw-wildones.org. This runs from 9 to 2 and the flyer says for the best selection arrive early.
Another fun event is the Garden, Pond and Patio Expo in Crown Point at the Lake County Fairgrounds. This shindig costs 5.00 to get in, but its a very nice show. It runs from 9 to 5 in the Industrial Building.
From Rosie--The Northwest Indiana Hosta Society has their next meeting Sun. Feb. 13th at the Brookstone Estates Condod at 7507 Taft St. in Merrillville.They meet at 1:30 (their are an hour behind us) and their speaker will be Barb Ziolkowski, a master gardener and owner of a terrific place in New Carlisle. She will be talking about Daylilies in the Garden. Barb is a super person--if you haven't met her, now would be a great time!
Gardens on the Prairie in Lowell IN. is a place that must go on the radar screen of totally kewl places to go. They have events going on all season long--visit their website:
http://www.gardensontheprairie.com/ to learn more.
Thats all for now--HTTD!!!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Latest issue of Indiana Gardens
Hi folks--The latest issue of Indiana Gardens is out--let me know if you didn't get it and I will forward the document to you. There is a lot of information about the State Convention in it, so be sure to check it out.
FLASH FLASH FLASH!!!
Hey everyone--Rosie has given me a list of plants available from a wholesaler she buys from. If you want to purchase some really nice potted hosta in 4 inch pots she will add them into her order. To view pictures of the plants go to www.qandznursery.com and click on the availability list. Then click on the plant name to see a pic and description. To get the best discount these need to be placed by Feb. first. Delivery will be the first week of May. Rosie has an email list she can send you for the available plants--there are a few helleborus and daylilies on the list too. Rosies email is :
rosiesgarden@msn.com
You will need to add 1.00 per plant to cover shipping.
Check it out! lots of really nice buys there--thanks so much to Rosie for offering to do this!
rosiesgarden@msn.com
You will need to add 1.00 per plant to cover shipping.
Check it out! lots of really nice buys there--thanks so much to Rosie for offering to do this!
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Link to Unity Gardens Blog
Hey folks--Kathy came through with flying colors, and we now have Sara Stewart on board to come speak to us in April. I also asked Kathy to get a "wish list" from Sara for things they need for Unity Gardens. She will let me know the results of this and I will post it on the blog. That way when Sara comes to speak to us, we can bring donations of needed items to help Unity Gardens in their efforts.
Here is a link to the Unity Gardens blog--I will also put it in the "handy links for dirty hands" section. There is a series of classes being offered at the Greenhouse starting this Saturday about growing vegetables. So if you don't make it over to Valpo, this is another garden related thing to do. Sounds like this will be an ongoing series that will continue for awhile.
HTTD!
http://www.theunitygardens.blogspot.com/
Here is a link to the Unity Gardens blog--I will also put it in the "handy links for dirty hands" section. There is a series of classes being offered at the Greenhouse starting this Saturday about growing vegetables. So if you don't make it over to Valpo, this is another garden related thing to do. Sounds like this will be an ongoing series that will continue for awhile.
HTTD!
http://www.theunitygardens.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
FINALLY!
Hi everyone--wasn't it nice of Mother Nature to finally cooperate and let us have a meeting? It was so great to see everyone. We are a fun group and I love being around all of you. Rosie regaled us with tales of her upcoming dramatic triumph in Laportes epic production--''Robin Hood and the Neck Talking Merrymen". Bobbie told us a cautionary tale about keeping Depends in the car and going for a big Mac. Maybe they should just include a pair in each biggie meal. Shirleys house is undergoing some kitchen demolition (first kitchen or second kitchen? Is the second kitchen for fixing second breakfast?) with the capable help of Dwayne and Cindy. Buscia is footloose and fancy free for the moment, Sue braved icy roads and transported all her kids safely as she always does, Maggie was home with a bug--GET WELL SOON MAGGIE! and Patrick is getting ready to box and ship after his latest Ebay triumph. We welcomed a new member--Kathy Harrell--thanks so much to Bobbi for inviting her to join. Kathy is well versed in the mysteries of African violets and is a houseplant enthusiast--and she will be a wonderful addition to our group.
Okay--down to business--or at least what we could remember between us since we last met.
Shirley won the "heads up" award by contacting WNDU and WSBT and starting the process of having our club posted on the channel crawls when they show cancellations. Currently they show up on the WNDU website, but hopefully when the process is complete they will run on the crawls of both stations. Thanks to her for taking this initiative. Great idea!
Shirley also passed our balance sheet around so anyone wanting to examine it was welcome to. She and I also discussed filing membership information about Rosie, Hayden and Kathy with the state--we need to email back and forth and get this taken care of. Apologies to Rosie and Hayden for being so lackadaisical about this.
I passed around a letter I received from the Delaware Federation of Garden Clubs thanking me for my donation to the Healing Garden at Dover AFB. If anyone else wants to make a contribution, you can go to the website:
MemorialGarden-Dover.org
and get information about how to contribute. If you send monies just be sure you enclose something stating this is where you want the money to go. At the time I sent my contribution in they were not set up to receive money online, but this may have changed now.
We also talked about the District meeting that Mary Ann, Bobbi and I attended in Oct. That was so long ago I don't remember much of what happened (note to club--next time elect a president with a functioning memory) but a couple things stuck in my head:
Postage has become outrageous so the state and district are going to rely primarily on internet to disseminate information. This includes the quarterly publication "Indiana Gardens" that will be emailed to members as a PDF. Anyone that can't receive this just needs to let me know and I will get you a printed copy. Cindy needs a printed copy of the most recent one.
I was given two copies of the state bylaws. I have one copy and Shirley has one now.
Joan Stone, the District President asked that each club in the district designate a member to serve on a planning committee for the upcoming State meeting in 2012 that our district will be hosting. Rosie was nice enough to step up and take responsibility for this job. She has sent her information along to Joan, but has heard nothing back yet. Thanks so much to Rosie for shouldering this job. Maybe we should bake HER some bread!
ALSO FLASH FLASH FLASH--We never discussed it because we got so involved in other stuff--but Rosie has a very wonderful idea to pass along if anyone wants to purchase some totally kewl hostas at reasonable prices. Watch the blog, facebook and your emails for updates on this.
Okay back to business--the other thing I remembered from the meeting is that clubs are encouraged to apply for awards--there are lots of them. You can go to the state website (link below in Handy links for Dirty Hands) and read about them. Rosie mentioned that there is an award for a program book--and we probably should have one anyway. I will see what I can pull together for that. Does anyone else want to get in on this project? I don't think it will be much to do--but I can think of several ways to stand the idea of program books on its head.
Might be fun.
OKAY--that was all the old junk--on to the new. The main discussion we had was about prorating dues for members that join the club throughout the year--specifically what to do about Kathy since she is joining so close to the end of our fiscal year. Thanks to Rosie for articulating our decision, and Shirley for noting it all down--the decision was basically this: People who join at any time will have to pay the 8 dollars to be filed with the state. That amount is inflexible and has to be collected. The remaining 12 dollars of the dues works out to 1 dollar a month, and if new members CHOOSE to prorate their own dues to pay only for the months that will pass before the new fiscal year, they may do so. If they wish to simply pay the whole 20 bucks regardless of when they join, thats fine too. This proposal was articulated by Rosie, seconded by Cindy and unanimously passed by a voice vote. It was also decided at this time that Kathy will wait and pay her first dues in April, which is the beginning of our fiscal year. At that time Shirley will file all three new memberships with the state.
Then we went on to a fun lunch day at Thyme of Grace. Sue brought up the fact that Michelle (the owner) has very pretty box beds planted in her parking lot, so a good time to go would be when the beds are growing. We decided around the 3rd week of May would be a good time--and Sue said as long as she has advance notice she can make a lunch event. Buscia was nice enough to let me "volunteer" her to take charge of this endeavor, and we will await her "intelligence report" on this. We will need to have the date nailed down by mid April so Sue has enough time to accomodate her schedule.
We also discussed an "I am sick of Winter" event to do. This year our event will be to glom onto Shirley's annual Chicago Flower show trip. She will send out invitations closer to the time--basically the idea is get yourself there and meet up and have a fun time. Go to the bar with the orchids, snore really loud and wake up on the hotel room floor? :-)
As for announcements--we had the following--Porter County Master Gardeners show is this Saturday. Follow this link for info:
http://www.pcgarden.info/gardening_show.html
This is a wonderful event--very well worth going to. If you have seeds or bulbs to trade, be sure and check out the information about swapping. Rosie will be there in the Hosta Society booth, Ben and I will be there in the MHA booth. Great speakers and lots of fun. 10 dollars gets you in and gets you a ticket or two for the swap as well.
The Michiana Horticultural Alliance has 3 dates set for its Backseat flower shows--these will all be in Beutter Park. Please plan on participating (we can participate as individuals or as a garden club) and help this fledgling organization get off to a flying start. There is a lot of potential in Ben's ideas and he has been working so hard to bring them to fruition. He deserves a lot of credit and support for this.
Also the MHA first annual nursery crawl will be on Mothers Day weekend and will continue throughout the following week.
You can find out more about the MHA events on the website--www.Michianahort.org
OKAY--after all this we got down to business and perfected our schedule for next year. We didn't exactly follow Cindy's model of drawing names, but everyone participated and will be contributing next year. This is wonderful because the club will take on the identity of everyone involved with it--and all our strengths and interests will have a chance to be expressed. Here is the calender as it stands now:
Feb. 8th at 6:30--Meet for a program at the Farm Bureau Office on South Michigan. Subject will be Selecting and Planting Trees, presented by Hensler's Nursery. Thanks to Bobbi for spotting this opportunity.
Tues. March 1 at 7 at Shirleys--Maggie was nice enough to round up Pat McCauslin, the head of landscaping at Notre Dame to talk to us. PLEASE NOTE--this date is not entirely firm until I hear back from Maggie--it may be March 8, the second Tues. I will amend this post when the date is finalized.
Tues. April 5 at 7 at Shirleys--Kathy is going to see if her friend Sara Stewart who is in charge of Unity Gardens can come and speak to us.
Tues. May 3 at 7 pm. at Bobbi's. We will gaze in awe at their BEEYOUTIFUL trees.
Tues. June 7th 7 pm. at Rosie's. We will admire Rosie's gorgeous hostas and hear all about these plants she loves so dearly.
Tues. July 12 7 pm. (NOTE--THIS IS THE SECOND TUES IN JULY) My house. We can hang out and look at the flowers. I can tell you all a little bit about junior genetics if you want to know.
Tues. Aug. 2 at Cindy and Dwayne's. We will have a chance to see the amazing and creative place Dwayne and Cindy call home--enjoy the beautiful deck they created, and hear the mystical and wonderful story of the Burr Oak tree. Cindy will also tell us about her many years as a wildlife rehab specialist. Over the years she has shown tremendous dedication to caring for animals who need help, and we can't wait to hear all about it.
Tues. Sept. 13 at 7 pm--place to be determined--either Shirley's or Marianne Kemp's. Marianne is an authority when it comes to food preservation. I think she knows how to preserve just about anything you can think of eating--and if she hasn't done it yet, she is always game to try. She makes her own wine out of just about anything and hopefully she can tell us about it. I will have to find out if she is willing for us to meet at her place--her garden really is a wonder of ingenuity and creative expression and deserves to be seen and appreciated.
Tues. Oct. 4th at Kathy's house--7 pm. Its not too late to gift plants--so lets think about maybe bringing Kathy something to help her with her yard. In the next few meetings we need to ask her about her site so we can decide what would be of use to her. She in turn is going to show us her houseplants, a subject many of us are woefully underinformed about. In particular she will hopefully teach us about dividing African Violets. I adore AV's but I seem to be an unwitting serial killer of them. Maybe Kathy can help me.
Tues. Nov. 1st at Shirleys--7 pm. Crafts. Patrick PLEEZE bring your bead box--and we will think up some other ideas for "make and take". Hopefully we can be more organized about it this year. I can always bring the pick machine.
Tues. Dec. 6th 7 pm. at Shirleys--Garden Recap and Cookie exchange--thanks to Sue for that great idea. We will talk about our garden successes and failures of the previous year. Be thinking about this meeting all the year through--so you can bring photos or examples of your triumphs.
So thats the year in a nutshell! But as a bonus--there were a lot of "side trips" that came up in the discussion--and it would be great to incorporate some of these things into our years' activities. Here are other ideas that popped up:
If anyone wants to spearhead coordinating any of these speak up! Most of them are pretty casual--we can all just get someplace on our own and meet up there.
TRIP TO THE QUIET CORNER IN CHURUBUSCO
JASPER PULASKI TO SEE THE SANDHILL CRANES
LAVENDER HILL FARM
MARY ANN AND BLACKIE'S REDNECK GARDEN PARTY
JF NEW
WELLFIELD BOTANIC GARDEN
LURIE GARDENS WITH BEN
KALAMAZOO--WYETH EXHIBITION (Also River Street Flowerland--my FAVE nursery in the world)
WHO WANTS TO DRIVE A LONG WAY AND GO TO NORTHWIND GARDENS IN WISC.?? ITS WELL WORTH THE TRIP.
B.J. ZOILKOWSKI'S OPEN HOUSE IN JULY
HOSTA SOCIETY BUS TRIP
SUNFLOWER FEST
PIET OUDOLF AT FERNWOOD
BOTANIC BOUTIQUE (May 20-21)
So thats everything! Looks like a busy and fun year!
Okay--down to business--or at least what we could remember between us since we last met.
Shirley won the "heads up" award by contacting WNDU and WSBT and starting the process of having our club posted on the channel crawls when they show cancellations. Currently they show up on the WNDU website, but hopefully when the process is complete they will run on the crawls of both stations. Thanks to her for taking this initiative. Great idea!
Shirley also passed our balance sheet around so anyone wanting to examine it was welcome to. She and I also discussed filing membership information about Rosie, Hayden and Kathy with the state--we need to email back and forth and get this taken care of. Apologies to Rosie and Hayden for being so lackadaisical about this.
I passed around a letter I received from the Delaware Federation of Garden Clubs thanking me for my donation to the Healing Garden at Dover AFB. If anyone else wants to make a contribution, you can go to the website:
MemorialGarden-Dover.org
and get information about how to contribute. If you send monies just be sure you enclose something stating this is where you want the money to go. At the time I sent my contribution in they were not set up to receive money online, but this may have changed now.
We also talked about the District meeting that Mary Ann, Bobbi and I attended in Oct. That was so long ago I don't remember much of what happened (note to club--next time elect a president with a functioning memory) but a couple things stuck in my head:
Postage has become outrageous so the state and district are going to rely primarily on internet to disseminate information. This includes the quarterly publication "Indiana Gardens" that will be emailed to members as a PDF. Anyone that can't receive this just needs to let me know and I will get you a printed copy. Cindy needs a printed copy of the most recent one.
I was given two copies of the state bylaws. I have one copy and Shirley has one now.
Joan Stone, the District President asked that each club in the district designate a member to serve on a planning committee for the upcoming State meeting in 2012 that our district will be hosting. Rosie was nice enough to step up and take responsibility for this job. She has sent her information along to Joan, but has heard nothing back yet. Thanks so much to Rosie for shouldering this job. Maybe we should bake HER some bread!
ALSO FLASH FLASH FLASH--We never discussed it because we got so involved in other stuff--but Rosie has a very wonderful idea to pass along if anyone wants to purchase some totally kewl hostas at reasonable prices. Watch the blog, facebook and your emails for updates on this.
Okay back to business--the other thing I remembered from the meeting is that clubs are encouraged to apply for awards--there are lots of them. You can go to the state website (link below in Handy links for Dirty Hands) and read about them. Rosie mentioned that there is an award for a program book--and we probably should have one anyway. I will see what I can pull together for that. Does anyone else want to get in on this project? I don't think it will be much to do--but I can think of several ways to stand the idea of program books on its head.
Might be fun.
OKAY--that was all the old junk--on to the new. The main discussion we had was about prorating dues for members that join the club throughout the year--specifically what to do about Kathy since she is joining so close to the end of our fiscal year. Thanks to Rosie for articulating our decision, and Shirley for noting it all down--the decision was basically this: People who join at any time will have to pay the 8 dollars to be filed with the state. That amount is inflexible and has to be collected. The remaining 12 dollars of the dues works out to 1 dollar a month, and if new members CHOOSE to prorate their own dues to pay only for the months that will pass before the new fiscal year, they may do so. If they wish to simply pay the whole 20 bucks regardless of when they join, thats fine too. This proposal was articulated by Rosie, seconded by Cindy and unanimously passed by a voice vote. It was also decided at this time that Kathy will wait and pay her first dues in April, which is the beginning of our fiscal year. At that time Shirley will file all three new memberships with the state.
Then we went on to a fun lunch day at Thyme of Grace. Sue brought up the fact that Michelle (the owner) has very pretty box beds planted in her parking lot, so a good time to go would be when the beds are growing. We decided around the 3rd week of May would be a good time--and Sue said as long as she has advance notice she can make a lunch event. Buscia was nice enough to let me "volunteer" her to take charge of this endeavor, and we will await her "intelligence report" on this. We will need to have the date nailed down by mid April so Sue has enough time to accomodate her schedule.
We also discussed an "I am sick of Winter" event to do. This year our event will be to glom onto Shirley's annual Chicago Flower show trip. She will send out invitations closer to the time--basically the idea is get yourself there and meet up and have a fun time. Go to the bar with the orchids, snore really loud and wake up on the hotel room floor? :-)
As for announcements--we had the following--Porter County Master Gardeners show is this Saturday. Follow this link for info:
http://www.pcgarden.info/gardening_show.html
This is a wonderful event--very well worth going to. If you have seeds or bulbs to trade, be sure and check out the information about swapping. Rosie will be there in the Hosta Society booth, Ben and I will be there in the MHA booth. Great speakers and lots of fun. 10 dollars gets you in and gets you a ticket or two for the swap as well.
The Michiana Horticultural Alliance has 3 dates set for its Backseat flower shows--these will all be in Beutter Park. Please plan on participating (we can participate as individuals or as a garden club) and help this fledgling organization get off to a flying start. There is a lot of potential in Ben's ideas and he has been working so hard to bring them to fruition. He deserves a lot of credit and support for this.
Also the MHA first annual nursery crawl will be on Mothers Day weekend and will continue throughout the following week.
You can find out more about the MHA events on the website--www.Michianahort.org
OKAY--after all this we got down to business and perfected our schedule for next year. We didn't exactly follow Cindy's model of drawing names, but everyone participated and will be contributing next year. This is wonderful because the club will take on the identity of everyone involved with it--and all our strengths and interests will have a chance to be expressed. Here is the calender as it stands now:
Feb. 8th at 6:30--Meet for a program at the Farm Bureau Office on South Michigan. Subject will be Selecting and Planting Trees, presented by Hensler's Nursery. Thanks to Bobbi for spotting this opportunity.
Tues. March 1 at 7 at Shirleys--Maggie was nice enough to round up Pat McCauslin, the head of landscaping at Notre Dame to talk to us. PLEASE NOTE--this date is not entirely firm until I hear back from Maggie--it may be March 8, the second Tues. I will amend this post when the date is finalized.
Tues. April 5 at 7 at Shirleys--Kathy is going to see if her friend Sara Stewart who is in charge of Unity Gardens can come and speak to us.
Tues. May 3 at 7 pm. at Bobbi's. We will gaze in awe at their BEEYOUTIFUL trees.
Tues. June 7th 7 pm. at Rosie's. We will admire Rosie's gorgeous hostas and hear all about these plants she loves so dearly.
Tues. July 12 7 pm. (NOTE--THIS IS THE SECOND TUES IN JULY) My house. We can hang out and look at the flowers. I can tell you all a little bit about junior genetics if you want to know.
Tues. Aug. 2 at Cindy and Dwayne's. We will have a chance to see the amazing and creative place Dwayne and Cindy call home--enjoy the beautiful deck they created, and hear the mystical and wonderful story of the Burr Oak tree. Cindy will also tell us about her many years as a wildlife rehab specialist. Over the years she has shown tremendous dedication to caring for animals who need help, and we can't wait to hear all about it.
Tues. Sept. 13 at 7 pm--place to be determined--either Shirley's or Marianne Kemp's. Marianne is an authority when it comes to food preservation. I think she knows how to preserve just about anything you can think of eating--and if she hasn't done it yet, she is always game to try. She makes her own wine out of just about anything and hopefully she can tell us about it. I will have to find out if she is willing for us to meet at her place--her garden really is a wonder of ingenuity and creative expression and deserves to be seen and appreciated.
Tues. Oct. 4th at Kathy's house--7 pm. Its not too late to gift plants--so lets think about maybe bringing Kathy something to help her with her yard. In the next few meetings we need to ask her about her site so we can decide what would be of use to her. She in turn is going to show us her houseplants, a subject many of us are woefully underinformed about. In particular she will hopefully teach us about dividing African Violets. I adore AV's but I seem to be an unwitting serial killer of them. Maybe Kathy can help me.
Tues. Nov. 1st at Shirleys--7 pm. Crafts. Patrick PLEEZE bring your bead box--and we will think up some other ideas for "make and take". Hopefully we can be more organized about it this year. I can always bring the pick machine.
Tues. Dec. 6th 7 pm. at Shirleys--Garden Recap and Cookie exchange--thanks to Sue for that great idea. We will talk about our garden successes and failures of the previous year. Be thinking about this meeting all the year through--so you can bring photos or examples of your triumphs.
So thats the year in a nutshell! But as a bonus--there were a lot of "side trips" that came up in the discussion--and it would be great to incorporate some of these things into our years' activities. Here are other ideas that popped up:
If anyone wants to spearhead coordinating any of these speak up! Most of them are pretty casual--we can all just get someplace on our own and meet up there.
TRIP TO THE QUIET CORNER IN CHURUBUSCO
JASPER PULASKI TO SEE THE SANDHILL CRANES
LAVENDER HILL FARM
MARY ANN AND BLACKIE'S REDNECK GARDEN PARTY
JF NEW
WELLFIELD BOTANIC GARDEN
LURIE GARDENS WITH BEN
KALAMAZOO--WYETH EXHIBITION (Also River Street Flowerland--my FAVE nursery in the world)
WHO WANTS TO DRIVE A LONG WAY AND GO TO NORTHWIND GARDENS IN WISC.?? ITS WELL WORTH THE TRIP.
B.J. ZOILKOWSKI'S OPEN HOUSE IN JULY
HOSTA SOCIETY BUS TRIP
SUNFLOWER FEST
PIET OUDOLF AT FERNWOOD
BOTANIC BOUTIQUE (May 20-21)
So thats everything! Looks like a busy and fun year!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Better than TV
Now that we are more or less confined to our houses--we find ourselves gazing out the windows longing for spring sunshine and green spaces. Winter has its own particular beauty though--more Oriental in its influence, with strong lines and simple shapes and curves. Much of the detail disappears, and we are left with the bones that make up the world around us. One of the things this enforced simplicity does is push what detail is left to see into the forefront of our vision. Shapes of branches write themselves sharply across our eyes; conifers stand out like block prints with their filagreed canopies. Another beautiful detail that now comes into sharp focus is the winter birds. They animate the quiet canvas with their movment and color--some now softened to camouflage, some remain brilliant like the Cardinals and Blue jays. The still winter air magnifies their singing and calling to a crisp clarity; and we are reminded by their presence that life continues on, waiting patiently for spring.
Watching birds has always been a part of my life. They have always uplifted and enriched my existence; and winter is very special because of the intimate contact it provides with them. Feeding birds has become a very popular pastime and a multi million dollar business. I am sure most if not all our members feed the birds, and enjoy the relaxing pastime of watching them at the feeders.
Here are some simple facts and tidbits to enhance your "feeder watching" through the winter months. Most of these things may not be anything new to folks, but it never hurts to put them down in writing.
The most economical food to feed is black oil sunflower. Almost all birds eat it, and pound for pound it gives them the most nutritional bang for the buck. The hulls do fall to the ground and make a mess. They also secrete a chemical which can inhibit the growth of plants that get buried under their mass. You can either--a) ignore the mess, b) rake it up in spring, c) situate the feeder so the mess falls where it won't be a problem, d) feed the "no waste" foods, which seem more expensive, but you are not paying for the weight of the seed hulls d)feed suet blocks or seed blocks which will minimize the mess.
The cheap "songbird" mixes are really kind of a waste--they are full of things like corn and millet which the small songbirds will not or cannot eat. They will provide food for species like sparrows, bluejays and starlings, so if this is the primary type of birds you see you can use this food. But if you want to attract the pretty little birds, you will need to supplement these mixes with sunflower seed. However--if you seem to see a multitude of sparrows and house finches--don't despair! First off, these humble birds need to eat too; and their presence acts as a beacon to the other little songbirds--a group of sparrows congregated in one spot tells everyone a new restaurant is in town. And second--if you should see a group of humble brown birds, don't just think "oh, sparrows (or house finches)" and write them off. Examine the flock a little more closely. Oftentimes different species group together in winter, and its not unusual to find a less common bird in the group. I have spotted white crowned sparrows, fox sparrows, song sparrows, purple finches, pine siskins and redpolls in groups like this.
Peanuts are highly attractive to birds in winter because they produce so much heat. You can buy unsalted "scrap" peanuts to mix in with your sunflower. Its best to choose peanuts over peanut butter--a lot of cheap peanut butters no longer contain peanut oil--its decanted off and replaced with cheaper oils. And while peanut butter is delicious to birds it can really make them sick if they eat too much of it. Suet or dough cakes are also good sources of energy and heat. The cakes with nuts and fruits in them will bring members of the woodpecker family to your feeders with great success.
Birds need water in winter. We have a heated birdbath and I am always surprised at how many birds use it. A friend of mine used to have bluebirds all through the winter at her heated birdbath. That right there would make any electric bill worthwhile.
Even if you live in a fairly populated area, there is a good chance that you have raptors around. These highly adaptable predators have become accustomed to people and the ones that eat birds have learned to monitor feeders. If you have large trees or overhead areas where a raptor could perch and watch your feeder--they are most likely doing so. Place your feeders near shrubs or trees that birds can quickly hide in when danger threatens. The most common predacious bird at feeders is the Sharp Shinned Hawk. This member of the falcon family is a beautiful and highly efficient hunter that will strike a bird almost as fast as you can blink. They are usually at your feeder and gone again before you even know something has happened. If you see your feeder birds suddenly become very still on the feeder--its quite possible that someone has spotted this hunter and given an alarm call. Here is a link to the Cornell website about the "Sharpie":
Even though it can be terribly upsetting to loose a bird in this way--keep in mind that the Sharpie serves a very useful purpose. The birds that aren't quick enough to escape are often old or ill, and will not make it through the winter season anyway. This way the provide food for another link in the chain, and are removed from the population, where they could potentially sicken other birds. Nature isn't always warm and fuzzy--and these beautiful and efficient killers are an important reminder of that.
Another important aspect about feeder placement is proximity to windows. We are often unaware of how our windows appear in certain types of light--they become almost mirrorlike and birds will mistakenly fly into them thinking they are part of the outdoors. Or a bird panicked by an oncoming predator or passerby will act without thinking and fly into the glass. The easiest thing to do is simply place your feeders less than 10 feet away from windows. This not only allows you very intimate viewing, it prevents the birds from building up enough speed to injure themselves if they hit. You can also place decals on the glass to make it obvious to the birds that there is a surface there. If you do have a bird hit the glass, usually it will bounce off and keep flying. But if it hits hard enough to stun the bird and it is very cold outside, you can go out and gently lift the bird and take it inside. Usually the bird will be lying on its back with its feet tightly clenched. If its a small bird like a chickadee, you can just hold it very quietly in your hand--keep it covered so its in the dark--just cup your other hand over it. After a few minutes the bird will recover and you will feel it begin to move around. Take it back outside and open your hand near a bush or tree. Stand quietly for a minute or two while your patient gets her bearings, and she will fly into the tree and recover on her own. Taking them indoors keeps them warm while they recover and protects them from harm while they are incapacitated. 
A larger bird like a blue jay should be covered loosely with a towel and carried gently inside, then placed in a covered box (be sure they can still get air) in a dark room. After about 10 minutes you should hear the bird scrabbling around in the box. Take it outside and just open the box. Step back and let the bird go on its own.
If you worry about birds harboring "lice" (I don't) or mites or something--wash your hands carefully and change your shirt after you handle it. I don't ever do this--but you certainly can if you worry about such things.
So spend some time enjoying the birds this winter. See how they go about living their lives--they live in a much more complex world than you ever imagined!
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Urban Homestead
Hey all--I came across this website and it really is a treasure. This site documents the story of a family living a successful sustainable lifestyle in urban Pasadena CA. From organic gardening, to beekeeping and small livestock, they have developed a life that puts low impact, home grown, local commerce front and center. Unlike some places that are full of advice by people who just tell you what to do, this site is run by people who actually LIVE this life and want you show you how they go about it, so you can learn from their experience. There is a lot to learn and be inspired by on this website. Go and check it out!
http://urbanhomestead.org/
Hail to the dirt!
http://urbanhomestead.org/
Hail to the dirt!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Another Holiday thing
Hi everyone--I wanted to post this because the Iris Elm Garden Club in Winimac is such a wonderful group of ladies. on Dec. 3 and 4th (Friday and Sat.) they are going to have their 50th annual Christmas Arrangement show at the First United Methodist Church at the corner of US 35 and Spring St. in Winimac. I am planning to go--and I think Rob is off that day so we will both probably attend. We can haul up to 6 more in the Toyota, so let me know if you want to ride along. I think we can probably do either day. They will be serving refreshments and the site is handicapped accessible, so if you want to go and take a guest, hop in the car and take a trip. This club has really reached out to me personally, and I want to continue to support their club when the opportunity presents itself. It's a nice drive to Winimac, and if you want to do a hike in the woods before or after, the trip will take you right past Tippecanoe State Park. You still have to pay to get in the park on the weekends, but during the week admission is free.
HTTD!
HTTD!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Some fun stuff
Hi everybody--Here are some fun things going on in the area--thanks to Sue for the heads up.
Prairie Pride at Christmas
19th Annual Folk Art Show
"Celebrate Simplicity"
Saturday and Sunday: December 4th and 5th
10 AM to 5 PM (Central/Chicago Time)
Fawn Run Farm
3883 E. 700 N.
Rollling Prairie, IN
3 Mi. North of Rolling Prairie on Prairie Street/425 E., then left (west) on 700 N. 1/2 mile, right. (Look for McDonalds on the toll plaza) Foll the "Fawn Run Farm" signs.
*Free parking and Admission! Unique handrcrafted gifts, needful treasures from area culinary, craft and folk artists and antique dealers.
Promoter/Folk Artist: Marcy Dailey
fawnrunfarm@csinet.net
Also the Sawyer Market, in Sawyer MI (thanks for Sue also to clueing us in on this terrific place)
Is having a Christmas Open House. This runs Sat. and Sun Dec. 4 and 5. On Saturday night they are having an "Extravaganza" from 4 to 11 pm. with live jazz and lot of fun stuff. You can visit their website:
www.sawyergardencenter.com
for more information. This is a really fun place to go hang out and shop. If you like salsa, be sure to come home with a jar of American Spoon's Apple Chipotle Salsa--its YUM.
And the city of Buchanan is having "White Saturday" (which comes after Black Friday). The surrounding area will be having a series of special events in local galleries and businesses. It looks like Fernwood will also be participating--at least they are having their annual Christmas market then.
Go have some holiday fun!
HTTD
Prairie Pride at Christmas
19th Annual Folk Art Show
"Celebrate Simplicity"
Saturday and Sunday: December 4th and 5th
10 AM to 5 PM (Central/Chicago Time)
Fawn Run Farm
3883 E. 700 N.
Rollling Prairie, IN
3 Mi. North of Rolling Prairie on Prairie Street/425 E., then left (west) on 700 N. 1/2 mile, right. (Look for McDonalds on the toll plaza) Foll the "Fawn Run Farm" signs.
*Free parking and Admission! Unique handrcrafted gifts, needful treasures from area culinary, craft and folk artists and antique dealers.
Promoter/Folk Artist: Marcy Dailey
fawnrunfarm@csinet.net
Also the Sawyer Market, in Sawyer MI (thanks for Sue also to clueing us in on this terrific place)
Is having a Christmas Open House. This runs Sat. and Sun Dec. 4 and 5. On Saturday night they are having an "Extravaganza" from 4 to 11 pm. with live jazz and lot of fun stuff. You can visit their website:
www.sawyergardencenter.com
for more information. This is a really fun place to go hang out and shop. If you like salsa, be sure to come home with a jar of American Spoon's Apple Chipotle Salsa--its YUM.
And the city of Buchanan is having "White Saturday" (which comes after Black Friday). The surrounding area will be having a series of special events in local galleries and businesses. It looks like Fernwood will also be participating--at least they are having their annual Christmas market then.
Go have some holiday fun!
HTTD
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Fellow Garden Club Event
Hey folks--on Sat. Nov. 20 the Garden Club of Michiana (a fellow garden club in our district) will be participating in the Little Flower Church Craft show at 54191 North Ironwood in South Bend. Hours are not listed on the information I have, but its probably safe to assume 10 to 3 anyway. Stop by and say hello--they are a very nice group!
Hail to the dirt!
Hail to the dirt!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Big District Conflab
Hi everybody--Yesterday Bobbi, Mary Ann A. and I went to Middlebury to attend the Annual District Meeting of the Garden Club of Indiana. We had a terrific time--the drive was easy and even with Bobbi and I navigating we managed NOT to get lost--a miracle in its own right. Thanks to Shirley for getting us excellent directions. Rosie and Shirley--we are so very sorry you couldn't go--we are sending you happy thoughts for a quick recovery. (And to Nick too).
Since our group is slated to host one of these shindigs in 2016 I want to describe my first impressions here. As time goes on I really hope more of our group can attend--this is a very pleasant way to spend a day with a lot of great people.
The meeting was held at Middlebury Church of the Bretheren. We were greeted by a number of club members, given our name badges and directed to the church fellowship room. There was a lovely array of breakfast treats laid out and the room was busy with people getting coffee, having snacks and checking out the Ways and Means table, silent auction and raffle items, as well as the informative displays from all the committees.
There are lots of committees and things associated with this crowd--my brain kind of locks up when confronted with all this heirarchy and stuff--but as I learn what it all means things will become more understandable. What it boils down to is; there are committees for most or all of the various aspects of horticulture that might interest a garden club, and each club can involve itself or avail itself of resources depending on the interest of its membership. For example there is a Conservation Committee that sponsors projects associated with reforestation of Indiana woodlands. One of their main interests is the "Penny Pines" project, by which the interested clubs can sponsor the planting of trees in Indiana. The Scholarship committee oversees the process by which money from individual clubs goes to the state scholarship fund, and then in turn directs the selection process for candidates to receive the awards. Each Committee had a display: Birds and Butterflies, Horticulture, Conservation, Trees, Scholarship, Membership, Youth Gardening, Wildflowers, Garden Therapy, Civic Development--I hope thats all. But you get the idea. We all settled into tables that were decorated with centerpieces and gift bags--the call to order went out. After moving into the Church Sanctuary, the meeting itself began. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and the Conservation Pledge (written in a little program book for those of us who had no clue what it is). Then Stephanie Weber of the Middlebuy Garden Club welcomed us--apparently she has a peony farm that we need to go visit--and then Judy Cook from Elkhart responded sort of like--"welcome everybody"--"Hey thanks for having us". Joan Stone, the District President Welcomed everybody and introduced us to the District Officers as well as the wonderful Joyce Bulington, our state president. These meetings always have a reading committe--3 people that later on review the minutes of the meeting and approve them, and they were introduced at this time. Marlene Pratt (Middlebury) lit a candle and read a wonderful prayer as a memorial tribute to two past members who died this year. It was about end and renewal as it happens in the garden and how the meaning of that is manifested in the life of everyone.
After this touching moment, the various officers gave their reports, and all the club presidents of gave their annual reports. Then the district Chairpersons attending gave their reports, and the Scholarship chair asked me to tell the group a little bit about Ben. You can imagine how eloquent I was, not being aware ahead of time that I would be asked to do this--of course I neglected to tell everyone Ben's LAST name--thanks to some wiser person who asked me what it was--but at least I don't think Ben will have to attend the State Banquet with a bag over his head. Then Joyce addressed the group--she is such a hoot. We are very lucky to have formed our club during her tenure. She "gets" groups like ours--she is pretty much like us--irreverent and caring--and as Bobbi noted--she is the correct height to be a member of our club. Now that Bobbi knows that Mr. Bulington is not the pilot of the REAL Air Force One, she knows that Joyce is just like the rest of us.
Then we went on to Business stuff--at this point my brain froze and I couldn't absorb everything. The nuggets I came away with are as follows:
There is a committe forming to work on the 2012 State Meeting which our district will be hosting. EVERYONE is going to be needed to help out in some way. I have a form that I started to fill out, figuring the committee post would just fall to me--but it occurred to me that someone else might be willing to step in and contribute to this. Working on this project will necessitate attending meetings that will move from one location to another throughout the district to equalize the distance driving between all the members. If someone is willing to take this on--I would love it--just let me know. You can finish filling out the form and I will get it back to Joan.
Also--we figured out how to send in new member stuff. I will get on that quickly so our new members can start getting their newsletters and be counted in the district's new member head count.
And speaking of newsletters--there was a questionairre about how you want it--postage is insane so the idea is for it to be electronic only. They come as PDF's now, but they want to know if you have other preferences. I will get this out to everyone so you can answer the questions and I will just send the results on.
After all the official jazz it was time for lunch--so back to the Fellowship room we went, to visit, eat, and check out the displays some more. In a very sweet gesture, the prayer before lunch included all of us singing one verse of "America the Beautiful".
The program for the day ensued back in the Sanctuary, where Sonya Miller, owner of Country Comfort Greenhouse, told us all about the quilt gardens in Amish Country. This grass roots undertaking has grown to a total this year of 17 plantings, and has proven to be a much needed boost to Elkharts tourism industry. Sonya was a great speaker--knowledgable and spontaneous, and she had a very nice powerpoint display with photos of all the gardens in various stages of growth.
After all that--the winners of the raffles were announced, people went back to finish up purchasing things from the Ways and Means, do a little more networking, and then it was time to go home.
I am certain I have forgotten a lot of stuff--my brain just doesn't function well in stuff like this. Mary Ann and Bobbi--poke me if you remember other things that happened so I can add them to this account. The main thing we all came away with was the fact that we had a very nice time, and this organization we are a part of is full of wonderful people united by the common love of gardens and gardening. As time goes on we will find our "place" within its structure so they can benefit from us, and we in turn from them.
Since our group is slated to host one of these shindigs in 2016 I want to describe my first impressions here. As time goes on I really hope more of our group can attend--this is a very pleasant way to spend a day with a lot of great people.
The meeting was held at Middlebury Church of the Bretheren. We were greeted by a number of club members, given our name badges and directed to the church fellowship room. There was a lovely array of breakfast treats laid out and the room was busy with people getting coffee, having snacks and checking out the Ways and Means table, silent auction and raffle items, as well as the informative displays from all the committees.
There are lots of committees and things associated with this crowd--my brain kind of locks up when confronted with all this heirarchy and stuff--but as I learn what it all means things will become more understandable. What it boils down to is; there are committees for most or all of the various aspects of horticulture that might interest a garden club, and each club can involve itself or avail itself of resources depending on the interest of its membership. For example there is a Conservation Committee that sponsors projects associated with reforestation of Indiana woodlands. One of their main interests is the "Penny Pines" project, by which the interested clubs can sponsor the planting of trees in Indiana. The Scholarship committee oversees the process by which money from individual clubs goes to the state scholarship fund, and then in turn directs the selection process for candidates to receive the awards. Each Committee had a display: Birds and Butterflies, Horticulture, Conservation, Trees, Scholarship, Membership, Youth Gardening, Wildflowers, Garden Therapy, Civic Development--I hope thats all. But you get the idea. We all settled into tables that were decorated with centerpieces and gift bags--the call to order went out. After moving into the Church Sanctuary, the meeting itself began. We said the Pledge of Allegiance and the Conservation Pledge (written in a little program book for those of us who had no clue what it is). Then Stephanie Weber of the Middlebuy Garden Club welcomed us--apparently she has a peony farm that we need to go visit--and then Judy Cook from Elkhart responded sort of like--"welcome everybody"--"Hey thanks for having us". Joan Stone, the District President Welcomed everybody and introduced us to the District Officers as well as the wonderful Joyce Bulington, our state president. These meetings always have a reading committe--3 people that later on review the minutes of the meeting and approve them, and they were introduced at this time. Marlene Pratt (Middlebury) lit a candle and read a wonderful prayer as a memorial tribute to two past members who died this year. It was about end and renewal as it happens in the garden and how the meaning of that is manifested in the life of everyone.
After this touching moment, the various officers gave their reports, and all the club presidents of gave their annual reports. Then the district Chairpersons attending gave their reports, and the Scholarship chair asked me to tell the group a little bit about Ben. You can imagine how eloquent I was, not being aware ahead of time that I would be asked to do this--of course I neglected to tell everyone Ben's LAST name--thanks to some wiser person who asked me what it was--but at least I don't think Ben will have to attend the State Banquet with a bag over his head. Then Joyce addressed the group--she is such a hoot. We are very lucky to have formed our club during her tenure. She "gets" groups like ours--she is pretty much like us--irreverent and caring--and as Bobbi noted--she is the correct height to be a member of our club. Now that Bobbi knows that Mr. Bulington is not the pilot of the REAL Air Force One, she knows that Joyce is just like the rest of us.
Then we went on to Business stuff--at this point my brain froze and I couldn't absorb everything. The nuggets I came away with are as follows:
There is a committe forming to work on the 2012 State Meeting which our district will be hosting. EVERYONE is going to be needed to help out in some way. I have a form that I started to fill out, figuring the committee post would just fall to me--but it occurred to me that someone else might be willing to step in and contribute to this. Working on this project will necessitate attending meetings that will move from one location to another throughout the district to equalize the distance driving between all the members. If someone is willing to take this on--I would love it--just let me know. You can finish filling out the form and I will get it back to Joan.
Also--we figured out how to send in new member stuff. I will get on that quickly so our new members can start getting their newsletters and be counted in the district's new member head count.
And speaking of newsletters--there was a questionairre about how you want it--postage is insane so the idea is for it to be electronic only. They come as PDF's now, but they want to know if you have other preferences. I will get this out to everyone so you can answer the questions and I will just send the results on.
After all the official jazz it was time for lunch--so back to the Fellowship room we went, to visit, eat, and check out the displays some more. In a very sweet gesture, the prayer before lunch included all of us singing one verse of "America the Beautiful".
The program for the day ensued back in the Sanctuary, where Sonya Miller, owner of Country Comfort Greenhouse, told us all about the quilt gardens in Amish Country. This grass roots undertaking has grown to a total this year of 17 plantings, and has proven to be a much needed boost to Elkharts tourism industry. Sonya was a great speaker--knowledgable and spontaneous, and she had a very nice powerpoint display with photos of all the gardens in various stages of growth.
After all that--the winners of the raffles were announced, people went back to finish up purchasing things from the Ways and Means, do a little more networking, and then it was time to go home.
I am certain I have forgotten a lot of stuff--my brain just doesn't function well in stuff like this. Mary Ann and Bobbi--poke me if you remember other things that happened so I can add them to this account. The main thing we all came away with was the fact that we had a very nice time, and this organization we are a part of is full of wonderful people united by the common love of gardens and gardening. As time goes on we will find our "place" within its structure so they can benefit from us, and we in turn from them.
Celebrate with Unity Gardens
Hey folks--I received an invitation from Sara Stewart at Unity Gardens--On Sat. Oct 30 Unity Gardens will have its Harvest Celebration. This is a Potluck meal that will take place from 11 am to 2 pm at the Potowatomi Greenhouse at 2105 Mishawaka Ave. in South Bend. They will be recognizing their contributors and members at this event as well as sharing a meal. The invitation is open to anyone who wants to participate. Rob and I are going to try to go, and if Ben is available he plans to go too. This winter I hope to get Sara to come and tell us all about Unity Gardens, and hopefully our groups can work together in the future to everyones benefit. So if you have some free time on that day, whip up a batch of something and head on over there to meet the folks!
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