The Petunia Patch Newsletter

Transcription

1 South Haven Garden Club The Petunia Patch Newsletter January / February 2017 Volume 17, Number 1 South Haven Garden Club P.O. Box 464 South Haven, MI NEW YEAR EVENTS January 9, Meeting 12:30 pm Program: Landscape Design Presenter: Julie Soderquist Location: First Congregational Church Hostesses: Barb ChartierRaudonis and Marcia Voltzers Nove m be r Me e t ing : Auc tion fo r We C ar e So many activities during the past few months! (see page 3 for more!) Our November meeting Auction raised $538 the day of the auction. The GC added to this amount with an additional $500. We gave the We Care Food Pantry at First Congregational $1,038. Great work and Thank You all! Here are some photos from the November Auction, which was hosted by Karen Ruesink and Lynne Kasper. Enjoy! January 21 Field Trip 11-12:30 pm Garden Benches Tour & Pick Recommended by Margaret Guirmond as fun and best prices of the year. Be prepared for the weather as we will be outside too. 11 am / Car Pool from Church Sign up melodysw@aol.com February 13, Meeting 12:30 pm Rhododendrons & Azaleas Presenter: Linda Chervat from Rosebay Nurseries. Location: First Congregational Church Hostesses: Sally Van Assche & Nancy Teutsch February 25 Field Trip 10-12:30 pm Clifford's Botanical Cafe & Garden 619 West Main St., Benton Harbor Brunch and Program: Cup of Succulents Please Learn about Succulents and then pick & plant your selection in a purchased container, (or bring your own container). Costs vary based on brunch selection and plant / container purchase (optional). 9:15 am / Car Pool from Church Sign up melodysw@aol.com For more information see your Yearbook, (pages 19 and 20) OR for more updated information on these events please see our Facebook page at: Newsletter by M Williamson / melodysw@aol.com Yes, we feel your Joy! Linda LaRocque, Auction! Master! Cherie was checking online for prices! And the winner is. And we all were susceptible to your auction charms! Humm. May God be with us?

2 The South Haven Garden Club Newsletter The President s Page CLUB OFFICERS Co-President: Barb Durant / May-Oct Co-President: Open / Nov-April Vice-President: Treasurer: Joan Hiddema Asst. Treasurer: Joanne Reed Corresponding Secretary: Cherie McCloughan Recording Secretary: Sarah (Sally) Van Assche STANDING COMMITTEES Chairpersons Arbor Day Debbie Walter Blue Star Memorial Sandy Fenske Boutique Crafts Nancy Daugherty Flower Show Lynn Toneman Garden Walk Sue McCabe Hospice Flowers Becky Berry & Sharon Stringham Hospitality Karen Ruesink Joan Smith Library Garden Mary Lynn Bugge Membership/ Debbie Owens Parliamentarian Anne Long Programs Joanne Reed Scholarship Connie Schaffer Youth Education Margaret Guimond Communications / Chairpersons Facebook Carol King Newsletter Photographers Cherie McCloughan & Barb Chartier-Randonis Publicity Cherie McCloughan Web Site Joann Johnson Yearbook Facebook Page: Web Site: Newsletter Staff:, editor/writer/layout Dan Williamson, proofing/website upload Nancy Daugherty, copy/mail provider Volunteer Opportunities Club Co-President Nov April (Hurry!) Field Trip Facilitators to help with church meetup and car pooling. Girl Scout/Native Plants Badge Program Publicity for Garden Walk in July Substitute President s Message Happy New Year to all! While Barb Durant is otherwise occupied for the winter I will attempt to fill in. (miss you Barb!) I read an article the other day that listed a literary reviewer s favorite first sentences of novels from One selection struck me; It s a good year to be pessimistic. What makes this sentence provocative for me is how true and untrue it seems. We ve all been effected by the political climate of the election and the world conflicts. Definitely worthy of pessimism. However; I look around my immediate environment (or milieu as my husband would say) and I m anything but pessimistic. This seems especially true of our Garden Club. Such good people, noble intentions, and all our acts of community kindness via our service projects. All this makes me proud of our club and all it s members. We certainly have had an increase in membership over the past year-over 110 members strong. New members have joined for a wide variety of reasons. The two most common reasons are learning to be a better horticulturalist and to meet new people. Possibly the same reasons we ve all joined the Garden Club. I believe our club offers a strong platform for becoming better gardeners; great presentations at our monthly meetings, an eclectic variety of monthly field trips, and advanced training via our National Gardener Club organization and MSU Extension Office support. But it s our service projects that offer the best opportunity to accomplish both of these goals. While volunteering we meet, get to know people, and develop friendships. We also share our knowledge and skill sets with each other, both learning and teaching along the way. All while trying to make our corner of the world a better place. We have an excellent new volunteer opportunity this year. If you like Native Plants, or are interested in the Girl Scout program, this is for you. In March we will be partnering with the SH Girl Scouts to develop a native plants badge program. With our sponsorship they will be able earn the National Garden Clubs Native Plants Badge. This is a collaborative project so we will be working with the local GS leaders. You can find some details on this New Service Project on page 4 of this newsletter. I m truly excited about this new endeavor. It s a wonderful New Year and anything is possible. Happy New Year to All, 2

3 The South Haven Garden Club Holiday Boutique Sales Message from Nancy D. Thanks to everyone that helped with the holiday boutique and greens sale. A final tally will be coming soon. Many contributed time either crafting, setting up our booth, or working the day of the sale:, Sally Van Assche, Karen Ruesink, Janet Ryskamp, Margery VerBeek, Carol King, Lois Stepich, Nancy Ellis, Maryhelen Price, Dianne Fox, Diane Wilberding, Lynn Kasper, Barb Bruce, Sandy Fenske, Sue McCabe, and Cathy VanderMeer. A special thanks to Lois Stepich for taking charge of the pumpkin project, and Barb Chartier-Raudonis for teaching us how to needle felt. Carol King went above and beyond by opening her studio to us and donating the glass so we could make fun ornaments for the boutique. Mary Lynn Bugge and Maryhelen Price helped sort greens - a huge job even if the weather was warm. Thanks to Joanne Reed for organizing me and the boutique when my thoughts were elsewhere. A large portion of our boutique sales were for the wonderful lip balms and creams concocted by Sherry Coady,, and the Craft Group Crew. Just designing the containers took hours! Carol King teaching Glass work for Ornaments. Craft Group Crew! Dianne Fox sharing a seat with the Holiday Greens! Again, Thank You, thank you to all who participated. New friendships were formed and new members got involved. What a great group!!!!!!!! Nancy It worked out great to have some of our greens and crafts at the LHB museum the week after the church sale. We made another $300. Thanks to Joan Hiddema. Sorting Greens at Nancy Daugherty s Home 3

4 New Service Project for 2017 Are you interested in? : Taking Charge of a Club Program? New Project Development? Sharing your Knowledge? Meeting New People? Girl Scouting? Native Plants? If any of these things interest you? Then this is the Service Project for you! For more Information, please contact. melodysw@aol.com + = Fun 4

5 Area Gardener s Events When What Where More Sunday, January 22, 2 p.m. Tuesday evenings 6-7 p.m. Jan. 24 and run through Feb weeks total Sunday, February pm Hometown Habitat Stories of Bringing Nature Home. The Kalamazoo Area Wild Ones invite you to attend a free showing of this documentary film, narrated by renowned entomologist Douglas Tallamy, Ph.D. whose research, books, and lectures show how using native plants in your landscape helps avoid habitat and species loss. Tallamy challenges the notion that humans are here and nature is someplace else. Smart Gardening with Vegetables 101 Tailored for beginning vegetable gardeners, this course focuses on all the steps required for you to grow your own vegetables. Whether you have limited space or a larger area to garden, techniques are provided for both. If you are not familiar with the Smart Gardening initiative, this course will also introduce sustainable practices you can apply in the vegetable garden. This series is open to anyone interested in growing vegetables Perennials: New Releases and Old Favorites Find out what to look for at the garden centers this spring by spending an hour with Patty Steinhauser of Stonehouse Nursery. Patty shares images of new perennial cultivars and recommended old stalwarts. Patty and her husband Jay own and operate their wholesale nursery in Berrien Springs where they specialize in producing new introductions of perennial liners to be grown in the nursery industry. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, 180 Portage Street, Kalamazoo, MI Webinar via Computer A total of 6 weekly live webinars. You will be given internet access and log on information with registration. Fernwood Botanical Garden Range Line Road, Niles, MI Please Note: Due to limited seating, please pre register at Free but Donations at the door would be gratefully accepted. More g/hometown-habitat/ Registration is $30 per individual if you register by Jan. 10 and $40 after Jan. 10 More info and news/smart_gardening _with_vegetables_101_webi nar_series_begins_jan_24_2 017 Cost $12 (Members $10) info@fernwoodbotanical.org More /calendar.html#/?i=1 Monday Feb pm Getting started with Maple Syrup Beginning producers and others with basic information needs are invited to participate in this education session with Bob and Sue Battel, MSU Extension and Battel s Sugar Bush Farm. Participants will get an overview of a Maple Syrup farming and operational topics, plus have an opportunity through live, on-line chat to ask questions of MSU agriculture experts. Webinar via Computer The live webinar presentations will begin at 7 p.m. and run not later than 9 p.m. You will get internet log on information with registration. Contact: Jim Isleib isleibj@anr.msu.edu Cost $10 Registration at: register.cfm?eventid= FA99E1B5F67C3AEC&regisPr ocessid=6bca1c9fd224f4c6 5

6 South Haven Garden Club P.O. Box 464 South Haven, MI