Clippings. The Newsletter of the F.W. Vanderbilt Garden Association, Inc Board of Directors

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1 Clippings from the Garden The Newsletter of the F.W. Vanderbilt Garden Association, Inc. Spring President: Vice President: Treasurer: Secretary: Director: Director: Director: 2016 Board of Directors Naomi Garrell Suzanne Davis Jerri Hayes Suzanne Osterman-Meyer Jonnie Kessler (Development) Troy Franke Genevieve Doremus (Donations) Annual fundraiser at Coppola s Ristorante On Wednesday, March 30th, we ll have our annual lunnch/dinner fundraiser at Coppola s Ristorante on Route 9 in Hyde Park. Have lunch or dinner there, any time between 11 AM and 9 PM, and Coppola s will donate a percentage of their proceeds for that day to FWVGA. Please come and support this fundraiser, as it does not involve a lot of volunteer effort, so is an easier way for us to raise money compared to some of our other more labor-intensive fundraisers. Last year we didn t have such a great turnout, so we re hoping to do better this year. Please spread the word to your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers! We ve sent the info out to various area publications, and listed the even on community calendars online. Coppola s has great food and a varied menu at reasonable prices, and they ve been very generous in providing us with the opportunity to raise funds this way, so please support them as much as us! To make a reservation, call Coppola s directly at , and remember to mention FWVGA when you sit down and order. Get yer bloomin bulbs! About now, aren t we all eager to see some color in our gardens? Well, once again we ve partnered with Brent and Becky s Bulbs to offer a vast selection of summer flowering bulbs and our garden association will receive 25% of all purchases made in our name. Please spread the word about this! Just go to Click the down arrow, and choose Frederick W Vanderbilt Garden Association Inc. and click the Go button. If you can t order online, then call them toll free at Just remember to mention FWVGA when you call, so we ll receive our percentage. Kickoff meeting Our Spring Kickoff meeting will take place on Sunday, March 20, from 2-4 PM at the Wallace Center at the FDR Home and Library on Route 9 in Hyde Park. Hope to see you all there!! Above, a little humor at Adams Garden Show. Thanks to all our volunteers who organized and manned our table there.

2 Clippings from the Garden Page 2 What s going on in the gardens by Shirley Downing Winter is almost over (I hope) so it s that time of year to schedule dates, etc. Weather permitting, garden work will start on Tuesday, March 22nd at 8:30 AM. If the weather is bad, the work will be delayed until Saturday, March 26th. Not sure what we will do, but we will work. There s always a lot to do when we open the gardens. One major thing we have to do is to fill in around the outside area of the new edging in the panel beds and perennial area. We ran out of time last fall, so it must be done now. This will help to keep the edge in place and make mowing easier. Soil will be added, leveled to the edges, fertilized, seeded, covered with mainly mulch, and watered in. Spring is a great time to seed, as the weather is cooler and spring rain helps to germinate the seed. The Knockout roses, shrubs, and vines need to be pruned and mulched, paths weeded and trimmed, beds need to be trimmed, and the roses and perennial areas will be cleaned up. The annual beds need to be prepared for the May planting, and the upper grasses should be divided and potted up for our Plant Sale. In order to do all this work, we need as much help as we can get. The other day I talked with Charlotte, and the delivery dates for the annuals has been scheduled. This year the upper level will have velvet colors in the four corners, red celosia in the four inside beds, and white profusion zinnias in the two circles. The center circle remains the same. The bottom level will have red salvia in the hearts, red/white star petunias in the crescents, and white snapdragons in the boots. The center circle will be the same. The panel beds will be the same, red celosia and white alyssum. ATTENTION: SPECIAL PROJECT DAYS FOR PLANTING ANNUALS. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! TUES, MAY 17th -- 8:30 AM -- PLANTING STARTS We will have our usual covered dish lunch and go back to planting for a few hours after lunch. If you can only help for a few minutes, that s OK. There will be a job for everyone. Just come and help! SAT, MAY 21st and TUESDAY, MAY 24th Planting continues. Other days will be scheduled if necessary. THURSDAY MAY 19th and THURSDAY MAY 26th Time will be spent preparing for our Plant Sale, scheduled for May 28th, 29th and 30th. Please sign up to help with this important fundraiser. A sign-up sheet will be posted in the Toolhouse. Proceeds from the Plant Sale help to purchase everything we need to run our Association: plants, fertilizer, food for breaks, phone bill (yes we do have to pay for calls!), plus many other items. In 2015 approximately $8,000 was raised during the Plant Sale. I know we will have another successful year. As I mentioned last year, there will be no special projects this year, as all areas have been edged. Arrangements have been made with NPS to take over responsibility of the irrigation system. This eliminates $2,000 from our garden budget. Thank you NPS! There is a discussion with NPS to check out our drainage system, as some drains have started to collapse and need attention. Since it is part of a structural system, the NPS is responsible for the repairs. I have not heard from NPS on other projects that we discussed in the past (Boy/Dolphin repairs, work on Orpheus, brick work, etc). In December, while decorating Christmas wreaths at Adams, I had a surprise visit from Roger Karcher. Roger was up for a few days, still collecting antique cars and furniture, and is doing good. He likes living in Tennessee and has been touring the State. Roger said to say hello to everyone, so here goes: HELLO EVERYONE! continued on page 4...

3 Clippings from the Garden Page 3 President s Message Dear Members: Hi everyone. It is hard to believe that spring is just around the corner! Let s hope the unbelievably mild winter does not mean we are in for some wild spring and summer weather. The Board has been busy on the off season planning for an upcoming rose fence and pier restoration project researched by Sue Williams; mapping plans for our fundraising projects for this year; getting our operational budget in place with much work done by Jerri Hayes, our 2016 Treasurer; and other issues which have been highlighted in the Board minutes. A grant has been submitted to the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area to accomplish the first phase of restoring the rose garden piers. There are still some hurdles that need to be overcome which involve review by the Historic Preservation masonry group and the NPS archaeologist to see how the work is to be done and what compliance reviews are needed. Stay tuned as we report on progress. There is a lot of work to be done in the beds this coming season to fix grading issues that have been identified with the new edging. Let s hope for a not too rainy spring, as this will be one of the early season projects we undertake. We hope to see many of you in the gardens this year as we always need the help but it is so much more enjoyable when we have a nice size group all working together towards a common goal. We have two of our volunteers, Suzanne Gillespie and Sue Williams making a short presentation at the Philadelphia Flower show on March 7. The theme this year is the NPS Centennial. How exciting! The show is going to be amazing this year. Don t forget our bulb fundraiser when you are looking to purchase your spring bulbs and the fundraiser at Coppola s! We will see you at the spring kick-off meeting March 20th. This will be the only official notice you receive of that meeting. Sincerely, Naomi Garrell President, FWVGA Patsy s talk at the Annual Meeting Patsy Newman Costello, a Hyde Park native who has lived in the same house all her life, gave a short talk at the FWVGA Annual Meeting. Due to time constraints she was not able to tell you that her father, Manford Alton Newman, was mentioned in Mr. Vanderbilt s will. Anyone who worked on the estate for ten years or more when Mr. Vanderbilt died, he left a minimum of $1,000. Some employees received more if they were a valet, chauffeur, superintendent of the estate, etc. Mr. Newman used the $1000 as a down payment on the house currently occupied by his daughter Patsy Newman Costello, and it was one-quarter of the price of the house in Both Mr. and Mrs. Vanderbilt were very generous to their employees and the people of Hyde Park. When the Vanderbilt Garden Association was first organized, Patsy was on the first Board of Directors. She obtained a grant from IBM to start the annual planting on the top level and the first flower beds planted in She has supported the gardens for the last 30 years as her father worked in the greenhouses for the Vanderbilts, and she knew he would be happy to know his daughter wanted to help restore the gardens. Patsy N. Costello speaking about her family history with the Vanderbilts and showing gifts given to her family.

4 Clippings from the Garden Page 4 What s happening in the gardens... continued from page 2 I m looking forward to seeing you at the Kickoff on Sunday March 20th. If there is any change in our garden starting dates (due to weather) I will announce it at the Kickoff. Here s to our 32nd year in rehabilitating the gardens. This is only possible with the great volunteers we had in the past, present, and will have in the future. This is my 29th year as a volunteer. I have had the opportunity to work with many dedicted volunteers and watched it develop into the beautiful gardens we now have. Positions available We need the following positions filled for this year to provide necessary services to our organization and members: * VIP Coordinator * Greeters * Interpreters The role of the the VIP Coordinatior is to coordinate, supervise and implement the Frederick W. Vanderbilt Garden Association, Inc volunteer (VIP) program. Greeters have a table at the entrance to the gardens every weekend afternoon, to provide information to visitors, and accept donations. Interpreters conduct free tours of the gardens the third Sunday afternoon of each month, May thru October. Please consider helping out by volunteering for these jobs. Complete job descriptions are available in the Toolhouse, or contact Naomi Garrell at , or by at nfgarrell@yahoo.com. VIP AWARDS FOR 2015 The following volunteer awards were presented at the November 2016 Awards and Business Meeting. Congratulations and thank you! 15 hours - Patch Bob Badgley Dennis Battista Matt Bradford Virginia Currie Genevieve Doremus-Reichelt Dillon Floughton Troy Franke Scott Pitcher 50 hours - Pin Matt Bradford Genevieve Doremus-Reichelt Lynn Forman Ida Oliver Jeanette Walter 100 hours - Patch Bruce Hotaling Ginny Condon Michele DiNapoli 200 hours - Tote/Hat Bruce Hotaling Donna Milano Anne Moehle-Ferrara Jeanette Starzyk 300 hours - Sweatshirt Dale Badgley Cecily Frazier Donna Milano In Memoriam 500 hours - Jacket/Patch Dale Badgley Carol Jessen Glenn Yanow 1000 Hours - Patch Carol Amodeo Jerri Hayes 250 Hours - NPS Pass Carol Amodeo Dale Badgley Charlotte Daley Phyllis Delarm Shirley Downing Naomi Garrell Jerri Hayes Bruce Hotaling Carol Jessen Donna Milano Bernard Ouimet Robert Rizzoto Jeanette Starzyk Sue Williams Glenn Yanow Thomas Condon, former VGA volunteer, and husband of current volunteer Ginny Condon, passed away on February 5th. Our condolences to Ginny and her family. Barbara Saul, former VGA volunteer and a past Vice-President, passed away on February 16 at her home in North Carolina. Our condolences to her husband John and their family.

5 Clippings from the Garden Page 5 Photos from the Vanderbilt Mansion s Diamond Anniversary Celebration Reminder! The Philadelphia Flower Show is March 5-13, celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service. Tickets are $27 and can be purchased online at theflowershow.com, or purchased at the Box Office of the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Quotes to Make You Smile I believe that a heavenly being created man because he was disappointed in the monkey. Mark Twain Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain. Anonymous Flying a plane is just like driving a car, only you have to know what everything does. Anonymous Get a bicyle. You will not regret it, if you live. Mark Twain When you drive home tonight, please drive very carefully, because I walk in my sleep. - Victor Borge Save the Dates March 20: Kickoff Meeting, 24 PM at the Wallace Center. March 30: Lunch/Dinner at Coppola s Ristorante, Hyde Park. May 28, 29, 30: Memorial Day Weekend Plant Sale, front lawn of Vanderbilt Visitor Center. September 11: Vanderbilt Garden Tea, 2 PM to 4 PM, on the upper garden terrace in front of the Toolhouse. Every 3rd Sunday, May thru Oct, between 1-4 PM: free tours of the gardens by our vollunteer interpreter guides. Contributors to this newsletter: Shirley Downing, Naomi Garrell, Jonnie Kessler, Margaret Moebius If you have announcements, photos or information of general interest for our members, please contact newsletter editor Margaret Moebius at moebius122@optonline.net or

6 FWVGA, Inc Calendar January th- BOD Meeting- Bellefield - Renew Property Liability Insurance for March - Paid membership letter 31st- Apply for NPS Authorization for 2016 events Greeter Program Interpreter Program Plant Sale- Commercial Use Authorization Tea - Commercial Use Authorization April th- BOD Meeting- Bellefield February th- BOD Meeting- Bellefield 26th, 27th, 28th- Pok Adams Flower Show May Renew BOD insurance for July 9th- BOD Meeting- Tool House 28th, 29th, 30th- Plant Sale March th- BOD Meeting- Bellefield 20th- Garden Kick Off Meeting- Wallace Visitors Center 30th- Coppola s Lunch and Dinner June th- BOD Meeting- Tool House July th- BOD Meeting- Tool House October th- BOD Meeting- Bellefield Moved to Tues August th- BOD Meeting- Tool House November th- BOD Meeting- Bellefield 20th- Annual Awards Meeting- Bellefield September th- BOD Meeting- Tool House 11th - Tea December th- BOD Meeting- Bellefield