Bob Grese on Great Lakes Gardens

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1 The Tollgate Farm News Volume 20 Issue 7 July 2014 Tollgate Garden Volunteer Important Dates and Events JUL MSU Tollgate Gardens Volunteer General Meeting in the Conference Center MEETINGS 17 TGV General Meeting 7:00 PM Thursday, July 17, 7:00 PM Bob Grese on Great Lakes Gardens On Thursday, July 17, join volunteers in the Tollgate conference center to learn about the Great Lakes Gardens at Matthaei Botanical Gardens in northeast Ann Arbor, 1800 N. Dixboro Road. Bob Grese is the Director of the Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum at the University of Michigan. Opened in April 2013, the Great Lakes Gardens (GLG) at Matthaei celebrate the incredible biodiversity that surrounds us. The GLG will re-create several special ecosystems such as dune, alvar-limestone formations and prairie. The various gardens are or will be planted with Great Lakes endemics (plants found here and nowhere else in the world), native orchids, oak species, woodland and prairie wildflowers, and many other plants. Accessible paths, boardwalks and overlooks connect the nearby coastal, oak openings, orchid, prairie and woodland gardens, as well as the Warren H. Wagner fern collection. Signs interpret each habitat for visitors and include information on conservation, sustainability and environmental stewardship. There is a beautiful 14-page description of the various garden habitats with a map, plant names and many photos at Robert Grese teaches and writes about ecologically-based landscape design and restoration with an emphasis on community involvement. You may have read about his prescribed burns to manage prairies by rejuvenating native grasses and discouraging invasive plants at Nichols Arboretum and in his yard on a residential street, Bob has researched and written extensively about early landscape designers Jens Jensen and Ossian Cole (O.C.) Simonds who used native vegetation in their work. Bob is interested in green roofs and other low impact design ideas, as well as reconnecting children and families with nature. He has BLA and MSLA degrees in landscape architecture from the Universities of Georgia and Wisconsin Tollgate Open House Art in the Gardens JUL 19 ACTIVITIES OPEN HOUSE Art in the Gardens 10:00 AM TO 3:00 PM 26 Children s/nursery/activity Center 9:00 AM Saturday, July 19 10:00 am to 3:00 pm Page

2 GREETINGS Greetings All, from the Tollgate Farm Manager Roy Prentice During June, most of the gardens received a thorough weeding and mulching. We spent several activity days getting the gardens in shape. Now, most of the gardens look great! Your assistance is greatly appreciated at future workdays. There is always something to do! Open House Prep: Please help us get ready for the upcoming open house hosted at Tollgate on July 18th. Our focus will be setting up tents, tables and chairs and performing other activities to get ready for the Open House. We may also do some last minute weeding and other housekeeping activities to make sure that the farm is ready for our visitors. You have most likely received several notifications from Tollgate gardens president, Renee Cottrell concerning volunteer opportunities for the Open House. Another way that you can help with the event is to bring refreshments for our guests. Refreshments could include cookies and other finger foods. Please make sure that there are no nuts involved in your goodies. No quilts again this year, but lots of music and art will be gracing the gardens. Even if you are unable to work on the day of the open house, please plan to join us, stroll the grounds and take in the day. Quilt Raffle: We will be conducting the raffle drawing on the day of the open house for the quilt made by Tollgate s own quilting bees. This is a great fundraiser for the gardens. There is still the opportunity to purchase tickets for the quilt. Please contact me if you are interested or purchase tickets on the day of the Open House. It all goes to support the gardens. This year promises to be our most successful year yet with the quilt raffle. Please purchase often. I just know that the winning ticket is still out there! Ginger Meyer Award: I am accepting nominations for the Ginger Meyer award. The recipient of this award is the Tollgate Volunteer that has done the most for Tollgate over the years. I would be happy to send a form to anyone that would like one. However, you are welcome to just send me your nomination in an . Simply indicate who you feel has contributed the most to Tollgate over the years and why. This is your chance to help us recognize those in our midst that have really given of themselves so that we can all enjoy the site more. Roy AUG August Tollgate Garden Volunteer Important Dates and Events MEETINGS 5 TGAC Meeting 7:00 PM 13 Fall Fair Meeting 7:00 PM 21 TGV General Meeting 7:00 PM AUG ACTIVITIES 2 Pond / Office 9:00 AM 9 Entrance / Dry Shade / Farmhouse 9:00 AM 16 Activity Center / Xeriscape 9:00 AM 23 Rose / Heritage / Rock Ledge 9:00 AM Page 2

3 Notes from the President As someone who finds both peace and joy in gardening as well as beauty in the results, I feel there is no greater pleasure than being surrounded by abundant blooms. Larry Hodgson Sign-Up for the 2014 Open House Art in the Gardens! This free, open to the public event was successful with the art theme last season and is back for a repeat performance with more artists, vendors and more. Saturday July 19 th 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM There are plenty of ways to contribute to this event. We still need: Finger food snack donations for our guests; cookies, brownies, tarts fit on a napkin type treats (no nuts please) Garden guides for all shifts to meet and greet guests along with floaters to cover breaks Friday set-up crew for tables, tents, signage Parking assistants to direct traffic Vending Assistant to take large purchases back to vehicle area Volunteers for the vendor/volunteer lunch set-up If you have not yet signed up please contact me ASAP by rmcottrell4@att.net or phone ( ). Please join us for an event to educate and entertain as well as introduce more people in the community to our wonderful sight. We had a scheduled clean-up of the site on Saturday, July 12 th prior to the Open House but feel free to come out during the week and spruce up the site for our guests. It is time again to place your nominations for the Ginger Meyer Award. This award is presented at the end of the year at the recognition dinner. Please honor a fellow Tollgate 2013 Tollgate Art in the Gardens gardener(s) who has demonstrated their knowledge, commitment and willingness to share their love of gardening. The nomination form is also available at meetings, on line and at the end of this newsletter. Previous recipients are listed on the plaque in the Volunteer Communication Center. Garden Teams Still Need Members. All garden areas could use additional dedicated hands to maintain the site during the growing season. If you have a particular garden you would like to be involved with contact me for an introduction and assignment information. As Always, Thank you for being a Tollgate Garden Volunteer. Renee Cottrell, TGV President Photo by Renee Cottrell Page 3

4 ACTIVITY DAYS Page 4 Photos by Darretta Ferasin

5 ACTIVITY DAYS Photos by Darretta Ferasin Page 5

6 July is here and so is our annual Open House. This means we will need baked or store bought goodies to share. NO NUTS PLEASE! Our guests tell us every year how much they appreciate your generosity while taking a rest between visiting the gardens. Please drop off your goodies before your shift begins in the Conference Center. Need info.? mainwoods@gmail.com Thanks, Yvonne The quilt raffle day is growing near. Pick up your tickets at the next General Meeting Raffle Date: Saturday, July 19th at the close of the Tollgate Summer Open House, Art in the Gardens. Tickets: $2.00 each or (3) for $5.00 TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE JULY TGV GENERAL MEETING AND AT THE OPEN HOUSE Live, Laugh and Eat Dessert First before every meeting Have too many cookies, cakes, other desserts and you want to share? Bring them to our monthly Thursday evening meeting. Want to bake but don't have a crowd to share your goodies with? Bring your bake goodies to our meeting this month. Need recipe or idea? me (Yvonne) at mainwoods@gmail.com. Tollgate Calendar 2016 I am accepting photos for the 2016 calendar now through December I know. I know it seems so far away and I just finished accepting photos for the 2015 calendar. This past year was a transition year. I had been putting the calendar together during the late spring, early summer which, for an avid gardener, is a pretty busy time of the year. I will now be able to do the calendar during the winter months and not feel so rushed. I prefer to have photos submitted in landscape format and on a memory stick, with your name on it so it can be returned. They can be given to Roy or myself. If you have any questions you can reach me at tollgatemembership@gmail.com. Nancy Roggers Please send your photos in. Without your participation the calendar will not be possible. Page 6

7 Tollgate Volunteer Information Activity Days Activity day hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM unless otherwise noted on the Tollgate Garden Volunteer Important Dates and Events listed on the first page of the Tollgate Farm News or by the Area Garden Leader (AGL). Lunch will be provided - veggie alternatives are available upon request. This schedule does not exclude you from working independently on the site. However, on non-scheduled days, your efforts will need to be selfdirected with guidance from the garden area clipboards located in the Volunteer Communication Center. If you aren t getting The Tollgate Farm News , Check your SPAM folder Volunteer Activity Day and Meetings Information ext. 400 Garden Tools Available for Use at Tollgate Spades Garden Rakes Brooms Wheel Barrels Weed Buckets Leaf Rakes Garden Hoe Long Handled Garden Forks List of Suggested Gardening Implements to Bring from Home as Needed Trowel Hand Pruners Loppers Garden Scissors Your Favorite Weeding Implement Hand Saw Plant Division Forks Shrub Rake Sun Screen Gloves Knee Pads Insect Repellant Tollgate Garden Advisory Council Farm Manager Roy Prentice ext prentic1@msu.edu President... Renee Cottrell Vice President... Peg Palmer Secretary... Dave Komraus Treasurer... Sue Janczarek Membership... Nancy Roggers PR... Yvonne DeMattos Fall Fair... Dennis Roggers Programs... Jackie Stengel Hospitality... Yvonne DeMattos Farm News Editor... Darretta Ferasin For membership questions or to update your current membership information send to: tollgatemembership@gmail.com MSU Tollgate Gardens Volunteers For general information and questions Contact Roy Prentice The Tollgate Gardens Advisory Council next meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 5, 2014 at 7:00 PM in the Tollgate Office Building. All Tollgate Gardens Volunteer members are welcome to attend. Listings to contact individual Council Members and Area Garden Leaders are available at all general meetings and in the Volunteer Communication Center. Tollgate Volunteer Membership is renewed annually. The 2014 Tollgate Garden Volunteers membership is from December 1, 2013 to November 30, THE TOLLGATE FARM NEWS Tollgate Gardens Volunteer Office Meadowbrook Novi, MI, Page 7

8 Ginger Meyer Award Nomination Form The Ginger Meyer Award was initiated in 2003 by the family of Mrs. Meyer to recognize the Tollgate Volunteer who shares some of the treasured qualities of Ginger Meyer. The Tollgate Garden Volunteer members will nominate candidates, with a list then compiled by TGAC for presentation to the Americana Foundation for final award selection. Please make the nomination on this form or submit a short paragraph describing each of the following qualities of the nominee: Name of Nominee: 1. This member has shown a commitment to the Tollgate Garden Volunteers by: 2. This member has demonstrated a love and knowledge of gardening by: 3. This member has demonstrated a willingness to share gardening knowledge with others by: