January 2013 Meeting Notes

Twenty-one members came out on a frigid night for the first meeting of the year and were justly rewarded by an interesting program.

Our speaker Dianne Machesney is a Penn State Master Gardener who presented, “Pennsylvania Trees,” beautifully illustrated by her photographs and those of her beloved mentor, Esther Allen. Dianne began with the benefits of trees, calling them “green gold.”   Trees provide food, nest sites, shade, soil stability, building materials, medicines, etc.  Pennsylvania has 108 native trees within deciduous and evergreen classifications.  She showed us uses, wildlife benefits, pests and diseases. In addition, she expanded our vocabulary with new words such as petiole and allelopathy.  Dianne talked of the plants and diseases brought into Western Pennsylvania which are detrimental, if not fatal, to native species. Global warming may also be a factor in tree stress and/or die off. One tree from the Rue Family, the hop tree (Ptelea trifoliate, stinking ash or wafer tree) is on the endangered species list.  [Note: not the invasive tree Ailanthus altissima tree-of-heaven, Chinese sumac.] Her love of nature and teaching was clearly apparent.

Reference books she recommends and used for this presentation are: Guide to Trees by D. Sibley, Trees of Pennsylvania by A. Rhoads, and Trees of Pennsylvania and the Northeast by C. Fergus.

New president, Mary Anne Kurtz, began the business meeting. Treasurer, Anita Wagner, presented the proposed budget for 2013. Other topics covered briefly were changes at our bank perhaps requiring new checks; locating and reinstalling the trellis for the Passavant garden; a possible tour of the Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens; and sharing Sharon’s newly divided indoor plants.

Arrangement - Lynn Betts          Desserts - Flo Ogden & Nancy Madevy

February 26^th Program:   “Perennials for Difficult Sites” by Dot Sim

Submitted by: Rose Mary Highman