March 2025 Meeting Notes

 President Nancy Madeoy welcomed members to the March 2025 meeting of the LAGC. 

Nancy had a joke for the group.  What kind of pickles do gardeners like?  Daffodils!

 We have a new LACG member: Mark Donatelli.  He did not attend the March meeting. We hope to welcome him at the April meeting.

 We were reminded about the upcoming Tree Planting Service Project which is scheduled for Friday, April 11^th at the Horse Arena in North Park.  We’ll begin at 3:00pm and work until we’re done.  We anticipate completing the project by about 6:00pm but, if we have great participation then we could be done even earlier. Parking is available at the location. All the tools will be provided. It’s suggested that you bring your own gloves. Please wear your new LAGC T-shirt. The event will occur regardless of the weather so please be sure to dress appropriately.  The North Park Rangers will provide a tutorial to show how to plant the trees.  Members are encouraged to bring kids and grandkids to participate in the planting process. Drinking water will be available for participants.  

 The Penn State Master Garden Symposium will be held on Saturday, April 26th at the Hampton Community Center. Last month LAGC members voted to be a “Friend” of PSMG and will have our club name printed in the program brochure. The symposium is a great opportunity to do some shopping for plants even if you don’t want to attend the symposium.

 Mary Ann Kurtz, Plant Sale Coordinator, was unable to attend this evening's meeting so Claudia stepped in to talk about the preparations for our annual Perennial Plant Sale which will be held on Saturday, May 18^th. Please check your e-mail for a message from Mary Ann with many details but, here are some of the highlights.

·      Publicity is important for a successful sale.  Paper reminders were distributed to all members to hand to family and friends.  When you see the post on Facebook, please share it with your friends.

·      The sign up sheet was circulated for members to volunteer for specific jobs at the plant sale. 

·      Plant sale tags were available for members to take.  Please be sure to mark the top of the tag with the symbol of the light requirements for your plants. Draw a sun for “full sun”, a solid circle is “shade” and a circle that is half-shaded signifies “part sun/part shade”.

·      Please bring as many plants as you can. The more plants we have then the more we have available to sell. 

WWear your new blue T-shirt.  

·      Bring your gently used plant and garden items for the free table.  Shoppers love to look at the treasures and get something for free.

·      If you have extra plastic pots to share with members, please bring them to the April meeting or the Tree Planting Project on April 11^th.  

·      Marlow Madeoy, Vice President announced that our holiday tour and luncheon have been confirmed for Saturday, November 15, 2025.  We will be visiting Phipps Conservatory and having lunch at Monte Cello’s Restaurant on Babcock Blvd.  More details will be given when they become available.  Please mark the date on your calendar.  

·      Diana Berendowski invited LAGC members to the Earth Day Celebration sponsored by  Bradford Woods Conservancy on Saturday, April 26th from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Reserve in Bradford Woods.  Admission is free along with a free picnic lunch.  The highlight at 11:00am is a Birds of Prey Presentation. Enjoy the other programs and vendors. 

 Hostess and Arrangement:  Linda Brown’s table arrangement represented Spring with the bright yellow daffodils, purple Siberian Iris and adorable ceramic bunnies.  Rosemary Highman delighted everyone’s taste buds with a selection of apple cake, cashews, grapes and maple cream cookies.  Thank you, Ladies!

 

Program – “Backyard Invasive Species - Don't let them bug ya!” by Dawn Shaffer

Our March speaker, Dawn Shaffer was very informative and engaging as she presented her talk about some common backyard invasive species.  She focused mainly on the praying mantis.  We learned that there are 2,400 species of praying mantises in the world and 20 species in the USA.  In Pennsylvania we have 3 species: Asian or Chinese mantis, European mantis and the Carolina mantis which is our native mantis.

Praying mantises are indiscriminate eaters and will eat all varieties of bugs, bees, butterflies, mosquitoes, Spotted Lanternflies and even hummingbirds if the praying mantis is a large species.  Mantises hatch from an egg sac which can contain between 70 to 200 nymphs.  All mantis nymphs are bright green and look alike, which makes it difficult to determine what species of mantis you are observing.  Adults can vary in shades of green and brown.

There are some common misconceptions about praying mantises that we may have learned as children.  Many people think that the praying mantis is a protected species but, this is not true.  They are not classified as a protected species.  The second misconception is that all mantises are green but, mantises can be green or brown.  The last misconception that Dawn discussed is that all females eat their male partner after mating.  Studies have shown that mantises may eat their male partner, but not always.

Since mantises eat everything in our gardens from pollinators to our plants we should try to remove them from our gardens.  The best way to deal with praying mantis is through integrated pest management rather than pesticides.  Dawn suggests destroying the egg sacs by putting them in water or feeding them to your chickens. You can keep the native sacs. 

Our speaker presented us with a few cautions when dealing with praying mantis: don’t take the egg sacs inside your house because the egg sac will think it's spring and the nymphs will hatch and disburse everywhere; Don't buy praying mantises or nymph sacs online because you can't guarantee what kind of praying mantis you're going to receive; Don’t interact with the praying mantises – just leave them alone and they won’t bother you.

We also talked about the Spotted Lanternfly and the fact that it is still expected to be a problem in our area again this year.  Our speaker is concerned that the invasive insect is moving towards Erie County and will affect the grape vineyards and in turn affect wine production.  This could be a major issue for the Erie economy because grapes are such an important money-making crop in that area.

Now is the time to be looking for the egg masses of the Spotted Lanternfly on flat surfaces of your car, trees, outdoor furniture, etc.  The best way to remove them is by using an old credit card and discarding the egg masses in your municipal trash.  Dawn brought along a variety of handouts with her display and members could pick up a scraper to remove the egg masses.

Our speaker, Dawn also spoke about the decline of butterflies and that the plant we know as the Butterfly Bush is now on the invasive species list and we should be removing this non-native from our yards.  Instead, we should be planting milkweed for Monarch butterflies, spice bush for Swallowtails and plants from the parsley family for Black Swallowtails.

Members really enjoyed Dawn’s informative presentation and asked many interesting questions. The handouts that we could pick up and the egg mass scraper are very beneficial takeaways. We enjoyed another interesting lecture from a Penn State Master Gardener speaker.

 

 

March 26, 2024 Meeting Notes

Notes by Colleen, Pictures by Rose Mary

President Nancy Madeoy opened the meeting with a thank you to Mary Anne and Claudia for helping to run the February meeting and thank you to club members for the cards.

Community Coordinator, Lynn Betts spoke about the need for volunteers to help maintain our Chapel Garden at Passavant Hospital. A sign-up sheet was circulated. The sign-up sheet will be available again at the April meeting if you didn't get an opportunity to choose a week to volunteer. Thanks to those who have already volunteered!

 

Due to voter registration taking place at Northmont Church on April 23rd we won't have access to Fellowship Hall. Our meeting will be held in the sanctuary, and we'll have snacks in the library. 

 

The Penn State Garden and Landscape Symposium and Marketplace will be held on Saturday, April 27th at the Hampton Community Center.  LAGC received communication about the opportunity to be a friend sponsor of the event. Club members unanimously voted to donate $50 to be a friend sponsor.

 

Plant Sale Coordinator, Mary Anne Kurtz addressed the club about our annual perennial plant sale on May 18th.  Paper reminders that can be handed to friends and family were distributed.  Plant tags were available for pickup and will also be available at the April meeting.  

 

●      Please have your plants at the church by 7:30am.

●      Please bring 10 to 20 plants that are worth at least $2 each. The pot size should be 4 inch unless it's a type of plant which typically grows large.

●      The pot should have a plant tag with information about the plant such as growth habit, color and light requirement.  

●      When potting up your plants be alert to the possibility of Asian jumping worms. 

●      Please pot up your plants by mid to late April so that the plants have time to become accustomed to their pots before the plant sale.

●      Again this year we're going to have a free table so be sure to bring your gently used garden items for the table.  

●      Any leftover plants will be given to Memorial Park Church and the Bradford Woods Conservancy.

●      Linda Brown will bring copies of the schedule of our programs to give to customers.

 

Plans for LAGC’s 75th anniversary celebration are underway. Some of the Celebration Committee members visited the Heritage Center in North Park where we store our club records.  It was decided that we will rent the Heritage Center in September of 2025 for a celebration event.  Stay tuned for further details to be announced at our upcoming meetings.

 

Nancy and Mary Anne did a test run with the new microphone headset and it was a positive experience. The club will purchase the $50 headset.

 

Thank you to Linda Brown for the beautiful spring arrangement of daffodils and pussywillow branches. Kate Powell served a delicious lemon poppy seed pound cake, chocolate chip cookies and ginger cookies.

Linda Brown & arrangements

Kate Powell and table with desserts & arrangement

John Powell helps out.

Program Notes

“Cool Tools – Other Stuff” by Stephen Piskor

 

This evening's speaker remembered that he spoke to LAGC 10 years ago about garden tools and was happy to be back. Steve gave a very informative show and tell talk about his favorite tools. He gave us a very detailed handout which lists all the tools that he recommends to make gardening chores easier.

 

Stainless steel doesn't rust but, it's a soft metal and can get damaged easily. Carbon steel is hard but, it rusts so it needs to be kept clean, dry and lubricated.

 

Pointed tools are critical for digging.

 

When faced with a root bound plant, cut the root ball into a box shape to encourage new root growth.

 

Disinfect tools with hand wipes, rubbing alcohol or Lysol spray. Bleach is not recommended because it's caustic to metal tools and to plants.

 

For lubricating tools, he recommends WD-40 silicone spray; the silicone spray is less harmful than regular WD-40. 

 

For cleaning tools, he recommends Lava brand soap because it has pumice in it. Dry tools thoroughly using a microfiber towel.

When sharpening tools be sure to sharpen the beveled blade and then turn the blade over to even out the other side and remove loose metal shavings.

 

Long Vue Acres Garden Club, August 22, 2023 Meeting Notes

Vice president Marlow Madeoy presided over the meeting this evening because our president, Nancy was a little bit under the weather. 

 Marlow started the meeting by asking members What's growing in your garden? Members answered with many heat and sun loving perennials such as daisies, black-eyed Susans, Japanese anemones, sunflowers, yarrow, echinacea, cannas, dahlias and roses.

 

We talked about the spotted lanternfly that club members have been seeing around their homes and businesses within Pittsburgh and surrounding area. Although we've seen more spotted lanternflies this year, they're not expected to do long-term damage to our plants. Research has shown that grapevines are not surviving the damage and growers are worried about commercial vineyards. A member heard about a homemade concoction to kill the pests which consists of water, dish soap and pine sol which is supposed to attract the pests and drown them. Our speaker, Pat Morgan said that plain water will have the same effect. If you are concerned about breeding mosquitoes in standing water then, you could put a mosquito dunk in the container.

 

Marlow (and Nancy) thanked all the committee chairs for the work that they do for LAGC.  Also, a big welcome to all our new members.

 

We're still looking for a member or two to assume the position of Community Service Coordinator whose main responsibility is to organize the volunteers to maintain the garden at Passavant Hospital.  Please contact Evan Fingal if you have any questions about what the role entails. If you know that you are interested then, email Nancy to let her know.

 

Marlow is researching ideas for tours and restaurants for our holiday luncheon. A vote was taken and it was decided to have the luncheon on Saturday, November 18, 2023. If you have any suggestions for a tour or restaurant, please email Marlow.

 

Linda Brown announced that the $15 annual dues will be collected in September. Cash or check will be accepted. 

 

Mary Ann Kurtz, Program Coordinator reminded club members to look at your plants as autumn approaches and decide what plants can be divided to bring to the plant sale in 2024. It's a great idea to write a list to refer to next spring.

 

We will not meet at the church in September. We will tour a dahlia garden in West View. We won't have a carpool. The address will be emailed in the September meeting reminder.

 

Our October program will be at the church and the North Park Rangers will return to talk about the historical landmarks in North Park.

Thank you to Jeanne S and Debbie S for the delicious desserts and arrangement.

If you're looking for some great plants at good prices then, Andrea recommended that you visit Bartsch Gardens located in the Shaler area at 155 Hahn Road, Pittsburgh 15209. 

 

LAGC Treasurer, Denny, talked briefly about whether we want to donate the same amount to the same organizations that we donated to last year. Club members decided to vote at the next meeting. If you have suggestions for another organization for LAGC to donate to then, please bring your suggestions to the meeting.

 

 Program - Edible Landscaping

 

This month's speaker, Pat Morgan received her training at the Bidwell Training Center in 2006 and has been a Penn State Master Gardener since 2010.  She lives and gardens in an urban area of downtown Braddock. She said that she has a small space for gardening and grows native perennials, especially for pollinators, along with fig trees, herbs and vegetables.

Pat gave credit to PSMG Nancy Knauss who developed this evening's program. The idea of edible landscaping was started in 1982 by Rosalyn Creasy who wrote the landmark book entitled "Edible Landscaping".

Pat described the process of edible Landscaping as a mixture of beauty and utility. A garden can be both beautiful and provide delicious food from the same space. Edible plants come in many different shapes, colors and textures which will provide interest in the landscape. For example, consider the vibrant stems of chard and rhubarb for color or the many varieties of kale and cabbage for their ruffled leafy texture. Herbs come in a variety of colors and flavors. Try to locate them in an area near the kitchen so you can easily pick them for cooking.

 

When planning to add edibles to your yard it's important to follow the same landscaping principles that are used when planting flowers, trees and shrubs. Pat explained the importance of having a focal point in the landscape such as a tall plant or garden art to draw your eye to the space in the landscape or planting pot. Peas growing on a wooden teepee structure will provide a beautiful focal point amongst low growing plants.

 

Think about scale and consider that short radish plants probably won't look nice planted around the base of a 40-foot tree. The principle of repetition is used by planting the same type of lettuce in straight rows. This can give a very formal look to your landscape.

 

We were reminded that most edibles need 6 hours of sun. Good soil with adequate nutrients is critical for healthy plants. Make sure to fertilize green leafy vegetables with potassium and vegetables that fruit, such as tomatoes, need phosphorus.

 

Besides growing vegetables and herbs in your edible landscape, Pat talked about adding trees and shrubs. Apple trees can be trained into a decorative focal point by using the espalier method. Fruit trees such as Elderberry and Paw Paw are beautiful trees in the landscape and also provide delicious fruits to eat.

 

Edible shrubs such as blueberries, currants, serviceberry and kiwi berries can be grown in a landscape to provide not only fruit to eat, but also great color in fall.

 

Pat Morgan's talk about edible landscaping was very interesting and gave members some insight on how to grow veggies and herbs amongst their beautiful perennial flowers and why it makes sense to do so. 

Several types of lettuce in a chain formation.

Various heights with hard and soft scape.
Mainly herbs here, but other edibles work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 23, 2023 LAGC Meeting Notes

President Nancy Madeoy opened the May 2023 meeting with What's blooming in your garden. Members responded with peonies, Iris, chives, catmint and rhododendron.

Welcome to our 3 new members who joined last month — Alicia, Kate and John.

A few embers brought plants to share.

 

Please remember that there will be no meeting at the church in June. Our annual garden club picnic will be held on Tuesday, June 27th at Andrea Maire’s house starting at 6:30 p.m.  Andrea said that we may park in the church parking lot across the street from her house.  There are also six parking spots in Andrea's driveway.  Please leave those spaces for those members who may have mobility limitations. Please bring an appetizer, dessert, salad or casserole to share and also bring a chair.

 

Again this year, we'll have our discount towards a purchase of plants at Quality Gardens garden center on Route 228 in Valencia.  Marlow Madeoy sent an e-mail to all members  which includes the document that shows the discount information.  You must print the document and take it to Quality Gardens and show it to the cashier when you check out in order to receive the discount.

 

We're still looking for volunteers to help with the maintenance of the Passavant White Garden.  A sign up sheet was circulated.  We appreciate all the help that you can give tending the garden.  Evan will send a reminder message to each volunteer to let you know which week you signed up to care for the garden.

 

Our annual Perennial Plant Sale held on Saturday, May 20th was a phenomenal success.  We netted about $3,200.  Mary Ann Kurtz gave an overview of the plant sale and we talked about what worked and things that could be changed for next year.  Advertisements seemed to be really helpful; our plants looked very healthy; the holding tables work well for customers and it was suggested to have more holding tables next year.  Mary Ann suggested that we could use more tables and tents. Looking to next year’s plant sale, Mary Ann is asking for a volunteer to put up signs along Route 19 and keep an eye on the signs and also looking for a volunteer to sweep the parking lot prior to the sale.  Let Mary Ann know if you are willing to take on one of these tasks.  It was proposed to have a 50/50 raffle and a donation box next year.  Members are not in favor of either of these ideas. Another idea for next year is to offer tool and knife sharpening. This service would be setup and offered by another group who could charge a fee or accept donations.  More research will have to be done to see if this is a viable idea. 

 

Many thanks to Mary Ann for all her hard work and organizational skills for another successful plant sale. LAGC members really appreciate it!

 

Treasurer Denny gave a report that we had $3,400 in our account last month. After adding in the new member fees and the plant sale profits and deducting expenses, LAGC has a balance of $6,400 total.

 

Two members brought tasty desserts this month.  Linda Brown brought rice krispie treats, mallo cups and sugar cookies. Cindy brought a delicious fruit tray. Thank you!

 

Bill Goff created a glorious arrangement of peonies and Siberian Iris from his own garden which was appropriate in keeping with the topic of his presentation. The Red Charm peony with its huge red blooms was very striking.

Peony Arrangement from Bill's May Garden.

 

Program

 

“The Peony and the Glories of the June Perennial Garden” 

presented by Bill Goff

 

Bill Goff, Penn State Master Gardener and longtime LAGC member showcased the photos that he took of his garden for this month’s program. He stated that his talk was based on his two premises below and he proceeded to prove the truth of these premises.

1. I love peonies.
2. The peony is the undisputed star of the May garden.

 

He explained the many reasons why we should grow peonies such as fragrance, big blooms, dark green foliage, deer resistance, able to withstand cold weather, great for flower arrangements, easy to share plant with other gardeners and long living perennial which may live 100 years.

 

There are 3 types of peonies:  herbaceous or bush type which die back in the fall; tree peony which is like a rose bush and doesn’t die back and shouldn’t be cut back; the ITOH peony or intersectional peony which is a cross between the herbaceous and tree peony and dies back in the winter.  This peony was invented in 1948 by Toichi Itoh, a Japanese peony grower and breeder.

 

Peonies prefer a sunny location in fertile, well-draining soil.  They generally need support for their heavy blooms and it’s best to install the support when you can see the small red shoots coming out of the ground in early spring to avoid damaging the roots of the plant.

 

September and October are the best months to plant, move and divide peonies.  It’s critical to remember that the pink eyes of the plant should be no deeper than 1 or 2 inches below the soil. Bill explained that planting too deeply is quite often the reason why peonies don’t bloom.

 

Peonies do not get many diseases. Botrytis blight happens during damp weather when leaves get too wet. To prevent this from happening, allow plenty of room for airflow around the plant and don’t allow grass or groundcover to grow around the base of the plant.

 

Bill told us that there is no symbiotic relationship between ants and the peony.  A plant will still get blooms even if it doesn’t have ants. If you happen to get ants on your plants then, it’s best to leave them alone.  If you want to bring the flowers inside then a gentle swish in water should remove the ants.

 

Bill’s photos of his own garden showed that there are many plants which are good companions for peonies which bloom in the June garden.  Bill Suggested planting the following: Foxgloves, Allium, Siberian Iris, Oriental poppies, Amsonia, Columbine Bachelor's Buttons, May Daisies, Nepeta, Geranium and Baptisia.

 

Club members thoroughly enjoyed Bill’s presentation and we could see his love of peonies thru the photos of his garden and his enthusiastic delivery when he talked about the variety of colors and fragrances that peonies offer. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.