Phipps Conservatory Tour & Holiday Luncheon, Nov. 15, 2025

Meeting Notes by Colleen Fingal, pictures by Dianne Machesney

President Nancy Madeoy welcomed members to our holiday luncheon at Monte Cello’s.  Vice President Marlow was thanked for organizing the tour of Phipps Conservatory and the holiday luncheon.

Marlow Madeoy at Phipps.

Linda, Amy, Cindy, Chris, Nancy, Marlow, Jane, new member Maureen

Vickie, Denny, Colleen, Laurie (Jeanne's daughter), Claudia, Jeanne, Linda

Bill, Rose Mary, Linda, Diana, Martin, Mary Jo

Marlow summarized the activities of LAGC over the last year and recognized members for their special contributions.  Mary Jo Clayton organized the planting of trees in North Park; Claudia Hickly for leading her group of volunteers in planning the 75^thAnniversary Celebration and potluck dinner, Amy Foreman for getting a new plaque at the Chapel Garden.

Treasurer, Denny, spoke about the donations we routinely give to the 4 organizations that are listed in the handbook: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Botanic Gardens of Western PA, North Area Environmental Council and Tree Pittsburgh.  Members voted and approved to give $250 to each of those organizations. In addition to those organizations, members voted and approved to donate $250 to the Latodami Nature Center and $100 to Northmont United Presbyterian Church.

The hostess sign up list was circulated to fill in 2 empty slots for hostess duty for 2026.  Thank you to all the members who volunteered to bring a dessert or an arrangement to our meetings. 

Rose Mary Highman is stepping down as the Blog Coordinator.  Chris Kerin volunteered to assume the position starting in January 2026. We thank Rose Mary for the excellent work she has done for the blog since 2015.  We appreciate your hard work and time! 

Claudia gave a quick update about 10 LAGC members attending the Shining Star Gala on November 1, 2025.  Besides for some audiovisual issues, it was a beautiful evening.  Members enjoyed a delicious meal.  It’s a great honor that LAGC was recognized by the McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center as a Shining Star.

 

 

Program – Holiday Tour at Phipps Conservatory

The LAGC holiday tour this year was held at Phipps Conservatory for the Phipps Holiday Magic Tour. The theme for 2025 is “Wild Winter” and the display was a tribute to wildlife in the winter season. In addition to the usual plants, we think of during the holiday season such as amaryllis and poinsettias, Phipps had topiaries of winter animals such as reindeer, polar bears and overwintering birds.

Members began the tour in the Palm Court which featured beautifully decorated bird houses and naturally decorated trees with pinecones and winter greens. The Serpentine room theme is Under the Sea and features an octopus, turtles, and jellyfish swimming above visitors and a motorized clamshell which opens and closes. The colors of the plants and decorations are blue and green to give a feeling of being underwater.  The Gallery room has scenes of a cozy home decorated for the holidays. There’s a dining room table scene and a living room scene and features topiary dogs and cats throughout the displays. It’s amazing what the staff of Phipps can do with plants to make items look realistic!

The Garden Railroad features the “Age of Dinosaurs”.  The display has miniature dinosaurs; a waterfall and steam rising from lava rocks.  The succulent and rock garden plants complete the display which is enjoyed by children and children at heart. It was a very enjoyable time as we strolled through the Phipps Garden rooms and played along with the game of finding the hidden bird in each room dressed in holiday decorations. The special holiday displays were fantastic!  The glassrooms that did not receive the holiday touch such as the cactus room, Japanese garden and tropical forest did not disappoint.  These plant collections are still a wonderful part of the tour of Phipps Conservatory, and we enjoyed seeing them. We concluded the tour back where we started and took a group photo.

After the tour of Phipps Conservatory about 22 members met at Monte Cello’s Restaurant on Babcock Boulevard for our holiday luncheon.  We were seated in a separate dining room especially for our party. Members were able to select their meal choice from the menu. We all enjoyed our time spent with fellow members and talked about gardening or our upcoming holiday plans with family and friends.

It was a very enjoyable day.  Happy Holidays to all LAGC members.  We’ll see you next year for more educational programs and our annual plant sale.

The Dogs' Table.

Each room had a decorated chicken.

A tropical paradise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAGC Holiday Tour and Lunch, November 16, 2024

 November 16, 2024 Kerr House tour and luncheon

A good number of our LAGC members toured the Kerr Museum in Oakmont and from comments heard, we liked our three docents and the tours. Most of us had never heard of this museum and enjoyed the house which represents a middle-class family home between 1890-1910. The Kerrs, Dr. Thomas R., his wife Jessie, and their daughter Virginia, lived here beginning in 1897 when the house with his office was built. His office is now displayed close to how it was used when he practiced medicine. After their daughter was born, the Kerrs added a second entrance which separated patients from the family, especially from their young daughter.  Remember no vaccinations for measles, chicken pox, pertussis, tetanus nor polio existed then.

The Kerr’s daughter Virginia, who never married, lived her whole life here until her death in 1994. She was an English teacher in Oakmont and often hosted parties for some of her friends. Upon her death the house was willed to the Borough of Oakmont and is now used as a museum, and is currently decorated for the holidays with candlelight tours available during this time. 

Holly, one of the docents, at the entrance.

Our lunch was at Hartwood Restaurant in Glenshaw following the tour. We also savored the Pittsburgh tradition of a cookie table. Thank you, Marlow, for arranging the tour and lunch. Happy Holidays to all.

 

Evan, Colleen, Chris, Sue, & Rose.

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Terry, Victoria, Rose Mary, & Bill.

Helen, Claudia, Dianne, Kathy, Mary Ann, Mary Jo, Mary Jo, Marlow, & Nancy.

Nancy, Helen Claudia, Dianne, & Kathy.

Marlow, Evan, & Colleen.

Mary Ann, Mary Jo B. & Mary Jo C.

 

 

LAGC October 24, 2024 Meeting Notes

President Nancy Madeoy welcomed members to the last meeting of 2024.

Members were asked What’s blooming in our gardens?  Monkshead, dahlias and mums.

LAGC members agreed to once again donate $250 to the following organizations:

·      Western PA Conservancy

·      Botanic Gardens of Western PA

·      North Area Environmental Council

·      Tree Pittsburgh

The Hostess signup sheet for 2025 was circulated to fill a few openings.

Marlow Madeoy spoke about a few details regarding the holiday luncheon and tour on November 16^th.  The restaurant will accommodate dietary needs and will offer a vegetarian food option.  The club will not be organizing a carpool for the events.  As in the past, members may arrange their own carpool and use the church parking lot as a meetup location.  Directions to the Kerr Museum and Hartwood Whisper’s Pub restaurant will be sent by our Email Coordinator, Claudia.  You may also use your GPS or cell phone for directions.  Dessert for the lunch will be a variety of cookies.  A few members have volunteered to bring cookies.

Claudia gave an update about the plans for the 75^th Anniversary celebration next year.  Plans are progressing smoothly thanks to Claudia and the committee members.  Claudia showed us a sample of the table centerpiece which is a real pumpkin containing live flowers.  The base of the signpost at the Chapel Garden will be sanded and stained.  There’s some positive discussion about having a rededication of the garden.

Our hostesses created a lovely and most delicious table.  Mary Jo Clayton brought an amazing and abundant vase of dahlias from her garden.  Andrea Maire shared her delicious homemade jam along with cream cheese, crackers and grapes.  It was delicious!  Thank you.

 

Program – A New Deal for North Park by Deaglan McManus

Our speaker, Deaglan McManus, Park Ranger for Allegheny County Parks returned to give another interesting talk about the history of North Park.  He began his talk with a reminder about how fortunate we are to have North Park so close to home with its 3094 acres of land and many miles of hiking trails. 

This evening Deaglan came to talk to us about how the New Deal transformed North Park.

He explained that the New Deal is a series of programs enacted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt between 1933 and 1938 to rescue the United States from the Great Depression.

 

The first program that he talked about was the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC.  The program which ran from June 1933 to October 1935 involved housing about 200 men in a tent camp set up above a hillside on Wildwood Road.  The workers were young, unemployed men and were given jobs to help build some of the various buildings in North Park. This program allowed the workers to earn money, skills and become literate before they left the program.

Our speaker also talked about the Public Works Program and Civil Works Admin Program which are responsible for building some of the many structures in North Park such as the swimming pool, Golf Club House, North Park Lodge, standpipe, boathouse, and gatehouse.  The workers of these programs built the latrines, shelters and even the picnic tables that are still used today.  The most amazing feat is that the workers dug out Marshall Lake. When you are in North Park look for the metal commemorative plaques that were hung to signify jobs that were made possible with federal funding from the New Deal Programs.

 

Deaglan gave a very informative talk.  His love of history and the Allegheny County Parks is apparent in his enthusiastic delivery.  We look forward to him returning to bring another interesting presentation.

For more details about how North Park was developed by programs of the New Deal, please visit the Allegheny County Parks website.

https://www.alleghenycounty.us/parks-and-events/parks/northpark/history-of-north-park

 

 

 

 

 

 

September 24, 2024, Meeting Notes

Dues of $15 were collected by Linda Brown at the membership desk. Members reviewed their phone number and e-mail address in the directory and made corrections when necessary..

President Nancy Madeoy welcomed members. 

What's blooming in the garden – asters, sunflowers, Jerusalem artichokes, dahlias, zinnias 

Claudia gave an update on the plans for the 75th anniversary celebration

• Seed packets will be given to customers at the LAGC plant sale instead of annual plants 
• The theme will be the 1950’s.  Members can dress in 1950’s attire and the menu choices are being discussed to reflect the theme
• A sample of a logo was displayed for members to vote on
• Claudia thanked all the Anniversary Celebration committee members for all the work they’ve done on this event.  A huge THANK YOU to Claudia for leading the committee! 

  Claudia gave an update on the plans for the 75th anniversary celebration

  • Seed packets will be given to customers at the LAGC plant sale instead of annual plants 
  • The theme will be the 1950’s.  Members can dress in 1950’s attire and the menu choices are being discussed to reflect the theme
  • A sample of a logo was displayed for members to vote on
  • Claudia thanked all the Anniversary Celebration committee members for all the work they’ve done on this event.  A huge THANK YOU to Claudia for leading the committee! 
  
  
  

Jane, the Hostess Coordinator circulated the sign-up sheet for 2025 for members to bring the dessert or flower arrangement to our meetings.  She explained that there are special duties for the months of September and October which coincide with the anniversary celebrations.  Members who didn’t have the opportunity to sign up can sign up in October or contact Jane with any questions.

Dianne Machesney announced that Sandy Csikari is redesigning her garden and is giving away her unwanted plants to other gardeners.  LAGC has visited Sandy’s amazing garden a couple of times so members are thrilled to be offered some of her plants.  Please check your e-mail for a list of what plants she has to offer and how to arrange a pickup with Sandy.

Last month members voted on the color of a new t-shirt.  Blue is the winning color.  Next month members will sign up with their t-shirt size.  

Northland Library is being remodeled and is having a fundraiser.  Club members voted YES to spend $250.00 for the purchase of a paver to be installed in the library with the club’s name on it.

Vice President Marlow Madeoy talked about all the details of the November Holiday Luncheon and tour on Saturday, November 16 and distributed a flyer to sign up and give the meal choice. Please return the flyer and your check made out to Marlow Madeoy at the October meeting.

Our hostesses, Claudia Hickly and Cindy Stewart created a lovely table with an arrangement filled with hydrangeas.  Members thoroughly enjoyed the delicious pumpkin roll and carrot cake roll. Thank you!

Ouhostesses, Claudia Hickly and Cindy Stewart created a lovely table with an arrangement filled with hydrangeas.  Members thoroughly enjoyed the delicious pumpkin roll and carrot cake roll. Thank you!

Program Chris Kubiak, Audubon Director of Education

 “Climate Change and Impact on Specific Plants in Western PA”

Chris Kubiak is a returning speaker who spoke to us earlier this year about the Bald Eagle. His talk this evening about climate change is a topic which is frequently in the news and is talked about by everyone from meteorologists to historians to politicians. He explained that many do not understand that climate is different from weather.  Climate is how atmosphere behaves long term whereas, weather reflects short term conditions in a specific area.

Chris likened our ecosystem to a spiderweb.  It’s all connected and can be damaged in one area and still exist but, if one important part disintegrates then, the whole thing will unravel.

There is no question that global warming is occurring because there is actual data to prove that it is happening. Our speaker Chris showed before and after photos of where he’s traveled which showed that a glacier had melted away where there was once snow and ice.  He also said that higher sea level, humidity, ocean temperature and decreased sea ice and snow ice are indicators of the warming atmosphere.

Chris explained that spring in Western PA has been warming up earlier and that since 1970 the temperature has been 7 degrees higher than in the past. This warming temperature has shifted the amount of precipitation we receive and all of this effects our plants. Some of these effects are:

• Roses, grapevines and apple trees can get more fungal diseases such as apple scab, late blight and black spot downy mildew
• Insects may not die off in the winter
• Ticks are around 12 months of the year now
• There is an increased cost to fight the diseases and insect damage
• Our native plants such as white trout lily, great spurred violet, horned bladderwort and white fringed orchid are endangered

Naturally, agricultural crops are also being impacted by climate change.  Chris talked about the effect on strawberries and cherries.  The rate of pollination is affected because of the decrease in the number of insects and pollinators. Concord grapes, sweet corn and apple varieties will have lower yields as temperature rises and the pressure of pests rises.  Some plants need a longer time in cold temps to be productive.

Our forests are changing also.  Climate changes are projected to decrease the number of trees such as Black Cherry, Sugar Maple and American Beech.  This will cause birds to lose their habitat.  We have birds from the south moving into Pennsylvania who could not have survived our climate before.  Now they can.  A decrease in the number of Sugar Maple trees would also cause a decline in the products that are created in the maple sugar industry.

Chris said that it is predicted that Hemlock trees could be gone by 2100.  The pest, Hemlock Wooly Adelgid is running rampant and it’s not being killed off because our winters are not getting cold enough. 

We are encouraged to participate in Project BudBurst where we can monitor our plants and note when the first bud of the plant appears.  For more information go to http://budburst.org

Chris finished his presentation with a quote from Rachel Carson.  “Man’s attitude toward nature today is critically important.”  

 

July 23, 2024 Meeting Notes

 President Nancy Madeoy opened the July meeting asking members “What’s Blooming in your garden?” The resounding answer was EVERYTHING.  Specifically, members have the following plants blooming in their gardens: gladiolas, hibiscus, daylilies, shasta daisies, coneflowers, oriental lilies, hydrangeas.

There will be a meeting for the members of the 75^th Anniversary Committee on September 9^th. Claudia will give an update at our next meeting.

 

Dues will remain at $15.  Dues will be collected at the September meeting.

 

All the officers have agreed to maintain their positions on the LAGC board for another 2 years as follows: President – Nancy Madeoy,  Vice President – Marlow Madeoy, Treasurer – Denny Brown, Recording Secretary – Colleen Fingal.

Community Service Coordinator, Lynn Betts said that additional volunteers are needed to help maintain the Chapel White Garden at Passavant Hospital.  The signup sheet was circulated.  If you would like to sign up to help then, please contact Lynn Betts.

 

LAGC would like to have a new T-shirt or button to commemorate our 75^th Anniversary.  Nancy asked for a volunteer to coordinate the purchase of the T-shirt. Helen and Rosemary offered to get information from their contacts who have recently purchased T-shirts for their group.

 

Vice President Marlow spoke about the plans for the holiday luncheon. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, November 16th for a tour of The Kerr Memorial Museum in Oakmont.  Marlow is going to research the Oakmont area to find a restaurant for our lunch.  Please contact Marlow if you have any ideas.

 

Our hostesses Rose Kiselica and Sue Brozick brought a lovely flower arrangement and delicious cookies and strawberries.  Thank you, ladies!

 

 

Program ---"The Bald Eagle:  Return from Near Extinction” presented by Chris Kubiak

 

Our speaker Chris Kubiak, Director of Education at the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania 

gave a very informative and eye-opening talk about what caused the decline of the Bald Eagle in the USA and more importantly what conservation policies and actions restored the bald eagle population from just thousands in the mid- 20^th century to its current healthy population today.

 

Chris enthusiastically began his talk by reminding us of how important the Bald Eagle is to the United States. It has a long history of being used as a symbol of strength and pride in our country and is featured on currency and bottles of alcohol. The Bald Eagle is a spiritual symbol to the American Indians. Also, the Bald Eagle is the only eagle species that is native to North America.

 

Chris spoke about the physical strength of the Bald Eagle.  It’s strong enough to crush the forearm of a human being by placing 250 pounds of pressure with its claws. Bald Eagles are at the top of the food chain. They are lazy feeders and scavengers.  They pluck fish out of shallow water and not deep-sea water. He suggested that we follow the Eagle Nest Cam’s around Western PA to get a live view of how eagles take care of their eggs and eventually their eaglets.

 

There was a steep decline in the number of Bald eagles in the 1940’s almost to the point of extinction. One reason is that many eagles were killed by hunters for sport or to collect the eagle feathers.  A second reason is due to the use of one of the first insecticides, DDT. The DDT residue washed off of farms and fields and into water ecosystems where the eagles began eating contaminated fish.  The ingested chemicals caused eagle eggshells to become so thin that the eggs didn’t produce eaglets.

 

This steep decline in the number of eagles caused the implementation of many conservation policies to try to prevent total extinction.  Chris credits Rachel Carson’s book “Silent Spring” published in 1962 as being instrumental in saving the Bald eagle because it enlightened citizens to act.  DDT was banned and the Clean Water Act was critical in cleaning up rivers to bring back fish as food for the eagles to feed their young.

 

The Bald eagle population has continued to grow over the last 50 to 60 years due to the continuous hard work of environmentalists to improve the habit of fish and other wildlife.  In 2007, the US Fish and Wildlife Service removed the Bald Eagle from the endangered species list. Our speaker said that there is no longer a need to keep count of the number of Bald Eagles in the USA anymore because they are no longer a fear that they will be extinct.

Eagle parents are gentle & feed their chicks small pieces of fish.

Some young eagles without DDT were brought in to establish territories and next.

 

 

 

February 27, 2024 Meeting Notes

President  Nancy and Vice President Marlow were unable to attend the meeting because of the passing of Marlow's mother so Mary Anne Kurtz ran the meeting.

 What's blooming in your garden?  Members have winter aconite, hellebores, and snowdrops.

 The church rental fee has been paid in full for 2024.

 At the January meeting we discussed the idea of the club purchasing a microphone to be used by our speakers. Club members are in favor of the idea, but more research had to be done about what type we should purchase. The microphone which Diane researched was found to be too expensive at $1700. The microphone that Diana uses at Soergels is more budget friendly and sells on Amazon between $20 and $50. Before the club purchases the microphone, Diana will borrow one from Soergels to try out at our next meeting.

 Please note that there are a couple of corrections to the directory.  On page 5, Martin Karl’s first and last name are transposed. Also, Jane MacCredie’s cell phone number should be corrected to 724-816-3601. Please change the number in the address listing and in the phone chain.

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

 Plant Sale Coordinator, Mary Anne reminded club members to think about what plants in our gardens need to be divided so that they can be potted and brought to our Perennial Plant Sale on May 18, 2024. Also, we will need more plant tags for next year. Please be on the lookout for old plastic mini blinds that are being discarded. No need to wash them. Give them to Mary Anne.

 Claudia gave an overview of what the committee for the 75th anniversary of LAGC is working on for the celebration. Here are the ideas that are being developed:

1. Tree purchase and planting - the club will collaborate with the North Park Rangers, Allegheny County Parks Foundation and Tree Pittsburgh to plant 75 trees near the Pie Traynor Loop in McCandless 
2. A potted annual plant will be given to the first 75 customers at our 2025 plant sale
3. A new garden plaque will be purchased for the Chapel Garden at Passavant Hospital
4. Celebration party on Tuesday, September 24, 2025.  Tentatively the get together would take place at the McCandless Heritage Center where our club history archives are stored. Alternatively, the event will be held at Northmont Church
5. Crocus bulbs will be purchased as party favors
6. LAGC member photo with banner
7. Acknowledgement of members with 25 or more years of membership
8. Recreating the History of LAGC video

Thank you to Claudia and the committee for presenting these great ideas. We can't wait to see how things develop into a fantastic celebration!

 

Claudia talks about club's 75th Anniversary.

Mary Jo who presented the 75 tree planting..

Club members enjoyed delicious green shamrock cookies, clementines and snack mix brought by Stephanie. Terry’s pots of hellebores and air plants artistically arranged on pieces of driftwood completed the lovely tablescape.

Stephanie

Terry

 

Program: Trimming Fruit Trees 

 This month’s speaker, Adam Voll, farm manager at Soergel's Orchard, came prepared with apples for the audience and a large branch from an apple tree to demonstrate pruning skills.  Adam has a degree from Penn State University in Agricultural Systems Management with a minor in Horticulture.

 

Adam Voll and Mary Ann

Our speaker explained that pruning is an essential task at the farm every year.  The time to prune apple trees is when the trees are dormant which is in late winter or early Spring or after the harshest weather has passed. 

As a commercial grower, Soergel's Orchards prune their apple trees so that they can make the apples appealing to their customers in color, size and blemish free skin.  The benefits of pruning are increased sunlight to the lower and interior branches, improved air circulation to lessen excess moisture which can cause disease, and removal of dead branches which can harbor pests is done.  Keeping the tree at a manageable height for fruit picking is also a consideration. Opening the canopy encourages larger, healthier fruit.

Adam talked about the steps to properly prune an apple tree. First, assess the tree’s size and shape. Second, remove any dead, damaged or diseased branches. Third, remove any branches that are too long, growing too close to one another or suckers growing from the base of the tree. Fourth, give the tree a trim to shape it and encourage branches to grow shorter and thicker to be strong enough to hold the apples. 

 Pruning promotes growth so you have to make planned cuts at a bud or branch with pruners or loppers. It's important to remove no more than a third of the tree. 

 Our speaker recited an old saying that says if you can throw a football through a tree and don't hit anything then you did a good job pruning.

 Although our speaker provided his expertise in pruning apple trees many of the same principles can be applied to pruning other fruit trees. It's always important to remove any diseased branches and to open up the tree for good air circulation and don't take off more than a third of the tree.