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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

75th Anniversary Dinner Celebration, October 28, 2025

 On October 28, 2025, LAGC members and guests gathered at Northmont United Presbyterian Church for LAGC’s 75^th Anniversary Dinner. Last month we celebrated the history of LAGC and this month we celebrated with current members and looked to the future. It was so nice to see so many members attend the event, as well as four guests from the Ingomar Garden who embraced the 50’s theme and wore their poodle skirts.

Claudia was an engaging emcee for the evening.  She encouraged members to socialize with her treasure hunt game where we had to get signatures from members once we identified the clue of an interesting fact about them. The game was a wonderful way to get to know fellow members. 

Bev Steiger with her daughter and grand-daughter.

Chris Kerin and Colleen Fingal trying to identify member trivia.

A tiny portion of the dessert table.

Fellowship Hall was beautifully decorated by the committee with fall leaves, mums, and pumpkins. A few members volunteered to make live pumpkins filled with flowers as centerpieces, which were later given to guests through a name drawing.

The delicious dinner menu was comprised of both catered items and homemade dishes from club members and did not disappoint. We began the evening with delicious citrus punch made by Helen and a variety of appetizers ranging from veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, stuffed mushrooms, and shrimp hors d’oeuvres. For the dinner we enjoyed ham, chicken marsala, green beans, potatoes, potato soup along with pasta salad, oriental noodle salad, green salad, Jello, and many other dishes.

Guests were delighted to receive a memento of the celebration. Every attendee received a couple of Willard and May large cup daffodil bulbs. A few lucky guests won a ceramic coffee mug with the Longvue Acres Garden logo on it. The guest with the nearest birth date to October 28^th got to take home the potted mum plant on their table.

Nancy Madeoy welcomes members and guests to the 75th Anniversary Celebration Dinner.

 Members thanked Claudia Hickly with a bouquet and gift certificate.

One of display tables near the entrance.

While we enjoyed a slice of delicious cake and other desserts, we listened to live music. The entertainment was provided by the North Allegheny Fiddlers Group, which is comprised of students in grades 6 through 12 of the North Allegheny School District. The musicians are taught in traditional aural style or “by ear” meaning that they learn without using written notes. The audience enjoyed the lively songs that they performed from a variety of styles such as Scottish, Irish, Cajun, and Old Timey.

The celebration dinner was the last event of a year-long list of activities to celebrate the longevity of the Longvue Acres Garden Club. We gathered to celebrate the past and to look to the future with friends and members who love gardening.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation to the 75^th Anniversary Committee for all the time they dedicated to preparing for the celebration: Claudia Hickly, Jane MacCredie, Amy Foreman, Diana Berendowski, Mary Anne Kurtz, Mary Jo Clayton, and Nancy Madeoy. 

Pictures by Bill Goff.

L to R: Claudia Hickly, Mary Ann Kurtz, Mary Jo Clayton, Nancy Madeoy, Diana Berendowski, and Jane MacCredie. Amy Foreman not pictured.

 

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.”  

 

August 27, 2024 Meeting notes

 LAGC President Nancy welcomed members to the August 27th meeting. She thanked the committee chairs and board members for all the work they are doing for the garden club.

 Dues will remain at $15 and will be collected at the September meeting. Cash or check.

 

The sign-up sheet for hostess duty for next year will be available in September. Please consider signing up to bring the flower arrangement or dessert to one of our meetings in 2025.

 

Claudia spoke about the plans for next year's anniversary celebration.

·      Mary Jo Clayton finalized the plans for the tree planting; 75 trees will be purchased and planted in partnership with the Allegheny County Parks Foundation Tree Fund. In the Spring of 2025, LAGC members will assist park rangers with planting in North Park in an area in McCandless

·      At our 2025 Plant Sale, annuals will be given away to the first 75 to 100 customers

·      The Honoring Our Past Celebration will be held on September 23, 2025 at the Heritage Center 

·      The Celebrating Our Future event will be held on October 28, 2025 at Northmont Church

·      The keepsake edition of the 2025 handbook will be created by Claudia and Andrea

 

The garden that LAGC maintains at UPMC Passavant has had many names.  Members voted to let it be known as “The Chapel Garden”.

 

Marlow announced that the holiday tour and luncheon will be held on Saturday, November 16th. The tour of the Kerr Memorial Museum, 402 Delaware Avenue, Oakmont, 15139 will begin at approximately 10:30 am. The luncheon will take place at Whisper's Pub located at 3400 Harts Run Road, Glenshaw, 15116. Members will be responsible for paying for their own meal. We will have to choose our meal from 3 choices. We'll have to sign up and pay for the meal prior to the luncheon. More details will be given next month. Please contact Marlow with any questions or concerns.

 

LAGC is making plans to get a new club T-shirt. Members voted for a crew neck style. Members were asked to vote for one of four T-shirt colors. Stay tuned for the results.

 

Chris brought a beautiful pink and purple flower arrangement created with flowers from her own garden. Colleen brought delicious homemade blueberry blondies and buckeye bars for members to enjoy.

    

 

 

Program --- Beth Kocis “Home Food Preservation”

 

This evening’s program was presented by PSMG, Beth Kocis who like many of us enjoys growing vegetables, fruits and herbs but also preserving the food items to enjoy when the garden has gone to bed for the winter.  She discussed the many ways to preserve food such as 

freezing, drying and canning, but the most important thing to remember is to use safe practices to ensure that nobody gets ill. Beth said that it’s important to use a scientifically researched and tested recipe from a reputable source such as “So easy to Preserve” book rather than rely on a recipe handed down from our grandmothers. 

 

It's best to consult a good resource to help identify which preservation method is suitable for which food that is to be preserved but always choose a fruit or vegetable which is blemish free and at the height of ripeness.  This will ensure that the item is preserved at its peak flavor.  Make sure that your hands, work surfaces and jars and containers are clean.

 

Here are some of the key points from the presentation: 

 

·      Vegetables should be blanched quickly when using the freezing method so that the enzymes are deactivated to keep item at their peak flavor  

·      Tray pack freezing is the name for freezing individual berries on a flat pan and then when each berry is frozen, they can be packed in one container. A few berries at a time can be scooped out to make smoothies or muffins rather than using the whole bag of berries at one time 

·      Herbs are traditionally air dried by hanging in bunches in a cool dark place. It's helpful to cover the herbs with a paper bag to contain them and keep them clean.

·      Drying concentrates the flavor of herbs so you will need to use less of the herb than when using fresh herbs

·      When using a dehydrator, the optimal temperature is 140°. Be careful of case hardening which happens if the temperature is turned up too high and causes the outside of the food to dehydrate and harden before the inside of the food gets a chance to dehydrate. 

·      When making jerky in a dehydrator, it's best to simmer the meat in a marinade before drying to kill bacteria

·      The major concern with canning food is botulism. Use a scientifically tested recipe and follow the instructions precisely!

·      Do not eat food items that contain mold or Mycotoxins. Besides for some hard cheeses, it’s not safe to remove the mold and then eat the food because there may still be mold spores that can’t be seen. The mold may make you sick and can build up in your body

·      Contrary to what many people believe, tomatoes are actually classified as a low-acid food; be sure to use a recipe that processes tomatoes safely

 

Our speaker encouraged us to try the many different ways of preserving the food items that we grow or pick up at our local farm markets, but we must do it safely.  She recommended that we sign up for the Let’s Preserve newsletter for additional information.

 

Home Food Preservation and Safety | Penn State Extension (psu.edu)

References.