LAGC Meeting Notes - September 22, 2026

 

LAGC President Nancy Madeoy welcomed members to the September meeting with a joke about the difference between a cat and a comma.

Membership Coordinator Linda Brown collected the 2027 membership dues. Dues will also be collected in October. Dues will remain at $15 per year. Cash and check will be accepted. Make the check payable to LAGC.

LAGC is a winner of the Remarkable Tree Challenge. We won the Community Favorite award for the Tulip Poplar tree that we planted at Northland Library. The plaque will be displayed at Northland Library. Great job to the committee for submitting the entry! Thank you to Claudia, Helen, Bill and Nancy.

Claudia gave a report about LAGC’s participation at the McCandless Community Day. Overall, it was a great success. Visitors to the LAGC booth enjoyed the giveaways of seed and bulb packets, drawstring nature bags and removable tattoos. We also raffled off perennials and Best Feed gift cards, as well as guess the number of peanuts in the jar game. Members passed out information about our upcoming programs and answered gardening questions of booth visitors.  Thank you to all the members that donated seeds or who worked at the booth. A special thanks to the planning committee of Claudia, Helen, Mary Anne and Nancy for creating such an engaging booth, donating supplies and organizing the activities.

Jane, Hostess Coordinator circulated the signup sheet for 2027 for members to bring the dessert or flower arrangement to our meetings. Members who didn’t have the opportunity to sign up can sign up in October or contact Jane with any questions.

After much discussion LAGC members took a vote and approved that we will donate $250 to the four organizations which we usually support: Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, Botanic Gardens of Western PA, Tree Pittsburgh and Pine Creek Watershed Council in place of the North Area Environmental Council. This year we will also donate $250 each to two additional organizations: Allegheny County Parks Foundation and Allegheny Land Trust.

LAGC members voted to give a one-time donation of $500 to the Rosalinda Sauro Sirianni Community Garden for their 2027 project of building a new fence. We voted this year so that the community garden can plan their fundraising for the project but, the funds will be distributed in 2027.

The Ingomar Garden Club invited LAGC members to their 80^th Anniversary Celebration on October 19^th. Tickets are $25 with an October 5^th reservation deadline.

 

Hostesses

Chris Kerin and Mary Jo Clayton created a glorious dessert table with mini lemon scones, almond puffs, brownies, cheese and meat tray, olives, grapes.  The delicious food was complemented by a beautiful arrangement of pink/white and coral dahlias from Mary Jo’s garden. Thank you!

Program: “Supporting Wildlife in Winter” 

                by Chris Kubiak of the Audubon Society

A Praying Mantis visiting Chris Kerin's garden this fall! ☺

March 2015 Meeting Notes

Business Meeting

March 24, 2015

Mary Ann welcomed a good-sized crowd on a hopeful spring night. The following items were discussed:

·        Meeting room rental—Bill will contact Northmont U.P. Church to finalize the 2015 room rental contract.  The budgeted amount is the same as last year’s and can be adjusted as needed.

·        Last month $45 was approved for North Park grove rental for our annual picnic; a $50 donation was made to the Town of McCandless History Museum. Denny has already received a thank you from the Town of McCandless.

·        LAGC’s 65^th Anniversary Party—Group photo to be taken at April meeting! Claudia reported that UPMC Passavant Hospital Foundation President & CEO, Fay Morgan, will attend and bring a proclamation thanking LAGC for the creation and maintenance of the Chapel Garden for the past 20 years.  The McCandless Town Council will also bring a congratulatory proclamation.  Denny presented the list of invitees for the September 22 party which includes Passavant representatives, McCandless Council representatives, a Pennsylvania House Representative, former members, and speakers who have a long history with LAGC. The invitations will include an RSVP so we have enough punch, cake, and cookies. Mary Ann thanked Claudia and Denny.

·        Colleen reported on the upcoming tour of Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens in Oakdale on April 11. The 90 minute tour starts at 10 a.m. and costs $10 per person.  18,000 bulbs have been planted for a spectacular show. After the tour, you can stay until closure at 6 p.m. An email with details will be sent one week prior to the tour. You must RSVP to Colleen so she can arrange the number of tour guides needed.  If you want to car pool, meet at the church parking lot at 9:15 a.m.

·        Plant sale May 16—so pot up your perennials (at least 10/member) in the preferred 4-6 inch pots and label with plant name, size, color, etc.  Larger pots can be used for larger plants such as grasses. Claudia suggested that we draw a sun indicating light requirements.  Mary Ann went through logistics and passed a sign-up sheet and provided window blind slats for labels. Anniversary plant specials are as yet undecided.

·        Various sized pots from the late Joan Menes’ collection were offered for use.

·        The raffle for a hanging plant ornament was won by Kitty Price with $30 proceeds earmarked for the party.

Other: Mary Ann thanked Heidi Sestrich and Anita Wagner for the desserts and arrangement respectively.

Program

Square Foot Gardening: a movie by Mel Bartholomew was shown because our scheduled speaker had to cancel for family illness. Square Foot Gardening requires gardening without rows by using 4’x4’ raised beds marked in a one-foot grid. By limiting overall bed size, every square foot can be reached without stepping onto the soil. Site the bed(s) in a sunny location near the kitchen for optimal use. Beds should be spaced 3’ apart for garden cart use. Place your wood frame garden box directly on the grass and cover it with layers of wet newspaper or cardboard. Next add the soil mixture. Make it fun with this method; enjoyment and beauty are paramount.

Take home points:

·        Benefits of Square Foot Gardening: Easier to maintain with no room for weeds; Can hand water as needed using sun-warmed water from a bucket; Can have more variety in a smaller area with “added beauty to your life.”

·        For child’s garden, use a 3’x 3’ grid; 4’x 4’ for adults; use untreated wood of any size to create your bed -1x6, 2x6 or 2x4.

·        Use a garden soil mixture of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat, and 1/3 coarse vermiculite.

·        Plant the squares using one type of plant per grid box, but mixing flowers, herbs, root vegetables, tomatoes, etc. in the same bed.  Conserve seed and eliminate thinning and weeding by planting at the suggested thin distance.  One large plant (cabbage or tomato) in one box; medium plants (turnips or peas) plant 12 per square - seeds 4” apart; small plants (carrots, onions) would be planted 16 per square foot.

·        Grow sprawling plants upward.  Harvest lettuce using outside leaves rather than removal of whole plant to extend the harvest.

·        After harvesting a box, replant it with something else.  Remember crop rotation.

·        You can order the book, Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew at www.squarefootgardening.com, 877-828-1188, or order@sfgardening.com.

Next meetings:

April 11 - Saturday, Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Tour, 10 a.m. Car poolers should meet at 9:15 a.m. at the church parking lot.

April 28 - “Pruning 101” by Sandy Csikari. 

Group photo will be taken promptly at 7:00 P.M. outside church rear entrance on the ramp.

Before April 25 – You must pot at least 10 plants for the May 16 plant sale.