Meeting & Tour of Native Gardens at Beechwood Farms, August 26, 2025

 After our evening tour of Beechwood Farms, President Nancy Madeoy began our short meeting asking us what native plants we saw as we walked the grounds.  Members answered with many choices such as Ironweed, Beebalm, Goldenrod, Common Milkweed, Joe Pye Weed, Black Eyed Susan, and Evening Primrose.

 Claudia reminded members to arrive at 6:45pm for the September 23^rd Honoring our Past celebration at the McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center. 

 

The LAGC 75^th Anniversary Celebration will be held on October 28^th. Members need to sign up to attend the event which is being held at Northmont Church. The cost for members to attend is $22, which will cover some of the food costs and paper supplies.  A signup sheet was circulated to sign up to help clean up or bring an appetizer or dessert. Please contact Claudia if you want to sign up or have questions. The dress theme is the 1950’s.  You are encouraged to wear your pearls and gloves. 

 

Dues for 2026 remain at $15. Linda Brown will collect dues as cash or check in September and October. You can also mail your check to her.

 

We had a discussion about the opportunity to collaborate with Ingomar Garden Club and the McCandless Northern Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center to have a garden tour in McCandless.  Members received an e-mail and were asked to vote on whether they would commit to volunteering to work on this project.  Claudia said that votes are trending towards “No” that members do not want to participate in this project. Claudia will send an e-mail with a final vote.

 

All 9 members that entered the raffle to win a ticket to attend the Shining Star Gala 2025 at the Camelot Event Center on Saturday November 1^st where LAGC will receive the Shining Star received a ticket. There is one free ticket remaining.  Claudia will send an e-mail to ask if any of the members want to attend.

 

Marlow spoke about the November 15^th LAGC Holiday Tour and Luncheon. The tour at Phipps Conservatory will start at 10:30 a.m. The luncheon will be held at Monte Cello’s restaurant on Babcock Blvd and will begin about 1:00pm. Each member will choose their meal off the menu and will pay by separate checks. Marlow is collecting RSVP’s. Please make sure to let him know if you have a membership to Phipps Conservatory.

 

 

Program – Tour of Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve with Roxanne Swann

 

LAGC members and several guests enjoyed a cool August evening touring the grounds of Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve in Fox Chapel. Our guide this evening was Roxanne Swann, the Coordinator of the Audubon Center for Native Plants. Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve is a 134 acre protected area for wildlife in Fox Chapel and has served as the headquarters of the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania since 1977. The nature reserve comprises woodlands, fields, streams and a pond. Our speaker encouraged us to take advantage of the more than 5 miles of walking trails which are open daily from dawn to dusk year round. The facilities at Beechwood Farms include classrooms, a natural history library, the Audubon Nature Store and the Evans Nature Center Auditorium.

 

We began our tour in the front of Beechwood Farms where the store and meeting building are located near a large shrub called Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Roxanne explained that this deciduous shrub is known for its spicy fragrant leaves, yellow flowers in the spring and bright red berries in the fall. It grows 6 to 15 feet tall and wide; requires filtered light, thrives in moist soil and is deer-resistant. It’s the host plant for butterfly and moth larvae, such as Spicebush Swallowtail and the berries are a good food source for the birds. 

Roxanne Swann collects tiny seeds.

Part of Rain Garden near entrance. 

The next area of interest is the rain garden which was built to take advantage of the water which runs off the roof of the building.  Instead of saving the water in a rain barrel, a drainpipe was installed to move the water directly into a depression in the ground.  Monarda, Coreopsis, Ironweed and Joe Pye weed thrive in the moist soil. 

 

We moved on to take a look at the small nursery where the Audubon Society sells the native plants that they grow from seed which is collected on site at Beechwood Farms and one of the other Audubon sites, Succop Nature Reserve. The facility was closed this evening, so we weren’t able to purchase any plants.  Around the side of the building is a garden filled with about 20 lavender plants and small fountains. 

 

We walked behind the building to see a large meadow which features many types of goldenrod, iron weed, jewel weed, Service Berry and many native trees. Roxanne said that the goldenrod draws in many goldfinches and cedar waxwings. The goldenrod flowers are some of the last to bloom and they have seeds very late into the season which are a good food source for birds.

The meadow area also has many common milkweed plants. One member posed the question about how the plants multiply.  Roxanne explained that common milkweed is reproduced by underground runners. She also cautioned us not to plant tropical milkweed because this plant blooms longer in the season which encourages monarchs to stay in Pennsylvania at the time that they should be moving on for their winter home.

 

We strolled the working area of the nature reserve where Roxanne and her staff plant seeds to propagate

A few of LAGC members shown touring the outside seedling area.

native plants to sell, plant in the nature reserves or give to other garden programs.  Volunteers are a big help with this project along with other maintenance of the gardens.

 

Our last stop on the tour was the education building. Roxanne explained that the building was built in the 1980’s using green building techniques that weren’t yet popularized.  There’s lots of natural light and the walls are insulated with straw which regulates the temperature so that it is neither too hot nor too cold to work in the space. The refrigerator in this building contains their seed bank and holds the seeds of 150 different species of plants.  The seeds are dried carefully after being collected.  They are put in plastic containers and kept in the refrigerator at 35 to 40 degrees.

 

 

LAGC Meeting Notes July 22, 2025

Club members assembled outside prior to the meeting for a group photo taken by Bill Goff.

Vice President, Marlow Madeoy presided over this evening’s meeting instead of Nancy due to the passing of her mother. 

 

Mary Jo Benedetti addressed the group about the need for additional volunteers to help maintain the Chapel Garden. Please consider volunteering for a week in August. The sign-up sheet was circulated amongst members. Please contact Mary Jo with any questions.

 

Rosemary Highman is stepping down as the LAGC Blog Coordinator. We thank Rosemary for her many years of taking photos and managing the club’s blog.  We appreciate the excellent work she has done. Please let Nancy know if you are interested in assuming the role of blog coordinator.

 

We thank Mary Jo Clayton for hosting the LAGC annual picnic last month at her beautiful home. We had a lovely time touring her garden after a delicious potluck dinner.

 

Mary Anne Kurtz brought irises that she received from Larry Grundler to share with LAGC members.  We could choose from “Vibrations” and “Queen Dorothy” varieties.  Larry Grundler also approached Denny with an offer to sell some of his irises to LAGC for $1 per rhizome which members can pot up and sell at our annual plant sale. Members took a vote and agreed to purchase the rhizomes from Larry. A couple of members agreed to take on the project of potting up the rhizomes to bring to the plant sale.

 

Claudia talked about the September 23^rd "Honoring our Past" celebration at the McCandless/Northern Allegheny Heritage and Cultural Center. Members have to register for the event. Please look at your e-mail for more information and be sure to adhere to the deadline.

 

Claudia explained that all LAGC members are invited to enter the raffle to win a ticket to attend the Shining Star Gala 2025 at the Camelot Event Center on Saturday November 1^st where LAGC will receive the Shining Star award.  The club received 2 free seats for the event.  An anonymous donor gave 8 seats to the club to be raffled off.  Please complete a raffle ticket if you are interested.

 

The LAGC 75^th Anniversary Celebration will be held on October 28^th. Members need to sign up to attend the event which is being held at Northmont Church. The cost for members to attend is $22, which will cover some of the food costs and paper supplies. A signup sheet was circulated to sign up to help set up or bring an appetizer or dessert. Please contact Claudia if you want to sign up or have questions.

 

The refurbishment of the sign at the Chapel Garden is underway. There is no plan yet for the rededication of the garden. 

 

Marlow spoke about the November 15^th LAGC Holiday tour and luncheon. Please hold the date on your calendar. Plans are being made for the tour at Phipps Conservatory to start at 10:30 a.m. The luncheon will be held at Monte Cello’s restaurant on Babcock Blvd.  More information about the cost will be relayed in the next few months.

 

The Penn State Master Gardeners Garden in the Park takes place on July 26th, 9am–1pm, at North Park's Trial Gardens (Babcock & Ingomar Rd).

 

We were reminded that we will not meet at Northmont church in August.  We will have a tour of  Beechwood Farms.  Please watch your e-mail for details and let Mary Anne Kurtz know if you plan to attend.

 

Dues for 2026 remain at $15. Linda Brown will collect dues as cash or check in September and October. You can also mail your check to her.

 

Hostesses:  Thank you to Rose and Sue for being the hostesses for the evening. They brought delicious lemon bars, crackers and fresh fruit. The beautiful summery arrangement contained white hydrangeas, shasta daisies, rudbeckia, and coneflower. Thank you!

 Program – Lightning Bugs presented by Allegheny County Park Rangers

 

This evening the Allegheny County Park Rangers, Deaglan McManus and Ranger Zach returned to give another interesting talk to our club. Tonight, we learned about fireflies, also commonly referred to as lightning bugs. Despite their name, fireflies are neither true bugs nor flies; they are beetles. Globally, there are approximately 2,000 species of fireflies, with 170 found in the United States and 33 in Pennsylvania.

 

There are two common types of fireflies: Photinus: which is smaller, lighter in color, and glows at dusk and Photuris which is larger, darker, and typically appears after dark. The official state insect of Pennsylvania is the firefly, specifically Photuris Pennsylvanica. This designation occurred in 1974 because a 3^rd grade class campaigned to have a state insect. 

 

Fireflies have three main body parts: abdomen, head, and thorax. They possess compound eyes, six legs, and a structure known as a lantern. The lantern is the area where the chemical reaction of bioluminescence takes place. Approximately 25,000 fireflies would be needed to power a light bulb. Flash patterns vary among different species. Deaglan orchestrated a game with a few members and program guests to illustrate how fireflies find their partner by looking for another firefly with the same flash pattern.

 

Collecting and observing lightning bugs has always been a favorite activity for children.  The Rangers emphasized the importance of proper etiquette to keep the fireflies alive.  Handle them gently, avoid insecticides/bug spray on your hands when collecting, and use a large jar to contain the lightning bugs to allow an ample amount of oxygen. 

 

Although fireflies are considered to be in a vulnerable state there is an indication that their population is on the rise.  The key threats to the firefly population include artificial night lighting, habitat destruction, and the use of insecticides and herbicides. Deaglan said that to combat these threats we should use motion detection lighting in our gardens instead of leaving lights on all night, limit the use of insecticides, leave a small area of our gardens with taller grass, and don’t be too quick to clean up the leaves in the spring because it probably contains firefly grubs.

 

Our speaker mentioned that individuals interested in supporting firefly conservation can join efforts to track and monitor populations through initiatives like the Firefly Atlas. For more information, please visit www.fireflyatlas.org.  

North Park Rangers (left) Zach and Deaglan McManus

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Meeting Notes Sept 27, 2022

Pictures by Dianne Machesney

On a beautiful Tuesday evening, Colleen welcomed garden club members, and guests.  Blooming in member gardens:  Zinnia, Ageratum, Dahlias, Verbena Bonariensis, Jerusalem Artichokes, Japanese Anemone, Asters and more.

A recording secretary is still needed for the next term.  Duties are to record the meeting minutes and highlights from our speaker or tour.  The notes then get sent to the Vice President who then forwards it on to our blogger.  If the recording secretary is unable to make the meeting, they just need to notify the President who will make arrangements for another member to take notes for that meeting.  This is a great way to be involved in the club.  If interested, please reach out to our current president, Colleen.

 Spotted Lantern Fly has been seen at McCandless Crossing by Peggy.  Also seen a lot in Bellevue and the City of Pittsburgh.  It’s slowly making its way towards us.  If you see it in any form, kill it.  This is the egg laying season, so kill egg masses if you see them.  (See Penn State Extension website.)

 Dues of $15 are being collected today.  If you forget or didn’t make the meeting, please send a check to Denny and Linda Brown.

 Andrea volunteered to do the directory, which will be streamlined.  If you have any updates to your contact info for next year’s directory, please send an email  to Andrea at amaire@email.com.

‘Our October meeting will be a craft led by Victoria Ziegler.

 Sign up sheet for the monthly meeting dessert/arrangement was distributed.  If you were unable to attend, please reach out to Jane MacCredie.

 Many thanks to Mary Anne Kurtz for organizing the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden Tour which was very enjoyable. She also brought in divisions from her Annabelle Hydrangea, which blooms on old wood so don’t cut it back. Thanks to Bev Steiger for the desserts and to Claudia Hickley for the beautiful arrangement from her garden

 Dianne provided a treasurer’s report.  After speaker fee expenses of $300, and Field Trip to Botanic Garden disbursement of $126, our ending checking balance was $5,497.15.  Along with petty cash, total cash available is $5,544.21. Club voted and approved donations in the amount of $250 each to Western PA Conservancy, Northern Area Environmental Council, Tree Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Botanic Gardens. The rental fee for 2023 for use of the church will remain at $360.

 Our Holiday Outing will be a tour of Johnny Angel’s Ginchy Stuff followed by a luncheon at Monte Cellos on November 12.  Denny will send a sign-up email to membership.  Responses needed by October 17 as to whether you will attend one or both activities.  Motion was made and carried to have the club pay the expense of the tour and luncheon per person.

 Program: April Claus gave a very informative and entertaining presentation and brought some live examples. 

“Leap Into Herpetology, Creatures that Hop, Creep and Slither in our Gardens.”

She highly recommended these books:“Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier and More Creative” and “The Nature Fix.”

 Herpetology comes from the Greek “herpeton” meaning “creeping animal”

These animals are toads, frogs, salamanders, snakes, turtles, lizards and skunks.  

 Amphibians breath through their skin and are known predators of mosquito larvae. There are 18 kinds of frogs and toads in PA, and they all make different sounds. The Spring Peeper is the first sign that spring has arrived, when you start hearing them. Frogs have the ability to change their color and they lay eggs in clumps or clusters. Toads lay eggs in long strings and use their eyeballs to swallow their food. If you put a depression in the ground, partially covered by a pot or something else, you have created a toad abode. There are 23 varieties of salamanders which can be found in PA.  (I personally never knew these could be found in our gardens, as I’ve never seen one.) Beward of the red spotted newt, a salamander, as it is very poisonous and can kill you.

There are 13 variets of turtles which can be found in PA.  They make horrible pets, as all they do is eat and poop.  The outdoor temperature at the time an egg is laid determines the sex of the turtle.

 There are 22 different varieties of snakes found in PA.  All snakes can swim.  If a snake has a triangle shaped head, it is poisonous, as the venom sacs are found to the sides of the eyes.  Also, their eyes are slits like a cats eye.  The black rat snake is the longest snake to be found in PA.  A ringneck snake has a ring around it’s neck that is the same color as it’s belly.  Snakes can also change color to blend in with their environment.

 How can you help these animals:

Help make habitat

Inform/Educate others

Participate in Citizen Science Project

Get your kids and grandkids outside

August 24 garden tour and meeting

On a beautiful, hot August evening, club members were privileged to tour the beautiful gardens of Karen Reilly.  Her garden was on the Shaler Garden Club tour this year, which is how we discovered this gem.  Karen provided a printout of Forest Bathing, defining what it is and listing a myriad of resources where it can be practiced in the Pittsburgh area as well as websites with more information. (Pictures by Dianne Machesney and RoseMary Highman are at the end of these notes.)

 The 20.89 acre property was purchased 14 years ago, and after a year of building their dream home, she and her husband David were able to move in and start gardening.  After 3 years of battling the deer, they bit the bullet and installed an 8 ft. high electrified fence around their main garden areas.  Some areas have a 2^nd fence, and these together have been successful in keeping the deer out.

 

Karen named their property Laurel Ridge, because it was covered with wild Laurel bushes.  They have since been hit by disease, over the last several years, but are starting to come back.

 

The garden is primarily a shade garden, due to the tree canopy which gets bigger every year.  In spite of the shade, there was a lot of color. The garden beds surround the various trees and are defined by stones which were dug up when they had to put a trench in to the garage.  

 

Karen loves to repurpose things and the stones were a free way to define her various garden beds.  Another repurposed item she had was a piece of granite, which is now a bench in her meditation garden.  Another repurposed item is the base of a table, which was a stump from a tree they had to remove, where she layered multiple coats of shellack on it.  She picked up the glass top from college students moving out and together, it made for a unique outdoor table.  Another repurposing are the “stepping stones” in her front garden beds which are made from tree trunks, and have lasted for years.

 

Their chandelier in their garden shed was picked up for the bargain price of $40 from a house built in 1938 in Mt Lebanon.  Some of the windows are antiques from Reilly’s Summer Seat Farm.  Part “she shed/ he shed,” the front part of the shed was setup as a sort of retreat area, and the back part of the shed had a riding mower, various lawn mowers and other lawn maintenance equipment, all behind a wall.

 

Karen loves to entertain, and therefore has many different seating areas throughout the garden, where one gets different vantage points of the various gardens, truly a serene setting.

 

The 2^nd floor of the garage has light system and heat mat installed, which they use for starting many of their plants from seed.

 

One of the impressive plantings was the “heart of the garden”.  Caladiums which were STARTED FROM SEED  by her husband, were planted in the shape of a heart, just beautiful.

 

In the sunnier area of the garden were peach trees, blueberry bushes and grapevines.  The peach trees were started from seed by her dad, and were successfully moved from prior locations, and they produce delicious peaches.  They have baffles around the upper trunks of the trees which are used to keep the squirrels off.

 

They have Japanese Maples around their fire pit, which are the great great grandchild [trees] of the Teddy Roosevelt Estate in Sagamore Hill, New York.

 

Canadian Hemlocks purchased from Mussers in the North were planted to establish a privacy fence.  Karen recommended Mussers for the quality of their stock, as well as the cost – she said at least ½ the cost of what we would pay around here, so if you are looking to pick up some trees for your garden, check them out.

 

Karen had mentioned that she had difficulty with her Roses this year.  Mary Anne recommended the following:

Fill a quart mason jar with water, add a banana peel.  Let sit for 4 days.  After 4 days, remove the banana peel, and add another one.  Let sit for another 4 days.  Water roses with 1 cup of the solution to the gallon of water, about once a week.  There is something in banana peels that roses absolutely love.

 

September’s meeting is still TBD.  If you have any ideas, please let Colleen know.

 

The club desperately needs someone to step up and be the programming coordinator.  Although Colleen has done a terrific job over the last 2 years, Colleen cannot continue taking care of the programming, as well as handling the president duties.

 

If you are willing to hostess the club picnic next year, please reach out to Colleen to let her know.  It can be held on a date that is convenient for you, does not need to be the 4^th Tuesday of June.

 

We will be collecting dues again for 2022 - $15.

 

Mary Anne brought Calendula seeds from her garden for any club members that were interested.  

 

Treasurer’s report:

 

Beginning checking balance                                                   $5,470.05

Deposit: Donation in memory of Lila Johnson                       $   100.00

Expense: Millvale Garden Tour                                               ($  100.00)

 

Ending Checking Balance                                                        $5,470.05

 

Petty Cash                                                                               $     44.61

 

Total Cash                                                                               $5,514.66

Karen Reilly, owner, host, guide, avid gardener and 're-purposer.'

Bubbling fountain, lower seating area.

RoseMary and Jane at one of the many tables.

Karen talking about the garden.

Here lights, pathways, and a framed entrance invite visitors in.

Tiny lights, stepping stones, and gardens delineated by stones which Karen placed.

One of the hearts in the garden.

Looking from the Abe Lincoln Garden back to Helena's Playhouse.

Close up view of playhouse.

Elephant in the Wildlife Garden.

One of the Fairy Gardens.

Glass topped table uses upside down tree stump as its base, concrete slab under base.

Vegetables and fruits are not forgotten.

Sun loving plants such as roses in the front of the Reilly's lovely home.

Heath Bar Cookies from Dianne Machesney

 

Heat oven to 375.  Line jelly roll pan with aluminum foil.

 

Line the pan in a single layer with 45 club crackers.

 

Melt 1cup butter in a saucepan, add 1 cup brown sugar. Boil 1-minute, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add ¼ tsp baking soda. It will bubble up.  Stir and immediately pour over the crackers and spread evenly.  Bake for 10 minutes.

 

When it comes out of the oven, sprinkle 12oz. chocolate chips. When they melt, spread evenly overall.  Sprinkle with 1cup chopped nuts.  Cool in the fridge until everything is hard – about an hour.   Break into pieces.  Store in an airtight container.  Will last about 3 weeks.