Annual Picnic June 2022

The 2022 annual picnic was a very enjoyable evening! Twenty-two members attended the picnic which was hosted by Nancy and Marlow Madeoy. Thank you to our gracious hosts!  We enjoyed the variety of delicious salads, side dishes, pasta and mini sandwiches which members brought for the table.  The fruit-filled desserts, lemon bread and chocolate florentine cookies were the perfect sweet ending to the meal. The sunny skies and comfortable weather were certainly welcomed by all.

  

• Colleen announced the names of the 2023 Board Members which are:

President: Nancy Madeoy

Vice President: Marlow Madeoy

Treasurer: Denny Brown

Recording Secretary:  Position is open — Please contact Colleen if you are interested

 

• Mary Ann Kurtz has volunteered to be the Program Coordinator for 2023.  Please continue to submit your ideas for programs or garden tours.  Members are also encouraged to take the lead and plan a program or two.  Before doing so, please contact Mary Ann for direction.
• The programs for the rest of 2022 are as follows:
• July — For the Love of Roses with Craig Jensen
• August — The Monarch Butterfly with Bill Goff.  Colleen Fingal will give a demonstration on how to make herbal salves
• September — TBA
• October — Fall Arrangement with Victoria
• Mary Ann Kurtz is working on plans for us to tour the Botanic Garden on a Saturday morning in August.  More details to come.
• Club Member Diana suggested 2 program ideas and both were well received by club members and will be considered for September 2022 or for sometime in 2023.
• The owner of Fairlamb Lavender Farm in Sandy Creek will come to talk to us about growing and using lavender.  There is no cost for the program other than reimbursing the speaker for gas money.
• Herpetologist, April Claus talks about PA native frogs, toads and salamanders which we would find in our gardens. She would bring the amphibians for her talk.
• Club member, Helen attended a program about the history of North Park which she thought was very good and would interest members. This was another great program idea and we will try to arrange a date with the speaker for LAGC.
• It was reported that the Passavant Chapel Garden looks great.  The daisies are in full bloom.  Deadheading the daisies will be the primary task over the next few months in the garden.  There are still a few weeks open in the schedule if a member would like to volunteer to work at the garden.  Members were thanked for helping to maintain the garden.
• Bill Goff brought a butterfly weed plant, Asclepias tubersosa for each member to take home. In August, he will be giving a talk to LAGC about the plant and its relationship to the monarch butterfly.  Bill grew the plants from cuttings and said that the plants would be much happier and healthier being planted in our gardens now rather than sitting in the pot for a couple of months.  Great idea! Thanks, for the plant, Bill!  We’re looking forward to learning more from you in August.
• Dianne Machesney brought purple, white and peach Iris rhizomes to share with members. The rhizomes are from the home of PSMG Sandy Csikari whose garden we toured 2 years ago. Thanks for sharing, Dianne!
• Dianne Macchesney also had two articles published in the Post Gazette.
•  Spotted Lantern Fly   https://www.post-gazette.com/life/garden/2022/07/08/what-you-can-do-to-stop-spotted-lanternflies-pa-penn-state/stories/202207080002?cid=search

• Poison Hemlock  https://www.post-gazette.com/life/garden/2022/06/24/pa-poison-hemlock-noxious-weeds/stories/202206240014?cid=search

 This evening we were lucky enough to tour the gardens of 4 of our club members. Each beautifully maintained garden is obviously well-loved by its owners and it was a joy to see such a variety of plants and flowers.  Here are some of the highlights of each garden.

 Nancy and Marlow Madeoy’s garden — Asiatic lilies which are 5 feet tall — I bet they’ll be stunning when they bloom; variety of annuals in beautiful pots, including amaryllis in full bloom.

This picture is from prior year which RoseMary asked Nancy to send since we didn’t see them in full bloom.

Terry Sarver’s garden — the front and side garden are filled with mature perennials and shrubs such as butterfly weed, hostas, roses, clematis and many more favorites. Terry also has a collection of tropical plants around her pool such as elephant ears, Bird of Paradise and banana plants.  The wide variety of houseplants on her back porch was an awesome sight! Since these are all tender plants and won’t survive the winter outside in Pennsylvania, she has to take them back inside to enjoy thru the winter months.

 

Helen Dean’s garden — the side garden contains waist high raised beds to grow her garlic, peppers and tomatoes, as well as, a variety of perennials.  The back of the property is a wooded haven for deer so Helen utilizes an ultrasonic deer repellant. 

 

Peggy Elizeus’s garden — the white picket fence in the back of the yard is the perfect backdrop for many favorite perennials like shasta daisies, daylilies, beebalm, and alliums.  The side yard contained shrubs, spiderwort and grasses.

 

Thank you so much for giving us a tour of your gardens.

Photos by Dianne Machesney and RoseMary Highman