April Buds and Blossoms News

Message from the President

  With the beautiful weather last week I am sure many of you were out working in your gardens.  I have spring mini-daffodils blooming and crocus.

       Soon it will be time for us to clean up and plan our beds for our Up-Town Planting.  We will assign beds and set budgets for buying plants at our May meeting.  I am hoping that the folks who took care of our flower beds last year will continue to do the same bed this season.  Please email me if you are not going to work on a bed this year or if you would like to change beds.  We need folks to plant around the bandstand, as well as the beds on South Diamond and some of the squares on North Diamond Street.  Please let me know if you are willing to work on any of these beds.  

     We will meet informally for lunch Monday, April 20 at 1:00 in Greenville at Compadres Restaurant, 14 South Mercer Street, Greenville, PA 16125. Meet in Mercer to car pool at 12:00; email me.

      At our April 13th meeting, we will have a short business meeting to approve the minutes and treasurer’s report after the the program on Daffodils.

Nancy
 HYPERLINK "http://www.yarnottercreek.blogspot.com/" http://www.yarnottercreek.blogspot.com/


Don’t miss out… and don’t make us miss you…

Garden Club membership dues were due on February 28. There are a few members who have indicated they plan to continue their membership for 2009, but have not yet submitted their dues. Please send your check to the treasurer, Alan Haskell, 17 Tanner Rd, Greenville, PA 16125. If you have questions, you may phone Alan at 724.588.1744.



April  Meeting  

    We will meet at the United Methodist Church, April 13 at 7:00 p.m.  Due to the distance our speakers have come to present this program, we will begin with refreshments and have our speakers at 7:15.  

     Our guests, Steve and Sarah Zolock, will present a program on Daffodils.   This is the 54th year of the “Zolock Gardens”.   The “Zolock Gardens” have over sixty smaller gardens that now contain over 1,500 different varieties of daylilies and over 1,200 different varieties of hostas. The “Zolock Gardens” began hybridizing daylilies and hosta in 1996. They have registered 100 new daylilies and 25 new hosta. You can see pictures of their gardens and learn more about the plants they offer on their web site:   HYPERLINK "https://zolockgardens.net/Home.html" https://zolockgardens.net/Home.html   The Zolocks are driving up from Bell Vernon (over 200 miles round trip) to present this program for our club.  

       This will be a professional program on Daffodils.  We are inviting other area garden clubs to come and enjoying this event with us.  I will be making a flyer to send to other garden clubs inviting them to our program.  I will email this invitation to our members and ask that you forward the invitation to gardeners that are not club members. If you belong to another garden club or group, please forward the invitation to your members and list this program in garden newsletters.  

              

March 2009 Minutes

President Nancy Griffith called the meeting to order at Mercer United Methodist Church with 27 members present. 
By motion of Monica Ondursko, seconded by Eydie Swingle the Minutes were approved.
The Treasurer’s Report as presented, were approved by motion of Arlene Peters, and seconded by Betty Graham.
Upon recommendation of the budget committee the Uptown Planting budget for the 2009 will be $1200.00, which is a reduction of $200.00.  This amount will not include the WWII memorial, which will be kept separate as the Veterans Office gives a donation to cover the costs of that planting. The number of pots will be reduced from 27 to 20 for this year.  Members will again choose the flowers for their respective squares. But it is requested that members choose from flats of flowers rather that using individually potted plants.  A dollar amount will be assigned for each of the squares, depending on each squares size.
Our dues will cover our expenses, such as the insurance, newsletter etc. At our April meeting stamp donations will be accepted to help cover the cost of mailing the newsletter. At our next meeting we will entertain a motion to raise the dues from $12.00 to $15.00 per year.  
Upon motion of Cheryl Reis, seconded by Vera Filer, to approve the Budget.  Vote carried.
Note that not all members have paid their dues for this year.
Tabled until next month is a discussion on posting the newsletter on line.
On Saturday morning, February 28, 2009 ten members and guests car-pooled for a trip to Pittsburgh to visit Phipps Conservatory.  Following lunch, a side trip was also taken to visit Whole Foods 



March Minutes, continued…
 

Diana Jackal announced that to celebrate Arbor Day this year she has ordered trees from the Mercer County Conservation District.  We will have 40 trees, 10 White Pine, 10 Colorado Blue Spruce, 10 Concolor Fir and 10 Canadian Hemlock. These will be distributed to the members for them to plant at a location of their choice.
For the monthly raffle the items donated were a Stepping Stone, Garden gloves, potted crocuses, garden markers, T-shirts and Sweatshirt.
Meeting adjourned and Sheila Craig gave an enjoyable program on African Violets.
Respectfully submitted
Mary Ellen Russell, Recording Secretary


April Meeting Hosts

Hosting our April meeting are Alan and Alice Haskell, Pam Rodemoyer, and Monica Ondrusko.

Thank you from everyone to Rachelle Patterson-Greggs and Natalie Shipton for the cheery table and tasty treats at the March meeting.


CSA News
Community supported Agriculture groups have mushroomed around the country, including western PA.

Nu-Way Farm CSA food deliveries begin April 6. Another CSA is Northwest PA Growers Co-op, based in Harrisville, PA. This is a multi-county, multi-farm co-op. You may find out more about this group on-line at HYPERLINK "http://nwpa.growers@gmail.com" http://nwpa.growers@gmail.com
Calendar for April


13 Mercer Garden Club April Meeting 7:00 p.m., United Methodist Church, Mercer.
Program: Daffodils, presented by Steve and Sarah Zolock of Zolock Gardens.

15 Opening Day D.J.’s Greenhouse, 1004 East Lake Rd., Transfer. 9-5. Phone: 724.962.1230.

18 Spring Garden Walk D.J.’s Greenhouse, , 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. See thousands of spring
bulbs in bloom. Free.

19 Munnell Run Farm Earth Day Celebration 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. See
HYPERLINK "http://munnellrunfarm.org/EarthDay2009Registration.html" http://munnellrunfarm.org/EarthDay2009Registration.html for more information and online
preregistration, due by April 10.

20 Mercer Garden Club Informal Meeting Lunch at 1:00 in Greenville at Compadres
Restaurant, 14 South Mercer Street, Greenville, PA 16125.  Meet in Mercer to car pool at
12:00; email Nancy Griffin at HYPERLINK "mailto:spinningotter@gmail.com" spinningotter@gmail.com.

25 Workshop: New Plants for 2008 D.J.’s Greenhouse (see above). 11:00 a.m. New annuals
and perennials. Free.


Save the date:

Sat. May 16: Next  Mercer Garden Field Trip  will be  Youngstown Fellowship Riverside Gardens  
 … SPRING PLANT SALE  Plus Exhibit

Floral Quilts
The garden comes to life with fabric in this display of floral quilts featuring the workmanship of members of That Quilt Group I Belong To.     April 3 – May 17, Weller Gallery
 
Meet at the church at 9:00 am to car pool for this Field Trip.  We will tour the gardens, check out the plant sale and quilt show, and have lunch at the Garden Cafe.
    Fellows Riverside Gardens
    Davis Education & Visitor Center      123 McKinley Avenue
    Youngstown, OH 44509



O! How this spring of love resembleth
The uncertain glory of an April day!
William Shakespeare