Fall 2023 VOLUME XI ISSUE XIII |
|
A Note from Nancy
Welcome to the Thru The Garden Gate's first digital issue. We are very pleased with our initial effort. Congratulations to Carol Lauffer our editor and the Communications Committee for leading us into a new chapter of publishing the Gate!
Thank you to all the clubs who sponsored wonderful summer events!
Blue and Gold Star Dedications, plant sales, flower shows, garden walks, picnics etc. I enjoyed visiting with many of you - your warm welcome along with plenty of inspiration remind me why gardeners are such a great group! Read more here
|
|
The MGC, Inc. Mission
is to provide leadership, education, resources, and network opportunities for its members to promote the love of gardening, floral and landscape design, and environmental responsibility.
|
|
|
|
|
|
September
21 NGC Board Meeting 1PM Zoom
25 - 30 South Haven Greens Sale South Haven
26 The Friendly GC of Traverse City 100th Anniversary Celebration 11:30A - 3:30P
29 Into the Woods Flower Show 10A - 7P Garden Club of Michigan, Grosse Pointe Club
October
1 - 12 South Haven Greens Sale South Haven
4 District 2B Fall Meeting DeWitt
5 - 7 Flower Show School Course 1 Ann Arbor
11 District 4 Fall Meeting 9 AM - 2 PM Fennville
13 District 2A Fall Meeting Ann Arbor
15-17 NGC Central Region Conference Des Moines, IA
18 District 6 Fall Meeting Flint
19 District 1 Fall Meeting Taylor
24 MAAJ Day of Sharing Lansing, MI
27 - 28 Environmental School Course 3 Manistee
November
7 District 5 President's Meeting 10AM via Zoom
9 MGC Board of Directors Meeting via Zoom
13 Member Meeting -Welcome to the User Friendly MGC Website! 12Noon and 6PM
18 District 2B Presidents Meeting 4:45PM via Zoom
28 District 4 Presidents Meeting 2:00PM via Zoom
|
|
No One Succeeds Alone is the title of a book by Robert Reffkin. I am truly grateful to everyone that has helped me these last two years as District 1 Director of MGC. I know I could not have done it alone and I’m looking forward to the next two years as your District Director.
Taylor Garden Club will be hosting the District 1 Fall Meeting Thursday, October 19 at the Lakes of Taylor Golf Club and Banquet Center. Our speakers will be Vincent Saint Marie owner of Windy Rock Nursery which specializes in native plants and shrubs.
We will be entertained by singer, photographer, master gardener Bob Bransky during lunch and Laura Daluga AFID will give a floral demonstration in the afternoon. And of course, there will be shopping!!
Congratulations to Junior League Gardeners who recently celebrated their 90th anniversary by installing a bench made out of recycled bottle caps they collected from members adjacent to a public garden they designed, planted, and maintain.
|
|
Summer certainly has been busy, and fall will continue to be busy with the District 2A Fall Meeting on Friday October 13th, held in Ann Arbor. Our host club is Good Thyme Garden Club at Zion Lutheran Church, 1501 West Liberty St., Ann Arbor. We are planning 3 breakout speakers in the morning for members to choose from and our main speaker at 1 PM is Janet Macunovich. Her topic is Getting More Mileage from Your Garden.
Thank You to Good Thyme Garden Club for hosting District 2A Conference.
Swan Creek has a Meet & Greet this fall where individuals from the community can visit their club as potential members and ask questions about the club’s community service projects while getting acquainted with club members. I believe The Little Garden Club of Tecumseh hosted a similar Meet & Greet by putting an ad in the local paper to welcome anyone from the community to join them for a short meeting and to hear a guest speaker. The Little Garden Club of Tecumseh had a wonderful spread of appetizers, cookies, and a variety of cakes and other desserts. What a great idea! Read more
Happy Fall and see you at the Fall Conference in Ann Arbor October 13th!!
|
|
Marshall Area Garden Club’s 2023 Garden Tour was conducted on July 8-9, 2023, and featured 6 distinctive area gardens.
Brighton Michigan Garden Club Gnome Adventure will take place between June 8 and September 30. Informational Brochures are available at the children’s section of the Brighton library.
District 2B and Williamston Red Cedar Garden Club hosted a tour of the Four Star Nursery Tour Display. The Williamston Red Cedar Garden Club toured the Mason Sycamore Creek Garden Club’s Youth Garden and Lansing Area Food Bank Roots Community Gardens on August 22. his successful youth garden project has been part of a huge effort to help introduce gardening to young children and has been successful in building a younger membership.
The gardens produce fruits and vegetables for the children to take home and to sell at the local farm market. It is truly an inspirational project. Roots is part of the Greater Lansing Food Bank’s Community Garden project.
Roots Community Garden is a beautiful, nine-acre garden space located on the Der Happy Hollow property in Mason that includes gardeners from a large cross-section of countries and experiences. Some African growers grow sustenance crops like long-season corn, winter squash, dry beans and cabbage. First established as an incubator farm in 2013, this site now offers the largest of the Garden Project plots at 100 ft × 50 ft.
|
|
At the busiest time of year, our clubs are making changes for the new year. Being new, it’s overwhelming, at times!
Treasurers are collecting dues and making new Rosters. Clubs are voting in 2023 officers. New directions by leadership is making changes to streamline processes in order to increase or maintain members. Nothing is remaining stagnant.
Kalamazoo Garden Council planned a magnificent bus trip to Belle Isle, the 987-acre island park, to take a private tour of the new three-acre Oudolf Garden. On the way home we were held up on the interstate due to an accident. But Bunny had brought plenty food and we were in good company -so it was a good time for all.
Lawrence Garden Club in Van Buren County put on a beautiful flower show at the District Library. There was a slight glitch when the judges showed up early, but all went well.
Like everyone else, we are planning our 3A Fall District Meeting in hopes that the members will be receptive to the planning decisions. It will take place on September 18, 2023 at the Lawrence ISD Conference Center. Registration forms will be out soon. Plan on attending!!
|
|
I am honored to have been formally installed at our MGC 92nd State Conference and have been “retiring” DD Carol McGregor’s “shadow” since December 2022 and feel well prepared for moving into this role.
Two District 4 members, Lynn Miller and Joan Tolley co-chaired our Spring District Conference, “Handpicked Just for You: Make the Member Connection”.
Congratulations to President Nancy Ryan and President- Elect 1st VP, Lisa Robinson both from District 4 as was former President, Monica Taylor. Everyone seemed to enjoy the 2-day event consisting of great speakers, vendor shopping, and catching up with old friends while making new acquaintances. Speaking of new acquaintances many District 4 clubs have grown significantly over the Spring and Summer especially Belding Gardeneers, Rockford, and Kent.
District 4 has had a very busy summer with 5 clubs hosting Garden Walks/Tours. Five clubs hosted Plant Sales. Dirt Dauber Garden Club of Montague hosted a lively evening event (open to the public) in the form of a Plant Auction, formal auctioneer, and all. Pentwater and Cedar Springs clubs were busy planting to beautify their respective communities. Read more
|
|
What a summer leading us into fall. We held our District Spring Meeting on May 23 in Kalkaska. Quality Thyme Garden Clubhosted the event. We did a deeper dive into finding solutions for club members to become leaders in our clubs and volunteer for projects.
We had 42 attendees working to resolve these two major issues in District 5. This wonderful club made all the food themselves. We enjoyed the best ever chicken salad I’ve tasted. The secret is a bit of Hidden Valley Ranch powder. Thank you, Quality Thyme, for giving us a wonderful day!
On June 11, Spirit of the Woods of Manistee celebrated their Gold Star Memorial finally after a long wait to get it settled and in place. Congratulations to this club for persevering to honor the families of our fallen military. Job well done!
Garden Walks were the theme for July. Three clubs hosting walks: Charlevoix Area Garden Club on July 12, Elk Rapids on July 18, and The Friendly Garden Club pulling it all together on July 20. A lot of work goes into these walks, cheers to all of these hard-working members.
East Jordan hosted their informal Flower Show on July 29. The theme was Sea, Sand, and Shells. This little club does a mighty show where the community does the judging. It is always fun and lovely. I can’t wait for next year because the theme is Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!
|
|
District 6 has had a busy summer. The Butterfly Kaleidoscope Gardeners of Beaverton on June 17th hosted a Blue/Gold Star Dedication. It was an extremely impressive ceremony complete with Congressman John E. Moolenaar and retired Col. James E. Murphy, U.S.M.C. (retired) speaking as well as MGC President Nancy Ryan. Included in the dedication were a team of Honor Guards, a Rifle Salute, a professional singer, Josh Sanders, bagpipe player Tom Dillard, and Boy Scouts. At the conclusion of the ceremony 100 monarchs were released and many found their way to the Gold Star wreath! Kudos to President Dee Battista and her marvelous club for their exceptional dedication!
The Valley Garden Club of Bay City hosted a delightful Garden Walk on July 15 as did the Lakeshore Garden Club on July 22nd. A wonderful time was had by all who were in attendance. Kudos to these two clubs for a job well done! Read more
|
|
Club Projects - Working with Youths |
|
MGC Black Swallowtail Initiative
Four Flags Garden Club in Berrien County
shared our Black Swallowtail State Butterfly initiative at Love Creek Nature Center in Berrien Center Saturday July 29.
The Center was holding their inaugural Monarch Festival and were happy to promote the Black Swallowtail as well. Children enjoyed decorating butterfly cookies and coloring our butterfly handout while their parents learned about our project.
Almost everyone who stopped by our table was happy to send a letter or email in support of the project. The event was well attended and very family friendly. It was lovely to network with several other organizations interested in promoting pollinators. - by Elaine Metzger
|
|
Children are the Future of Gardening!
Charlevoix Evening Garden Club members Lani Ochs and Terri Parsons organized a gardening workshop for local Girl Scouts hosted at the Charlevoix Public Library on June 7. The objective of the workshop was completion of the Junior Girl Scout Gardener badge requirements. read more
|
|
Sharing Gardening Knowledge
The Saline & Stone Garden Club Library Gardens Committee (Laura Foess-Wood, Nancy McNamara, Sandy Nelson, Sue Rantz) had the opportunity on Monday, April 24 to share some of their gardening knowledge with Junior Girl Scout Troop #40180. The Troop is led by Claire Linford and Melissa Ervin. A one-page document was created by the Library Gardens Committee listing somethings to consider for a successful flower garden such soil conditions, light conditions, space available, etc.
The girls are currently working on a Gardener Badge which requires them to tour a local garden, speak with gardeners, learn about local plants and designs, draw a garden design on paper, do a seed experiment, and plant a container garden. The knowledge gained by talking with the Committee will assist in their garden layouts.
|
|
The Giving Garden A Youth Project
Education being the key to good stewardship of the environment, the goal of The Giving - Garden is to enable children of all ages and abilities to discover the deep connection between the earth and all its inhabitants and teach them to use these essential practices in daily life and share this knowledge with others.
The Giving Garden is a community garden space dedicated to contributing 100% of the harvest to local food pantries. It was established in April 2020, with a year off during the pandemic, and continues yearly as a major project for The Friendly Garden Club.
Our plan includes wheelchair accessible raised beds using the Square Foot Gardening Method. The Committee has 6 members and contributes over 400 pounds of produce to local food pantries yearly, as well as over 300 volunteer hours every year. Read More
|
|
Featured Articles - Our Projects |
|
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
Black Swallowtail for State Butterfly—Let's Get This Done!
Jeanette Meyer, Legislative Chair
|
|
In 2015, Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc., launched the initiative to designate the Black Swallowtail as the official state butterfly. The Black Swallowtail was chosen because it is a winter resident, found across the state and is big and beautiful – a plus for children to see!
On March 2, 2023, Representative Julie Brixie introduced House Bill 4159 with 45 bipartisan cosigners. HB4159 was assigned to the Committee on Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism & Outdoor Recreation. Members of MGC testified at the bill hearing on May 18, 2023. The bill was subsequently voted on and passed by the Committee after which it was read to and passed by the House of Representatives on June 14, 2023. The following day it was assigned to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Agriculture, chaired by Senator Sue Shink.
|
|
We have never been so close to getting the Black Swallowtail designated as the official state butterfly. As members of MGC, we must not lose momentum. We must push harder than ever to get this bill passed through the Senate. What can we do to complete our goal?
· Send an email to the other members of the committee who are also listed on the same page.
· Meet with your Senator: Senator coffee hours are a perfect opportunity to do this. You can locate coffee hours by going to your Senator’s website and clicking on “Events”. Take a letter with you. We are finding that providing a letter, in addition to your expressing the importance of this bill, is appreciated.
Black Swallowtail for State Butterfly -Let’s Get This Done!
|
|
As the fourth and newest project of the Michigan Garden Club, Homegrown National Park (HNP) is a challenge to all gardeners and landowners to support our ecosystems in small to large ways. This project moves us beyond efforts in supporting wildflower sanctuaries (Loda Lake) and planting pollinator plants to understanding how critical is the need to increase native
plants in our yards, especially keystone plants.
This is a HNP grass-roots effort to plant 20 million acres in native plants to support the insects in our world that pollinate crops and flowers plus provide necessary food to a host of wildlife. Read full article here
|
|
LODA LAKE NEWS
Heather Palmer, Kent Garden Club, District 4 MGC Loda Lake Chair
|
|
Thank you to Karen Motawi for her years of service in support of MGC and Loda Lake in particular. To many of us she was Loda Lake! Heather Palmer, recently the Treasurer of Kent Garden Club, is taking over the position. Projects for the 2023 to enhance Loda Lake includes plantings, wildflower seeding and adding pavers for a path.
Thank you to the following contributors, many in memory of our former MGC President Lynn Dinvald.
|
|
Anonymous
Carol Brodbeck
David and Margaret Delano
Elizabeth Fox
Kalamazoo Garden Council
Karen Motawi
Kevin and Kelli Patterson
|
|
Mark L and Katherine Patterson
Terry and LeeAnn Patterson
Sharon and Joe Yantis
Donna Robinson
Nancy and Philip Ryan
The Garden Club of Dearborn
|
|
Blue and Gold Star Report
Trish Payne - Touch The Earth GC District 6
MGC Blue and Gold Star Chair
Two Michigan garden clubs held memorial dedications in June that were resounding expressions of our passion and patriotism.
Spirit of the Woods Garden Club of Manistee (District 5) dedicated Michigan's 9th Gold Star Memorial By-Way on June 11, 2023. The marker, mounted on stone, sits at the base of Michigan's 45th Blue Star Memorial which Spirit of the Woods dedicated on May 15, 2010.
|
|
The Butterfly Kaleidoscope Gardeners of Beaverton (District 6), in cooperation with the Billings Township Community Park, dedicated Michigan's 109th Blue Star Memorial By-Way and 10th Gold Star Memorial By-Way on June 17, 2023. The markers shine brilliantly in the park’s butterfly garden. June 17th was a gorgeous day and the event was made extra special with a quilt raffle for the veterans, yellow roses for Gold Star Family members and the glorious release of monarch butterflies. Read More
|
|
MGC FALL FUNDRAISER
All Proceeds go to Support MGC Projects
|
|
|
Featured Articles - Gardening & Environment |
|
The Ambient Air We Breathe
-by Kris Greve- Spirit of the Woods GC District 5
MGC Environmental Issues Advisor
Spring and Summer of 2023 presented a unique situation when it comes to air quality in Michigan. Smoke from the Canadian wildfires affected air quality across the state from unhealthy for older and younger residents and those with underlying health conditions to unhealthy for all residents. (Michigan Dept of Health & Human Services) Read More here
|
|
Vegetable and Foodscape Gardening
-by Catherine Brennan, Saline Stone & Thistle District 2A MGC Vegetable & Foodscape Gardening Advisor
Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is cold hardy to zone 3, has many reported health benefits, and is a great landscape companion plant. Garlic naturally deters aphids, Japanese beetles, and snails. Plus rabbits and deer find it unappealing. Plant garlic in the fall, ideally six weeks before the ground freezes, in a sunny well drained location; avoid planting near strawberries.
When foodscaping try hard-neck varieties: German White or Music. Their long stem and
flower like umbel are especially lovely mixed into a perennial bed. The umbel will be full of “seeds” (bulbils) that will self- sew prolifically if left to mature. Bulbils are clones of the parent plant and can be planted immediately. Garlic dies back in late summer, harvesting is generally in July. Companion/combination planting is suggested to avoid bare spots – but remember to
keep them in easily reached areas.
|
|
Fall Planted Bulb Pots -
Show Off in the Spring
-by Beth Cowie, Charlevoix Area Garden Club District 5
-Photos provided by Beth Cowie and Rhea Dow
According to the calendar, Spring officially arrives in March with the Vernal Equinox, but here in Northern Michigan, March typically doesn’t offer us “spring-like” weather. So, there’s a special joy when the spring bulbs start to pop out in April and May and offer their colorful blooms.
Charlevoix Area Garden Club Member, Rhea Dow, has a clever way to curate those spring bulbs to create a beautiful living floral arrangement that will brighten your spring landscape, porch, or patio. She plants tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and other spring-blooming bulbs in shallow plastic pots in the fall and then sinks the pots into the garden – allowing them to rest there through the winter. In the early spring, the pots are dug out and placed on her patio, by the front door, or she gives them as gifts to friends. Read more here
|
|
Planting Projects for Fall
-by Pam Cater, Tri-Cities Garden Club, District 4
MGC Horticultural/Arboriculture Issues Advisor
Evaluate your garden, eliminate or divide plants that don’t work, have grown too big, or have not performed as you thought they would. The advantages of planting trees and shrubs in fall include:
-The soil is still warm;
-There is ample time for shrubs and trees to develop roots and get established;
-The weather is cooler, so plants will not suffer heat stress.
After planting, water plants weekly and mulch to conserve moisture. Do not
make volcano cones around your new plants. Plant so the phalange of the
trunk or the graft line is just above soil level. Sit back and wait for spring!
Here are a couple of excellent, compact trees suited for small gardens.
Heptacoduim micinoides or Seven Son flower has exfoliating (or peeling) multi-colored bark with red calyxes in fall that persist into early winter. It also has white, fragrant in September that attract a wide range of pollinators (native bees, honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies. Heptacodium is native to China and grows 15-20’ tall in sun to part shade.
Stewartia pseudocamellia is a Japanese native that can reach 20’ tall. It is a slow grower with beautiful, exfoliating bark that is very showy in the winter garden. Stewartia has white camellia like flowers in June and is suited for morning sun to part sun gardens.
|
|
Bulbs For Sale!!
Two Club Fundraising Opportunities
Brent and Becky’s Bulbs-Blooming Bucks
Many clubs have taken advantage of Brent and Becky’s Blooming Bucks Fundraising Program. It is very easy to work with them to create the club account. When either the club or a club member orders bulbs the club affiliation is noted. Your club then receives a check for a portion of the proceeds.
|
|
Flower Power Fundraising
Club President Kristen Ruther indicates that the sale was a great success, and the club is planning on doing it again this year. Members were able to purchase and send as gifts to relatives and friends. The sale was done in October and November.
|
|
2023-2024 MGC Scholarship Year |
|
Did you know that MGC provides at least one scholarship to each of the fifteen public universities in Michigan?
We accomplish this through the generous donations of individuals, clubs and our Scholarship Investment Fund which was established in June 2017.
This year the committee has set a goal to raise $18,000 in total donations towards the estimated $31,000 in MGC and named scholarships for the 2023-2024 year. This total does not include the endowed Burleigh, Central Region or NGC Scholarship.
|
|
A special note of recognition to James Pollack and Nancy Stark who have previously donated a total of $4,000 toward the 2023-2024 Scholarship Year.
Thank you to all clubs and donors who have donated from June 1, 2023 through July 31, 2023 for a total of $7,365! We are off to a very good start!
District 2A
Saline Stone & Thistle Garden Club
District 3A
Kalamazoo Garden Club
Don & Debra Seeley
District 4
Garden Club of Pentwater
Kent Garden Club
Monica & Jim Taylor
District 5
Charlevoix Evening Garden Club
Sue Soderberg
|
|
Life Member Achievement Award
Have you ever wished you could do two things at the same time? The Life Member Achievement Award is a great opportunity to honor a club member or friend and support projects important to MGC’s mission. The $105 cost of a LMAA, which includes a pin, a certificate and a congratulatory letter, is used as needed to supplement the Scholarships investment fund. MGC currently budgets annually to offer scholarships to all 15 public universities for studies in gardening, horticulture, landscaping and environment-related fields.
To purchase a LMAA, click here to download the request form, which has questions designed to ensure your recipient is recognized for a variety of contributions and accomplishments. Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for the request to be processed and the LMAA packet to be mailed. For assistance in obtaining an MGC LMAA or a National Life Membership, please contact me at [email protected].
Please join me in congratulating these individuals CLICK HERE (in alphabetical order) who received Life Member Achievement Awards earlier this year:
|
|
Meet The Rest of the 2023-2025 Board of Directors
The first order of business at the June 7, 2023 Board of Directors meeting was to approve the appointed officers and established many of the MGC Standing Committees in accordance with the organization bylaws.
Appointed Officers
|
|
LaNita Campbell is our 2023-2025 Corresponding Secretary and will chair the Communications Standing Committee. She is the District 2B Webmaster and has created the last two conference programs. She has jumped right in to familiarize herself with the various MGC communication channels and launching a branding effort—as an fs outcome of the recent strategic planning session. |
|
Gail Taggart will continue as the Finance Chair overseeing the committee along with the Investment Subcommittee, our group liability insurance program and work with Pat Kelly the newly appointed Grow and Share Grants Administrator. She covers a lot of key components behind the scenes and is hoping the end of MGC form revisions is in sight. |
|
Rose Houk also continues as our Parliamentarian along with Chairing the MGC Group Tax Exemption Program commonly referred to as the 501c3 program. She chairs the Bylaws and Policies and Procedures Standing Committee and is hoping for a quieter year in that area! She also provides bylaw guidance to numerous clubs and will continue to do so. |
|
Appointed Standing Committee Chairs Read More
|
|
Member Meetings Return to Mondays!
Our first Monday Member Meeting “Come Tour the User Friendly MGC Website" with our Webmaster Charley Bohland” will be November 13, 2023. One session is scheduled for 10AM and a second session at 6PM.
All Member Meeting recordings are available on the MGC website in the Member Resources Area.
|
|
92nd Annual MGC Conference Recap
by Lynn Miller, Kent Garden Club, District 4 MGC 2023 Conference Co-Chair
If you see the word “conference” and think ho-hum--not for me—I’d fall asleep, then you will be glad to hear that the conference held at the Sheraton Hotel in Grand Rapids on June 6 and 7, would knock your socks off. Really! Read all about the fun that went on.
As you entered the conference area at the Sheraton, NGC Flower Show Judges lined the hall with gorgeous creative floral designs honoring MGC President Monica Taylor, MGC President-Elect Nancy Ryan, and all the MGC District Directors.
And the vendors! Seldom do you find such an impressive group in one place selling all the items a gardener could only dream of.
One of the booths was where the keynote speaker, Neal Sanders, was selling his books. He sold out. Yes! That’s how well MGC members enjoyed his humorous talk about his mystery novels with a garden theme. Read More
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
