WGC MINUTES APRIL 10, 2012

1. Welcome Jenkins Arboretum, one of Eastern Pennsylvaniaʼs well known arboreta and gardens, is home to a unique collection of azaleas and rhododendrons in a beautiful natural landscape as well as a diverse collections of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Originally the home of H. Lawrence and Elisabeth Philippe Jenkins, the property was a wedding gift from her father in 1928. Her love of gardening and wildlife prompted the creation of this preserve. However, it wasnʼt until 1976 that the 20-acre arboretum was open to the public. Jenkins Arboretum is a member of the American Public Gardens Associationʼs North American Plant Collections Consortium—a group of botanical institutions dedicated to preserving plant germplasm. Thank you to Jenkins Arboretum for opening their doors to us and letting us see this inspiring Arboretum. Also, thank you to our hostesses today—Maryalice Cheney, Judy Romig, Ginger Arthur, and Melen Boothby. And to Wendy Concannon for organizing a terrific photography show. 2. Speaker- Harold Sweetmen ,” Blueberries and Other EricaceousPlants” A blueberry hobbyist for decades, Harold Sweetman gave us an entertaining lecture on the art of growing blueberries. Here are a few facts: Blueberries, like azaleas and rhododendrons, like acidic, well drained soil. The plants will take freezing to 27* F. Strip flowers off the first year in order to get more abundant fruit the following season. If your plants get caterpillars ( Drexelʼs Datana) you need to knock then off the plant and kill them. ( Birds will not eat this particular caterpillar.) To propagate, use the old wood. Cut these branches in the Fall. Refrigerate; and then in the Winter, cut into pieces about 6” long. To remember top from bottom, make an angled cut on the bottom and straight cut on the top. Stick outside in acidic sandy soil in February. These cuttings will bloom in Spring. To collect seeds, take ¼ cup of blueberries and pulse in the your blender with water. The pulp will float and the seeds sink. Collect the seeds and then sprinkle on top of moist spagnum. Blueberries are shallow rooted plants so it is important to mulch and provide drip irrigation. Blueberries are high, half high, or low shrubs, depending on the variety. When purchasing, make sure you are buying a variety that is specific to northern regions. Half highs are a hybrid that produce smaller berries but fuller foliage . They make an attractive addition to any garden. A couple of varietal suggestions:Northland, Blueray, or Early Bluejay ( Highs) or Chippewa and Northblue (Half highs). Miller Nurseries is a good online source for blueberries.

3. Committee Reports A. Awards Joan Holmes is collecting our WGC awards in preparation for our Annual Meeting. If you were an award winner last year, and didnʼt bring your award to Aprilʼs meeting, please get in touch with Joan to arrange getting your award to her. It is important that she have all of these awards no later than April 30th. B. Civic/Conservation

We are looking forward tout Speaker Series, this Friday evening at 6 pm. Please note that the location has changed. We will be at Jane and Randy Grayʼs home. Jonathan Strickland, our speaker from Pennypack Farm is talking about “ Non-toxic Alternatives for a Green Lawn”. Please come prepared with questions and bring a beverage of your choice. Hors dʼouevres will be provided by the Committee. On April 21st, Springfield Twp. is holding a shredding event for Township residents at the First Presbyterian Church of Springfield at the corner of Mill Road and Bethlehem Pike. Hours are 9am-1pm.  Please check the club website for important dates for electronic recycling and prescription drug collection. We have a nice thank you from Ronald McDonald House. Our date for next year is January 22nd. Maryalice and I are hoping to have all civic and conservation committee members join us for the Magnolia Tribute Garden workday on May 16th. Lunch to follow at Amada. We will meet at Maryaliceʼs to carpool. Let us know if you can join us and weʼll make sure you have the details. C. Flower Show Below are the schedule and sign up for our Spring Flower Show. Please contact Leslie Newbold if you would like to participate. Donʼt wait to get a phone call!

See the remainder of the schedule in our Program Book.

D. Horticulture Mary Jane reminded us to check our Spring Horticulture Show schedule and enter, enter, enter! Donʼt forget your challenge begonia. And all those ribbon winners at the Philadelphia Flower Show have another chance at a ribbon. Contact Mary Jane if you have any questions. E. NAL Sarah Andrews thanked Wissahickon for sending her to Washington for the GCA National Affairs and Legislation Meeting the end of February. The trip began on a lovely Spring day with a tour of the Hillman Estate, the home of Mrs. Merriwether Post. Sarah will post pictures on our Flickr page. Then 2 days of intensive briefings followed on topics that are important to the mission of GCA. The main Congressional Bills under discussion were the Transportation Bill, The Farm Bill, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. A detailed review of this conference will be posted on our website.

F. PCGCA Of 20 grant proposals submitted for funding, 11 were selected to receive a total of $34,000. Those who were turned down either didnʼt meet the mission of the PCGCA, had not completed their previous project, or who were outside our geographic zone- Philadelphia. Those who had hardscape to complete before planting were asked to resubmit at a later date. Photos of the 2012 grants will be posted on our website under “Civic” on our public pages as they become available throughout the summer . H. Program The following are regularly scheduled meeting dates for 2012-2013. Please make a note in your calendar. Although the program is not necessarily set, the dates will remain as below. September 11 Business Meeting and Hort Show October 9th Drew Becher November 6th Flower Silkie Susanin (floral arranger) December 4th Holiday Greens St. Martin's Church January 8th Gail Sklar (Master Gardener Orchids) February 12th Viaduct Greene April 9th John and Kira's Chocolates & Photo Show May 14th Hort and Flower Show , Morris Arboretum June 4th Annual Meeting I. Photography Results WGC Spring Photography Show April 10, 2012 Flower Show Results SPRING BREAK I. Palm Beach Novice Class. A color composition incorporating water.

HM: Diane Drinker

3rd: Allison Romig 2nd: Peggy Bowditch 1st: MaryJane Greenwood II. European Holiday - Holland calling! Novice Class. A color portrait of a bulb. ** Class Commendation. Judges comments: All high quality entries for this class. Keep up the good work! HM: Jennifer Nagel HM: Elizabeth Thompson HM: Leslie Newbold 3rd: Sara Emlen 2nd: Jane Good 1st: Gail Detweiler III. Postcard Home

A photograph from a place away from home. Include a title. a. Color

HM: Kris Henry HM: Sarah Andrews 3rd: Alice Farley 2nd: Emilie Lapham 1st + Best in Show: Jane Gray III. Postcard Home

A photograph from a place away from home. Include a title. b. black & white

3rd: Ginger Arthur 2nd: Wendy Concannon 1st: Alice Farley

IV. Challenge Class A photograph that includes the provided Item: A garden trowel. HM: Cornie Walton 3rd: Heather Glendinning 2nd: Wendy Concannon 1st: Mary Jane Greenwood BEST IN SHOW: JANE GRAY CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!!!   4. Announcements  1.  Philadelphia International Flower Show Results­ Wissahickon had 9 participants: Joan Biddle, Peggy Bowditch, Maryalice Cheney, Mary Jane Greenwood, Debby Evans entering in Horticulture and Allison Romig, Lisa Howe, Emilie Lapham, and Jennifer Ponce entering in the Artisitic Classes. We  had 8 Blues, 17 Reds, 24 Yellows, and 34 HMs for a total of 666 points. This year the Margaret Buckley Zantzinger Award was won by Wilmington GC and the runner up was The Gardeners. Many thanks not only to our entrants but to all those in Wissahickon who gave their time to volunteer.   2. Concourse Lake Update­ 

1. Geese – The USDA has adopted the Concourse Lake site and will employ methods to discourage geese.

2. Signs – The Park will be posting “Do Not Feed the Birds” signs soon. The City will be placing boulders to block parking.

3. Spring Planting – Alice reported that they will be marking the beds this Friday. After putting the new beds out for bid, received four responses, and are happy that Acorn Landscaping will again be doing the work.

4. “Love Your Park Work Day” – Saturday, May 12th from 9 AM to 1 PM there will be a workday. Bring your gloves ,tools, and waterproof boots. IMPORTANT! Volunteers from each club are needed. Sign the sheet passed around at the meeting or contact Carolyn Adams to RSVP.

5. Official Opening – Saturday, June 9th at 12:00 PM, Mayor Nutter will attend. All are welcome. The West Park Arts Festival will also have activities at the School of the Future and the Shofuso Japanese House.

6. Promotion – Laurie Marshall is working on postcards to be made available to promote Concourse Lake and the auction of Phillies tickets to raise money for the maintenance.

7. Finances & Future Maintenance – Our current balance is $73,001.34, we will have future expenses, and are still accepting donations. The question is, does the PCGCA want to continue to monitor a fund or do we turn it over to another 5013c organization like PHS or the Fairmount Conservancy.

8. Education & Stewardship – Gene is still working on uniting various groups, including Drexel University, Please Touch Museum, Franklin Institute, and Mann Music Center, into an educational and maintenance coalition.

9. Bulbs – the Wissahickon and Weeders GC’s will lead the planting of 15,000 bulbs (2800 galanthus, 5600 scilla, 6525 daffodils) on Saturday, October 13th from 9 AM to 2 PM. Because this workday is in place of the PCGCA Joint Meeting, the $200 hostess fee from each club will buy the Bulb-tone and each club will send 10 members to plant bulbs.

10. Conservation Exhibit 2013 – the Concourse Lake Project is the subject of the Conservation Exhibit at the 2013 Centennial Meeting. The conservation chair of each Zone V Garden Club is to be asked to be on this committee and to email their acceptance to Alice Doering. amdoering@verizon.net.

 3. PCGCA Grant Awards­  Of the 20 proposals submitted to The Philadelphia Committee , $34,000 was awarded to 11 projects.  An effort is being made to fully fund more of the projects that are appropriate to the mission of the PCGCA . Those rejected either did not meet the project guidelines or were a question of timing. ( i.e. Planting a bed around a fountain when the fountain still needed to be built.) Please find the complete list in our Minutes and on our website.  4. Important Dates­  April 13th: Conservation Evening Lecture                        When: 6 p.m. Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres                                       7 p.m. Speaker, Jonathan Strickland                        Where: Home of Jane & Randy Gray                        RSVP: Maryalice Cheney or Jane Good  April 17th­ LRP Meeting CANCELLED  April 18th: Ordering begins for the 2013 GCA Centennial Meeting Scarf     April 28th:  National Prescription Drug Take Back Day                        When: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.                        Where: Locations posted on our website  May 8th:  Morris Arboretum Tour                   When: Immediately following our WGC May Meeting   May 12th­ Concourse Lake Spring Workday                     When: 9a.m.­ 12 Noon  May 16th­ Magnolia Tribute Garden Workday                     When: 10 a.m.                     Where: Between 4th & 5th on Locust  Oct. 13th: Concourse Lake Bulb Planting  

                    What: 6500 Daffodils & 8400 Galanthus & Scilla                     When: 9a.m.­2 p.m.                     Required: 10 Club Members Minimum  5. Pennsylvania Hospital Physic Garden Schedule Workdays for the Physic Garden begin Thursday April 12th  and are scheduled Mondays and Thursdays through November 15th. Complete information will be posted on our website.     6. New Members’ Contact Information   Pat Griffin griflane5@gmail.com 267-735-5141 (mobile) 741 Hunt Lane Flourtown, PA 19031 Jennifer Nagle bandjnagle@verizon.net 215-654-0121 (home) 215-356-7704 (cell) 6 Fox Pond Spring House, PA 19477 Stacey Blankin Blankin@ujmn.com 267-254-6092 (mobile) 8004 Ardmore Avenue Wyndmoor, PA 19038 Other Address Changes : polly.webster@hotmail.com gsdetweiler@gmail.com ( cell- 215-284-2856) Leslie Purple: 620 E. Gravers Lane, Wyndmoor, PA 19038 7. New Member GCA Login Procedure For new members, you can create your login on the GCA website by going to Sire Manager. Use your email as your username and create your individual password. If you have a problem, email communications@gcamerica.org. 8. Newport Flower Show- Photography Classes The deadline for the Newport Photography Show “ Salsa” is April 30th. There are still some classes open. Please contact either Gail Cyr at nfsphotoentry@verizon.net for Classes 1-5 and Kate Lucey at katewhitneylucey.com for Classes 6-10.

Salsa THE NEWPORT FLOWER SHOW 2012

PHOTOGRAPHY DIVISION CLASSES

Class 1: Havana A photograph of a courtyard garden 6 entries Class 2: Romantico A photograph of a landscape (does not need to be Latin America) 6 entries Class 3: Salsa Verde A monochrome using shades, tints and hues of green only 6 entries Class 4: Tropical Heat A photograph incorporating hot colors 6 entries Class 5: Latin Rhythms A photograph incorporating patterns 6 entries Class 6: Joyas Voladores A photograph with a bird or birds 6 entries Class 7: Picante A photograph incorporating vegetables and/or fruits 6 entries Class 8: Tango A close up photograph of orchids 6 entries Class 9: Frida Kahlo A creative portrait of a plant 6 entries An un-mounted 3” x 5” print of the original photo must accompany the final entry. It will be hung beside the entry. Class 10: Carnevale A manipulated photograph 6 entries An un-mounted 3” x 5” print of the original photo must accompany the final entry. It will be hung beside the entry.   9. WGC Benefit: Peggy Bowditchʼs Final Farewell Plant Sale April 27th & 28th- 10 a.m.- 12 Noon Indoor plants (past or future Phila. FS winners) include a yellow flowered Clivia, some tropical Rhododendrons, Daphnes, Geraniums and many others.Forty years of collected special "flower show" pots are up for grabs aswell as a small fluorescent light unit. .All such sales would benefit WGC. Outdoor plants include many hardy cyclamen, special peonies, two little  Franklinias, some Viburnums, etc. These I've raised from seed or cutting for the Rare Plant sale (held at Zone Meetings). That money goes to support such causes as the Center for Plant Conservation. So if people can come with checks or cash they can have some bargains. Bring friends as well. Each person who buys something will get a free hardy cyclamen while they last. If anyone can help as a cashier she'll get in ahead of time to buy.    10. Viaduct Greene Liz Maille of Viaduct Greene is willing to organize a tour of the viaduct project for us and other garden club members. If you are interested, please let Sarah Andrews know. We will try to find a date that works for the majority of those interested.

11. Volunteer Hours All WGC members need to complete the volunteer hours form and return to Sarah Andrews at the May meeting (or by email before 5/15). This report is required as part of the year-end Presidentʼs report due to GCA June 1st. Please do your best to estimate your volunteer hours. If a category is not on the form, please write it in. Also these are hours related to Wissahickon and GCA. ( Zone or National) Unfortunately other civic volunteer hours are not necessary for our report. Although you need to put your name on the form, no individual hours will be compiled. It is only to track you else will need to provide information. Once the Presidentʼs report is filed, the forms will be tossed. You might want to keep a blank form for next year and try to calculate as the year goes along.

12. Native Plant Nurseries Our Zone Horticulture Chair recommends the following website for a list of native plant nurseries. http://www.plantnative.org/ 5. New Business Victoria Sicks has graciously agreed to have Morris Arboretum provide a tour after our regular May 8th meeting. If you interested in participating, please send an email to Sarah Andrews. We would like a head count in order to arrange the appropriate number of guides. Meeting adjourned. The next meeting is May 8th at the Morris Arboretum. Kim Sheppard from the Whitemarsh Foundation will be speaking about the preservation of Erdenheim Farm.