1

The Meridian Gardener

Newsletter of the Meridian Garden Club, Inc. Editor: Susan Kropschot

Member of Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc., Central Region Garden Clubs and National Garden Clubs, Inc.

August 2015 Volume EightWebsite - meridiangardenclub.weebly.com

Garden Partners

The Meridian Garden Club is enjoying a busy summer with lots

of activities to participate in. So has our garden partner,

Meridian Township. In particular, the Park Commission has been

working on a Central Park Master Plan with a Landscape

Architect firm. There are many improvements and changes in

the works, some affecting the Village and Market areas. I have

attended a couple of the sessions for input. At its regular open

meeting on August 11, 7:00 pm in the Board Room, the Park

Commission will be discussing and considering the

recommendations. You might want to attend to see what it’s all

about.

News Flash: Your officers have opened a PO Box for Meridian

Garden Club mail. This provides a stable address for the IRS, our

website, etc. that does not need changing when officers change.

The new address is: PO Box 1344, Okemos, MI 48805-1344.

Lastly, I received a lovely, long letter from Dixie Lahti and her six

siblings, written by one of Dixie’s sisters. It expresses their

gratitude for everyone’s loving support and concern for Dixie

during her very difficult and sad time of loss. If you would like to

see the letter, please let me know.

Enjoy the remains of the summer. I know I plan to relax a bit and

just consider that after all, I am eco-partners with those four

legged critters that plague my gardens.

Madeline

Yearbook Update

Jodie Szalankiewicz has moved. Please note in your yearbook

the following changes to her address and phone number.

Jodie Szalankiewicz

Facebook - www.facebook.com/meridiangardenclub

Frolicking Affair in Ann Arbor JoAnn Peterson

The Frolicking Afar trip to the popular Matthaei Botanical

Gardens in Ann Arbor is planned for Tuesday, August 11. There

are currently 23 signed up to take part in the event. There is a

one hour guided tour with time to explore on your own before

lunch. The club will pick up the expense of the guided tour. It

is still possible for a couple more to join us; call or email JoAnn

Peterson at xxxx to let her know by Monday, August 10 if you

wish to go.

Please arrive at the Meridian Mall parking lot in back of

Younkers for the Home no later than 8:45 am so that carpooling

can be arranged. If you plan to travel on your own please let

JoAnn Peterson know so that we do not wait for you. Also, if you

are willing to drive and take passengers it would be helpful to

know ahead of time. Directions will be available.

Lunch at Carson’s American Bistro is planned for 1:30 pm. It is

a short drive from the gardens. A room has been reserved for

our group and a special menu will be available so that we will

not experience delays in our service

Bonsai Collection

2

Gallivanting Gardener's July Jaunt Paula Richardson

Hunter Park Garden house - Rita O'Brien, Director

On July 23, club members gallivanted to four local gardens.

First stop was at Cathy Claypool’s beautifully manicured gardens

located in Okemos’ Briarwood subdivision. Cathy’s collection of

small gardens, representing places she has traveled, were

absolutely stunning. Thank you, Cathy, for allowing us to visit

your gardens. Next was the Hunter Park Garden house, an

urban garden located on the east side of Lansing. Rita O’Brien,

Allen Street Center Associate Director, explained the center’s

wide offering of community services, including multi-season

CSAs and a full slate of food-related programs for all age

groups.

Scott Center Sunken Garden

The last stop included two private-turned-public gardens. The

Italian style Scott Center Sunken Garden, gifted to the City of

Lansing from Richard H. Scott, is a perfect spot for an outdoor

wedding or other reception. Garden Club of Greater Lansing

volunteers were tending the garden and stopped from their work

to explain the garden’s history and their overall plan to keep the

garden in color throughout the seasons. Our group then

strolled through the nearby Cooley Garden, gifted to the City of

Lansing by Eugene F. Cooley in 1938. Although the large

garden is currently “rough around the edges”, it is easy to see

that it was once a beautiful centerpiece in a historically

significant area of Lansing. Members later enjoyed lunch at

Clara’s Lansing Station.

August Gallivanting Gardener Photos

Beal Botanical Gardens - MSU

(more photos found in our club Website) see below

Meridian Garden Club Members

Peter Carrington- Asst Curator They battle Bunnies as well...

Michelle and Bob Fish Gardens East Lansing

More Photos - click here

3

Garden Alert! Cathy Claypool

The garden is as weary as we are. The weather has been too

cool, too hot, too dry and too wet. Time for garden alert. Check

your plants - annuals and perennials as well as grass and some

trees. They may be showing leaf rust, a fungus caused by heat

and humidity. It appears as tiny specks on the leaves that range

in color from rusty brown, black, yellow and red. This fungus

will not kill plants, but weakens them. Remove infected leaves,

throw away debris, clean tools with ammonia solution

afterward. A product called Neem oil can be used to prevent the

spread of this fungus (available at Van Attas).

Source: HGTV Gardens.com

A Good Book

Sue Kropschot

Delores Bouton and I borrowed a book from Cathy Claypool.

Delores has read and enjoyed it and with Cathy's blessing has

passed it on to me. I was intrigued by the title, and now that I

have finished reading my present book, I plan to read this little

gem. The title is 'Wicked Plants -- The Weed That Killed

Lincoln's Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities' by Amy Stewart.

Amy also wrote another great book, 'The Earth Moved: On the

Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms'. Have you read

anything lately that you would like to review or recommend?

August and September Birthdays

Linda Mogyoros August 3

Marie Smith August 6

Kathy Koryba August 6

Toni Santone August 9 Delores Bouton August 10 Paula Richardson August 17

Marilyn Higgins September 9

Carole Armstrong September 11

Kay Pyciak September 14

Mary Ann Martin September 18

Peggy Bryson September 25

Burlap bags for weed control Sue Wittick

On our July 23rd Gallivanting Gardeners trip we visited the

Hunter Park Garden House in Lansing. Workers told us that the

large burlap coffee sacks that they were using to help control

weeds (under bark) were available free from Paramount Coffee.

The Paramount Coffee warehouses are down the street from

Clara's where we had lunch, so I came home with a large number

of empty coffee bags. Club members are welcome to pick some

up from me on a first-come-first served basis. Perhaps there are

also some uses in the Meridian Gardens?

Homemade Insecticidal Soap Shared by Mary Lou Hatfield (from Bluestone Perennials)

Bugs normally aren't a big problem in your garden as natural

predators will keep the bad guys in check. Sometimes though,

Mother Nature needs a hand if bug populations get out of

balance. That is where you can help. A soap based insecticide is

very safe for the environment and your family. It works by

drowning the offending pest. Here is an easy recipe to make

your own.

Materials Needed: A tightly lidded jar that holds 2 cups of liquid

(for example a mason or mayonnaise jar) and a spray bottle.

Ingredients: 1 cup of vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon of Ivory liquid

soap, or another pure liquid soap. Note: Adding a teaspoon of

garlic or pepper to this recipe can make it more effective as a

pest deterrent if desired.

Making the Insecticidal Soap: Add the oil and the liquid soap to

the jar, and shake the jar vigorously to mix the soap and oil well.

Add 2 teaspoons of the mixture to every cup of water in the

spray bottle when ready to use.

How to use Insecticidal Soap: Shake the spray bottle often while

applying to keep the water and oil mixture blended. Spray the

plant all over; both the top and bottom of the leaves. Try to

avoid spraying in the direct sun to avoid scorching the leaves.

Insecticidal soap works by drowning the offending pest, so the

trick is to get the spray on the bug. The residual acts to deter

future bugs.

You may need to reapply 2-3 times with 2-3 days between

applications. Then wait a week or so. Watch for the presence of

new bugs.

P.S. A county extension specialist suggested using a lemon

scented dish soap with water to prevent insect damage on

garden plants. So I use the lemon dish soap instead of the Ivory

in the concentrate

Monarch Butterfly News Mary Lou Hatfield

Now is the time to check your milkweed plants for Monarch

caterpillars. I've found 4 since Sunday that were about 1/8th

inch long usually under side of the leaf. 2 of the 4 were not

there the next day! I suspect that ants or spiders are eating

them when they are tiny and don't have much of the milkweed

sap in them to make them taste bad. The other 2 we brought

inside into a screen cage or large jar with a screen cover. We

replace the leaf each day with a fresh leaf.

Questions? Mary Lou Hatfield <xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Share your

pictures please I will need them for a display at the flower

show in March.

An update: My granddaughter took home a monarch caterpillar

to raise on Thursday. I have one growing in a large jar and just

discovered when I went to put in a new leaf this evening that

there is a microscopic baby that must have just hatched

4

Help!

Does anyone know what colors the different clumps of tall

bearded iris are in the Farm House garden? Or do you have

pictures of them? They need to be dug and re-planted and many

potted up for the plant sale. They would sell better if we knew

the color of the blossom. Send pictures or info to

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks, 2016 Plant Sale Chairs, Mary Lou and Jodie

District IIB Designers Guild 2015 Educational Workshops

Bulb and Blossom, DeWitt Millennium, Garden Club of

Greater Lansing, Meridian, and Williamston Red Cedar

All Clubs in District IIB are welcome to participate

To be held at the DeWitt Fire Station - 911 W. Main Street,

DeWitt, MI 48820. Please RSVP to Kathi Dominguez before each

meeting date. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bring: Handbook for Flower Shows – revised 2007. Each

workshop has a project theme, bring all supplies needed to

participate. Thank you.

Workshop Projects– 2015

Wednesday – October 21, 2015 – Bulb & Blossom; GCGL;

snack/DeWitt Millennium coffee

10:00-12:00 noon – Angular Design – Handbook pages 196-197

Project: A Creative Design in which there is a strong emphasis

on angular components.

Garden Vine

The Garden Vine is a chance for Meridian GC members and

friends to socialize outside our monthly meetings. Presently, we

meet at the Coral Gables Restaurant at 9:30 on the first

Wednesday of each month, but beginning in September we will

meet on the second Wednesday. For any questions, call Larry

Aronson at xxxxxxxxxxxxx. Come join us!

2015 Central Region Convention

‘Czech Out Iowa’

October 3-5, 2015

Hotel Kirkwood Center

Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Click on sites below to register for convention and room

reservation

Hotel Kirkwood Center

Convention Registration

http://www.ngccentralregion.org/

Password - 7states

Save This Date!

"Spooktacular Fall on the Thornapple..."

District IIB Fall Meeting,

Wednesday, October 14, 2015,

Registration begins at 9:00 am,

Ever After Banquet Center,

1230 N Michigan Avenue,

Hastings, MI

Hosted by Thornapple Garden Club and

Inland Lakes Garden Club. For information please contact

Barb Benner, (269) 945-2986, or email

craftyladybarb@hotmail.com

Beal Garden Information - check our website

For Music in the Garden we will be having a performance August

21st

(folk band). All performances are MSU music students

except for the last one (in September) which are MSU library

employees. http://www.cpa.msu.edu/beal/

A Bit of History

5

Cristy Bennett - GC of Greater Lansing

One of my responsibilities as the MGC Historic Preservation

Chair is to write articles for the MGC Garden Gate Newsletter a

couple times per year. So in thinking where to start, I looked to

our own GCGL's Scott Sunken Garden. (Visited recently by our

Meridian Gallivanting Gardeners). I researched several resources

and wrote up my article. To keep it within the MGC guidelines

for length, I eliminated several paragraphs. Before submitting

my article, Marilyn Lee reviewed it. The article will be appearing

in the next issue of the Garden Gate. (Our Michigan GC quarterly

publication). It has been well received so far by Marilyn

McIntosh, my MGC Committee Chair Karen Gentile, and the MGC

Publisher Catherine Ware. I hope you will enjoy as well.

For my next Historic Preservation article, I would like to focus on

the Meridian Garden Club's work at the Meridian Historical

Village.

I enjoyed the 2016 MSU Pavilion Flower Show planning session

yesterday. I think it will be a very fun and interesting show with

the theme "Mystery, Magic and Illusion"!

Flower Show School

Miniature Design

Overview:

A General Course of Study for Members, Exhibitors and Judges.

Come and join us for Flower Show School! Flower Show School

is not only for prospective flower show exhibitors and judges,

but also for all garden club members and persons interested in

flower design and horticulture. While the primary purpose of

these courses is to train those wishing to become flower show

judges, many people attend for information only and those

people do not have to take the examinations!

August 25 - 27, 2015 - Flower Show School, Course I - Hosted

by Michigan Garden Clubs, Inc., District VI at Assumption of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Church, 3516 Monroe Road, Midland, MI

48642. Download course schedule and registration form here

Inter-City Garden Club has New Name

Garden Club of Mid Michigan

Dear "Inter-City" members:

Last Wednesday, July 8, the Webberville Garden Club, along with

members from the Williamston Red Cedar Garden Club, very

graciously hosted "Inter-City" and provided a lovely meeting

place, bountiful and delicious food, and an informative program

on herbs presented by Diane Brown of the MSU Extension

Service.

Attached are the minutes from the meeting for your review. The

important outcome of our meeting was the decision of a new

name to replace "Inter-City". 17 new name suggestions were

received through emails, comment cards and at the meeting that

day. After going through a process of elimination, two final

suggestions were voted on.

22 members were present at the Wednesday, July 8 meeting and

voted. Here are the two finalists and the votes they received:

Heart of the Mitten Garden Clubs - received 5 votes

Garden Clubs of Mid-Michigan - received 17 votes

The winning name is "Garden Clubs of Mid-Michigan"! So from

here on, this will be the new name for "Inter-City".

Thank You to all who provided name suggestions. And Thank

You to all our members in their support to find a name that

better represents our meeting of area Garden Clubs. I hope you

all will be happy, or at least accepting, of this new name.

See you September 14 at the Plymouth Congregational Church

in Lansing for our next "Garden Clubs of Mid-Michigan"

meeting. Please note that arrival time is between 10:00am-

10:30am, with our Business Meeting starting at 10:30am. The

program to follow will be "Birds in our Backyards", presented by

a member of the Audubon Society.

The Garden Club of Greater Lansing is looking forward to being

our hosts. So come and enjoy sharing a lovely day with your

fellow "Garden Clubs of Mid-Michigan" friends, indulge your

senses, and just have a great time!

Blessings to all,

Cristy Bennett, President

Garden Clubs of Mid-Michigan

2015 Newsletter Deadlines

Month Articles Due Print Date

September September 10 September 13

October October 8 October 11

November November 5 November 8

December December 10 December 13

6

(from our Facebook and Website pages)

Our district's mid-summer flower show, "It's 5 O' Clock

Somewhere", was a big hit with attendees. The site was a

member's lovely back yard. At least seven garden clubs were

represented; there were over 170 horticulture entries as well as

a variety of floral designs. Lois Snover Hanson provided a

tutorial and demonstration on making exhibition table

arrangements (she makes it look so easy!) and encouraged

participants to enter these classes in future flower shows. As the

judges made their rounds, participants enjoyed a bountiful

appetizer buffet that showcased the culinary talents of Meridian

Garden Club members. The sun shone, and the mosquitoes and

rain stayed away until the end

Many thanks to our hosts, Russ and Sue Kropschot, the

organizers, the judges, and the participants for a thoroughly

enjoyable and memorable event.

More Photos - click here

14 Things Every Lavender Lover Should Know Shared by Peggy Bryson

Any lavender lover knows at least some of its many uses. But the

fragrant plant also has an interesting history.

Click here

Chicago Garden & Nursery Tour, September 14-17, 2015

Saginaw Valley State University and the Dow Gardens are

teaming up to offer a unique trip to the Chicago area to visit a

variety of public and private gardens. The tour leader is Chuck

Martin, a horticulturist at Dow Gardens. The package includes

deluxe motor coach transportation, three nights lodging, several

meals and all entrance fees and tours of six gardens and a

nursery for $809. More details about this trip can be found on

the website: www.svsu.edu/olli. If we can form an MGC group,

we hope to join the tour in route to Chicago. Please contact

Paula Richardson if you would like more information.

Whip Your Garden Into Shape From Fine Gardening - shared by Peggy Bryson

To spruce things up in a hurry, use this simple, three-step method.

Click here

Lush Gardens With Low Water Needs Drought tolerant doesn’t have mean spindly, brown and thorny

from the Houzz website

Click here

5 Ways to Use Pastel Plantings in Contemporary Gardens

Click here