Hardy Garden Club Opening Meeting

September 8, 2020

Meadowood Regional Park

Meeting Summary

·      New Member: We were finally able to welcome our newest member, Diane Katlic, in person. 

·      Tuesday, 9/15/20: HGC Field Trip to John Lalley’s Garden

·      Katherine Kozelski’s Wedding Flowers:

- Jane Love and Marianna Bacon chairing committee

- Bouquets assembled Sept. 25/ Wedding Sept. 26

·      Shirley Meneice 2020 Virtual Zone VI Meeting: Sept. 22-23, Register on-line ASAP

·       2020 Virtual Zone VI Meeting: Oct. 20-21, Save the Date emailed to all Zone VI members

·      Brent and Becky’s BloominBucks.com:  25 % of purchase to Hardy

·      Sue Perry - Moving to Mass. to be with her daughter. 

·      October 13th Meeting:  Many thanks to Maureen for planning the HGC programs It was especially difficult this year due to the           uncertainties of scheduling

- Meeting to be held at the Irvine Nature Center Tent

- Clivia Presentation – Damon Smith

- Please bring individually bagged travel toiletries for the homeless.  Contact Gina Dowgiewicz with questions.

- Anne Donnell will bring daffodil bulbs for purchase

- Amarillo bulbs ordered will be delivered. Contact Bliss McCord to order.

- No Hort. Show but…Please bring and share something from your garden to the

   meeting

 - No competition, nor judging, no pressure, just share

 - Bring flowers, foliage, or seed pods from your garden

                                 - Use HGC show entry card to identify the plant (common

    and scientific if possible), the growing conditions

    (shade sun) and your name

           - We will have cards at the meeting and help with

     identification      

·      HGC Yearbook: Many thanks to Gretchen (she is amazing!), Beth, Bliss, and Maureen

- Yearbook completely paginated front to back, not including the by-laws which you should keep from last year’s yearbook

- New index in front

Pages to note:

p. 1-4 List of committees/ find your name – probably same as last year.

p. 15-16 GCA Position Papers – Environmental issues supported by GCA

p. 17 -19 Useful info. – GCA/ Federated websites/info, Hardy Tax Exempt number

p. 20-25  2020-2021 Hardy Programs

            Plan A and Plan B (and probably should be a Plan C)

I quote Maureen “programs this year can only be described as tentative, flexible and in-flux”.

We have only assigned hostesses for meeting in March through June (tried to use people who were assigned these months last year – which were cancelled)

                        p. 26 Dates to Note

                        p. 27 Field Trips

p. 28-32 General Flow. Show Rules followed with specific rules for Hort, Floral Design

         and Photo.

                        p. 33 Show schedules

Photography and Artistic Show on April 13, 2021

Hort. Show on May 11, 2021

·      Hardy History Presentation to celebrate our 100 year GCA Anniversary

 Many thanks to Joan Moore, Bliss McCord, and Maureen Flynn who collected and compiled artifacts from the last 100   years of Hardy GC.  Hardy started in 1913 then joined the GCA in 1920.

 Maureen gave a delightful and Informative account of the HGC history and passed the artifacts for all to see. What a                 wonderful presentation for both those who have belonged to Hardy for many years and for the newer members. It is   amazing how much has occurred over the last 100 years and how much Hardy Garden Club has accomplished.       

·      Photography Committee – Please look over the April 13, 2021 Photography Show schedule. It’s never too early to plan for the               photos you might want to take to enter.

·      Meadowood update – From Jane Love, Meadowood Chair: “ Several ‘weeding fetes’ have taken place at our rain garden this year                              which is always needed.  Feel free to pull a weed or two anytime you're over there for a walk or a game!”

-Currently working on a sign explaining the importance of bees and pollinators.

- Will be adding perennials this fall to hopefully attract bees next year. 

- Have plans to plant eight trees on the fronts of the forest buffers on either side of the main walkway in2021 after the locust.  .

- Rick Uhlig, husband of Susan Uhlig, a former member and past president of Hardy, has offered to support improvements to the rain garden as a tribute/memorial to Susan.

·      Conservation Minute: Joan Moore, Conservation  Chair:

 Becoming Plastic Free

The standard in the United States these days is one of consumption enabled by convenience.  We get whatever we want whenever we want it without thinking about the consequences. Products are inexpensive and are not designed to last.  We continue to generate bins of plastic trash which mysteriously disappears when the garbage truck comes down the street. 

We know about the “3 r’s”; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.  There are several more to add the list. 

1.    Refuse to buy products that have plastic in them or are packaged in plastic

2.    Replace- substitute non-plastic for plastic when replacing items

3.    Remember- there was a time when we didn’t have plastic and we survived without hardship.

4.    Repair/Refurbish- often cheaper these days to replace, however, the low price doesn’t take into account the       environmental costs to dispose of the old and to manufacture the new

5.    Report- share information about problems and solutions you have found

6.    Rally- personal changes can lead to whole movements

7.    Realize that living plastic free is entangled with awareness, consciousness, and mindfulness

8.    Responsibility- each of us makes decisions for ourselves which can lead to the collective will of individuals to make a difference 

Plastic is not the enemy.  It’s a symbol and a symptom of an attitude of obliviousness to what is happening in the world, in our lives and in our bodies.  This way of life is no longer sustainable, and we need to examine and change the fundamental ways we view our relationship to the rest of the world.

This is not a competition.  There is no magic bullet. The goal is to be aware of our actions and be responsible.

·      Next meeting: October 13, 2020, Irvine Nature Center

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Patricia Ghingher

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