The eastern bluebird is the most widespread of the three bluebirds. Although it is mostly "eastern" in our area, its total range extends south to Nicaragua. A high percentage of eastern bluebirds in North America today nest in birdhouses put up for them along bluebird trails. When they are not nesting, these birds roam the countryside in small flocks.

Nancy Percivall, Committee Chair for Horticulture, talked about the Environmental Trail Project at Generals Highway Park – a 2015 youth project led by Girl Scout Gold Award candidate, Alex Hunt.

Members met at Generals Highway Corridor Park located at 1758 Crownsville Road, Crownsville. Pat and Juanita Tate, members of the Anne Arundel Bird Club, led us on a walking tour of the bluebird trail and let us take a glimpse into their nesting habits. 

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​For more information on the eastern bluebird, click the button below.

Guest speaker Peggy Riccio, Chair of the Potomac Unit of the Herb Society of America, gave an instructional talk, One Dozen Herbs to Use and Grow. For each herb (dill, cilantro, basil, fennel, rosemary, thyme, sage, oregano/marjoram, chives, mint, lemon balm, and parsley), she discussed the best season to plant, when to start harvesting, preservation techniques, and methods for using each herb in the kitchen, and included a few tasty recipes. These herbs are so easy to grow, you can even grow them in containers for the summer.

For more information on herbs and gardening in general, click the button below to visit Peggy's website Pegplant. There you can subscribe to Pegplant's Post, a free monthly e-newsletter. The newsletter lists gardening events in the area, including virtual events in other mid-Atlantic states, recently published gardening books, articles, and tips.

To read Peggy's article, Breeding Better Herbs, published in the March/April issue of The American Gardener, the magazine of the American Horticultural Society, click the button below.

For a copy of Peggy's basic culinary herb recipes, click the button below.

Members Rosa Johnson and Nancy Percivall demonstrate how to make beautiful plant containers that will last for years! Hypertufa is a technique that lets you create handmade pots and garden art with few ingredients – Portland cement, perlite or vermiculite, peat moss and water. The handmade pots look like natural hand carved stone but are molded and relatively light weight and are extremely versatile. Completely weatherproof, these pots work indoors or out and can freeze and thaw naturally as a result of their porous nature.
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Leaf manipulation is an art in itself. Using different techniques, leaves and stems are carefully cut, looped, and twisted into different shapes to form very unique floral designs.  This type of sculptural design uses tough, bold, long lasting evergreen leaves.

Anna O'Kelly, President of the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland, will join us via Zoom. Anna's presentation will focus on how to change the form and appearance of leaves in their natural state, and how to use these shapes in design. To demonstrate some of the leaf manipulation techniques, Anna uses, if available, the leaves of aspidistra, sansevieria and aralia or similar ones.

For more information and a list of supplies needed should you want to follow along at home, click the button below.

On this First Day of Christmas, members gathered at the Blue Dolphin Seafood Bar and Grill to share the joy of the season with lunch and fellowship. 

Hostesses Angela Silverstein, Linda Childs, Shirley Levendoski, Paula Moratto and Marcia Richard provided the centerpieces, Poinsettias with fairy lights, that were raffled off during the luncheon. Two new members were installed – Sue Callahan, sponsored by JoAnn Cook and Pam Ildefonso, sponsored by Second Vice President (Membership Chair) Diane Smith. Following lunch, designer and stylist Suzanne Brinks of Deca Wraps joined us. Members modeled a few of her designs and were invited to shop for the holidays.

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