Location and Time: Fellowship Hall, 1651 Ardsley Place, Crofton. Social at 9:00 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Program: Kelly Mackall, Recycling Project Specialist, Department of Public Works, is eager to talk about the recycling program. She will cover the basics such as curbside pick-up, yard waste, and hazardous waste, and the latest improvements such as food scraps. She will also clue us in on some of the best things to recycle, and some of the worst. After watching a brief video which takes us through the process at the recycling center, there will be a Q&A session. Members are encouraged to write down questions, and bring samples or pictures of items they just don’t know how to dispose of. Horticulture Topic: The Buzz on Plastic Wrap Alternatives
Featured Native Tree: Crataegus crus-galli, cockspur hawthorne A small tree that grows 20 to 30 feet high, with wide-spreading horizontal thorny branches and thick, glossy foliage. Profuse clusters of white flowers in spring, orange-red fall color, and persistent red fruit in fall and winter make it a nice addition to the four-season landscape.
Design Exhibit: Books in Bloom – Select a child’s book and create a design to reflect a component of the book such as its title, cover or theme. All designs staged on a black-draped table in a space 18” wide by 18” deep.
Designers: Marie Bryer, Paulette Heward, Becky Hogan and Diane Smith
Hostesses: Coordinator – Maria Guyer Denise Frey, D’Ana Johnson, Lauren Toomey and Claudia West
Board Meeting: Wednesday, September 25, 2019, at 1:30 p.m., Crofton Library
October 2, 2019
TAWES GARDEN – YOUR STATE IN FIVE ACRES
Horticulture/Landscape Design Presentation
Location and Time: Fellowship Hall, 1651 Ardsley Place, Crofton. Social at 9:00 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Program:Did you realize that you can walk from a Western Maryland forest to an Eastern Shore peninsula in less than an hour? Visit Tawes Garden to discover how. Each year Crofton Village Garden Club contributes to these public gardens, and in 2003 we donated a bench. Our very own Bonnie Pavlak, recipient of the 2018 Presidential Award for her ongoing work at these gardens, will be joined by horticulturist Suzanne Weber, and together they will lead us through these gardens with their slide-show presentation and discussion. After the program, members are encouraged to carpool to Annapolis for lunch on their own and a first-hand visit to these gardens located at 580 Taylor Avenue.
Birds and Butterflies: Owl Power
Featured Native Tree: Diospyros virginiana, persimmon A member of the ebony family, the persimmon is a graceful, slender and smallish shade tree with dark, distinctive furrowed bark and leaves that turn yellow in fall. Female trees have greenish-white flowers that bloom in the spring and develop an edible fruit prized by wildlife.
Design Exhibit: Spooky Swag – A traditional or creative swag design hung on an easel in front of a black background that is 24” high and 16” wide. Easel and background provided. All designs staged on a black-draped table in a space 18” wide by 18” deep.
Designers: Karen Frost, Cindy Hansen, Carol McNemar and Debbie Nicholson
Hostesses: Coordinator – Angela Silverstein Carol Buhr, Paula Moratto, Bonnie Pavlak and C.J. Salisbury Board Meeting: Wednesday, October 30, 2019, at 1:30 p.m., Crofton Library
November 6, 2019
HONORING OUR VETERANS
Civic Achievement Project and Floral Design Workshop
Location and Time: Fellowship Hall, 1651 Ardsley Place, Crofton. Social at 9:00 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Program: Project Chair Bonnie Pavlak conducts a hands-on workshop where members create more than 100 patriotic-themed flower arrangements for the veterans who reside at the Loch Raven VA Community Living and Rehabilitation Center in Baltimore. Immediately following the workshop, several members will travel to the Center to deliver the arrangements and personally thank our heroes.
Horticulture Topic: Growing and Uses for Aloe Vera
Featured Native Tree:Fagus grandiflora, American beech The American beech is an iconic, sturdy shade tree with smooth, gray bark that is frequently a target of name-carving vandals. It produces small (beech) nuts in a showy pod that are valued by wildlife and visually unique. Its dark green leaves turn a beautiful yellow in fall.
Board Meeting: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, location and time to be determined.
December 4, 2019
HOLIDAY LUNCHEON AND TALENT SHOWCASE
Civic Beautification Project
Location and Time: Blue Dolphin Seafood Bar & Grill, 1166 State Route 3 South, Suite 201, Gambrills. Social and silent auction/artwork set-up at 11:00 a.m. followed by lunch at 11:45 a.m.
Program: Led by Committee Chair C.J. Salisbury, members decorate several public schools, the Crofton Library, the Village Green, and the main entrance to the Crofton community with beautiful live greens and festive red bows. After completing the civic project, members enjoy a holiday-themed luncheon along with the Club's annual silent auction fundraiser. All proceeds from the silent auction benefit projects of Crofton Village Garden Club.
New this year is an opportunity for our members to display their handcrafted artwork. Items such as needlepoint, paintings, scrapbooking, quilting, etc. will be showcased for all to enjoy.
Special Note: Cost is $35 per person, guests welcome.
Hostesses: Coordinator – Linda Childs Marie Bryer, Nancy Durose, Rosa Johnson, Jane McClanahan and Carol Morris
Board Meeting: Wednesday, January 8, 2020, at 8:00 a.m., Fellowship Hall
January 8, 2020
FROSTY WINTER
Floral Design Demonstration and Workshop
Location and Time: Fellowship Hall, 1651 Ardsley Place, Crofton. Social at 9:00 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Program:The holidays are gone, so now we can relax and have some fun. Crofton Village Garden Club Past Presidents Sally Moore and Marcia Richard and member Claudia West present a lecture on the difference between traditional and creative designs. Members will have the opportunity to make their own design using their newly acquired skills.
Special Note: Participating members will pay for the flowers. The club will provide containers and oasis.
Horticulture Topic: Caring for Ornamental Bamboo
Featured Native Tree: Ilex opaca, American holly The American holly is a broadleaf evergreen typically grown as an understory tree. The flowers are pollinated by insects. The berries on female trees are poisonous to humans but are important survival food for birds. Its dark green leaves and red berries add a splash of green in our otherwise leafless winters and the tree is prized in many gardens.
Design Exhibit: Botanical Jewels – A botanical arts design. Create a necklace, bracelet or earrings using fresh and/or dried plant material. All designs staged on a black-draped table in a space 18” wide by 18” deep.
Designers: Mary Funk, Bonnie Pavlak, Sandy Robertson and Gail Turner
Hostesses: Coordinator – Carol Votteler Beverly Frye, Becky Hogan, Nancy Percivall and Miemie VanRooyan
Board Meeting: Wednesday, January 29, 2020, at 1:30 p.m., Crofton Library
February 5, 2020
HEAVENLY HYDRANGEAS
Horticulture Lecture
Location and Time: Fellowship Hall, 1651 Ardsley Place, Crofton. Social at 9:00 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Program:Scott Aker, Head of Horticulture and Education at the U.S. National Arboretum, will answer our many questions about these heavenly plants — can we really alter the color, when is the best time to prune and how to do so, do they like sun or shade, and more. We’ll get a head start on spring with the information Mr. Aker provides.
Birds and Butterflies: The Mightiest Midgets – Hummingbirds
Featured Native Tree:Juniperus virginiana, Eastern red cedar The red cedar is an evergreen tree with beautiful reddish-brown bark and small berrylike cones that are eaten by birds and other wildlife. Cedar closets, hope chests and pencils are often made from the wood of this fragrant evergreen tree.
Design Exhibit: Be My Valentine– Create a design using a Valentine container that will be provided. All designs staged on a black-draped table in a space 18” wide by 18” deep.
Designers: Karen Frost, Glenna Kidd, Shirley Levendoski and Gail Schulz
Hostesses: Coordinator – Pat Stevenson Marie Bryer, Cindy Hansen, Shirley Levendoski and Sally Moore Board Meeting: Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at 1:30 p.m., Crofton Library
March 4, 2020
BIRDING IN MARYLAND
Conservation and Native Bird Lecture
Location and Time:Fellowship Hall, 1651 Ardsley Place, Crofton. Social at 9:00 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Program: Maryland is home to a diverse array of breeding bird species, in addition to an abundance of migrants that pass through our state during their annual migrations. The Department of Natural Resources has been instrumental in arranging for an avid birder to speak to us about migration, popular birds in our area, best gardening practices to attract and protect birds, and how to become a birder.
Horticulture Topic: Soap Nuts and How to Use Them
Featured Native Tree:Liquidambar styraciflua, sweet gum Best known for its spiny “gum balls” that hold seeds that are an important winter food source for songbirds. The leaves are distinctively star shaped and turn bright colors in fall. The tree has a grayish trunk and can grow to 150 feet.
Hostesses: Coordinator – Sandy Robertson Marie Bryer, Diane Gallow, Carol McNemar, and Gail Turner Board Meeting: Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at 1:30 p.m., Crofton Library
April 1, 2020
A SUMMER WITH HERB
Herb Gardening Presentation
LocationandTime: Fellowship Hall, 1651 Ardsley Place, Crofton. Social at 9:00 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Program: When I first met Herb, he was young and I was inexperienced. As we became more acquainted, our friendship grew. We took turns caring for each other – he comforted me with tea and fragrance; I gave him water and nourishment. The more we learned about each other, the better we got along. Oh, how we loved to cook together, and we even enjoyed an occasional cocktail. But winter was fast approaching and I had so many questions: would he like to stay with me … indoors? If not, will I see him again in the spring? If he leaves, can he give me just a little something to remember him by, but how do I go about preserving my memories of him?
Answers to these and other questions will be provided when we welcome Peggy Riccio, Chair of the Potomac Unit of the Herb Society of America, for an instructional talk about the wonderful world of herbs.
Featured Native Tree:Sassafras albidum, sassafras Sassafras leaves are generally mitt-shaped but variable in form, turning yellow and purple in fall. Female trees have attractive spring flowers and blue-black berries (drupes) in the fall. All parts of the plant are aromatic and spicy.
Design Exhibit: Spring is in the Air– A reflective design. All designs staged on a black-draped table in a space 18” wide by 18” deep.
Designers: D’Ana Johnson, Jane McClanahan, Carol Morris and Claudia West
Hostesses: Coordinator – Sue Hoge Maria-Elena Bodnar, Maureen Donovan, Lynne Malley and Bonnie Pavlak Board Meeting: Wednesday, April 29, 2020, at 1:30 p.m., Crofton Library
May 6, 2020
TREE-MENDOUS AND THE PENNY PINES PROGRAM IN MARYLAND
Conservation and Environmental Lecture
Location and Time: Fellowship Hall, 1651 Ardsley Place, Crofton. Social at 9:00 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9:30 a.m.
Program: Anne Gilbert, Director of the Tree-Mendous Maryland Program, will talk to our club about how the national Penny Pines Program, a National Garden Clubs ongoing project, benefits our own state of Maryland. The program’s goal is to help Maryland residents have access to affordable trees to plant on their public lands and community open space. Plant a tree today to clean our air, clean our water and beautify our home town!
Horticulture Topic: All About Stink Bugs
Featured Native Tree: Pinus taeda, loblolly pine The loblolly pine is a relatively fast-growing evergreen known for its straight trunk, upright form and distinctive bark. Its narrow form allows it to occupy a variety of yard spaces, and over time its crown of attractive green needles spreads out to provide shade below.
Design Exhibit: Art in Bloom – A floral design based on Georges Seurat’s river Seine at La Grande-Jatte. All designs staged on a black-draped table in a space 18” wide by 18” deep.
Designers: Maria-Elena Bodnar, Camille DeVito, Rosa Johnson and Pat Stevenson
Hostesses: Coordinator – Gail Schulz Barbara Emden, Karen Frost, Diane Smith and Lauren Toomey
Board Meeting: Wednesday, May 27, 2020, at 1:30 p.m., Crofton Library
June 3, 2020
THE VINEYARDS AT DODON
Vineyard Tour and Wine Tasting
Location and Time: Fellowship Hall, 1651 Ardsley Place, Crofton. Social at 9:00 a.m. followed by business meeting at 9:30 a.m. Following the meeting, members are encouraged to carpool to The Vineyards at Dodon, 391 Dodon Road, Davidsonville, MD, for the 11:00 a.m. tour.
Program: Dodon is a 555-acre working farm and has been in the Pittman family for almost 300 years, minus a brief interlude when it was owned by the Catholic church. The farm is also home to The Vineyards at Dodon. Our tour includes a step into the world of winemaking with a first-hand visit to the vineyards where we learn how environmentally friendly methods of soil enhancement and pest control are used to preserve the land and promote healthy vines. We follow the grapes from the vines to the fermentation and barrel room, and end the tour with a seated wine tasting.
Special Note: Tour is limited to 36 people at a cost of $32 per person.
Hostesses: Coordinator – Marcia Richard Mary Funk, Kathy Puhak, Doris Smith and Diane Stovel
Board Meeting: Wednesday, August 26, 2020, at 1:30 p.m., Crofton Library