Date: November 17, 2008 Community Outreach

Location: Peace Lutheran Church
06321 Blue Star Highway
Time: 7:00 PM
Hostesses: Jeannine Stone/ Sue Mears
Program: Think Spring!
Presenter: Bill Bird from Jonkers Garden
Summary: Bill Bird from Jonkers Garden will show us some unique ways to plant bulbs for forcing. Bulbs can be purchased for this meeting from the Garden Club. You will receive 3 daffodils, 3 hyacinths, 3 tulips, and a handful of crocus. Mr. Bird will provide the soil. You will need to bring a pot to plant in (10 - 12 inches across and about 10 inches deep). The cost to buy the bulbs from the Club is $12.00. Please contact Debbie Walter (639-1868) by November 3, 2008, if you wish to purchase these bulbs. Visit our website for more detailed information.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!!
After the program, we will have refreshments. Following refreshments, we will have an important business meeting.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
What a beautiful Fall it has been with the leaves so rich in blazing colors and our sunsets stunning in hues of golds and pinks. Before we know it the first flakes of white will fall. I hope everyone has found the time to enjoy picking apples, making pies, going to football games, and of course taking care of winterizing our gardens and yards.
Thank-you to Karen Acerra for presenting a lovely fall decorating program at our last meeting. I know members were pleased to take some things home. It was fun to watch the “gathering” take place.
Our November 17 evening meeting begins at 7:00 p.m. with the program on Spring Bulbs. We will have the program first, refreshments next, followed by the Business meeting. Come and listen to Bill Bird from Jonkers Garden Center in Holland. More information is here in the Petunia Patch.
Our Holiday Luncheon is December 8 at HawksHead. Please remember to sign-up and pre-pay by November 28. This is always a fun afternoon, plus we will be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the South Haven Garden Club.
I would like to take the opportunity to wish all of our members a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful Holiday Season. Enjoy the shopping, baking, decorating, and most of all the good times with family and friends. May the new year, 2009 bring happiness too.
Jan Buckley, President

Date: December 8, 2008 Holiday Luncheon

Location: Hawkshead Restuarant
Time: Luncheon served at 12:30 pm
Hostesses:
Program:
Presenter:
Summary: Come celebrate the Holiday Season and our 75th Anniversary of the South Haven Garden Club. Cost is $16.00. Please send payment and entree choice to JoAnn Harris by November 28 or sign-up and pre-pay at our November 17 meeting. Members only due to limited seating.
MENU: Bronzed Grouper or Raspberry Chicken,
Salad, Bread, Potato Wedges, Dessert and Beverage.
We will have a gift exchange for those who wish to participate. It should be a garden related item. We will also take our collection for We Care.

Date: January 12, 2009 Artistic Design

Location: First Congregational Church
Time: 12:30 - Soup Luncheon 1:00 - Program
Hostesses: Kathy Straits & Jane Copping
Program: Tablescapes
Presenter: Pat Gaston
Summary: Warm up your winter day at our Soup Luncheon. We will be inspired to be creative in our entertaining by a variety of tablescapes created by members. Pat Gaston will show us clever ways to fold napkins.

MEMBERSHIP
Welcome to the following new members:
Gretchen Spreitzer, 262 Cherry Ct., South Haven, MI 49090
Lorraine Nielsen, 632 Green St., South Haven, MI 49090
Additional names to add to your yearbook:
Mary Lou Ridley, 70901 CR 384, South Haven, MI 49090
Juanita Attard, 18043 68th, South Haven, MI 49090

STANDING AT THE CORNER!!
This past month did you notice a prominent figure standing at the corner of Phoenix and Blue Star watching all the cars go by? She was a South Haven Garden Club creation which was creatively done by the artistic endeavors of Lynn Toneman, Esther Hansen, Joann Johnson, and Nancy Daugherty. Good job, ladies, and thank you!!

THANK YOU
As we come to the end of another calendar year, we need to look back and again thank all the wonderful ladies who prepared salads for the salad luncheon, soups for the soup luncheon, desserts at the monthly meetings besides the wonderful table decorations. Hats off to you for a great job.

PHOENIX/BLUE STAR GARDEN
Changes at the Phoenix/Blue Star corner garden needed to be made due to the bike/pedestrian path from the expressway overpass which will continue across Blue Star, across the garden area at the corner of Phoenix and Blue Star and then continue into the current city sidewalk. This path necessitated removing all plants from north of the welcome sign to the south. As a safety matter due to bike and pedestrian traffic and to have a safer situation for cars on Blue Star and Bradley to be visible to each other, all plants north of the path needed to be eighteen inches or less. Since the plants which were there were much higher, they were removed with the help of the City and stored until they can be relocated by the Club.

LIBRARY NOTES
ake time to browse through the books in our Garden Club library which is located in the cupboard against the west wall just before going up the steps to the meeting. If you take any books, please sign them out and return them as soon as you have completed using them. Thank you to Jan Meltzer for her years of serving as our librarian. Marilyn Arnott will take over this responsibility. If there are any books which you feel should be in our Club library, let Marilyn know.
Over the years, the Club has donated books to the public library. They have many books from landscaping to how to grow and maintain plants. “Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul” is one of the many interesting selections. If you do your garden planning during the winter, a trip to the library’s garden section might be helpful.

INVITATION
Our Club received an invitation to attend a program by Dr. David C. Michener titled “Honey, I Shrunk the Lawn!” The program will be held at the Burr Oak Missionary Church, 217 N. Third Street, Burr Oak, Michigan, at 7 p.m. on January 13, 2009. Call Ester Lamb (269-651-3100) to make a reservation or e-mail - burroakgrardenclub@yahoo.com Reservations need to be made by December 1.

CLUB HISTORIAN NEEDED
Do you like scrapbooking?? Collecting and arranging information?? Then consider the position of Garden Club Historian. Maybe two or more members might work together. If interested, please contact Jan Buckley.

GARDEN REMINDERS
Winterizing Check List
- Rake leaves out of garden areas, etc.
- Bundle plants that spread to avoid snow damage
- Cut roses back to 12 to 18 inches and put under cones
- Cut back perennials
- Cut back asparagus and rhubarb
- Dig up dahlias, cannas, and glads
- Keep weeding
- Clean tools

BUSHY TAIL ATTACK!!
If you have been troubled by the long tailed creatures - squirrels - having a gourmet lunch on your bulbs, put down a sprinkling of oyster shells below the bulbs and then some after you have partially covered the bulbs. This treatment doesn’t make for happy digging and munching by the squirrels, but it does make for a happy gardener.

HEART TO HEART
How many plants can you name that have true heart shaped leaves? There a few that come to mind, but we would like to add more to the list. Give Marilyn a call if you have any suggestions of those that can added to this list.

A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
At our last Club meeting Karen Acerra gave a tip of using a penny in the water to prolong the life of cut flowers that grow from bulbs such as tulips. A penny for your thoughts. Do you know how many pennies it takes to make an ounce? Call Marilyn with your answer. Those with the correct answer will be given a shiny new penny at our Holiday Luncheon.