2017 - 2018 Planning Committee Meeting

President, Norma Chiaramonte called planning meeting to order at 7:05 PM at the Cypress Creek Lakes Community Center.

Attendees:  Norma Chiaramonte, Debbie Haluch, Kathie Corbett, Ian McWilliam, Sandra Gilbert, Larry and Beverly Allen, Mark and Ellen Jones, Bonnie Buhl and new members Lindsey and Allison Zaccari.

Norma nominated Ellen Jones as the new President, Mark Jones seconded the motion and Ian McWilliam made the motion to approve.

Norma nominated Bonnie Buhl as Secretary/Treasurer and Debbie Haluch seconded the motion and all moved to approve

OLD BUSINESS:
Discussion regarding approval for a second location for a CCL Community Garden sponsored by the Garden Club.  Norma has been in touch with developer’s office to see if 40X40 space is available. She will talk with Liz Petit and will provide an update at the September meeting.

Debbie brought up landscaping project along Cypress North Houston and will have details next month on the proposal which included input from Garden Club members Larry Allen, Norma Chiaramonte, Debbie Haluch and Mike Owens.

NEW BUSINESS DISCUSSION:  Ellen opened a discussion about this being the 10 year anniversary of the club and a desire to grow the membership. She encouraged all members to consider inviting a new member and also opened discussion to enhance communications via social media.

• Debbie continues to manage the blog (http://www.cypresscreeklakesgc.blogspot.com/) and has plans to enhance the content by adding website links for all speakers and relevant information sources
  
  
• We also discussed having a more creative and responsive presence on Facebook and the CCL websites
  Norma will focus on creating fresh content each month for both sites and will also check on feasibility of posting content on Next Door

There was discussion to create a slogan or tagline to create awareness of our 10 year anniversary.   Suggested was made to add a tagline to our slogan "Learning and Growing Together” …10 years and growing strong!

2017-2018 Calendar:
Meeting dates: Sept 11, Oct 9, Nov 13, Jan 8, Feb 12, Mar 12, Apr 9 and May 14. 

2017-2018 Special Events:

Ellen and Mark will host the Christmas party on December 2, 2017.

Junior Gardening Event will be held Sat May 5, 2018.

Federation Meeting - CCL to sponsor April 7

Committee Chairs confirmed.

Brick Fundraiser –  Sandra

Butterfly Garden – Larry

Yard of the Month – Beverly

Sign placement – Larry and Ian

Jr. Gardener Event – Liz and Lyn

Field Trips and Events – Marcia

Blog – Debbie

Facebook, CCL  – Norma

Outreach – Norma

Social – Norma

Ellen encouraged committee chairs to recruit new volunteers.

Program Discussion:  Ellen has arranged for Debbie Thornton from Farm to Market Flowers to speak at Sept meeting. Ian will provide refreshments and door prize.

All agreed to request volunteers for monthly speakers, door prize and refreshments at September meeting.

Suggestions were made to include the following topics in this year’s program:

Beverly suggested Rob from POA for Oct

Tree care and pruning - Mark will research

Water gardening was suggested by Norma

Norma will send email regarding meeting date and money for dues next month. No change in amount due: $30 single and $50 family.

Question regarding confirmation of clubhouse reservation dates. Norma will confirm.

Ellen made motion to adjourn. Debbie second, Norma third. 

May General Meeting

President, Norma Chiaramonte, called the meeting to order at 

7 p.m. at the Cypress Creek Lakes Community Center.

THOSE IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDED: Larry Allen, 

Norma Chiaramonte, Kathie Corbett, Sandra Gilbert, Debbie Haluch, Dale Smothers, Liz Hearn, 

Ellen & Mark Jones, Cathy Oland, Mike Owens, 

Kathi Palacios, Ann Wiseman Schmidt, Valerie Sterrett, and Melissa Palacios Yahner. Bill Sonne and Lindsey Zaccari were guests.

FIRE DEPARTMENT DONATION: Norma presented 

Rodney Crosby with the Texas Volunteer Fire Department 

Relief Fund our donation of $ 250.00 for bringing a Fire Truck

to the Jr. Gardener Event. Rodney explained what the Relief 

fund is for and how they raise money for it.

PROGRAM: Ellen asked RCW Nursery to present. Patty and Cheryl told us about several products for yard and home maintenance. A great lawn supplement is liquid molasses and seaweed used once a week. Fire ants hate granular molasses. Consan Triple Action 20 will remove algae and fungus; 

and takes the sour smell out of towels. Wet & Forget will remove mildew from siding, fences, roofs and sidewalks.

YARD OF THE MONTH: Kathie announced that Jerry & 

Shelly Lawson were the recipients of Yard of the Month. 

HOSTESS:  Thank you to Kathi Palacios for being hostess 

this month!

DOOR PRIZE: Thank you to Ann Wiseman Schmidt for 

door prizes. Plants from her garden were won by Ian (Plumeria) and our guest, Bill (Mountain Laurel).

MINUTES: Ellen made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes and was seconded by everyone.

OLD BUSINESS:      Committee Reports

Signs: Larry said that Ian would be helping place the signs next year.

Blog: Debbie said that the Blog and website were updated and asked the members for any ideas to add to the sites. 

Bricks: Sandra said she would be ordering bricks soon.

Butterfly Garden:  Larry said that the planting will be May 20 at 8 am. Kyle will work up the beds and deliver plants and mulch. Refreshments will be served.  Larry will send email reminders for planting help.

Jr Gardener Event: Liz reported that 51 children attended. Everything ran smoothly.  Children had a great time. The Firetruck arrived and the children enjoyed exploring it and 

talking to the firemen. We had a lot of members who helped keep the event flowing. 

NEW BUSINESS:

Dinner:  Norma announced that the dinner site has been changed to Villa Roma Italian Restaurant, 

12640 Telge Rd., Friday, May 19 at 7 pm.

POA REQUEST:  Mike said that the POA had asked for the Garden Club members to help with the design for the planting on the new section of Cypress North Houston. They want to use plants that 

are more drought tolerant.

New Officers:  We did not nominate anyone for President or Secretary/Treasurer. We will address the nomination and election officers at the next meeting in September.

GARDENING TIP OF THE MONTH: The best way to control aphids on plants like Crape Myrtle and other flowering plants is to feed them a systemic Rose Food.   1001 GardenLine Questions with Randy Lemmon.

NEXT MEETING:  August 14, 2017 Planning Meeting

NEXT REGULAR MEETING: September 11, 2017

Meeting was adjourned at 9:15p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Kathie Corbett

Secretary/Treasurer

May Junior Gardening Event

Thank you to Liz and Lyn for all the fantastic preparation work for this Garden Club event.

Norma did a fantastic job organizing the Volunteer Fire department members, fire engine, bow making and Mother's Day cards.

Thank you IMS Landscaping for the flowers.

Thank you Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Department for truck tours and goodies.

We had 51 Mother's Day flower pots decorated by kids of all ages.

Thank you to all garden club members who assisted in this fun community event!

April 2017 General Garden Meeting

President, Norma Chiaramonte, called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. at the Cypress Creek Lakes Community Center.

THOSE IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDED: Larry Allen, Norma Chiaramonte, Kathie Corbett, Liz Hearn, Ellen & Mark Jones, Ian McWilliam, Marcia & Dave Mausolf, Ann Wiseman Schmidt, Peggy & Doc Stokley, Melissa Palacios Yahner

PROGRAM: The program was presented by the members. Kathie demonstrated a technique to plant multiple plants in a single container; Ellen showed a variety of plants; Liz told us about the Jerusalem Artichoke and brought samples of them along Aloe Vera cuttings to share; Norma brought several Peruvian lily bulbs and plants for the presenters; Ann talked about Plumeria and brought seeds; and Ian asked about Blueberry plant. We had a very interesting meeting

YARD OF THE MONTH: Kathie announced that TATE & JODI MORTON were the recipients of the Yard of the Month.                                                          

HOSTESS:  Thank you to Ellen & Mark Jones for being hostess this month!

DOOR PRIZE: Thank you to Ellen Jones for the door prize, won by Melissa Palacios Yahner.

MINUTES: Marcia made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes and was seconded by Doc.

OLD BUSINESS: Committee Reports
Signs: Larry said that 4 new signs will be ordered when we need them. We have the sign holders.
Blog: Norma said that Debbie had updated the Blog and website.
Bricks: One brick was sold at the Easter Egg Hunt.
Butterfly Garden:  Larry said that the planting will be May 20 at 8 am.



NEW BUSINESS:

Jr Gardener Event: Liz reported that 55 people has signed up for the event. We will send a reminder to those that had signed up and to those who came last year. Liz asked for help sending those emails. Larry will check with Kyle on the purchase of the plants for the event. A sign-up sheet was passed for help at the event.

Bricks:  Norma reminded any past officers that this would be a great time to order a brick for their term of service.

Field Trip:  Marcia told us about the Heritage Gardeners in Friendswood Spring Garden Tour on April 29 and 30 from 1-5.

Dinner:  Norma asked if we would like to have a final dinner in May. She suggested Tutto Bene Italian restaurant on Mason Rd. We selected May 19 as the date for the dinner.

New Officers:  Norma reminded the members that at the next meeting we must nominate and vote for a President and Secretary/Treasurer for the next 2 years.

Norma thanked the presenters and gave a plant to each one who spoke.

GARDENING TIP OF THE MONTH: This is a great month to view wildflower trails. 1001 GardenLine Questions with Randy Lemmon.

March Monthly Meeting

President, Norma Chiaramonte, called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. at the Cypress Creek Lakes Community Center.






THOSE IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDED: Bev & Larry Allen, Jennifer Burchert, Bonnie Buhl, Norma Chiaramonte, Kathie Corbett, Sandra Gilbert, Debbie Haluch, Dale Smothers, Liz Hearn, Ellen & Mark Jones, Marcia & Dave Mausolf, Mike Owens, Peggy & Doc Stokely, Melissa Yahner, and guests Shauna & Jerry Ethridge

PROGRAM: Larry asked Sherri Harrah with Plants for All Seasons to speak. Her presentation was on several gardening topics, including how deep to plant tomatoes, how to get rid of ants in your yard, how to plant vegetable seed, and she showed us many other products and explained their uses. Sherri gave out all the products she brought to show us as door prizes.  Sherri told us that her guide on when to plant vegetables and herbs is on their website at www.plantsforallseasons.com  



YARD OF THE MONTH: Kathie announced that Shauna and Jerald Ethridge were the recipients of the Yard of the Month.     

                                     



HOSTESS:  Thank you to Bonnie Buhl for being hostess this month!

DOOR PRIZE: Thank you to Bonnie Buhl for the door prize, won by Mike Owens .

MINUTES: Marcia made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes and was seconded by Bev.



OLD BUSINESS: Committee Reports

Bricks: Sandra said that no bricks were purchased this month.

Butterfly Garden:  Larry said that he would email us as to the date for planting the Butterfly Garden.
Yard of the Month:  Kathie gave the YOM certificate to the Ethridges.

Blog: Debbie told us about the Youth Horticulture events going on during the Livestock Show. She said there were multiple judged events including: Dining with Flare, Flower Arranging, Photography, Containers, Table Centerpieces, Miniscapes and Sunflower planting. These events are held on the 2nd floor of NRG.  She also asked us to send ideas for the Blog.                                                            

NEW BUSINESS:
Jr. Gardener Event: Liz brought examples of pots to be used for the event and explained that the kids would paint the pots, go out to see the firetruck and come back in to finish planting in the pots. She sent a sign-up sheet around for volunteers to man the table to sign up kids for the event at the Easter Egg Hunt on April 9 from noon to 5pm. We also talked about signs to advertise the event. Larry will get some prices.

HOA Donation:  Norma applied for a $500.00 donation from the HOA to help with the Jr Gardener Event expenses. It was approved.

Firetruck Donation:  Norma has asked the fire department to send a firetruck over for the event and suggested we make a donation to the Fire Department for their time. Peggy suggested a $ 250.00 donation and the club agreed.

Federation Meeting:  Norma announced that Zone 7 will be the host for the meeting on April 14. We will take a tray of food and a plant to be auctioned at the meeting. We will carpool from the clubhouse at 8:45 and a sign-up sheet was passed for members wanting to go.


April Meeting: The program at the April meeting will be a plant swap and Show and Tell. A sign-up sheet was passed for those wanting to do a presentation at the meeting.

GARDENING TIP OF THE MONTH: Fertilize Roses once a month from now until the end of September. Roses are HEAVY FEEDERS.
1001 GardenLine Questions with Randy Lemmon.

NEXT MEETING:  April 10, 2017 at the Cypress Creek Lakes Community Center.
SPEAKER: Members Show and Tell and Plant Swap
HOSTESS:  Ellen & Mark Jones
DOOR PRIZE: Ellen & Mark Jones
Meeting was adjourned at 9:15p.m.

February General Meeting

President, Norma Chiaramonte, called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. at the Phase 3 Community Center, located at 10080 Cypress Creek Bend Ln (near Tuckerton Rd).

THOSE IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDED: Bev & Larry Allen, Norma Chiaramonte, Kathie Corbett, Sandra Gilbert, Kristina Haygood, Liz Hearn, Ian McWilliam and Nicole, Marcia & Dave Mausolf, Cathy Oland, Mike Owens, Kathi Palacios, Ann Schmidt, Melissa Yahner, and guest Stefanie Matta.

PROGRAM: Sandra Gilbert presented Robert Richter with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, who spoke on “Container Gardening.”   Robert also told us that they have an OPEN GARDEN DAY on the 4th Tuesday each month. They are located at 3033 Bear Creek Dr, Houston 77084.

For Gardening Questions:  

• Ask a Master Gardener: 281-855-5600 9 am – 3 pm Mon-Fri 
• Ask online:  ask.extension.org/ask                                                                
• Drop in or mail us: 3033 Bear Creek Dr. Houston TX 77084                                                                          Their website is: harris.agrilife.org/hort.                       

YARD OF THE MONTH: Kathie announced that Isaac and Barbara Wang were the recipients of the Yard of the Month.
                                         
HOSTESS:  Thank you to Ian McWilliam and Ann Wiseman Schmidt for being hostess this month!

DOOR PRIZE: Thank you to Bev & Larry Allen for the door prize, won by  Ann W Schmidt.

MINUTES: Marcia made a motion to dispense with the reading of the minutes and was seconded by Bev.

OLD BUSINESS: Committee Reports

Bricks: Sandra said she would place an order for commemorative bricks when she gets more orders.

Butterfly Garden:  Larry said that Kyle had trimmed back many plants due to the recent freeze. He did not have a date set for the Spring planting.

Signs: Larry said that he would pick up the signs after the meeting.

Field Trips: There were 13 members at the Valentine Dinner on Friday, February 10. The dinner moved at the last minute to Dario’s.

Jr Gardener Event: Liz said she would talk to Lyn and get started on planning the event. The date will be May 6, the Saturday before Mother’s Day. Mike suggested that we have a fire truck and a police car there for an added attraction for the attendees. Norma will check on getting the fire truck

Yard of the Month:  Kathie said she had several members who were helping with the yard selection, including Kristina, Ellen, Marcia, and Bev.

NEW BUSINESS:

Norma announced that the Houston Federation dues had been increased from $ 7 to $ 8 per member. These dues are paid by the club.

Brookwood Events:  Marcia told us that Brookwood will be having two new events as follows:

• Saturday, Feb 25 – 10:00 am – Free workshop “Clean up your Yard after the Freeze with Organic Products”
• Thursday, March 16 – 10:30 am - $19.95 plus tax includes lunch – Linda Gay (Horticulturist & Garden Designer) “Get Ready for Summer Gardening”

Brookwood also has Horticulture Tours – Monday thru Friday 9-11 or 1-3, by appointment only, given by Mark Rainey (Horticulture Manager) for a behind the scenes tour of their horticulture department.

Norma reminded us to be thinking about our April meeting, in which we will have a “Show & Tell” program by our members. She will have a sign-up sheet at the March meeting for your presentation.

GARDENING TIP OF THE MONTH: Don’t commit “Crape Myrtle Massacre” Prune Crape Myrtles any time during February. The only required pruning is to take off last year’s seed pods.  This means: simply remove any branches that are growing inward, crossing or rubbing.  Don’t over-prune to the same spot every year.


NEXT MEETING:  March 13, 2017 at Cypress Creek Lakes Community Center, 10702 Cypress Creek Bend Ln (our regular meeting place).

SPEAKER: Bev and Larry

HOSTESS: Bonnie Buhl DOOR PRIZE: Bonnie Buhl
Meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

January General Meeting

President, Norma Chiaramonte, called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. at the Cypress Creek Lakes Community Center.

THOSE IN ATTENDANCE INCLUDED: Jennifer Burchert, Norma Chiaramonte, Kathie Corbett, Debbie Haluch, Elizabeth Hearn, Ian McWilliam and Nicole, David and Marcia Mausolf, Mike Owens, Ann Wiseman Schmidt, Doc and Peggy Stokley, Melissa Yahner. Guest - Trey Childs.

PROGRAM: Jennifer’s father-in-law, Ken Burchert, spoke on Backyard Beekeeping. He brought a bee hive box to show how bees are kept.

YARD OF THE MONTH: Kathie announced that Mark & Idalia Laber were the recipients of the Yard of the Month.

HOSTESS:  Thank you to Jennifer for being hostess this month!

DOOR PRIZE: Thank you to Jennifer for the two door prizes, won by Ian and Melissa.

MINUTES:  A motion was made to dispense with the reading of the minutes.

OLD BUSINESS:  Committee Reports

Bricks: Norma explained to the guests about the Butterfly Garden bricks.

Butterfly Garden:  no report

Signs: no report

Field Trips: Norma will ask Valerie and Beth to plan a Valentine’s dinner for February 11 or 12.

Jr Gardener Event: Liz said she will have more information at the next meeting

Blog: Going great.

Yard of the Month:  Kathie reported the winner for January.

Members’ Dinner: Norma reported that 18 members came to the Dinner at Romero’s, on November 18.  Beth and Valerie did a great job of arranging for the members to have dinner at Romero’s. We had a great turnout and fun visiting and dining.



NEW BUSINESS: Norma reminded everyone that next month’s meeting will be at the Phase 3 Community Center off Tuckerton.

GARDENING TIP OF THE MONTH:  Plant refrigerated bulbs; plant trees the 3rd week of January; prune established trees; prepare soil/beds for vegetables; check Junipers for bagworms, spider mites and webworms; feed cool season annuals; start fertilizing established trees and shrubs.
1001 GardenLine Questions with Randy Lemmon.

NEXT MEETING:     February 13, 2017    7:00-9:00
At the Phase 3 Community Center Off Tuckerton
SPEAKER:    Sandra Gilbert will have Robert Richter speak on Container Gardening.
HOSTESS: Ian McWilliam DOOR PRIZE: Bev Allen
Meeting was adjourned at 9 p.m.