Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Party

 

 

Acknowledgement for Butterfly Garden

Thank you Kyle and Crew!

Our Garden Club is super appreciative of the support received from Kyle Franklin and IMS Landscaping.  They assisted in the butterfly garden location in 2009 and have continued to support the club every year in seasonal plant selections, design layout and soil preparation.

They are responsible for landscape beds in CCL section 1 and 2.

November Monthly Meeting

Attendees: 

Returning Members: Beverly and Larry Allen, Bonnie Buhl, Norma Chiaramonte, Joe and Wendy D’Virgilio, Sandra Gilbert, Sandy Haumpton, Liz Hearn, Ellen Jones, Mark Jones, Marcia Mausolf, Cathy Oland, Mike Owens, Ann Sansbury and Dale Smothers

Guests:  Cathie Bortz, Norma Islam

Program:

CCL POA Presidents:  Rob Melloy, Sections 1 & 2 and Kelly Doyle, Section 3

Refreshments and Door Prize:

Refreshments were provided by Beverly Allen and the Door Prize was provided by Ellen Jones and awarded to Mike Owens

Meeting Minutes:

Highlights of discussions with Rob Melloy and Kelly Doyle include:

·       With the creation of a board for Section 3 it was discussed that although the boards operate independently on business matters, they do collaborate on general issues to unify the CCL community.  An example of this is the new uniform Holiday Decorations in sections 1, 2 and 3.

·       Kelly Doyle advised that we need to select the best site for the Butterfly Garden on Brazos Sage.  The location that was originally selected does not tie into the existing irrigation system and it would be too costly to establish.  Therefore, we will choose an alternate site.  Norma, Ellen and Kelly will meet within the next few weeks to select a location.

·       Rob advised that Joe D’Virgilio is the chairperson for Section 1 & 2 Community Enhancement Committee.  Garden Club members on this committee include Larry Allen, Norma Chiaramonte, and Ellen Jones.  Joe will organize a meeting to discuss a plan.

Following a break for refreshments:

·       There was a motion made by Norma Chiaramonte to dispense of reading of the October Meeting Minutes.  Marcia Mausolf seconded the motion.

·       Secretary/Treasurer, Bonnie Buhl provided the current Treasurer Report

Monthly Meetings:

·       Holiday Party Friday, December 7, 7 pm at the Jones’.  A sign-up sheet was circulated for sides and desserts.  The Jones’ will serve ham and turkey

·       January meeting speaker – Mark Jones will attain a speaker to discuss Growing Succulents

Butterfly Garden planting:

·       Saturday November 10, 2018.  IMS Landscape Services prepared the garden bed and provided the plants.  Larry Allen and Kyle Franklin, IMS collaborated on slight improvements in the design since our last planting.  Essentially, taller butterfly plants were moved to the back of the garden for a better placement and effect.  Special thanks to Larry for organizing the event and providing refreshments.  Participants included:  Larry Allen, Bonnie Buhl, Norma Chiaramonte, Joe D’Virgilio, Sandra Gilbert, Debbie Haluch, Ellen and Mark Jones, and Ann Sansbury

Brick Fundraiser Improvements:

·       Mike Owens has updated the form to include meeting details.  Larry Allen and Mike have added a plexiglass box for these forms to the sign located at the Butterfly Garden.  This effort should result in increased awareness and increased sales!

Yard of the Month:

·       Although the By Laws state that 2 YOM selections should be awarded; one in Sections 1 & 2 and one in Section 3, to date this has not been the case.  There was some issue with the Management company regarding instituting the award in Section 3 that has since been resolved.  It was discussed that we will begin to award a YOM in both sections beginning with the next judging in April 2019. 

·       Volunteer chairs for YOM are needed.  Bev Allen informed the group of the responsibilities and we agreed that we will nominate and vote to establish 2 Chair persons at the January meeting.

Butterfly Garden Certification:

·       Congratulations to Member, Ann Sansbury for attaining Butterfly Certification for her garden.  Ann advised that the process is fairly simple and requires establishing 3 butterfly host plants and 3 nectar plants.  The group discussed and agreed that we will encourage all members to attain this certification.  Through this group effort we can promote the environmental benefits and encourage the community at large to do so as well.  This may also be an opportunity to work with the Community Enhancement Committee to incorporate in the neighborhood landscaping.  This will be discussed further at the January meeting.

Committee Chair Updates:

·       Field Trips and Events:  Marcia advised that the annual Holiday Luncheon at Brookwood Community was attended by club members Beverly Allen, Bonnie Buhl, Ellen Jones, Cathy Oland, and Marcia Mausolf and guest.  A great time was had by all!

·       Outreach:  Norma proposed adopting a family for our Holiday Project.  It was agreed unanimously that we will collect gifts to provide for a family of four.  Norma will organize and provide details.

Note: due to a scheduling conflict the meeting could not be held at the Community Center on Cypress Creek Bend. The meeting was therefore held at the Jones residence.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00

Fall Butterfly Garden Planting

It was a cool, crisp morning for CCL Butterfly Garden Planting. Planting was completed before the light rain began.



Thank you to Larry, Mark, Ellen, Bonnie, Ann, Debbie, Sandra and Norma for planting and mulching the fall garden.  We did see a butterfly this morning warming wings on the plants.

Commemorative Brick Forms

Thank you Mike Owens and Larry Allen for installing brick form holder in Butterfly Garden.

October Monthly Meeting

Meeting Attendees:  Beverly Allen, Larry Allen, Juanita Benjamin, Ronda Benjamin, Bonnie Buhl, Norma Chiaramonte, Debbie Haluch, Ellen Jones, Mark Jones, David Mausolf, Marcia Mausolf, Mike Owens, and Ann Sansbury.  A special welcome to our guests Juanita and Ronda Benjamin!

Program:  The program speaker, Ann Sansbury, a CCL resident and CCL Garden Club member, provided an interactive discussion on Vermicomposting.  She discussed the process of using red wiggler worms along with organic material such as shredded paper, cardboard, egg shells, coffee grounds, leaves, grass and organic foods to create a nutrient rich compost known as vermicast.

In addition to providing an ideal growing medium for the garden, an equally beneficial outcome of using this process is that it greatly reduces the amount of waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

Ronda Benjamin was grateful to win the speaker’s door prize of Vermicast.  Special thanks to Debbie Haluch for inviting Ann to be our speaker. 

Break/Refreshments:  Refreshments were provided by Bev and Larry Allen and Debbie Haluch.  Bonnie Buhl won the meeting door prize, a fall garden decoration, provided by Beverly and Larry Allen. 

Meeting Highlights:

A motion was made by Norma Chiaramonte and seconded by Marcia Mausolf to dispense of reading of the September 10, 2018 Meeting Minutes.  All meeting minutes can be found on our blog.

Monthly Treasurer Report was present by Bonnie Buhl, Secretary/Treasurer.  The report was accepted as read.

Monthly Meetings: 

­   Ellen Jones is responsible for the speaker program on November 12.  She advised that CCL HOA President for Sections 1 & 2, Rob Melloy will join us.  Ellen is in the process of confirming the participation of Kelly Doyle, CCL HOA President for Section 3

­   Volunteers needed to attain Speaker for January and May meetings.  Ronda Benjamin volunteered to recruit a speaker for one these months.  Mark Jones volunteered to acquire a speaker for the remaining slot and asked if there were any specific topics of interest.  Norma suggested information on growing succulents.

Houston Garden Club Federation Updates:

Ellen provided updates on the Federation Activities and Awards:

New meeting location – First Christian Church 1601 Sunset Boulevard, 2^nd Friday of each Month

Holiday Meetings and Garden Symposium:

­   October 12 meeting at 10 am – A Witches Brew – Holiday Flower Show

­   October 19-20 – Southern Garden Symposium, St. Francisville, LA

­   December 14 Christmas Luncheon, 9:30 – 2:00, $30, Silent Auction and Speaker Bill McKinley from Binz School of Floral Design

Houston Garden Club Federation awards granted to CCL Garden Club:

­   10^th Anniversary Certificate

­   Garden Angel Certificate presented to Debbie Haluch.  This award was voted on at a prior meeting by CCL Club Members to acknowledge outstanding contribution of a club member.

­   President’s Report Honorable Mention presented to Ellen Jones for 2017-18 report

Square Foot Gardening Workshop Initiation:

­   CCL Garden Club Member, Debbie Haluch invited all who are interested to a Square foot Gardening Presentation at her home on Saturday, October 13^th at 10 am.  

Committee Chair Updates:

Blog – Debbie Haluch – in addition to Debbie’s ongoing commitment to maintain the CCL Garden blog, she has begun to highlight club information on Next Door and encouraged all to “like” the CCL Garden Club page on Facebook to create greater awareness

Brick Fundraiser – Mike Owens provided highlight information for newcomers

Butterfly Garden Seasonal Planting – Larry Allen presented the design plan and plant selection for the fall planting including milkweed and zinnias.  All are encouraged to participate in planting the fall garden on Saturday November 10 at 8:00 am.  Larry will also ask Kyle with IMS landscape services to prune the Magnolia tree near the Butterfly Garden

Butterfly Garden II Implementation – Norma Chiaramonte advised that once the new landscape contract is established for Section 3 we will have more information on an implementation plan

Field Trip and Events – Marsha Mausolf

All who signed up for the Brookwood Luncheon Gala and Program on Thursday October 18 will meet at the clubhouse to carpool at 9:00 am

Jr. Gardener Event – Liz Hearn and Lyn McWilliam – no updates

Outreach – Norma Chiaramonte

There was general discussion on a holiday outreach program focused on Senior Care Homes.  Norma will research ideas and present a recommendation at the November 12 meeting

Sign Placement – Larry Allen and Ian McWilliam – no updates                  

Social Gatherings – Norma Chiaramonte

Nine members enjoyed a fun evening at Café Roma last month

Social Media (Facebook, CCL website) – Norma Chiaramonte

It was agreed that emphasis on CCL website in addition to individual member postings is necessary to create greater awareness of club activities

Yard of the Month

The judging for October was done by Norma Chiaramonte and Ellen Jones. The October YOM was awarded to Donald Allison and Deborah (Dee) Vangessel

Beverly Allen has decided to retire as chairperson.  All expressed appreciation to Beverly for providing many years of dedicated service as YOM chairperson.

A Volunteer for Chair Position is needed - Next judging for YOM is April

Gardening Tips for October:

October is best month for dividing and moving bulbs and perennials, such as Lilies and Iris

Time to plant 10-15 onions…how they got their name?  10/15 is the optimum planting date

Upcoming Monthly Meeting- Vermicomposting

Our October speaker is CCL resident, Ann Sansbury.

Ann Sansbury will be presenting Vermicomposting.

How to reduce your waste and improve soil without harmful chemicals. She has 10+ years practicing this method with worms.

September General Meeting

Our meeting was called to order at 7pm by President Ellen Jones.

Attendees: 

Returning Members:  Bonnie Buhl, Norma Chiaramonte, Sandra Gilbert, Debbie Haluch, Sandy Haumpton, Liz Hearn, Ellen Jones, Mark Jones, Ian McWilliam, Nicole McWilliam, David Mausolf, Marcia Mausolf, Cathy Oland, Mike Owens, and Dale Smothers.

New Member:  Ann Sansbury           Guests:  Dan and Dotti Schmoker

Program:

Robert “Skip” Richter, County Extension Agent with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service presented an informative program on choosing Perennials for all four seasons.  The program was interactive and followed by a question and answer session.  Special note was made of the website:  ask.extension.org/ask This website is available to submit questions and photos for identification or diagnosis.

Refreshments and Door Prize:

Refreshments were provided by Mark Jones and the Door Prize was awarded to Sandra Gilbert

Meeting Minutes:

Welcome new member, Ann Sansbury and guests, Dan and Dotti Schmoker

Key CCL Garden Club Dates were highlighted:

Monthly Meetings: 

October 8, November 12, January 14, February 11, March 11, April 8 and May 13

Sign Up Sheet for speaker, door prize, and refreshments was circulated.

Special Events:

Christmas Party Friday, December 7, 7 pm at the Jones’

Jr. Gardener Event Saturday, May 4

Federation Updates:

New meeting location – First Christian Church 1601 Sunset Boulevard

Meets 2^nd Friday of each Month

September 14 meeting 10 am –  Speaker Jim Blackburn: Neutralizing our Individual Carbon Footprint.  Ellen and Bonnie plan to attend and offered to car pool for anyone wanting to attend

Holiday Meetings:

October 12 meeting at 10 am – A Witches Brew – Holiday Flower Show

December 14 Christmas Luncheon, 9:30 – 2:00, $30, Silent Auction and Speaker Bill McKinley from Binz School of Floral Design

Committee Chairs Positions and Updates:

·       Blog – Debbie Haluch

·       Brick Fundraiser – After years of dedicated service, Sandra Gilbert has retired from her role.  Mike Owens volunteered to take on the responsibility.  Special thanks to Sandra and Mike.

·       Butterfly Garden Seasonal Planting – Larry Allen

·       Butterfly Garden II Implementation – Norma Chiaramonte.  Norma advised that it will be at least another month before we have the opportunity to coordinate next steps with the new landscape provider for the second Butterfly Garden on Brazos Sage

·       Field Trip and Events – Marsha Mausolf announced the annual fieldtrip to Brookwood and asked all who are interested to let her know their preferred date of October 18 or 19.  The cost is $22.95 per person.  It was agreed that those who are interested in attending will let Marcia know at the October 8 meeting and provide payment at that time. 

·       Jr. Gardener Event – Liz Hearn and Lyn Mc William – Bonnie provided a financial recap of the event

·       Outreach and Socials– Norma Chiaramonte – Norma is planning a social gathering at Café Roma on Telge Road for Friday, September 28.  She will send an email to all with details and RSVP

·       Sign Placement – Larry Allen and Ian Mc William

·       Social Media (Facebook, CCL website) – Norma Chiaramonte

·       Yard of the Month – After many years of dedicated service and excellent selections, Bev Allen has retired from her Committee leadership.  No YOM was awarded for September and Ellen and Norma will choose the YOM for October.  A request was made for a volunteer to fill this position for April – October 2019

New Business:      2018 – 2019 Projects

Butterfly Garden Seasonal Planting

Update on successful results of last planting with greater focus on plants to attract butterflies

Plans for fall planting will be discussed in October

Butterfly Garden II Update – delayed discussion regarding implementation for at least 1-2 months

Jr. Gardener Event – Treasure update on 2018 event was given

Gardening Tip for September – Plant winter pansies and fall annuals (calendula, dianthus, ornamental cabbage and kale) later in the month

Our October 8th speaker will be Ann Sansbury. Her topic is vermicomposting.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45

2018 -2019 Planning Committee Meeting

A social gathering and meeting were enjoyed at the home of Ellen and Mark Jones 

Attendees:  Bev Allen, Larry Allen, Bonnie Buhl, Norma Chiaramonte, Sandra Gilbert, Debbie Haluch, Ellen Jones, Mark Jones.

Key Dates discussed:

·       Monthly Meetings:  September 10, October 8, November 12, January 14, February 11, March 11, April 8 and May 13

­   Sign Up sheet was circulated for – Speaker, Door Prize, Refreshments.  It will be circulated again at the September meeting to complete 2018 – 2019 Program Agenda

·       Special Events: Christmas Party Friday, December 7, Jr. Gardener Event Saturday, May 4

Committee Chairs:

After many years of dedicated service as Committee Chairs, Bev Allen – Yard of the Month and Sandra Gilbert - Brick Fundraising, have resigned from their respective roles.  They have done an excellent job and we hope to recruit new leaders at our September meeting. 

·       Blog – Debbie Haluch

·       Brick Fundraiser - TBD

·       Butterfly Garden Seasonal Planting – Larry Allen

·       Butterfly Garden II Implementation – Norma Chiaramonte

·       Field Trip and Events – Marsha Mausolf

·       Jr. Gardener Event – Liz Hearn and Lyn Mc William

·       Outreach and Social Gatherings – Norma Chiaramonte

·       Sign Placement – Larry Allen and Ian Mc William

·       Social Media (Facebook, CCL website) – Norma Chiaramonte

·       Yard of the Month – TBD

Projects for 2018- 2019 were discussed:

·       Butterfly Garden Seasonal Planting

·       Butterfly Garden II – Norma will provide an update at September meeting

·       Jr. Gardener Event – last year was a big success and we have great synergy for this year

·       Planting on Cypress N Houston – project complete

·       YOM – new schedule update provided by Bev and details will be discussed in September

Federation Updates:

·       September 14 meeting at 10 am – Jim Blackburn – Neutralizing our Individual Carbon Footprint

NOTE: New address First Christian Church 1601 Sunset Blvd

 ·       October 12 meeting at 10 am – A Witches Brew – Holiday Flower Show – same location

August Yard of the Month

And the winner is:

Michael & Tiffany Becker

Congratulations on keeping our community growing!

Butterfly Garden Planting

Beautiful sunny skies and "coolish" morning garden planting.

Should have known that planting would start before 8 am by Mike, Larry, Bonnie and Ian.

Busy Nicole lent a hand before dashing off to next adventure.

In the midst of planting, we had a butterfly "scout" checking out plants.

Yeah we finished by 9:15 am.

Thank you Kyle Franklin and IMS crew for awesome plant selection and design. Y'all are the best!

The plants have been tagged with QR codes for easy phone app identification.

May General Meeting

THOSE IN ATTENDANCE  INCLUDED: Beverly and Larry Allen, Bonnie Buhl, AJ Challagundla, Norma Chiaramonte, Joe and Wendy D’Virgilio, Sandra Gilbert, Debbie Haluch, Sandy Haumpton, Elizabeth Hearn, Ellen and Mark Jones, Ian and Nicole McWilliam, Mike Owens and Dale Smothers.  

Tokens of Appreciation were presented to Kyle Franklin from IMS Landscape and Captain David Padovan, Cy Fair VFD for helping make our Junior Gardening Event a big success.

The beautiful flowers provided by Kyle were hand selected by each person creating a lovely pot and ultimately putting a big smile on the faces of many children, parents and grand parents in our community.

Captain Padovan and his crew on the fire truck and emergency vehicle created a fun and educational experience for both the children and adults.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation to both of you.

PROGRAM:

Robert “Skip” Richter a  Master Gardner, horticulturist, garden educator, writer and photographer was our speaker. He provided a list of small, medium and large trees for Houston area Landscapes and presented slides on thirteen trees with a focus on research, selection, planting, pruning and fertilizing.
The presentation was very educational and provoked excellent questions and discussion. 



HOST:
Thanks to Mark for arranging for the speaker and door prize and to AJ for the delicious cookies and water.

The door prize was a gift card from Plants For All Seasons and the lucky winner was Larry Allen.

UPDATES and OLD BUSINESS:
Special thanks to Liz and Lyn for chairing such a successful event.
Discussion around our successes including improved communication  with signs and social media, record attendance, enhanced experiences - decorations, chalk board, treats, more hands on with planting and the fire truck.
Everyone was asked to think of suggestions for the 2019 event.

YARD OF THE MONTH:
Bev Allen advised the selection for May was Mr. and Mrs. Michael Villarreal 






BUTTERFLY GARDEN I
Larry said we could choose May 26 or June 16 for garden replanting. We chose May 26th and voted to do it ourselves.  We will meet at the garden at 8 AM on Saturday, May 26.

NEW BUSINESS:
APRIL MEETING MINUTES
Norma’s motion to dispense with reading of the minutes was seconded by Liz.

FINANCIAL REPORT:
Bonnie provided an overview of the month to date including starting balance, all transactions and closing balance.

2018-19 Planning meeting will be held at the Jones’ Monday August 13.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 PM

May General Meeting Blog

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Robert "Skip" Richter

County Extension Agent - Horticulture

Texas AgriLife Extension Service

Skip received his master’s degree in Horticulture from Texas A&M University, “the source of all earthly knowledge.”  He has been with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for 28 years in Montgomery, Travis and Harris County where he currently serves as a County Extension Agent in Horticulture.

Skip has gardened in the brush country of south Texas, the rocky hills of the Missouri Ozarks, the acid sands of the East Texas piney woods, the semi-arid climate and high pH soils of central Texas, and the humid, hot climate and black clays of southeast Texas.

He is an enthusiastic student and teacher of natural gardening techniques. He helped develop Extension's "Don't Bag It" yard waste recycling programs, the "Composting for Kids" educational web page, and the Grow Green environmental education program which educates Austin residents on landscaping practices that protect water quality.

He has written a bi-weekly internet column for the National Gardening Association, numerous newspaper and magazine articles on gardening. His “Gardening with Skip” YouTube channel features over 120 brief gardening videos. Skip has served as the National Gardening Association’s regional horticulturist for the southeastern U.S. and is a contributing editor to Texas Gardener magazine. He is the host of the Gardening Success radio show. His new book, Texas Month-by-Month Gardening provides guidance on planting and caring for your garden and landscape every month of the year.

Jr Gardener Event

Kids enjoyed making Mother's Day pots

Selecting plants

Potting plants

Selecting hand made decorations

Signing flowered board

New arrivals signing in

Dad helping with pot painting

Mom admiring her little one's creation

Taking pictures

Eating popcorn

Touring fire truck

Meeting neighbors

Peggy with her original "pot sticker" creations 

Cy-Fair Volunteer Fire Fighters signing up decorating

Amazed by all of the activity

Mother and daughter each decorate a pot

Finished product

Fantastic weather

Creating Mother's Day card

Family time