Asian Longhorn Bark Beetle

Joan Allen from UConn Home And Garden Education Center will be speaking to our club on May 25, 2010 on the devastation caused by this preditor insect. You can read more in this New York Times Article.  

A photo of the Asian Bark Beetle

February Meeting

Stony shared some great photos of the February Meeting.

November Meeting

Bill Graham was a terrific hit at our November meeting. He is funny and captivating and wonderfully talented. Everything he does looks effortless while he is engaging in a funny, conversational patter that makes you feel like he's your long time buddy. It was a delightful time. He set the stage by creating an ensemble with wonderful accessories from his shop, Beautiful Things in Salem, MA. He then created a coordinating centerpiece.

October Meeting - A Seasonal Tapestry

The demonstration by Kymrie Zaslow was enjoyed by everyone at the October meeting. The luncheon was delightful and many people asked for the recipes for the Squash Soup and the Almond Tarts.

MGC 2008 Annual Meeting

The Mystic Garden Club 2008 Annual Meeting was a really fantastic event. It was held at the Mystic Arts Center, where the artwork was a beautiful backdrop for the lovely ladies and their decorated hats. Our new members were welcomed to the club at that time with Amy Laidlaw and Pauline Grippo able to participate. Our scholarship recipient was introduced to the group. Our retiring President, Gail Ettinger, thanked all of her board members and passed the presidential pin along to the new co-presidents, Betsy Van Winkle and Ceil Gallup.
There were prizes for the most creative hats with

• The Most Mystic going to Betsy Van Winkle whose red, white & blue creation was very patriotic
• The Most Elegant to Joy Molloy
• The Greenest to Sue Johnson with her asparagus decorate hat.
• The Most Suited to her Personality to Cam Bertsche whose hat was decorated with a whooping crane.

The lunch was absolutely delicious and the year ended on a particularly high note. The results from the Plant Sale exceeded anything that was done before. So a special thanks to everyone for donating their plants to this worthwhile fundraiser for the Mystic & Noank Library.

Plum Beach Garden Club Event

We received the following invitation to an event put on by the Plum Beach Garden Club http://www.gardencentral.org/rigardenclubs/pbgc/ in Wickford, RI.

Hi there...a group of us from the PLUM BEACH GARDEN CLUB in Wickford RI happened
to enjoy your recent Plant Sale. Well Done!Congratulations. We had the best
time!

Thought you might want to relax and enjoy an afternoon out so I am sending you
some info on our upcoming luncheon:

Do you think that oak leaves and pine needles make soil acidic?

Have you heard that moss in the lawn means you need to add lime?

Find out why this so-called garden wisdom may not be wise at all when C.L. Fornari, http://www.gardenlady.com/ author, photographer, radio host and master gardener returns to Rhode Island to speak at The Plum Beach Garden Club's September 10th luncheon fundraiser at the Dunes Club in Narragansett.

All interested gardeners and lovers of Wednesday afternoon lunches at a beautiful seaside location are invited. "MYTHS, LIES and ALL THE LATEST DIRT" is the presentation by this popular, witty and entertaining speaker who will be lecturing on the down and dirty folklore on plants, practices and products. The Plum Beach Garden Club was started in 1927, and continues to support civic beautification projects. This luncheon fundraiser is for the "Island Project", the ambitious landscaping that will transform the traffic islands that are on Route 1 and West Main Street that are the entrance to the historic Village of Wickford.

This event starts at 10:30 AM

Space is limited, and as in past years, often sells out quickly.

Reservations are confirmed with a $40.00 check made payable to

THE PLUM BEACH GARDEN CLUB.

Send them to treasurer,

Clare Northrup

105 Stony Lane

Exeter, RI, 02822

For more information, contact Anne O'Neil at 783-8959.

LECTURE & LUNCHEON

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2008

The Dunes Club

137 Boston Neck Rd

Narragansett, RI 02882
Speaker: C.L. Fornari

MYTHS LIES AND ALL THE LATEST DIRT

$40.00 advanced reservations

Thank you

Karen Pizzaruso

Publicity Plum Beach Garden Club

401-295-1910 31 Fishing Cove Road

North Kingstown, Rhode Island 02852
C.L. Fornari http://www.gardenlady.com/

(508) 428-5895

"Want guidance and inspiration? It's all in your own backyard."

Hetsy Awarded Honorary Member

The May meeting included a special award of honorary membership to Hetsy Bisbee.

Tree Peonies from Barbara Tacy's Garden

Postcard inspired arrangement from the design committee.

Our speaker was the rosarian Donna Fuss.

April Joint Meeting with Daffodil Display

Our April meeting was a joint luncheon and presentation with the Stonington Garden Club.  Sydney Eddison did a wonderful presentation on container gardens featuring the photos by Steve Silk from her book Gardens to Go, Creating and Designing a Container Garden 

The members brought in specimens of daffoldils from their gardens.  What a fantastic display.  It is fascinating how many different varieties there are.

The table centerpiece was a lovely spring display.

Cynthia serving coffee and tea

Fran & Ceil

Linda & Alice

Burt

Postcard inspired design

Proposed Changes to the MGC Bylaws

You can see the proposed changes to the Mystic Garden Club Bylaws by clicking on the link below.
Proposed Changes to the ByLaws

June Meeting Celebration

In place of our business meeting in June we are going to be entertained by Hatsy Taylor, a New England gardener, writer and professional garden lecturer/singer.

Hatsy Taylor is a New England gardener, writer and professional garden lecturer. She has published two books "Weeds and Wisdom" and "Mother Nature's Wit and Wisdom" Her lectures on garden topic, wildflowers and on vegetables, have been entertaining garden clubs, libraries and schools for many years.

To read more about Hatsy visit her website at www.weedsandwisdom.com

April Meeting Daffodils

The daffodils are coming up and we will be bringing our specimens to the April Meeting. You should choose your specimen carefully. It is best to choose a daffodil that is not yet open. Color must be showing before you cut it or it will never open. Cut the daffoldil near the base but not below the ground. Using a pen write the name of the daffodil and your name on the stem and place in very hot water. This will encourage it to open over night. You should bring your daffodil to the church on Monday, April 21 between 3 and 5 PM or 6:30 to 8 PM.

MGC Design Committee Postcard Inspirations

Each month the Mystic Garden Club Design Committee has created a fabulous floral arrangement inspired by an antique postcard. These have been unique as well as beautiful. The arrangement at the October meeting was done by Mary Katherine Porter and was inspired by a Hawaiian Postcard. Her use of red ginger and anthuriums brings to mind the vivid colors of that tropical paradise.

And who can help by see the inspiration of the Southwestern postcard in this goreous explosion of color in a glased potter container done by Barbara Ginsburg.

And a wonderful contrast to the vivid reds is this Asian inspired arrangement in a sleek black vase done by Cheryl Thevenet.

The delicate arrangement of roses was inspired by a postcard of the Newport Tea House.

This very charming arrangement in the model tractor is a wonderful interpretation of this Iowa postcard.

MGC November Meeting

The Mystic Garden Club November Meeting was terrific. The Church Fellowship
was invited to participate. The lunch was delicious as always.

Luncheon Centerpiece Arrangement by Elsie Johnson

Our presentation was by Diane Hartlin did a terrific demonstration on holiday decorations. She began by describing all the materials she uses. She shared her secret of using an old frying pan to melt wax and dip the decorations into the hot wax rather than using picks and wires or a glue gun.

Diane Hartlin showing the centerpiece in process.

Note the frying pan full of hot wax to dip the decorations into.

The centerpieces she created were beautiful. They were raffled off and Ellie won the first one.

Ellie was our first winner!

Our Second Winner Donata Delulio!

Beautiful creations!

The Mystic flower boxes were recently cleaned out. Most boxes contained potato vines and this year was the second annual potato contest. Linda McArthur won for the largest (heaviest) potato. Nancy Noise and Kay Hill won for the longest potato. Carol Connor had the most unusual potato - it looked like it was smiling at us!

Linda McArthur receiving first prize for the largest potato.

Kay Hill receiving the prize for the longest potato

Barbara shows off the most unusual potato.

Sue Johnson shared facts on raising bromeliads.
Mary Katherine Porter and the design committee are doing a series on antique postcards. This month's gorgeous arrangement was inspired by an antique Hawaiian Postcard and created by Mary Katherine.

MGC October Meeting

The October meeting of the Mystic Garden Club was interesting and entertaining. As always the luncheon was tasty and a wonderful social event. It's a delight to mingle among friends you haven't seen for a while and catch up on their lives. We tried to move lunch along slightly by passing out the soup because our speaker was working on a time deadline.The speaker, Chippy Irvine, was excellent and shared a wonderful slideshow from her book "Shades of Country". The really surprising treat was the song she sang at the end of her presentation about receiving flowers. It was delightful and humorous and I only wish I could reproduce it.
Along with the normal business meeting we enjoyed some wonderful horticultural highlights. Barbara brought in an exotic, spectacular passion flower. I only had a camera phone with me but did my best to get a photograph.

My camera phone picture of Barbara's Passion Flower! How exotic

A better picture I found on the internet - Note Barbara's flower is just as exquisite.

We had a presentation on some great foliage plants for your gardens. Several varieties of persicaria, Red Dragon, Lance Corporal and Painter's Palette. They are low maintenance, shade tolerant, and not appetizing to deer.

Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'

Persicaria microcephala 'Red Dragon'is a vigorous grower that trades one display of color for another as the season rolls along. A clump-forming perennial, 'Red Dragon' does well in combination plantings when mixed with annuals or perennials. It is an excellent product for a 1-gallon program. This new persicaria should be especially enticing to gardeners. It's a non-running form -- sterile so it's not seed invasive, non-stoloniferous so it's not root invasive.
Set off with red stems, this vigorous grower boasts spring leaves that are deep-burgundy with a plum or mint-colored chevron and a metallic sheen. Summer foliage becomes greener, accented by a red leaf margin and a red chevron on a red stem. While cooler areas are rewarded with better color in late summer, 'Red Dragon' is a splendid selection for any garden in the United States and Canada.
Small white flowers appear in early summer, but are insignificant.Height is 24 inches; width can run from 30 to 40 inches. Its growth rate is vigorous but the plant is not invasive. 'Red Dragon' tolerates most soils, including heavy clay. It is suitable for borders, beds, rockeries or as a container perennial.

2007 Annual Meeting

For the annual meeting of the Mystic Garden Club members are encouraged to wear a decorated hat. Some members really outdo themselves!

Note you can rerun the photo slideshow by clicking on the green arrow in the center of the photo.