Your Garden Club of Palo Alto Newsletter

" I was blessed to have two Grandmothers who loved gardening and flowers. One in Los Angeles and one in Watsonville. It was so much fun to have two very different Grandmothers who shared their horticultural knowledge and expertise with me. I was constantly surrounded by women who loved nature, color and textures, so it was no wonder that as an adult, I gravitated toward flower arranging.

I took my first real lessons from Virginia Farewell at Gamble Garden. I then joined the Gamble Garden flower arranging committee, worked and then chaired the committee for many years. I then took classes with Ann Patrick at Filoli. I have given classes at Gamble Garden in both wreath making and floral design, and done demonstrations for ladies clubs throughout the Bay Area. "

Joan Sanders

Joan has lived in California for 40 years. She became a student of Virginia Farewell 32 years ago and has not stopped arranging since. Joan has also spent many years studying with Ron Morgan. She is responsible for starting the floral design program at Filoli, now in its 14^th year, and is a 25 year volunteer at Filoli. She has worked over 10 years as a Garden Conservancy representative, choosing gardens for Filoli's annual open days tour.

Chairwoman of the Day: O'Malley Stouman

Floral exhibits:

Refreshment table : Vanessa Roach

Front table: Nancy Wong, Marian Mack and Honora Carson.

Hospitality : Courtesy of the Class of 2009

"Flowers, More Flowers"!!!!

Baked Goods: Judy Severson, Karen Douglas, O'Malley Stouman and Betsy Okarma

Extra Goodies: Connie Cavanaugh, Leslie Huey and Heidi Schwenk

Floral Arrangements and Table Decor: Judy Severson, Heidi Schwenk, O'MalleyStouman, Betsy Okarma and Leslie Huey

PRESIDENTIAL BAGGAGE

    When one is approached by a member of the Nominating Committee to consider being the President of our august organization, a key requisite is never revealed: you must have available storage space to be dedicated to Garden Club purposes.
When Karen Fry and I first met with Barbara Bowers, the out-going President, for an orientation after our election as 2090/10 Co-Presidents, I expected to learn about our responsibilities, the current state of the organization, outstanding issues and such.  Little did I know that the "hand off" also meant that Barbara would soon help me load files, boxes, cartons and the accoutrements of office into my car trunk. (Karen begged off on being a storage center as she's held these possessions in her previous terms of office and has since moved to smaller quarters). When I got home and lugged the loot into a formerly beautifully simple guest room, I found much of the 85 year history of the club to cherish and protect. Some of my stash:
*        Multiple binders compiled by past presidents that include all the minutes of the board and membership meetings, budgets, newsletters, committee annual reports and sometimes items documenting events of the year. Want to review 2001? Just give me a call!
*       December and June luncheon reports, invitations, photos, etc. for many years
*      Extra copies of older versions of the history of the Garden Club, bylaws, precedents, committee reports, surveys, etc., etc.
*       Presidential equipment (not crowns or Royal capes!) including the bell, gavel and mailbox key.
*        A handy carryall box with many file folders for 2009/10 meeting preparations, one for each officer and committee to store reminders & mail, a handy Parliamentary procedure pamphlet, a copy of the bylaws, etc. I do carry this to most meetings, thanks to the president who set up this system.
*        Another (non carryall) box with folders containing business documents for many years, insurance, internal audits, bank and financial summaries, etc.
*        A binder with presidential stuff: what to do month by month (thank you Joan Jack for the latest version), membership cards (as the GCPA is a member of many garden related organizations, e.g. Filoli), audit reports, State Board of Equalization Seller's Permit (for Holiday Affaire events).
*         Stationery.
*        Two boxes with records for each GCPA member listing name, member year, sponsors and activities year after year. Active and Associate. What a resource! Club members have contributed soooo much to this organization over the years. Some of you have multiple cards because of the breadth and depth of your commitments. (Thankfully, Karen took these boxes to her home and faithfully updates this month by month. This left a little bare spot in the guest room.)
Then, I wondered-where's all the info on the Holiday Affaire affairs? Alas, that's another box or two or three that resides elsewhere, right now, moving from the past chairs to the new chairs. And, that's typical. All the officers and committees are holding key Garden Club records of their work and their predecessors! This is a fabulous system enabling us to avoid starting from scratch each year. Rather, we build on the past and improve. Our legacy and current efforts are residing in homes all over the Peninsula. Thank you one and all for your good work, past and present....and for finding a little space for the Garden Club. If all our stuff was stored in one place, thing about how big that building would be!

Mary Jo Levy, Co-President
                                                        ( editor note......* This stuff is proliferating like rabbits! )

Art Center Remodel and Invitation to Tour

The Art Center is planning a transformation and we'd love to keep the Garden Club in the loop!
At the business portion of your April meeting, Professor Emerita of Art History at Santa Clara University, Brigid Barton, will provide a project overview. Before or after your meeting, please join us for an exclusive 30 minute tour to learn more (two tours will be offered, one before and one after the meeting).
The tour with Karen Kienzle, Art Center Director, will highlight many of our planned renovation upgrades:
1. a new Sculpture Garden to be designed by SWA Group (Cantor Museum's Rodin Garden and California Academy of Sciences' "living roof");

2. a new Children's Wing featuring an enclosed and landscaped outdoor classroom, art work exhibition space, and new indoor classrooms; and

3. a transformed Exhibition Gallery with brand-new climate control

The Art Center appreciates the longstanding relationship between the Garden Club and our organization and facility. The Garden Club was instrumental in providing the funds to develop the initial landscaping that enhanced our facility when it was City Hall!

Our tours are offered at 8:30-9:00 a.m. and 11:30-12:00 p.m.

To RSVP for one of the 30 minute tours, please contact Linda Gargiulo, linda.gargiulo@cityofpaloalto.org or 650.617.3138.

Membership News

It is with such delight that we welcome the new members of the Garden Club of Palo Alto, the class of 2010!
The sponsors and co-sponsors of this class, Chris Stein, Linda Larson, Dyane Matas, Patricia Davis, Linda Marion, Jane Stocklin, Patricia Sanders, Marcia Rehmus, Leslie McLaren, Sharleen Fiddaman, Priscilla Marzoni, and Maureen Kennedy, have done a wonderful job of helping their candidates through the process. Thank you to each and all of you.

The new members' names are followed by the titles of their papers.

Welcome to:
Carol Schwartz, The Green Life Theater of a Gardener
Eleanor Thomas, The "Green" in a California Native Garden
Jane Hartman, The Green House (Reg. Trademark) Concept
Elizabeth Moder-Stern, The Gift of Gardening
Victoria Thoits, Container Gardening, A New Challenge
Pat Starrett, Gardens in Books
Marla Rathbun, The Therapeutic Value of Roses

Patricia Sanders and Toni Wisman

Garden Club Members in The News

Have you read about these members?

GARDEN CLUB MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

Did you read about these ladies?

'She's helped 400 couples tie the knot at Stanford'........ A wonderful article on our own Mary Gallagher....see the article in the San Francisco Chronicle
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2010/02/07/DDSB1BT7GQ.DTL

"I was 45 years old and naive as could be," she said with a laugh 25 years later.......
Who else but Karen Olson in a terrific article in the Palo Alto Weekly for Gamble Garden's 25th Anniversary
www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=15873

and Marcia and Fred Rehmus have been selected as recipients of this year' Avenidas' Lifetime Achievement Awards
see.... http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=15706

Conservation News....

It's been raining a lot this winter ! However, the Santa Clara Valley Water District is still asking residents to conserve by at least 15 percent (20 gallons a day). The District is receiving only 35 percent of water allocations this year and imported water makes up about half of our county's water supply. Since almost half of all urban water goes to landscaping it makes more sense than ever to reduce, remove or replace a thirsty lawn. According to the www.Save20gallons.org web site, we can save 20 gallons of water a day by replacing just 1,000 square feet of lawn with better, water-wise options.

Last month I described the process to qualify for the landscape replacement rebate program of the Santa Clara Valley Water District. This is their way of giving us an incentive to take action now. Whether or not you choose to do this program, replacing your lawn is still an easy process. The simplest method is to just let your lawn die and then apply up to four inches of wood chips on top of it. Don't like the wood chip look ? Take a virtual tour of "inspiring front yard makeovers" on the Sunset Magazine website: www.sunset.com .

Or, the city of Palo Alto Utilities Department is offering a free workshop: "Water-Efficient Landscape Design" on April 17th, 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM, City Hall, Council Chambers. Pre-registration is required. For more information, visit www.cityofpaloalto.org/utilities or call (650) 329 - 2241 to register.

Or, try a class at Common Grounds, 559 College Ave. in Palo Alto. On Saturday, May 1, from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM, "Alternatives To Lawns" will be offered, taught by Deva Luna. Call 650 - 493 - 6072 to register.
"Tired of watering, mowing and weeding your lawn but don't know what to put in instead? Replacing your lawn appropriately reduces your water bill and your maintenance costs, encourages habitat for birds and butterflies and does not contribute to global warming. You'll come away from this inspiring talk with dozens of ideas, illustrated by pictures which say more than a thousand words. Deva Luna combines her passion for plants with a desire to enhance the environment. She is a Lifetime Master Gardener, Gardening Instructor, Coordinator of the Santa Clara Teaching Garden, Landscape Designer and Horticulturist for EarthCare Landscaping. She has a degree in "Plants and Art" from UC Davis."

And last but not least, Filoli is offering a class: "Native Plants in the Garden" on Saturday, April 10th, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM taught by Megan Richards. They ask that you register online at www.filoli.org
"Discover the colors and textures of California's diverse native flora. Challenge the misconception that native plants are "weeds," and learn some of the beautiful native trees, shrubs and wildflowers that grace Filoli's formal and informal gardens. This walk and talk will cover tips on planting, watering, and maintaining striking specimen plants appropriate to a variety of garden styles."

Spring really is a great time for new ideas !
Kim Chansler

News from Hort

In the Dirt...from the Horticulture Committee

This last quarter, Stanford's continuing studies program offered a class on 'Insects'.
Although I love to garden, I know little about those 'creepy-crawlies'. Time to learn!

One of our assigned books is entitled 'Insights from Insects: What Bad Bugs Can Teach Us' by Gilbert Waldbauer.
In the introduction to the book, the term 'insect' is defined: 'What is it that makes an insect a pest?'
Entomologist Larry Pedigo offers this definition: 'Pest species are those that interfere with human activities'. But keep in mind that 'less than 2% of the 900,000 known insects can reasonably be considered to be pests'.
Waldbauer reinterates... 'an old saw known to gardeners has it that a weed is a plant growing where we do not want it. It is the same with 'pest insects'. Whether or not an insect is a pest depends upon the place, the season, and the circumstances: an insect is not always bad. For example, a tiny caterpillar that feeds only on plants of the thistle family does farmers a service when it attacks harmful weeds such as the alien bull thistle. The insect, the aptly name artichoke plume moth, is a 'pest' when infests cultivated artichokes, which are just huge, unopened thistle buds.
Termites are important members of the forest environment, feeding on dead wood, recycling it by returning its elements to the soil. BUT a colony of them is certainly not welcome if, doing what comes naturally, they set up housekeeping in a wooden building...like your home!

Other fascinating portraits of insects provide 'surprising answers to some surprising questions:
'Why do many insects starve to death rather than feed on a plant not on their menu? Why do some flies have a uterus and a mammary gland? Why do insects with little or no protection not freeze solid when the temperature drops far below the freezing point? How did an American entomologist save the vineyards of France from inevitable destruction?'

Finally...without insects, most of the Earth's ecosystems would collapse, and 'life as we know it could not continue.' And a caveat: Be sparing with pesticides.

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Did you know ?

                  Plant Switches Pollinators When Caterpillars Strike

          It is not a perfect situation, the relationship between coyote tobacco and hawkmoths.

          Sure, the hawkmoth does a good job of pollinating the plant, Nicotiana attenuate, which grows in the Western United States and flowers at night. But the hawkmoth has this habit of leaving behind its eggs, which develop into caterpillars that like nothing better than to eat the plant.

          So Nicotiana attenuate strikes back in a novel way, according to scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany. As they describe in Current Biology, it shifts the time of its flowering to mornings and attracts a different pollinator, a hummingbird.

          "Nobody had actually noticed this before," said Ian T. Baldwin, director of the institute and senior author of the Current Biology paper. He said Danny Kessler, the lead author, was taking photographs one day of a plant that happened to be attacked by caterpillars. "Out of the blue, the flowers opened in the morning," he said.

          Munching caterpillars produce oral secretions that "activate a whole series of defense responses," Dr. Baldwin said, including the production of toxins and protease inhibitors that decrease the caterpillars' digestive ability. The change in flowering time, he said, "is a fourth major group of events that are activated by caterpillar attack."

          By shifting pollinators, the plant reduces the damage from hawkmoths. But why doesn't it eliminate hawkmoth pollination? Probably because the hawkmoth is a better pollinator than hummingbirds - it travels farther and visits more plants. "The tobacco plant gets superior pollination services out of the hawkmoth." Dr. Baldwin said.

New York Times

Mimi Meffert and Gwen Whittier

Gamble Garden Report

     April is a busy time at Gamble, offering many ways to enjoy the garden with family and friends.

This month's Garden Fresh Luncheon is on Wednesday, April 14. If you're taking out-of-town friends, don't forget that a complimentary docent-led tour of the garden is given after lunch.

Grandparent Alert: Earth Day at Gamble is a great event for children of all ages and their big people. You can stop by anytime on Friday, April 16 between 2:00 and 4:00 pm for free garden fun activities and then share juice and cookies under the Grand Oak Tree.

Spring Cleaning Op! Gather up some lovely, gently-used garden-themed treasures and donate them to Over the Garden Fence , the special fund-raising boutique for the Spring Garden Tour. Not only actual garden items/ accessories/ art, but one-of pieces such as collectible furniture are welcomed. Our members Mimi Meffert and Reo Haynes are in charge; they ask that you bring contributions to the Carriage House at Gamble on Monday and Tuesday April 19 and 20. You may contact them if you need help with large items.

This year's Spring Tour and its related events at Gamble on Friday and Saturday, April 23 and 24, promise to be better than ever. In celebration of Gamble's 25th anniversary, the tour is titled
Masterful Gardens over 25 Years and includes six beautifully-crafted Palo Alto gardens. Lunch on the patio between garden visits is a special treat.

             One of the nicest ways to extend your enjoyment of this festive event is to participate as a Spring Tour volunteer for a few hours. Helpers are needed before, during and after the event to help in the office, docent at gardens, sell tickets, help with lunches and much more. As a thank-you, a volunteer may purchase a Tour ticket at an enticing discount.

             Please visit www.gamblegarden.org/events for details and to purchase Spring Tour, Volunteer and Luncheon tickets.

A day to look forward to: Mother's Day Brunch on the Carriage House Patio on Sunday, May 9th at 10:00 a.m. or 12:30. Always popular, tickets go fast (tell your kids) for the champagne brunch accompanied by live music.

                                                              Carol Malcolm and Louise Beattie
                                                                Gamble Garden Liaisons

Spring Tour Cookie Bakers

Thank you for signing up to bake cookies for the Gamble Garden Spring Tour on April 23 -24!
Please bring your cookies to Carriage House on Thursday, April 22, the day before the Tour, or put them in the freezer in the Carriage House if you deliver them earlier. If you need help or have any questions, please call Louise Beattie (323-0723) or Carol Malcolm (323-7044).

Below are a list of Bakers and the recipes. Again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!
T= Tea Thyme, C=Chocolate, (2)!! = two batches

Anne Anderson -C,   Louise Beattie -T,   Ginny Bechtold -C   Cheryl Benedict -T
Mary Burt Blume -C,   Barbara Bowers -T,   Joan Campbell -T,   Kim Chansler-C
Carol Christian -T,   Sarah Clark -C,   Barbara Crawford -T,   Anne Draeger -C
Nancy Drysla -C,   Jennifer Fitzmorris -T,   Janelle Fodor -C,   Karen Fry -C(2)!!
Carol Graham -T,   Margie Harrington -T,   Jane Hartman -T,   Leslie Huey -T(2)!!
Mary Lou Johnson-C,   Ginny Kaefer -C,   Carol Kuiper -T,   Kathy Ladra -T
Janet Leigh -C,   Mary Jo Levy -C,   Linda Marion -T(2)!!,   Mary McCullough-T

Alexandra McFarland -T, Mimi Meffert -C, Elizabeth Moder-Stern -T,

Lee Newman -C, Nancy Player -C, Carolyn Reese -C, Pat Sanders -C, Anne Stewart -C,

Bonnie Street -T, Carolyn Schwartz -T, Heidi Schwenk-T,

Pat Smith -C, Nancy Spangler-T, Marilyn Sutorius -C, Mary Jane Tapp -C,

Ellie Thomas -T, Joan Urquhart -C, Sarah Wheaton -C, Deborah Wilson -T,

Dear Garden Club Members,

Thanks to your generosity at the March Meeting, we delivered 787 pounds of food AND $772 in cash/checks to the Ecumenical Hunger Program in East Palo Alto! They were thrilled (and surprised) to receive such a treasure on a Tuesday morning and we were honored to make such a contribution on behalf of our wonderful members. Thank you.

Vicki Sullivan, Kathy Luchini, and Vanessa Roach

Update !

Field Trip to the Coast - May 11th, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

We have decided to change the departure time for our Field Trip to 9:00 AM. If we leave promptly at 9:00 we should have ample time to enjoy all of our destinations. We can still be home by 5:00, possibly earlier.

On May 11 the Garden Club will take a field trip to visit the Arboretum at U.C. Santa Cruz, Sierra Azul Nursery and Garden in Watsonville and Robin Stockwell'sSucculent Gardens, in Castroville. (For more information about these sites see last month's Newsletter).

We will leave by bus from the corner of Hopkins and Newell, across from the Art Center, at 9:00 am and we will return by 5:00 pm. The cost will be $40.00, which includes all fees and tip. You may bring your own lunch, or you may order a box lunch for $10. Guests are welcome. Your reservation must be accompanied by a check made out to The Garden Club of Palo Alto.

*The terrain at our destinations may be uneven so comfortable shoes and clothes are recommended. Sunhats and sunscreen are advised.
*There will be wonderful plants for sale at each stop which we can transport in the baggage compartment of the bus, so bring a box or an empty flat to carry them if you can.
*Cash or checks are advised for purchasing plants, etc. Succulent Gardens does not take credit cards.
*We will provide bottled water; there are restrooms at all stops and on the bus

Please send your check for $40 for the trip or $50 if you want the optional lunch (indicate chicken, roast beef or vegetarian sandwich) to Louise Beattie, 1445 Hamilton Avenue, Palo Alto, 94301. You may also sign up at the May meeting.

If you have any questions please call Louise Beattie 323-0723 or Lilo Miller 325-8955

Garden Club Board Recommendations to
the General Membership for 2010 Project Funding

On behalf of the Garden Club of Palo Alto, the Board voted unanimously to accept the recommendations of the Project Funding Committee. The Board recommends grants for the two proposals requesting funding from the GCPA Charitable Trust.

This year's requests total $3,350.00. The Board recommends funding a total of $3,350.00.
Summary of 2010 Proposals
and the Committee's Recommended Funding

1. Canopy requests $2,000 for the development and printing of a new Canopy general brochure which conveys the importance of the urban forest, the role Canopy plays in our community, and invites people to join as volunteers and supporters. This brochure will be used as a first contact with the public at tree walks, community events tabling and public venues.

This brochure will replace an outdated version and is aimed at increasing the public's awareness of Canopy's programs. The request is for support of Canopy Staff ($600) and Graphic Design ($700) & Production ($700).
The Board recommends a grant of $2,000 to Canopy for a new general brochure.

Recent grants from GCPA to Canopy: 2009: Update and redesign of Canopy Tree Walk materials, $4,000; 2008: tree care tools, $3,500; 2006: new computer for Program Director, $1,300; 2003: brochures, $225; 2001: tools, $500. This proposal was co-sponsored by Mary McCullough and Jane Stocklin.

2. Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden requests $1,350 to revitalize Gamble's historic rose Garden. The project proposes to replace existing roses that have declined in vigor, to remove roses that have been unsatisfactory growers and to return known roses that have been lost over time with new specimens or substitute historic stock.

This project will revitalize and enhance an important section of Gamble Garden, showcase important roses, and help recapture more aspects of a unique early 20th Century California Garden. The request is for purchase of roses ($600), installation ($400) and historical signage ($350). The Board recommends a grant of $1,350 to Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden for the purchase, planting and signage of roses.*

Recent grants from GCPA to Gamble Garden: 2008: $2,500;
2007: $2,500; 2006: $9,500; 2005: $4,000; 2004: $5000; 2002: $10,000.
This proposal was co-sponsored by Mary Jane Tapp and Gwen Whittier.

*Project Funding Chair, Margie Harrington did not participate in the discussion or voting on Gamble Gardens request because she is currently serving as Gamble Garden President.

Cast Your Vote on April 6th

Voting will take place at the General Meeting on April 6th to award grants for 2010 Project Funding. In accordance with the GCPA bylaws, voting will be by paper ballot, and only active members may vote.

Please review the accompanying article in this Bulletin for a summary of the proposals. While there will be time for questions and discussion prior to voting, you are encouraged to contact ahead of time any member of the PF Committee, the Board, or a sponsor of the proposal concerning your questions.

This years GCPA grants are for the amount requested for the project.
When a grant is made to an agency, the GCPA specifically states and requires that the money be used in the ways stated in the grant award.

Thanks to those who sponsored proposals. They represent the multiple contributions in a range of public non-profit activities made by our members.

To learn more about the agencies whose proposals we're considering for this year, visit their web sites. It's exciting to see the breadth and depth of what dedicated people are doing locally that aligns with the Garden Club's mission.

Canopy:   www.canopy.org
Gamble Garden: www.gamblegarden.org

Committee at-Large Members: Anne Anderson, Jeanne Ware, Joanne Koltnow, Jean Gee, Margie Harrington - Chair
Board Members: MaryJo Levy, Karen Fry, Co Presidents; Sarah Burgess, Treasurer

                                                                           - submitted by Margie Harrington

Wanted !

Co-Second Vice-President Position ( newsletters) available !

Getting the newsletter to 'press' is really fun and I will 'train' you ( share what I know)to get you up to speed. It's really not that difficult .

The website is ready to launch, but needs a few tweeks, and one or more creative souls to make it wonderful (there is still more to add, like members papers). Please consider both of these needs and contact Leslie McLaren, lmclaren@gowebway.com

with questions or a get together for a demonstration. THANKS !

The Nominating Committee of the Garden Club of Palo Alto submits the following slate for the year 2010-2011:

Co-Presidents: Mary Jo Levy / Carla Bliss
Co-1st Vice Presidents: Helen MacKenzie / Leannah Hunt
2nd Vice President: Leslie McLaren
Recording Secretary: Connie Cavanaugh
Co-Corresponding Secretaries: Toni Wisman / Pat Sanders
                                 Treasurer: Karen Douglas
                                 Membership Co-Chairs: Carol Kuiper / Janet Heilman
                                 Parliamentarian: Barbara Bowers

          Nominating Committee: Joan Campbell, Joan Jack, Honora Carson,
                                         Mimi Meffert, Chair

UPCOMING EVENTS

HOSPITAL GARDEN TOURS
At the February 2 membership meeting, Katsy Swan announced the dates of her Garden Club member tours of the areas at the Stanford & Lucille Packard hospitals that she described in her January presentation. She has graciously added two more dates to accommodate more members! Here are the dates:

Tuesday March 23

Thursday March 25

If you would like to attend, contact Katsy directly via e-mail or telephone with your preferred date/s.

katsy.swan@comcast.net

321-6001

She will let you know the time and place to meet on the day you select.

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TWO DAHLIA EVENTS !!

1) John E. Stowell Dahlia Society's Tuber and Plant Sale
Saturday, April 3rd - 7:30 am till sold out at De Anza College Flea Market, Cupertino

J.E.Stowell Dahlia Society is holding their annual sale of dahlias. Come and meet experts about growing dahlias, get essential tips about growing them, and choose to buy from lots of different varieties of dahlia plants and tubers ranging from the dinner plate size to small pompoms.
If you wish to buy a pre-sale tuber from Sharleen Fiddaman's garden in Palo Alto, please call her at 321-7029.

AND ANOTHER......

2) Annual Dahlia Tuber and Plant sale Tuber $3 Cutting $5 April 3rd @ 9th and Lincoln Way San Francisco 9:30-11:00 Dahlia Society of California www.sfdahlia.org

Garden Club Meeting Dates

March 30th Board Meeting at Bev Aarts

April 27th Board Meeting at Sara White's

May 4th Private Tour of Members' Gardens

May 25th Joint 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 Board Meeting

April 10th Deadline for Newsletter Submissions

Fun Facts From Fergus:

What a busy Month April is!

Arbor Day, Earth Day, National Garden Month, Prevent Animal Cruelty Month

Earth Day Primer: Some Fun Facts

Earth Day April 22nd 2010 will be here in a few days and to get you ready we've compiled some fun facts, anecdotes, and tidbits!

John McConnell first introduced the idea of a global holiday called "Earth Day" at a UNESCO Conference on the Environment in 1969. The first Earth Day proclamation was issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto on March 21, 1970
20 million Americans participated in this first Earth Day celebration
This occurred during a time of great concern about overpopulation and when there was a strong movement towards "Zero Population Growth.
April 22 is the first official day of Spring in the Northern hemisphere and of Fall in the Southern hemisphere and was chosen to be Earth Day for this reason.
Highlight of the annual Earth Day ceremony at the United Nations is the ringing of the Peace Bell that was given to the UN by Japan. It is made from coins given by school children to further peace on our planet.
April 22 is also the birthday of Julius Sterling Morton, the founder of Arbor Day .
April 21 was the birthday of John Muir, who founded the Sierra Club.
April 22, 1970 was the 100th birthday of Vladimir Lenin. Time reported that some suspected the date was not a coincidence, but a clue that the event was "a Communist trick," and quoted a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution saying, "Subversive elements plan to make American children live in an environment that is good for them."
Earth Day 2009, April 22, marked the beginning of The Green Generation CampaignTM which will also be the focus of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day in 2010.

Sources: EarthDay.net, Wikipedia, YumSugar

Garden Club of Palo Alto

P.O.Box 898

Palo Alto, CA 94302

encouraging gardening and horticulture
artistic use of flowers and plants
conservation and natural resources
educating the community
beautification of public area