VOLUME XXXXIV February, 2015 ISSUE VI According to Livy In January we were treated to a fantastic Fashion Show chaired by Judith Hydeman at the Hyatt. Not only are people still talking about what an excellent event this was, it was a very successful fundraiser which helped replenish our scholarship fund. We also had a delightful Hort meeting about palm trees and a Fun with Flowers Workshop in which Jean Ruff helped members do an eye catching floral design. The variety of programs in the past seven weeks really shows that when we put our creativity and hard work together and every one pitches in, TOGETHER WE CAN!!!! We are sad to report the death of our dear member Vivian Kappel. Vivian died at 94 and was active with us even at 93. I want to thank everyone who made contributions at the General Meeting towards a brick for Vivian, and there will be money going to her Special Kids charity, thanks to your generosity. I was so happy to see more than 72 people attend our January General Meeting. This is due in part to our wonderful programming, but also because of the work of Sharon Davisson and her Calling Committee, now known as the "Call Girls". Thank you Barbara Rao for the new name. I really appreciate their efforts in reminding our members of upcoming events. I hope we will see all of you at Paint and Petals, a combined sale with the Southwest Watercolor Society. This is such a pleasant event and enjoy a delicious lunch in the garden. There will also be an Opportunity Drawing with beautiful paintings and floral designs. Bring your friends on February 7th. Last but certainly not least, we are gearing up for the biggest event of the year, the Gardens in Paradise Garden Tour. If you haven't been called for a committee, be pro-active and call Carol Johnson and she will put you to work. We will need everyone for this event to be successful. Emily Yaffe and Carol have been hard at work streamlining this event to make it work as efficiently as possible. So, please, step up and give the Garden Club your help. This event really exemplifies that TOGETHER WE CAN have the best garden tour! Thank you all for all your participation in and help for the Sarasota Garden Club. Warm regards, Livy Floral Design Challenge January 19 Brought Out the Best in Design and Good Humor Thirty minutes and inspiring results! Thanks to Jean Ruff, Eleanor Yates, Dorothy Thompson, Emily Yaffe, Barbara Rao and Clare Milligan #1: Vote for me! People’s Choice Winner The Shy Approach Focus and Finesse Taming of the Greens What’s Next Here? Above left: High-heel table centerpiece creators were Judith Hydeman, Emily Yaffe, Jewell Emswiller, Clare Milligan and Dottie Thompson. Center: some of the guests. Top right: Models Karen Purviance, Vikki Iovino, Noya Brigham, Terri Gagliardi, Dianne Beaver and Mary Deutsch relaxing before the show. Left: Mighty Lou from tthe Cat Depot crew shows class and good demeanor at the table Right: Sharon Davisson and Stephanie Cotton selling opportunity tickets The glitziest shoes in the show! Catwalk on the Boulevard Fashion Show Jan. 9, 2015, Sarasota Hyatt Regency Below: Karen Purviance in a dressy outfit Far right: Jean Ruff and Carol Dornbush hugging the Cat Depot mascot before the show Mighty Lou on the runway Joy Lightcap sold the most tickets Below: Gardeners Kay Weber and Glenys Neely show off their very clean fingers! Right: Noya Brigham enjoying life on the runway 2 GENERAL MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM Florida Reef Restoration February 9 at 10 am What’s Happening: Meetings and Events February 2 Board of Directors 10 am 3 Succulent Society 7 pm 4 Floralia 9:30 “ Library Committee 9:30 6 Set up for Paint and Petals 7 Paint and Petals starts 10 am 9 General Membership Meeting 10: Reef Restoration “ C.O. N.A. 6 pm 11 Hort Study 9:30 12 Sierra Club 6 pm 13 Rented 14 Rented 15 Rented 16 Rented 17 Membership Committee 10 am 18 Floral Design 1 pm “ Appalachian Trail Club 6 pm 21 Rented 23 Judges Meeting 9 am 25 New Member Mimosa Breakfast 9:30 26 Butterfly Club 9:30 am 27 Executive Board Meeting 11:30 am 28 Rented Michael Echevarria, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Coral Restoration, will describe the reef restoration which is underway in the Florida Keys. Kathy Echevarria, from the Tampa Federation of Garden Clubs, will discuss FFGC’s role in this program. Come learn about the success story of rebuilding our “underwater garden” treasure! For All Our New Members Feb. 25th 9:30 am “Mimosa Breakfast" " Complimentary mimosas, breakfast fare for new members from 2014 & 2015 along with member committee chairs. The program also involves a "committee fair". Chairs will be available to provide information to help you decide how to become involved. Open to any current member looking to come learn about joining a committee. Please RSVP by Feb 16th to 941-955-0875 (9-1) or stanton.meridith@gmail.com March 2 Bd. Of Directors 10 am 3 Succulent Society 7 pm 4 Floralia 9:30 “ Library Committee 9:30 5 Butterfly Club 9 am 7 Rented 9 Demonstration and Workshop by Jane Godshalk (must register) 10 am— “ C.O.N.A. 6 pm 11 Hort Study 9:30 12 Gardens in Paradise volunteer training am “ Sierra Club 6 pm 14 Rented 16 General Membership meeting 10 am 17 Membership Committee 10 am 18 Fun with Flowers 9:30 “ Appalachian Trail Club 6 pm 21 SGC GARDEN TOUR: Gardens in Paradise 10-5 26 Butterfly Club 9:30 29 Gardens in Paradise reception Welcome to our new SGC members: Phyllis Lasky Henrietta Wiley Carol Maher Meridith Stanton Mary Nolan FYI: Contact info changes: April 1 Floralia 9:30 “ Library Committee 9:30 3 Hospice garden tour 10 am “ Executive Committee 11 am Doug Gothier (remove house phone number) Bonnie Zipf: new e-mail Details are available in the office 3 Garden Tour News Special Recognition... In just 2 months SGC will host another fantastic Gardens in Paradise Tour! Be a part of Sarasota’s best garden celebration. Dear SGC Members, Thank you to all of you who made Catwalk on the Boulevard an early sellout and a successful fundraising event. We netted over $5,000. to sponsor our scholarships. The committees are forming for Garden Docents, Hospitality and SGC Setup, Greeters at our check-in tables, and Parking Attendants. What part are you going to play in helping SGC with this most important fundraiser of the year!! Once the date and venue were established and the reservation form published, things really took off. I passed a signup sheet at the November general membership meeting and ALL of the volunteer slots were taken - the sheet was completely filled. Then you approached me and volunteered to make contacts for donations or put together baskets for the opportunity drawing table. We gave away over $4500 in entertainment, merchandise and services as door prizes and drawing items. That figure does not include the 30 floral centerpieces that were also given away. (Our club is very fortunate to have talented people such as Dorothy Thompson. She came up with the idea of using stilettos for the centerpieces and then carried out her idea so beautifully.) But the thing that I am most grateful for is how you handled the reservations. You organized your tables of ten (some of you organized multiple tables; Joy Lightcap organized 27 guests, Barbara Rao and her friend Joan Fargnoli reserved for 26 guests and this year Arlene Vrabel, Jane Slaughter’s sister-in-law, had 22 guests from Laurel Lakes) and collected the checks. Because you got busy so early we were able to post SOLD OUT on our website early in December. I can truly say that I enjoyed every minute of working with each of you. Have you made your reservations yet?? SGC members can purchase 2 for $25 dollars each. Box lunches are provided by the Hyatt again for $10 each. Reservations are on sale NOW!!!! Buy online using PayPal at: www.sarasotagardenclub.org Or - at the clubhouse during any event, pay by cash, check or charge with PayPal. Infoand andregistration Info Registration form form at www.ffgc.org at www.ffgc.org Info at FFGC.org Judith Hydeman, 2015 Fashion Show Chair Missing: Please Take Time to Look For…… The library’s copy of the Gardens in Paradise book showing the 2014 garden tour sites is missing! PLEASE: if you know where this book is, return it. It is our only copy! It is part of our history and legacy and is an important part of our planning for the next tour! No questions asked. 4 Wednesday February 11th 10:00 a.m. Off site of SGC Our February meeting is a tour of Mariposa Nursery & Garden Center, located at 5020 Lorraine Road, Bradenton, Florida. This Nursery has been in business for over 30 years. They sell Florida-friendly plants & have a staff that can answer our gardening questions. Those wanting to car pool should meet at SGC by 9:15a.m. Please wear comfortable shoes, a hat, & bring your own water bottle. Manager Debbie Naeve said that we are more than welcome to bring a brown bag lunch to enjoy at their picnic area. I will bring ice tea, lemonade, ice & cups . So plan to stay for some fellowship with other SGC members. Please wear your name tag as we have several newer members attending. I will send directions in the reminder email. Or you can look them up on line at mariposanursery.com Our January meeting was very well attended with 30 members & 5 guests. Bob Mertens’ program on " Palms Trees in Florida" was so very informative & he answered our many, many questions. There were many requests to have him back to discuss pruning, & water requirements and to go in to more detail on fertilization & placement. He commented after the program we were the most attentive group he has ever given a program for. Many people attending had a list of questions they wanted answered. After all we are a study group . We will have him back in the Fall to do" Part 2: Growing Palms in Florida". Thanks to Penny Thomas & Kathi Ellis for a great refreshment table with a beautiful centerpiece designed by Penny. Also thanks to the Horticulture Study Group members that brought in many plants to be shared with all attending. Free plants always work for us. We really do have very talented growers as members of SGC. We all are saddened at the passing of a faithful member of SGC: Vivian Kappel. She was a strong supporter of our study group & never missed a meeting. She shared her gardening knowledge and her plants with all of us. There surely is another Gardening Angel in Heaven. Any questions please email me at kayw33@comcast.net We-Do-So -Love- Hands- On-Gardening, Kay Weber & Judy Herman, Horticulture Study Group Co-Chairs Interesting Bat Facts from the NY Times Science 1/13/15 Megabats eat fruit and are major pollinators. Microbats eat insects. For every million bats killed by white-nose syndrome,692 tons of insects will not be eaten each summer. Almost 6 million bats have died from this fungal disease since 2006. Looking ahead….. Fun with Flowers March 18 Wednesday, March 18, 9:30 am...A FUN WITH FLOWERS PROGRAM, "SPRING FLING", $10.00 MEMBERS,$15 GUESTS- floral design to take home, bring clippers. everything else will be provided. The Brandt’s bat of Eurasia, for example, weighs an average of just six grams, compared with 20 grams for a mouse. A mouse is lucky to live for a year, but the Brandt’s bat can survive well into its 40s. 5 Board of Directors Meeting Notes January 5, 2015 President Livy Haynes called the Board of Directors Meeting 1/5/15 at 10AM. Minutes of the previous meeting were approved as read. Assistant Secretary Kay Weber reported on club correspondence including “thank you” notes for planters for shut-ins, scholarships, and the Orchid Society. Treasurer Jane Lawrence reviewed the recommendation of the Endowment Advisory Committee to make changes to the trust fund, honoring the original document. The Board approved the changes. She also reported new regulations for donations, solicitations, and acknowledgments which have been forwarded to all appropriate committees. President Livy thanked Barbara Rao for all her work in presenting the Flower Show . She thanked Andy Papineau for writing a written history of our club for the 20:20 Bayfront group. A copy will be retained. An article in the Observer Newspaper regarding property values of city owned land being leased for low amounts was presented. Our property and buildings had a listed value of $4,113,700. Committee Reports: The Security System was scheduled for 1/15, and interior painting for the week of 7/27. Volunteers will be needed for moving library books. The calendar has been cleared for those activities. Community Projects under Andy Papineau was busy with 20:20 Bayfront meeting. The Board voted to donate $500 to their fund. The annual Civic Beautification breakfast celebration will be postponed due to the illness of the chair, Pat Bonarek. Fundraising Chair Emily Yaffe praised the Fashion Show Committee for selling out with 260 attendees. The GIP committee is reorganizing in order to eliminate duplications in publicity and other functions. In appreciation for our memorable tour of the Ringling grounds, garden and Ca d’Zan, the Board voted to donate $500 to the Ca d’Zan Swimming Pool Restoration Project, under Ron McCarty. The 1/19 General Meeting will be a fun Designers’ Challenge. The Publicity and Public Image committee under Ginger Vance asked that the Holiday Boutique be removed from the calendar, and a motion was seconded and approved. This committee will handle all publicity for all events, in order to avoid duplications. Event Chairs will provide the information they want publicized, and the committee will send it out. Respectfully Submitted, Jan Johannesen, recording secretary Sarasota Chapter of Ikebana International : Complete Minutes are on file Save the Date: Ikebana Seascapes April 15, 2015 47th Annual Exhibition Carol Lucia will present ‘The Basic Six” Demonstrations of Floral Design Principles Selby Botanical Gardens GREAT ROOM by the BAY February 21-22, 2015 10-5 Free with admission to Selby Gardens -45 arrangements on display, demonstrations 12:30-3:30- More info coming next month 6 Gardens in Paradise A Big Thank you to our Sponsors and Donors. Sponsors Hyatt Regency Hotel Observer Media Group Rejuveface -Dr. March Checcone Merrill Lynch Wealth Management Anne Folsom Smith Interior Design Gettel Automotive Group Culligan Water Conditioning Molly's A Chic & Unique Boutique Purmort & Martin Insurance Agency Donors The R. Anderson Company Inc. Mr. & Mrs. David Toale Exceptional Dentistry Dr. Thomas Doan DMD Shapiro, Goldman, Babboni & Walsh Lenore Treiman of Michael Saunders Gateway Bank My Green Building Built Indigo Hotel Sarasota Suncoast Florist The Ringling Museum Whole Foods Grocery Mr. & Mrs. Martin Johnson Mr. & Mrs. George Allgair Anonymous You can be a sponsor or donor! Contact Emily Yaffe or Carol Johnson. VOLUNTEERS V aluable is the work you do O utstanding in how you always come through L oyal, sincere, and full of good cheer U ntiring in your efforts throughout the year N otable are the contributions you make T rustworthy in every project you take E ager to reach your every goal E ffective in the way you fulfill your role R eady with a smile like a shining star S pecial and wonderful that’s what you are!! —Contributed by Jane Slaughter SAVE THE DATE! DISTRICT VIII SPRING MEETING THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015 Join all of your FFGC and District VIII friends to salute our own DOGGONE GREAT FFGC PRESIDENT, Sue Angle Kathryn Johnson, Chair (martinkathryn@comcast.net) 7 BLOOMING CHATTER THE NEWSLETTER OF THE SARASOTA GARDEN CLUB, INC. Sarasota Garden Club Webpage: www.SarasotaGardenClub.org The Deadline for the March issue of Blooming Chatter is February 18th. Please E-mail articles to Lakemon@aol.com Blooming Chatter is published 11 times yearly by the Sarasota Garden Club, Inc. Office Hours: 9 AM to 1 PM Monday - Friday Phone and Fax: (941) 955-0875 1131 Boulevard of the Arts Sarasota, Florida 34236-4809 8