July 11, 2015

****Summer 2015****

President’s Message


Hello, my friends.  Summer is here and we are busy tending our gardens.  The Cornwall Garden Club beautification projects look lovely.  Thanks go to all who are working so hard to keep Cornwall beautiful.  Your efforts are appreciated by many. 

But don’t forget to take time to relax and enjoy your own garden.  That is what summer should be all about. 

Rachel


Plant Sale

If it’s Mother’s Day weekend, it is time for the annual Cornwall Garden Club Plant Sale.  This year’s sale was held on My 9; and, with the Sands Ring Homestead still in need of major repairs, we returned to the park grounds in front of the Cornwall Town Hall for the sale. 







Our plants came from several local growers - Devitt’s, Hoeffner Farms, Wallkill View Farms and Orange Nursery.  As ever, our growers sent us beautiful plant material with lots of variety and in excellent condition. 






The Silent Auction, Baked Goods Table, Members’ Plants and Grandma’s Attic all contributed to a successful day.  Due to the hard work of our members, we earned enough to meet our budgeted financial goal for this year.  


       




Thanks to all and a special thanks to Ilene Osinski who will take a break after serving as plant sale chair for six years.  Any club member interested in working as a chair for the plant sale next year can contact Andrea. 





March Meeting

After a long and cold winter, Cornwall Garden Club members welcomed spring with our Spring Luncheon and Installation of Officers.  The event was held at Painter’s Tavern.  We began the festivities with a social hour – greeting friends and enjoying a delicious appetizing table prepared for us by Painter’s.    


Marie-Elise Pearson’s gave the blessing that brought smiles to all.

“We have weathered your winter, and now welcome your spring.
We have gathered round tables, our friendships we bring.

The good Earth awakens, bringing hope yet again,
As we plan for its beauty, gather tools, call a friend.

How thankful, how grateful, how gladly we try,
To enrich what God naturally and yearly supplies.

So Lord, send us sunshine and rain in a shower,
We are ready; we are able; we have Garden Club Power!” 

Lunch was followed by a brief business meeting.  We thanked outgoing President Jayne Petersen for her service to the club.  We were honored to have Jane Madis, District Director for District X, Federated Garden Clubs of N.Y.S., Inc., as our guest.  She conducted the installation.   






Table exhibits were creative stretch designs titled “Mother Daughter Stretch.”  As ever, the designs reflected the artistic talents of our members. 























April Meeting

“Successful Vegetable Gardening” was the topic of our program for the April 16 meeting held at the Cornwall Presbyterian Church.  Master Gardeners Edie Sherman, Lisa Ritweger and Lily Norton from the Cornell Cooperative Extension shared their knowledge on growing vegetables.  The presentation included what varieties to select, planting, cultivation and disease and insect control. 



The evening included floral designs titled “Staff of Life.”  The exhibitors inspired us with their beautiful still life designs.  






 Michele Farr’s horticultural exhibit of a daffodil provided a wonderful illustration on how to properly present a specimen for display.  Linda DeGroat shared information from her recent visit to the Azalea Festival.  Eileen Wood gave a most interesting horticultural talk about winter sowing.  She demonstrated how to use plastic gallon jugs as little greenhouses to start spring seedlings. 






And, of course, no April meeting would be complete without talking about the upcoming plant sale.  Members were given their assignments for the day and urged to assist in publicizing the sale to friends and family. 

June Meeting

The members of the Cornwall Garden Club hit the road for our June meeting held on Thursday, June 25, at the private gardens of Mr. Arthur Ross in Garrison.  Mr. Ross has established an interlocking series of gardens, often using native plants, to create a gardener’s delight.  He gave us a tour of the gardens and explained how he built them from the rocky woodland.  One of the most impressive features is the waterfall, a rivulet running down an immense granite wall of rock to a koi pond below. 





 



After our tour of the gardens, Mr. Ross graciously provided us with his beautiful deck – complete with a garden and Hudson River view – as the location for our business meeting and lunch. 



The hostess committee brought drinks and desserts.  Here is the recipe for one of the cookies we enjoyed.

Lemon Oat Lacies

This is a light, crisp cookie – perfect for summer.  The recipe is courtesy of Quaker Oats, and it makes about 80 cookies.  It is easily divisible to make a smaller amount; but these cookies freeze very well, so why not make a lot and store for later use.

Ingredients: 
2 cups (4 sticks) of butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups Quaker Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered (confectioners) sugar
Beat butter and sugar until creamy.  Mix in lemon peel and vanilla.  Add flour and mix, then oats.  Mix well.  Cover and chill for 30 minutes. 
Preheat oven to 350°.  Roll dough in hands to form balls about 1” in diameter.  (Flour hands if needed to keep dough from sticking.)  Place balls on an ungreased cookie sheet.  (Using parchment paper makes for easy clean up.)  Flatten each cookie to about 2” in diameter using the bottom of a glass dipped in powdered sugar. 
Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges are light golden brown.  Allow to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet so the cookie will firm up a bit, then remove to a wire rack.  Cool completely.  Sprinkle tops of cookies with powdered sugar if desired.  
  

Arbor Day


It seemed as though winter was back when we held our annual Arbor Day Tree Planting.  Although the calendar said it was April 24, a chilly wind made us shiver our way through the ceremony. 


Cornwall-on-Hudson Mayor Brendan Coyne joined our president Rachel McKible in planting an
Aristocrat Pear tree in front of St. Thomas of Canterbury Church.  Arbor Day chair Beth Nedwetzky spoke about the significance of Arbor Day and the importance of planting new trees.





The Arbor Day committee will continue to care for the tree throughout 2015.  Frequent watering will ensure it survives its critical first year to become a beautiful asset for the Village.  



Community Beautification

Cornwall Garden Club members have been working hard on our beautification projects.  Stretching from Chadeayne Circle to the Village Bandstand, our gardens are looking wonderful and are bringing the joy of flowers to our community.    







State and District X News

State Fall Conference

The Federated Garden Clubs of New York State, Inc., will hold its Fall Conference on September 28-29 at the Poughkeepsie Grand Hotel.  Ann Bloom is chairing the event. 

The conference title is “Linking Friends, Sharing Ideas, and Having Fun,” and the Tuesday, September 29, session is open to all.  The day will begin with registration followed by a presentation on floral design using supermarket flowers.  Other morning sessions will be “New Plants for 2016,” “Turning a New Leaf,” “Parliamentary Procedure,” and “Stretching and Body Awareness for the Prevention of Injury in the Garden.”  Lunch will be followed by the presentation “Linking Fun Techniques in Floral Design.”

The fee for Tuesday’s events is $45.00, with reservations due by August 27.  Please contact Ann to save your space. 

District X Spring Meeting, Installation of Officers and Luncheon.    

The Cornwall Garden Club was the sponsor for the District X Spring event “Vino Con Amici” held on Saturday, April 11, at Casa Vicina in New Windsor.   District X members enjoyed an afternoon with gardening friends, a delicious lunch and a program on how to pair wine with food followed by the installation of officers for 2015 – 2017. 

Many thanks to those Cornwall Garden Club members who helped plan and run the luncheon. 




Garden Visit

When we think of Philadelphia and gardening, the spectacular Philadelphia Flower Show immediately comes to mind.  But the Philadelphia area is also the home to several beautiful gardens that make a brief overnight stay most attractive.  Just a few hours away, these gardens make a delightful destination for a brief get-away. 

Chanticleer is located in Wayne, Pennsylvania, about ½ hour from Philadelphia.  The gardens were established in the early 20th century as part of the summer home of Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., and his wife, Christine.  The gardens include woodlands, meadows, ponds and a cutting garden. 







Located in Kennett Square, the extensive Longwood Gardens are an interesting contrast to Chanticleer.  Much larger, Longwood embraces a more formal approach to gardening.  The immense conservatories filled with exotic blooms, the structured plantings and the Italian fountains all reflect an organized approach to gardening.  Longwood’s grounds are graced with many interesting and impressive trees that add to the grandeur of the gardens. 






Whatever your preference – Chanticleer’s cottage garden look or Longwood’s formal gardens – a trip to either – or both! – will be enjoyed by gardeners and those who appreciate and love the beauty of nature.  


Upcoming Events


Mark your calendar for the following upcoming events. 

July 15 – July meeting.  Trip to Skylands, the New Jersey Botanical Garden in Ringwood, New Jersey.  Meet at 9:30 a.m. at the CVS parking lot for carpooling.  Please bring a bag lunch and a folding chair.  The hosting committee will provide drinks and dessert. 

August 18 – August meeting.  Cornwall Public Library at 1 p.m.  “Murder in the Garden” Nancy Kolacz will give a presentation on how victims in literature met their untimely ends by poisonous plants.  This program is open to the public. 

September 24 – September meeting.  Cornwall Presbyterian Church at 6:30 p.m.  “Something Sweet”  Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener James Alton Thomas will give a presentation on making jams and jellies.

September 28-29 – Federated Garden Clubs of New York State, Inc., Fall Conference.  “Linking Friends, Sharing Ideas, and Having Fun”  The Tuesday, September 29, session is open to all.  Contact Ann Bloom. 

October 14 – District X Fall Meeting and Fund Raiser hosted by the Garden Lovers of Middletown. 

NOTE:  Change of date for the October meeting.  Our October meeting will be held on Thursday, October 15, at noon at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Cornwall. 

Photographs for this Capers post by Margaret Vatter and Andrea Hamburger


                            Enjoy These Summer Days!





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