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www.dagc.us Newsletter of the Danville-Alamo Garden Club September 2020

The Flower Pot Volume XLVII Issue 1

Inside this Issue: Page 1 President’s Message, Index Page 2 President’s Message cont., Membership Page 3 Membership cont., Newsletter info Page 4 Horticulture, Members helping Members Page 5 Bookworms, Penny Pines Page 6 Your DAGC 2020– 2021 Board Page 7 Rose Pruning, Plant Exchange, Workshop

Page 8 Technology Trends, Historian Ideas Page 9 Website, Book Bees, Birthdays Page 10 Fresh Food Donations Page 11 DAGC History: “Days Gone By” Page 12 “Days Gone By”, cont. Page 13 Sponsor Highlight, Sponsors 2020-2021 Page 14 Calendar, Added Bonus

President’s Message

Although our first General Meeting of the year is traditionally the ‘Welcome Back’ potluck lunch, this September

we will get together via Zoom. It’s not an iota as welcoming as all being together at the Alamo Women’s Club!

At the meeting, board members will outline the plans we have for the year, ever hopeful that physical meetings

may happen again but there are plenty of alternatives in the meantime.

The 2020-2021 budget will be emailed to everyone a few days before the September meeting. The board has

approved the budget and now all DAGC members who attend the general meeting will be asked to vote their

approval. You need to be present at the virtual meeting in order to vote.

In my newsletter article last May I was mulling over the fact that in April our garden club had had its first ever

virtual meeting and was wondering where the very first meeting of the club had taken place. Thanks to one of our

new members, Ann Schultzel, I now know all the facts! Ann was actually the DAGC president from 1975 – 1976,

moved away from this area and has now returned. She has written a super article about the beginnings of this

garden club which you can read on pages 11-12. She has also included some photographs of the earliest members.

Along with Ann, we can welcome 8 other new members. Holly and Cindy, our Membership VP’s have introduced

them in this newsletter beginning on page 2.

The new club directory will be ready for distribution by the beginning of September and we hope to have enough

member volunteers to get everyone’s copy delivered to them. If you can help with this project, please contact

Nancy Norland or myself.

Please keep checking our Facebook page and the DAGC website regularly for news and information. These are two

of the best ways we can keep in touch and relay interesting articles and information. We’d love to have photos of

your garden, you in your garden, and anything interesting that pops up in your garden! Send all photos to me.

Sharon Townsend is on the hunt for new photos of members’ plants to replace old ones on the website. See her

article on page 9.

President’s message continued next page

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President’s message continued:

I always find that at this time of the year in my garden, it is survival of the fittest and brightest! The magenta color of the bougainvillea is so intense, the zinnias thrive in the hot weather and appear to double in size overnight and my impulse buy of a purslane plant** (find the picture and description somewhere in this newsletter) is proving to be quite a showstopper! Although it is a groundcover plant, during the day it sends up vivid hot pink flowers on 4” stems which collapse by the evening.

I hope to ‘see’ you on September 10th at the Zoom meeting!

Stay well and happy gardening! Linda Scotting, President

Membership and our Newest Members:

We are very lucky to have nine new members this year. We may not be able to meet them in person yet, but hopefully we will be able to meet them in our Zoom general meetings, and then in person when group gatherings

become possible. Here are pictures of our new members and some brief information about them that they have provided.

Pam Deas I have lived in Danville for 45 years. I learned about the garden club from several friends who are members. I have always liked gardening, but really don’t do too much anymore since we hired a

gardener. I have houseplants, which I take care of myself. We have quite a few roses, which I love to cut and enjoy in the house. Right now, we are fighting the deer for the roses. Our main interest is traveling. We had to fly home

from Australia when Covid-19 started closing all the ports. We were on an around the world cruise.

Jan Fabbricatore I was born and raised in northern California. I married my husband Gino when I was 19 years old in Naples, Italy. We celebrated our 53rd anniversary this year. I have owned several businesses but I’m now retired (hubby is, too). We were traveling all over the world until the virus hit. My hobbies are reading, cooking, entertaining and gardening. Shannon Gruber I'm primarily a vegetable/herb/fruit gardener, and use what I grow in the garden in casual arrangements for the house as well as for eating. This year I'm searching for anything that will defend the garden from every pest imaginable – deer, gophers, turkeys, aphids, leaf mites...the list goes on!

Elizabeth Holt I heard of our club through my friend Noelle Sullberg, who is a member. My interests are gardening (of course!), walking, finance, and real estate renovations. I am also learning how to cook vegan meals. I would like to learn more about container gardens and plants that bloom in seasons other than the

spring. I would like to attend garden tours as I believe they can be safely done in spite of Covid-19 regulations. Perhaps we could have a brief lecture from a speaker outdoors. I would enjoy getting to know other members better. Marvie Lee Many of my friends are members of the DAGC and have spoken very highly about the club for many years. My heightened interest in joining this club is due to our Shelter in Place and having to spend more time in my garden. I am an amateur gardener who would like to expand my knowledge base, including how to resolve my gardening (landscaping) issues, how to improve the soil, and better select flowers within my garden. I look forward to learning and sharing with this very talented group of DAGC ladies!

Membership cont. next page

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Membership continued:

Chris Ritter I have lived in Alamo for 20 years and very much enjoy the beauty of our Bay Area climate. My yard is mostly a shaded redwood environment so I am always on the hunt for plants that can thrive in my mini forest. I retired about three years ago and now have time to pursue more hobbies like gardening and crafts. I look forward to meeting new friends at the Danville Alamo Garden Club.

Ellen Sanchez I heard about the club from several friends who are members and I enjoyed the meetings I attended. It seems to be a hands-in-the-dirt kind of group, which is great for those who want to keep learning about gardening! I enjoy finding and planting colorful plants and cutting flowers to make arrangements for my home. I look forward to the interesting horticultural segments and varied presenters.

Ann Schultzel I moved to Danville from New Jersey with my young family in 1973. Danville was a sleepy rural area of walnut groves and cattle ranches, but it was beginning to develop. That year, I joined a newly formed Newcomers Club and the new Danville Alamo Garden Club, formed by Pat Cassell. I dove in with both feet and in 1975 became President of the Danville Alamo Garden Club. These were some of the happiest moments of my life. I learned so many things and made many wonderful friends. In 1982, I

received the biggest surprise and blessing of my life; I was expecting twins. Two of our children were already in college and the third one was a senior at De La Salle High School. This ended my career as a garden clubber and my social life was put on hold. I thought about rejoining the garden club a few times but I also heard that there was a waiting list so I kept putting it off. I have several friends who are now members and they encouraged me to come as a guest. Finally, my friend Rose Gogarty invited me to last season’s October meeting and I was “hooked”. It was a wonderful meeting about decorating pumpkins and was so full of good information. I reconnected with many old friends. I want to learn more about gardening (since some information has changed) and get involved in flower arranging again.

Patty Walker I first heard about DAGC from my friends Holly Sauer and Kathy Harkins. We worked together at AT&T and we soon realized we had a common love of flowers and gardens. Kathy brought in beautiful flowers from her garden every week to brighten up our work cubicles. I learned about being a Master Gardener from Holly, it’s on my bucket list to become one myself. I have long been a lover of gardening, I got that from my parents. At a young age, I had a flower garden that I was responsible for

and it had to be weeded and watered every Saturday before playtime. Now Mom is 92 and our favorite thing to do together is tend to her garden. I plant, she waters, and we both harvest veggies and flowers. My daughter is cultivating a love of gardening with my granddaughter Stella, her favorite part of gardening is eating the peas! My other outdoor interests include hiking, camping (especially in Yosemite), cycling and pickleball. I love all kinds of gardening. I have a small backyard (courtyard, actually) that is my retreat, my “Secret Garden”, designed with the help of Holly. I have a backdrop of perennials, with color spots that must include marigolds. I love succulents and have many pots filled with a variety of clippings from friends. I have herbs in my garden and Mom’s. My goal in joining DAGC is to make new friendships with like-minded garden lovers and work together in ways to give back to our community.

Holly Sauer and Cindy Winingen, Membership Vice Presidents

Wanted: Newsletter articles to share!

For the October Newsletter, articles are due Thursday, September 17th, 4 pm. Not only am I accepting articles

from our club supported areas, but also from members. Find those special places in your garden that bring you

peace….and I will incorporate those “peaceful pieces” in our newsletter to share with all.

Linda Holmes, Editor

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Horticulture: A drought year and some things you can do

In case you haven’t heard it seems we are headed for another drought this year. In the early years of the discussion of climate change it was projected that California would have prolonged droughts punctuated with downpours. In fact, I have heard that climatologists think we will be going through a 100 year drought, which has happened before in California. This probably means those years and years of abundant rainfall will not happen again in my lifetime.

I think our water managers are doing a better job of managing our reservoirs. That is why we haven’t heard a peep about the dry winter we had last winter. But I read www.weatherwest.com, and the person who writes for that site seems to have a good feel for the weather, and is more right than wrong. He has already written that it looks like another dry winter.

This means cutting back on your water usage. I cannot stress enough the importance of mulching your soil. As many of you know, at my house we chip everything from our garden except for unwanted seeds, and put it back on the garden. It does not last through the whole season, but it continues to feed the soil by breaking down, and my plants grow so big there are ample prunings to go on the chipping pile. Thank goodness my husband still wants to chip.

If you are not lucky enough to have a husband like mine, you might be able to get your gardener to do this for you. Or you can find chip trucks, and have them deliver. I still get chip trucks to deliver. You can never have enough organic matter. Remember it is very important that the chips not include redwood or cedar. These materials are used for fencing for a reason, they don’t break down. You want your chips to break down over time. They feed the micro organisms in your soil, along with the worms. If you put these kinds of chips down you will never have to rototill again. These materials make the soil friable very quickly. Gardening is a process, and you will never be done. But I enjoy the process probably more than the result.

Please remind your gardeners not to blow in your garden beds. Just the sidewalks and the driveways and the patios, and if you have fake lawn they can blow on that too. Those fallen leaves and debris are effectively mulching naturally. It is the natural cycle of plant life. Say the mantra, “my garden is not my house.”

Many people think my garden is very lush, and it is. When I have water available to me, I use it, but when they asked us to cut back to 1,000 gallons per day in the last drought, I managed it to do exactly that. I theorize that when we have rain, I try to get the plants strong so that they can survive the next drought. Actually, many plants do very well with this kind of treatment. I surmise that it is because that is how it is in nature.

Kristin Yanker-Hansen, Monika Witte , and Kathy Stapleton, Horticulture Chairs

Members helping Members!

If you or someone you know in the club is experiencing a health issue, a family crisis or is in

need of cheering up, please give that information to Julie Grisham, our Corresponding

Secretary. We will attempt to help in whatever way we can to ease the burden. Being a member

of DAGC means you are not alone. We are here to help.

Julie can be reached by phone or email. Thank you!

Julie Grisham, Chair

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Bookworms

Suggestions for a reading list for Bookworms for the upcoming year include the following:

Seeds of Change: Six Plants That Transformed Mankind (1985) by Henry Hobhouse;

In Search of Lost Roses (1989) by Thomas Cristopher;

Botanical Shakespeare: An illustrated compendium of flowers, fruits, herbs, and grasses (2017) by the world’s greatest

playwright;

A Rose by Any Other Name (2009) by Douglas Brenner and Stephen Scaniella (little known lore and deep rooted history of

rose names);

The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption (2019) by Dahr Jamail;

Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden: Grow, Harvest, and Arrange Stunning Seasonal Blooms (2017) by Erin Benzakein (This book

has lush photography of magnificent flowers and arrangements organized by season.)

A Rich Spot of Earth: Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello (2014) by Peter J. Hatch. (This is about his now

restored unique, terraced vegetable and herb garden.)

All the Presidents’ Gardens: Madison’s Cabbages to Kennedy’s Roses and How White House Grounds Have Grown with

America (2016) by Marta McDowell.

The May 2020 issue of National Geographic Magazine has a fascinating article: Where Have All the Insects Gone? Bugs are

disappearing at alarming rates that could be disastrous for the planet.” Insects have five crucial insect jobs as pollinators, soil

engineers, pest controllers, decomposers, and providers of food to many larger animals.

If you have further recommendations for the reading list, please email it to me.

Nancy Balles, Bookworms Chair

This list was published in our June newsletter to give us some summer reading and get us started

with the 2020-2021 season. Although Bookworms is not meeting at this time, (social distancing);

if you have read one of these, please providing our newsletter editor (me: Linda Holmes) with a

brief synopsis. I will publish your synopsis in the next newsletter.

Penny Pines

Ladies, as we have been unable to meet in person since February, we have also not been able to collect your donations to Penny Pines, and we have not been able to make a contribution to the maintenance of the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.

We can now donate online. For $68.00 You can make a donation in honor or memory

of someone. Here is the website. https://gardenclub.org/donate-now

If you do make a donation on the site please send me an e-mail so I can still keep track of our club’s donations. There is a place on the form to designate our club. But please let me know in case we don’t get notified.

If you have any questions please contact Vicki.

Vicki Freeberg, Penny Pines

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Treasurer

Ellen Efros

Plant Exchange

Jenny Offringa

Ellen Efros

Membership Vice

Presidents

Holly Sauer

Cindy Winiger

Program Vice President

Victoria Polivka

Corresponding Secretary

Julie Grisham

President

Linda Scotting

Social Vice Presidents

Judy Dehont

Ann Smith

Recording Secretary

Stella Cade

Executive Board

Club Advisor

Sharon Williams

Parliamentarian

Caroline Bonny

Sponsor Reps

Diane Ward

Joan Hines

Rebecca Byrom

Book Bees

Jess Ann Meadors

Susan Polk

Food Bank Coordinator

Helen Miller

Email Coordinator

Gurpreet Gill

Lunch Bunch

Joyce Michalczyk

Community Outreach

Darlene Wiskel

Kathy Stapleton

Penny Pines

Vicki Freeberg

Newsletter Editor

Linda Holmes

Tours

Rose Khurana

Historian

Rose Gogerty

Board Positions (Elected)

Horticulture

Kristin Yanker-Hansen

Monika Witte

Kathy Stapleton

Bookworms

Nancy Balles

Inspiration

Arlene Chang

Marsha Anderson-Landau

Sandra Olinger

EB Appointed Positions

Club Support Positions

(Appointed)

Members Helping

Members

Julie Grisham

MEET YOUR NEW DAGC

OFFICERS FOR 2020-2021

Artistic Arranger

Michele Snover

Gardening Foodies

Group

Darlene Guzman

Workshops

Deborah White

Susan Terzuoli

Audit Committee

Stella Cade

Roseann Krane

Directory Chair

Nancy Norland

Winter Event Chair

Susan Polk

Installation Lunch

Julie Zimmerman

Webmaster

Sharon Townsend

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ROSE PRUNING AT OSAGE PARK

Come join us!

We are the PANDEMIC PRUNERS.

We volunteer weekly to deadhead the roses at Osage Park in Danville.

It's a great way to socialize at a distance.

Bring your own pruning shears.

Contact me, Mary Zellhart,

if you have any questions or would like to volunteer.

We meet Thursdays and Saturdays from 9-10 am.

Mary Zellhart, Coordinator

Plant Exchange

As gardeners, we can be seen as preservers of life. From tiny seeds to brilliant blooms we are guardians and nurturers of nature's plants that provide beauty and joy to our world. Plant Exchange is available to assist you in this effort. We will continue the program that was started in the summer, until there is an actual meeting at the Alamo Women's Club. Members with extra plants from propagation, division of existing plants or plants no longer needed, please send me, Jenny, your list of available plants. We will publish the list through our Email Coordinator to facilitate the plants to good new homes.

Jenny Offringa and Ellen Efros, Plant Exchange Chairs

Samples for sharing:

“I made my maiden visit to Osage Rose Garden today to help with the rose pruning! Here are Mary Zellhart and Kathy Stapleton with Christina who is a member-in-waiting!!! They are there on Saturdays from 9 - 10 and also Thursday mornings 9 - 10. There are more ladies who come to help - we were the quartet today.....more hands are always welcome!”

Linda Scotting

September Workshop: Fabric Pumpkins

You don’t need to be crafty to make these fabric pumpkins. A zoom workshop

led by Fran Davis will take you through the easy steps to make your own. A

perfect addition to your Fall decorations. The date is Thursday, September

17th at 10:00 am. Zoom information and materials for fabric pumpkins will be

provided to you prior to the meeting. To sign up for the workshop please email

Susan Terzuoli.

Please RSVP by September 14th. Susan Terzuoli and Deborah white, Workshops

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-- DAGC Technology Seeds -- what is available for us to use

Facebook Page:

DAGC has a public page on Facebook called Danville Alamo Garden Club. Anyone can LIKE the page, which will show the posts for DAGC in that person's NewsFeed. We are posting more videos and photos on the page, as well as links to garden related newstories and events. Please LIKE the page and be sure to Like any posts that you see on that page. More activity on the page makes the posts appear more frequently in people's newsfeeds.

ZOOM Meetings, specifically the backgrounds of participants:

During our last Zoom meeting, a few members looked as if they were on a Hawaiian beach, in a forest or a field of pansies! The secret to their exotic backgrounds is the Virtual Background feature. This is a photo/graphic that appears behind your face. Instead of seeing the room you are in, you can have a colorful photo of your choice behind you. One caveat is that using a virtual background can cause your face to fade in/out. Experiment with it and see how you like the result. You can watch this video for instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sg-XaGGl2I

DAGC Technology Seeds (what is available for us to use)

Facebook Page: DAGC has a public page on Facebook called Danville Alamo Garden Club. Anyone can LIKE the page, which will show the posts for DAGC in that person's NewsFeed. We are posting more videos and photos on the page, as well as links to garden related newstories and events. Please LIKE the page and be sure to “Like” any posts that you see on that page. More activity on the page makes the posts appear more frequently in people's newsfeeds.

ZOOM Meetings, specifically, the backgrounds of participants:

During our last Zoom meeting, a few members looked as if they were on a Hawaiian beach, in a forest or a field of pansies! The secret to their exotic backgrounds is the Virtual Background feature. This is a photo/graphic that appears behind your face. Instead of seeing the room you are in, you can have a colorful photo of your choice behind you. One caveat is that using a virtual background can cause your face to fade in/out. Experiment with it and see how you like the result. You can watch this video for instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Sg-XaGGl2I

Or follow these steps: You first activate this feature in your Zoom account: 1. Log into Zoom.com and click on "My Account" on the right. Then click on "Settings" in the left menu. Keep scrolling down until you find "Virtual background". Click on the slider button on the right side to activate it. It should turn blue. Now choose the photo in the Zoom client on your computer: 2. On a Windows computer, that means clicking on the bottom left "Start" icon. Scroll down to the Z's and find Zoom. Then click to open "Start Zoom". 3. With the Zoom window open, Login to Zoom. This will open a Zoom window that shows 4 large icons on the middle left side. On the upper right side, look for a gear icon that is for "Settings". 4. Click on the Settings icon. On the left menu, click on "Virtual Background". 5. On the right side of the screen you can Choose Virtual Background. Click

Nancy Norland, Directory Chair

(A repeat reminder from our June newsletter.)

DAGC Historian

Welcome back garden friends! I am the historian for the club and despite these odd times I will be documenting all the wonderful things that might happen. I am asking everyone, when you are out and about somewhere fun like a garden center, beautiful park or the mountains with yourself or a

club member, please send me any photos you take. I will use these photos for the end of the year slide show and/or include them in my article for the Flower Pot. This is going to be an interesting year, so I need your help! Thank you in advance! The pictures are some of our DAGC members on a fun nursery outing this summer!! (Succulent outing to Ortega Nursery in Watsonville. Cindy Inloes, Kim Chandler, Trish Caruso, Claudia Merritt and their friend Deb.)

Rose Gogarty, Historian

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Are you Snap Happy? Do your fingers twitch and reach for your camera or cell phone when you see a stunning

plant or a flourishing flower?

Then I have just the project you’ve been waiting for!

For many years, our website has been adorned with delightful photographs mostly from a

former member Sharon Gibson.

To give the website a ‘refresh’ we invite you to send in some interesting snaps from your gardens and the ‘winners’

will see their works displayed on the various pages of the DAGC website. Please send your photos to me via my

email address, preferably as jpeg files, and we’ll see what artistic members we have in our midst.

Be sure the identify the plant or subject of your photograph so a caption can be added on the website and include

your name so I can give you credit for your contribution.

Have a happy snappy time…..

Sharon Townsend, Webmaster

The Book Bee’s Are Buzzing...

While we sheltered in place, over the long summer, we caught up on a lot of good reads. We hope everyone is staying healthy and taking advantage of so many wonderful books and spending time in their gardens.

Join us outside in Jess Ann’s lovely garden, as we socially distance ourselves and share our thoughts on two amazing books.

Date: Thursday, Sept 17th 10:00 am

Where: Home of Jess Ann Meadors

The Sparrow Sisters by Ellen Herrick

The $64 Tomato by William Alexander

(Our hive is full, but if you would like to be on the wait list, please e-mail Jess Ann.)

Jess Ann Meadors and Susan Polk, Book Bees Chairs

Happy birthday to our members with September Birthdays:

Kathryn Benvenuto, Jan Fabbricatore, Vicki Freeberg, Pauline Gagnon,

Shannon Gruber, Rose Khurana, Julie Millias, and Jackie Wise

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DONATING FRESH FOOD Wanted: all fresh food in good condition – anything they get, they didn’t have before!

The Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano distributes food directly to people in need through several programs.

1. I , Darlene Wiskel, have been and will continue to take your nonperishable items in the container at my front

door 24/7

2. With our growing season culminating many of us have excess fresh produce from our gardens that can be

donated and those fresh foods are accepted at the Food Bank. They ask that it be clean (*my mother used to wash

her fresh carrots in the dishwasher!) and in good condition (that is, not rotten or so ripe it is not manageable).

The Food Bank is a 16-minute drive from the Club House where we used to gather.

They accept donations:

M-Th: 9-7pm

F-Sun: 9-3pm

The donation process is as follows:

1. Drive to the location: 4010 Nelson Ave Concord, CA 94520

2. Follow the sign to the side where ‘donations’ are accepted

3. Find the large plastic curtain and park safely near there

4. Ring the bell on the wall near the curtain and wait for someone to come out and meet you

(they will help you unload if need be)

And please: Wear your mask.

If you have any questions, please contact Darlene Wiskel. Thank you!

Darlene Wiskel and Kathy Stapelton, Community Outreach

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A Piece of DAGC History:

Days Gone By

By: Ann Schultzel

In 1973 the San Ramon Valley began to develop, from an area of cattle ranches and walnut groves, into the villages

of Danville and Alamo. With the influx of many newcomers to the area, interest grew to establish a grassroots

garden club. That summer, with the help of 50 enthusiastic ladies, under the direction of Pat Cassell and Alyce

Radocay as coordinator, the Danville Alamo Garden Club was born. Coffees were held at various homes for

prospective members.

In September of 1973 the first meeting was held at the San Ramon Valley Methodist Church on Danville Boulevard,

and the rest is history. The goal was to have the members get to know their neighbors, learn the value of

community involvement, stimulate a love of gardening, and improve the knowledge of horticulture. The dues at the

time were exorbitant: five dollars. The general meetings were held on the third Thursday of the month but every

Thursday was Garden Club Day. One Thursday was Board Meeting Day, another Thursday was workshops and

finally, the last Thursday was tours.

We were fortunate to have Pat Cassell as our first President. Pat was a very gifted flower arranger and artist. Our

first speaker was Rose Gaubert, a fountain of knowledge on all things horticulture. With her knowledge, and that of

Dorothy Grossman (member Nancy Goreth’s mother), we flourished. These two dear ladies became our matriarchs

and were loved and revered by all. Rose had a large garden with many rose bushes and other flowers on La Gonda

Way and held many tours and tea parties there. She was also a featured speaker and gave many workshops.

Dorothy often hosted flower arrangement workshops in her home.

The Heather Farm Garden Center sponsored our new club and provided workshops on horticulture and flower

arranging. They had a five acre lot which they were trying to build and expand. As a civic project, DAGC members

volunteered to help raise funds at The Farm Yard, with plant propagating and repotting plants for the Garden Center

October Sale. Eventually, Heather Farm succeeded in building a beautiful Center where many classes and flower

shows were held over the years.

Our first ever Christmas party was a pot luck social at the Methodist Church with the “Madrigal Singers” of San

Ramon High School as the program. The day was full of Christmas joy and merriment and a fabulous array of

delicious foods. The event was such a hit that the ladies decided to make it a permanent annual event.

Spring was an exciting time of year with the opportunity to participate in many flower shows in the different floral

societies. We were all encouraged to participate in the annual May flower show at Heather Farms. We entered

flower arrangements and also volunteered to set up and work at the show. These were wonderful times and we

looked forward to this show every year.

In 1975, I was honored to become President. The Christmas Party was the event that the members really looked

forward to. After our first year, it became a tradition, that it would be held in a member’s home as a pot luck

luncheon. As a result of other social events, it became apparent that we had as many good cooks as we had green

thumbers and we decided to print a cookbook. It would serve as a fundraiser to pay for future speakers. The

hospitality committee assembled all the recipes from the luncheon and created the cookbook which was well

received by the membership. We sold out all the books and raised a sizeable amount for our speakers.

Days Gone By continued next page

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Days Gone By cont,

During the tenure of Nancy Goreth as President, our meeting place was changed to St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church

on Diablo Road. Installations of new officers were always held as pot luck luncheons in June. Another tradition

was an elegant tea to be held every September at the home of Audrey Von Poppel, located in the Diablo Country

Club, to welcome back old members as well as new members. Past Presidents were asked to serve the tea and

coffee in silver serving sets and everyone was dressed in their finest outfits.

Over the years, we had many workshops on flower arranging to prepare for the May Flower Show at Heather

Farms. We also became interested in the Japanese Ikebana Ikenobo form of arranging after a guest speaker from

that organization came to demonstrate the technique. Several members, including myself, began to take classes

from Sensei Peggy McDonald, at her home in Lafayette.

Other workshops included dried flower arrangements, hanging baskets, potting and growing plants from seeds,

preparing beds for summer planting and wreath making with pine cones, seeds, pods and wisteria.

Through the years, we strived to have good speakers. One who stands out is Ron Morgan of Berkeley, who came

to us in 1982. He has continued through the years to share his brilliance and retired last year.

The Danville Alamo Garden Club has continued to grow and flourish through the years. All should know that this

Club has a glorious history of how it all started in those early days and these are my cherished memories of

“Days Gone By”.

Did you know there is more DAGC History on our DAGC.US website, including a few extra photographs?

Go to ABOUT DAGC and a submenu will appear, click on DAGC History.

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OUR SPONSORS

Alamo Ace Hardware (Nursery)

3211 Danville Blvd., Alamo, CA 94507

925-837-2420

Annie’s Annuals & Perennials

740 Market Ave., Richmond, CA 94801

510-215-3301 or 888-266-4370

Armstrong Garden Center

7360 San Ramon Road, Dublin, CA 94568

925-551-0231

Cottage Jewel

100 W. Prospect Ave., Danville, CA 94526

925-837-2664

Lucky Garden Dublin Hydroponics

7071 Village Pkwy, Dublin, CA 94568

925-828-4769

Orchard Nursery

4010 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, CA 94549

925-284-4474

Regan Nursery

4268 Decoto Road, Fremont, CA 94555

510-797-3222

Sloat Garden Center

828 Diablo Road, Danville, CA 94526

925-743-0288

DAGC Sponsor Highlight for 2020-2021

We are glad to report that the following sponsors are all continuing this year: Alamo Ace, Annie’s Annuals, Armstrong Nursery in Dublin, Cottage Jewel in Danville, Lucky Garden in Dublin, Danville Sloat (Diablo Rd), Orchard Nursery in Lafayette, and Regan Nursery in Fremont. At the monthly Zoom meetings, the membership chairs will draw names of members. The winning members will contact the sponsor representative of the nursery whose plant they have won, to make arrangements to pick up their plant at the sponsor rep’s home. Gift cards will be mailed to the winners. Good luck! Rebecca Byrom (Orchard Nursery and Alamo Ace) Diane Ward (Danville Sloat-Diablo Rd) Joan Hines (Armstrong and Lucky Garden)

Rebecca Byrom, Joan Hines, and Diane Ward, Sponsor Reps

Arrangement for August Birthday Member

In our June newsletter we highlighted June, July, and August member’s birthdays. We selected one from each to received an arrangement.

This arrangement was made by Robin Halloran for Barbara Perry and was made with flowers non toxic to cats. Such a thoughtful gift.

**Purslane Oleracea Pazzaz Deep Pink

https://wimastergardener.org/article/common-purslane-portulaca-oleracea/

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DATE & TIME: EVENT: DETAILS:

September 3rd, Thursday

Sign in will be at 9:30 am

BOARD MEETING

via ZOOM

Watch for email from DAGC

September 10th, Thursday

Sign in will be at 9:30 am.

GENERAL MEETING

via ZOOM

Watch for email from DAGC

September 17th, Thursday

Sign up deadline Monday Sept. 14

Fabric Pumpkin Workshop

Workshop conducted by Fran Davis

Via Zoom

Details on page 7

September 17, Thursday

10 am Backyard of Jess Ann Meadors’

home

Book Bees

The Sparrow Sisters

The $64.00 Tomato

Details on page 9

September 17th, Thursday 4 pm. Articles are due for the October

DAGC Newsletter

Articles and member labeled garden

pictures are due to Linda Holmes.

ADDED BONUS: HOW TO CARE FOR: Holiday Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii or S. truncata)

Temperatures: above 70 degrees F. day, 55 to 65 degrees F. night Rebloom rating: Easy

Winter care: Place the plant where it will have a half-day of bright, indirect sunlight or curtain-filtered direct window light. Keep the soil evenly moist and provide high humidity levels.

Spring care: Once flowering finishes, begin fertilizing with all-purpose houseplant food, and keep soil moist.

Summer care: After last frost, move the plant outdoors to a shady location. Continue watering and fertilizing.

Fall care: Bring indoors before first frost. Let soil dry out slightly between waterings. To induce bud set: Starting in September, expose the plant to 5 to 6 weeks of short days (less than 12 hours of daylight and without artificial room lighting or cool (below 55 degrees F.) temperatures. Once buds form, continue regular watering and treatment.

(Information [provided by Charlie Nardozzi who is a senior horticulturist at National Gardening.)