Members Lori Malin, Janice Giachino, Karen Wollscheid, Pattie Langton, Pat Bunkley, Karen Hildreth and Kitty Wilson; not pictured: Jamie Cloud, Starla Kramer and Dena Brown.
Debbie Hensley
The Weeders Garden Club has had a pretty busy beginning to the gardening year thus far. On October 26 several members met at the McCroskey House in Tumbleweed Park, Chandler, to work on our ongoing planting and maintenance of the landscaping for this 1917 Sears kit historic home. This is one of our club’s continuing yearly projects to not only educate the community on gardening techniques of the early 1900s that can be used today, too, but also it benefits the local community.
Our annual Weeders Garage Sale Fundraiser held November 4 and 5 was a great success! Many buyers came out both days to shop early and we raised $1700 in sales to support our club projects, My Sister’s Place and Garden Therapy at Archstone Care Center, Chandler. It was perfect weather for our two-day shopping event; the shoppers were eager to buy and our members were most helpful in making that happen!
Our speaker at our monthly meeting on November 10 was Richard Adkins, Forestry Supervisor, City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation. His topic was “The Urban Forest Resource: A Critical Infrastructure and Healthy Living.” Dr. Adkins has an active Tree and Shade Master Plan for the city of Phoenix and has recently completed an inventory of the city’s more than 90,000 trees, palms and tall cactuses. This talk was very well received and several questions were asked and answered. One of his best tips was we plant our trees too deep, trunks are not to look like power poles straight with no give and take but rather majestic trunks down to the ground.
On December 1 several Weeders members travelled to the Arid Tree Zone Nursery in Mesa for a special guided tour by Tom McDonald. The wholesale nursery is the premier grower of native trees in the southwest. We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the nursery after our tour.
Our holiday brunch is coming up very soon and we Weeders will take this time to wish you all a very wonderful Holiday Season!
The Weeders Garden Club meets the second Thursday of each month September through May in the Navajo Room at Sun Lakes Country Club in Sun Lakes. Treats and coffee are served beginning at 9:30 a.m. and the business meeting is from 10:00 a.m.-noon. There is an interesting speaker and a horticulture presentation each meeting as well as a club money-making raffle, too!
Membership is open to everyone. Although field trips are reserved for members, anyone interested in attending a meeting is welcome. For more information about the club and to see pictures of the activities, please visit the website http://www.weedersgc.org/home or call the Membership Chairperson Pat Murrish at 480-802-0857 or President Debbie Dunham at 480-802-6813.