HIGHLAND PARK GARDEN CLUB, PITTSBURGH
2023 PROGRAM SCHEDULE
Meetings usually fall on the third Saturday of the month. Meetings begin promptly at 10 am, and usually include a 60-90 minute guest lecture or crafting event, followed by a business meeting. Everyone is welcome, but some events might require advance RSVP and/or materials fees. Non-members are asked to make a donation to the club via Eventbrite or join the Highland Park Garden Club (HPGCPGH.org). Meeting dates/times noted in red are not on the traditional third Saturday of the month at 10am.
MARCH 18
The Spotted Lanternfly is Here!(Zoom)
Dianne Machesney, Penn State Extension Master Gardener Speakers Bureau
This presentation will include the economic impact of the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), where it came from, its lifecycle, how to identify the SLF, and what current research says about future prospects for control and/or eradication. Links will be provided for making a SLF trap.
Dianne Machesney has been a Penn State Master Gardener for more than 10 years. A retired tax accountant, Dianne was a boy scout leader for more than 30 years, is an avid nature photographer, a member and nature hike leader for the Botanical Society of Western Pennsylvania, and treasurer of the Long Vue Acres Garden Club and the Wissahikon Nature Club.
APRIL 15 – 11 am tour start.
Field Trip to Arcadia Natives in Washington County PA.
Kelly Strope, Arcadia Natives
Arcadia Natives is a licensed nursery with a focus on propagating container-grown native plants from seed, many of which are collected on their land. The focus is straight species plants (nativars; no hybrids or cultivars) and no harmful chemical pesticides are used on their plants. Unlike many big box garden centers, Kelly actually grows these plants as food for wildlife, and runs all aspects of daily operations herself (with the help of her kids and husband).
Kelly believes that small changes in our own backyards can make a huge impact on the world around us. Planting natives can help reverse the decline of our songbirds, bees, butterflies, and other threatened wildlife that depend on us to ensure their very survival. When we fill our landscaping with non-native ornamentals, we inadvertently create a vast food desert for local wildlife. The goal of Arcadia Natives is to inspire others to make the transition to native plants in their own gardens. Together, we can make a significant difference…one native plant at a time!
MAY 20
Field Trip to Tree Pittsburgh: Talk and Tour. 10 am tour start.
Joe Stavish: Director of Education: Tree Pittsburgh, Tree Pittsburgh.
Join us to discover the meaning of urban forestry and discuss
Pittsburgh’s past, present, and plans for the future. Learn about the work
citizens are doing throughout the region with Tree Pittsburgh. Tour
the seedling nursery, and see some highlights of our great local tree
specimens.
Tree Pittsburgh is an environmental non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing community vitality by restoring and protecting the urban forest through tree planting and care, education, advocacy, and land conservation. Their vision is to create a healthy urban forest for all by inspiring and engaging people to maintain, plant, and protect trees so that we can all benefit from the many health, environmental, and social benefits that trees provide.
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Joe Stavish coordinates the Tree Tender
Certification courses for adults as well as many youth programs in the
community. Joe schedules and/or teaches many programs including garden club
talks, visits to schools, summer camps, hosting scout programs, tabling at
festivals, leading tree identification walks, and hosting nursery tours. He
has presented at national and regional conferences. He is passionate about
nature and incorporates insects, birds, amphibians, and mammals into many
programs he facilitates. Address: 32 62nd St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201 (located under the 62nd Street Bridge on the Butler Street side) Google Map Link Here: https://goo.gl/maps/iDrjpJxvcEDVRp39A Parking: Private parking lot with free parking. Meeting Location: Main entrance in front of the building. |
JUNE 17
Plan your 2023 Herb Garden Around Herbal Wellness, at Una Biologicals
(In-person class on the second floor of the boutique. Space is limited to the first 12 registrants/ HPGC members have priority)
Jessica Graves, Founder + CEO, 3707 Butler Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15201.
Back by popular demand! The last two programs at Una Biologicals were such a hit that we’re thrilled to announce another program with Jessica and her talented staff. In this class, we will discuss planning our herb gardens around wellness applications and learn how to prepare herbal teas and tinctures. HPGC members get priority attendance. Attendees will receive a 10% discount in the store that day.
Jessica Wilson Graves, the founder of Una Biologicals, is an herbalist and healer at heart. Having studied plants and their uses for more than 20 years, she loves sharing traditional knowledge and empowering people to take charge of their own health and wellness through her work. Jessica has taught extensively on the use of herbs & oils for increasing awareness, at-home herbal healing, creating herbal gardens, creating natural body care, cooking with medicinal herbs, using essential oils, connecting with plant spirits, and more. Her mission is to help people live their happiest, healthiest lives.
JULY 8 – 4-7 pm Back by Popular Demand!
Field Trip to Pine Dell Memorial Glen and Potluck Dinner Celebration of Summer for HPGC Members.
Hosts: HPGC Members, Len and Melaine Kachmar.
The over three acre Lamperski property was the location of the Lamperski family home and Pine Dell Nursery. The 120-year-old, four-generation homestead of Melaine’s Mom was dismantled after her death in 2020. A fenced garden surrounds the footprint of the house and includes a raised bed vegetable garden. Len and Melaine built an outhouse from the original outdoor wood porch and deck of the house, and it contains a composting toilet. They have added stone steps and walkways, in addition to some of the original sidewalks, and removed many invasive vines, trees, and shrubs. Although there is no electricity, running water, gas, etc., there is plenty of parking, picnic tables, chairs, a barbecue grill built from the original chimney bricks, and a fire pit. The property, adjacent to Girty’s Woods, is being preserved as “Pine Dell Memorial Glen” to honor Melaine’s parents, grandmother and other ancestors, and to continue the dear memories shared with her family.
The address is 920 Geyer Road in Reserve Township; about half way between Evergreen/Babcock Blvd and Mt. Troy Road. Geyer Road connects Evergreen/Babcock Blvd and Mt. Troy Road. Brenckle’s Greenhouses is located at the intersection of Geyer and Mt. Troy Road.
Please bring water and beverages to share, coolers with plenty of ice, and picnic supplies, and of course, your main course potluck dishes, side dishes, salads, and desserts (and recipes for the HPGC cookbook can be emailed to Susanne and/or brought to the event).
JULY 15
Field Trip: Audubon Society Beechwood Farms: Native American Uses of Plants in Western Pennsylvania. 10 am program start.
Chris Kubiak, Director of Education at the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania
Native Americans have long occupied North America (19,000 years+) before the arrival of other peoples to North America. In those thousands of years, they learned their landscapes intimately and the plants that inhabited their environment. Plants were cultivated for both agricultural (long before maize, beans, and squash), medicinal, and recreational use, and were integral parts of their societies. This program discusses many of these plant uses; from the rise of the Eastern Agricultural Complex to later uses of numerous medicinal plants still to be found in Western PA. This lecture will be followed by a walk into the Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve and an up close look at some of these plants.
Chris Kubiak, a native Pittsburgher and life-long enthusiast of Pennsylvania’s rich biological heritage, has been an active outdoor enthusiast for the past 25 years in Western Pennsylvania. Chris combines a love of history and nature with his nonprofit and research experience at Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania. He also has an academic interest in environmental history and humans impacts, and uses upon ecosystems. Before joining Audubon, Chris worked as an independent historical researcher and as an adjunct history professor at both CCAC and Robert Morris University. Chris earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Master of Arts in History from Slippery Rock University, with a focus on Early American/NativeAmerican history. Chris and his wife, Sarah, currently reside in Butler, PA with their two children, Maddie and Ewan. Chris and Sarah also manage 8 acres of apple orchards for cider production.
Address: 614 Dorseyville Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15238
AUGUST 19
Divide & Conquer: Dividing, Transplanting and Overwintering plants. Possibly hybrid - in person and via Zoom.
HPGC President, Diana Pelletier
Diana will talk about dividing bulbs (daffodils, hyacinths, amaryllis, etc.) and rhizomes (iris, day lilies and dahlias). Some need to be dug up in the fall, overwinter in a basement or garage and then planted in the spring like dahlias. Amaryllis can be oversummered in pots in the garden so that they can bloom again in the winter. Diana will show how to divide plants, how to store them and how to chose which ones to plant.
Diana Pelletier has been an avid gardener for many years. A keen naturalist’s eye and curiosity about the natural world have led her to develop expertise in a wide variety of garden-related matters, which she shares through HPGC programs. She taught art classes for children through Arts in the Parks. Diana is also the author of the “Urban Gardener” series of articles in the Highland Park Community Club newsletter.
SEPTEMBER 16
Field Trip: Pawpaws, Urban Watersheds, and the Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly. Address will be provided upon registration. 10 am tour start
Gabrielle Marsden and Laura Bartoletti
HPGC Social Media Guru, Laura Bartoletti and her friend, Gabrielle Marsden have been working on a project, Pittsburgh Pawpaw Pathways for Zebra Swallowtail Trails (PPPZST) to restore Pawpaws to various waterways in SWPA, creating wildlife corridors and restoring riparian buffer understory trees. PPPZST is determined to restore the Zebra Swallowtail butterfly to Pittsburgh, which disappeared from most of WPA with the advent of industrialization. Laura and Gabrielle met through a connection with the Wild Ones Western Pennsylvania Chapter and both have backgrounds in archaeology. Gabrielle does Pawpaw tastings through Grow Pittsburgh at Garden Dreams in September, and walks and presentations through other organizations. It’s natural to host this HPGC event at Laura’s creekside property in Allison Park because it’s the epitome of a riparian environment, a perfect backdrop to explain how native plants and the animals that they support can actually improve our water quality. More information about Gabrielle, including contact information and a call to action can be found at BUTTERFLY412.com.
OCTOBER 7: 10-11:30am
Children’s Activity: Painting Pumpkins. Highland Park Bryant Street Parklet (TBA)
HPGC President, Diana Pelletier
Diana will show children how to decorate their pumpkins using non-toxic tempera paint. Children can bring their own pumpkin and participate for free or pay $10 and select a pumpkin to paint. Garbage bag "smocks" will be available, but children should not wear good clothes. The tempera paint will wash out of most fabrics with scrubbing. A parent or guardian must accompany their child. Ages 5 to 10.
Diana Pelletier has been an avid gardener for many years. A keen naturalist’s eye and curiosity about the natural world have led her to develop expertise in a wide variety of garden-related matters, which she shares through HPGC programs. She taught art classes for children through Arts in the Parks. Diana is also the author of the “Urban Gardener” series of articles in the Highland Park Community Club newsletter.
NOVEMBER 18
Sustainable Gardening Principles and Practices via Zoom.
Phipps Master Gardener, Patty Jones.
Sustainable Landcare is defined
as caring for the land in a way that mimics natural systems and creates
healthy soil, plants and people. In this talk, you will learn about the nine
principles for Sustainable Landcare and ways that you can apply these
principles to your gardening practices. From plant selection and garden
planning to watering and pest control, all along the way, the choices that you
make will impact the success and longevity of your garden. Learn how to
approach your garden in the most environmentally friendly way.
Patty Jones married a gardener in 1992 and began her discovery of the natural world. Both worked in jobs that moved the family eight times; which exposed her to a variety of ecosystems and to learn garden edits for sustainable landcare. She moved to Sewickley in 2010 and has been a contributing member of the Little Garden Club along with holding leadership positions in the Sewickley Civic Garden Council. Patty participated in the Master Gardener program through Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and graduated in 2018. Her personal project was the redesign and planting of a local Post Office public space that reduced invasive plants and centered on native plants suitable to the natural conditions. She joined a cohort of educators and practitioners on the Sustainable Landcare Advisory Board at Phipps in 2019 and the Sustainable Landcare Outreach team in 2021. Patty enjoys sharing her learning and resources with others who are interested in the full circle of natural systems.
DECEMBER 16
NO meeting in December