On the QT | The Official Newsletter of GWA September - October 2017 | Page 7

PHI L AN T H RO PY AN D CO M P O S T
Money is always tight. GWA Allied members
have been very generous in supporting this
garden: Renee’s Garden Seeds has donated an-
nually. Coast of Maine’s yearly donation of a full
pallet of bagged compost is an invaluable part
of the success of our crops, as are the countless
amendments donated by Espoma. Corona has
helped us refurbish our wheelbarrows. Brent
and Becky’s Bulbs and COLORBLENDS have
helped enhance our peony border to make it
a real traffic stopper, bringing people to our
gates. Local garden centers, hardware stores
and other suppliers generously donate when
asked. In return, we openly tell our visitors
about these donations and products so they
can replicate what we do in their own garden
and patronize these same suppliers.
In the end, it’s about more than just the
seasonal donation of nearly 700 pounds of
produce. The hot days, working in the rain and
cold and all the challenges we face can’t com-
pare to the gratitude of the people we see who
struggle with hunger. And that’s before we
even start to measure the sense of accomplish-
ment all the gardeners get from working with
the public, mentoring interns and problem
solving along the way. Community gardening
doesn’t even come close to describing the
experience.
Lorraine Ballato writes and gardens from her Zone
5 home in Brookfield, Connecticut. Watch for her
soon-to-be-published book on hydrangeas, due out
any day.
Board Members Elected
BY THE EDITOR

Member participation in this year’s election was up by 7.5
percent, with 412 casting votes.
This was the first election under the new GWA bylaws, which
no longer require ascending offices, except for vice president.
That means that the secretary and treasurer do not have to seek
higher office. There is no limit on how long members can serve
in those offices.
Committee members were Larry Hodgson, chair; C.L. Fornari,
Region I; Kate Copsey, Region II; Diane Blazek, Region III; Brie
Gluvna Arthur, Region IV; Bill Johnson, Region V; Jacqueline Soule,
Region VI and Ken Brown, Region VII.
Here are the results:
Officers (two-year term)
President, Becky Heath
Vice President, Jo Ellen Meyers Sharp
Treasurer, Maria Zampini
Secretary, Ellen Zachos
Immediate Past President, Kirk R. Brown

National Directors (three year term)
Region II, Kathy Jentz
Region VI, Mary-Kate Mackey
Regional Directors (two-year term)
Region I, Carmen DeVito
Region II, Teresa Speight
Region III, Susan Martin
Region IV, Cheval Opp
Region V, Shelley Cramm
Region VI, Tova Roseman
Region VII, Rob Howard
GWA found prairies, high-style gardens and
natural settings at Indianapolis meeting
BY C A R O L M I C H E L
We are always working to improve how we
do things for better yield, happier gardeners,
more enjoyable visitor education and some-
times less cost. To stop the birds from pecking
at our tomatoes last year, we hung red plastic
Christmas balls from the tomato cages. Of
course we had to move them every week, but
the pecking stopped and the crop was saved.
Our visitors had the same bird problem and
loved learning a solution.
This year we needed to improve insect con-
trol for our Brassicas and didn’t want to use row
covers. We’re not in the garden every day, and
no amount of Bt and hand picking were suffi-
cient to effectively control this pest. We came
up with custom-sized insect netting that has
kept our Brassicas completely free of any pest
damage, and no gardener has had to do any-
thing except admire how great the crop looks.
At harvest time, the netting simply is lifted and
then replaced. The netting has protected the
crop, held up to fierce summer storms and has
generated lots of discussion among our visitors
who leave with a handout: BINGO!
Region 3 GWA members and guests met in Indianapolis in late June for a 24-hour whirlwind
tour of both public and private gardens. Highlights included the restored ruins garden at Holliday
Park, several private gardens, the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the prairie
plantings at The Nature Conservancy near downtown Indianapolis. At The Nature Conservancy,
members learned about the re-introduction of bison to the Kankakee Sands in northwest Indiana.
Members also received sample plants or seeds from several sponsors: All-America Selections,
Bailey Nurseries, Proven Winners and Spring Meadow Nursery, Rozanne and Friends, Chick Charms,
and Brent and Becky’s Bulbs. Jelitto Perennial Seed’s contribution offset the cost of the meeting
space.
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