What a way to start the new year! Nickie Lane and her hostess committee welcomed members to the home of Kathy Eastman.
Members enjoyed presentations from our scholarship awardee on his coastal restoration research, and basketry artist Matt Tommey took us on a “walk in the woods” to learn about the evolution of his basketmaking, sharing his new book and a selection of his work. Matt designs from nature and often works with clients to walk their property and collect materials to incorporate into custom pieces.
The 2019 Presidents Council brought over sixty Presidents, President Elects, Zone Reps, and GCA committee chairmen to New Orleans led by Zone IX Chairman Barbara Bush. The meeting opened with garden tours hosted by Ruthie Frierson, Sally Lapeyre, and Caroline Calhoun. Caroline Reily hosted the group for a seated dinner at the Reily home in the Garden District. Maxine Fox and Harriet Nelson also opened their gardens. The business meeting was held in the Playhouse at Longue Vue House and Gardens. Paul Soniat gave a tour of the Botanical Garden and the group visited the Enrique Alvarez garden and the new outdoor kitchen. Wednesday night dinners here hosted by Kim White and Virginia White. The wrap up meeting was at the NOPSI hotel where the group was staying. NOTG and Garden Study Club volunteers helped host the group.
Zone IX ladies were very impressed with our hospitality, the gardens, beautiful decorations, abundant flowers, and wonderful food!
A highlight of the 2019 zone meeting was celebrating with David Waggonner, a partner in the architectural firm Waggonner and Ball, when he received the Zone Civic Improvement Award at the Zone IX Awards Dinner in Beaumont.
New Orleans Town Gardeners proposed David for this award because of his visionary work with water management. After Katrina, David became a champion of solving water management problems in New Orleans and throughout the region by making water an asset not an adversary.
Carro Gardner brought a fresh and radical approach to the lunch at our March meeting, serving as head hostess her first time since joining the club in 2001. An avid organic gardener, environmentalist, champion of sustainability and new board member of City Park, Carro decided we should try to make our club meeting at the Grow Dat youth farm as earth-friendly as possible.
Toward that end, she led her hostess team in rethinking how we handle lunch. Individuals brought real tablecloths and napkins, stainless silverware, and plastic Mardi Gras cups….all of which could be washed and reused. We purchased biodegradable bamboo plates. Four members each brought two casual flower arrangements with plant material from their yards for the table decorations. Instead of water bottles, Carro brought a two gallon water cooler. Instead of box lunches, Carro ordered organic green salad from Grow Dat and 4 varieties of healthy delicious wrap sandwiches from Green to Go, all served family style. When we finished eating, any food waste was scraped into a bucket which was then used for composting. The cans from some sodas and sparkling water were recycled. And after everything was cleaned up, Carro hoisted a very small bag overhead to show how little packaging was used and how little actual trash we accumulated from serving 45 people.
In addition to the almost negligible environmental impact of the lovely outdoor lunch, when the bill was tallied up, the luncheon cost HALF of our normal garden club lunch expenses. Each hostess only needed to chip in $31.50 for a beautiful, ecologically sound lunch in City Park. We left the site without any trace of having been there!
Thanks to Karin Giger Eustis for writing up this great report on how Carro and her hostess committee made such a difference!
What a wonderful day together. On November 13, members of the New Orleans Town Gardeners and Garden Study Club of New Orleans were welcomed by Poydras Home residents, family, and friends for “A Walk in the Park” joint flower show.
Poydras Home was a beautiful setting to showcase several categories of floral arrangements, photography, horticulture classes, and the new Botanical Arts category. Poydras Home residents participated alongside NOTG and GSC members in a floral arrangement category. The reception was a warm, lively event with members and friends ooh-ing and aah-ing over the entries.
Great thanks to the many hardworking volunteers who planned and manned the event and to all the who entered. A special “Hip Hip Hooray” to Linda Miller and Molly Baumer for serving as the NOTG cochairs of the event.
Inside Virginia Rowan’sbeautiful home was serenity itself with Catherine calmly wielding the gavel, head hostess Chrisie Kelleher and her committee keeping everyone well fed, and members enjoying the simple and elegant arrangements dotting Virginia’s home.
Outside was another story as two teams of members vied for victory in the Great Grocery Store Flower Arranging Battle of 2018! Teams were given brightly colored fall bouquets from local grocery stores and challenged to make interesting and innovative arrangements. Laughter, creativity, and goodnatured competition ensued. Three cheers all around for the competitors and for the beautiful day we shared outside!