OCTOBER MESSAGE

Greetings Garden Friends,

"Fall is here let's give a cheer." Are you ready for a reprieve from heat and drought already? Summer's abnormally higher temperatures with lower-than-normal precipitation were persistent. Very little moisture came from dark skies or storm clouds surrounding us. Steady rains have been needed to slowly penetrate the soil. Even if torrential rains dump copious amounts of water now, the hard ground will not absorb it so easily. Since, both heat and drought can influence leaf color change, as well as, length of time colors will last, their effect on this season's grand finale is still uncertain.  

A very festive atmosphere welcomed IGC members in attendance at the Annual District IX Meeting organized by Moon Township Garden Club. Centerpieces arranged within hyper-tufa constructed containers adorned tables, while tasty Pittsburgh cookie table treats completed a delightful lunch that was then followed by an informative talk on our favorite herbs. The day before this event, IGC members had been engaged by Chris Kubiak at Beechwood Farms with an enlightening "Birding 101" program. Numerous opportunities for Birding or Mushroom Foraging Walks were made available to us by Linda Womsley in September, too. It is now time to return to Northmont Church. Our Neighboring Garden Clubs have been invited to join us for a lunch and program retitled "Up Close and Fluttering" as a Stormy Oaks ambassador presents us with a chosen live animal. Let's spice things up a little for our guests.

"Happy fall to you all", 

 Julie, Your President