​The mayflies have arrived with a vengeance, but Peggy and John Leopold and their crew of volunteers are doing their best to keep them at bay and save the DeRivera lamppost baskets. They have installed temporary netting over the baskets which they will remove once those pesky critters (the Mayflies, not the Leopolds!) have left the island.  Many thanks to those generous volunteers who are helping to water and fertilize the baskets, as well as to Barb Hunter and Kelly Mohn who take care of the beautiful new gardens in De Rivera Park.
 
On July 6, the Garden Club will tour Schedel Gardens in Elmore, Ohio. Participants should be on the 9 am Miller Ferry that Thursday to arrange carpools and receive their tour bracelets. If coming from the mainland, participants should meet to receive their tour bracelets at the Schedel Gardens ticket sales area in time for a 10:15 tour. There will be golf carts available for those desiring a riding tour of the 17 acre estate. If you have questions regarding the tour, please contact Kathy Schrader at (440) 773-5413. The ninety-minute tour will be followed by lunch overlooking the gardens and a pottery shop visit on the way home.  We look forward to seeing you there!
 
Please check the Garden Club website at putinbaygardenclub.com for notices regarding beach cleanups and future programs. There is also a wealth of good gardening info available through our education links on the web page. The next Garden Club program will be held at the Nature Center at 5 :00 pm on Thursday, August 17, when Jackie Taylor will speak to the group on Butterfly Gardens. Also, mark your calendars for Thursday, September 7 when we will meet at 5:00 pm at the Yacht Club to create a terrarium and at 6:00 pm for our annual meeting and pot luck dinner.

The lamppost baskets are blooming once again, thanks to the efforts of many dedicated volunteers who helped with the preparation and planting this year. Special thanks go to Mac McCann, Scott Market, and Mike McCabe, who provided the lifts needed for planting! Thanks also to so many Garden Club volunteers who dedicated two days of their time and energy to this project, to the Crews Nest, Pasquale's, and Frosty’s for providing additional helping hands, and to Val Chornyak for heading up the operation again this year! Watering and fertilizing the baskets is the next step of the process, so if you are interested in helping with that, please call Peggy Leopold at  419 345-2835. Thanks also to those who helped with the Beach Cleanup in May. Many hands make light work and are always appreciated!
 
The first meeting of the Garden Club will be held Thursday, June 8 at the Put in Bay Yacht Club. Social hour will begin at 5:00, followed by a 5:30 presentation on Creative Container Gardening. Thursday, July 6 will be the date of our major event of the summer, a trip to beautiful Schedel Gardens in Elmore, Ohio. We will leave Put in Bay on the 9 am Miller ferry and drive 35 minutes to the 17-acre Schedel Gardens estate. At 10:15, we will be hosted to a one and a half hour guided tour of these spectacular gardens. Golf carts will be available for those who need assistance. The tour will be followed by a buffet lunch on the outside patio overlooking the property. There will also be time to visit the Garden’s gift shop and a nearby pottery shop on the way home. Cost of the trip, including lunch, guided tour, and admission to the gardens, is $25 per person. You may purchase tickets at the June meeting, by mailing a check to Put in Bay Garden Club, PO Box 815, PIB 43456, or by contacting Kathy Shrader at 440 773-5413. Deadline for ticket sales is June 24, so purchase your tickets and mark your calendars now for this special event! For directions or more information on the gardens, go to schedel-gardens.org. This trip is open to one and all.
 
Check out the new garden in the park, across the street from Pasquales. A Ginko and a Ninebark tree,  Hydrangeas, Lavender, Catmint, Roseanne Geranium, and  Virginia Sweetspire shrubs now replace the large, ailing Yew that marked that spot for decades. The garden was designed and installed by Todd Giesen of All Seasons Landscaping and paid for by The Garden Club and The DeRivera Park Trustees. Thanks to Jody Frimel and Susan Hildebrandt for spearheading this beautification project.
 
Stay tuned to the Put in Bay Garden Club Website for news on Beach Cleanups, Garden Club Programs and events, and for helpful gardening links. Kathi Spayde constantly updates the site with photos and pertinent announcements. Also, if you have not yet paid your 2017 Garden Club dues, there is still time! You can pay online, at the June 8 meeting, or by sending a check to PO Box 815, Put in Bay. Remember, all contributions to the Garden Club are tax deductible. New members are always welcome! We hope to see you soon!

​The baskets are coming! And so is a free lunch!
 
The Garden Club will once again transform the village with the lamppost flower baskets in De Rivera Park. Basket preparation will take place at 9am Tuesday, May 16, and baskets will be planted and installed on Wednesday morning at 9. We welcome all interested parties to come and join the fun! As a thank you to our planting crew, we will celebrate with a hot dog and chili lunch at the Hildebrandts directly following the planting. If you want to help with watering or maintaining the baskets this year, please contact Peggy Leopold at 419 345-2835. Free coffee and a pastry at the Village Bakery is your reward each time you water!
 
The Garden Club’s program of events this year will include a July 6 trip to the Schedel Gardens in Elmore, Ohio.  Mark your calendars now for this special event!  We will leave Put in Bay on the 9 am Miller ferry and then drive 35 minutes to the 17-acre Schedel Gardens estate. At 10:15, we will be hosted to a one and a half hour guided horticultural tour of these spectacular gardens. Golf carts will be available for those who need assistance. The tour will be followed by a buffet lunch on the outside patio overlooking the property. There will also be time to visit the Garden’s gift shop and a nearby pottery shop on the way home.  Cost of the trip, including lunch, guided tour, and admission to the gardens, will be $25 per person. Tickets may be purchased at the June meeting, by mailing a check to Put in Bay Garden Club , PO Box 815, PIB 43456, or by contacting Kathy Shrader at 440 773-5413. Deadline for ticket sales is June 24. For directions or more information on the gardens, go to schedel-gardens.org. We hope this will be an informative and fun social outing for all!
 
Our first program of the summer will be held Thursday, June 8 at the Yacht Club. (NOT Wednesday,  June 7, as previously noted!) The social gathering will begin at 5:00, followed by a 5:30 presentation on Creative Container Gardening.  During the talk, Master Gardeners will design and plant two container gardens, which will be won by lucky audience members. Our August program will be held at the Nature Center on August 17, with Jackie Taylor discussing plants that attract bees and butterflies. On September 7, we will be planting terrariums in a hands-on program that will begin at 5:00 at the Yacht Club. The annual meeting and pot-luck dinner will follow at 6:00. If you have not already done so, you can renew your membership by email at the putinbaygardenclub.com website.
 
Stay tuned to the Garden Club website to learn when you can help with Beach Committee Projects or events! Jody Frimel and Joan Booker will post dates and times there for beach clean-ups and for our second annual beach barbecue this summer!
 
If you have ideas for future beautification projects for our island or for programs you would like us to offer, please leave a message on our website or let one of our Board members know. If you have gardening questions, our website links provide very helpful information.  Now go outside and play in the dirt! It’s May!!!

Spring in the garden is a busy time of year!  April is a wonderful month to get outside and accomplish those garden chores.  Early in the month, you can thin and prune summer and fall flowering shrubs, like Shrub Roses, Spirea, and Rose of Sharon. Clean up the perennial beds in your landscape, and apply Preen to the area to keep those pesky weeds from germinating.  April is also a good time to divide overgrown plants and share divisions with friends.
 
Fertilize your roses, shrubs, and trees, and plant new perennials once the weather warms. Don’t mulch now, though, or plant tender annuals until later in May.  You might consider purchasing native trees, shrubs, or perennials from the LEIC, which is sponsoring a native plant sale as a fundraiser this spring. Place your orders by May 1 at www.lakeerieislandsconservancy.org 
 
The grass needs your attention now too. It’s time to rake, dethatch and aerate your lawn. You can also apply an early spring fertilizer (no phosphorous, please!) And how about placing a plastic Coyote on your lawn to keep those Geese away! 
 
All interested gardeners are encouraged to attend the presentation “Why Native Plants Matter” sponsored by the Lake Erie Islands Conservancy at 7:00 pm on Thursday, April 27 at PIB Town Hall. Gale Martin, who operates Natives in Harmony nursery, will discuss the importance of native plants for pollinators, birds, and wildlife in our landscapes. 
 
The plants for the baskets in DeRivera Park will arrive at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 16, and we will be planting them on Wednesday, May 17.  Anyone willing to help on those prepping and planting days is most welcome and appreciated!
 
Last, but not least, check out the PIB Garden Club website for a listing of our programs for the summer. There will be no Home and Garden Tour this summer, but we are planning a field trip in July that you won’t want to miss!
 
We hope you have received your membership renewal letter by now. You can renew or join online at the PIBGC website, or mail a check to the Put in Bay Garden Club, PO Box 815, PIB. Your membership fee goes to fund Garden Club projects that help beautify our island. Please plan to volunteer with us and to participate in our monthly activities. We look forward to sharing the summer with you.

​The lamppost baskets were removed last week, marking the end of a fantastic summer! The Garden Club considers this $4,500 annual expense well worth the money for the beauty the baskets add to the park and the downtown area. Huge thank yous to Peggy and John Leopold and all their volunteers who make sure the baskets are watered, fertilized, and protected from Mayflies throughout the summer. Thanks also to Chan Stevens, who so generously provides and maintains the watering golf cart for us year after year.
 
Another big thank you to Jody Frimel and Joan Booker and the beach volunteers, as well as the Village employees who pitched in to keep the beach clean and beautiful this summer. Village Administrator Steve Riddle has been an invaluable help to the Garden Club this summer, and we so appreciate it!
 
We welcome new committee heads, Barb Hunter and Kelly Mohn, who have stepped up to chair the De Rivera Park Gardens committee, and to Donna D’Amico who will head the membership committee for the Garden Club next year. It is always encouraging to see the number of people who step in to participate where help is needed. What a treat it is to be a part of this wonderful community!
 
We hope the Fall and Winter months are as kind to us as this amazing summer was. We look forward to hearing your stories next Spring and to gardening with you again! 

The Monarchs are already flitting through the gardens at the Lighthouse…a sure sign that this exceptional summer of 2016 is drawing to a close.  The Garden Club will meet just one more time this season for its annual meeting and pot luck supper.  Please join us Thursday, September 8 at 5 pm at the Yacht Club. Bring a dish to share and your ideas for projects to tackle or programs you would like to see the Garden Club offer next year.
 
If you are available Tuesday, September 13 at 9 am, your help at the last Beach Clean-up would be greatly appreciated.  The Village has kept the beach looking good this year, so this end of the season clean-up should be short but sweet.  We will be taking down the lamppost baskets on Thursday, September 29 at 9 am and could certainly use some willing hands to help with that final task. 
 
We wish to thank all who have volunteered with planting and watering lamppost baskets, helping prepare, place, and remove Mayfly netting, planting perennials in the DeRivera park gardens, cleaning the beach, and helping out with the Home and Garden Tour. It has been a busy summer for the Garden Club, but willing volunteers have been so gracious in helping to carry the load. Thank you also to Chan Stevens for supplying us with our watering golf cart again this year!  We couldn’t do what we do without the help of so many!

How is it that August has arrived so quickly?! It must be true that time flies when you’re having fun.
 
Over 175 participants at the Garden Club’s Home and Garden Tour were all guilty of having fun on Wednesday, July 27. After touring six of the island’s very special homes and landscapes, they enjoyed lunch at the Crew’s Nest Pavilion. Many went home with raffle prizes from the event, and everyone went home with memories of the day. Well done, event chairperson, Kathy Schrader, for organizing it all and creating such a fun day for so many!  Thank you to the many people who generously donated goods for the raffle, and to the homeowners who allowed so many visitors to view their homes and property: Trey and Sarah Sheehan, Marty and Rory DePerro, Bob and Jody Frimel, Steve and Denise Snyder, Jack and Kathi Spayde, and Bryan and Jerry Kasper.  You inspired us all with your beautiful homes and gardens! Thanks also to the Crew’s Nest for a fantastic luncheon, to the Village Bakery for delicious desserts, and to Jordan Market at E-Carts for offering discounted rates to Garden Tour participants from off island. It always takes a village to pull off an event of this size, and we appreciate everyone who helped make the day such a success.
 
The mayflies have come and gone and the netting installed around the baskets prevented the pesky critters from smothering the flowers. Thank you to John and Peggy Leopold who designed the system, and climbed the ladders to install and remove the netting from the baskets. Thanks also to the faithful Garden Club volunteers who water the flower baskets every day.
 
To show appreciation for our awesome volunteers, the Garden Club hosted a Beach barbecue on Sunday evening, July 17, at the public bathing beach.  Over thirty people attended the party, and they all agreed this should be an annual event. Thank you to organizers Jody Frimel, Joan Booker, and Susan Hildebrandt. A big thank you also goes out to grill master extraordinaire, Jim Hildebrandt.
 
Let it be known that the Garden Club has decided to cancel their program scheduled for August 11 so members can instead participate in the Island Green Week activities. Lighthouse visits, guided nature tours, fishing, bird watching, and a meteor shower cruise are among the activities planned for this special week dedicated to the natural beauty of the islands. For details, visit lakeerieislandswildlife.com.  Also, in celebration of Green Week, the Garden Club will have a beach cleanup at the bathing beach on August 13 at 9:00 am.
 
The Garden Club’s final meeting of the year will be held as scheduled on September 8 at 5 pm at the Yacht Club. This will be our annual meeting and dinner, followed by a short program focusing on Fall Garden Chores. We hope to see you there!

​The Garden Club is buzzing with activity as plans are underway for our Home and Garden Tour on July 27. The tour will begin at 10 am, followed by a luncheon at the Crews Nest Pavilion. Properties on tour will include the Fremel’s, DePerro’s, Sheehan’s, Snyder’s, Spayde’s, and The Benson Ford Ship House. All the details of the day and ticket information can be found in a separate Garden Tour article in this month’s Gazette or online at putinbaygardenclub.com. All are welcome to this very special event! Tickets are limited and going fast, so please act now as we don't want you to be left out.
 
Attendees of the June Garden Club meeting are now well informed, following the wonderful presentation at our June meeting by Master Gardener Dick West. Dick spoke on Pruning: the When, Why, and How, which included a lively question and answer period and a hands-on demonstration on the Yacht Club grounds. The information and techniques he taught us should soon be evidenced in properties around the island!
 
Our next program will be held at 5:00 pm on July 7th at the Yacht Club. Master Gardener Susan Hildebrandt will discuss the selection, care, and proper pruning of Hydrangeas. The new gardens in DeRivera Park feature several different types of Hydrangeas, so a walk in the park following the talk may be in order. The August 11th program will focus on Butterfly Gardens. Jackie Taylor from the Nature Center will introduce us to an island butterfly garden and discuss the plants that attract butterflies. Please plan to attend and bring a friend. New prospective members are always welcome to sample our programs and become involved!
 
The mayflies have attacked, but netting on the baskets in DeRivera Park seems to be saving the flowers from destruction. Many thanks to Peggy and John Leopold who designed the netting “helmets” and personally installed the netting on each of the forty four lampposts! Anyone interested in helping to remove the netting once the mayflies are gone, please contact Peggy at 419 345-2835.  Your contribution to the cause would be greatly appreciated!
 
We hope you will go down to enjoy the beach now that cleanup has been accomplished and the flower boxes are once again in bloom. Many thanks go to Jody Frimel, Joan Booker, and their trusty volunteers, as well as Village employees, all of whom are working together to keep the beach looking great! Stay tuned for information on a beach barbecue to accompany our next cleanup date. In the meantime, enjoy these beautiful summer days, and happy gardening!

It’s official! The season has begun!  The lamppost baskets in bloom in DeRivera Park are here to announce it each year. Many thanks to Chairperson Val Chornyak, who did a tremendous job organizing the lamppost basket planting this year, to the volunteers who helped prepare the baskets and plant them, and to the Garden Club Members and donors who help fund the baskets.  We especially want to thank those who provided and/or operated lifts for the project, including Mack McCann, Richard Gump/Nick Fresch, Baycraft Builders/Mike McCabe, Miller Boat Line /Scott Market, Richie Myers and Teddy. Other special thanks go to Julie Leopold and her trusty trailer, Kim Stoiber and Frosty’s employees David and James, Adventure Bay employees Jeremy and Patrick, and Round House employees Molly and Abby.  It always takes a village and we are always so grateful for your support!
 
As Mayfly season approaches, you will see Garden Club members again attending to lamppost chores. This year, in order to keep the mayflies out of the baskets and prevent them from smothering the flowers, we are applying netting around the baskets during Mayfly season. The netting will be temporary; it will be removed once the scourge is over and the pesky Mayflies have blown away. Thanks to Peggy and John Leopold who came up with the design solution!
 
The first Garden Club meeting of the year took place May 6 at the Jane Coates Trail. Naturalist Lisa Brohl led a fascinating wildflower walk and introduced participants to the beauty of the Spring wildflowers along the trail. Those attending  also learned to recognize the evil Garlic Mustard plant, and Lisa urged them to help eradicate this invasive plant by pulling it out and destroying it whenever they run across it….Psssst! Pass it on!
 
Our next Garden Club meeting will take place June 9 at the Yacht Club. Please plan to come and bring a friend! Social hour begins at 5 pm with the bar open and snacks served. The program will begin promptly at 5:30. The When, Why, and How of Pruning is the topic, so please bring your pruners and gloves. This hands-on workshop invites everyone to participate and get that technique down!  If you have not yet paid your membership dues, or you want to join the Garden Club, bring your checkbook to the meeting and you can do it then!
 
On July 7th, All About Hydrangeas will be the topic for our presentation. The selection, planting, care, and pruning of the various types of Hydrangeas will be discussed. There are four varieties of Hydrangeas planted in the new DeRivera Park gardens. Kudos to the Village and to DeRivera Park for the beautiful new landscaped areas they have planted this year, as well as the wonderful new picnic area surrounded by plantings!
 
In July, The Garden Club will sponsor a Put-in-Bay Home and Garden Tour! This is our big fund- raiser of the year, and we are very excited about the homes we have on tour, the luncheon that follows, and the raffle prizes available to those who attend! Please see the separate article in this issue of the Gazette to learn all about the details of the day and how to purchase your ticket! You may also want to visit our website at putinbaygardenclub.com to see our full schedule of this summer’s events.
 
Check out the Bathing Beach near the Monument and see how the Village employees have put their efforts into making it clean and beautiful for islanders and visitors alike. Thank you to Village Administrator Steve Riddle and his crew for all the time they have put into this project! In addition to raking the beach and cleaning it of debris, they have also cleaned all the sand out of the planting boxes, filled them with new dirt, and prepared them for new plants to be planted soon. The swale, which was damaged in last year’s storms, will also be rebuilt. Thank you to Jody Frimel and Joan Booker, our Beach Committee co-chairs, who helped organize this project.
 
Things are busy with the Garden Club, and we always welcome new members to join in the programs we present, the beautification projects we take on, and in the comradery which comes from working together to improve our island community.

Is there anything more beautiful than Spring on the island?  The music of birds, the multiple shades of green enlivening the landscape, the fragrance of lilacs, and the delicate wild flowers poking their heads out from under their winter blankets. What a wonderful awakening for us all to witness!

And who better than island naturalist Lisa Brohl to introduce us to the signs of spring and the island’s wildflowers. The first Garden Club meeting of the year will be held at the Jane Coates Trail at 3:00 pm on Friday, May 13th. Come dressed for the weather for a one hour walk along the trail with Lisa as she acquaints participants with the hidden treasures of our woods! 

The Nature Center and The Garden Club will gather forces to host a Plant Exchange at 9 am Friday, May 7th at the Nature Center. Please peruse your landscape now to see which of your perennials need dividing. Sharing is the best way to make your garden grow! For each plant you bring to the sale, you will receive a ticket to take one home. As part of the day’s activities, Master Gardener Mary Strayer will present a talk at 10 am on raised beds and container gardening. All island residents are invited to attend.

The Catawba Garden Club has invited Put-in-Bay Garden Club members to attend their Spring meeting and Flower Show at the Catawba Island Club on Friday, May 6th. Speakers will be Sandy Bihn on Lake Erie Algae and Randy Yahn on Natural Gardening. The cost is $16.00 per person and includes lunch. If you are interested in attending, contact Sandy Pickens at 419-341-7742 or at sgpickens@yahoo.com.

It’s almost time to plant the lamppost baskets in DeRivera Park! Please join us at 9 am Tuesday, May 24th to prepare the baskets for planting, and/or at 9 am Wednesday, May 25th when the flowers arrive and the planting takes place. Many hands make light work, so we hope you will take time to participate in this annual rite of Spring!

The end of May will also be a time of renewal for the bathing beach, which suffered damage during last summer’s Nor’easter storms. The beach will be raked and leveled and the planter boxes will be replanted, thanks to a generous donation from a garden angel on the island, for whom we are very grateful! 

On Monday, June 6th at 10 am, garden club members are invited to help plant perennials in the newly-landscaped areas of DeRivera Park. Since these gardens will be among those featured on our Home and Garden Tour in July, we will also be providing labels to identify the newly-planted perennials, trees, and shrubs. Come share the comradery as we add the finishing touches to these beautiful new gardens! 

The second PIB Garden Club meeting of the season will take place at 5 pm Thursday, June 9th at the Yacht Club. Ottawa County Master Gardener Dick West will speak on when, why, and how to properly prune perennials, shrubs, and trees. Members are encouraged to bring their own pruners to participate in this hands-on presentation.  On July 7, Master Gardeners will discuss the selection and care of Hydrangeas and introduce the many new varieties planted in De Rivera Park. On August 11th, Jackie Taylor from the Nature Center will talk to members about Butterfly Gardening.

The big event of the summer will be our Home and Garden Tour on Wednesday, July 27th.  Six of the island’s most unique and special properties will be featured in this year’s tour, which will be followed by a luncheon at the Crew’s Nest Pavilion. Tickets will go on sale June 1, and numbers will be limited. You can purchase tickets online at putinbaygardenclub.com or from Chairperson Kathy Schrader at (440)773-5413. If you would like to volunteer to help with this event, Kathy would love to hear from you! Again, it’s an all-hands-on-deck summer, with so much going on to challenge, entertain, and educate the gardener in us all.

​You should have received your membership renewal letter by now, and we encourage you to renew promptly. If you did not receive a letter, or if you would like to join the Garden Club, please contact Pati Arth at tiara031@gmail.com. We are happy to welcome new members at any time throughout the season to share in the comradery, the learning, and the island beautification projects that remain the Garden Club’s focus. Enjoy this beautiful Spring! We hope to see you soon!