Long Island Horticultural Society
December News & Notes
President's Message...
Hi fellow LIHort Members,
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We’ve had an outstanding year of great speakers, interesting new projects, well-attended meetings, and best of all, lots of volunteer involvement!
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Now it’s time to celebrate ourselves and our wonderful organization and have some fun!
Our next meeting on December 14th will be our HOLIDAY PARTY, and our large, enthusiastic and hard-working Planning Committee has been getting everything ready.
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At all of our other meetings we have been in “learning” mode, with interesting speakers, some member tutorials, educational exhibits, and other enriching activities. This meeting will be ALL FUN ALL THE TIME! Instead of a formal speaker presentation, we will spend our time engaging in group activities, enjoying entertainment, buying tons of raffle tickets for our impressive Holiday Auction Donations, socializing among ourselves, and feasting at our lavish Hospitality Table!
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On a personal note, I am honored to be serving one more year as LIHS President, and I enjoy sharing news with you and preparing for and conducting our meetings. The one frustration I always have is that I am kept busy with “official” duties throughout the meeting and never have enough time to socialize with each of you individually. I realize that every LIHS member is a current or potential friend with so much to offer, and I am promising myself that at our Holiday Party I will allow myself plenty of ”socializing time” to catch up with old and new friends! If we haven’t chatted before, please find me, introduce yourself, and let me know a bit about you!
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I hope that in this holiday season you have all had a beautiful Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the upcoming winter holidays, however you may celebrate!
Happy Garden Dreaming,
Ronnie Branczio
Care of Holiday Favorites
After you have made your poinsettia selection, make sure it is wrapped properly because exposure to low temperatures even for a few minutes can damage the bracts and leaves.
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Unwrap your poinsettia carefully and place in indirect light. Six hours of light daily is ideal. Keep the plant from touching cold windows.
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Keep poinsettias away from warm or cold drafts from radiators, air registers or open doors and windows.
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Ideally poinsettias require daytime temperatures of 60 to 70°F and night time temperatures around 55°F. High temperatures will shorten the plant’s life. Move the plant to a cooler room at night, if possible.
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Check the soil daily. Be sure to punch holes in foil so water can drain into a saucer. Water when soil is dry. Allow water to drain into the saucer and discard excess water. Wilted plants will tend to drop bracts sooner.
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Fertilize the poinsettia if you keep it past the holiday season. Apply a houseplant fertilizer once a month. Do not fertilize when it is in bloom.
With good care, a poinsettia will last 6-8 weeks in your home.
December 14
Holiday Party
​​​​Please consider donating
refreshments to the hospitality table.
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There will not being a Horticultural Competition for this meeting.
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There will not be a Raffle table at this meeting, to make room for our annual Holiday Auction which benefits our scholarship.
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There will be lots and lots of fun activities:
MEET-AND-GREET Activity. When people enter they will be given half of a garden photo, and will be asked to circulate among the group to find the matching half, then introduce themselves (or greet a friend). Each matched pair will earn a small gift.
Greenery Boutique purchase a wonderful holiday display for your home!
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Pick up your 2026 LIHS Calendars
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GARDEN BINGO
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ELFIN CHORUS - conducted by James C. with volunteer singers
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HOLIDAY AUCTION
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Holiday refreshments and socializing
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The fun all starts at 1pm
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With Appreciation
Sending out a huge “thank you” to everyone who made non-perishable food donations at the November meeting. All donations went to the Joseph’s Storehouse food pantry in Huntington Station. The demand for food, clothing and household items at this pantry is growing every week. Seniors, families, homeless and others in need visit regularly, and the LIHS donated food helped meet the demand just prior to Thanksgiving. Your generosity is very much appreciated by the pantry clients and volunteers. Wishing you a happy holiday !
-Kathy Readinger
From the editor....
This past weekend we traveled to Lyndhurt mansion for the holiday market and the Mansion tour. The masion was decorated in all Christmas finest. Anthony Valbro Designs has been decorating the mansion for Christmas since 2012. In the visitor entrance there is a mini version of the gothic mansion all decorated for the holidays as well.
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One of my favorite things I saw was using wreaths to decorate lighting fixtures. The wreaths are fixed underneath the light. I thought that is a very clever way to use a wreath without taking up wall space. I can bring in that wonderful pine frangrance that a fresh wreath bring to a space without wondering where to hang it.
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They had a tree decorated with dried orange slices not only very pretty but has a wonderful orange frangance. I'm not sure how it was done if they are dried in an oven or in a dehydrator but I guess either would work. would look even nicer strung up with some cranberries.
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My 2 favorite rooms were upstairs, the bathroom had glass ornaments in the sink to look like bubbles and a Santa statue in the clawed tub peeking out, it was fanciful and fun. The child's bedroom next door was adorned with bubble lights on the fireplace mantel and the tree. Those tiny 3/4 beds are such a hoot.
Overlooking the Hudson River in Tarrytown, New York, is Lyndhurst, one of America’s finest Gothic Revival mansions. Designed in 1838 by Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1892), the mansion’s architectural brilliance is complemented by its comprehensive collection of original decorative arts and the estate’s park-like landscape.
The land on which Lyndhurst was built was originally the hunting grounds of the indigenous Lenape/Munsee tribe that were the first inhabitants of the Hudson Valley. Sadly, their presence was all but gone by the turn of the 19th century in Westchester County. Originally woodland, it was cleared to become farmland in the 18th century by the early Europeans.
The estate was shaped for more than a century by three families and their staff: The Pauldings, The Merritts, and the Goulds. Their influence is evident in the expansion of the main house from a country villa “in the pointed style” to a Gothic mansion, the park-like design of the grounds, as well as in the rich furnishings and decorations inside.
I highly recommed going to see the Floral design show in the spring or the Christmas display on Thanksgiving weekend. Both are beautifully done and showcase the mansion at its finest.
-Ann Wetzel
Check out the Garden Calendar page this month to learn about how to protect shrubs in winter
Welcome New Members
Joan Lange
Claudia Chernoff
Ronnie's Recap
At our November meeting: “GARDENING CAN BE MURDER”
BY MARTA MCDOWELL
Don’t say you weren’t warned - be careful out there!
Our delightful November speaker was the well-known gardener/writer Marta McDowell, who has skillfully combined her love of gardening, writing, and research in her many award-winning books such as “Emily Dickinson’s Gardening Life,” “Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life,” and others.
For her presentation to us, she elaborated on her research for her “Gardening Can Be Murder” book to enlighten and amuse us about how various mystery writers have used the dangers lurking within the garden to provide the murder weapons or schemes in their books.
She began with Nancy Drew (which sent many of us on a nostalgia trip), and brought us up through the history of great mystery writers past and present, including Edgar Allen Poe, Wilkie Collins, of course Agatha Christie, Ellis Peters, and many others.
Marta explained that this recent book began as a “pandemic project” which put her in touch with many librarians, and that the dramatic illustrations were done by Yolanda V. Fundora, who is primarily a quilter and was inspired for this work by the illustrations of Edward Gorey!
She followed the book format in describing how authors have used gardens and gardening for the locations, motives, weapons, and suspects in their books.
Finally, Marta recommended a number of garden-themed mystery books that she has enjoyed. These include:
Ellis Peters, “The Codfael Chronicles” (made into a series with Derek Jacobi)
Cynthia Riggs, “Deadly Nightshade” (takes place on Martha’s Vineyard)
Tony Hillerman, “The Wailing Wind” (involves caltrop, or Puncture Vine).
And many others. If people are interested I will compile a more thorough list. Let me know!
HOT NEW HOUSEPLANTS
To get excited about
Add this fantastic hot new plant; the Golden Crocodile Philodendron to your Holiday shopping list! Click here to learn more about this golden plant!
November
Horticultural Competition
Phalaenopsis orchid, ornamental grasses, Candy Corn and Potpourri
Click on gallery to view slideshow
Horticultural
Ann Wetzel 1st Place C8b Ikebana
Alstroemeria inca, Verbena bonariensis, Lychnis Coronaria and Swiss Chard
Marty Nyear 1st place P43b Marble Queen Pathos
Botanical Arts
Anne Cognato 1st Place Q44 Photograph Sunflower & Bee
​Mary Wagner 1st place Q45 Painting Winter snow scene
The New Horticultural Competition Manual
The Horticultural Competition committee has done a re-write of the Horticultural competition manual. Our intention is to make it more inclusive to everyone to express their creativity even if they do not have a garden to harvest plants and flowers from. We have expanded the Floral Design Division and simplified the Plant Cultivation Division.
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We have new a floral design category that entrants can use store bought flowers and plants or borrowed/foraged plants and materials to create a wonderful design. Store purchased material is limited to just this floral design category. The new category is Class 2 Arrangements of Purchased/Borrowed Materials, located in the new Floral Division section. All the other categories in the competition remain as cultivated by the entrant for 6 months.
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We also added a mixed media category for everyone to let their creativity soar : Class 4 Mixed Media Arrangements: Can contain flowers, foliage, fruits and other materials. All of these plant materials must have been grown by the entrant. We also created the "Tablescapes" class for people that would like to present arrangements for a dinner table. Must contain at least 2 pieces from place setting; such as but not limited to dishes, glassware, tea cups ectera.
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We also aimed to simply the categories for plant cultivation entries. Classes are now broken down by type of plant: Trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, houseplants, orchids, cactus and fruits & vegetables.
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The botanical arts category remains mostly unchanged except for clarification that no plant material can be entered. All plant materials belong in one of the Horticultural Divisions. In the Painting category the media used must now be listed, such as but not limited to watercolor, pastel, acrylic ectera.
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The new manual will go into effect January 2026. The new manual will be uploaded to the website prior to the January 18, 2026 meeting.
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Thank you to all of the volunteers who worked on the new Horticultural Competition manual: Ronnie Brancazio , Katherine Readinger, Margaret Duryea, Ava Grego, Barbara Hanft, Maureen Wawrzonek, Ann Wetzel
Thank you to Maureen Wawrzonek for the Hospitality Table Centerpiece.
Donations to the Hospitality Table: Ava Grego, Courtney Quinn, Shelly Maines, Patty Jarrett, Laura Weill, JoAnn Semeraro, Ann Wetzel, Sharon Rubin, Suzan & Dale Goldstein, Anne Cognato, Maureen Wawrzonek, Judith Dunn, Susanne Millner, Toni & Stuart Germain, Muriel Drew, Joan Insogna, James & Donna Conrad, Francine Reff, Allison West
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Donations to the Raffle Table: Courtney Quinn, Shelly Maines, Gloria Rotherstein, Laura Weill, Kathy Readinger, David & Rosemarie Papayanopulos, Suzanne Giwoyna, Joan McGillicuddy, Toni & Stuart Germain, Allison West​​​
Membership Form
Dues for membership are:
Single $35, Household: $45, Student $5
Please fill out the Membership Form here on the website, when renewing or joining. Just type your information into the form and print it out. Bring it with your dues to a meeting or mail it to the address on the bottom of the form.
LIHS Membership Gift Certificate
The holiday season is here, and a one-year membership to the LI Horticultural Society would be a great gift! Gift Certificates will be available for purchase at our monthly meetings. A LIHS membership form needs to be completed for the certificate recipient so come prepared with your friend’s name, address, phone number and email address.
Cook's Corner
This month's recipe comes from Janet Tafuro Chocolate Fudge Bars
Sing-A-Long
Percy the Puny Poinsettia
