February Meeting Minutes

February Meeting Minutes

Date of Meeting: February 24, 2026

Location: Chastain Horse Park

Recording Secretary: Laura Troup 

Hostesses Jackie Cushman, Claire Benedict, Sandy Wagner, Alice Philips

 

1. WELCOME AND CALL TO ORDER

Louise Moore- call to order 10:40

 

2. READING AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes from January meeting approved

 

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND MEMBER UPDATES 

–– Yard critique done in past years will be back in April.  Sarah Barnes will be facilitating.  

–– Need locations for March and April meetings

–Sarah McElroy and Mary Mac Southerland with Amaryllis report and winners

–Louise Moore- Flower show report- Heirloom and 60’s hat entry at the show at the Botanical Garden. The Heirloom entry won second place.  The 60’s hat received an honorable mention.  

–Mimosa contribution to the Quarry Garden featured in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Magazine

 

 

4. OFFICER REPORTS

 

Vice President: Alden Potts

–– N/A

 

2nd VP Speech School: Jessica Brown

–– Everything dormant but daffodils blooming.  Want to plan a spring workday- date TBD 

–Opportunity for Sarah’s Garden at Second Ponce Church- 4 dates available in the spring to help beautify the space.  

 

3rd VP quarry garden: Shannan Hill

–– The garden is currently clearing out invasive species and pruning back shrubs and trees.  Working on an expansion plan focused on native plants.  New horticulturist- Lauren Ebert.

 

Treasurer: Margret Warren

–– Cash balance- 28, 938

 

 

 

 

5. COMMITTEE REPORTS 

 

Membership & Dues: Brittany Hill and Molly West

–– All dues in but one member

 

New Member Liaison: Jennifer Hill

–– New Member information online now. 3 openings this year, make sure the new member understands the new expectations, potential initiation fee, etc.  Be very thoughtful and deliberate about joining. 

–Tickets for spring party will go live soon.  Members required to buy 4 tickets- by check is $300, $309.78 to venmo- @jenhill, a late fee of $50 will be assessed after the purchase deadline.  Party is May 6th, 6-9

 

Correspondence & Website: 

–– Punchbowl has been confirmed to have all members emails

 

State Garden Club Liaison: Esther Garges

–– N/A

 

Parliamentarian: Sarah McElroy

–– N/A

 

Historian: Jinny Keogh

–– N/A

 

 

6. Unfinished or New Business

 

7. Adjournment 

.

 

8. Program

Trish- Chastain Horse Park history and operations

January Meeting Minutes

January Meeting Minutes

Meeting Location: Atlanta Speech School

Recording Secretary: Beverly Briggs

Hostesses: Shannan Hill, Jennifer Hill, Molly West and Allison Felton

1. WELCOME AND CALL TO ORDER

10:52 Call to order and Nell Mitchell introduces Comber Yates

Speech School update – committed to children, value your partnership, grateful for space Mimosa has provided, school is thriving, overrun with applications, only preschool in US from 35 diff zip codes. 90% of the brain develops in the first 5 years. Country in mental health epidemic for young children. Children born during COVID having developmental struggles. Tens of millions have been raised in Atl to help children post COVID. Need for relationships with children vs discipline.

Louise, “This is the garden we support (motions out window) and we’re going to have a work day. We give annually to the Speech School and the Atlanta History Center.”

2. READING AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes approved without additions or edits.

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND MEMBER UPDATES

Flower Show: Feb 17th through the weekend at the Botanical Garden. Amanda holding a meeting after this one. Botanical Garden needs volunteers. Lots of opportunities and a sign up genius will go out. We compete in 2 events. Nancy Riser is spearheading.

Amaryllis Update: Have received a lot of submissions. Need best photos emailed to MM by mid Feb to assign awards. Please limit to two photos.

Spring Party is May 6th from 6-9 at the Echols.

  • Any questions or thoughts reach out to Abbey directly. Ways to incorporate the old and the new: Members encouraged to bring desserts – if you make a special dessert, reach out to Abbey.
  • Members are required to buy four tickets to every party through your first 50 years of membership. Three hundred dollars for 4 tickets. Tickets will be on sale through the website in March.

May Mahjong: Gathering will be for those that know how to play. Another session will be held for lessons for those that don’t know how to play.

4. OFFICER REPORTS

2nd VP Speech School: Alden Potts: Cathedral Design Show major success. Money raised for Global Village Project for refugees. Abbey Echols and her team blew it out of the water. A few spots are left on the calendar for next year meeting hosts.

Treasurer: Margaret Warren Summarizes financials

A few people haven’t paid dues

Same annual donations to Speech School and History Ctr. Maybe we need to consider some ways to increase these annual donations to account for annual rates of inflation.

Louise reiterates  – it’s not fair to Margaret to keep having to track down dues.

5. COMMITTEE REPORTS

Membership & Dues: 

This is such a great group of women! Need to figure out ways to get people more involved and create a sense of community by hosting in homes, attending meetings, doing garden work.

Per bylaws, the purpose of this club should be to to promote among its members a love for and an intelligent interest in the cultivation of flowers, of gardens and of landscapes, the beautification of local streets and highways, the encouragement of love of nature, and the conservation of plants and trees throughout the State of Georgia.

The Special Projects supported by this Club are the development and care of the garden at the Atlanta Speech School and the development and care of the Mary Howard Gilbert Memorial Quarry Garden at the Atlanta History Center.

We’ve been giving the same donations for 30 years and need to consider, as a club, bumping up those donations.

Proposing a Membership Committee to assess annual dues through a variety of methods including in comparison to other garden clbs. Consisting of the 5 most recent past presidents, this group will determine where money might be best spent (e.g. paid speakers, venues, etc) to strengthen our sense of community within the club and to best align to our purpose. Accepted with no objections.

Three spots for new members. Reach out to Louise if you are putting someone up and we will be posting a nomination form to the website.

New Member nominees must have 1 sponsor and 2 endorsers, each must have at least three years of membership to participate.

Classes of memberships.

  • Member-Elect: new members are kind of on trial for the first 2 years. Bylaws require attendance to 5 meetings, working on Mimosa’s submission to the Flower Show and helping with the biannual party.
  • Active: You are considered an active member in your third year for 15 years…
  • Associate: year 16 through 25th
  • Sustaining members are those in their 26th year to 50th. They are required to attend one meeting a year.
  • 50 years or more earns honorary status with different perks and responsibilities. Professional and Non-Resident status have different requirements as well.\

Historian: Jenny Keough maintains the history of Mimosa started in July of 1928. Garden Club of Georgia started the same year. Shows family tree and wants to update that for our upcoming one hundred year celebration.

Original officers were known by their husbands names…Mimosa’s founding mothers include Havertys, Rhodes and Austins.

6. New Business

Nominating Committee comes up with the board. Shannan Hill nominates Jennifer Hill. Nell Mitchell nominated. Both approved.

Get together of the current board and the past three years of new members to discuss Mimosa, welcome and build community.

One hundred year party coming up in 2 years! Welcome anyone that wants to volunteer or be a chair of it.

Garden tour proposed for every other year to raise money. Alden suggests our fees could be higher. A higher financial commitment could equal a higher commitment and people might be more thoughtful about joining.

Next meeting is Feb 24th at the Chastain Horse Park.

7. Adjournment

12 Noon

November Meeting Minutes

November meeting MINUTES

Location: Swan Coach House
Recording Sec.: Ashley Whitehurst
Hostesses: Aimee Nix, Maysie Beeson, Elizabeth Spalding, & Sissy Davis
 
The speaker was Monica Thornton from The Nature Conservancy, & the meeting started at 10:35am.
 
The October minutes were approved.
 
Louise reminded everyone to sign up for 2026-2027 meetings. 
Speech School said they are using the garden for various things. They have an arborist trying to save a big tree, it is in peril. They would like a workday with us. 
Quarry Garden is dry from lack of rain. They also want to expand the native plants in the garden.
 
Pay your dues: $100
 
Esther Garges had no update on the State Garden Club.
 
Amanda Tucker updated us on the Flower Show. 
 
Amanda Orr had no update on the Spring Party.
 
Mimosa members are decorating the Collier Mausoleum at Oakland Cemetery for Christmas.
 
Mimosa was having a ladies only Christmas Party.
 
Jenny Keough & Mary Huntz gave us an amaryllis demonstration.
 
Lindsey (Last name??) won the gardening tip of the day!
 
Meeting adjourned at noon. 

October Meeting Minutes

October Meeting Minutes

  1. DATE: October 28, 2025 

  3. WELCOME AND CALL TO ORDER
    • Louise Moore- 10:45 call to order.
  1. READING AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES
    • Approval of minutes was passed
  1. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND MEMBER UPDATES
    • Acknowledgement of passing of members family members. Nell Mitchells Mother in law and Nell and Taylors father passed-  will announce when obituary is out.
  1. OFFICER REPORTS
    • President: Louise Moore-Welcome and call to order

    • Vice President report: Alden Potts–Will be assigning hostesses for next years meetings soon. Cathedral by Design will be raising money for the Global Village project.  We will be helping with flower arrangements.

    • 2nd VP Speech School: Jessica Brown No update

    • 3rd VP quarry garden: Shannon Hill No update

    • Treasurer: Margaret Warren
      • $14,937
      • $7,880- savings
      • 7,598- party
      • $30, 415- operating
  1. COMMITTEE REPORTS
    • Membership & Dues: Brittany Hill Request check or venmo or can pay thru the website. Venmo is $103 due to fee.  40% have paid-  dues due  Decemeber 1st to avoid late fee.

    • New Member Liason: no update

    • Correspondence & Website:
      • Guerry Redmond will update pictures and send to Jennifer to post to website this weekend.

    • State Garden Club Liaison: update given by Louise Moore–Every 6 years there is a state of Georgia Dogwood district meeting.  We provided two arrangements and a gift basket.  Both were sold as a fund raiser for Georgia State Garden Club.

    • Flower show update: Amanda Tucker-– New member arrangement as well as an arrangement open to all members.  Sign up going around.  New member theme is “60’s”. Encouraging members to check out the flower show- it’s a beautiful and impressive event. Flower show is at the Botanical Gardens in February. They will have a horticulture entry for anyone to submit.  Amanda will send more details.

    • Parliamentarian: Sarah McElroy No updates

    • Historian:–no update
  1. NEW BUSINESS
    • Mary Mac Southerland has placed order for Amaryllis bulbs- plan is to distribute them at the November meeting to those who ordered.  There will be a pick up location for those who cannot attend the meeting.

    • Discussion of a holiday get together in December for just members- looking for a home to host it.
    • May 12th Mahjong event at the Swan House  in lieu of the May meeting.  Will be in the morning with coffee.

    • Gardening tips offered from multiple members
  1. ADJOURNMENT 11:20 
  1. PROGRAM- speaker Sarah Carter of the Atlanta History Center brings us up to date on the state of the gardens

Harrison Jones

Caroline Allen’s brother, Harrison Jones passed earlier this month. Cookie Jones, his wife, was also a long time member of Mimosa. We are thinking of all of them.  

Please keep the Jones family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. You can link to his obituary here.

Sincerely,
Louise Moore.