1. Welcome and Call to Order
Parker welcomed everyone and thanked hostesses – Catherine Fleetwood, Emily Jordan, Shelby Neely and Sallie Smith
Parker re-introduced Jane Sterne, since she moved back to Atlanta.
2. Reading and Approval of Minutes
● Parker mentioned she would like to approve the minutes from the November 2023 meeting which have been posted on the website. Esther Garges made a motion to approve the minutes as submitted? Ginny Keough made a second? All voted in favor.
Parker read the Mimosa Garden Club Purpose as stated in the Bylaws.
“The purpose of this Club shall be 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.”
3. Officer Reports
a. Vice President – Kendrick Williams
Kendrick mentioned that she would be sending out a sign-up genius for the new members to participate in the horticulture division of the Flower Show, Primavera for February 23.
b. Second Vice President, Speech School – Mary Ayres Griggs Despite the dormant lawn and the cutting back of ornamental grasses, the Mimosa Garden was a beautiful setting for the annual Hamm Center snowball fight! The event was featured in last week’s Weekly Word, ahead of the long weekend. The caption reads – Who needs real snow when you have determined teachers, a snow cone machine and enthusiastic 3s and pre-K classes?! The annual Hamm Center snowball fight took place in our Mimosa garden this week.
Mary Ayres passed around pictures from the Speech School.
c. Corresponding Secretary – Leslie Neely, Katie Bockstedt
NO REPORT
d. Treasurer – Margaret Warren
Margaret mentioned the three account balances are as follows: Operating: $14,968
Savings: $7,878
Party: $7,581
Total: $30,427
She thanked everyone that had paid their dues.
She said we make two contributions annually. They are to:
● $2,000 to the Atlanta Speech School (provide plants and general maintenance of our garden.) She’s leaving the check here today.
● $3,000 to The Atlanta History Center, specifically the Quarry Garden (check will be mailed today.)
After the party proceeds are finalized, we will make additional contributions to these organizations (40% going to the Atlanta Speech School and 60% going to the Atlanta History Center.
4. Committee Reports
a. Programs – Britt Hill and Alden Potts
NO REPORT
b. Membership & Dues – Mary Mac Southerland
Parker- thanked everyone for paying their annual membership dues and said that Mary Mac has reached out to them individually if they haven’t.
c. Historian – Jinny Keough
NO REPORT
d. Parliamentarian – Jackie Cushman
NO REPORT
e. Website- Jennifer Hill
Parker asked for members to please add info@mimosagardenclub.com to their email contacts because it prevents the emails from going to Junk and Spam folders.
f. State Garden Club Liaison – WaWa Hines
NO REPORT
5. Business
● Amaryllis Project – Parker asked people to take pictures of their amaryllises planted and send them to Alden Potts at aldenpotts@homegeorgia.com or aldenpotts@icloud.com
● Parker talked how Mimosa participated in the ‘Victorian Holiday at Oakland’ event at Oakland Cemetery in early December. They had a fun morning decorating the Kiser Mausoleum. She thanked Mandy Culpepper for leading the decorating with her wonderful creativity! And thanked Shelby Drinkard, Ginny Keough, Kendrick Williams, Aimee Nix, Kellie Spalding, Lindsey Sones (biked), Mims Hill, Alden Potts, Britt Hill, and Sarah McElroy for working on this project. And then passed around some some pics.
● Parker reported that Mimosa also participated in the Cathedral by Design event this past weekend benefitting the Boyce Ansley School. Mimosa provided flowers for the check-in tables for the kickoff party. Mims Hill, Liles Thompason, Julie Yates and Parker did four arrangements. Mims was a huge help and had a wonderful vision!
● Parker requested everyone to make sure all of your contact information is up to date in our online member directory. She passed around a sheet to update contact information. Please complete and let me know if you need to change your mailing address as well.
● Parker mentioned submitting new member candidate’s details and endorsements via the website by our March meeting (March 26th). You can find the nomination form under “Member Info” from the main menu on the website. Voting will take place April 1-15. New members will be announced at the April 23rd meeting.
● Parker talked about assembling the slate for the 2024-2025 Board of Directors. We need one (1) Active and one (1) Associate member to be part of the Nominating Committee (also consisting of Past President Aimee Nix, Vice President Kendrick Wiliams, and me.)
Linsdey Sones nominated the Active member Jessica Brown. Parker Tekin accepted for Jessica Brown.
Blair Mann nominated the Associate member Catherine Fleetwood. Catherine Fleetwood accepted.
● Parker said the next meeting will be February 27th at Oakland in the newly renovated Bell Tower.
6. Program
● Comer Yates, Executive Director, gave an update on the happenings at the Atlanta Speech School.
Third Vice President, Quarry Garden – Elkin Taylor
We are resurfacing all of the Quarry Garden trails with slate chips and fines. This makes a nice soft, but solid surface to walk upon and we have been shifting all of our wood chip paths to slate chip over the past year throughout Goizueta Gardens. We will begin that process next week! The slate chips are also a great substitute because they do not degrade over time the way you get from wood chips which become soil in about 6 months. The wood chip trails are also vole superhighways, and we are looking forward to the destructive creatures finding the quarry a less desirable location to live once the trails are renovated. This project may take up to a month to complete, but will be a great improvement!
7. Adjournment & Lunch
● Parker thanked Comer Yates, Haven Long and the Atlanta Speech School for hosting and thanked the hostesses again. (Catherine Fleetwood, Emily Jordan, Sallie Smith and Shelby Neely). She also thanked the members for making Mimosa a wonderful garden club and adjourned the meeting for lunch.