Issue 1 - July 2004
Published by Old Dominion African Violet Society located on the web at www.odavs.com
ODAVS is an affiliate
of the African Violet Society of America.
Please visit their web site at avsa.org
We
are also affiliated with Mid Atlantic African Violet Society MAAVS.org
Welcome to the first issue of the newsletter for ODAVS.
Please let me know if you have any problems so I can fix it before the next one.
I hope you are having a nice restful summer and that you and your violets are keeping cool. If you missed the July
meeting, you missed a great picnic. Mary was our gracious hostess and there was enough food for us all to go home satisfied.
See the end of this newsletter for the minutes of the meeting.
THE NEXT MEETING IS ON AUGUST 7TH FROM 9 TO 11am AT THE MASON
DISTRICT GOVERNMENTAL CENTER IN ANNANDALE, VA.
CONTENTS
1. A note from the President
2. Announcements
3.
What we did at our previous meeting
4. African Violet tips
A Note from President
Julie
I hope everyone is having a great summer! Unfortunately I will be
out of town for the next meeting (my husband surprised us with a mini vacation!) but I thought that it would be the perfect
time to do the "Dog Show" program. We haven't yet talked about programs for the coming year, and because so many people
are busy and have to miss meetings in the summer, this would be a good time for a casual unstructured program. It should
also be fun! Bring your ugliest, goofiest-growing violet to "show off". Please don't bring a plant that you think
may have a pest or fungal problem, just one that defies all attempts to make it behave.
We may have a prospective member named Lyn joining us for the August
meeting--please make her feel welcome! We also enjoyed seeing Christie at our
last meeting and hope to see lots more of her at future meetings.
Donna has found a wonderful way for us to interact with the community and
it may also be a great recruiting possibility. She has placed a notice in the Washington Post's Back-to-Class guide
that we will open our October meeting to the public and offer an African Violet Culture and Propagation Workshop. We
can discuss the logistics at the September meeting but if we all bring a few leaves and supplies for anyone who may show up
it would be a great opportunity to start some new addictions!
Don't forget to be thinking about items that we can put on the Ways and
Means table for MAAVS! If you know of a plant-related business that may be interested in donating items such as pretty
AV pots or household items, please feel free to contact them.
I’ll see you all at the September meeting.
(The announcement below is a little out of date, well, OK a LOT out of date, but if you hurry and get your list
sent to me we can still have a voice in this process.)
BEST VARIETIES LIST
Send Your Choices for 2004
Each year our best growers and hybridizers advise the beginning and even
experienced growers to check the Best Variety List in our African Violet Magazine for the surest and most consistent plants
to add to their collections. This advice is good because the Best Variety List
is the compilation of those varieties, new and old, which have performed well across the nation…and around the world,
in many different growing conditions, and with many different approaches to growing. And, because the List is made up from
the choices AVSA members submit, the Best Variety List is your list, those plants which
have done the best for you.
Here is your opportunity to make your voice heard. Which are your favorites? Which would you encourage others to buy
and raise?
Between now and July 31, 2004, every member of the AVSA is encouraged to
take time to sit down and make a list of 25 of their favorite plants. The lists may be sent singly or as a part of an club’s
summary. A club can make an evening’s program or culture class an open discussion of favorites, and then a collection
of “votes”.
The more votes, the better the List! Plan now to have all your members participate…and then watch the November/December
African Violet Magazine for the results.
IF YOU SEND ME YOUR TOP VIOLETS BY JULY 30TH
I CAN STILL GET IT SENT IN SO HURRY!! My email is JilleneD@aol.com
ODAVS Gets Its Own Store!
Hey everyone, be sure to check out our very own store at cafepress.com !
We have ODAVS t-shirts among other violet-related items and every purchase makes a small profit for the club. There
are several clothing items as well as some things that would make great gifts. New items will be added occasionally
so come back often. Check it out at www.cafepress.com/odavs !
MAAVS Ways and Means Committee
We have gladly accepted the responsibility for the Ways
and Means Committee for the MAAVS Convention this fall. This includes being in
charge of the raffles and providing table favors for the banquet. Find out more
about this exciting opportunity at our next meeting.
At Our Previous Meeting…..
On July 10, 2004 the Old Dominion African Violet Society held their first annual picnic
meeting at the home of Mary Mostafa. President Laurene Jones called the meeting
to order. The first order of business was the election of officers for the next
year. The results were:
President: Julie Gordon
Vice President: Michelle Lewis
Secretary: Jillene Dolister
Treasurer: Mary Mostafa
AVSA Liaison: Martha Neave
Donna Christianson was appointed Show Chairman, Laurene Jones was appointed scheduling
chairman, and Kathy Bieritz was appointed snacks chairman.
Topics discussed were the need for by-laws, the Ways and Means Committee strategies, and
THE NEW STORE!!! Pat Cash was appointed chairman of the Ways and Means Committee
when she went out to her car, and Laurene was appointed Chairman of the table favors for the convention.
We enjoyed the company of Bonnie, Julie's mother, and we were delighted when she joined our
club! Welcome, Bonnie!
After the meeting we all ate hot dogs from the grill and the assorted side dishes brought
by all the members. A good time was had by all.
Ever have problems with green algae in your
reservoirs? Try adding two tablespoons of Hydrogen Peroxide to a gallon of water. No more green and it’s good for the roots, too!
The oxygen helps the roots absorb nutrients at a faster
rate, and can increase a plant's growth.
