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President's Letter - Spring 2022

President's Letter - Spring 2022

Dear Fellow AHS Members, 

Spring has arrived with all its anticipations of new beginnings. So too, I feel, is the American Hydrangea Society beginning anew. After living these past two years through Zoom meetings, social distancing, and mask-clad visits we will have a fresh start with an actual LIVE meeting! AHS is returning to the Atlanta History Center, AHC, for our Monday, April 25, 2022 meeting. What a treat it will be to see our friends again and hopefully meet new ones. Our speaker will be longtime AHS friend, Dr. Michael Dirr, whose topic is “Adventures in Hydrangea Breeding: 40-years later and still chasing the dream”

For some of you, this may be your first time attending a meeting in person. Our meetings are held in the AHC’s Woodward Auditorium in McElreath Hall. While we have been away, there has been a beautiful refurbishment inside with new furnishings and a new AV system. The audible quality is wonderful throughout the auditorium. If you would like to social distance, there is not a bad seat in the house. Our social time begins at 7 pm and the meeting begins at 7:30 pm, parking is free. 

As you are approaching the entrance to the hall, please check out the raffle plants aligning the walkway. Raffle tickets are available for purchase inside and as always, current 2022 members receive 1 free raffle ticket. Winners of the raffle plants will be announced at the end of the meeting. Please be aware no plant material is allowed inside the building to protect the historical items. If you are unable to attend in person, we will be sending a link to the live stream which is provided by the Atlanta History Center. More information will be sent closer to the meeting date. The AHC will also have the video available after the meeting on their YouTube channel. 

Thank you to those of you who preordered and prepaid for Dr. Dirr’s new book, The Hydrangea Book: The Authoritative Guide. We will have a designated area where you may collect your order during the social time before the meeting. There may be a few extra books available that evening, but numbers will be limited. We will only be able to take cash or check the night of the meeting. 

I would like to thank Mike Knee, Margaret Manoharan, and Ozzie Johnson for volunteering in the gardens of the AHC. They spent one morning recently happily fertilizing the hydrangeas. If you are interested in helping in the garden alongside a fun group of gardening enthusiasts on May 16th from 9:30 am until 12:30 pm, please contact Volunteer Chair, Mike Knee, at volunteers@americanhydrangeasociety.org  

If you would like to join or renew your membership for 2022 now is the time to complete the task. Please select the “Join” link in the menu bar. Then on the “Join” page, click on the link for our new AHS Membership Toolkit website. It is very easy to complete the form online and pay by credit card. If you prefer to pay by check or cash, you will need to fill out the membership form online then print out the pdf form. Bring your payment and the completed membership form to the April meeting or mail it to the NEW AHS address - P.O. Box 420753, Atlanta, GA 30342

The annual AHS Garden Tour is Saturday, June 11th from 9 am until 5 pm, rain or shine. Our tour committee has found gardens with unique and varied plantings, hardscape, water elements and of course hydrangeas. If you would like to volunteer for the tour, contact Mike Knee soon. AHS members are already signing up for a three-hour shift.  Volunteers are invited to the Pre-Tour Party on Sunday, June 5th and may tour the gardens on Friday, June 10th from 10 am until 2 pm. 

Thank you for being a part of this wonderful society. See you on April 25th and please bring a friend or two. 

With appreciation, 

Eva Kinney, AHS President

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