October 2025 Meeting
Valerie Crabtree – Let’s Talk Herbs!

Valerie Crabtree is self-taught, gardening herb officio. Valerie talked the audience through the process of growing their favorite herbs in containers. She demonstrated the process, pot, clean dirt, seeds and thoughtful care thereafter. Not too much sun, watch for wilting – they need regular watering with potable water or natural rainwater (not caught off the roof). It is important to avoid reclaimed water, as herbs watered with reclaimed water are no longer edible. Watch for bugs and use only organic treatments. You will be rewarded with fresh herbs before you know it.

Her go-to reference books are:

• Gardening in Containers, Editorial Staff of Ortho Books, Designer Gary Hespenheide
• The Herb Book – Arabella Boxers & Philippa Back

All you need to start are: Seeds, flowerpots (containers), clean potting soil, Organics Insecticidal Soap, Neem Oil, Miracle Gro Watering Can Singles, 6.5” pruning shears (Fondwell), and garden gloves.  

Valerie brought some of her freshly cut herbs – dill, basil, rosemary, sage, cilantro, thyme. The aroma from fresh herbs were magical. Valerie gave Cindy Smith made rosemary; Cindy baked focaccia bread. Each garden club member received samples to taste and to take home. 

November 2025 Meeting
Adaptive Gardening with Jessica Sullivan

Jessica Sullivan, from the Osceola Country Extension, gave an enlightening talk on how to save your body while working in your garden. She suggested gardening in raised beds. On-the-ground beds should be a least two feet tall, 3-4 feet wide with a stable surface surrounding the beds. She demonstrated cool tools for raised beds – Garrett Wade hori, hori gardening knife, T-Grip, and raised bed cultivator from Gardeners Supply. Jessica also discussed the purpose of a variety of tools; what each was best used for – pointed digging spade for digging in roots, tools for hoeing, and how to use hand pruners. She recommended Fiskars Powergear hand pruners, Fiskars Power-Gear Loopers with ratchet action (for up to 2inch branches) and Fiskars Power Gear Super Loopers. Jessica demonstrated tools with arm support, braces/grip aids, and adaptive handles for leverage. 

She also suggested making a practice of warmup exercises and stretches prior to beginning your gardening or lawn work. To reduce back strain you should use a wide stance when raking, cultivating hoeing, or shoveling. She recommends keeping your back straight and move with your knees. Ensure you have the right garden work shoes and gloves to protect yourself from fungi, bacteria, parasitic worms and protozoa. Looks like I need to do some garden tool shopping, how about you? 

Further information is available at: 
Webinars, Resources on gardening for human health. 
www.flhhn.com
[email protected]

January 2026 Meeting
Sustainability with Danny Sexton, Kissimmee Florist

Our January meeting featured Danny Sexton of Kissimmee Florist. Kissimmee Florist is a 45-year-old family business. It started with Ray Bud, who later married a woman named Rose. Yes, it’s true! 

Between April and May 2025, the florist industry experienced an across the board 20% cost increase. This drove home that we all need to be better stewards of flowers. Kissimmee Florist recycles as much as they can. Special section of vases is repurposed for donating excess flowers to nursing homes. 

Sustainability is now on the consumer. The consumer should take better care of their flowers. How we take care of flowers impacts the industry. In summary, avoid too much light, change the water, use flower preservative, cut the stems, this will help the flowers live longer. Better care of the flower stems slows the cycle of flower demand, so it saves water, time, fertilizer. When a flower is cut; the amount of fluid in the stem, is the life of the flower. Look at the stem before you put them in the water, you want to see bright white in the stem if it is dark, the stem is clogged. Droop head syndrome is what happens when the water channel (stem) becomes clogged. Cloudiness is bacteria in the water. 

The bottom the stem is the best indicator of a flower’s freshness. As it drinks the water out of the stem, it will crinkle, curl, pith in the middle, change color. The vividness of the color will fade. When you purchase flowers, prepare the vase and add the preservative package to water. Cut the stem, put the flower in the water as quickly as you can. Refresh with plain water, cut the stem again ½ inch. Look at the stem before placing them in the water, the stem should be bright white, if it is dark, the stem is clogged – cut again. 

There is a power to flowers, even if they are not long lasting. Danny says he doesn’t sell flowers, he sells love, forgiveness, emotion, sorry, love you, my thoughts are with you, or just because. Of all the things available, flowers will lighten someone’s life up. Danny lightened up five garden club members lives, as they won beautiful bouquets.

February 2026 Meeting
Raising Monarch Butterflies with Meryl Rachlin, Club Member

Meryl Rachlin presented a lecture on Monarch butterflies – more specifically about raising them.
With the widespread use of genetically modified seeds and the herbicide Roundup in agricultural, combined with the over-development of land throughout our country, the habitats for butterflies has diminished. The availability of both the flowering plants Monarchs rely on for food, as well as the essential Milkweed plant for egg-laying, continues to be depleted by millions of acres a year.  
The ability to raise monarchs seasonally in your yard may seem a small bite in this giant, horrible story but every little bit helps. The magical transformation from egg to butterfly is quite miraculous and to witness it is glorious. Meryl says the cost and work to doing so is quite worth it. Meryl has graciously shared the slides from her presentation on our News Page.

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March 2026 Meeting
Trees in Celebration with Scott Lussier, Certified Arborist and Garden Club Member

Scott Lussier presented and informative talk on taking care of the trees and shrubs in our gardens. He told us how to prune trees and shrubs, including a demonstation on how to hold pruning sheers the correct way. He also gave us excellent advice on how to nurture our shrubs that were damaged during the January freeze.