Friday, October 6, 2023, members the Garden Club of Celebration took a private tour of Knox Horticulture in Winter Garden. Greg Grothe, Head Grower of young plants, showed us the different stages of growth of a plant, from a cutting to a finished product. Their massive nursery had a germination room, a misting room, and greenhouses lined with Dutch rolling benches filled with flowers and poinsettias.
This newsletter I am forwarding to all of you is put out quarterly.
Don Kendzior was the club speaker that talked about raccoons and hummingbirds several years and his group puts out his great informational letter (One of my daughters does some of the editing work for him while she lives out in Tacoma, WA). If you like what he has to say and want to get his newsletter each time it comes out, contact him and get on his mailing list. It is full of interesting info.
As you know I am in Europe right now while Jaime and crew ably take care of the club duties. She ran our September meeting, set up the fall field trips, worked on the new web sight with Linda, ran a club table at the Home Expo in November, WILL run two Farmers Market booths, works with Sean on the pine straw sale and writes up the Celebration Newsletter for me. She is a tireless worker and I am so glad she and husband Jeff have joined our board. We couldn’t run the club so well this fall without them. Thank you!! Jeff is our club Secretary but he is also the photographer at club events and is helping me and Paul Dunlop with the Poinsettia sale
Speaking of which, the sale has started and plants can be ordered from the website. Go to our newly redesigned website and see all the changes and additions that Linda Quinn has come up with for us. Kudos to you. We want the site to be informational as well as a marketplace for our sales. We want to get a Master Gardener section implemented this year where you, or anyone in town, can ask questions about their plants and we will try to answer them. We have a number of Master Gardeners in the club(several new members among them)and currently have one member currently being trained. Carolyn Gezon is her name.
So check out the site and while you are there order some plants. Or pine straw! We have already sold 2/3 of the trailer so don’t delay if you want to get some. And wish Sean, who took over from Dave as head of the pine straw sale here in town, quick recovery from a little medical issue. Thanks Sean. We are thinking of you.
Sue and I are currently in Granada, Spain and just halfway through our Spain and Portugal visit. Then we will cruise back home to see you all at the November meeting. We can always use more help with club activities. The luncheon, clean up at the Memorial Garden later this month(thanks Meryl!), running the farmer market booths where we will be selling poinsettias, set up prior to meetings and food goodies for the great hospitality table are all ways we could use your help. (A little by all keeps a few from being overloaded with work to get the job done)
A long letter I ended up putting out where I had intended to just forward the newsletter from Don Kendzior! But so much work has been put forth to run the club this fall. We had lots of meetings his summer to bring everyone to speed and our club helpers have surpassed my wildest dreams as to how the club is running. Thanks again Jaime, Jeff, Meryl, Linda etc, etc.
Brad Wagoner
Celebration Garden Club President (on leave for now)
Here is Dons newsletter.
Autumn Greetings!
The fall issue of N2Nature is here and full of great features!
Main Features:Living Smart: Learn about the tiny house movement.
Saving Nature: See the great work of Bat Conservation International.
Nature Connection: Chip Taylor, founder of Monarch Watch, shares his personal nature connection.
Noah’s Animal Notes: Learn all about monarch butterflies.
Seasonal Features:
Eco-Travel: Explore Costa Rica!
Celebrate the Season: See the vibrant cultural celebration of Dia de los Muertos!
Eco-Tips: Our fall home and garden eco-tips.
Ask the Naturalist: Why do birds migrate? Why do leaves change color? What are citizen science programs?
Naturetainment: Enjoy our nature themed entertainment picks this fall.We hope you enjoy this issue and have a wonderful fall!
The Garden Club is holding its fall Pine Straw sale from September 20 until we sell a trailer full. Usually mid-October. The bales sell for 6.75 each plus a .75/bale delivery fee right to your front door. Pine Straw is a great mulch for use around your trees and shrubs. Each bale will cover around 20 square feet to a depth of several inches. Place your order now!
We always could use more help from our club members. Our programs include working with the K-8 schools, the Memorial Tree initiative, the Butterfly and Memorial Gardens, beautifying CROA parklands and more. We cannot do these programs if we don’t have volunteers. To volunteer to head or work on a committee, talk to club VP Jaime Eriks at the next club meeting or contact her via the club email at celebrationgardenclub@gmail.com!
There will be a Home Improvement Expo at town hall on Saturday September 9 from 9-12. (The expo is sponsored by Exquisite Lawn Care and Its owner Brian Causey. He will be our first club speaker on September 20) The club has a booth space reserved that Jaime and Jeff Eriks will be managing. We could use some more volunteers to assist them. We will be distributing brochures advertising the garden club along with brochures promoting the upcoming pine straw and poinsettia sales. The pine straw sale starts September 20 and poinsettias are sold beginning on October 1.
Please contact Jaime at the club email, gardenclubofcelebration@gmail.com, if you can help the club. This is our first event of the year.
We also have a booth reserved at Celebration Farmers Market on Sunday October 8 and November 5. The Market runs from 10-2 at that time of the year. We need volunteers to help here also. There will be 9-11:30 slots and 11:30-2:00 slots. We should have at least two people staffing the booth at each session. The main reason for the booth is to take orders for our poinsettia sale and, on October 8, the pine straw sale. We will also be promoting membership in the club. Both market days will find us sharing our booth with the Master Gardeners and you can ask them questions you may have about your plants. And again. Contact Jaime at the club email, gardenclubofcelebration@gmail.com,to sign up for these slots.