Events & Happenings

A group of Garden Club members were given a tour of the indoor garden at Gaylord Palms Hotel. Bethany Lahey, horticulturist, took us around all parts of the wonderful hotel giving us lots of information about the plants and how they care for them. She told us about the development of the hotel from it’s opening in 2002 and the rare plant specimens such as Percy that inhabit the garden. We admired the displays of tulips, daffodils, grape hyacinths, hyacinths and tete a tete miniature daffodils in borders around the pathways.  The edible garden was interesting with specimens of coffee, nutmeg, bay rhum and other trees.

A large group of members volunteered to work early in the morning in the butterfly garden at Give Kids The World. This garden was once an oasis for the children but had become overgrown and uncared for. Using their gardening skills, Garden Club members and some husbands cleared and pruned overgrown shrubs, cleared areas of invasive ferns and Mexican petunia and tidied neglected areas. We replanted the three raised beds with herbs and some flowers.  It was a great morning’s work. Picture will be available on the website at the end of the project. Before and after!!

A group of Garden Club members visited Wekiva Youth Camp in the grounds of Wekiva Springs State Park. We had a guided tour of the camp facilities by camp counsellors, all of whom had attended camp when they were younger.  They were all really enthusiastic about life for 3rd to 8th grade youngsters, the activities that were available and the wonderful atmosphere at the camp. We were all impressed by their approach and obvious enjoyment in providing a wonderful experience for the children. We are hoping to sponsor several children to attend camp this summer and in future years.

A group of seventeen members drove along the seven mile Black Point Wildlife drive. Chet Blazek told us about the birds along the way. Birds showed off their plumage to attract a mate and others were preparing for their long flights north for the summer months. After the drive everyone enjoyed a wonderful fish lunch at Dixie Crossroads restaurant, Titusville (highly recommended), followed by a visit to the Merritt Island Visitor Center and the Canaveral seashore. Two highlight sightings were the Roseate Spoonbill and the fairly rare Sora Rail.