Forget Me Not Newsletter of Tampa Federation of Garden Club Circles, Inc.

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1 Forget Me Not Winter Newsletter of Tampa Federation of Garden Club Circles, Inc Maria Johnson, Editor Tampa Garden Club 2629 Bayshore Boulevard Tampa, FL (813) The mission of the Tampa Garden Club is to build relationships through education, beautification and preservation of our community Officers President Kitty Wallace Old Fashioned 1stVP Carole Guyton Founders 2nd VP Maria Johnson R. Secy Sherry Leffers C. Secy Brenda Kinley Treasurer Ada Pyles, OF For Love of a Garden, Feb. 14 President s Message Winter greetings! This is a busy season for the Tampa Garden Club. Vegetables, designs, pirates, valentines, oh my! The vegetable gardeners are busy harvesting their crops. Tampa Heights Community Garden has topped 200 gardeners on board with the addition of another large youth group and their mentors, the Crescent Foundation. The addition of an aquaponic garden will add a dimension to our partner-garden of which we can be very proud. The two gardens that were awarded our Community Growth Grants in 2014, The Sustainable Living Project, and the Tampa Eden Project, are both producing vegetables to feed hungry members of our community. Those interested in increasing their skills in floral design will be attending the six classes of the Floral Design School held here on Tuesdays in February and March. There are a few spots available; see the website for more information: Pirates and parades will keep us busy the last two Saturdays in January. Our members participate in the Gasparilla Children s Parade and the Pirate Fest by offering restroom facilities (for a donation), and keeping the adult pirates and parade attendees well wetted at our beer garden. Members have had an opportunity to sign up to assist. For more information on how to help, call We are still looking for refreshments for our volunteers to be delivered on Friday, Jan. 30. Valentine s evening offers members the opportunity to enjoy our beautiful venue, to kick up our heels, have some fun AND benefit a good cause. The Tampa Garden Club s benefit gala, For Love of a Garden, will be honoring Joanne Frazier, Amaryllis, at this event, transforming our ballroom into a rock n roll and flowerpower setting as we return to the Age of Aquarius Love in the 60 s. We look forward to seeing you and your loved ones. Invite your family and friends as your guests by returning the response card you will receive in your invitation. What other projects are we working on? Planning has begun for our Kids in the Garden Summer Nature Camp, June Registration will begin in March. The Tampa Garden Club has launched the Legacy project recently, transferring all of our precious historical albums and scrapbooks to digital format. If you are interested in helping, let us know. There are so many ways you can utilize your membership in the Tampa Garden Club to increase your gardening knowledge/skills, and contribute to your community. We are gardeners; we are designers; we are earth stewards. We are some of the most interesting people around. Let s get to know each other, learn from each other and have some fun. Kitty Wallace, President Page 1

2 TAMPA GARDEN CLUB HOLIDAY MARKET AND FLOWER SHOW Working like Santa s elves, the members of the Tampa Federation of Garden Club Circles converted the Tampa Garden Club into a winter wonderland of flowers and crafts during the combined flower show and holiday market on Nov. 1 entitled Under the Pergola: Celebrations To Remember, A Small Standard Flower Show. Flower show chairwoman, Pam Slagg, reported that the show was a success combined with the Holiday Market. For many it was the first time entering, participating and viewing a Flower Show. All circles participated in some way, exhibiting horticulture, or designs. Many helped with the behind the scenes activities like staging, promoting, clerking. Pam Slagg, Flower Show Chairwoman Blue ribbon winners were Mary Jo Shenk for Buffet table, Patty Jenkins for Capsule table, Bonnie Miller for Community Celebration Design, Parke Finold of Manatee River Garden Club won blue for her design in the Celebrating the Self category and Kathy Echevarria won the blue for the Miniature design. In Horticulture many blue ribbons were given to excellent healthy plants. The Growers Choice awards were given to Carole Guyton for her Lime Warty Gasteria, and Kathy Echevarria for her Huernia. Page 2

3 Flower Show and Holiday Market continued Arboreal awards were given to Kitty Wallace for her Cassia and Meg Whitmer, who won an Award of Merit for the Mexican Sunflower. Susan Ogle won the Challenge Award for her vertical Hanging Garden, which was later auctioned. Top Design Award went to Patty Jenkins and top Horticulture Award went to Kathy Echevarria for her Dish Garden. Additionally, Karen Carmody s display of her Fabulous Fairy and Gnome Gardens was a big hit. Kathy Echevarria, left, with Marilyn Houser Flower show clerks, from left, Laura Fellows, Marilyn Houser, Lois McLane and Diana Sullivan. Thank you to the judges who came from all over to make our flower show possible. Judges from the St. Petersburg Garden Club were Jill Anderson, Carol Lucia, Bess Morse, Phyl Lawson and Pat Strawn. Two judges from the Sunset Park Garden Club were Jayne Smith and Peggiann Fowler. The other judges were Christi Linke from the Plant City Garden Club; Pat Carver from the Dade City Garden Club and Lori Richie from the Manatee River Garden Club. Flower show clerks were Laura Fellows, Marilyn Houser, Lois McLane, Diana Sullivan, and Linda Gilreath. Founder s Garden Circle, from left, Janice Chapman, Carol Guyton, and Becky Savitz With Tampa Garden Club president Kitty Wallace, helping to coordinate, the Holiday Market, was not only a fundraiser for the Tampa Garden Club, it also served as a friendraiser welcoming the community to come and enjoy a beautiful sunny day while shopping for holiday gifts like homemade crafts, pre-made meals, antiques, orchids and topiaries, clothing and jewelry. Village Garden Circle members, from left, Susan Ogle, Diane Warholic, Mary Gonzalez,and Hazel Robles. Page 3

4 Flower Show and Holiday Market continued Lois McLane, Town and Country Garden Circle member, mans the Blue Star Marker table collecting funds to refurbish the memorial to Veterans on the corner of Hillsborough Avenue and Florida Avenue. Members of Old Fashioned Garden Circle setting up their wares are Kathy Echevarria, from left, with Jayne Hemstreet and Ada Pyles. Selling The Country Capers cookbooks, reprinted by Circle, are Laura Fellows and Beverly Austin. The book, which is still for sale, is just $11.00 and can be purchased at the Tampa Garden Club office. Selling homemade jellies and jams from Amaryllis Garden Circle, from left are Lyndsay Robbins, Cindy Hadlow, and Karen Carmody. THE GREAT BACKYARD BIRD COUNT The GBBC (Great Backyard Bird Count) is February The web site is You can sign up for their newsletter and learn a lot about birds. On the web site you can even identify the birds you are looking at if you are not sure what they are. What a great way to get your Junior Gardeners involved with counting and learning about birds. Just 15 minutes a day, look around and write down as many birds as you see. Make a list and send it to Christi Linke at clinke3173@aol.com and they will be registered on the web site. Let's see how many we can get. The web site explains it all, Page 4

5 GARDEN NEWS Liz Reynolds & Carole Guyton, Founders. Wedding Garden Expansion Founders Garden Circle has taken the lead in expanding the Wedding Garden at the Tampa Garden Center. Becky Savitz, former Founder's president, was instrumental in developing the plan and setting up the job. Heather Ferrill, Moonlight Garden Circle, along with her husband, David of Ferrill Construction, managed the project, donating much of their service. Carole Guyton, Founders, coordinated the activities. Seating capacity is now over 200. The expansion of the Wedding Garden was a labor of love for the Robbins family as well. Jimmie Robbins was one of the architects for the building. Daughter, Anne Butler, is a member of Amaryllis Garden Circle. Grandson, Charles Butler, volunteered to re-sod the wedding garden for his Eagle Scout badge. Thank you to all who donated to this project. The Circle marble slabs were given a featured place. The large oak tree that stood in front of the ballroom windows overlooking the bay was removed recently following an ample period of attempting to reclaim it from the clutches of the strangler fig that had grown up and through it. After consulting with the arborist, Jason Zysk, from GreenWorksarbors, we applied for a permit and had it removed. See you at For Love of a Garden, Feb. 14 Page 5