Spring, Stop and Smell the Flowers Mary Ellen Roos, Laurel District Director Dear Laurels of Light,

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1 Stop and Smell the Flowers Mary Ellen Roos, Laurel District Director Laurells off Liight Dear Laurels of Light, Spring, 2013 OUR GARDEN OF GEORGIA Caroline Silcox, State President MEMBERSHIP OFFERS FOR EVERYONE Unified Regional Project "BUILDING MEMBERSHIP" Sara Lanier, Deep South Regional Director "PROUDLY SERVING OUR MEMBERS AND COMMUNITIES" Shirley Nicolai, NGC 42nd President Spring is just around the corner and the daffodils and robins can t wait to show their glory. We too are blooming with enthusiasm as the Deep South and Garden Club of Georgia Conventions begin to take shape. Many of you are serving as chairs for various committees; some will attend at least one of the conventions while others who can t make it will have contributed something to the goody bags and/or door prizes. Laurels light will shine as participants dip into their bags and pull out some very special goody to write with or munch on or just to admire. Your creativity expounded and the results are most gratifying. Thank you! Thank you! Thank You also goes out to: Sharon Payne and the Hiawassee Garden Club for hosting the final Board Meeting for this term at the Hiawassee Garden and England Center. The members of the Laurel District Board who have worked tirelessly in many respects to promote beautification, conservation and education throughout the local communities as well as the larger Georgia Community. Pat Weaver and Linda Alewine for completing the arrangements for planting the memorial trees for Margaret Ballard and Jeannine Row. As the term winds down, let s not lose our enthusiasm for one of the greatest organizations in Georgia, where friendships are formed, communities are positively affected, scholarships are distributed wisely and gardens and gardeners grow in many ways. The best of luck goes out to Jackie Fulmer who will be installed at the 85 th Annual Convention as Laurel s new District Director. Join us and many other Gardeners On Parade at the Hilton Marietta Hotel and Conference Center. (April 16-18) See your recent Garden Gateways for the registration form. It has been an honor to serve as your District Director for the last two years. We have accomplished a lot together to beautify, conserve and educate in the name of the Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. Don t let that light go out, Laurels. I m going to stick around to be there for Jackie and the new Board. How about you? Mary Ellen

2 Air and Water, Georgia Burns, Chairperson Water is an important part of the special projects for the presidents of GCG and NGC. Who owns the water? States decide so Georgia follows the Reasonable Use Rule which limits landowners in relationship to the use of the land above or wasteful and off site use. Over the past years I have kept you informed of the state s legal battles over water, but water is now being sold as a commodity. Previously water was considered part of the public domain and was managed by local communities. Now some states sell water to other states or countries. Private companies have poured millions into the political arena to influence lawmakers. Unfortunately internationally the World Bank and International Finance Corp are the main players. The American Water Works Co. is actually German owned and already provides water, wastewater & other management services to more than 10M people in 23 states. Their customers pay some of the highest water bills in the country. The US Dept of Defense has even awarded a 50 year contract for utilities at Ft. Bragg in N.C. to them. It is possible for a handful of private companies to control most of the water in the world. Locally customers will have little input & pay large bills if they allow them to come in. In the 20 th century oil was the big item on world market, but water may replace it in the 21 st century. This takeover of water is very scary to me and I hope it is now to you so we can watch our national and local government to be sure it does not happen to us. Arboreta and Botanical Gardens, Ruthellen Anderson, Chairman Please encourage your club members to support the Arboreta and Botanical Gardens. Donations of $10.00 or more, if received by March 1st, 2014, will receive a certificate at the Garden Club of Georgia State Convention. See the Guide pages for more information and a list of the Arboreta/Botanical Gardens in Georgia.. Make checks out to the Garden Club of Georgia and send to Mary Denney, GCG State Arboreta and Botanical Garden Chairman, 500 Haynie Road, Moreland, Georgia

3 Committee Reports, (cont) Calendar Marketing, Jackie Fulmer, Chairperson This Calendar Marketing chairman is pleased to announce a sellout of the 2013 Expressions calendars! Thanks go to all clubs of the Laurel District for the purchase of these calendars. Remember, CALENDARS = SCHOLARSHIPS!!! Civic Improvement, Sil Schell, Chairperson Garden Clubs in America have spearheaded beautification and conservation projects and it is beneficial to all that this cause be supported and continued. Garden Clubs and Councils are encouraged to create and implement programs which improve, beautify, protect and conserve public areas in Georgia communities. The Community on My Mind Program was established to help encourage local garden clubs and councils to implement civic improvement projects which provide public benefit. Garden Clubs or Councils may apply for a $200 matching grant for qualifying projects. For more information and a grant application, go to the Garden Club of Georgia website and click on Grants and Scholarships. As your Garden Club or Council completes a community project, consider applying for a GCG Award, regardless of whether or not a COMM grant has been used. See the GUIDE for Awards offered. Garden Therapy, Diane Harbin, State Chairperson Please continue to support Garden Therapy with your Easter eggs, Christmas stockings, Laurel District continues to support CSH. Christmas stockings were mailed. Easter eggs will be completed. $25 donations have been made. CSH will pick up gardening and green house supplies in April. Thank you for your support of Garden Therapy. Flower Show Schedules and Evaluations, Kathy Haynes, Chairman The duty of the District and State Flower Show Schedules and Evaluations Chairmen is to assist the local Flower Show Committee in writing a schedule that will allow the show to compete as a Standard Flower Show. Also, a properly corrected Schedule will better compete at State level.

4 Committee Reports, (cont) Before sending Flower Show Schedules to the District Chairman, read Flower Shows in the GUIDE. At least 4 months before show, send 2 preliminary Schedules (1 for the Chairman to keep and 1 to be corrected and returned) to the District Chairman. DO NOT FAX OR . Along with the 2 Schedules, send a S.A.S.E. for 1 Schedule to be returned. Make corrections and send 2 copies of the corrected Schedule to the State Chairman, along with a S.A.S.E. Indicate if the show is to be evaluated and which award. When the State Chair returns one corrected copy, only the suggested changes should be made when the final Schedule is printed. Send 1 copy of the final printed Schedule to the State Chair. Well in advance of the show, the Flower Show Judges Chairman should a copy of the invited Judges to the District Flower Show Schedules and Evaluations Chairman. Credentials will be checked and an Evaluation Panel will be selected before the list is ed back to the Judges Chairman. Lifetime Membership, Dot Martin, Chairman There have been a total of fifty-one (51) names submitted for Lifetime Memberships, year-todate. There were five (5) new State Life members since our August meeting, one new Deep South but no National members have been added. Laurel District is leading in State Life members at this reporting. The breakdown follows: State Life Members : 27 total 9 from Laurel District Laurel District Doris Dennard Elliot King Edna McClellan Deborah Nicholson Margie Payne Linda Pou Ollie Scoggins Wanda Wilburn Stanley Bowlee Gainesville Summerville Ellijay Hiawassee Summerville Marietta Summerville Lawrenceville Rome Deep South Life Members : 21 total 1 from Laurel District Priscilla Buege Marietta National Life Members: 3 total 0 Laurel District

5 Committee Reports, (cont) Litter and Recycling, Diane Harbin, Chairman This committee and its chairman, along with Jackie Fulmer (State Litter Chairman), have produced a DVD from an award-winning litter program. The Rome Federated Garden Club (RFGC) created a puppet show using Muppet-type puppets. The puppet show was used in third grade classrooms throughout Rome and Floyd counties. Its goal was to lead young students into an awareness of our area s litter problem and therefore to see a decrease in it. It has been performed for a select group of adults around the state. Because of these performances, members of RFGC have been asked to travel with the puppet show. This was not possible because of the large group that was necessary to put on the show. Therefore, the DVD idea arose, and copies of the DVD have been used all over the state. Grants were submitted to help with production costs. Keep Rome and Floyd County Beautiful has given a grant. Included with the DVD is a letter of explanation stating that it is useful in teaching the state-required standard for third grade. DVDs are free. Contact Diane Harbin or Jackie Fulmer for more information. Scholarship, Vivian Little, Chairman The last two years have been good ones for the Scholarship Fund. Over $64,000 in scholarships were awarded by the Garden Club of Georgia during with $51,000 the previous year, for a total of more than $115,00 for the last two years. Funds for these scholarships have been raised through the purchase of Expressions calendars, Life memberships and Named Scholarships. Thank you to those of you who have contributed to the Scholarship Fund and to Dot Williams, the State Scholarship Chairman, for doing such a great job of organizing and disseminating information. Please continue to encourage your club to support Garden Club of Georgia Scholarships! Rome Federated Garden Clubs, Jackie Fulmer, President The Rome Federated Garden Clubs has been very busy over the past yer. Our goarls Honoring Our Past Caring for Our Present Ensuring our Future are being brought to a conclusion. Our projects throughout the last two years have reflected our desire to achieve these goals. We have honored our past as we have organized our archives (which reside in the Federated Garden Center). A committee was appointed and a great amount of cleaning out was done.

6 File cabinets were purchased to make the organization much more effective. Clubs have been encocuraged to make use of these tools and bring their archives to the Garden Center. We have cared for our present our beautiful and historic Garden Center through diligent maintenance. In addition, fundraisers were held to provide ongoing funds for the care of the Center. A handicap ramp is planned for an addition. Our next big fundraiser, Rome Little Theatre s production of the Wizard of Oz, will come close to providing the means to construct this ramp. We have ensure our future by holding a membership tea, a membership expo and by hosting an exhibit at the Rome Area History Musem. We have other membership events planned for the next three months. The next will be a membership exhibit at the Northwest Georgia Home and Garden Show. As we continue to work on our goals, we will also support the goals of the Garden Club of Georgia: Beautification, Conservation, Education. Marietta Council of Garden Clubs, Linda Pou, President Greetings from the Marietta Council of Garden Clubs! Here is the news from the Marietta Educational Garden Center. On January 26, we hosted a free, educational program featuring Erica Glasener who spoke on Designing a Garden for Year-Around Pleasure. We had over 90 people attend, plus our five (5) committee members. On Tuesday evening, March 12, at 7:00pm, we will host another free, educational program and demonstration by John Grady Burns, a noted Atlanta floral designer. His topic is Easy Flowers for the Home. Pre-registration is required, and can be made by calling the Garden Center at , or ing at mgardenc@bellsouth.net. As part of the Garden Club of Georgia Convention Committee, I have arranged trolley tours of historic Marietta for the Wednesday afternoon of the convention. Registration is required for this check your Garden Gateways for information. Also, we recently agreed to allow the GCG State Board meeting on Tuesday, April 16 to be held at our Garden Center. This will be quite an honor for us and we are looking forward to it. Other than that, all is quiet and going well in Marietta! Garden Club Council of Cherokee County, Jennie Byers, President Each of the five council clubs, Ball Ground (Anetsa-Ga-Da), Etowah, Laurel, Sixes and Trayletaah, continues to maintain the area surrounding the Blue Star Marker at the Georgia Veterans National Cemetery in Canton.

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8 Friends Forever Always Jean s parting words Jean Carter July 4, 1929 December 9, 2012 A retired teacher, Jean never lost the desire and talent to reach out to young students, assuring them they could accomplish their dreams. She was a very positive person always encouraging those around her. A member of the Union General Hospital Auxiliary, she was a volunteer at the nursing home for twenty years, bringing cheery greetings to residents with sincere compassion and always time to listen to their stories. She was a member of the Scholarship Committee at Coosa United Methodist Church since its inception. Jean always took a major part, usually the funny one no one else wanted, in the production to raise funds. Jean was a former President of the Blairsville Garden Club and served in many other offices and chairmanships. She was a lifetime member of The Garden Club of Georgia. When a plan to start a Junior Garden Club was discussed, Jean immediately volunteered. With great enthusiasm and untiring efforts, it became a reality which she often referred to as the joy of my life. She served as Laurel District Chairman of Youth Clubs and State Chairman of Youth Activities. She encouraged clubs throughout the state to sponsor Junior Clubs. She received the Junior Leadership Award from The Garden Club of Georgia and National Garden Clubs, Inc. in Jean, we miss you Our Friend Forever.

9 Welcome Lookout Mountain Garden Club, the newest garden club in the Laurel District! A hearty welcome to the Lookout Mountain Garden Club! Lori Carter is their first president. Welcome to the Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. Contact Information: Lookout Sustainable Education Center Lori Carter - President Camilla Carter- Treasurer 525 Middle Road Lookout Mountain, Ga camillacarter@yahoo.com lookouthomestead@gmail.com Club number: Nelle Allison Scholarship Award The Laurel Garden Club, Laurel District, recently awarded the 2012 Nelle Allison Scholarship Award to Kathlyn Jenereaux (L). A nurse for many years, Kathlyn is also an avid gardener and very creative artist. The Laurel Garden Club scrapbook and upcoming calendar both display her many skills and club contributions. Chairman, Marie Woodall (R) made the presentation which honors a club member who best exemplifies the principles and activities of the garden club. Congratulations and thank you, Kathlyn!

10 CLARKESVILLE GARDEN CLUB The Clarkesville Garden Club held its installation of new officers on February 28th at the historic Mauldin House. The installation was conducted by Nancy Bunker Bowen, ex-president of the Cornelia Garden Club ( ). Officers installed were: Kate Scott, President; Sherry Raper, 1st Vice-President; Sonja Bowen, 2nd Vice-President; Dottie Wonders, Corresponding Secretary; Becky Tillson and Sherry Franklin, co-recording Secretaries; Brenda Adams, Treasurer; and Rowena Lovell, Parliamentarian. Sandra While will serve as Chaplin. Plans are underway for a combination Plant & Rummage Sale on April 13th in Clarkesville with publicity to celebrate Garden Week in Georgia. CUMMING GARDEN CLUB Each year for the past 10 or more years, Cumming Garden Club members have made table arrangements for Senior Expo here in Forsyth County. At the Conference Center at Lanier Tech. Beverly Williams chaired this year s event. A total of 17 designs were made, 14 were placed on the luncheon tables at the Expo and three were staged on the serving tables.the designs were later given as door prizes. Assisting club members were: Helen Higgins, Tricia Wester, Linda Hardie, Terra Manton, Donna Garrett, Liz Newell, Nancy Voss, Carolyn Nugent, Barb Litterer and Beverly Williams.

11 Trayletaah Garden Club members, Susan O' Neill, Tina Smith, and Katie VanHiel hand out trees donated by the Canton Tree Commission along with other volunteers in downtown Canton on Arbor Day, February 15. And, in Rome What a glorious winter day it was! On February 15, a one hundred plus crowd turned out to join the City of Rome Tree Board, Keep Rome/Floyd Beautiful, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Rome Federated Garden Clubs, Inc. in celebrating the creation of a beautiful gateway to Rome on Dean Avenue. The event was also to celebrate Rome s becoming a Tree City USA for the twenty-third year. Three beautiful trees were planted and dedicated to the sponsoring organizations. Afterwards, a reception was held at the 20 th Street office of the DOT. City officials, including Mayor Evie McNiece, were present. RFGC members participating in the program were President Jackie Fulmer, First Vice President Diane Harbin and Corresponding Secretary Dr. John Barnett.

12 A chilly morning, warm hearts and eager minds met to form the perfect setting for the Laurel District Board Meeting held on Valentine s Day at the Hiawassee Garden and England Center.

13 Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong. Make me thoughtful but not nosey, helpful but not bossy. With my vast store of wisdom and experience it does seem a pity not to use it all, but Thou knowest, Lord, I want a few friends at the end. A blessing offered by Dorothy Lee

14 Daylily Society of Greater Atlanta 2013 DAYLILY SHOW The Garden Club of Georgia s 85 th Annual Convention, April 16-18, Marietta, Georgia Hosted by the Laurel District, and chaired by Ruthellen Anderson, the convention will be held at the beautiful Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Conference Center, 500 Powder Springs St, SW, Marietta, GA See uga.edu/gardenclub for additional information that will inspire you to attend this special convention. Also see Garden Gateways for further information. Reminder Blairsville Annual Plant Sale Blairsville Garden Club is holding its annual Plant Sale on April 27, 2013, from 7:30 until 4:30 P.M. or until plants are sold. Sale held at Union County Farmers Market at 148 Old Smokey Road, off State Hwy. 515 East of Home Depot. Members of the garden club are selling annuals and perennials, herbs, heirloom tomatoes, herbs and hanging baskets. For more information call Lynn Bonner, Plant Sale Reminder Garden Club of Ellijay Annual Plant Sale The Garden Club of Ellijay is preparing for its annual plant sale to be held May 111 at the Lions Club facility on the fairgrounds, Old Hwy 5, Ellijay. This popular one-day event is anticipated by the community and usually sells out before closing time. Contact Joanne Waddey or Chris Curtin, plant sale co-chairs. The Daylily Society of Greater Atlanta and the Cobb County Daylily Society will present their 9th Annual Daylily Show, Atlanta's Daylilies at Their Best, and Plant Sale on Saturday, June 8, 2013, at the Cobb Galleria Center, 2 Galleria Parkway, Atlanta, GA Open to the public. To receive awards, exhibitors are required to be members of the American Hemerocallis Society. This is an educational event in that it allows exhibitors to showcase the older and the newer cultivars of daylilies, some of which will be on sale at the show. Contact: President Patty Franklin, , mpflowers@comcast.net. com 2013 DSGA Meetings/Events June 8 Saturday Combined DSGA /Cobb Daylily Show Galleria August 17 Saturday General Mtg. Popularity Poll voting location TBD September 7 Saturday General Meeting w/lunch Bellmere September Sat./Sun. Duluth Days Plant Sale Duluth November 9 Saturday General Meeting w/lunch Bellmere December 14 Saturday Christmas Party Bellmere President: Patty Franklin, , mpflowers@comcast.net

15 For calendar of events, please see gardenclub.uga.edu/laureldistrict.html. If you're not currently on the Laurel list and would like to be added, just let Victoria Chandler know, at