Newsletter of the Redbud District of The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. From District Director Diane Hunter Spring/Early Summer 2018 Presidents Reports Reveal Remarkable Redbuds Reading club and council presidents reports has been a gratifying and inspiring experience. I promised a review of the results so here goes: Redbud clubs are reaping new members 77% added at least one member in 2017. Satsuki added 8 and Merry Weather added 7. Ninety-six percent of our clubs had members who presented programs outside their own clubs. Six clubs sponsored flower shows. Twenty-two clubs and councils supported or participated in the District s Yellow Daisy Flower Show. We grow from the grassroots up, with 10 clubs sponsoring youth garden clubs. We support GCG programs and initiatives as well. Last year we had 87% of clubs and councils attend the GCG convention a truly remarkable presence and work force!!! Our leadership workshop attracted 42% of clubs and 39% attended the awards workshop. Seven clubs had members attend GCG schools and 13 clubs were represented at courses and symposia. Capitol Conservation Day saw 42% of clubs participating. Garden Week was observed by 50%, while 35% of our clubs supported GCG, Deep South and NGC initiatives through programs and projects. Clubs large and small are generous. Half contributed to Dollars for Scholars. There are ten funds listed on the president s report with 74% of clubs contributing to at least 3 of these funds, 37% contributing to 5 funds, and Pine Needle and Driftwood contributing to all 10. Lullwater supported a named scholarship. Forty-five percent supported scholarships by purchasing calendars. Garden Therapy and Community Service projects, Fig Leaf and Valentines for Veterans were supported by 93% of Redbud Clubs. Nine either erected, restored and/or landscaped Blue Star Markers. I m very pleased to report that 42% of clubs supported the C. Burke Day Fund. We are gardeners and conservationists, too. Almost all clubs present horticulture reports at every club meeting. Almost every club had members that maintained bird feeders and vegetable and herb gardens and supported native plantings and pollinators. Forty-two percent supported public parks through donations or plantings. Sixty-eight percent participated in the Community Wildlife Project. And the same percentage of clubs is involved with school grounds projects. Diane
Rolling in the Gold! Congratulations to our Remarkable Redbuds for a spectacular showing at the 2017 Annual Awards presentation in Macon. At last year s convention, Redbud clubs received 31 total awards with 18 firsts. This year we had 48 total awards: 37 GCG awards and 11 Deep South Awards. This included 22 GCG First Places and 5 Deep South Firsts. The District won first in Historic Preservation for both GCG and Deep South. We also received a first for our Yellow Daisy Flower Show and for the District Website (thanks, Barbara and Joy). And, our own beloved member Susan Turner was selected as Deep South Mentor of the Year! GCG Awards First Place Second Place Third Place Redbud #15: Historic Preservation, Council or District Susan Turner #26: Poem, Children Ladybugs #13: Civic Improvement, Small Clubs Gale Thomas #26: Poem, Adult Spade and Trowel #51: Butterfly Conservation, Medium Clubs Spade and Trowel - #40: Garden Therapy for the Old Town Sharpsburg and Driftwood - #39 and #54: Blue Star Marker Iris and Pine Needle #24: Small Standard Flower Show Redbud #30: District Flower Show Spade and Trowel #61: Arbor Day, Medium Clubs Spade and Trowel #33: Membership Participation, Medium Clubs Smoke Rise Morning Glories #16, Yearbook, 30-44 members Challenged Green Thumb #51: Butterfly Conservation, Medium Clubs Shenandoah Rose #53: Website, Small Clubs Ladybugs #56: National Garden Week, Small Clubs Iris and Pine Needle #23: Small Standard Flower Show Schedule Spade and Trowel #4: Bird, Small Clubs Spade and Trowel - #8: Conservation Project, Medium Clubs Ladybugs - #10: Garden Therapy, Small Clubs Spade and Trowel - #10: Garden Therapy, Medium Clubs DeKalb Federation #10: Garden Therapy, Council Avon - #16: Yearbook, 70-99 members Shenandoah Rose #37: Newsletter, 2 to 12 pages DeKalb Federation -#37: Newsletter, Council, 2 to 12 pages Little Spade and Trowel #57, Youth Leadership Activities Conyers #16: Yearbook, Small Clubs 2
GCG Awards (cont.) First Place Second Place Third Place Ladybugs #51: Butterfly Conservation, Small Clubs DeKalb Federation - #31: Garden Club Council Shenandoah Rose #33: Member Participation Program, Small Clubs Spade and Trowel - #41: Herb Award, Medium Clubs DeKalb Federation - #53: Council Award Website Redbud #53: District Website Spade and Trowel #56: National Garden Week, Medium Clubs Ladybugs- #16: Yearbook, Small Clubs Avondale Estates #16: Yearbook, 45-69 members Spade and Trowel, Gloria Johnson #58: Junior Club Leadership Conyers #7: Special Achievement, Small Club Deep South Awards First Place Second Place Third Place Redbud Historic Preservation and/or Restoration Avondale Estates Yearbook, 30-44 members Spade and Trowel Public Relations Honorable Mention Ladybugs Public Relations Spade and Trowel Bird Avondale Estates Community Action Ladybugs Yearbook, Small Conyers - Community Action Clubs Iris and Pine Needle Small Spade and Trowel - Conservation Standard Flower Show Mentor of the Year Susan Turner 3
Boot Camp for Gardeners course is now two days instead of three, and testing will be done immediately after covering the material. Please urge your members to attend. Remarkable Redbuds are being asked to help. Here are some other ways you can be involved: Registrar We need a volunteer who s attending all classes to collect fees and record attendance. We re happy to announce that Redbud will host the Gardening Studies Course in Griffin on Aug. 3-4, 2018; Nov. 2-3. 2018; Jan. 18-19, 2019; Feb. 8-9, 2019 at UGA Griffin. Our chair will be former director Emily Wilbert and our own Gail Berthe is guiding the curriculum. Marilyn McDonnell, GCG Gardening Study School Chair is the force behind this effort. If you ve never attended an NGC course, Gardening Studies is a great place to start. This series of 2-day classes exposes you to an intensive exploration of botany, soils, annuals, perennials, pests and more. The expert-led classes cover the latest in gardening practices, including integrated pest management, reconciliation ecology and backyard wildlife habitats. It is a wonderfully informative series and a great way to get the very latest info on horticultural trends. There are some exciting changes coming in the way these classes are held. Don't get scared off! Each Proctor If you need to refresh, being a proctor is a great idea. We ll need a few. The proctor will listen to each speaker to make sure the agreed upon curriculum is being addressed and will conduct reviews for tests. The Proctor is the only post that will not have to pay a full fee. They will only pay $5 for NGC credential renewal. Morning Coffee Would you like to provide snacks? We'd like clubs to volunteer each day to bring/prepare coffee, hot tea and bring fruit and one morning snack We really need your help, so talk this up and share it widely. You don t have to be a garden club member to attend. Need more info? Take a look at http://gardenclub.uga.edu/educationadult.html #garden. Don't hesitate to call with your suggestions and/or commitments. Emily Wilbert themomemw@gmail.com Marilyn McDonnell mmcdonnell25@comcast.net Diane Hunter drmchunter@yahoo.com - 4 -
Get Ready for Fall Again, we re off to the races. Mark your calendar for August 13, 2018 for our Summer Board Meeting. This year our hosts will be: Evergreen Garden Club (Jane Langford, President); Dogwood Garden Club (Teresa Copeland, President); and, Garden Club of Griffin (Alyson Dallas, President). As usual our meeting will start with coffee and munchies at 9:30 followed by the business meeting at 10:00 a.m. We will shoot for a 1:00 pm dismissal. We ll meet at the UGA Research and Education Garden on 129 Ellis Road in Griffin. You will need to bring a covered dish. More details are forthcoming, but, definitely, plan on spending some time after the meeting to tour the garden. This is a real treat, and we thank the Griffin clubs for making it not just another board meeting. Remember to prepare your board report and e-mail copies to Diane Hunter, Sandy Reed and Joy Zaidan. If you need hotel referrals, let me know. It s Baaaaaack! Redbud Prepares for the 47 th Annual Yellow Daisy Festival Flower Show Yellow Daisy Flower Show chair Deanna McFarlan (dmcfarlan18@earthlink.net) and her team are hard at work finalizing the show s details. This year s theme is Daisy s Got Game! Focusing on the games we play, Staging Chair Janet McGinnis (jmcgi@bellsouth.net) is busy scouring attics, flea markets and yard sales for all sorts of games board, card games, role playing, you name it! The schedule is being finalized. For designs we ve got themes like Chutes and Ladders, Twister and more; contact design chair Joy Zaidan (joyzaidan4986@gmail.com) for a complete description schedule. For horticulture, classes include Aggravation, Spin the Bottle, Mah Jong, and Boggle. The schedule will be posted very soon on both the Redbud and the DeKalb Federation websites and will be emailed to anyone who would like a copy. With the new Handbook of Flower Shows in effect, the show will look a little different. We ll also introduce a new Division Botanical Arts. So mark your calendars now for September 6 through 9 and get those specimens ready. We d also like to ask you to keep your eyes open for old board games that can be picked apart to use in staging. Contact Diane Hunter, Properties, (drmchunter@yahoo.com), for pick up. Want to volunteer? Here are just a few ways to help. Don t see what you want to do? Just let us know your interest: Sandy Reed (sandyreed17@gmail.com) Horticulture Quill Duncan (quillduncan@msn.com) Placement Ann Purr (a.purr@comcast.net) Clerks Beth Wielage (bwielage@bellsouth.net) Hostesses - 5 -
When you cannot do a standard flower show, yet your members are interested in exhibiting what do you do? The Flower Workshop of Columbus, GA and the Iris and Pine Needle Garden Clubs of LaGrange, GA had been cooperating with the Chattahoochee Valley Camellia Society and staging a small standard show in the Columbus Museum each March. It had drawn a lot of interest with the public and our members, especially new ones, and they enjoyed working on this each year. What to Do??? BUT, the new Handbook came out and declared our show inadequate! We had only four classes of designs and the Camellia Society had a lot of classes but did not allow our NGC judges to judge unless they were camellia judges. So, no judge could get credit for judging our show, thus lowering our possibility of getting judges. SO, we reacted. We wrote a two-page schedule with no holds barred. We called it Fun With Camellias, a Floral Design Show. We had our four classes with rules that a design could be the work of more than one person (encouraging new members to participate); that the design could be any type as long as it interpreted the title and used the staging; that we could have youth entries; that we would have a novice class; and, we would judge it ourselves and use some emeritus judges. Show viewers were asked to vote their Peoples Choice designs in classes 1-4. Categories were Most Creative, Most Expressive, Most Inspirational, and Most Interesting. The horticulture section boasted over 900 entries that wowed the public. We know this was not by the book, but the show was fun, stress-free and met with a lot of enthusiasm from the members and the public, especially when they realized their participation was needed. We added new exhibitors and hopefully brought some new interest in the beauty of exhibition for fun. Maybe future rules will make our show again be eligible for judges to enjoy and we can comply with the rules. -- Betty Lester - 6 -
Patsy Jo Adams Turns Back Time For the 90th GCG Birthday Celebration at the convention in Macon, each district was asked to provide a vignette with floral design depicting one of the nine decades. Redbud chose the Sixties and Spade and Trowel's Patsy Jo Adams did us proud! Her scene showed a lovely Chanel style suit with pillbox hat. On the elegant drop-leaf table, she placed an "invitation" to an anniversary garden party for GCG. The arrangement was a traditional design of gorgeous red roses with a pair of black gloves placed beside. To top it off, Patsy had a narrative describing the design style of the sixties. Great job and many thanks from all your Redbud friends. Redbud Opens Their Wallets for GCG GCG raised $8944 in profit from this year s raffle. Congratulations to our generous Redbuds for raising the 3 rd highest total!! Twenty-seven out of 39 clubs participated and most sold their target so many, many thanks. Redbud received $250 for your effort! Raffle records kept by the District (which may not count some tickets sold at the convention) show that five clubs sold over 20 tickets an amazing effort: Shenandoah Rose: 45 Conyers: 45 Breckenridge Garden Arts 1: 35 Azalea: 30 Smoke Rise Morning Glories: 27 Tickets sold by district: Oleander: 658 Azalea: 457 Redbud: 445 Laurel: 436 Camellia: 419 Dogwood: 366 Magnolia: 265 Raffle winners were: $1000: Christy Novellas, Dogwood District $500: Janell Grice, Azalea District $250: Butler Garden Club, Magnolia District - 7 -
West Central Georgia Garden Council Follows Redbud Lead The West Central Georgia Garden Council in Thomaston followed the lead of the Redbud District by "Painting the Town Yellow" with hundreds of daffodils and other spring flowering bulbs for spring! We contacted our local Home Depot in late summer letting them know of our desire to plant these bulbs. They were most cooperative and ordered hundreds of King Alfred Daffodils. In November, the city of Thomaston had their grounds maintenance supervisor and his crew plant the bulbs. The most eye-catching place was the triangle at the entrance to Thomaston, where hundreds of daffodils were planted. As we had so many bulbs, we planted them around the square in downtown as well as in all the city parks. This was a big success and we plan to add more this fall. - 8 -
News from the Clubs Old Town Garden Club of Sharpsburg Old Town Garden Club of Sharpsburg celebrated its 80th birthday by awarding three scholarships of $500 each to local students in the fields of horticulture. The Scholarship Tea was held May 20. Attendees included Redbud District Director Diane Hunter, the honorees and their families, and members of OTGC of Sharpsburg. Scholarships were awarded to: Sommer VandenHeuvel, attending Georgia Tech and studying Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Brian Chae, attending UGA and studying agriculture with a goal of increasing crop yields in underdeveloped countries; and, a continuing scholarship to Alex Snyder, a Junior attending Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College who is finishing his studies and concentrating on sustainable yields. Pictured left to right: Redbud District Director Diane Hunter, Alex Snyder, SeungMin Brian Chae, Sommer VandenHeuvel, OTGC President Carla Kane. Azalea Garden Club The Azalea GC of Jackson delivered valentines and goodies to the veterans at Westbury Medical Care on Valentine s Day. Pictured left to right: Veleta LaPrade, Emma Williams, Dottie McMichael, with photos of some of the veterans in the background. 9
Conyers Garden Club Presentation at Senior Center: The third week of Georgia was proclaimed by Governor Nathan Deal as Georgia Garden Week. As a member club of The Garden Clubs of Georgia, Inc., the Conyers Garden Club celebrated Georgia Garden Week, April 15-21, 2018 with a presentation on Container Vegetable Gardening to the members and staff of the Olivia Haydel Senior Citizen Center. Led by Dr. Gale D. Thomas, President of the Conyers Garden Club, this presentation on Monday, April 16, 2018 included useful tips on planting and caring for vegetables grown in container gardens. Participants were treated to information about pest and disease control, how to plant from seeds, planting for seasonal harvest, as well as a home gardening planting chart. A lively dialogue took place as seniors asked questions and shared useful information about their gardening experiences. Members of the garden club added to the dialogue. The session ended with a meeting between staff members of the Senior Citizen Center, who will lead the senior citizens members in a container gardening project, and Conyers Garden Club members, who have committed to supporting them in their efforts. Left to right: Susan Turner, Kathy Williams, Mary Jackson and Melinda Cowan participate in Great American Cleanup. Great American Cleanup: Conyers Garden Club participated in coordination with the Rotary Club to celebrate The Great American Cleanup/Keep America Beautiful on Saturday, April 28 th. Four CGC members participated in the weeding, pruning, planting and renewing the pine mulch at the Children s Garden at Light House Village and Phoenix Pass in Conyers. Conyers Garden Club began their garden project from inception using an original landscape plan designed by their late member, Susan Klem. Chairman Melinda Cowan, Kathy Williams, Mary Jackson and Susan Turner planted perennials and spruced up established shrubberies. They were joined by the president of a newly formed high school environmental club. Monique was a great help and delightful company! The garden is designed to attract butterflies. Members then went to the Olde Jail Museum to prune and plant Lantana x 'New Gold'. 10
Ladybugs Garden Club Ladybugs walked at Lilburn City Park during the April 27 Relay for Life for the American Cancer Society, remembering their friends and family who were victims of cancer. Also, there were three Ladybugs out of 15 who are survivors or still being treated for cancer. One spouse of a Ladybug, who is being treated for cancer, also walked. We strolled together at the Park and even made some side trips to our native gardens on the east Greenway Trail to check on their progress. Karen Bricker, a Ladybug and interior designer, is just brimming over with creative ideas and she is a fantastic fund raiser. Recently, she saw a discarded headboard from a bed and envisioned a place for a sky and green grass on the headboard. Photos of Ladybugs friends and family were glued onto colored paper flower outlines in the Garden of Hope. Our deceased friends and family that were cancer victims had their photos glued onto purple hearts with a sign reading Forever in Our Hearts. Pine Needles Garden Club February 9th, 2018 was the date of the celebration of the Pine Needle Garden Club's 65th Anniversary. LaGrange, Georgia's Bellevue was the venue for a luncheon and skit depicting the forming of the club on February 11th, 1953. Early scrapbooks, outlining the club's activities and civic contributions and a vintage meal were highlights of the occasion. Former esteemed members and children of former members were in attendance to join the festivities. Pine Needle Garden Club remains a part of the Elms and Roses Council and the Garden Club of Georgia. Ladybugs Jo Pell Holbrook, Joyce Baker, Marilyn Bowman, Elba McCue, Karen Bricker, Pat Kahn and Karen Shires put Karen Bricker s Pine plan for Needle tent decorations Garden in Club place. Ladybugs had donations of $1,570 and more from luminaries sold on site. 11
Elms and Roses Garden Club Council A Special Event: The Elms and Roses Garden Club Council of LaGrange honored four of its most longtime members at their annual Spring Luncheon/Meeting on March 6 at Historic Bellevue in LaGrange. The Council recognized members 85 years of age or more by presenting them with a lovely arrangement of red roses and thanked them for their support, contributions, and steadfast love of their clubs. Two of the four members honored were able to attend the luncheon. The group included left to right, Mary Ellen Westbrook from Pine Needle and Jay Funck from Iris. Honorees unable to attend were Tee Borders and Elynor Varner, both from Pine Needle. Garden Council Donates Books to Libraries: In support of the National Garden Clubs Children s Project, The Elms and Roses Garden Club Council of LaGrange donated copies of The Saved Seed to the elementary schools and public libraries in Troup County. Pictured is Elaine Howard (right), representing the Council as she visited West Point Elementary School to present the book to Principal Jan Franks (left). Shenandoah Rose Garden Club For our May meeting, Shenandoah Rose Garden Club toured the gardens of three of our members. First up was Margaret Hansen. Margaret and her husband Bud have turned their backyard into an oasis. After first dealing with a water drainage problem in a creative and unobtrusive way, they added trees, shrubs, perennials, stone walls, brick patio and paths, a fountain, a koi pond and more to their backyard haven. The most amazing thing they designed it and did most of the work themselves, in less than 4 years!! The next stop was at Sandy Reed s house. Her lot had been almost completely cleared of plant material when it underwent a renovation before she bought it 7 years ago. A landscape architect drew up a plan and Sandy had a landscaper install the large plants. Slowly, but surely, she s been filling in the smaller shrubs and perennials. While still a work in progress, Sandy has a special affinity for new and unusual plants, several of which she has growing in her garden. The final stop of the day was at Deanna and Don McFarlan s home. Set on a lakeside, the McFarlan s have worked for over 20 years creating an idyllic, natural backyard. It was wonderful to sit on their large deck overlooking the back yard, eating a wonderful lunch and seeing the beautiful yellow flag irises along the lake. 12
Top: Garden of Margaret and Bud Hansen. Middle, left: Garden of Sandy Reed. Middle, right: Itoh hybrid peony growing at Sandy Reed s. Bottom: Garden of Deanna and Don McFarlan. 13
Wild and Wonderful Summer Youth Camp Each year the Garden Club of Georgia teams up with the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center for our annual "Wild and Wonderful Experience." Garden Club of Georgia Youth Members who are rising 5th or 6th graders are invited to spend time learning more about nature, wildlife conservation and environmental issues. Next camp date: July 8-10, 2018 Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center Mansfield, Georgia We have many fun and exciting programs planned: fishing; outdoor recreation; night hiking; attracting birds and butterflies; guest speakers; and, of course, all the fun of the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center! Get the youth in your life involved with this Wild and Wonderful experience offered by the Garden Club of Georgia, Inc. The cost of camp is $125 per youth member. Garden Clubs are encouraged to sponsor a camper. See the GCG web site for registration form and additional information. Youth Chairman, Susan Turner, 770-922- 4411; glencree@bellsouth.net Susan Turner and Redbud camper Jason at the 2017 Wild and Wonderful Experience 14
New Cultivars of Native Redbud Enhance Landscape The eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) is native to eastern North America, from southern Ontario to Florida. The most commonly cultivated redbud and the one found in native habitats is an upright form with green leaves and lavender-pink flowers. Breeding and selection have resulted in a number of named cultivars with various foliage colors, deeper colored flowers and/or weeping habit. Because many of these cultivars are new to the market, some are not yet widely available; however, many can be found at garden centers in the Atlanta area. Below are some of the more notable redbud cultivars. Unless otherwise noted, these cultivars have green leaves and are of standard size (20 to 30 feet in height). Ace of Hearts leaves half the size as normal and shaped like the spade in a deck of cards; shrubby plant growing 12 feet tall. Appalachian Red bright neon pink flowers (photo below). Forest Pansy leaves emerge bright red-purple, gradually turning greenish purple. Flowers are deeper in color than the species. (photo below) Hearts of Gold leaves start out yellow tinted with red-purple, changing to yellow and eventually to green. Will keep yellow leaf color better if wellwatered. Lavender Twist ( Covey ) weeping form with contorted stems. Original plant is only 5 feet tall and 8-feet wide with a 5 -inch trunk. Very picturesque. (photo below). Little Woody Thick, bumpy-surfaced, darkgreen leaves. Grows 10 to 12 feet tall. 15
Merlot purple leaves; more heat-resistant than Forest Pansy and leaves keep purple color longer in summer. The Rising Sun leaf color changes from golden orange to yellow to green (photo below). Silver Cloud variegated creamy white with green splotches; needs full shade. (photo below) Texas White white flowers. (photo below) Ruby Falls small plant with weeping habit and purple leaves (photo below). 16
At A Glance List of Upcoming Events Event Date Location Penny McHenry Hydrangea Festival (http://hydrangeafest.org/) June 2 3, 2018 Douglasville, GA Road to Georgia Legends Flower Show http://www.fgcmacon.org American Hydrangea Society Annual Garden Tour http://americanhydrangeasociety.org Imaginary Worlds https://atlantabg.org/visit/events/imaginary-worlds Imaginary Worlds, Gainesville https://atlantabg.org/visit/events/imaginary-worldsgainesville The Guardians Monarch Butterfly Documentary Film Screening https://www.facebook.com/events/199299864190381 June 2, 2018 June 9, 2018 through October 28, 2018 Through October 28, 2018 June 24, 2018; 3 pm 730 College Street, Macon, GA East Cobb and Roswell areas of Metro Atlanta Atlanta Botanical Garden 1345 Piedmont Ave. NE, Atlanta Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville 1911 Sweetbay Drive, Gainesville, GA Campbell Hall Auditorium, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA Wild and Wonderful Experience July 8-10, 2018 Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center, Mansfield, GA Garden Studies School Aug. 3 5, 2018 UGA Research and Education Garden, 129 Ellis Road, Griffin Redbud District Summer Board Meeting Aug. 13, 2018; 9:30 am 1 pm UGA Research and Education Garden, 129 Ellis Road, Griffin Yellow Daisy Flower Show Sept. 6 9, 2018 Memorial Hall, Stone Mountain Park, Stone Mountain, GA - 17 -