Good Friends, Good Books, a Garden, and a Fond Farewell

Our garden club closed out a successful year with a pot-luck tea party at the Bailey Needmore Ranch.  The day was beautiful and so were we!  Thanks for the photos, Carolyn.  We won two awards from the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Best Club Website and Best Digital Photography of Plants (click the link to see the photos).

Shortly after our last get-together were were given the sad news of the passing of our dear garden club member, Beverly Fleming.  Many of our members were able to attend a memorial for her, which, in accordance with her wishes was a "party" featuring beautifully decorated tables, a light buffet, and the lovely nature photos Beverly was famous for.  We shared our recollections of Beverly while we enjoyed each others' company.  To honor Beverly's wishes we're going to get out and enjoy nature. The St. Augustine Record is also honoring Beverly by reprinting one of her articles in the Saturday gardening section, 5/28/16.

While there are no more Garden Club program meetings until September, we are staying active, and we think this would please Beverly greatly.

We'll be at Bartram Trail Library during Garden Week  6/6-6/11.  Drop by on 6/8 or 6/9 and see what we're up to.   Click here to see our suggestions for library books for you or the kids to enjoy and for nearby gardens to visit, no matter what your gardening style,  Our recommendations are on our Resources page, "If You Have a Garden and a Library, You Have Everything You Need."   Make your summer an opportunity to immerse yourself in the wonders of the plant kingdom!

Last, but not least, our Monarch Committee acquired 64 plugs of native tuberosa and swamp milkweed from monarchwatch.org to populate monarch waystations.  Several club members are planting them on their own property, and Mickey brought  a large number of both varieties to Saturiwa for Mike Adams to plant in suitable locations.  Mike is developing a monarch waystation in order to support his wildlife conservation efforts and to educate the public visiting his property about how to support our local monarchs.   If you're a monarch supporter, check out the latest updates on migrating monarchs and how to grow milkweed from seed by reading "more" here.

A Garden and a Library for Garden Week 6/6 - 6/11

Do you wish you knew more about plants, gardening, butterflies, or nature?  Looking for a novel or history books featuring plants and gardens?  Do you have school-age children who would enjoy fun projects and books about nature over the summer?  The Garden Club of Switzerland's got you covered. 

See what we have in store for you at the Bartram Trail Library during National Garden Club week, June 6 through 11.  We'll be at the library on 6/8 and 6/9 to talk with you personally!

April Flowers Bring Happy Pollinators

April is the month to celebrate the blooms of spring and the creatures that delight in them.  The Garden Club celebrated the great outdoors by meeting at Alpine Groves to plan their participation in the Bartram Bash.  Just prior to the meeting it had rained, but thank goodness Alpine Groves now has a pavilion.






And while it looked like the Bartram Bash would be a rainout, the sun won the day, and the people that came to the park were rewarded with plenty of good music and fun.  The "birds-nest" wreaths we gave the kids to construct were a big hit again this year.  The surprise event was a visit from the St. Augustine Alligator Farm, which brought a baby alligator for all the "enjoy" (or not)!   Thanks to Carolyn and Arlene for the photos!

While us humans were down by the river celebrating William Bartram, the butterflies and bees were rejoicing in the blooms at the Alpine Groves Butterfly Garden.  We know what pollinators love, and we're sharing the secret now.  See the list of native plants in our Freedom Butterfly Garden.  Plant a few and see who shows up for dinner! 

Several of our club members are also Master Gardeners.  Doris, Kathy, Arlene, and Dianne volunteered at the UF County Extension Center the weekend of April 16-17, for the EPIC Spring Flower and Garden Show.  Lots of preparation went into that event.  Read about it in the April 2016 issue of The St. Johns Sun, "An EPIC Spring Weekend."

We'll be getting together at the Needmore Ranch again this May to celebrate the end of our club season.  Until the next program meeting in September, however, we'll be busy with our individual and group activities, such as Garden Week at the library from June 6-11.  Drop by the Bartram Trail Library during the week to see some of our gardening "Best Picks" available through the library.  On June 8-9 we'll be there to meet you.  Our June website posting will provide you with more information on Garden Club Week and how you can partake in the joys of summer.

Our local monarchs are happily sailing through garden and field, unlike their long-distance migrating cousins returning from rough weather in Mexico.  See the updates on the intrepid traveling "cousins" of our local monarchs:

• Monarch Migration News, April 14 - Monarchs are arriving in Texas tattered but still looking for love in all the right places.  Many milkweed plants are reported to be hosting monarch eggs.  That's a good sign for a struggling species.
• Photos of migrating monarchs, tattered, but undaunted.