A New Year and We're Happy!

Happy 2016!  And, "happy" is the word that describes our December luncheon at Carabba's Italian Grill.  "Yummy," also applies.  Lots of smiling faces and full plates - so full that some "doggy bags" were in order!  We were especially touched when the manager stopped by our table to thank us for creating our Freedom Butterfly Garden at Alpine Groves Park.  He told us he loves to come there to watch the butterflies.  And so do we!

We are happy to play our part in supporting nature and contributing to its enjoyment and understanding.  January's Creekline newspaper features an article, "Bluebirds Beat the February Blues," encouraging our fellow residents to follow our example and provide habitat for Eastern Bluebirds.  By having a suitable bluebird house waiting for them, you can help ensure the survival of the next generation and enjoy the experience of seeing a bluebird family grow.  These beautiful and shy birds usually return to our area in late February.  However, it's been so warm this past month, thanks to an El Nino weather system, the author has already seen some small flocks investigating the bluebird houses in her back yard!

The January issue of The St. Johns Sun features a look back to January 2015, when Master Arborist, Chuck Lippi, was our presenter for Florida Arbor Day.  The article, "Adventures in Arboriculture," recounted Chuck's descriptions of all the wrong ways to plant and maintain trees.  See all Our Published Articles at our About Us page.  Don't forget our Blog Archives for 2015.


This January we are planning a trip to the Guana-Tolomato-Matanzas National Estuary Research Reserve (GTMNERR) near Vilano Beach.  The GTMNERR encompasses 74,000 acres of coastal lands in northeast Florida from Ponte Vedra Beach to Palm Coast.  It is part of a national system of research reserves that focus on research, education and stewardship.  In February, we'll be back at the Bartram Trail Library for a presentation by Master Gardener, Shirley Barber, "Beautiful Gardens Begin with Seed."  See our calendar for this and other program event descriptions.  The public is welcome, but we ask that you Contact Us, so we can provide sufficient refreshments

As you can see, we are a friendly group always interested in sharing our learning and love of gardening and the environment.  You are welcome to join us as a member.  Your garden club membership also connects you to a wider network of state, regional, and national garden clubs, which have a variety of events and programs to enjoy!

 

Happy New Year!

Christmas is Coming!

We're looking forward to our holiday luncheon December 10 (remember it starts at 11AM).  And we'd be remiss if we didn't invite you to share our website archives at 2015 Web Archive on the Resources page; we've also put a link to the 2015 Archive in the home page sidebar under Home Page Posts & Archives.  This month, look for our article, A Break from the Holiday Hoopla, in the Creekline and Honey in the Mornin', Honey in the Evenin' in this month's St. Johns Sun.  See all our published articles at Our Published Articles in the sidebar on the About Us page.

Don't forget to shop 'til you drop!  (Just kidding.)  But if you want to shop and support FFGC or NGC, see the  Support Our Affiliated Organizations section on the Resources page.

Now's the time for thinking about those New Year's Resolutions.  Here's one you might consider:

Get involved in a National Garden Clubs affiliated garden club and enjoy events like those at the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs.  If you are interested in joining our garden club, why not be our guest at a few meetings?  See our Meetings and Events section at our website, and if you'd like to participate in an activity just contact us using the email address provided.  We want to have enough space (and enough munchies) for you.  Ask for or download our Membership Application if you'd like to become a member.  We saving a seat for you!

In The Garden and in the Kitchen - Happy Thanksgiving!

The month of November took us to the Westminster Woods Community Garden, courtesy of St. Johns County Master Gardener, Jerrel Powell.  Jerrel has done something pretty special to take the sweat out of gardening.  He has installed a vertical hydroponic garden system.  After explaining the science behind the hydroponic garden, we enjoyed a visit to the garden where residents were growing anything from flower, to herbs, to some really amazing vegetables.  See the photos at the end of this article.

During our business meeting Arlene shared her latest visit to Julington Creek Elementary in her Junior Gardening report.  Sarah discussed the Florida Water and Land Legacy and the need to keep the pressure on our legislators to honor that commitment.  Mickey updated the club on the Monarch Butterfly Committee's accomplishments; see Year End Report from Butterfly-Monarch Conservation Committee.

November's bounty inevitably leads us to the kitchen, and our president, Claire Fioriti, gave us some inspiration when she served up her roasted kale chips at the meeting.  See our our Holiday and Any Day Recipes posting on the Resources page for her recipe and for other ways to use local and seasonal produce.  Our Publicity Chair, Dianne Battle, wrote an article, Honey in the Mornin' Honey in the Evenin' for her Master Gardener column in the December 2015 St. Johns Sun on her  adventures on Tour de Farm and shared an unusual cookie recipe.

Click on the Read More >> link below to see some holiday ideas that support our affiliated garden clubs.  Don't forget to enjoy the pictures of our visit to Westminster Woods Garden!

Saturiwa: A Habitat for Longleaf Pine and Monarchs!

In October we enjoyed a trip to Saturiwa.  Mike Adams, the owner, was gracious enough to take some of our white aquatic milkweed plants to establish a Monarch Waystation on his property this summer (see the milkweed in the photo).   This milkweed (also called white swamp milkweed) is a moisture-loving native perennial.  It seems to enjoy the spot its occupying and we'll have to wait and see how it does next year.  We will cross our fingers because there are no guarantees in nature.

Read about Saturiwa and our November field trip to Westminster Woods community garden in our Events posting from September.  Read about Monarch Waystations  in our home page posting for September, "Protecting Our Pollinators!" which includes a link to the September 2015 Issue of The Creekline, "Monarchs on the Brink."   They will tell you about the Garden Club’s project to reintroduce native milkweed to our area and establish Monarch Waystations. 

 And October isn’t October without a few festivals.  The District IV GardenFest was at the St. Johns County Extension Center this year, with Doris and Claire ably manning our table.  And we also participated in Old Settlers Day at Alpine Groves Park.   Thank you new member, Misty, for running this event!

November will find us in Westminster Woods exploring the vertical hydroponic system that Master Gardener Jerrel Powell installed in their community garden.  In December, the club will be celebrating Christmas with a luncheon at Town Center.  It’s truly an out-and-about season for us!