Summertime Isn't Blue for Us!

The temperatures were hot on June 8 and 9, but the inside of the library was cool.  Our intrepid garden club members, Claire, Joan, Mickey, Carolyn, and Dianne manned a table at the library entryway during Garden Week to talk to the many patrons about gardening, monarchs, and the many books our library system has for discovering the great outdoors.  Thank you, Carolyn, for bringing us fans.  They were much appreciated!

Later that month, Mickey and I got to attend the third Environmental Studies School class:  Air and Related Issues.  The class field trip to the Museum of Science and History (MOSH) was very enjoyable, so much so that my husband and I returned to the MOSH for my birthday to see some of the exhibits the class couldn't fit in during our 2-hour visit, including a display of animals found along the St. Johns River.  These creatures were too wounded to be able to be returned to the wild.  A Master Naturalist helped us with our questions.  We got to see a large salamander shedding its skin!  I'm glad I took the ESS course and returned to the MOSH!  See the District 4 website for a future announcement for the fourth and last ESS course:  Water and Related Issues.

The last piece of garden club news is that our club won a National Garden Club Award for best video in the Environmental Category of President's Projects.  Turn on your speakers and click to see the video, Dancing with Butterflies or check out A National Garden Club Award for Us .

Thanks to Clarke Bailey for installing new timbers in our garden!  And enjoy the July Issue of The St. Johns Sun, "Have a Succulently Fun Summer."

What's up with monarchs?  Click the MORE >>> link below for updates from monarchwatch and watch a slideshow from the Weather Channel, "Do You Know Your Bees?"

A Wonderful Day at the Library and WE'LL BE BACK!

We enjoyed meeting so many of you today at the Bartram Trail Library and we thank you for your time and attention.  The library is a wonderful resource for books for all ages about gardens and the creatures that enjoy them.

We'll be back again tomorrow, 6/9 from 11AM-3PM and we'll have more free plants for you early birds (they went like hotcakes today).  Stop by and see our display of projects and informative handouts to help you enjoy nature (and give her a helping hand).

For those of you who took one of our business cards, here are the links we mentioned.

• Lists of recommended books and other media (sorted by age group and topic) that are available at the St. Johns County Library.

• Lists of regional gardens and museums/exhibits featuring plants, gardens, and the creatures that love them!

We hope to see you tomorrow.  And we hope you'll be able to enjoy all the resources we residents have for appreciating gardens and the natural world.

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!