presidents message

Our Garden Club has had an exciting spring. Five of our members enjoyed a wonderful time at the 89th Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania (GCFP) Convention. We were thrilled to receive several awards that honor all of the great community work our Club members are involved with. For the second year in a row, we sponsored a young man in college studying horticulture. He was awarded a $1000 GCFP Scholarship. SBCGC was also very proud to nominate Mr. Lorin Meeder, Cranberry Twp. Environmental Coordinator and our Club's liaison with Cranberry Twp. for the Community Garden at Graham Park.

While we and our gardens take a rest from our labor of love, it's time to make a list of what grew well and produced either flowers or food for us last season. We need to make sure to note anything that did not do as well as  hoped and research what's needed to optimize production in our gardens for the coming year.

When we hold our first meeting of the year on March 27th, spring will have officially arrived. Hopefully the weather has presented you with opportunities to start cleaning up your garden after the long winters rest. Please join us as we learn from Richard States "Tips for improving your garden photography". Richard is a Horticulturalist, retired Educator and published Author of an educational slide series for the Ohio State University. He has won numerous photography awards, including all three of the Judge's Choice Awards presented by the Men's Garden Club of America.

As 2018 begins we are honored to be installed as the Co-Presidents of the Southern Butler County Garden Club. This is a new experience for our Club, as we always had a President & Vice President. Together, we will be sharing all of the responsibilities of the Office of President.

As President of the Club for the past two year term, it has been a pleasure to work with Members. As the seasons change so do our Officers. We will install four new Officers to serve in 2018-19 at our Annual Holiday Social. I am so grateful for the opportunity leading this group has afforded me... Together we have accomplished so much!

On behalf of all Garden Club members, I extend a warm THANK YOU to the wonderful guests that attended our Ninth Annual Garden Tour on July 15th. We enjoyed the most fabulous weather for touring and the gardens were spectacular. We have had the most amazing feedback from those that toured. Everyone loved the variety of gardens; many also commented on the vendor's village with the selection of handmade crafts and the BBQ food truck ended the tour offering a yummy lunch...what a day it was!  A special thank you to the homeowners for sharing their lovely gardens with us.

Working in our gardens has been so rewarding this summer. Not only do we have beautiful flowers thanks to all of the rain, we're also enjoying an abundance of growth in all of our plants...I love that!

Spring is a time of celebrating all things new. Our friends from around the world celebrate in so many different ways. In Switzerland, a snowman is burned at the stake as soon as flowers begin to emerge. The Netherlands welcome spring with parades having floats made entirely of tulips, narcissus and daffodils. The Japanese have picnics under the cherry trees while admiring the blossoms. Here in Western Pennsylvania, we are more than happy to see warmer weather, longer stretches of daylight and buds on the trees and shrubs. Spring has arrived!

Our gardens are now taking their winter's nap. Gardeners appreciate this time away from the daily maintenance and care to allow us time to reflect on the upcoming spring season. Will there be a makeover? Will I add those highly coveted perennials? How about some new, low maintenance shrubs or trees? I love this time of year to ponder over the catalogs that arrive daily. I think of what I could tuck into a special spot or what might need to be moved to make room for a new cultivar. Soon it will be time to make those decisions and I can't wait!

It's in the spirit of the Season of Giving, that I must share with you one of the service projects our Club has been part of. As members of the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania and National Garden Clubs, Inc. we are encouraged to participate in community service. We gladly take part in projects that better serve the communities in which we live and work. One project in particular has been close to our hearts for the past seven years...the beautification and addition of a serenity garden at a local Women's Shelter.