Croasdaile's Pansey Sale

Croasdaile is having their annual pansy sale again this year. The plants will be from Multiflora with 36 plants per flat for $12. Suzanne Freeman is the chairperson and will take the orders phone (look at Croasdaile in yearbook) . There are over 2 dozen varieties from which to choose.
The deadline for orders will be Sept. 24 and the flats will be delivered to Croasdaile the first or second week in October. More details at the Sept 7th meeting

Enter the State Fair DETAILS ATTACHED

The 2010 North Carolina State Fair is October 14 through 24.

This year, as has been the case for the past 43 years, The Gardeners of Wake County (www.gardenersofwakecounty.org) is working with the state fair to put on the flower and garden show at the fair.

Your garden club members are encouraged to enter flowers and plants in the state fair.
It is easy to do, and there is no entry fee plus there are over $31,000 in cash premiums in addition to ribbons. Prize money has been increased this year.

Entry categories include

* Cut flowers and plants
* Designs (arrangements)
* Dish gardens and terrariums
* Container grown plants
* Hanging baskets
* Cucurbits

It is easy to enter.

* Entries can be entered on line at www.blueribbonfair.com/BRFairprod/BlueRibbonStart.aspx?ID=2088
Or by mail
(the deadline is October 1 in either case)

* Your entries are due between 8:00 AM and noon on opening day, Thursday October 14.
* In addition, for your convenience exhibits for the categories Dish gardens and terrariums, Container grown plants, Hanging baskets and Cucurbits may be submitted on the afternoon of October 10 or morning of October 13.

* For cut flowers and plants there are THREE shows -- you can participate in any or all of them. This is especially useful for those traveling to the fair after it opens. Entries can be submitted the mornings of
* October 18 and
* October 21 in addition to
* October 14
Ribbons and cash prizes are awarded for each of the three shows.

* It is easy to get into the fair with your entry. You may drive your vehicle with your entries through Gate 6 off Youth Center Road and park near the exhibit hall. Show a copy of your entry form to the gate attendant for entry.

Next steps

* Obtain the fair premium book and study the details of the rules and procedure.
The premium book can be obtained by download at www.ncstatefair.org/2010/Competitions/HowToEnter.htm

or in hard copy by writing the fair at
Premium Book
1010 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1010

* Complete the entry form found in the premium book or at www.ncstatefair.org/2010/Competitions/PremiumBook/2010GenEntryForm.pdf

or make an on line submission at www.blueribbonfair.com/BRFairprod/BlueRibbonStart.aspx?ID=2088

* The state fair will generate entry tags which you will pick up in person at the Flower and Garden Show building when you bring your exhibit.

* The Flower and Garden Show building is located off Youth Center Road that is perpendicular to Hillsborough Street west of Dorton Arena (the tall round building). Enter through gate 6 on Youth Center Road.

* Remember to submit entry forms by October 1 – the state fair rules do not permit submission of the entry form when you arrive with the entry.

Finally

* The above is just a summary. Please refer to the premium book for details. The information in the premium book prevails over this summary. We hope you will decide to enter the Flower Show and make this one the best show ever.

Very truly yours,
The Gardeners of Wake County, Inc.
Charles Gilliam
Vice President and Chairman of the Garden Show for 2010

A new Year for DCGC begins

We will have our 1st meeting of the year at the Hill House on Sept 7th at 10 am. Come early and socialize.
All clubs will start their activities this month and the new yearbook will be available at the Sept 7th meeting.

Carden Clubs of NC will have the Fall Board Meeting in Fayetteville on Sept 12-13. Your president has
the application and details of the meeting.

National Garden Clubs will have their Fall Meeting in Great Falls, MT

In October we have our District 9 meeting Oct 12 in Roxboro. More to be discussed at the Council meeting and all presidents
should have the applications and info. If not I have. You will find me in last years yearbook. Marcia in Heritage GC.

See you Tuesday after Labor Day at the Hill House.

T&C hosts Girls Impaired / Girls Empowered

Town & Country’s Garden Therapy Committee, headed by Genevieve Cole, brought an inspired and inspiring morning of spring garden cheer to members of the group Girls Impaired/Girls Empowered, known as GIGE. All wheelchair-bound, the young girls in the group, along with their mothers, were guests of honor at the Kings Daughters’ Inn on March 27^th for a program that featured Adilio, the Durham culinary artist who sculpts fruits and vegetables into fanciful, edible flower arrangements, animals, and decorations.

Following the program, the group enjoyed luncheon together at the beautifully restored Durham landmark. T&C's Garden Therapy Committee goes back to the club’s founding in 1964, and through the years it has been involved in many projects that use hands-on gardening in a way to enrich others’ lives in the Durham community, including several projects with the Durham shelter for abused women.

Other T&C members participating in the event were Barbara Collie, Barbara Yowell, and T&C President Katherine Kirschner.

Ikebana, Mar 24 at Sarah Duke Gardens

Many members of the Durham Council of Garden Clubs celebrated with the newest chapter of Ikebana International on Wednesday Mar 24th. Treyburn was out in great numbers and several members of Heritage were also there. This Ikebana chapter is an asset to all the activities at Duke Gardens and the tea house. If interested in Ikebana call Carol, the District 9 Director to learn more.

Make a digital slideshow

T&C Presents Educator Grants

NC Beautiful board member Alan Herosian, grant winner Kristen Snyder, T&C's Katherine K, George Watts principal Patti Crum, and NC Beautiful director Steve Vacendak with Ms. Snyder's young gardeners.

Town & Country Garden Club has presented grants of $1000 to each of two Durham educators through the NC Beautiful "Windows of Opportunity" program. The grants fund the winning teachers' proposals for furthering environmental awareness in their students and came from the club's community projects for the 2009-2010 year.

The grants have been presented to Kristen Snyder of George Watts Montessori School and Ruth McDaniel of Southern High School. Town & Country president, Katherine Kirschner, visited the schools to present the awards. After her visit to Ms. Snyder's class she commented, "What a fabulous little garden Ms. Snyder's students have - winter veggies, herbs, fruit-bearing shrubs and trees, as well as a few perennials. Of course the most popular item in the garden was the earthworms!"



L: Ms. Snyder's students check out the earthworms
R: Ms. Snyder and T&C's Katherine K with the students

Tues, March 9th, Joint Meeting

Make your own photo slideshow

JOINT MEETING -- Tuesday March 9th

There will be a joint meeting of all Council Garden Clubs at Sarah Duke Gardens
Tuesday March 9th
at 10 am.

It is hoped most club members will attend.

T&C Sign for Windsor Way Project

Town & Country's work on the Windsor Way Median plantings has been recognized by this new sign at the east end of the boulevard-median. The sign, fabricated by Vega Metalworks, is made in the traditional black wrought-iron style that originally marked streets in Hope Valley and has been revived through the Hope Valley Neighborhood Association's beautification efforts. Like the street signs throughout the area, the one at the Windsor Way Median is mounted on a rough-hewn natural cedar post. The sign itself was planned as part of the original project. Town and Country member Chasie Harris and Walker Harris of Chase Builders carried out the installation.

Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance

A member of my garden club sent this to me. I have not seen in a long time and as we will be saying the Pledge tomorrow at the Council meeting I thought we could all remember just what we are saying when we Pledge. This video was done years ago but still has so much to say.

Chocolate is an herb

Click on the picture to get larger view. Susan is a friend of Alice and writes some great mystery books about herbs. Enjoy a cup of chocolate and a good mystery as we wait to get into the garden again to plant.

Up and Coming activities you might like to know more about

Feb 12-14 Toby Hemenway at Duke

http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/hemenway/index.html
Public Lecture and Workshops
Friday, Feb. 12 – Sunday, Feb. 14
Hemenway is a frequent teacher, consultant and lecturer on permaculture and ecological design throughout the U.S. and other countries. His writing has appeared in magazines such as Natural Home, Whole Earth Review and American Gardener. He is an adjunct professor in the School of Graduate Education at Portland State University, a Scholar-in-Residence at Pacific University, and a biologist consultant for the Biomimicry Guild.

Plant a Row for the Hungry
The JCC Arboretum will be decidating several rows of spring-fall vegetable crops to fee the hungry. You can help in the endeavor while you learn how to garden! While you volunteer a few hours each season to helping grow seedlings in the greenhouse, transplant and maintain the crops and harvest for the food bank, knowledgeable staff will be giving you the understanding of each of these processes while you gain valuable hands on experience. Call Lin Frye 919-209-2052 for details. This starts after Valentine’s Day or click on

http://www.gardenwriters.org/gwa.php?p=par/donation_sites.html


Feb 20 Your Natural Garden
Duke Gardens Spring Gardening Symposium
Bringing Nature Home, A Palette of Native Plants,Lunch, Home Eco-Gardens, Rain Gardens and Design Challenge. Friends $95 Seperate Workshops and Dinner also available. Call Duke Gardens for details


50th Anniversary Southern Spring Home & Garden Show
March 3-7 Charlotte, NC
At the Park (formerly the Charlotte Merchandise Mart)

info: http://www.southernshows.com/sss/index.php?general_info=1&

The Southern Pines Garden Club Tour
April 14th 10 am-5
Advance Tickets $15 information www.southernpinesgardenclub.com

Town & Country gets “Flower Power”

Members of Town and Country Garden Club availed themselves of the thaw and sunny weather on Saturday, January 16, 2010, to plant 200 spring bulbs acquired through the “Flower Power” program sponsored by the organization Keep Durham Beautiful.

Via the Internet, Keep Durham Beautiful offered the chance to register to win packets of 50 bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocus, grape hyacinths, Dutch iris, and alpine rosy bells). Four Town and Country members’ entries were successful.

Greatly aided by volunteer-husband Jim Agnew’s power-digger, Town & Country members Carol G., Chasie H., Nita B., and Martha C. are shown above planting their Flower Power allotment. The bulbs are planted on the lower island of the Windsor Way median, complementing the shrub plantings placed there by Town and Country’s 2009 Neighborhood Beautification project.

Town & Country's Holiday Luncheon

Town & Country celebrated the holidays with their traditional December luncheon at Hope Valley Country Club on December 12. T&C President Katherine Kirschner took pictures, which we are happy to share with you.