ARDITH'S JOTTINGS

 Mother Nature is announcing Spring is Coming and so are the many garden tours available in our area.  Here are a few you might want to enjoy.

Governor's Mansion Garden Tours     March 7 - June 7, 2012

The Executive Gardens surrounding the Governor's Mansion are on tour from March 7, to June 7. Experience the different gardens-Rose, Children's, Victorian, etc.  North Carolina wild plants and crops best suited to North Carolina's growing zone are featured in these extensive grounds.  In keeping with the history of the Executive Mansion, which was completed by state prisoners, the gardens today are tended by state prisoners under the direction of the State Gardener. This serves both as an economy measure and as a job skill development program.  Go to www.nchistoricsites.org/capitol/exec for further information.  Why not visit the grounds with a group of your garden club friends.  Reservations should be made at least two weeks in advance. Hope to see you there!


Chapel Hill Garden Club Tour  April 14 & 15,2012
A Sense of Place: the Southern Gardens of Chapel Hill

The gardens are Chapel Hill are diverse.  You will see not only cottage gardens in downtown Chapel Hill, garden rooms in a sequestered garden on busy Franklin Street, multi-level gardens featuring distinctive artwork but also a farmette with a cunning hen house.  This tour offers 10 different opportunities to experience a panoply of gardening styles and dreams plus numerous ideas to take home. Many are the product of their owners' efforts.  So plan to travel over more than just downtown Chapel Hill.


Uncommon Garden Tour  April 28, 2012

In 2002 the owners of this property decided to enhance their backyard.  The project grew and expanded to incorporate tons of soil, rocks, sculpture to create a truly unique garden.  Once a year the owners open it for public tours to benefit The ArtsCenter of Carrboro.  Not only will there be distinctive works of arts to please and intrigue the eye but you will enjoy musical performances by noted local musicians. This event is after dark and for 3 hours only.

Easter Baskets for the Vets at the Durham VA

Every year I decorate the VA Hospital Chapel with poinsettias and ask my garden club to help.

The Durham VA was so excited and thankful this year that I thought I would do the decorating of the chapel for Easter.  People from the community, hospital patients and employees use the chapel daily.

For Easter I thought we could satisfy two requests of the VA hospital volunteer staff.  They have sent a list of needs and one project they need help with is the gardens for the assisted living patients.  These patients maintain the garden but they need plants.

By using small plants in baskets in the Chapel the long term patients can then plant them in their garden. This is a therapeutic program that gives the Veterans the opportunity to reminisce on past gardening and/or farming experiences and fosters a sense of purpose and responsibility through the planting, growing and caring of plants, herbs, vegetables and flowers.

I ask the members of DCGC to help me purchase these plants.  There will be 5 baskets.

one for each branch of the service.  On Saturday before Easter we will take the baskets and deliver them to the Chapel.  I could use one or two extra people to help me make up the baskets.  This can be done any day between Palm Sunday and that Saturday.

Can I count on you to cheer the Vets at the Durham VA for Easter and again all summer with the planting of the herbs, vegs and flowers for them to eat and enjoy?  Any amount would be a help.  You can give me a check or cash at the March DCGC meeting or mail me Marcia L at Heritage Garden Club in the yearbook.

Sharing my newsletters of interest

I get many great newsletters which I use to share ideas and information. Rather than take bits and pieces of information I thought you might enjoy the full newsletters yourself.  You can write and get on their list if they are writing about
your passion and want to stay current with their store, garden or educational resources.

The Little Herb House sells and educates in a great fun way everything you need to know about herbs.  Spring is coming and they have some great activities.
http://www.littleherbhouse.com/

The NC Botanical Gardens is just down the road at UNC and they have tours, classes, books and more.  Check out their website for their classes and special events.  It you haven't been recently you really should take a tour this spring.
http://ncbg.unc.edu/

Of course you can't miss Sarah P. Duke Gardens.  I give some of my extra time
to this garden so it is special to me.  We docents (as we tell the children the meaning of "docent" is don't get paid)  are in the middle of our winter training and while walking in the gardens yesterday, I saw the buds a growing.
This will be spectacular in another month.  Oh I found out there are over 250 volunteers at Duke Gardens and if your knees are gone you still can be part of the gardens.  Call them if you are interested in joining a great group of people.
http://www.hr.duke.edu/dukegardens/education.htm

I received another newsletter this week from Habitat of Humanity.  They have Women Build and are preparing to build a 6th home by women.  They came to a Council meeting recently and I hope some of us can support their efforts. The Women Build Kickoff will be Tuesday, March 20 at 6 pm at the Hill House.
http://www.habitat.org/wb/

Ardith's Jottings

What We Learn From Gardening

We learn patience.  We plant. We water.  We feed. We wait.  We weed. We wait again.  We wait for rain, for sun, for growth, for the rain to stop.    We learn perseverance.  We move forward in the garden even when problems occur.   We continue on when the weeds seem to be winning.  We even learn from the weeds.  We learn that it is better to nip them when they are young than to postpone the chore. Any problem is more manageable in the beginning stages rather than letting it grow.  Nipping it in the bud saves more time and effort later.  Plus doesn't it give your spirits a lift to look at that clean bed.  Clearing the weeds from your flower beds gives you instant satisfaction--they're gone!  No waiting for results.  We learn faith.  The act of planting is an exercise in faith.  Faith that it will grow, flourish and reward our efforts.  We learn to dream.  We dream as we look at plant catalogs deciding what we are going plant next season.  We dream as we look at the winter landscape visualizing it bursting forth with all these glorious plants.  Gardeners are dreamers.  We share our dreams with all who see our gardens. 

Council Awards

Time is running out.  Remember to get your Council Award forms to me shortly.  The information  is in your Council Handbook.  It's a chance to brag about your club has done  and get some money for your treasury to support your activities for the coming year.  It's a win-win.  Pat yourself on the back and win cash for your club!

September State Board Meeting Plans Move Ahead

The Executive Committee for the Fall State Board Meeting is busy planning this exciting event.  They are working to make it an enjoyable and productive meeting.   In fact, we are inviting you to participate in some of the activities even though you are not planning on attending the meeting.  We hope you will visit our vendors and see their outstanding and unique items.  Visit the Trash and Treasure table and participate in the Silent Auction. 

Some items have been received for the Trash and Treasure table and the Silent Auction.  We have received artwork,  a fabulous Christmas tree skirt with matching table runner (from the Frontgate Catalog), and floral containers BUT we NEED YOU!  We need you to work on a committee, to be a page, to donate items for the Trash and Treasure table and/or the Silent Auction; we need you to participate