Garden Club shares plans for another exciting season
From field trips to lectures and yard tours to Garden Gala, the Pine Island Garden Club shares its plans for the up coming season.
“The Pine Island Garden Club is starting another new year with some exceptional programs and activities for the islanders to enjoy,” said Garden Club member Margi Vanderkruik. “In addition to monthly meetings, the club is planning the 10th annual Garden Gala and we also will be offering some exciting field trips as well.”
Members meet to swap information about the planting and care of vegetation found in Southwest Florida landscape and each month are treated to a presentation from a guest speaker. The following are the speakers and their subjects that are scheduled for the upcoming season:
— Sept. 16
Topic: An insight to the work done at CROW with speaker Carol Rothman
— Oct. 21
Topic: Yard tour at the home of Donna Cook
— Nov. 18
Topic: New Natives for Pine Island with speaker Jenny Evans, manager of the Native Plan Nursery – Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation
— Dec. 9
Topic: Holiday party
— Jan. 20
Topic: Gardening without pesticides with speaker, Jerry Meola
— Feb. 18
Topic: Gardening tips for seasonal residents with speaker, Maryanne Parsons
— March 17
Topic: Yard tour at the home of Marty Kendall
— April 21
Topic: Native plants for birds, butterflies and other beasties with speaker, Carolynn Littleton
— May 19
Topic: Conserving water in the Pine Island landscape with speaker, John Kiseda
Field trips in the past presented by the Garden Club have included several tours of botanical gardens throughout the state of Florida and the first of many will take place this season on Nov 8. This trip will take gardening enthusiasts to the Babcock Wilderness Ranch, the second is scheduled for March 7, when a trip is planned for a visit to the Naples Zoo and Caribbean Gardens which will include a special 90 minute botanical tour of the facility.
All Garden Club trips are open to the public and for more information, call Doug Fix at 282-9280.
The highlight of the season again will be the Garden Gala.
“Each year this fund raiser just keeps getting bigger and bigger and this year will be no exception,” said Vanderkruik. “It is a day of fantastic lectures on horticulture and a perfect time to purchase some of the finest plants grown by the top growers in the state. The Gala has always been a pleasurable day for the entire family and promises to be the same this season.”
Staged at the Garden Club’s Pine Island Nature Park located just north of the island center, this season’s 10th annual Garden Gala will take place on Feb. 26. Admission will be free along with a day of presentations and lectures presented by local experts.
In addition to meetings, the Pine Island Garden Club is an active member of the island community. Members of the Garden Club are responsible for many landscapes using native plants found on Pine Island. Among them are the plantings found at the Museum of the Islands and the Pine Island Public Library as well as on the property of Pine Island’s first Habitat for Humanity home.
Anyone interested in attending meetings of the Garden Club or to become a member are asked to call Carlene Sharples, Garden Club president at 283-4607, Marty Kendall, 1st vice president at 283-8175, Kathie Reiter, membership chair at 283-3176 or visit the Garden Club website at pineislandgardenclub.org.