By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Garden clubs hold annual meeting
Bulloch council gathers countys six clubs
W Garden Club
Cissy Mercer, a member of the Spade and Trowel Garden Club, speaks about Amaryllis plants during the annual meeting of the Bulloch Council of Federated Garden Clubs. - photo by ROGER ALLEN/special

  The Bulloch Council of Federated Garden Clubs held its annual meeting in the Perry Social Hall of Statesboro's First Baptist Church. According to council president Virginia Anne Waters, the council consists of six separate clubs, and had 93 members in attendance.
      The clubs are: the Civic Garden Club, which was founded in 1950; the Spade and Trowel Garden Club (1953); the Hoe and Hope Garden Club (1956); the Evergreen Garden Club (1957); the Sprig 'N Dig Garden Club (1970); and the Brooklet Garden Club (2009).
      There were two speakers at the luncheon. The first was Spade and Trowel club member Cissy Mercer, who came to show off her Amaryllis plants, which she had forced from bulbs. The main speaker for the event was Carolyn Altman, the director of Georgia Southern University's Botanical Garden.
      Her topic was “A Green Future for Bulloch County.”
      As Altman said, “These ladies do such a wonderful job with individual plants, and their gardens, that I wanted to help them think of growing green on a larger scale.”
      Altman spoke about how dependent all us are upon trees.
      She shared that not only do trees create the oxygen we breathe, but they cleanse it of many of the pollutants our society creates. Furthermore, trees have a positive effect on the value of property we own, and actually enhance our state of mind.
       Altman said city planners are using “green spaces” in all U.S. cities to take advantage of these benefits. Altman thanked the Bulloch Council for giving her enough money to place two books on trees in each of the public school libraries in order to celebrate “Arbor Day.”
      She was presented with a check by the council to help fund the “Wine, Moonlight, and Magnolias” celebration coming up April 22.
      Also, Waters announced during the meeting that the council of garden clubs had agreed to plant six acres of wildflowers along the U.S. Highway 301 By-Pass.
      The Evergreen Garden Club took the opportunity to pass out applications for the “Annual Flower Show,” which they are sponsoring. The event will be held on April 23-24. Attendees were told the rules had changed, and asked to read the new regulations carefully.
      Waters said that “My goal as council president has been to start at least two new clubs. Brooklet was the first one of these. Anyone interested in starting a new club can contact me at 489-8459. Our theme for year two is ‘Go Green.’ We are encouraging people to reuse, reduce and recycle.”

Sign up for the Herald's free e-newsletter