Shady Oaks Garden Club

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. -Khalil Gibran

Sara Bowers challenged and inspired us all to create designs from things in our own garden. Anne Reid and Cole Hendrix embraced this challenge and had a great afternoon of creativity. Anne was drawn to hosta and hydrangea. Those of you who know Anne know that she loves hosta and grows many different ones. She has a very special miniature collection just next to her driveway! Cole decided to explore the potential of the rhododendrons in her garden and highlighted flowers from every stage of growth. (Anne is the better designer but Cole sure had fun too!)

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The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source, and destination of all. -Wendell Berry

Hello Shady Ladies! Though the world has started to open up again, I suspect most of us are still sticking close to home. Covid-19 is still present and we are all trying to be mindful about our interactions with others, mitigating risk to ourselves and our fellow citizens whenever possible. Fortunately, gardening and other horticultural pursuits are keeping us busy. Sara Bowers, one of our most active members, has challenged herself to create a floral design each week using things from her own garden. This weeks she shares two really wonderful designs with us. The first is a low profile design of one gladiolus stem with hosta leaves in a container given to her by Phyllis Stamm.  The second is made from a garlic bloom and gladiolus foliage. What can you create with plants in your garden?

Stay safe and keep digging!

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We are all missing each other right now! Our monthly meetings are a time of sweet fellowship with other gardeners and a time to learn something new from great guest speakers. Covid-19 has kept us from meeting and I know we will all be so happy to see one another when we are able to resume our normal schedule. Our Co-Presidents Nancy and Pat encouraged our members to visit the ETSU Arboretum for self-guided tours in lieu of our regular May meeting. The ETSU Arboretum is such a tremendous local resource! It includes over 200 different species of trees and over 150 shrub species. Record low temperatures in early May and the continual deluge of rain showers have made it difficult to get over there but if you haven’t yet, please do. It is a real treat! Pat and Natalie sent along some lovely photos from their visits Natalie was inspired by Fragrant Snowbell, Chinese Sweetshrub and Allspice. Pat took note of the Confucius Hinoki Cypress and Cedar of Lebanon, both of which reminded her of the World Lit class she teaches. She also snapped a great photo of a Little Gem Magnolia… because who among us doesn’t want a Little Gem Magnolia?! Thanks Ladies!

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Shady Oaks member Sara Bowers has been spreading love and cheer to residents in assisted living facilities.  Most of those folks are isolated from their families right now which is very hard. Sara has been recycling old cards, using the front of the card only and writing a short inspirational message on the back. 270 cards have already been delivered to Ivy Hall and 30 to Hermitage. Sara also shared some beautiful Iris blooms with the staff. She says that the residents have so loved receiving these cards with their evening meal! If you are cleaning house and find old cards, please consider helping with this really worthwhile project. Now more than ever we need to work to stay connected with one another.

Sara also reports that her tulips performed well this season and she is doing a few pepper plants in pots as well as working with her brother on a large vegetable garden on his farm. 

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Continuing updates from our members during the Covid-19 quarantine.

In nearly back to back gardens on the north side of town Anne and Cole are both tackling all kinds of projects. Cole has been weeding and is determined to stay on top of it this year. She has also been dividing and moving around all kinds of perennials. She has prepped her veggie beds and started seeds under the grow lights. She is contemplating reworking an unruly area near the back of her garden and expanding another bed to add in a few more roses. She is really enjoying the tulips right now and her cherry trees look like they are covered in fluffy tufts of pink cotton candy. The peonies are up and a few already have plump buds. The roses are leafed out and ahead of schedule thanks to the warm weather. Percy and Lucille are enjoying rolling around in the lush grass!

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Anne has a very shady lot and wants to expand a number of areas to incorporate more woodland plants. She has spent a lot of time weeding and tidying beds so far. It looks great! Anne has an impressive hosta collection that includes a number of prized miniature hosta and an enormous, lovely cultivar called “Elvis.” Her azaleas are starting to bloom as seen in the photos. She also moved a lilac last fall and was rewarded with some blooms.

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Since we are all “sheltering in place” and “gardening in place” I asked some members to share photos from their gardens and to update us all about projects they are working on during the quarantine. Today we are visiting Katya & Teri.

Katya shared these wonderful images of things coming along in her garden. Radishes and winter leeks springing up from the ground. Hellebores, leucojum, French sorrel, a delightful crabapple tree and lunaria. Katya reports that she is busy working on spring garden clean up and preparing for the season ahead.

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Teri recently purchased a new home and is taking stock of what was already there and working hard to put her own stamp on things. She reports that she is doing some aggressive pruning. She has also planted strawberries, dark knight canna, lady danger bearded iris and African mask. She plans to remove a naninda and replace it with a lilac. She is working on pruning back her Hydrangea arborescens and taming some of her roses. She is also taking inventory of her seeds and will be sowing them soon!

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December has been a wonderful month for our garden club. Our holiday program this year was a succulent workshop. Pat Buck and Sara Bowers inspired us all to create seasonal succulent decorations including mini-trees, holiday balls and even terrariums.

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Several of our members also attended the Holiday Greens Tea at Racheff House in Knoxville. They enjoyed an impressive selection of nibbles and goodies and were able to shop for seasonal arrangements made and donated by various garden clubs in our district. This annual fundraiser is always a great event.

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We look forward to seeing everyone at our January meeting. Have a safe and happy holiday season!

For our July meeting Sara Bowers led a great workshop on Low Profile Designs. What’s a Low Profile Design, you ask? It is a three dimensional design that incorporates three or more design techniques. It must be four times as long or wide as it is high and it is meant to be viewed from above. Sara demonstrated several design techniques and then we were tasked with creating some of our own designs. As you can see in the photos, we have some very talented designers. This was definitely one of the most enjoyable workshops we’ve had.

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Please join us for the 2019 Garden Tour & Plant Sale. We are featuring six lovely gardens and a masterfully curated plant sale with unique offerings from our own members. You won’t want to miss this very special event!

Garden Visions: Johnson City

Saturday, June 8, 10am to 2pm

(heavy rain date 6/9)

Tickets ($10) may be purchased on the day of the tour at the Votaw Garden (3603 Honeywood Dr.) or the Plant Sale (915 Grady Dr.)

Gardens grow where a specific site meets the imagination of an individual gardener. Sometimes the result is a solution to a problem (water conservation, management of water run-off, gardening on a slope), but always it is the creation of a unique space—for privacy, tranquility, and simple enjoyment of beautiful plants.

This is a self-guided driving tour. The gardens are all in North Johnson City, the first four in Roundtree and Briarwood subdivisions, the last two not far from the intersection of Knob Creek Road and Sunset Drive, with Franklin Woods Hospital in between.

For more information contact Pat Buck 423-431-8766 or 423-474-3438.

April 13, Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park, Elizabethton. East TN Nursery Association Plant Auction. Doors open 8:15, auction begins at 9 am.

April 13, Rocky Mount. Wooly Day and Garden Arts Celebration. Hand-shearing, lectures on gardening topics, vendors. Check it out: http://www.rockymountmuseum.com/index.php/special-events/wooly-day-2019/

April 23-25, Memphis Univ. Holiday Inn. TFGC State Convention. If you want to go, contact Sara Bowers, 423-213-3488.

April 27, Trinity United Methodist Church, 524 Tusculum Blvd. Greeneville. Greeneville Iris Society/Eastside Garden Show. 2 to 4 pm.

May 2, SOGC Meeting. At May Votaw’s, 3603 Honeywood, Johnson City. Program: Plant Better with Compost, Joe Hoffman. Note new time: Thursday at 5:30 pm.

May 3, Tipton Gallery, 126 Tipton St., Johnson City. Opening of art exhibit and announcement of Johnson City’s Sunflower Project (associated with What’s the Buzz Johnson City pollinator initiative). Time TBA. For more on “What’s the Buzz,” look for whatsthebuzzjc on Facebook.

May 18, Cindy Hintz’s house, 915 Grady Drive. Make Stepping Stones for Garden Tour. 10:30 am. For more info call Anne Reid, 423-794-8842.

Evergreen Seminars, Saturdays starting at 10:30 am, 511 Princeton Rd., Johnson City. Seminars are free, but some are followed by workshops which have a fee for supplies. Refreshments, door prizes, and coupons. Please register in advance (423-282-3431)

·         April 6, Spring Lawn Care

·         April 13, Perennials

·         April 20, Veggie Garden

·         April 27, Flowers in Containers

·         May 18, Fairy Gardens

·         May 25, Gardening for Wildlife

·         June 1, Growing Succulents