HUNTINGTON GARDEN CLUB
The Huntington Garden Club met on Tuesday, February 13th, at the beautiful home of Melody Lowery. Upon entering her home there is a sign on the fireplace that says, “In our home let love abide, and bless all those who step inside”, and that is how we all felt. There were 19 members present. The meeting started with delicious refreshments provided by Melody, Kim, Bambi, and J’Nelle. Our thanks to these ladies for an outstanding meal.
Jacki Kopycinski presented the Flower of the Month featuring Narcissus. Narcissius’ are divided into 13 divisions including Jonquils, Daffodils, and Paperwhites. They are categorized by flower shape and color. They are poisonous and deer resistant. The foliage should turn brown and completely die back on the stem due to feeding the bulbs with nutrients from the stems before any transplanting or removing the bulbs.
Lynn Blackwell, Master Gardener, seen sitting on the hearth, presented the program on “Heirloom Bulbs”. Lynn had attended a Jasper Master Gardener Sodbuster Symposium lecture presented by Chris Weisinger known as the “Bulb Hunter”. His desire to find and share bulbs has resulted in a thriving business called the Southern Bulb Company. Heirloom bulbs that thrive in East Texas are the Narcissus, Byzantine Gladiolus, Hardy Amaryllis, Crinums, Rain Lilies, and Spider Lilies. The ideal planting time is October through December with Thanksgiving being the best time to plant Narcissus. The primary factors that affect bulb growth are temperature, moisture, and light. Planting Heirloom bulbs in your gardens require little care and will preserve their beauty for generations to come. Lynn’s final comment, “We all have to leave our mark in this world, I want to leave it in flowers”. Thank you, Lynn, for such an informative and enjoyable presentation.
Please remember to save this date; Saturday, April 28th, 2018, for the Huntington Garden Club Tea Party at the Family Life Center. This event is our fund raiser for Scholarships for qualifying candidates and has been a huge hit with not only the Huntington area, but surrounding areas as well. Featuring beautiful decor, delicious food, entertainment, and an auction like no other, you will not want to miss this one!
For the first time ever, the Club members voted to select a member for the Valentine Sweetheart. It is with great pleasure to announce the Valentine Sweetheart for 2018 is Othal Lowery, seen in the photo below. Othal received a heart shaped box of candy and a bouquet of flowers presented by J’Nelle Short. J’Nelle commented Othal was the Garden Club Matriarch, a person to go to for questions, information, history, and she keeps us all on the right track. Congratulations to Othal Lowery.
The March meeting will be held in J’Nelle Short’s art room at Huntington High School. The theme is “Paint and Snack”. We will all be painting flowers on canvas under the direction of J’Nelle. Please bring $5 to cover the cost of materials. One painting will be selected by J’Nelle for the Tea Party auction. The Club officers are the hostesses. We are looking forward to an exciting and fun time at our next meeting.