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The South Carolina Gardener | Winter 2013 | 1

The South Carolina

The Official Publication of The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc.

GARDENER

GCSC | WINTER ISSUE 2013 | VOL. 92 NO. 2

2 |

“Things won are done; joy’s soul lies in the doing.”Shakespeare. Troilus and Cressida. 1.2.226

Dear GCSC Members,What joy you must be experiencing from your work for GCSC,

especially in your communities. We met in Fall Gatherings from Sumter to Columbia, Spartanburg to Greenville and Denmark to

Conway! You learned how to make nominations for Historic Trees for Historic Places (HTHP) and include your community in celebrating

your heritage. Children’s Legacy Tree Trails, historic camellias, Horry County Patriot Tree Trails, the Kilgore-Lewis Arboretum, a Revolutionary War Hanging Tree, burying ground trees, campground tree groves, centuries-old oaks and much more inspired you to join the fun. You began work in your communities, joining hands with civic groups, governmental entities, churches, historical societies, archives and schools to nominate historic sites, trees. Now, have a Tree Party! Get your high school band, your local politicians, every possible age group and publicihe party. Go cradle to grave: get the children to join your community group and have a celebration to honor the trees and camellias in your local cemetery, a marvelous repository of historic trees.

Ready for some fun?What do the following have in common?

Why is it culturally accepted, spanning countries and interests?(see page 26 for answers)

Coco Chanel Richard Gere Rudolf Valentino Colin FirthJulia Roberts Sarah Bernhardt Guiseppe Verdi Claude MonetGreta Garbo Dame Margot Fonteyn Alexander Dumas-fils NCAA football

I encourage you to embrace this Winter Season, taking time to walk the woods, admire the bare bones of many trees and find renewal, joy and energy for the new year. Thank you for your beautiful, meaningful work for The Garden Club of South Carolina!

Happy Winter!

JudithDill 41st President GCSC

President’s Letter

Do not spread the compost on the weeds ~ Wm Shakespeare, Hamlet

Make a Donation to HTHPIndividuals, Clubs & Councils are invited and encouraged to make a contribution to the Garden Club of South Carolina’s (GCSC) Historic Trees for Historic Places (HTHP) project.

These contributions, in any amount, will allow GCSC to purchase and plant trees across our state over the next two years. Contributions may

• Acknowledge the contributor (s)• Be acknowledged as a memorial to an individual (s)• Be acknowledged honoring an individual (s)

Contributions should be made payable to GCSC and specified for the HTHP project. Send contributions to Maureen Minner, Treasurer GCSC, P.O. Box 2848, Summerville, SC 29484-2848.


Contents

2 PRESIDENT’S LETTER

4 HERBS ARE SUPERBRosemary: Rosmarinus officinalis Eleanor Hickman Durgee

6 Ikebana Pat Jones

8 ROOTSThe Cork Oak Helen Goforth

10 BLUE STAR MARKERNorth Myrtle Beach

11 Garden Therapy Ponza Vaughan

14 The Allene Able Hybrid Rose

16 History of the Camellia Florence Crowder

20 Essential Steps for Growing Camellias Anna Sheets

22 HORTICULTURE PATHBract Facts Jerry W. Weise

23 GREEN GARDENING & SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONSRecycling Our Land Gail Jeter

25 Helping Our Backyard Wildlife Friends Survive Winter Glenda Mungo

28 INSPIRATION & MEDITATIONWinter Joan Danforth

29 Dorothy G. Hines Nature Trail

30 BLUE STAR MARKERTown and Village Garden Club, Moncks Corner and Pinopolis

31 Editor’s Note Kathy Hall

WINTER 2013 | VOLUME 92 | NO. 2

4 | Gardening is medicine that does not need a prescription ~ author unknown

Herbs are Superb

By Eleanor Hickman DurgeeHerb Chairman

ROSEMARY, Rosmarinus officinalis from Latin meaning “dew of the sea.”

“There’s Rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember.” William Shakespeare, Hamlet, IV, 5

When the wind blows out over the deep blue of the Mediterranean Sea and the blue flowers and green leaves of rosemary growing on the rocky slopes surrender their fragrance during harvest, the unforgettable scent of rosemary can be carried for more than 20 miles out to sea! It is no wonder then, that rosemary remains a favorite with its use going back over 3,000 years! A native of Southern Europe, rosemary was one of those essential herbs that traveled the Atlantic with the first settlers to America.

Let’s Grow and Use RosemaryWith plenty of sunshine in a dry spot, rosemary will be lovely to look at as an ornamental plant, sensual to sniff as a fragrance, pleasing to the palate in culinary delights and a boost to the brain for memory and focus. It is not an easy plant to grow from seed, so a trip to your local nursery is the best idea for beginning a plant. Rosemary is a member of the mint family, however it is not invasive. It is a bushy perennial plant, with a wonderful addicting fragrance. It can grow to be four feet tall and four feet wide, but is easily managed with pruning. It grows best in zones 7 through 10.

Snipping and clipping rosemary encourages new growth and the fresh trimmings can be added to your favorite sauces, soups or meats all the while giving your home a delightful aroma. Of course it is imperative to sing the memorable refrain “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme,” from the song “Scarborough Fair” by Simon and Garfunkel as you proudly prepare delicious dishes using herbs from your own herb garden!

Legends and Stories of RosemaryMother Mary was protected under the shelter of a rosemary bush as she rested after escaping from Egypt. She threw her blue cape on the bush to dry and the white flowers turned to blue. Ever since, the plant was called “the rose of Mary.”

In ancient Greece, the Greek students braided garlands of rosemary into their hair to help their memory during exams. Greek physicians prescribed rosemary to relieve mental disorders.

The Queen of Hungary bathed daily in rosemary. The King of Poland at age 26 was so smitten by her beauty when she was 72 that he begged for her hand in marriage.1


Things My Mother Taught Me:

Roasted Rosemary Pecans

Mix together melted butter, fresh chopped or crushed rosemary, salt and cayenne pepper to desired taste. Stir in pecans. Roast in a single layer in a shallow pan turning until browned in a 350-degree oven. A delicious addition to salads, party tables and a great holiday giving idea in a festive jar with the recipe attached!

Further awaken your senses to wondrous rosemary by infusing your favorite oil with sprigs of rosemary into the bottle or add rosemary sprigs by the side of fruit as a garnish!

Use the woody stems of the rosemary plant as skewers to grill meats and vegetables on the grill. The food will be infused with flavor.

No More Sitting on Pins and Needles!Make your own cloth pincushion stuffed firmly with rosemary for your pins and needles keeping them sharp!

Plant rosemary to add zip to your culinary cuisine and zap to mosquitoes as a repellant.

Prune into topiary shapes using stems and leaves in your favorite potpourri or floral design!

Put rosemary, rosemary essential oil, sage and baking soda in an old clean prefer-ably white cotton sock. Tie off the top and store in shoes to keep them freshened!

Now…let’s braid rejuvenating rosemary into our hair,

as we revel in our rosemary garden,

relaxing in a refreshing rosemary bath,

while munching on roasted rosemary pecans!---

ResourcesA

2Z of Health, beauty and fitness from “Rosemary named herb of the year for its

flavor and versatility.” Daily-Herald - Arlington Heights, Il.) 28 May 2000.

About theAuthorEleanor Hickman Durgee serves as the Herb Chairman for GCSC and is a member of The Garden Club of Charleston. She travels extensively and is seen in her photo here playing with tigers on her recent trip to Asia. In October she was the recipi-ent of the “Distinguished Alumnus Award for 2013” from the Medical University of South Carolina in recognition of her many professional and personal achievements.

6 | As rosemary is to the spirit, lavender is to the soul ~ unknown

Ikebana

By Pat Jones

I never planned to study Ikebana. But it just seemed the natural thing to do after moving to Tokyo with my husband and children in 1985.

As a gaijin (foreigner) in Japan, married to an American businessman, the opportunities to explore a new culture and meet people from around the world were endless.

Many Japanese are keen to learn English and shortly after arriving I was asked to hold English conversation classes with the wives of Japanese businessmen. Along the way I studied the art of Kime-kome doll making; Japanese Garden design; enrolled in a pottery school; enjoyed Japanese cooking classes and even Italian cooking classes taught by a lady from Milan. I studied western flower arrangement with Mami Kawasaki at her school, Mami-ya, the first person to teach western flower design in Japan and I was the first gaijin to complete the course. I made a lot of friends within these groups. But perhaps the most satisfaction that I derived from my five-year stay in Tokyo was from Ikebana, Japanese flower arranging.

I always had an interest in floral design and this was a golden opportunity to study Ikebana. But

where do you start? There were a number of schools with different styles. I chose the relatively modern Sogetsu School and studied for 4 years.

So what exactly is Ikebana? In his book, The Art of Arranging Flowers… Shozo Sato best describes Ikebana as “an art, in the same sense that painting and sculpture are arts. It has a recorded history; it has undergone a coherent development; it has a technical discipline; it is backed up by articulate theories; and it is concerned with creativity.” The word IKEBANA is derived from two Japanese characters: Ikeru, to arrange and Hana, flowers.

Ikebana is uniquely Japanese having originated with Buddhists who reached Japan from China in the sixth century bringing with them the custom of offer-ing flowers to Buddha in the temple and of honoring the spirits of the dead with flowers as well. The first teachers and students of Ikebana were Buddhist priests and members of the temple. The arrangements in the beginning were very simple with one tall main stem and two accompanying shorter stems. By the late fifteenth Century Ikebana was transformed into an art form with instruction books available.

Moribana Sogetsu


As living conditions in Japan improved, flowers began to be placed in tokonomas in homes, as well as temples. A tokonoma is a small recessed area in a wall, raised slightly off the floor. It is the place of honor in a Japanese home, and it is here Ikebana arrangements, scrolls and pictures are displayed.

There is a spiritual and philosophical aspect to Ikebana as practiced in Japan. Ikebana arrangements have three main stems… Heaven, Earth and Man, and in their interpretation take on a spiritual significance…Heaven “firm soul of all things”… Earth “the source through which all things take form”… Man “the fundamental way by which all things become active.” For most Westerners, however, Ikebana is simply a style of floral arranging.

Height, width, and depth are the elements that form Ikebana with the three main stems giving the arrangement it’s basic, triangular shape. In Sogetsu, we refer to those stems as Shushi. The longest stem being Shin, the next longest, Soe and the shortest, Hikae. Subordinate stems to the main stems are Jushi. The length of the stem is determined by the diameter and depth of the vase.

There are two basic styles of arrangement with each style being identified by the container used.

Moribana - flowers arranged in a shallow container using a kenzan or pin holder to secure the flowers. Within Moribana there is the upright and slanting styles, both with variations.

Nageire - flowers arranged in a tall, narrow container without the use of kenzan. There are three main methods used in Sogetsu School for fixing Nageire branches, all of them requiring hours of practice. There is the upright and slanting style and again, both have many variations.

Ikebana has evolved over the years with many schools adding a modern or Free Style form. The Sogetsu school believes Ikebana can be arranged “anytime, anywhere, by anyone, and with any material.”

The arrangements should be refreshing and beauti-ful and while there are rules, those rules are flexible.

There are Ikebana societies throughout the world and certainly in the major cities of the US. I belong to the New York Chapter of Ikebana International. The society’s motto is “Friendship through Flowers.”

Its e-mail address is HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected].”

About theAuthorPat Jones is a member of The Garden Club of Charleston and serves as chairman of the Heyward Washington Garden committee. She is a former board member of the Ikebana International. Nageire Sogetsu

8 | Plant carrots in January and you’ll never have to eat carrots ~ author unknown

Roots

A column about those things of historical significance to the Garden Club of South Carolina.

The Cork OakBy Helen Goforth, Historian

Leaving Lizard’s Thicket Restaurant on Elmwood Drive, we spot-ted the funkiest-looking tree. Jim immediately stopped the car, made a quick left turn in the parking lot, and came to a stop at the edge of the sidewalk on Lincoln Street. Jim recognized the bark, and told me that it was a cork oak. “We grew two cork trees from four acorns the 4-H Club gave my brother, Bob. We planted them…not knowing which one would grow, or even if they would sprout.” Two farm boys with “green thumbs” success-fully grew two trees until the early 1960s. The trees were approximately 10’ tall when they were killed during a severe Cherokee County winter.

The experiment began in 1948, or so, as Jim recalled. The origin of the acorns was a mystery for Jim and Bob. Has it been solved 65 years later? Historic Trees for Historic Places (HTHP) led me on a research “trail,” and I found the story of the cork trees in The Bulletin No. 29, October, 1942, pages 12 – 13, “CORK IN SOUTH CAROLINA.”

“The war has turned the spotlight of public interest on many things in nature which have hitherto flourished in quiet obscurity. Among them are the fifteen cork oak trees in South Carolina, lifted from the class of garden curiosities to economic importance by the national shortage of cork, usually imported from Spain, Portugal, and North Africa.”

“In July, 1942, some of the oldest of these trees were stripped for the first time in their lives, and the harvested bark taken over by a Maryland bottle-cap manufacturer to be tested for cap-linings.” Describing the harvesting process, Margaret Babcock Meriwether reported “The tree is no more harmed by cutting the bark properly than a sheep is by shearing its wool. Ten years is the average interval between strippings, and the first cut can be made on a 20-year-old tree. Each time the bark may be cut four feet higher than before. Seventy-five pounds is the average yield per tree; 200 pounds is excellent.”

“One of the stripped trees was the cork oak in the grounds of the State Hospital in Columbia (Census location #1), which is known to be close to the century mark in age, and to be of Mexican rather than directly Spanish origin. Dr. Edward Barton gathered in Mexico City the acorn from which it grew, planted it in New Orleans, and brought the little tree to Columbia in a sardine can, according to family tradition among his wife’s people, the Wallaces of Columbia.”

The State Forestry Department was interested in encouraging cork-oak growing among owners of large southern acreage, who could afford to plant and let the next generation profit by their foresight. The chief obstacle to establishing a thriving business was the lack of seedling stock. Eventually, they discovered South Carolina’s erratic winters were too severe for trees to survive and mature in most South Carolina counties.

“The cork oak is, apparently, most erratic in producing fertile acorns; volunteer progeny do not spring up near the parent tree and even under careful cultivation, acorns often fail


to sprout. Ben Gardner in the State Hospital greenhouse in Columbia has been unusually successful in propagating young cork trees both from acorns and by cuttings….He has 40 living little trees which may be the nucleus of a new forest industry for the State.”

The thick rough bark is the unique feature distinguishing the cork tree from other oaks, and, also, it has a “spongy feel” when touched. It is an evergray for the small leatherly oval leaves are not vividly green.

The State Forestry Department made a census of the cork oaks (original 15 trees) in 1932 and a summary describing “the historic trees” appeared in The Bulletin:

“State Hospital tree, planted by Dr. Edward Barton during the 1840s; stripped in 1942.

One tree at ‘Laurel Hill’, Columbia, property of E. G. Siebels; probably planted for Gov. John Taylor by the nurseryman, R. E. Russell, before 1830.

One tree at the Weston Plantation near Congaree, probably planted by Mr. Russell

One tree at Shelton on the Coleman estate, planted by H. J. Coleman before the Confeder-ate War, and presented to him by a Congressman.

One tree on the DePass farm near Winnsboro; age unknown, but more than 9 feet in girth.

One at ‘Fonti-Flora’ property of W. B. Pearson, near Strother in Fairfield County.

Seven trees in North Augusta; two on the property of T. L. McKie, four of George McKie, and one of Mrs. Blandenberg.

One tree in Union, property of Mrs. Catherine Thompson

One tree near Society Hill on the old Evans place. “This tree was badly mutilated by the soldiers on maneuvers last summer, who cut it up for souvenirs.

Margaret Babcock Meriwether”

Cork Oak Tree believed to be more than 80 years old. Photographed by Jim Goforth

10 | Gardening requires lots of water, most of it in the form of perspiration ~ Lou Erickson

About the AuthorHelen Goforth resides in Gaffney, SC with her husband Jim. The two of them are self proclaimed “history buffs,” which makes Helen a perfect Historian for the Garden Club of South Carolina. They met on a blind date in Washington, D.C. and have been married for 42 years. They began planting trees early in their married life and continue to do so. When their church began to improve the site of its historic cemetery, Jim and Helen planted trees to provide year round color. Perhaps you could call them “tree huggers,” too.

*Author is Margaret Babcock Meriwether (Mrs. Robert L. Meriwether), Associate Editor of The Bulletin of the Garden Club of South Carolina.

The tree, on the property of Lizard’s Thicket, corner of 818 Elmwood and Lincoln Street, was identified by Jim Goforth for inclusion on HTHP. It is, probably, a seedling of the tree on the State Hospital grounds, and one of “40 living little trees” grown by Ben Gardner. The massive tree with a circumference of 120” is a popular attraction at the restaurant. Questions posed to the Staff are “What kind of tree is it? How big is it? How old is it?”

My question—can we locate and document the others on the list? Good luck to all of us!

Driftwood Garden Club of North Myrtle BeachDedicates Blue Star Memorial MarkerIt was almost one year ago, on February 22, 2013, that the Driftwood Garden Club of

North Myrtle Beach dedicated its sixth Blue Star Memorial Marker on Highway 17 S. at the Highway 22 W off-ramp in front of Myrtle Beach Mall. The Ceremony began with Joann Johnson, Driftwood Blue Star Memorial Chairman, welcoming attendees and presenting the Color Guard, from the American Legion Post 186 in North Myrtle Beach. A special prayer was given by the Post’s Chaplain Tom Rourke. The Pledge of Allegiance was then led by Jeanette Bell, a member of the Driftwood Blue Star Committee. The special flag donated for the ceremony by Heith Scarfield of Callie Baker’s Restaurant, adjacent to the Memorial Marker, had flown over Iraq. James Britt, a member of VFW Post 10804 in North Myrtle Beach, represented members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The Invocation was given by Dr. John Gambrell from First Baptist Church in North Myrtle Beach. Linda Siceloff, President of Driftwood Garden Club, then welcomed those attending and introduced Maida Dantzler, now the immediate past president of the Garden Club of South Carolina who explained the history of the Blue Star Memorial Program in the United States and South Carolina.

The Blue Star Memorial Marker was donated by Driftwood Garden Club and the family of Emily Stephens of North Myrtle Beach, a former Garden Club of South Carolina State President and former South Atlantic Region Director. Driftwood Garden Club currently maintains eight Highways Project Markers including Blue Star Memorials, By-Way Markers and Highway Markers.

Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedications

Maida Dantzler and Linda Siceloff


Garden Therapy

By Ponza Vaughan

Garden Therapy simply is using plants, trees, containers or small ground areas to engage children, aging adults and individuals with disabilities in developing or improving their social, psychological and physical health. Nature provides multiple opportunities to engage with people of all ages, as well as all physical and psychological states. In ancient times. Writers documented therapeutic benefits of gardens; however, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the recognized “Father of Psychiatry” demonstrated a relationship between the garden and the positive impact on mental illness. By the mid 1950s the benefits of garden therapy had extended well beyond treatment of mental illness to a wide variety of other challenges and physical disabilities.

In 2010, Sara Floyd Brooks served as National Garden Club, Inc. Chairman of the Garden Therapy Committee and coordinated the composition of a booklet entitled, Therapy Gardens for the Visually and Physically Impaired. In that work Mrs. Brooks stated, “…while the average public or private garden may not be a relaxing place for a person who is impaired, a specially designed sanctuary will provide a place for peace and sensory exploration…” By adapting gardening methods which address individual needs, garden therapy allows individuals to experience nature’s glories and provides opportunities to learn and respect the environment. Respond-ing to the National Garden Club emphasis on garden therapy, The Garden Club of South Carolina and its affiliate members are engaging garden clubs in addressing the therapeutic needs of the community.

What makes a garden therapeutic? There are many characteristics of such a garden. Ease of access is, of course, one of the most important considerations. Garden paths should be wide and level, devoid of tripping hazards. Such gardens should be touchable. Wheelchair-bound individuals should be able to touch plants and trees as they explore the garden. Raised beds are often useful for these individuals, as well for young children. Plants should be safe, without thorns. The texture of plants should be considered as should the fragrances of the plants or their blossoms. A therapeutic garden should challenge all of the senses, sight, sound, touch and taste.

Beyond planting or maintaining an actual garden, Garden Therapy can take the form of hands-on experiences. Every season offers new materials and new opportunities to make plants and trees the focus of projects that are engaging and meaningful. Since The Garden Club of South Carolina has a focus over the next two years on Historic Trees for Historic Places (HTHP), the following are some

12 | Forests are the lungs of our land ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

examples to connect the HTHP project with a club’s garden therapy activities.

Seedlings are easy to use, across the age spectrum. Both a children’s group or an adult group could decorate a container (aluminum can, coffee can, plastic contain-er); fill it with soil and plant a seedling. Not only can the individual nurture the seedling, but also he or she could give it to a loved one or caregiver for proper care. At the appropriate time, the seedling could be planted in a yard, at a school, or with permission, placed in a public garden or historic site.

Celebrate Arbor Day and include your club’s therapy group. This year in Camden, Arbor Day will include the planting of a tree at an historic home. A young man, who is physically disabled and wheelchair bound, is taking part in this ceremony. As part of his experience in HTHP, he will experience tactile stimu-lation through exploring various tree bark.

Take a “bark” walk with a garden therapy group. No this is not about listening to dogs, but a planned opportunity where members of the group can touch dif-ferent types of tree bark and gain an appreciation for their differences. The tactile stimulation through touching various barks will help to reinforce those differences and similarities. For example, River Birch and Live Oak bark would provide good contrasts. Also, such a walk could be combined with collecting leaves from the different types of trees. (use photo of man with group of women here)

Just as with touch, smell can also be incorporated into the HTHP project. Using small branches from

College of Charleston66 George StreetCharleston, SC

Hatcher Garden & Woodland820 John B. White Sr. Blvd.Spartanburg, SC

Kalmia Gardens/Coker College1624 West Carolina AvenueHartsville, SC

Riverbanks Zoo & Botanical Garden500 Wildlife ParkwayColumbia, SC

Edisto Rose Garden & Wetland Park200 Riverside DriveOrangeburg, SC

Therapeutic Gardens in South Carolina

Richard and Members of The Gardening Girls

Richard and his aide Nichole


a variety of trees, the branches can be scratched and the participants can actually smell the differences between trees. Consider contrasting a Tea Olive with a Cedar.

Leaf projects are fun too for all ages and abilities.

Collect leaves and make a leaf collage that participants can take with them.

Use an empty toilet paper roll for a body, dress it with construction paper, buttons, glitter or other items, and use a leaf for the face of the person. Use craft eyes and other items to make the face. Paint the toilet paper roll brown and make a forest of these trees.

Make a photo journal. Seeing the pictures will enable those with dementia to recall childhood experiences. The pictures of the ten most recognizable trees will encourage memories of tree climbing, or sitting in the shade of a tree. The possibilities are too many to count. The rewards stay in the heart.

Let your imagination lead your creativity. You will have many fun and successful projects and enlighten the day of the garden therapy participant.

Resources1. Horticultural Therapy, http://ahta.org/horticultural-therapy2. Therapy Gardens for the Visually and Physically Impaired, National Garden

Clubs, Inc., p.16.

The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature.To nourish a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.Share the botanical bliss of gardeners through the ages,Who have cultivated philosophies to apply to their own, and our own, lives:Show me your garden and I will tell you who you are.

Alfred Austin1835-1913

About the AuthorPonza Armfield Vaughan is an Occupational Therapist and has a love for work-ing with people with special needs. She currently serves as the chair of Garden Therapy for The Garden Club of South Carolina. Ponza also serves as President of The Gardening Girls Study Club in Camden.

As chair of Garden Therapy for GCSC, Ponza focuses on raising awareness of methods garden clubs can use, incorporating garden therapy into their activi-ties. To learn more about the principles of garden therapy, clubs can obtain two NGC publications which give additional ideas to serve the disabled: Horticultural Therapy and the Garden Therapy Manual revised 1998.

14 | Stop and smell the roses ~ author unknown

A Rose by Any Other Name

The Allene Able Hybrid Rose

If you have not heard of the Allene Able Hybrid Rose, perhaps you have heard of Allene Able. Mrs. Able is a charter member of Saluda’s Pyracantha Garden Club, organized in 1953, and has served as president several times. She is known for the gorgeous roses she has been growing since the 1950’s and has won many awards in horticulture and floral design.

Everyone in Saluda has probably marveled at Mrs. Able’s rose garden and also at her generosity of spirit as she gives away roses for so many occasions. Since the 1950s she has worked untiringly to plant and lovingly care for as many as 300 rose bushes while she was, at the same time, caring for her family, working as a bookkeeper and in her church. Even with the full, giving life she has lived, she has managed to raise and show her incredible roses at international, national, regional, state, and local shows, and wherever she has taken her roses, she has won first place and other special awards over and over again. Recently her sister pulled all the Sectional Award Rosette Ribbons won by Mrs. Able — all 157 of them. The Sectional Award

is the highest award given. She has kept no record of the many, many blue ribbons she has won—several thousand she guessed. Two beauti-ful cabinets in her home hold crystal and silver pitchers, vases, bowls, and other such items—all prizes for the roses she has entered in shows.

Mrs. Able is 88 years old now and mostly retired from growing and showing roses. She says she thought she was through winning awards and

got the shock of her life when she received what she thinks is her highest honor —the honor of having a rose named for her by Hybridizer Michael Williams. She realizes that this rose created in her honor is a beauty that will grace gardens and homes for years to come and will bear her name down through the years. What a tribute to her love of roses, her hard work, her achievements, and her willingness to share with others.

The Allene Able Hybrid Rose was created by Michael Williams, a fellow rose grower, to honor the achievements of Mrs. Able, and to recognize the help she has given to so many rose growers. The rose is a deep pink miniflora. Mr. Williams acknowl-

Allene Able Hybride


edged that you have to be a very special person to have a rose named for you. Mr. Williams tells the story of entering his first rose show and being so pleased at winning “Best in Novice Section,” then he saw Allene Able’s rose, also a Royal Highness, which had won “Queen of the Show.” That show began his friendship with Mrs. Able, a friendship that has grown along with the roses they both cultivate and show.

Mr. Williams attributes his forty years of rose show success to the help of Mrs. Able, a Master Rosarian, Outstanding Consulting Rosarian, and Judge in both Horticul-ture and Design. In the 1980’s Mr. Williams’ rose hobby turned into a business that includes a hybridizing program. He has produced a number of new miniature, miniflora, and one shrub rose variety.

Hybriding RosesHybridizing roses involves putting the pollen of one flower onto the stamen of another (usually in late spring), waiting patiently for hips to develop & ripen (when they change color in the fall), taking the seeds out of the hip, planting them in pots or trays. Once planted the pots are refrigerated for approximately two (2) months and then you watch them grow. As they begin to grow the ones that do not look promising are tossed out and special attention is paid to those that look promising repotting them into larger pots, watching them develop through a second growing season. Specimens are planted outside for a third growing season, all the while continuing to weed out ones that do not perform well (plants that don’t bloom enough, aren’t strong, or whose color doesn’t look the same outside as it did in the greenhouse). The ones that make it through this process are then are often sent to the eight test gardens that are located in different areas of the country to see how they stand up to different climates. Very often the process from making the crosses to a plant worth selling is anywhere from five (5) to eight (8) years.

The parent plants for Allene Able are Finest Hour (an orange miniature) and Miss Flippins (a red miniature). Allene Able is a deep pink miniflora. Its growth pattern is upright with most of the blooms one to a stem - not many sprays. Foliage

is dark green and semi-glossy.

Mr. Williams has developed several other roses and named them for South Carolinians, mostly friends and relatives. A new shrub rose that will be available next spring has been named for Mr. William’s wife, Betty. Miss Betty, as it is named is an orange bicolor rose.

Portions of this article were adapted with permission from a story published on Mrs. Able in the Saluda Standard-Sentinel, written by Dr. Bela Herlong.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” is a commonly quoted part of a dialogue in William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet”.[1]

Miss Betty

16 | Bloom where you are planted ~ Mary Engelbreit

History of The Camellia

By Florence Crowder

Camellia is a genus in the family of Theaceae. There are hundreds of known species of camellias in the world today. C.japonica, native of China and C. sasanqua, native to Japan, have been the spring board for thousands of hybrids and cultivars. Europeans earliest views of camellias were seen through legends, writings, poetry, art forms such as wallpapers, porcelain, tapestries, drawings and paintings.

In 1735 Carolus Linnaeus, world famous Swedish botanist, named the camellia after Georg Joseph Kamel, who was a Jesuit missionary and botanist, using the Latinized version of his name, Camellus. He listed the camellia as Camellia, Tsubaki, Kp. Tsubaki is the Japanese name and Kp is for Kaempfer who first described the plant by calling it by the Japanese name. There is no indication that Kamel ever saw a camellia.

Kaempfer was a German doctor who became a ship’s surgeon who visited China and Japan. In 1712 he published a 900 page book on plants he had seen in his travels and devoted 25 pages to the tea plant along with C. japonica and C. sasanqua.

Linnaeus is known to have develop the binomial system indicating genus and species that we use today. None of the three, Kamel, Kaempfer and Linnaeus, ever met. Kamel died before Linn was born and Kaempfer died when Linn was 5 years old.

Camellias were possibly cultured as early as 600 A. D. By the 16th century camellias were planted in gardens of monasteries and convents and were also associated with imperial power. Writings go back to the mid 1600’s. Camellia sinensis was grown and used in China since 2737 B. C. as a beverage. At the end of the 17th century there was brisk trade between Europe and the Orient and the new drink, tea, became very popular in Europe. One ship captain thought he was taking C. sinensis plants to Europe, but instead, C. Japonica plants were substituted. Tea plants, C. sinensis plants did reach Europe about 1740 but were not a commercial success. The same was true regarding their cultivation in the United States at that time.

The first known C. japonica to reach England was a single red and a single white. A merchantman of the British East Indian Company brought home an ‘Alba Plena’ and a ‘Variegata’ and later brought others. In 1792 the white blushed pink ‘Incarnata’, synonym ‘Lady Hume’s Blush’ arrived. James Gordon, gardener of Lord Petre was the first in England to promote camellias from his nurseries near London in Essex in 1743.

Perhaps the first C. reticulata, a new species at that time, ‘Captain Rawes,’ was brought to England in

Lady Hume’s Blush


1820. By 1859 14 distinct species were known. C. williamsii was produced by J. C. Williams, owner of Caerhays Castle in Cornwall, in 1923 by crossing a C. Japonica with C. saluenensis. These original plants can still be found there today. The first was named ‘St. Ewe’, others were ‘Caehays’, ‘St. Michael and ‘Charles Michael’. Today, thousands are found throughout the camellia growing world.

In 1808 a camellia was planted near Dresden and is the oldest in Germany. Around 1812 G. F. Seidel, a nurseryman who had worked in Paris took a few cuttings to Dresden after serving in the Napoleonic Wars. Within 30 years he had 100,000 plants that he sold in St. Petersburg, Vienna, Budapest, Madrid and Florence. So you can see that camellias became quite popular in a very short time.

Empress Josephine was the first to bring camellias from England to France for planting at her cherished Chateau de Malmaison, just south of Paris, in the early 1800’s. It was quite popular in France for ladies to carry camellia bouquets and for gentlemen to adorn their lapels with them. More recently, the designer Chanel wore a white camellia on her lapel during the season. Today the Chanel jewelry company offers camellia inspired rings, brooches, earrings and necklaces accented with diamonds for the person who is collecting this type of camellia.

The first camellias in Belgium came from England in the 18th century and were of Chinese origin. In 1809 two camellias were shown at the Ghent Flower Show and in 1820 some 44 camellias were shown. In 1875 King Leopold II constructed glass house and camellias have been exhibited there since that time. It is said to be the largest and best preserved under glass in the world. The ‘Belgian graft’ made the process of propagation very fast and easy. However, during World War I and World War II many nurseries were destroyed by bombardment. Since that time nurseries and gardens have again flourished.

It is thought that the first camellias brought to Australia were in 1826 to Alexander McCleary of Sydney and planted at Elizabeth Bay House and 1831 for William Macarthur in Camden Park, NSW. These were ‘Alba Plena’ and ‘Incarnata’.

In 1855, Cesare Franchette of Florence offered 650 cultivars from his private garden, for 25 francs and 137 of these were of origin in Florence. The Tuscany and Lake Maggiore areas are the most proficient as growing areas. I was fortunate to be able to visit several of the ancient Lake Maggiore gardens earlier this year as a member of the International Camellia Society’s Preservation Committee. I located 5 that originated in the United States in the mid 1800’s that I have not been able to locate in this country.

The first known camellias to Portugal was in 1810 when Frederico Wanzellor brought in plants from England. By 1870 almost every garden in northern Portugal contained camellias. The first camellia show was held in Oporto in 1880.

It is not known who was responsible for bringing camellias to Spain but there is documentary proof that they were in Galicia and all of northern Spain before 1700. In the 16th century when the Spanish built churches in Japan, camellias were used to beautify them following the example of the Buddhist monks.

Tea oil, made by pressing the seeds of C. oleifera is a seasoning and cooking oil. It is also used to clean and protect cutting instrument blades. Other species are used to a lesser

Captain Rawes

18 | To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow ~ Audrey Hepburn

degree. Camellia oil is pressed from the seeds of C. japonica for hair and cosmetic care.

Supposedly, John Stevens of Hoboken, New Jersey imported a single red camellia around 1797. Camellias were soon introduced into New England, for in 1806 John Prince received a small plant of the double white form from Joseph Barrell of Charleston, South Carolina. Michael came from England and brought a double white for Mr. Stevens. Mr. Floy soon established nurseries in New York, at the corner of Broadway and Twelfth Street and in Harlem and originated several varieties. Mr. Floy was the first to successfully plant seeds and use the names of people locally for varieties rather than to use Latinized terms.

Philadelphia became the center of producing seed-lings and plants. Baltimore, Maryland was another important area of activities. From these green-

houses, plants were sold in surrounding cities, shipped to Europe and sent to southern states. In 1832 an ad for F. Newman was placed in the ‘Louisiana Courier’ for camellias.

Other nurserymen began producing and importing varieties. William Linnaeau of New York was one of the first to list the 17 varieties that he had in his garden in a catalogue. In the years 1931-1939, E. A. McIlhenny of Avery Island, in my beloved Louisiana, imported some 470 varieties from Japan, France, Germany and England and his gardens still

exist today. Two favorites that my parents received in the late 1940’s imported by Mr. McIlhenny were ‘Duchess de Cazes’ and ‘Punctata Boutourlin’ and these grow in our family garden today.

Through publications such as ‘The Amer-ican Gardener’s Magazine’ this wonderful plant was brought to the public.

Large collections of camellias found their way south to establishments such as Magnolia Gardens and Middleton Place, both in Charleston. The western movement came about 1850 to Sacramento, California by James Warren with plants from Boston, Massachusetts.

Following the Civil War in 1861-1865, interest in camellias waned, but after the turn of the 20th century shipments came again from abroad. The first record of a camellia in a show in the United States was in Philadelphia in 1828. The American Camellia Society was formed


in 1945 and is now housed at Fort Valley, Georgia. Since that time Americans have united to promote this wonderful flower that we were given to be caretakers of.

In 2010 the International Camellia Society formed the Historic Camellia and Conservation Working Group to record, identify and conserve historic camellias. Much of the camellia growing world is realizing that some of their older camellia varieties are being lost. It is through the efforts of this committee that they will be found. I am honored to be a member of this group.

213 varieties were listed in various publications in those early years in the United States, but today, only 28 of those are listed in our nomenclature books. Some are found in other countries and many, not at all. One of my missions in life is to locate as many as were originally in the United States. I have secured inventories from many gardens and have been to France, Italy, Belgium, and England to locate these early introductions that I hope to return to the United States, their home.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:American Camellia Society Yearbooks, 1947, 1951, 1955, 1959, 1962-63, 1978, 1981

International Camellia Society Journal, 2010, 2012

‘Camellias, Kinds and Culture’, H. Harold Hume

‘The Camellia, its History, Culture, Genetics and a Look into its Future Developments, Brown, Feather

About the AuthorFlorence Crowder, a resident of Denham Springs, Louisiana, is a member of several civic organizations, First Baptist Church, the Baton Rouge Camellia Society as well as a number of other camellia societies, the American Camellia Society, the International Camellia Society. She is Member Representative and American contact for the International Camellia Society website and chairman of the Camellia Trail Committee for the American Camellia Society. Florence’s main interest, at present, is to locate and grow pre-1900 US introductions and has searched the United States, gone to France, Belgium, Italy and England in this quest. Next year she plans to attend the International Camellia Society in Spain and Portugal. As she travels she also gathers those not yet introduced in the United States. These will be planted at the Louisiana State University Burden Center Gardens in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

20 | A dead plant is nothing but a sign to plant a new one ~ Priyansh Shah

By Anna Sheets

Growing camellias successfully requires several steps, but there are essentially three important ones. These include selecting a proper location, planting depth and watering. Location involves some planning and thought to the future of the camellia. Since camellias are small, long-lived trees, it is important to think about the appropriate location before you plant. In China, Japan and across Asia, the birthplace of camellias, there are recorded varieties that are hundreds of years old. The camellia you plant today could likely be there for many generations to come. It can be enjoyed by you, your children and even your grandchildren’s children. So where are you plant your camellia? Is it to be a pillar on each side of your front door or an espalier on that long house wall, a row of hedges between you and your neighbor’s yard or a foundation planting under your living room window? There is a camellia suitable for all these areas. Depending on the variety, camellias grow as upright, spreading or weeping or even as groundcovers. Photograph one, a Fragrant Pink Camellia, shows a good example of planting a camellia in the wrong location. Can you identify what is wrong?

Obviously, not enough thought went into selecting the proper location and the growth habit of this camellia. It was planted too close to the house and under the eaves, not allowing enough room for future growth. This location does not allow this particular camellia to reach its full potential as a spreading fast growing tree. What this photo does show is the resilience and adaptability of the camellia because it is thriving and blooms profusely each season. Since camellias prefer

dappled sunlight instead of direct hot sun, they grow very well under oak and pine trees which provide protec-tion from the hot afternoon sun. Camellias can sunburn especially if they are new plants. Given enough time, camellias, especially the red blooming varieties, can adapt to being exposed to the hot western sun. Sasanquas also tolerate being out in full sun better than japonicas.

Camellias can be planted anytime of the year, however October through March is the best time, just like it is for most trees since they are dormant (not producing any new growth) during this period. This gives time for the roots to develop. Did you know, camellias are the only

Essential Steps for Growing Camellias


trees that bloom while they are dormant. Never plant camellias too close to con-crete walks or walls as lime may leach out and inhibit the growth of your camellia and even kill it. A good rule is to plant 5-8 feet away from these areas. Camellias tolerate acid soil better than alkaline soil. This should not be a problem in the south as all the organic matter in our soil makes it fairly acid. If your soil is clay, amend it with organic matter and compost to lighten the soil.

Camellias are very shallow rooted; roots are found only 2-3 inches below the surface, so when planting a camellia, plant it high. Just like roses that are not planted below their graft line, camellias are planted at their ground line or 1-2 inches above it. Some experts leave a pedestal of soil in the middle of the hole to make sure the camellia stays high and does not sink below the graft line. Any exposed roots can be covered by mulch. Planted too deep, the camellia will die a slow, lingering death. Camellias hate having their roots sit in water. The roots will suffocate. Make the hole at least two times bigger than the size of the root ball. Some experts even put bark or rocks at the bottom of the hole for better drainage.

Finally, correct watering of the camellia is essential, especially in the first year of planting. If the weather does not cooperate then plan on watering the newly planted camellia at least 1-2 times a week, not just a light sprinkle either, but a deep soaking. Don’t forget to water in the winter also. A good soaking before a frost can protect your camellia from most freeze damage. Hold off feeding your newly planted camellia until the next year. If you bought your camellia from a nursery, it has been given plenty of fertilizer to last the first year. Once your camellia is established, it practically takes care of itself and you only have to enjoy its beauty.

About the AuthorAnna Sheets is the Historic Camellias chairman for the Garden Club of South Carolina.

22 | Gardening is the art that uses flowers & plants as paint ~ Elizabeth Murray

About the AuthorJerry Weise holds two formal degrees, a BA in mathematics and a Master’s degree in teaching. She is a life-long learner who stud-ies some aspect of plants and gardening almost daily. Jerry is the horticulture chair for GCSC.

The Horticulture Path

“Bract Facts”By Jerry W. Weise, GCSC Horticulture Chairman

Ah, the cooling days of winter when our thoughts turn to bracts . . . well, maybe not everyone’s! In botany, what exactly is a bract? It is a modified leaf at the base of a flower or flower head. It may be small and scale like, resemble normal leaves or be large and brightly colored and petal-like. It is the larger brightly colored ones that are frequently

mistaken for flowers. The true flowers with such bracts are usually small and not as brightly colored.

The holiday favorite Poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcher-rima, has large showy bracts in shades of red, pink, white and new cultivars that are splotched, streaked, two-toned. Obscure fact: December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. Other euphorbias have eye catching bright yellow to yellow-green bracts surrounding flowers in dense flower-heads.

Many native grasses and plants have greenish to brownish bracts that are interesting but ‘ho-hummish’. Our coastal giant white-topped Sedge and Narrow leaf white-topped Sedges are noticeable due to showy white bracts. The Flowering Dogwood, Cornus florida, is widely planted for its layered limb placement and snowy white notched bracts. The dogwood’s seed producers are the small yellow true flowers in the center. The native Bee-balms are a double whammy. Monarda didyma has showy reddish bracts below the cluster of red tubular flowers and M. media bears dark purple bracts beneath deep reddish purple flowers. Sea Holly, Eryngium maritimum, E. giganteum and others are cultivated for the whorled metallic blue or gray spined bracts on the stem below the true flowers. Cut for drying just before the flowers open, sea hollies add interest to designs.

For ‘pow power’ consider growing some bromeliads that combine multicolored leaves with colorful bracts along the bloom stems (Aechmea, Bilbergia, Neoreigelia, Vresia, to name a few). Fruits get into the bract act with bananas and pineapples. Ananas bracteata ‘Tricolor’ has edible pineapples and is stunning in designs with striped variegated foliage, red bracts and red fruit. Cascades of brilliantly colored red, pink, fuchsia, orange or yellow bracts of Bougainvillea spectabilis can enliven your porch or patio as a con-tainer plant. Being tropical in origin it will need winter protection in most of South Carolina. Get into the ‘bract act’! Happy gardening.


Green Gardening & Sustainable Solutions

Recycling Our LandBy Gail Jeter

“The ultimate test of a moral society is the world it leaves to its children.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)

“How do we love all children of all species for all time?” William McDonough, November 19, 2008.

In the early 1900s, forward thinkers like Bonhoeffer recognized the impor-tance of maintaining our world for future generations. Today, leaders such as McDonough are challenging us to reverse our practices that have damaged our earth. Growth is inevitable. But growth should be in the form of sustainable development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future. Sustainable development balances environmental, economic and social needs for today and tomorrow. Preservation and redevelopment are even more sustainable, for they rebuild and restore the existing infrastructure rather than building on new, and often times green space.

Brownfields are properties in which redevelopment or reuse is difficult because of the presence or potential presence of environmental contamination. Turning brown to green is the ultimate goal in sustainable redevelopment, and it utilizes existing infrastructure. In 1995, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized that the liability associated with buying contaminated property (Superfund liability) was inhibiting the reuse of many industrial/com-mercial sites. Thus, building was encouraged on green space, and it contributed to sprawl, destroyed our natural environment, and increased the demand on an over-taxed infrastructure. However, in the past 18 years, the EPA has continually increased its efforts to provide local governments with the initial funding to assess, clean and redevelop brownfields sites as well as to provide protection from Superfund liability to all public and private entities that are willing to restore/redevelop in accordance with EPA and State guidelines. Estimating the number of brownfields is difficult because one may not know that there is environmental contamination on a property until a property transaction occurs. However, a conservative estimate of brownfields in South Carolina is one thousand. Now, brownfields sites are being redeveloped in a sustainable manner while incorporating green concepts in the cleanup and redevelopment process. The first recognized brownfields redevelopment in South Carolina was the conversion of an old aluminum smelting plant into a state of the art scrap metal recycling operation. Also, the South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston was the site of an old manu-factured gas plant which was redeveloped into the lovely facility that we know. See photos below. While residential properties will never be regulated, you can help the environment by using organic pesticides and fertilizer in your gardens.

24 |

This former aluminum facility in Lyman was the first completed redevelopment under South Carolina’s brownfields program. It won an EPA Region Four Phoenix Award for Outstanding Brownfields Redevelopment.

The South Carolina Aquarium in Charleston was a manufactured gas plant. It won an EPA Region Four Phoenix Award for Outstanding Brownfields Redevelopment having Community Impact.

Flowers are the alphabet of angels ~ Benjamin Franklin

Remember that run-off from your yard runs to the storm sewer which runs directly to our rivers. Our efforts can help the overall contamination problem.

Your decision to restore a home, to select a previously utilized building to locate your business, or to talk with your governmental officials about the importance of preserving/restoring your downtown can have an important impact on our future. These efforts protect our farms, forests, and green space from development and prevent sprawl. Our effort to save places and preserve our natural environment supports our theme, Historic Trees for Historic Places.

“How do we love all children of all species for all time?” Think on it.

About the AuthorGail Rawls Jeter is a member of the Columbia Garden Club, is married and has two sons. She has worked in the environmental field for more than thirty years. Gail holds a BA in Biology from Converse College and a MS in Public Health from the University of South Carolina. She is the GCSC chair for Conservation and Environmental Education.


Helping Our Backyard Wildlife Friends Survive the Winter

By Glenda Mungo

As gardeners we all get so much enjoyment from watch-ing birds and other wildlife in our backyards. Most mornings I am able to sit in my sunroom with my first cup of coffee and watch the show. I watch as many different varieties of birds compete for the food and water that is available. The butterflies and bees flying from one flower to the next. Occasionally a squirrel or crow comes along

and takes over and everyone flies for cover. In order to attract animals and birds to our yards it is important to give careful thought to the types of flowers and plants we put there. Trees and water are important considerations as well. With the right plants in place, Mother Nature is able to provide flowers, berries, seeds and other food sources from early spring until winter time. The focus of this article is winter, when sources of food, shelter and protection for the wildlife is more limited.

While many birds migrate to warmer climates from the north, many species of birds come to our state, or stay here during the winter. Birds don’t have blankets for survival, but they employ a similar principle to stay snug during a long, cold night. They choose an enclosed space to snuggle into, so that their precious body heat doesn’t dissipate so quickly. Gardeners can help birds stay warm in colder temperatures by making sure there are plenty of nooks and crannies around your place where birds can seek shelter for an hour or overnight. Perhaps you have a space where you can leave a small brush pile, old landscape timbers or some extra-large stones in a pile.

26 | Flowers whisper what words cannot say ~ unknown

Evergreen plants and shrubs provide an excellent cover all winter. Some examples that grow well in our area: mop-heads, euonymus, holly and cleyera. Conifers are hands-down the best plants for winter cover and roosting spots. The winter bounty holly provides an abundant food source as well as cover. Birds find the holly to be irresistible and deer tend to avoid them. The use of viburnums, pyracantha, and other berry bushes will add winter food for mockingbirds, catbirds, robins, and waxwings. In times when natural food sources are not as available, it is important to also provide bird feeders, hummingbird feeders, squirrel feeders and butterfly feeders to add to the native food sources for resident and migrating wildlife.

Trees with small fruits also provide abundant food for winter. Some native examples are:Sabal Palmetto Palms River Birch Eastern Hemlock Eastern Red CedarJuniper Bald Cypress Blackgum Southern Magnolia Red MapleHickory Sassafras Sweetgum Tulip Popular Sugar MapleHawthorns Redbud Ash White Ash Cherry LaurelFir Oak Tulip Trees Wax Myrtle Wild CherrySpruce Pine Boxelder Yaupon Holly DogwoodAlder Red Mulberry Sourwood American Plum PersimmonAmerican Holly Gordonia Live Oak Basswood Cucumber Tree

As winter settles in, birds that had been making do in their wild habitat begin making regular visits to the flower gardens, where standing stems offer cover and a wealth of seeds still awaits. Don’t be in a rush to cut dormant flowers, especially those with seeds in your gardens. Leave these plants until spring as another good food source. Doves, quail, towhees, and woodpeckers mingle with sparrows, juncos, and finches, in search of seeds and any insects they can find.As you watch the winter birds in your yard, you’ll soon discover which of your garden flowers hold the greatest appeal because of their lingering seeds. In general, plants with many small “florets,” either in clusters, like goldenrod, or in daisy-type heads, like cosmos or coneflowers, produce a better crop of birdseed than flowers with large, single blossoms. And of course let’s don’t forget to keep the feeders clean, fresh and full.Turkey Trot:Most of our efforts at the feeding station are directed at small birds. So let’s finish our feeder talk with the biggest of the bunch: backyard birds that can top out at more than 20 pounds, instead of a couple of ounces! Wild turkey populations are growing by leaps and bounds in many regions of the country, and the big birds are showing up in backyards in winter much more often than they used to. You may be lucky and see them scratch-ing around your plants for food or around your feeders for fallen seeds.


Turkeys spend about one-half of the year (October to March) in winter habitat, which must provide adequate and reliable food, plus cover from bad weather. Prime winter habitat has at least 50 percent mature hardwood trees. Tree species important to turkeys include a variety of oaks. These trees, if mature, produce large quantities of acorns (or mast). Acorns and other mast are the staple of the turkey’s winter diet. In agricultural areas, turkeys often depend on crop fields with waste grain for winter food. They also scratch through snow for other seeds. Therefore, supplemental feeding is not needed.

Let’s not forget the importance of providing a water source. This is especially true during the winter months when water can freeze over and become scarce. You are limited only by your imagination. Maybe you have been thinking of building a small water garden. A small water-fall will keep the water from freezing and you will have special visitors all winters. It can be as simple as a birth bath, a dripping hose, or a small water hole in the clay. Put your clay saucers on top of your pots and fill them up. Just remember to add fresh water and break up the ice.

At long last, we seem to be learning that every action we take can have an effect on our fellow species, and many of us are changing our habits. That’s why I’m such a big fan of turning our backyards into sanctuaries for birds and other living things. Its way more fun to watch wildlife than it is to mow the lawn; it feels great to nurture fellow creatures, especially in wintertime; and we can take comfort in making at least a small difference in their survival.

About the AuthorGlenda Mungo is currently the chairman of “The Backyard Wildlife Habitat”

Committee for the GCSC and HTHP-EPD Liaison. She is past president of the

Lancaster Council of Garden Clubs and The Green Gardeners Club in Lancaster.

28 | There are rich counsels in the trees ~ Herbert P. Horne

Autumn Inspiration & Meditation

For Everything There Is a SeasonBy Joan Danforth

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

December arrives all too quickly and suddenly we know it is win-ter in South Carolina. Our gardens lose their color and are filled with shades of brown. Only the berries of nandina and holly and the green of the evergreens dot the landscape with color. Even in what could be a dreary time God has a purpose, rest for our bodies and renewal of our spirit. The celebration of Christmas and the winter season give us time to renew friendships and family relationships as well as time to examine and celebrate our faith. A common theme across the world in winter celebrations of Hanukkah, Diwali, St. Lucia’s Day and Yule is light. The use of candles, lamps and bonfires and even the twinkling Christmas lights are about relieving darkness and dormancy and finding light.

What is your favorite season? For some it will be spring, filled with excitement, others will long for fall and a time of reflection, still others prefer the hot summer filled with relaxation and adventure but winter always brings a quiet beauty. God knows the needs of all His creation and has designed the seasons to meet those needs.

As gardeners, more than many others, we see God’s cycle of life’s seasons through the plants in our gardens. We see that even in this time when plants die back or become dormant, how they sustain the animals and birds of nature. There is an unceasing beauty in dried grasses, pine cones, rose hips and evergreens.

Winter and the holidays are all too often filled with stress and anxiety. While God has designed this season as a peaceful time of rest and renewal, man has put the focus on more commercial and material things. I challenge you to take a step back from the holiday frenzy of gift buying, decorating, travel and menu planning, to focus on those things that have more lasting value; your faith, your family, service to others, friends and the beauty of God’s creation.

“We need a winter in our livesa time of rest, a time to stand stilla time to reacquaint ourselveswith the faith in which we live.It is only then that we can draw strengthfrom the one in whom we are rooted”

Let us use this season as a time of reflection. Decide what is important and meaningful for you and your family, and trust that “for everything there is a season.” Enjoy, dream of the garden you will plant for spring, give thanks and celebrate the beauty and joy this world is filled with!! A new season is only days away.

“….a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

About the AuthorJoan Danforth serves as the GCSC Chaplin. She has been a member of the Columbia Garden Club for more than 35 years. Joan is a member of the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral and chair of the 30 member flower guild. She is a master gardener and is always happy when digging in the dirt (“soil” to master gardeners).


The City of Florence named the Williams Heights community nature trail in honor of longtime member of the Azalea Home & Garden Club of Florence, Dorothy G. Hines at a dedication ceremony on Monday, August 5, 2013. The figure eight nature trail is approximately a half mile long and starts at the entrance of the Williams Heights community, which is one of the first African American develop-ments in Florence over 40 years ago. Construction of the trail began early 2013 and went through a series of designs before settling on this one.

“I am really very delighted to have my neighbors and the city officials to name the trail in my honor,” said Mrs. Hines. “The trail is a work in progress and is a good start to getting the neighborhood active, as we hope to add to it over time. It is natural beauty.”

As a recommendation to the revitalization of Florence, S.C initiative, the trail was the brainchild of Mrs. Hines. At first, it was said that it could not be done, but she held steadfast to have the city put in the trail to help the mostly senior community get active as well as provide preservation of green space in the neighborhood. Mrs. Hines, who is a retired registered nurse, feels the trail will offer the cheapest and easiest form of exercise, leading to an overall healthy community.

A member of the Azalea Home & Garden Club of Florence, SC for 32 years, Mrs. Hines held seats on numerous local boards and is considered a community activist as it pertains to fighting for health, safety, preservation, and planning issues of the city of Florence, S.C.

Organized in 1948 and federated in 1974, the Azalea Home & Garden club of Florence holds the distinction of being the first all African American garden club in South Carolina.

Dorothy G. Hines Nature Trail

Dorothy Hines pictured shaking hands with Mayor of Florence, S.C. Stephen Wukela, along with Florence, S.C. City Council Members (r to l) Glynn F. Willis (At Large), Teresa Myers Ervin (District 1), Robby L. Hill (At Large), New Ebenezer Baptist Church Pastor Norman Gamble, and her family a the dedica-tion of natural trail in Williams Heights Community.Photo Courtesy of City of Florence, S.C.

30 | I must have flowers, always, and always ~ Claude Monet

Town and Village Garden Club, Moncks Corner & PinopolisDedicates Blue Star Memorial Marker

The Town and Village Garden Club (T&VGC) held a dedication of a Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker on May 24, 2013. The marker, the first one to be placed in Moncks Corner, was co-sponsored by American Legion Post 126 and VFW Post 9509. It is located in front of the Berkeley County Office Complex on Highway 52.

Janice Gleaton, President of T&VGC, welcomed everyone to the event. Davey Hare, Chaplain of both American Legion Post 126 and VFW Post 9509 gave the invocation. The Berkeley High School AFJROTC presented the colors followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mickey Smith, Co-President of the T&VGC. Cadet Brook Ward sang our National Anthem.

Kathy Rozier, Vice President of T&VGC, Betty Gour-din, past chairman of the GCSC Blue Star Memorial Committee, gave the history of the Blue Star Marker program. A military tribute was given by John B. (Jack) Williams, Com-mander of American Legion Post 126, and John Saunders, Commander of VFW Post 9509.

The Marker was unveiled by Ann Salisbury, Honorary Lifetime Member of the T&VGC, and her husband, Reggie Salisbury, an ex-POW of World War II. Reggie was wearing his coat with the full array of medals he received after his service in the war. The dedication was presented by Patty Fleming, Chairman of the T&VGC Blue Star Memorial Committee. Linda Bodiford, a member of the T&VGC, assisted by her husband, James, a veteran, placed a beautiful wreath of flowers beneath the Marker.

William W. Peagler, III, Mayor of Moncks Corner accepted the marker. Chaplain Hare gave the benediction followed by the playing of TAPS by bugler Will Phillips.

Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedications

Answers to President’s Challenge (page 2)What do these have in common? Camellias!Answers:Coco Chanel Camellia broaches [hers were white. Now, they’re even leather!]Guiseppe Verdi La Traviata, based on The Lady of the CamelliasAlex. Dumas-fils The Lady of the Camellias or CamilleClaude Monet Camille or Woman in Green DressDame Margot Fonteyn Camille balletGreta Garbo Camille filmSarah Bernhardt Camille playColin Firth Camille filmNCAA football Camille BowlJulia Roberts & Pretty WomanRichard Gere


Editor’s NoteI am excited to bring you this Winter

Issue of The South Carolina Gardener.

We have a number of very talented

writers who have taken time to put

together information for you that I know

you will find useful and interesting. A

feature in this issue is a discussion

of the beloved camellia. You will be

reading about the origin of the plant

and its journey to the United States,

as well as, receiving information on the

essentials of growing camellias success-

fully. Keep in mind that historic

camellias can be one of those trees to

be identified for the Historic Trees for

Historic Places project (HTHP).

In addition to information on

camellias, this issue will also provide

information on establishing a backyard

habitat to support birds and animals

during the winter months; discuss the

floral art of Ikebana, give you a look

at the Cork Oak tree and much, much

more.

The reader response to the newly

formatted SC Gardener has been

wonderful, keep your comments and

suggestions coming. Thank you for the

privilege of serving as Editor.

KathyHall

Editorial StaffManaging Editor:

Kathy [email protected]

Proof Readers:Sue LawleyJudith Dill

Contributing Writers:Joan DanforthEleanor Hickman DurgeeHelen GoforthGail JeterJerry Weise

The South Carolina Gardener is the official publication of the Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc., published quarterly and funded in part by membership dues. The South Carolina Gardener has made every effort to insure listings and information are accurate and assumes no liability for errors or omissions.

For advertising information and editorial inquiries, contact Kathy Hall at [email protected].

© 2013. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reprinted without the express, written consent of the publisher.

Submission Deadlines:Spring 2014 .......... January 15Summer 2014 ....... April 15Fall 2014 ............... July 15Winter 2014 .......... October 15

Send materials for publication to:Kathy Hall, [email protected]

Photos should be a high resolution and sent as a separate jpeg, tiff or related file.

Printed by Midlands Printing, Inc., Camden, SC

The Official Publication of The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc.

The South CarolinaGARDENER

GCSC | WINTER ISSUE 2013 | VOL. 92 NO. 2

32 | Don’t wear perfume in the garden, unless you want to be pollinated by bees ~ Anne Raver

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