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The South Carolina Gardener | Fall 2013 | 1

The South Carolina

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

GARDENER

GCSC | FALL ISSUE 2013 | VOL. 92 NO. 1

Our New President JUDITH DILL

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Welcome to our first edition of The South Carolina Gardener for the 2013-2015 term! We

celebrate the work of The Garden Club of South Carolina (GCSC) and dedicate this edition to you, our members.

We inherit our past, filled to the brim with community projects to plant trees and wildflowers, preserve our historic landscapes, create parks and green spaces, as well as opportunities to learn about various aspects of gardening. From this rich heritage, we create our future, using our present to establish creditable programs that can benefit present and future. Our historic trees and sites can continue to exist, teaching and benefiting new generations, if we act today.

As members of GCSC, we have inherited a commitment to save our historic treasures and conserve our natural resources. Despite wild swings of the economy, periods of wartime, want, then heady prosperity, we have continued to focus on conserving our land, forests, air, water and wildlife and preserving our historic gems.

Historic Trees for Historic Places (HTHP) is our vehicle to realize that commitment. In the process of identifying and documenting the state’s historic trees and sites, we record the current condition of trees and sites, noting endangerment issues, as well as careful stewardship to maintain our historic treasures.

How do we accomplish this goal? We must actively engage our membership and the community. Energetically involve your community to join us in HTHP. These sites and trees are integral threads in the area’s fabric, as each identifies unique history.

Reach out and join hands with civic clubs, churches, historical societies, archives, members of ASLA, nurseries, schools and libraries to document the trees/sites. On the site, plant wildflowers or other native plants. Arrange a maintenance schedule. Have a major celebration to honor these venerable trees and sites. Get the mayor and senator to speak and the high school band to play! Involve cradle to grave in this civic endeavor. Do the work, apply for our generous awards and publicize your club and GCSC as a force for good.

We are focusing on reaching each of you. We have several ways to communicate. Read The South Carolina Gardener and discover interesting information you can use. Want current information and contact data? Go to our Website! Along with current information, we are focusing on members and clubs. Want to have some fun, learning? Follow the online Gallivanting Gardener! You’ll have to guess what’s next for the Mystery Writer and the Crossword Puzzle! Enjoy Facebook? Join in and tout what your club is doing! Need to contact someone quickly? Email! Find the contact information in the Board of Directors’ illustrated directory on the Website. Of course, we all are available by phone. We look forward to working with you to conserve our natural resources and preserve our historic sites, creating a bright future.

JudithDill 41st President GCSC

President’s Message

My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece – Claude Monet


Contents

2 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

5 NEOFINETIA FALCATA Warwick Jones

A small orchid with lots of appeal

7 MEET THE GCSC LEADERSHIP

2013-2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2013-2015 DISTRICT DIRECTORS

15 BLUE STAR MARKER

16 HISTORIC TREES & HISTORIC PLACES Jane Pearman

An overview of the project, how to get started

18 ROOTSLucy Bemis Pomeroy, “Lucy B.” Helen Goforth

2nd President, GCSC (1934-36)

20 HERBS ARE SURPERBLavender: How to grow & use this beautiful herb Eleanor Durgee

22 HTHP – East Low Country DistrictThe Garden Club of Charleston &

Charles Towne Landing Jane Pearman

25 THE HORTICULTURE PATHHeavenly Hellebores Jerry W. Weise

26 CELEBRATING ARBOR DAY

27 CLUB ANNIVERSARIES

28 GREEN GARDENING & SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONSTrees for Life, Health, Place Gail Jeter

30 INSPIRATION & MEDITATIONAutumn Joan Danforth

The South Carolina Gardener

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

FALL 2013 | VOLUME 92 | NO. 1

4 | Plants want to grow, they are on your side – Anne Wareham

Editor’s NoteAssuming the role of editor of The South Carolina

Gardener has been a bit daunting. Making changes to this well loved and valued publication will now be subject to the critique of each of you as readers, so let me hear from you. You will notice some differences in this issue and I invite your review and suggestion. I have a vision for The South Carolina Gardener to serve as a publication that you will want to refer to for information on gardening, horticulture, floral design and more. There will be some Departments, things that will be found in each issue, such as a column on herbs, horticulture, history and sustainability, but there will be articles that will vary. In this issue you will find a wonderful article on orchids and an introduction to the Historic Trees for Historic Places project (HTHP); in the winter issue you can look forward to reading about camellias. I will be inviting authors who have expertise within GCSC, as well as some non-members, to write for our publication. In addition, I invite your input as readers to let me know if there are things about which you have a particular interest. Over the next two years, each issue will highlight one of the GCSC District’s implementation of the HTHP project in their area. The East Low Country District is featured in this issue.

I am honored to serve as the editor of The South Carolina Gardener and I do hope to hear from you with your suggestions for making this publication more valuable and enjoyable. You may contact me at [email protected].

KathyHall

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.


Neofinetia Falcata

Neofinetia falcata – a small orchid but with lots of appeal

By Warwick Jones

I ’ve been growing orchids for twelve years and until recently, Neofine-tia falcata had little appeal – the flowers were small, only white, and had little scent. Next to a bloom-ing Cattleya or Cymbidium, they appeared insignificant.

I was jolted out of my ignorance by a presentation to the Coastal Carolina Orchid Association (CCOS) by Stan Hutto, a well know breeder of the species. Yes, the flowers and plants may generally be small. The plants may not

grow much higher than 6 inches but if allowed to grow for some years without division, they can be particularly showy. They also take up little room in a crowded greenhouse. Typically the flowers are white but there are colored varieties, and they do have a strong scent. And more, they can be very valuable, particularly the unusual varieties.

Some years ago, another speaker at one of the Coastal Carolina Orchid Society (CCOS) meetings gave me a gift of two Neofinetia falcata seedlings. They occupied a not-very-prominent position in my green house and as it happens sometimes, one of the seedlings expired. The other thrived and had grown into 9 “fans”. After Stan’s presentation, I wondered whether the plant was worth much and looked up the variety on the internet. Lordy, a grower was asking $40 a fan! At that price, it was by far the most valuable orchid in my collection. I also asked myself the question whether if the seedling that died was a variety worth $100 a fan or just $5. The tag was tossed at the time of the orchid’s demise so I will never know.

In a sense, the discovery of Neofinetia’s was a “road to Damascus event” in my orchid-raising journey. In recent months I have visited every web site I could find to gain more information about the species. And it has been a fascinating journey of discovery. And it has also been costly. There were a number of Neofinetia varieties I had to have, and there are still many I covet. But as one collector observed, “I have to eat”.

Any discussion of Neofinetia must include some history. The orchid is endemic to China and Japan. Growing it in Japan was taken very seriously from the beginning of the 17th century.

“Ienari Tokugawa, the 11th shogun was a man of varying tastes who fancied orchids. Thus the culture of Neofinetia falcata was widespread among the daimio, the feudal lords, cultured men and merchants. It was called Fuki-ran, meaning Rich and Noble Orchid.

6 | A weed is but an unloved flower – Ella Wheeler Wilcox

It is said that some daimos offered great monetary rewards for unusual forms of Neofinetia. Some were sent to Edo for presentation to the shogun. Some 330 variations of the species were said to be in collections during these prosperous years. Unfortunately many were lost in the 1867-68 struggle to wrest power from the shogunate and restore imperial rule. Only about 80 forms of Neofinetia survived this political and social upheaval. Today over 2000 can be found.” American Orchid Society Bulletin.

Understandably, Neofinetia falcata is very popular in Japan. The history of the species is probably the major factor. But there are others. The plant is small and space is at a premium in the highly populated nation. As well, the species is collected not only for its flowers, but its foliage. We suspect most orchid growers in this country have little interest in the nature of the foliage.

The flowers are typically white with a large and distinctive spur. The colored varieties of the species are rare outside Japan and are generally small. Pictured are the Benisuzume (left) and Kibana (below) varieties.Neofinetia falcata grows well in Charleston. The climate is very similar to that of the area where it is found in Japan - hot and humid in summer but much cooler in winter. Unlike most other orchids, Neofinetias can withstand temperatures down to freez-ing. So there is no need for warm green houses. It can be grown in most mediums but Japanese growers prefer sphagnum moss. As you can see

from the pictures, the plants are placed on the top of a ball of moss and tucked into special pots. But wooden baskets or terra cotta pots will also do well.

About theAuthorWarwick Jones is a local orchid grower and the treasurer of Coastal Carolina Orchid Society. www.coastalcarolinaos.org


Meet the GCSC Leadership

2013 - 2015 Garden Club of South Carolina Officers

Yvonne Anna Morris, Ed.D. - First Vice PresidentBorn in Germany, Yvonne’s family immigrated to the United States and moved to Conway where she grew up and attended the public schools. Educated at Coastal Carolina, Francis Marion College, the University of South Carolina, the Citadel, and South Carolina State University, she served as a teacher, administrator, and curriculum specialist in various South Carolina school districts for 34 years. She lived in Summerville for most of her career and met and married her husband Robert there.

When she and Robert and their four cats retired to Savannah Lakes Village on Lake Thurmond near McCormick eight years ago, Yvonne joined the McCormick Garden Club and became president a year later. Then she served as West Piedmont District’s Co-Director and Youth Symposium Chair for GCSC, Inc. She also joined the Chrysanthemum Garden Club of Abbeville where she serves on the program committee.Yvonne’s special areas of interest are painting, travelling, and most of all gardening. She loves every aspect of gardening: from digging in the dirt to garden parties. She reads garden magazines and books, loves to travel, tour gardens, and enjoys painting landscapes, and garden art. Her immediate plans are to take the Landscape Design courses and the Flower Show School courses. She has entered several local flower shows and has won ribbons in design and horticulture.Her advice to any gardener: treat your garden as a family member and it will bring you great joy!

Judith Dill – PresidentJudith is a native Texan and currently resides in Camden, South Carolina. She is the Forty-first president of the Garden Club of South Carolina. She has done undergraduate and graduate work at The University of Texas at Austin, USC, USC School of Law, Converse, Winthrop, and in Germany, where she lived. Those who know Judith know that she has extraordinary energy and is one of those people who is hard to say “no” to. Gardening is part of her DNA. She loves walled gardens and has a deep interest in the

preservation of historic trees and historic places. Of course, that is her major project for the next two years: Historic Trees and Historic Places.She adores Shakespeare and received an NEH grant to study at the Folger Shake-speare Library, where she had the rare opportunity to actually study his Folios and quartos. Her musical interests span the gamut from The Eagles to Mozart. Judith loves to travel, with Scotland and Bavaria at the top of favorite places. Judith has four sons and four grandchildren, but her companion at home is her Golden Retriever, Nigel. Look for her with her sweet dog on the GCSC website, by clicking on the Gallivanting Gardener.

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Amy Rauton – Third Vice PresidentAmy is originally from Atlanta, Georgia but has lived in Summerville, SC since 1990. She has been a member of the Flowertown Garden Club since 2005 and served as its president from 2008-2009. In addition, she has served on a variety of different committees over the year including hospitality, civic beautification, historian, awards, schoolyard fence garden and the Christmas tree sales committee. She also served as the Youth Chairman for the Garden Club of

South Carolina (GCSC) from 2010-2011. She is a graduate of Presbyterian College and met her husband Jay there. They have been married for 24 years and have three children, Abigail (22), Ansley (18), and Jack (13). Ansley received the Camp Wildwood Camper of the Week Scholarship and the Babs Barnette Environmental Scholarship from the GCSC this past year. Amy loves to cook, working in her yard and making pretty pots for her patio and pool area, as well as learning all she can about gardening. She and her family enjoy spending time at their cabin on Lake Marion.Amy’s gardening advice is “JUST TRY IT.” Whether it is putting a pot together or planting something you have never tried before, joining a group on a field trip to a place you have never been, or simply attending a workshop, “just try; you will learn a lot.” You do not have to be a “pro” to be part of organizations like garden clubs and you make some new friends along the way. Amy says that the older she gets the more she LOVES perennials!!

I think that I shall never see a poem lovely as a tree – Joyce Kilmer

Donna Donnelly – Second Vice PresidentDonna Donnelly is a native of New York state and has lived in Elloree, SC for the past 13 years. She is married to Harold and they have three grown children and three grandchildren. Donna is a retired Registered Nurse, certified in maternal and newborn nursing.She is a member of the Elloree Garden Club having served as a former president and awards chairman. In addition, Donna is a Nationally Accredited Flower Show Judge, Flower Show Symposium

2013 Chairman, National Garden Club Flower Show Judge, DIA president and State Awards Chairman.Donna’s interests include floral designing, horticulture and flower shows. She enjoys maintaining her home, garden and yard.Her advice, “Life is really short, choose to find happiness everyday; be kind to others, don’t assume things, do your very best in everything.”


Maureen Minner – TreasurerMaureen is a native of Maine, but has lived in Summerville, SC for the past 20 years with her husband Jim. They have two grown sons, one an engineer and the other in medical school. Maureen is a member of the Flowertown Garden Club and has served as fund-raising chair for the club. One of the club’s fundraisers is selling Christmas trees and greenery. For one week each year her home’s driveway turns into a Christmas Tree lot.

A Master Gardener, Maureen loves horticulture and planting. Her advice is to spend a little time researching the right plant for the right place and then to give it a try.

Verd Craig Cunningham – Recording SecretaryA native South Carolinian, Verd is a lifelong resident of Columbia. She and her husband Stephen are the parents of a daughter who works as an environmental engineer in Raleigh, NC. Verd has an undergraduate degree in Architecture and a graduate degree in City and Regional Planning from Clemson University. She is currently involved with the management of a family owned real estate business.

Verd is a member of the Columbia Garden Club. She has served as a former president and has also served as the parliamentarian for the past 15 years. Her favorite hobby is floral arranging. Advice she offers to others interested in floral arranging, is “be creative in selecting plant materials.” She loves arranging flowers and vegetables together.Currently, Verd and her husband are in the process of renovating and moving into her family home. She is looking forward to updating her mother’s garden as part of this process. Her mother, like Verd, was an avid gardener and delighted in all growing things.

Peggy T. Little – Corresponding SecretaryPeggy is a native of South Carolina and has lived in Lancaster all of her life. She loves her hometown. She and her husband Donnie have two sons and two grandchildren. Peggy has done many interesting things in both her professional and personal life. She previously managed and directed the Performing Arts Series, has worked in the legal department for The Springs Company and served on staff for Governor Jim Hodges.

A member of the Lancaster Garden Club she has served as a former president and also as coordinator of the Christmas Tour of Homes. She is a community volunteer and has been involved in many activities through her local garden club and the Garden Club of South Carolina. An area of particular interest for Peggy is floral arranging.A piece of advice Peggy would offer to anyone interested in floral arranging is that “natural and free materials are the best items to use in arrangements. Use what God provides. Natural is always the best. Also, try to stay season-appropriate for arrangements.”

10 | ...gardening, like music, demands practice, patience, and a willingness to make mistakes – Amy Sewert

Helen Goforth – HistorianHelen Goforth resides in Gaffney, and is a member of In Depth Study Club in Spartanburg. She served as Special Publications Chairman in 2003 – 2005, and wrote The 75th Diamond Anniversary history of GCSC. She has been Historian since 2007, and enjoys writing a regular column for The South Carolina Gardener.A graduate of University of South Carolina, she met her husband, Jim, a Clemson graduate (Electrical Engineering), in Washington,

DC. They have a son, Michael.In addition to serving as Historian, Helen serves as East Piedmont District Co-Director. She encourages clubs and Councils to document their service to their communities and apply for Awards.

Joan Danforth – ChaplainJoan has lived and traveled around the world, but she and her husband David made their home in Columbia more than 40 years ago. They have two children and one grandson. She is retired and loving it.For the past 38 years she has been a very active member of the Columbia Garden Club, serving in many areas of leadership and doing lots of committee work. She propagates plants and

is constantly rearranging plants in her garden. Joan especially enjoys flower arranging and is the chairman of the Flower Guild at Trinity Cathedral. She does design work for large events and weddings. Each year one of her joys is decorating the Governor’s mansion for the Christmas holiday.Her mantra these days is “buy three plants, never one. Put them in different areas of the garden for a year and let them tell you where you should move the other two.”

Pat Abercrombie – ParliamentarianPat Abercrombie was born in Laurens, South Carolina and has lived in Greenwood for the past 46 years. She is married to Robert Abercrombie and they have two girls, Patrice and Paula. Pat and Robert are also the proud grandparents of twin granddaughters, Lauren and Paiten who like their parents and aunt will be entering Clemson this fall. Pat is a retired Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). She graduated from Duke University Medical

Center School of Anesthesia.A member of the Dahlia Garden Club, President of the SC Judges Club, President of Dahlia GC, serving on Garden Club of South Carolina, South Atlantic Region and National Garden Clubs Boards. Life member of all groups. Member of several design study groups.Pat’s advice is to bloom where you are planted.


Maida Owen Dantzler – AdvisorAfter two years of serving as President of the Garden Club of South Carolina, Maida needs little introduction. She is a native of California but found her way to the East coast where she has lived on the family farm near Santee, SC since marrying her husband Walter in 1969. The Dantzler’s have three sons and two grandsons. Maida is a retired teacher but taught high school sciences from 1970-2010 at Holly Hill Academy.

She is a member of the Potpourri Garden Club, Gardening Girls Study Club of Camden, DIA and Nationally Accredited Judges Club of South Carolina and has served in a variety of different leadership roles. She loves all aspects of garden club work, but among her deepest concerns is scholarship. She does love hands-on work in the garden, horticulture and landscape design.Her words of wisdom or advice to other gardeners is “to do what you love and do it joyfully.”

2013 - 2015 District Directors

Diana Haimerl – Coastal District DirectorCoastal District Director, Diana Haimerl and her husband, Ron, live in a renovated century old home in Dillon County where they enjoy the warmer winter months and year round gardening. Diana is a native of Pennsylvania. She and Ron have four children, three boys and a girl; and six grandchildren. They grow hybrid tea roses which they share with garden club members and shut-ins. In spring, their yard is full of color with the many different varieties of annuals

and perennials that are in bloom. She also enjoys propagating house plants.She served four years as President of the Dogwood Garden Club in Latta and is currently serving as Director of the Coastal District and Logo Sales Chairman for GCSC. She has served as Special Project Chairman for the Coastal District, Habitat for Humanity Chairman, two years as the Coastal District Co Director. She has also served as the “Plant it Pink” Chairman for the GCSC.In addition to Garden Club activities, Diana enjoys knitting, quilting, painting and is currently entering old family pictures into the computer.Advice she would offer to other gardeners is not to shy away from growing tea roses. “Hybrid tea roses can be a challenge to grow in the south, but it can be done with lots of hard work and determination.”

The Co-Director for the Coastal District is Linda Brown Siceloff.

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12 | Those who labor in the earth are the chosen people of God – Thomas Jefferson

Libby Metzler – East Lowcountry District DirectorLibby was born and raised in Kansas City. In 1987, my husband, Tim, and I moved to Charleston and in 1997 settled on James Island. Libby began her volunteer career in 1997 after retiring from The Medical University of South Carolina where she worked in the Department of Medicine. Her first volunteer activity was joining the flower guild at Grace Episcopal Church to learn about flower arranging with a focus on altar designs.

She has been a member of The Garden Club of Charleston (GCOC) since 2000 and served on many standing committees including, Archives, Awards, Christmas Tea Decorations, Gateway Walk, House & Garden Tours and Study Club. Libby served as the president of the GCOC from 2009-2010.She really enjoys spending summers digging in her garden and mowing the lawn. Her garden consists of different textures of green foliage – green is her favorite color. This summer she focused on dividing and transplanting overgrown shrubs. Thankfully this summer has been a mild and rainy summer so all the transplants are doing well. She would recommend not transplanting in the heat of summer. When not in the garden, she can be found on the golf course or swimming.

The Co-Director of the East Lowcountry is Kathy Cramer.

Donna Hummelman – East Piedmont District DirectorDonna is originally from Connecticut but has resided in Rock Hill, South Carolina for the past 10 years. She and her husband George have three children and four grandchildren. She is a retired paralegal.Donna is a member of the Town and Country Garden Club and served as its president from 2009-2011. She was also chairman of Good to Grow 2011-2013. Donna is a Master Gardener and has

also completed the GCSC Landscape Design Schools. Her passion is vegetable gardening and gardening with children. Her advice to other gardeners is “Don’t give up, gardening is a work in progress, always something new to learn.”

The Co-Director of the East Piedmont District is Helen Goforth.


Fair Edmunds – East Sandhills District DirectorFair lives in Wedgefield, SC with her husband of 50 years, Richard (Dick). She is a South Carolina native, having grown up in Pinewood on a dairy farm. She is the eldest of five children. Fair has served for four years as the president of the Poinsett Garden Club in Sumter, and is now president of the Council of Garden Clubs of Sumter for the second time. She is active in the Wedgefield Presbyterian Church where she served for many years as the moderator of the

women and now serves as an Elder and on the Mission Division Board of the New Harmony Presbytery. She is a retired registered nurse who worked for 25 years as a surgical first assistant for a group of general surgeons.Fair and Dick have two grown sons and six grown grandchildren. One of their sons lives next door and the oldest lives in Montana. Fair is currently studying to become a Nationally Accredited Flower Show Judge. She has been entering Standard Flower Shows in the Sumter area since before becoming a garden club member winning a number of ribbons. She would like for the public to be more aware of the good work Garden Clubs do for their communities. She believes garden clubs need to be both seen and heard more, being more transparent about their goals and taking advantage of the local media.A little advice from Fair if you have unexpected company and need an arrangement for your table and there are no flowers blooming in your yard, “You can make very attractive designs from the foliage in your yard and use no flowers. Some foliage is quite colorful. Use your imagination.”

The Co-Director of the East Sandhills District is Linda Howle.

Karen Oliver – West Low Country District DirectorKaren Oliver, West Low Country District Director, is a native of Louisiana. She and her husband, Dr. John Henry Oliver, relocated to Georgia in 1979 for continued medical training, and then moved to North Augusta in 1997. They have two sons, Ben and Tom, who both live in Greenville, SC, and one grandson who is now 5 years old. Karen worked as an RN for years, then started Bayou Spice Catering in 2006. She belongs to Carolina Hills Garden Club, and

is very active with local gardening groups. These include the Master Gardener pro-gram, Aiken-Augusta Rose Society, Camellia Society, and Orchid Society. Karen is a Master Accredited Flower Show judge and belongs to the Judges Club of South Carolina, as well as DIA design study club. Karen’s passion is horticulture, which includes developing her woodland garden, and finding unusual plants that thrive in shade. Caring for a lively flock of chickens keeps things interesting at the Oli-ver household. Active participation in garden club activities provides a wonderful outlet for creativity, service to the community and lots of fun. The friendships and experiences gained are irreplaceable and cherished.

The Co-Director of West Low Country is Sandie Duerksen.

14 | It won’t be a chore, it will be a garden – Jeannie Mobley

Betty Thacker – West Piedmont District DirectorBetty W. Thacker is a native of South Carolina and currently resides in Greenville, SC where she has lived for the past 51 years. She is the wife of N. Jackson Thacker and has two children; Wendy and Michael and two grandchildren; Miles and McCoy. Betty is a retired school counselor.A member of the Simpsonville Garden Club and the Clarice Wilson Garden Club, Betty has a special interest in landscaping. Her

advice to fellow gardeners is “don’t be afraid to move plants around. If something is not doing well in its present location, move it around until you find a spot where it is happy and thrives.” A good piece of advice for gardeners as well! Betty’s belief is the best things you gain from being associated with a garden club is not the knowledge you will gain about horticulture, nor the knowledge to grow beautiful flowers and use them in beautiful designs. The best thing is the marvelous friends you will make as you work together to bring the art of gardening to your community.

The Co-Director of the West Piedmont District is Mary Alice Hall.

Betty Wise Jackson – West Sandhills District DirectorBetty Wise Jackson, a true southern lady living most of her life in Trenton, is married to Clyde R. Jackson III. They have one son, two daughters, and two granddaughters.Betty is a member of the Country Gardeners since her early 20’s. She has served as treasurer of that club and president more times than she can count on her fingers. Perhaps her main contribution to the club has been in the role as its yearbook chairman; typing

each page for each member in the beginning and later printing and assembling it on her home computer. She worked together with her daughter using beautiful garden scenes and other pictures depicting each program. This made the project fun and special for them both. Betty is honored to have been asked to serve as Director of the West Sandhills District for the GCSC.She enjoys container gardening and arranging flowers in traditional manner or oriental grace. Her advice to about gardening, “A well kept small garden can bring peace to the gardener and much joy to those around.”

The Co-Director of the West Sandhills District is JoEllen Barbare.

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Spring Beauty Garden Club, HartsvilleThe Spring Beauty Garden Club (SBGC) of Hartsville dedicated the first Blue Star Memorial Marker in Darlington County on Sunday, May 19, 2013, with club members, residents and veterans of World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Operation Desert Storm present. Colonel Curtis Lee, U. S. Marine Corps Reserve, gave a beautiful, stirring military tribute and recognition of the veterans present and past. The South Carolina Department of Transportation, the City of Hartsville and Spring Beauty Garden Club worked together to determine the location of the marker on the right-of-way of the Hartsville Middle School property, SC Hwy. 151 By-Pass at 14th Street.

Music for the occasion was provided by the Hartsville High School(HHS) Ensemble, HHS Singers, Dr. James Beaumier, Director; and “Taps” by Dominque McCullen of the HHS Sr. Band. Judith Dill, President, brought greetings from the Garden Club of South Carolina (GCSC). Also participating: Dr. Daniel N. Sansbury, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church; Natalie Zeigler, Manager, City of Hartsville; The Honorable Jay Lucas, Speaker Pro Tempore, South Carolina House of Representatives; Paula Bowen, Chair Blue Star Marker Program, GCSC. Bobbie Kelley, SBGC president, presided over the festivities. Gladys Case, Blue Star Marker Committee for SBGC and Blue Star Marker Program, East Sandhills District, GCSC, was chairperson for the event. The program moved outside for the unveiling of the marker which also included Spring Beauty members Elizabeth Hodge, Cindy McArthur and Frances Hupfer. Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Garden Clubs, Inc. started the program in 1945 after World War II.

Blue Star Memorial Marker Dedications

Participants in the Blue Star Memorial Marker in Hartsville on May 19, 2013, included (L to R) Paula Bowen, Blue Star Memorial Marker Program, GCSC; Bobbie Kelley, Spring Beauty Garden Club president; Gladys Case, Blue Star Marker Committee, SBGC and Blue Star Marker Program, East Sandhills District; Judith Dill, President, Garden Club of South Carolina; and Jay Lucas, Speaker Pro Tempore, S.C. House of Representatives.

16 | The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Historic Trees for Historic Places

By Jane PearmanChair, HTHP

Historic Trees for Historic Places (HTHP) is the major project of The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc. (GCSC) under the leadership of GCSC president Judith Dill for the term 2013-2015. This project invites both club and non-club members to join hands and resources to save historic properties, trees and heritage plantings across the state. In addition to GCSC members, this project will reach out to governmental agencies such as the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, historians, landscape architects and designers, horticulturalists, archivists, property owners, interested citizens, and members of the business community.

South Carolina’s historic landscapes, trees and heritage plant material tell the story of our state. Ravages of nature, neglect and urban sprawl have caused irreparable loss of historic landscapes, trees and other plant material. As part of this unique project, historic landscapes, sites, trees and heritage plant material in both private and public properties across South Carolina will be identified and nominated for inclusion in a permanent collection. Historic sites which have lost historic trees and may become candidates for new

plantings of historic species. Sites which are graced with historic trees will be candidates to have those trees identified and recognized.

The two specific goals for HTHP are to identify historic trees located across South Carolina and celebrate their existence, and to plant historic trees in historic places and celebrate their exis-tence. When identifying historic trees, garden clubs, along with other corroborating groups and individuals, will determine the historic site and/or tree, document it, nominate it to the GCSC HTHP Committee for inclusion in the annual publication, and then celebrate with the community to honor its existence and history.

The planting of historic species of trees will be very similar, in that the site will be determined and documented as being historic, and then a suitable historic tree may be planted on this site. This tree may be planted to replace one that has been lost for various reasons, thus continuing the history that was once begun a long time ago.


The expected outcomes of this state pro-ject will be the plantings and identifications of our historic resources located on both public and private properties in all counties of the state. All identifications, plantings, and celebrations will be included in a yearly GCSC publication, and a HTHP Award will be given to the GCSC District and/or Club demonstrating the most exemplary activities for the year.

Details of the project along with the tree submission form may be found on the GCSC website. www.gardenclubofsc.org Please use this for all of your tree identification and planting submissions. Clubs will be able to submit their historic trees to be drawn in proportional formats to be used for posters or note cards. The GCSC graphic artist, Libba Pearman Dockery will be doing these drawings. Contact Jane Pearman for details about this offering and related pricing. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will be used to support the HTHP project statewide.

The Historic Trees for Historic Places project is a big undertaking, but one that has the potential for making a significant contribution to the state’s heritage and preservation efforts. Who better to engage in this work than our state’s gardeners through the Garden Club of South Carolina? Every

garden club in the state has the opportunity to showcase its commu-nity’s historic places and trees. Visit the GCSC website to get started, www.gardenclubofsc.org.

18 | Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are – Alfred Austin

Roots

A column about those things that are historically significant about or of interest to the Garden Club of South Carolina.

by Helen GoforthHistorian

Lucy Bemis Pomeroy

Lucy Bemis Pomeroy, or as she was better known, “Lucy B,” was a charter member of the Garden Club of South Carolina (GCSC) and its 2nd president (1934-1936). A native of Cambridge, MA, she was the daughter of Jonathan and Lucy Wyeth Bemis. She married Robert Watson Pomeroy on June 24, 1895, and moved to Buffalo, New York as a young bride. The young couple par-ticipated in state and national political conventions. Her husband represented Dutchess County in the New York State Assembly in Poughkeepsie. They maintained residences in New York and Camden, South Carolina. They had two children, a daughter, also named Lucy born in 1900 and a son Robert Watson, Jr. born in 1902.

The Pomeroy family lived at Cedar Knoll in Camden during the winter months. Lucy B was an avid gardener who enjoyed working her “little farm” on the plantation and growing orchids. She often attended national meetings and enjoyed traveling. She served as Treasurer of the YMCA Board and started the first women’s hotel and cafeteria service for women with limited incomes. She also served on the Board of Children’s Hospital and was an active Board member and volunteer with the Red Cross during World War I.

A portrait of Lucy Bemis Pomeroy was painted by Cecilia Beaux, a renowned American society portraitist, appearing in The Paintings and Drawings of Cecilia Beaux, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1955, page 87. This work is archived

Mrs. Pomeroy in her garden at Cedar Knoll. The SC Gardener, Yearbook, 1949.


in Special Collections at the American Art Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. The portrait was photographed by Peter A. Juley & Son, entitled, “Mrs. Robert Pomeroy (Lucy Bemis)”, http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm..jul_6930.

In minutes of the Twenty-eighth Annual Meeting of GCSC, May 6-7, 1958, Mrs. Rutledge “asked the assembly to stand a moment in silent tribute to Mrs. Robert W. Pomeroy, a past president, who passed away on April 18, (1958), at the age of 89.” Mrs. Pomeroy, “Lucy B” is buried at Fort Hill Cemetery, Bedford Hills, New York. A widow of Robert W. Pomeroy for 23 years, she was survived by her son and daughter.

Cedar Knoll, Camden, South CarolinaSouth Carolina Historic Landscape Initiative by Julie J. Prickett

About the AuthorHelen Goforth has served as historian for GCSC for 12 years and has been doing a column for The SC Gardener for the past eight years. She resides in Gaffney, SC.

20 | There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments – Janet Kiburn Phillips

Herbs Are Surperb

Lavender, Lavandula sp.By Eleanor Hickman Durgee

Herb Chairman

“If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet scented herbs…that is your success.” --Henry David Thoreau

My fascination with herbs grows deeper with each year. Herbs are not mysterious or hard to grow. In fact, give them plenty of sunshine, sandy soil and a dry spot to keep their feet happy and they will thrive. So, come learn with me as we experience the joys of spicing up our lives with herb’s sensual pleasures!

LAVENDER, Lavandula sp.Lavender, Lavendula angustifolia, is a perennial, requiring full sun and grows to a height of two to three feet. The seeds can be started indoors in a sunny location, before spring begins, in a flat with a high quality seed-sowing mix that holds moisture yet has good drainage. Garden soil may contain diseases and pests and should not be used. Keep warm, watered and misted. Let the seedlings harden for about a week by taking the containers outside during the day gradually increasing outdoor time. The seedlings of lavender can take two to three years before producing a fair amount of flowers. But, the heavenly scent and beauty of these tiny all time favorite fragrant flowers are worth the wait!

Harvesting LavenderLavender does best when the entire stem is harvested instead of harvesting only the flower. Harvesting the stem with the flower intact encourages new growth and a bountiful crop of beautiful blooms!

Using LavenderLavender is an amazingly versatile herb not only a must in outdoor landscape design but indoors as well filling the senses with a fragrance that is calming to the nerves and uplifting to the spirit. It is also an all time favorite for cooking. Many chic restaurants around the world use the flowers and leaves to enrich the flavor and appearance of food. The nectar from lavender flowers is a natural sweetener. Common lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, has a most sweet taste and is used frequently in recipes. Uses of lavender are limitless. Think outside of the box with this sweet, floral flavored herb that increases in potency with drying.

Lavender’s Long HistoryThis fragrant plant represents purity, cleanliness and virtue – The Virgin Mary’s spotlessness and chastity.

Lavender comes from the Latin word “lavo” meaning “to wash”. Lavender has been


written about as a much-loved herb for more than 2,500 years. The Egyptians used it for mummification and perfume. The Greeks and Romans bathed in water scented with lavender.

Queen Elizabeth I of England held lavender in such high regard that she ordered conserve of lavender to always be on her dining table. Her gardeners were instruct-ed to grow fresh lavender flowers year round! Imagine the lovely scent and beauty of the fields of lavender. It is said that to help relieve her headaches, the Queen often drank a lavender tea.

Queen Victoria kept the air in every room filled with the scent of lavender and popularized the use of it through out the land. The washerwomen in England were known as “lavenders” in times past.

Nurses bathed soldiers’ wounds, with lavender washes, during the First World War. The French continue to have baby lambs graze in fields of lavender to this day. They believe the lamb’s meat is more tender and fragrant. Oh, those lavender fields in Provence in July! Heaven on earth!

Things My Mother Taught Me:Lavender Honey RecipeSimmer slowly in a double boiler 8 ounces of honey and 3 tablespoons dried lavender buds stirring often for 40 minutes. Cool. Strain well. Pour into decorative jars. No refrigeration is required and it will last up to a year in your cupboard. If it crystalizes over time, heat the jar in a double boiler until the crystals dissolve. What a delicious treat slathered on your favorite hot bread to enjoy with a legendary cup of lavender tea and a wonderful gift giving idea for the holidays.

Did You Know? Archeologists have discovered honey locked away for thousands of years in pharaoh’s tombs and is still perfectly edible. They have also found traces of lavender in the tombs. It would not be surprising to learn that in the time of the pharaohs they made lavender honey too!

Now, let’s relax in a blissful field of lavender, while sipping a perfect cup of lavender tea and eating mouthwatering lavender honey slathered on scrumptious traditional french bread with cumin!---

About the AuthorEleanor Hickman Durgee lives in Charleston, SC. For the past year she has presented thumbnail sessions focused on horticulture in season for The Garden Club of Charleston. She is currently serving as the Herb Chairman for GCSC.

“Rambling Through the Lavender Field with Toto” by Lilly. Copyright used with permission.

22 | Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky – Kahlil Gibran

HTHP – East Low Country District

The Garden Clubof Charleston & HTHPBy Jane Pearman, President

As President of The Garden Club of Charleston (GCC) for 2013-2014, I made a decision to carry out the Garden Club of South Carolina’s State Project, Historic Trees for Historic Places (HTHP) as my President’s Project for this year. I felt that this was an all-encompassing project, and one in which I could coordinate many GCC Board of Director Chairmen to work together with community organizations and individuals toward a common goal – preserving our living historic treasures in our area of the state. Sometimes we all have our own “projects” within our areas of responsibility within an organization, and it is hard to see a common thread between us and other local people and organizations who may be working in the same direction. The success of this project will depend on all of us working together in identifying, planting, and celebrating our rich historic tree heritage, and ensuring that this heritage continues to be preserved and recognized by future generations.

As most of you know, there are two main goals and objectives of HTHP: to identify historic trees located across the state and celebrate their existence, and to plant historic trees in historic places and celebrate their existence. The GCC has identified two projects in which we will participate in order to carry out these goals and objectives: a partnership project with Charles Towne Landing and participation in the 10,000 Trees for Charleston Project.

Charles Towne Landing Project

Charles Towne Landing is one of the oldest historical landmarks in South Carolina.

• The GCC will establish a walking, self-guided tour of the historic trees of Charles Towne Landing (CTL). This tour will be in conjunction with the exist-ing property tours, and will point out specific trees on the property that have been identified as adding historic value to the property. The GCC will work the CTL employees to establish a comprehensive list of trees including ones that have been previously identified by CTL, and any additional trees that have been deemed appropriate. State tree and historic camellia experts will be utilized in this process. Each tree’s location will be noted in the brochure, along with a brief history/description. All trees will be marked and labeled by the CTL and GCC volunteers with a marker similar to the ones currently used by the Native Plant Society. This inclusive brochure will be available for all visitors to CTL, and will also be available on line. Online visitors will be able to see pictures of the trees in their locales, and then click on each tree and read their histories. QR codes will be placed on all markers so that


visitors with “smart phones” will be able to download information regarding the trees and Charles Towne Landing to their phones and enjoy a personal tour of their own.

• The GCC will work with CTL employees and volunteers to locate areas where historic trees have not survived, and make efforts to purchase and plant new, historically correct trees, in these locations. Donations for this continued historic preservation of the trees at CTL may be made to CTL and will be used for the continued maintenance of these resources, as well as replacement of historic trees when and where appropriate.

• The GCC will adopt the two planting beds (17’ x 17”) in the front of the Legare-Waring house and plant them with period appropriate materials that will enhance the beauty of the house. The plant selections will be made based on recommendations from GCC members and outside affiliate resources. Regular maintenance will be carried out by the CTL volunteers, along with support from the GCC members. The GCC Jr. Garden Club, Girl Scouts, and Youth Club will all participate in the planting of the materials for these gardens. Periodic trips by these groups will help ensure proper maintenance. There will be a marker placed in these beds noting the support of the Garden Club of Charleston.

In appreciation for the body of work the GCC will be providing to CTL, the following will be made available to the GCC:

• Conduct a tour of the identified historic trees at CTL for the GCC and other invited guests as part of the annual GCC Arbor Day Celebration. This celebration will be held on Dec. 12th. There will be many special guests invited to this event, including local garden club council officers, GCSC executive officers, and additional local supporters. The GCC will plant a live oak in a spot that has been designated by CLT in honor of Arbor Day. Refreshments will be served after the tour at the Legare-Waring house.

• GCC will have use of the Lagare-Waring house for special Garden Club events on a mutually agreed upon basis (CTL and GCC) at no additional expense to the Garden Club. Specific events that have been agreed upon include several board meetings, our provisional member orientation, as well as our annual May Tea and Officer Installation.

This partnership will remain strong well past my term as President, as both organi-zations have a shared interest in the preservation of our natural resources and the endurance of their posterity.

10,000 Trees for Charleston

The 10,000 Trees for Charleston Project, is spearheaded by Mayor Joe Riley, former state Representative Jimmy Bailey, and the City of Charleston. Mayor Riley’s vision was to create a new community organization, working with the city, to seek to plant 10,000 trees along the suburban entryways of the community, along highways, shopping areas, streets and even parks, in hopes of enhancing

24 | Where flowers bloom so does hope – Lady Bird Johnson

these streetscapes as well as reestablishing some the historic trees that may have been lost in these areas for various reasons.

As I have adopted this project as part of the HTHP project for both the GCC and GCSC, I serve on the project’s Board of Commissioners and participate in all meetings and planning sessions. This enables The GCC to have input in the decisions that are being made for our city. Planting has already started along Sam Rittenberg, Glenn McConnell, Savannah Hwy., St. Andrews Blvd, Old Towne Rd., Folly Rd., and Upper Meeting, with over 1,100 trees already planted. The GCC will adopt a portion of one of these corridors and participate in funding this area and celebrating this project with local city officials and associated organizations.

The Garden Club of Charleston believes that these two reciprocal relationships they have formed with Charles Towne Landing and the 10,000 Trees for Charleston Project, meet the goals and objectives of the President’s Project, and will both have a long lasting impact. Our club is excited to be working with these many groups and organizations to move forward on our common goals and realize that only through this collaboration can we build a rich, historically significant future for the generations that will follow.

About the AuthorJane Pearman is the current president of The Garden Club of Charleston. She also is serving as the GCSC chair for the Historic Trees for Historic Places project as well as serving as the chair of the GCSC Finance Committee.


The Horticulture Path

By Jerry W. Weise, Horticulture Chairman

“Heavenly Hellebores”These low growing perennials are generally hardy in USDA Zones 4 through 9 so should grow throughout South Carolina. Best known are the hellebores grown by generations of gardeners with the common names of Christmas rose, Lenten rose and stinking rose (Helleborus niger, H. xhybridus, H. foetidus). There are many other species and cultivars available. Helleborus xhybridus is a group of variable clump-forming perennial hybrids of H. orientalis and other species. One of these, ‘Peggy Ballard’, produces large blooms up to three inches across that are deep reddish pink outside and dusky purple-pink with darker veins inside. Hellebores have single or double blooms and span a color range from green, white, cream, pink, yellow, peach, orange, lavender, reddish purple to concord grape purple, many with darker veins leading to the nectar (and pollen). Some blooms have contrasting colors on the petal margins.

Hellebores grow in sun to part shade. Dappled shade for protection from summer’s midday sun along the coast is helpful. Great companion plants are ferns, hostas, cyclamen and camellias. This group thrives in moist but well-drained rich soils. Top dress hellebore plantings annually with compost to provide nutrients.

Happy hellebores produce many seedlings so if you have a special clonal form or other named cultivar weed out these babies and share with a friend or start a new colony in another part of your garden. This will keep your original plant identifiable. Seedlings of plants can be wildly variable depending on the genetic makeup of the mother and number of sperm donors in the vicinity. You may discover a very worthy new variety in your garden.

Some hellebores are evergreen, some die back after their spring bloom. The best time to cut back old foliage so the flowers stand out is early winter or as soon as there is a hint of flower stalks emerging in the evergreen types. Remove the dead foliage of the spring blooming group once they have finished blooming.

Enjoy some winter/early spring color. Search out hellebores to add to your gardens now. Happy Gardening!

About the AuthorAs a small child Jerry Weise would follow her grandmother, hand-ing her one bare-root pansy at a time to plant and it was through this sweet time that her love of horticulture began. As a life-long learner she continues daily to study some aspect of plants and gardening. She is an Accredited NGC Flower Show Judge and holds a B.A. in mathematics and a Masters in teaching.

26 | Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes – unknown

Celebrating Arbor Day

The Garden Club of South Carolina will be celebrating Arbor Day on December 6, 2013. Every garden club should be making plans now for their individual club activities and celebrations. J. Sterling Morton is the founder of Arbor Day, a day set aside each year to celebrate trees and to replenish trees that have been used to support human lifestyle. “Each generation takes the earth as trustees,” Morton said. “We ought to bequeath to posterity as many forests and orchards as we have exhausted and consumed.”

Arbor Day marks the occasion that individuals, groups and communities plant trees. This day of celebration actually began in 1872 in Nebraska and has grown into a worldwide holiday. Birdsey Northrop is credited with making Arbor day a global celebration. The date of the holiday varies by state or country and is dependent on the best planting time. Besides the United States, other countries that participate in Arbor Day include Japan, Kenya, Germany, Egypt, Costa Rica, Australia, Belgium, Brazil and Venezuela.

It’s been said that when we plant a tree we’re really doing it for our grandchildren’s generation. While this is true to some extent and may ensure great, large trees for the upcoming generation, planting a tree is pleasing to all, from the beginning.

Arbor Day is significant, because it allows people to learn the worth of trees in their own communities. It also emphasizes the value of planting trees. This year, Arbor Day is especially important in view of GCSC President, Judith Dill’s stated project, Historic Trees for Historic Places. Each garden club will have a focus on planting and celebrating trees of historic significance. Perhaps December 6 will be a perfect time to begin. Many garden clubs use Arbor Day to celebrate and memorialize members who have died throughout the past year, by planting trees in their honor. Other clubs commemorate the day with youth activities, community involve-ment or patriotic participation in planting trees.

Visit the Arbor Day website for some great celebration ideas, www.arborday.org.


For a full report on Club Anniversaries visit the GCSC Website

Pickens Garden Club Celebrates 87 YearsEighty-seven years ago, the year 1926, eight ladies gathered in Miss Elinor Knight’s music room under the bell tower of Pickens High School to establish the Pickens Garden Club. The ladies attending were born in the late 1800s. Amazingly this group had time to leave their ironing, and baking to think of flowers and nature’s beauty. This club beautified the town and the highways of Pickens.

Almost a century later, on April 2, 2013, the Pickens Garden Club gathered on the garden terrace of the historic Hagood-Mauldin House in Pickens to celebrate its eighty-seventh anniversary. Not much ironing and baking goes on these days, but many of the club’s goals continue. We still foster the study of gardening, landscape design, flower arranging and horticulture. We have added the goal of fostering environmental concerns through schools and though out the community.

Camellia Garden Club Celebrates 75 YearsThe Camellia Garden Club of Conway began in 1938, with its first members beau-tifying not only their personal yards, but public areas all over Conway. Under the leadership of the clubs first president, Mrs. C.B. Seaborn, the 15 club members expanded their work and their influence. They choose the name camellia since it was the aristocrat of the garden.

For the club’s 75th Anniversary, 75 red camellias will be planted this October near the River Walk of Conway. An open house is being planned for November 19, 2013 from 12:30 to 2:30 pm. The three other active garden clubs of Conway will be invited along with Judith Dill, president of The Garden Club of South Carolina and Coastal District Director, Diana Haimerl and Co-Director Linda Siceloff. Pat Taylor is the current president of the Camellia Garden Club.

Chapin Garden Club Celebrates 75th AnniversaryThe Chapin Garden Club (CGC) was organized by six women on March 23, 1938, and federated with the Garden Club of South Carolina (GCSC) in 1945. The first President was Mrs. Alvin (Ferbie) Frick. This year, CGC celebrates its 75th Anniversary.

Festivities began on April 21 when CGC members hosted a “Drop-In” at the historic Chaffin–Eleazer House in Chapin, currently home of the Chapin Chamber of Commerce. The event was open to the public and many community leaders and local business leaders stopped in to congratulate the Club. Chapin Mayor Stan Shealy arrived to commend members for exemplary service in the community. The highlight of the afternoon celebration was the presentation of a Concurrent Resolution, presented by State Representative Chip Huggins, “recognize and commend the Chapin Garden Club for its outstanding history and volunteer work in the Chapin community and to congratulate the members upon the occasion of their 75th Anniversary”.

Club Anniversaries

Continued on page 31

28 |

Trees for Life; Trees for Health; Trees for Place

By Gail Jeter

When one thinks of a tree, what image comes to mind – a trunk, branches, leaves? It is easy to forget about them because we expect trees to be there. We often overlook their importance in our lives. Let’s refresh our memories on photosynthesis, a vital process to our lives. Trees, as well as other plants, take in carbon dioxide, the waste product that we exhale, along with sunlight and water. What is produced is oxygen and glucose. The oxygen is essential for our breathing. The glucose feeds the tree’s growth.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=tree+-+photosynthesis&qpvt=tree+-+photosynthesis&FORM=IGRE#a

Trees contribute to our health and well-being in immeasurable ways. Some benefits are obvious – shade, windbreaks, glare reduction, and sources of medicine, in addition to oxygen. However, studies are revealing more and interesting benefits. We are finding that trees reduce stress; views of trees help surgical patients recover quicker; school campuses that have trees have higher graduation rates than those without those without trees. In his book, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature - Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv examines the need of a child to be outdoors and the changes in behavior that results from too much time indoors with television, video games, and computer usage.1 Trees in urban areas improve cognitive function and encourage a more active lifestyle. Children who have green spaces to play in display a lower incidence of Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder symptoms and show improved performance in school.2() There is no question that trees provide major health benefits.

Trees define place. How many of us have special memories of that tree we climbed as a child, the rope swing that we spent countless hours swinging as we tried to

To be without trees would to be without our roots – Richard Mabey

Green Gardening & Sustainable Solutions


About the AuthorGail Rawls Jeter is the GCSC Standing Committee Chair for Conservation and Environmental Education. She has a BA in biology from Converse College and a MS in Public Health from the University of South Carolina. She has worked in the environmental field for more than thirty years. She lives in Columbia, SC.

reach the sky, or that tree house that was a refuge from our parents. There is no place that is not made healthier and more fun by trees.

As gardeners, we should not only celebrate trees for the memories they bring and their contribution to our health and well being, but we also have a responsibility for planting and caring for trees. A full discussion on buying, planting, establishing, fertilizing and protecting trees is beyond the scope of this article. Trees, however, will be a major focus of The Garden Club of South Carolina (GCSC) this year. Beyond Arbor Day, when many garden clubs remember former members by planting trees in their memory, this year the GCSC is beginning the launch of President Dill’s project Historic Trees and Historic Places. As part of this project garden clubs across the state will be identifying special trees and planting new ones. There will be more about this project and one district’s activity related to it in this issue.”

“Catch! calls the Once-ler.

He lets something fall.

It’s a Truffula Seed.

It’s the last one of all!

You’re in charge of the last of the Truffula Seeds.

And Truffula Trees are what everyone needs.

Plant a new Truffula. Treat it with care.

Give it clean water. And feed it fresh air.

Grow a forest. Protect it from axes that hack. Then the Lorax

and all of his friends may come back.”

–– Dr. Seuss3

1 Louv, Richard. Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature - Deficit Disorder. 2008.

2 Coping with ADD: The Surprising Connection to Green Play Settings. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Landscape and Human Health Laboratory. 2001.

3 Seuss, Dr. The Lorax. 1971. Print.

30 |

About the AuthorJoan Danforth has traveled and lived around the world, but Columbia will always be home. She has been a member of The Columbia Garden Club for more than 35 years. Joan is currently serving as Chaplain for GCSC.

I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself – Sir Peter Smithers

Autumn Inspiration & Meditation

By Joan Danforth

Autumn is a time of reflection and regrouping. The colors of autumn warm us as the air turns cooler and we think of being inside more. As we turn our bodies to the indoors and the warmth of a cool fall night’s fire, capture some time for self-reflection. Am I who I want to be? Am I doing what I am gifted to do? How will others evaluate the person I am? When someone mentions my name, what comes to mind of those who know me? Am I the person God wants me to be?

Hard questions?, yes, but questions worth contemplating. Jesus told the disciples when he left them, go and do these things as I have done. Bless and heal, teach and welcome. Become who you were created to be.

You can do it too. You are who you are, both divine and human.

This Fall, celebrate the warmth of the bright yellow sunflowers, the soft tan of wheat waving in the breeze, a rainbow of color in a field of zinnas, the flaming orange of bittersweet, and the crispness of the green, not quite ripe apples. Take time to see God’s beauty in everything and everyone. Aspire to be who you are created to be and be a reflection of God’s love in the world.

When you have decided what you believe, what you feel must be done, have the courage to stand alone and be counted.

~Eleanor Roosevelt

For an autumn wedding on the farm, or a fabulous outdoor party, baskets of fruit and gourds and a birch cylinder full of flowers and grasses signal the entrance for an iconic fall celebration. Floral Design: Sybil Sylvester, Photo Credit: Arden Ward


Editorial StaffManaging Editor:

Kathy [email protected]

Proof Readers:Sue LawleyJudith Dill

Graphics:Libba Dockery

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:Winter 2013/14 ..... October 15Spring 2014 .......... January 15Summer 2014 ....... April 15Fall 2014 ............... July 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 | FALL ISSUE 2013 | VOL. 92 NO. 1

Autumn BlessingSee the goodness of our FatherIn the Autumn season fair,In the colors that delight usWhen there’s beauty everywhere.In the gold and crimson hillsides,In each maple tree ablaze,In bright goldenrod and astersLining rustic country ways.See the goodness of our FatherIn the sky of sapphire blue,In the Autumn sun enhancingEvery lovely thing in view.See the goodness of our FatherIn the beauty of the land,In the lavish yield we gather,All provided by His hand.See the goodness of our FatherIn the Autumn season fairFor this wealth of Autumn blessings,We lift thankful hearts in prayer. Beverly J. Anderson

The Glove and Trowel Garden Club celebrates 60th AnniversaryThe Glove and Trowel Garden Club celebrated its 60th anniversary on Sun-day, June 2, 2013, at First Presbyterian Church in Dillon. The first meeting of the Glove and Trowel Garden Club was held in January 1953. A group of six young Dillon matrons met and formed the nucleus of the club under the sponsorship and guidance of the Dillon Garden Club.

Guest to the 60th celebration were greeted by Mrs. Fay Sloan, club president. The Glove and Trowel Garden Club is a member of the Dillon Council of Garden Clubs, the Coastal District of the Garden Club of South Carolina, the Garden Club of South Carolina, the South Atlantic Region and the National Garden Clubs, Inc.

Continued from page 27

32 | Life already has so many boundaries and pressures, why add more in the garden – Felder Rushing

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