Each spring the Wellington Garden Club celebrates Wellington Garden Week, and 2015 was no exception.
This year’s celebration began when Wellington Mayor Bob Margolis delivered a proclamation to the club’s membership declaring March 8-14 as Wellington Garden Week.
The week began with “Gardening Makes a World of Difference Day” at the Wellington Amphitheater, which included free seminars, a plant sale and raffle, and other educational exhibits.
The walkways were adorned with beautiful plants for sale, and the free seminars were a big attraction. Noted landscape architect Pamela Crawford offered five-minute landscape makeovers to seminar attendees. Master gardeners and master naturalists Inger Jones and Mona Johnston presented an overview of Florida Friendly Landscaping principles.
In addition, beekeeper Al Salopek provided information on honeybees, the Palm Beach Central High School Earth Club exhibited photos of planting projects and Wellington Garden Club Environmental Chair Diane Rice explained the dangers posed by hydraulic fracturing to extract oil from Florida’s land and oceans.
“We are so grateful to our generous raffle donors, especially Austin Outdoor Landscaping Services, GardenScapes of the Palm Beaches, the Home Depot, Pamela Crawford and Quinntessence Nursery,” Raffle Chair Jan Seagrave said. “The proceeds from our raffle and plant sale will help fund our club’s civic beautification and scholarship programs.”
The celebration continued throughout the week. On Monday, several of the club’s members spent a fun day creating floral designs for Wellington municipal offices, the library and businesses that supported last year’s Secret Gardens tour. The following day, the club hosted more than 20 Florida Federation of Garden Clubs flower show judges who meet regularly to hone their floral design and judging skills and review upcoming flower show events. Later that day, club members and Girl Scout Troop 22222 met to discuss plans for a butterfly garden to be installed and maintained by the scouts near the Wellington Dog Park.
On Thursday, Wellington Garden Club First Vice President Kathy Siena gave a presentation on the dangers of plastic pollution at the Wellington library to students from Elbridge Gale Elementary School.
“Wellington Garden Week certainly was a busy one for our club. We were delighted to share our gardening knowledge with the public and demonstrate that, as our club motto says: Gardening Makes a World of Difference,” Wellington Garden Club President Twig Morris said.
The Wellington Garden Club, a nonprofit organization with more than 170 members, has been an active part of the local community, the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and National Garden Clubs Inc. since its founding in 1982. For more information, visit www.wellingtongardenclub.org.
ABOVE: Wellington Garden Club members created and delivered floral arrangements to local businesses.
