On March 27, several members participated in a bluebell hike at Winged Deer Park, led by City Naturalist Connie Deegan. Winged Deer Park contains the the largest collection of naturalized bluebell flowers in Northeast Tennessee. These fleeting beauties are only in bloom for around 10 days!
From delivering handmade bouquets to those in need as part of our Flowers of Hope program to spending time together celebrating the season, it has been a busy and blessed December for the members of Shady Oaks Garden Club. Our annual greens workshop on December 4 was a great success with many beautiful designs, some of which were donated to Racheff House for their fundraiser. On December 6, Natalie Olsen hosted the club for our holiday luncheon. The setting was gorgeous and the food was delicious! Later that week, several members travelled to Knoxville to attend the Racheff House Holiday Tea. It is an elegant event that is always a treat. From all of us at Shady Oaks, we wish you a merry and bright holiday season.
For our November meeting, members were challenged to create a design utilizing a “thrift store find” costing no more than $8! Some members worked in pairs while others tackled their designs alone. Members presented their designs to the group, explaining their inspiration and design process. It was such a fun meeting!! We learned more about each other and really had a great time.
Dr. May Votaw, longtime member of Shady Oaks Garden Club and former club president was honored recently at a farewell party as she is moving to the Lake Norman, NC area. SOGC member, Mickey Grossman, hosted the lovely event in her home. May was presented with a Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs Lifetime membership. A Penny Pines plantation to be planted in the Cherokee National Forest was also purchased by the club in her honor.
Shady Oaks Garden Club held a standard flower show August 9 & 10 at Fischman Gallery in Johnson City, TN. The talented men and women in our club completed an array of artistic designs and educational exhibits and also showcased more than 200 horticultural specimens. The two day event hosted hundreds of visitors from all over the region. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a great show!
To celebrate the joy of gardening, several members of our club hosted “open gardens” during National Garden Week. It was such a treat to see different members’ gardens! It was also a wonderful time to nurture our friendships in the club. Each garden on view this year was as unique and lovely as its hostess. Here are a few photos from each garden. Thanks to Cole, Barb, Mickey and May for sharing their gardens!
Back by popular demand, we held our ever popular “Holiday Greens workshop” in November. Club members Anne Reid and Jeanne Copple guided members as we created a variety of floral designs spanning the holiday season. Here are just a few photo highlights:
In July, the club participated in the Knoxville District IV Flower Show “We the People.” We had 100% participation in the show and many awards. We are especially proud of our new members, some of whom had never entered a flower show!
District IV Flower Show Top Exhibitor Section Award Winners from Shady Oaks Garden Club Left to right : Imogene Randall, Botanical Arts Design Award 1 (Botanical Arts Division), Pat Buck, Grower’s Choice (Horticulture Division), Jeanne Copple, Grower’s Choice (Horticulture Division), Teri Lee, Award of Merit (Horticulture Division), Kris Bowers, Botanical Arts Design Award 2 (Botanical Arts Division), Jan Taylor, Tricolor (Design Division)
Shady Oaks Garden Club invites you to visit six enchanting gardens for this very special fall garden tour. The tour also features a plant sale where you are sure to find many unique plants grown by our members.
The art of gardening has four dimensions, the fourth being time. The movement of the seasons brings (mostly) predictable change in flowers and foliage. But gardens—and gardeners—change over the years as well: trees and shrubs outgrow their spaces, leaving neighboring plants coping with new conditions; sometimes plants die off, leaving gaps to be filled by new plantings; and gardeners get new ideas—for hardscapes, constructions, new favorite plants. A fall garden showcases not only late-season blooms, but also the shape and structure of the garden as a whole. As with all gardens, the ones on this tour highlight changes wrought by nature and the gardeners’ hands, working together.
Advance tickets are available from any member or at The Fischman Gallery, 133 North Commerce Street, Johnson City, TN. On the day of the tour, tickets can be purchased at Shakti in the Mountains 409 East Unaka Avenue and the Jacob Garden 2202 Knob Creek Road.
On June 22, members of the Shady Oaks Garden Club helped organize the dedication of a Gold Star marker in Erwin, TN. Gold Star markers honor loved ones lost in service to our country through the United States Armed Forces. The mission is to offer honor, hope and healing through remembering fallen heroes by coming together. The name Gold Star came from the custom of families of service members hanging a banner called a service flag in the window of their homes.
Pictured above: Retired General Tommy Baker, Heather Jacob, Janie Bitner, Shady Oaks President Cindy Hintz, Wanda Taylor, Connie Barker, Imogene Randall and marker donors Annette and Charles Tinnen.