Horticulture

November 16, 2022

Chairman Dianne Spence, The Williamsburg Garden Club

2012 Horticulture Field Day was held May 23-24 and featured James River gardens in Richmond, from Tuckahoe to Maymont, with a variety of garden styles including stately Gillette gardens and relatively new ones, never before open to the public. Wednesday afternoon tours included Sue and Tad Thompson’s Tuckahoe Plantation and the gardens of Ann and Charles Reed, Carol and Ted Price, and Susan and Edwin Estes. An optional Dutch treat dinner was offered Wednesday night. Thursday morning tours included the gardens of Peggy and Henry Valentine, Lissy and Stewart Bryan, Anne and Roger Boeve, and Maymont. Photos

A Horticulture Workshop was held on October 15, 2012, at the Kent-Valentine House and featured Julia Clevett, who led a workshop on judging club horticulture exhibits from berried branches to flowers. Photos

The horticulture exhibit at the 2012 fall Board of Governors was “Edible Flowers in the Garden,” along with a recipe using the flowers which were then collected into Edible Flower Recipes. Photos

2013 Annual Meeting exhibit featured companion plants, based on the concept that some garden plants work well together to provide a mutual benefit while others do not work well together. Photos and  Journal article

2013 Horticulture Field Day was held June 5-6, 2013, in Virginia Beach. “Gardeners in their Gardens — The Pearl Homes of Virginia Beach” featured gardens that have earned the Lynnhaven River NOW designation of a Pearl Home which meets conservation and preservation criteria. The event was a huge success; the weather was perfect and the gardens were breathtaking. Photos

The first ever joint workshop of the Conservation and Beautification Committee and the Horticulture Committee was held on September 23, 2013, at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden highlighting native and not-native invasive plants. The event was chaired by Zan Thomas, representing the Conservation and Beautification Committee, and Dorothy Tompkins, representing the Horticulture Committee. Attendance approached 170, and speakers Cole Burrell, garden designer and award-winning author, and Kevin Heffernan, Virginia Natural Heritage Stewardship biologist, presented lively programs with slides that made a lasting impression on the audience. Dorothy coordinated a display of invasive native and non-native plants in the Virginia garden, and members of the Horticulture Committee were on hand to answer questions and give advice. Photos

The 2013 Board of Governors horticulture featured native and non-native invasive plants, continuing the theme of the September joint workshop and the September Journal article. Just for fun, the committee threw in the requirement that it be exhibited in the ugliest container they could find. “Ugly Plants in an Ugly Container” was a bit hit with attendees who voted for the ugliest exhibit. Albemarle Garden Club was the grand winner and received a copy of Cole Burrell’s book, Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants. Photos

The 2014 Annual Meeting exhibit featured an exhibit of pollinators. Photos and Journal article

Looking forward, Foxie Morgan invited the Horticulture Committee to visit Pharsalia to consider hosting 2014 Horticulture Field Day at the 200-year-old family farm in Nelson County. The committee enthusiastically agreed and set the date for May 21, 2014. Planning began immediately and the event was open for registration in the weeks leading up to the 2014 Annual Meeting when nearly 300 members had signed up to attend.