Hillsboro Garden Club ready for fair, flower shows
Jennifer West, president, opened the August meeting of the Hillsboro Garden Club with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Lynn Luman, secretary, took roll call with 12 members and eight guests answering the question, “What is your favorite garden that you have visited or would like to visit?” A popular answer among the attendees was the Biltmore estate.
The tip of the month is as follows: Autumn follows summer, winter follows autumn, drought follows planting.
In the absence of treasurer Ruth Anna Duff, West provided the monthly financial report.
A motion was made by Judith Stivender to appoint the sitting vice president to be the second authorized person on the organization’s account along with the treasurer, with the matter to be addressed at a future date. The motion was carried.
In lieu of a horticulture specimen, West shared an alert with the group about a disease called Asters Yellow, which is a chronic, systematic disease that impacts over 300 species of broad-leafed herbaceous plants. Affected plants include asters, marigolds, coreopsis and purple coneflower. Vegetable crops such as carrots and potatoes are also susceptible. Infected plants are often stunted and twisted, with foliage that is yellow, purple and red, with plants becoming sterile. There is no cure for Asters Yellow.
The first portion of the program was building cleanup and preparing for the fair, with members and guests working very hard to spruce up the floral hall, readying for the three flower shows during the Highland County Fair.
The dedication and hard work was rewarded with pizza, chips and cookies provided by West and Luman.
Stivender then gave an informative presentation on exhibiting in flower shows and what items to include in a “floral toolkit,” such as push pins, floral tape, glue tabs, knife for cutting foam, among other necessities. These items are useful when exhibiting flower specimens or creative floral designs
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Following the second portion of the program, the meeting was adjourned.
The next meeting of the Hillsboro Garden Club, which is the fall plant auction, will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the floral hall at the Highland County Fairgrounds. The public is invited to attend.