Blooms, Blossoms, Bosoms & Education

2014 symposium poster by Brantley Snipes Landscape + Design 

Garden Clubs. In the South, they are one of our many societal institutions; institutions that have been in place since the days when people actually spent time in their garden. (I use the word institution not lightly, as southern institutions are the "norms" in our culture.)  Ladies would gather over finger sandwiches and compare notes on blooms, blossoms, and well, sometimes their neighbor's new bosoms... if chardonnay was added to the mix at 11 am then so be it...the meeting then becomes THE social afternoon of the month.  

Decades later, the tradition remains strong in the Delta...finger sandwiches, cheese straws and the occasional chardonnay still accompany the meetings. The recipes may vary, but the staples remain. A southern lady, more than likely, is a part of a garden club, whether or not she knows what type of shrub is in her front yard. Not only that, but she has been since the days of "Pretty Planters" in grade school...minus the brief hiatus throughout college where the sorority takes precedent over the garden club. 

Yet, despite their notorious social nature, a Delta garden club can take on more and can accomplish more than some of our most dedicated SEC football players. I mean that with 100% truth. My dad and I joke that if you could channel all the hostessing efforts of a garden club meeting into science research...one could, in fact, find a cure for one of our deadliest world epidemics. When these ladies set their minds to something, come hell or high water it will happen, it will be beautiful, and it will be done better than the previous year or the neighboring town's efforts on the same event. When a garden club in the Delta hosts something...make it a point to be there... 

That being said, make it a point to be at the Greenville Higher Education Center, what we refer to as The GHEC on April 3. This is the date of the Greenville Garden Club's Horticulture Symposium, which is held every other year. This free event is open to the public and features a different landscape professional each time. Not only will there be a speaker, but the event will feature garden and interior vendors. The symposium takes what garden clubs do best, hostessing and community outreach, and compiles them into an educational lunch. 

This year's speaker is Carol Reese of the University of Tennessee. Carol works to keep the horticulture industry up to date, and attuned to the needs of an increasingly savvy gardening clientele. She writes a weekly gardening and nature column for the Jackson Sun, has served as the Q&A columnist for Horticulture Magazine, and contributes to many other gardening magazines.

Although I am a member of The Greenwood Garden Club, I am the first born of an active member of The Greenville Garden Club and had the great honor of creating their poster this year. 

If you intend to be in the Delta on April 3, mark your calendars for this event! Not only will there be a speaker, but the event will feature garden and interior vendors. Although you have to bring your own finger sandwich, you won't have to bring your imagination, as you will be treated with the most gracious Southern hospitality in the most gracious of settings...and hey, you may learn something in the process...even if you're already in a garden club.