Interested in Environmental School?

Members interested in Environmental Schools can go to the National Garden Club (NCG) website (gardenclub.org) to identify the next school available & the location.

Click on “NGC Schools”, then “Find a Course”, and then just follow the prompts. Currently, Course 4 will be available Sep 22-23, 2021, via Zoom. Follow the prompts for details & requirements.

Unfortunately, the Course 1 that GCKY had scheduled for April 2020 that was cancelled due to Covid 19 will not be re-scheduled within the immediate future.

The mission of the Environmental School is to teach environmental literacy to cherish, protect & conserve the living earth. We need to keep a habit of life-long learning. These schools are an excellent way to do that.

Linda Craiger

Chairman, Environmental School

Carey Hester Huddleston

Sat 18 Feb 1922 – Mon 17 May 2021

Garden Club Member

Cumberland Park Garden Club She was State President from 1989-1991.

Mountain Laurel District

Obituary

Carey Francis Hester Huddleston passed away May 17, 2021 at Middlesboro Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility. She was born February 18, 1922 in Dyersburg, Tennessee to Carey Kitty Farris Hester and William D. Hester, was raised by her aunt, Mrs. Dollie Farris Williams. Mrs. Williams raised Carey and her older brother, Jack after their mother’s demise on the day of Carey’s birth. Carey graduated from Dyersburg Public High School in 1940. She attended Memphis State College for two years before graduating from Tennessee’s Union College in 1944 with a degree in Library Science where she worked for several years as an assistant librarian. Carey received her graduate degree from Peabody in 1945.

On June 26, 1949 in Dyersburg, TN, Carey married the late Charles D. Huddleston, formerly of Middlesboro. They had one child, Charles Vernon Huddleston. During the following years, Carey served as a teacher and librarian in various states before retiring in 1976. Upon Carey and Charlie’s move to Middlesboro in 1976, Carey began an active role in the Cumberland Garden Club where she served as chairman and the Garden Club of Kentucky. She served as President of the latter from 1989 to 1991. Carey’s theme for her Presidency was “Striving Together for Beauty’s Sake”. Carey won numerous ribbons for her flower arrangements at the regional, state and national levels. Carey was also an active bridge player, often hosting bridge parties at her home. Carey served as an Elder of the First Presbyterian Church until just two years ago. She was appointed a Kentucky Colonel by Governor John Y Brown in 1983.

Carey is survived by her son, Major Charles V. (Connie) Huddleston, U.S. Army retired; her granddaughter, Amy C. (Mark) Huddleston Davis and two great grandsons: Ethan Harrison Davis and Ian Kenneth Davis, all of Georgetown, Texas.

Funeral service will be 2 p.m., Thursday, May 20, 2021 at Shumate Funeral Home Chapel. Graveside service will follow in Middlesboro Cemetery. The family will receive friends 1-2 p.m., Thursday, May 20, 2021 at Shumate Funeral Home Chapel.

Shumate Funeral Home is honored to serve the Family of Carey Francis Hester Huddleston and is entrusted with all arrangements.

In the Garden – April

Ticks have arrived and are waiting to drop from shrubs and trees onto you. Thoroughly treat clothing with tick spray. Wear light-colored long pants and long sleeve shirt, and hat. Tuck pants into socks, and gloves over sleeve cuffs. Check clothing before entering the house after working in the yard.
Daffodils – Daffodils are rapidly fading. Snap off spent blooms at the base of the stem. Allow foliage to die back 2/3rds before cutting it or tucking under other plants. Never fold or braid the foliage as that restricts nutrients to the bulbs to form buds for next year. Plant daylilies in front of daffodils to hide the dying foliage. To divide, wait until mid-June to mid-August.
Houseplants – House plants make a house attractive and comfortable. Too often pets are attracted to them and can be toxic. The following are pet friendly, easy to grow and inexpensive: African violet, Boston fern, banana, gloxinia, and phalaenopsis. Air plant and spider also purify the air. WARNING: Easter Lilies are poisonous to cats.
Trees and shrubs – Wait to cut back bush honeysuckle and early blooming spirea until after they cease blooming. They set their buds for next year on this year’s growth. (Please note that tartarian honeysuckle, Morrow’s honeysuckle, and amur honeysuckle are all invasive in Kentucky and should be removed completely.) Tulip magnolia sets its buds by July. For thick hedges top to bottom, prune at an outward angle creating a slightly wider base to allow sun to reach the bottom branches. Before trees leaf out, check for hanging broken limbs and remove.

Easter Lilies

If you receive a lily for Easter, you know that lilies as with any true bulb are easy to care for in the house, and then planted out after the last frost. In the meantime enjoy their elegance inside. (WARNING: This plant is poisonous to cats!) Part of its charm is that its pure white petals reflect even the lowest of light whether indoors or in the garden.

A true lily, with a little care Lilium longiflorum will rebloom in mid-summer, having acclimated to its natural bloom period. Until planting out, keep it in bright, indirect light, 60-65 degrees, mist frequently to keep humidity high, and turn the plant every few days. When the flower dies, cut the stem to the base. Plant on a south-facing slope as it likes moist but not wet feet. Plant 6” deep in loamy soil. Clay can be amended by working peat and perlite. Do not worry about the exact depth, the bulb will adjust to its preferred depth.

Parlor Palms

Mrs. Wallis was known for her horticulture and gardens. There is a wonderful picture of her standing most elegantly at the entrance to her formal garden, in front of a long row of tall white lilies. While there is no picture of her standing in front of a cluster of Parlor Palms, there is no doubt that she would have had at least one or two as they were very popular and still are.

Chamaedorea elegans, more commonly known as Parlor Palm, happens to be the most popular house plant world-wide. It requires minimal care, almost to the point of neglect. In addition to adding interest and even elegance to any room and is not toxic to pets or children. What more could you ask for.

A favorite since Victorian days, the Mexican native is a slow-grower it is happy with the average home environment and temperature of 65-75 and even up to 85 degrees. Any light is acceptable except direct. Let the soil dry out before watering every 1-2 weeks and mist a couple of times a week to keep fronds dust-free and mite free. Frond tips will brown if it gets too dry or humidity is low. It will yellow when over-watered.

Primarily a houseplant, the palm is content to spend the summer under a tree and return before the first fall frost. And it has air-purifying attributes.

In Memoriam: Sandra Robinson

It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you that former National Garden Clubs President, Sandra H. Robinson passed away on March 22, 2021.

Sandy Robinson was one of our very own, a founding member of the Lady’s Slipper Garden Club in London, KY, in the Mountain Laurel District. She was a former GCKY President, active at the state, regional, and national levels. Sandy was a four-star member, which means she was a Landscape, Gardening, and Environmental Consultant, and an Accredited Flower Show Judge.

Sandy served as President of National Garden Clubs, Inc. from 2015-2017 with a theme of “Leap Into Action”. Sandy may have been small in stature but had a heart as big as the outdoors. She was quick to share a smile from ear to ear and a story. She lived and loved the garden clubs, and never met a garden club member she did not like or miss an opportunity to promote NGC to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. She was the best traveling companion throughout the United States and abroad. Sandy held a special place in her heart for the IAs and never could believe the lavish attention and admiration they showered on her.

She truly did “Leap into Action” before, during and after her administration. Give her a job, ask her to enter a flower, or travel less than 24 hours after returning from an International WAFA show to judge a flower show, hoping she could get someone else to drive so she could catnap, but look totally refreshed and engaging when arriving at her destination. Sandy was game for any experience, as long as it didn’t involve chicken or shellfish. She was a mentor to many people, helping solve problems of all sorts. Truly, she was a “rock” to her friends and family, someone you could always count on.

She was a longtime and dedicated member of NGC and many lives have been enriched by her friendship. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.
Her obituary can be viewed on the Bowling Funeral Home, London, KY, website and Facebook page. Visitation is at 5PM on Friday, March 26, and service at 11AM on Saturday, March 27. It will be livestreamed and archived for later viewing as well.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donations.

GCKY SCHOLARSHIPS
att: Jan Worth
2305 Shannon Road
Paris, KY 40361-2451
Memo line: Sandy Robinson

BAPTIST HEALTH FOUNDATION CORBIN
Online: supportbaptisthealth.org/corbin
Designate Oncology Dept.
or
Check: Baptist Health Foundation Corbin
1 Trillium Way
Corbin, KY 40701
Memo Line: Oncology Dept.

Sandra Kay Robinson

Landscaping Design Consultant, Gardening Consultant, Environmental Study Consultant, Flower Show Judge

Sandra Kay Robinson

Mon 17 Aug 1953 – Mon 22 Mar 2021

Garden Club Member

Lady Slippers Garden Club

Mountain Laurel District

She was a longtime and dedicated member of NGC and many lives have been enriched by her friendship. Please keep her and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

GCKY SCHOLARSHIPS
att: Jan Worth
2305 Shannon Road
Paris, KY 40361-2451
Memo line: Sandy Robinson

BAPTIST HEALTH FOUNDATION CORBIN
Online: supportbaptisthealth.org/corbin
Designate Oncology Dept.
or
Check: Baptist Health Foundation Corbin
1Trillium Way
Corbin, KY 40701
Memo Line: Oncology Dept.

Protected: Convention 2021 Attendees

2020 KNPS Botanical Symposium

On Dec. 11, 2020, Kentucky Native Plant Society held their first virtual membership meeting and botanical symposium. For several years, KNPS has organized a botanical symposium in the fall with a goal of bringing together professionals, citizen scientists, academics, gardeners and students in order to learn about what’s going on in the world of Kentucky Botany. Despite the pandemic year, they thought it was important to continue this event.

More than 120 people gathered online for several hours of informative presentations and interesting discussions. To share the information more widely, all of the presentations are now available online:

The Kentucky Botanical Symposium 2020

Always the Latest: Frostfree Hellebore

The owners of Wallis House always planted the latest, whether cultivar or type of plant. When Mrs. Wallis’ father bought the property from his uncle’s estate, he said that he was doing so to give Nannine a place to garden. And she did. Always the latest and that has been carried forth by The Garden Club of Kentucky.

Helleborus is one of the under-appreciated and planted of all of our perennials. The evergreen quietly fills garden gaps until this time of year when it blooms forth from before Christmas (H. niger) through late spring. The three types are H. niger, Christmas hellebore that ‘blooms’ in December, followed by Lenten Rose (H. orientalis) and H. x hybrid including the relatively new charming container-grown FrostKiss, which will survive extreme cold. It is a mid-late season Lenten Rose.

Two weeks ago, buds magically appeared half-hidden among the new foliage. Each day more are appearing – pink rimmed white, deep purple, pink, green, and some speckled. The pure colors are actually bracts (modified leaves) that provide the color for the new flowers well into April. The flower is actually the yellow center.

New to these colorful winter bracts is the relatively new Frostfree hybrid. The charmingly small container-grown plant will spread to 2’x2’ and blooms into April. Unlike other hellebores, it will bloom within the first year of planting, starting as days shorten and temperatures drop to 40-50 degrees.

In addition to year-round interest, Frostfree is minimal maintenance. Here are some tips:

Do not cut leaves as they are the source of new flowers.
Apply a slow-release fertilizer; a small amount more if flowering ceases.
In the summer, water as needed but not during the heat of the day.
Plant in 30 percent shade, well-drained coarse, pH 5.5 soil.
It may be planted in spring or fall when it is actively growing but not in the summer.
Astilbe, brunneria, fern, hosta and lungwort are wonderful companion plants.

Frostfree hellebore source: White Flower Farm (whiteflowerfarm.com, 800-503-9624); Burpee(burpee.com, 800-888-1447).