Category Archives: Activities

Program Schedule
2018 – 2019

March 31, 2018Activities, ProgramsActivities, Programsadmin

Regular meeting are at 1:00 PM on the first Wednesday of each month, except January and July. Meetings are held at the Boyle County Extension Office unless otherwise specified. For directions to the Boyle Country Extension Office, click on the following link http://boyle.ca.uky.edu/.

Details on additional outings and social events throughout the year will be available on the website prior to the events.

Carpools for field trips depart from the Lexington Avenue Baptist Church, lower level parking lot off Third Street.

Upcoming Nature Walks

April 14, 2018 Spring Wildflower Walk

Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge (http://ckwr.org/directions/)

Anne Lubbers, Centre College biology professor, will lead a public walk at 10:00 AM

April 28, 2018 Spring Walk

Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge (http://ckwr.org/directions/)

Rob Pendygraft, CKWR Educational Director, will lead a public walk at 10:00 AM.

Regular Club Meetings and Events

May 2, 2018 Time to Pot: Potting Soil

What is in it? How is it made? What to look for to get the best?

Keelan Pulliam, guest speaker and husband of member Diana Pulliam, will share his knowledge

Design: Creative Line Design with live plant material (HB p 199)

Horticulture: Single cut specimen Paeonia (Paeoniaceae) (HB p 144), Tulipa (Liliaceae) (HB pp 148-149) or any worthy specimen

May 9, 2018 Henry Clay Estate Gardens Club Outing

It is peony time and we are invited by the Lexington Garden Club to visit the peony and walled gardens of the Henry Clay Estate during their Wednesday work session. Lunch on your own or at the Gingko Tree Café on the grounds. Members and their guests are invited

June 6, 2018 Summer Table Arrangements

Beth Leahy and other club members will share ideas for festive center pieces for summer picnics and events

Design: Designer’s Choice floral design in a tea cup or coffee mug (HB p 203). Size change not to exceed 7 inches in height and width

Horticulture: Rosa (Rosaceae) (HB p 147) or any worthy specimen

August 1, 2018 The Ephraim McDowell House formal garden tour

Linda Porter, club member and McDowell House Garden Manager, will take us on a tour and describe the features of the gardens in the early 1800’s. Dr Ephraim McDowell presented his wife with a formal garden beside their house. This garden is typical of gardens of that era. The bones of the original garden still exist today. Meet at the McDowell House on 2^nd Street.

No Exhibits

September 5, 2018 Plants for Pollinating

It is important to provide nectar and pollinating plants for all pollinators throughout the growing season. The session, prepared by club members, Janis Scott, Mimi Gosney and Linda Porter, will cover various plant materials, and the months they bloom, to provide food for bees and butterflies.

Design: Designer’s Choice using a recycled or upcycled container. We will work in member pairs. Diane, Fran, Susan, Kay and Jan will contact a member to plan and make a design. Members may form additional pairs to make their designs. Get a partner and join in on the fun.

Horticulture: Dahlia (Asteraceae) (HB p 129) or any worthy specimen

October 3, 2018 Houseplant Care Year Round

Alexis Amorese Sheffield, Boyle County Extension Office Horticulture Agent, will discuss the care of houseplants including types of soil, how much moisture and light and potting techniques to help plants flourish.

Design: Pot-et-Fleur (HB p 207)

Horticulture: Fruit, nut or vegetable or any worthy specimen

November 7, 2018 McDowell House and Green Tea

Linda Taylor, club member, will take the mystery of the making arrangements and enlighten us with information on materials appropriate to the time period of the McDowell House. Members will prepare designs as examples.

There will be sign-up sheets for designs for the McDowell House decorations, wreath making and refreshments for the tea at this meeting

Design: Designer’s Choice Still Life Design (HB p209) using greens and 1 or 3 piece(s) of fruit or vegetable

Horticulture: Arboreal Specimen not to exceed 30 inches in length (HB p 106)

November 30, 2018 Wreath Making for McDowell House

December 1, 2018 Decorating for McDowell House Green Tea

December 2, 2018 McDowell House Green Tea 2:00-4:00 PM

January 2019 Club Social Gathering Date, time and place to be announced

February 6, 2019 Soil and Insects in Our Gardens

Jessica Besson, Horticulture Agent for Mercer County Extension Office, will share information on soil and its content, and insects to make our gardens successful.

Design: Designers Choice Reflective Design (HB p207) working in pairs

Horticulture: House plant or any worthy specimen

March 6, 2019 Gardening for the Birds

Nic Patton from Wild Birds Unlimited will discuss gardening for birds including year round feeding to care for our feathered friends.

There will be a sign up sheet for centerpieces for the annual meeting

Design: Stretch Design (HB pp 209-210) with green and dried plant material

Horticulture: Forced Arboreal Specimen (HB p 106) or any worthy specimen

April 3, 2019 Annual meeting. Details to be announced

Heritage Hospice
Blue Jean Ball

March 28, 2018Activitiesadmin

From left to right: Sandy Reigelman, Diane Meshako, Marg Hasty, Fran Halloran, Beth Leahy, Kay Arnold, Alice Biggars, Dede Turner

For the past six years, The Garden Club of Danville has donated labor and floral materials to arrange centerpieces for the Blue Jean Ball. Monies raised on the evening of the Blue Jean Ball, through individual contributions and the Silent Auction, go directly to the Heritage Hospice general operating fund. We are pleased that our efforts reduce the overall expenditures of this event.

This year, members Marg Hasty and Fran Halloran coordinated the arranging session at Pioneer Playhouse where the Blue Jean Ball is held. The day prior to the event found club members Kay Arnold, Alice Biggers, Beth Leahy, Diane Meshako, Sandy Reigleman, Dede Turner, Marg Hasty and Fran Halloran arranging flowers and floral branches from their gardens. Additional plant material was donated from the gardens of Martha Caywood,Ginny Eckland and Linda and Terry Taylor. The group assembled over 35 arrangements using daffodils, narcissus, flowering quince, redbud, wild mustard and hyacinth, as well as other material. Garden club members Andrea Perkins and Susan Jonas are credited with capturing the beauty of the day on film.

When Fall Comes, The Fun Continues

November 8, 2017Activities, Programs, ProjectsPrograms, Projectsadmin

From left, Susan Jonas, Joyce Eulner, guest Mayumi Schalkoff, and Barbara Ferguson.

Making a jar full of flowers look pretty isn’t as difficult as it might seem, with help from an expert. At the November meeting of the Garden Club of Danville, member and interior designer Jennifer Shevlin demonstrated how to make a simple autumn arrangement for a side table. She provided containers and a selection of fresh flowers, greenery, and autumn floral accessories for the members to create their own designs to take home. These women show their arrangements in progress, each one different.

From left, Linda Taylor, Kay Arnold, Fran Halloran, and Carol Seidel.

For many years the Garden Club of Danville has been planting and maintaining the Apothecary Garden at the Ephraim McDowell House Museum. The garden is planted with medicinal herbs that Dr. McDowell might have used in his medical practice in the 19th century. Visitors to the house can tour the gardens and the adjoining Apothecary Shop. From early spring until late fall, a team of Garden Club members visits weekly to keep the garden looking its best. Team members recently put the garden to bed for the winter, cutting back dead foliage and raking up leaves to be mulched.

Green Tea &
Holiday Open House

November 5, 2017Activities, ProgramsGreen Tea, Holiday, Open Houseadmin

The Garden Club of Danville’s Green Tea and Holiday Open House

When: Sunday, December 3, 2-4 p.m.
Where: McDowell House Museum, 125 S. Second Street, Danville

The event is free but donations will be accepted for the Salvation Army and Family Services Association of Boyle County

There will be a lavish afternoon tea of homemade refreshments, with traditional Christmas music by the Danville Dulcimers.

Garden Club members decorate each room of the house using natural materials in traditional styles.

The Ephraim McDowell House, a National Historic Landmark, is restored and furnished in the style of the early 1800s, when the home was owned by Dr. Ephraim McDowell and his family. Dr. McDowell performed the world’s first successful abdominal surgery here in 1809.

Projects & Activities

May 3, 2017Activities, ProjectsActivities, Projectsadmin

Arbor Day
As a community service, the club buys and plants trees in conjunction with Danville’s Arbor Day ceremonies.

Bellevue and Hilldale Cemeteries
Living memorial gifts provide funds for planting and upkeep of trees, shrubs and flowers in the cemeteries. Club members work with the City of Danville’s Cemetery Committee to plan and implement landscape designs, as needed.

Boyle County Public Library
North Third Street, Danville
Memorial book gifts are made by the club in honor of deceased members. Members provide flower arrangements for special occasions. An annual National Garden Week exhibit is mounted by the club.

Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge
Carpenter’s Fork, Boyle County
An annual donation is included in the budget. Some members volunteer as a personal project.

Constitution Square Historic Site
Main Street, Danville
The Mary Akin Memorial Kitchen Herb Garden adjacent to historic Greyson Tavern on the Square was designed, developed and is maintained by club members. The club created a Certified Monarch Waystation in the garden in 2015.

Danville and Boyle County Schools
The Garden Club of Danville often works with schools in the area to support their gardening projects. Assistance has included financial help, consultations, and volunteering for specific school projects related to gardening.

Ephraim McDowell
Commonwealth Cancer Center
Members of the Concern for Others/Garden Therapy Committee meet approximately quarterly with the Cancer Support Group at the Cancer Center to share a meal and engage in a garden-related craft activity. The Committee plans the project and provides the materials. Members of the Cancer Support Group are individuals from many walks of life who are cancer patients, survivors, or family members of those touched by cancer. The group is led by devoted nurses, and, since 2012, the Garden Club has been honored to be a partner. In recent years, funds to help support the partnership have been donated by the Presbyterian Church of Danville.

Ephraim McDowell House, Danville
The Apothecary Garden, located beside the pharmacy at McDowell House, was originally planted by Dr. Ephraim McDowell, and was restored by The Garden Club of Danville in the mid-1970s. The club continues the garden’s renovation and maintenance.

Penny Pines Project
The National Garden Club partners with the USDA Forest Service to sustain our national and urban forests through reforestation and forest education programs. One of the ways our club supports this effort is by collecting small change at each garden club meeting. Every $68 collected is sent to the Nation Garden Club to support reforestation of our nation’s forests. Donations are made in honor of a garden club member the Board selects as someone deserving of recognition.