The Aug. 7 meeting of the Flower Lovers Garden Club met in St. John’s social room at 1 p.m. The meeting was called to order by president Karen Cook followed by prayer. The hostesses Dianne Lowe, Kezia Blackwell. Emily Toomey and Mary Lou Dawald provided snacks of fruits and vegetables as well as luncheon meats and cheese. Desserts included sweet breads and a special dessert of dirt pudding complete with gummy worms. Centerpieces for each table were from Mary Lou Dawald’s flower garden. She also made the colorful flower place mats.
After snacks, Paula Furr introduced our guest speaker Mark Townsend of Cousins Compost. Mark shared an interesting presentation on composting with worms. It is nature’s way of recycling. Agriculture with worms creates vermicompost which is a product of decomposition. The vermicompost can be used in top soil, flower pots and for seeding yards. He showed pictures of plants that had vermicompost added to the soil and compared them to plants that didn’t have vermicompost. The plants that had vermicompost added to the soil were larger and looked healthier. Another benefit of worm farming is that it reduces yard waste and food waste and paper products that would otherwise go into landfills. Mark explained the process of composting with worms usually red wigglers. You can also buy vermicompost from Amazon. We thanked Mark for an informative presentation and continued with the business meeting.
Members planning to attend the Sept. 4 trip to Dollie’s Farm in Franklin were to sign up so lunch reservations could be made. Members are meeting at Big Lots at 9:45 a.m. for anyone who wants to carpool. Lunch will be at Ann’s Restaurant followed by a tour of Dollie’s Farm.
The next item for discussion was the appearance of our flower pots. Many of the begonias didn’t do well and are going to be replaced with other plants.
It was decided that taller plants in the center of the pot would create a more interesting arrangement and draw more attention to the pots. Receipts are to be given to our treasurer Lana Presslor.
Also those who are tending the flower pots decided that it is important to water them even if it rains. The rain doesn’t always supply a sufficient amount of water. Anyone needing buckets for water can get them from Trish Schwabe.
Karen Cook shared on the funds available for any expenses.
The next business item was a report on how many gardens had been secured for the 2025 Garden Walk. We thanked Priscilla Zachary and Beth Lowe for locating the gardens for garden of the month during the summer.
One of our members Carolyn Fisher had an abundance of green beans and offered them to members. Thank you, Carolyn.
Guests are always welcome. The next meeting will be a field trip to Dollie’s Farm in Franklin on Sept. 4. If you are interested in learning more about our club, please feel free to join us for a meeting or contact one of the members.
