News & Announcements | The Garden Club at Palm Coast | "Come grow with us"

Jan. 19 – Florida Arbor Day Celebration

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Chris Austin

The Garden Club at Palm Coast, Inc. will celebrate Florida Arbor Day with a tree-planting ceremony at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 19, 2024 at City Hall (Lakefront at Town Center). This event will kick off a year-long celebration of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs 100th anniversary. All garden clubs in Florida will take part by planting a tree on this same date and time.

The Garden Club at Palm Coast, Inc. will join the statewide celebration by planting a bald cypress tree. Officers and members of the Garden Club will be joined by City Officials at this event. In addition to the tree planting, there will be free wax myrtle tree seedlings (a Florida native) given away to all attendees.

Grants from the Duke Energy Foundation (tree purchase) and the National Wildlife Federation (free tree seedlings) are supporting this year’s Arbor Day festivities in honor of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs’ anniversary.

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January 2024 Selection of the Month

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Chris Austin

Irene and Valentina Trovato of Flametree Ct., have been recognized as January 2024 Selection of the Month by The Garden Club at Palm Coast.

The Trovatos moved from Staten Island, New York to Palm Coast 32 years ago. Although Irene says her yard is even more spectacular in the warmer months, it is still a beautiful haven this time of year. The entrance sidewalk is flanked by two impressive large savin juniper topiaries which are meticulously pruned.

They have planted many clumps of stately Norfolk Island palms as well as cabbage palm, magnolia, bougainvillea, bush allamanda, azaleas, and Ligustrum japonicum (Japanese privet) which provide some shade. Their gardens have a diversity of herbaceous plants including pink vincas, lilyturf, burgundy leaf canna lilies, elephant ears, Star of India, chrysanthemums, crown of thorns, caladiums, and Chinese juniper and much more.

They are located on a saltwater canal and have planted several types of fruit trees such as peach and lemon which are ready to harvest. The Trovatos love to grow their own vegetables and presently they are growing broccoli, fennel, and celery. In the spring they plant eggplant, zucchini, lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, basil, and parsley.

Nestled throughout the gardens are old fashion solar lanterns, statuettes of a Greek goddess, an impressive blue heron, a deer and small children with solar lanterns and a charming concrete bench.

Submitted by Nancy Iandoli
Selection of the Month Committee

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Holiday in Florida Flower Show

Posted on December 4, 2023 by Chris Austin

The Garden Club at Palm Coast recently held their Holiday in Florida Flower Show. It was a huge success. It was very well attended with about 100 each day.

In the Design Division Becky Lindhorst was awarded Best in Show and Jeanne O’Donnell and Laurie Savage earned high scores as well.

The Horticulture Division was outstanding with 169 entries from over 30 exhibitors.

Judith Davies took top honors with her beautiful plants and won the Award of Horticulture Excellence.

First time exhibitor Jane Howells received an Award of Merit in the Cut Foliage section. Others receiving Growers Choice Awards: Judith Davies, Marinus Grootenboer, Janet Fonseca, and Jane Villa-Lobos.

This was the first time we have seen the activities of the Junior Garden Club. There were numerus exhibits of there plants growing from seed and pictures of them working in the garden. Many of the students and their teacher were in attendance to talk about how much they are learning.

The committees did an outstanding job. I certainly heard many comments about the staging. The room was such a pretty room to move around in and impressive when walking through the entrance.

The Front entrance was designed by Ginny Niebauer: Owner of ART among the FLOWERS.

We Received comments from the judges on the great job the clerks did. All of the committee are to be commended for doing their responsibilities at a high level. Hostess, hospitality, awards, judges, publicity, schedule production, staging, design, raffle baskets, Botanicals arts, horticulture, clerks, youth, education, production, set up, and take down.

What a great team Thank you all,
Linda Hensler chairman- Denise Garcia co-chairman

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December 2023 Selection of the Month

Posted on November 15, 2023 by Chris Austin

Michael Murphy of Evans Drive has been recognized as December 2023 Selection of the Month by The Garden Club at Palm Coast.

Originally from New Jersey, he retired and moved to Palm Coast 3 years ago. When he bought his house, there was no landscaping. He initially had help from a local nursery on what to plant, and today he has a very stunning curb appeal landscape.

The front door area has beautiful potted pink and red crown of thorns, a red mandevilla vine in a decorative blue pot, a Crossandra called orange marmalade, ruby red Alternanthera brasiliana, tri-color ginger (Stromanthe triostar), foxtail fern, several varieties of crotons, sago palm, ginger, rosemary, ferns, kalanchoe, Texas sage, and several bird statues throughout the flower beds.

The front island has two red crape myrtles that are underplanted with yellow allamanda, pink and yellow lantana, liriope, pentas, bird of paradise, purple irises, a border of blue daze
and two whimsical pink and blue grazing birds.

On the right side of the driveway, there is oleander, viburnum, blue daze, orange marmalade, Schefflera, and Hawaiian Ti.

The backyard around the pool area is surrounded by several plants that provide color, such as yellow lantana, blue daze, purple lilies, crotons, bromeliads, Schefflera, podocarpus, and Hawaiian Ti, and a sago palm.