Florida Club Arbor Day 2023 Ceremony

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Chris Austin

Florida Club Arbor Day 2023 Ceremony was held on May 12, 2023.

A Redbud tree was planted by the Garden Club at Palm Coast, Inc. and the City of Palm Coast, in MEMORY of our Deceased members:

  • Linda Thiele
  • Norma Rizzo
  • Donal March

The ceremony took place on Friday, May 12, 2023, at Linear Park, 31 Greenway Ct., Palm Coast, Fl 32137.

2022 Deceased Garden Club members and their relatives present were:

January 13, 2022 – Linda Thiele; husband Wayne present
January 22, 2022 – Norma Rizzo; daughter Megan present with her husband, daughter, and son
October 26, 2022 – Donal March; wife Connie, and daughter Donna present.

Denise Garcia, President of The Garden Club at Palm Coast, introduced:

Ellen Warner, Garden Club member, to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.
Kathleen Fuss, Garden Club member and Arbor Day Chair and organizer, gave open remarks and announced the following speakers:
Chaplain Dom Scardigno gave the invocation.
James Hirst, City of Palm Coast Parks and Recreation Director, represented the City.
Family members and friends shared their fond memories of their loved ones.

A special thank you was given to the city staff and Parks and Recreation for their help with planting the tree, mulch cover, and the memorial Plaque.

Submitted by: Nancy Iandoli and Kathleen Fuss
Photos submitted by: Nancy Iandoli

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June 2023 Selection of the Month

Posted on May 16, 2023 by Chris Austin

Patty and Dan Murphy of Evans Dr. have been recognized as June 2023, Selection of the Month by the Garden Club at Palm Coast. Originally from western NY, they moved to Florida in 2007. In 2013 they purchased their (foreclosure) home.

Patty & Dan Murphy – June 2023 Selection of the Month

They first planted palm (Sylvester, Queen, date), sago, and ponytail palms. Then they added coral-colored Encore azaleas, hot pink crape myrtles, and an array of multicolored cannas, amaryllis, Asiatic lilies, and native lilies to their front island. They even tried their hands at growing pineapples and were successful! In a shaded area under their giant date palm, they have lots of color with bright orange begonias, tropical bromeliads, and pink variegated gingers exploding with color.

Their backyard is a real surprise. A winding pathway that leads to a beautiful courtyard that’s surrounded by lush plantings and dozens of over-flowering pots and hanging baskets with amazing annuals and perennials mixed for a butterfly’s paradise, along with a white gardenia, exotic bamboo, and giant elephant ears.

The garden’s focus is a HUGE white crape myrtle tree (Natchez) that is home to dozens of her fabulous orchids. Beneath is a sea of bromeliads, chenille plants, and sweet potato vines. A stunning purple bougainvillea really grabs one’s attention, surrounded by a huge three-year-old hot pink geranium. Each Spring, they await the return of their unique varieties of caladium.

Submitted by Nancy Iandoli
Selection of the Month Committee

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Garden Club Presents Scholarships to High School Students

Posted on May 13, 2023 by Chris Austin

The 2022-2023 Garden Club at Palm Coast Scholarship Committee awarded a total of $8,000 to 3 Flagler High School Students at the May 2nd Education Foundation BBQ and presentation visit. The following seniors were awarded the scholarship certificate at their homes, Jessica Neal FPCHS, Lilly Archins, FPCHS, and Abby Amaturo, Matanzas HS. They all have career ambitions to become involved in environmental health sciences.

Scholarship funds come from the proceeds at club events during the year. The club’s biggest annual fundraiser is the Spring Festival and Plant Sale, which is held in April. Thank you to all who came out to support our events.

The Garden Club at Palm Coast was established in 1975 and, at the close of our 2022-2023 season has 207 members. Meetings are held from September through May at the VFW on Old Kings Road on the second Monday of the month at 1:00 PM.

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FFGC 2023 96th Annual Convention

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Chris Austin

The FFGC 2023 96th Annual Convention was held at Embassy Suites in Kissimmee, Florida, on April 18-20, 2023. There were beautiful hallway exhibits on display. Our very own member, Margaret Chodosh, made the tall exhibit with bromeliad flowers at the entrance of the Convention hallway.

The current President, Marjorie Hendon, 2021–2023, Theme was WOW… Worlds of Wonder “Recycled”

The evening before was a fun-filled dinner show called, Trashion, where the officers and other convention members modeled on stage their fashions, all handmade from Recycled materials. It was hilarious, to say the least! Even the FFGC President, Margorie Hendon, had a fabulous ensemble!

We wished farewell to our outgoing FFGC President, Margorie Hendon, and welcomed in the newly elected FFGC President, Tina Tuttle, 2023-2025, and her theme is “Celebrating 100 Years”.

We also wished farewell to our outgoing District VI Director, 2021-2023, Suzi Bailey, whose theme was “Planting for the Planet”, and we welcomed in the newly elected District VI Director, 2023-2025, Valerie Seinfeld and her theme will be “Bee Happy in the Garden”! ??

The next FFGC 97th Annual Convention will be held on April 9-12, 2024, in Jacksonville, FL, “Celebrating 100 Years”.

Submitted by Nancy Iandoli
Photos by Nancy Iandoli

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City of Palm Coast Arbor Day

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Chris Austin

The Garden Club at Palm Coast participated in City Arbor Day on May 6, 2023, at Town Center.

Visitors could get a free tree with a canned good donation.

The Garden Club booth gave away free plants with a donation for the student’s scholarship program. Our club had many volunteers to help Kathleen Fuss give out the plants.

The Butterfly tent was a big hit, with access to walk inside the Butterfly tent and take close-up photos! There was even a Bumble Bee boy in costume having a great time!

The Tomahawk Throw booth was very popular with one of our Club members, Leah Gibbs, checking it out, and Mayor David Alfin also joined her in the throw. Congratulations to Leah, as she finally got a good hit!

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