Recently, the Maben Garden Club met at Trace-Way Restaurant in Mathiston for two interesting programs.
In January the weather was so bad on our regular meeting day that the club was not able to meet until Jan. 30, when Melissa Walker brought two centerpieces for the luncheon table, decorated in Valentine motif by the hostess, Glenda Dobbs, club president.
Melissa then gave the group a demonstration of how to make a centerpiece like the ones she had brought for our meeting table. Melissa entertained the group with a lively running commentary of her flower choices for this arrangement beginning with a plastic container of wet oasis as a base with two holes already drilled to hold the two fuchsia-colored candles.
Since this was a Valentine's Day decoration, the main colors chosen were various shades of red, pink and lavender. She began by placing florist fern around the edge of the oasis. Then she placed white roses with red-tipped petals in strategic places and used a large white hydrangea in the center. She then filled in the space left with Texas western cedar, variegated Pittsboro, lavender Fuji mums, lavender German stock, red mini-carnations and Limonium.
When the arrangement was complete, Melissa announced that the new arrangement would be taken to Faye Fulgham of Maben, who was ill at the time. The other two arrangements were taken to Joy Dodd of Maben, and a nearby nursing home to spread the joy and beauty of the flowers.
February Meeting
For the February meeting of the Maben Garden Club Joe Ann Williams, hostess, told a poignant story of a beautiful bracelet she had been given by Linda Young of Maben, who had made it.
The bracelet was made of Lapis blue beads with a white cross, shown in one of the accompanying photos. Sitting at the table behind Joe Ann is our guest speaker, Barbara McCants, a former Master Gardener from Mathiston.
Barbara gave a program that encouraged the members present not to "murder" their crepe myrtles by severely pruning the limbs. This practice causes new growth to form large knots in the wood as the plant tries to heal the wound made when being cut. Begin with a short bush or tree instead if you don't want it to grow tall, and let it grow to its natural shape.
She next encouraged the members to plant daffodils and other early spring flower bulbs in order to make a beautiful and lasting legacy for generations to come. Barbara read a story about a large field of daffodils that made a spectacular showing of the yellow flowers every spring because a single individual had taken the time and pains to plant bulbs over many years until she had planted 50,000 bulbs, one bulb at a time beginning in 1958 using her "two hands, two feet and very little brain," as the sign near the display stated.
She encouraged interested gardeners "to learn to move toward their gardening goals one step at a time and to make a start today to meet these goals. By following through on our plans we can change the world, at least the world around us."
She then gave each Garden Club member handouts from the Webster County Extension Office on pruning plants and doing chores in the garden. Everyone enjoyed the informative talk and the handouts, which hopefully will be put to good use.
