On Saturday, May 9th, area garden buffs will have an opportunity to add a wealth of new flowers and foliage to their home landscaping, compliments of the membership of the Mississippi Valley Garden Club (MVGC). The club will be hosting their spring plant sale at the Alton-Wood River Sportsman�s Club, from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.
Founded in November 1995, the MVGC has hosted this annual popular garden event, which is their chief fundraiser. Club members dig and divide many of their favorite garden perennials, in order to support the plant sale. Numerous varieties of hostas and daylilies are always abundant, as well as an assortment of groundcovers, herbs, other flowering perennials, and some ornamental trees and shrubs.
New to the sale this year will be some pre-planted Pollinator Pots � just in time for Mother�s Day! These colorful containers are designed to attract hummingbirds, honeybees and butterflies. If you are an inexperienced gardener � or wish to help someone else get started � club members are gathering and making available their excess garden tools and gloves, with the mission of helping to inspire a new generation of home gardeners.
MVGC is also embarking on a community partnership for the 2009 plant sale. The club will be showcasing the handiwork of some very talented residents of the Developmental Training Center of the Beverly Farm Foundation. The Foundation is a residential facility for physically and developmentally-challenged adults, located in Godfrey. A number of the residents are employed in the Training Center�s Ceramics Workshop, and they will be on hand to share their experiences and display their wares. They will have a variety of glazed, decorative pots and other ceramic garden pieces for sale.
Additionally, the garden club has acquired a variety of gift certificates and interesting gardening items from several local nurseries and garden centers, which they will be raffling throughout the morning. Club members will be on hand to answer questions and to share their expertise and wealth of resources.
The Mississippi Valley Garden Club is open to anyone who loves to �play in the dirt� � from novices to veterans. Longtime club member, Jill Hopkins Young, says that �besides providing the opportunity to share her passion for gardening with other avid gardeners � and trade knowledge, ideas and plants� - she has also been afforded numerous experiences where she can volunteer her time to assist with local beautification projects.
Currently, there are 86 members from around the Riverbend, and 6 of those are also University of Illinois Extension Certified Master Gardeners. Monthly meetings are held at the Bethalto Community Senior Center, and annual dues are $10.00. Speakers for meeting programs range from recognized professionals in the gardening world to short topics of interest and garden trip slide shows presented by MVGC members. The group enjoys annual buying trips to various Illinois and Missouri plant nurseries. Summer meetings are hosted by club members at their homes, which is a favorite activity, as all are treated to a unique and beautiful diversity of creative landscaping ideas. Community service projects are also an important aspect of membership. Two of the club�s newest projects include maintenance assistance to the signature gardens of SIU-E and the labor to help plant a large, new butterfly garden in Bethalto.
According to Vernice Allen, president of the Mississippi Valley Garden Club, �If you want to know more about gardening, you can learn a great deal from books and the internet; but, better yet, you have a chance to learn first-hand from inexperienced gardeners. The MVGC is a great place to start!�
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sherry Droste,Spring Plant Sale Chairperson
Mississippi Valley Garden Club
618.806.1312 earthdae22@yahoo.com
Did you know Riverbender.com is free for you thanks to our awesome advertisers? We noticed you're using an ad block software. Please give our sponsors some exposure by disabling your ad blocking service for Riverbender.com.
On Saturday, May 9th, area garden buffs will have an opportunity to add a wealth of new flowers and foliage to their home landscaping, compliments of the membership of the Mississippi Valley Garden Club (MVGC). The club will be hosting their spring plant sale at the Alton-Wood River Sportsman�s Club, from 8:00 a.m. until 12:00 noon.
Founded in November 1995, the MVGC has hosted this annual popular garden event, which is their chief fundraiser. Club members dig and divide many of their favorite garden perennials, in order to support the plant sale. Numerous varieties of hostas and daylilies are always abundant, as well as an assortment of groundcovers, herbs, other flowering perennials, and some ornamental trees and shrubs.
