Welcome to Spring and the gardening adventures that await! If we seemed to miss Winter this year, perhaps it’s not just the weather but it’s because we have been going nonstop since we began our garden club year.  From the Gala in the Garden to the Fall District Meeting, to GardenFest, to Home for the Holidays design presentations, we were involved and successful.  The Garden Clubs from Jacksonville and Ribault held Fall standard Flower Shows and the Garden Club of Saint Augustine is busy preparing for their annual show in April. Middleburg and Orange Park held their annual public horticultural programs this Winter and Middleburg looks forward to celebrating their 30th Anniversary in April.  March was momentous for the Garden Club of Jacksonville as they celebrated 90 years as a Club with a birthday party and the dedication of a new fountain in the replanted Courtyard.

Horticulture is a hot topic in District IV! Our youth groups are planting vegetable soup and preparing entries for the State Flower show. Whether we are selling plants as part of festivals, or hosting Arbor Day celebrations, home and garden tours, we love to propagate, sell and share. The Garden Club of the Lakes, Callahan, and Jacksonville all promote beauty with their sales and celebrations. The Garden Club of Switzerland raised over $1000 with their Fall Raffle and is now working with the William Bartram Scenic Highway Committee to choose and plant new trees paid for with that donation. The Garden Club of Green Cove Springs is also partnering with the William Bartram Committee for an Earth Day celebration along the St Johns River and will offer tours of their butterfly garden.  Hilliard and Callahan clubs planned trips to the relatively new Jacksonville Arboretum and helped with the weekly trails and grounds cleanup.  The Garden Club of Jacksonville plans a longer trip to join the Secret Garden Tour in Savannah.  Ribault Garden Club has  partnered with Mayo Clinic to establish a new Wildflower garden on the Mayo campus by the Gabriel house, a new facility for patients and families awaiting or recuperating from transplant surgery. This garden will be called Elizabeth’s Garden to honor the memory of former Club member and District Director, Elizabeth Pate.

The Garden Club of Orange Park has been actively engaged all year in refurbishing their Club sponsored Blue Star Marker in Memorial Cemetery and the Garden Club of the Lakes plans to dedicate a new Marker this April. Congratulations to both groups for honoring our Armed Forces in this and other special ways.A note of welcome to new Middleburg Club President, Anita Newport, and a huge welcome to our newest Club, Fleming Island. This latter group was a Circle within the Garden Club of Orange Park before beginning their own federated group. We now have 13 Clubs in District IV and all of them are looking for new interested members.  Alligator Creek, the Garden Club of the Lakes, Hilliard, Callahan and Fleming Island all plan Membership tables at County Fairs and area festivals…how about your Club?

We will end this active garden club year as the hosts for Convention 2012 Ports of Call May 9 – 11, followed by the Spring District Meeting Sat., May 12, at the Hyatt Hotel on East Coastline Drive in Jacksonville.  Please agree to help when you are asked or better yet, offer your services as this is a District-wide commitment.  We want to warmly welcome all of the attendees from throughout Florida to our District and “our” Convention!  Please consider attending all or part of the Convention for it is a fun and educational experience.  As the Friday evening program ends about 10:00pm or later we suggest that you stay at the Hyatt overnight and then join us for breakfast and the District Meeting on Saturday morning. Please note the charge of $12 for breakfast on the CALL letter. As the Hotel will prepare this meal, the costs are greater than this but the District will “cover” the difference. We want you to join us whether or not you are able to attend the Convention. Please remember to return your Registration promptly.

We look forward to seeing many of you at the Convention and the Spring District Meeting!

Eileen M. Zebroski, Director, District IV