* The date for our next meeting is October 14.  The  guest speaker is Dawn Staats. She is Vice President of the Tryon Palace Foundation. Her topic is "The Language of Victorian Flowers." If you think flowers “speak to you,” wait until you hear how different blossoms were used 150 years ago, when they were used to convey emotions Elizabethans considered too scandalous to utter. Speaker begins at 1 p.m., but don’t miss the refreshments at Meet and Greet beginning at 12:30.    

* Stop by our table at River Bend's National Night Out on Tuesday, October 7, between 5 and 8 p.m. We would love to meet you!   And be sure to visit our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram...

* The new season started with an entertaining PowerPoint explaining how different gardeners approach gardening. Your gardens and landscape will be a reflection of both your goals (feed yourself, impress the neighbors, or whatever) and your emotions (the collector, the artist, or the experimenter, for example). Experienced gardener and retired college professor Mauree Loomer used the same Latin form of horticultural nomenclature of classifying plants to classify gardeners, resulting in some humorous titles. There were many chuckles and nods of agreement. Maureen reminded us of the importance of working with the environment instead of growing plants that don't thrive here because of the soil or climate or pests.  Twenty-eight members and two guests attended. One new member joined. The Adopt-A-Plant table was especially full after a summer of no meetings.  The annual budget and updated bylaws were both approved by a vote of all attending members. Plans were finalized for the Sept...

*   September 9 begins our 52nd year as River Bend's garden club. The season's first speaker is Maureen Loomer. Her topic is “What Makes a Gardener?” A retired community college professor, her background is in biology and medical research, including native and medicinal plants and alternative agriculture. It’s bound to be a fascinating PowerPoint presentation.