The Franklin County Garden Club hosted its annual plant sale and auction as well as a bake sale on Friday at the Farmers Market Pavilion, 839 Dinah Shore Blvd in Winchester.

The sale was open to the public and featured beautiful indoor and outdoor plants, shrubs and trees as well as other items related to gardening and landscape design, such as books, planters and décor.

The plant sale is just one way club members share their success and enthusiasm for gardening with others that enjoy the benefits of working with plants.

Club President Lola Eslick said: “Spring is the time when avid gardeners start cleaning up their flower beds, dividing perennial plants, planting new annuals for a fresh pop of color and putting in new pieces of decorative iron art or new plants. Seeds have been sown weeks ago in little containers, and these new plants are ready to be placed into the rich earth for growth and nourishment by the sun.” 

During their April meeting, club members enjoyed hearing from Kristy Rogers, a lifetime member of the Tennessee Federation of Garden Clubs, who presented a hands-on Victorian pressed-flower workshop.

Members learned that Princess Grace Kelly was well known for pressing flowers, an art or hobby that dates back to the Victorian Age in the early 1900’s.

Rogers told members that flowers are best collected right after the morning dew and should be pressed between white tissue paper and allowed to dry within the pages of a big book or flower press for at least two weeks. They can then be used to decorate lamp shades, cards, frames and any number of crafty projects. The flowers that Rogers supplied were artistically placed within the glass of a two-sided brass frame for the members to take home and display.

Members then discussed the Habitat House in Estill Springs where landscape designers are reviewing an upcoming project for the fall. Members will revisit this topic at that time.

A talk followed about the many awards the club has received from the district and Deep South levels of the Federated Garden Clubs. There were several awards from the Deep South that were sent on to the National Garden Club level to be awarded later this month.

The club members talked about their recent visits to Broadview Elementary School where they are tutoring students in gardening.

Club chairwoman and project leader G.G. Preble reported that the school’s six raised vegetable garden beds and three herb beds were cleaned out and ready for students to plant vegetables and herbs as well as a blueberry garden on their next visit.

The teacher at Broadview told Preble that if her students misbehaved or didn’t complete their work, they wouldn’t be allowed to participate during the garden-club hour, and that warning has given students the incentive to improve their attitudes and complete their work. 

National Garden Week will be celebrated June 4-10. This week is an opportunity to encourage pride in the community, interest new members and work with other groups to be part of those efforts.

About the F.C. Garden Club

The Franklin County Garden Club meets regularly on the second Friday of each month at 1 p.m. in the Community Center Room located in the Franklin County Annex Building at 839 Dinah Shore Blvd., Winchester. The meetings include presentations, workshops and field trips. 

The club is a nonprofit organization that was started in 1929 and currently has around 40 members who pledge to protect and conserve the natural resources of the planet Earth and the natural beauty surrounding Franklin County. 

The group takes an active role in the local community to promote programs that educate the public, especially elementary-aged children, and they also take on projects to beautify the area.  The club’s members are proud to be caretakers of our air, water, forest land and wildlife and continue to receive awards at the state and national level for their participation in many activities. 

Club projects include educating students about fire conservation with the Smokey Bear/Woodsy Owl Poster competition; gardening projects at Clark Memorial School, Broadview and North Lake Elementary; garden therapy at New Life and other facilities; and landscape projects at Winchester Fire Hall No. 2, the Downtown Winchester Square, the Franklin County Board of Education, the Franklin County Public Library and Blue Star Markers.

The Franklin County Garden Club is a member of the National Garden Club which has a mission to provide education, resources, and national networking opportunities for its members to promote the love of gardening, floral design and civic and environmental responsibility.

For more information, please visit the club’s Facebook page or contact Preble at 931-636-1951.