Safety Harbor Garden Club

Welcome to the October 2021 Newsletter/Blog

Let’s start off by marking our calendars with these important dates:

Tuesday, November 9 – SHGC is sponsoring a thank you lunch for the City of Safety Harbor parks and maintenance department at Folly Farm beginning at 11:30 am.

Saturday, November 13 – 2^nd Saturday Plant Sale at Folly nursery. 9-12:00
Volunteers needed! Rsvp to Leslie, if you are coming and come by at 8:30.

Friday, December 3, SHGC Volunteer recognition party at Folly Farms.

Activities and food begin at the Folly Gazebo at 4:00 pm and then move to the Firepit for more fun.

If you have accumulated any volunteer hours during 2021 you are invited.

Any questions? Contact Gary at 727 742 4558.

Saturday, December 4, Logan's Love Foundation Fundraiser.
We will help raise funds for the foundation along with an unveiling of the new “Little Hollow” garden (formerly known as the "Egg Garden." The garden will be complete with a waterfall and the new “Folly Fairy” both provided by the Logan's Love Foundation..

Helen Renshaw, garden club member and foundation president is producing the event and we are all in! Music, wine and passed hors d oeuvres all in the splendor of the Holiday lit gardens of Folly Farm.

There will be silent auctions, plant and art sale and music by the “Mystic Voices”.

And s’mores at the campfire!

For more info go to:

ART, WINE, AND HOLIDAY LIGHTS BENEFIT AT FOLLY FARMS NATURE PRESERVE

SHGC Volunteer opportunities available.

Sunday, December 12, SHGC plant Sale
Our annual Kiwanis plant sale on main street has returned!

Your sale-ready plant donations are appreciated and can be dropped off at Folly Farm the week leading up to the sale. Plants should have an ID tag and planting instructions.

Reminder: Your participation in SHGC events and projects is required to remain a member in good standing. Participating in the garden sale counts!

Garden Club monthly meetings return!
Wednesday, January 19, 2022

The January 19, 2022 Holiday Party will mark the return of our monthly meetings.
Our meetings will now be held at the Safety Harbor Community Center in the all-events room.
They have a nice kitchen and plenty of room for us to move around.

They will be scheduled as before, on the third Wednesday of the month starting at 9:30am.
January’s meeting will be a Holiday celebration and a look ahead at the new year!
Annual dues will be collected. $20 per single $35 household.
More details next month.

OK! That was a lot!

Make your plans now to join in!

Let’s get into the news from October.

The word for October is “Excellence”!

It is the perfect one-word description of the effort, teamwork, and vision supplied by the Safety Harbor Garden Club in the beautification and enhancement of Folly Farm Nature Preserve.

And, you don’t have to take my word for it!

The Florida Master Gardener program selected our Folly Farm Garden project as the winner of the State-wide Award of Excellence for Beautification and Enhancement!

The award recognition is presented every two years along with several other categories of Excellence.

Here is more about the award from City Parks Manager and Garden Club member Robert Moser:

“Good morning,

Exciting news for the Safety Harbor Garden Club and Folly Farm! During the 2021 Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Conference, Pinellas County was awarded The Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Award of Excellence for Beautification and Enhancement for the work performed at Folly Farm by the Safety Harbor Garden Club!

This is a very high honor - the award is only given every two years across the entire state. The award application featured the additions and enhancements of multiple gardens at Folly Farms, including the Wind Garden and Butterfly Garden and Labyrinth. It also featured the addition of multiple art pieces, including the Wind Phone. The Garden Club hosted a viewing party on 10/20/21 for the virtual Award Presentation (pictures attached).

The Garden Club is led by President (and City Employee) Gary Sawtelle and Vice President Leslie Zambito. The Garden Club currently has over 60 active members and has contributed more than 2,000 volunteer hours in 2021. We are extremely proud of the work the Safety Harbor Garden Club provides our city.

Thank you, Garden Club!!

Robert Moser
Parks Operations Manager

Here's a look at the October activity photo journal

New Native trees added to Folly., That's a winged elm being planted by John, Chris, Leslie and Nancy. We also added a Red Cedar and a Fringe tree.

Narrow leaf sunflower in the rain
garden was putting on a show!

Inflatable gnomes brighten the night in a Georges Garden, Friday Folly walk about!

Getting ready to enter the Folly Fright Night Scary Trail!

Anna Marchand receives the "Presidents Pin" award for her incredible efforts in the nursery area. Anna was on a mission to organize our greenhouse, our potting area and in her spare time
assemble some very beautiful succulent arrangements for the Kiwanis sale.
She is off on a great adventure and we hope she will return!

Becky and Rick fashion another cross beam
in the new rain garden fence

Bamboo Fence designed, pieced and installed on site!

But can it stop one the garden club's newest, most graceful dancers?

John hoists a found treasure of Encyclia tampensis the native Florida butterfly orchid. Harriet and John rescued it from a doomed palm in their neighborhood.

The new memorial vertical garden get's it's first plant,
donated by John and Harriet. It's the native Encyclia tampensis!
Leslie and Shannon are excited about the placement of the
Florida butterfly orchid.