The Kingsmill Garden Club welcomes Peggy Krapf as our speaker for the April 21 meeting. Peggy, a well known and respected garden designer, will talk about deck and patio landscape, proving that there is something for everyone in the world of gardening! All residents of Kingsmill are welcome.

The April 21 meeting will take place at Wareham’s Pond Rec. Center instead of our usual venue. Refreshments will begin at 7 p.m. with the meeting following at 7:30 p.m. Hope to see you there.

Kingsmill Garden Club members will have quite a treat this month. Busch Gardens, known for its prize-winning plantings throughout the park, will open the doors of their greenhouses to us for an afternoon tour. Rows and rows of beautiful flowers and shrubs! What more could we ask for?

The March 17 tour will begin at 1 p.m. We will meet in the Mount’s Bay parking lot at 12:45 p.m. to carpool over to Busch Gardens.

February is the month we associate with love, so our program for this month is about love—for Mother Nature! Dan Norment from the York County Extension Service will be our speaker. His topic is “Landscape as an Eco-system.” Over the years we have had programs about caring for plants, thoughtful use of water and ways to support the wild life (bees, birds and worms) that we can’t live without. Dan’s presentation will add to our understanding of our little spot on the planet.

This meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 17, will begin at 7p.m. with refreshments. The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. Join us at Mounts Bay Rec. Center for a lively evening!

Rudy Nabel received rave reviews for his flower arrangement from Judy Luek and Ellen Lorensen.

Happy 2015! May it be a prosperous and joyous year for everyone. Our program for January features Rhys Lewis, Executive Chef at Colonial Williamsburg. The Revolutionary Kitchen is the main theme with a focus on “Finding Flavors in the Garden.” If this is a topic of interest to you, come join us at Mounts Bay Rec. Center.

We are making changes in the timing for our meetings. Starting this month, and for the rest of the year, we will begin at 7 p.m. for refreshments. This means the programs will start at 7:30 p.m. March is the one exception because of the afternoon tour of the Busch Gardens Greenhouses. I don’t think anyone will mind getting home a little earlier!

December, already! A month of lights, holly, family gatherings and beautiful floral arrangements! The Garden Club joins the social frenzy with our own evening of food, good conversation and a demonstration of (what else?) “Last Minute Decoration Ideas” by Don Haynie. The date is Dec. 16. The time is 6 p.m. and the place is Mount’s Bay Rec Center, as usual. This event is for members and their guests.

Plans are in place for a variety of subjects in 2015. We will hear Rhys Lewis, Executive Chef at Colonial Williamsburg, talk about the flavors found in the Revolutionary Kitchen Program. Don Norment, York County Extension Service, will present “Landscape as an Eco-system,” and in March we will tour the Busch Gardens greenhouses in the afternoon. April and May will bring even more gardening tips our way.

November! Falling temperatures! What do you do to protect those beautiful shrubs and flowering trees that give you so much pleasure in the spring and summer? Our speaker this month, Andrew Koening from Bartlett Tree Service, will come with answers to all of your questions. Although he has a special affinity for crepe myrtles, he will cover a wide variety of plants. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, Nov. 18. As always, refreshments will be served at 7:30 p.m. with the meeting beginning at 8 p.m. The location is Mounts Bay Rec Center. All residents of Kingsmill are welcome.

The Garden Club welcomed six new members in September, bringing the total membership to 42. Some of these are seasoned gardeners, with a few Master Gardeners among them. However, most of us are members because we enjoy the expertise of others. Each meeting offers an insight into some aspect of creating the beautiful landscape around us. If you belong in either of these categories, please check us out.
The October meeting features Linda Lucas, a Master Gardener with a special interest in the therapeutic value of “digging in the dirt.” (Who doesn’t need a little therapy once in a while?!)
The meeting will be held on Tuesday evening, Oct. 21, at Mounts Bay Rec. Center. Refreshments at 7:30p.m., meeting at 8 p.m., home by 9 p.m.

The Garden Club is excited to announce the programs for the upcoming season!
We begin this month with Jessica Mueller from Cooke’s Gardens presenting “Don’t Wake the Fairies,” a program of miniature gardens both inside and out! In October we welcome Master Gardener Linda Lucas and her program on “Therapeutic Gardening.” November will feature Andrew Koening from Bartlett Tree Service who will speak about care of your trees in the cooler weather with special emphasis on our lovely crepe myrtles. The December meeting is the club Christmas party with an added interest. Don Haynie will present “Last Minute Decorations Ideas.”
In the second half of the season, we explore flavors found in the garden with Rhys Lewis Executive Chef/Colonial Williamsburg and “Landscape as an Eco-system” with Dan Norment. One of our favorites, Peggy Krapf, will return to talk about gardening on your deck and patio and in March we will have an afternoon tour of the Busch Gardens greenhouse. The season ends in May with the spring party and a presentation on the subject of blue birds by Nancy Barnhart.
The opening meeting will be held on Sept. 16 with refreshments beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Mounts Bay Rec Center. Won’t you join us?