Bella Vista Garden Club
WELCOME
If you are interested in gardening in Northwest Arkansas, you have come to the right place.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Next Meeting of the BV Garden Club will be September 27th
at the Bella Vista Community Church, 75 E Lancashire Blvd., Bella Vista, AR 72714
Social time, 9:30 am with the meeting at 10:00 am.
Program: Scholarship presentations
Artistic Design
Horticulture
MOST RECENT ACTIVITIES
June 7, 2023 Luncheon
Bella Vista Community Church
The President, Pat Meyer, gave a wrap-up of some of the Club's accomplishments including the fabulously successful Plant Sale and gave out some Awards. The new officers were installed and there was a Grazing Table filled with wonderful goodies and there were terrific raffle items.
1, President Pat presented the Penny Pines award to Louise Wilson for her work on the Garden Therapy Committee.
2. Sue Mank from the Rogers Garden Club installed the new Officers - Dory Hammeke as President and Jamie Hooper as Vice President.
3. Geri Hoerner received the First Place Award for Digital Media Presentation for the BV Garden Club TV Program.
4. Jamie Hooper and Mona Tate provided terrific raffle items.
5. Beth Kastl received the Circle of Roses Pin for 25 years of devoted membership in the BVGC.
6. (No Photo) Dory Hammeke present Pat Meyer with a Past President's Pin.
The Grazing Table and
the Flowers Decorating the Individual Tables
There is always plenty to do in the BVGC. Hopefully all the members will sign up for the different committees and help us accomplish the great work this club does for the community and our continuing efforts to provide scholarships to deserving U of A Horticulture students.
See you in September!!!
Big Perennial Sale
was a huge success.
We had a wonderful weather and a great turnout of customers. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the club and thanks to all the members who worked so hard to make this sale great. Check out some photos of the sale by Sue Santori in the Image Carousel.
If you need to add to your landscape, don’t miss our sales. Plant sales are our major source of fundraising which translates to our U of A Horticulture Scholarships as well as the local Charitable Donations the BVGC makes every year.
Be sure to watch for our sales on this website and Facebook.
Spring Field Trip to Moss Mountain Farm on May 17th - 18th
Bella Vista Garden Club members enjoyed a beautiful few days on a field trip to Moss Mountain Farm owned by P. Allen Smith. The group had a fun dinner at Milano's Italian Grill in Maumelle, AR. The next day they toured the farm, a charming 600 acre estate overlooks the Arkansas River in Roland AR. The Tour included time to explore the house and a guided tour of the grounds. Enjoy the photos in the Image Carousel.
Veterans Wall of Honor
This Just in From Jamie Hooper. Shout out to Beau and his crew with Hooah Tree and Landscape for adding the brick trim to our flower beds at The Veterans Wall of Honor AND another big shout out to Mike at Garden City for the Veterans discount on the beautiful flowers! Steve Brusso and I were very honored to get the flower beds ready for Memorial Day!
“Let us never forget those who serve our country and protect our freedom.”
Concordia Mother's Day Project
On May 10th, we were invited to participate in a Mother’s Day project with some of the residents at Concordia Catered Living. Dory Hammeke, Cathy Downard, Marilyn Russel, Julie O’Keefe, Diedre Cheney, Steve Brusso, Louise Wilson, and Pat Meyer made up twenty-one pots of beautiful annuals for the residents.
Garden Therapy
April 18th 2023, a fun garden related craft project was taken to residents at Concordia Catered Living in Bella Vista.
April 25th 2023, a garden related craft project was taken to residents at Brookfield Assisted Living in Bella Vista.
The Blue Star Memorial
Thursday, April 13th, with the help of the Veterans Council of NWAR and the prison work release group, the Blue Star Memorial at the Highway 71 Welcome Center was moved to the Wall of Honor. The Blue Star Program honors all men and women that serve the United States Armed Services. The BVGC purchased a Blue Star Memorial and placed it at the Highway 71 Welcome Center. Since the current Welcome Center will be closing when the new one is completed, we asked the Veterans Council of NWAR if we could move the Blue Star to the Wall of Honor. There will be a dedication later this year.
GARDENING TIPS
It’s a good idea to include native plants in your landscape.
Native plants are already acclimated to conditions in your area and, therefore, require much less maintenance, plus they feed and shelter local wildlife, birds, and butterflies. Not every plant native to the United States is native to a particular zone. Take zone 6, for instance. What hardy native plants are suited for USDA zone 6? Read on to find out about zone 6 native plants. Growing Hardy Native Plants for Zone 6 The selection of zone 6 native plants is quite diverse, with everything from bushes and trees to annuals and perennials. Incorporating a variety of these into your garden fosters the ecosystem and local wildlife and creates biodiversity in the landscape.
The selection of zone 6 native plants is quite diverse, with everything from bushes and trees to annuals and perennials. Incorporating a variety of these into your garden fosters the ecosystem and local wildlife and creates biodiversity in the landscape Since these native plants have spent centuries adapting to local conditions, they require less water, fertilizer, spraying, or mulching than those that are not indigenous to the area. They have, over time, become accustomed to many diseases as well.
This is a partial listing of plants suited for USDA zone 6. Your local extension office will also be able to assist you in choosing those that are suited for your landscape. Before you purchase plants, be sure to ascertain light exposure, soil type, the size of the mature plant, and the purpose of the plant for a selected site. The following lists are sectioned off into sun lovers, partial sun, and shade lovers.
Sun worshippers include:
Big Bluestem
Black-eyed Susan
Blue Flag Iris
Blue Vervain
Butterfly Weed
Common Milkweed
Compass Plant
Great Blue Lobelia
Indian Grass
Ironweed
Joe Pye Weed
Coreopsis
Lavender
Hyssop
New England
Aster
Obedient Plant
Prairie Blazing Star
Prairie Smoke
Purple Coneflower
Purple Prairie Clover
Rattlesnake Master
Rose Mallow Goldenrod
Native plants for USDA zone 6 that thrive in partial sun include:
Bergamot
Blue-eyed Grass
Calico Aster
Anemone
Cardinal Flower
Cinnamon Fern
Columbine Goat’s
Beard Solomon’s Seal
Jack in the Pulpit
Lavender Hyssop
Marsh Marigold
Spiderwort
Prairie Dropseed
Royal Fern
Sweet Flag
Virginia Bluebell
Wild Geranium
Turtlehead
Woodland Sunflower.
Shade dwellers native to USDA zone 6 include:
Bellwort
Christmas Fern
Cinnamon Fern
Columbine
Meadow Rue
Foamflower
Goat’s Beard
Jack in the Pulpit
Trillium
Marsh Marigold
Mayapple Royal
Fern
Solomon’s Seal
Turk’s Cap
Lily Wild Geranium.
Looking for native trees? Look into:
Black Walnut
Bur Oak
Butternut Common Hackberry
Ironwood
Northern Pin Oak
Northern Red Oak
Quaking Aspen
River Birch
Serviceberry
Read more at Gardening Know How: Zone 6 Native Plants – Growing Native Plants In USDA Zone 6
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/gardening-by-zone/zone-6/zone-6-native-plants.htm
LINKS OF INTEREST
New Links
New Link: National Garden Bureau - This site has a multitude of gardening information and you can sign up for their Newsletter.
New Link: How to Grow your own Butterfly Garden - This page has a step by step guide to build a butterfly garden. The site was suggested by a student in an alternative learning program.
New Link: Toxic Pesticides - This page on the ConsumerNotice.org site has a lot of information on toxic pesticides outlining the different types and how to protect yourself from their negative effects.
New Link: Yard Care Guru - This site has a multitude of links of information and this link has the Ultimate Beginners Guide to Gardening with Kids.
New Link: Consumers Base - This site has A Comprehensive Guide to Container Gardening that is very informative along with other gardening information.
"A garden is a love song, a duet between a human being and Mother Nature."
Jeff CoxArtistic Touches by Cathy Wayson