Mauldin Garden Club’s October plant sale contributed to the beauty of many local yards as members provided plants for sale and information about the plants to purchasers.  Master gardener and club president, Necie Shearer, was available to answer questions and advise on plant characteristics and best use in home gardening and landscaping.  Club members at our November meeting were presented with a gift of an orchid and a package of tulip bulbs, which will add color to our yards next spring.   Pictured are club members:Paulette Aguilar, Cindy Chinchar, and Cindy Cohn, (seated), one of our club’s two master gardeners.

Aaron Davis, Executive Director of TreesUpstate, also gave out copies of the book, once upon a tree, and did a reading of the book.  The book tells the true story of the founding of TreesUpstate in an engaging folktale style for children.  TreesUpstate's mission is to plant, promote, and protect trees.  A surprising fact was that the cities of Atlanta and Charlotte currently have better tree canopy cover than Greenville. TreesUpstate’s website, treesupstate.org, states they have planted and given away over 45,800 trees-a significant contribution to our local environment!

Paulette Aguilar designed and created the scarecrow for the Kilgore-Lewis Scarecrow Contest.  This year’s scarecrow represented landscapers and lawn workers who contributed to the beauty of our world.  Our scarecrow won the People’s Choice Award and a white ribbon for “Most Creative Use of Natural Materials”.

At our December meeting, we will gather, enjoy a catered lunch thanks to member Sandra Puzsik, and relax with games and conversations.  We will start the New Year at our January 12th meeting at 1 pm at Mauldin Cultural Center with master gardener Pam Brightman’s “Sheer Madness”, a discussion on pruning "dos and don’ts.”  Visitors are welcome.

For further information on any of the above topics please contact Necie Shearer at necie_shearer@me.com.●