Bella Vista Garden Club

WELCOME 

If you are interested in gardening in Northwest Arkansas, you have come to the right place.

UPCOMING EVENTS

You are invited to...

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

YOUR PARTICIPATION IS NEEDED

Message from Pat Meyer, BVGC President

BVGC Members, one of my goals as your president is for every club member to have the opportunity to become involved in our projects.  This involvement covers a wide range of needs and talents.  Some needs involve outdoor, physical labor others will be less physically demanding, but ALL are needed for an active and effective Club.


Please look in your new Yearbook (pages 7-9) for information on committees and projects.  Contact the Committee Chairman for more details and to express your interest in participating.  I especially encourage our newer Members to find activities that suit their interests, talents and desires to learn.


A critical part of participation is communicating the needs and opportunities of the committees.  Therefore, Committee Chairs, please address the entire Club when emailing etc. requests for help or scheduling activities.  Alternatively, you can advise me and I will forward the information to the Club.  Members, let the Committee Chairs know of your interest in participating and pose any questions you have about that Committee or project.  The Yearbook has their contact information.


I also request Members to communicate directly with me on any suggestions you have for improving or broadening our Club. While I am presently serving as your Club President, I am primarily a member who has enjoyed working alongside some very knowledgeable gardeners and mentors with a willingness to share their knowledge.  So, new and seasoned Members do not miss out on the opportunities the Club offers to learn new things and make new friends….PARTICIPATE!


Stay well and safe

Pat Meyer

2021-2023 President

Plan(t) Ahead

FOR NATIONAL GARDEN WEEK

June 4th - 10th, 2023

Ideas to Consider

• Plan an educational program and/or workshop at your local library, public garden or garden center.

• Sponsor a hands-on "How Do You Select Flowers/Shrubs for Your Garden" workshop at an area nursery.

• Plan a garden tour. This is a great time to share your knowledge of growing while sharing ideas.

• Beautify a manageable blighted area or enhance an existing garden. This would be a good opportunity to work with other groups.

• Plan an activity with a youth group or school students.

• Place a plant or flower arrangement at public facilities, along with one of the beautiful National Garden Week posters.

NGC website, gardenclub.org

MOST RECENT ACTIVITIES

Big Perennial Sale

June 2nd and 3rd, 2023

The 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.

The April 26th Meeting of the Bella Vista Garden Club

Program

A fascinating program ‘Ecology and Rehabilitation of Birds of Prey’, was presented by Lynn Sciumbato, founder and operator of the Morning Star Rehabilitation Center. 

Lynn introduced Sydney, a female barred owl, the most common owl in Bella Vista. Sydney became a permanent resident at the Center 12 years ago when she broke her elbow when injured by a car, which is the most common cause of injury requiring rehabilitation.

Meeting

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: 

Native plants for USDA zone 6 that thrive in partial sun include: 

Shade dwellers native to USDA zone 6 include: 

Looking for native trees? Look into: 

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 Cox
Artistic Touches by Cathy Wayson