News

August 2009

August 12, 2009

Summer is filled with exciting activities at the Southeastern Horticultural Society. Emily Johnson, Southeastern Flower Show Chairman, is building her team of volunteers and planning the 23rd annual Southeastern Flower Show that will take place February 4-6, 2010 at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

The Edgewood Community Learning Garden is bursting with excitement. Kids, families and community members from the neighborhood are getting involved and learning about growing organic vegetables and sharing gardening techniques. In the coming months we’ll be creating a water catchment system in partnership with the WaterWorks program. Be sure to pick up the current issue, August/October 2009 of Organic Gardening Magazine, page 15, to learn more about it.

Our calendar is filling up with events and workshops the entire family can enjoy.  We hope you will join us.

Best Regards,

Kate Chura
Executive Director

2010 SOUTHEASTERN FLOWER SHOW

Discover The Beauty Of Green

The 23rd Annual Southeastern Flower Show
February 4 - February 6, 2010 at the Cobb GalleriaCentre

Escape the gray and cold of winter and enter a world of beautiful green environments! Back by popular demand, The Southeastern Horticultural Society will host its 23rd annual Southeastern Flower Show Thursday, February 4, 2010 through Sunday, February 6, 2010.  The Flower Show will once again be held at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

“Discover new landscape and gardening techniques and experience floral splendor at the 2010 Flower Show,” enthuses Show Chairman Emily Johnson.

“This spectacular event will celebrate the beauty of our natural world and inspire innovative designs and solutions for everyone and every place. It will kick off another great year of educational programs and events presented by the Southeastern Horticultural Society” added Kate Chura, Executive Director.

The show will surprise and delight attendees as they meander through the new floor design filled with extraordinary exhibits of plants, environmentally green ideas and tips, interactive workshops for kids, entertaining and enlightening speakers, organic gardening and cooking demonstrations, and eco-friendly products for the home and garden.  There will be something for everyone, from seniors to toddlers and from novice gardener to expert horticulturist.

Date:      Thursday, February 4, 2010 - Sunday, February 6, 2010

Time:      10:00 a.m. through 8:00 p.m. Thursday through Saturday

Location:  Cobb Galleria Centre - located at Two Galleria Parkway in the Northwest Atlanta area at I-75 and I-285

See you at the flower show!

VINCE DOOLEY GARDEN TOUR

Barbara and Vince Dooley Host “A Gardening Experience”
Enjoy a Once in a Lifetime Chance to see the Legend’s Garden!

Benefiting The Southeastern Flower Show and its parent organization, The Southeastern Horticultural Society
Sunday, September 13, 2009
5 to 8 in the evening
Athens, Georgia

Host Committee
Betty & Robert Balentine       Luci & Mack Furlow
Ann & Harvey Cabaniss         Margaret Howard
Lane & Richard Courts         Candy & Greg Johnson  
Mercer Davis                     Lili Ouzts
Barbara & Vince Dooley       Hart Roberts  
Diane & Ed Festa               Marsh & Greg Webb      
Lisa Fiscus                     Ellen & Buck Wiley
Ann & Joe Frierson

Since 1995, when Vince Dooley developed a passion for horticulture, the 2.5 acres surrounding his house have been transformed into a virtual botanical garden, with many rare trees and shrubs. There are more than 100 varieties of camellias and Japanese maples, as well as numerous hydrangeas. The Dooley garden is full of horticultural treasures and surprises. You might easily conclude this garden will become, like its owner, a legend.

Tickets
$50 each, available online or mail check to the Southeastern Horticultural Society, 1705 Commerce Drive, NW, Suite 400, Atlanta, Ga.30318. Each ticket will include a single SHS membership for one year, a $35 value.  See details on our website.

Order tickets early to reserve a place!

Sponsored by:  Savida Sangria

EDGEWOOD COMMUNITY LEARNING GARDEN

Volunteers came out in full force to team up with The Southeastern Horticultural Society, Fiskars and The Home Depot to help create a community learning garden.

The group of volunteers gathered early on a Saturday morning in June to beat the ninety degree heat and begin a neighborhood transformation at the corner of Hardee Street and Mayson Avenue in Atlanta.

Take a corner lot, add lots of volunteers from the local community and the Southeastern Horticultural Society, install plant material donated by The Home Depot, use state-of-the-art tools, donated by Fiskars, to work with and watch the transformation begin by a dedicated group of volunteers, executives and employees. Amazingly, the entire project was completed in just one day!

What stands there now is a beautiful garden filled with annuals and perennials, vegetables and herbs growing in raised beds, and large trees adding shade and greenery.

“There was a real need in this community to get kids interested in nature and help them understand where their food comes from as a part of teaching them about healthy eating,” explained Kate Chura, Executive Director of the Southeastern Horticultural Society.

Although the garden is beautiful to look at and is a wonderful place for neighbors to gather and socialize, three nearby schools are planning to utilize the garden to enhance their current curriculums. The garden will also host child and adult workshops and will be a meeting place for two local senior centers to enable their residents to continue their hobby of gardening.

Fiskars is the brainchild of the Project Orange Thumb Grant program.  Through grants, Fiskars provides community garden groups with the tools and materials needed to reach their goals for neighborhood beautification and horticulture education.  “We hope that this further celebrates the importance of gardening in providing beauty, sustainable food resources and a place of community,” said Paul Tonnesen, President of Fiskars.

The Edgewood community garden is the fifth in a series of national gardening projects for Fiskars.  Past projects have included garden makeovers in the Scarborough Neighborhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one planned later this summer in the Baltimore area.

UPCOMING EVENTS

August 22 - *FREE* Children’s Workshop
9-11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Philip
2744 Peachtree Road, NW, Atlanta, Ga 30305
Bring your children out to learn all about pollinators.

September 13 - Vince Dooley Garden Tour
5-8 p.m.  Athens, Georgia
Tickets available through our website

October 10 - Plant Sale at Skyland Trail South
9 a.m.-noon
1709 Clairmont Road
Decatur, GA 30030

October 10 - *FREE* Children’s Workshop
9-11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Philip
2744 Peachtree Road, NW, Atlanta, Ga 30305
Bring your children out to learn all about chickens.

October 14 - Edgewood Community Learning Garden Ribbon Cutting
4-6 p.m. at the corners of Mayson Avenue and Hardee Street

November 14-15 Enviro Expo USA
at the Georgia World Congress Center (this event is free and open to the public)

December 2 - Dan Hinkley lecture and book signing
at the Atlanta History Center’s McElreath Hall
130 West Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, Ga 30305

February 4-6, 2010 - The Southeastern Flower Show at the Cobb Galleria Centre

NEW SHS STAFF

Kyla Zaro-Moore is joining the Southeastern Horticultural Society with ten years of practice in small-scale sustainable agriculture with an emphasis on urban gardening and community building through youth-led gardens.  She spent the better part of the last four years as Youth Programs Manager for the Oakhurst Community Garden Project in Decatur, GA, where she developed and implemented garden-based, year-round programming for youth ages 2-21.  She also developed teacher training workshops for using outdoor classrooms, and presented at peer workshops and conferences, including the Georgia Organics Conference and the Georgia Outdoor Classroom Symposium. Kyla has a Master’s of Horticulture in Agriculture from the University of Minnesota, and a BA in Environmental Studies from Macalester College in St. Paul, MN.

June 2009

July 15, 2009

Letter From The Executive Director

The Southeastern Horticultural Society has had exceptional events already this year, and our membership continues to grow. The 2009 Southeastern Flower Show welcomed an increased audience at the Cobb Galleria, and the 16th Legacy Garden is flourishing at Skyland Trail. On June 20th we will build a vibrant multi-use Community Learning Garden for Edgewood and surrounding neighborhoods.

Response to the 2009 Flower Show has been tremendous and we are gratified. However, admission is a small piece of the overall budget, and we have decided to produce a smaller show in 2010. Like many nonprofit institutions, the Southeastern Horticultural Society is faced with shortfalls of income received through sponsors and contributions. We have taken a number of steps to reduce expenses by redesigning the business model for the Flower Show and working in partnership with other organizations.

I would like to make a special appeal to you to make a donation to the organization and help us present the spectacular Southeastern Flower Show and continue to provide educational programming throughout the Southeast.

Kate Chura
Executive Director
Southeastern Horticultural Society

Become A Member Today!
Join the Southeastern Horticultural Society (SHS) and become a part of our growing programs. To sign up today click here.

Edgewood Community Learning Garden

The Edgewood community is about to receive some much needed beauty and at the same time will build a sense of community thanks to a $100,000 investment from Fiskars, The Home Depot and the Southeastern Horticultural Society (SHS).

Imagine if you can how much FUN a science class would be when it is taught outside in the garden.That is the exact thought behind the Edgewood Learning Garden. 

Through the Project Orange Thumb garden makeover, children and teens of the Whitefoord Elementary School, Drew Charter School and Coan Middle School will learn about organic gardening, sustainability, nutrition, and how the future of the earth depends on plants.

The Community Learning Garden will become the “science classroom” where SHS’s educators will lead hands-on programming that follows national science standards. Future workshops will take place during regular school and afterschool hours and include Saturday family sessions. Along with learning about different plants, vegetables, fruits and herbs, the children will experiment with seeds, learn about the photosynthesis process and study the origins of plants.

Along with teaching science and agriculture, the garden will also introduce the children to the importance of green jobs and careers. By organizing and managing local green markets, young people will be introduced to basic business practices. They will learn techniques to increase the “crop” each year and also increase their knowledge of plants and successful growing practices.

Become part of something that matters by volunteering with the garden installation! Come make an impact on a local community. We are looking for volunteers to help with this installation. The project begins Saturday, June 20 at 8:00 a.m. and will be completed with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:45. Please contact us at 404-351-1074 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to get involved.

Date:  Saturday, June 20, 2009
Time:  8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: 
1503 Hardee Street NE
Atlanta, GA 30307
Major Intersection:  Hardee and Mayson

SHS 2009 Legacy Garden At Skyland Trail

Although the day was dreary and cool, the atmosphere at the newly installed Skyland Trail South Facility Legacy Garden could not have been brighter.

The Southeastern Horticultural Society’s Legacy Garden initiative began in 1994 in order to contribute valuable plants and resources to the community. The program has grown to become an ongoing partnership and passion of the organization. Countless volunteers, Flower Show exhibitors and area businesses, civic groups and garden clubs come together each year to create a lasting legacy for the community.

“The SHS Legacy Garden transformed an uninviting space into a vibrant active garden,” said Kate Chura, Executive Director of the Southeastern Horticultural Society. “We look forward to working in the garden with the Skyland Trail clients to share our passion for horticulture.”

Project Co-chairs Nan Henson, Board member of the Southeastern Horticulture Society, and Carole Weil, Skyland Trail volunteer, spent countless hours turning their vision into a beautiful creation. What was once an overgrown useless one-acre piece of land has now been transformed into a courtyard garden, a woodland garden with walking trails and a formal lawn area for meetings and lawn games.

Horticultural therapy is an integral aspect of Skyland Trail’s overall treatment philosophy. Through the horticulture program, clients nurture each of Skyland Trail’s gardens with hands-on care.

“The Legacy Garden provides our clients with a beautiful area to relax and enjoy being outside,” said Skyland Trail President Beth Finnerty. “The Southeastern Horticultural Society and all the volunteers who helped install the garden have been so gracious with their time and resources.”  Through Horticulture Therapy, residents are encouraged to use skills that will build socialization, self-esteem and creativity.

SHS Recognizes Organization for Restoration and Conservation

Downtown Greenville’s treasured Falls Park at Reedy River is the first recipient of the Southeastern Horticultural Society’s Virginia Hand Callaway Award. The award was presented during the 2009 Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta. The 26-acre urban park is the product of decades of planning and restoration, and features natural falls, public art and the spectacular Liberty Bridge, a 355-foot pedestrian walkway overlooking the historic waterfalls nestled in the heart of downtown.

“We were so honored to be the recipient of the first Virginia Hand Callaway Award. The vision of the Falls Park was that of 30 women in a garden club 40 years ago. Over time a great assemblage of individuals, institutions and government came together to create this final product,” enthuses Anna Kate Hipp, President of the Carolina Foothills Garden Club. Falls Park has now become the center piece of downtown Greenville, and, consequently, has been an incredible boon to the businesses in that area,” she adds.

Named for noted horticulturalist Virginia Callaway, who with her husband Cason Callaway co-founded Callaway Gardens, the Virginia Hand Callaway Award recognizes an individual or organization for outstanding achievement in reclamation, restoration or conservation of our natural resources. This award is presented by the Southeastern Horticultural Society.

About the Carolina Foothills Garden Club
The Carolina Foothills Garden Club of Greenville, South Carolina, a member of The Garden Club of America, is dedicated to restore, improve and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and action in the fields of conservation and civic improvement throughout the Upstate region.

Welcome New SHS Staff

Ashley Simpson joined the staff of the Southeastern Horticultural Society (SHS) on April 20, 2009. Serving as the organization’s Technology and Administrative Manager, Ashley brings twelve years of nonprofit experience with her. Before working with SHS, Ashley worked at Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) where she was the Clean Diesel Program Coordinator. While at SACE Ashley successfully won an appropriation with the 2008 Georgia Legislature to fund pollution control devices for school buses. She also served on the Environmental Protection Agencies’ (EPA) Southeastern Diesel Collaborative (SEDC) Strategic Planning Board, along with being an active member of the Georgia Air Coalition. Ashley received her BA degree in political science from Georgia State University.