Submitted By: Sara Wolf
Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island – Publicity Chairperson
The spring and summer of 2020 will be remembered by Calusa Garden Club members for their introduction to the virtual world for their activities. The most colorful, educational and inspirational virtual activity for the Garden Club was a virtual tour of Club members’ gardens. The Garden Club’s First Vice-President, Susan Lagrotta, planned the virtual tour of Garden Club members’ gardens, and the photos were displayed on the Club’s Facebook page. Garden Club President Sara Wolf accompanied LaGrotta on the visits to members’ gardens, took photos for the Facebook page, and later collected the photos in a PowerPoint presentation that the members have viewed in Zoom get-togethers. The members’ reactions to the virtual tour have been great! They enjoyed seeing the landscape designs of other members, and getting to know some of the rare and exotic prized plants and flowers grown by their friends.
Among the gardens that were toured, Lindy Kowalczyk’s garden with many exotic plants stood out. Her red lobster claw heliconia is a rare and treasured addition to her front garden bed. Sue Oldershaw’s garden, which won the Marco Island Beautification Advisory Committee award in 2014, featured a large flowering bromeliad. Linda Schwoeppe, an award-winning orchid cultivator, showed how she fastens orchids to the crevices in palm trees. A visit to Jenn Ferrier’s back yard revealed a beautiful dieffenbachia in a blue pot that accented the shade garden beneath her large gumbo limbo tree. Eva Kubinsky’s formal front planting area with three levels of palms, distinctive large agave, bromeliads and podocarpus softened and enhanced the front entrance to her modern home.
Calusa Garden Club is a member of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and membership is open to those interested in horticulture, floral design and environmental matters residing 5 months or more in Collier County.
Calusa Garden Club normally meets the second Monday of the months of October and November, and January through March, at Wesley United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 350 S. Barfield Drive, Marco Island; however, no physical meetings are being held during the corona virus pandemic. If you are interested in membership, please contact the Garden Club at calusagardenclub@aol.com. For information about Calusa Garden Club activities, please visit the Garden Club’s website, calusa.org, or visit the Club’s Facebook page Calusa Garden Club.
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Sara Wolf took the photos attached