Tour of Shorter Garden in Camden, Al.

     On May 10th, 2012, club members traveled to Camden, Al. to tour the beautiful and extensive garden of Mrs. Gayle Shorter.
     The garden has been planted so as to have something blooming at all times.  Right now the daylilies were most prominent and Mrs. Shorter had a number of unique specimens blooming.
     In the backyard, there were raised beds with plantings of tomatoes and other vegetables.  The back patio area featured a shade garden.
     Following the tour, Mrs. Shorter took members inside her home where she had tables set up for lunch. Our lunch was provided by the Blue Spoon Cooking Company.  Members enjoyed a cold plate of chicken salad, pasta salad, fresh fruit, assorted cheeses and crackers .  The finishing touch was a delicious layered lemon dessert.
     After lunch, members visited other points of interest in Camden:  Camden Jewelry and Gifts, Young's Produce Center, Wilcox Farm Center, and Black Belt Treasurers.
     A trip to Petals of the Past is planned for June 7 and then we will have a break in meetings until September.

Mrs. Shorter telling us about the garden.

"Red Hot Poker Plant"

Shade Garden

Vegetable Garden

Evelyn Bond, Mrs Shorter, and Elba Bonham discussing the vegetable garden.

Gail Touchton admiring the shade garden.

Water feature.

Delicious lunch provided by "The Blue Spoon Cooking Company".

Young's had a large assortment of plants and concrete statuary.

Garden Tour of the Shumack Home

     For the April meeting, the Monroeville Garden Club traveled to Lenox, Al. to tour the garden of Ron and Jo Ann Shumack.  Nineteen members and one guest participated in the tour.
     Jo Ann greeted everyone with coffee to take the chill off the morning.  Members then leisurely toured the yard admiring the many blooming plants.  Red poppies seemed to be a favorite of everyone.  Jo Ann explained that she saves the seed pods each year and then in September she scatters the seed in her flower beds.
     Jo Ann fertilizes her plants with a 50/50 mixture of 13-13-13 and cottonseed meal.  Everyone made note of this with plans to do the same in hopes of growing a garden like hers.
     After the tour, everyone gathered on the screened porch to enjoy a box lunch of chicken salad croissants, fresh fruit, and cookies.  Hostesses were Jean Booker, Bev Colquett, Dotsy Compton, and Patsy Wadlington.
     Ron, who retired from the Auburn Horticulture Dept., finished up the meeting with a talk on composting and then answered gardening questions.

Coffee Break

"Red Hot Poker" plant

"Old Gardeners never die...they just spade away"

Chestnut Rose

Nasturtiums

JoAnn shares her fertilizer secret:  50/50 mix of 13-13-13 and Cottonseed meal.

Box Lunch

Ron talks with members about composting.

Lunch on the porch

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Chicken Salad with Pecans and Bacon

(recipe from At the Table with Patty Roper)

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 tbs. lemon juice

1 cup mayonaise

4 cups chicken breast, cooked and diced

1 cup celery diced

1/2 c. sweetened dried cranberries

salt, pepper to taste

lettuce leaves

1  3 oz. jar real bacon bits

Toast pecans in a 350 oven for 10-12 minutes.  Set aside.  Combine lemon juice and mayonaise.  Blend well.  Combine mayonaise mixture with pecans, chicken, celery, cranberries and seasonings.  Serve on lettuce leaf and sprinkle with bacon bits.  Yield 8-10 servings.