Blessing of the Waters by Dianne Battle, Treasurer

I was honored to participate in a First Nation ceremony known as a "River Blessing" to express gratitude for the waters gracing our region.  The ceremony, led by Master Naturalist, Ayolane Halusky would bless water  from three different sources:  spring water from Cannon Springs, brackish water from the Matanzas, and the mixed waters of the St. Johns.

I wrote an article for the March issue of The Creekline describing what took place that morning, January 30, in front of the historic Bennett house in Alpine Groves Park.

Click the Play button below for a video slideshow of the ceremony.

Personalize a picture slideshow

For alternate formats, you can see the accompanying photos in this PDF, or if you have Powerpoint (and a lot of patience) you can download the slideshow presentation.

Come to Alpine Groves Park on April 23 for the Bartram Bash, a celebration of naturalist, William Bartram's birthday and meet our garden club, the Friends of Alpine Groves, The St. Johns Riverkeeper, and other educational or environmentally-minded local groups.

November 12 Westminster Woods Community Hydroponics Garden

November 12 Westminster Woods Community Hydroponics Garden:  Master Gardener, Jerrel Powell, has taken some of the strain out of vegetable gardening.  He'll make a presentation on hydroponic gardening then take us to the Community Garden to see his state-of-the-art vertical growing system that he and residents at Westminster Woods are using to grow vegetables hydroponically.   Maps and schedule information are below.

We'll meet at the new Southwood Village Clubhouse at 10.  After the business meeting, Mr. Powell will make his presentation.  At its Visitor parking spaces are noted on the map of the Southwood clubhouse, but please allow extra time to find a space and walk to the clubhouse.  There is one handicap parking space.  Garden parking is limited, but should be sufficient if we carpool.  There is a sidewalk next to the garden for easy access.
conclusion, we'll carpool to the community gardens (1/3 of a mile away).  Click the links below to open the driving maps to the Southwood clubhouse and to the community gardens. 

• Directions to Southwood Clubhouse at Westminster Woods

• Carpool Directions to Community Gardens

Hittin' the Road October and November

We'll be taking a few field trips in October and November, and enjoying a District IV meeting, the Old Settlers Reunion, and GardenFest in between.  See the Garden Club of Switzerland's Calendar for dates and times:

October 8 Saturiwa:  We'll be visiting the award-winning tree farm, Saturiwa (Adobe PDF), owned and managed by Mike Adams.  Adams, who won the 2009 Landowner of the Year Forest Stewardship Award (Adobe PDF) from the Florida Division of Forestry, is restoring the endangered long-leaf pine to our native forests using an ecologically responsible foresting and firewise conservation management program.  With the return of this beautiful pine, other species of flora and fauna are also finding restored habitat to support their own life cycle.  See the slideshow highlighting the tour some of our club members took last year.




Mr. Adams has partnered with our garden club to reestablish native aquatic milkweed on his property.  It is hoped that the milkweed will provide sustenance to our dwindling population of monarch butterflies.  Saturiwa is not only about conservation and renewal, but also serves as an educational model.  Saturiwa is located at 2425 CR 13.  Please contact him to enjoy your own tour of this southwest St. Johns County gem!

October 10 District IV Meeting.  The meeting takes place at the Ribault Garden Club 9AM - 3PM.  There will be a presentation,“Where have all the butterflies gone?” by Jaret Daniels, PHD. Director of the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History, preceeded by a business meeting.  Pre-registration is required.  See the Meeting Announcement at the District IV, FFGC website.

October 17, Old Settlers Reunion - Alpine Groves Park is the scene of the annual Old Settlers Reunion from 10AM-3PM.  Join the Garden Club of Switzerland as we celebrate this historic landmark and beautiful park.  The event is free and open to the public, hosted by The Friends of Alpine Groves.

October 24, GardenFest - FFGC members are invited to register and attend this year's GardenFest at the St. Johns County Extension Center.    GardenFest is hosted by District IV, FFGC; see the Announcement page at the District IV website for details and to complete the required pre-registration form.

November 12 Westminster Woods Community Hydroponics Garden:  Master Gardener, Jerrel Powell, has taken some of the strain out of vegetable gardening.  He'll show our garden club his state-of-the-art vertical growing system that he and residents at Westminster Woods are using to grow vegetables hydroponically.