Boondogglin' & Bashin'

Come on down for our annual Boondoggle on April 9 from 10AM - noon.  This is a chance to socialize and learn about the garden club.  We have a lot of new members and we are encouraging everyone (guests and visitors included) to drop in for the meet-and-greet.  Light refreshments will be served.  We'll be planning for the upcoming Bartram Bash too.  If the weather is nice we'll be over at Alpine Groves Park enjoying the butterfly garden.  Otherwise, we'll meet at the Bartram Trail Library.  Be sure to check our website www.switzerlandgc.org for updates, and feel free to contact us at switzerlandgc@gmail.com.  And check out the weather forecast if you are making a last-minute decision.

And don't forget the Bartram Bash on 4/18 10-3PM.  Stay tuned for more details!

It's a Double-Header!

OnThursday, March 12, Tim Armstrong from EatYourYardJax (formerly called Fruit Cove Cactus and Foliage) will be joining us to talk about succulents (and about his participation in the urban gardening and green building movement).  He'll have succulents to sell too! The meeting is at 10AM in the Bartram Trail Library.  Guests welcome.

That evening at 6:30 at Rivertown's community center the Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway Group is sponsoring a talk by the Northeast Florida Public Archeology Network on Archeology along the St. Johns River.  Free and open to the public.

Both groups will have tables at the April 18th Bartram Bash in Alpine Groves Park.  Visit the park that day and meet William Bartram, enjoy live music, exhibits (including the Friends of Alpine Park), kayaking on the St. Johns, tours of the Freedom Butterfly Garden, and, of course, the park, including the historic buildings and the St. Johns River.  Free and open to the public.  Subscribe to our website and we'll send you the latest as its posted on our calendar.

Spring Blitz

Master Gardener and Garden Club of Switzerland member, Dianne Battle will be giving a class on making hypertufa garden items at the Saturday, March 7^th annual ‘Gardening Blitz- an intensive day of gardening education’.  The event will be held at the St. Johns County Extension Office. Throughout the day concurrent classes will be conducted in the agriculture center auditorium. There will also be a Master Gardener plant sale during the hours of the event. The agenda is as follows:

9-10 Wildflower gardening or History of Gardening

10-11 Starting from seed or Hydroponics

11-12 Everything Orchids or Vegetable Gardening

12-1 Lunch Break & garden tours

1-2 Rain Barrels or Attracting birds for insect control

2-3 Composting or Making Hypertufa containers

The event is open to the public and participants can attend any single lecture for $5.00 or multiple sessions (or an entire day) for $10. Lunch is on your own but snacks and drinks will be provided throughout the day. The rain barrel and composting classes are ‘make and take’ classes. You can just attend the lecture but if you want to make a unit at either class the fees are as follows: composters- large $65 or small $60, rain barrel $40. The units are made from 30 or 55 food grade drums. Registration deadline is February 27^th. Call 209-0430 to register and indicate what classes you wish to attend and whether you want to make a unit in the rain barrel or composting class.  See the County Extension Center website for their location.