KENTUCKY

The Garden Club of Kentucky, Inc.
Theme - "Generations Gardening Together"
Martha Mengel, President

Kentucky in the fall is a place to make your heart sing.  The fall color was superb as we attended District Meetings across the state.  Hearing the club presidents report on the many endeavors of their clubs put joy in the heart.  Now that makes your heart sing with joy!  the Middlesborough GC planted an english Garden in the yard of a historic home.  the Lady Slipper GC works with young children and involves their mothers.  Several of those mothers have joined the club as they found an unanticipated love of gardening.

Clubs have been working on eradicating nonative invasive plants which was the theme of our past President, Ann Fiel.  Until two years ago we were naive about these innocuous plants in our landscape.  now clubs are award of this menace and working in parks and historic gardens to prevent the invasion on our native palnts.

Conservation programs were a big topic.  Recycling is something of which we are all award and many clubs have started working with city governments to start recycling centers.  Many reports picked up the theme of "Going Green" by teaching members about organic gardening and not using pesticides.

"Generations Gardening Together" is our theme for the next two years and coincides with Anne Brown's theme of "Caring, Sharing, Growing."  Our clubs have started talking with assisted living facilities' directors about working with residents and also introducing children to the program.  We are also planning to visit with children in preschools, reading them stories about gardening and instilling the love of planting.