Augusta “Biddy” Pollard Watson, current Horticulture Chairman of her club, has a wealth of knowledge which she generously shares with her fellow club members, with her community, and beyond. She is the founder and first President of the Valley of Virginia Herb Guild, whose current project is developing an herb garden for the City of Lexington.  A woman of many talents, including woodworking, Biddy constructed a beautiful trellis behind the speakers’ stage for the display of tussie mussies at the 2007 Board of Governors Meeting in Lexington. Currently, Biddy is Chairman of Jordan’s Point committee, meeting with city officials and landscape architects to research and design an appropriate native garden at the restored Miller’s House, which will serve as a transportation museum. According to the nominating committee, the word “no” is not in Biddy’s vocabulary!

 

 

Lucy, currently the GCV Daffodil Chairman, is also the Mid Atlantic Regional Director in the American Daffodil Society. She is especially interested in naturalizing daffodils and has recently planted 10,000 bulbs on her farm in order to continue the study of cultivating daffodils. Lucy writes articles for the American Daffodil Society Journal, GCV Journal and Washington Daffodil newsletter. Lucy freely and enthusiastically shares her knowledge and her daffodils with others and is an accredited ADS judge. She regularly cuts her daffodils for club members who create arrangements and bring good cheer to retirement residents of Godwin House. She is a past President of Hunting Creek Garden Club, was Co-chair of the 2008 ADS Daffodil convention in Richmond and is currently the club Chairman of Historic Garden Week.

 

 

Vickie is an expert on roses and has held workshops on how to care for them. She has planted and cares for over 200 rosebushes in her own garden. She designed a pamphlet for the planting and care of roses and has developed a spray formula for them as well. Vickie is the Chairman of the Danville Science Center Committee and holds workshops for the public on how to attract wild birds to one’s yard. She helped establish a bluebird trail along the Danville Riverwalk and works with Adopt-A-Box purchases of bluebird houses and the Adopt-A-Box School Program to establish bluebird boxes on school property. Besides helping with the installation and upkeep of the boxes, Vickie holds workshops for the public on how to attract wild birds to one’s yard. She also speaks to garden clubs across the state about hummingbird gardens and bird sanctuaries.

 

 

Mary Jac plants and maintains her gardens with minimal environmental impact.  She plans them with the idea of attracting flying pollinators; especially honeybees. One summer she had two colonies locate to trees near her garden. She is currently the Horticulture Chairman of Chatham Garden Club and serves as the club’s Rose Test Chairman. Her horticulture entries have won many blue ribbons and awards at the GCV Rose and Lily Shows. She generously shares her knowledge and enthusiasm with her club, the Garden Club of Virginia and the community. Mary Jac is currently working on her GCV judge designation and she serves as the Flower Chairman during Historic Garden Week.

 

 

Julie is a Master Gardener and is currently the Horticulture Chairman of Rivanna Garden Club. She enthusiastically shares gardening tips at the meetings, and yearly she does a short program on the proper way to exhibit specimens. She is a fabulous arranger and won the Rivanna Presidents Bowl for greatest number of points in Specimen Classes for 2007-2008. Her exhibits at the Annual and Board of Governor’s meetings are well thought out and presented and are met with wonderful comments. Julie, the “common gardener”, as she has referred to herself, is the weeder, planter and designer of her own property, including perennials, shrubs and trees. A visitor to Julie’s garden will notice a “necklace of shells” strung on a gate…shells collected many years ago…which confirm that a reverence for nature is “second nature” to Julie.

 

 

Uta has served on her club’s Horticulture Committee for 7 years. As the current Chairman of the committee, she began a monthly horticulture display/exhibit a half hour prior to each monthly meeting. The creative displays have been diverse and include educational fliers and articles that are available for members to review and study. Committee members are available before and after the meeting to answer questions and discuss elements of the display. Uta has successfully developed her own garden to reflect her knowledge and appropriate use of trees and all blooming plants, and her attention to plants that attract birds and butterflies have been a part of her ongoing attention to “all things natural and of nature”. By sharing not only her expertise but also her example of gardening at home, Uta has promoted more interest in horticulture and conservation among her club members.

 

 Susan Lindsey, The Garden Club of the Northern Neck

Mary Lou Brown, The Ashland Garden Club