Third Annual Garden Gala, A Success On All Counts!

The Third Annual Garden Gala was held October 11, 2011 at the Green Island Country Club.  There were 240 guests in attendance with many participating in the Silent Auction (see image below) and Garden Market.  Following the Silent Auction, Ben Page, a prominent landscape architect from Nashville TN, conducted a lecture at the Country Club showcasing many of his garden designs.   Afterwards, guests enjoyed a light lunch served by the Green Island Country Club.  Beautiful hydrangea centerpieces, created by Nancy Gunby and her committee, were the focal point of the luncheon tables.  After lunch, several participants attended a workshop at the Columbus Botanical Garden with Mr. Page (see image below) to discuss the challenges of their own gardens followed by a tour of a local Ben Page designed garden.

Thanks to the leadership of Rose Steiner, Garden Gala Committee Chair, and Cindy Alexander, Co-Chair, as well as the hard work of the Garden Gala Committee members and volunteers over $50,000 was raised to benefit the Columbus Botanical Garden.  Plans are underway for the Fourth Annual Garden Gala to be held in the autumn of 2012.

Learning at the Garden in Autumn 2011

Fall Herb Planting and Herbs in the Kitchen

Participants enjoyed beautiful weather as they toured Columbus Botanical Garden's herb garden display with Debbie Turner learning how to successfully grow herbs in the Chattahoochee Valley area.  Afterwards, everyone tasted delicious drinks and dishes created by Martha Davis and learned how to make tasty creations of their own!

Christmas Wreath Workshop

Kerry Smith, Home Grounds Team Co-Leader and State Coordinator for the Alabama Master Gardener Program, demonstrated how to make a wreath using natural materials, many of which can be found right outside your own front door.  Afterwards, participants with the assistance of Kerry and Columbus Botanical Garden volunteers created wreaths and centerpieces to be used in their own Christmas decor.

Plant Profile: Cercis canadensis, Eastern redbud

Looking for a hint of spring to chase away the winter blues?  Then Eastern redbud, a Georgia native, is the perfect addition to your winter landscape!  Eastern redbud or Cercis canadensis offers many eye-catching ornamental features from early season flowers to distinctive colored foliage to a unique growth habit!  Selected as a Georgia Gold Medal Winner in 2002, this deciduous small tree grows 20 to 30 feet in height by 25 to 35 feet in spread and is adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions.  Typically, this native is found growing in moist, well drained acidic soils in slightly shaded conditions.  However, many of its cultivars can be located in full sun as along as soil moisture is maintained.   Flowering in February, Eastern redbud flowers are generally rosy-pink with a purplish tinge, but white flowering cultivars such as ‘Royal White’ do exist to provide an additional color choice.  For summer long interest, try the cultivar Forest Pansy.  Its striking purple/red foliage makes a wonderful accent to any landscape.  Looking for the unusual?  Discovered in 1991 in Westfield, NY, in the garden of Connie Covey, Lavender Twist redbud or Cercis canadensis ‘Covey’ is a show stopper!  Its weeping growth habit makes it the perfect year-round focal point and awarded it the Georgia Gold Medal Winner designation in 2009.  So, whatever your preference - be it unusual foliage color, early flowers or unique growth habit, Cercis canadensis offers gardeners a wonderful array of choices to help your garden grow! 

Images from left to right: Eastern redbud; Forest Pansy redbud; Lavender Twist redbud