Garden Club of N.C.

DURHAM -- On Wednesday at the Doris Duke Education Center at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, garden club members from District 9 of the Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc. met with state officers to report on activities of their local clubs.

District 9 includes Alamance, Caswell, Durham, Granville, Orange, Person, Warren and Vance counties. The meetings take place across the state this month.

The meeting was conducted by District 9 director Carol Krauser of Chapel Hill. Jean Gurtner, co-president of the Durham Council of Garden Clubs gave a welcome from her co-president Marty Warburton and the 13 council clubs hosting the meeting. Special guests were officers of The Garden Club of North Carolina, Inc. president Mary Lou Goodman from Statesville, Judy Barnes, second vice president from Charlotte, and Judy Bond, fourth vice president from New Bern.

Reports of projects reflect the objectives of the state and national organization which are to encourage environmental improvement through civic development, beautification, restoration, and the protection and conservation of our natural resources as well as studying the art of gardening and assisting with the education of the youth of our state in areas of garden activity. Landscape projects benefiting Durham have included gardens at schools, historic sites, museums, restored public buildings and railroad corridors.

The garden at the Good Samaritan Inn was a special project of the Durham Council of Garden Clubs in 2004. Recently gifts of trees and a cistern have benefitted a city park.

Other projects are recycling of printer cartridges, garden therapy, sponsoring horticulture and floral design workshops and anti-litter drives.

The meeting featured a design program titled "In An Asian Garden" by Steve Taras of Watered Garden Studios of Raleigh.

There are 13 senior clubs and two junior clubs in Durham with 367 members.

For information, visit www.gardenclubofnc.org or www.gardenclub.org. If you are interested in joining a garden club, call Carol Krauser at (919) 960-2946.