12/21
Seasons Greetings from Sweet Pea!
Most of us are so busy all year long we don't get a chance to spend enough time with the people we really care about! Let them know how much you care and take the time now to send that snail mail card or an email. Or pick up the phone and talk to that friend or family member that has been on your mind. I hope all of you have a warm and wonderful holiday! And take a little time to smell the roses...and maybe plant one too!
12/21
It has been a busy year for the Historic Kenwood Garden Workshop!
The year began with our plantings around the street sign on the off ramp of I-275 at 5th Avenue. It only took a couple of hours for us to turn the plain sign into the focal point of that area. Garden workshop volunteers made regular watering runs until the plants got established, as well as stopping by to weed and trim occasionally to keep it looking fabulous.
Then our focus switched to our annual plant sale. Many weeknights and Saturdays go into making these plant sales a success. Thanks again to Sharon and Allen for allowing us to use their back yard as a nursery as we divided plants, made cuttings and got a wonderful variety of plants potted up and ready for sale.
A few times during the year, we put all the HKGW member names into a hat and the lucky winner gets a garden makeover. Cat and Tim were the lucky winners this year and we created a water garden for them one morning. We did a lot of digging for the pond and the trench for the electrical and many members who had water gardens brought cuttings to get them started.
Garden workshop members and other HK neighbors donated items for our yard sale in October. We would like to thank our wonderful neighbors at the Albright United Methodist Church, on the corner of 5th Ave N & 28th St for so generously allowing us to use the church parking lot for both the plant and yard sales.
Using the monies we raised, we were able to make donations to local charities and families. A Blooming Place for Kids and ASAP’s Brighter Season for Children each received $800 which will help to make the holidays much brighter for some needy children. We also adopted a family and were able to buy mall gift cards for each of the kids, a Publix gift certificate and a well deserved massage and facial were donated by Marcia for the mom. Susan and Terry have donated a Christmas tree, and best of all, Vincent is cooking an entire Christmas dinner for the family!
CASA made us aware of another needy family and we were able to purchase a much needed crib for the baby, thanks to donations from some good people who aren't even HK residents or gardeners, but who wanted to spread some holiday joy & love.
HKGW members enjoy seeing the fruits of their hard labor going back into the community, helping to make our neighborhood grow!
11/5
Sweet Pea would like to thank all of you that participated in our HK Garden Workshop yard sale on Saturday, 10/18. There was quite an assortment of items for sale, from furniture to holiday decorations. The treasure hunters who stopped by were very pleased with the bargains they got. The money raised will go to local charities and needy families to make the holidays a little merrier.
10/2
Hi again! Sweet Pea here with some news about a great Florida Native Plant Sale this weekend.
Panels Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society Plant Sale
Sat. Oct. 4th, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Brooker Creek Preserve @ Environmental Education Cntr, 3940 Keystone Rd, Tarpon Springs
Entertaining & Informative Programs:
10 am "Using Natives to Attract the Right Kind
of Wildlife to Your Yard"
11 am “Getting Started With Natives: How to
Incorporate Native Plants into an Existing Landscape”
Wildlife-friendly plants & fall-blooming wildflowers on sale
Children’s Activities
For information about this event and our other activities,
please visit our website PinellasNativePlants.org
or call our info line: 727-544-7341
It should be a beautiful weekend so get out and enjoy the weather!
9/10/08
We have been very lucky this year (knock on wood) and have not received any really bad weather from the tropical storms and hurricanes (yet). Our neighbors to the south in the Caribbean have not been so lucky. A fellow gardener, Laura Schaus, has asked that I share the following with you.
Bahamas Habitat - volunteer opportunity
Relieving Disaster, Promoting Community
http://www.bahamashabitat.org/wordpress/?cat=93
Many of you know that I am actively involved with the local Panels
Habitat for Humanity organization and Bahamas Habitat as well. I
spent a week in February this year on a construction related project
in Eleuthera Bahamas. This was a life enriching experience for me.
Hurricane Ike has badly affected the most southern Bahamas island of
Inagua. Donations of food / clothing / construction supplies are
needed now. Volunteer teams to help with recovery / construction
efforts may soon become another need in Inagua.
Please visit this site and share it with others who may also be
inclined to help: http://www.bahamashabitat.org/wordpress/?cat=93
9/9/08
I am sure you have heard by now that our very own CF Hawkins is now a manager at Savanna's Nursery, located at 2601 34th St S. Many of you were there for the great sale over Labor Day weekend. If you have not been to Savanna's, you should check it out. CF says there are new and exciting things on the horizon!
8/25/08
Hi! Sweet Pea here!
Sorry it's been so long since I've written but I have big news so mark your calendars!
You know all those things that have been collecting dust in your closet or garage? The ones you can't decide if you should keep or sell? Well, now is your chance to get rid of them and help those less fortunate at the same time.
The Garden Workshop is having a rummage/yard sale on Saturday, 10/18, beginning at 8am. It will be in the Albright United Methodist Church parking lot on the corner of 5th Ave and 28th St N.
HKGW members will be at the church Friday night from 5:30-8:00 pm to collect your goodies.
October is the perfect time for some fall cleaning and to start thinking about lending a helping hand to make the holidays a little more cheery for those in need.
Please check out the HKGW home page for more info.
TTFN!
5/17/08
Hi! Sweet Pea here.
Have you heard? The 4th Annual HK Garden Workshop plant sale was another fabulous success!
It was a dark and stormy morning...just kidding...although the skies were threatening. Despite an occasional sprinkle, plant people came out and were pleased to find a wide variety of beautiful, healthy plants from which to choose. Our resident green thumbs outdid themselves this year, not just with the fabulous plants but also with some wonderfully creative garden art and used/rehabbed tools. It was great to see some of our fellow HKGW members that we hadn't seen in a while, as well as neighbors, friends and friendly strangers. It is this support from all varieties of warm hearted plant lovers that enables the Garden Workshop to continue to grow the neighborhood by supporting local charities and helping those less fortunate.
Remember, all those plants are home-grown from cuttings and divisions and donated plants. If you have any plants in your garden that are getting too big or maybe that you just don't want anymore, we would love for you to share with us. Please give us a shout or come to one of our meetings.
TTFN!
