BEV KELVER VISITS DIRTY HANDS

Many thanks to the lovely and very gracious Bev Kelver, an active member of the Four Seasons Gardeners Garden Club of LaPorte, for her visit to our newly formed club. Bev has been a wonderful mentor as our club has moved forward from idea to infancy. We value her friendship and help so very much. Through her we hope to form a strong bond with the membership of her club--after all, to be a gardener is to share what you have and what you know with others.

Bev brought a vase of absolutely GORGEOUS daffodils with her, which were given as a prize to the lucky Bobbi Dosmann, and talked to us about the importance of garden design for year round beauty. Such concerns as structure for winter interest (grasses are great for this), attention to mature plant size and tree canopy in the planning stages, as well as suggestions for layered planting of spring bulbs to maximize color and succession in a given space were covered. Bev recommended several books. Among them were "Color for Your Winter Yard and Garden" by G. Wilson and "Four Season Landscape" published by Rodale books. In addition, Bev spent a lot of time telling us about the National Garden Clubs, Inc., drawing on her extensive history in the organization, which includes serving as State President. She also mentioned that her husband, Donn, who is quite an authority on the subject of gourds (and has a published book to prove it!) would be available for a program--something we will certainly take him up on in the near future!

All in all, it was a wonderful "first official" meeting and a positive way to get on our feet. We all appreciate these two lovely people and look forward to an ongoing relationship with them.