Garden Club R.F.D. Celebrates Its 86th Year as a Garden Club

Our members have inherited a legacy from eight determined women who wanted to share their love of flowers and gardening back in 1941. Although a three-year hiatus due to World War II challenged them, they persevered, doing what they could to support the war effort.

Today, GCRFD members gather once more to share their love of gardening and continue to expand their knowledge of horticulture and design. They meet on the third Tuesday of each month to hear speakers, take trips, have workshops to learn more about flower arranging or landscaping, or perhaps, how to properly propagate a plant, and more. We are also involved in the community as we care for the planters at the train station in Middletown as well as caring for the property surrounding the schoolhouse. In the recent past, we have worked with two assisted living facilities.

On September 15, we will visit Molzon's Landscape Nursery to learn how they raise flowers suitable for floral arrangements. We will also be guided throughout the nursery by Susan Molzon. Molzon's began as a landscape design firm in 1982 when Gerald Molzon graduated from Delaware Valley College with a degree in Ornamental Horticulture. The property, however, has been in the family since 1920 when his grandfather, Roman, purchased it. If you love flowers, you will love Molzon's.

On October 20 at 11 am our speaker will be Irene Wanat, a Master Gardener who will join the club to discuss deer-resistant plants in a program called "Not Tonight, My Deer." If you would like to join us for this session, this is what you may hear.

Oh, dear! Do you have problems with deer using your garden as their local diner? We certainly don't want to be laying out a deer buffet with your hard-earned dollars.

You will learn which plants are much less palatable and more likely not to be nibbled in our deer-visited yards. Our speaker has over 40 years of extensive gardening experience and knowledge and has been a Master Gardener in Ocean County since 1989 and in Monmouth County since 1999.

The year ahead has some wonderful programs scheduled that are sure to provide new information for our members, and for you, if you would like to join us. It will cover horticulture to floral design and more.

If you have questions or would like to visit us at the Little Red Schoolhouse (across the street from Thompson Middle School), please write to ruthkorn77@gmail.com for further information.