This a members-only event.
As an added bonus for members, we have added a casual spring get together and self-guided garden tour at the home of longtime Gardeners Exchange member Janet Tice (address will be in the email reminders for this event). There is no formal agenda for this get together – it’s just an opportunity to chat with fellow members, make new connections and reconnect with old friends in Janet’s shady, woodland garden (see below for description).
- Light refreshments will be provided. If you’d like to contribute your favorite snack, contact Lela.
- Ample parking is available on the property, so no worries there.
- Lots of chairs will be provided but bring your own if you want to be guaranteed a seat.
Janet and her family moved to Shirley in 1985 but she didn’t begin gardening until the early 2000s. Since that time, she has been planting, replanting, transplanting, and slowly expanding her very own “garden in the woods.” Janet describes her gardening journey as follows:
“When I began, I had no gardening experience whatsoever, so the Gardeners Exchange was a great source of knowledge for me. In fact, much of what I’ve learned over the years has come from presenters and fellow members. The rest has come from reading gardening how-to books, taking courses, visiting established gardens and, of course, spending untold hours playing in the dirt (I mean soil) learning – through trial and error – what works and what doesn’t.
The end result, still a work in progress, is a shady, woodland garden with an emphasis on foliage rather than flowers. Shade-tolerant shrubs, loose-laid stone walls and winding paths provide the garden backbone while a canopy of mature maples, hickories and oaks provides the shade. Hostas, astilbes, epimediums, ferns (ostrich, sensitive, Japanese painted, Christmas, maidenhair to name a few of the many varieties), sweet woodruff, woodland phlox and Solomon’s seal predominate in the shade while an assortment of sun-loving perennials including day lilies, peonies and garden phlox make do in the few areas that get at least four hours of sun a day.”