This week in the Garden – Vol 171
September 4, 2026
Welcome back to the Garden Club! We hope you had a wonderful summer and that your gardens thrived despite the extreme heat!
Tuesday, September 8th Meeting at the Norcross Cultural Arts & Community Center
6:00 pm Business Meeting and refreshments-We will start promptly at 6 PM so that we have ample time for our speaker’s presentation beginning at 6:45PM. Light refreshments and beverages will be served. This meeting is open to the public. Please spread the word to your neighbors and friends. There is a $5 admission fee for non-members. Please do not forward this email as the registration link will not work correctly. Copy and paste the link and photo to text or email to others.
PLEASE RSVP if you are attending this exciting and informative presentation. Follow the instructions in the email from “Norcross Garden Club” to register. Or click this link to register: https://mailchi.mp/fc26aa5726f8/save-the-date-norcross-garden-club-meeting-presentation-tuesday-september-8
What to bring to the meeting?
· Grocery store plastic bags for Neighborhood Cooperative Ministry
· Pull tabs for Ronald McDonald House
· Cash for door prize raffle, which supports our Scholarship Fund
2025-2027 Norcross Garden Club Board Members
Please welcome our returning board members for the 2025-2027 term. We look forward to exciting programs, community projects, seeing old friends and making new friends. Please feel free to contact us with your ideas or concerns. We need members to seriously consider a commitment to one or more committees. Please see the attachment for more details about the committee needs and opportunities.
Kathy Sumner-President
Angela Harris-1st VP Membership
Jackie Swann and Laurie Wakefield-Co-2nd VP’s Programs
Kristy Spencer-Recording Secretary
Jeanette Shewbert-Corresponding Secretary
Sue Wyatt-Treasurer
Trudy Rudert-Parliamentarian and Historian
Nominating Committee for 2027-2029 Board Members
A nominating committee is needed to recruit members to volunteer for board positions for the 2027-2029 term. We will vote for new officers at the May 2027 meeting. Please contact Kathy Sumner if you can help. (678.357.8684) Current officers cannot serve on the nominating committee.
Recent Activities
· A good time was had by all as we assembled flower vases for the Meals on Wheels clients. Jenny Allen reported that the flower vases were very much appreciated and brought smiles to the clients.
· Red, White and Blue Gardens and Containers-We heard that members embraced the Centennial theme and their gardens were festive in honor of our country’s centennial celebration.
Garden Club Week
· We created floral arrangements for Norcross City Hall, which were enjoyed by employees and visitors.
· June 9th Joined the 10th anniversary celebration for Discovery Garden Park
· June 10th Gibbs Garden Field Trip
· June 11th Peachtree Corners Garden Club hosted an Author Talk by George Haskell for his book, “How Flowers Made Our World”
· June 30th Blue Star Memorial Dedication at the Carter Presidential Center
Good Shepherd Day Camp-Fun in Nature-Four members, helped with outdoor activities for camp kids on one day during the camp week. The children happily searched for pollinators and other critters in a wooded area. They learned how to notice habitats for pollinators. Several children completed recycled sculptures that will be included in the contest this year.
2026 Southeast Pollinator Census
At Stripling Elementary on August 21st, Gwinnett Master Gardeners and 12 NGC members assisted approximately 125 2nd grade students with the Pollinator Census. Trudy Rudert showed a short PowerPoint about pollinator identification and the importance of counting pollinators for the census. Lots of squeals from kiddos as they followed butterflies, bees, flies and other pollinators from plant to plant in their school garden.
6 members of the Garden Club and 4 members of the Discovery Garden were on hand to assist 40 children and 36 adults with the Pollinator Census at Discovery Garden on Saturday August 22nd. It was a great turnout from several Scout troops, children and adults.
Save the Dates! It’s September! Before we know it, we’ll be talking about the Holidays! Here are some upcoming meetings and activities to keep in mind.
Fulton Federation of Garden Clubs Meeting Monday, September 14th
Location: Northside Drive Baptist Church (Art & Soul Classroom)
3100 Northside Dr., Atlanta, GA 30305 Refreshments: 10:15 AM Meeting: 10:30 AM
“Appreciate Bats in Your Belfry” presented by Dr. Mark Yates All garden club members are encouraged to attend. Please let Kathy Sumner know if you would like to ride with her. (678.357.8684)
THE 2026 FALL DOGWOOD DISTRICT MEETING Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 9AM to 2PM
Check-in begins at 9:00 am
Registration form https://gardenclubofgeorgia.org/event/dogwood-district-fall-board-meeting-2026/
Cost of $45 and includes lunch. Deadline to register is October 1st.
MEETING LOCATION
Ronald McDonald House Atlanta
2580 Briarcliff Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30329
SPEAKER: Dr. Cassandra Quave, Ethnobotanist, the study of plants to treat disease.
As members of the Norcross Garden Club, we are also members of the Dogwood District, Fulton Federation and The Garden Club of Georgia. All Garden Club members are invited to attend the Dogwood District Fall Meeting. Kathy Sumner will be driving and can take six passengers with her. Please let her know if you would like to ride with her. (678.357.8684)
This is a unique opportunity to visit the new Ronald McDonald House adjacent to the new Children’s Hospital. One of our on-going projects is to collect aluminum pull tabs which benefit the Ronald McDonald House. The Dogwood District meetings give club members an opportunity to meet and network with members from other clubs in the District.
October meeting, Tuesday, October 13th, at 6pm, Norcross Cultural Arts & Community Center
Ozzie Johnson and Lisa Bartlett-Plant Hunter to Plant Maker: Adventures in Backyard Breeding
November meeting, Tuesday November 10th, at 6pm, Norcross Cultural Arts & Community Center
Jennifer Petritz, Fall and Winter Berrying Plants for Gardens
Fall Plant Sale, Saturday, October 17th 10AM-2PM Heritage Park-More details to follow.
Peachtree Corners Garden Club will join us and will have plants for sale. Our club will have plants from the City containers to sell. Proceeds from our plants go to our Scholarship fund.
Pedal Norcross, Saturday, October 17th 3-6PM Downtown Norcross We will share a table/booth with Sustainable Norcross. We will have handouts for membership, programs and cottage rental. Contact Kathy if you can help at the table. (678.357.8684)
Tuesday, December 8th Our Holiday Celebration at the Cottage! Two seatings, 11AM for Brunch or 6PM for dinner. All are invited to attend one or both.
Bring a consumable gift with a holiday poem or quote-original or borrowed, merry or mischievous.
The Enchanted Forest Event is Sunday, November 1st at Johnson Dean Forest in Norcross.
Let us know if you or a friend would like to create a door to be placed in the forest. This is a family activity and many children in the area are excited about this experience every year. More information will be available as we get closer to Halloween.
Dogwood District’s Annual Fundraisers-see the flyer describing the items and other order details at the end of this newsletter. Trudy Rudert is a co-chair for this fundraiser. Give her a call if you have any questions,770.446.1428, leave a voicemail if she is not available.
Amaryllis and Paperwhite Bulbs-Order by September 25th using Jot Form
Flower Power Fall Bulbs-Order by October 15th http://gardenclubofgeorgiadogwooddistrict.fpfundraising.com
Three River Wreaths-order between October 15th and December 1st. An order link will be sent when it’s available.
Norcross Events (See https://www.norcrossga.net/) for details and more info and the event calendar: https://www.norcrossga.net/calendar.aspx?CID=22#changeDateMonthDropDown British Car Show, Saturday, September12th. Art Splash, Saturday and Sunday, Oct 3rd and 4th
LionHeart Theatre: https://lionhearttheatre.org/. See website for upcoming performances, times and ticket information. Performances have been selling out! Reserve early if you see something you like!
The Norcross Gallery and Studios are open Thursday-Saturday 11am-4:00pm to view works and exhibits by local artists. https://norcrossgalleryandstudios.org/
Peachtree Corners Events and Town Center Events Schedule-https://peachtreecornersga.gov/DocumentCenter/View/561/Full-2023-Event-Calendar-PDF?bidId=
The Forum https://theforumpeachtree.com/
