Salisbury Garden Club

September 16, 2026 – Presentation & Design Demonstration: “Container Gardening 101” by Connor Parrish

Conner is the Founder & CEO of Bloomistry (formerly Blossoming Roots Farm & Supply), a conservation-focused garden and education company offering 300+ learning programs for all ages, beyond-organic garden consulting/ installation, and organic garden products that help you live a more eco-aligned life.  Conner plans to instruct us on the right way to create a container garden. He will provide practical tips and tricks for making a beautiful planter as well as how to maintain it once its established. He will also build a container garden for us. Opportunity tickets will be sold for this creation. 

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October 21, 2026 – Presentation: “Going Native without Feeding Bambi” by Lourdes Osorio

​​​A Master Gardener for over 25 years, Lourdes Osorio enjoys creating eco-friendly sanctuaries for butterflies, bees, other insects and birds. She is the creator and host Native Plant Channel on YouTube and Facebook, a free educational resource that helps gardeners design ecological landscapes by growing native plants.  This lecture discusses deer-resistant native plants, their growing requirements and their value to pollinators. It will help you save time and money on plant selection as you create your own paradise. 

 

November 18, 2026 – Design Demonstration: “Its the Little Things that Matter” by Judy Binns

​​Judy is a longtime member of the Salisbury GC, former President of Virginia Federation of Garden Clubs, NGC Accredited Master Flower Show Judge and NGC Flower Show School Design Instructor. She has served on the National Garden Clubs Board of Directors since 2007. Judy enjoys traveling with her husband, spending time with grandchildren and introducing them to the wonders of gardening and flower arranging.  Judy will lead us through how to prepare and create petite designs for a standard flower show. As a renowned judge she will share her expertise in creating compliant works such that they may be displayed at a flower show.

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December 16, 2026 – Design Demonstration: “Seasonal Splendor” by Kathy Ward

​Kathy is a longtime member of Salisbury Garden Club. She is a floral design educator and advocate with extensive experience in both garden club leadership and floral arts instruction. She often uses simple, open silhouettes and minimal plant material to demonstrate core design concepts, Kathy plans to create 4 to 5 designs celebrating the holidays at her Floral Design challenge Dec program. We will provide the containers and flowers, and she will stun us with beautiful arrangements. Her creations will focus on Christmas as well as New Years. Opportunity tickets will be available for the designs. 

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January 20, 2027– Presentation: ”Interesting Pods, Seed Heads & Cones from the Garden" by Sheila Weisensale

​Sheila is an avid flower gardener and loves to press flowers and make pressed flower items. Sheila also loves to grow and create floral designs using material from her own cut flower garden. She loves to cook using fresh herbs from her garden.
Most garden programs focus on the flowers and foliage in the garden. However, how many focus on the interesting pods, seed heads, and cones that our garden plants create? In this program Sheila discusses a large mix of plants including annuals, perennials, tender perennials, grasses, shrubs and trees with light requirement ranging from full sun to full shade which yield interesting pods, seed heads, or cones.

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February 17, 2027 – Presentation & Demonstration: “Perfume History” by Rebecca Suerdieck 

​Rebecca is an award-winning Virginia historian, living historian, and independent scholar based in Williamsburg, dedicated to uncovering and sharing the overlooked stories of Virginia’s past.  The demonstration that Rebecca will do for us is on perfume making. It showcases the art and science of perfume making in early Virginia. It will help us learn how this was done for culinary, medicinal and cosmetic purposes and allow us to experience a forgotten trade.

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March 17, 2027 – Design Demonstration: “Designers Challenge” by David Pippin

​David Pippin was born and raised in Louisa County, Virginia. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education. Prior to founding David Pippin, Inc. in 2000, he worked and became known for his knowledge and creative talents in a variety of horticultural and education venues in the Richmond area.  David plans to create arrangements that focus on Easter and Spring in containers and with flowers we supply. He will talk us through how to make them last as well as tips and tricks for designing. Opportunity tickets will be available for the designs.
 

April 21, 2027 – Design Demonstration: “Ikebana in the Oriental Manner” by Diane Burgess

​Diane is the proud mother of four grown children and two precious grandchildren. She’s an NGC Master Judge who is a Member of the River Road Garden Club, the Goochland Garden Club, the Piedmont and Virginia Judges’ Council, the Richmond Designers’ Guild as well as Ikebana of Richmond. She has an MA in Art History and studied painting, sculpture and ceramics as well. Diane is very happy to have found Creative Floral Design as her personal art form.  Diane will lead us through how to prepare and create Ikebana Floral Designs. Diane brings extensive knowledge and experience with this type of design. Her leadership will provide us with tips and practices that will enable us to create this type of design for our flower show in May.  She plans to create four or five designs during her presentation. Opportunity tickets will be available for the designs. 

 

May 19, 2027: SGC Annual Awards and Installation Luncheon - Boathouse @ Sunday Park

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