Eastland Gardens Civic Association

Homestead Gardens Annual Garden Show kicks off March 13 and special events run through March 21.

Homestead Gardens, this side of Annapolis in Davidsonville MD, is the best destination nursery in the DC metro area.  Tonight through Sunday, March 21, is their annual spring flower show KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOR, which is the next best thing to Phildelphia, free and much closer to home.  Take Route 50 and exit Davidsonville OR just continue out East Capitol Street.

 

http://www.homesteadgardens.com/events/events/kaleidoscope-of-color.html

 

Besides special exhibits, there is also a schedule of talks and demonstrations:

 

11 am Sat March 13:  WTOP's Mike McGrath on using flowers to attract insects to control garden pests
  1 pm Sat March 13:  Backyard fruit growing.
Noon Sun March 14:  WTOP's Mike McGrath on getting your lawn off drugs
 2 pm Sun March 14: Goldsmith Seed's Faith Savage on color combos that work in your garden
 3 pm Sun March 14:  Godsmith Seeed's Dean Bernis on the 6 principles of colorscaping
 
10 am Sat March 20:  $30 Salad Container workshop (by prior reservation)
 Noon Sat March 20:  Graham Rice on new perennials for your garden
  2 pm Sat March 20: Katy Moss Warner on color combinations for your garden.
 Noon Sun March 21: Katy Moss Warner on color combinations for your garden.
 1 pm Sun March 21:  Graham Rice signs his book "The All-In-One Garden"
 2 pm Sun March 21:  Gene Sumi on preparing flower beds and vegetable gardens
 3 pm Sun March 21:  Graham Rice on new perennials for your garden

Eastland Gardens Flower Club Needs YOU to Help Put Together Pictorial Book on our Community!!

The Eastland Gardens Flower Club is publishing a pictorial book and we’re asking YOU to submit pictures of days past: Family gatherings, memorable events, newspaper articles, sporting events & anything else that occurred in Eastland Gardens.

The book, published by Arcadia Publishing, will highlight YOUR community and join a series of historic keepsake books.

Please call to set up a time & place to meet to pick up your photos and/or discuss
your memories. (We will handle your photos with care, scan  and return them immediately.
You can also scan photos in high resolution and email to webmaster@eastlandgardensdc.org)

You can also contact:  Javier Barker 202-450-3155 or j58barker@yahoo.com or Regina King 202-388-1323 or rking24289@aol.com

 

Spring Flower Show April 25, 2010

On April 25th, 2010 from 2-5PM the Ayr Hill Garden Club will hold a spring flower show.  The title is "Let the Games Begin".  The show will be at 307 Windover Ave. NW, Vienna, VA.  The show is held in conjunction with the "Walk on the Hill", an annual event where the lovely grounds of historic homes are opened to the public for viewing.  The show is free and open to the public.

Thank you in advance for publishing this notice in you newsletter.  This is always a fun event as there are designs and horticulture as you would expect at a flower show and there is the opportunity to see the lovely landscaping of the historic homes.

Eastland Gardens Flower Club Produces Brochure on HIstory of Architecture in Our Community

Quotation Source

Eastland Gardens Flower Club Celebrates 53 Years with Garden Tour & Tribute

The Flower Club wass proud to return to its tradition of hosting an annual garden tour Saturday June 20 which was followed by a 53rd anniversary tribute to late founder, Rhuedine Davis. The morning began with a walking tour of several homes and gardens in the Eastland Gardens community. The anniversary program held  at the National Aquatic Gardens featured a brief program which included junior planting for kids, a historical briefing on the club's activities and a reception for community members and guests. Mayor Adrian Fenty delivered a special greeting proclamation congratulating the club on 53 years of success as various Capital area garden club representatives were in attendance. Thanks everyone for your volunteerism and participation!

David Healy, District One Director of the National Capital Area Garden Clubs posted the following blog, with photos by Bill Dean which can be found at: http://ncadistrict1.blogspot.com/2009/06/eastland-gardens-flower-club-celebrates.html:

 

Eastland Gardens Flower Club Celebrates 53 Years

June 20, 2009: The rejuvenated Eastland Gardens Flower Club, the first African-American garden club in metropolitan Washington DC, celebrated its 53rd anniversary with an homage to its founder Mrs. Rhuedine G. Davis. Mrs. Davis was on Lady Bird Johnson's committee for the "beautifying" (today we'd call it "greening") of Northeast Washington and worked tirelessly in the Eastland Gardens community. The celebration occurred under a steady rain at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, but during the proceedings the storm passed and we had a sunny interlude to see the water lilies, lotus and Kenilworth Marsh.

Violinist Danielle Davis performed for the assembly:








Zerline A. Hughes [sic] gave the welcome and Erman T. Clay, Sr., discussed the history of the club; Mr. Clay regularly presided at the installation of club officers when it was a women's club:











Club president Javier Barker recognized special guests and thanked those who organized the event; Delores Crim-Neal spoke about club founder Rhuedine G. Davis, whom she had known:











The program closed with a recitation of the club's Gardener's Creed:
The club history display:
The hats of early club members (Mrs. Davis's on the left):
A luncheon followed the meeting:













Canada geese in the rain:




















Shine:

District 1 Director David Healy and NCAGC 2d Vice President Babs McClendon pause at the end of the boardwalk into Kenilworth Marsh.

This view of Kenilworth Marsh is looking west towards the Anacostia River which is hidden by the distant trees. The river of brown plants are nuphar, which are believed to be the ancestor of both water lilies and lotus.
Two bees on pickerelweed blossom and a dragonfly:








Butterflies:








Smoky Bracket (Bjerkandera adjusta) on a decomposing tree:
Red-winged blackbird and an osprey:








A turtle:
Photos by Bill Dean.

 

Washington Youth Garden Seeks Volunteers

If you're not busy enough with your own garden, we have regular times for volunteers to come out to the youth garden every Tuesday and Saturday, from 9am to 12:30pm located at the Arboretum - you can find directions to the Arboretum and the youth garden within the Arboretum here:
http://www.washingtonyouthgarden.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=56&Itemid=74

The program also utilizes volunteers to help with some of our programming - and they have a family program every Saturday morning and a summer camp during the week starting in June. Email me if you are interested in volunteering at the youth garden, contact Kacie Warner at 202-245-2709.

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Eastland Gardens Featured in Historic Preservation Newsletter

The spring edition of the Landmarks, a quarterly publication of the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Office, features an article that mentions Eastland Gardens and the DC Community Heritage Project. Click here to read and find out more or go to: http://planning.dc.gov/planning/cwp/view,a,1284,q,570832.asp and look under “HPO Guides, Reports, and Publications.”

Beautification Grant Awarded to Flower Club

Congratulations to the Eastland Gardens Flower Club for being awarded a Parks & People beautification grant. The grant helped supply plants, sitting areas and shrubs to three areas in our neighborhood. Residents are needed and encouraged to volunteer their time, garden tools, pick up trucks and donations to clean up and plant throughout our Eastland Gardens community. For more information, contact Eastland Gardens Flower Club President Javier Barker at 202.388.1108.

 The May 10th meeting began the neighborhood beautification as Javier Barker, Delores Crim-Neal, Thelma Jackson and Greg Williams (aka Koogaloo) and Althia Harris dug, weed-wacked, planted and mulched the triangle island at Kenilworth, Meade and 44th. Click here to see their progress.

More projects are on the way. Email or call Javier. If you can’t volunteer your muscle, volunteer by dropping off water and goodies for the volunteers. Click here to see more photos of the project.

 Delores Crim-Neal, Thelma Jackson, Javier Barker and Althia Harristake a break and strike a pose. 

            Hard at work.                                                          Youngest, honorary members
                                                                                             Jobe & Jaylah Jennings pitch in.

Jobe Jennings shows off the club's nearly finished product!

Click here to see more photos of the project.

 

photos courtesy Zerline Hughes Jennings

Eastland Gardens Flower Club Brunch Fall 2007

Click here to read Eastland Gardens Flower Club Bylaws