Garden Club of Ohio Inc.
My first plant purchase was at age 8: an Opuntia from the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. Next, my foray into bedroom mushroom growing resulted in a small crop of splendid funghi. The first was heart-shaped. Living in a Greenwich Village apartment while attending NYU, I craved greenery beyond measure. I had more than 100 house plants at one point, including tomatoes and castor beans on the fire escape.
infant gardens along the way. I arrived in Columbus in the fall of 1996, joined the Worthington Hills Garden Club in February 1997 and have been wholly immersed in gardening and garden club ever since. I have now lived in Worthington Hills for more than ten years, the longest I have ever lived in one home in my entire life. At last I can create all the gardens I have been planning for so many years. I am a plant collector, an herb specialist, a vegetable enthusiast and a committed and thoughtful organic gardener. I have more than 850 labeled and catalogued perennials in my 1/3 of an acre lot. I started planting native Ohio plants in 1998 and have increased their numbers over the years. I am also struggling with an addiction to day lily and Hosta cultivars. I can never have enough spring bulbs, and I have a hankering to resume mushroom production. It is a wonderful world. It is also a rapidly changing world. Geology tells us that the world is always changing: sometimes gradually, sometimes violently. Our earth only seems fixed because human lives are so brief. The mighty conflicts between tectonic plates creating earthquakes and tsunamis are inevitable. Climate cycles are inevitable. The willful and suicidal pollution of the air and water, the poisoning of the soil, the reckless destruction of wildlife habitat by one species, our species, are not inevitable, they are inexcusable. The global climate change we are experiencing, the damaged ozone layer and the mass extinction of species at 1,000 times background levels were not inevitable, unless we believe that human greed and stupidity will always triumph over all the love, kindness and intelligence in this world. For nearly 80 years Garden Club of Ohio members have stepped into the breach when there was a clear need in their communities. We helped urban dwellers plant Victory Gardens, we educated the public about litter, dumping and recycling. We continue to support Scenic Ohio and the Nature Conservancy. More recently, we held our first National Garden Clubs accredited-Environmental Studies School and established the Ohio Environmental Consultants Council. We have actively supported the new Ohio native plant botanical garden at the Ohio Governor’s Residence, providing funds and expertise. GCO has earned a permanent seat on their Garden Advisory Board and we will continue to support this project. Since 2001 with Seeds of Friendship, working with Partners in Conservation at the Columbus Zoo, we have provided seeds, gardening tools, goats and other goods that enable the people of Rwanda to feed their families. Poaching has been minimized, allowing Mountain Gorillas to live more safely in their habitat. We will carry on these efforts with continuing energy and enthusiasm. We will increase our participation in the Penny Pines project: a reforestation partnership between NGC and the USDA Forest Service. Reforestation can greatly decrease carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. We can and should do much more. Our incoming National President Barbara May will be asking us to Nurture Nature: Plant Natives. In keeping with that theme, Ohio is Going Native! • Too many Ohio gardens are dominated by monoculture grass lawns. We should plant native ground covers. • Too many Ohio gardens include invasive foreign shrubs, vines and ground covers. We should replace these in our own gardens. We should discourage the planting and even sale of these plants. We should organize and help to eradicate them from public spaces • Too many Ohio gardens use unnecessary fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. We should teach our membership about integrated pest management and encourage the planting of Ohio native species that will thrive without chemical additives that pollute our soil and water. • Too many Ohio gardens waste petroleum for mowing, weed-whacking and leaf-blowing, while polluting the air with fumes and deafening noise. Let’s manicure our nails, not our gardens! • Too many Ohio gardens waste water. Many Ohio native plants are drought tolerant and we hope that in two years every GCO member will be able to spell and practice xericulture: The growing of plants with a minimal use of water. • Too much of our organic waste goes into landfill where it generates methane, 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Composting reduces methane in the atmosphere and returns nutrients to the soil. Native plants also provide habitat and sustenance for wildlife, including butterflies and songbirds. Our goal is to share this knowledge with every Ohio garden club member. We are “Going Native” by incorporating native plants within our lawns and gardens. To this end, we plan to use an Operation Wildflower Grant from NGC for a one-day Native Plant Symposium to be held in the Cincinnati area in 2008. We hope that we will be able to make this event free and open to the public. A second Environmental Studies School will begin later this year. GCO’s IRS status does not allow us to endorse political candidates or propositions. However it is within our objectives to inform our members of legislation that pertains to our goals. All members will soon be able to sign up for legislative web alerts from our Legislature Chair. We will urge you to contact your legislators, whatever position you may take on these matters. Let them know that Garden Club members care. Let them know that we are watching them! Our website will be moving soon. The free website we have been using was far too small for everything we would like to include. We hope that all of you will have news to report and photos to share on this bigger and better site. Look for reports on and lists of Ohio Native Plants from our Environmental and Horticulture Committee members. We can’t solve all the world’s problems, but we can solve many problems in our own backyards. We are only 6,000 people, but we are not ordinary people. We are gardeners. Gardeners dream and plan, plant and then adapt to the unforeseen. In the end, we always succeed. If we did not, all humanity would still be roving hunter-gatherers. Gardeners are generous in spirit. We share knowledge, we share seeds and we share the fruits of our labors. We share laughter and love. We are known and respected in our communities. Each one of us has many circles of influence: family, friends, neighbors, religious, charitable, civic, alumni organizations, sewing circles and sports teams. We can share our message at work, play and worship. Our enthusiasm and success will attract new members. Be prepared to welcome them. Be prepared to consider new ideas they will bring. Together we can be a strong force for changes in attitudes and in practice. • We can use native plants in our landscapes, private and public. • We can replace lawns with native ground covers. • We can identify invasive plants in our communities and organize to eradicate them. • We can compost our organic waste. • We can let our legislators know where we stand on bills that affect our environment. Together we can do this and more. The harder we work, the more we achieve, the sooner we will be able to sleep at night knowing that our children and grandchildren will inherit this wonderful world. We will share the fruits of our labors with all living things on the planet. This after all is the ultimate goal of the gardener. I hope that you are as excited about the next two years as I am. It is a great honor and pleasure to serve as your President. I have enjoyed getting to know many of you during our Spring and Fall tours these past four years. I hope to meet many more of you soon. Please remember that GARDENERS ALWAYS SUCCEED! With love, Victoria |
| Presidents Message |
| Victoria Bergesen President of GCO 2007-2009 |
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Dear GCO Members,
July is the real kickoff to the summer in my neighborhood. We hold our own Fourth of July parade
with floats (sometimes including one by the garden club), children, pets, celebrities in limos
throwing candy and fire engines to end it all! Amid all the parades and parties, I hope we will all
stop and think a bit about our nation’s birth. It was a long and difficult one, but it brought forth a
healthy and resilient people joined together determined to form a just, prosperous and peaceful
nation: a place where we always expect for our children to have more than we did; a place where
tomorrow will not just be another day, but a brighter day. All of this is now threatened by global
warming.
“This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue, one that affects the survival of human
civilization. It is not a question of left versus right; it is a question of right versus wrong. Put
simply, it is wrong to destroy the habitability of our planet and ruin the prospects of every
generation that follows ours.” Thus wrote Al Gore on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times
(July 1, 2007). Many of us are intimidated by the enormity of what we have wrought. Where do
even begin to put it all right? There cannot be any question that we are on the cusp of a global
crisis.
First, write your State and Federal congressional representatives. A majority of our population is
disenchanted with these representatives and there is a temptation to complain to pollsters and
commentators instead of the source of our dissatisfaction. There are so many laws affecting the
environment, which do we support or condemn? Back in the 1960s and 70s we used to say that
“everything is political”. I think we can now say “everything is environmental”. We literally cannot
breathe without affecting our environment. I propose that you write your representatives and tell
them how you feel. I am not a legal, legislative or environmental professional. I cannot evaluate the
legislation that is passing through our legislatures, but I know that the environment is not their
priority. It must be. Please write and ask for action. When you receive a form letter telling you that
your opinion is being taken under consideration, write again…and again.
It can be overwhelming to change our personal lives, as we must, in response to the crisis. But try
to do something. My June achievement was hosting a rain barrel installation by the Friends of the
Lower Olentangy River Watershed (FLOW). Every storm seems to miss my neighborhood, but
even a sprinkle nets me a barrel full of water—75 gallons. It is shocking to see how quickly it goes,
even though I do not water the lawn or established perennials. Contact your local watershed
organization and inquire about rain barrels, many of them offer them at a subsidized cost. Not only
does the barrel lessen runoff into our waterways, but it makes us more conscious of how much
water we are using.
Let’s honor the founders of our great nation, by preserving our land. Begin to change your habits
and ask your representatives to put the environment at the top of their agenda.
With love,
Victoria Bergesen
July is the real kickoff to the summer in my neighborhood. We hold our own Fourth of July parade
with floats (sometimes including one by the garden club), children, pets, celebrities in limos
throwing candy and fire engines to end it all! Amid all the parades and parties, I hope we will all
stop and think a bit about our nation’s birth. It was a long and difficult one, but it brought forth a
healthy and resilient people joined together determined to form a just, prosperous and peaceful
nation: a place where we always expect for our children to have more than we did; a place where
tomorrow will not just be another day, but a brighter day. All of this is now threatened by global
warming.
“This is not a political issue. This is a moral issue, one that affects the survival of human
civilization. It is not a question of left versus right; it is a question of right versus wrong. Put
simply, it is wrong to destroy the habitability of our planet and ruin the prospects of every
generation that follows ours.” Thus wrote Al Gore on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times
(July 1, 2007). Many of us are intimidated by the enormity of what we have wrought. Where do
even begin to put it all right? There cannot be any question that we are on the cusp of a global
crisis.
First, write your State and Federal congressional representatives. A majority of our population is
disenchanted with these representatives and there is a temptation to complain to pollsters and
commentators instead of the source of our dissatisfaction. There are so many laws affecting the
environment, which do we support or condemn? Back in the 1960s and 70s we used to say that
“everything is political”. I think we can now say “everything is environmental”. We literally cannot
breathe without affecting our environment. I propose that you write your representatives and tell
them how you feel. I am not a legal, legislative or environmental professional. I cannot evaluate the
legislation that is passing through our legislatures, but I know that the environment is not their
priority. It must be. Please write and ask for action. When you receive a form letter telling you that
your opinion is being taken under consideration, write again…and again.
It can be overwhelming to change our personal lives, as we must, in response to the crisis. But try
to do something. My June achievement was hosting a rain barrel installation by the Friends of the
Lower Olentangy River Watershed (FLOW). Every storm seems to miss my neighborhood, but
even a sprinkle nets me a barrel full of water—75 gallons. It is shocking to see how quickly it goes,
even though I do not water the lawn or established perennials. Contact your local watershed
organization and inquire about rain barrels, many of them offer them at a subsidized cost. Not only
does the barrel lessen runoff into our waterways, but it makes us more conscious of how much
water we are using.
Let’s honor the founders of our great nation, by preserving our land. Begin to change your habits
and ask your representatives to put the environment at the top of their agenda.
With love,
Victoria Bergesen
Installment message
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