Sussex Gardeners work holiday magic

As the Sussex Gardeners enter their 87th year, the club continues to honor its cherished holiday traditions. 

Civic Beautification co-chairs Crystal Selway and Sandra Skidmore designed and installed holiday greenery and décor at the Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes and on the gates of the Rehoboth Beach Public Library. Spruced Up for the Holidays is this year’s theme, featuring evergreens, fresh wreaths and potted trees, along with hand-painted wooden ornaments and pine cones. The window ledges are decorated with wooden shoes filled with holiday treats for good little Dutch children. An educational table presented by club member Kathy Ackerman continues the evergreen theme with a display highlighting the horticultural differences in Christmas trees including firs, spruces and pines.

This is the first year for Sussex Gardeners to work in collaboration with library staff to decorate the Rehoboth library gates.  The gardeners used fresh evergreen swags, magnolia leaves and winter foliage to create the outdoor décor in the Colonial Williamsburg style. Magnolia seed pods coated with peanut butter and birdseed are also featured in the swags to encourage winter birds to visit!

As part of a long-standing tradition, the club held its annual December workshop where members made over 200 nosegays and several wreaths using evergreens, winter foliage and holiday ribbons. The nosegays were donated to the local Meals on Wheels organization, where they will adorn holiday meal trays for community members. The wreaths are donated for display at local public buildings. The Garden Therapy Committee, chaired by Joan Boraski and Abbe Barbado, recently visited the Brandywine senior living facility in Rehoboth and helped residents create floral arrangements for display in their rooms over the holidays. 

The Sussex Gardeners is a federated garden club and is part of the Delaware, Central Atlantic and National Federation. Club members combine gardening, horticulture and floral design with dedication to community service. Fundraising supports community outreach and provides scholarship monies for college-bound students in the state. Learn more via email to SussexGardeners@gmail.com and follow Sussex Gardeners on Facebook.