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There are flowers enough in the summertime, More flowers than I can remember— But none with the purple, gold, and red That dye the flowers of September! ~ Mary Howitt (1799-1888) The Garden Club held its first live meeting in July. President Pam Mikkelson welcomed everyone back. There was so much joy and excitement in the air as we greeted members and friends we had not seen for a very long time. There were about 100 people who attended, and we welcomed eight new members. Pam acknowledged and thanked the following people for working diligently to keep the Garden Club alive during the COVID shutdown: Suzie Messick, Maureen Keeney, Connie Cutner, Charlene Fink, Barbara Elness, Kathy Bradley, Linda Viera, Sandy Swenson, Judy Garthwaite, Diane Smith, Pat Pennington, Chuck Rassmussen, and Raelene Kretchman. The Garden Club had a great turnout for the Summer Games. The winners will be announced at the medal presentation ceremony. Pat Pennington was introduced as the new resident garden go-to guy, "Garden-Of-Eatem" so be sure and contact him with all your garden questions. He will talk about different vegetables at every Garden Club meeting. The Sept. 8 meeting starts at 10 am in the Main Clubhouse Ballroom. We have a surprise guest speaker. See you there. September is my favorite month. I know it is the end of summer for a lot of people, and it comes with it the fear of cold nights, rainy, windy afternoons, and a significant shortage of vitamin D. But September, with the shifting of the seasons, fills me with anticipation, nostalgia, and a wave of contentment, and of course cooler weather. However, I do believe the actual reason I adore September is it's one of the most beautiful months of the year. The word "pretty" is stressed. The weather is consistent, the scenery is breathtaking, and there is still enough summer in the air to warm the soul. In your September garden, you can cultivate a variety of stunning fall-blooming perennial and annual flowers from seed with careful planning; if you're like me, you may prefer the ease of purchasing plants from the nursery. Some of my personal favorites this month are Asters, Kale, Calendula, Chrysanthemum, Cosmos, Daisies, Marigolds, Snap Dragons and Pansies. These flowers are sure to keep your garden looking fresh for the next couple of months. For membership, contact Sherry Case at (951) 533-3584 or Linda Powers at (951) 769-3101. If you have vegetable garden questions, contact Pat Pennington at (951) 314- 9229, "The Garden of Eatem" advisor. For general information contact President Pam Mikkelsen at (951) 797-3080. Happy gardening. ~ Raelene Kretchman Garden Club 42 | SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | SEPTEMBER 2021 |