Margaret Hines, garden club guest, works on her Traditional arrangement. Garden club members Joyce Holtman and Thecla are seated in the background.
Members of the Senior Citizens’ Group and the New Castle Garden Club gathered at the Manor’s Community Room on the morning of Thursday, July 13, to participate in a flower-arranging workshop sponsored by the garden club.
The workshop was led by Nancy Goodman, a resident of Roanoke who is a certified flower show judge and floral designer. This was Mrs. Goodman’s second visit to New Castle to provide instruction in flower arranging, using the widely accepted formats and standards of the National Garden Club.
Following a brief discussion on the differences between Creative and Traditional floral designs attendees were encouraged to try their hand at making one or the other. Mrs. Goodman moved from workstation to work station offering encouragement and suggestions while also dispensing technical advice. She generously provided a variety of containers from her personal collection for those who came expecting merely to observe and garden club members eagerly shared their flower supplies. This spirit of cooperation resulted in several more arrangements being made, much to the delight of both the instructor and the students.
Mrs. Goodman finished the morning by making one more arrangement using only the leftover bits and pieces. Her point with the final flourish was to show how artistic one can be using imagination and very little material. She was chagrined, but also pleased, when her students, citing specific design principles, requested that she modify her arrangement. Lessons had been learned!
At the completion of the workshop the ladies enjoyed a casual lunch. A variety of pizzas ordered from Bibo’s served as the main course and the garden club’s principle contribution to the meal. The women of the Senior Citizens’ Group provided a tossed salad, fresh fruit and an array of delicious homemade desserts. Service and beverages were also provided by the garden club.
Everyone agreed that the event was a success and many went home with a lovely floral arrangement. All went home with the memory of a very enjoyable morning spent with longtime and newly made friends.
-Submitted by Lee Greiser, President New Castle Garden Club
