Members of the Clermont Garden Club have been selling Caladium bulbs for over 10 years. Each year our bulbs arrive directly from the grower in Lake Placid Florida, which is the “Caladium Capital of the World”.  This year, there are three varieties to choose from: “Florida Cardinal” (red), “White Queen” (white), and “Carolyn Whorton” (pink).

Sales of bulbs begin in March.

Sales to the public will be March 17 & 18 during the Clermont Garden Club Flower Show;

April 15 at the Clermont Garden Club “Garden Walk”;

and if there are any remaining bulbs, they will be sold May 6 at our Spring Garden Festival.

Cost for each bag of 5 bulbs is $5.

Red – Florida Cardinal       White – White Queen      Pink – Carolyn Whorton

Clermont Garden Club member, Grace Rabano, has loaned her aloe vera plant to the Cooper Memorial Library for the month of January. Aloe is a genus of flowering succulent plants that can be successfully cultivated indoors or out, and are very easy to maintain. The most famous one is aloe vera, with its peculiar and unique thorn-edged leaves. The thick leaves are filled with gooey flesh that stores water for survival in its native desert territories. The ‘mother’ plant can produce a lot of pups (offspring) and the most common way of propagating is to separate pups and to plant them in new containers. Aloe vera does well in sandy or loamy soil, which should dry completely between watering. The plant only needs watering every 15-21 days.

[photo: Grace Rabano, pictured with Kortni Sanders, has loaned her aloe vera plant to Cooper Memorial Library in Clermont]

Clermont Garden Club members meet every third Wednesday of the month (September through May), except scheduled field trips, Holiday Luncheon and End of the Year Luncheon, at the clubhouse located at 849 West Avenue, Clermont, FL 34711.  Meetings begin at 10:00 A.M.  New members and guest are warmly welcome.

Clermont Garden Club is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization.

Tina loaned a bromeliad in a very unique planter to City Hall for the month of January.  She is pictured with Ray San Fratello.

New gardeners learning how to grow bromeliads will find that the plant doesn’t need deep pots or thick potting soils. They do even better in shallow pots and may grow in low soil mediums such as orchid mix, a blend of bark, and other organic amendments.

Water needs are easily met by filling the cup at the base of the leaves.

Bring your clippers and we will supply the rest!  Join us on Saturday, December 17, 2022, from 10 AM – Noon at the Clermont Garden Club and create your own Christmas arrangement.

The cost is $35 per person.  RSVP to Cindy Simon, bsktcindy@earthlink.net by Saturday, December 10, by 5:00 PM to reserve your space.  If paying by credit card, go to the Eventbrite site to register and pay:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/holiday-floral-arrangement-tickets-474780670767

Cash or checks will be accepted at the door, but you must pre-register to ensure we have enough floral materials available.  Make checks payable to “Clermont Garden Club”.

Questions?  Email Cindy Simon at bsktcindy@earthlink.net.  Space is limited, so sign up quickly!

Clermont Garden Club – 849 West Ave – Clermont, FL 34711

Poinsettias are popular plants to display in the month of December and our two members delivered beautiful poinsettias to City Hall and Cooper Memorial Library.

Lor Toth loaned a poinsettia to City Hall this month and is pictured with one of the receptionists.

Barb Williams, not pictured, delivered a poinsettia to Cooper Memorial Library.

A member of the Clermont Garden Club loans a plant each month September through May to City Hall and Cooper Memorial Library to share information with the public on specific plants, their care, and information about our club meeting dates and times.

Linda Lauletta has loaned her anthurium plant to the Clermont City Hall for the month of October. Staff member, Ray Sanfratello, seen in picture accepting plant to display at front entrance of city hall.

Anthurium is a genus of about 1,000 species of flowering plants, the largest genus of the arum family, Araceae. General common names include anthurium, tailflower, flamingo flower, and laceleaf.

The plant grows best in bright, indirect light; prefers coarse well-draining soil; soil kept slightly moist, never allowed to dry out completely; and prefers high humidity with temperatures between 65-85 degrees. To encourage flowering use a phosphorus-rich fertilizer diluted ¼ strength and feed plant weekly during growing season.

Ray San Fratello, right, accepts plants from Gwen Carter, CGC member.

For the month of September, Clermont Garden Club member,  Gwen Carter,  shared three (3) Tillandsia plants, aka “Air Plants” with Clermont City Hall.

Tillandsia is a genius of around 650 species of evergreen, perennial plants in the family Bromeliaceae, native to the forest, mountains and deserts of Northern Mexico and south-eastern United States,  Mesoamerica and Caribbean to mid Argentina.

They are called “Air Plants” since they don’t require soil and take their nutrients from the air.  However, they still need water, nutrients,  and light to survive.  Air Plants are epiphytes, meaning they grow in nature on another tree, hosts, or object.

Air Plants do best with a few hours of bright, indirect sun daily.  Place within 1 to 3 feet of an east or west facing window, or within a foot or two of an artificial light source.

To water your air plants, soak them upside down in water for 20 minutes every two weeks or more if they are in dry areas.  Most tap water is fine, but it depends on the quality of water in your community.   Best  water to use is rain water, aquarium water, or pond water because these are richer in nutrients.   Dry the plants upside down.

Every month, from September through May, a Clermont Garden Club member loans a plant to Clermont City Hall to promote horticulture awareness and connect our community to Clermont Garden Club’s programs,  civic activities,  and community outreach.

Clermont Garden Club members meet every third Wednesday of the month (September through May), except scheduled field trips,  Holiday Luncheon and End of the Year Luncheon,  at the clubhouse located at 849 West Avenue,  Clermont,  Florida 34711.  Meetings begin at 10:00 A.M.  New members and guests are warmly welcome.

Clermont Garden Club is a 501 c3 nonprofit organization.