Driving down a gravel country road to a community of family members, past their own little church, cousins, sisters, mothers and generations of the Clark family, we come to the Robert and Sherry Clark home, proud family of American Army soldiers.
Fifteen members of the Plantation Garden Club were welcomed by Old Glory flying high and proud. A sparkling white home tidy as a band box, my mama would say, filled with love of God, family and Country.
The meeting was called to order in a cozy sunroom taking care of old and new business. Good news: Sumner will be overhauling the Christmas tree lights very soon, as the ones we have are older than dirt and not as pretty. More good news: the red maple trees the children planted a few years back are now 12 feet tall and most thrived without any fuss.
Cindy Ellis gave a report on crepe myrtle trees, using the dried berries, spray painted for holiday arrangements.
Sherry introduced guest speaker Caroline Colquett, past president of Delta Garden Club and Greenwood Garden Club.
Sherry gave a most interesting talk on the many ways of preserving flowers.
Using silicone molds and two-part resin compound, flowers such as her daughter’s bridal bouquet can be preserved under many layers of resin, adding each layer once air bubbles are pierced, stirred and layers allowed to dry. Patience is required, but a forever keepsake is worth the effort.
This task was self-taught on the fly with only one day’s notice from the bride. Caroline didn’t mind a bit because she had help planning the wedding at the Crossroads Gin owned by she and husband Jason, who make their home in Schlater. You wouldn’t normally think of a gin as a wedding venue, but organizer Pryor Hackleman from Pryor Engagement just has a way with these details that turn out beautifully.
A faster way to dry flowers is a microfleur. Just as it sounds, you arrange your flowers under soft sheets of felt-like material and clamp it shut between two microwaveable disks for one minute and that’s all the patience you need. There are a variety of wooden presses where you simply place your flowers between papers or absorbent materials and tighten the screws as needed, which may take a month or so.
Caroline showed a variety of resin items such as small candleholders and paper weights. Someone else mentioned using dried flowers on the outside of candles.
The best bridal story of the day was how Sylvia Murphey’s mom had the top of Sylvia’s cake decorated with sugar flowers. They just scooped off the top and placed them under a glass bell, where it remains today as beautiful as it was some 50-odd years ago.
Speaking of cake, Sherry has this remarkable friend who was making a very special cake for an event and wanted to make a practice cake first. We got the practice one and it was a winner. So elegant to look at. White layers about four high with a band of dried strawberries surrounding the perimeter peeking out edged in gold painted icing along the top. The cake was masterfully done. Inside was a light, delicate strawberry cake. The taste was made more so special served on pink floral dessert plates.
The co-hostesses, Sylvia Murphey and Jane Webb, offered coffee and fresh lemonade with a variety of crackers and berries.
It was a lovely end to summer and a welcoming time to visit with old friends.
