When members of the Garden Club stepped into the ballroom of Bermuda Run Country Club on September 4th, they were met with a stunning display of buckets of flowers, the scent of lilies, and a table displaying notebooks that chronicled the club’s history from its inception. It was certainly going to be a special day! Hostesses Donna Lamonds, Peggy Schuppert, and Alice Bostrom prepared beautiful centerpieces of fall flowers that lucky winners were able to take home. Anniversary committee members Diana Kaylor, Diane Guthrie, Karen Cohn, and Beth Wright also assisted.

President Donna Lamonds shared highlights of the club’s history, starting with the North Carolina Garden Club award for the Davie County Recycling project headed by member Carol Quinn. The Bermuda Run Post Office landscape was designed, planted, and maintained by the club. The Blue Memorial and Daffodil Garden at the I-40 rest stop won state and regional awards. We have contributed to the Blue Heron Trail, and this spring, won another state award for our work with the Junior Gardeners at Ellis Middle School. Members take part in continuing education and plan for more opportunities to serve our communities.

After a delicious lunch was cleared away, our special guest Reggie Walser was welcomed. He hardly needed an introduction to these flower lovers as he has been our guest three other times. Reggie has been creating floral arrangements since he was a teenager, going on to run Reggie’s Floral Shop in Welcome, NC for over 40 years. He’s decorated the White House at Christmas, been named both North Carolina and South Carolina designer of the year, and North Carolina florist of the year in 2012. Due to health concerns, he closed the shop two years ago, but he proved to us that his talent and passion are as strong as ever.

Then the fun began! Each member was given a large container of at least 15 different flowers and a ceramic vase with a floral oasis. All eyes turned to Reggie as he took us step-by-step through the placement of flowers in the oasis. He gave tips on how to get the flowers to last the longest, why to prune petals and leaves, and how to create a balanced display on all four sides of our vase. He frequently stepped away from his work table to give personal instruction all around the room. We learned a lot!  One thing was clear, you cannot hurry when you attempt to create beauty with live flowers. Another is that even though we all watched, listened, and emulated this award-winning florist, each of our creations was different, and yet all were spectacular! Our anniversary celebration was more than enough to propel us into another decade.