Lubeck Acres Garden Club President Judi White inspects the fringe tree fruit. (Photo Provided)

PARKERSBUREG — Lubeck Acres Garden Club met Sept. 17 at the John Bloomberg Arboretum besides the Parkersburg Wood County Public Library.

Members in attendance were Judi White, Dina Braniff, Beth Drake, Lynn Greenly, Keith Cutright, Mike Armstrong and Lynn VanFosson. President Judi White called the meeting to order and the minutes were by Carolyn Stephens and the treasurer’s report was by Linda Seabolt.

State Garden Club President Vickie Stedman sent a certificate for the No. 2 Youth Club Award for 2020 from the Southern Atlantic Region of National Garden Clubs in recognition of Forming a Youth Conservation Club and a $25 check. The West Virginia Garden Club also presented the Carolyn Patterson Award for Educational Excellence to Lubeck Acres Garden Club in recognition of Lubeck Conservation Club.

Keith Cutright presented awards from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. Lubeck Elementary School received second place in the Mountain Laurel category and a check for $300 from Toyota Motor Manufacturing. The category recognizes groups that have completed a project addressing an environmental need with members age 6-11.

The work that went into making the butterfly garden at Lubeck Elementary school provided a habitat for butterflies and other pollinators that face a shortage of natural habitats being destroyed by development, herbicides and pollution.

A second award from the Department of Environmental Protection went to Lubeck Elementary Conservation Club. It received first place in the Keep West Virginia Beautiful Award.

Three particularly educational horticulture elements of the meeting was included the fruit bearing fringe tree in the arboretum. The fringe tree is a native plant and gets its name from its clouds of fleecy white, softly fragrant flowers that hang from the branches in late spring and early summer.

Trees can be either male or female. Males sport larger, showier blooms, but females form attractive, blackish-blue fruits that birds like. The tree in the arboretum is female and garden club members were able to see the fruits.

The arbor over the outdoor classroom used to have wisteria that had huge lavender blooms in the spring, however the branches grew so much it damaged the arbor. The wisteria was removed and now passion plant which vines and has lavender and purple blooms has been planted and they are blooming.

Mike Armstrong provided the third horticulture element of the meeting. He brought items grown in his garden including long beans, bitter melon, rhubarb, zucchini and butternut squash.

Long Beans and Bitter Melon are both great additions to stir fry and soups.

White gave a book review of “Nature’s Best Hope A New Attempt at Conservation that Starts in Your Yard” by Doug Tallamy.

To join the Lubeck Acres Garden Club, contact White at judiwhite@suddenlink.net.