District 1 club learns about landscapes
Members of the District 1 Garden Club of Alabama met at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Decatur to learn about landscapes and install new officers.
Harry Wallace, owner of Little Cypress Natives LLC, presented a program called “Does Your Home Landscape Pass the Test?” Wallace is well known for his Shoals Creek landscape tour from Little Cypress Natives Landscaping — Alabama Garden Walks.
Wallace spoke about the importance of using native plants, noting they are already adapted to regional conditions. This makes them great for gardens. They require less soil and water, and they need less upkeep than non-native plants.
Native plants provide a variety of necessary resources for birds, pollinators, insects and wildlife, and they support the local ecosystem by being more resistant to pathogens and pests, Wallace said. A wide variety of native flowering plants, grasses, trees and shrubs may thrive in a person’s own backyard.
He also discussed the importance of our ecosystem and gave examples of what we can do to help. Wallace said the oak tree is the most important, adding it supports more than 435 species that grow in five continents — with 100 found in North America. Oak trees provide food and habitat for many animals, so don’t cut them down, he said.
There is increasing awareness of the environmental threats and population decline of insects. The primary reasons for these losses are disappearing habitat, climate change and pesticide use, he said. The monarch butterfly is not as prevalent today as it used to be. Wallace suggested planting milkweed in gardens as the monarch caterpillar feeds on milkweed.
Wallace shared several slides of the many beautiful landscapes he has created. In Florence, Wallace leads walking tours of the historic district on Walnut Street and the Florence City Cemetery.
He enjoys sharing historic facts and conducts tours of the Forks of Cypress Plantation built in 1822, one of the oldest antebellum mansions in Alabama. Garden clubs have scheduled some of his walking tours as field trips.
Carolyn Ellinger, District 1 director, presided over the meeting. The Rev. Sarah DiCarlo-Watts gave the invocation. Franklin County clubs attending the District 1 meeting included the Red Bay Garden Club, Rural Acres Garden Club and Cultura Garden Club.
State officers, state chairmen, district officers, Deep South life members, former state presidents, district directors, national life members, and state life members gave reports, as well as presented awards and recognitions.
Barbara Wilson conducted the installation of the 2025-27 District 1 officers of the Garden Club of Alabama. The new officers are Mary Kathryn Wiggins, director; Tracie Clark, vice director; Andy Wiggins, secretary; Lynn Pettus, treasurer; Mary Beth Davis, parliamentarian; and Carolyn Ellinger, historian.
Cultura Garden Club received the Club of Distinction Award. A Remembrance of Service took place in memory of past members.
As a fundraiser for District 1, a plant sale was held and garden books, as well as miscellaneous items, were sold.
