104
| SUNRAYS
SEPTEMBER 2013
ONLINE:
SCTXCA.ORG
from the tour benefit local charities. This
year, five charities received $500 each:
Annunciation Maternity Home, Brook-
wood in Georgetown, Georgetown 4H
Club, Junior Master Gardeners of Wil-
liamson County, and The Georgetown
Project. Just another example of how Sun
City Texas gives back to the community.
The Sun City Garden Club is a grow-
ing organization (pun intended); their
membership has increased 25 percent
in the past year alone. Why don’t you
plant yourself at one of their meetings on
the second Wednesdays of each month at
12:30 p.m.? You’ll see if you can cultivate
an interest in joining. Annual dues are
$12, but have been reduced to $6 through
the end of the year for new members.
More information can be found online by
visiting
> Site Index >
Garden Club, or in the Chartered Club
section on page 109.
The Garden Club is just another asset
to life in Sun City. Take advantage of it.
I
n preparation for this article, I at-
tended the Garden Club’s July ice
cream social and rain barrel infor-
mation meeting. I expected to see a
tanned and weathered crowd; instead,
I saw a large group of enthusiastic folks
wanting to learn about the Garden Club,
Georgetown Utility System’s rain bar-
rel program―and get free ice cream.
There were door prizes, which included
kneeling pads and a free rain barrel. The
meeting was open to everyone.
Quoting directly from the President, Pat
Clendenin, the sole purpose of the club is
to “educate members and resident guests
about plants, trees and shrubs that grow
well in Central Texas.” The key here is
plants that grow well in our area. With
the recent concerns about water avail-
ability, it’s important to note that plants
native to Central Texas require less wa-
ter and less maintenance. That’s less
hassle for you and more time for golf or
other fun activities (i.e., the latest block-
buster at City Lights Theatre’s Senior
Mondays)! For more information, a refer-
ence manual titled
What Grows Here
is
available for Sun City Texas residents to
view at the Monitor’s Desks at the Social
Center and Cowan Creek.
The club also hosts a Garden Tour every
May, featuring some of the best resident
yards in Sun City Texas. All proceeds
Stirring Up
The Dirt:
Sun City
Garden
Club
By Mike Gullickson
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY PAT CLENDENIN
Monthly meetings feature guest speakers, a panel of master gardeners, and, some
months, a “sharing table” for members to come and swap plants or just share with
others!
PHOTOS BY TOM LEIRER
You can buy Native and Adapted Landscape Plants book, provided by the Texas
Agrilife Extension and City of Austin, at the Member Services Oce for $2, or take
a peek for free at the Monitor’s Desk!
