After breaking for the summer months, the Tellico Village Garden Club reconvened for the new year by asking Lisa Grugin, who with husband, Rodney, operates Meadow View Greenhouse and Garden Center in Lenoir City, to discuss fall gardening.

Facilitator Carol Fenton announced fall elections will be held to name a president and a vice president, with Cae Daly serving as interim president.

Additional upcoming changes include establishing a constitution and bylaws, and the possibility of becoming a federated club.


“I’ve been a member of the federated garden club for 35-40 years, so I’m very pro-federated garden club,” Daly said. “When I came here to Tellico Village, I was disheartened to learn it wasn’t a federated garden club, so I’ve divided my loyalties between the two.”

Daly said becoming part of the Federated Garden Club of Tennessee will not change how meetings are conducted.

“I want you to participate in what you are doing, but only to do what you want to do,” Daly said. “I hope in the future we can become one.”

Pending participation, dues may be restructured to allow for the $7 required per person as well as possibly changing the start of the year from September to April.

“It won’t make any difference in our names and in how we do business,” Daly said.

After the business meeting, Grugin explained the important steps required to take care of plants during the fall in preparation for winter.

“Fall is the second most important time for gardeners,” Grugin said. “September is a good time to go around and walk around your gardens to see how things look.”

Checking for insects and disease allows time for one final treatment if needed.

Grugin recommended cleaning flower beds and removing diseased leaves and debris, as well as pruning dead, diseased or broken branches. Plants need to be dormant before pruning, she said.

Pull up or cut back annuals, divide spring bloomers and fleshy rooted perennials and pull or spray weeds, she said.

“It’s a good time to add organic matter such as compost,” Grugin said, with fall remaining the best time for planting trees, shrubs and most perennials.

Pansies will do best if planted by mid-October, and bulbs should be planted by the end of November. When using mums as perennials, they need to be planted by mid-September.

Other last-minute details include replanting containers with cool season annuals, bringing houseplants indoors, treating the lawn and mulching, but only if needed.

“The No. 1 killer of plants is lack of water,” Grugin said. “I know it seems so elementary, but you need to water them until they’ve been established. It generally takes a year to be established. It’s not when you get tired of watering them.”

Garden club members asked follow-up questions and viewed the plants Grugin brought in for display at the end of her presentation.

Joe Bonnan, who’s originally from Chicago and has lived in Tellico Village for the past year, said he and Jolynn Blomquist inherited a well-established garden once moving here.

“We were lucky enough to inherit some shrubs as well,” Bonnan said.