APOLLO BEACH GARDEN CLUB INC
APOLLO BEACH, FLORIDA

When we moved to Texas some of my earliest memories consist of gardening with my father and sister and crying with my mom at night wondering why we moved from Florida to Texas. Tears shed like the recent biblical rains in Texas, and I found myself frustrated with my parents. Why would they move from Ponce De Leon’s fountain of youth to a dry and crusty concrete jungle? My mind was too young to realize my dad changed jobs, and wanted to better provide for his family. (Side note: I thank my dad and love him unconditionally for doing what he did for us.) My father, sister, and I grew a 14-foot-tall sunflower amongst many other large sun gourds and found ourselves on the front page of the local paper. I was jubilant to the fact that my dad helped my sister and I sow our first seeds into that red Texas clay only to experience magic, publicity and my first love for growing things. You mean to tell me if I plant seeds, give them water, fertilizer (Miracle Grow at the time), and sunshine we can end up with a 14-foot-tall plant? My mind was boggled then, and I still can’t seem to wrap my head around the concept. During my undergraduate studies, I lost touch with gardening and was consumed by other external forces. Although, I was productive and graduated Magna Cum Laude something was missing. The three-year absence from gardening was a growing period to say the least. Or maybe it was a dead period? I managed to find myself with my parents in August of 2011 and here we are. I’ve managed to find myself as a member of several clubs and societies: Tampa Orchid Club, Sarasota Bromeliad Society, Selby Garden Volunteer, Friends of the Fakahatchee Member, and the SWAMP Mountain Bike Club Member. Within each group, I have been further exposed to individuals who have been instrumental with my horticulture skills. The Apollo Beach Garden Club was started as an educational, inspirational and community-driven entity. It has evolved drastically within the first year of existence and the future couldn’t look any more promising! New things are going to be happening in the future and change will be an inevitable positive force of innovation. The Apollo Beach Garden Club is a group of like-minded individuals who share their successes and failures about gardening. People will exchange ideas, suggestions and innovative best practices. The club will focus on cultivation and propagation of: endemic species, edibles, epiphytes and Florida-friendly varieties Join the Apollo Beach Garden Club for a monthly meeting every 3rd Tuesday of the month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Apollo Beach County Park, Every month, the garden club hosts a speaker and plant exchange. A pot luck is provided by the members. Please join us! Mission: