Thursday, November 16, 2017, was a near-freezing morning, but Morrison Garden Club members rose to the occasion. Their goal was the annual decorating of 15 Main Street flower pots, in Morrison, IL.
Their labors began long before decoration day. “We started harvesting dried stuff weeks ago,” said Diane Garcia, as she hauled plants from a truck onto the sidewalk beside City Hall, 200 W. Main Street.
Different plant species were sorted in piles, so the women could easily gather attractive combinations in texture, color, size, and height. Holly was donated from Sharon Boyles, Morrison. In addition, there were five types of evergreens; pine cones in bundles; pampas grass; cockscomb; hydrangeas; horsetail reed grass; pokeberry; some twisty, twiggy plant.
Mary Latwesen, left, and Patty Ann Nice choose from over a dozen natural and dried plant options.
Participants were Kathy Anderson, Becky Brady, Diane Garcia, Jan Kelly, Mary Latwesen, Jan Mayes, Sharon Moore, Dee Morgan, Patty Ann Nice, and Sabrina Statzer.
John Milton wrote, “Beauty is Nature’s coin, must not be hoarded, but must be current, and the good thereof consists in mutual and partaken bliss….”
Folks who love gardening and plants are welcome to participate in the spending of beauty coins across Morrison, by members of the Garden Club. Contact Jan Kelly at 815-772-4205.
Finished pots below can be seen outside Happy Joe’s, 109 W. Main Street, left, and across the street at Quinn’s Jewelry, 104 W. Main.
Moore, left, and Brady collaborated on this display outside Beauty Hutch, 119 W. Main Street. “The ladies really seem to enjoy this,” noted Moore. They have been doing the task “for a couple years. It costs the Chamber [of Commerce] no money,” when the Garden Club donates labor, materials, and talent.
Efforts by Morrison Garden Club added a seasonal ambience to the downtown streetscape. Soon, they will dazzle passersby at the southeast corner of U. S. Route 30 and IL Route 78. The women have devised upright displays to showcase the Chamber’s Christmas Walk theme, “The Polar Express.” Look for a tower of hot chocolate cups!
Odell Public Library benefited for a second time from the Garden Club’s generosity. After “more than a year” of planning, design, and preparation, the group’s beautification request for the library was implemented. This sign was installed on Wednesday, September 27. To the west of the entrance, at 307 S. Madison Street, is a burnished, pierced, rectangle of sheet metal. Its simple design compliments the building’s and contrasts with the brick color.
Next spring, stated Garden Club member Sharon Moore, landscaping will be added to embellish the corner.
