Twinsburg Garden Club is celebrating 50 years of making its city more beautiful.
The club started in March 1963 as the Grow and Show Garden Club. Its primary interest in the beginning was flower arranging, said Marge Percy, a Hudson resident who is a founding member of the club and a former president.
Eventually the club initiated the hanging of holiday greenery in Twinsburg, a tradition that continues today, she said.
Its current projects also include a garden tour, a perennial plant and bake sale, designations of Gardens of the Week and a Garden of the Year, a visual arts program, a Twinsburg High School scholarship and a Senior Center Mother’s Day Banquet.
“We’ve shown the community that we are a viable organization,” Percy said.
The club held a program about its history in February and plans a series of events throughout the year to mark the anniversary.
Perkins mansion tours
Akron’s historical Perkins Stone Mansion will be open for tours starting Wednesday.
The former home of Simon Perkins Jr., son of the city’s co-founder, will offer tours from 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Cost is $6, or $2 for students, $4 for seniors and free for members of the Summit County Historical Society.
A new exhibit in the house focuses on the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and its effects in Summit County.
The mansion is at 550 Copley Road. Information is at http://summithistory.org.
Gardening hot line
Medina County master gardener volunteers will open their hot line next week to answer home, yard and garden questions.
The hot line will be staffed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays through Oct. 31 at 330-725-4911, ext. 124. During those hours, residents can also stop by the Ohio State University Extension office at 120 W. Washington St., Suite 11, Medina, to ask questions.
People submitting samples of plants or insects for identification or diagnosis should bring them to the office on Wednesdays. Insects should be in a sealed plastic storage bag or a small jar with a lid. Samples of leaves, branches, flowers and other plant material should still be green. Pictures should be clear and close to the item to be identified or diagnosed.
Events, programs
• Knitty Gritters Knitting Club meeting, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Lake Community Branch of Stark County District Library, 11955 Market Ave. N, Lake Township. 330-877-9975.
• Start at the Beginning: Quilting 101, 6-8 p.m. Tuesdays, April 2-23, Sew Deja Vu, 1608 Norton Road, Stow. $85. 330-653-5598.
• Real Estate and Finance, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Keller Williams Chervenic Realty offices. Seminar on topics including loans, credit reports, private mortgage insurance and foreclosures and short sales. Presented by the realty company and First Federal Lakewood. Free, but reservations are required by calling the offices: 3333 Massillon Road, Green (330-899-1644); 3070 W. Market St., Fairlawn (330-836-4300); 148 N. Main St., Hudson (330-650-0050); 120 W. Aurora Road, Northfield Center Township (330-467-7000); and 3589 Darrow Road, Stow (330-686-1644). Seminar will be repeated at the same time April 11, 18 and 25.
• New Trends in the Garden for 2013, noon Friday, Ohio Design Centre, 23533 Mercantile Road, Beachwood. A.J. Petitti of Petitti Garden Centers will talk about new plant varieties, color influences in the home and garden industry, and outdoor living and entertaining trends. Part of the center’s First Friday series. $10. Reservations: 216-831-1245 or awilliams@liefkarson.com. Information: www.ohiodesigncentre.com.
• Miniature Gardening, 11 a.m. April 6, Donzell’s Flower & Garden Center, 937 E. Waterloo Road, Akron. Demonstration by Duane Rollins of Donzell’s. Free. Reservations: 330-724-0550, ext. 110.
• Inspiration in Bloom Tea, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 6, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, 714 N. Portage Path, Akron. Flower-arranging demonstration by designer Kevin Robison. Members $28, others $35. Reservations required. Tickets: www.stanhywet.org or 330-315-3287.
• Water gardening seminars, April 6 and 7, Water X Scapes, 1021 E. Caston Road, Green. Programs on April 6: Spring Pond Opening, 9:30 a.m.; Rain Barrels/Rain Harvesting, 11 a.m.; and Pondless Water Features, 2 p.m. Programs on April 7: Pond Planning, Design & Construction, 12:30 p.m., and Lakes & Pond — Earthen Bottom, 3 p.m. Free, but reservations are requested at 330-896-9811.
• Cleveland Botanical Garden events, 11030 East Blvd. Big Spring through April 28, featuring children’s events and more than 3,000 spring flowers in bloom. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays; and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. $12; $8 for children ages 3 to 12; members and younger children, free. Spring BotaniCool Camp: Big Spring, Little Bugs for children in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade, 9 a.m. to noon Thursday. Members $25, others $35. BotaniCool School: Good Morning Garden for children ages 3 to 5, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Friday or 10:30-11:30 a.m. April 6. Single-session fee: members $7, others $10. Series fee: members $42, others $56. S-HORT Course: Vegetable Gardening 101, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 6. Members $15, others $22. Tickets and registration (required for the programs): 216-721-1600, ext. 100, or www.cbgarden.org.
Submit notices of classes, programs and events two weeks in advance to mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com or Home and Garden News, Features Department, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640. Please include name and phone number. All events must be open to the public.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/mbbreck, follow her on Twitter @MBBreckenridge and read her blog at www.ohio.com/blogs/mary-beth.