Society Hill Garden Club wants to see historic town bloom
By Melissa Rollins, Editor, editor@newsandpress.net
Society Hill will be getting a little more colorful thanks to a few community members with a passion for getting their hands dirty.
Several months ago during a town council meeting, Melissa Burch told council members that she was interested in starting a garden club to help with the beautification of the historic town.
Cora Byrd, Melissa Burch, Sarah Grace Allen, Gail Gandy show off their handy work after completing the first project of the Society Hill Garden Club. Photo Contributed
“I have always loved gardening and I’ve always had a garden; at all of our homes that has always been my hobby,” Burch said. “When we came to Society Hill, it was such a beautiful little town but there was not a flower to be seen.”
Burch said that knowing the difference a few flowers can make, she started talking to Mayor Tommy Bradshaw about what she could do.
“I started talking to Tommy and asked if there was a garden club or any support for beautification,” Burch said. “He said no, and I told him there was about to be. I guess it was just my personal desire to pretty things up.”
Burch said that she had intended for the club to meet and start planting earlier in the year but that the weather was not cooperating.
“The cold snap a few weeks ago totally threw off everything by about a month because things that were about to bloom froze,” Burch said. “It was just one thing after another. That weather snap just messed everything up.”
The garden club was finally able to meet and tackled the area around the Society Hill Municipal Offices sign, planting roses.
“We will be getting all of our flowers from Bunch’s Nursery in Bennettsville; we will use him exclusively,” Burch said. “Mr. Bunch is the nicest fellow in the world. He is very pro-Society Hill. He is 80-years-old and he knows his stuff. I bought my Crepe Myrtles from him and he watches them. Every time he comes to Society Hill he takes notes and he’ll tell me what I need to do with them.”
The Society Hill Garden Club will meet once a month at Melissa Burch’s house. The time is currently set from the third Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. For more information, contact Birch at 813-323-1445.
Burch said that she was very happy with the way their first project turned out and she can’t wait to see what they can do next.
“I think it turned out really great,” Burch said. “I’m tickled.”
