Over the Garden Fence: Decorating for Christmas at Kingwood Center Gardens
Over the years people have accused me of "getting excited over nothing." But enthusiasm is a driving force. It convinces people. Case in point is our garden club' s involvement with Kingwood Center Gardens' effort to decorate the former King home for the holidays. It has grown.
For me it began 15 years ago with a hearth basket arrangement, then a yule log design. Then Master Gardeners did a tree with miniature garden implements, many from my bins. We did a completely white tree that was displayed with ornaments garden club members made. Another master gardener and I went crazy in the entryway with totally white accents — tree, snowdrifts on display cases wrapped in white with felt icicles hanging from the top, and a white ceramic village.
The next year in the kitchen another master gardener and I used buffalo plaid ribbons, North country critters including moose, and fabric snowdrifts. Garden Club stepped up to an "Elf" theme and last year a gnome tree. That is when I said, "Judy, grab the dining room" for this year.
"The Colors of Christmas" is this year's theme. With the dining room in our plans, let me admit I chose blue. As we thought about the blue we considered some ideas to enrich the room. There are elaborate wall paintings, pale green drapes and chairs upholstered with a pleasant orange. That is when Beckie jumped in with the "della robbia" idea. The two china patterns in my possession lent themselves to blue. Beckie thought that copper charger plates would work well.
In one afternoon we made the decision to use blue willow china, goblets and blue dinner napkins. All of my artificial fruit was gathered. We had ordered bulbs and silver and white items from Kingwood's attic storehouse.
Shopping for more items brought a variety of shapes — teardrop bulbs, birds, butterflies. Empty boxes were wrapped with a variety of blue printed gift wrap and we tied them off with grand bows.
This week we packed up wreaths, garlands, fruit and fabrics. The tree was trimmed thanks to Judy and Sarah while Beckie and I labored at the table setting. One special design was a cascading one with live Canada hemlock, a bit of boxwood, artificial fern, white spike flowers, orange roses and peacock feathers. We used a 4-foot-high glass vessel which was our club's centerpiece in a table setting 10 years ago at Maumee Bay.
Our team members were Beckie Hieber, Judy Widman, Sarah Kalb, Jane Kepler, Karen Scott, Marylyn Strang, June Gebhardt, Susan Maynard, Shirley Chapman, Holly Studer, and Gerry and John Sams.
We thought we were conservative. We peeked into other rooms. Some of the groups have been working since last year, some since September. The library has thousands of pencils fashioned into trees and wreaths of Crayola crayons! The kitchen looks like staff are busy baking for a huge party. The three wise men stand in the room next to ours with heaped up treasures. Mr. King's bedroom is total commitment to The Ohio State University right up to the windows!
Thankful for another chance to share in a huge tradition we send a Happy Thanksgiving wish and urge you to plan a visit to this estate between now and the end of the year. You will then understand why Kingwood draws thousands of visitors.
Mary Lee Minor is a member of the Earth, Wind and Flowers Garden Club, an accredited master gardener, a flower show judge for the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs and a former sixth grade teacher.
This article originally appeared on Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum: Earth, Wind and Flowers Garden Club's Christmas tree at Kingwood
