THIS WEEK'S PERSONALITY: Alice Sanz recognized as Gardener of the Year
Alice Sanz of rural Loudonville was recognized earlier this spring as Region 7 Gardener of the Year with the Ohio Association of Garden Clubs (OAGC).
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Sanz learned gardening at a very young age from her mother, Velma Schaffer, of McKay, and her older sister, Ida Belle Good, “both of whom,” she said, “were accomplished flower gardeners. I took after them.”
In her younger days she moved around a lot, from Loudonville to Washington, D.C., to Jacksonville, North Carolina, to Kailua, Hawaii, to Surf City, North Carolina, to Maggie Valley, North Carolina., and finally back to Loudonville, for good, in 1993.
“Every place I lived I did some sort of gardening, smaller or bigger,” she said. “I work in my flower beds every day during growing season except when it is raining or very cold. I typically work from 6 a.m. until noon, when I come in and collapse. “It's amazing how many weeds I can pull in just a few hours. I filled two wheelbarrows with them just this morning.”
Her favorite flower is the daffodil, bright yellow flowers that bloom in April.
“When I die, I hope it is in spring, so my casket can be blanketed with daffodils,” she said, only half in jest. “I love them.”
Involved in Daffodil Society, Ohio Daylily and American Daylily Societies and Lily Society
But she loves other plants as well, daylilies, lilies, hydrangeas, shrubs, ninebarks and spirea. This love of plants has led to her involvement in several horticultural organizations, including the Daffodil Society in Indiana, the Ohio Daylily and American Daylily Societies and the Lily Society in Ohio.
And it got her in to garden clubs.
“I have been a member of Gardener’s Guild in Loudonville for at least 25 years, including three years as president, at least two terms as vice president,and terms as secretary. She also served as secretary of Region 7 of the OAGC, which includes Ashland, Richland, Crawford, Morrow, Knox and Delaware counties.
“I worked very closely with the former Region 7 director, Kristy Apt, which may be why she nominated me as Gardener of the Year,” Sanz said.
“The thing I enjoy most about being in a garden club is learning from fellow members,” Sanz said. “I love our plant auctions, where members tell us about the plants they bring in and how to grow them. Then, as others listen to what one member says, they chime in with their experiences. Not only is it educational, but it’s a lot of fun.
Sanz and companion Doug Conrad live on a large lot in western Holmes County that looks like a gardener’s paradise, with hundreds of plants and shrubs, many of them professionally labeled. Alice concentrates on her ornamental plants and shrubs, while Doug specializes in vegetables, including arguably the most impressive stand of asparagus in northern Ohio.
In addition to gardening, Sanz is a member of the VFW Post 8586 Auxiliary, serving as chaplain and trustee, American Legion Post 257 Auxiliary, and the Loudonville Wildlife Conservation Club.
A member of the Loudonville High School Class of 1968, Sanz is the 10th in a family of 11 children of Walter and Velma Schaffer of McKay. She had eight brothers and two sisters.
When asked why she loved gardening so much, Sanz answered “you have to have faith to be a gardener, faith that all the work you do in planting will result in fruits, vegetables or flowers later on. It gives me peace and happiness!”
This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: THIS WEEK'S PERSONALITY: Alice Sanz recognized as Gardener of the Year
