FLEMING ISLAND – The Garden Club’s summer hiatus ended when we gathered for our August meeting.

Our guest speaker, Master Gardener Volunteer and Garden Club member Connie Gladding, discussed the challenges and pleasures of maintaining a shade garden. Just like us, some plants are shade lovers, while others require direct sunlight to thrive.

If you have ever had a shade-loving plant, such as the beautiful Oakleaf hydrangea, and tried to grow it in the sun, you’ve no doubt been disappointed when it withered and died. We certainly don’t want that to happen.

Connie shared with us the University of Florida IFAS document, “Landscaping in Florida Shade,” which can be accessed at edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/EP457. If you have one of those yards with four or fewer hours of daily sunlight, this document will help you know what plants grow well there.

Plans are already underway for several upcoming activities, so stay tuned for updates in this monthly article. Our crafty team and plant-growing crew have already scheduled meetings to prepare for both fall and spring projects.

At the end of July, members of the Fleming Island Garden Club rose early to beat the heat and clean up the gardens at the Fleming Island Library. Then they took 170 pounds of food and $170 to the local food bank.

If you’d like to join us or learn more about what we do, we meet at 10 a.m. on the second Monday of each month in the Fleming Island Library conference room, located at 1895 Town Center Blvd. Our guest speaker on September 8 will be Master Gardener Volunteer Glenn Thigpen, who will discuss Container Gardening Tips and Techniques. You can also look at our newly renovated website at gardenclubflemingisland.org.