Every Garden Has a Story

Gardens come in all different shapes and sizes, and the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Gardens (AAG) collection in Washington, D.C. has them all.  The collection offers landscape designers, historians, preservationists, and garden enthusiasts access to over 6,500 documented historic and contemporary gardens and landscapes throughout the U.S.  Images in the Archives, which date from the 1890s to the present, showcase all manner of garden design styles as well as garden features such as furniture and ornamentation, sculptures, and garden structures. Fresh from a visit to the Smithsonian's AAG, Sonja Durkee, the Garden Club of American's Garden History and Design Representative for WI, IL, MN, IA, NE and MO will talk about documenting one's own garden with words, sketches, photos, colored pencils, maps, and Google Earth.  It all begins with a site plan, and winter is a great time to start creating yours.  Every garden has a story!  Is yours waiting to be told? All garden lovers are encouraged to attend.  There will be a meeting following the 'garden history and design' program.