The Yellow Jessamine Garden Club (015C) met on Tuesday, January 2, 2018 at 6:30pm at The City of Dillon Wellness Center. 12 members were in attendance.
The meeting commenced by President Mary Ricks welcoming all members. She then thanked the hostess, Melissa Moody, for refreshments and Larue Bracey for presenting the program for the evening.
Chaplain Glenda Campbell gave the devotion from Matthew 6 and prayer. All members then partook in the delicious tomato basil soup and sandwiches provided.
After the meal, roll call was answered by the naming of a biblical plant. Several plants mentioned were Bay Laurel, bitter herbs, dill, mustard, cumin and saffron.
Darlene Wilkerson, Secretary, then read the minutes from December and they were approved as read.
Treasurer Judy Powell stated the budget and announced the total sent for “Feed the Birds” campaign through January. She also informed the club of a flower that was sent to Frances Tyler for her hospital visit.
There was no business to report at this time on the Membership Committee or Projects and Litter. Correspondence Chairman, Mildred Mishue, stated that all calls had been made to each member to remind them of the meeting.

Melissa Moody read the “Horticulture Moments” (GCSC objective: further horticulture education) and dispersed the Yellow Jessamine Garden Club Newsletter, “The Twining Vine.” The newsletter has an updated look this year. Instead of it being a one page flyer, it is now a pamphlet. She explained that more information and graphics would be able to be printed on this style. She also revealed the meetings were placed in The Dillon Herald, as well as, on our Facebook page.
The program began as Larue Bracey presented pictures of the 14 most popular biblical plants. As she spoke on each plant, a biblical scripture and details were given. She described each medicinal use of the plant and what ailments it is used to heal. This interesting program taught many of the club some useful facts on these plants. One of the most interesting plants was the locust. In the Bible, Matthew 3:4 speaks of John the Baptist eating locusts and honey. Even though, locust the insect is referred to in scripture, this particular passage, is speaking of the locust plant from the Carob tree.
Various plants used in the Bible, are still used in medicines and cooking today. Dill is used as an herb for flavoring and also a remedy for stomach aches. Cumin is another plant used for cooking and for digestive issues.
To utilize these herbs and plants, majority can be planted and used in the herb garden in the window of the kitchen. These plants along with some herbs and spices will make a great addition to a container garden. (NGC/GCSC objective: encouraging planting and promoting horticulture)
In conclusion, President Mary Ricks thanked Larue for the wonderful program and encouraged each member to use the benefit of these herbs whenever possible.
New business discussed was a new date for Roadside Cleanup. Due to the current weather conditions, the date had to be changed. Each member will be notified of a date when weather allows.
The YJGC acknowledged that 19 total applications for awards had been sent to Coastal District and to the GCSC Awards Chairman, Yvonne Jordan. Several more will be sent into the Coastal District Awards Chairman, Susan Carter, within the next few weeks. The Publicity Press Book has also been included in the applications sent.

Feed the Birds money was gathered. This campaign is part of the President of The Garden Club of South Carolina, Donna Donnelly’s theme: “Birds of a Feather, Garden Together.” This project provides education regarding the conservation and preservation of SC birds through gardening practices. All funding collected will benefit birding projects across the state, especially the SC Botanical Gardens in Clemson and Riverbanks Botanical Children’s Garden in Columbia.
The meeting was then adjourned. The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2018 at 6:30 pm. at the residence of Judy Wyman. Guest Speaker will be Caleb Coleman. He is the owner of Little Mill Seed. His presentation will be on soil and water conservation.
The Yellow Jessamine Garden Club is a member of The National Garden Clubs, Inc., South Atlantic Region, The Garden Club of South Carolina, Inc., and The Coastal District of South Carolina.