Jane Godshalk

BY NORA LEA REEFE - Floral designer Jane Godshalk, from the famous Longwood Gardens faculty, delighted the members of the Boca Grande Garden Club on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Her presentation included holiday arrangements that combined many native plants, including vividly-colored roses, carnations, and hydrangeas. She also spoke about using candles and decorative items from nature and the art world.   

Ably assisted by members Mary Ann Hooker and Marguerite Tremelin, as well as Gabrielle Heidsieck and Pam Payne, Jane put together both temperate and tropical flowers with grasses, branches and shells, bundling them with dramatic color combinations.

One arrangement combined white roses and white carnations with greens in a silver dish, complete with a silver starfish wired in for an additional tropical feel. In another she offered a holiday piece using a tropical red heliconia. Some of her nine arrangements were balanced, while others were intentionally unbalanced in an artfully-attractive manner.  

Jane used sea grapes, pine cones, and palm fronds collected during the two days she was on-island prior to her presentation, while the flowers were shipped to the island from either Hawaii or Pennsylvania.
Her final presentation was a collection of three arrangements that featured candles. After completing them, the lights on the stage were turned off and all the candles were lit, giving a spectacular finale to a “Grande” program.
 

The members found her both entertaining and easy to listen to, and felt very much at home with her while she expressed how impressed she was with Boca Grande, and with the hospitality she experienced during her visit to the island. She had been treated to a wine-and-cheese reception on Tuesday night, hosted by members Bretta and Melanie Sullivan, at the Boca Bay Beach Club with members of the Club’s Leadership Team. Jane also enjoyed staying in the home of Barbara and Bruce Stirling.

Following her presentation, her arrangements were sold at a silent auction during the tea hour arranged by Sandi Bilski and Rose Marie Lovino. Members were also offered the opportunity to purchase orchids from local provider Joe Hayden.  

First Vice President Diane Johnson, filling in for President Nora Lea Reefe (who is being kept away from the island by the current red tide bloom) did an incredible job of managing the opening meeting. Many committees described their planned activities for the season. Diane, who along with Second Vice President Jodie Pearah, is in charge of programs for this 15th year of the Boca Grande Garden Club, said that the two days she spent with Jane in preparation for the meeting had been a most pleasurable experience.

Membership in the Boca Grande Garden Club is full for this season, but members of the community are always welcome to attend presentations for a fee on a space-available basis. If you are interested in joining, the club has already begun keeping a wait list for next season.View More images >>

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