Garden Club Plants Centennial Tree

Photo credit: Susan Fraser

The Plainfield Garden Club chose the "Winter King" Hawthorne to plant in honor of the Garden Club of America's Centennial in 2013. The tree replaces a sickly one that used to grow in the Shakespeare Garden in Cedar Brook Park. The photo shows members of the club along with Union County Parks employees who did the heavy work associated with the planting.

Click here to learn more about the "Winter King" Hawthorne and here to learn more about the Plainfield Garden Club.

Now for a personal note: Not only is the hawthorn (alternate spelling) tree mentioned in the works of Shakespeare, it has a mystical place in plant lore of the Celts, who developed a lunar tree alphabet. Every year I get a calendar from Luna Press (this year, thanks to Peter) that indicates the tree for each lunar month and its qualities. The lunar month Uath spans May and June and the tree is described thus: "The Hawthorn is sacred to the Fire Queen of Love. Her bird is the night-crow; her color, the darkest black; her healing balances blood, nerves, and spirit."

So for some of us, it is not only the natural beauty of the tree, its ancient significance is also of interest.

Thanks to the Plainfield Garden Club and the Union County Parks workers who do so much to keep up the Shakespeare Garden for all of us to enjoy!

--Bernice