The word piedmont means “foot of the mountain.” In the U.S., the Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern part of our country, sitting between the Atlantic coastal plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. In our State, the piedmont area covers about one third of it. Our State Garden Club has divided this area into the East Piedmont District and the West Piedmont District – our home – where we’re known as the “Pride of the Piedmont”! In this area of South Carolina, we have many things of which we’re proud. Just to name a few: Greenwood, home of the South Carolina Festival of Flowers and Park Seed Company; Greenville, our largest city; Clemson University, home of the South Carolina Botanical Garden; Keowee Key in Salem, the first community in the upstate to have a community wildlife habitat; and Greer, the first registered “Monarch City” in our State!
WEST PIEDMONT DISTRICT DIRECTOR - PHYLLIS ROTH
Theme for 2025-2027 is “WPD – Grow, Share, Learn and have Fun”
I grew up in Camanche, Iowa which is a smal town located along the Mississippi River. During the summers my brothers and I would spend quite a bit of time working on our aunt and uncle’s farm. That is where I learned a lot about crops, animals and my main assignment of collecting chicken eggs. When I got home, I would load up my wagon and sell them door to door. For each dozen I sold I got to keep five cents. I was rich!!!
After high school I got married and we moved to Charleston, SC. My husband served in the US Navy where he was assigned to a destroyer. After his service we moved back to Iowa. We have one son.
I have a master’s degree in business administration. I spent 30 plus years working in Human Resource Management. I worked for two large manufacturing companies. During those years I resided in Iowa, Illinois, Virginia, Pennsylvania and the final 8 years in Minnesota. I had to learn what to plant and how to plant gardens in these various environments. I was amazed how my bulbs could survive the below 20-degree weather during the winters we had in Minnesota. My guess is that it is numerous feet of snow on the ground.
Upon my retirement we moved back to South Carolina. We live in McCormick. I joined the McCormick Garden Club in 2017. I have served as Secretary for two years and the past four years as President. Our Savanna Lakes Village area here is constantly growing and so is our club. Our theme during my Presidency was “Enabling all ages of gardeners to Grow SC”. Our club focuses on community engagement with our pre-schools, McCormick County Schools, and the Governor’s School for Agriculture all the way up through our Acute Care facility residents.
My hobbies include continually adding additional gardens to our 1-acre yard! I work on various committees at my Church and tend to our Community Gardens.
I am humbled and honored to serve as our West Piedmont District Director. My theme for 2025-2027 is “WPD – Grow, Share, Learn and have Fun” I look forward to meeting will our clubs and encouraging synergy between them.
WEST PIEDMONT DISTRICT ASSISTANT DIRECTOR - JENNY SNIPES
My mother was an artist and she loved flowers. In the spring, we would shop for seeds to plant in our garden. She would let me pick the ones I liked. We would plant them, and then wait anxiously for the seeds to grow. Mother also raised indoor plants. She loved African Violets. (I so wish I had the proper lighting to grow violets!) Mother even tried to get a Cattleya orchid to rebloom. She was unsuccessful, so she painted it in bloom instead.
My dad worked for J C Penney and the company transferred him to Sumter, SC right before I entered the eighth grade. My parents retired there and I call Sumter my childhood home. I attended freshman year at Furman University and finished at Winthrop University majoring in math and minoring in art (a strange combination, I know).
My husband and I have a blended family - two daughters, two sons and five grandchildren. (Surely, grandchildren are the best part of growing older.) My husband and I enjoy traveling. Our favorite destination in the United States is the 4 corner area. One day, we dream of returning to Italy, but we have many other destinations to see before that.
I had never really thought about joining a garden club until I retired from my job at Michelin in 2009. I was attending a Women’s Conference at my church and met Carol Cason. She asked me if I liked to garden and invited me to a meeting of the Camellia Garden Club of Greer. I was looking for a way to make some woman friends and to fill my time with worthwhile activities. Isn’t a garden club just perfect for that? I was invited to join; and eventually, I served as Corresponding Secretary, Vice President , Council Representative , and President.
I am always amazed at the talent I find among members of garden clubs that I meet across the state. I look forward to learning more about the projects of clubs of our West Piedmont District and welcome questions that you may have for me. My contact information is: 864-201-5713 and [email protected].
Jenny Snipes
gcsc CLUB SPONsORED YOUTH CLUBS
Organization(Grade/Student#) Sponsoring Garden Club
YMCA After School(K-8 /36) Mountain Laurel
West Piedmont District Federated Garden Clubs:
379WP -Anderson Garden Club, Anderson
460WP- Azalea GC, Greer
327WP- Bud ‘N Boom,GC, Anderson
054WP- Camellia GC, Greer
213WP- Chrysanthemum GC, Greenwood
118WP- Chrysanthemum GC, Abbeville
195WP- Clarice Wilson GC, Greenville
654WP- Clemson Garden Club
056WP- Dahlia GC, Greenwood
103WP- Dogwood GC, Honea Path
651WP–Etta Greer GC, Piedmont
572WP- Foothills GC, Clemson
463WP- Four Seasons GC, Greenwood
233WP- Fountain Inn GC, Fountain Inn
585WP- Frances Hart GC, Anderson
326WP- Garden Trail GC, Anderson,
445WP- Greenville GC, Greenville
584WP- Heritage GC, Anderson
347WP- Lake and Hills GC, Salem
136WP- Lake Forest GC, Greenville
199WP- Laurens Road GC, Greenville
642WP- Mauldin GC, Mauldin
390WP- McCormick GC, McCormick
381WP– Mountain Laurel, Greenville
652WP- Mountainside GC, Greenville
298WP- Pickens GC, Pickens
316WP- Primrose GC, Greer
250WP- Shamrock GC, Iva
523WP- Simpsonville GC, Simpsonville
216WP- Travelers Rest GC, Travelers Rest
455WP- Unit One GC,Greenwood
653WP- West Piedmont Design Guild
650WP–Westcliffe GC, Greenville
Councils:
C02WP- Abbeville GC Council
C12WP- Greenville Council of GC
C15WP- Greer Council of GC.
