By Liz Beavers
lbeavers@newstribune.info
managing editor

FORT ASHBY — What started out as a “garden swap” a little less than a year ago has turned into a full-fledged garden club with members actively involved in helping to beautify the northern end of Mineral County.
The Frankfort District Garden Club — with its table full of spider plants, Chinese ornamental lanterns,  and primrose, among others —  has been one of the highlights this week in the exhibit hall at the Mineral County Fair.
“We are interested in plants and anything relating to gardening,” member Nina Wagoner said. “We want to promote the beauty of the area.”
Wagoner explained that the club started when a small group of gardening enthusiasts got together for the garden swap, where each one brought in a plant or something to do with gardening and placed it on a table.
Each participant was given a number, and “when their number was called, they got to go to the table and pick out anything they wanted.”
The group soon decided to form an official club and got to work on a number of projects.
“We put in an herb garden at Ashby's Fort, and we've taken over maintenance of the flower gardens at the Fort Ashby Community Building,” Wagoner said.
They have also placed a variety of ornamental plants in area businesses to help them achieve  a more homey atmosphere.
The club meets on the fourth Wednesday of every month, and invites various speakers to present programs on gardening-related issues. WVU Extension Agent Stacey Hamric and master gardeners Steffi Ridgel and Wayne Yoder are among those who have already spoken to the group.
“We have about 12 or 15 people come to every meeting; we think that's a good start,” Wagoner said. “Everybody is welcome, and you don't have to be from the Frankfort area.”
The club is planning some fund raisers, including their plant sale at this week's fair and a daffodil bulb sale in the fall.
For more information on the club, interested persons may e-mail frankfortgarden@yahoo.com or attend one of the meetings at 6 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday at Cindi's Restaurant in Fort Ashby. Everyone is invited to come at 5 p.m., if they want, to enjoy a Dutch-treat meal together prior to the meeting.