Garden Clubs have rich history

“A garden isn’t meant to be useful. It’s for joy,” British author Rumer Godden said,

I understand her intent but disagree with her to some degree because I grew up on a farm and, while my grandmother kept flowers in every conceivable piece of ground around the house, sheds, and barn, the quarter-acre vegetable garden was most certainly meant to be useful.

I would also argue that joy, in and of itself, is useful.

Many people in Surry County seem to share that opinion as gardens of all shapes and sizes are evident across the region on all sorts of properties. We also have six active gardening clubs that I was able to identify in Surry County: one each in Dobson, Elkin, and Pilot Mountain, and three in Mount Airy.

Each group donates many hours of man- or, more accurately, womanpower to keep public spaces attractive and inviting in their communities. They also sponsor educational activities and support other groups such as the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History and organizations that serve adults and students with special needs.

Humans are generally social creatures. We like to gather with other people who are interested in the same sorts of things we are and who approach life in similar ways — family, education, sporting loyalty, service goals, religious ideals — the ties that bind us together are as endless as our goals and imaginations.

In the mid-19th century Americans saw the growth of clubs in society, especially those for women and children. These organizations gave women a framework outside of home and religious institutions in which to gain a level of independence and social impact. Today we would call it networking.

The first garden club in America was a group of 12 women friends in Athens, Georgia, who formalized their get-togethers in 1891. By 1913 there were enough such clubs to create a national federation of garden clubs. Today there are clubs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia with tens of thousands of members.

I don’t know the founding year for most of the Surry groups but the Elkin Garden Club formed in 1933, and Pilot Mountain in 1965. Mountain View Gardeners and Garden Gate Gardening Club in Mount Airy are both elder sisters to Modern Gardeners which formed in 1956.

From the beginning the groups have held demonstrations and workshops on good gardening techniques and floral arranging, but, on a larger scale, they’ve focused on civic beautification and service.

The Pilot Mountain Gardening Club plants and maintains the flowers at town hall and the library. They’ve planted trees for an Arbor Day at Pilot Mountain Elementary, and they sponsored the Blue Star marker at the Pilot Mountain Scenic Overlook on U.S. 52.

The Yadkin Valley Garden Club in Elkin began during the Great Depression when mother of 12 Lottie Whitaker and a dozen other ladies met for the first time. It is one of the state’s oldest and has been instrumental in keeping the Elkin Municipal Park clean and attractive and have worked with Habitat for Humanity to plant trees at the homes.

The Mount Airy clubs have worked together and supported each other through the years. Mountain View Garden Club sponsored a new group of young mothers in 1956 when Eleanor Powell and some of her friends approached them. Sixty-four years later, the Modern Gardeners still plant flowers at the small triangular park at the North Main and Renfro street split, maintain the pollinator’s garden near the post office on South Main, and work with special needs teachers at various schools with their Garden Therapy sessions.

Both clubs and the Garden Gate club decorate the Historic William Alfred Moore Home for the holidays. The trio also produced the annual flower show together for many years.

The communities are served in many ways by the quiet and beautiful service of these groups. I’ve heard countless visitors comment on how attractive Main Street is. I’ve seen many local folks stop and take pictures. Thank you, to our Garden Clubs, for all you do to bring a little joy to town.

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The Modern Gardeners of Mount Airy have worked with special needs educators for decades. Allowing the students to express themselves by making flower arrangements, make peanut butter and seed covered pine cones as bird feeders, or teaching them how to start seedlings. This Garden Therapy class is shown in 1994.

https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/web1_Students-1-1994.jpgThe Modern Gardeners of Mount Airy have worked with special needs educators for decades. Allowing the students to express themselves by making flower arrangements, make peanut butter and seed covered pine cones as bird feeders, or teaching them how to start seedlings. This Garden Therapy class is shown in 1994.

Beautiful holiday decorations dress up the town each November. It gives a hometown feel to the community. The Modern Gardeners Gardening Club have hung greenery and red bows on the museum’s wrought iron fences for years to help us make a visual impact. This picture is from 2009.

https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/web1_2009-deco-museum-gates-.jpgBeautiful holiday decorations dress up the town each November. It gives a hometown feel to the community. The Modern Gardeners Gardening Club have hung greenery and red bows on the museum’s wrought iron fences for years to help us make a visual impact. This picture is from 2009.

Studies have shown that beautiful and inviting public spaces are one of the things that attract people to small towns, either as a repeat visitor or as a permanent resident. The Modern Gardeners who plant the garden at this park on North Main Street and her sister organizations that do similar work across the area provide an important service.

https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/web1_N-Main-Triangle-.jpgStudies have shown that beautiful and inviting public spaces are one of the things that attract people to small towns, either as a repeat visitor or as a permanent resident. The Modern Gardeners who plant the garden at this park on North Main Street and her sister organizations that do similar work across the area provide an important service.

The clubs meet nearly every month for refreshments and fellowship. They also plan educational programs. Eleanor Powell Hines, a charter member of the Modern Gardeners, is seen here demonstrating some floral arrangement skills in 2011. The group places arrangements at Northern Hospital and other locations. She donated the club’s yearbooks to the museum to build our archives of the history of the region.

https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/web1_Eleanor-G.-Powell-Hines-Arranging-4-2011.jpgThe clubs meet nearly every month for refreshments and fellowship. They also plan educational programs. Eleanor Powell Hines, a charter member of the Modern Gardeners, is seen here demonstrating some floral arrangement skills in 2011. The group places arrangements at Northern Hospital and other locations. She donated the club’s yearbooks to the museum to build our archives of the history of the region.

The Blue Star Memorial Highway program was begun by the National Council of State Garden Clubs in 1945 to honor those who serve in the US military and their families. Local garden clubs are all part of that organization, now known as National Garden Clubs Inc. The Mountain View Gardeners Club sponsored the marker in the park at the corner of South Main and West Pine streets in 2018. Marie Simmons, right, and Joy Barlow, president and vice president of the club at the time, are shown at the dedication in this Mount Airy News photo.

https://www.mtairynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/web1_BLUE-STAR.jpgThe Blue Star Memorial Highway program was begun by the National Council of State Garden Clubs in 1945 to honor those who serve in the US military and their families. Local garden clubs are all part of that organization, now known as National Garden Clubs Inc. The Mountain View Gardeners Club sponsored the marker in the park at the corner of South Main and West Pine streets in 2018. Marie Simmons, right, and Joy Barlow, president and vice president of the club at the time, are shown at the dedication in this Mount Airy News photo.

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Source: https://www.mtairynews.com