A garden club isn’t something you necessarily associate with the outdoors. Rather, it conjures images of well-dressed ladies gathering for lunch, displaying potted plants, conducting a business meeting.
All of which is correct. But garden clubs can play a big role in promoting an appreciation for the Mississippi outdoors.
I thought about this recently when I attended the February meeting of the Summit Garden Club at Southwest Mississippi Community College. I went to hear Von Odenwald, director of the Gloster Arboretum, for an article coming up in the Enterprise-Journal spring special edition Tuesday.
But I also gained a renewed appreciation for the value of garden clubs at the meeting.
The Summit Garden Club, which has 24 members, was organized March 22, 1935 — almost 82 years ago.
“Our objective is to maintain membership and help beautify our community, to grow and arrange flowers for our homes and community, and to sponsor a cleanup campaign,” said president Linda Wardlaw.
The club’s main project is maintaining the Summit Gazebo and grounds.
It will hold its annual flower show March 22 at SMCC. A painting of flowers was donated to the club to raffle as a fundraiser for gazebo upkeep.
Garden clubs typically have beautification projects that we tend to take for granted. The Summit Gazebo is a prime example.
At the recent meeting, members brought a wide variety of potted plants for a monthly competition.
I was with my wife Angelyn, who was here to introduce Odenwald. Angelyn was a longtime member and president of the Gloster-Homochitto Valley Garden Club, which helped support the Gloster Arboretum.
Angelyn joined that club around 1979 when she was in her 20s. Most of the members were much older, and they were thrilled to have her youthful energy.
She in turn was thrilled to get to learn about plants from these wise and knowledgeable women. She spent many hours at the arboretum with the garden club and with the late arboretum director Sara Gladney.
Angelyn stayed in the club until it closed as members died or got too old to attend.
Angelyn gained a world of knowledge about plants from that club, and put it to use on our own property. Over the years we have turned our place into our own mini-arboretum.
I don’t have a green thumb and pretty much stick to the digging, chopping and hauling. But the knowledge Angelyn gained from a garden club led me to understand and appreciate the Mississippi outdoors far more than I otherwise would have. And that, in turn, enables me to share that appreciation with others.
Quite a legacy from a bunch of well-dressed ladies meeting for lunch.
• Organized March 22, 1935
• 24 members
• Meets 11:30 a.m. every third Thursday of month at student union upstairs cafeteria
• Club flower: rose, symbol of love that never ends
• President, Linda Wardlaw
• Main project: Summit Gazebo
• Annual flower show 11a.m. to 4 p.m. March 22 at SMCC student union
