In small and large towns all across our country, flowers decorate public property such as post offices, fire stations, and libraries. When you pass by these places, even if you don’t consciously notice the flowers, you will probably sense that the people who live there care about their town. Our little town of Grantham is one of those well-cared-for towns.
For this blog, I decided to do a little digging into the history of garden clubs. Horticultural societies, some dating back to colonial times, restricted women’s membership. In response, women formed their own clubs. The first women's garden club in America was the Ladies Garden Club of Athens, Georgia, founded in 1891. According to information from the Women’s History Museum “While many garden clubs started with the goal of exchanging information and cuttings, they soon adopted larger missions, which indelibly shaped the American landscape.” The Grantham Garden Club was founded over twenty years ago and has been working ever since to enrich the lives of its members and the community. With a population of fewer than 4,000 people, Grantham boasts an active garden club of 100+ people.
The club is responsible for planting and maintaining container gardens in six sites in downtown Grantham. The photographs shown here were taken at the library and the town hall. Volunteers sign up for one week of maintenance and are responsible for watering, fertilizing, and deadheading the flowers. Each Sunday, the volunteer hands off the watering kit to the next volunteer. The volunteers provide care from late May through September every year. Amelia Lantz is this year's coordinator who organizes the more than 30 volunteers like a well-oiled machine.
As I hope is evident, I am very proud of the Grantham Garden Club. I think this is a fitting quote from anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
For this blog, I decided to do a little digging into the history of garden clubs. Horticultural societies, some dating back to colonial times, restricted women’s membership. In response, women formed their own clubs. The first women's garden club in America was the Ladies Garden Club of Athens, Georgia, founded in 1891. According to information from the Women’s History Museum “While many garden clubs started with the goal of exchanging information and cuttings, they soon adopted larger missions, which indelibly shaped the American landscape.” The Grantham Garden Club was founded over twenty years ago and has been working ever since to enrich the lives of its members and the community. With a population of fewer than 4,000 people, Grantham boasts an active garden club of 100+ people.
The club is responsible for planting and maintaining container gardens in six sites in downtown Grantham. The photographs shown here were taken at the library and the town hall. Volunteers sign up for one week of maintenance and are responsible for watering, fertilizing, and deadheading the flowers. Each Sunday, the volunteer hands off the watering kit to the next volunteer. The volunteers provide care from late May through September every year. Amelia Lantz is this year's coordinator who organizes the more than 30 volunteers like a well-oiled machine.
As I hope is evident, I am very proud of the Grantham Garden Club. I think this is a fitting quote from anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
