Back in the 1980s, the National Garden Bureau worked with 23 co-sponsoring national horticultural organizations to legislate National Garden Week in April. In 1986, President Reagan signed the National Garden Week Proclamation. In 2002, the National Garden Association worked to extend the celebration to encompass the entire month of April.
Garden club members have discovered the innumerable benefits that gardening brings, and April is a month where they can share their love of gardening with those who aren’t involved in gardening. Garden clubs also have a special opportunity this month to educate the public about their club’s activities and the benefits of becoming a member.
Outreach into your local community is necessary to increase club membership. Having a question-and-answer booth at a local nursery on a Saturday, presenting a program about gardening to school children, or helping nursing home residents pot a plant for their apartment are all great activities to connect with members in the community.
National Garden Month is the perfect time for garden clubs and their members to share their love of gardening with others.
Be Karen Bowen
Karen is a master gardener and a member of Yuma Orchid and African Violet Society.
Photo 1 Karen Bowen
Garden club members, Mary Lou Milstead and Charlotte Cook, participated in a local flower show. The show introduced the public to creating flower arrangements using flowers that grow well in Yuma.
Photo 2 Karen Bowen
Helping nursing home residents create a flower arrangement is a fun activity to celebrate National Garden Week.