Desert Pointe Garden Club
Federated in 1995, currently 27 members
Located at: Ahwatukee
Our mission is to add beauty to our homes and community by developing local gardens with a thoughtful choice of plants. We will inspire others to help protect and maintain the natural bounty surrounding us. We continue to add to and share our knowledge through club presentations and our local community activities.
Desert Pointe Garden Club of Ahwatukee, Arizona meets at 1:30 PM on the first Monday of each month at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center.
Meetings are held from September through May and include presentations by local experts in the landscape and horticulture fields.
For further information contact Judy Barrett at 480-695-3112.
– Ahwatukee Recreation Center (ARC) Garden Maintenance: DPGC members assist the ARC maintenance department with the planning and design of the landscaping. Club members consult, plant, and maintain the gardens and beds of this Adult-Only Community Center. The butterfly garden was added in the fall of 2011.
– Development and Maintenance of the Blue Star Memorial at 48th Street and Warner Road: Club members maintain the memorial site and new commemorative pavers are added each spring and fall to honor family members or friends who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. Pavers are inspected regularly for sun damage and worn pavers are replaced. Click here for an order form for the pavers.
– Annual Poetry Contest for Local Ahwatukee Elementary and Middle School Students: DPGC members encourage first through eighth-grade students at local Ahwatukee elementary and middle schools to participate in the Arizona Federation of Garden Club’s poetry contest. State winners go on to regional and national competitions. The Club’s entrants are frequent winners both state-wide and regionally.
– Treasures 4 Teachers: Desert Pointe Garden Club supports “Treasures 4 Teachers” by collecting supplies at meetings and maintaining a collection box at the Ahwatukee Recreation Center (ARC). Members bring in items that teachers can use in their classrooms to support hands-on learning through craft projects and experiments.
– Garden Renewal for Homes Serving Adults with Disabilities: Since 2016 the club has landscaped the front and back yards of two group homes, one in south Tempe and one in Ahwatukee, both owned by TCH, a non-profit organization that provides training, jobs, and housing for adults with developmental disabilities. We removed diseased trees, cut back overgrowth, planted new trees and shrubs, and continued to trim, weed, and plant flowering annuals and vegetables at both homes.
-Penny Pines: The Club makes an annual donation in support of the National Garden Club’s Penny Pines program to help reforest areas damaged by forest fires or other natural disasters.
The Desert Pointe Garden Club (DPGC) was organized by a small group of Ahwatukee residents in 1995. We are a member of the Central District of the Arizona Federation of Garden Clubs (AFGC), the Pacific Region of NGC, and the National Garden Clubs, Inc. As a 501(c)3 charitable organization, we are dedicated to friendship and community service. All proceeds from fundraising events are used for charitable purposes.
A typical meeting begins with a brief gathering and social time, followed by a program and business meeting. A few of the recent programs featured speakers on topics that included Southwest Monarch Butterflies, Succulents, Herbs, Bees, and Cotton. The first and last meetings of the year, as well as the holiday meetings, are more social and are usually held in a member’s home or at a restaurant.
In addition, the club sells memorial pavers that are installed at the Blue Star Memorial. The pavers honor those who serve or have served our country in the Armed Forces. The pavers are installed twice a year, in the spring before Memorial Day and in the fall before Veterans Day.
