5 Signs You Should Join a Garden Club
Here at Southern Living, we love gardens. We appreciate an outdoor space well designed. We’re constantly learning about gardens and people who love gardens, and that education extends to every corner of the botanical world. If you’re reading Southern Living, we bet you have a soft spot for gardens too. That’s why you should join a garden club.
No pressure, but we think you’ll love it.
We’re here to tell you that garden clubs are for everyone. Join with a friend or join on your own—you’re sure to meet plenty of like-minded gardeners and garden enthusiasts. Your local garden club organizes events, promotes the enjoyment of gardens, and supports conservation efforts in your hometown and state.
Did you know that today’s garden clubs got their start in the South? The first American garden club was founded in 1891 in Athens, Georgia. Garden clubs are as varied as their hometowns and host everything from flower shows to garden tutorials to community beautification projects. It’s about sharing knowledge, meeting fellow gardening enthusiasts, and learning something new. If that sounds like it’s right up your alley, find your local garden club today. You should seriously consider checking out a garden club if any or all of the following apply to you.
You have a green thumb.
If you are already a seasoned gardener, you are sure to find your niche in your local garden club. Garden club leadership will enlist your help hosting events and teaching gardening tutorials in no time.
You don’t have a green thumb.
Gardening novices are welcome too! Garden clubs are all about appreciating gardens, so the only prerequisite is the desire to enjoy garden spaces in all their shapes and sizes. If you love gardens and want to learn more, you should start making inquiries and visit a meeting of your local garden club.
You love to learn about gardening.
You may join your local garden club because you enjoy gardens, but you will be astonished at how much you learn when you attend events and get to know fellow garden club members. There is a vast accumulation of knowledge in garden clubs passed down from members through the years, and you’re sure to learn something new, whether it’s how to change the color of your hydrangeas or the best ways to fend off garden pests.
You care about conservation.
In recent years, garden clubs have helped to continue the conversation of environmental conservation. They offer educational programs, plan projects, and raise awareness about protecting the environment, including spearheading programs to combat the decline of pollinators and other significant issues that affect our gardens and our world.
You want to talk gardens with other garden-minded people.
Gardens bring people together. Join up, and you’ll have a whole club of new friends bound together by a love of gardens, gardening, and people who love gardening. In garden clubs, no matter what your gardening interests may be—from peonies to pollinators—you’ll find spaces to explore them and people to share them with.
WATCH: Succulent Container Gardening with the Grumpy Gardener
And don’t forget the flower shows! Garden club flower shows are the highlights of every season. Don’t have a local garden club? Start your own or partner with the National Garden Clubs to plan your own projects.