From early spring to late fall, I am always aware of the colorful plantings that grace corners and roadsides, as well as the plant containers on sidewalks, in many of the towns in our area, and I wonder, who are the people who do this beautiful work?
My question was answered just recently when I was approached by fellow realtor Bettyann Nettelfield, a longstanding member of The Garden Club in my town in upper Westchester, New York, who informed me that her organization was celebrating its 85th anniversary this year.
When I expressed interest in knowing more about how garden clubs work, Bettyann arranged for me to meet with some of the club's officers. In advance, I did a little research on garden clubs and beautification in our area, and there are surely many more groups that don't have websites, as is the case of my town but their efforts are high-profile in that their annual plantings target the most heavily trafficked corners and streets in our towns.
"The purpose of our club is education and the beautification of our community," said Lou Ann O'Brien, president of the Yorktown Club. "When it was founded in 1926, the club was quite different than it is today," she said, explaining that it was then based more on snob appeal than the openness it now offers to anyone who wants to join.
Denise Farrell, the organization's Civic Chair, shed more light on that interesting social tidbit. "From old minutes we know that, when a new woman wanted to join the club, she had to be ‘proposed' by another member. The proposing member would then have a tea to introduce the prospect to the club, after which they would vote for accepting her or not.
"The minutes detail what was served at the tea and what the flower arrangements for the day included. Sometimes they would have contests, aside from competitive flower arranging, like identifying the tree species from just a leaf. Only certain groups of people would even be considered for membership. Many of the early members were weekend people from New York City and would summer here. Obviously we have evolved to include anyone interested in gardening and willing to help with our town gardens!"
Elise Graham, a member of the program committee, explained that the mission of the club's annual program is to offer education on horticulture, conservation and environmental issues. "We have lectures by well-known horticulturists, and offer field trips to significant public gardens," she said.
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Bill Primavera is a marketing practitioner who has transitioned into a career as a realtor with Coldwell Banker in New York, representing all of beautiful Westchester and Putnam Counties. He is also a newspaper columnist, known as The Home Guru, writing about a broad variety of subjects pertaining to the home, garden and community. To review an index of his articles, visit: www.PrimaveraRealEstate.com or, for more information about buying or selling homes in his area, call him directly at 914-522-2076.
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