VERNON GARDEN CLUB

When friends Jean Merz and Ginny Gingras made plans for their retirement from teaching, their first priority was to start a local garden club.  Less than 6 months later, on April 27, 2000, the initial meeting of the Vernon Garden Club (VGC) was held.  Eighteen enthusiastic gardeners, recruited largely through word of mouth, attended that organizational meeting and became charter members.  In October 2000, the club became a member of the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut.

The first year of the VGC was exceptionally rewarding.  A cadre of extraordinarily hardworking officers and committees  prompted success.  The membership grew rapidly (63 by years end) and meetings were well attended. Despite a limited budget, programs were diverse and stimulating. The club sponsored a number of garden tours, and members enjoyed making new friendships and sharing good times.  An extremely successful spring plant sale gave a big boost to the treasury.

The second anniversary of the Garden Club was held in April 2002 with the unveiling of our new community garden, The Garden on the Green, located at the junction of Routes 30 & 83.  After a year of discussions, planning, and community fund raising for the garden our vision came to fruition.   A large shabby area was transformed into a colorful 4-season perennial garden.  Located at a busy highway intersection, the garden serves as welcoming gateway to our town.   Maintaining the project has truly been a shared endeavor.  Club members  regularly schedule time to weed, deadhead, compost, fertilize and prune.  Initially, the town's volunteer fire department  watered the site,  which lacks a water source.

Within weeks of opening the gateway garden, the VGC's novice Herb Garden group christened their new kitchen herb garden located at the town's historic Valley Falls Farm, a local landmark.  Lacking funds to create a new garden space, members creatively rehabilitated a large, long-unused cold frame for the project.  By the end of the season these herb gardeners had learned a lot about growing herbs and were ready to harvest and to make use of the garden's extensive bounty.  Items concocted included dill and garlic vinegars, dried sage and oregano, lavender sachets, and a recipe book filled with herb dishes members brought to the popular potluck suppers the group frequently share.

Members continue to maintain the club's two established gardens, as well as participate in many community environmental activities and plant and wildlife endeavors.  The club has very active Master Gardeners, birders, hikers and conservationists.    In the spring of 2001 and 2003, a two-day bus trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show, sponsored by the club, was open to and enjoyed by both club members and others in the community.  In 2004, the club sponsored a three-day trip to view the gardens of the Brandywine Valley.  Our daytrip this year took us to "Blithwold" in Bristol, RI, and Roger Williams Botanical Center in Providence , RI.  Various day trips to gardens and other related points of interest continue to be popular events for members and guests.