Is It Time For YOU To Join A Garden Club?

Last Tuesday, I attended the 94th annual Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland annual meeting at Turf Valley in Ellicott City. This club comprises 81 garden clubs with approximately 3000 members divided into five districts throughout the state, from the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay to the mountains of Western Maryland.

Please consider signing up if you do not already belong to a garden club or a plant society. There are many groups, some right in your backyard, where you can share your love of all things plants.

Back in the day, Behnke used to host a Garden Party where we would invite different clubs and groups to set up to share with you what they have to offer. It was a way to let you see if you would be interested in joining. But even though we no longer have that event, you can search on your computer for local garden clubs. So if you love a particular type of plant, like Perennials, Herbs, or African Violets, there is a club/society for that!

I kept hearing last week how nice it was to get back together in person with each other. While during Covid, they still had meetings, and they were all done virtually. The problem with that is that you miss the interaction with others. The back and forth of sharing what works and does not work and even photos of your families. Now as things have opened back up, it is lovely to see old friends seeing each other.

Then, last Saturday, I was at Meadows Farms in Burtonsville, MD, for their annual Alzheimers’ Day. Even though the morning weather was a mess of rain and wind, the sun did come out. As they say, April Showers Bring May Flowers. I love being a guest at Meadows Farms. This is truly a community garden center where the staff loves what they do, and you can tell how much their customers appreciate that. Once again, interaction with other like-minded folks brings joy all around.

I hope you, too, enjoy getting out and about, meeting up with old friends, and making new ones. And most importantly, getting out in the garden. You can still go to local parks or public gardens even if you do not have one in your backyard.