The Durham Garden Club

 Over Ninety Years of Community Service

On March 23, 1933, twelve ladies interested in gardening gathered at the Durham Library with Mrs. Stanley Pardee of the Meriden Garden Club to organize a similar club in Durham. They were Mary Asman, Gertrude Atwell, Blanche Coe, Josephine H. Francis, Daisy Hall, Annie Page, Gertrude Page, Hattie Page, May Roberts, Mary Stone, Alice Strong, and Carrie Wilcox.

An organizational meeting took place on April 14th electing Blanche Coe as president; Gertrude Atwell, treasurer; and Daisy Hall as secretary. The objectives of the club were stated as: “To promote interest and activity in all forms of gardening, to encourage education that will lead to keener appreciation of the advantages of garden development, and when possible to use this knowledge for the betterment of our homes and our community.”

The first club project focused on the removal and elimination of the Mill Bridge dump. Since that time, the club’s main focus has been Civic Beautification.

The Durham Garden Club has maintained a high level of activity and visibility throughout the years. Some of the most recent award winning projects includes The Triangle landscaping at the junction of Routes 79 & 17; Project 2000: The Greening of Main Street which involved replacing diseased trees; The Hillside Project; Blue Star Marker and Gardens at the Town Hall, and their efforts to eliminate visual pollution by participating in Adopt-A-Road and eliminating unsightly billboards. 

Currently, The Durham Garden Club has volunteered to renovate the atrium garden at the previous Korn School using native plants and following the Pollinator Pathways practices and guidelines. This garden in the heart of the new community center will be used to educate the public about the importance of pollinators and how they can be supported growing native plants without the use of chemicals and pesticides.

The Durham Garden Club provides all the floral decorations displayed at Strong School Step-Up Day, District 13 Graduation and Memorial Day parade. The Artistic Design Committee has participated in various floral competitions throughout the years including Festival of Trees and Fine Art and Flowers at the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Hartford.

While The Durham Garden Club has raised revenue with Silver Teas, Standard Flower Shows and other events, the current source of income is the sale of decorated holiday wreaths.

The Club gives back to the community by providing quality programs involving lectures, school programs, and workshops about floral design, landscaping, horticulture, birding, and conservation. It donates books and media to the Durham Library and has been involved with their landscaping as well. A generous scholarship is also given to a local graduating high school senior who can further the aims and interest of The Durham Garden Club and The Federated Garden Clubs of CT.

The Durham Garden Club promotes and encourages “green gardening” whenever possible by reusing, recycling, and using earth friendly products.

The Durham Garden Club meets on the third Saturday of the month at 10:30 am at Korn Community Center. Please contact Karen Patterson at tashmoo4me@aol.com if you would like to learn more about the club.

 For more information, check out our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TheDurhamGardenClub.

The Durham Garden Club is a member of National Garden Clubs, Inc., The Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, Inc., and The New England Region of National Garden Clubs, Inc. 

 

Sources: 

974.6 DUR. Century of Change 1866-1980; The Durham Historical Society, Durham, CT., Edited by Barbara Ryan