History
The Woodlands Garden Club was organized in March, 1994 by nine members, including two Master Gardeners. It was created to educate and stimulate a love of gardening in both horticulture and design and to encourage and promote conservation and civic involvement. The objectives and goals of the National Council of State Garden Clubs and Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. were also incorporated.
Monthly meetings are held the second Tuesday, September through May. We welcome to membership those who reside in The Woodlands and surrounding communities. We have a Board of Directors made up of elected officers and all committee chairpersons. Our Bylaws are published in the yearly Directory.
The club theme “In Harmony with Nature” is the basis for Texas gardening throughout the program year. At each meeting, we share our garden successes and design knowledge and listen to an authoritative speaker.
Members are active in the many local, district, regional, state and national organizations and societies related to horticulture and/or design. We may contribute financially to some of these; however, we do support a scholarship for a local student majoring in horticulture, forestry or a related topic.
Highlights Through the Years
The first president, Susan Jenkins, (1994-1995) was instrumental in the organization of our club. She established the first civic development project by landscaping and maintaining the Patio Garden at the Grogan’s Mill library. Participation in The Woodlands Wildflower Festival also started this year. Plant sales at this Festival remain our major fund raiser. The theme “In Harmony with Nature” was also adopted during this time.
Under the leadership of Sharon Podolski (1995-1996), we held our first Standard Flower Show. It was a home placement show in cooperation with nearby Oak Ridge North Garden Club. New activities and projects were added. These included field trips, pilgrimages to the Antique Rose Emporium and Hilltop Herb Farm. Our financial contributions to the National, State, District and Federation projects were initiated. These contributions continue.
Alice DeWitt (1996-1998) was the first to serve as president for two years. More civic involvement included decorating the library lobby Christmas tree and collecting food for Interfaith. Youth activities became a priority. We sponsored the Earth Day Collage Poster Contest featuring items to recycle. An educational ecology project was started at The Woodlands High School for a group of tenth grade students. The students planted gardens, kept daily logs, did a Power Point presentation and wrote and designed a children’s booklet about a growing seed. This project was awarded the Helen Hussy and Shell Grant awards. During this time plant studies and displays became a part of the monthly meeting. A Standard Flower Show became a bi-annual event.
During the tenure of Mary Barnes (1998-1999) club membership increased to 85. All established activities, projects and contributions continued. A scholarship committee selected a local university student, whose major was in horticulture or a related field, to be the recipient of our first scholarship award.
Bringing in the Millennium was Jeanette West (1999-2000). Club contributions and community service projects were maintained. An official celebration of Arbor Day was established for elementary school students. Monthly design workshops became a part of the monthly meetings. The club sponsored and helped local Girl Scouts plant a butterfly garden to earn their scout badge.
Christy Hauser (2000-2001) introduced the members to Feng Shui Gardening. Contributions were expanded to include National Wildflower Research Center , Rio Grande Wildlife Corridor, Houston Federation Target Hunger, and the Salvation Army Christmas Stocking for children who might not have a Christmas. A tree was planted for youth Arbor Day, a wildflower garden was built at a local elementary school and a contribution was made to the Montgomery County Junior Master Gardener Program. In addition, we purchased several books on gardening and floral design for the library.
In the two year term of Irene Schreyer (2001-2003) the club library for garden related books was started. We added the Barbara Bush Nature Center , Brookwood Community and 9/11 National Memorial Fund to our list of contributions. Our youth project established a Junior Garden Club, The Extreme Green Nature Team, at Wilkerson Intermediate School . Community concerns added the collection of toiletries and Christmas gift bags for The Montgomery County Women’s Shelter (for battered women).
Lovita Vandenberg (2003-2004) continued participation in all areas begun in previous years. This was the first year that we decorated Christmas ornaments with dried flowers to be sold at The Wildflower Festival. Scholarships and club donations are supported by the sale of these ornaments and plant cuttings from member gardens. The Flower Show is now an annual event. A most memorable program that year featured soil testing; the results of which were known within minutes.
A member’s garden tour began the year with “Charlie” Marr (2004-2005). This has become an annual event. The club held its first Small Standard Flower Show. The Federation project “Seeds of Life” continued with donations of pre-packaged seeds to be distributed to other countries in need. New contributions included the Lynn Lowrey Arboretum at Rice University and the Margaret Sharpe Memorial Garden at the University of Houston . All continuing projects were funded and a scholarship awarded.
Sharon Podolski (2005-2006) showed the club how gardening, quilt making and cooking could all work together. We continued to fund and support all of the previous projects and contributions. A new project initiated this year was the collection of stuffed bunnies for the children who are at the shelter with their moms at Easter time. A contribution was made to the new library for books and educational items. The library has installed a plaque in the entrance foyer with our name.
“Charlie” Marr (2006-2007) featured the 14 districts of Texas Garden Clubs, Inc. All projects, contributions and fund raising continued. A Standard Flower Show, a Scholarship and Youth Programs also continue.
Joyce Nelsen (2007-2009) shared highlights of District, State and National awards that the club had won. All contributing concerns remain funded as well as the participating projects for Youth and Community Service. The Junior Garden Club curriculum is now sponsored by Junior Master Gardeners at Texas A&M University. It has become part of the Intermediate School ’s curriculum. A Standard Flower Show and a Small Standard Flower show were held at a retirement community in The Woodlands. Fund raising has been successful enough to consider awarding more than one scholarship. The club has found a new meeting place within The Woodlands. We made a pilgrimage to The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin .
SUMMARY
The Woodlands Garden Club has grown since its inception in 1994. Our goals remain the same, i.e., to stimulate knowledge; pursue the love of gardening; educate our members in horticulture and design; keep an open enrollment for surrounding communities and to pursue the knowledge of Texas Gardening. The club is honored to have so many dedicated members who have worked hard to bring us to this point. May we all continue to carry on in the spirit of being “In Harmony with Nature”.