COVER STORY:
Garden Clubs Blossom Locally
Cindy Hackett Green
Photography by Bill Green
Spring 2007 Issue
The year was 1929. The Roaring 20s were coming to an abrupt close and
the country was on edge. After a fragile economic summer, October's
collapse of the stock market plunged the nation into financial strain
and emotional stress.
Times were tough; people were sad.
That same year, a group of Frederick women joined together with the
basic purpose of beautifying the natural environment around them. It's
possible the roots of The Garden Club of Frederick may have been based
on a premise as simple as the familiar custom of sending flowers to a
friend who is ill. Something in that caring gesture just seems to lift
the spirits and nurture the soul.
These founding mothers began a tradition of civic enrichment by
planting and maintaining gardens in public places downtown. They also
sponsored artistic flower shows and met monthly in their homes to
discuss and learn gardening and arranging techniques.
With a focus on the finer things in life, the women of the club gained
a certain reputation for being poised, polished and proper. White
gloves were probably a must.
Today, that club and others are still at work, usually in a reserved
and quiet way, with little notoriety for their deeds. Some things have
changed, but some things still remain very much the same.
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