Cape St. Claire Garden Club: Beautifying the Cape Since 1975

At this time of year, when gardens are thriving in the Cape and producing wonderful home-grown tomatoes, peppers, squash, zucchini, okra, beans, melons, berries, and more, it seemed like a good time to feature our very own Garden Club. 

Founded in 1975, the Cape St. Claire Garden Club provides gardening fun, as well as education to its members and to the community. The Garden Club meets monthly and has themed discussions on topics such as foodscraping, shade gardening, composting, rain gardens and improving the soil.  

Garden Club meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at the Clubhouse and are open to all interested gardeners. The club also holds two potluck dinners each year so members can socialize. 

One of the biggest events for the Garden Club (and for the Cape) each year is the Garden Club’s annual plant sale in the spring. The plant sale is held in the grassy area across from near the signboard. This year’s offerings featured iris, black-eyed susans, phlox, blood root, hostas, ferns, hydrangeas, butterfly bushes, asters, mums, sundrops, forsythia, sedums, tomatoes, vegetables, herbs, petunias, marigolds, impatiens, alyssums, coleus, and hanging baskets. 

The Garden Club is very appreciative of the donation of the new daisy-embroidered aprons made by Cape Monogram. Together with Cape Monogram, the Garden Club gave a $200 donation to the Preservation Trust to help the organization continue their efforts to preserve the open space and historical site right in our own backyard. 

Additionally, the Garden Club maintains and beautifies community median strips and other areas around the Cape and also recognizes four Cape yards each month with the coveted “Yard of the Month” award. Volunteers from the Garden Club photograph some of the most attractive yards in the Cape, and then volunteers diligently judge which four win each month.  The “Yard of the Month” winners also have their photographs featured on the Cape St. Claire Improvement Association website. 

The club also has a very nice blog. Check them out at: http://www.capegardenclub.wordpress.com.

I know I speak for many local residents when I thank Garden Club members for their hard work throughout the year. Here's hoping the next 35 years are as productive for lucky Cape residents.