To all the garden clubs in the state - THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL IDEAS for the first "Membership Ideas Newsletter" I have emailed every club President in the state. For those clubs that submitted ideas, you receive a prize! I am making each club business cards with the following information:
If
any club would like business cards, contact me at
efix@earthlink.net with the information above and I'll put them in the mail to you.
FGCM Central District Membership Ideas
Arrowhead Garden Club
1) Host a "paint-out". Using member's garden, invite local art club/artists to an afternoon paint-out with refreshments and prizes (donated? $50.00 certificate at art supply store?). Artists furnish own canvas and paint medium. Judges can be from local schools and your district and or garden club. Great opportunity for public relations coverage!
2) Host a flower show at a mall or bank inviting those in the community to participate.
3) Have a garden tea party and invite all interested prospective garden club members to come and have each garden club member bring a guest.
4) Present a program on gardening at the local public library or volunteer to present one to a local Newcomer's Association. A suggestion is to have 3 or more club members’ research bugs/pests or their own personal favorite shrub, perennial, tree and give a 10 minute presentation with a question and answer period following the presentation. Have a sign up sheet for interested prospective members available.
5) Have a booth at the local home show or home/product show. Go armed with books and volunteer to answer gardening questions. Have a sign up sheet for prospective members available.
6) If you have a local garden project, advertise it in local paper and ask for community volunteers to help with the project. These volunteers usually become members, if you're a fun group!
Our best-received program, so far this year, was from a florist at River City Florist & Greenhouse (573-634-3737) from Jefferson City, Mo. We had our members bring in flowers and plant material from their gardens and unique flower containers (one was a black patent leather Mary Jane baby shoe). She uses our flowers and containers and showed us how do arrangements and brought some of her own. She talked and answered questions for an hour and a half and we had to break it up. That's a good program!
We are having an extra meeting in October with a fall dish carry-in and three of our members are going to show us all how to carve, paint, or decorate pumpkins.
Jan Weeks, Co President, Judy Jaqua, Co President, Arrowhead Garden Club
Ashland Garden Club
We have an annual plant sale each year and have interested several individuals in visiting and joining our club. We have several members available at the sale to give planting information and offer advice on what to plant.
Also, we choose a Yard of the Month recipient during the growing season. We have recruited several members from this activity.
Our meeting time, location and contact person are listed in our local weekly newspaper.
The past two years we have displayed gardening books and club information flyers at the local library during the National Garden Club week which is held during the first part of June.
Jeanne McDonald, Ashland Garden Club
Centralia Flower and Garden Club
1) Send letters to new residents in the community. Employees of the city send us the names of all new residents to the community. This is a part of the city sponsored Welcome Wagon program.
2) Provide flower arrangements at City Hall and Library with a sign, “Courtesy of Centralia Flower and Garden Club” with whom to contact. Our garden club appoints a club member to be responsible for each month.
3) Sponsor a hummingbird program - open to the public. Troy and Janine Gordon, 9705 N. Rt. E, Harrisburg, MO 65256, gordonm@missouri.edu put on Hummingbird programs. He is a registered bird bandier and provides these programs including the handouts. The program includes a speech, slides, and Q&A.. He presented a free program for the Centralia Flower and Garden Club. They will come to any local venue that is available at the time. We advertised the meeting and location in the local paper.
4) Hold an annual plant sale every April in the city square.
5) Highway triangle beautification project, with a sign indicating it is sponsored by the Centralia Flower and Garden Club.
6) We have started a two mile cleanup with Adopt a Highway Program. They installed signs at each end of our area.
Kay Overfelt, Centralia Flower and Garden Club
Lake Bloomers Garden Club
Our membership runs between 65 and 70. Our board hopes to keep our numbers in that area because we have difficulty finding sites for meetings when the numbers are too large. Many of our members have joined after reading newspaper articles about our meetings or events so I guess I'd say that publicity is important.
Joyce Szemplenski, President, Lake Bloomers Garden Club
Mexico Garden Club
During your ways and means events, ask participants (general public) who have come to purchase your plants, books, garden crafts, etc. if they are interested in receiving information about the garden club. Get their phone number and call a couple times to invite them to the next meeting.
I work in a resale shop. Whenever a customer buys a gardening book, I ask them if they are interested in the garden club.
Advertisements and notices aren't very effective. One on one invitations work the best.
Linda Ahmann, Mexico Garden Club
Vineclad Garden Club
We try to do as many things as possible to get our name and picture in the paper to generate interest in the club. This includes an announcement of each month’s meetings with a contact person listed.
We had a table at Wal-Mart on the day they opened they're garden center to answer questions and invite people to join our club.
We also participated in Boonville's Festival of Lights held on Thursday's in September in the downtown area. Our club's booth provided gardening information and invited people to join our club.
Cynthia Florek, Vineclad Garden Club
EAST CENTRAL DISTRICT Central Zone MEMBERSHIP IDEAS
Print up a flyer about your meetings. Include the date, time, program, place, hostess, location and phone number of hostess. Place flyers on church bulletin boards, grocery bulletin boards, break rooms in office buildings, YMCA, exercise clubs or in libraries.
Print up a flyer on how nice a yard looks and place it on the front door of the home inviting the owner to the next garden club meeting. Consider buying a small space in a small community church bulletin for one day advertising your meeting. Have evening meetings instead of day meetings. Have a couples meeting. Provide babysitting during meetings. Select a specific Chairmen/Committee to work with Boy/Girl Scout Troops, 4-H g! roups and other youth organizations. Go to your local high school and form a garden club. To attract the “Soccer Mom”, maybe have a meeting during soccer practice???
June Sifrig, ECD - Central Zone Director
Farm Trails Garden Club
1. Speak to senior groups about gardening
2. Advertise yearly in Bulletin of Shaw's Garden
3. Have a "booth" at various Garden programs, i. e. society plant sales, MO Best Market, etc.
4. Do publicity about community projects in local papers (Suburban Journals) or your local newspaper.
5. Do combination garage and plant sales
6. Activities such as Meals-on-Wheels - make tray favors with name of garden club and contact information. We had one member join who is a volunteer.
7. If there is a Singles or other group at garden or art museum, offer to do a program on flower arranging, house plants or a subject that the group is interested in. etc.
8. Welcome wagon flyers
9. Have a plant party - house plants, orchids, flower arranging, etc.(and/or plant auction) like the old Tupperware parties.
Gloria Whyte, Farm Trails Garden Club
Membership Ideas from East Central District-South Zone
Sunset Hills Garden Club
We are lucky in that we have no problems in attracting new members. Our membership is limited in number and we have been full for years. We have interesting programs. We maintain a community garden which is a very visible eyesore turned lovely. People driving by when we are working stop and thank us and ask about out group. I'm sure both these factors help attract members. Our local high school's mother's club has started an annual garden tour. It was started by some of our members. Others interested in the project have learned about our club and joined.
Carol Cooke, Sunset Hills Garden Club
I'm sending this note because I've been concerned about something for several years. There have been at least a half dozen clubs drop during this time and I have always wondered about this. .. . . in a club of any size, they can't all want to drop garden club! Why doesn't someone contact each member of these clubs and ask if they would like to join another club? Example: last fall the St. Anthony's garden club group dropped membership and that was approximately 32 members! What a loss! And I would think that some of them would have been delighted to move into one of the other south county clubs.
Barbara Simonson, EC District Treasurer
Heather Heights Garden Club
Contact each new homeowner in your garden club’s original subdivision where the majority of your members live. Outgoing, enthusiastic member makes the contact at the door with a loaf of bread and an invitation to the next garden club meeting.
Adult daughters of long time members are a good source for members. These women “grew up” exposed to garden clubbing. As a 30 year plus club which meets at night, our children are now grown and homeowners with interests in gardening and civic development.
Programs: We enjoyed two guest speakers from opposite ends of the floral spectrum.
Sue Lonbardo, owner of Recycled Rose in Sappington, Mo. presented a fascinating program on arrangements, table settings, wreaths etc. using grapevines, lace remnants, leaves and many other natural materials.
Greg Swenson, floral designer at Ladue Florist in Ladue, Mo. presented a breath taking program of centerpieces and designs featuring elegant and exotic flowers. He shared methods for using minimal blooms for maximum effect and many tricks with mechanics.
Glenda Finnie, Heather Heights Garden Club
Concord Garden Club
1) Publicity in newspaper
2) Personal Contact
3) Community Fair
4) Church newsletter
5) Public Bulletin Boards
6) Home and Garden Show
Shirley Uhlmansick, Concord Garden Club
Oakcrest Garden Club
1. Have a plant sale (members donate flowers & plants & garden related items from their own gardens) in your area and hand out pamphlets to let them know about your garden club.
2. Challenge your own members to bring in new members.
3. Notice gardeners in your neighborhood (area) and compliment them with a letter from your garden club and invite them to a meeting.
4. Pass out welcome fliers in your neighborhood announcing a tea/coffee party and discuss the great activities your garden club has to offer there.
5. Ask your recreational center in your area if your club could display information about your garden club activities for a week, month, etc.
Debbie Rose, Oakcrest Garden Club
Claybreakers Garden Club
Our favorite meeting this year (and a repeat from last year), was a Victorian Tea. It was held in May, and was for lunch. Everyone wore a hat an brought a "tea dainty" to serve. We had a prize for the best hat, and a member gave a talk on tea etiquette, and different kinds of tea. It was fun!
Pat Wynne, Claybreakers Garden Club
MEMBERSHIP IDEAS FROM MID-CENTRAL DISTRICT
Sullivan Garden Club
1) We had a covered dish luncheon at a local B & B and made it a fun time. We also invited friends. We got 5 new members.
2) We give a certificate to the Garden of the Month winner and offer them a free one year membership. Only one has joined this year. The next two runner ups get a different certificate.
3) We try to get members to invite a friend every month to a meeting. We got 4 new members in July. This seems to work the best for us.
4) We have a write up every month in the local newspaper about what we are doing and invite people to come to our meetings.
June Tongay, Sullivan Garden Club
Owensville Garden Club
Regarding membership ideas, this is what our members came up with:
1. Bring a friend day when a special program is planned.
2. In our newspaper advertisement we put in what the next month’s program will be and invite everyone.
3. At town festivals and county fair, have signs promoting your local garden club with contact name and phone number.
4. Give all 'Yard of the Month' winners information on the garden club and invite them to a meeting.
Phyllis Verhulst, Owensville Garden Club
Troy Garden Club
Have a public garden tour with lots of promotion through photos and articles in the local newspaper of featured gardens on the tour. At every garden have two Hostesses with a “SIGN UP” sheet for people “Would you like to be invited to a garden club meeting?” with name, address and phone number requested.
Make up a brochure about the club with your goals and objectives and put them out at the local library, garden centers and nurseries.
Sandy Coons, President, Troy Garden Club
Boone Country Garden Club
We are giving prizes to the "old" members who recruited the most new members this year. That may not be an original idea but we did recruit new members this year so I guess it is working! We have grown from 28 to 37 members!
I also think the fact that our club is involved in so many projects, there is something for everyone to do. Visitors are impressed, they want to join to get involved and to feel needed.
Pat Schnarr, President, Boone Country Garden Club
Lewis & Clark Garden Club
1. We have an established committee that is responsible for the marketing of the Lewis and Clark Garden Club. The group has implemented some of the following:
2. Have a separate name tag for guests, which is a different color, so we can easily pick them out. That way we can make sure we introduce our self to them and welcome them to our club meeting.
3. We have had “Special Night”, when we have pansies for the guests and for members who brought them.
4. We also developed a club brochure that is handed out to potential new members. We encouraged both the husband and wife to join the club.
5. At all plant sales functions and home tours, we have a log sheet for potential members, to get their name and address for future mailings and follow up.
These are just a few things that we have done to help our club grow.
Jim Beaudry, President, Lewis & Clark Garden Club
MEMBERSHIP IDEAS FROM NORTH CENTRAL DISTRICT
Countryside Federated Garden Club
We will be adding an open invitation to each month’s club minutes that appear in two newspapers.
We are also planning on distributing the JOIN A GARDEN CLUB posters that will include the dates and time of our meetings and a personal contact person.
We have members in three small towns in Linn County so we hope for success.
Shirley Carr, Countryside Federated Garden Club
Putnam County Garden Club
Start a Junior Garden club, a good way to get the mother's interested.
A monthly garden club news article in the local paper about INTERESTING EVENTS and a contact person for persons interested in joining.
A flower show open to everyone. Send a thank you note to those participating along with an invitation to become a member.
Publicize interesting programs with an invitation to come and invite those who come to join.
Encourage and remind members to be aware of persons having an interest in gardening and INVITE them to become members.
At the spring plant sale (or any public event) hand out brochures with information about the garden club.
Have a booth at the county fair with handouts pertaining to gardening, sign up sheet for prize drawings, along with a sign up for those interested in joining.
Jean Grogan, Putman County Garden Club
Countryside Garden Club
We will be adding an open invitation to each month’s club minutes that appear in two newspapers.
We are also planning on distributing the JOIN A GARDEN CLUB posters that will include the dates and time of our meetings and a personal contact person.
We have members in three small towns in Linn County so we hope for success.
Shirley Carr, Countryside Garden Club
MEMBERSHIP IDEAS FROM NORTHEAST DISTRICT
Hannibal Garden Club
Members tell us the following reasons they join a garden club:
Joined to learn more about gardening and flowers and related subjects. A friend asked them to join. Sought out garden club to join as something they wanted to do when they had the time to participate. After moving to the area, it is/was an opportunity to meet people with similar interests.
To find new members, we ask and talk to people that we know. We have sign-up sheets at our garden tour and plant sale and we are thinking about running an advertisement in the local newspaper.
The one event that Hannibal Garden Club had that not only are members talking about, but people who attended talked about it for over a year or more. It was our 2003 Garden Tour where we had 4 gardens on the river bluff where two of us live. We had people calling the next year at garden tour time to see if it was on the bluff again and then they would tell us about gardens that they seen there the previous year. Our members thought it was special to see what gardening is like in the woods.
Janet Koplinski, Hannibal Garden Club
Clarksville Garden Club
Clarksville Garden Club is inviting the recipients of Yard of the Month for the past 2 years to their meeting this month and hope some will decide to join us.
Maisie Keeser, Clarksville Garden Club
MEMBERSHIP IDEAS FROM NORTHWEST DISTRICT
Maryville Garden Club
One of our members created a beautiful half page handout explaining our projects and the purpose of our club. In this handout we invite people to join our club. We distributed these at our Annual Iris sale in August. We also have sent them to people in our community who might be interested in joining our club. I am sending you a copy of the handout by snail mail.
We have also tried each year to get newspaper coverage of our various projects especially during National Garden Club Week in June and encourage people to join.
Thanks for collecting these ideas. We look forward to seeing what other groups are doing.
Joann Espey, Maryville Garden Club
Bethany Community Garden Club
I believe a garden club is a group of people meeting together with fellow gardeners and discussing ways to “Preserve” the earth given to us by God and working together for that purpose so that our children and those after us may enjoy its beauty and bounty forever.
Our club meets the second Monday of each month (except January). We start our meeting singing the song, “I Come to the Garden Alone” then we have the Club Collect and a poem or short reading, then our regular meeting ends with a program on gardening, birds or trees given by one of our members or a guest speaker.
In May we have a plant and bake sale that is very profitable. In October we have a “Silent Auction” which is also a money maker.
In July we have a “Salad Luncheon” where we invite guests and have a guest speaker that is enjoyed by all. We each take a vase of flowers for table arrangements at this meeting.
We work with the Park Committee and city officials on beautifying the area.
We also try to cheer the elderly in rest homes with birthday parties and showing of flowers and other entertainment.
Our club consists of 27 members. We have 5 honorable members including one that is a lifetime member.
The only suggestion we came up with was that we may publish more articles in the Local Newspaper about gardening.
Louise Shepard, Bethany Community Garden Club
MEMBERSHIP IDEAS FROM SOUTH CENTRAL DISTRICT
Salem City of Peace Garden Club
1) Put a notice in the paper for new members and invite them for lunch or snacks at a convenient location for everyone and share information about your garden club.
2) Personal contacts are one of the best ways we have found works for us.
3) Real estate people can invite new buyers to get acquainted with the community by asking them to join your garden club and give them a flyer about your club.
4) Put an invitation in the newspaper for new members to join a garden club in the area - plus information about what your club does in the community.
Mary Walters, Salem City of Peace Garden Club
Sunbonnet Garden Club
Sunbonnet Garden Club discussed this briefly at our meeting in Sept. That month is our anniversary month dinner meeting. We do award a "Yard of the Month" and the local newspaper is very accommodating in giving us coverage for that. They usually put a color picture or two on the front page plus one or two black & white photos and a brief story in another part of! the paper. They include a garden club member contact name and phone number.
We have a garden tour. We invite visitors and of course at other functions also. Some of our husbands are helpful. One member, whose husband is a dentist had a woman patient who liked to garden and he invited her to our club. She was interested and his wife brought her to the dinner meeting.
Glenda Brockman, Sunbonnet Garden Club
Hartville Garden Club
The Hartville Garden Club helped to start 2 new clubs. One club is located in Mansfield, Mo. and the other is in Mountain Grove, Mo. The Chamber of Commerce in both of these towns was very helpful in letting us know that there was a desire to form garden clubs. Otherwise, we probably wouldn't have known. We met with citizens who were interested. Show them our yearbook and what our club was accomplishing in the community. I have found that there has to be hardworking members who want to keep the club moving or else it will fold up if there is no desire there to work at it.
Joan Meigs, Hartville Garden Club
Stargazer Garden Club
Instead of a citywide Yard-of-the-Month contest, we have a countywide contest which is from May through October. We have certain areas judged. We also publish pictures and details describing the monthly winners in their respective newspapers.
This year we reinstituted the Flower Show at the county fair and anyone interested was encouraged to enter.
Our club became a member of the Chamber of Commerce so that new residents are informed of our garden club.
We have a float in the annual 4th of July parade that displays some of the plants grown by our members. Several of the members ride the float also.
We are also involved with the Tree City USA tree plantings in Marshfield and will be having a booth with information about our garden club, the upcoming flower show and a bulb sale next spring at the 1st Cherry Blossom festival in Marshfield.
As you can see, making our presence known in the community is a vital part of increasing our membership.
Susan Scarborough, Stargazer Garden Club
Mountain View Garden Club
1. Bright, Bubble-gum Pink Tee-Shirts/Tanks - Our tee-shirts have blue-script lettering on the front with “Mountain View Garden Club” and “Wednesday Weeders” on the back. We wear them on two Wednesday Workdays a month; as a group. Drivers can spot us from a mile off! We also wear them to group activities at our elementary school and to our semi-annual plant sales. We wear them from February through November, often with a long-sleeved shirt underneath.
2. Spring and Fall Plant Sales to Public - We hold these sales in “What Park” which is located downtown, on Saturday mornings. These are our only Ways and Means fund raisers. Press coverage prior to the event stresses that we provide plants from our gardens which grow well in our area of the Ozarks, so newcomers (often retirees) attend the sales. It’s a good time to recruit new members.
3. Annual Spring Nursery Tour - We meet and carpool, usually in April to 4-6 local growers/plant nurseries. We invite newcomers to our community to come along with us to offer them other resources than distant box stores. We rotate our tour route every year. This year we descended on a local high school nursery run by their FFA group which supplied flats of annuals for new flower beds in the community.
4. Community-wide, Standard Flower Show - This is an annual event held at the Mountain View Community Center, downtown. Our 2005 show opened to the public Friday, May 20 from 2.00 – 8 pm and on Saturday, May 21, 9 am – 12 noon. We also purchased and gave away four potted roses as door prizes to attract more visitors. We vary the flower show dates each year to offer diverse horticultural and display options. We've added a Fruit and Vegetable Division and Youth Division to attract more entries and encourage gardening interest. All members of the public are invited to enter the Design Division in hopes of attracting new members.
5. Progressive Members’ Garden Tour - This annual, day-long event, held in June this year, is open to friends as well as members. We met and carpooled to four gardens (one belonged to a non-member) throughout the day. We began at 9.00 am, drove to the first garden, toured it, then enjoyed coffee cake and savory cornbread with teas at 9.30, a luncheon of cold salads and sandwiches at 11.00 am and dessert with coffee at 3.00 pm. We ended the day with a business meeting. One of our members organized the tour and each member who volunteered to show her garden was supported by another member or two who brought ! the treats, so each hostess was just responsible for showing her garden. This is one of our most fun activities; it’s a good event to invite prospective members to, as we enjoy good food second only to great gardens!
Carolyn Flynn Williams, Mountain View Garden Club
MEMBERSHIP IDEAS FROM SOUTHEAST DISTRICT
Azalea Garden Club
The Azalea Garden Club of Kennett, Mo. is in a small town setting. Kennett has a population of 11,000. The club tries to keep a high public profile by reporting activities in the local news paper, the Daily Dunklin Democrat. We submit pictures whenever possible because readers are drawn to pictures more quickly.
The Moonlight Garden Club of Hayti, seventeen miles away, also puts publicity in the Daily Dunklin Democrat. Since they are in Pemiscot County this spurs us on to be sure we have something that equals their activities. They also have a good photographer and news gatherer.
The Azalea Garden Club was Federated in 1949. We still have one charter member, Ella Price. She has been an inspiration for the rest of us for 56 years! She is a beautiful, vivacious lady. Her home was established by her husband's parents. The original "outhouse" has been made into a garden storage and potting shed. They also had a chicken coop and horse barn. Ella and husband, Paul, incorporated these into an attractive landscape. Paul Price passed away a few years back. The garden has a large beautiful patio with a gas grill, electrical outlets for various appliances, built-in storage that serves as seating. There is a gazebo that provides an extra sheltered dining area. Paul had a woodworking shop in the! horse barn which was destroyed by a fire several years ago.
Ella has served several times as Azalea Garden Club President and taken her turn with the other offices, too. She often hosted church and garden club events such as breakfasts, garden tours and ice cream socials.
Our club motto is: "I will not follow where the path may lead, but I will go where there is no path, and I will leave a trail." Murial Strode. Ella Price has been our leader, blazing the way into the future. She has had a vision and a mission. When I arrived on the scene in 1970, there were goals and objectives. Nevertheless, we have a direction to follow. We are just hoping that others will follow and maintain our trail.
We hold Ella Price in high esteem!
Anita Blackmon, Azalea Garden Club
Fredricktown Garden Club
1. Try entering a float in a parade.
2. We plant a raised flower bed at a nursing home.
3. We maintain a flower bed at City Flag pole, The Garden in Fredericktown and the Lettis Burris flower bed at the intersection of Hwy 67.
4. We have also set up a booth at our Fredericktown Fair.
Betty J Wagganer, Fredericktown Garden Club
Rose Hills Garden Club
During our meeting the members agreed, 100%, that in order to encourage new members to join our club the club needed to be involved in a project, such as our park’s rose garden or the Lewis and Clark "Red House" gardens. They said that even though you may have interesting meetings, that won't hold the interest of a new member like gardening or working in the community.
As an aside, one member said a sure way to loose new members is to nominate them for a position in the first one to two years after joining.
Sue Ann Austin, Rose Hills Garden Club
Glades Garden Club
We put an article in a local newspaper about our monthly meeting and who to contact.
In February we held a workshop planting seeds for a new project. We designed and planted a Historical Wildflower Garden at the Governor Fletcher Home and Museum. Fletcher House was built in 1851 by Thomas C. Fletcher, Missouri's first native-born Governor (1865-69), and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Fletcher House is operated as a "House Museum" through the cooperative efforts of the Jefferson County Parks & Recreation Department, and the Fletcher House Foundation. Our club voted to design and build the garden there as a new project. We all have been involved some way or another. A member contacted John Brophy, the President of the Foundation to get permission. It is located on Elm and Main Street in Hillsboro, Mo. We go several times to weed and water. This summer being so dry, it was a chore, but we all helped out. I put an article and picture in the summer edition of the Garden Forum. We are in the process of making a Book of Evidence. I also had the picture and article in our local paper. The garden is actually near the Huskey Log Cabin that was moved early this year, nearby the Fletcher House. The Log Cabin sits directly behind the Fletcher House.
This has been an exciting project for our club.
Karen Aho, Glades Garden Club
Nancy Weber Garden Club
100% of our new members are through word of mouth. The yearbook states that a guest must be brought to a meeting before the member who brought them can offer a written request for membership.
Provide interesting programs with a mix of hands on projects, trips and informational speakers. Some favorites include: Concrete Leaf Casting, Flower Pounding, Trees of the Bible, Holiday Floral Arrangement, Chesterfield Garden Tour, Soil Sample (Local Extension Office)
Provide clear communication of all garden club related activities (whether it is just for our club or for the Farmington Garden Council using: Calling committee, post cards and occasional newsletters
Marisa Zaricor, Nancy Weber Garden Club
Moonlight Garden Club
1) Every year we have our annual Poppy Seed Luncheon and Auction. The members prepare the food and we buy or make items to be auctioned off after we serve the meal. Our tickets are $8.00 per person and we have ladies from all over Pemiscot County that attend. It's a fun day out for the women and they may bring their daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, mother or a special friend. They enjoy a great meal and have fun with our items that we auction off. We usually raise $2,000 to $3,000 to help beautify Hayti. Ladies love to be in our club to be able to participate with the! fun we have each year for this event.
2) We also plant trees, shrubs, etc. throughout the community and when someone asks about what all we do they are surprised sometimes by all the trees and bushes that have been planted by our club. So, we are very active in helping to keep Hayti beautiful. We also have our flower show and people in our community visit and discuss the various flowers and we are able to invite them to a meeting to see if they are interested in joining.
3) We also have "Yard of the Month" during the summer. We judge yards for their beautification in flowers, trees, shrubs, etc. in their yards. We give out two "Yard of the Months" each month.
At Christmas we also have a Christmas Lighting Contest where we judge the homes for their beautiful Christmas decorations and award cash prizes for this event. The people in the community will ask members, “When are you judging for the Christmas Decorating? They want to make sure their lights are on and they have everything ready. They really work hard to win.
4) Therefore, we believe the events listed above always help when we are ready to recruit new members. Many times we encourage them to invite of friend of theirs to make it easier when you try something new, it's always nice to have a special friend by your side. Our members are very close, in that we are more like family. When one of our members is hurt, we hurt. We are there to help support them in sickness, death, etc.
Barbara Watkins, Moonlight Garden Club
Ramblewood Garden Club
Ask a friend - always!
Spring Fling - This is a project planned and coordinated by the Cape Girardeau Council of Garden Clubs. This project was started several years ago where all the Cape clubs meet for tea and include a guest for this social. We have also held a luncheon open to the public and the program is usually a demonstration of floral arranging techniques. One time it was even held at the Capaha Park Rose Garden. Last year, the council president hosted this event at her home on a Sunday afternoon. Spring Fling was started so all garden clubbers could get to know one another and it has expanded to include friends and all interested in gardening!
Invite a friend to your Christmas party. Our club celebrates the start of the holidays with a social and very brief business meeting. The neat part is that spouses of members are invited as are guests' spouses. This interaction among couples is simply great. We do not limit to "spouses" -- could be significant other or another family member or better yet...two friends!
Invite a friend to a meeting and feed them. We always hold a potluck supper in the early spring. Members and guests have the opportunity to do much needed spring cleaning at the Capaha Rose Garden. We then have our picnic and meeting at the park. Guests really seem to enjoy seeing and participating in the hands-on gardening and then having the meal immediately following.
Judy Holshouser, Ramblewood Garden Club
MEMBERSHIP IDEAS FROM SOUTHWEST DISTRICT
Shepherd of the Hills Garden Club
We had a ball yesterday, Sept. 8, 2005, driving to El Dorado Springs, Mo. for the Fall District Meeting. There were nine of us and we always have a great time just visiting. We stopped on the way home for pie and coffee at Peggy's Restaurant which is famous for its pies. We also stopped at an orchard for apples and peaches at a nearby produce stand.
I want to commend our garden club for donating $500 to the Lutheran Foundation for the Katrina evacuees--this organization matches $1 for every $2 donated, $100 to our local Christian Action Ministry and $100 to a local school to purchase supplies for the children that will be absorbed into our education system. We recently had a refugee at our garden club meeting. She had no idea where her 19 yr. old son was. We all huddled around her and hopefully she felt supported.
Our club also gave $105 to two different Habitat for Humanity families. Now we have to get busy and restore our coffers for future good works for our community and this USA. Ours is a busy group.
We have a table at the Hollister Grape and Fall Festival today and tomorrow. We will greet participants and tell them about the wonderful opportunities available in our Shepherd of the Hills Garden Club. We will also have a raffle for potted plants--the proceeds will go to the Hollister Buy a Brick Movement to support their park system.
Next month we will plant in our two beds in downtown Branson, Mo. that we maintain during the year. These beds are cleaned and watered regularly and are quite a sight to behold. You asked what we were doing…I could go on and on.
Also we are going on a tour 9/22/05 to Sandstone near Joplin where we will shop, have lunch in the tearoom and attend a seminar on Holiday table and other decor. Want to join our club????? We really know how to have a good time!
Bev Brown, Shepherd of the Hills Garden Club
Stockton Lake Garden Club
Membership ideas: We always have an article printed about our meeting, speakers and their program. It is hand delivered by our publicity chairman, Donna Brody. We have had people call about this and ask for the next meeting date. They come to the next meeting and join the club.
Members bring friends, the friends always join.
We have an annual garden tour where the public is invited. We advertised the event in the newspaper. We also have a couple of extra tours to interesting places and this will bring new members.
We toured Oak Hill Gardens, Ornamental Plant Specialists owned by Alice McBee in Bolivar, Mo. They have over 200 varieties of Perennials, shrubs, trees, vines, herbs, ornamental Grasses, unusual Annuals, unique ! handcrafted garden art and display gardens. It’s located at 3889 Highway 83, Bolivar, Mo. 65613, 417-777-6978 or contact them at mcbee@mirocore.net. It’s 5 miles north of Citizens Memorial Hospital. The hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from dawn to dusk. Our newspaper here in Stockton, Mo. is really good about printing our activities for us. This brings new members.
Our flower shows are free to the public and is well attended. Our Art Council here in Stockton, Mo. also advertises our yearly programs; this also helps a great deal.
I think my favorite program that we did was a Garden Tea Party. It was in May and we were blessed with wonderful weather. It was outside and we wore big hats and nice summer dresses. We invited the Buffalo Garden Club and it was great fun. One more item, we are trying to get our monthly programs back to gardening and this seems to be bringing more people to visit and they almost always join.
Jeanette Helter, Stockton Lake Garden Club
Buffalo Garden Club
Here’s what we do:
1) Club car-pooled to nursery – lunch and enjoyed seeing and buying plants.
2) Springtime visit to Tall Timer Acres, which has been designated as a Wildlife Habitat area. A walking trail through 14 acres of wooded area which has several flower beds, a Japanese Garden and soon to be, an English garden.
3) We celebrate each March with our “Mad Hatter Tea Party” time for each member to wear their best hat and get their picture taken. Everyone receives a print out of all members with their hats.
4) Each month 3 members are chosen as judges to choose the best Yard of the Month and place the sign in the yard with the photo in the newspaper.
5) We love to meet and eat from the lovely sit down luncheon at Mary Lou’s to several salad lunches, to homemade ice cream while we make plans for the Flower Show for the County Fair.
Martha Loney, Buffalo Garden Club
MEMBERSHIP IDEAS FROM WEST CENTRAL DISTRICT
Kansas City Garden Club
1. Money maker auction in December with a pot luck meal for our Christmas celebration
2. Talk about the bird population in Kansas City or a special species or variety of bird.
3. Hints to know what to do for caring for plants in your garden and get them ready for winter and then spring.
4. We have interesting and varieties of topics from speakers in this area.
5. We take field trips in our area to see what grows uniquely for us.
6. We have a special May luncheon and program the program in the morning would be on designs and then Dianne Swann would share wonderful slides of places she has visited.
7. We have our programs in the morning and afternoons.
Suzi Brown, Kansas City Garden Club
Wellington-Napolian Dirt Daubers
1) We get in touch with the women in our community, who are near retirement, stay at home moms or are new to the community. We let them know about our club and what we are about.
2) We invited our sister club to a luncheon and auction. The menu was planned by our President and every member brought a dish and an item for the auction. The flower arrangements for the tables were ordered by the Presidents, city hall was decorated by our members, we had music playing in the background and after our luncheon we invited our sisters to tour an antique store in town and a few members ! gardens that were close by.
3) We have a flower show each year in conjunction with our community fair. This event draws a lot of people. We set up an educational display, provide advice and ideas for those who need gardening help.
4) Fahrmeier Gardens Greenhouse and Market - 816-934-2472.
Colgene Gilbert, Wellington-Napolian Dirt Daubers
Sunset Garden Club
1) We made business cards. They have a garden related picture with our club name on the front and on the back they give the information of when, where, and the time of our monthly meetings. Some members add their telephone number. We hand them out every place we go, if anyone shows interest. It keeps us from writing the info every time someone asks us.
2) We have a printed banner with our name on it. It is white and attaches to two fence posts. We have two public gardens we take care of. When we work in these gardens, we use the banner. One is in front of the Post Office in Raymore, Mo. and the other is along Hwy 58. We use it to advertise our plant sale that is held at the Park and Rec building and at Easter when we hand out trees. We post fliers all over town to advertise this event along with an advertisement in the local newspaper.
3) We do a “Yard of the Month” along with a “runner up” and advertise this in our local newspaper. When we received a grant from Walmart for $1,000 we notified the newspaper for a photo.
Judy Gudde, Sunset Garden Club
Country Cheer Garden Club
1) HAVE A "COFFEE" AND INVITE EVERYONE WE CAN THINK OF WHO MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN BECOMING A MEMBER OF OUR GARDEN CLUB. MOST OF OUR MEMBERS ARE OVER 75 YEARS OLD.
2) WE HAVE HAD PICNICS AND INVITED MEMBERS FROM OTHER GARDEN CLUBS TO COME TO SHARE IDEAS. (HAVE NOT RECRUITED ANY NEW MEMBERS FROM THIS THOUGH)
Lucy Colwell, Country Cheer Garden Club
RAYTOWN GARDEN CLUB
1) FRIENDLY MEMBERS
2) GOOD RELEVANT PROGRAMS
3) FRIENDS BRING THEIR FRIENDS
4) MEETINGS MOVE ALONG QUICKLY
5) GOOD GARDEN TOURS
6) GOOD WORKSHOPS
JUNE HAVNER, RAYTOWN GARDEN CLUB
Pioneer Garden Club
1) Personal invitation: Friend to friend has worked better for us than any other way. Our friends like to garden and they ask us to join them in a garden club; we can enjoy our friends as well as gardening!
2) We exhibited signs in store windows during National Garden Club week, we have attracted members by pictures of our club members and our work that they can see.
3) We have a Community Rose Garden in our town and many people stop there and look at the garden while our members are working. We have gained members that way as well as donations to the garden.
4) Sometimes we have gained a member that is in another organization with us (networking).
Nancy Hill, Pioneer Garden Club
