The Garden Club of Madison (GCM) is celebrating 100 years of service to the Madison community. According to members, the award-winning group formed in September 1924 and was one of the first of its kind in the state, predating even the Connecticut Federated Garden Club.

Co-presidents of the GCM, Philippa Mannino and Pam Gallagher, said the excitement surrounding the milestone anniversary highlights not only their past but also their continuing mission.

“I think it’s quite something that we’ve been around this long, especially since we literally started in the princesses’ house on Island Avenue in Madison in 1924,” said Gallagher.

Mannino added, “It was actually formed before the Federated Garden Clubs of Connecticut, which is our umbrella organization,” Mannino said. “It is really a thrill to mark this anniversary, and the most satisfying part is that we feel we are really up to date with climate issues and gardening issues that people are facing today. We feel we have done a lot for the local environment and the pollinators.”

Both members cited the transfer of knowledge as a key factor in the organization’s success. According to Mannino, educational opportunities for members are a significant factor in the club’s success.

“Ultimately, we are really hoping to educate people about potential climate changes and their evolving gardens, plants that we can now plant in our gardens that we couldn’t previously because the winters were too severe. We have a big educational component, working with a number of schools and really trying to grow the gardeners of the future,” Mannino said.

Whether visiting nursing homes for hands-on projects, garden therapy programs, school programs, or beautification projects, the club has made its presence known in town, especially if you know where to look. The organization is also using the anniversary to help spur a number of new projects, according to Gallagher. Long-term GCM projects can be found all over Madison.

“The Club is really behind these programs 100%. The responses we get back are just so really heartwarming,” Gallagher said. “There is the ongoing Bauer project. Another is taking over the garden at the Post Office. We spruced that up a bit and are doing the maintenance for it. We also designed the garden for the American Legion in town, and we also just completed the 9/11 garden this past spring. It had needed some rejuvenation because some trees had been blocking the sun, and that is right on the green. We have a very talented landscape designer and member, Lee Haynes, and she went to work and designed this beautiful, lovely, peaceful 9/11 garden that everyone enjoys.”

The GCM was recently honored for its efforts at Bauer Park, where a bee hive installation garnered honors from the National Garden Clubs and the Federated Garden Club of CT.

“We have collaborated with the gardeners up at Bauer Park and the community gardens, where we’ve donated flowers. We have several projects going on up there at Bauer now; we’ve taken on the maintenance and renewal of the fruit orchards there, the apple and pear trees. We’ve added to them and hope to add more. We have also sponsored two bee hives there as well, which are very popular with the schools,” said Mannino. “It has really, really added to the attraction of Bauer Park.”

According to Gallagher, the organization has also begun another project at Bauer, a fact-based program that aims to educate residents on how to maintain their gardens without using chemical fertilizers.

“We are also starting up a regenerative garden project up there. We were given this plot of land that had previously been used as a hands-on education center for children and students, and it got delayed a bit, so we were looking at ways to take it over,” Gallagher said. “So, now what we are doing is trying to develop a regenerative garden, which includes certain garden practices for sustaining and improving a garden without using anything such as pesticides, but also working to renew and improve the soil with native plants.”

Mannino added, “We’re hoping that one day there will be a pavilion where we can have classes and workshops,” said Mannino.

Both presidents remarked on the club member’s ability to adapt to their members' changing needs and interests as another factor in their success.

“Somehow, the club has really been going from strength to strength, and we are now over 100 members strong. I think that with the variety of activities, there is something for everybody. Not everyone is into arranging flowers, and not everybody is now capable of hard labor of digging holes or backbreaking weeding,” said Mannino. “There’s truly something for everybody. We’ve come a long way from cutting the crusts off of our cucumber sandwiches and the white gloves at tea time. I really believe we are moving with the times.”

There will be several events throughout the year to celebrate the GCM’s golden anniversary, including a recent proclamation at Town Hall. A list of upcoming presentations, fundraisers, and exhibitions is available on the group's website.

“There will be multiple celebrations, and hopefully at the actual gardens where people can come to and help us recognize the club,” said Mannino. “I think staying relevant is important. So many friendships are formed in the garden, and it’s spending time with friends doing something worthwhile, particularly in the civic gardens. It has been very educational for me, and learning from others and to share our passions is so important. It is a wonderful thing where our community comes together.”

Gallagher added, “Part of our mission is to beautify the town of Madison, and in order to do it, and to do it ethically, we have to use the best methods and practices, and this is a group that just firmly believes in that. We all work very hard to do it in our own yards and to promote it. We love to make something beautiful but also gives back, like a pollinator garden. It is truly critical to be able to educate our town about the value of alternative gardening methods.”

For more information, including membership information, visit www.gcmct.org.