The Garden Club
of
Harwich
Spring
2024
Celebrating Over 90 Years!
“I think that no matter how old or infirm I may become, I will always plant a large garden in the spring. Who can resist the feeling of hope and joy that one gets from participating in nature’s rebirth.”
​
Edward Giobbi – American artist and author
Learn With Each Other
Monthly meetings, some of which are open to anyone (See Open Meetings) from September through June, include:
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Social time
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Club Business Meeting
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Horticulture exhibit/competition
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Outside speakers floral design, best practices, etc.)
We take occasional field trips to local gardens, nurseries or museums, etc.
Our club is a member of The Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts, so we can take advantage of a wide variety of educational opportunities.
Learn From Each Other
Our members are a talented bunch!
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Our Horticulture Committee teaches us about plant identification, plant habits and how to exhibit specimens.
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Our professional designers offer workshops to teach us the elements of good floral design.
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Our expert wreath makers teach us their secrets every holiday season.
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Our Master Gardeners help us answer plant questions and trouble shoot pest problems.
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Our bee expert teaches us about the importance of enticing those little pollinators into our gardens.
The possibilities for teaching moments are infinite, given the amazing talents of our members.
Learn About Each Other
As we roll up our sleeves together around town, we truly get to know each other. We work together to:
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Care for 18 public gardens and 50+ streetscape planters
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Decorate 100 holiday wreaths
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Provide monthly floral arrangements for the Brooks Library
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Provide small bouquets for clients at Meals on Wheels and in nursing homes
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Patrol for litter (“Project G-Litter”)
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Give Scholarships to students
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Share committee duties, divide hostas, plant daffodils, snip our dahlias for elderly patients: This is where the seeds of friendship begin to flourish. Relationships take root and we are enriched far beyond what we offer to the community.
Resources
Click on the image to view each website
In 2020 Harwich became the first town on Cape Cod to be certified as an NWF Wildlife Habitat. We continue to work with the town, residents and other environmental groups to further the goals of the program. To maintain our certification status, we need to add more properties each year. Click on the NWF logo to learn how you can include your own backyard and help protect our environment.
Search Pollinator Pathway-Massachusetts. Click on Cape Cod. Note: the Garden Club of Harwich is one of the supporting organizations. See photos of Thompson's Field featured. Add your garden to the growing list of participating properties. Find an extensive list of native plants and more valuable information about what each of us can do to support our pollinators.
Recognition
Civic Beautification Award
Presented each year to a member who has given exceptional service to our Club.
2023 Winners
Residential
Cynthia Moore
56 Miles St.
Commercial
Harwich Gas and Petroleum
corner of
Bank St. & Main St.
Our History
1932-Present
Founded in 1932 by 25 women who loved to garden and paid 25 cents to join, the GCOH history is a microcosm of the history of a chunk of the 20th century and beyond, reflecting the tastes, passions, needs, social and environmental concerns and gardening practices of nine decades! One needs a lot of mulch to cover that! The members had a lot of work to do through a world war, victory gardens, the tumultuous 60's, the national awareness for a cleaner environment, Lady Bird and her wildflowers, the influx of visitors to Cape Cod, the digital age, and the growth of Harwich which presented a myriad of challenges to residents, businesses and government alike. But throughout its history the objectives of the Club have remained the same...to stimulate interest in gardening and horticulture and to beautify Harwich through education, conservation and cooperation with civic authorities. The challenges continue, especially as we become more densely populated and concerns of erosion, water quality and littering are looming.
Through it all we moved meetings from home to community building to parish hall and back again and continued to bake cookies! Most of all, we made and are making a difference...in our lives, our community and in this fragile place we call home, Cape Cod.
