The Nauset Garden Club was founded in 1984 and joined the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts the following year. The club was named after our local Nauset Indians; they were gardeners who knew how to preserve their land and we pledge to do the same. Until 2008, the club met at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, which played a significant role in its history.
The Club’s goals have remained the same over nearly 30 years: to expand our knowledge and learn from each other, to share a love of gardening and floral design, and to preserve Cape Cod, this beautiful, fragile bit of land.
MEMBERSHIP
The Club’s by-laws limit membership to 100 active members. New members are provisional for one year, during which they are required to participate in a variety of activities. These are designed to introduce new members to all aspects of the club. Active members must attend at least five monthly meetings per year and participate in club activities and committees.
PROGRAMS
CONSERVATION & ENVIRONMENT
The Conservation and Environment Committee keeps the general membership informed about local and regional environmental concerns and when appropriate, arranges programs to address specific local concerns.
GARDEN THERAPY
The Garden Therapy Committee uses garden related activities to provide enjoyable and creative activities for students at the Latham Center, in Brewster, who are emotionally, intellectually and physically challenged. The committee plans four to five events each year to achieve its goals.
SCHOLARSHIP
The Scholarship Committee awards scholarships to permanent residents of Cape Cod who are students entering their junior or senior year of college or enrolled in a graduate program. Their major must be in landscape design, horticulture, the environment and marine or related sciences. Selection is based on bath merit and need.
WILDFLOWER GARDEN
The Wildflower Garden Committee maintains the Lyn Peabody Wildflower Garden at the CCMNH. Committee members plant and maintain the garden and propagate plants that might thrive in a Cape garden.
See our website for latest information about club activities at www.nausetgardenclub.com
MEETINGS
The Club meets on the second Wednesday of every month from September to June at the Church of the Holy Spirit, Orleans, except where noted in the calendar. Meetings begin at 11:45 a.m. with a sandwich luncheon followed by a program, a business meeting and horticulture and design exhibits by members.
The monthly programs cover a wide range of related topics in the gardening world such as floral designing, horticulture and controlling invasive species on the Cape.
The Club recently expanded its community efforts by supporting garden projects in local schools. Members joined second graders in the Orleans Elementary School in a special “Art in Bloom” program where the children drew pictures about Valentine’s Day and members created flower arrangements to accompany the students’ artwork.
SPECIAL PROJECTS
In addition to the standing committees, the Nauset Garden Club manages several ongoing special projects, open to the public, in which all members participate and which support the philanthropic activities of the club. The projects include:
• An annual plant sale in May with a wide variety of plants cultivated by members;
• Christmas at Crosby Mansion, Brewster, a show house decorated by the club for the holidays and held every three years;
• Art in Bloom, a bi-annual exhibition of members’ arrangements with related art;
• Flower shows and garden tours held periodically.
CHRISTMAS AT CROSBY MANSION