Over a Century of Making the World a More Beautiful Place
The Garden Club of Hartford Is Founded
The first meeting takes place on March 16, 1916. Eight women are the Club’s charter members.
1916 — The First Civic Project
GCH members decide that plantings on the grounds at the Connecticut School for the Deaf, then in the Asylum Hill area of Hartford on Asylum Avenue, will be their first civic project.
1919 — GCH Joins the Newly-Formed Garden Club of America
GCH is one of the earliest members of GCA, which was founded in 1913. Today GCA is a leader in the fields of horticulture, conservation and civic improvement.
1920s — Beautification Projects at a Number of Hartford-area Institutions
GCH members plant a flower border at the Colonial Dames’ Webb House in Wethersfield. Other projects include beautification efforts at both the new YWCA in Hartford and the Newington Home for Crippled Children.
1930s — Planting Trees at Trinity College
Tree planting and beautification efforts over several acres at Trinity College were the focus of club members in the latter 1930s. Three white oak trees were planted to commemorate the three Connecticut signers of the United States Constitution — Oliver Ellsworth, William Samuel Johnson and Roger Sherman. In all, 212 trees were planted on the campus.
1941 – 1944 — Victory Gardens and the War Effort
GCH members enthusiastically support Victory Gardens and other war efforts — from sending seeds to England to supplying garden tools to the local 79th regiment. Garden Club members also focus attention on establishing both vegetable gardens and beautification efforts at Bradley Field, a training ground for pilots and a major embarkation point for bombers on their way to Europe.
1954 – 1959 — Landscape Restoration at the Old State House
Along with the City of Hartford and with some funding from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, GCH works to revitalize the grounds of the Old State House in Hartford.
1960 – 1965 — Landscape Restoration of the Seaverns Estate at the Hartford College for Women
The Seaverns estate, once the residence of a beloved GCH member, Mrs. Charles Seaverns, had been left by the family to The Hartford College for Women. In the early 1960s, GCH members chose its restoration as their civic project. The estate, “once renowned for its rare shrubs, beautiful trees and native wild flowers,” according to the Hartford Courant, would be restored with an emphasis on “preservationof a heritage…a woodland paradise in the heart of Hartford (from the May 13, 1962 GCH minutes).
1970 — It’s About the Environment
The Garden Club of Hartford sponsors a program of environmental workshops for school administrators at Connecticut State University.
1970 – 1974 — Restoration of the Grounds at the Mark Twain House
The Club’s involvement at the Mark Twain House began in 1970, when several GCH members furnished the Conservatory with plant material authentic to the time of Samuel Clemens. By 1973, the Club had grander plants, voting unanimously to approve the restoration “to its original” of the grounds in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the house. By 1974, the grounds had been restored to their late 19th century grandeur.
1975 — Old State House (Again!)
GCH partners with the Connecticut Valley Garden Club to work once again on the Old State House grounds as part of a community effort, this time to save the building from demolition. To raise funds, the two clubs hold a tail-gate sale, a money-raising tour to England’s Chelsea Flower Show, a raffle, a silent auction, a gala event, a tag sale and a flea market. The Old State House remains standing…
1975 — Tree Identification and Labeling at Bushnell Park
In partnership with the Connecticut Valley Garden Club and the Hartford City Parks and Recreation Department, GCH members identify and label approximately 35 trees throughout Bushnell Park. The project was completed with the help of Hartford-area school children.
1984 — GCH Funds Planting of 26 Cherry Trees in Bushnell Park
The trees are planted in anticipation of their blooming in time for Hartford’s 350th birthday in 1986. A plaque was placed on the northwest wall of the pond in Bushnell Park to honor GCH members.
1985 – 1988 — Sunken Garden Restoration at Farmington’s Hill-Stead Museum
In a joint venture with the Connecticut Valley Garden Club, GCH undertakes the compete restoration of the Sunken Garden at Farmington’s Hill-Stead Museum. The garden was originally designed by Beatrix Ferrand, and the committee followed her original plans as closely as possible, aiming for historical accuracy. This effort included the layout of the garden and paths as well as the flower selection. Garden club volunteers were responsible for researching, buying and planting of plant material. The opening of the restored garden was held on June 21, 1988.
2003 — Restoration of the plantings at the Corning Fountain in Bushnell Park
Working with the city of Hartford, GCH plans historically accurate and city-hardy plantings, refurbishes the irrigation system and installs the plantings around the newly-restored Corning Fountain.
2006 – Ninety Trees for 90 Years Project
To commemorate the Club’s 90th anniversary in 2006, members planted a variety of trees throughout Hartford. The Club also restored South Green/Barnard Park because of its importance to the neighborhood. 500 daffodils were planted at South Green with the help of elementary students from St. Cyril’s School.
2007 – 2008 — Donate to complete the new gardens at the New Britain Museum of American Art
GCH members collaborate with the NBMAA’s landscape firm in the garden design and choice of plant material — and then work to nurture and maintain the gardens in and around the front and cafe terraces of the new Chase Family Building and the restored Landers House.
2010 – 2014 — Work with Knox Parks Foundation on the Affleck Street and Earle Street Community Gardens
In 2010, members pruned trees, installed new raised beds, repaired chain link fencing and extended the irrigation system at Affleck Street. We also purchased and installed a metal tool shed. At Earle Street, beginning in 2013, we constructed a hoop house, extended an irrigation system, constructed raised beds and created an open air pavilion where gardeners could take shelter and classes could be held. The garden has since been renamed the Mount Moriah Community Garden.
2014 – 2015 — Partners for Plants at Keney Park
With a grant from the Garden Club of America’s Partners for Plants program and in collaboration with Hartford’s Department of Public Works, GCH launches a design competition for landscape architecture students. The focus is the five entrances to Keney Park – with a construction ready plan for the Barbour Street entrance. The charge is to include native plants from the Olmsteds’ original plant list, with an emphasis on pollinator-attractive species. GCH members begin mapping and monitoring endangered, rare and invasive plants at Barbour Street.
2016 — A Centennial Celebration
GCH celebrates 100 years of making a difference with lunch at the Governor’s Mansion, complete with a Connecticut Proclamation read by member Eunice Groark, former Lieutenant Governor. Mayor Luke Bronin read the City of Hartford proclamation and the Garden Club of America also issued a congratulatory proclamation.
2016 – 2020 — The Keney Park Project
2016 saw us voting for our own application — one of three that made it to this stage — in the GCA Founders’ Fund competition. With our prize of $10,000 and monies the Club raised on its own, we funded replanting the park’s five entrances, following the winning plans from the Partners for Plants at Keney Park design competition. We also underwrote several years of From the Ground Up: Best Practices in Land Management Basics, a course for City of Hartford parks employees on such fundamentals as the importance of biodiversity, plant identification, pollinator preservation and invasive plant management. And we created and installed signs at all the Keney entrances, the golf course and the cricket pitches to explain the park’s flora, fauna, landmarks and history. (See The Keney Park Project above.)
March – May 2020 and Beyond: COVID 19 Changes the Way We Meet
The novel coronavirus hit Connecticut in early March, and on March 23rd Governor Ned Lamont’s executive order closed all “non-essential” businesses as part of the “Stay Safe, Stay at Home” campaign. “Social distancing” became part of our vocabulary as we all learned to stay 6 feet apart, wear masks and self-quarantine. President Marian Kellner made sure the Garden Club of Hartford rose to the occasion and began holding meetings on Zoom. Garden clubs across the country did the same. The Garden Club of America’s annual meeting didn’t take place in Asheville, N.C., as scheduled, but it did happen online. The Garden Club of Hartford’s Annual Meeting took place on schedule and on Zoom. We welcomed new members, said fond farewells to one board and cheered in a new one. And felt thankful and grateful to be members of the strong GCH community as we find new ways to move forward into our future.