What Garden Organization?

Not counting the DG membership, to what other garden club, garden group, or garden organization do you belong?

Last year, I was in the American Horticultural Society (fantastic magazine & great seed swap), Rhododendron Society of MD, Baltimore Horticultural Society of MD, Native Plant Society of MD, and the "un-mentionable" garden group-G.W.

This year, I'll continue with A.H.S., Balt. Hort. Society, and add two more. Thinking of the Aroid Society and maybe one other....still open to suggestions.

I am a member of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, where I have taken about all the classes available.

The Hardy Plant Society (HPS), for their excellent seed exchange.

And starting Thursday, classes begin for the Master Gardener Program in Beaver County. I am really psyched about reaching out into the community as a Master Gardener.

I will not mention any 'un-mentionables'.

You are sssooo lucky "golddog". I'm sure you must get to hear very interesting lectures at the Phipps Conservatory. Plus, you get the bonus of touring their beautiful botanical gardens at the same time. Lucky you!!!

That is really exciting to hear that you will be starting your Master Gardener Program in your area. I had looked into the same program where I live too. However, it would require me to take one week of my vacation, which I'm not ready to give up easily. I'll have to see if they are perhaps given on the weekends, for people who work. However, I do have health concerns that would factor into my decision.

The Hardy Plant Society sounds very interesting. Could you tell me more about it or send me a link.

Thanks :~)

I have checked into the Master Gardener program here, and it's only offered every other winter. Last winter was it, so I can't do it this coming winter, but I will next winter.

I am also very seriously considering becoming a member of Seed Savers Exchange. I probably will do that before spring.

Other than that, we don't have any local garden clubs, or I would join them too.

HPS doesn't have any links that know of yet. A group of gardeners from Southeastern Pennsylvania mostly. A VERY active group with plant sales, garden tours, garden trips, guest speakers, seed exchange, etc. The seed exchange includes people from throughout the United States and beyond.

I believe there is a HPS on the West Coast also. Maybe Oregon?

I always feel 'left out' when receiving the newsletters from HPS. But I live on the other side of the state. I must plan a weekend trip for one of their plant sales sometime. I am sure it would be an eye opener.

Other Societies of note.http://www.plantfacts.com/links1.shtml

This message was edited Sunday, Sep 8th 12:03 PM

I am a member of The Hardy Plant Society and The Cottage Garden Society. They are both UK organizations, but are open to members from overseas.
Marigold.

The Cottage Garden Society would be wonderful to belong to. Do you have meetings, social events, plant and/or seed trades? From perusing the web, it is amazing the number of Societies there are in the UK.

Thanks for the link "golddog". However, I noticed that several that I would be interested in weren't on the list. I don't think it has been updated for quite some time.

I'll have to check into The Hardy Plant Society & The British Clematis Society. Nothing on the East Coast of the U.S. You are so lucky "marigold". All the excellent & interesting ones are in the U.K. It must be due to your excellent growing environment.

P.S. I added my name to the "Aroid Society" today. Need to learn much more about these interesting & unusual plants.

Wow, Aroids! What a neat family of plants. I used to have many, many of these when living in Florida. What memories. Now with the roof overhang and trees, nothing grows indoors. I probably should resort to artificial lighting.

In The Cottage Garden Society we have monthly meetings during Winter with talks, slides etc. given by experts, for example, the next one is titled 'Antique Plants For Your Garden Today'. During the rest of the yeat there are visits to members gardens, and other gardens of interest.At the meetings there is a plant sale and a raffle to raise funds for the society.We all donate our spare plants to be sold at the meetings very cheaply.We also have a stand at some of the major garden shows, to sell plants and promote the society and anyone who volunteers to help for an hour or so gets free admission.Next year, there is a visit to The Eden Project and The Lost Gardens of Heligan, both in Cornwall.My place is already booked.
Marigold.

Yes, a busy Society. One of my favorite books is "Cottage Garden Annuals" by Clive Lane. I trust he is still active.

Golddog, you will love the Aroid Society. I am a member of that one.

Also I am a volunteer at a local city park that owns an herb garden as part of the park. Through that I am a kind of member of a local branch of the American Herb Society.

I was a member of the Central Ohio Rose Society, but dropped out a couple of years ago due to differences in interests (they are all interested in exhibiting roses, which isn't my thing). I do volunteer work occasionally for the Whetstone Park of Roses.

I am seriously considering becoming a volunteer at the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, OH.

There are many local parks that can use all the volunteers they can get, so I have a large choice. A relatively new program started here is to do community gardens where urban livers who have no access to a garden can rent a plot for a couple of dollars a year for a 10x20' plot. They want experienced gardeners to help new gardeners get off go a good start. That one is also very tempting.

Our Master Gardener program has some serious competition, and there are hundreds of people requesting to be in the program each year. They require a commitment of many hours per year, which I couldn't do before, but may next year, depending on circumstances.

I also am considering becoming a member (kind of) of a local Plant Rescue group. They mostly need volunteers who can go out and help rescue native plants before areas are bull-dozed for developments, but that requires more physical effort than I am capable of. I do a little work with them, but mostly non-physical (more of helping spread the word about this group).

National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens is the only group I belong to. They hold various meetings/talks, occasional trips and two plant sales per year.

The aim is to record and preserve endangered or rare plants of species, hybrids and cultivars. They have the national collection scheme where a person (or persons) will hold an extensive collection of a genus, the UK currently has over 600 such collections. The people who hold the national collections aim to have correctly named species, hybrids and cultivars for reference and of course to propagate and distribute to keep that specific plant alive. This of course keeps the diversity of plants that we have in the UK. The meetings and plant fairs also have plant sales to generate profit and so the rest of us members can own something just that little bit different to the norm and in the knowledge we are helping to preserve that plant

Here is a links page to some of the national collection holders web sites

http://www.nccpg.org.uk/links.htm

The Aroid Society sounds like a great place to hook up with rare (for Beaver County) plants. I think with some descrete lighting, the house will have a new warmth needed for these dark and dreary days ahead. As I remember, they don't require a lot of fuss. Boy, lupinlover, you certainly are busy.

Baa, a wonderful, concerned group you are with. Do they actively seek out more species with field trips and such? I am a passive member of the Botanical Society of Western Pennsylvania which incorporates 'plant searches' throughout the area. They have published a wonderful book "Wildflowers of Pennsylvania" by Mary Joy Haywood RSM Ph.D. and Phyllis Testal Monk M. Ed. It is important for the ajoining states as well.

Golddog

No, the plants the NCCPG are mainly concerned with are those that have been grown in gardens at some time in the past, be they of a species native or otherwise or those that have had some sort of human intervention in their breeding. I used to be a volunteer for the local wildlife trust who did all the native/local wild plant recording.

Master Gardeners/Detroit Rose Society/Amercian Rose Society/Belle Isle Botanical Society/Michigan Dahila Association. I think thats all of them

Paul

Golddog, you might also want to look into the Native Plant Society in your area. Volunteers rescue endangered plants, identify natives in their areas, and go on wonderful monthly walks in their regions.

Lupinelover, it's good to know another person in the Aroid Society. I'm brand new and have much to learn.

Baa, your "Wildlife Trust" sounds a lot like our "Native Plant Societies". Very worthwhile organization.

Marigold, I would love to attend the meetings of The Cottage Garden Society. It sounds like its "right up my alley". I especially love antique plants! Guess I'll just have to hop on the Concord & it will wisk me away!!!

Paulgrow, very interesting gardening groups that you are affiliated with. I had been contemplating belonging to the Am. Rose Society of MD, but like Lupinelover, I want to learn more about the different varieties of roses, and am not interested in exhibiting them.

I completed the Master Gardener course here in El Dorado County a few years back when I wasn't working, but find it difficult to stay active, while I am working full time now.

I am a member of AHS, The ARGS (rock garden), the Seed Savers Exchange. Well a couple of others online, too.