ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - For nearly seven decades, the Elk Grove Garden Club has brought together residents with a shared passion for gardening while creating opportunities to give back to the community.

Founded in 1958, the club has grown from a small gathering of gardening enthusiasts into a volunteer-driven organization with more than 70 members. Over the years, it has supported local beautification projects, offered free educational workshops and contributed to charitable causes throughout Elk Grove. The club’s efforts recently earned regional recognition.

On May 19, the club received a Blue-Ribbon Certificate of Achievement for 2025 presented at the Sacramento River Valley District meeting, the highest designation awarded by the state’s largest gardening nonprofit, California Garden Clubs Inc. The recognition signifies that the club fulfills the objectives of California Garden Clubs Inc., Pacific Region Garden Clubs Inc. and National Garden Clubs Inc., for participating in a broad range of activities and projects that benefit the community.

While gardening remains at the heart of the organization, members say the club has become much more than a place to discuss plants.

Members gathered at the home of Gayle Martin on June 11 for their final meeting and picnic before heading to a brief break for the summer, with regular meetings scheduled to return in September. 

“It’s about fellowship and love of gardening,” said Yearbook Editor Nancy Baldwin at their June 11 meeting.

The club provides a sense of connection for many members, particularly retirees looking to stay active and engaged in the community.

“I get some people that say, ‘The garden club is my only social activity,’” Treasurer Susan Muckey said.

“It’s very exciting; you get to know people from all over the area,” Baldwin added.

 

Apart from plants, members frequently share their cooking by bringing food to the monthly meetings. As seen in the photo, members serve themselves food at the June 11 meeting and picnic.

Membership has grown from about 50 at the beginning of the year to more than 70 after gardeners from another local club, Gardeners of the Grove, joined following its dissolution.

According to organizers, the Elk Grove Garden Club’s welcoming atmosphere has helped fuel that recent growth.

“One thing I hear from new members is that we’re very welcoming,” said Parliamentarian Vivian Sellers. “They come back because everybody’s very friendly.”

Members meet monthly from September through June at the Gil Albiani Recreation Center, where they hear presentations from local growers, master gardeners and other guest speakers on topics from floral arrangements to drought-tolerant landscaping.

 

The Elk Grove Garden Club hosts monthly meetings for members that feature presentations from local growers, master gardeners and other guest speakers on pertinent gardening topics. 

Meetings also give members an opportunity to share cuttings, plants and gardening magazines at an exchange table near the meeting room entrance, and many bring meals and dishes to share.

The club also organizes field trips, plant-related workshops for residents and educational classes throughout the year, including composting and cooking with homegrown produce.

The meetings are held in a room provided courtesy of the Cosumnes Community Services District, a partnership that supports their volunteer efforts at community spaces such as the Lichtenberger Rose Garden and the garden at the Jerry Fox Swim Center.

In addition to tending community gardens, the club supports local organizations through donations and volunteer work and awards an annual scholarship to a student pursing higher education. Contributions have included the Elk Grove Community Garden and Elk Grove Food Bank Services, where members have helped to provide groceries during the holiday season.

The club is also a participant in Penny Pines, a nationwide initiative in which collected pennies and donations of $68 or more help fund seedling plantings for forest reforestation in national forests.

 

Elk Grove Garden Club meetings are held in a room provided courtesy of the Cosumnes Community Services District, a partnership that supports their volunteer efforts tending to community spaces such as the Lichtenberger Rose Garden and the garden at the Jerry Fox Swim Center.

“I think we’re on our fourth plot this year alone,” Muckey said.

To help fund its charitable efforts, the club hosts an annual plant sale each April, where members sell plants they have cultivated, including unusual and indoor plants, perennials, annuals, vegetables and succulents.

The club makes it a point to also uplift local businesses and nurseries by helping them to build connections, either through presentations at meetings or by connecting them with resources. At its May meeting, members heard from Big Oak Nursery owner Julia Oldfield, who showcased plants and shared information on how they can be incorporated into home gardens.

For many members, especially those newly retired, the club has helped to fill the void left by the end of their careers.

 

Big Oak Nursery and local grower Julia Oldfield, pictured on the far left, at the club’s May meeting as a presenter, brought several plants for demonstration and explained to members the best ways to incorporate them into their home gardens. 

“Many of the individuals here are retired, and I myself am one of them, and when I first retired, I felt like I lost a whole community at work, and then it’s like, ‘What now?’” Club Co-President Juana Zamora said. “However, by joining the garden club, all of a sudden you are embraced by a whole new community; one in which there are multiple opportunities for you to learn, contribute and make a positive impact.”

For those interested in learning more about the Elk Grove Garden Club, visit elkgrovegardenclub.org.