Germantown Garden Club

Located in New York, the Germantown Garden Club is a community organization that is over 80 years old. It was organized in 1928 and is credited with starting the library in our town. The club currently has over 40 members and is affiliated with National Garden Clubs, Inc. and the Federated Garden Clubs of NY State. Each year the club contributes to our community through various projects. Some of these projects include:

Annual Plant Sale. Held each May, club members contribute plants from their gardens and are on hand to answer gardening questions. Annual flowers, vegetables, and herb plants are also available for sale. Civic Development. An on-going project of the club is the restoration of the gardens at the town’s historic site, the Palantine Parsonage on Maple Ave. The club also plants the small memorial garden at the Post Office as well as various planters situated throughout the town. Each year, the Germantown Garden Club
presents an educational exhibit about gardening at the Columbia County Fair. We also have involved students from the Germantown School District with various gardening projects. Every year the club awards a scholarship to a Germantown High School student who intends to pursue college studies related to gardening and horticulture. We assemble floral arrangements for the High School graduation ceremonies with flowers from our own gardens. Flower Show. The club organizes an annual Standard Flower Show staged at the Palatine Parsonage. Each show has a theme in which participants are encouraged to enter their garden’s best specimens as well as entering flower arrangements. The show is open to the public. Garden Therapy. One of the club’s goals each year is to have senior citizens from the community participate in gardening activities. Benefits derived from this include increased mental stimulus and physical activity, as well as the pleasure and satisfaction gained from gardening. Holiday Open House. Each year the club decorates the Palatine Parsonage on Maple Avenue for the holidays in which the public is invited. We also hold a Holiday Boutique which includes sales of wreaths and table arrangements—decorated and donated by our members. Philanthropy. On a yearly basis, the garden club contributes funds to the National Wildlife Federation; The Columbia Land Conservancy, Inc.; River Keeper; and The Federated Garden Clubs’ World Gardening Project (CARE). We also donate an annual subscription of Horticulture and Ranger Rick to the Germantown Library. Each year we make a substantial contribution to the Library’s Fund Drive as well as donating a book on gardening to the library’s collection. If you are interested in joining the club, please email Club President, Fran Bufi, [email protected].