HOME PAGE

COMMUNITY

GRANT ALLOCATIONS

HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP

LGC COMMITTEES

ARCHIVES

AWARDS

COMMUNICATIONS

CONSERVATION COMMITTEE

FINANCE

FLORAL DESIGN

FLOWER SHOW

FUNDRAISING

GARDEN HISTORY & DESIGN

HISTORIAN

HORTICULTURE

HOSPITALITY

JUDGING

MEMBERSHIP

NEWSLETTER

NOMINATING

PHOTO

POLICY

PROGRAM

PROJECT REVIEW

SCHOLARSHIP

VISITING GARDENS

YEARBOOK

AD HOC 2022

CONSERVATION

GCA CONWATCH

CONSERVATION MOMENT

NON-NATIVE SPECIES

SUBSTITUTE LIST

HARVESTING SEEDS

FLOWER SHOW EVENTS

GCA ByDESIGN

ENDANGERED PLANTS

INVASIVE PLANTS

FLORAL DESIGN SHOWS

YESTERDAY'S FLOWER SHOWS

2022 Dancing Daffodils

BOO! Blue Moon Halloween

2020 DAFFODIL SHOW

2019 DAFFODIL SHOW

2018 NAME THAT DAFFODIL

BEEHIVE OF ACTIVITY

RAINWATER

BERKSHIRE HAUNTS 2013

THEN and NOW 2011

PASSPORTS 2009

Go GREEN II 2009

KOOKY SPOOKY 2008

Go GREEN I 2008

BLOOMSDAY 2006

PHOTOGRAPHY

GCA FOCUS

GCA PHOTO STUDY GROUP

HORT

GCA THE REAL DIRT

ENDANGERED PLANT LIST

INVASIVE PLANT LIST

PLANTS OF MERIT

MENEICE CONFERENCE

THE NEWS

2022 NEWS ARCHIVE

2021 NEWS ARCHIVE

2020 NEWS ARCHIVE

2019 NEWS ARCHIVE

2018 NEWS ARCHIVE

2017 NEWS ARCHIVE

2016 NEWS ARCHIVE

2015 NEWS ARCHIVE

2014 NEWS ARCHIVE

2013 NEWS ARCHIVE

2012 NEWS ARCHIVE

2011 NEWS ARCHIVE

2010 NEWS ARCHIVE

2009 NEWS ARCHIVE

2008 NEWS ARCHIVE

2007 NEWS ARCHIVE

2006 NEWS ARCHIVE

2005 NEWS ARCHIVE

2004 NEWS ARCHIVE

2023 MONTHLY PROGRAMS

LGC YEARBOOK

YEARBOOK COVER

LGC PAST PRESIDENTS

2020 LGC ANNUAL MEETING

MEETING ATTENDEES

IN MEMORIAM

ZONE I GCA

ZONE I MEETING ROTATION

ZONE I DIRECTORY

ZONE I AWARD HISTORY

GCA

GCA BULLETIN

GCA WEBSITE

GCA DIRECTORY

GCA MEETING ROTATION

LENOX GARDEN CLUB 100th

LGC TIMELINE POSTER

LGC ANNIVERSARY GIFT

MEMORY LANE

Lenox Garden Club

Founded 1911...112 Years and Growing

Member of The Garden Club of America

LGC COMMUNITY
August 4, 2022 - Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary - LGC Grant mention
 
 

During the fiscal year 2017-2018 the Lenox Garden Club donated to: 

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN - Camper Scholarships

GREENAGERS

MASS. AUDUBON - Pleasant Valley Scholarship Fund

MASS AUDUBON - Berkshire Wildlife Sanctuaries

ROOTS RISING

THE BIDWELL HOUSE MUSEUM

THE LAUREL HILL ASSOCIATION 


 

During the fiscal year 2016-2017 the Lenox Garden Club donated to:

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN – Non-member Camper Scholarship

 MASS AUDUBON – Pleasant Valley Scholarship Fund

GREENAGERS 

PITTSFIELD BEAUTIFUL

BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL, INC

HOUSATONIC VALLEY ASSOCIATION 


 

During 2015-2016 the Lenox Garden Club supported the following in either membership or donations:

COMMUNITY DONATIONS

MASS AUDUBON / PLEASANT VALLEY SCHOLARSHIP

THE TRUSTEES OF RESERVATIONS / DONATION

VENTFORT HALL ASSOCIATION / DONATION

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN / MEMBERSHIP

BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES / DONATION

CHESTERWOOD MUSEUM / DONATION

THE MOUNT / DONATION

HVA / MEMBERSHIP

PROJECT NATIVE / DONATION

GREENAGERS

PROJECT CONNECTION

 

During 2015-2016 The Lenox Garden Club supported the following through grants from our Garden Tour:

GRANTS

STOCKBRIDGE LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN

MASS AUDUBON SOCIETY

WILLIAMSTOWN RURAL LANDS FOUNDATION

PITTSFIELD BEAUTIFUL

 

 
During the fiscal year 2012 - 2013 the Lenox Garden Club supported the following in either membership or donations:
 
HOUSATONIC VALLEY ASSOC.

VENTFORT HALL

MASS AUDUBON SOCIETY Pleasant Valley Scholarship Fund

BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL

TRUSTEES OF RESERVATION  Naumkeag

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN Membership

PROJECT NATIVE

NATURE CONSERVANCY

 
During the fiscal year 2011 - 2012 the Lenox Garden Club supported the following in either membership or donations:

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN
Membership, Summer Intern

MassAUDUBON
Summer Camp Scholarship

BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

HOUSATONIC VALLEY ASSOCIATION

TRUSTEES of RESERVATION/NAUMKEAG/STOCKBRIDGE, MA

THE MOUNT/LENOX, MA
 

 

The Lenox Garden Club Celebrates 100 Years
with Donation of 100K

In 1911, William H. Taft was president of the United States, a first class postage stamp cost two cents, and the Lenox Garden Club was founded. Two years later, the Garden Club of America came into being and the Lenox Garden Club became one of its first member clubs...Like the Garden Club of America, LGC members first came together to share their knowledge and love of gardening. Unlike what stereotypes might suggest, the Lenox Garden Club has always been about much more than flower shows and garden parties. During World War I, the LGC sponsored a Red Cross ambulance and planted Victory Gardens. Then, like now, its mission was to stimulate the interests of its members in horticulture, flower arranging, civic beautification and environmental concerns.

Preservation and improvement of the environment have always been central to that mission. The club sponsored the Pleasant Valley Bird Sanctuary, seconded the purchase of Bartholomew’s Cobble, helped restore the gardens at Naumkeag, and sponsored the Berkshire Garden Center, the present Berkshire Botanical Garden. Through the generosity and hard work of its members, it supports and initiates scholarships and environmental and educational projects. The club’s biggest project has been the restoration of Lilac Park in Lenox. The project began in 1991 and has resulted in a village park that offers residents and visitors respite and beauty.  Club members continue caring for the lilacs, planting and weeding the daylily and daffodil beds, doing spring and fall clean-up.

The club’s major fund-raiser each summer, Hidden Treasures of the Berkshires, a house and garden tour, raises money to support local horticultural, educational and civic beautification projects. The club has supported Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, Chesterwood, Housatonic River Walk, funded the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticultural Interns Program and Winter Lecture Series, and given financial sup­port to Great Barrington River Walk, Elm Watch, Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation, Hebert Arboretum at Springside Park, Ventfort Hall, Project Native, Habitat for Humanity, Bidwell House Museum, Lenox Library Association, Southern Berkshire Youth Association, Berkshire County Historical Society, and others.

During its 100 years, both the club and individual members have received numerous awards and recognitions. Some of those include Founder’s Fund Awards for the club, individual awards for club members such as the Garden Club of America Historic Preservation Award, GCA Zone 1 Horticulture Awards, GCA Creative Leadership Awards, medals of merit for mentoring, creativity, and civic improvement. Two members have had their gardens catalogued and photographed for inclusion in the Smithsonian’s Archives of American Gardens.

The Lenox Garden Club has always distinguished itself at flower shows. At the International Flower Show in 1954, they designed “Plymouth 1649,” a house and garden which won the Blue Ribbon and a special commendation by the New York Horticultural Society. In the bicentennial year of 1976, the club’s 1676 garden in the New England Spring Flower Show in Boston won the Blue Seal, the Gold Seal, the Ames Cup for Horticultural Excellence and the Mrs. Edwin Sibley Webster Cup for Excellence in Design. The club’s Quito, Ecuador garden, entered in the 1987 Boston Flower Show also was awarded the Webster Cup.

The Lenox Garden Club’s decision to celebrate its 100th Anniversary with a gift of $100,000 to construct a Dedicated Classroom for the BBG is not surprising. For 100 years, the club has understood that the best growing conditions for the planet and its inhabitants combine education, community commitment, and a passion for preserving the beauty around us. What better way to ensure healthy growth than to create a place for learning?

Michelle Gillett
Lenox Garden Club
2011


 
Dedication plaque for the new dedicated teaching space named, The Lenox Garden Club Classroom at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA. Photo by: Tjasa Sprague
 
The dedication party for The Lenox Garden Club Classroom was held on July 8, 2011. Members of The Lenox Garden, the Board of Trustees of The Berkshire Botanical Garden and special invited guests celebrated the 100th Anniversary of The Lenox Garden Club and the club’s gift to the Botanical Garden. Photo by: Tjasa Sprague
 

Lenox Garden Club…. The Stewards of Lilac Park

The tract of land that Lilac Park is situated on was donated to the town of Lenox, MA in 1908.  Initially, lilacs were transplanted into the park from local estates. Around the mid century mark, the condition of the park was in poor order and Lyle Blundell was commissioned to plan a restoration. His design was implemented and carried out by The Lenox Garden Club. Care of Lilac Park was sporadic; and again, it met with disrepair. In 1991, it was The Lenox Garden Club in conjunction with town officials, who began the job of restoring Lilac Park to its former glory.

Overgrown areas were cleared, lilacs were pruned, drainage was improved, and 100 named lilacs were planted in the park. Additionally, some hemlocks, small shrubs, 1500 daylilies and thousands of spring bulbs were carefully planted.  Benches were installed to complete this four year project. To assure that the park would continue to serve the public, the maintenance and care of the gardens would be overseen by The Lenox Garden Club and funded by its annual Garden and House Tour, “Hidden Treasures of the Berkshires”.

Today, in the springtime, members from The Lenox Garden Club gather to clean the garden beds of leaves and garden debris.  This year (2011), our club’s centennial year, has seen many interesting lilac projects in honor of our commitment to the park. To encourage participation in the park clean up day, a member of the LGC Horticulture Committee sought out and obtained 50% discount coupons for new work gloves from a local hardware store for every club member.  An informational meeting was held in Lilac Park and  members of the LGC Horticulture Committee offered instruction about the history of the park, lilac care, propagation, poetry about lilacs, and conditioning tips for cut lilac blooms. This was followed by a lilac pruning workshop in the park with a local certified arborist and state official. The LGC Horticulture Committee published a booklet on the club website entitled, “Lilac Essentials”, to gather all this valuable information together. To further commemorate the lilac, the LGC Horticulture Committee offered its members the opportunity to purchase a 2 gallon container of Syringa ‘Bloomerang’ to plant in their own gardens. Bloomerang has been named the club’s Centennial plant of the year.

On July 9, The Lenox Garden Club hosted its 21st Annual Garden and House Tour which made possible the beautiful Lilac Park that we have today.  The Lenox Garden Club continues to watch over and care for this park as part of its civic commitment to the community of Lenox. Lilac Park is 103 years and is a testament to the fact that lilacs really do captivate all who have had the pleasure of their scent.

MaryEllen O’Brien
Lenox Garden Club
2011


 

LGC - Conservation Committee - Food Net Project
                        "Grow An Extra Row"

I’m pleased to report on our successful LGC Conservation Project.  We had at least eight members donating pounds and pounds of produce weekly from their gardens this summer. The drop off locations were either Tuesdays at Guidos North or Wednesdays at the WIC office in Gt. Barrington. Paul Deslauriers of the Food Net coordinated this effort and we are hoping to continue this worth-while project next season if members are interested.  Below are Paul’s comments about our project.

“All the produce from the participants has been greatly appreciated.  The WIC produce is usually gone by Tuesday afternoon.  The Guido’s drop-off produce goes to South Congregational Church, the Christian Center and the Harvest Table and becomes part of the 250 meals served on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Thank you.”

I also would like to thank our members who planted extra and found the time to deliver their donations.   Martha Booth and Barb May said it all:  It was fabulous to see mothers of young children picking up our fresh vegetables to take home.  Congratulations to those who made the commitment.

Sarah Boyd
LGC Conservation Committee Chair
December 2011


 

 During the fiscal year 2010 - 2011 Lenox Garden Club supported the following in either membership or donations:

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN Membership, Summer Intern

Mass AUDUBON Summer Camp Scholarship

BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

HOUSATONIC VALLEY ASSOCIATION

TRUSTEES OF RESERVATION/NAUMKEAG

VENTFORT HALL


 
During the fiscal year 2009 - 2010 Lenox Garden Club supported the following in either membership or donations:

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN Membership, Summer Intern

MassAUDUBON Summer Camp Scholarship

BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

HOUSATONIC VALLEY ASSOCIATION

TRUSTEES OF RESERVATION/NAUMKEAG

VENTFORT HALL

 

 During the fiscal year 2008-2009 Lenox Garden Club supported the following in either membership or donations:

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN Membership, Summer Intern

MassAUDUBON Summer Camp Scholarship

BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

HOUSATONIC VALLEY ASSOCIATION

TRUSTEES OF RESERVATION/NAUMKEAG

VENTFORT HALL


 

During the fiscal year 2007-2008 Lenox Garden Club supported the following in either membership or donations:

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN Membership, Summer Intern

MassAUDUBON Summer Camp Scholarship

BERKSHIRE NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

HOUSATONIC VALLEY ASSOCIATION

GCA ZELLER SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP in Medicinal Botany in honor of Gertrude Burdsall


 

During the fiscal year 2006-2007, Lenox Garden Club supported the following in either membership or donations:

BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN Membership, Summer Intern, and Winter Lecture

GARDEN CLUB FEDERATION OF MA.

CENTRAL BERKSHIRE HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

FLYING CLOUD INSTITUTE

HEBERT ARBORETUM

LANESBOROUGH TREE & FOREST COMMITTEE

LILAC PARK

OTIS CULTURAL COUNCIL

PROJECT NATIVE


 

LENOX GARDEN CLUB

Community Donations 1991 – 2011

Ashintully Gardens
Bartholomew’s Cobble
Berkshire Center for Families & Children
Berkshire Botanical Garden
Berkshire Historical Society
Arrowhead
Berkshire Natural Resources
Bidwell House
Chesterwood
Egremont Land Trust
Edith Wharton Restoration
Elm Watch
Garden Club of America
Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity
Hebert Arboretum
Hillcrest Educational Center
Housatonic River Walk
Housatonic Valley Association
Laurel Hill
Lenox Library
Lenox Pedestrian Bridge
Lilac Park
Massachusetts Audubon
MA Chapter – Nature Conservancy
Naumkeag
Pittsfield Beautiful
Project Native
Project Sprout
Richmond Elementary School
Southern Berkshire Youth Association
Sheffield Historical Society
Stockbridge Library
Student Conservation Fund
Trustees of Reservations
Ventfort Hall
Williams River Fund
Williamstown Rural Land Foundation

 
Last updated  17 MARCH 2023 

© Copyright 2023 - All Righrs Reserved