Joan Witter, who coined the name ’Ladies of the Garden’ for her crew, describes what needs to be done during one of their weekly meet-ups at the club grounds. Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
This is the first in a series on four local garden clubs.
By Jan Engoren
With tips such as “keeping homegrown roses for future decorating” and topics such as “Everything We Need to Know About Crotons” and “Sustainable Gardening in Florida,” the Boca Raton Garden Club has inspired gardeners and would-be gardeners alike.
Celebrating 68 years in 2022, the nonprofit has missions of stimulating knowledge of gardens among amateurs, encouraging civic beautification, maintaining Florida’s natural beauty and furthering club programs.
Unlike many other garden clubs, the Boca Raton club has its own building and grounds. It owns the property at 4281 NW Third Ave., complete with native plants, orchids and flowering trees.
The grounds are maintained by the club’s “dirt gardeners,” women who work in and maintain the gardens.
Joan Witter is one of them, but she prefers the term “Ladies of the Garden.”
Witter joined the club three years ago when she retired from her horticulture and landscaping business.
Originally from Iowa, Witter says, “Green is green wherever you go.” She meets with her crew on Mondays, when they maintain the grounds by propagating, weeding, trimming and relocating plants.
They have 50 native orchids growing in trees, bromeliads, the yesterday-today-and-tomorrow plant (Brunfelsia pauciflora), the Chinese hat plant (Holmskioldia sanguinea), Dombeya trees, thryallis evergreen shrubs, clerodendrum and hibiscus shrubs, among others.
The club, which has 150 members, holds its meetings the first Tuesday of each month from October through May at 1 p.m. Meetings are open to the public and visitors are welcome at one or two meetings before joining. Annual dues are $50 in addition to $12 for administrative fees.
Mary Kaub, a former teacher and second-term president of the club, joined nine years ago when she became an empty nester. “I’ve learned so much about native plants, the environment and landscaping,” she says. “There is a wealth of information among our members.”
Kaub studied three years to become an accredited floral design judge and says she has taught all four grandchildren how to garden.
“Once they put down the computer, come outside and see a cocoon with a butterfly, they’re hooked,” Kaub says.
During the coronavirus pandemic, Kaub, Dellie Krebs and other members sewed nearly 2,500 face masks for members of the community and health care workers.
The club participates in the Million Orchid Project created by the American Orchid Society and the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami. The project was launched in 2013 to reintroduce native orchids in the environment. Orchids, once naturally abundant in Florida, were displaced by urbanization, and this is an effort to allow them to flourish naturally.
Additionally, the club hosts a junior gardening program at Whispering Pines Elementary School and before the pandemic did garden therapy with Alzheimer’s patients at the FAU Memory and Wellness Center.
Club members partner with the city to maintain Boca Raton’s Community Garden, work on conservation efforts, and provide scholarships to students in horticulture or other science fields.
The club’s ownership of the property dates to 1964, when after some fundraisers it put down $6,000 for three lots.
The land had a structure originally used by the Air Force during World War II as a boiler room and coal bin. The club had it rebuilt to include an office, kitchen, restrooms and a horticulture room. In four years, the women paid off the mortgage of $21,491.77.
In 1971, they added an auditorium, stage and sound system, which they use to this day. They raise funds year-round to support such efforts.
In addition to a bi-annual flower show, fundraisers include the Trash to Treasures, Vintage Jewelry and Plant Sale set for Feb. 18-19; creating custom ornaments; and Holiday House, a craft, baked goods and plant sale which ran in October and raised $18,000.
“Come and join us,” Witter says. “Not only is gardening a wonderful way to learn in a hands-on way, but you will meet some wonderful people.”
The club will hold its general meeting at 1 p.m. Jan. 4 in its clubhouse, 4281 NW Third Ave. The speaker will be floral designer Susie Slater, who will present “Horticulture in Design Arts,” an overview and demonstration. Free and open to the public. For more info call 561-395-9376 or visit bocaratongardenclub.org.
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