High Altitude Green Thumbs: Park City's Garden Club
Photography: Douglas Burke
Ahhh, the “Garden Club” … the very sound of which conjures delightfully frivolous images of ladies-who-lunch in wide-brimmed hats enjoying trays of petits fours and tea sandwiches. Although Park City’s own Garden Club is rather exclusive (the current membership of 45 is not accepting new members, and the waiting list is a mile long), President Wiggy Brennan laughs at the suggestion of fancy, wide-brimmed hats. This particular Garden Club is a tad more “grounded.” “It is, after all, Park City,” says Brennan.
While the monthly meetings of the Garden Club are as much social as instructive, with wine and savories playing a role as important as at any book club, horticulture remains the primary focus. The association’s monthly meetings (March through December) may feature guest speakers or hands-on activities. This past March, a speaker from Salt Lake City discussed a familiar favorite, the friendly African Violet. April’s meeting featured the creation of a garden trellis from willow boughs. In June, the group met in Salt Lake to walk a number of famous gardens. Evidence of the Club’s handiwork is evident throughout town. The recent burst of colorful bulbs and perennials at the Fire Station on Park Avenue and the Senior Center just around the corner can be credited to the Garden Club, which continues to maintain these projects on a volunteer basis by its members. The Garden Club has similarly lent its powers of beautification to plots of land at the Peace House and Trailside Park. December’s meeting is routinely dedicated to the creation of lovely and fragrant wreaths which are then donated by the members.
Interested? While it seems that the current branch of the Garden Club is full at the moment, why not start a Gar-den Club of your own? Arrange a time for a few of your favorite friends to meet, share some great food and drink, and plant some seeds of wisdom.
For more information on Park City’s Garden Club, please contact President Wiggy Brennan at 645.9053.
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