#* Adopt-A-Station
NJ Transit has given our club
permission to
beautify the Spring Lake Train Station.
Members plant and maintain flowers and shrubs
around the train station. |
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Arbor Day
The Garden Club celebrates by purchasing and
planting a tree in one of our local parks. The mayor
of Spring Lake and students from the fourth grade at
Spring Lake H.W. Mountz School join club members in
poetry and song to commemorate the day. The aim is
to educate the public and particularly the youth of
Spring Lake in the importance of planting and caring
for trees. |
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# Civic Beautification
Our club plants and maintains large flower
containers at the North and South End Pavilions on
the boardwalk in Spring Lake.
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* Conservation/Environment
Environmental newsletters are presented at our
monthly meetings disseminating up-to-date
information on the protection and conservation of
our water and natural resources, techniques for
organic gardening, and suggestions for the use of
nontoxic products in and around our homes. |
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Donations
Through the efforts of members, money is raised and
last year donations totaling $2,155 were given to
the following organizations: St. Andrew Methodist
Church ($200), St. Catharine-St. Margaret Catholic
Parish ($200), and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
($300) to help defray the expenses involved with
landscaping projects at these churches; Sisters
Academy to help fund its student garden club ($300);
a Sisters Academy scholarship in memory of Dr. Jack
Harrigan ($260); the Spring Lake Community House
($200), and the Spring Lake Community House
Christmas Fund ($695). |
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Fall Luncheon
In October, a luncheon will be held at the Spring
Lake Golf Club where we will honor the floral design
styles of America’s First Ladies. Peter Trimmer, of
Mueller’s Florist, will explore the evolution of the
use of plants from the production of vegetables in
the White House gardens to the use of flowers as
“Floral Diplomacy” with visiting dignitaries. Floral
arrangements depicting the First Ladies’ unique
design styles will be raffled to our guests. |
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Floral Design
Workshops in creative design are held for members
throughout the year. In addition, floral
arrangements are placed at the Spring Lake Borough
Library and the Municipal Building to promote an
appreciation for flowers and strengthen community
outreach. |
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Forget-Me-Nots Newsletter
Members are kept abreast of local, state, and
national garden events through this newsletter. |
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* Garden Therapy
As part of our award-winning project, club members
help residents of Brandywine Assisted Living in Wall
Township make floral arrangements. The team members
engage with the residents to provide assistance,
friendship, and sharing in the beauty of flowers. |
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* Garden Tour
Annually we host a garden tour that this year
included eight Spring Lake gardens. The tour
attracts many visitors from the tri-state area.
Visiting plein-air artists capture the gardens on
canvas and later display the paintings at a local
gallery. Light refreshments are served throughout
the day on one of Spring Lake’s most beautiful front
porches. |
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Holy Trinity Landscaping An
ongoing landscaping project at Holy Trinity
Episcopal Church, an 1880 summer church that is on
the National Historic Register, continues throughout
the growing season with planting, pruning, weeding,
and watering |
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Operation Sunshine
During the first week of May, we remember people who
need a little sunshine in their lives and distribute
floral arrangements to senior facilities in the
area. Throughout the year, homebound club members
are remembered with cards and small flower
arrangements. |
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Perennial Garden
Located at the Spring Lake Municipal Building, this
garden is landscaped with perennial shrubs and
flowers that the club then carefully maintains. It
adds color and beauty to a side/back yard on Borough
property.
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#* Plant It Pink To promote breast cancer
awareness, pink flowers are planted both in the
spring and fall at the Welcome to Spring Lake sign
opposite the Spring Lake Municipal Building. |
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Rain Garden The club maintains a rain
garden in Spring Lake at St. Catharine School. This
garden has permanent signage identifying each plant
with the use of QR codes. |
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* Random Acts of Beauty
The front gardens of homes and businesses in Spring
Lake are a gift to the community providing those who
pass by with a sense of beauty and awe. In
mid-summer, committee members select homes and
businesses within our town that display the most
beautiful front gardens. Certificates of
appreciation and framed pictures of the homes and
businesses are awarded at our September meeting. |
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Scholarship
Each spring, seniors from local high schools who
plan to study horticulture or environmental subjects
in college are invited to apply for a Garden Club
scholarship. Our scholarship committee evaluates the
applications, selects the finalists, and presents
the winners with their scholarship awards at our May
meeting. Additional scholarships are given for
continuing education. In 2018, we awarded a total of
$12,000 in scholarship money to nine students,
including a Rutgers University Foundation intern. |
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Spring Lake Community House Christmas Fund
Members participate by donating funds and buying,
wrapping, and distributing gifts to needy families
at Christmas. In 2017, members contributed $695 to
the fund.
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Student Horticultural Education
This project offers assistance to Sisters Academy in
Asbury Park for a May-July student garden club by
donating funds and supporting its school program. A
structured plan for 5th grade students includes
classroom instruction about plants followed by
outside hands-on work in the raised garden beds. The
students prepare the soil and plant and label
vegetables, herbs, and flowers. In addition they
weed, harvest, and take home the produce for
consumption.
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Wellington Estates Gardens (formerly Wexford)
Each spring, club members design and plant a
raised-bed garden at Wellington Estates Assisted
Living in Wall Township with vegetables, herbs, and
flowers. The garden offers residents something
beautiful to look at, something to care for, and
then a bit later, joyful eating. |
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#*
Whistlestop Gardens
The Garden Club
collaborated with other Spring Lake civic groups to
beautify Potter Park, the gateway to Spring Lake.
Members developed a landscape plan that they
implemented and are now maintaining. As a result of
our initiative, the town has renovated the gazebo
and walkways around the park. |
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* Wreaths Across America
This organization was founded in 1992 to honor
veterans. Our club participates in the project by
laying wreaths at veterans’ memorials. The mayors of
Spring Lake and Spring Lake Heights and council
members attend the ceremonies. Also attending are
representatives from the local American Legion Post
and fire/first aid organizations, as well as local
residents. |
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