Winchester-Clarke Garden Club

March 21, 2022

www.winchesterclarkegc.org

Winchester-Clarke Garden Club’s dedication to preserving natural landscapes and fostering a love for gardening exemplifies a commitment to the community and the environment. The club is fortunate to have historic gardens and landscapes in its surrounding areas.

Dogwood Lane winds through the Blandy Experimental Farm, the State Arboretum of Virginia, and leads to the grounds of the Tuleyries, which remain in private hands.  The Garden Club of Virginia completed a restoration of the stone wall along the lane in 2004. Using locally sourced stone, the project returned the walls to their original configuration, seamlessly blending the new with the old. Simultaneously, WCGC rejuvenated and replaced native dogwood trees along the lane, enhancing its natural beauty. Photos

Winchester-Clarke Garden Club hosted the 65th Annual Lily Show in 2007, and the 66th show in 2008. The events were sponsored by Winchester-Clarke Garden Club and assisted by the North American Lily Society.

2007 Lily Schedule

2007 Lily Show Photos

2008 Lily Schedule

2008 Lily Show Photos

In 2011, WCGC joined with The Little Garden Club of Winchester in supporting a restoration project at John Handley High School.  JHHS, now on the National Register of Historic Places, opened its doors in 1923, and remains a strong presence in the community. People are drawn to the grounds not only because of the school and its athletic events, but also because it is simply a wonderful place to be. The Garden Club of Virginia was approached for help with the grounds when a major renovation of the school was undertaken. The request included a planting scheme at the front of the building and along the west end of the “bowl,” where the football field is located. In addition, GCV restored the design of the “landscape park” east of the bowl. Construction of new walls and dozens of trees have been planted, including restoration of the allée of oaks from the bowl to Valley Avenue, a central piece of original architect Walter McCornack’s vision.

The Shenandoah Discovery Museum Rooftop Garden was dedicated in 2014. Winchester-Clarke Garden Club made a significant contribution of $25,000 to the museum which supported the development of the rooftop garden at the museum’s location on Cork Street. The rooftop garden project aligns with the club’s commitment to community beautification and environmental awareness by showcasing native plants, flowers, and sustainable gardening practices.

Club members assisted the GCV Horticulture Committee when Horticulture Field Day was held on May 27-28, 2015, in Winchester and historic Clarke County. Attendees registered at Glen Burnie on May 27 with tours of the gardens, museum, and a box lunch. Private tours began after lunch and included the “green roof” of the Discovery Museum and private tours of the gardens of Patsy Smith, Jo Ann Larson, Kathleen Quarles, and Peter G. Bullough. Guests were also invited to take a self-guided tour of the grounds at John Handley High School — a GCV restoration site. The second day, Clarke County tours included the State Arboretum of Virginia at Blandy and the private gardens of Carolyn Farouki, Tressa Borland Reuling, Ilona Benham, and Elizabeth Locke. Departure and box lunches were distributed at Burwell-Morgan Mill, another GCV restoration site, where visitors could see the mill in operation. Photos

WCGC received the Bessie Bocock Carter Conservation Award in 2019 for its project at Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve , home to over 300 plant species, 20 of which are on the Virginia Rare Plants list. This 25-acre urban green space and wetlands preserve serves as an educational and recreational resource for Winchester. Recognizing its fragility, WCGC raised funds and volunteered hours to restore and safeguard it.

The club ended the decade making plans for ambitious projects — hosting the GCV Annual Meeting, Cultivation – Restoration, in 2023 at the historic George Washington Hotel in downtown Winchester; and, with the Virginia Cooperative Extension in 2024, hosting, Hometown Habitat: Stories of Bringing Nature Home, a movie by Catherine Zimmerman, featuring Douglas Tallamy, to be followed by a panel discussion with Catherine Zimmerman; Dr. Iara Lacher of Seven Bend Nursery; Mark Sutphin, VCE Extension agent; Jennifer Adams, president of Master Gardeners of the Northern Shenandoah Valley; and Alex Newhart, Master Naturalist.

GCV Honors and Awards

WCGC is proud that two of its members have served as President of the Garden Club of Virginia. Betty Schutte served 1996-1998 and Jean Gilpin served 2018-2020.

Two club members have received the prestigious Massie Medal for Distinguished Achievement: Nancy Talley in 1999 and Betty Schutte in 2005.

GCV Horticulture Award of Merit recipients include Judith Anderson, 1996; Rebecca McCoy, 1997; Elaine Brandt, 1999; Martha Cook, 2001; Pam DeBergh, 2004; and Patsy Smith, 2012.

WCGC members have actively participated in GCV events, serving on committees and exhibiting award-winning flower show entries.

The club will celebrate its centennial in 2024. Encouraged by the hard work of former and current members, club members plan to continue to revitalize, plant, restore, and conserve the surrounding beauty.

WCGC Presidents 1995-2021

1995-1997	Nancy Mitchell
1997-1999	Tencha Gilpin
1999-2001	Kay Whitworth
2001-2003	Nancy Daugherty
2003-2005	Susan Claytor
2005-2007	Celie Harris
2007-2009	Elaine Brandt.
2009-2011	Jean Gilpin
2011-2013	Pam DeBergh
2013-2015	Patsy Smith
2015-2017	Lockett Van Voorhis
2017-2019	Barbara Bandyke
2019-2021	Terry Chandler