The Spotswood Garden Club

March 21, 2022

spotswoodgardenclub.com

The Spotswood Garden Club draws its membership from the city of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. The majority of the club’s activities focus on supporting the gardening and gardening-related needs of this wider community.

The SGC members share a keen interest in artistic design and are required to create two flower arrangement each year for judging. The arrangements are based upon specific Garden Club of Virginia styles. In 2004, members began holding monthly demonstrations of the specified style for each month. Two members would present examples or construct the arrangement while the audience members would help critique the arrangement. This was a great learning experience for new and seasoned members and helped to alleviate the anxiety many faced when challenged with the new experience of being judged.

In 2015, the club began conducting workshops for new members to help introduce the many aspects of membership in the Spotswood Garden Club: displaying horticulture; GCV artistic design; GCV flower collections and shows; flower arranging tools, gadgets and kits; gathering and conditioning; transporting; containers; and other favorite resources. Each new member is given a clear bud vase for their first entry in the monthly club horticulture exhibit.

Spotswood established an Active Junior Members category in 2016. Active Junior Members must be under the age of 40 at the time of acceptance and must be interested in becoming an active member within three years. This category has been especially attractive for those who have more time limitations.

Flower Shows and Artistic Design

In preparation for hosting the GCV Annual Daffodil Shows in 1992-1993, the Spotswood Garden Club was charged with updating the flower show pedestals. After evaluating various samples, a carpenter from Fort Seybert, West Virginia was selected to build 50 pedestals. Col. Kim Brabson, husband of club member Lil Brabson, constructed new 51 linear foot risers for the horticulture display. Those pedestals and risers are still in use after 30 years.

The Spotswood Garden Club and its members have received countless blue ribbons and trophies at GCV Flower Shows, including the 2003 GCV InterClub silver trophy for accumulating the most points for artistic arrangements during a single year; the Quad Blue artistic award at the 2008 Rose Show for a Hogarth curve arrangement; too many horticulture blue ribbons to list, sweepstakes and novice awards.

In 2005, SGC donated a perpetual silver trophy, to be given in honor of Eugenia and David Diller for the best individual artistic arrangement at the annual Garden Club of Virginia Lily Show. Both Genie and David Diller worked diligently to encourage and promote lily horticulture and floral design throughout the state and nationally.

The Spotswood Garden Club hosted the GCV Annual Lily Show in 2013, “Lilies of the Valley,” and in 2014, “Oh Shenandoah,” at Skyline Middle School, co-chaired by Sandy Hodge and Joyce Overby.

Community Projects

When Greener Harrisonburg was formed in the early nineties, the Spotswood Garden Club supported the organization by planting and maintaining community landscapes. The club today continues to maintain the gardens and yard at its Fort Harrison project in Dayton.

Camp Still Meadows became a club focus in 2003. The camp, established for physically and mentally challenged individuals, offers opportunities for campers to participate in gardening, cooking and spending time with animals. The Spotswood Garden Club funded three large stone raised beds for flowers and vegetables in 2003 and received the 2003 GCV Common Wealth Award for the project. In 2007, the club funded construction of an additional large stone raised bed and a rock garden, benches and trail that could be accessed by wheelchair. This additional project received the 2007 GCV Common Wealth Award.

From 2008 to 2015, the Spotswood Garden Club designed and planted gardens at the historic Hardesty-Higgins House. As described on the historic house website, “Home to Harrisonburg’s first mayor Isaac Hardesty, the house bears his name and the name of the physician, Henry Higgins, who began construction in 1848. Isaac Hardesty was born in 1795 and became the city’s first Mayor by charter on March 16, 1849, incorporating the town of Harrisonburg. Hardesty completed construction of the home by 1853. The City of Harrisonburg purchased the house in 2001, and following an extensive restoration, opened the home as museum, visitor center and café. The club designed and executed a landscape plan with trees, boxwood, and perennial flowers for the garden area which included special emphasis for beauty surrounding the patio area, a relaxing dining space for the café.”

During this time, the club also designed and executed the landscaping for the nearby Massanutten Regional Public Library. The gardens focused on beauty, simplicity and fragrance to develop an oasis in downtown Harrisonburg and included a seating area with bench, dogwood tree and flowers. A memorial statue of children reading books was placed in memory of Sandra Eagle, a Spotswood Garden Club member, by her family.

In 2011, the club’s downtown Harrisonburg gardening revitalization project was expanded to extend another block to the Virginia Quilt Museum, where the Spotswood Club planted the surrounding gardens. The Spotswood Garden Club designed the garden to provide trees, shrubs and perennials. Plantings included tri-color beech, Ginko, Little Gem Magnolia, Crepe Myrtle, lilacs, boxwood and flowering perennials. The club maintained the garden for two years.

The club’s gardening activities during this time also included designing, planting, and maintaining the gardens and yard at Fort Harrison and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society in Dayton.

Fort Harrison, also known as the Daniel Harrison House, was built in 1749 by Daniel Harrison, the first settler in the Dayton area. The fort was built with two-foot-thick limestone walls to withstand attacks from hostile natives. Fort Harrison Inc. purchased the house in 1978 and began restoration. The Spotswood Garden Club adopted a project to design, plant and maintain the gardens at the restored site. With guidance from the Garden Club of Virginia landscape architect, Will Rieley, a picket fence was built with painting done by a local Boy Scout troop. Fruit trees of the time period and small herb and perennial flower gardens were planted. Spotswood maintained the garden for many years.

During 2010 and 2011, the club revisited one of its projects from 1955 and refurbished the landscaping around two large bronze turkey statues that welcome visitors to Rockingham County, the “Turkey Capital.” The original project was open to Rockingham County elementary school students to submit a design for statues to represent the county’s proud poultry heritage. The 1955 winning design was submitted by Gerald Harris, a fifth-grade student at the Lucy Simms School for African-American children. Miss Simms (1856-1934), enslaved prior to the Civil War, later graduated from Hampton College and became an educator at the school that bears her name. Her name and photo are on the Emancipation and Freedom Monument in Richmond which was inaugurated in 2021.

The final project for this time period was the flower planting that the club added to a Harrisonburg roundabout on Carlton Street.

In November 2014, the Spotswood Garden Club held an Arts and Flowers Show at the Explore More Discovery Museum, highlighting the floral interpretation of paintings created by members who are professional artists. After the meeting, the show was opened to the public and was well-attended by many members of the local retirement communities, as well as other members of the community. The show was so well received that it was repeated the following year at Sunnyside Retirement Community. At the same time, a floral arranging workshop was conducted for a group of children at the Explore More Discovery Museum.

On March 6, 2014, the Spotswood Garden Foundation was created and in 2018 it became part of the Community Foundation of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. This fund supports charitable, literary, scientific, or educational initiatives that promote the appreciation of gardening, nature, and the environment.

Spotswood Garden Foundation Recipients

• 2014 Boy Scout, Jack Budd, to help with his Eagle Scout project at Bridgewater Retirement Community
• 2014 Edith Carrier JMU Arboretum for educational signs for children’s garden
• 2016 Horticulture building restoration at the Rockingham County Fair
• 2017 Sustainability Matters: A Virginia grown grassroots nonprofit, cultivating community through conservation
• 2018 Spotswood Garden Club for a speaker for the SGC meeting
• 2019 Linville Edom Elementary School for a  reading garden to promote their vision of “celebrating differences”
• 2020  COVID-19 relief fund within the Community Foundation.
• 2022 Lacey Spring Elementary School for an outdoor classroom

In March 2016, the Spotswood Garden Club hosted a tri-club luncheon with Augusta and Blue Ridge garden clubs at James Madison University after a large snow storm. Despite JMU’s efforts to clear the mounds of snow, many ladies had to be shuttled to the meeting from the parking lot. Again, in March 2019, the tri club luncheon held at Cross Keys Vineyard was inundated by snow!

In 2018, SGC established the Glenna Graves Grant of up to $1,000 to be given annually to a group or individual pursuing a project that reflects the values and goals embodied by the Spotswood Garden Club.

Glenna Graves Grant Recipients

• 2018 South River Elementary environmental club’s school community garden
• 2019 Peak View Elementary School
• 2020 Elkton Elementary School greenhouse project
• 2021 Lacey Spring Elementary School gratitude garden
• 2022 Peak View Elementary raised beds for growing vegetables for salsa party

The Spotswood Garden Club holds flower workshops at the Explore More Children’s Museum at Halloween and Christmas. Between 2017 and 2022, SGC purchased and planted trees for Pleasant View Day Services. Club members also planted 200 Green Arrow daffodil bulbs, 100 each at Eastern Mennonite School and Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society in Dayton.

From 2020 through 2022, club members cleaned flower beds and planted daffodils at the local SPCA; planted roses at Pleasant View Home (When the facility was built with no noticeable landscaping, the club had planted trees throughout the enclosed garden and recreation area, and hydrangeas and roses around the entrance); mulched and planted roses at the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society Museum; donated greenery to the Explore More Children’s Museum for their holiday workshops; judged flower exhibitions at the Rockingham County Fair; and successfully sponsored Phil Satolli, first grade teacher at Lacey Spring Elementary School, for the 2020 GCV Conservation Educator Award.

Garden Club of Virginia

Each year, the Spotswood Garden Club hosts a tour during Historic Garden Week and is well known for its flower arrangements. For over thirty years the club’s tour featured a formal tea, often held in one of the local area churches. A special “garden tour tea” was served from an elegant silver service with homemade tea sandwiches and a variety of delectable sweets served on silver trays.

In 2005, the Spotswood Garden Club funded the restoration and repair of two Garden Club of Virginia Catesby prints, and funded two new balustrades for the Kent-Valentine House.

Eugenia and David Diller received the GCV Massie Medal for Distinguished Achievement in 2007. “This couple, with their passion for lilies and dedication to horticulture and the education of others, has improved the quality of life and been effective in the protection, restoration and preservation of the natural beauties of our Commonwealth.” Glenna Graves received the Massie Medal in 2018. “Glenna has selflessly inspired others through horticultural education within the Garden Club of Virginia, the American Daffodil Society and the Washington Daffodil Society. In 2016, she won Best in Show at the World Daffodil Show. She has done all of this and yet remains generous and patient as she continues to mentor others.”

SGC members receiving the GCV Horticulture Award of Merit since 1998: Rosemary Wallinger, 1998; Eugenia Diller and Glenna Graves, 2000; Laura Dansby, 2002; Janice Whitehead, 2006; Rachel Hollis; 2007; Lorraine Strickler, 2012; Elizabeth “Betsy” Eggleston, 2017; Sherry Leffel, 2019; Marcia McGrath, 2020; and Mary Stickley-Godinez, 2022.

The Spotswood Garden Club received the Common Wealth Award in 2003 and again in 2007 for its work at Camp Still Meadows and the 2022 Bessie Bocock Award for its project at Lacey Spring Elementary School to enhance the outdoor classroom, giving students access to multiple areas: a pollinator garden; an outdoor classroom trail with signage; soil to restore gardens and the school greenhouse; and a pergola and outdoor stage for school programs centered on conservation and environmental topics.

SGC members have served served on the GCV Board of Directors and as Chairmen of GCV Committees: Glenna Graves, GCV Director at Large and Daffodil Committee Chairman; Genie Diller, Lily Committee Chairman; Rosemary Wallinger, Horticulture Committee Chairman; Rachel Hollis, Rose Committee Chairman; and Sherry Leffel, Rose Committee Chairman.

SGC Presidents 1994-2020

1994-1996	Glenna Graves
1996-1998	Electra Julias
1998-2000	Rosemary Wallinger
2000-2002	Laura Dansby
2002-2004	Rachel Hollis
2004-2006	Janice Whitehead
2006-2008	Monica Frackelton
2008-2010	Joyce Overby
2010-2012	Sandra Hodge
2012-2014	Sherry Leffel
2014-2016	Wendy Lam
2016-2018	Judy Sullivan
2018-2020	Joy Strickland