History

Strathcona County Garden Club
A Brief History

The original Sherwood Park Garden Club was founded in 1960 and was active for 6 years. In 1991, Sheila Flint and Locke Girvan resurrected the Garden Club. In 1992, Peter Stavely was elected as our first president, an office that he proudly held for 12 years.

Meetings were held in many venues: Salisbury Greenhouse, Greenland Garden Center, and Smeltzer House. The Club still holds its annual plant sale at Smeltzer House which is typically on the second last or last weekend in May or the second weekend in September.

The present home of the Strathcona County Garden Club is at the Strathcona County Community Center in Sherwood Park. We meet every second Thursday of the month from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. The Garden Club has grown from a small group to a membership of over 160. The Strathcona County Garden Club recently registered as a society.

The Strathcona County Garden Club became extremely active in the Communities in Bloom movement 20 years ago and has been an integral addition to the program. The County has received numerous awards with the help of this group of dedicated volunteers. They have helped maintain miles of lovely flower beds and planters to ensure that their community looks amazing for the residents who call Strathcona County home.

In 2006, the Club started the very first Community Gardens in Strathcona County. Many of the regular members, who attended the monthly meetings, held plant sales, seed exchanges, and worked tirelessly to keep the club active, decided that they would also like to grow their own food.

Over the years, the Strathcona County Garden Club has made a tremendous difference to the community, spreading the joy of gardening, love of community, camaraderie, volunteerism, and teaching gardening to our children.

This club has a dedicated board of directors and active club volunteers.