Tempe Garden Club
Founded and Federated October 1936
Our Story
In October 1936, Tempe boasted a population of 2,600 when Mrs. R. J. Hight and Mrs. George Gibson invited 30 interested friends to join together to form the Tempe Garden Club. Helen Wexler served as first President.
The aims of the Club were to advance gardening, conservation and beautification. Immediately they instituted the Zinnia Flower Show and then the Flower Fiesta, a Christmas workshop where greens were made into decorations.
In the 1930s, the Club was instrumental in getting the second roadside park in America built at the corner of Curry and Mill. In the 1960’s and 1970’s the Club implemented the development of Birchett Park, at the curve of Mill and Apache Boulevards in Tempe and in the 1980’s provided funds to landscape the companion property, the Birchett triangle.
Every year since 1956, the Club has given one or more books on gardening to the Tempe Public Library. In 1980, the Club gave a sundial to the library as part of an early 50th Anniversary gift to the city.
With the opening of Kiwanis Park in South Tempe in the late 1970’s, the club adopted a plan to give memorial trees to the park. The Petersen House, a historical home in Tempe, Harelson Park and Waggoner Park were recipients of memorial trees in the 1980’s and 1990’s. In 2007, the club planted a fig tree at Petersen House.
The Club initiated a popular Yard-of-the-Month program in 1974 that continued until 1980 and was reactivated in 2002. The Club singled out yards that incorporated good use of materials into an effective landscape design. In 1977, the Club instituted a program of giving live plants to recipients of Meals on Wheels.
In 1979, the Club joined with the Arizona Federation of Garden Clubs in producing The Gardener’s Year calendar, which provided monthly gardening information. The Club edited and distributed the calendar for 10 years and won many National Garden Club awards.
Wildflowers have always captured the Club's imagination. In 1989, the Club donated money to plant wildflower beds at the Desert Botanical Garden and received an NGC $500 Operation Wildflower award for the project. In 1991, we helped establish a wildflower garden near the Arizona Historical Society Museum in Tempe. By landscaping the parking medians at Mesa Community College, TGC received $1,000 and the first place from NGC’s Operation Wildflower
Since 1991, the Club has contributed to the landscaping efforts of the massive Tempe Rio Salado development project. The contributions have primarily gone toward re-vegetation of a 13-acre wildlife habitat.
In 1995, 1997 and 1999, the Club received PETALS awards of $500 each year for community projects. In 1995, the Club printed Gardening Tempe Style for its 60th Anniversary project. In 1997 and 1999 the award money supported a garden therapy program at Grandpa Charlie’s Garden at the Tempe Center for Habilitation.
Fund raising has always been important for the Club. From editing calendars, selling cookbooks, decorating work shirts and quilts, to garden tours the Club knows how to raise money. A popular event has been the Annual Plant and Yard sale held at Jean Besich’s home where great quantities of Flossie Reeves' famous chili has been consumed.
Club members, State AFGC President Juanita Harelson and State Butterfly Chairman Lola White, led the campaign to make the Two-Tailed Swallowtail (Papilio Multicaudata) the state butterfly. This butterfly bill was signed into law on May 9, 2001 by Arizona Governor Jane Hull. There is a free download about the butterfly on Butterfly Quest.
2001 was a banner year as the club celebrated its 70th Anniversary in the beautiful garden of Jeanne Davis. Past Presidents joined in the event as we remembered the important part the Club had made in beautifying Tempe.
During the 2000s, projects have included funding the pavilion at the Tempe Town Lake, landscaping at the historic Petersen house, pruning rose bushes at the Mesa Community College Rose Garden, helping to fund the Mary Leffler Cochran scholarship at Mesa Community College, which allowed the club to be a Golden Spade scholarship winner as part of AFGC’s 75th Anniversary.
The story of the Pavilion and the Tempe Garden Club has been exciting. It began in 2000 when the club had its initial “Garden Lovers Tour” of five beautiful local gardens. These tours continued for two more years with money targeted for the building of the Pavilion. It was a proud moment when we gave the Tempe $20,000 in 2003. Ground breaking for the Pavilion was held in 2004. We joined TempeMayor Hugh Hallman and City Council Members for the dedication of the Pavilion in 2007. Now we await planting trees and building benches there. We have made a difference in Tempe.
Tempe Garden Club joined the 21st Century , when we unveiled our website:
http://TempeGardenClub.com in 2008
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