ONGOING PROJECTS
The Blue Ridge Garden Club participates in a variety of community projects
to encourage the knowledge and appreciation of gardening,
nature, and the environment in Lexington, Virginia; Rockbridge
County, Virginia; and the State of Virginia.
Annual Holiday
Wreath Fundraiser
Each fall, the Blue Ridge Garden Club hosts its annual Holiday Wreath and Greenery Sale for the local community. Net proceeds from this sale fund the club’s charitable, civic, and educational projects including:
Veterans Memorial Garden
The Veterans Memorial Garden
Courthouse Square, Main Street
Lexington, Virginia
Blue Ridge Garden Club members are honored to plant and care for the Veterans Memorial Garden, which is centrally located in the heart of historic Lexington. The garden provides a beautiful tribute to veterans and serves as a lovely community gathering place in downtown Lexington.
Natural Bridge State Park
The Blue Ridge Garden Club continues to enthusiastically support and celebrate improvements to the Natural Bridge State Park. The Garden Club of Virginia celebrated its 2020 Centennial with the completion of a five-year, $500,000 grant to Virginia State Parks projects and programs.
The Blue Ridge Garden Club was happy to support Natural Bridge State Park in successfully applying for and receiving a substantive GCV grant during each year of the five-year program. The GCV support has truly had a big impact, greatly enhancing the park experience for students and visitors alike!
Natural Bridge State Park wisely spent the GCV grant awards to create an impressive indoor interactive classroom that served over 9,000 students during its first year of operation alone. Facilities include a digital microscope, aquariums, a predator caller, binoculars, animal pelts, snake skins, bones, skulls, and antlers. Through a program called Base Camp, the park expanded its focus on interpretive themes, such as the James River Watershed, the biology of native wildlife, the significance of pollinators, and the importance of maintaining dark skies at night.
Roots and Shoots Intergenerational
School Garden
The Blue Ridge Garden Club has supported the Roots and Shoots program at Waddell Elementary School in Lexington, Virginia, since the program’s inception over 20 years ago. Co-founded by Molly Brown (a Blue Ridge Garden Club member) and her late husband, Dirck, the Roots and Shoots program’s goals include uniting generations and creating a partnership between community groups, individuals, educators, parents and students while educating young children through hands-on gardening. Its flagship school garden at Waddell Elementary was refurbished and reopened in fall 2016.
Beyond classroom education, and in the words of its founders, the Browns, “The friendships developed between the older Roots and the younger Shoots help to promote positive attitudes between the generations.”
Hanging Baskets of Flowers
For 25 years, hanging baskets of flowers have appeared on Lexington streets, welcoming visitors and beautifying downtown. These baskets are a gift to the community from the Rockbridge County Council of Garden Clubs, which is composed of local garden clubs including the Blue Ridge Garden Club. The Council’s annual plant sale, typically held on Mother’s Day weekend, helps each club fund this project.
. . . add a Cheerful Pop of Color!
The Blue Ridge Garden Club joins the other local clubs to provide the ivy geranium baskets, which are regularly watered by the city’s public works. Thanks to the partnership between the County Council of Garden Clubs and the Lexington Chamber of Commerce, nearly 50 hanging flower baskets add a cheerful pop of color to Lexington streets throughout the summer.