Club Members - Shirley Bird Garden

THE NEW CANAAN GARDEN CLUB began in the Summer of 1909. It wasn't long before the membership grew and within two years exceeded 150 members.  Residents in the neighboring towns of Connecticut  including Stamford, Ridgefield, Westport, Darien and Greenwich maintained membership in the New Canaan Garden Club as well as members from Pound Ridge, Bedford, Katonah and New York City.  Eventually, the Club became so large it was necessary for some of these villages to form garden clubs of their own.  The New Canaan Garden Club took an active role in helping these smaller towns to formulate the structure to begin their own Garden Clubs. 

The GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA was founded by 12 clubs in 1913.  Presently, there are 197 clubs throughout the United States and the district of Columbia with approximately 17,000 members.  Organized into 12 zones, the New Canaan Garden Club is a member of Zone II (Southern New England), which includes 17 clubs in Connecticut and 4 in rhode Island. THE NEW CANAAN GARDEN CLUB joined the Garden Club of America in 1920 and adheres to its purpose a described below.

THE PURPOSE OF THE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening, to share the advantages of association by the means of educational meetings, conferences, correspondence, and publications, and to restore, improve and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and actions in the fields of conservation and civic improvement.

THE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA STRIVES TO FULFILL ITS PURPOSE in the following ways.  Dedicated to restoring, improving and protecting our environment through its conservation, horticulture, civic improvement and educational programs, the GCA offers various scholarships and fellowships.  National Medals are awarded for outstanding achievement in many different areas related to horticulture, conservation, flower arranging, botany, landscape design, literature, historic preservation and environmental protection.