There's always another aspect of gardening waiting to be unearthed. That's where garden clubs come in. Banish the notion of an elite, upper-class social club. Today's modern garden clubs are democratic and embrace both novice gardeners and the community. A garden club can be a simple affair, with a handful of the faithful getting together informally around a kitchen table or at the local library to discuss a pre-selected topic, swap plants, or help tend a school garden.
Youth clubs are also popular.
What these clubs all have in common, however, is a commitment to horticultural education and a charitable bent. Garden clubs can offer educational classes and lectures on topics as far-ranging as botany, flower arrangement, landscape design, and conservation of natural resources to civic beautification, nature studies, garden therapy, and historic preservation. Some use membership fees and special events to raise money for scholarships for students majoring in garden-related subjects. Others adopt community projects such as gardens for the hungry, litter control, butterfly gardens, or bird sanctuaries. Garden club volunteers might visit nursing homes, day care centers, or work with the disabled.