The Junior League of Boston Garden Club Celebrates 90 Years by: Amy Bucher

By Daphne Durham

Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The equestrian George Washington statue was created by the monumental American sculptor Thomas Ball in 1867.

The Junior League of Boston’s Garden Club, historically called the Boston Junior League Garden Club (BJLGC), celebrates 90 years of educating our members in all things horticultural!  Founded in 1929, the BJLGC today is a member of the Garden Club Federation of Massachusetts (GCFM), a charter member of the national Garden Club (a nonprofit educational organization) and affiliate member of the Boston Committee of the Garden Club of America (GCA).  Highlights of our history range from the pioneering urban garden project the “Embankment Garden” (1946 –1984) for children in the West End to floral interpretation at the Museum of Fine ArtsArt in Bloom” celebration (1979 – 2019).  During your next visit to JL Boston headquarters, be sure to visit the BJLGC display cabinet in the living room for a visual tour of our history to date.

In recent club news, Victoria Chane created the club’s contribution to MassHort’s Festival of Trees 2018, a gold themed Christmas tree entitled “Midas Touch.” This annual raffle to trees raises funds for MassHort’s educational mission. At this time, Kirsten Alexander and Audra Dainora are busy preparing a floral interpretation of Wassily Kandinsky’s 1923 work “Violet” for MFA’s Art in Bloom (AIB), which we toured in an all-League outing on the opening evening of AIB, Friday, April 29.

In addition to the AIB tour, we will have an upcoming BJLGC field trip open to all League members.  We will join the Rose Brigade in the Boston Public Garden to learn how to prune the roses. A tour, tools and gloves will be provided.

As always, we are seeking new members who have an interest in our mission of floral design and horticultural education. Monthly meetings take place at noon on the fourth Monday of each month, September – May. For additional information on BJLGC, please contact club President Shawna Giggey-Mashal.

We close this update with a poem from our archives on the occasion of our 80th anniversary in 2009.

Junior League Garden Club 80th Anniversary

The Garden Club of the Junior League
has no member that shows fatigue
Ready with skill and great ideas,
a competing arranger is put to tears.

For many years shining at Art in Bloom
we’ve won praise in almost every room.
We can always bask in our glorious past
but the future approaches all too fast.

So we’re launching into 80 more
ready to go and ready to soar.
Bouquets and praise to every member,
as we celebrate this day in December.

And in a Christmas spirit that’s full of fun
may God bless us, every one.

Jean Green, age 95, Christmas 2009
Past President, BJLGC; Past Chair, Embankment Project
Born 2/24/1914 –  died 12/28/2010