|
The Garden Club of Kentucky, a member of the South Atlantic Region of the National Garden Clubs, was incorporated in 1931. The GCKY is divided into five Districts (Audubon, Blue Grass, Dogwood, Limestone and Mt. Laurel) with approximately 2,000 members. The organization has seven elected officers, five district directors, ten appointed officers and 44 state chairmen to provide help and direction for club development and growth. Chairmanships include: arboriculture, birds, butterflies, civic and environmental awareness, roadside development, scholarship, Woodsy Owl and Smokey Bear, and youth.
Each member receives a quarterly publication, “The Garden Club of Kentucky Bulletin”, which contains information on horticulture, gardening tips, upcoming meetings, reports of officers & chairmen and more. Members are provided courses that allow them to become nationally accredited flower show judges, landscape design consultants and/or gardening consultants. The organization provides Merit Scholarships in fields related to horticulture, which are available to junior or senior university students.
A state meeting is held each spring and district meetings each fall. All members may attend the meetings that offer seminars and workshops directed by recognized experts in their fields.
The headquarters of The Garden Club of Kentucky is the Nannine Clay Wallis House and Arboretum. Located at 616 Pleasant Street in Paris, the circa 1850s house and four acres of property were bequeathed to The Garden Club of Kentucky upon the death of Nannine Clay Wallis in 1971. Mrs. Wallis was the second president of The Garden Club of Kentucky.
The House is on the National Register of Historical Places and is open for tours by appointment and may be rented for weddings, meetings, and other special occasions. The Arboretum, "the largest old tree collection in Central Kentucky" contains fine examples of old and new introductions of trees, shrubs and flowers, is open to the public from dawn to dusk.
|
