President’s Message

I am so excited that you have given me the opportunity to serve The Garden Club of Kentucky as president. Thank you for this honor. And thank you for the countless hours you have worked in your community to advance our mission. Garden club members are good stewards of the land, and we encourage others to do the same. Our members not only ‘talk the talk’ but ‘walk the walk’.

The continued theme ‘Let’s Grow’ keeps us focused on just that. We need to grow in membership, clubs, all aspects of gardening, wildlife havens, youth collaboration, education through our four NGC schools, flower shows, conservation efforts, Blue and Gold Star Memorials, and making friends all the while.

We also need to grow in promotion of our accomplishments. Success breeds success. By showcasing our monthly meetings and projects of all types and sizes and by volunteering to speak at other organizations, we let the community know who we are and what we do. One of our goals as a local federated garden club is to never have someone remark ‘I don’t know if we have a garden club or not’ or ask the question ‘Is there a garden club here?’ It should be evident there is an active garden club. By ‘talking the talk’, members let friends and acquaintances know and possibly gain new members. By ‘walking the walk’, the community sees club members working on community projects whether great or small. They will know we are here!

Again, I want to continue with special projects ‘Gardening with Native Plants’ and ‘Habitats for our Wildlife’. These projects are intertwined. One project will result in the other. Because of urban development, ecosystems are being disrupted. We must be even more diligent of what open space we have, allowing for ecosystems to thrive. All life on earth is integrated, all has its purpose, and all must be protected. This is where garden club members come in…we can be those ambassadors in our communities who encourage our Mission Statement of The Garden Club of Kentucky: To provide education, resources and networking opportunities for its members and promote the love of gardening, floral design, civic and environmental responsibility.

Our incoming National Garden Clubs President is Mary Warshauer, whose theme is PLANT AMERICA-PLAY OUTDOORS, and our incoming South Atlantic Region Director is Marty Bowers. Her theme is Reconnect, Plant, Grow, and Bloom.

‘Let’s Grow’!

Carcille Carloftis Burchette

GCKY President (2021-2023)