Mission

The mission Garden Club of the Eastern Shore is to stimulate an interest in gardening and the art of flower arranging among amateurs; to learn and apply the best principles of horticulture, conservation and garden restoration; to foster the preservation of our natural resources; and to support efforts which protect the physical beauty and environmental quality of our state.

History

It all began in 1939. Mrs. Littleton Mears, known to her family and friends as Nannie Ames Mears, had a luncheon guest, Mrs. Charles Graham Evans. Born and raised on the Eastern Shore and a member of the Garden Club of Danville, Mrs. Evans was at the table along with four other Eastern Shore women. Following the luncheon, they toured several old homes and gardens and the discussion turned to Mrs. Mears’ dream to organize a garden club on the Eastern Shore. Mrs. Evans pledged her help and the ladies got to work. 

Later the same month the first meeting of the Garden Club of the Eastern Shore took place with seventeen charter members. Flower shows were held to stimulate interest, meetings were held in various homes and club members concentrated on the propagation of old roses. Soon a constitution and a set of by-laws were drawn using the Garden Club of Norfolk’s as a guide. Dues were established at one dollar and a half per year which included fifty cents for Garden Gossip. 

The newly formed and enthusiastic group aspired to join the Garden Club of Virginia and there was much to do. Members were required to be well informed so speakers were invited, members entered GCV flower shows and organized more of their own, papers on gardening subjects were written. Members continued to propagate roses, some of which were gifted to the GCV Rose Test Garden. Having a yearbook was a requirement. By the next year the first edition, dedicated to Mrs. Evans of Danville, was distributed. Necessary GCV committees were added. The final requirement was the participation in Garden Week. Nine homes were opened for six days. In the fall of 1942 at the Board of Governors meeting, sponsored by both The Garden Club of Norfolk and The Garden Club of Danville, The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore was voted into membership of The Garden Club of Virginia, becoming the thirty-first club.

As the decades moved forward the club became involved in a variety of local projects. A small children’s camp, Camp Osprey, was established, assisted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and the Fisherman National Wildlife Refuge. Conservation workshops called Project Wild were held for science teachers. The club sponsored students at Nature Camp, scholarships for nurses, and gave funds for mammogram equipment. Members joined anti-litter campaigns, picking up trash as well as supporting the Waste-Watchers organization. Landscaping, flower-arranging, and horticulture books were given to the local library as memorials to members lost. The Garden Club of Virginia Commonwealth Award funds helped to landscape the local library, the Cape Charles Community Park, and Port Isobel. 

The Garden Club of the Eastern Shore has twenty-one Horticulture Award of Merit recipients, two de lacy Memorial Medal for Conservation Recipients, and two Massie Medalists; Mrs. Lucius J. Kellam, Jr. (deceased) and Mrs. Benjamin W. Mears, Jr., (deceased), each of whom served with distinction as president of the Garden Club of Virginia.