OUR MISSION
Adirondack Garden Club
The purpose of the Adirondack Garden Club is the conservation of the plants, shrubs, and trees native to the Adirondack region; the creation of both wild and cultivated gardens characteristic of their natural environment; the encouragement of gardening throughout the Adirondack area; and the promotion of civic conservation and beautification.
The mission of the Adirondack Garden Club is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening, to aid in the protection of native plants and birds, and to encourage civic planting and the conservation of our natural resources.
About US
Since 1928
The Adirondack Garden Club, originally called The Essex County Adirondack Garden Club, was founded in 1928. In 1933, the club joined The Garden Club of America, a volunteer, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization comprised of 200 member clubs and approximately 18,000 club members throughout the U.S.
Current members hail from all around the North Country — Clinton, Essex, and Franklin counties, covering a geographical area stretching from the shores of Lake Champlain westward beyond Lake Placid and Saranac Lake to Tupper Lake, an astonishing 1,824 square miles and two separate USDA climate zones.
passion for gardening
Looking back, we see a strong organization committed to the delights and hard work found in all aspects of gardening, the magic and mysteries of horticulture, the delight in floral design and garden restoration and environmental conservation of this uniquely held Adirondack region.
public service & education
Our founders started what we continue to this day: public service and education, partnering with others who share our gardening passion and raising awareness of conservation issues within our region.
conservation
Our organization’s involvement in civic and conservation affairs is well-illustrated by the motto on the club’s seal, “Non Mihi Soli Laboravi,” meaning Not for myself alone have I labored, is a fitting tribute to all gardeners.
grants & awards
The Adirondack Garden Club awards grants from the club’s 1928 AGC Founders Fund to nonprofits making a positive impact on the Adirondack environment..
our recent
Projects
Through research and education, conservation, activism and hands-on involvement, we’ve tackled many projects since 1928. Each committee contributes to the mission and vision of the Adirondack Garden Club through their continued contributions not only to community projects but to the maintenance and longevity of the club.
Below you’ll see a summary of our current and past projects:
Essex Quarry Nature Preserve
During its operating lifetime, the Essex Quarry (and surrounding forest) was overrun by invasive non-native plants. Working with its new owner, Champlain Area Trails, which purchased the property in 2020, the Adirondack Garden Club is striving to remove invasives such as Buckthorn and Honeysuckle, and to replant native wildflowers and sedges. The restoration of the Quarry’s unique ecosystem is funded by a P4P grant from the Garden Club of America.
Families First Native Garden
Families First is a countywide agency that works with families facing mental health challenges. Garden club members designed the garden beds and walkways on the Families First property, prepared the soil and put down landscape cloth. Native plants were placed in the beds. Garden club members have been thrilled to see Monarch caterpillars on the milkweed that was planted. The club will continue to maintain the Family First gardens, weeding and watering when necessary and ensuring the beauty and health of the site.
Past Projects
• Worked with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program to promote public understanding of invasive garden species
• Stopped aerial spraying for black flies, instead encouraging Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis)
• Organized five conservation partners in the Adirondacks to present a Farmer's Market educational gathering called "Dig It"
• Restored, maintained and planted the public Colonial Garden at the Adirondack History Museum in Elizabethtown for 46 years
• Identified outstanding area gardens for the Garden Club of America directory
• Spearheaded GCA Zone III Acid Rain Resolution
• Established a Nature Fund for financial assistance for students, teachers, and organizations for environmental conservation
• Awarded our logo to gas stations and wayside stands meeting our scenic standards.
• Sponsored the development of thirteen town garden clubs in the Adirondack region
Available
Scholarships
& Awards
ELLEN LEA PAINE MEMORIAL NATURE FUND
The Adirondack Garden Club Ellen Lea Paine Memorial Nature Fund was established in 2005 to give financial assistance to individuals and not-for-profit organizations – including schools – involved in programs whose purpose is to study, protect and enjoy the natural environment within the Adirondack Park. The maximum amount per grant is $1500. A complete list of award recipients from 2005-2024 can be found HERE.
AGC Awards
We take great pride in recognizing the notable achievements of public-minded citizens in our region whose outstanding efforts protect our fragile environment. Our own Club's members have been the recipients of many Garden Club of America national awards and awards within our own Zone III region. Annually we also recognize and award our own Club members whose hard work and contributions have been memorable. Download a complete list of award recipients here.
our rich
History
Illustration by Anne Lacy Trevor
On a hot August afternoon in 1928, Miss Sarah D. Lowrie and Mrs. Seymour DeWitt Ludlum hosted a lunch at Hills Garden House in Keene Valley, formerly the property of the famous guide, Old Mountain Phelps. With advice from Susan Hand, a Committee of Invitation brought together twelve women selected because they were true amateur gardeners and “represented the leading families whose influence counted most in County life.”
This was the era of the Charleston, Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald, and bathtub gin; Herbert Hoover was president and the Scopes trial for teaching evolution was just ending; Hirohito, Mussolini, Hitler and Chiang Kai-shek were on the rise, and Amelia Earhart became the first female to fly across the Atlantic.
Essex County, the second largest county in New York State, was widely represented by these founding members: Miss Mary Foote, Port Henry; Mrs. Augustus Hand and Mrs. A.J. Wadhams, both of Elizabethtown; Mrs. Arthur R. Masten, Tahawus; Mrs. Augustus G. Paine, Jr., Willsboro; Mrs. Stephen Pell, Ticonderoga; Miss Sarah D. Lowrie and Mrs. Seymour Dewitt Ludlum, both of Keene Valley; Mrs. Henry Rogers, Ausable Forks; Miss Mary Eddy, Westport; Mrs. George Ladd, Wadhams; and Mrs. Wallis Craig-Smith, Upper Jay.
During our 90+ year history, the club hosted the 1973 National GCA annual meeting, a Summer Institute for 500 delegates, NY State Zone III Conservation Retreats and the 2013 GCA National Affairs and Legislation/Conservation Field Trip.
Visit the link below to learn more about the history of the Adirondack Garden Club.
“Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.”
