OUR MISSION
Adirondack Garden Club
The Adirondack Garden Club's mission 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.
Our purpose is the conservation of the plants, shrubs, and trees native to the Adirondack region and the making of both wild and cultivated gardens characteristic of the environment in which they are placed, the furthering of the cultivation of gardens throughout the Adirondack area, and the promotion of civic conservation and beautification.
happenings in the ADKS
News & Events
Adirondack Garden Club accepting applications for Three Fund Grants
February 28, 2023 Press Release
Keene, New York — KEENE—The window for the 2023 Adirondack Garden Club’s grants applications is now open.
The Adirondack Garden Club offers three grants:
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. These requests are considered and distributed by the ELP Committee. The maximum amount per Ellen Lea Paine Memorial Nature Fund grant is $1500. A full list of Ellen Lea Paine grant awards are HERE.
1928 AGC Founders Fund was established in the 1980s to give grants to not-for-profit organizations, including schools, involved in programs whose purpose is to create an impact in a specific area within the Adirondack environment. The Executive Committee reviews these requests for approval and distribution.
Francesca Paine Irwin Conservation Fund was created in 2013 and is used for project-based funding requests focused on conservation. These requests are reviewed by the Conservation Committee and forwarded to the Executive Committee for approval and distribution.
All three grants utilize the same grant application form. For an application, link HERE, visit adirondackgardenclub.com, or write to Liz Jaques, P.O. Box 58, Keene, NY 12942-0058, or email us. The deadline for grant applications is April 1, 2023.
In 2022, the Adirondack Garden Club grants funded projects such as an educational edible garden (Creative Kitchen Garden), assistance in the purchase of battery-powered equipment (Adirondack Land Trust), production of an informational guide for people to notice, identify, and report the diversity of species that live around Moody Pond (Friends of Moody Pond) and the purchase of a collection of books by Rebecca Pettiford concerning composting, flowers, fruits, harvesting, planting and vegetables (Au Sable Forks Elementary School), among others.
Stefanik Leads Letter to USDA Requesting Changes to Conservation Standards for Farmers
April 9, 2021 Press Release
Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Elise Stefanik led four bipartisan members of New York’s Congressional Delegation in sending a letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) requesting that they allow farmers to mechanically harvest their cover crops and meet the NRCS standards.
March 3, 2021 Press Release
Washington, D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik and Congressman Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08) introduced the Native Plant Species Pilot Program Act, bipartisan legislation that would establish a pilot program through the National Park Service (NPS) to promote the use of locally adaptive native plant materials and incorporate efforts to combat the spread of invasive plants. Senators Collins and Cantwell have introduced identical legislation in the Senate. Congresswoman Stefanik previously supported this legislation in the 116th Congress.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Stefanik, Cartwright Introduce Legislation Supporting Native Plants Pilot Program
“Native plants are the backbone of our world,” said Cornelia Forrence, President of the Adirondack Garden Club. “They provide shelter and food for wildlife, support pollinators, use less water, fewer pesticides, and most importantly support biodiversity. The Adirondack Garden Club’s commitment to native plants is reflected in our constitution, and we remain committed to conserving plants, shrubs, and trees native to the Adirondack. We commend Congresswoman Stefanik for sharing this perspective and prioritizing this issue, and we wholeheartedly support this bill.”
ANNOUNCEMENT: Neonicotinoid Warning
The Adirondack Garden Club wishes to draw to your attention the dangers of neonicotinoids in many seeds and plants sold at home-improvement stores, malls, hardware stores, outlets, nurseries and where ever you find seeds and plants for sale.
LATEST NEWS
Featured
Upcoming events
Check out more AGC news and events
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.
scholarships & awards
We provide scholarships to promote gardening pursuits and conservation efforts, as well as merit awards to those in our region whose contributions have been outstanding.
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. Click the link below for more information on our committees.
Below you’ll see a collection of our project highlights:
Educational resources
Researched, wrote, and published 3 books - River Study, Food, Flowers and Fireworks and From Lakes to Lichen.
Educational Brochure
Published "Plant-wise" brochure to eliminate invasive species, for dissemination to the public, and to professional plant nurseries
conservation activism
Fought against a light atop Whiteface Mountain and prevented the carving of a governor’s likeness on another.
Colonial garden
Restored, maintained and planted the public Colonial Garden at the Adirondack History Museum in Elizabethtown for 46 years
conservation partners
Organized five conservation partners in the Adirondacks to present a Farmer's Market educational gathering called "Dig It"
conservation activism
Stopped aerial spraying for black flies, instead encouraging Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis)
Invasive species
Protected against environmentally invasive garden plantings with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program through public education.
GCA DIRECtory
Identified outstanding area gardens for research and documentation for a national Garden Club of America directory
nys acid rain resolution
Spearheaded GCA Zone III (New York State ) Acid Rain Resolution
educational funding
Established a Nature Fund for financial assistance for students, teachers, and organizations for environmental conservation
AGC Logo Awards
Awarded our logo to gas stations and wayside stands meeting our scenic standards back when the region was developing
town garden club expansion
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 2005-2021 can be found HERE.
2021 ELLEN LEA PAINE MEMORIAL NATURE FUND RECIPIENTS
Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation to create a series of photographic murals depicting a year in the life of a loon. These will hang in the ADK Loon Center in Saranac Lake, NY.
Adirondack Land Trust for the purchase of two trail cameras at Coon Mountain Preserve to educate ourselves, and our community, the bounty of wildlife in the Champlain Valley. The photos will be accessible to all who follow ALT on social media.
Ausable Forks Elementary School Library to purchase new and interesting books for the students that represent the natural environment in which they live.
Champlain Area Trails for a Carts Vermont garden cart and construction materials.
Cornell Cooperative Extension- Essex County 4-H Youth Development Program for the FULL STEAM AHEAD Immersion week of Natural and Environmental Science where the youth will be introduced to our food system and nutrition education, as well as many other environmental activities.
Craigarden towards helping to enrich the community members’ connection with the natural environment through their community garden. Teaching the members about start with seed, growing a variety of vegetables, working with the chickens and sheep, and preparing the produce that can be easily replicated at home.
Essex County Historical Society for the repair of areas of the Colonial Garden and to purchase supplies needed for the repair.
Friends of Moody Pond towards the management objective for Eurasian watermilfoil in Moody Pond and to educate the pond community about EWM and how to prevent continued infestation and spread to other water bodies.
Friends of Poke-O-Moonshine to update the “Welcome to Poke-O-Moonshine” interpretive brochure for the mountain and for its Ranger Trail on the east side of Poke-O-Moonshine.
Keene Valley Congregational Church – Creation Justice Church Ministry towards purchasing and planting of native perennials and shrubs to improve birding habitat on the church’s property. It will create additional habitat for ground-nesting, over-wintering, and migrating birds, and provide food sources for the birds. Also, there will be less lawn required to mow thus reducing the CO2 from the mowers.
Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm supporting the salary of a much-needed Kindergarten assistant teacher which will enable more experiencing the wonder of the natural world and its many cycles, and, to experience the “forest classroom.
Mace Chasm Farm for drip irrigation, seed nuts, and rootstock for the planting of native trees.
North Country School to help offset the cost of “Access Wild Places”, a pilot program to provide intentional outdoor experiences and mentorship to 10 students from the Hempstead Union Free School. “Without this opportunity, these students would have little or no access to the forests, lakes, mountains, and other wild places.”
Northern Lights School creating three raised beds for growing flowers, herbs, and annual vegetables for the education and consummation by the students and staff at their new location in Saranac Lake.
Paul Smith’s Adirondack Watershed Institute for designing a restoration plan and to purchase native grass seed to help improve habitat quality for Bobolink and Savannah Sparrow at Heaven Hill Farm, Lake Placid.
Paul Smith’s College Visitor Interpretive Center renovating and augmenting the flora in the Butterfly House. The rejuvenation of the plantings outside of the Butterfly House, and the installation of a water feature in the “turtle pond”.
Protect the Adirondacks to place the digital ad in 2021 advertising 100 great hiking trails in the Adirondack Park outside of the overused and crowded High Peaks Wilderness Area.
The Fort Ticonderoga Association to enhance and expand the Waterside Buffer Garden, adding native plants and the removal of non-native plants.
Applications for the coming year will be available beginning in February 2022.
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.”
