The Garden Club of Aiken

The Garden Club of Aiken plays an important role in the South Carolina world of garden clubs and South Carolina women’s history.  The club was established by Mrs. Claudia Lea Phelps in March of 1924 at her home, Rose Hill, which is one of Aiken’s winter colony estates.  In addition, in April of 1930, Mrs. Phelps founded the Garden Club of South Carolina, a statewide federation of garden clubs

Because of our distinguished legacy and our dedication to promoting gardening, knowledge of horticulture, community beautification, and service, as well as protection of the environment, we were invited to become a member of the Garden Club of America.  One of only three Garden Club of America clubs in South Carolina, we are extremely proud of this distinction and are growing and improving each day as we benefit from our association with their deep wells of resources and their outstanding membership across our country.  We remain active in the Garden Club of South Carolina as a founding club and participate as part of the West Low Country District.

Through our 100-year history, we have devoted ourselves to numerous community projects, such as landscaping for the Aiken County Public Library, creating the Claudia Lea Phelps Garden at the Aiken County Museum, the Silver Bluff Audubon Society Nature Garden, and Aiken’s parkways.  We have held a yearly flower show since 1924, and each year, we have a very successful greenery sale that funds our community projects.

For the future, we feel our accomplishments, heritage, and traditions will continue to benefit the Aiken community and will inspire future members to continue service, protection of the environment, and a flower-filled future.

  • In March 1924, the Garden Club of Aiken was organized as the first garden club in Aiken. It has continuously operated for 100 years.
  • In 1924, the Club organized its first flower show. The funds generated supported Aiken Civic programs, such as a slide projector for the use of County Home Demonstration Agents and a motion picture projector for use by responsible parties
  • Throughout its history, the Club has hosted gardening experts.
  • In 1930, the Garden Club of Aiken helped organize the Garden Club of South Carolina.
  • Throughout its history the Club has funded and donated sets of gardening and horticultural slides for the Garden Club of South Carolina.
  •  In 1934, the Club organized and ran an annual community camellia show until the Aiken Camellia Society was formed in the 1950s. The Aiken Camellia Society took over the annual camellia show with assistance from the Garden Club of Aiken. In years when unfavorable weather conditions limited a live camellia show, the Garden Club of Aiken offered a tea with a botanical print and horticultural book exhibit in lieu of the camellia blooms.
  • In 1933, when the old trolley line to Augusta was removed, the Garden Club of Aiken replaced the empty track area downtown with a row of oak trees.
  • Throughout its history, horticulture lectures and symposia featuring notable lecturers have been open to the public.
  • In the 1950’s, the Garden Club of Aiken began a gardening and horticultural school that consisted of lecture topics that were made available for the public to attend.
  • In 1956, the Club designed and paid for landscaping of Aiken County Hospital grounds.
  • From 1960 to 1980, the Club developed and actively participated in Aiken County’s Community and Beautification Program and an annually decorated the Aiken County Hospital for holidays.
  • In 1966, the Club undertook the “Beautification of Whitney Park” project; an award winning project.
  • From 1974–1977, the Club actively participated in fundraising, planning and renovating the Doll House at Hopelands Gardens and has actively participated in welcoming visitors to the Doll House eight Sundays a year.
  • In the 1970’s, the Club developed and helped the city implement the Community Leaf Composting program.
  • From 1960 through the 1970s, the Club developed and actively promoted an ”Anti-Litter” campaign in schools.
  • Since 1930, the Club has planted trees and shrubs to beautify the parkways, it worked with the Insurance Agents Commission to further beautify the parkways.
  • In 1980, the Club planted trees at the South Carolina Welcome Center.
  • In 1982, the Club donated house plants to residents at Midlands Health and has continued to donate Poinsettias at Christmas to various organizations in need.
  • In 1982, the Club Planted crepe myrtles and dogwoods at Mattie Hall Nursing Center.
  • Throughout the 1980’s, the Club actively promoted and participated in the “Adopt a Highway” cleanup project.
  • In 1986, Club members planted the Claudia Lea Phelps Wildflower garden at the Aiken Historical Museum and continue to maintain the garden today.
  • In the early 2000’s, the Club created and has maintained the ABBE library headquarters garden.
  • The Club has provided plantings and window boxes at Aiken Community Playhouse, Christ Central and at the Aiken Senior Services Center.
  • The Club participates annually in Earth Day celebration events and in recent years has provided a hands-on activity for children to plant seeds that they can take home.
  • In 2014, the Club hosted its 90th Anniversary Celebration, inviting state garden club members from South Carolina to Aiken.
  • In 2014, the Club redesigned, expanded, planted, and has maintained Claudia Lea Phelps Garden on the grounds of the Aiken Historical Museum. The club received a Historic Aiken Preservation Award for this garden.
  • In 2015, flower arrangements were made and delivered to shut-ins and nursing homes.
  • In 2015, a Historic Trees project was prepared for installation in the Aiken Historical Museum’s natural history section.
  • In 2015 and 2016, the Club undertook a project to identify, catalog, and have the Maid Marion oak tree designated as a historic tree and Champion Tree.

A public education process to conserve the tree was mounted.  Acorns from the tree were planted and seedlings from this historic tree were sold. A seedling from this historic tree was planted at the Aiken County Historical Museum near the Claudia Lea Phelps Garden and at a Margaret Sheely memorial bench near the Hitchcock Woods.

  • Through public awareness related to the club’s Maid Marion project, a plan has been developed to inventory and manage trees in the city of Aiken. {to date over 20,000 trees have been inventoried)
  • As recently as 2017, club members assisted the city with the green space related to the replacement of the York Street railroad bridge. We were able to review landscape plans and make suggestions concerning saving trees and adding plant material in that area.
  • In 2017, the Club undertook a Whitney Park clean up in collaboration with Aiken Public Services.
  • Members of the Garden Club of Aiken are working with the director of the Silver Bluff Audubon Center and Sanctuary to develop a native plant garden. We have submitted two grant proposals in 2018 and received landscape plans and plant lists toward this project. This project will provide habitat and food sources for birds and pollinators, but also be important for the education program at Silver Bluff where over 2000 children from the CSRA visited the center for field trips in 2017.
  • In 2023, the club donated funds to save trees at the Great Oaks Equine Assisted Programs facility  that were under attack from infestation.
  • In 2023, a bench and a Maid Marion Oak sapling were donated to the City of Aiken as part of the new Gateway Park at the entrance to Hitchcock Woods.
  • In 2024, the Club donated to Silver Bluff Audubon for a proposed educational building and provided funds for a pond filtration system to the benefit of migrating wading birds.
  • In 2024, the club celebrated its’ centennial year with a garden party at Banksia, with floral and historical decorations and receiving proclamations and recognition from the South Carolina governor, US House of Representatives, State and local officials.
  • Annual Activities have included:
    • Decoration of and hostess duties the Dollhouse in Hopelands Gardens at Christmas.
    • Staffing of the Dollhouse in Hopelands Gardens eight Sundays per year.
    • Silent auction fundraisers.
    • Poinsettia decoration and delivery
    • Greenery fundraiser
    • Annual flower show
    • Plant exchange
    • Arbor Day
    • Earth Day
  • Horticulture Book Collections
    • 1931- ”Edith K Morris Collection” of over 200 books, many of great historical value, as old as 1578, given to SC Library Society in Charleston.
    • 1955 ”Memorial Collection of Marian Pellew” given to Aiken County Library.
    • 1959- “Memorial Collection of Garden Books of Sheffield Phelps and Miss Claudia Lea Phelps” given to the Caroliniana Library of the University of South Carolina.
    • 1978 “Memorial Collection of Eleanor Haasis” given to Hopelands Gardens Dollhouse Library.
    • 1964 Member Nancy Wilds published a book, Church Grounds and Gardens.
    • 1964 Member Eleanor Haasis wrote regular column for the Aiken Standard, and authored a book, Gardening Southern Style.
    • In progress for 2024, digitized Club records for the past 100 years for the Aiken Country Library records.

 

Membership at a glance

  • Club bylaws allow for 40 members. Monthly meetings are held in members’ homes, Banksia and the Aiken County Library.
  • The Club is a member of the Garden Club of American as well as the National Garden Club.
  • The Club meets the second Tuesday of the month from September to May. Meetings have been held in member’s homes on the second Tuesday since 1926. The September meeting is the annual plant exchange and a pure business meeting to chart the year’s course.
  • The Club raises money through silent auctions, grants, awards and its Greenery Sale.
  • Club members are actively involved in the Club activities as well as the community by serving on boards for historic preservation, city commissions and councils for the arts, education, conservation and environmental matters.