The change in my local garden club over the past two years

I've been part of the Springfield Garden Club for about five years now. Back in 2022, we had maybe 15 regular members, mostly older folks who liked roses and hostas. After the club started a free monthly plant swap and a 'grow from seed' challenge last year, our membership jumped to over 40 people. The biggest shift is seeing way more people in their 20s and 30s now, and they're into things like growing hot peppers and collecting weird succulents. It's not just about pretty flowers anymore. Has anyone else seen their plant groups get a lot younger and more diverse recently?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura_white991mo ago

Totally get what you mean about the age shift, but I have to push back on the idea that it wasn't diverse before. Those older folks with roses and hostas? That was its own kind of diversity, just with different plants. The new interests are awesome, but calling the old club just about pretty flowers feels like it misses the point. A lot of those traditional plants take serious skill and knowledge to grow well. The club's focus changed, which is cool, but it was always a real gardening group.

jenniferwells1mo ago

You're right about the "serious skill" part. I killed a cactus once, so I'm clearly not the expert here. The old guard definitely knew their stuff, even if their gardens looked different.