75 Year Anniversary

We Honor our Club's History by Planting 75 Trees in Los Angeles

In the United States, no record of garden clubs exists before January 1891. It is then, when a group of women in Athens, Georgia, founded the Ladies Garden Club of Athens. They were the first - and certainly not the last.

On May 1, 1929, at an organizational meeting in Washington, D.C., 13 federated state garden clubs founded and became charter members of the National Garden Clubs, establishing their headquarters at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

On May 10, 1958, after a four-year-long fund raising drive, the national organization moved into its permanent headquarters building in St. Louis, Missouri, adjacent to the Missouri Botanical Garden.

From the humble beginning in 1929, National Garden Clubs has grown to become a U.S.-centered, international association, and the world's largest volunteer organization of its kind. There are approx. 6,500 member garden clubs with more than 200,000 individual members and 149 national affiliates in the United States alone. In addition, there are 447 international affiliates extending from Canada to Mexico and South America, and from Bermuda to South Africa, Australia and Japan.

The California Garden Club Federation was organized on December 5, 1931, with 23 charter clubs. Annual dues were 15 cents per member levied on each club. A year later, the federation was admitted to membership in the National Council of State Garden Clubs (NCSGC) and "Golden Gardens" magazine (four pages!) was published for the first time - Annual subscription fee: 50 cents.

On May 13, 1936, the federation incorporated under the name California Garden Clubs, Inc. (CGCI) and hosted the 6th annual meeting of NCSGC that same year.

The Los Angeles Garden Club (LAGC) was not a charter member of California Garden Clubs, Inc. (CGCI), and was not organized until 1932. The club was federated in October 1934 and incorporated in October 1964.

While Mrs. Elvenia Slosson was the driving force behind the California Garden Clubs, Inc., Mrs. Maria Wilkes was the prominent founder of the Los Angeles Garden Club. Another remarkable woman and invaluable asset to the LAGC was Dr. Bonnie Templeton, Ph.D. With two horticultural experts in its midst, the LAGC enjoyed great respect and an honorable reputation. In 1956, the LAGC was blessed with yet another talented member, Mrs. Frances Frenzel, an expert in flower arrangement and display. To learn more about these influential women and their ever-lasting effect on the Los Angeles Garden Club, please visit their individual Bios:

Maria Wilkes   Dr. Bonnie Templeton   Frances Frenzel

Thanks to these prominent women, various activities flourished under the umbrella of the LAGC:

Horticultural Workshops, Garden Tours, Expert Guest Speaker Engagements, Beautification Projects including Freeway Off-Ramps and 75 Trees for LA, World Flower Festival, Flower Shows, and the Garden Therapy Project teaching outdoor gardening to handicapped children to help them improve hand/eye coordination and manual dexterity.

With regular contributions, donations and volunteer services to its affiliates and various worthy charity organizations, the Los Angeles Garden Club and its members strive to make a positive difference in the environment and in people's lives.

The History of the Los Angeles Garden Club was compiled by Mrs. Ashkhen Evrard, Historian and former Co-President. More detailed information is available upon request.