Celebrate National Garden Week!

Celebrate National Garden Week!

It’s that time of year again! National Garden Clubs, Inc., will be celebrating National Garden Week beginning next Sunday, June 6, and will continue through Saturday, June 12. This is a time to celebrate the projects clubs have done throughout the year; a time to inform others on the hard work our clubs pour into our communities; and a time to educate everyone else on the benefits of gardening, beautification and environmental awareness.

In the March-April 1981 issue of The National Gardener, there was an article stating that in January 1981 a bill for National Garden Week was introduced jointly in the House of Representatives and Senate in Washington. In the article, it encouraged members and clubs to have petitions signed by local constituents and present the petitions to their congressmen. The bill went on later to be passed by both the House and the Senate, and then Former President Reagan signed the Proclamation on April 18, 1986. See full text of Proclamation below. National Garden Week was first celebrated April 12 to 18, 1987.

Proclamation 5462 -- National Garden Week, 1986

April 18, 1986

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

During spring, the season of renewal, millions of Americans turn joyfully to gardening.

America's gardens produce an abundance of fruits and vegetables to enliven our tables and a stunning variety of flowers and shrubs brighten our lives with their beauty.

Gardening is a wholesome avocation that encourages appreciation for nature and concern for the preservation and enhancement of our environment. It prompts a genuine respect for those who work in agriculture today. Gardening, above all, provides a special source of fulfillment when foresight, patience, and collaboration with soil and sunlight finally are repaid by lovely flowers and luscious harvests.

The Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 136, has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating the week beginning April 13, 1986, as "National Garden Week.''

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week beginning April 13, 1986, as National Garden Week, and I call upon all Federal, State and local governments, private organizations, and all Americans to join in educational efforts, ceremonies, and other appropriate activities to show our appreciation for the efforts and contributions of gardeners.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and tenth.

Ronald Reagan

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 4:14 p.m., April 18, 1986]

Source: www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/proclamation-5462-national-garden-week-1986

In honor of the 35^th year of celebrating National Garden Week, think outside of the box when it comes to your clubs. Some ideas that have been submitted recently include:

• McComb Garden Club (McComb, Miss.) created a 9-feet tall flower sign that read “McComb Garden Club and this local business celebrate National Garden Week!” and asked local businesses if a sign could be placed in their store front. This sign was moved throughout the week to different businesses in town.
• Brandon Garden Club (Brandon, Miss.) created a display for the local library and included coloring sheets which tied into the event to reach adults and children with the message of National Garden Week.

Other ideas could be:

• Distribute floral arrangements to local businesses or sponsors who have contributed to your club to say “Thank you.”
• Post a daily tip on your social media page related to gardening, beautification, or environmental education throughout the week.
• Host a National Garden Week themed flower show to educate your community while also helping your members get involved with a flower show.
• Post signs or banners throughout the town or city to let people know about National Garden Week.
• Have the Proclamation (which can be found on the NGC website and edited) approved and signed by the Town/City Mayor or Council, and ask the local newspaper to attend for photographs to be taken and published.

Even more ideas can be found on the NGC website!

Please submit to the National Garden Week Chairman or the Social Media/Facebook Chairman on how your clubs celebrate National Garden Week to inspire clubs in the future.

Think BIG! The world is coming out on the other side of a global pandemic and needs a source of light. Encourage the people in your communities to get outdoors, involve their children in beautification projects, and learn that gardening is about way more than just flowers. It can be a sign of hope, a catalyst of unification, and a beacon of light for so many. Read the words of the National Garden Clubs, Inc. Proclamation, along with Former President Reagan’s Proclamation, and let them sink in about the opportunity each of you has as a garden club member and better understand how you can positively impact the world around you.