Projects

The South Haven Garden Club maintains the setting and plants surrounding the Blue Star Memorial Monument. This tribute to the Armed Forces of WWII is located on the East side of Lakeview Cemetery, on Blue Star Highway, just south of the police & fire station.

Our Memorial has special meaning to the South Haven Garden Club. In 2003 the discarded remains of the original memorial were found in multiple locations near the woods north of Van Buren State Park. It took over 6 years to recover, repair, relocate, design and install the current Blue Star Memorial. On September 19, 2009, a rededication was held.

How members can participate?

Join this project to maintain the garden surrounding the Blue Star Memorial Monument. This entails an early spring cleanup, planting of annual flowers, fertilizing, mulching and installing new flags in honor of Memorial Day. Every week we weed & dead head plants to keep the garden looking pretty. Keep an eye on rainfall and water as needed. In the fall we plant mums and red tulips and lightly fertilize. We put the garden to bed for the winter with a final cleanup of flowers and shrubs, pruning as needed, etc., and replace flags for winter.

How many volunteers are needed to do what?

2-4 volunteers are needed
All gardening skills.
All club members are encouraged to stop by for a quiet moment to weed and deadhead the garden or just to feel the pride this memorial represents.

The club provides flowers and other gardening materials averaging.

Chairperson: Sandy Fenske
fenske@i2k.com

Since 2001, our newsletter has been published several times a year. The newsletter was appropriately named The Petunia Patch because the Petunia is the South Haven City flower.

The SH Garden Club members use the Newsletter as an interesting source for information about the club activities, regular meetings, special events, gardening reminders, helpful horticulture tips and information about members’ happenings.

How members are expected to participate?

Members are asked to contribute information about member happenings, photos, events, and write articles on topics of interest. Most interaction occurs via email so no travel is necessary to volunteer to contribute for the newsletter. Newsletters are posted on the Garden Club website.

Chairperson: Meme Williamson, writer/production
melodysw@aol.com

In 1872 J. Sterling Morton proposed that a special day be set aside for the planting of trees. One hundred and thirty three years later we celebrate this day as Arbor Day on the last Friday of each April.

How members are expected to participate?

Our club participates by purchasing and preparing sapling spruce trees and delivering them to the local 3rd grade elementary school children. We deliver over 160 trees to the students. Students hear a short program on the importance of trees in our lives and in our environment.

How many volunteers are needed?

Needed: 11 to prepare, deliver and speak.

Chairperson: Nancy Bland
blandnancy@comcast.net

Lincoln Elementary Pollinator Garden

This project was undertaken in the fall of 2019 in collaboration with a teacher at Lincoln Elementary. An existing garden bed was transformed into a garden with an assortment of pollinator plants whose flowers provide nectar for a wide range of pollinating insects. The students participated in the design and will study about the benefits of the ecosystem. The club provided the initial funding and volunteers helped to transition the garden.

Project Coordinator: Melody Williamson
melodysw@aol.com

We Care is a faith-based non-profit organization that has been serving the South Haven community for nearly 40 years providing over 35 programs to assist people in need. Prior to the holidays in the fall, the garden club donates $500 to the Food Pantry Program and then matches that amount by holding a members’ fundraiser auction at the November meeting. For more information, their website is wecare-inc.org