What We Do

The Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club was established in 1980 and became a member of The Garden Club of America (GCA) in 1986.

Our Club is committed to local conservation, civic improvement and environmental protection. We continue to foster the love of gardening through flower shows, garden history, community projects and local scholarships benefiting horticultural studies in our community.

Membership is by invitation.

“The soil gives us much more than flowers that are beautiful to look at or fruits and vegetables that are good to eat. It gives us hope, courage, patience and quiet joy. It anchors us to something solid, fundamental, timeless and constructive.”
                                                                                 Elsa Knoll

CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
GARDEN CLUB
P.O. Box 1972
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921

Organized January 1980
Incorporated December 1981
Member, The Garden Club of America

CONTACT US:
[email protected]

 The Purpose of The

Garden Club of America

To stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening:

to share the advantages of association by means of

open meetings, conferences, correspondence and

publications; to restore, improve and protect the quality

of the environment through programs and action in the fields

of conservation, civic improvement and education.

Visit Our Community Project Gardens

Club History

 

  • In 1986, the Carmel-by-the Sea Garden Club became a member of The Garden Club of America.
  • The Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club worked from its founding in 1980 to ensure that the old Piccadilly Nursery site would be saved as open space and raised funds for landscaping what is now known as Piccadilly Park. The park was completed in 1998 and renovated from the original landscape design in 2015. A special commemorative plaque is now prominently placed in the park honoring Club founders, Carol Stratton and Jean Mitchell.
  • The reestablishment of the pre-1865 garden at Cooper Molera Adobe in Monterey gave members an opportunity to assist in planting a recreation of this historical treasure.
  • The Christmas Workshop, held annually, was implemented to distribute floral arrangements to the Library, Community Foundation and seniors who are homebound.
  • Members raised money to implement a new landscape and planting of Harrison Memorial Library, a historical building in the heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Members continue to contribute volunteer hours and funds for the ongoing maintenance of the Library Garden and Piccadilly Park.
  • With a donation from private funds, the Club facilitated the landscape restoration to the original garden area of Carmel City Hall. It was dedicated on October 5, 2012 in memory of member, Connie Ridder.
  • Beginning in 2009, the Club embarked on a long-term project in collaboration with the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea to restore the North Dunes at the northwest corner of Ocean Avenue and San Antonio Avenue. The Club’s restoration plan was submitted in 2013 as part of The Garden Club of America’s 100th Centennial Anniversary. GCA Clubs throughout the country were asked to honor this anniversary with a special “Centennial Tree Project” in their community. The restoration involved repairs to an existing old growth cypress, removal of non-native plants and replacing them with native species. Included was an interpretive sign and a seating area with three natural log benches overlooking Carmel Beach. Club members continue to volunteer with a local biologist to maintain a natural ecosystem.
  • A focus from the early years of our Garden Club has been to award scholarships. The Club supports students in the field of horticulture at Monterey Peninsula College and environmental studies at California State University Monterey Bay. Carmel Middle School’s Hilton Bialek Biological Science Project has also received special funding.
  • On a national level, as part of The Garden Club of America’s Garden History and Design educational program, members of our Club have photographed and documented local gardens. Many have been accepted by the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution. The most recent garden submitted and accepted was the Constance Meach Ridder Memorial Garden at Carmel City Hall.
  • The Shirley Meneice Horticultural Conference named in honor of a distinguished Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club member, seeks to improve horticultural skills of members throughout the GCA Clubs. The conference is held annually at different locations across the United States.
  • Club founders had the foresight to establish the Carmel-by-the-Sea Garden Club Founders Endowment Fund with the purpose to ensure that public gardens created by the Club will be maintained in perpetuity.