Planting beauty throughout their community, Sweetwater Evening Garden Club members care for pockets of blooms throughout the Acme area.
Founded in 2002 with 16 members, the club maintains a gardens in front of Bertha Vos Elementary School, a dry river streambed garden and a butterfly garden at Bayside Park, flower beds and landscaping at "Hi” Pray Park in Whitewater Township and a raised bed at the "Welcome to Acme” sign.
Geared to working people, the club meets monthly to complete volunteer projects or offer educational programs in the evenings.
"Most of the garden clubs in the area are daytime and if you work during the day you can't do that,” said Sharma Zollinger, president of the club.
The club is a member of the statewide Michigan Garden Clubs Inc and in just a few years has carved out a name for itself.
They have won acclaim in the small club category in state and national competitions. They took first place multiple years for the Bertha Vos garden, won an applied landscape design award for a dry river stream bed at Bayside Park and a beautification award for "Hi” Pray Park. In addition, for the past three years, the club newsletter has gone on to national competition, winning first place for small clubs the last two years.
"If you do well enough at the state level they send it along to national to be judged along with national clubs,” said Zollinger, newsletter editor.
These volunteers love gardening and enjoy applying their time and talents for the good of the community. With just over a dozen active members, they dream of future flower beds and additional gardens but for now they have as many commitments as the current roster can handle.
"We hope to take on more projects as soon as we get more members,” said Jill Wilkes, recording secretary for the organization.
The club also holds meetings the third Tuesday of every month at Bertha Vos; non-members are welcome to attend the informational programs. Previous meeting topics have ranged from trees, teas and herbs to ornamental grasses, changing weather and climate and a presentation by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. Next month's meeting, scheduled for September 18 at 7 p.m., will feature Dick Mallery talking about his book "Crossing the Divide: A Family Adventure along the Continental Divide.”
"This is my first garden club and what I like about the club is we do such a variety of subjects for the speakers,” said Wilkes. "I just like to learn a lot.”
The education has extended into the community since the group took over the Bertha Vos garden three years ago. Fifth grade students help plant the annuals every spring just before school lets out, wielding trowels in shifts throughout the day and taking ownership of the plot. The school's PTA pays for the annuals every year.
During the summer, volunteers from the club rotate duties weekly at Bertha Vos, deadheading, weeding and maintaining the extensive plantings, which bloom all season long. An in-ground irrigation system keeps the bed moist and garden club members only have to water plants in pots.
"When we're over here working in the summer, a lot of the kids come by and say, 'We just think it's wonderful, we're really glad that you take care of it,'” said Zollinger.
For more information about membership on the Sweetwater Evening Garden Club or upcoming monthly programs, contact Sharma Zollinger at 938-2726.