Inside the Waltham Garden Club ahead of its 85th anniversary

In 1941, as the United States entered World War II, Waltham residents heeded a nationwide call to support the war effort by planting victory gardens. The gardens alleviated food shortages and helped people on the homefront feel they were making a difference. Eighty-five years later, the club that emerged from that movement is still bringing residents together through a shared passion for gardening and community projects.

Initially, the Waltham Garden Club was known as Waltham Better Gardeners. Its first official meeting was at the State College Field Station on Beaver Street, later known as the University of Massachusetts-Waltham Field Station. Some meetings were also held at the Waltham Public Library.

One of the club’s first projects was a flower show, which took place at Waltham City Hall Annex, formerly known as North Junior High School. 

The show was an exhibition of plants and was “the first large-scale flower and garden show the city had ever had,” according to the club’s yearbooks. The event was a collaboration between the club and the Waltham Victory Garden Committee, with all profits donated to the Waltham Community Fund War Relief Agencies.

The Waltham Garden Club Today

Mary Ellen Donovan, a Waltham native who has been a club member for about 12 years and previously served as president and co-president, said the club’s long-lasting history comes not only from gardening but also from relationships that members build through it.

Today, the organization has more than 80 members and holds regular meetings at the Carriage House at Gore Place.

“We have regular monthly meetings – we have eight per year. We do the Mayor’s Day on [Waltham] Common. We work with the Waltham Community Farm, and we help them with Farm Day. We set up a booth there. We have a program at the Paine Estate every Christmas, [where] we have a floral demonstration. We also have a plant sale every year, and now we have it at the Waltham Senior Center,”  Donovan said.

The club has also revived traditions from its past. Its Garden Gatherings program, started about six years ago, was inspired by the club’s historical practice of members visiting one another’s gardens to exchange gardening knowledge.

Last year, the club also created the flower arrangements for the senior prom. The club worked with high school students, who shared their vision for a “Night in Italy” theme. The members went to the flower market and worked together to bring this vision to life, Donovan said.

Community and relationship-building are at the heart of the Waltham Garden Club.

“I think [the club] is a nice way to meet people … this woman was saying that honestly, for all of my friends now, she goes, I’ve met them all through flowers,” Donovan said.

Celebrating the 85th anniversary 

As the club prepares to celebrate its 85th anniversary, Donovan has helped document its history and will lead a historical presentation on Sept. 15, covering the Waltham Garden Club’s 85-year history. It will be special, she said, because the club’s 80th anniversary fell during the pandemic. 

“When they had their 80th [anniversary], it was COVID, so we didn’t do anything. … So there was a big celebration for the 75th, and then it was kind of just like it slid by. So that’s why I think it’s important now to celebrate,” Donovan said.

Kathy Hines, Joyce Gianfelice, Kathy Montesanti, Nancy Manzon D’Ercole and Mary Ellen Donovan joined the committee to plan this year’s events. In addition to the historical presentation, the committee has planned a Tick-Tock trolley tour and a flower show featuring a public display.

The trolley has a capacity of 30 people and will visit Lyman Estate, UMass Field Station and the homes of Gertrude Sanderson and Dr. Irving and Leola Fraim to share the story of the club’s founding years. 

The tour will take place Sept. 19. It is free, but advance registration is required due to limited capacity.

Another major anniversary event will be an in-house flower show at the club’s October general meeting.

“So we’re going to have eight people create something from each of the decades and do a nice arrangement. We’re going to have a party, a social. We’ve invited the mayor to come, and she’s going to come,” Donovan said.

After the show, all the arrangements will be displayed at the Waltham Public Library between Oct. 21 and 24.

Those interested in joining the Waltham Garden Club can find membership information on the club’s website. 

Eighty-five years after its founding, the club continues to use gardening not only to beautify Waltham but also to bring neighbors together.