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Innisfil Garden Club hopes to get growing again after long hiatus

Innisfil Garden Club, which began as the Gilford and District Horticultural Society in 1979, looking for executive members to join the board

After a year-and-a-half hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Innisfil Garden Club is looking to get growing again and is looking for new members to join its executive board. 

The club is hoping to get members in place before its annual general meeting in November so it can remain in good standing with its umbrella organization, the Ontario Horticultural Association and OMAFRA of Ontario. 

"This is a critical time for us. We want to encourage people to be part of our executive," said club treasurer Terry Chambers. 

Chambers, who lives in Cookstown, has been a member of the club for the past four years.

The club was first established in 1979 as the Gilford and District Horticultural Society and adopted the Innisfil Garden Club name in 2016. The club currently has 52 members.

Prior to COVID, members would host in-person monthly meetings to discuss all things gardening and take part in workshops and guest speaker events. 

"You learn from so many people," Chambers said of the club. 

Chambers enjoys taking workshops and has been working on her floral designing skills. 

"It builds on your skill level," she said. "You make a lot of friends and get to know what's in your community."

She also enjoys the opportunity to listen to guest speakers. The club has heard from the likes of David Phillips, who spoke about climate change and how it affects their gardens, as well as Paul Zammit from Royal Botanical Gardens. 

"One of our goals is to really look at supporting and protecting our environment, talking about climate change, conserving water, native plants to support pollination, and insects," she said. "You really feel empowered to go and try something new."

The Innisfil Garden Club is part of District 16, which encompasses all other Simcoe County garden clubs, and are able to attend their virtual meetings as well.

District 16 has an annual general meeting every spring, where all members from surrounding clubs can meet up and learn about each other's ongoing projects. 

"That was really nice that it was opened up to us," said Chambers. 

This year, the Innisfil club is looking to get feedback from its members on moving their meetings to an online platform or in-person with restrictions in place. 

"We are going to start exploring this year, what would work for them while respecting provincial guidelines," said Chambers. 

Throughout the pandemic, Chambers says people have taken more of an interest in gardening. 

"I have had neighbours and friends with their kids gardening now," she said. "When you think of climate change and the youth being active, there is a great opportunity."

An annual membership fee is $15 per person or $20 for a family of three at the same address. 

Anyone interested in joining the executive board can contact Chambers at [email protected] or by phone at 705-791-5292. 


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Natasha Philpott

About the Author: Natasha Philpott

Natasha is the Editor for BradfordToday and InnisfilToday. She graduated from the Media Studies program at The University of Guelph-Humber. She lives in Bradford with her husband, two boys and two cats.
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