Blooming Hope: The Junior League Garden Club and Junior League Gardeners Make a Beautiful Impact in our Community

BY CLAIRE HITCHINS, CONTENT WRITER & KATIE ZIEGLER, VP OF COMMUNICATIONS

In the early 1980s, the Garden Circle and the JL Garden Club were our League’s two garden clubs. A waiting list for membership was so long that a number of members waited several years for an opening to occur. Then President, Mary Ann Brennan, said, “Why don’t you all go ahead and start your own garden club? ” So they did and the Junior League Gardeners have been going strong ever since!

This year, the JL Garden Club is chaired by Sue Kesterson and the Junior League Gardeners is chaired by Darci Beattie (better known as the “Queen Bea”). The groups are responsible for planning a wide range of horticulture events throughout Cincinnati. Recently, members of both garden clubs have earned recognition from the Cincinnati Horticultural Society.

The JL Garden Club received the prestigious Commercial Garden Award for their planting of the Christ Hospital Courtyard garden. The project started when two Christ Hospital Foundation Board Members, Carolyn Fovel, a Junior League Sustainer, and Dr. Ann Weichert , retired Christ Hospital Oncologist and former member of the JLC, were discussing the Foundation’s rooftop gardens. The JL Garden Club was looking to find a charitable organization to support and this was the perfect fit. Spending time in this garden amongst nature and beautiful views of Cincinnati allows patients and visitors to enjoy respite from stressors in the hospital. Every May, JL Garden Club members come ready with their gloves and trowels to spend a day planting and putting together this beautiful rooftop garden. After a day of gardening, members enjoy lunch at the hospital with a speaker from the medical staff, to learn about various healthcare topics.

“Planting flowers may seem like a small act, but making that space where patients, family and staff can enjoy the outdoors has an enormous impact,” said Rick Kammerer, President of The Christ Hospital Foundation “We cannot thank Ann, Carolyn and the Junior League Garden Club enough for their gift of both flowers and their time.” Sustaining Members Becky Poast, Susie Castellini, Gwen Spindel, Cynthia Muhlhauser, Sue Kesterson, Laurie Nippert Leonard, Sandy Smith and Pat Stahl have generously given time and funding to plant pink and white begonias in several of the courtyard beds.

Junior League friends of past President & Sustainer, Judy Dalambakis, 2023 Cookie Nowland Award winner and Christ Hospital Foundation Board member, gathered funds to provide a bench in Judy’s honor that will reside in the same courtyard that the JL Garden Club plants annually at The Christ Hospital. Judy has served on the Foundation Board for several years and is Co-Chair, with Carolyn Fovel, of the 2024 Christ Hospital Gala to benefit the Comprehensive Oncology Program.

Junior League Gardeners member, Sustainer and Board Member At Large, Saralou Durham, won the Cincinnati Horticultural Society’s “Medal of Honor” for the magnificent garden at her home. The main goal of the Junior League Gardeners was to have fun! One of the more memorable meetings featured arrangements based on different themes. One arrangement was made from after-Christmas, near-dead poinsettias. Their designated, tongue-in-cheek “professional judge” arrived in a fur coat with proper hat, gloves and pocketbook, and she summoned up an appropriate, hilarious award title for each of the distinguished efforts - definitely a fun group! (Thanks to Polly Culp for this tidbit of history.)

The members of the Junior League Gardeners participate in a variety of events. This year they have learned about growing, dividing and propagating dahlias, and they visited Gorman Heritage Farm to learn about agricultural sustainability. Our members loved the idea of having the Gorman staff teach the next generation how very important cultivating our land is for the world’s food source. During the holiday season they created holiday wreaths using many natural materials. In February, members will learn about Cincinnati’s Hillside Trust. The Hillside Trust’s mission is accomplished through research and education, land conservation, and advocacy of responsible land use. Did you know Cincinnati is one of the most landslide prone cities in the US?

The Junior League Gardeners are also responsible for the design and maintenance of the plantings at the JLC headquarters, Columbia Center. We have all marveled at the lovely flower boxes and bushes lining the wooden fence along Delta Avenue on our way in and out of the building for meetings and events. These beautiful landscapes are designed courtesy of the Junior League Gardeners. A team of members lovingly plant, water, fertilize, prune and weed and work their gardening magic to enhance our headquarters building for all to enjoy. Since 2020, the team has planned the design, purchased the foliage plants, cleaned out the boxes seasonally, and even replaced the planters with cuttings from their own homes during the winter. Members come weekly during the summer months to water and care for the gardens and continue to maintain them regularly as the weather turns cooler. Passers-by often comment on how nice the Columbia Center grounds look, thanks to their time and attention. We are grateful for the hard work of our dedicated gardening groups and their immense talent that they share with the JLC and beyond!