The Jackson Heights Garden Club

The Jackson Heights Garden Club (JHGC) has been in existence since 1949. For most of its tenure, it functioned as the primary neighborhood watchdog group and beautification organization. When the JHAA was formed in 2004, most of the neighborhood issues began to be handled by the new association. The JHGC then evolved into something of a ladies social club for our "elder jewels" - including the long-time residents who carry with them the history of this area. 2009 marks their 60th anniversary.

A new version of the JHGC will be gearing up in fall 2009 as the JHAA Garden Club. This new group will be focused purely on gardening. Its goals will include educating residents on the types of plants and trees in their yards, and proper plant care. The group plans to meet once or twice each season, and each meeting will feature a tour of a neighborhood yard or garden, with an educational talk during and after the tour.

Attendees will learn:

How to identify all plants and trees in your yard.
Which are valuable plants and trees, versus invasive or “nuisance” species which need to be eradicated or kept in check.
What times of year to plant.
What times of year to prune or cut back, and how much cutting is too much for the health of the plant or tree.
Which plants and trees grow best in our area, and what levels of sun and shade they require.
Whether or not to fertilize.
Whether or not to use pesticides, and if so, which ones are least harmful for the environment.
Both flower and vegetable gardening.

The new Garden Club will also encourage aesthetics improvements through awards and recognition, such as:

Bringing back the “Yard of the Month” awards for which the former JHGC was famous.
Awarding “Most Improved” Yard of the Month.
Awarding “Most Beautiful Mailbox” and “Most Improved Mailbox” honors.

Meeting dates and locations are announced on our Yahoo forum.