PROJECTS
Crofton Village Garden Club members are actively engaged in a variety of projects that promote in our community
the objectives of National Garden Clubs, Inc., Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland, Inc., and District II
the objectives of National Garden Clubs, Inc., Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland, Inc., and District II
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY POLLINATOR PATHWAY
Crofton Village Garden Club partners with other community organizations and groups to establish and promote the Anne Arundel County Pollinator Pathway – pesticide-free public and private corridors of native plants that provide nutrition and habitat for pollinating insects and birds. The mission of the Pollinator Pathway is to impactfully elevate environmental stewardship of Anne Arundel County citizens through engagement of households, communities, HOA's, coalitions, local and state government, and unique public-private partnerships. By embracing the change of a few simple landscape practices, together we can keep Maryland communities and pollinators healthy.
Project Chair: Lauren Toomey
BLUE STAR MEMORIAL
Crofton Village Garden Club donated a Blue Star Memorial marker to honor those who currently serve or have served in the United States armed services. The marker was unveiled and dedicated at the entrance to Crofton Library in May 2013. A wreath is placed by the marker on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and Christmas.
Project Chair: Camille DeVito
COMMUNITY BEAUTIFICATION
HOLIDAYS IN CROFTON
Crofton Village Garden Club has decorated our community with fresh evergreen wreaths for the holidays since 1969. Beautiful wreaths and festive red bows adorn several public schools, the Crofton Library, the Village Green, and the main entrance to the Crofton community. Visitors and nearly 30,000 residents of Crofton enjoy our "signature" community service project.
Project Chair: C.J. Salisbury
HOLIDAYS IN ANNAPOLIS • Maryland State House and State Circle
Crofton Village Garden Club joins with other District II garden clubs annually to decorate State Circle and Maryland State House with fresh evergreen wreaths. Residents, workers, and visitors to Historic Annapolis enjoy these decorations throughout the holiday season.
Project Chair: Cathy Gallagher
HOLIDAYS IN ANNAPOLIS • Hammond-Harwood House
Crofton Village Garden Club also partners with other District II garden clubs each year to decorate the historic Hammond-Harwood House for the holidays. The Hammond-Harwood House Association benefits from this project, as well as visitors who have an opportunity to enjoy the period holiday decorations.
Project Chairs: Diane Gallow and Carol McNemar
MAY BASKETS
Crofton Village Garden Club members create May Baskets to display at their homes on May Day. May Baskets honor the time-old tradition which the ancient Celts called “Beltane” — the day halfway between spring and summer that coincides with the return of fertility to the earth. In early times, small baskets of flowers and goodies were left on friends’ door knobs as a sign of kindness and friendship. This project stimulates members’ interest in flower arranging and encourages, by example, pride in our community.
Project Chair: Linda Childs
CROFTON LIBRARY GARDENS
BLUE STAR MEMORIAL GARDEN
Crofton Village Garden Club donated a Blue Star Memorial Marker that was unveiled and dedicated at the entrance to the Crofton Library in May 2013 to honor those who currently serve or have served in the United States armed services. The marker and surrounding garden area are maintained by club members during semi-annual service days at the library. Additionally, the club makes a financial contribution for the purchase of mulch and other supplies used in the garden.
Project Chair: Camille DeVito
POLLINATOR GARDEN
Crofton Village Garden Club received a 2014 Unity Grant of Maryland to build a pollinator garden at Crofton Library. The pollinator garden was a collaborative effort supported by the Anne Arundel County Library System and assisted by the University of Maryland Master Gardeners. In addition, Patuxent Nursery donated compost and mulch to the project. The garden not only encourages the population of pollinators, but also serves as an educational component to demonstrate to community members the importance of the pollinators for our environment. Due to the decline of pollinators and to the deterioration of pollinator health, the clubs focus is to encourage pollinator gardens not only in public spaces but in home gardens.
The pollinator garden is registered with the National Pollinator Garden Network as part of the Million Pollinator Garden Challenge and is a "stepping stone" on the Anne Arundel County Pollinator Pathway.
Project Chair: Gail Schulz
NATIVE GARDEN
Crofton Village Garden Club received a 2016 Unity Grant of Maryland to transform an overgrown border of non-native plants at Crofton Library with native plants. The native garden was a collaborative effort supported by the Anne Arundel County Library System and the University of Maryland Master Gardeners. Situated along the northwest corner of the library, this garden faces Riedel Road and is easily viewed from the sidewalk and street. The location allows convenient access for the public to stop and enjoy the garden, and to discover the many advantages of native plants and how they are better suited for our local ecosystem. Our community’s children and adults will benefit from learning that the use of native plants reduces the need for watering, pest control, and maintenance and provides habitats for local wildlife.
Project Chair: Don Pogue
CROFTON RAIN GARDEN
Crofton Village Garden Club partnered with other community organizations in 2011 to reduce and mitigate stormwater damage to creeks, streams, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay. This project diverts stormwater from Crawford Boulevard to the street-side rain garden rather than the stormwater drains on Route 3, where it previously flowed.
Project Chairs: Denise Frey and Nancy Percivall
GARDEN THERAPY
Crofton Village Garden Club has been conducting hands-on workshops for residents at the Autumn Lake Rehabilitation Center (formerly Crofton Care and Rehabilitation Center) for over 30 years. Residents appreciate the one-on-one attention from our club members and enjoy this opportunity to participate in various design projects.
Project Chair: C.J. Salisbury
GIVING FLOWERS
Crofton Village Garden Club members design fresh floral bouquets for hospice patients on a weekly basis. Members pick up donated flowers, potted plants and other plant material from Trader Joe’s in Annapolis and take them to Hospice of the Chesapeake in Pasadena, Maryland. There, members design fresh floral bouquets for hospice patients. Hospice nursing staff, clergy, social workers and volunteers deliver the bouquets to patients in their home or care facility throughout Anne Arundel County.
Project Chairs: Diane Gallow and Carol McNemar
HONORING OUR TROOPS
VETERANS DAY
Crofton Village Garden Club members create patriotic-themed flower arrangements to honor the men and women who serve our country. The arrangements are delivered to veterans residing in local care facilities.
Project Chairs: Cindy Hansen and Barbara Eden
WREATHS ACROSS AMERICA
Crofton Village Garden Club makes a monetary donation to support the mission of Wreaths Across America at the Crownsville Veterans Cemetery. Members participate in the wreath laying ceremony each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, to remember and honor our veterans through the laying of Remembrance wreaths on the graves of our country’s fallen heroes and the act of saying the name of each and every veteran aloud.
Project Chair: Becky Hogan
OPERATION CHRISTMAS
Crofton Village Garden Club chooses a local charitable organization, military unit deployed overseas, if possible, or any entity within the neighboring Crofton communities needing assistance during the holiday season. Donations are gathered from club members, stores, restaurants, etc., to assist in supplying items as needed and appropriate.
Project Chair: Linda Childs
PENNY PINES
Crofton Village Garden Club participates in this meaningful and practical NGC conservation project by collecting small change at each garden club meeting. Every $68 collected is sent to NGC to support a Penny Pines plantation as part of the cost of replanting replacement trees indigenous to a particular area damaged – whether by fire or by other natural catastrophe.
Project Chair: Diane Smith
PLANTINGS FOR PUBLIC AND SPECIAL PLACES
CROFTON CHERRY TREES
Crofton Village Garden Club, in celebration of Crofton's 50th Anniversary, planted seventeen cherry trees along Crofton Parkway to add to the first plantings, a project spearheaded by the garden club in 1965. Members participate in fundraising activities to help fund the purchase of additional cherry trees for this ongoing project.
Project Chair: Jane McClanahan
LINTHICUM WALKS
Crofton Village Garden Club works with other community organizations to maintain the grounds at Linthicum Walks, a historic landmark in Crofton. Members weed, concentrating on the removal of invasive plants, mulch the beds, and prune or replace plants to restore the grounds. With the club's guidance, Linthicum Walks is Bay-Wise Certified and a National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Habitat. A pollinator garden was recently installed and is a "stepping stone" on the Anne Arundel County Pollinator Pathway.
Project Chair: Nancy Percivall
SWANN PARK
Crofton Village Garden Club partners with enSprout, Inc. and the Crofton Civic Association to restore a woodland area in Swann Park located on Swinburne Avenue. Members remove invasive English Ivy to prevent future loss of trees and other wildlife. A native pollinator garden was installed in October 2021, made possible by a grant from Unity Gardens. Volunteers from the Crofton area help maintain the garden throughout the growing season. The pollinator garden is registered as a "stepping stone" on the Anne Arundel County Pollinator Pathway.
Project Chair: Littany Hollerbach
VILLAGE GREEN MEMORIAL GARDEN
Crofton Village Garden Club maintains a roadside garden planted in 2008 by the club at the Crofton Village Green. This garden of native and ornamental plants includes a memorial plaque that honors the deceased members of our club.
Project Chair: Lynne Malley
