Patchogue Garden Club

Come Grow With Us - Founded 1996

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • History
    • Meeting Information
    • Membership Information
    • Committees
    • Scholarship
    • Constitution
    • Bylaws
  • Events
    • Event Calendar
    • Think Spring Luncheon
    • Caretakers of the Village Community Garden
    • Patchogue Garden Club™ Garden Tour
    • Christmas House Tour / House of Worship Tour
  • Contact Us
  • PGC’s Garden Gazette Blog
  • Archive
  • Media Page
  • Local Links
You are here: Home / History of the Patchogue Garden Club™ 1996 – 2006

History of the Patchogue Garden Club™ 1996 – 2006

Origin of the Patchogue Garden Club™
By Josephine Miller, Founder, Historian, Past President

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Patchogue Garden Club™. The history of the club has been and continues to be linked with the revitalization efforts in the Village of Patchogue.

In 1996, with a new administration in Village Hall, residents who had long been aware of the hidden treasure that is Patchogue began to experience renewed hope in its future.

A small group of residents, avid gardeners, began to consider how their love of gardening could be used in service to their community and contribute to the revitalization effort. Thus, the Patchogue Garden Club was born. Its mission: community beautification and community education.

With a plan to create a garden in the downtown area, we approached the Village Board and asked for a place to plant. To our surprise, we were given permission to develop the lot on the corner of Terry Street and South Ocean Avenue, an area much larger than we’d hoped for. To our surprise and delight, immediately after our presentation to the Board, we were approached by several local business owners and the editor of the L.I. Advance offering encouragement and support for our project

On a rainy March Sunday morning in 1997 we planted our first garden, the triangle where South Ocean Avenue meets Terry Street. Our enthusiasm exceeded our resources. Oh, what dreams we had, and oh, how poor we were! The lot was rubbish strewn and weedy, and the soil was mostly concrete. We wondered how we would ever create a garden here. Our initial plantings were pass-along plants from other gardens and some contributions from local nurseries such as Long Island Flower Garden and Fantastic Gardens. For that and their continued support throughout the past decade we are very grateful.

I believe our beginning struggle to create something beautiful created a dialogue with the community. Our efforts spoke to them of our love for the Village and our belief in and commitment to its future. The community responded with encouragement, support and some very real assistance in the form of unexpected and unsolicited contributions. Local businesses, the Knapp Sweezey Foundation and private residents contributed in a myriad of ways. Their response spoke to us of their love for the Village and their belief in its future. And so, over ten years, as the community and the garden club joined hands, the garden on Terry Street prospered.

Compost from the Holtsville Ecology Center enriched our soil. Grants from Suffolk County allowed us to purchase shrubs, trees and plants. The Gazebo was a joint effort of the Club, The Chamber of Commerce, the Village and the BID. An irrigation system eliminated hours of hand watering. The garden club and the Village became partners in many projects, e.g., the brick paths that encourage passersby to stroll through the garden. Through each administration, Mayors Keegan, Ihne and Pontieri, the Village has been unstinting its support.

Club membership has steadily increased, providing more worker bees for our garden. It has grown more beautiful each year. Last year the Village offered us additional space, adjacent to the existing garden, a very fitting way to commemorate our tenth year.

The transformation from a small struggling garden to a beautiful park-like space illustrates the power of community spirit to effect positive change and shape its future.

The Patchogue Garden Club™ meets in the fourth week of each month. To honor our commitment to education we have a speaker program. Guests are welcome.

Some photos from the earlier days…

Patchogue Garden Club™ “Come Grow With Us!” – Founded in 1996

  • PO Box 3030, Patchogue, NY 11772-0887
    E: info@patchoguegardenclub
  • > Caretakers of The Village Community Garden Located at Terry Street & South Ocean Avenue
  • Recent Posts

    • 2019 Harvest Dinner
    • Meetings Suspended
    • Harvest Dinner 2019
    • 2019 Garden Tour is a Success!
    • Members Breakfast in the Garden
    • 2018 Garden Tour Cancelled
    • Bus Trip to NYBG Georgia O’Keeffe’s VISIONS OF HAWAII
    • First Summer Meeting
    • Trip to NYBG for Georgia O’Keeffe in Hawaii
    • March Meeting Speaker
    • February Meeting 2/27/18 Sara Turnasella, RDN
    • January Meeting 1/23/18 Barrier Island Botany
    • February Meeting Tuesday 2-26
    • Spring Gardening School 2018
    • Jan. 23 – Barrier Island Botany-
    • Master Gardeners learning opportunity
    • The Patchogue Garden Tour 2017
    • (no title)
    • 17th Annual Garden Tour July 8, 2017
    • Trip to NYBG and Chihuly Exhibit

    Copyright © 2023 · All Rights Reserved 1996-2015 · PatchogueGardenClub.com
    Patchogue Garden Club “Come Grow With Us” - Founded 1996, PO Box 3030, Patchogue, NY 11772-0887
    The Patchogue Garden Club are the CareTakers of Village Community Garden at Terry Street & South Ocean Avenue
    in Village of Patchogue, Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York, 11772, USA