“Columbus Boasts New Garden Club,” the headline reads. The photocopied Commercial Dispatch newspaper article dated Jan. 12, 1957, is well-preserved, even though the gray scrapbook page it’s glued to is fraying a bit at the edges. Written above the story, in discreet, neat penmanship, is “We begin …”

Six women — the first officers of the new Four Seasons Garden Club in Columbus — smile from the photograph that ran with the story. Sixty years later, on May 15, three are still members. Two of them were present for the club’s final call to order when president Karolyn Cain presided one last time over the 18-member group. The vote to disband was made in April, a consequence primarily of the passage of time.

“Organization has been effected and the Four Seasons Garden Club adds its name to the long list of alert garden groups of Columbus,” the 1957 article begins. “Personnel of the club is a congenial group of young marrieds interested in everything from partying to creating charming homes.” The writer, unnamed, goes on to describe a camellia centerpiece and yellow gladiolas on the mantel. She — one assumes it was a she — even comments on the silver service. Such was the era.

Four Seasons has remained vital through several eras since. Scrapbooks at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library chronicle the life of an active club and changing times. From deckled-edge black and white photographs to color Polaroids, from conservative dresses to casual slacks and a progression of hairstyles, the club’s evolution unfolds.

Patricia McEwen was the first president. “We’ve had a lot of fun over the years,” she said. “You name it almost and we’ve done it.”

There have been trips to Jackson, Oxford and Birmingham, Alabama; speaker after speaker on all things botanical; boat trips down the river and salad luncheons to kick off new club years (traditionally September through May) and “Play Days” to wrap up each term in May.

In early years, members were eager to learn about what shrubs and blooming plants were best for their landscapes, what to plant where and the intricacies of cultivating and fertilizing. There were civic projects and workshops on container plants and topiary.

“As years passed, we no longer gardened as much,” said charter member Ellender McClure. But even if members weren’t actively digging in dirt as often, the club still provided community connection.

“The older we got, our programs haven’t been so much on gardening, but we’ve had a lot of wonderful ones, like a speaker from Tupelo on butterflies, a trip to see the Habitat for Humanity ReSale Store and a visit to the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway museum where Bud Phillips talked about the history of the Waterway.”

The final gathering May 15, though not without a bittersweet twinge, was a tropically-themed celebration of every excursion and program, of accomplishments and fellowship.

Garden clubs and changing times

Garden clubs, which almost always meet during the day, flourished in a time when most women did not work outside the home. (The oldest organized garden club in America is said to have started in 1891 in Athens, Georgia.) Members aged and society changed. Women flocked to work, while simultaneously juggling child-rearing.

“During the last few years, several clubs have disbanded,” said Doris Ebner, president of the Council of Columbus Garden Clubs. Changing norms and age are the primary causes, she noted. But in spite of the pressures, garden club culture remains strong. Ten clubs currently belong to the Columbus council, Ebner said. On a state level, membership in the Garden Clubs of Mississippi Inc. stands at 118 clubs and 3,410 members.

“Membership has declined somewhat from 10 years ago, but the past few years we have managed to go slightly up or hover around that 3,400 mark,” said Melinda Causey, incoming state membership chair.

Key to perpetuation, of course, is recruitment of younger members over the years. For some clubs, that means being adaptable.

“We have a few night meetings, which seems to work for working girls,” said Carolyn Hay, president of the West Point Home and Garden Club, one of two clubs in West Point. The membership is a blend of career women, stay-at-home moms and retirees. They work on seasonal plantings downtown, local school garden projects and raise funds for community projects. Broad programming may range from gardening to etiquette, place settings and nature photography, said member Lisa Klutts.

Starkville is home to three or four garden clubs.

“We are very much a working club,” said Sheila Flurry, president of Starkville Town and Country Garden Club, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in November 2016. In the past few years, members joined with others to renovate the historic Louisville Street Cemetery. They take on projects like landscaping at the courthouse and a fire station and assisting Habitat for Humanity families with their new yards.

Out in Oktibbeha County, the Oktoc Garden Club plays a major role in maintaining the Oktoc Community Club, founded in 1927. Members support the local volunteer fire department and other causes, doing their part to improve their corner of the wider world. It’s what all garden clubs do, in one way or another.

A more beautiful world

What begins at home with a green thumb expands to encompass community — from flowering medians and roadside tree plantings to school gardens and establishing new parks. Multiply that times thousands of members nationally committed to beautification and conservation.

“You have to be willing to give of yourself,” Flurry said. “All of these ladies care about the community and enhancing the value of their hometown.” She was speaking of her own club’s membership, but it could apply to all Golden Triangle clubs, including Four Seasons, with its 60-year history. Even though that official history has concluded, connections made have not.

“This group has been a blessing to me,” said Kathy Read, who joined Four Seasons in 2003. “I will always treasure the memories of our trips and activities, but the greatest gift is lasting friendships.”

“After many happy years,” McClure added, “we’ve decided to wish everyone well, but it’s been a fun, congenial bunch that had such a good time.”

May 15 might have been the last meeting for the books, but as club members sat in Adrine Bishop’s home that day and reminisced, their hostess floated an idea.

“It was such a great joy when Adrine spoke up and said she would call the list and get us together for lunch from time to time,” said Cain. “So we have hopes we’ll all be seeing each other again soon.”

A Four Seasons prayer

Peggy Russell Cantelou wrote a poem in September, 1979, for Four Seasons Garden Club’s first meeting of that club year. This is an excerpt:

“Dear Lord … No one but you could have given us four seasons — winter with its stark beauty of softly falling snow and vivid poinsettias, spring with its promise of new beginnings amidst the budding dogwood and redbuds, summer with its tranquility enhancing colorful marigolds and zinnias, and now autumn with its crisp falling leaves in a kaleidescope of hues. Our lives also have seasons, Lord. … We return now to bless you, O master gardener … “

Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.