Garden Club Helps Keep Idyllwild Beautiful

Have you noticed the barrels of flowers around town—in front of Town Hall and at the welcome sign on 243? What about the hanging baskets in front of the new restrooms? Who keeps up the gardens at the Historical Society and the pollinator garden at the Nature Center? The answer to all these questions is the Idyllwild Garden Club.

Organized in 1956, the Garden Club’s mission is to beautify Idyllwild. The club also supports the advancement of gardening, protection of native plants, and public education. At its monthly meetings at the Nature Center (12:30 on the first Wednesday of each month), the club presents a program to further these goals. Several times a year, the club hosts a potluck for members and guests. All are welcome to participate.

One of the shining stars of the organization is the Idyllwild Community Garden on the corner of Alderwood and North Circle. Initially begun in 2017, the garden is overseen by Bob Greenamyer, who conducts weekly classes that teach residents how to raise plants in this unique mountain environment. Initially from Strathmore, California, and a graduate of UCLA, he retired as an elementary school teacher from San Diego before moving to Idyllwild. He authorizes two children’s books about elves in the mountains and a commemorative volume on one hundred years of football at Strathmore High School.

Greenamyer helps maintain the garden filled with edible plants and fruit-bearing trees and offers after-school programs for students. The 17 raised beds are leased to residents for $90 a year, a fee that includes the plant bed, water, soil, and use of tools. Any extra produce from the gardens and trees is donated to the Help Center for distribution to those in need.

On a recent visit to the garden, Bob shared his three principles for cultivating plants, saying, “Everything is an experiment. Gardening is a verb. Failure is a compost for success.” These words encourage those hoping to plant flowers and vegetables in these mountains.

In addition to the Community Garden, the Garden Club sponsors a Junior Garden Club at the elementary school. As part of the after-school program that meets twice weekly, the student’s water, rake, plant vegetables and flowers, and do crafts. The children enjoy being outdoors while also maintaining the bird feeders and baths.

The garden club continues its work throughout the year with educational programs held at the monthly meetings and additional workshops, such as Discover Mountain Gardening, a public educational event held in October. Special speakers, plants, bulbs, and other products are available for those who want to learn more about the requirements for growing plants and vegetables in this unique climate.

The club will meet at Alpenglow Gardens on Fern Valley Road in May. There, Gary Parton will discuss lilac plants, including growing, deadheading, thinning, separating, and feeding them. Participants can walk through the gardens and see the 165 colors of lilacs and 300 plants he is growing.

The club will host a program in June focusing on mountain gardening with native plants. Bronwyn Jones will explain the benefits of planting native plants, from water savings to critter deterrents. Native plants will be available to purchase at the meeting.

More programs throughout the summer and fall include information on sustainability, how to build birdhouses and bat boxes, participation in the Fourth of July parade, and several potluck meetings for members. Information about the programs can be found on the website www.idyllwildgardenclub.com and the Facebook page.

The Idyllwild Garden Club exists to improve the natural beauty of our mountain community. The many volunteers who maintain the barrels and beds and offer workshops and classes contribute to the environment of Idyllwild. They welcome others to join in keeping Idyllwild green and growing.