Welcome Messages from our Co-Presidents
My retirement dream has always been to become more involved with non-profit work, giving back for what I have so graciously received in my life. When a friend brought me to my first Coastal Gardeners meeting, I was flabbergasted! Never before had I been in a room filled with so much positive energy and determination to help others through community improvement projects. My comment at the end of the meeting was, “These (40) women have it going ON!” This impression has remained unchanged throughout the four years of my involvement. I am honored to now be a Co-President of Coastal Gardeners.
As you learn more about Coastal Gardeners through these pages, I hope you will consider joining us, if you have not already done so. Our activities and projects are all top-notch. We have a lot of fun, too! Many of us have become close friends, building a sense of community, as we serve a larger one together.
Thank you for visiting and happy gardening!
Ruth Boggs, , Co-President
What do you do when you move from your beautiful two-acre vegetable and perennial gardens in Connecticut to Southern Delaware where your gardening is limited by your space and an HOA? Where do you provide an outlet for that innate desire to “get dirty” and surround yourself with Nature’s beauty? How do you navigate the totally different soil and growing conditions and transform them into a home for pollinators? Those questions and many more swirled around in my head and caused me great frustration when my husband and I moved here five years ago.
I was fortunate to meet a wonderful woman in my community, Sally Scarangella who was President of a new garden club that met in the evenings. Coastal Gardeners was perfect for me on many levels. They met in the evenings so my days would be free, I would have the opportunity to be introduced to others who shared my interests and I would hear from a variety of speakers about how to garden in Delaware. The club did not disappoint me – my gardening skills have grown, I have developed amazing friendships and have helped to grow Coastal Garden Club in the community.
Sandy Daniels, Vice President
What Coastal Gardeners lacks in age and size they make up for in their energy and enthusiasm in the community. I am so proud of our garden at the Delaware Seashore Tower Road, our partnership with Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids at Phillip C. Showell Elementary School, the planters at South Coastal Beebe ER and Cancer Center and our Holiday Gift Bags for the Roxana Senior Center and the list goes on and on. In addition, our monthly speakers and field trips have opened my eyes and increased my gardening knowledge and showed me how I can help the environment right in my own little backyard and in my commuity.
I hope you will consider joining Costal Gardeners where our diverse members contribute their time, talent and thoughts to the growth of Coastal Gardeners. Come to a meeting and see for yourselves to discover the “joy of gardening” with friends!