Monday, April 21, 2025
For a century, the Huntingdon Valley Garden Club (HVGC) has been a thriving presence in the region, dedicated to horticulture, conservation, and community engagement. As they celebrate their 100th anniversary, members reflect on their journey, their recent triumphs at the Philadelphia Flower Show, and their continued commitment to civic improvement projects, particularly in partnership with the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust (PERT).
The garden club’s roots date back to the 1920s when a small group of women who shared a love of gardening established this organization. Through the war years, they planted victory gardens and helped the community learn how to garden to feed their families. Over the years, the HVGC has evolved from intimate meetings in members’ homes to a robust organization of nearly 50 members.
The club now convenes in various locations, including Meadowbrook Farm, the Huntingdon Valley Country Club, the Huntingdon Valley Library, and the Pennypack Ecological Restoration Trust’s (PERT) visitor center.
"What makes us unique is that we work very well together," said Carol Perovich, the club’s president since 2023. "We are very supportive and encouraging of our members to try new things."
This spirit of mentorship was particularly evident in their involvement in the PHS Philadelphia Flower Show, where first-time participants excelled under the guidance of seasoned members.
"We mentored them too," added longtime member Ginnie Tietjens, who has been with the club for 41 years. "We have a very big mentorship program."
The club’s presence at the annual Philadelphia Flower Show is a longstanding tradition, but 2025 was a particularly special year. “We encouraged every member to take an active role in this show, whether they entered an artistic class or horticulture class, volunteered as a class chair, or simply volunteered to help out,” shared Carol. “As a result, more than half of our club members participated in the show in some way. Individually or in pairs, our members entered every single class opening day in the arrangement class.
"Prior to the show, we held planting workshops and design sessions to prepare our members," described Carol. "We helped them with everything from forcing their amaryllis to grooming their plants and even navigating the complex paperwork necessary to enter the show.
Thanks to this thorough preparation, the club amassed an impressive 164 physical entries, spanning artistic floral arrangements, horticulture, and forced bulb categories. First-time participants shone, with some winning blue ribbons and even Best in Show awards. The garden club’s collective efforts earned them the prestigious Rosemarie P. Vassalluzo Artistic Sweepstakes Trophy, given to the organization accumulating the greatest number of points in the artistic section of the show.
"It takes a village to participate in this show," said Ginnie. "When you see someone who you're associated with win, we all celebrate that win together."
Despite being based in the suburbs, the HVGC has a deep-rooted connection to Philadelphia, as members of The Philadelphia Committee of The Garden Club of America (PCGCA). Through this affiliation, grants have been distributed to many community gardens, including plantings at the iconic Swann Fountain and the first native plant park in the city.
Other notable contributions to Philadelphia include the garden club’s participation in planting and maintenance of the Magnolia Tribute Garden at Independence Historical Park since 1952, and the maintenance of the Physics Garden, a huge herb garden outside Pennsylvania Hospital, since 1976.
Each year, PCGCA donates between $50,000 and $60,000 to worthwhile Philadelphia-based horticultural projects.
Locally, this garden club has established a close collaboration with PERT. For the past few years, they have helped this nonprofit design, plant and maintain their native garden at their front entrance and have also helped them frequently with their weeding.
“We are planning an ambitious centennial project at PERT to plant an allee of oak trees at their entrance to welcome guests and to the trails that will be installed in the near future,” described Carol. “We view our relationship with PERT as an ongoing endeavor. The trees to be planted there are not just for us; they are for our children and our grandchildren, so we are looking at the impact we can make now and for future generations.”
As the club embarks on its next century, its focus is shifting toward conservation and environmental stewardship.
"Whereas we used to focus more on floral design and horticulture entries, we are now leaning heavily into conservation and civic improvement," says Carol. "We want to encourage people to be stewards of our environment and to use gardening and artistic design to facilitate that."
To commemorate their centennial, the club is hosting a gala on May 8 at the Huntingdon Valley Country Club for current and former members. During this gala, the club will feature a flower show judged in the morning and open to the public from 2 to 4 p.m. The show will include horticulture, floral design, photography, and botanical arts.
"We want to celebrate what we have accomplished over the past hundred years," said Ginnie. "Every generation has had a different emphasis, but our core values remain the same; gardening, conservation, and community."
As the Huntingdon Valley Garden Club looks toward the future, their unwavering commitment to these values ensures that their impact will continue to grow for generations to come.
In terms of future generations, the HVGC will be sponsoring a summer horticultural intern at Meadowbrook Farm this year. “We have historically done this, but Covid created a pause,” explained Carol. “Fortunately, we are now back on track with this sponsorship, which we feel is very important to supporting horticultural education.”
Whether you want to learn more about gardening, conservation, ecology and the environment, how to grow plants and flowers, or even how to develop your artistic talents whether it be photography or design in floral arranging, joining the Huntingdon Valley Garden Club will expand your horizons and your friendships, described Ginnie. “When you become a garden club member here, you’re not just one person attending a meeting; you’re now part of a family rooting for you to succeed and helping you along the way.”
For more information about the Huntington Valley Garden Club, visit hvgc.org/.
