The Garden Club of Jacksonville is launching a series of virtual programs that provide education, inspiration, and a sense of joy.

Everyone in the community needs access to quality programming no matter their ability to attend—whether because of COVID-19 safety guidelines, lack of transportation, or hectic work/school schedules.

“We hope these programs lead more people to see gardening, connecting to the earth, and nurturing the natural world as essential to their daily lives,” said Garden Club Executive Director Denise M. Reagan.

The Garden Club received a grant from the Jessie Ball duPont Fund to provide a series of virtual programs on topics such as growing vegetables, providing natural pest control, caring for houseplants, attracting pollinators and birds, and many more.

The first program, Plants During the Pandemic, features Meg Gaffney-Cooke, landscape architect of Blue Leaf Design and a Garden Club member who will discuss the reasons people are drawn to gardening now and how to get the tools needed to do it. She’ll be live from her home garden at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7, so register today.

Who benefits?

Gardening is a safe and healthy activity people can do to improve their physical fitness, mood, air quality, and nutrition, especially at a time when people are practicing social distancing.

“We envision programs that serve everyone in the community, from every zip code,” Reagan said. These programs are also well-suited for people whose physical abilities or age make it difficult to participate in classes at the Garden Club.

Now that the Duval County Public Schools system has provided laptops and internet access for thousands of students to connect to Duval HomeRoom, the Garden Club’s virtual programming can also reach an audience that could not previously take advantage of these kinds of learning opportunities.

Seeking partners

The Garden Club is partnering with several organizations to provide these programs:

Each of the programs will also be recorded and posted on gardenclubjax.org for people to watch at a time convenient to their schedules.

The Garden Club is seeking other organizations and speakers who are interested in partnering on programs. Please contact us with your suggestions.

“Given the changing environment and multiple demands on everyone’s time, the Garden Club must find ways to reach new audiences,” Reagan said. “These virtual programs will allow the Garden Club to scale up our offerings and reach a more diverse audience.”