Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society
History Quarterly Digital Archives

Source: April 1959 Volume 10 Number 3, Pages 54–58

Malvern's club of little gardens

Bertha D. LaRue

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In May of 1930 a group of twelve Malvern women, inspired with the love of gardening, met at the home of Mrs. P. O. H. Lapp to organize a garden club. Mrs. Lapp had long cherished the idea and met with enthusiastic response from those invited to join.

The charter members included,besides Mrs. Lapp; Mrs. Frank Avil, now of Georgia, Mrs. R. S. Cox, Miss Sara Cox (deceased), Mrs. Joseph Holland, Mrs. C. B. Goshorn, Miss Iva Warner, Mrs. R. J. McDermott, Mrs. B. J. Passmore (deceased), Mrs. H. B. Suplee, and Mrs. R. H. LaRue. We were sponsored by Mrs. Allan D. Wallis of Twin Valley Club, then three years old.

At the suggestion of Mrs. Goshorn, it was decided to name our club "The Club of Little Gardens" of Malvern, since most of us designed, planted and cared for our own small gardens. The object of the Club is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening among amateurs, to aid in the protection of native trees, plants, and birds, and to encourage civic interest in horticulture.

Mrs. B. J. Passmore was elected our first president. A committee was appointed, with Mrs. Goshorn as chairman, to formulate a set of by-laws for the Club. Each member invited one other and the membership was limited to twenty-four, since each entertained in her own home. Meetings were held the second and fourth Thursday of the month at 12.30 P.M., members bringing box lunch and the hostess serving the beverages. The dues were $1.50.

Miss Emily Exley, landscape designer of Wayne, an honorary member of our Club, was a great help and inspiration during our formative years in advising how and what to plant. The Club chose as its two favorite shrubs the abelia and blue spires, Mrs. Goshorn and Iva Warner also contributed greatly, by their knowledge of horticulture,in arranging programs. Mrs. Goshorn has written a book on gardening entitled. "Do You Know Your Garden".

In the Fall of 1931, shortly after the completion of the new Monday afternoon community Club House, our Club decided on its first civic project, the construction of a Memorial Rock Garden on the Monday Club property. Mr. Lathrop placed the boulders and stones and did the basic planting of evergreens

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at a cost of $209.00. Members individually gave bulbs and plants to complete the memory garden. Later our Club planted maple trees at the East King Street entrance to the Malvern Borough, planted forsythia on the banks at the railroad station and planted an elm tree at the Monument grounds. We also planted dogwood trees on the Malvern school grounds, and evergreens (given by a Club member), and dogwood as a background planting at the Monument grounds. Also later we cooperated with the Malvern Civic Association in further planting on these grounds.

In the meantime, we had sponsored a Wild Flower Conservation Poster contest in Malvern schools, some of which were very fine and were later displayed at our flower shows. I remember that some of the prizes were bird houses. It is my recollection that we put a number of blue-bird houses in various locations in the borough too.

Our first flower show (community) was held in the Malvern Fire Hall on September 20, 1932. Gladys Goshorn was chairman and, though it was a very rainy day, we had quite a few exhibits, and afterwards the flowers were sent to the hospitals. We did not make expenses, but gained considerable experience.

In 1934 we staged with Berwyn our first spring show, June 15th, in the Malvern Community House, with Mrs. B. J. Passmore as chairmen. While exhibits were not so numerous as at our fall show, flowers were of good quality and arrangements artistic. On September 7, 1934 we also had a flower show with Berwyn at the Odd Fellows Hall, with Mrs. Brosius as chairman. In June of 1941 our Club held a spring show at the Malvern Fire Hall with Mrs. I. H. Ulrich as chairman.

About this time, "because of gasoline rationing, meetings were held but once a month, the first Thursday, which has continued since. In 1942 the Club became federated with the Pennsylvania State Garden Clubs.

We contributed regularly to Bowman's Hill Flower reserve and the Roadside Council, vigorously protested billboards on our scenic highways, and gave dogwood memorial trees for Blue Star Highway plantings. We urged roadside recreation and picnic areas for our state, and sent a letter of protest to Washington against removal of cherry trees to make way for the Jefferson Memorial, maintaining that there were other just as suitable areas for its construction. We assisted at the annual Plant sales for the benefit of Chester County Hospital, having a booth for rock plants and bulbs.

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At the 75th Anniversary celebration of the borough of Malvern the Club decorated a float for the parade. After federation with the State Garden Clubs, the time of the annual meeting was changed from May to October in order to conform with the other clubs.

During this time, the Club also exhibited at the Philadelphia Flower show and, while I do not have complete records on the awards, I have one of a Winter Mantle which received second prize. Also there was an Easter Breakfast Table, a 60th Anniversary Dinner Table, which Mrs. Lapp, and Mrs. Brosius, and Mrs. McHenry arranged and won an honorable mention. Then later a supper table on a terrace arranged by Mrs. Palmer and Mrs. Hoerger rated a third place. Also our Mrs. Reed exhibited a miniature of the John Bertram House and won a first prize. Two of the earlier exhibits, neither of which won a prize, were Arrangement of Individual Leaves Table in the Napoleonic French Manner. An Early 18th Century Kitchen by Mrs. Reed, Mrs. Brosius, and Mrs. McHenry won a third prize.

In the Fall of 1949, September l6th, to be exact, our Club sponsored a Community Flower Show of the Upper Main Line Garden Clubs. It was staged in the Monday Afternoon Club house, and Mrs. Lapp and Mrs. John Hoffman, then an active member of our Club, were co-chairmen. This was a really big show with the horticultural and commercial exhibits downstairs and the auditorium given over to arrangements, table settings, etc. This was the last show we sponsored. Since then we have cooperated with neighboring garden clubs in community shows. We have joined with other clubs in placing arrangements at the Valley Forge Museum, and have assisted in planting the garden at the Philadelphia Show, also with the Roadside Council booth there.

We have given to Flowers for the Flowerless and seeds for Britain and Germany after the war. We co-operated with the West Chester Art Center benefits, remembered shut-ins at Christmas time, made scrapbooks for children and donated plantings at Embreville (sic) Hospital end money for plantings. We cooperated with other garden clubs in the Pennsylvania Garden Tour by supplying hostesses at various homes or historical spots, and arranged reciprocity meetings to include members of neighboring garden clubs.

The Club had a number of books acquired over the years in its library, some of which were used as basis for programs. Later they were installed in a shelf at Malvern Library. However, later, as they become outmoded and other ideas for programs became more popular, they were used less and less and were finally disposed of at a plant sale and auction held by the Club.

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In order to conform to changing times and circumstances, the Club by-laws were revised three times. The membership expanded to thirty active members. Dues were raised to $2.50 and later to $5.00, and the meeting time changed to 11 A.M. for the convenience of members with young children. The business meeting is conducted first, followed by the coffee break and social hour, then the program of the day.

On May 2, 1940, the Club celebrated its tenth anniversary with a large garden party et Annendale, the home of the late Mrs. Allan Wallis, a beloved member. Members representing all of the neighboring garden clubs and county clubs were invited. It was a lovely affair with corsages that we made for all the guests. A three-piece orchestra (the Toroni Trio) played appropriate music. A distinguished botanist and plant collector, Mrs. Lester Rountree a house guest of her friend Mrs. John V. Nolan, was present and spoke on her travels in search of plants. We had several reciprocity meetings when we shared especially good programs with our fellow gardeners. One Of these fine programs we had Miss Esther Haycock, noted authority on birds, as a guest speaker.

In the Spring of 1950 we celebrated our twentieth anniversary with a very nice reciprocity tea in the Malvern Monday afternoon Club; the program was on birds. Our twenty-fifth, the Silver Anniversary,was celebrated with other twenty-five year clubs by sending our President, Mrs. Chortling, to the Pecan Mountains; this was the first time we had sent & representative to a State Federation. A brief history of our Club appeared in the Silver Anniversary booklet.

Over the years the Club has made a number of tours of arboretums such as the Morris Arboretum at Chestnut Hill,the John J. Tyler at Lima, Scott Hoyt at Swathmore (sic), Bowmans Hill, DuPont Gardens, Star Rose Gardens, Fairmount Park Mansion, French Creek Park, a bird sanctuary near Warwick, Pa., and other interesting spots.

A beloved member, Mrs. Harold Biddle (now deceased), invited the Club for lunch at the Herb Gardens near Chester. Another trip when we were her guests for lunch was at the Towpath Inn, New Hope, afterwards visiting the Tulip Gardens of Muellers. Still another memorable tour was a barge trip up the canal at New Hope to Mt. Pleasant in the artists colony where we were Mrs. Biddle's guests for lunch. This was a delightful trip and we returned home in the early evening. Our Mrs. Holland was hostess to the Club for lunch on several

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occasions, following which we toured gardens of interest and special beauty. Another time, the Club had lunch at an inn near Pottstown, following which we visited Christman's Flower and antique Shop where he gave us a Christmas program on arrangements.

While originally membership in the Club covered only the Malvern area, it now includes the West Chester, Chester Springs and Upper Main Line areas.

During our twenty-six years as a garden club, these members who have served as presidents and are still active include Mrs. Lapp, Mrs. H. B. Suplee, Mrs. R. J. McDermott, Mrs. Wm. Brosius, Mrs. C. J. Erickson, Mrs. Joseph Palmer, Mrs. R. S. Shortlidge, Mrs. Latimer Coleman, and Mrs. David Lamont. Honorary members who were early presidents were Mrs. C. B. Goshorn, Iva B. Warner, and Mrs. Walter Lewis.

We hope in the years ahead to continue, within the limits of our membership, to promote interest and cooperation in all matters pertaining to gardening, conservation and civic betterment of our community.