About Us

•1921 – Eight years after the 1913 flood, Paducah Garden Club was organized with twenty members. •1921 July – PGC passed a resolution adopting five “official” flowers for Paducah: daffodils, peonies, iris, Dorothy Perkins climbing roses, and hardy chrysanthemums. Each member pledged to make an effort to get these flowers into every yard in the city to make Paducah a “city of flowers.” •1922 March – PGC was featured in the “House and Garden” magazine. The article discussed the founding of the club and the weekly and bi-weekly meetings that focused on the study and protection of “native plants, trees and birds . . . and a personal care of gardens.” •1923 November – PGC held a judged chrysanthemum show in the Arcade Building. Gardening items were sold and money donated to the Joseph L. Friedman Settlement House, which began as a home for indigent families and has since been used for other social service functions. •1927 – Mrs. Flournoy, president of PGC, presented 1,000 jonquil bulbs to Bob Noble Park and another 1,000 bulbs to University of Kentucky. •1928 &1929 – PGC published “Over the Garden Wall,” a series of twelve articles from February through April in the Paducah News-Democrat authored by various members. One week was devoted to “Question Box” where citizens could ask for gardening advice from PGC members. •1929 - Joined GCA. Proposed by Lexington GC and seconded by GC of St. Louis. •1930 May – Sponsored a Spring Flower Show on North Second Street. It included 15 square foot garden plots demonstrating proper methods of cultivation and flower garden arrangement. Luncheon and afternoon tea were served to visitors in a tea garden. •1932 March – Sponsored 300 plots 50’ x 100’ of cleared, plowed land and provided free seed donated by the Red Cross to unemployed families enabling them to raise their own vegetables for food. •1932 May – Sponsored a Rose Show in the lobby of the Hotel Irvin Cobb. •1932 September – Planned a dahlia show at the Irvin Cobb Hotel and encouraged all dahlia growers in the area to exhibit. Flower shows have been held by PGC on a regular basis since that time. •1933 - Supported a resolution urging GCA to endorse the movement to make Mammoth Cave and the surrounding area a national park. •1934 - Planted 100 redbud trees and 185 Chinese elm trees on N. 8th Street, called Memorial Highway, the city’s major entrance from the north at that time. •1934 April – Announced plans for a contest for best gladiolus. Members each pledged to plant a minimum of a dozen. The gladiolus was chosen because it was inexpensive and available to all during the Depression. •1934 May – Sponsored “Visiting Gardens Day.” Five members’ gardens were open to the public. Tickets were 25 cents and the proceeds were used for the planting of flowers in the city. •1934 - Brought Robert Sturtevant, landscape architect of Groton, Massachusetts to give a lecture at PJC (the junior college originally located downtown on Broadway, now WKCTC). •1934 - Sent a committee to confer with Judge Brady Stewart about permanent planting of the courthouse lawn. •1934 - Supported an effort by Henry Ward to pass legislation controlling erection of billboard signs along the state’s highways. •1934 - Projects: Planted a green garden in Barkley Park (now part of Paducah Convention Center parking lot); planted roses on the approach to Irvin S. Cobb Bridge; cleaned a triangle at 32nd and Broadway; planted at Keiler Park. •1935 – Early club records were destroyed by a fire at a member’s home. •1936 May – Held an iris show at Rhodes-Burford Company (furniture store). Seventy-five varieties of iris and a number of flower arrangements were on display. •1938- Voted to restore a Rose Garden (designed by Robert Sturtevant) in Keiler Park. The park had been used for bivouac headquarters of the National Guard during the 1937 flood. •1938 - Made its first assault on the lack of garbage and refuse facilities in Paducah. •1938 - Looked into possibilities of smoke abatement and called upon the City Beautification League to have dead trees and limbs removed from public property. •1938 - Called upon all downtown area merchants to sweep sidewalks in front of their stores before 7 am and refrain from sweeping trash into the streets and gutters. Also recommended that all hard-surface streets in city be flushed at least once every two weeks and “oftener in the downtown area.” •1938 October - Joined with the Louisville and Lexington clubs to entertain the Southwestern Zone Meeting of GCA at Cumberland Falls. Accepted the landscape plan prepared by Mr. Sturtevant for Barkley Park. •1938 - Worked out a plan with City Manager J. P. Smith for planting 2,000 sweet gum trees along major streets and highways. Planted 12 trees in the blocks of Broadway, Jefferson, Kentucky Avenue, N. 13th Street, N. 8th Street, and in Noble Park. •1939 - Landscaped 11 small downtown churches. •1941 - With World War II in Europe and at the request of GCA, organized a chapter of “Bundles for Britain”. Supported British war effort by raising money for British War Relief and also encouraged planting Victory Gardens •1941 December - Decorated stage of Columbia Theatre for the appearance of Gene Tierney and Chester Morris, who came to promote the sale of War Bonds •1944 - Supported beautification and renaming of N. 28th St. in honor of Commander Joe Clifton •Since 1948 PGC has planted 2,000 forsythia along 25 miles of city streets, planted trees, shrubs and flowers on the riverfront and lawns of the Friendly Home (orphanage), PJC, Charity League house, and adopted Barkley Airport as a landscaping project (completed 1950.) •1948 - Donated funds for erection of entrance gates at newly-established Girl Scout Camp on Kentucky Lake •1949 - Sponsored Little Garden Club •1953 - Held Spring Flower Festival attracting 1,000 visitors •1954 - Conducted a five-course Flower Show School for interested judges •1954 - Planted 1,000 lespedeza japonica shrubs in Noble Park as an attraction to birds •1956 - Weeded, sprayed, fertilized, and trimmed plantings at Barkley Airport. Paid expenses of five boys to attend conservation camp at Camp Currie. •1959 - Brought Dr. Robert C. Murphy, a New York naturalist, to speak about danger of the use of poisonous sprays •1962 May – Hosted GCA Zone 6 Meeting (before zone changes, this included clubs from later zones VII, VIII and IX and called Southern Zone), opening banquet at Irvin Cobb Hotel, included tours of chemical development complex at Calvert City, luncheon at Kentucky Dam Village, cruise on “The Chaperone” through the locks of Kentucky Dam, luncheons and cocktails at homes, banquet at Paducah Country Club •1968 February – PGC became part of Zone VII when GCA expanded to twelve zones •1970 - Adopted Gazebo Garden at McCracken County Public Library as a project using funds for construction from the sale of Ray Harm wildlife and floral prints •1972 - Granted 501(c)3 non-profit organization status with IRS •1972 - Dedicated Gazebo Garden at McCracken County Public Library •1975 April - Hosted GCA Zone VII Meeting, held at the old Holiday Inn on Joe Clifton Drive, formal banquet at Paducah Country Club. Included visits to LBL, Barkley Lodge, the old KenBar Inn, tours of private gardens, city hall, and the Market House Museum. •1987 - Held first Mayfair, including plant sale and luncheon •1986 – Flower Show “Mayflowers at the Market House” at the Yeiser Art Center (Art Guild) •1988 - Published “Gardening in Our Corner” which included drawings and information on plants that grew well in this area •1989 October – Hosted GCA Zone VII Meeting, the old Executive Inn, included trolley rides touring Paducah, dinners in private homes, visits to Empire Farm at LBL, the Woodlands Nature Center, tours of Barkley Dam or Whitehaven, banquet at Paducah Country Club •1991 – Flower Show “Victoriana” at the Ann Washington Leslie House •1993 - Provided four memorial benches at Second and Broadway in memory of Carolyn Owen Katterjohn •1995 - Provided seed money for the establishment of Noble Park Nature Trail •1995 - Approved funds for the planting of Noble Park entrance, PGC’s first and current Adopt-a-Spot •1998 – Flower Show “River Rhapsody” at the Yeiser Art Center •2000 – Held GCA Flower Show “Gifts of the Ages” at Grace Episcopal Church •2009 – Hosted GCA Zone VII Meeting with GCA Flower Show at CSI, dinners in individual homes and banquet on stage at the Carson Center •2013 - For the Centennial Project of both GCA and PGC, trees on Jefferson Street were charted after the devastation of Paducah’s 2009 ice storm. One hundred new trees (oaks, dogwoods, black gums, gingkos, bald cypress, tulip poplar) were planted to restore the canopy with planting completed in 2017. •2013 - Donated money to Greater Paducah Sustainability (GPS) Project Recycle Now •2015 - Established butterfly garden at Whitehaven Welcome Center. It became registered Monarch Waystation #14017 in 2016. •2016 March – Brought Joseph Hillenmeyer, noted Lexington, KY landscape designer, who presented a program that was open to the public at the Market House Theater. This was a gift to the community since no admission was charged. •2016 - Supported the establishment of the Clark School Monarch Waystation •2018 - Selected three planters at Broadway and Water Streets as PGC’s second Adopt-a-Spot •2019 – Established PGC Endowment Fund with the Community Foundation of West KY. Funds are to be used for Horticulture Scholarship at MSU and open-community/civic events and endeavors. •2022 – Purchased and had installed a colorful, professional sign in the butterfly garden at historic Whitehaven Rest Area. The sign depicts the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly, shows a migration map, and four plants that attract monarchs. •2023 May – Held GCA Flower Show “Belong to Your Place – The Wisdom of Wendell Berry” at the Carson Center (open to the public) •2023 October – Brought James Farmer, author, designer and speaker to Paducah for a public presentation held at the Clemens Fine Arts Center on the campus of WKCTC, admission was charged •2025 Summer - Added stone edging to "tame" half of Whitehaven Butterfly Garden