Travel any city across America and you’re likely to notice charming touches like hanging floral baskets or planter boxes. Seeing this type of aesthetic is beautiful and a sure sign there is an active garden club or organization behind the scenes.
The city of Ashland and Boyd and Greenup counties are certainly no different. They are the beneficiaries of a 43-member strong, nationally associated garden club referred to as the Southern Hills Garden Club. No one I asked can reveal why it is called the Southern Hills Garden Club, but the namesake is hardly important. Rather, the club’s long-standing
commitment to beautification projects is to be commended.
In years past, Southern Hills Garden Club offered backyard tours to showcase fabulous private landscapes. Today, this active group of all women, though gentlemen are certainly welcome, is best known for community endeavors like “yard of the month,” plant sales at Ashland’s First Fridays, and helping with large community initiatives such as the Daffodil Project in Central Park of Ashland––the goal, to plant 100,000 daffodil bulbs in five years, planting 20,000 each year.
“We order bulbs in bulk but need many volunteers in October to properly plant for spring
harvest,” Co-President Susan Hunt said. “The bulbs are obtained through donations and
grants, but it takes a lot of hands to put them in the ground properly,” she said as she
explained how the garden club was recruited to help by the community members who first
came up with the concept.
Usually in March, social media is flooded with images of babies, children, individuals,
couples and families. All are posed for photography in the expansive daffodil patch,
providing a visual interest, or what urban language refers to as an ‘Instagrammable’
location, drawing visitors near and far.
In addition to planting the ‘A’ in Ashland at the riverfront and assisting UK King’s Daughters
Medical Center with their plantings, the club undertakes one project a year called Repair Affair. A great repair example would be a yard where the owners find themselves unable to do yard work and their space has fallen into disarray. The garden club will come in and offer manpower to make improvements to the yard.
While community service is at the core of this group’s initiative, members certainly enjoy
being with like-minded green thumbs and expanding their knowledge. Each month, the
club meeting features a keynote speaker on various topics ranging from how to plant your
own edible mushrooms to herbs and plants with medicinal value. They also travel to other expos together. Hunt is preparing to attend the National Garden Club meeting in Charleston, South Carolina, and the group participates in fun events like the Lavender
Festival at the Kentucky Castle in June.
Be on the lookout this September for the club’s plant sale at First Friday in Ashland. Not
only do they sell the plant, but they give tailored advice on proper care. Proceeds from this
fundraiser go toward a scholarship for any student in Boyd or Greenup counties majoring in horticulture.
While the club does tout a handful of master gardeners in its group, anyone can join the
club. “If you just have an interest in planting or simply want to learn, come. Anyone is
welcome. We have a lot of fun together!” Hunt said.
For more information follow Southern Hills Garden Club on their active Facebook page that
highlights some of their events and meetings. If interested in joining, you can reach the
club via social media or by phone at 606-939-2307.