THE Garden CLUBS

In June of 1915, a group of Valdosta women formed The Floral Club. In April 1919 this club went inactive “to devote their time to Red Cross work.” After World War I, the club reorganized in January 1925 as The Garden Club of Valdosta. In 1927 the first yearbook was published and the club maintained a garden center at the Carnegie Library.

The Garden Club federated with The Garden Club Georgia, Inc. in 1928. The annual Spring Flower Shows began and the rose was selected as the club flower. In 1939, growth in membership necessitated dividing The Garden Club into three circles. With the start of World War II in 1941, The Valdosta Garden Club voted not to disband but to meet only periodically. Club members pledged full time to war work and growing Victory Gardens, home canning, the Red Cross, and the U.S.O. shrubbery was furnished to landscape Moody Field and the Club provided a floral spray to accompany the remains of each fatality from the Base Hospital to its final resting place. The work to make Valdosta the Azalea City of Georgia began during this period.

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At the end of the war in 1945, the Garden Club intensified the project of beautifying Valdosta and the City Council passed the resolution declaring Valdosta “The Azalea City of Georgia.” Membership growth by 1949 resulted in a total of seven circles.

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In 1951 the Crescent was saved from demolition by Mrs. T.H. Smith, Sr., Mrs. Leonard Mederer and Mrs. R.B. Whitehead. Overnight these ladies raised the funds to prevent the loss of the historic home. After it's purchase, The Crescent became home to the Garden Clubs of Valdosta as it still stands today.