Fort Worth Garden Club marks 100 years of planting, preserving and beautifying the city

On April 1, 1926, a group of women met to form the Fort Worth Garden Club. Back then, Fort Worth was an oil and gas town with rough edges. One hundred years later, the club is celebrating its centennial with 675 members and a waiting list of more than 200 people.

Freelance writer Joy Donovan wrote the club's centennial history book. She told KERA News that even she can't move up the waiting list. Donovan said the club was a big part of turning Rock Springs Park into the Fort Worth Botanic Garden during the Great Depression. It became the first public botanic garden in Texas. She also told KERA that the men who built the garden's Rose Garden earned two dollars a day in food vouchers. The club made sure those workers were fed so they could keep working. She added that "we all get to enjoy the Rose Garden today."

According to 360 West Magazine, the club also helped get the landscape architecture firm Hare & Hare hired to plan the garden. Members supported the Rose Garden again when it was restored in this century. Over the decades, members have planted trees, improved parks and run educational programs. Club volunteers lead garden tours today. They also work alongside Botanic Garden staff on the begonia collection and the Celebramos Marigold Carpet Planting each fall.

The centennial year has included a black-tie gala at the Botanic Garden, a centennial-themed flower show and the history book. CandysDirt.com reported that about 400 guests attended the April gala, which ended with fireworks over the rose garden. The club has also supported the new Baker Martin Family Garden at the Botanic Garden.

This story is based on original reporting by KERA News, with additional details from 360 West Magazine and CandysDirt.com.