Pleasant Hills Garden Club celebrates 80 years

For the past 80 years, the Pleasant Hills Garden Club has helped to beautify the community.

From planting flowers and greenery at key places in the borough to educating South Hills residents on horticulture and design, members of the federated club have done it all.

“There’s something for everyone here,” said club President Helen Galluppi, 69, of Pleasant Hills. “It’s a way to get out, and you can get as involved as you want.”

The club was founded in 1940 by a group of women looking to promote civic beauty in the area.

It’s mission includes creating an interest in and promoting knowledge of horticulture and flower arranging, adding beauty to the community and aiding in local and national conservation programs.

“We were a garden club before we were a borough,” said Charlene Bowyer, 77, of Pleasant Hills, who joined the club in 2001.

One of the club’s first projects was planting an evergreen tree and landscaping the triangle at the intersection of Green, McClellan and Broadway drives, said Juanita Lichalk, a 59-year resident of Pleasant Hills who joined the club in 2006.

In 1955, the Pleasant Hills Garden Club joined the Garden Club Federation of Pennsylvania, which is a part of the National Garden Clubs.

Marie Mueller, 78, of Whitehall, who joined the club in 2008, is an accredited life judge with National Garden Clubs. She travels the region judging competitions, the largest of which was in Philadelphia.

“It was an unbelievable experience,” said Mueller, who joined the club after retiring from a career in art and development management in nonprofit organizations in 2007.

She was hoping to “finally know how to do my yard right,” she said. What drew her into the club was the design. She went to flower school and became a judge, and, while there are flowers constantly inside her house, she never found the time to redo her yard. She’s been too busy attending exhibitions, presentations or judging throughout the spring and summer.

Over the years, club members have done landscaping at schools across the community. They oversee landscaping at the Pleasant Hills Public Library — where they’ve given the space an overhaul three times in the last several decades.

Club members also contribute to planting and weeding in certain areas of the A.W. Robertson Arboretum.

Bowyer oversaw the Let Freedom Ring Garden project at the Cloverleaf intersection, a main entrance into Pleasant Hills.

After overhearing someone criticizing the space from their car, Bowyer sprung into action.

Through a grant from the National Garden Clubs and local donations that came in the form of brick purchases, funds were raised to beautify the space. In 2015, a Blue Star By-Way Marker was put in at the site to honor those who had served in the military.

Some members of the club prefer design, while others are more interested in horticulture, Mueller said.

“The whole point is to get the people doing and learning,” she said.

The club meets monthly with various programs. They focus on design, horticulture and conservation.

Each May, they host a plant sale that funds the club for the entire year. The plants come from members’ yards and every member is required to participate in the sale.

There are about 25 members of the club today.

Every other year, the club hosts a flower show.

“It’s a big deal. It’s a lot of work,” said Galluppi.

During the spring and summer months, members of the club drive around the community to find the best yards and gardens to name “Garden of the Month.”

This year, the plan is to select a garden every two weeks for the distinction, Galluppi said.

Club members each have stories to share about the years they’ve dedicated to the club, which once was a prestigious invite-only group.

Today, it’s more social, Galluppi said. However, members can get as involved as they like. Members serve on committees ranging from programming to civic improvement.

For Lichalk, that’s an important piece. She joined because she wanted to be a part of making improvements in the community.

Members have gotten close over the years.

“They’re just like family and they’ll look out for you,” said Jan Nevling, 69, of Pleasant Hills who joined in 2002, after her husband, former Police Chief Floyd Nevling signed her up.

“It’s been a good experience,” she said. “Not only do members learn how to make their garden’s look good, but they also care for one another in times of need.”

“I’m just so proud of our club,” Bowyer said. “They have supported their community for 80 years.”

The Pleasant Hills Garden Club is open for new members. The club meets on the second Monday of each month, except October, at 12:30 p.m. at the Pleasant Hills Borough community room. The October meeting will be held on Oct. 5. For more information, visit pleasanthillsgc.org or check out the club’s Facebook page under Pleasant Hills Garden Club.