I believe I joined the VGCLJ during the year of 1989 after I returned to San Diego from living several years in the Imperial Valley east of San Diego. My close family friend Sylvia Simpson Coleman was a member. The Club had adopted her idea of planting Jacaranda trees all over San Diego and holding a Jacaranda Festival each year when they bloomed. She encouraged me to join and help her with this project. I am not sure how many members we had during this time, but we soon began to grow with a project all could get behind plus the popularity of growing your own food was in vogue during this time.
We were meeting in the Fellowship Hall of the United Methodist Church - 6063 La Jolla Blvd. and it soon became apparent that we had outgrown that location. The Board found a new location which was accepted by the membership and our October 1995 meeting was held at our new location, Torrey Pines Christian Church – 8320 La Jolla Scenic Drive North where we remained for many years.
Our meetings were always well attended and many of the display tables we still enjoy at today’s meetings were in place at that time. We were participants at ‘Art Alive’ each spring, had interesting horticulture displays, and decorated a tree each year in participation of San Diego Florals room at what was then ‘Christmas on the Prado’ each December. In 1995 the theme was recycling, and we decorated with butterflies made from comic papers and icicles out of soft drink cans in keeping this theme. We were small enough to hold a member Pot-Luck at our December meeting and members brought greens from their gardens for other members to purchase and use in displays. We had an annual Ways & Means Project of a Bake/No Bake Sale each December where members brought their favorite goody to be sold to others, or donated an appropriate amount of money they would have spent preparing something. It was always a success.
Our interesting monthly programs were followed with a light luncheon or dessert if a field trip was not planned. Several Jacaranda Tree dedications took place following meetings, and we began the campaign to have the Jacaranda Tree named the official tree of San Diego. We were supported by City Beautiful and People for Trees, and they asked me to speak at the dedication of some of our Jacaranda trees planted at the bridge entering Balboa, our first foothold there.
We welcomed over 15 members that year, and while other garden clubs were closing and not growing, I was asked to address the President’s Breakfast at the CA State Convention regarding the secret of our success. I attribute it to four reasons: 1) Members telling our story and extending invitations to others with like interests; 2) Good Programs! Once you get them to attend, keep them coming back; 3) A diversified agenda – We offered both design and horticulture programs and home and garden tours; 4) Luncheons and Coffee Klatches on meeting days with time to converse with one another and a sense of comradery with other members. And My Secret Weapon….Adrienne Green! Adrienne was so knowledgeable and so well known in the world of floral design and horticulture, that everyone wanted to join VGCLJ and learn from her. We closed our club year in 1996 with 101 members.