Southern Hills Garden Club Welcomes New Members
Sasha Bush
The Ashland Beacon
If there is one thing to be said about our beautiful city of Ashland, it would be that it is the city that never sleeps. What I mean by this is that the city of Ashland seems to always be growing … always adding something new and fun to do… always adding new businesses. If you look around, you will find there is literally something for everyone to do within our beautiful city. Speaking of the beauty of our city… how about our riverfront or Central Park? Have you ever noticed how the landscaping is always on par, the flowers near the statues are always well maintained, and how the flower boxes around Central Park’s entrance always look perfect? Well, many people would think it’s just city workers who maintain the beauty of this area, but that would only be partially true.
You would be surprised to know that the city of Ashland actually has its own gardening club that dates back to 1954. The Southern Hills Garden Club is a long-standing club that many didn’t know even existed, yet it is also one that plays a very substantial role in the beautification of our city. The Southern Hills Garden Club and its members are responsible for the beautiful flowers you see adorning what is nicknamed the “A” at our beautiful riverfront. They are also responsible for the flower boxes near our iconic Paramount Arts Center as well as several flower boxes around our mesmerizing Central Park.
The Southern Hills Garden Club is a non-profit club run by Co-Presidents Kathy Setterman and Karen Wells, as well as Co-Vice Presidents Susan Hunt and Teri Vanhoose. The club’s funding comes from a combination of dues and sales of plants that are grown by its members. These sales take place at the city’s first and last First Friday events.
The Southern Hills Garden Club meets on the second Thursday of the month from March through December. Meetings are typically held during the day and take place at various locations. The Southern Hills Garden Club's goal is to share knowledge within the club and the community. They promote all aspects of gardening, focus on the conservation of natural resources, education, civic beautification, horticulture, and floral design. They are a member of the National Garden Club, Inc., South Atlantic Region, Garden Club of Kentucky Inc., and Limestone District. The club is made up of people of all ages. You have probably seen many of its members wearing their green aprons out working on projects within our city and not even realized it.
Just last week, the Southern Hills Garden Club had the pleasure of welcoming two new members into its ranks. Our esteemed Mayor, Matt Perkins and Jack Hogsten, who is a senior at Boyd County High School. Both Mayor Perkins and Mr. Hodgsten were made honorary members of the Southern Hills Garden Club because of the outstanding support they bring to the club. “They have both been so helpful throughout the years, and we just wanted to honor them and their willingness to help the club. Our Mayor, Matt Perkins, has always been so supportive of our club, and Jack Hodgsten is such a great young man. He has been helping for us a few years and is always eager to do any of the heavy lifting that is needed. Our club would not be what it is today without the support of these two selfless individuals. So, we wanted to make them both honorary members,” shared the club’s Co-Vice President, Teri Vanhoose.
If you would like to find out more about the Southern Hills Garden Club and how you can become more involved in the beautification of our city, you should stop by Central Park on June 29th at 7 p.m. John Johnson, Boyd County High School’s Band Director will be holding a special concert that evening and will also be honoring the Southern Hills Garden Club with a special piece of music that was written just for them. There will be numerous members present at this event ready and willing to answer any questions you might have about the club or gardening in general.
