Bosse, who has been a member for more than 20 years, said she enjoys the camaraderie and the friendships she has formed with members of the club. She has also learned a lot about horticulture.
“It’s a wonderful club,” she said. “Mostly, people like to get together, and they are interested in flowers, learning things and education.”
The nonprofit is based in Butler County and has worked on civic beautification projects for many years, including the main intersection in Ross and at Governor Bebb MetroPark.
“We have the four hillsides on either side of the overpass as well as three huge medians. We do the plantings, upkeep, the weeding at the main intersection in Ross,” Bosse said. “So, we get together once a month, and do the upkeep, and also once a month, we work at Governor Bebb MetroPark. We do some plantings and beautify the entrance.”
The members put in a lot of time and effort into beautifying the Ross intersection, at U.S. Route 27 and Ohio State Route 128. The project was started in 2000.
Emily Young Eberwine, 93, has been a member of the Village and Farm Garden Club since 1962. Young Eberwine will turn 94 in August, and she has been a Ross resident since 1953.
“The club was started in 1954 in Elda Emerick’s home with 30 members, and it’s been active ever since then. It’s probably one of the oldest garden club’s in the State of Ohio,” Young Eberwine said.
“I love the beauty of nature, and I like our community to be inviting,” she said about her continued involvement with the garden club. “I have always loved working outside, working with plants and I used to have a big vegetable garden. I do have flower beds at home that I take care of, too.”
Young Eberwine, Lee Steenken and Raymond Wurzelbacher were instrumental in the Ross Intersection project. Other members regularly help on scheduled workdays, once a month, beginning in March.
“We were able to do the first shovel load of dirt in 2000,” Young Eberwine said. “We have been taking care of the intersection for 25 years now with plantings, and it’s our biggest project.”
For many years, she said the garden club paid for everything through donations and dues. In recent years, the township has helped out by providing financial support for the mulch. The Ross Lions Club also gives a $200 donation, annually. Individuals have also donated to help with the plantings and residents can donate towards the club’s efforts at any time.
Young Eberwine has also secured several grants from Butler Rural Electric Cooperative’s Community Connection program in the past.
“We have multiple people, who stop and thank us, as we work, for beautifying the area and making things look so good, and a lot of the business owners are very appreciative of the fact that it makes it a pleasant entry into this area,” Young Eberwine said.
Her love of planting, watching things grow and making things look good has kept her active in the club for many years.
“We hope to encourage everyone to appreciate what a wonderful world this is,” she said. “It takes effort on everyone’s part to keep things nice.”
While the majority of the group’s members are from Ross, the Village and Farm Garden Club is open to all, including those in Harrison, Oxford, and other surrounding communities. Members don’t have to be gardeners or grow plants and flowers to be a part of the garden club.
“We are always open to visitors and new members,” Bosse said. “Anyone is welcome at any time.”
“It’s a fun group to work with, besides the actual satisfaction of accomplishing things that you set out to do,” Young Eberwine said.
MORE DETAILS
The Village and Farm Garden Club has monthly meetings from March through November, usually in members’ homes, at local businesses or the group goes on a tour.
Call 513-477-7463 for details. The July meeting will be at 10 a.m. July 14 at the Civic Garden Center of Greater Cincinnati. On Aug.11, the meeting will be at Lagergren Nursery at 6 p.m.
The Village and Farm Garden Club currently has about 40 active members, and on average, around 25 participate in the monthly meetings. Annual dues are $15.
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