Chester Garden Club

Chester Garden Club

Chester Garden Club is a not-for-profit organization whose members are a group of Chester-area residents, who are interested in gardens and gardening-related activities, both horticulture and design. The Chester Garden Club is a member of the Nova Scotia Association of Garden Clubs.

Our Activities and Responsibilities

The aims of this club are to stimulate a knowledge and love of gardening and to encourage and aid in the beautification of Chester through horticulture. In addition to presenting interesting speakers and workshops, the club is responsible for maintaining the plantings in two public green spaces in the Village of Chester.

These are the garden at the village Parade Square, which is owned by the municipality; and the Cove Garden, which is actually owned by the club itself. Both areas require planting, pruning and weeding, all of which is done by volunteers from the club as part of the member’s commitment to the club.

How it all began…

In 1939, a small group of women founded the club with the aim of beautifying the area. Their first project was to plant a garden and lawn on the Parade Grounds to enhance the surroundings of a bronze statue of a soldier (representing the Nova Scotia Highlander’s Regiment), which had been erected as a war memorial in 1922.

Chester Garden Club Annual Flower Show & Tea
The annual Flower Show and Tea is a popular summer activity

Many years later, changes in the design of the adjacent roadway opened a new space and a Victorian garden was created, quite separate from the war memorial. Members of the club planted the new garden with rugosa roses, bulbs, perennials and a variety of shrubs, and they have continued to maintain it as a focal point of the parade grounds from that time.

A second ambitious project, also started in 1939, was the conversion of the former village dump to what is now known as the Cove Garden. It took several years but those same determined women cleared away all the debris in the dump and also got rid of the vermin that lived there. By layering topsoil onto fill, the women slowly transformed the space into a little park. In 1948, the admiring municipality deeded the land to the Trustees of the Club, and the club has been responsible for its maintenance ever since. The grassy park is bordered by shrubs and rugosa roses and shored up by a stone sea-wall. A plaque on a boulder in the Cove Garden indicates that the park is dedicated “To Gardeners Everywhere”.

The Club’s annual Gardeners Sale draws customers from far and near.
The Club’s annual Gardeners Sale draws customers from far and near.

Membership

Membership in the club is open to anyone with an interest in gardening, on payment of the club’s annual $20 dues.

New members are always welcome!

Go to the Membership Page

Ongoing  Activities

Every spring, the Club holds its  Gardeners Sale for members and the public, and summer brings the well-attended Flower Show and Tea.  The Club also arranges tours to distant gardens and other locations of interest to members.  The club occasionally partners with like-minded groups to work on a project related to ecology and the environment in the area.

Go to the Events & Meetings Page

CURRENT NEWS & EVENTS

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October 9 th and still no frost.Image attachment

October 9 th and still no frost. ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago
If you still have beautiful vistas and plants in your garden please share.Just let me know.The following photos came from Carol Lundman.Still lots of colours to enjoy.Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

If you still have beautiful vistas and plants in your garden please share.Just let me know.The following photos came from Carol Lundman.Still lots of colours to enjoy. ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago
CGC Members and friends.Put Oct.21 on your calendar and plan to attend this fall social and round table discussion.
You may want to share a favourite preserve,pickle,fall treat and recipe, share your garden produce, help in selecting programs for the following year, join a committee, bring some seeds to exchange,give us helpful hints on our garden prep for the winter or share a perennial with a friend. So many suggestions but most of all come and have fun.- CGC Board of Directors

CGC Members and friends.Put Oct.21 on your calendar and plan to attend this fall social and round table discussion.
You may want to share a favourite preserve,pickle,fall treat and recipe, share your garden produce, help in selecting programs for the following year, join a committee, bring some seeds to exchange,give us helpful hints on our garden prep for the winter or share a perennial with a friend. So many suggestions but most of all come and have fun.- CGC Board of Directors
... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
The Cove Garden has gotten another new tree.A special thank you to the garden trustees for all of their hard work removing and replanting all of the perennials and orchestrating the removal of the devilish Quince and roots.A special thank you to Elaine Collicutt and team for all of their assistance.- Photos Donna AllenImage attachmentImage attachment

The Cove Garden has gotten another new tree.A special thank you to the garden trustees for all of their hard work removing and replanting all of the perennials and orchestrating the removal of the devilish Quince and roots.A special thank you to Elaine Collicutt and team for all of their assistance.- Photos Donna Allen ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
A special thank you to Esther and Susan for the help in The Parade Square.Weeds are gone and deadheading started.
A beautiful breeze today to work in the harden.Autumn is upon us.Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

A special thank you to Esther and Susan for the help in The Parade Square.Weeds are gone and deadheading started.
A beautiful breeze today to work in the harden.Autumn is upon us.
... See MoreSee Less

1 month ago
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