Serving the Community through Friendship & Flowers in 2023

Our members are excited to continue to garden with purpose in 2023! Southern Butler County Garden Club maintains three gardens as community service projects. Two of these gardens are open to the public as community gardens and located in Graham Park, Cranberry Township and at the Mars Public Library in Mars. The third garden is located at the VOICe (Victims Outreach and Intervention Center) in Butler County and is on private property. In each of these gardens, Club members volunteer their time to plant, mulch, weed and water throughout the growing season. 

The Serenity Garden at VOICe was established many years ago as our first community service garden project. We maintain several landscape beds bordering the buildings filled with trees, plants & shrubs. A larger garden area offers bench seating, a birdbath & gazing ball. Our hope is that this 'Serenity Garden' offers a peaceful place for people temporarily residing there. Around the holidays our members also make donations of apparel, supplies & gift cards to fulfill wish lists. 

The Graham Park Community Garden was established five years ago and has grown into an award winning garden in that short time. A collaboration with Cranberry Township & the CTCC, this garden features lots of native and pollinator friendly trees, shrubs and perennial plants. We have a 'Free Library', garden shed, seating throughout with various benches and tree stumps in the 'Reading Garden' area and a walking path that leads one through the garden beds into a wildflower meadow. We also have a 'Memorial Garden' with a Blue Star Memorial By-Way Marker paying tribute to all that serve in the Armed Forces. We host many educational programs for the community in this garden.

The Mars Public Library Butterfly Garden is our newest service project. We took on this pollinator garden in 2022. Our members love caring for this garden which is in bloom from March through November. Starting with bulbs & flowering trees to countless perennial flowers and shrubs...the bees, butterflies and hummingbirds make daily visits. As a thank you, the library offers us a meeting room during the year. 

Thanks to our dedicated members, all of these gardens continue to grow through friendship & flowers. 

Jill Barger

President, Southern Butler County Garden Club