Botany Belles & Beaus Garden Club
A garden club serving St. Croix County Wisconsin.
This year's theme: Plant a Tree. Plant Hope.
ABOUT US . . .
The club began in 1968 in Baldwin to promote the love of gardening. It is associated with the Wisconsin Garden Club Federation. We are united in our interest in gardening of all types and meet together to share gardening tips, encourage each other and to learn more.
Botany Belles and Beaus Garden Club members come from communities in central St. Croix County. If you are interested in gardening, flower arranging, tours and more, please check us out. Meetings are on the third Thursday at 6:30 of each month and are mainly held at the Baldwin Town Hall located at 2399 90th Ave. If anyone has questions, please email us .
Interested in garden club? Check out what is scheduled for 2025.
Attending a meeting does not obligate you to join, we'd love to meet a fellow gardener.
THANK YOU!
Trees for Woodville
Trees are such an important part of nature. They cool the earth, clean the air, prevent erosion, provide shade and shelter plus offer many more benefits. Woodville is (as are many other communities) losing ash trees to the deadly Emerald Ash Borer. The garden club is working with the Village to replace these trees and your help is welcome.
Use this link to contribute by April 5th: https://square.link/u/MEcg7kjs Cash and check are also accepted, talk to a garden club member.
Amy Boldt's first place entry in the Sunrise/Sunset category in 20234 Caption:The Buck Stops Here
Nature Photography Contest Winners 2024
Forty photographers of all ages entered this year's Nature Photography Contest held during Chili Fest and over 200 people voted for their favorites and chose the winning photograph in each category. The categories were: Birds, Bugs & Beasts.- Edibles (including non-edible fungi).- Landscapes.- Plant Portraits.- Sunrise/Sunset.- Youth (ages 16 and under).
As a club, it is such fun to see the various entries come and and then to visit with people as they vote for their choice. Comments are always so positive about the exhibit.
The 2025 contest will be held during Chili Fest once again. As you take pictures of the world around you, consider submitting your photos next year.
Award of Honor from NGC
The St. Croix District of which the Botany Belles and Beaus is a part of was recently recognized at the National Garden Club Convention for the workshop that it held last summer, "Your Garden - A Bird's Paradise." Even though the district planned for 40 attendees, 106 people attended and learned about what they can do in their own yards to provide habitat for birds. There were four excellent speakers and three tours of gardens. This event was attended by people throughout the state.
Besides receiving a medal and certificate, the district also received a $500 check to put towards future events.
Ginger Wierman, Debby Walters, Susan Wallace receive the Award of Excellence from WGCF President Linda MacCafferty.
Blue Star Memorial
The Botany Belles & Beaus Garden Club and the American Legion & Auxiliary Post 240 are partnering to honor those who have served this country with a Blue Star Memorial at Windmill Park. The memorial features a Blue Star Marker, raised planter, bench and flags. The Blue Star program was established by the National Garden Club in 1945 to indicate that a family had a son or daughter in the service and the program has continued to this day.
The memorial is currently under construction and is progressing quickly.
In order to personalize and help fund the memorial, the public has the opportunity to purchase an engraved brick in recognition of a veteran or an important person in their life or by an organization to indicate support of the project. Two sizes of bricks are available through That's My Brick, a 4" x 8" for $100 or an 8" x 8" for $150. The initial order of bricks has arrived, but bricks can still be ordered to support on going costs of the memorial (replacement flags, annual plantings, etc.)
Doris Weber, WGCF Awards Chair presents the Club of the Year Award to BBBGC members (Elvera Jacot, Debby Walters, Wendy Kramer), and WGCF President Linda McCafferty.
Club of the Year!
Club Federation Convention, the Botany Belles and Beaus Garden Club was awarded the Garden Club of the Year award. This award is given to the club that promotes the objectives of WGCF which are to promote and share the love of gardening, floral design, and be involved in civic and environmental projects. The club does that through monthly meetings, community gardening projects at Windmill and Creamery Parks and the Woodville Rain Garden. Community involvement is important also and WGCF recognized the numerous community activities the club is involved in.
Cups of Cheer
Hoping to brighten someone's day this Christmas season, members of the club gathered to create Cups of Cheer which were delivered with Meals on Wheels to area residents.
Thanks so much for supporting the Botany Belles and Beaus at this year's Doe on the Go Craft Sale.
Birdseed wreaths and bells sold out again this year! The money raised goes back into community beautification, gardening and education projects.
Your Garden - A Bird's Paradise
The St. Croix District was thrilled with the interest in this workshop. 106 people attended and learned about how to increase habitat for birds in their own backyards. It's easy to do: plant natives, plant in layers (trees, shrubs, native grasses and flowers), be a bit messy. The speakers were good, the selection of plants from Dragonfly excellent, displays informative, and a decent lunch. A good day overall!
Ames Tools Received
The Botany Belles and Beaus were fortunate enough to be chosen to receive a variety of gardening tools courtesy of the Ames Tool Company in conjunction with the National Garden Club, Inc. The tools will be used with a variety of club gardening projects; especially the Woodville Retention Pond Rain Garden, but are housed at the Woodville Community Library so that any area resident can check them out and use them for their personal gardening endeavors. There is a shovel, trowels, a regular hoe, a kid's sized hoe, and an action hoe.
Thanks much, Ames Tools!
Penny Pines Donations
Mary Hampton and Betty Lee were recently honored for their service to and long time membership in the Botany Belles and Beaus Garden Club. The group felt that a suitable way to honor them was to make a contribution to NGC's Penny Pines program. Penny Pines was established to help replant the national forests. The money the club donated is designated for tree planting in Chaquamenon National Forest in Wisconsin. Previous honorees from the club are Elvera Jacot, a founding member and Marilyn Doornink.
Windmill Park Plantings Completed
The landscape at Windmill Park has been upgraded near the bathrooms. The Botany Belles and Beaus funded and also received a St. Croix Master Gardeners Grant to add natives and pollinator friendly plants to the area. In order to keep the mulch in place, club members picked rocks to put an edge in place. Then the fun began! Blueberry bushes, Matrona sedum, Coneflowers, Nearly Wild roses, Neptune catmint and a perennial salvia were added. The Village Public Works crew is helping to keep the site watered during this dry weather. An evergreen shrub will be added in the future.
Woodville Rain Garden
Botany Belles & Beaus Garden Club working together with the Woodville homeschool group is transforming the retention pond off of the downtown parking lot into a rain garden. The homeschool students researched and suggested plants and planned with the garden club. Plants that tolerate lots of water and not so much water were chosen and planted on three different planting dates. Now for the weeding!
The project was funded by a St. Croix Valley Master Gardener Grant, a Wisconsin Garden Club Federation Grant and the Botany Belles & Beaus Garden Club. The Village of Woodville has provided lots of assisitance too.
Updated 01.07.2025