How many times have you driven up and down the Skyway past Foster and Elliott where the triangles are and have seen a bunch of derrière’s in the air. I’m serious! If you take a moment to look, you will see them. Members of the Paradise Garden Club, beautification group. The bent
at the waist, ease in the knees, gloved handed soldiers with razor sharp focus, looking for weeds to pull and dead flower heads to snip away. They gather every Thursday morning headed up by their spirited leader Jeudie Lovell, ( for 8 years now) donning their hard to miss beautiful
blue matching Garden Club shirts and with their buckets and tools they happily tend to these gardens because it matters to them. This week I decided to join them. Not only did we weed and snip, but we also laughed and chatted and got caught up on each others lives. Many hands make light work…all for the love of it! And all for our benefit. We are the ones that reap the rewards. Why would people, who have their own gardens to weed, go out and tend to another? Why would they shamelessly stick their back ends in the air for all to see, for no money or fame? They do it for the love of their town, our town, for us! They do it because it delights their
eyes when they drive by and see the beauty they created. So what are the perks for this simple gesture and giving of their time. Well, if they’re lucky, someone will honk their horn as they are driving by, which of course makes them stand up and wave and who doesn’t like to wave?

These hard working people are an extension of the Paradise Garden Club. The Paradise Garden Club Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 organization that welcomes all new members—not only gardeners but also those interested in flower arranging, beautification of the
community, and preservation of our natural environment. General meeting programs normally include a qualified guest speaker or demonstration on a subject of interest to gardeners. Club activities encompass many areas and activities. We urge members to volunteer and actively participate in committees and projects that interest you. You’ll quickly get acquainted with people who share your interests! Meetings are monthly the 2nd Monday at 1:00pm, except August or otherwise announced. Meetings are held at the Terry Ashe Recreation Center, 6626 Skyway, Paradise CA. See our Calendar for more information. General meeting programs usually include a qualified guest speaker or demonstration on a subject of interest to gardeners. Our club activities encompass many areas and activities.We urge you to volunteer and actively participate in committees and projects that interest you. You’ll quickly get acquainted with people who share your interests. Do join us! PGCI was organized in 1950 and incorporated on September 4, 1963. We federated with California Garden Clubs, Inc (CGCI) in 1992. We are:
a Standing Member of National Garden Clubs, Pacific Region Garden Clubs.
a Standing Member of California Garden Clubs, Inc., in the Buttes District.
a 501(c)3 (nonprofit) under the umbrella of the CGCI group tax-exemption program.
Our Flower: the redbud.
Our Logo: Emblem (shown in the banner of this webpage) and watering can (shown on the front page of each edition of The Watercan Post, our newsletter). Our Motto: “Coming together is the beginning. Working together is progress. Staying together is success.” Our Purpose, and we quote: “The object of this club shall be to devote its activities and funds to promote community interest in beautiful gardens, flower arrangements, landscaping, cultivation of horticulture and beautification of the community.” They also provide scholarships. Since 1998, Paradise Garden Club has consecutively given student scholarships, in varying
amounts, through Butte College Foundation to 2nd-year college students. Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better; major in horticulture, landscape, botany, or a related field; and be residents of Butte County. Students submit their applications to the Butte College Foundation beginning in March and extending over a six-week period. The Foundation screens the applications to fit the criteria submitted by the organizations (like ours), foundations, memorials, and families that offer scholarships. Applications then are sent out to the appropriate scholarship source. In our case,
applications are received by the PGCI Scholarship Chair. The Chair then forms a committee of three to choose the best applicants, and immediately notifies the Foundation Assistant of the Club’s choices.
The Foundation Assistant, in turn, notifies the students. An Annual Scholarship Reception at Butte College is arranged by the Foundation, usually in late August, for presentation of awarded scholarships.
Funds for these scholarships are derived from the Club’s Annual Garden Tourand from the plant sales and benefit drawings that take place at meetings of the general membership. To date (late 2017) we’ve awarded almost $55K in 66 scholarships.
For more information, I encourage you to visit their website, paradisegardenclub.org and see for yourself what this club has been silently doing for over 60 years.
Since 2008, they haveplanted over 160,000 daffodil bulbs on the ridge which is now considered the Paradise flower representing hope and renewal. If you are looking for something to do that is social, or serves our community or you just want to gain more knowledge about gardens and planting,or if you know someone in need of a scholarship, come and join us at a meeting. We welcome you. And if that’s not your thing then just honk your horn as you pass by the derrière’s in the air in appreciation of their hard work. It’s a sure bet they will stand up and wave at you with a big smiles on their faces. That my friends,
is a great way to create happiness.

Have a beautiful day,
Sandy