Iris Garden Club

Webmaster's Note:  I do not know the date or paper of publication of the following article.  Lillie Mae Ellison contributed stories to both the Jackson Herald and the Gainesville Times.  If you know the date and/or origin of the piece, please contact me.

Seasons Bring Floral Surprises in Maysville
By LILLIE MAE ELLISON

 MAYSVILLE—For the past few weeks the center of Maysville has worn an eye-catching décor in red and white…a dress admired by local citizens, visitors to the town, and especially by a group of ladies whose efforts have resulted in the spot of beauty.

The Iris Garden Club, organized a number of years ago with ten members, has had as a continuing project the Memorial Park area in the center of Maysville.  This spring, Spartan Floribunda rose bushes were set out by Mrs. R. M. Pounds and her committee, and have joined last fall’s more than 300 Easter lily additions to the garden in creating a floral spectrum for all who behold to admire.

The club has served and is serving a three-fold purpose as it seeks to beautify the town:  To reward the town’s inhabitants, to provide a special treat for  the stranger passing through, and to give club members a feeling of having improved the community.

Since almost all communities have unfilled needs for improvement, the logical formula is for interested citizens to organize with the common interest in their minds and seek opportunity to improve the situation.  Work begins, and the rewarding evidence is sure to follow.

The Iris Garden Club dates back to the early forties when homemakers needed information on when and how to plant, prune and landscape their yards.  It began as a “come-as-you-are” get-together or an exchange organization in which members discussed and exchanged plants, bulbs, shrubs and information.

The first club meeting was held at the home of the late Mrs. Belle Nunn, with the following charter members present: Mrs. W. H. Wiley, Mrs. R. M. Pounds, Mrs. Tressie Arnold, Mrs. L. W. Eberhart, Mrs. Otto Stephens, Mrs. Lillie Underwood, the late Mrs. Nunn, Mrs. C. W. McCurdy, Mrs. Billie Pittman and Mrs. Hattie Reynolds.  Mrs. Wiley was named president of the organization and Mrs. Otto Stephens served as the first secretary.  On that first meeting day the name Iris Garden Club was chosen.

Through the years, members of the club have gained and beautified their yards from the exchange of plants and ideas.  They have learned new techniques from guest speakers who have visited their meetings.

Shortly after its organization, the club met with town officials to discuss a clean-up project.  Permission was granted for the club to use the land lying in the center of town for a park, and much thought and work was devoted to the project.  Grass, shrubs, and flowers were planted and a granite marker was purchased to commemorate and honor local boys and girls who served in World War II.  The spot now serves as a memorial area.

New projects spring from the initial one, and since the club changed the park from a weed patch to a garden of flowers and plants, they have fenced it in and painted the posts, purchased park benches, added cement tables and other benches, and contributed more and more varieties of flowers.

A few years ago, hundreds of tulip bulbs were bought and added to the garden.  Each spring, the tulip display is a thing of beauty displaying many hues of the rainbow colors.  Last fall, Ms. Cora Simmons gave the 300 lily bulbs, which she planted in the park with the assistance of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Webb.

The club contributes to another noteworthy project: Sunrise Cemetery.  Each member pays two monthly dues rather than the customary one.  The first is used for the Iris Garden Club; the second for beautification of the cemetery.  Miss Cora Simmons supervises the cemetery work.

So goes the story of an interesting club with a three-fold goal resulting in a manifold reward.  The club continues to grow, both in membership and in achievement, setting an example that any club, community, town or city would do well to follow.

Photo description: A few of the roses and lilies now in bloom in Maysville’s Memorial Park, begun and maintained by Iris Garden Club, are pictured with the club’s first president, Mrs. W. H. Wiley, Mrs. R. M. Pounds, and Miss Cora Simmons, all of whom have been instrumental in making the garden one of Maysville’s most beautiful spots.  Mrs. Paul Webb, current president of the club, was assisting with Vacation Bible School and could not be present for the picture.