Our Community Connections

History of Our Club

The Guilderland Garden Club was founded in February 1964 by a group of women who loved gardening, flower design and making floral arrangements. Today, the Club includes men and women whose responsibilities and interests also include protection, conservation of and education regarding natural resources, i.e. air, water, forest, land and wildlife. Some members of the Club have won awards at local, state, national and international flower shows. In addition, some members hold the designation of Master Gardener and/or Master Flower Show Judge.

Our Club Officers for 2026/27, pictured right, are: (front row) Maureen McNamara, Co- President and 1st Vice President; (back row, l-r): Judi Golombiski, 2nd Vice President in charge of membership; Kris Vogt, Treasurer; Merril-Lee Lenegar, 2nd Vice President in charge of publicity; Linda Zell, Co-President. The Secretary position will rotate monthly.

If you would like to become a Member, please complete this form and return it to the address listed. We'd love to welcome you to our group!

Community Service

The Guilderland Garden Club contributes in many ways to enhance the quality of life in our Town.

• We designed and now maintain the gardens at both the Mynderse-Frederick House and the Schoolcraft House, both of which are open to the public to enjoy. Our Garden Committee members work diligently to provide the public with two beautiful gardens that reflect the integrity and history of these wonderful houses. Photos of these beautiful structures can be found on our Home Page.

• We participate in the annual I LOVE NY/Path Through History Day, an initiative in New York State that promotes over 700 historical sites and events, allowing visitors to explore the rich history of the state through themed attractions and special events. The Club hosts events at both garden locations for this celebration, conducting tours of the gardens and providing refreshments for the public.

• We participate in Hometown Heroes, a program that honors local veterans with large banners placed throughout the Town. The Club designs and donates a floral arrangement for the local town ceremony.

• As members of the local Chamber of Commerce, we participate in a variety of events in Town, increasing our visibility and recruiting new members.

• Donations are collected at each meeting for the Water for South Sudan Project to drill wells to bring clean, fresh water closer to the people of the region.

• All members participate in the annual fundraiser for the Guilderland Food Pantry. Club members donate a raffle basket and floral table arrangements. Monthly monetary and non-perishable item donations are given to both the Guilderland and Altamont food pantries.

• As a sponsor of the Altamont Fair, members participate by entering their plants, floral designs, artwork and crafts in the Fair's competitions. Also, the Club maintains an information table to educate the public about plants and horticulture and to recruit new members.

• Club members participate in the annual Cathedral in Bloom event at the Cathedral of All Saints in Albany, displaying their floral designs.

• The Club provides holiday wreaths at Blue Star Markers and Veterans' cemeteries in town.

Scholarship Fund 

The Guilderland Garden Club has established a Scholarship Fund for a $500 annual award to a High School Senior in one of the Guilderland District schools who will be studying a field of horticultural in college. We are again offering our Scholarship for 2026. The following local school districts are eligible to apply: Guilderland , Voorheesville and Berne-Knox-Westerlo. To apply, please contact your school’s guidance counselor for an application form. Send questions to the Guilderland Garden Club, PO Box 282, Guilderland Center, NY 12085, Attention: Linda Miller, contact us on the form below or email LAMiller416@gmail.com. Donations to our scholarship program are always welcome. If you would like to donate to our local students' future endeavors, please contact Linda Miller or mail checks to PO Box 282, Guilderland Center, NY 12085. Our students will thank you for your support!

Our 2025 Scholarship Award Winner, Josiah Tanner, is pictured, right, with Michael Piscitelli, Principal, Guilderland High School.

We raise funds for the local Food Pantries and other local charities. as well as for our Scholarship Program. Photo above: Garage Sale fundraiser.

Annually, the Club spruces up the gardens and creates floral arrangements for Our Lady of Mercy Nursing Home residents in Guilderland on Community Service Day (photo above).

We held a plant sale at Mynderse-Frederick House in 2025 for Path Through History Day (photo above)

Programs and Events for 2026/27

April 13 Meeting
Native Plants & Groundcovers

May 11 Meeting
On the Edge: The Harrowing Lives of Birds

Business meetings begin at 10 am at Guilderland Town Hall unless otherwise noted. Programs start at 11am and are open to the public. We meet on the second Monday of the month, April through November. Beginning in October, the Club is busy making ornaments for the Annual Greens Show which is held the first weekend of December. The Guilderland Garden Club sponsors many interesting speakers for our monthly meetings on such topics as cutting gardens, Bonsai, Shaker gardens, Vermicomposting, butterfly gardens, wildflowers and beekeeping. If you are considering becoming a Club Member, please feel free to come to a meeting and talk with one of us. We would love to have you join! We also plan day trips to local sights of interest. Please check back to this page as we announce additional programs/events.

Learn about easy to grow native perennials that can be added to your landscape to support pollinators and the environment. These plants will reduce your need to water and will eliminate the need for pesticides and herbicides. Also, learn about groundcovers which will reduce the need to weed, mulch or mow . Less work required in your gardens! Speaker: Carole Henry, Master Gardener Program Coordinator.

They fly! They sing! However, it often takes vigilance for birds to survive. In this program, we explore some of the strategies used by birds to successfully make their way in an often hostile environment. Also, learn how bird lovers and other citizens can help protect birds. A colorful PowerPoint presentation is included.
Speaker: Scott Stoner, Owner/Photographer, Naturelogues.

Carole Henry, left, speaking at our April meeting at Guilderland Town Hall.

June 20, NYS Path Through History,
Noon-4:00 p.m., Mynderse-Frederick House

July 2 Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony, 11:00 a.m., Colonial Medicinal Garden Schoolcraft House, Western Avenue, Route 20

May 28, Garden Therapy Day, 10 a.m.-Noon, Our Lady of Mercy Life Center Nursing Home, 2 Mercy Lane, Guilderland

June 12, 10 a.m.-Noon, Hometown Heroes, Guilderland Performing Arts Center

August 10 Meeting
Food Waste

How does food waste affect our environment and what can we do about it? Learn about the causes of our shifting climate and ways we can act to make our communities healthier and more resilient. Explore how food waste affects our climate and learn practical solutions that will allow us to make a difference.
Speakers: Will Lindau, Climate Resiliency Educator and Karen Roberts Mort, Resource Educator, Cornell Cooperative Extension

April 27, Garden Cleanup Day Mynderse-Frederick House

It was a beautiful day for members of the Club to prepare their lovely garden for the spring/summer blooms. The gardens are located at the Town's historic Mynderse-Frederick House in Guilderland Center and are open to the public. Picnic tables are available. Thanks to all who participated!

Pictured right at garden sign ( L-R kneeling): Theresa, Delia, Maureen, Nancy. Standing - L-R: Marguerite, Mary, Bunny, Laura, Edward, Linda W., Ann, Carol and Sharon. Not pictured: Sandy H. (garden chairperson), Linda M. and John.

Members will provide tours of the Garden and House and light refreshments will be available for the public. The event is sponsored by the Guilderland Garden Club and Guilderland Historical Society. Photo right: our Plant Sale 2025 on Path Thru History Day.

Members will spruce up the gardens for the residents and plant the raised beds. Volunteers are needed!

Craig Waltz, Club member and winner of many floral design competitions, will create the floral arrangement for the stage (see photo right of last year's arrangement).

October 19 Meeting
Winter Wellness: Kitchen and Garden Remedies

Explore the ways familiar herbs found in kitchen cabinets and gardens can support wellness during cold and flu season. Easy recipes and herb preservation techniques will be presented. Some delicious herbal teas will be available to sample!
Speaker: Vanessa Dale, Community Herbalist and Educator, Crimson Crow Botanicals

August 18-23, Altamont Fair

Members of the Club will host an information table in the Flower-Fine Arts Building to offer gardening tips and answer questions about Club membership. For more information about the Fair, visit their website at altamontfair.com.

Photo right: Past President Linda Miller and Congressman Paul Tonko at the 2025 Altamont Fair.

November 9 Meeting
Mynderse-Frederick House, 10 a.m.
Planning Meeting for Greens Show

The final planning will take place in preparation for our annual Greens Show.

December Open House and Greens Show

Friday, December 4, 4-8 p.m.
Saturday, December 5, 1-5 p.m.
Sunday, December 6, 1-5 p.m.
Please go to the Open House page for more details. Photo right: Mynderse-Frederick House 2025 Open House.

Guilderland showcases its new herb garden! Celebrating the 250th Anniversary of our Country, Guilderland's REV 250 Committee will be having a celebration showcasing their newly added herb garden. The celebration takes place at the Schoolcraft House at 11 a.m.

Open House and Greens Show

In 1975 the Guilderland Garden Club and Guilderland Historical Society began decorating the Mynderse-Frederick House on Route 146 in Guilderland Center for a holiday greens show and open house. Planning for what has become an annual free community event begins in late summer. The decorations, wreaths and most of the refreshments are made by Club members and each year the show has a different theme. The decorations at the House have earned the Club awards for Historic Decoration and Preservation. We thank everyone who has attended over the years! This year's event is scheduled for December 4, 4-8pm; December 5, 1-5pm; and December 6, 1-5pm.

The 2025 show, "Winter Whites and Lights," once again highlighted the historic Mynderse-Frederick House, filled with decorations, fragrant fresh greens and handmade ornaments made by Club members. We recruited student volunteers from the local high school to assist on Open House Day. Free refreshments, musical entertainment and tours of the house were available and, of course, Santa stopped by for a visit! Ornaments, floral arrangements, decorated wreaths, raffle baskets and other crafts were sold. A portion of the proceeds were donated to community organizations, our Scholarship Fund for local high school students and our local food pantries. Please see photos below from the 2025 show. We thank you for attending and supporting our community events.