Lynn McCashin, executive director of the Garden Club of Virginia (Photo by Jay Paul)
For 100 years, the Garden Club of Virginia (GCV) has preserved the state’s green spaces, from the Shenandoah Valley to the Eastern Shore. With 47 local chapters and 3,500 members around the commonwealth, the nonprofit has a broad reach, which has helped to keep roadways beautiful; preserve historic gardens and state parks; create laws to protect native plantings; and advocate for clean air, clean water and responsible land use.
“Our mission is to celebrate the beauty of the land and observe the delights of nature, and challenge future generations to build on its beauty,” says Executive Director Lynn McCashin.
“We are looking at how we have impacted the community and what we can do to move forward and keep momentum,” McCashin says.
R•HOME: How would Virginia look different today without the club’s preservation and conservation efforts?
Lynn McCashin: We work to address issues that are concerning for all. Through the years, our advocacy for roadside beautification has had an impact on curbing a true proliferation of billboards, which is obvious when you travel from state to state and come back home.
Historic Garden Week brings tens of thousands of visitors to local communities around the state. The income from the tours is put back into restoring and preserving landscapes and historic gardens around the state.
R•HOME: In our neck of the woods, where can Richmonders see GCV’s restoration work?
McCashin: The garden at the Executive Mansion, Grace Arents Garden at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, St. John’s Mews, Maymont, and we’ve been working on a project at the Poe Museum.
R•HOME: What kind of educational aspect is there to the club?
McCashin: We have large educational events that appeal to the entire membership, smaller workshops for the local club chairmen, and larger conservation forums that are open to the public. Topics range from growing plants, advantages of native plants, trees, impact of pesticides, land use and land conservancy, clean water and invasive species. We are also lovers of flowers and flower arranging.
R•HOME: What kind of work do the local garden clubs do?
McCashin: Club projects include beautifying entrances to their city, establishing pollinator gardens, addressing environmental issues and planting community or school gardens. Here in Richmond, four local clubs have partnered to create the nonprofit Capital Trees to work on the 14th Street corridor, Great Shiplock Park and the Low Line along the Capital Trail.
R•HOME: How can someone join the garden club? And do you need to have a green thumb?
McCashin: You don’t have to be an expert arranger or gardener to join your local chapter. You can volunteer to help with public events and programs. … There are a lot of ways Richmonders can get involved.
